The sand was a strange color. It was reddish, as if it were made of rust, and the sky above was neither dark nor light. There was neither a sun nor a moon- -and whatever sat above was hidden in thick, smoke-like fog.

Through this desert, Shining Armor walked slowly. He did not fully understand where he was, or how he had gotten there. He only knew that he was supposed to walk forward, toward where he was being called by some unseen, silent force.

His location seemed to shift, and the sand beneath him was replaced by bluish stone. Confused, he looked behind him- -and saw that he was standing on a precipice, a long trail of rock that stretched out over a vast circular pit. Once again, he was unsure how he had arrived there- -but saw that he was near the end.

Something deep within his mind was afraid. It told him to turn back, to not approach the edge- -that only pain waited for him beyond. Something stronger within himself, though, told him to move forward, and he did.

So he peered over the edge, into the very center of the pit below. His mind froze in horror at the sight. His eyes were first met with a vision of endless motion, of thousands of shapes swirling and writhing in spastic agony. They were, he realized, the translucent shades of ponies. They swirled in a massive whirlpool within the pit: some, toward the bottom, struggled to keep themselves over the surface, trying to pull themselves over their comrades as the sea tried to suck them down, their mouths contorted into silent screams as they struggled against the unstoppable current.

Others were thrown around in the tempest of the pit, turning perpetually in the chaotic air, unable to right themselves and resist their flight even as they struggled. Not all met that fate, however: some gaunt, blank-eyed shades drifted around the outer edge, seeming to ignore the wind or the others, staring mindlessly into space as they moved uncaringly amongst the others.

Around the edge- -which now seemed so much farther away- -sat beings that did not participate. They did not have the forms of ponies, or of anything in particular. Their only distinguishing mark was their pairs of luminescent eyes, watching as they waited.

“Pulling them back,” said a voice. Shining Armor’s mind suddenly snapped back to him, and he jumped back from the edge. To his horror, he had actually, for just a moment, considered jumping into that eternal vortex.

A pony had appeared beside him at a distance. She was no specter, though; her body seemed quite solid. Her coat was a beautiful, almost opalescent amber color, and her body- -even in the eyes of a married stallion- -was astoundingly impressive. Her perfect tail and mane and seductive smile only added to that effect.

Two things were wrong with her form, however. The first was her cutie mark- -a disturbing, grotesque eye. The other aspect was her eyes themselves. They had no pupils or sclera. They were simply solid, gleaming red, like the eyes of an albino rat.

“Stealing from me?” she said, shaking her head. “That is not exactly the best choice for your karma, you know.”

“Who are you?” demanded Shining Armor, turning himself toward the unidentified mare. For some reason, he felt tremendously heavy, as if the world he found himself in was preventing him from moving, weighing him down. He tried to charge his horn, but found that he could not focus his mind. Something was wrong with his magic.

“I am- -” she began.

“Everything you want,” said a familiar voice. The golden mare had vanished, and Shining Armor felt a foreleg around his shoulder. He looked at it, and saw a pink leg covered in a striped purple sock. He turned to see Cadence beside him, smiling with the same seductive smile that the amber mare had held on her face. She was dressed only in striped socks, and was pressing her body close against Shining Armor.

For some reason, though, Shining Armor felt no love for her, nor affection. He only felt disgust, especially as he smelled her- -she smelled of burning, rotting flesh.

“Shining,” she said, pouting, speaking in Cadence’s voice. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to rub horns? Or grab onto my wings like you love to do so much? Oh!” She smiled. “I forgot. You like- -”

“The ones with green eyes,” said a different voice from Shining Armor’s other side. Cadence was gone, and her leg on his shoulder was replaced with a different one- -a black, chitinous leg filled with strange holes.

He turned quickly, and found himself staring into a large pair of green eyes with vertical pupils. Queen Chrysalis stood on beside him, her wings wrapped around her body which was otherwise clad in a sheer, translucent dress. “You know I was always better than her. Please, Shining, let me eat your love again…”

“STOP!” cried Shining Armor, and blast of violet light shot from his horn, shattering the image of Chrysalis beside him.

The amber mare appeared before him again. The surge of magic seemed not to have harmed her- -in fact, she was laughing. It started off as a giggle, but rapidly rose to manic laughter that echoed out over the pit of souls. Blood began to stream down her face from her red eyes as the laughter rose to a crescendo of screaming, a sound that no living pony could ever make.

“I can also do both,” she said, rapidly through her uncontrollable chortling. “Or you can! Or I can make them fight. I’ll even let you choose which one dies! Oooh…I think I could even get the real Chrysalis. I could tear out her organs and rip off her wings, and do it over and over for all eternity. Would you like that, Shining? Is that what you want to see?”

“You’re sick!” cried Shining Armor, trying to back away- -only to find that what he had at one point suspected to be an isthmus of stone had now become a single, floating island. He was trapped.

The amber mare suddenly stopped laughing. Her expression became perfectly serious. Then, slowly, she smiled, revealing perfect teeth. “I love the white unicorns more than anything,” she said. “You always think you’re so pure. Even you, with your ‘knightly soul’. But I’ve watched your world for so long. Do you know what the real evil is? Here’s a hint: it ain’t me.”

