1055 AD, November 12th

Cryptic stretched his jaws wide to let loose a powerful yawn, eyes clenching shut from the force.

“Arrgghh…” He gave a shake of his head as he passed by the locked doors. “Who even does… ‘things’ at nine in the morning?”

He had expected to be actually doing something worthwhile when he joined the Eclipse – perhaps involving those cool weapons down at the courtyard – but all his superior ever gave him was the same duty, every day.

Guard the Element bearers’ cells, guard the Element bearers’ cells – oh, you thought you were getting a new duty? Nope – go guard the Element bearers’ stupid cells.

‘You know what? Fair enough, I guess, but put my shift at a later time so I don’t frickin’ fall asleep!’

Of course he couldn’t complain about it.

Well… he could, but nopony actually listened to him.

Shame – he had some good ideas.

“Excuse me… good sir?”

“What’s what?”

Cryptic looked around the empty corridor before looking towards the door he had stopped in front of. He was ninety percent sure it was the cell for the purple-haired banshee.

“Um…” Looking around again to make sure nopony else was watching, Cryptic leaned in towards the door, one eyebrow arched quizzically. “Yeah? Did you say something?”

“Yes, I… I really don’t mean to be a bother, but it’s quite an emergency,” Her voice was soft and slightly muffled; Cryptic had to place his ear close to the door’s keyhole to hear her clearly. “My personal hygiene is at stake, you see.”

“How so?”

“The shower is on the fritz; I haven’t been able to get the blasted contraption to work for a full day now,” He heard her give a melancholic sigh. “I’ve asked the other guards, but they’ve ignored me. You’re the only one kind enough to stop and listen.”

“Yeah, the others are kinda… huge pricks.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve a hoof for being a handystallion? I would be very much obliged.”

Cryptic did know some basic repairs and his natural instinct as a stallion was to help a mare in need. However, the mare in question just so happened to be a prisoner, and call him crazy, but he had a feeling the Empress wouldn’t be too happy about anypony entering their cells without her knowledge.

‘But who’s gonna know? Nopony comes around until twelve and it won’t take long to have a look at the shower. Besides, she’s sick or some shit; nothing you can’t handle if she gets rowdy.’

“Yeah, sure, but I want you as far away from the door when I come in. Get it?” Lighting up his horn, Cryptic telekinetically lifted the keys dangling from his side and jingled them so she could hear.

“Yes, of course – I shan’t attempt a thing while you see to the shower. You have my word.”

Cryptic waited for a bit for her to get away from the door before unlocking it and entering the cell.

‘Cell’ was a bit misleading in his opinion; the interior was much nicer than his apartment, and the sight made him bristle.

‘How the hell do these mares get better quarters than me?’

Across the plush carpet, the mare – Generosity, was it? Rarity, then – was balanced on her hind legs and had her forehooves pressed against the wall.

The position was very flattering from his point of view.

Rarity craned her neck so she was looking at him from over her shoulder, smiling shyly. “I hope this is satisfactory?”

‘Oh, you have no idea…’

“Yeah, just stay there…” Cryptic turned to close and lock the door again before trotting over to the bathroom. “And I’ll have a look at that shower.”

The bathroom was just as fancy as the rest of the room and it had an overwhelming fragrance – something akin to lavender and the like. He located the shower – one of those stalls with glass walls and a detachable shower head – and started off by turning the taps.

Nothing.

“Hm…”

He briefly looked over his shoulder to confirm that Rarity hadn’t snuck up on him before using magic to mess with shower head’s hose.

“Why are you…?”

He gave a few sharp tugs on the hose and something rattled in the wall. Frowning, he pulled the hose in different directions, and was rewarded with a dribble of hot water from the shower head.

With another hum of thought, Cryptic twisted the taps off, pulled the hose in that same direction, and then quickly cranked the taps to full blast.

The stream of water was weak and cold – very cold, his hooves protested – at first, but repeating the action finally achieved the results he was looking for. With a nod of satisfaction, he placed the shower head back, and walked back out into the room.

“All fixed,” Truthfully, he didn’t know exactly what he did to fix it, but it worked and made him look good, so who was he to complain? “Some of the parts were misaligned or something.”

“Oh, you are a gem!” Rarity preened happily, smiling in gratitude. “Truly, you are. It’s been so hectic for me these past days and the shower is… well, as childish as it sounds, that was the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’, as they say.”

He liked the smile she sent him and he puffed out his chest with pride and smirked back. “Ah, it was nothing.”

“Perhaps for you, but…” Her smile waned somewhat and she shook her head. “Oh, you probably don’t want to hear me complain.”

“No, no – go on,” He’d grin through her woes if it meant more time to ogle her toned thighs and healthy flank. “I don’t mind.”

“You’re too kind. Obviously, this ring on my horn is causing duress, even with the medicine the physician prescribed, but it’s something I can tolerate,” Once more, she shook her head with a sad sigh. “No, it’s the little things. You see, even in my old cell, I had a friend to keep me company. This cell…” She gestured to the room. “It is nicer, but I’m so lonely. I’m a creature of social interaction and accustomed to the noise of the crowd, so this isolation is… stifling.”

She darkly laughed in self-depreciation and dropped back down onto all fours, only to turn and sit with her back against the wall.

“Ugh, I’m so pathetic…”

Cryptic’s natural urge to comfort a damsel in distress – especially one so pretty – took over and he trotted closer, enough that he could smell her alluring scent.

“You’re lonely, huh?”

“Yes…” Her bottom lip trembled and she held her face in her hooves, groaning miserably. “I suppose I just want somepony to talk to, to communicate with…”

Blood rushed to Cryptic’s cheeks when the beautiful mare looked over at him, eyes shining. Oh, but he was a sucker for eyes like that.

“To hold me…”

The volume of her voice lowered to a husky contralto that made his hormones boil to the surface. Incidentally, it also drowned out the part of his mind telling him that something was seriously off about this scenario.

‘But Faust, she totally wants me; when’s the next time I’m gonna get with somepony this smokin’ hot?’

“Ah heh…” Rarity blushed cutely and played with her mane. She turned to stare at the floor. “Oh my, what’s gotten into me? I’m not usually like this, but you’re so… We shouldn’t…”

Though not a particularly suave stallion, the grace with which Cryptic swept in and gently caressed her face, turning her surprised face towards him, was nothing short of romantic.

“I don’t mind…”

She hesitated, teeth worrying at her bottom lip, before she pressed her mouth against his with breath-taking passion.

‘Heh heh – score!’

Making sure their lips were locked together, Cryptic lifted her with both magic and physical strength, and carried her over to the bed. The sudden weight made the springs creak, but he was beyond caring, and broke the kiss so he could nip at her neck.

She moaned aloud and squeaked adorably when he trailed down her belly. Sitting back, he started taking off his armor – a feat that was very difficult considering his heated state of mind – while Rarity giggled and coyly spread her legs.

‘Fuck it.’

Deciding to deal with the armor later, Cryptic licked his lips as he bent down, muzzle inches away from-

WHAM

“Huff… huff… huff…”

Rarity’s throbbing forehoof shook as she examined the unconscious stallion lying on the floor, knocked clean off the bed from the force of her blow.

When she confirmed that he was most definitely out for the count, she whimpered and shuddered violently, feeling dirty.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…”

‘No, now’s not the time, Rarity; your friends are depending on you. Remember Luna’s plan.’

