Canterlot was quiet, very quiet, every elegant building decked in black bunting like mourners at a funeral. Pictures of a certain purple unicorn mare were everywhere, surrounded by dark cloth, hanging in every window, and every lamp post. The autumn night was just falling, a hint of snow on the air, and stars brilliantly speckling the sky above as the sun gave way to the half moon. It was a still night, with nary a breath of wind, but in one of the reflection ponds in one particular park, ripples broke the rising moonlight shining across its liquid surface. The ripples had no source, nothing to cause them, but they broke the stillness of the pool with a sound like glass breaking slowly. They increased in speed and intensity until a shape burst out of the water with a tremendous gasp and a sound like a smashing pane of glass. It paddled awkwardly to the shore, then lay on the muddy ground, panting. After a few minutes of this, the figure pulled itself upright, and with a soft glow of magic, Twilight Sparkle cleaned and dried herself off.

Slate sighed, the gray pegasus severely bored as he guarded the main castle entrance. He was a relatively new addition to the Royal Guard, and the endless guard duties palled to the stallion, who could think of numerous ways his night could be better spent, many of them involving parties. He was of middle height, lean and fit, with a blond mane and grey coat that mirrored his eyes perfectly, and so tremendously bored he was counting the planks in the drawbridge for what felt like the seventy billionth time. It was a particularly somber evening, as befitted Memorial Night, but with everypony attending the official speech in the palace, even his own guard partner, nopony was going to be crossing the drawbridge.

As if to mock his surety, Slate's ears perked at the sound of running hooves, and looking around, he spotted a dark figure running straight for the gate. She was leggy, with a long, sharp horn and slender build, and her mane flicked in the wind strangely as she ran, like purple fire. He quickly snapped back to attention, just in time for the tall, dark unicorn mare to wrap her forelegs around his neck briefly in a hug. "Uh... Ma'am?" Slate asked, utterly confused.

"Slate! Oh Slate it is you isn't it?" The hug was warm and soft, and scented with the acrid tang of burning paper for some reason. The figure released the puzzled guard and shook her head, "I wish I could stay and chat, Slate, but I have to go in. I absolutely must see the Princess, can you tell her I'm coming?"

"Tell her who-..." The guard trailed off as he slowly recognized the visitor's cutie mark: a six-pointed star with five smaller stars around it. Twilight Sparkle apparently took his sputter for assent, kissed his cheek lightly and charged past him. The gray pegasus sat down gently and stared off into the distance, unable to form a coherent thought for the terror that had filled his mind, while the purple unicorn, terror of a thousand nightmares, ran past him into the castle.

After a moment, Ash, his guard duty partner came by to check on him with a basket full of buffet goodies balanced on his back. Ash was a light grey unicorn stallion, but his coat was a little lighter, and the mischief in his golden eyes often got him into significant trouble. As a result, though he was several years senior to Slate, he often had the same patrol and guard schedules. Now, he had apparently stolen half the buffet, and grinned at his fellow guard, "Hey Slate, I brought you some... Hey, what is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Slate stared at his partner, his faculties slowly returning at the reassuring sight of the light gray unicorn stallion, "T-T-Twilight S-Sparkle.” At the uncomprehending look of his partner, Slate repeated, “Twilight Sparkle, the Twilight Nightmare. S-sh-she just... She's b-back! She's... She just charged in there! Sound the alarm!"

Prisons were terrifying, Twilight discovered. They stank of darkness and fear, and all the little sounds kept you from sleeping properly. She wondered what she was in prison for, or why Princess Luna had been giving a speech, or why there had been pictures of her hanging up around the palace, surrounded by black cloth. She wondered a lot of things, but mostly she just wondered. It was either that or listen to the little voices cropping up from the darkness. The darkness was talking to her, specifically, talking about all the terrible things that happened in this castle. She started muttering back after a while, her willpower waning, and she felt her panic starting to ooze out of control.

After a while, two voices sounded outside, guards with voices Twilight faintly recognized, talking with each other. "I can't believe there isn't gonna be a trial even...” That was Locksmith, Twilight realized, and she could almost see the concern on the old white pegasus' face as he continued in his worried voice, “You think she really is Twilight Sparkle? I mean, we saw her hang!"

Twilight's face paled at that, while a more nasal, younger voice continued, "Yeah, but they say she teleported out somehow.” She felt sure that was Bright Wing, the black pegasus had just started in the Guard when she had been taken, and now his rather more mature voice continued, “Were you at the hanging?"

"Celestia no,” Locksmith said with some disgust, “I knew her when she was just a filly. I just couldn't, even after what she'd done to the Princess."

"Me neither...” Bright Wing said while Twilight's confusion and alarm began to skyrocket, “Still, this time she can't go anywhere, not with the new magical blocks in place. It'll be a shame though. She was always nice to me. It’s hard to believe she..." Bright Wing trailed off into a sigh.

"Yeah...” Locksmith said sadly, and Twilight felt the sorrow in his tone, while the shadows around her whispered with her despair, “Anyway, g'night Bright Wing."

"Night Locksmith," Bright Wing said, before the light and the sounds of hooves faded into the distance, leaving Twilight alone with her thoughts.