“I don’t need to answer any of your questions,” said Shining Armor, standing his ground. “Where am I? What is this place?”

“It’s love!” cried the amber mare, screaming it at him. “LOVE! Pain, torment, hopelessness, desperation- -all of those things only make a pure spirit stronger. But love…not that will corrode a pony like nothing else I have ever met.” She smiled widely, revealing an excessive number of pointed fangs. “Keep on this path, necromancer. Let your love corrupt you. Come down here with me. Everything floats down here…and we’ll have so much fun.”

“Who are you?” he demanded.

She had started to pace around her side of the floating rock, but then she suddenly stopped. The smile on her face vanished, and to Shining Armor’s horror, the cutie mark suddenly moved. He realized that it was not a cutie mark of an eye; it was a real eye, imbedded in her flank. Its cross-shaped pupil narrowed on him.

Then suddenly she was on top of him. He looked into her face, and screamed. Her empty eye sockets were filled with maggots, and more of the tiny white worms pushed their way through the rotted wreckage of her muzzle. Her body, which Shining Armor had somehow thought was yellow, was pail and covered in wounds that leaked puss and stinking rot from within her. The stench of decay and fire was overwhelming, and from the back of her eye sockets and mouth, something seemed to be glowing.

“How dare you,” she said, maggots falling out of her cheekless mouth onto Shining Armor’s face. They were not like any maggots he had ever seen- -their heads were bladed, their mandibles sharp, and he was terrified that they would start digging into his own flesh. He could not stop screaming. The mare seemed not to notice. “I am the most beautiful pony of them all!” She reached down and pinned him against the stone with her cracked, broken hoof. “You’ve only had two…how about I make myself your third?” She brought her stinking, rotting mouth near his and, before he could even try to resist, she kissed him- -driving her unnaturally long, rotted tongue down his throat.

He gagged and tried to hold back the vomit. It proved impossible, and he turned to the side and released the contents of his stomach- -and even that did not release the terrible taste from his mouth. He doubted anything ever would.

“Oh, wow,” said the mare, now across the stone. Shining Armor looked up and saw that she was once again a perfectly sculpted vision of female perfection. “Calm down. I’m not actually your wife. I thought you ponies frowned upon that sort of thing…and if it makes you feel any better, I’m not actually female. Or male. Or a pony. Not that you seem to care about that last part.”

Shining Armor did his best to stand. He was shaking, and her smell had rubbed off on him. All he wanted to do was vomit forever, and then go back to his wife- -his real wife.

“Oh, and tell your new queen that I agree. I will send her my children. But also giver her my warning: everything has a price. I’d ask for her soul, but whatever she has left of one isn’t worth my time.” She started to walk away, but then turned. Her red eyes stared into Shining Armor.

“One more thing,” she said. “I have a special present for her.”

From the gathering mist, a figure stepped forward. It was taller than she was, and stood on two legs. Its motions were slow, but somehow it traveled quickly. Shining Armor instantly hated it- -its body, covered in yellow robes and the yellow mask over its face, and the collar with the shattered chain around its neck. It seemed to be appraising him silently.

The mare did not seem to mind it, but she did not touch it or even get near it. Instead, she reached down to the blue stone and below and picked up a small fragment of it. She threw it to Shining Armor, and he caught it in his magic before it could strike him.

“Come visit me again, Shining Armor. Next time I can turn into Twilight and give you what you’ve always really wanted.”

“Never,” he spat.

She shrugged. “Eh. You’ll be here eventually.” Her body stiffened. “No evil can escape my grasp for long.”

Shining Armor suddenly bolted upright, crying out. He looked around, not fully knowing where he was. He momentarily panicked, but the logical part of his mind realized that he was not in danger. Slowly, he regained his lucidity and realized that he was in a bed, covered in course white hospital sheets. He, and the sheets, were also drenched in cold sweat.

“Oh, buck me,” he gasped, turning his body and stepping out of the bed. “What a dream…”

As he stepped down, a small sound filled the room, and he froze. His eyes turned toward the floor, and he saw that a small bluish stone had fallen from the sheets onto the floor. Never before had he been so terrified of something so small.

The only thing that saved his sanity at that moment was a second sound. He looked around the room and realized that he was not the only patient. He had been moved to one of the higher-grade rooms, and although it was not private, it was enclosed and built for only a limited number of ponies. At present, it seemed to be him and one other, one who was behind a partition.

The sound he heard was low sobbing. Shining Armor ignored the stone on the floor and, walking around it, approached the screen that divided his half of the room from the other half.

“Hello?” he said. “Are you okay? Do I need to call a nurse?”

“Shining Armor?” said an unfamiliar voice, one that seemed to recognize him. It had a strange accent, one that he had never heard before in any pony. “Shining Armor…please, help me…”

Shining Armor put his hoof on the partition, but found himself pausing. He looked back at where the stone was, and his mind reeled. It was quite possible that he was still dreaming- -either that, or he had never been dreaming. Since he refused to accept the latter, it meant that the former was very likely- -in which case, there was no way of knowing what was in the other bed on the other side of the opaque screen.