“Ah, Luna’s… Right, Luna’s plan… Luna’s…” She took a deep breath and rubbed at her face vigorously. “Luna’s plan…”

She took another second to compose herself and then hopped off the bed to snatch the keys hanging from the guard’s hip. She raced over to the door, fumbled twice in her rush to unlock it before finally succeeding, and cautiously looked out into the corridor.

‘Nopony there – just as she said.’

Time was key and with that in mind, Rarity rushed to the door on her immediate right, knocked five times – three, beat, two – and unlocked it before moving on to do the same for the other four.

By the time she finished unlocking the last door, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were already out, and the two wasted no time in giving her a sorely-needed hug.

“Ohmigosh, you are, like, the most badass girly-girl in Equestria!” Rainbow Dash laughed as she squeezed her tight.

Applejack was more sensitive and gently said, “You did good, Rares. Are you okay?”

“Oh, more than okay, darling,” She replied and gladly nuzzled Pinkie Pie when the hyperactive mare zipped in to join the hug. “Now that you’re all here by my side.”

“I’m so proud of you.” Fluttershy said from somewhere between Pinkie and Applejack.

It would have been easy for them to stay there for a while, revelling in the safety of each other’s company, but they knew there were greater things at stake. The five mares parted with some reluctance and got ready for the next phase of their task.

“Princess Luna said this here’s th’ route with th’ least amount of guards,” Applejack pulled a folded piece of paper from underneath her hat and spread it out on the floor. On it was a crudely drawn map of the castle. “We follow these directions an’ we’ll find where they’ve been holdin’ Princess Celestia.”

“Oh!”

Free of the obsidian ring, Rarity let out a sigh of untold relief and nuzzled Fluttershy gratefully as the shy pegasus spat the cruel object onto the floor. “Thank you, dearie,” She then turned to Pinkie. “Now, I know this may be a tad… difficult for you, but we must remain quiet.”

“No problemo!” Pinkie saluted her and made a zipping motion across her mouth. “These lips will stay sealed! Except for that. And that. And that. And-”

“Yes, I understand, really.”

Applejack’s expression became serious as she looked to each of her friends. “Ah don’t mean ta be worryin’ ya’ll, but we can’t fail this. If we do… well, ah think we can all agree tha’ Nightmare Moon won’t be merciful.”

“Hell yeah!” Rainbow Dash smiled wickedly and placed her hoof between them. “Who’s ready to kick some ass?”

One by one, four other hooves laid themselves on top of hers.

“Ready as a bun in the oven!”

“Sure as apple pie we will!”

“Nothing shall get in our way!”

“Yay…”

“Sister, they should be out by now.”

“I worry for them, Luna.”

“They are strong; they will find you.”

“I have no doubt in their strength, but they should not have to do this in the first place. I should have beaten her.”

“Do not blame yourself, sister; she is, and has always been, my mistake. It pains me that you all suffer because of me.”

“This isn’t something you will shoulder alone, Luna. We will not fight each other this time, but against her, together. Just like old times.”

“Will you be ready?”

Celestia came out of her stupor and when she opened her eyes, the cold and damp air of her cell heated to a degree that would be uncomfortable to anypony else.

“Must you ask?”

Two Eclipse guards patrolling the hallways turned a corner and came across a plate of cookies sitting near a supply closet.

“… Ooh!” The earth pony of the pair licked his lips and made for the treats, only for his companion to swiftly yank him back by the tail. “Ow!”

The pegasus spat his tail out and shook her head admonishingly. “Seriously?”

“But it’s-”

“Seriously?”

“… Yeah, okay.”

“Come on – let’s go tell our-”

CLANG

CLANG

“Tee-hee! Night-night!” Pinkie giggled and stored the frying pan back into her mane.

The supply closet’s door swung open and five mares – three already suited up in ‘confiscated armor’ – exited.

“Pinkie, ah have no idea how ya’ll do tha’, but ah’m so glad ya can,” Applejack sent her friend a grin of approval before quickly setting to work. “Hey, Rares – this one’s yer size.”

“Please hurry…” Fluttershy squeaked and glanced into the closet to check on the three stripped and unconscious guards. Her helmet slid forwards and blocked her eyes, forcing her to push it back up as she added, “I-I think we’re a l-little behind. W-we’re still on time for the plan, right? Oh dear…”

“Maybe a minute or two…” Rainbow Dash said without thinking and then flinched when she noticed her friend’s alarmed expression. “But we’re still cool! Don’t freak out, okay? Just, uh… Do that breathing thing Twilight does.”

As Fluttershy started copying the relaxation technique, Applejack and Rarity – both now clad in armor – dragged the guards over to the closet and rather unceremoniously chucked them in with the others.

“Dash’s right…” Applejack adjusted her helmet as Rarity shut and locked the door. “Tha’ last patrol was late, so we’re a mite behind. We need ta pick up th’ pace or somepony’s gonna wonder where their buddies ran off to. Remember – stay in yer pairs, keep yer heads down, an’ ah’ll bring up th’ rear.”

Luna had droned the route to take into their dreams, so they all had a good idea where to go even without Applejack reading the map. Rarity and Pinkie were the first to pair up and trot down the corridor, and when they turned the corner, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash followed, the latter having tucked her tail into her armor.

It looked suspicious, but her colours were simply too unique and telling to go unseen.

‘Thank heavens those girls ain’t bouncin’ and faintin’.’

Once the two disappeared around the corner, Applejack trotted along with a nervous swallow.

She’d been dreading this part of the plan: to have to let her friends go out of sight, limited as it may be. She didn’t feel comfortable not being at the front.

“Trust me over th’ others?” Applejack quirked an eyebrow as she turned and primed herself for a solid buck. “What do ya mean by tha’?”

“Oh, I don’t mean that I don’t trust the others, I do! With my life, in fact,” Twilight’s cheeks darkened in embarrassment. “But it’s just that I can trust you more to think clearly and take charge in a situation.”

Applejack hummed as she thought on that. “Ah guess…”

Pausing, she lifted her hind legs and pushed out with as much force as she could muster. A small grin of pride spread on her face as she heard the sweet sounds of dozens of apples landing in their baskets. Lowering her legs and standing straight, she wiped some sweat from her brow.

“Ah’m not perfect, ya know. Apple stubbornness comes in handy at times, but it also causes us ta bite off a lil’ more than we can chew.”

“Everypony has their faults…” Twilight replied and looked over her shoulder with a meaningful expression.

Applejack followed her gaze and looked down the hill at the farm. Out in front of the barn, Big Mac and Rainbow Dash cleared away debris from last night’s storm. Fluttershy was gently ushering the recently-found pigs back into their pens while Rarity and Pinkie could be seen in the farm’s kitchen window, apparently arguing over the boiling broth.

“They’re the best friends anypony could ask for, but I can’t really see them leading. Rainbow Dash is too brash, Fluttershy’s too shy, Pinkie’s… well, she’s Pinkie, and Rarity already told me she doesn’t feel comfortable being in charge of anything that isn’t one of her projects. You, though – you’re sensible and down to earth; you run your own business and farm.”

“Ah, shucks, yer goin’ ta give me a mighty big head with tha’ sort of talk,” Applejack pulled on her hat to hide her blush. “Besides… you’re the ringleader of our group.”

“I’m a little more neurotic and… prone to overreaction than I’d like to be,” Twilight admitted with a bashful grin. She paused briefly, still smiling and looking out over the hill, and then turned to add, “I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m glad you’re here… in case something happens to me. I know you’ll look after them.”

