Two terrified muggers, one Juice Cup and Thick Muscle sat in a Royal Guard interrogation room, spilling their guts about the impossible: Twilight Sparkle returned and terrorizing the unlawful with unholy magics. Lieutenant Pumpkin Spice, a beige unicorn with a gift for crime solving, was about to give them a little jail time for the admitted mugging and leave it at that, when Sergeant Cupcake, a rather fat earth pony that resembled his namesake, came running in. In his mouth the rotund sergeant held a scroll bearing the royal seal, that he spat out at the lieutenant's hooves, “Lieutenant, Lieutenant! Scroll here from Canterlot, new orders I think. Chief Lump insisted everypony get a copy.” Pumpkin Spice sighed, Chief Lump liked to spread royal orders around, the unfortunately named pony simply delighted in spreading around ill news with a large pointy shovel. Lieutenant Pumpkin Spice levitated and opened the scroll magically, reading the contents,

Members of the Royal Guard,

Twilight Sparkle has returned. Be on alert for a purple unicorn with a purple mane with a single pink stripe running through her hair. Her cutie mark is a six-pointed starburst with five white stars around it. If she is found, do not engage her directly unless civilians are in danger, her power is not to be trifled with. I expect this knowledge to remain within the ranks of the Royal Guard, who will do everything in their power to recapture Sparkle with the minimum of public attention.

H.R.H.

Princess Luna

Lieutenant Pumpkin Spice stared at the letter, then back at the interrogation room, an eager gleam forming in his eye as the case began to become more than just a simple mugging. “This just got a bit more interesting,” he said softly before re-entering the room with the two terrified suspects.

“Wait, she did what?!” Twilight exclaimed after Fluttershy had come in, kissed her as well, and then hugged her after she had confirmed that she did not, in fact, taste like pumpkin.

Rainbow Dash coughed, blushing, “Yeah, she tried to get all of us, like in a harem or something. Every time she kissed one of us though it tasted like pumpkin for some reason, so we had to be sure, with magic and all. Anyway, when none of us went for it, she left and then came back with that army. Funny thing though, she didn't seem to think she needed an army 'til she visited Pinkie, she didn't look at all well after that.”

“Speaking of,” Twilight said, trying to change the topic so her face would stop burning, “How's Pinkie?”

Fluttershy shook her head, “It's not good, she's going to have to go into the hospital immediately, but once she's there she should be fine. The bigger problem is what to do with you, Twilight.”

“I agree,” chimed in Rarity, “You do kind of stand out with the flaming hair and all, and Princess Luna is bound to be hunting for you, until we can explain matters anyway. Fortunately,” and Rarity reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a large dress of some sort, which she levitated over to Twilight, “I came prepared, darling. Now put this on, and go to Ponyville, the authorities will be here soon. Find Applejack, she'll be able to help you. And... It's wonderful to see you, we missed you,” Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy all hugged their friend, who, tears in her eyes, put on the dress, which was a beautiful dark purple, almost black, with black amethysts at the chest and around the fringe, then teleported out to the rooftop. From up on the roof, the city was beautiful: the glittering lights, dark rooftops, distant sounds of life. She whispered softly to the shadows and, dissolving like dust on the breeze, she descended into the collective unconsciousness around her.

Dream-walking is an art-form, and, as a consequence, Twilight more or less tumbled her way through the dreams of those around her. She wandered through a foalish dreamscape of crayon-colored flowers, into a nightmare about being late for class, where she briefly passed a foal running frantically through the city, looking for his school. From there the dreams became more mature, with rolling in money, succeeding in business and, once Twilight had to sneak through a boudoir in which a very intimate dream was taking place that made the rather impressionable purple unicorn blush tremendously. Finally, after rolling through several bizarre dreams, one of which included a tea party with talking lemons, she found a dream about Sweet Apple Acres, its rolling orchards unmistakably beautiful in the autumn light. She looked around, hoping to find the owner of the dream, but felt the dreamscape starting to unravel as the sleeper woke up. She whispered to the shadows under the trees and felt herself drift out of the dreamscape, the real world materializing around her like shapes in smoke.

