Fifty thousand years ago, there were two alicorns who had done the impossible. Morpheus Morningstar and Cassandra Eveningstar had fallen in love. This was unheard of because of their bloodlines. Morpheus was a white light alicorn, with a long teal mane and the brother of Queen Chrystal Laylis. And Cassandra was a dark blue dark alicorn, with a purple mane. She was also the youngest daughter of the long defeated Emperor. Two different species unheard becoming involved in relationships. But these two loved each other greatly. And when they told everypony, there was joy everywhere.

However, some were worried. Now, it’s wasn’t like the species were at war at the time. In fact, the alicorn races were at a time of peace. The Emperor, the one who all feared, was gone, and so was his great castle. Though even with him gone, there were other evils in the world.

One evil feared a prophecy that was possibly connected to the new lovers. The prophecy stated that an offspring of both light and dark would grow to one day defeat the corrupted one. Nopony knew who the corrupted one was. Some thought the corrupted one was Kray Marbh Depression, the mad scientist of the light alicorns and the father of Morpheus. Some thought it was the new advisor to the royals, Redsting Blacklist, while others thought it was connected to the legends of the lost son of the Emperor. But whoever it was, feared a possible offspring of Morpheus and Cassandra.

******

Years after they announced their love, Morpheus had perfected his dream warping spell. For this, he was crowned King of Dreams. He chose Cassandra instantly as his queen. The two would be the border between dreams and the real world and would rule the dreamscape together.

However, upon hearing her beloved’s news, Cassandra fell into a sickness. As time went on, the sickness ravaged her body. She became weaker and weaker until she lost the ability to sire children. And with that all lost faith in the prophecy. The corrupted one, whoever it was, was safe - for now.

Some even thought that the sickness may have been a poison that the unknown, corrupted one had given her. However, she was immortal so she wouldn’t die, but it was destroying her body faster than she could heal. Soon it got to the point where she couldn’t move at all.

Morpheus feared that he would lose his beloved forever. So he did the unthinkable, he separated her soul from her body. He used his new spell to place her soul in the dreamscape. There she could move. There she could run. There she could thrive. Or so he thought.

He would visit her every time he got the chance. He tried his best to find a cure for her body. He believed the dreamscape would be a perfect way for her to live while they tried to find a way to fix her body. However, the dreamscape was not reality. And as time passed Cassandra soon began to see the flaws in the idea. Sure they could see each other again, they could visit with each other, but they could not be with each other in any way. Whether it be holding hands, being in each other’s arms or even kissing. It was all the dreamscape. Nothing more, nothing less. It wasn’t real.

With each year she spent there, the more fake it became. It was not reality. It was a falsehood. Morpheus could see it in her eyes throughout the years. Soon the years became decades and then centuries. As more and more time passed, so did the love Cassandra had as it was slowly being replaced with hatred. Hatred against reality, against the world she was no longer part of and against all who lived in it.

As he saw the hatred grow in his beloved, he slowly and painfully chose to distance himself from her. Morpheus began to drift from Cassandra and her hatred. He began to see that the one he loved was gone.

******

Since the first moment Cassandra had been placed in the dreamscape, forty-five thousand years had passed. Morpheus had long stopped visiting her. She found herself utterly alone. “How dare he abandon me?” she questioned as she wandered. Her hatred was always growing.

“Hello, who’s there?” called a small voice.

Cassandra quickly hid, upon hearing the voice. She looked from a distance to see a small blue alicorn filly. “Hello, is anypony there? I’m lost,” said the filly.

The filly began to tear up. She looked so sad and lonely. Just like her. Cassandra stepped closer. She looked upon the filly. “Hello, little filly,” she said.

The filly jumped upon hearing her voice. The filly looked up at her.

“Tell me, little filly, how did you get here?”

“I was messing with one of my teacher's old spells while he was out. And I somehow ended up here.”

“Tell me, who is your teacher?”

“Morpheus Morningstar.”

A smile crept onto Cassandra’s face. A twisted smile. Before her was a student of her once beloved, now hated. “You know I could tell you how to get out of here.”

“Really?” the filly asked.

“Yes. But you must give me something in exchange.”

The filly looked through the pockets of the pajamas she was wearing. Her pockets were empty. “But I have nothing to pay you with.”

“Oh but you do. I want your friendship. I am ever so lonely. All I want is a friend.” Cassandra played the sad strings perfectly. The filly gave in without a second thought.

“Okay. I’ll be your friend.”

“Oh thank you. By the way, I never caught your name.”

“It’s Luna. Luna Newstar,” the filly answered. “And you?”

Cassandra was about to say her name. But then she hesitated. This filly knew Morpheus, could she have already heard of her? She knew she couldn’t tell her her true name. So she thought of a new name. “I am Nightmare.”

******

Five thousand years later, Nightmare had achieved the impossible. She had a new, though stolen, body of her own. This was it, with this power she now had, she believed she could bend reality to her will. Dreams would become reality, and reality would become nightmares.

*****

The titan airship was just moments from crashing into Nightmare Midnight. Inside the titan airship, Doctor Whooves looked, knowing this was the end. As he did a mysterious figure walked behind him and spoke, “Time out.”

Suddenly the Doctor froze, the explosion froze, time froze. The figure was Realta, demigod of light and time. He walked over to the Doctor. “You have learned so much about the titan airship. You were a much better pony than her previous owner. She told me that you love your children and wife very much. And she told me how you have always wanted to time travel.” Realta smiled.

Moments later time resumed. However, the Doctor looked to find himself outside of the titan airship. He found himself lying on the ground of the Rainbow Factory, right beside where he left Derpy and the children.

He looked around in confusion. Suddenly he saw the figure that had saved him. “Wait, that form. Are you Realta?” he questioned.