Here, Applejack’s smile faltered, and her brow drew together seriously. “Twi’? Yer actin’ a lil’ funny. Everything okay, sugarcube?”

“Hm? Oh no, everything’s fine, really,” She laughed and shook her head. “Sorry if I sounded so fatalistic there; it was just something I felt I needed to say.”

“But what brought it on?”

“I’m a princess now and I’m expected to lead a lot more ponies than you five girls. So I guess I just have leadership on the mind. I’m alright though, I promise.”

Applejack examined her alicorn friend closely before nodding in satisfaction. “Alright, but ya’ll are more than welcome ta talk ta me, ta any of us, if yer feelin’ down. Understand?”

Twilight laughed again, fondly. “I know.”

“Good,” On a whim, Applejack moved in and nuzzled her affectionately, an action which took Twilight by surprise but was returned nonetheless. Applejack leaned back, smiling and feeling more sure of her friend’s wellbeing. “Now, seein’ as yer so ‘alright’, how’s about a lil’ competition? Who can get th’ most apples?”

“Ah, I don’t mean to sound like a killjoy, but…” With a cheeky look, Twilight tapped the base of her horn. “Magic.”

In response, Applejack slapped her flank, an equally cheeky look on her face. “Horsepower.”

“…” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Well then…”

“One…”

“Two…”

“Three!”

“G-! Hey! We’re supposed to go after three, not…! Oh, you cheater!”

Applejack joined the others as they grouped near a corner.

“The guards there?”

“Yep,” Pinkie adjusted some knobs on her… well, Applejack didn’t really know what it was. It was like a miniature telescope, but it was flexible enough to bend around the corner. She would have questioned the logistics of such a device, but this was Pinkie. “They both look uber-bored.”

“Good,” Applejack nodded as Pinkie got off the floor and hid the telescope back into her mane. “Alright, Fluttershy – you’re with me.”

Fluttershy bit her bottom lip with a worried expression, but bravely nodded and trotted alongside Applejack as they turned the corner.

Luna had mentioned that there was an alarm system near Celestia’s cell that the guards could trip and alert the entire castle. That, combined with the long and narrow corridor that they needed to walk down, meant that they couldn’t all go at the same time; the guards would be suspicious of such a large group and trip the alarm faster than any of them could run down the corridor.

To get in close and take them out as fast as possible, they needed to go in a pair, and that pair needed to contain Fluttershy.

“Keep yer eyes down.” She whispered through gritted teeth, eyes locked straight ahead. Fluttershy made an almost inaudible noise of acknowledgement and lowered her head.

Pinkie was right: the guards – both unicorns – looked absolutely bored. The stallion on the right was just staring blankly at the wall on his side, lost in daydreams, and the stallion on the left was whistling a jaunty tune.

They actually made it more than halfway before one of them noticed.

“Uh? Oh! Who goes there?” The stallion on the right quickly wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth and lit up his horn.

“Empress sent us…” Applejack replied in an exaggerated deep voice. They were only a few steps away now. “There’s an emergency. There’s some, uh… dissenters in disguise.”

“Dissenters?”

“Yeah. We’re tryin’ ta find ‘em.”

The stallion on the left frowned suspiciously. “How do we know you’re not the dissenters?”

Closer.

“Ya’ll can check if’n ya want. Just, uh, use those horns.”

“Don’t mind if we do,” The first stallion took a step closer and started preparing his spell. “Hold still for a moment and we…”

He trailed off because at that point, Fluttershy raised her head and opened her eyes wide. The two guards matched her stare with open-mouthed terror and slumped to the floor the next moment.

Applejack let out a sigh of relief before turning to Fluttershy and saying, “You okay there, sugarcube? Ah know ya’ll don’t much care fer usin’ tha’ Stare on ponies.”

“I’m fine…” Fluttershy answered with a reassuring smile. “Let’s finish this.”

“There’s mah girl!”

As the others rounded the corner and jogged over, Applejack bent down and grabbed the lone key hanging from one of the guard’s side.

“So this is where they’ve been holding Celestia?” Rainbow Dash said, examining the intimidating metal door which Applejack wasted no time in unlocking. “Serious security.”

Ebony’s sour face frightened away any Eclipse guards and staff that crossed her path.

Well, either that or the pungent stench of the bits of viscera that stained her coat and leaked from the crevices in her armor.

‘Moon’s Shadow, I look like I just wandered off the set of Scythe Crucify.’

She thought she was getting somewhere with that Resurrection spell; the rabbit had even gotten up and walked around a little… until it ruptured quite spectacularly.

Well, at least it was somewhat close to the results she had been yearning to see. It was nice of Haze to pull some strings and send her the corpses of pets whose owners were perhaps a little too lenient with their feeding times.

‘Ah, there it is.’

Ebony reached out with her magic and grasped the knob of the supply closet. Hopefully, the castle’s staff hadn’t taken all of the cleaning products.

Creak

“…”

Creak

“… Princess?”

“Empress!”

“I thought I told you not to interrupt me during this procedure!”

“The Element bearers… they’re gone…”

“… What?”

“Th-they’re gone.”

“…”

“Heh… I… I knew my friends… would… escape…”

“Be quiet. Ebony – sound the alarm.”

“My little ponies…”

A rattle of chains and several gasps filled the stiflingly hot room as Celestia walked into the light that spilled through the door.

“Oh dear…” Rarity’s eyes watered and she pressed a hoof to her mouth. “Princess – what has that monster done to-”

“Forgive my interruption, but time is of the essence,” Despite how worn she looked, there was an unsettling calmness to Celestia’s movements. She smiled, yes, and seeing them filled her eyes with genuine joy, but there was an undercurrent of raw menace that stained each word. “We must free my sister and find Twilight in the laboratory.”

“Well, yeah…” Rainbow Dash gestured to the thick bars that separated them. “But how’re we gonna get you out of-”

CRACK

All five bearers flinched and stared in horrified astonishment as Celestia turned back to them, having rammed her head into the wall hard enough to break her horn and leave a near-perfect imprint of her face.

A jagged chunk of obsidian fell to the floor, settling next to the length of broken bone.

“I… I apologize for exposing you… to that…” Celestia’s entire frame quivered violently as she fought to keep her calm façade and not cry out in agony. Rejuvenated by the natural light that filled her cell, Celestia began to literally steam, and her horn started growing back. “I only need a few moments more.”

“Princess…” Rainbow Dash began, completely in awe as she pressed her hooves against her cheeks. “You are hardcore.”

And that’s when an ear-splitting klaxon started.

“What th’ hay?!” Applejack spun around as the siren continued its drone. “But th’ guards are still out of it!”

“Somepony must have discovered our escape!” Rarity cried.

Fluttershy whimpered and laid flat against the floor, covering her ears. “Oh no, that means Nightmare Moon knows!”

“The plan still stands!” Celestia said firmly and threw her body weight against the bars. Several broke upon impact and she stumbled forwards slightly before regaining her balance. Swiftly, she ushered them out of the cell with a few pushes of her large wings. “We’re going to free Luna!”

“Oh, but she’s waaaay on the other side of the castle!” Pinkie pointed out as they broke into a run down the corridor. “And there’re so many hallways full of baddies! It’s like when mean ol’ Chrissy invaded; we’d just get tired fighting them!”

“Which is why it’s a shame I have to do this!” Celestia answered as she overtook them with her long and powerful legs, her expression one of fierce determination.