“Help me,” whispered the voice.

He could not refuse a cry for help. He pulled open the door and forced himself to look at the bed. For a moment, he expected to see that strange amber pony, waiting for him, ready to pull him into her rotting grasp and do unspeakable things to him. Instead, however, he found something much stranger.

Lying on the bed, her arms and legs chained to the rail along the side, was a white-coated ahuizotl.

“Tlilxochitl,” said Shining Armor, somewhat in awe. As former Captain of the Canterlot Guard, he had possessed a passing familiarity with Celestia’s Light, the order of ahuizotlic priests who worshiped her as a living god- -and was familiar with their zealotry and dubious methods. He did not know any of them especially well, but was acquainted with several of them.

Aside from being chained to the bed, her state did not seem good. A large scar was visible in her chest, and one of her eyes was bandaged over. She seemed to be at least partially drugged as well.

“Captain Armor,” she said, looking up at him. “Thank the…the….” She sobbed quietly, and then lowered her head, staring blankly. No tears fell from her one remaining eye. “Please…release me…”

“Why are you in chains?” he asked.

“They’re keeping me alive,” she said. “I can’t….I cannot be alive. Not after what I have done. Oh Chocolatl! Oh, Goddess of Light, I have betrayed you both!”

She suddenly shook and tried to break free of her chains. Shining Armor jumped back, but it was clear that she was not targeting him. She was reaching upward, trying to tear at her own neck. “Please!” she cried, “Let me die! I have to die! Shining Armor, just let me leave!” She struggled against the chains one last time, and then fell back into her catatonia. “I don’t…I do not want to live with what I have done…Celestia, is this my punishment? Yes…I deserve this.”

She turned her head, and seemed to fall into some kind of sleep. The door on the other side of the room opened, and a nurse and a doctor stepped in. They seemed somewhat panicked.

“Prince Shining Armor,” they said, unsure if they were supposed to bow or not. “You are awake. Is she…”

“She seems to be asleep,” he said, letting them approach Tlilxochitl. They checked the equipment around her and the security of her shackles. “Why is she in chains? What happened to her?”

“We don’t know,” said the doctor, “but the wounds are constant with what we’ve seen in Celestia.”

“You mean the Choggoth did this?”

“Yes, but we cannot be sure,” said the nurse. “All she ever talks about is her husband. Apparently, she…she killed him.”

“Killed him?”

“Yes,” said the doctor. “And she blames herself for Celestia’s death. Which is why she is chained with these,” he pointed at the chains. “The fourth set, actually. She keeps getting out of them and tearing open her wounds.”

“Why would she do that?”

“If you had killed your wife and Celestia, what would

“Yes, but we cannot be sure,” said the nurse. “All she ever talks about is her husband. Apparently, she…she killed him.”

“Killed him?”

“Yes,” said the doctor. “And she blames herself for Celestia’s death. Which is why she is chained with these,” he pointed at the chains. “The fourth set, actually. She keeps getting out of them and tearing open her wounds.”

“Why would she do that?”

“If you had killed your wife and Celestia, what would you be trying to do?”

Shining Armor only nodded. He looked down at the tall, cat like creature as the nurse used her magic to adjust her blankets, being careful to stay out of arms reach. Her situation was unfathomable to him, but something that he could imagine. It seemed that he had awoken from one nightmare world and entered into another.

As Shining Armor- -dazed, confused, and having a sour horn- -left the infirmiry, most ponies in Canterlot had gone to sleep. Outside Nightmare Moon’s castle, even the riots had slowed- -mostly because the ponies who had been perpetrating them were now either too cold or too afraid to stand against her, or because they had started directing their efforts against toward plotting her downfall. The only ones still awake were either the most dedicated of looters or the guards

Twilight and Cadence had spent several hours discussing plans for the kingdom with Nightmare Moon. Twilight, who had once wished for greater responsibilities in her capacity of Princess, now regretted her wish. The meeting had exhausted her, and she had been falling asleep as she left the meeting. Instead of returning to her dedicated room in the castle, however, she went to the tent camps in the castle courtyard that housed the blue-coated refugees that had been forced from their homes. In one of the more spacious tents- -one with an extra guard posted near it- -Twilight found her parents. Even as tired as she was, she stayed awake for hours with them. Seeing Celestia dying before her had made her realize how important those close to her really were, including her real mother and her father. Now, as the moon’s cryastalline light rapidly waned, she slept in their already cramped bed, lying between them as she had done when she was just a filly and had experienced a bad dream.

Higher in the castle, Cadence had retired to her assigned chambers. Her lieutenants had assured her that they could handle the security of the castle, and of Canterlot, and Nightmare Moon had suggested that she rest- -because she would be expected to be the royal officer during the orientation of the massive heavily armed griffon army that was already making its way toward Canterlot. She had removed her cold, heavy crystal armor, but she found that she could only sleep restlessly, if at all. The bed she had been given was far too big. All she wanted was her husband beside her, to know that he was safe, and for him to know that she was too.

Not far below her, Nightwatcher and Cavern Melody sat on a high balcony. They looked up and in awe at the beauty of the night that their queen had created. Neither of them had ever seen a night so beautiful, and both of them took it as an omen as they looked down at the tiny, blue-eyed foal held in Cavern Melody’s badly scarred forelegs.