Twilight was in shock. A hanging? Her hanging? For what? What had she done to merit the ultimate sentence? Nopony was ever hanged in this day and age. It was unheard of, the worst punishment that Twilight had ever seen exacted was an escort to the border and permanent banishment. She had to get out of here, she just had to, to clear her name or at least find out what it was she did. So, reluctantly, she spoke softly with the shadows that had been gently whispering for her attention. She reached an agreement with them, and fell into a slumber. The room seemed to get darker as she fell deeper into sleep, and descended into her dreams.

Twilight ran through impossible architecture, chased by an unseen horror up stairs made of books that led onto a wall, also made of books, and from there to the arched ceiling, with more books. She kept several steps ahead of the Librarian behind her, using the secret ways she'd learned to cross quickly and efficiently through places too small for easy pursuit. She would have to dive into the fountain to escape, but this time she wasn't trying to. She instead turned the corner, relying on dream-logic and dove through a round window that seemed curiously out of place.

She landed into the middle of a brightly colored party, in which, most disturbingly, everything turned to look at her. The chairs, balloons, tables, confections, plates, silverware, everything had a face on it and was smiling at her merrily. "A GUEST!" the whole room said at once, and soon Twilight was being ushered through the room to the dance floor, which was dancing merrily, insofar as a giant square of wood could be merry, with a familiar pink earth pony.

Pinkie Pie turned, laughing as a chair bumped her to get her attention, and stopped at the sight of Twilight. The whole party froze as Pinkie stared at her friend, "T-Twilight?” Pinkie stammered softly, before switching to a full excited squeal, “TWILIGHT?! IT'S YOU!" She leapt for Twilight, and then they both woke up, with Pinkie hugging Twilight tightly in the middle of her darkened room, laughing and crying, "Oh I knew you'd come back, I knew it, they never believed me but I knew it! Oh but you've changed, Twi!" She pulled back and looked her friend up and down, "Taller, pointier, and a little... Less here, but I love your mane. It's all flamey and crackly. And I love the way it makes words. You're making words you know, they’re trailing off you like cobwebs! It's pretty, and creepy, but mostly pretty. Oh but it's so good to see you!" She pulled Twilight into another hug.

Twilight meanwhile was still trying to sort out her friend's reaction, which had been a far cry from the instant imprisonment she'd met with, and with the fact that Pinkie just sort of accepted her appearing in her dreams without question. "P-Pinkie," Twilight tried as she gently pushed Pinkie away and smiled, "It's very very good to see you, but... I just escaped from the castle. Mister and Missus Cake will get in trouble if I stay here much longer and I need to know: what's with all the pictures of me everywhere, and why was I arrested when I walked into Canterlot? What's going on, Pinkie?"

Pinkie sighed and looked away, avoiding Twilight’s gaze before answering, "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that... It's a long story, Twi, and not very nice at all." at Twilight's concerned look, she shook her head and said sadly, "Alright Twilight, but you're not gonna like it, not one bit." She curled up on the bed and closed her eyes for a moment before beginning, "After you left, another pony took your place. She was a mean meany-pants, and not like a real pony at all: she had a pumpkin for a head, and a body made of sticks held together with spider silk, but nopony else seemed to notice! I tried to tell them, but nopony would listen to me, so I... I left. Once I was gone, the not-Twilight started gathering ponies to herself, not nice ponies, but mercenaries and thugs. I didn't even know there were so many of them, but she brought enough of them to attack the palace, but the Royal Guard were ready for her."

Pinkie's hair started to deflate slowly as she told the story, while her vocabulary expanded unconsciously, "Most of the Guard were wiped out by... by her followers... She personally tore apart seventy-two Royal Guards and managed to critically injure Princess Celestia before Princess Luna was able to restrain her magic." Twilight gasped unconsciously, and Pinkie's tone lowered further, laced with sorrow and hurt. "With Princess Celestia out of commission, Princess Luna ordered the not-Twilight hanged for high treason and murder. At the gallows, she declared she would return again, and then they hanged her, and she turned back into sticks and junk. I mean," Pinkie amended while Twilight stared, dumbfounded and horrified, “She was always sticks and junk, but it was like the other ponies couldn't see until she died.” The pink earth pony took a breath and continued, "Afterwards, Princess Celestia was horrified by what her sister had done, and declared the day the not-Twilight was hanged to be a day of mourning in the capital. She and her sister haven't really spoken since. That was about three years ago."

Twilight blinked several times in the wake of Pinkie's story, then slowly took her friend into a hug, unable to think of any response. Princess Celestia wounded? A strange creature taking her shape? She was sad and angry, happy to be back, but terrified she'd be killed for something she didn't do, and most of all she missed her friends, oh how she missed her friends. It was wonderful to see Pinkie Pie, but she had to see the others too. "Pinkie," she said softly, "I have to go, I don't want to get you or Mister and Missus Cake in trouble,"

"Mister and Missus Cake? Oh silly Twilight, we're not in Ponyville, I moved out of there when you left. It's safe enough here," Pinkie said, her good humor returning as she giggled and walked over to the window, "Welcome Twilight, to Manehattan!" She pulled open the curtains to reveal the city outside, which was also decked in black bunting and pictures of Twilight. Unfortunately, rather than being the awe-inspiring sight that Pinkie had hoped for, something broke inside Twilight. She started chuckling softly, then laughing, then steadily turned to sobs. Twilight cried for the torment she had endured. She cried for the injustice of her return, for the harm her face had caused and for the sake of the world in general.