Flying alongside a panting Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow as they started approaching the end of the corridor. “Uh, you know there’s a wall there… right?”

Celestia knew that; she just didn’t care.

CRASH

Plaster and wood blew across the guest room’s interior as Celestia physically bypassed the wall without slowing down. She shook her head to scatter some debris from her mane and promptly gave the next wall the same treatment.

The Element bearers followed the trail of destruction with wide eyes and more than a little reverence.

“She should come to Maud’s birthday party next year.” Pinkie said with a big grin.

“All of you get back to the castle now! The Element bearers have escaped!”

A mere few blocks away, Miasma, Veil, and Fade clutched at their heads in pain. Nightmare Moon had done something to augment the strength of her telepathy and they were close enough that it was akin to having her yelling inside their skulls.

“Shit!” Fade shook his head to clear the pain with an amped-up laugh and then spread his wings. “Good thing we’re already going back, yeah?”

“Mm-hm…” Miasma gestured to the castle and looked back at her brother and friend. “Mind giving me a lift?”

Veil groaned. “Sure – not like you weigh more than the two of us combined.”

“More of me to love.”

“We’re almost there! Don’t slow down!”

CRASH

The Element bearers ran through another hole the princess had kindly left for them, passing by a janitor with a mop in one hoof and an expression of utter bewilderment.

They had been running for at least a full minute now and in that time, Celestia had regrown most of her horn and her mane was starting to regain its astral properties, making it much easier to follow her when dust clouds obscured their vision.

“Pfft! Pfft! Pwah!” Applejack blew a raspberry as dust particles tickled her throat. “This ain’t good fer mah sinuses!”

“Preaching to the choir, darling! Achoo!”

Celestia broke through another wall and took a hard left. They did the same and their vision cleared enough to see down the long hallway.

“Hey, there’s Luna’s cell!” Rainbow Dash pointed down the hallway, towards a thick metal door that had two – very terrified – guards stationed in front. “Alright, we made it!”

What happened next was… very sudden.

The floor beneath Celestia’s hooves exploded.

While debris shot upwards, a black and blue blur smashed into the princess and carried her into the right wall.

It didn’t hold up very well.

The Element bearers skidded to a stop and stared blankly at the destroyed wall. Applejack was the first to recover and bounded over, a gasp of horror fleeing her lips as she watched Celestia and her attacker plummet several stories.

“Princess!”

“AJ, get down!”

Rainbow Dash pushed her to the floor in time for two magic bolts to pass over their heads. With a determined scowl, she leapt into the air and closed the distance between her and the guards before they could charge another spell.

She hit one of them hard with the full momentum of her flight and knocked him into the wall hard enough to leave a crater. He was out cold in an instant.

The next guard tried to draw his sword, but Rainbow Dash gave a swift punch to his horn, stunning him long enough for a quick jab, a kick, and a stomp to send him to the floor. She had to get down and choke him into unconsciousness.

“You guys get that door open!” Panting, she snatched up the key from the fallen guard and tossed it to her friends. “I’m gonna go help the princess!”

“No you ain’t!” Applejack placed her body before the pegasus, blocking her path. “We’re stickin’ together an’ goin’ ta find Twilight; th’ princesses said so!”

“But…”

“If anypony can help Celestia, then it’s Luna,” Nodding firmly, Applejack took the key from Rarity’s magical grasp and ran by Rainbow Dash to unlock the door. “Don’t get ahead of yerself now!”

Rainbow Dash cursed under her breath at the acrid sting of helplessness, but remained with the others as they opened the door to Luna’s cell and entered.

A complete polar opposite to where Celestia had been imprisoned, Luna’s cell was brightly lit with sunlight streaming in from arched windows installed high in the walls. The air was unbearably hot and dry.

“Oh thank Mother Faust!” From behind steel bars, a dishevelled Luna approached them eagerly, though her smile faded when she realized her older sibling was not with them. “What…? Where is my sister?”

“She got knocked outta th’ castle by somethin’!” Applejack replied as she attempted to buck the bars down. The others joined, but their efforts were painfully futile. “It might be Nightmare Moon!”

“There’s a lever behind you!” Luna pushed her foreleg through the gaps to point at an inconspicuous lever attached to the cell door’s wall. “It drops the window shutters to block out the light of the moon!”

Fluttershy zipped over and pulled on it with a satisfying click. The lighting of the cell dropped dramatically as metal shutters dropped in front of the windows with a metal grind.

“You have done well…” Luna said. She shuddered in delight as darkness washed over her. “But it’s not over yet. You must go to the laboratory and find Twilight while I assist my sister.”

“Are you gonna be okay?” Rainbow Dash questioned with a look of concern. “You kinda look… pretty bad.”

“I will not abandon my sister.” Luna growled and turned to the wall before rearing her head back…

Her shoulder blade cracked upon hitting the ground, but Nightmare Moon ignored it; she rolled to absorb the momentum, still gripping Celestia with her magic, and threw her opponent into one of the many stone statues that beautified the castle’s gardens.

“I must admit that I am impressed…” Nightmare Moon trembled with rage, a deranged sense of excitement, and the pain of her bones misaligning. She watched as Celestia rose from the debris with a dribble of blood staining her muzzle. “I really thought I had you all pegged down, but then... then you do this!”

Celestia sent off a blazing fireball that Nightmare Moon sidestepped; the projectile splashed harmlessly against another statue as the Empress charged forwards. Still recovering, Celestia misjudged a right hook, and Nightmare Moon ducked underneath the swipe to counter with a powerful punch that sent her tumbling backwards.

“How did you do it?” Nightmare Moon flew after her opponent and prepared a spell. “Some ancient spell that even I am not aware of?”

Celestia teleported several metres to the side and on her feet, wincing as Nightmare Moon launched a twinkling ball of ice down where she had been a mere nanosecond ago. Thick cones of ice erupted from the point of impact as the grass was flash-frozen.

“No… it was Luna, wasn’t it? She was still able to call on her accursed Dreamwalk!”

Rays of sunlight beamed down upon Celestia and she drew in a breath as they lent her strength and vigour. The grass surrounding her hooves began to wilt and turn brown.

“You draw strength from darkness and the moon, just as my sister does…” With a fwoosh, Celestia’s mane flared into a wreathing mass of red, orange, and yellow flames. Her eyes turned crimson and the whites of her eyes burned intensely. “I draw my strength from the sun.”

Nightmare Moon scoffed with a mocking grin. “Oh, so am I meant to be afraid of you now?”

“It’ll be a start.”

Tensing, Celestia extended her wings and leapt-

Shadow closed his massive jaws around the white alicorn and looked down towards his master, tail wagging happily.

Nightmare Moon chuckled lowly in amusement. “Well, that’s rather embarrassing, isn’t it?”

Shadow whined in discomfort as smoke started billowing from the corners of his mouth. Before his enchanted body could be overpowered by the tremendous heat, he spat his catch out onto the grass, now liberally covered in hardening sap.

Celestia sourly glared at her foe. “I really despise you right now…”

“There it is!”

There was a single guard standing beside the door to the laboratory. To her credit, she was completely prepared to stand her ground despite being outnumbered, confident in her training.

After swiftly knocking her unconscious – “I could teach you my technique, dearies” – they pushed the door open, briefly taken aback by the overpowering scent of cinnamon.