Far beyond the castle, beyond even Nightwatcher and Cavern Melody’s vision, a figure crested a hill and saw the beauty of his ruler’s castle above him. His brown fur glistened in the moonlight, and from the blood seeking from the bound wound on his chest. His effort had reopened his wounds, and he needed to lean on wooden stick that he used as a walking staff. For just a moment, as he basked in its cold glow, he wondered if what the heretic Rainbow Priest had claimed was true: if the moon really was just the sun at night, and that the ahuizotl had been wrong to worship only one of its incarnations.

Even Twilight’s friends were resting, each in a different part of the castle. In one of the more luxurious rooms, Rarity tossed in her sleep. As much as she loved being permitted to stay in the castle, she had still gone to sleep crying. Her tension arose from a simple paradox: for the first time, she had been allowed to create a dress for royalty. It was supposed to be her greatest honor, and it had turned out beyond her wildest expectations: it perfectly captured the air of ancientness and ominousness that the new Nightmare Moon seemed to exude, like the uniform of some ancient priestess. At the same time, it produced an air perfect for a military leader, but was just impractacle enough to show that she was not really meant to fight. Rarity’s creation was subtle and bold at the same time- -but she had always dreamed that the dress she would make would be for Celestia, or for Luna. Instead she had been forced to make one for Nightmare Moon. She had gone to sleep lamenting about how unfair it had been.

In a nearby room, Rainbow Dash was snoring loudly. Instead of sleeping in her bed, however, she was on the floor, held to the ground by the weight of her improperly attached wing blades. She had spent several hours trying to affix them properly, only to find herself stuck on her back. Normally, for a pony as athletic as her, righting herself would be simple. With all the excitement of the day, however, she had missed her morning, midday, and afternoon naps. She had, consequently, grown extremely tired. In addition, she had spent much of the evening drinking with Soarin, a pony who, despite being a Wonderbolt, had been grounded indefinitely for his coat color. Soarin had spent most of his time crying into an apple pie, but Rainbow Dash thought that she had at least marginally been able to cheer him up- -and got to hang out with a real Wonderbolt in the process. So now, drunk, tired, and weight down with metal, she slept, kicking her feet in the air and smiling at times.

Farther down in the castle- -in its kitchen- -Pinkie Pie was lying beneath a table in a diabetic stupor. Hours earlier, she had been informed by the long-faced kitchen staff and chefs that, with Celetia in no fit state to eat them, her stock of exotic fresh-made desserts was going to spoil. Pinkie Pie had reacted as though such a thing would be the greatest travesty to befall Equestria ever. She had at first planned to distribute them, and perhaps hold an impromptu party, but she just could not think of anything to celebrate. She could hardly hold a “Welcome Back Nightmare Moon” party; the soldiers were all to busy; even the blue refugees in the courtyard, who seemed to need the most cheering up, did not seem to be in a fit state to party. So, Pinkie did what any sane lover of desserts would do- -she took it upon herself to save them all from spoilage by eating them all. Even then, she could only eat a quarter before passing out. Just before she went under, she decided that she would try to have a party- -when she finished digesting.

Outside, in the garden, Fluttershy was also sleeping. Unlike the others- -who were ambivalent toward the strange and perpetual night- -she was terrified of it. She was already afraid of her shadow, and now they were so much bigger and deeper. In addition, she was still traumatized by the thought of shadows that looked back. She had kept looking around, expecting to see a pair of eyes staring back at her and dim, ephemeral shadow-flesh sliding toward her soft and vulnerable body.

She was still afraid being outside, but she could not leave Canterlot’s animals alone. The night was frightening them far worse than it frightened her. They had once ignored her, but now they swarmed around her, seeking refuge from the cold and the dark and the sound of never-ending gunfire from beyond the castle walls. They had all gathered in a pile, and Fluttershy slept securely beneath them where the night could not get to her.

Even Spike was resting. For once, he had actually not wanted to go to bed. Even in his relative youth, he had a knack for organizing and logistics, and had spent the day as an invaluable member of the secretary squad that Cadence and Nightmare Moon used to coordinate troop motions in detail. In one day alone, he had learned just how difficult commanding an army truly was- -and learned that he was oddly good at it, even if he were only figuring out ways to execute orders from above. Nightmare Moon had initially frightened him, but unlike the others he had seen far more quickly that she was not a real threat.

He had then proceeded to tire himself out further by trying to practice one of the spells that Crimsonflame had taught him. He had started out by trying to cast a lightning spell, but he had to stop when one of the guards yelled at him about fire hazards. Forming electricity was difficult anyway. He had promptly switched to trying to burn a stick, and then to pull it back- -and to his surprise, after several attempts, he had pulled the twig back from a form of pure smoke. After that, he had collapsed into a deep sleep, the stick still in his tiny arms and a smile on his face.

The castle was empty and silent- -save for one set of footsteps. The guards had all been dispatched to the city, or to guarding distinct sections of the palace- -or had deserted entirely as soon as Nightmare Moon had taken the throne. Through the emptiness of the now largely abandoned castle walked a pony, at first meandering slowly but then moving toward one distinct location that she could somehow sense.