She shook her head and took a hard hoof to the jaw as Applejack woke up, saw a looming shape over her bed in the middle of the night and panicked. Twilight hit the floor hard, but the kick had been blindly inaccurate, and only clipped the unicorn's jaw, which was still sufficient to send her spinning to the floor. Applejack sat bolt upright and leapt at the lurker, pinning Twilight to the floor, “Alright you lil' sneak-thief, what're you doing in mah bedroom an' gimmie one good reason ah shouldn't jus' buck you right outta mah window.”

“Um... Because Rarity would get upset if you ruined this dress?” Twilight tried, grinning uncertainly, still a little dazed, she shook her head and stared at the astonished look on Applejack's face as she recognized her friend. Before anything awkward happened, Twilight added quickly, “The others all... Uh... Tasted me already, I don't taste like pumpkin, so I'm... I'm me?”

Applejack snorted and moved away from her friend before helping her up, “'Course you ain't, otherwise Rarity wouldn't have given you th' dress. 'Sides, you didn' try to molest me in mah sleep, or kill me, and you didn' set the house on fire, so you probably ain't her. What're you doing here though sugarcube?”

“I was staying with Pinkie Pie but... She got sick, so I had to get help, and-”

“Wait, Pinkie Pie's sick?” Applejack frowned, “Why wasn't I told? Is she gonna be alright?”

“Um... It only happened this morning, Applejack, I was in Manehattan up until just now when I-”

“AJ!” At that moment, Big Macintosh burst through the door, or rather the door flew off its hinges and knocked Twilight over in the process when he rammed it at full speed in his haste to get to his sister. “AJ come on, come quick! Applebloom went into th' Forest!”

Applejack snorted at her brother, keeping a hoof on the door pinning Twilight down to remind her to stay still, she wasn't sure if Big Mac would take Twilight's reappearance well. “That silly filly goes inta the Forest all th' time to visit Zecora, I'm sure she's-” Applejack broke off as Big Mac tossed down a very familiar-looking hair ribbon, that was spotted with blood.

“Zecora found it on the way to her hut. Wouldn't say much more, only that we needed powerful magic to save her, and iron.” Big Mac's clipped delivery only served to emphasize the dire import of his words.

At that last word however, Applejack felt Twilight twitch under the door. She scowled, “We've got that. Big Mac, gather up all th' iron you can in town, ah'm gonna get ready. Ah know a few unicorns ah'd trust in a fight ah can call on, so get on and go get th'iron.” Big Macintosh nodded and galloped out. Applejack put the door back into its frame and stood there for a moment, while Twilight stood up slowly, “Twi, ah don't know if it's really you or if you somehow bamboozled all the others, but ah know mah lil sister's in trouble an' ah'm bettin' you know why.” She turned and glared at her friend, not out of anger, but fear for her sister, “So tell me Twilight, what ah gotta do an' ah'll do it.”

Twilight stared at the earth pony for a long moment, then sighed, “Applejack, this... This thing is beyond anypony, except maybe the Princesses, or...” She frowned, thinking, “Or me... Maybe.”

Applejack's ears perked a little, “Maybe? Whaddya mean?”

“The creature that took your sister, if Zecora's advice is any guide, is probably the same one that stole me three years ago. He's not a pony, or a living creature, really. He's...” Twilight frowned, “You know those nightmares you have, where you're running from something, but no matter how fast you run it's always right behind you?” Applejack nodded slowly, “Well, he's the embodiment of that, and he's been capturing beings that stray into the forest for years and selling them to beings like him. I can find him, and save your sister, but I don't think you should follow.” Twilight winced in anticipation of the outburst that was to follow.

“NOT FOLLOW?! She's mah sister Twilight! Ah'll go wherever ah have to, and buck the livin' lights outta anypony that-” The orange earth pony was silenced by her friend's hoof against her lips.

“Applejack, I know, but I can't let you. If you go, you'll get taken too, then who'd look after the farm? I, however... Well I just got back from there, in a way, and the things I've seen...” Twilight couldn't stop a small shiver from running through her, “... Well I'd rather nopony else saw them. How about this: if I'm not back by tomorrow, well, I don't know, but Pinkie might, so ask her if I don't come back.” Applejack frowned, not liking such a vague plan, but at that moment Big Macintosh called that he'd brought all the iron horseshoes he could find, and Applejack nodded to her friend.

“You'd best be right, sugarcube.”