“The hell?” A mare with a mane of vibrant red and yellow looked over with wide eyes. Her horn flickered from the break in concentration and she only just barely caught a beaker in her hooves.

“Hey, where’s Twilight?” Applejack searched the area for her friend, but the only pony in the room was them and the unfamiliar mare. “You – where’s Twilight?! She’s supposed ta be here!”

“I don’t know!” The mare shrugged as she placed the fragile container on one of the many tables and turned to face them. “We were supposed to be recording the Resonator’s energy readings, but then Nightmare Moon came in and said something about her ‘honouring a boon’,” She paused as she got her first good look at them. “Wait… you’re her friends… What are you guys doing out of your cells?”

Applejack ignored her and slammed a hoof down on one of the tables with an expression of fury. “Consarn it! Who knows where tha’ varmint’s taken her?”

“A-are you escaping?” The mare approached them with an air of desperation. “Please take me with you!”

“We don’t even know who you are!” Rainbow Dash said with no small amount of suspicion.

“S-Sunset Shimmer – I’ve been forced to work with Twilight and Nightmare Moon to help build the Resonator. But I don’t want to be here; I’ve got a life to get back to and it’s not in Equestria!”

“I don’t see a Raisinator anywhere,” Pinkie said as she looked around the lab. “Luna showed me in my dreams and it’s got all these lights and wires and it goes beep-boop-beep!”

“It’s called the Resonator and…” Sunset shook her head helplessly. “And I don’t where Nightmare Moon took it. I told her that it’d be safer and more secure in the lab, but noooo, she has to have everything her way.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t look very convinced, but her expression softened when she felt a hoof on her shoulder and she turned to face Fluttershy.

“If she wants to leave, we can’t just abandon her…”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Fluttershy’s right,” With a stern look, she pointed at Sunset. “But ah don’t trust ya’ll just yet, so you best watch yerself, ya hear?”

“Yeah, sure, I’m creepy, whatever; can we please just go? Somewhere? Anywhere that’s not here?” She gestured to the interior of the lab for emphasis.

“Not until we find Twilight. She has ta be here somewhere.”

“Argh!”

With a screech of metal, Celestia was batted through the castle’s front gates and skidded across the cobblestone streets of Canterlot. Bystanders whinnied and gasped in shock as she cratered into the side of a building, and then fled in alarm when they saw Nightmare Moon and an enormous timber wolf crossing the front gardens.

Spitting up a wad of bloody saliva, Celestia snarled and spread her wings to fly into the air. Higher and higher she rose until the sun was at her back.

While it was obviously common sense to keep an eye on one’s opponent at all times, there were exceptions…

Calling on her magic cache, Celestia cast a simple spell that illuminated her horn with the power and intensity of the sun.

Nightmare Moon roared in pain and plummeted to the ground with burnt-out corneas. Shadow was less affected – having senses which purely relied on magic – but the sudden burst of light still made him falter and stumble to a halt, vigorously rubbing at his face with a massive paw.

“Have at thee, creature!”

As a salvo of ice struck Shadow’s joints and knocked him onto his side, Celestia’s face lit up with joy when she saw her sister fly into sight.

“Lu-Lu!” Luna flew straight over and the two embraced sweetly. “I’m so glad you’re alright!”

“As am I for you, ‘Tia,” The embrace, unfortunately, had to come to an end. Luna pulled away, her expression turning serious as she looked down at their enemy. “Come – we shall see to this demon together.”

“Well, well…”

Nightmare Moon laughed cruelly and got back up, blinking out tears as her eyes regenerated. At any other time, one might have considered themselves lucky to see her weep, as much as an involuntary body reflex it was.

“Reunited at last, I see,” She chuckled again and covered her face with her left wing as Shadow broke through the ice covering the joint of his right hind leg; shards of ice bounced harmlessly off the appendage. “It won’t help you though. You are still weak and, like you, I am not alone in this fight.”

“Your pet…” Luna sneered as she and Celestia began charging up spells; the lights of their horns cast deep shadows across the street. “Will not be enough to stand against our combined-”

CRACK

Luna’s eyes widened and her mouth opened in a silent scream as something collided with her back and sent her plummeting to the ground.

“Luna!!”

Celestia’s efforts to aid her sibling were thwarted when two spears of solid ice impaled her wings. The pain and destroyed muscles were enough to knock her from the air and fall to the ground.

Several yards from her, pressed flat against a six-inch depression of shattered cobblestone and dirt, Luna clenched her teeth against the throes of agony and rolled over as soon as her spine clicked back into place, swiping with a forehoof wildly.

Miasma quickly jumped away before she was hit and backed off, frowning in determination.

Despite the unexpected assault, both sisters quickly recovered and stood, flexing with pained grimaces as their injuries swiftly healed. The two then moved towards each other, turning so they were tail-to-tail, primed with battle tension as Fade and Veil floated so they were on opposite sides of the alicorns, forming a circle, entrapping them.

“You could surrender…” From behind Nightmare Moon, Ebony and Haze arrived dressed in their armor. Haze shimmered into an almost-completely invisible state once he got close. “If you do so right now, then I promise you and the Element bearers will be exempt from any form of punishment.”

Celestia and Luna met one another’s eyes and an unspoken conversation passed between them.

Recognizing the fury and defiance in their eyes, Nightmare Moon chuckled sinisterly as her cheeks split apart into a bloody rictus.

“I was hoping you’d refuse…”

“Anything?”

“Nope!”

“I’m afraid not.”

Sunset danced in the same spot as she cast furtive glances between the searching Element bearers and the ends of the corridors. She worried at her lip, antsy from the expectation of Nightmare Moon barrelling towards her to inflict grievous harm and more than a few cups of coffee.

God, she wanted to get out of there so badly, but those stupid mares were so intent to…!

“This is ridiculous!” She finally snapped, startling Fluttershy into going rigid with a frightened squeal. “Even if we find Twilight – and that’s a big ‘if’ – she’s not gonna know where the Elements are either! Nightmare Moon hid them away and it’ll take all day to search through this castle!”

“Aw, cool!” Rainbow Dash slammed a door and turned to her with an expression that told everypony she did not think this was cool. “Somepony pointing out problems we already know! You know what’s better than that? Somepony who gives out solutions!”

Immediately going on the defensive, Sunset matched the pegasus’ glare and shouted, “What do you expect me to do?!”

“Why don’t you put that horn of yours to good use?!” Rainbow Dash shouted back and took a step forwards. “Can’t you just cast a spell that senses magic or something?”

“I…” Sunset faltered as her eyes lit up in recognition. “I know a spell; it can help locate Twilight, but-”

“What? You could’ve found her this entire time?!”

“Hey, get off my back! It’s not a spell that I…” It took visible effort for Sunset to continue and her face scrunched up like she ingested something bad. “That I know very well.”

“We’re pretty desperate…” Applejack said gravelly, trotting up beside Rainbow Dash. She placed a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder to calm her down, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. “Can ya try?”

Sunset bit her bottom lip decisively for a moment before silently nodding. She closed her eyes and magic flowed across her horn. The Element bearers watched and waited as Sunset’s brow wrinkled in concentration.

“… Hn…” Sunset grunted, dimmed her horn, and lit it up again, blindly turning this way and that. “Almost…”

She suddenly paused and ‘looked’ down at her feet.

“… There.”

Five pairs of eyes followed Sunset’s outstretched hoof, pointed directly at the floor.

“Below us?” Rarity asked.