Applejack found herself walking higher into one of the empty towers. She pushed open a door and encountered an empty, unlit room on the other side. It was filled with deep, frozen shadows, save for an opening on the other side through which moonlight poured through. Standing in that light was a black silhouette with three horns- -something that hardly even looked like a pony.

“Unable to sleep, Applejack?” said Nightmare Moon as Applejack entered the room. She did not look away from the sky above.

“Ah see you can’t eether.”

“I don’t sleep,” she said. “I never have. It reminds me too much of death.”

Applejack approached her, tentatively at first, but eventually came into the light of the moon. She shivered at the cold, but seemed to ignore it. Instead, she stood beside Nightmare Moon and looked up at the sky. It was creepy and strange, but in its own way, profoundly intricate and beautiful.

“Admahrin’ your hoofwork?”

“Not mine,” said Nightmare Moon. “This was Luna’s work. Five thousand years of artistry and planning. I think this is what she meant by ‘Eternal Night’, but I cannot tell. It brings me no joy. Nothing in this world does.”

She looked down at Applejack, and Applejack looked up at her.

“I suppose you want me to apologize for what I did to you,” sighed Nightmare Moon.

“Well, it whas a violation of mah mind. Baht no. I wan’ to appolahgize to you.”

“Why?”

“Because ah was thinkin’ with mah hoofs and not mah head. I could have rheally hurt yah.”

“Actually, no. I am essentially indestructible.”

“Tha’s not the point. What if you weren’t? What if you were ah regular pony? Ah really could ‘a hurt yah. And, well…to be honest, it don’t sit rahght with me. Yah know, that ahm capable of that.”

“You were afraid,” said Nightmare Moon, “and rightly so. I capitalized on your lack of resolve. If you want to kill a pony, kill them. Do not hesitate. Do not regret. Just end them.”

“No,” said Applejack. “No. Ponies ahrn’t meant for tha’ sort ah thing.”

“I agree.”

“You what?”

“I expended a considerable effort to keep you all alive. Do you realize how powerful Luna truly is? I could have just killed you all.”

“Even Cadence?”

“Cadence is an alicorn, but she has only attained eighty five years. Yes. I could have killed her. But Luna views her as a kind of daughter, and all of you as friends. And I, personally, have seen enough death in my eternal existence.”

“You’re not exahctly a pony, are yah?”

Nightmare Moon looked down at the tiny earth pony beside her. “No,” she said. “I am not. Will that be a problem?”

“No,” said Applejack, looking down at the city below them. “Ah have friends who ain’t ponies. But…what exahctly ahre you, then?”

“You may think of me like a parasite. Or think of me as the stronger half of a being that contains me and Luna. It does not really matter.”

“Oh.”

They stood in silence for a moment. Nightmare Moon looked out at the city below her, as Applejack did. She remembered that, at one time, she had wanted to rule that land. Now, though, she could not remember why.

“Ah heard tha’ you brought some ponies back from the dead,” said Applejack after several minutes, still staring out at the city. Her expression was stony and cold.

“I did,” said Nightmare Moon. She did not need to read Applejack’s mind to know what where the conversation was going. She searched Luna’s memories. “Does this concern your parents?”

“It does,” said Applejack, taking off her hat. “Bah Celestia…I miss them. Evereh day. It’s evehn worse for mah brother…and little Applebloom never evehn knew them.”

“I cannot bring them back, Applejack.”

“Please,” she said. She looked up to Nightmare Moon, refusing to cry. “Ah don’t care if you have ‘tah take me tah do it. Please.”

“No.”

“But you brought back thah others…”

“Taking too many souls back from the other side is already dangerous. But it is not just that. A full resurrection spell needs a fresh body. Your parents have been gone for how long? Eight, ten years? Even Oblivion could not pull them back from that far.”

“Cahn you at least trah?”

“I would not be capable of trying. I could only succeed. Corpses that old come back even easier than fresh ones- -but what comes back is not a pony.” Her mind momentarily brought up an image of a scarred chiropteran, and she was aware of what neither Luna nor Cavern Melody knew. “In almost all cases they are nothing but a shell. Or, worse, if one like Oblivion attempts it, just enough comes back to comprehend what they have become.”

“I’ve seen the things he’s got down there.”

“The bodies? No. Those are just incarnations of him clinging to dead skeletons.” Nightmare Moon turned toward Applejack, and her teal eyes met Applejack’s green. “Listen to me, child, and listen closely. Let those whose path has ended lie. Let your life move on, and hold them in your memory and in your heart.”

“Is that youre wisdom as a necromancer?”

“No. In ‘life’ I surrounded myself with the dead, and only the dead…but you are not me. That advice came from Luna.”

“Then you yahself can’t understand, can yah?”

Nightmare Moon sighed. “Applejack, do you have a daughter?”

Applejack blinked and stepped back. “No,” she said, perhaps too vehemently. “Wait…does Luna?”

“Luna is a sterile prude. No. But I have. Thousands, of which Luna is the latest. Every one of them I have watched die. Perhaps I have come to understand…somewhat, at least. But that is the curse of immortality.”