“A few floors…” Sunset put out her horn and opened her eyes, turning to them with a nod. “She’s in a chamber, I think. It’s not guarded, but there’re a few devices giving off magical residue; alarm systems most likely.”

“Can ya disable 'em?”

“No promises.”

Applejack nodded. “Better than nothin’. Show us th’ way.”

“Alright, come on then…”

Sunset brushed past them and bolted down the corridor. She took a right at a ‘T’ and led them down some carpet-covered stairs before taking another right.

“Can’t ya just teleport us or something?” Rainbow Dash flew to easily match Sunset’s admittedly unimpressive pace.

“Too many physical obstructions…” She panted in reply, briefly stumbling as the carpet made way for recently-waxed linoleum tiles. “Dunno about you… but I’d prefer not to get my… molecular structure caught between solids.”

“I bet Twilight could have done it.”

“Well, she’s not… here, is she? Why can’t your friend teleport us?”

Rarity instinctively opened her mouth to retort, but promptly closed it with a pained grimace.

Another reminder that perhaps she should have taken the time to add more advanced spells to her repertoire of thaumaturgic knowledge, especially considering her and the girls’ unusual ability to attract trouble.

“Hey, give her a break!” Rainbow Dash growled, going into a steep glide as they went down more stairs. “She’s had some freaky magic-cancelling ring on her horn for, like… a week.”

Sunset snorted and rolled her eyes. “Whatever – we’re almost there…”

The portion of the castle they were in was unfamiliar, but the décor was notable in that there seemed to be less of it. The banners and tapestries representing Nightmare Moon were still about, but there were no more framed pictures and paintings; the wallpaper wasn’t as aesthetically pleasing and the doors were less gilded and more practical.

“What’s this part of th’ castle?” Applejack murmured with a scrutinizing eye as they rounded another corner. “Doesn’t look like a place fer visitors…”

“It’s sort of a storage wing…” Sunset puffed with only a cursory glance at her surroundings. “Celestia kept artefacts and treasures down here before… before she gave them to the Canterlot Museum. After that… it just sort of became an empty wing… Okay, we’re here…”

The door they stopped at was unremarkable and no different than the other doors they passed. Even so, each of them felt a chill run down their spine as Applejack cautiously approached, one hoof rising to-

“Uh-uh!” A minor Kinetic Impact spell slapped Applejack’s hoof away. Sunset shook her head as she leaned against the wall, gasping for breath. “It’s primed to shock… anypony without the right magical signature. I’ll just… Hang on a moment…”

With a groan of exertion, Sunset fixated a stern glare on the door and channelled magic into her horn. Inhaling deeply through her nostrils, she closed her eyes and a strong wind picked up, stirring her mane as she slowly and carefully-

-blew an entire section of the wall down with a fiery explosion.

Naturally resilient towards heat, Sunset merely waved her hoof in front of her muzzle to clear the smoke and dust while the others ducked for cover with shouts of alarm and surprise.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy peeked up through her hooves, eyes wide as she beheld the sizeable hole with red-hot embers licking at the blackened edges.

“Was tha’ really necessary?” Applejack asked dryly and stood up to trot over to the hole.

“Ugh, you’re just like Twilight…” Sunset muttered. “‘Oh, why didn’t you just spend several minutes telekinetically fiddling with the security system through the walls instead of blasting through them’? Complexity addictions.”

Applejack’s biting retort died on her lips as a familiar yet unwelcome stench filled her nostrils. She took a step back, coughing and pressing a hoof against her nose.

‘Blood…’

She heard the others give similar reactions of disgust, but didn’t turn to face them; instead, she continued forwards into the room.

It was rather sparse in furnishing and content: there were two medium-sized crates over and a shelf of labelled bottles, both near the untouched door. The crates’ lids had been pulled off and Applejack could see that they were filled with crystals of varying sizes and shapes.

There were several more scents she became aware of as she ventured further in.

‘Smells like a hospital…’

“…”

There was a steel, surgical table near the centre of the room. Something was on it.

“No…”

Applejack’s horrified whisper cut through the hearts of her friends. Each felt their chests tighten and a heavy block of ice settle in their bellies.

Sunset stayed at the very back of the group; not comfortable enough to move closer alongside them but morbidly curious enough that she wasn’t going to remain put.

A solitary light bulb lit a depressing amount of the room; it seemed to be deliberately weak and dim, as if to keep as much darkness about as possible.

“Tw…” Applejack was a mere metre from the table now and her throat felt so very parched as she shakily whispered, “T-Twilight?”

“…”

“Hey… hey, egghead…” Rainbow Dash approached with fake cheer and a loose grin. Her eyes betrayed how she really felt. “Guess who? We’re getting out of here. Awesome, right?”

“…”

“Celestia and Luna are out of jail, too!” Pinkie’s grin still held hope, but her mane was beginning to fall straight.

“…”

“Darling…” Rarity said carefully. “Please say something.”

“…”

Fluttershy whimpered. “Twilight?”

“… Please… just go…”

Applejack flinched at the roughness of the voice and shared concerned glances with her friends before saying, “Yeah, tha’s th’ plan, sugarcube, but not without ya. Nopony’s gettin’ left behind.”

“No… you need to go without me.”

“… Why?”

“Because I might hurt you…”

“Hurt us?”

Rarity laughed weakly and shook her head. “Darling, you would never hurt us.”

Sunset examined the table and the pony lying on it, facing away from them.

It was too dim to make out the details, but she could see wings, a horn, and purple hairs where the tail hung listlessly over the side of the table.

Yes, now that she was closer… the magic definitely felt different…

“I would…” Twilight replied miserably and without moving an inch. “Because I wouldn’t have a…”

“Come on, egghead!” Rainbow Dash took a step closer. “We don’t have time to mope around when-”

“Stay away from me!”

And then Twilight shot up and faced them with an expression they had never seen her wear before.

Fluttershy shrieked and hid behind a stunned Rarity.

Applejack’s mouth quivered and Rainbow Dash’s eyes darted about, struggling to take in what she was seeing.

Pinkie’s mane cascaded over her shoulders.

“What the…?” Sunset flinched in horror and subconsciously lit up her horn. “What the hell happened to you?!”

“She did this…” Twilight trembled violently and started hyperventilating. “That… b-bitch! Wasn’t enough to make me work for her, was it? She had to… had to make sure I wouldn’t go against her… that the Elements could never be used against her!”

“H… How…?” Applejack stumbled over her words. This wasn’t right. This couldn’t be… “How did she do…?”

“I read of this…” Twilight raised a hoof to touch her cheek. It came away wet. “And I actually… I actually wished there were recorded interviews from the ponies who had this done to them. I thought it sounded intriguing… that it sounded like… l-like…”

Her head jerked upwards and the amount of light in the room increased.

She leapt off the table, scattered her friends by charging through them, and escaped through the smouldering hole.

“Twilight!” Applejack scrambled to her hooves and gave chase. The others called for her, but she ignored them. “Twilight!”

Citizens hiding in their homes near the battle could feel the ground shake.

There were the small and almost constant tremors from the giant timber wolf stomping about, and the less frequent but more powerful tremors from the alicorns bodily throwing one another into the ground.

Those brave enough to peek out had their attention captured; much like a train wreck, it was terrifying to watch but near impossible to look away.

Celestia and Luna against Nightmare Moon and her followers.

The battle should have been predictable and short, but the two sisters were adamant and filled with fury; their determination and combined strength – even when not at its fullest – was a match for their well-rested and equally determined foes.

With fire billowing in place of her mane and tail, Celestia lashed out with pyromancy and bare hooves, forcing the Praetorian Guard to keep their distance while she relentlessly attacked Nightmare Moon.

Luna wasn’t far behind and remained at her sister’s side – the flames seemed to have a will of their own by avoiding her at all times – to plague Shadow by encasing his limbs in ice. The giant wolf howled in frustration as it fell over and over again, needing precious time to reassemble its body.

“You’re just making things worse for yourselves!” Nightmare Moon yelled as she blocked a fire-wreathed hoof. The thin layer of frost that covered her body began melting. “You will not win this fight!”

Luna ducked in beneath her sister’s outstretched hoof and thrust her right foreleg out. The rings surrounding the appendage pulsed and one arced out to strike Nightmare Moon in her belly.

“Ack!”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes bulged in pain and shock as she was flung bodily into the air. Before she was out of range, Celestia grabbed her tail with telekinesis and yanked her back into the ground hard enough to send up shards of cobblestone and clumps of earth.

The two sisters moved to capitalize on her momentary incapacitation, but were almost flattened when Shadow flopped down between them, snarling and snapping viciously.

The timber wolf had shorn himself free of his ice-covered lower half to protect his master and moved about with only the use of his forelegs. Despite the handicap, he was still surprisingly swift and his log-sized teeth definitely hadn’t gotten any duller.

“Miserable beast!” Luna flapped her wings for that extra bit of lift to escape a swipe of Shadow’s paw.

Unfortunately, this separated her from Celestia; the elder hadn’t reacted in time and was clipped across the muzzle, sending her sprawled against the ground in a daze.

Ebony took the opportunity.

With a battle cry, she jumped onto Luna’s back and sank her sword deep into her side.

‘Oh Faust… I just stabbed the lunar princess…’

Yet she didn’t have the time to let that fully sink in as Luna shrieked in agony and started bucking wildly, trying to shake off her attacker. Precious ichor spurted from the wound just beside her cutie mark as her body attempted to regenerate around the biting blade.

“Luna!”

Celestia sprang to her hooves and managed three strides towards her sister before Haze revealed himself in a flash of silver light and struck her from behind with a magical gust of frigid air.

It was only just strong enough to snuff out her flames and distract her, but that was enough: Miasma charged forwards and tackled her right hind leg hard enough to fracture it, Veil swooped down to pull at her left foreleg, and Fade landed on her back to cover her eyes with his wings.

“No! Luna!”

Incredibly, Celestia continued to remain standing.

She thrashed about and managed to throw Fade from her head before Nightmare Moon brought them all to the ground with a nose dive from the air.

“Her horn!” Nightmare Moon snarled as she used all her strength to pin her opponent to the street. “Get-” A flailing hoof knocked out a molar. “Agh! Haze!”

Haze rushed over, but Celestia was already channelling magic, and it was for something Nightmare Moon immediately knew would be bad.

“Wh-what?” Her reptilian eyes widened as she felt the temperature rise and a quick glance to the sky was more than enough to see the sun brightening. “What is…?”

‘No…’

A flash of panic surged through her.

Her knee-jerk response was to teleport out of there, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw her Praetorian Guard.

Haze rushing over to stomp Celestia’s horn, Veil tearing at the foreleg in her grasp with sharp teeth, Miasma clinging onto the hind leg somewhere out of her vision, and Fade flapping back to re-join the fray.

‘I can’t teleport all of them; not without concentrating and I don’t have time for that.’

So instead of teleporting, she cast a Kinetic Impact spell.

It spread out across a wide area with Nightmare Moon as the epicentre; Miasma and Veil, surprised by the unexpected force, had their grips broken and tumbled backwards while Haze and Fade suffered a similar fate, more so since they weren’t holding onto anything.

‘Maybe there’s still time for me to-’

A blinding light engulfed the area as a beam of sunlight shot down and swallowed the two alicorns from sight.

Miasma, Haze, Veil, and Fade screamed as tremendously hot air wafted out from the point of impact and slapped them all to the ground. The cobblestone beneath them became hot enough to scald, but it wasn’t as if they could rise and face that terrible heat.

Luna and Ebony, though farther away, felt the air hit them and the suddenness of it forced them to the ground, too.

The beam continued for three, painful seconds and then cut off abruptly.

With the drop in temperature, the four members of the Praetorian Guard closest were free to get back up, breathing heavily and crying out as their burnt skin creased and stretched.

Yet even their cries stopped when they saw what had happened at the impact zone.

Amidst a perfect circle of half-melted and glowing red cobblestone, Celestia stumbled to her hooves, panting from exertion and bleeding golden magic from her cracked horn.

And still lying on the ground, was Nightmare Moon.

“Ah… ah…” Veil’s composure shattered and she whimpered in horror.

“Holy shit… holy shit, holy shit, holy…” Fade shook his head several times before doubling over and regurgitating the contents of his stomach.

Miasma simply stared with her mouth slightly ajar and a violent shiver in her legs.

Haze couldn’t look; he fell to his knees and started hyperventilating.

“Empress?” Ebony called like a lost foal. She had yet to get up off the ground, but didn’t seem to have the strength to do so anyway. “Empress?”

Nightmare Moon emitted a wet gargle and oriented her head towards the noise; what remained of her eyes was steadily dripping down her cheekbones. She seemed to be trying to stand, but she was literally more bone than muscle at this point, and what flesh she did have was sticking fast to the street, bubbling and sizzling like red and pink egg yolks on a frying pan.

There were no hairs and with most of her mass liquefied so thoroughly that she was stewing in it, Nightmare Moon barely looked like the powerful mare boasting and giving out orders mere seconds ago; she didn’t even look like anything that was alive.

Yet she still struggled to draw breath, evident by her lungs frantically floundering through the gaps of her exposed and blackened ribcage.

Luna had seen many gruesome sights in her long life, but this… this was definitely up there. She couldn’t say she was sorry to see the demon suffer such a fate, but at the same time… it was quite horrific.

Her attacker was out of it, so she was free to yank the sword from her side with telekinesis. She rode out the waves of pain with gritted teeth and walked over to her sister, casting the sword aside.

She stopped a comfortable distance away. “Sister?”

Celestia blinked hard, unable to tear her gaze away from her melted opponent. “I just… reacted. I heard you screaming and I saw you being hurt… so I…”

“I know, ‘Tia.”

“I would have killed these ponies if she hadn’t…”

“You did nothing wrong,” The bottom of her naked hooves protested when she stepped closer, but Luna ignored it to gently place one forehoof on her sister’s shoulder. “They made the decision to follow her and she made the decision to attack us. The blame lies with them and them alone.”

Celestia nodded numbly as she watched Nightmare Moon blindly grope half a foreleg in her general direction.

Shadow whimpered and whined as he dragged himself back and forth just out of range of the affected area, calling to his master.

“Yes. You’re right.”

Luna let out a sigh… then shook her head, smiling. “We’ve done it,” She turned her gaze up to her sister. “We’ve beaten her.”

Nightmare Moon gargled wetly…

… and then something poured out from her eye sockets, nostrils, and mouth with a hideous and otherworldly shriek.

“What in Equestria?!” Celestia gasped in alarm and tried to call upon her magic, only for her horn to sputter out with a fair amount of stinging pain. It hadn’t yet healed.