“Ah don’t think ah could take it,” mused Applejack. “Losin’ them was bad enough…but losing everehpony else…”

“Then you need to be strong.”

“Whah?” She looked up at Nightmare Moon.

“Because two of your friends are destined to that fate. Of the six of you, I know the exact order that you will all die in.”

“Which am ah?” asked Applejack, immediately regretting it.

“You will appear to be second, but truly you will be the first,” said Nightmare Moon, without hesitation.

“Oh,” said Applejack, looking somewhat crushed. “How…how long have ah got?”

“That depends on the approaching event.”

“Event?”

“Something is coming. I can feel it. Soon. Depending on how I…how we…handle it, your path could end very soon.”

As she spoke, the door opened. A white unicorn entered the room.

“Nightmare Moon?” said Shining Armor, calling into the darkness. Nightmare Moon and Applejack turned toward him.

“Yes?” said Nightmare Moon. Shining Armor looked somewhat disheveled and smelled like sweat.

“I had…a dream…”

“I am not your mother, Shining Armor. If you had a bad dream, deal with it yourself.”

“No. It wasn’t a normal dream,” he said, shaking his head.

“Allow me to guess. A dark place, and a yellow-coated pony with red eyes.”

“How…was that you?”

“Of course not you fool. Come closer.”

Shining Armor obeyed, and Nightmare Moon crossed the darkened room. When they were within range, Nightmare Moon lowered her horn and touched the tip to Shining Armor’s. He shivered and moaned slightly as Nightmare Moon extracted the data that had been stored on him.

“Excellent,” she said, separating from him. “These terms are acceptable. And he is sending the Carcosan survivor…at least even he is not insane enough to send the Beast of Exmoor…”

“Ah don’t understand,” said Applejack. “Whah’s going on here, and should ah be watching?”

“Shining Armor is a mule,” said Nightmare Moon.

“Excuse me?” said Shining Armor, suddenly extremely insulted.

“Not literally,” said Nightmare Moon. “You were packaged with data from the other side meant for me. Odd that he chose you, though, instead of the normal channels…”

“Wait…are we talking about the same pony?” he asked, confused.

“He is not a pony. But he…or she, actually, would have appeared as a yellow pony with red eyes. Is that what you saw?”

“Yeah,” said Shining Armor. “Except she was a mare and she did…well, she tried to do…really bad things to me.”

Nightmare Moon had been crossing the room, but suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed. “You mean he actually interacted with you?”

“She stuck her tongue down my throat!”

“Ah know how thaht feels,” muttered Applejack.

“That is very, very disconcerting,” sand Nightmare Moon. “If Satin Veil has shown an interest in you, you need to be extremely careful.”

“Satin…wait! That thing was SATIN?”

“Of course it was. Of course…a white unicorn. The last on he showed interest in was Celestia. My advice: do not believe a thing it said, or a thing it showed you. Actually…” She re-crossed the room and stood over Shining Armor. “Do not move…”

Her eyes suddenly narrowed, her pupils nearly vanishing. The room seemed to bristly with magic, to the point that even Applejack’s hair stood on end.

“And the two siblings of the same father shall stand beside the false-god, the child of Order. The father chooses the path: that of the second son or that of the first, of life and death, a curse of the Heart.” She spoke quickly, her voice sounding different. Applejack shuddered; she realized deep within herself that she was seeing something she was not meant to. Then Nightmare Moon suddenly returned to her normal state. “What did I just say?”

“Somethin’ about sons and a father choosin’ paths,” said Applejack.

“Then your path is still unclear. When the time comes, choose carefully.” She paused. “Also, without your seals, I can see the contents of your mind. As such, recall that you are married to Luna’s niece.”

“What was he thinkin?” asked Applejack.

“He has a fetish for alicorns…well, actually, anything with wings and a horn.”

“Excuse me,” said Shining Armor. “My personal fantasies are private. I love Cadence with all my heart- -I would even if she didn’t have wings or a horn!”

“I know,” said Nightmare Moon. “You just need to be- -”

She was interrupted with a distant scream- -one of tremendous volume from somewhere far deeper in the palace. Both Applejack and Shining Armor jumped, because both of them knew that it was not the scream of a pony. No pony- -no living thing- -could make a scream like that.

“Ah,” said Nightmare Moon. “That was faster than expected.”

The hall was filled with screams of agony and rage as Nightmare Moon slowly approached. She was taking her time, aware of the pain that her prey was experiencing but incapable of understanding it herself. Other ponies seemed to have been awakened by the sound as well and drawn to it. Nightmare Moon, Applejack, and Shining Armor were joined by Spike and Rarity, as well as a group of chiropteran guards who had seemed to materialize from the shadows to surround their queen.

More guards had already assembled around a wide section of in the castle basement, lit only by flickering flames from their torches and the conservatively spaced sconces on the walls. Few of them were chiropterans, and they seemed to be terrified by what Nightmare Moon had caught.