Luna threw a barrier in front of them and watched in horrified fascination as pitch-black fog billowed out from Nightmare Moon.

‘Are those… eyes?’

White dots of light danced about in the fog and they weren’t the only ones, merely the biggest; a dozen other dots of light zipped within the gaseous residue, sometimes winking out of sight and reappearing somewhere else.

The shrieking was indescribable; it was a sound that resonated with every tone imaginable as well as some that shouldn’t have been able to be heard. The windows of the surrounding buildings vibrated dangerously.

The fog kept on growing until it was as large as Celestia, whereupon it shifted into a form that was vaguely equine, and stood over Nightmare Moon’s twitching body.

“If you kill me, you lose everything.”

The voice did not come from either Nightmare Moon or the abomination that stood guard.

It came from Twilight Sparkle, striding through the ruined gates like she was out on a stroll.

Celestia gave a cry of horror and her expression fell into one of utter heartbreak. Luna was not far behind and dropped the barrier in her shock.

“Twilight… no, no…” She shook her head in denial, tears building. “What has she done to you?”

Bloodied crystals sprouted from the young alicorn’s flesh; most were small and alone, but there was a cluster extending from the middle of her back. They emitted an unsettling crimson light, the natural clear blue of the crystals stained from dried blood.

She should have been in tremendous pain, but she showed no signs of feeling it, and kept her mismatched eyes on the two sisters as she trotted closer to Nightmare Moon and the abomination.

“As of this instant, I am barely keeping my body alive,” Twilight stopped just before the wreathing fog creature. Her single reptilian eye rolled back for a brief instant before returning, unblinking. “If you continue to attack me, I will have nowhere to go but inside Twilight; I will overpower and possess her. She will die and the Element of Magic will be corrupted.”

The Praetorian Guard – previously demoralized – started to regroup, though they were hesitant to approach the… thing that towered over their Empress. Shadow whined in confusion; he recognized his master’s presence but was incredibly frightened by it as well.

“You…” Celestia swallowed with some difficulty and spoke with barely constrained rage. “You would do well to leave her body before-”

“Before what?” There was a sarcastic note in her tone, but her face didn’t move at all to match it. “I really doubt I could get any worse than melted into the sidewalk in front of my followers,” She paused and shook her head in a calculated manner. “At any rate, I am not technically in her body. I am… here.”

The fog creature sprouted an additional pair of legs and used them to prod at Nightmare Moon’s body.

“That…” Luna’s eyes widened in understanding. “That’s you, isn’t it? What you really look like?”

“I… made a mistake. I overestimated Twilight’s resilience towards the procedure. I thought she could handle it… but I was wrong. To save her, I had to implant a core crystal imbued with my power. She would have been fine… provided she didn’t leave that room.”

She turned her head.

“Twilight!”

The Element bearers and Sunset arrived, Applejack at the front with Rainbow Dash closing in. They were crying out their friend’s name, but fell silent when they fully took in the scenario.

Fluttershy and Rarity fainted upon seeing ‘Nightmare Moon’ standing over her own melted form. Rainbow Dash had to land to cough wetly and look away while Applejack went alarmingly pale. Sunset was torn between vocalizing her disgust and taking mental notes.

“I felt her when you struck me with that beam of sunlight…” Nightmare Moon said through Twilight and turned back to the two alicorn sisters. “I felt her mind reach for my own. She could feel that I was… losing. She could feel that my body was about to expire and against her will, she came to act as the next host.

“I don’t want that. If I fully possess her, then I lose the Element of Magic. Worse than vanishing to choose another bearer, it will absorb my essence and be rendered null. Do you really think I would risk losing one of the few that could operate the Resonator as well as one of the Elements? The only thing that can safely channel the energy produced by the device?”

She chuckled humourlessly.

“Ironic, isn’t it? I’m trying to protect the very thing which can defeat me.”

“But why?” Luna asked, utterly confused. “What were you attempting to achieve with young Twilight?”

“…” Nightmare Moon made Twilight shake her head. “That is my business… but I will say that it was for the good of Equestria.”

“… Delusional…”

“What?”

Celestia shook her head sadly. “You’re completely delusional. I feel sorry for you…”

Nightmare Moon made Twilight’s lip tremble while she churned and shrieked, morphing into several nightmarish forms as the largest pair of eyes burned like miniature suns.

The body beneath her spasmed hard enough to tear some flesh free from the cobblestone.

“Do. NOT. Pity me.”

“I can and I will… but even so…”

Celestia took a deep, shuddering breath.

“That doesn’t mean I will not kill you. I will find a way to kill you and save Twilight. I promise you that.”

“…”

“We’re taking the others away.”

Battered as they were, the Praetorian Guard got ready to-

“Stand down. You cannot defeat them.”

They obeyed and hung back.

“What?” Applejack looked at her in shock and trotted over hesitantly, eyes wide and imploring. “Princess… w-we can’t jes’ leave Twilight.”

“I know…” Celestia replied with an anguished groan. “But what can we do? If she isn’t lying, then we lose her.”

“But we’ll lose her if we jes’ leave!”

“But not forever…” She took a breath. “Just… for now. We’ll come back for her, Applejack.”

“But…”

“Do you trust me?”

“…”

Applejack looked up into the princess’ tired but genuine smile and her eyes, full of determination and hope.

“What I’m tellin’ ya is th’ honest truth: let go an’ ya’ll will be fine…”

“… Come on, girls…”

“No.”

“RD-”

“She’s lying!” Rainbow Dash shrilled hysterically and with a furious face. “We can’t trust anything she says! We have to… we have to kill her now or she’ll just keep-”

“Ya’ll willin’ ta risk Twi’s life over tha’?”

“… Fuck…”

Luna cast a minor spell to wake Fluttershy and Rarity. They were quickly informed and after the initial protest and tears, they marched alongside the lunar princess, casting longing looks to the stoic and rigid Twilight.

Sunset warily followed them and briefly met Celestia’s eye.

The two stared at one another, both with unreadable expressions.

“… Welcome back.”

“…” Sunset huffed and cantered away.

Celestia didn’t react to the dismissal and cast one last look over the area.

The Praetorian Guard had garnered the nerve to gather around their fallen leader and watched them go. They were all exhausted and occasionally glanced to Twilight with unease and outright revulsion.

Nightmare Moon was still writhing in the air; her body, amazingly, was beginning to recover. Ligaments and muscles grew, bones shed their charred outer layer, and shrivelled organs plumped back to restart their functions.

Shadow was the only one happy. He felt the tension, but the sight of his master moving once more filled him with too much joy.

‘My faithful student…’

Nightmare Moon made her head rise and one empty socket was filled with a freshly-grown eye that glared at her balefully.

‘I will come back for you…’

Finally, Celestia turned away.

Author's Notes:

Note 1: Sun Strike - not quite a spell but requiring the use of magic nonetheless, Celestia can call upon this power as easy as one might blink. The indiscriminate devastation and the damage it causes to her horn means she is reluctant to use it unless there is no other choice.

"The power this child holds is a terrible burden indeed; without the sun, Equestria is doomed, yet neither shall we come close to touching its majesty. I do not wish to slander the name of mine Lady, Mother Faust, but I cannot begin to imagine what plans She may have for these fillies. Such power should not be placed in anypony's hooves." - Excerpt from Starswirl the Bearded's journal.

Note 2: Nightmare Moon feared dying at that moment; her work - the Resonator - would be rendered inert, and then ponies could deny that she ever played a part in history.