There, in the center, was a writing mass of shapeshifting blue tissue, screaming from auditory organs that formed and decayed rapidly as it struggled. Its form was shifting rapidly, continually expanding and stretching into new organs and appendages in a blind panic. For every arm or claw or tail or spine it formed, however, the black, starry cloud that surrounded it changed as well, modifying itself as fast as the Choggoth could, shifting just as it did. No form it could generate could allow it to escape or even extend beyond the cloud for long.

“So,” said Nightmare Moon, stepping past the guards. All the others were reacting in horror at what they were seeing- -especially Rarity, who was holding Spike tightly- -but Nightmare Moon only smiled. “You have afrived, Choggoth Oblivion.”

“What have you done to me?” demanded what seemed like hundreds of voices from within the Choggoth.

“You cannot escape it,” laughed Nightmare Moon, frightening those around her even more. For once, she saw the humor- -and swelled with pride at Luna’s ingenuity. “It is a synthetic specter, forged from Chaos and powered by guilt. And nopony has more guilt than you.”

“It hurts!” cried the Choggoth. “Make it stop!”

“Remembering them?” said Nightmare Moon, looking into the scattered remnants of Oblivion’s mind. “Two races, rendered extinct by your spell. Every trihorn, every Draconian. Males, females, children? You crushed them all without hesitation, just as you crushed six worlds prior.”

“I had to!” it screamed.

“But it still hurts, doesn’t it? And to know that it was all for nothing?” She paused. “Oh…but it is not just that, is it? The guilt you feel for what you did to this world is only a portion. You hate yourself for betraying your creators as well, and your own kind! You despise them more than anything, and yet you despise yourself for turning against them!” She laughed softly. “Luna intended this device to punish herself…but the punishment that it is inflicting on you is far, far worse.”

The Choggoth shifted, widening. In its center, within the perimeter of the snaking coils of semi-sentient black smoke, a vertical groove formed. Then an eye as large as a pony with a pupil of two triangles snapped open. The ponies around jumped back, and Rarity cried out in fear.

“I know you,” said the Choggoth. “That voice…you are Blackest Night.”

“I never thought I would hear that name cross the lips of anypony except save my own.”

Oblivion seemed to ignore the pain around him. “How did you survive?”

“Your spell destroyed my body…but I wasn’t even really a trihorn anymore at that point. I survived. Now I live within Luna. Know this, Choggoth Oblivion. This body is protected. You shall not harm her!”

Oblivion’s eye suddenly split, forming a many-toothed mouth within its center. A long, blue tongue flicked out toward Nightmare Moon. She raised a magic shield, but Tantabus was faster. A tendril stretched out and severed the tongue, vaporizing it with Chaos as Oblivion screamed in pain. As Oblivion’s tentacle faded, something unaffected by Tantabus dropped out and clinked on the floor.

The darkness that covered Nightmare Moon’s body tightened and reinforced her. She was fully expecting a grenade- -but instead, a small, perfect crystal dropped to the floor.

“What is this?”

Oblivion’s shifting slowed, and he condensed into a solid blue sphere. That would protect him from the physical damage caused by Tantabus, but Nightmare Moon still knew that his mind was being torn apart by being forced to face over and over again what he had done to the world, and to the six worlds before Equestria, and to all those who he had been forced to hurt. She was astounded that he had not simply dissipated his satellite body. It almost seemed as though he was waiting for something.

The crystal on the floor seemed to respond to being expelled by him, and suddenly started rolling across the stone blocks below. The ponies all jumped back, as if it were some kind of great threat. It did not attack, however. It only moved, clinking as it rolled directly to where Rarity and Applejack were standing.

As it neared them, it suddenly rose into the air and floated near them.

“Open it,” said Oblivion from within his spherical form. “It is meant for you.”

“Don’t touch it!” cried Nightmare Moon.

It was too late, though. As if by instinct, Rarity ignited her horn and directed a tiny beam of magic into the crystal. It reacted violently and spun suddenly, glowing from within and filling the room with light.

Nightmare Moon felt something pulling at her very soul- -as if it were trying to pull Luna out of her, and force her back into the depths of Luna’s mind. She resisted, however, but still watched as Luna’s Tantabus was struck by a beam of Order from the crystal, causing it cry out and be driven back.

As Oblivion produced legs and stood, the light in the room condensed into shapes. Although the format was strange and obtuse, Nightmare Moon recognized it as a schematic.

“Conditions have changed,” said Oblivion. “There is no longer any point in eliminating Luna.” He extended one of his heavily armored two-fingered hands, and the crystal drifted away from Rarity and Applejack. The image changed around them. In its new form, Nightmare Moon immediately recognized it.

“Where did you get this?” she demanded. “You could not have created that crystal…”

“Do you remember,” said Oblivion, “when I was asked what my motivations were, and where they came from?”

“I do.”

“I believe I may have found the source. They don’t exist linearly in time, you know. The past and future are all the same to them, and we are their anchors to the present. I can only imagine that I was hers…”

“You are not making sense.”

“This crystal was given to me by a Lord of Order. A new kind, with a new vision. My creator, and my daughter, my leader but not my master. How could a pony understand what we are to each other?”

“A Lord of Order cannot exist in Equestria,” said Nightmare Moon. “You told me so yourself.”

“And I was wrong. You have already met her. You wielded three of her Elements. Those two,” he looked to Rarity and Applejack, who were staring in awe and fear at the conversation before them. “They wield them now.”

“You’re talkin’ about the Tree ah’ Harmony,” whispered Applejack.

“New methods. New ideas. But she is not alone. Look.”

Nightmare Moon looked down at the schematic of the Finality Core. Much of it, as it had been in the past, was far beyond her, but as before she understood enough.

“The Finality Core was already activated for a second time,” said Oblivion. “When Celestia used it, it was engaged, just as it was in our time.”

“If that were true, none of us would have survived. I was there. There was no Lord of Order.”

“But look at these readings.”

Nightmare Moon did, and realized that these were not simple schematics- -she was seeing a diagram of the Finality Core in real time- -complete with Celestia’s modifications, as well as a number from an unknown source. Indeed, Oblivion was correct- -hiding in the center, amongst the spells and the natural energy of Equestria, was a well-disguised source of Order. In this diagram, it was possible to see that it was incredibly intense, pouring out trillions of times the Order that Oblivion himself contained.

“What is it?”

“I have no idea. Nor does she. I have never seen anything like it. It does, however, have several similarities to a living Lord of Order.”

“That is impossible. After what we did…”

“It has been repaired. It is returning.”

“How long do we have?”

“I do not know.” The image shifted, showing a time lapse from several weeks in the past. “The magic that caused me to awaken seems to have caused it to react as well. It is growing.”

“This is the event…” whispered Nightmare Moon. She turned to Oblivion. “Can you stop it?”

“At this point, it is no longer using power form the sun or moon. I cannot shut it down by destroying the Spheres. However, this is the first time I have ever encountered a complete diagram of a Finality Core.”

“You mean even you don’t know how it works?”

“No Choggoth does. We did not invent them. We only build them. But with this crystal, I may be able to shut it down from within.” He clicked his two fingers against the crystal, and the image around it collapsed. Only then did the guards seem to realize that Oblivion had broken free of Tantabus, and was standing before them unguarded.

They immediately swarmed him, surrounding him and drawing whatever weapons they had.

“Don’t bother,” said Nightmare Moon. “There is nothing you could do to stop him anyway.”

“Wait,” said Shining Armor, stepping forward. “You can’t be serious. Do you actually trust this thing?!”

“No more than I trust anypony. But he is clearly our ally.”

“After he destroyed most of Equestria?! Or did you forget about the race war, the burning cities, the fragmented government, and oh wait- -the attempted assassination of Celestia?”

“I acted under the assumption that your military was actively attempting to prevent me from reaching my goal. The conflict you are experiencing was never my intention, at least beyond distracting your military.”

“Goal? What goal is that?”

“To protect Equestria,” said a voice behind him. They all turned- -save for Nightmare Moon and Oblivion, both of whom had already detected Twilight’s presence at the edge of the room. She emerged from the shadows into the flickering light. “That’s all you ever wanted, wasn’t it? To stop the Lords of Order?”

“It is the only reason for my existence.” Oblivion looked down at the winged purple pony that now stood beside her sibling. “You fool. You used the cube.”

“I did. I saw everything. You died to save us.”

“I cannot die, as I am not alive. I did, however, kill to save you.”

“And that is something your corrupted mind can never forget,” said Nightmare Moon.

“Not until I destroy the mind within this body, which I cannot do until my task is complete.”

“Put him in chains,” said Shining Armor. The guards approached Oblivion in a circle, but he simply stepped past them, his body liquefying and causing them to pass through them as if he were a ghost. The process was apparently unpleasant for the ponies involved, seeing as they were momentarily drenched in Choggoth.

“Tiny unicorn stallion,” said Oblivion, staring down at Shining Armor. “Would you stand in my way?”

“If you’re threatening Equestria, of course I will.”

“This is good. Bit I cannot undo what I have done. It is not within my power.” He directed his attention toward Twilight. “Do you hate me, Twilight Sparkle?”

“I can’t hate you,” said Twilight, “but…I can’t forgive you either. Not after what you did to Celestia. I know why you had to do it, but you should have found another way.”

“The only way to accomplish any task is through destruction of the opposition. There is no alternative.”

“Oblivion,” said Nightmare Moon. “I can handle the situation in Equestria. Concern yourself only with stopping the Finality Core.”

“My name is D27,” said D27. “Call me by my name.”

“Only if you call me by mine.”

“As you wish, Blackest. There is a problem impeding my goal.”

“What?”

“I cannot find the Finality Core.”

“You lost it?” said Twilight. “Wait. How did you lose it? The thing is huge…and you were there.”

“I know where it is,” said D27. “But I cannot reach that location. I have tried.”

“Celestia no doubt obscured it,” said Blackest Night. “Not only that. I am sure that wherever that location is, it is filled completely with traps and protections of every kind.”

“Then I will walk through them.”

“Even you do not have the mass to survive that. Even if you could find the Core, you would never reach it.”

“Do you have a solution?”

“Of course.”

“How?”

“I will discuss it with you when the time comes. My plan is contingent on knowing the location of the Core. This, even Luna does not know.”

“I think I can find it,” said Twilight.