“Yes I am, and it’s not your time to die yet.” He turned to take his leave, but then he turned around and placed something on the ground. “Take it.”

“What is this?”

“Blueprints, so you can rebuild her.”

“Rebuild her? Really?!”

“And might I suggest giving her a better name this time.”

“Like what?”

“How about the Tardis?” He turned back around and continued. “I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Doctor Whooves.” After he finished, he was gone.

******

Miles away lay a yellow pegasus. It seemed like he was dead. “Flash, Flash, time to wake up.” spoke an all too familiar demonic voice.

“Cult Race?!” Flash rose up at that voice. He quickly remembered that he had been nearly cut in half. Now though the wound was gone. He quickly looked around for Cult Race, but he was nowhere in sight.

“Oh please, Flash don’t think I was being nice by reversing time on you. I just wanted the pleasure of killing you saved for myself alone. Though I’m surprised I got here in time. If it wasn’t for the fact that you were barely hanging on, then I wouldn’t have been able to bring you back. Remember, this is light magic, not necromancy,” Cult Race mused. Flash stood up as the voice continued. “And if you are wondering, I reversed time on you to the point before you used the finale spell, so I suggest you use it wisely. And don’t worry about suddenly dropping dead, you’re destiny was never meant to end here.” On that Flash took to the sky.

Meanwhile, as Cult Race watched him fly off, ‘F’ walked up to where Cult Race was at. “And what do you want, old friend,” Cult Race questioned.

“I want to ask you for something,” ‘F' answered.

Cult Race turns to 'F'. He looks at him straight in the eyes. Instantly Cult Race knew what he was going to ask, and answers back for him. "Don't worry it will only be you."

******

Queen Cassandra held out her hands over the land. The destroyed wasteland turned into a lush forest. She twisted her hands and the forest began to die and decay. “This is incredible. Such power at my command.” She smiled wickedly.

They all looked in horror of her power and might. Was there a way to stop her? Was she truly a goddess? Was this the end? The end of it all?

NO! This would not be the end. Some still believed they could win. Suddenly rising up behind her was a gigantic Tirek. He slammed his hands together in a clap around her. He was attempting to absorb her magic. “I will feast upon your power!!”

However, with a large enough charge with magic into her hand, she swung. Then without warning, a thin wall of magic rose up to his height, going right through him. His eyes widened as he realized he had been chopped in half.

They all were at agape at this. Tirek was dead in one move. Suddenly fire rose up from the ground as it opened up to Tartarus. Above her was Sunset, as she called the flames forth.

She took a stance and began to spin her sabres. She began to chant a spell. “I call upon the fires of the pit. The eternal ash.” Flames shot forth from her wings, as two rings of fire formed. A symbol of fire formed at the center of each ring as she finished in the language of the light, “An Dóiteán Mór.” Soon great giant blue flames shot forth. One from each ring.

They both headed towards the queen. She held up her hands and formed a shield around herself. However behind her ‘F’ appeared and held up both his hands.

“Finale spells, Great Hand of The Light, and Damned Hand of Corruption.” Out of his right hand shot forth a laser of pure light magic. Out of his left hand shot forth a contorted laser of magic.

Again the shield stopped it. Cassandra was holding back both attacks. On her left Flash rose up and shot his own finale spell. Rarity and Twilight got off of Spike as he charged up and shot his biggest flame on the right side. Yet still, with all of this, she was holding them back.

******

Standing high in the sky above them all, Selena Moondie and Cult Race looked down upon them. “Should we help them?” she question.

“What is with the sentimentalism lately? First those parents, now this.”

“I guess you have a point, my loving murderer.”

“Besides, you’ve got to go pick up a certain mare.”

“Good point. She should be free once this is over.”

“Okay while you’re doing that I’ll go talk to my current employer. What Night Fright did is going to set back his plans by at least another hundred years.”

“Okay, I'll tell him, I said hello.”

Afterwards the two went in two different directions across the sky.

******

Back on the ground, Twilight and the rest looked as hope was slowly dying. All the attacks were doing nothing to Cassandra. She was invincible with the elements. ‘What can we possibly do?’ she thought. ‘She has the elements, she has control over everything.’

She looked to her friends assuming their hope was now completely gone. However, she saw something else on their faces. She looked to Rarity as a thought passed her mind. ‘Generosity, she wanted to give Spike everything.’ she then looked to Applejack, ‘Honesty, she refused to tell a lie,’ she looked to Fluttershy, ‘Kindness, she was kind enough to save Big Macintosh,’ she looked to Pinkie Pie, ‘Laughter, she just wants to have fun.’ Finally, she looked to Rainbow Dash, ‘Loyalty, she did whatever she could to protect our group.’

That’s when it all hit her. Her eyes widened, as she knew now what to do. “Friends.” They looked to her. “We can’t give up hope.”

“But she is too strong,” one of them said.

“No she is not,” she gestured them to be in a circle. “She thinks that she has all the power, but she doesn’t.” It was at that point she told them everything that she had seen throughout her journey. All the things they had done showed that even without the Elements, they still took it upon themselves to save the world.

Finally, they knew what they had to do. Fight. One final time.

Suddenly magic surrounded them as they held hands. They all rose to the sky. Cassandra was looking to her slow victory over the once currently attacking her. She knew they couldn’t get through and knew they couldn't keep this up forever. However soon she saw the six friends rising up. “So you still plan to stop me. Or do you finally see that this is the end and wish suicide.” She moved her hands out in an attack. “Fine, I shall give it to you. Eternal Nightmares.” A beam of her magic shot forth and attacked them. However, they stopped it with their own magical beam. For each amount that she poured out, they matched it. “How can this be? I’m using the Elements of Harmony.”

Soon the circle changed to have Twilight in the center. “You may have the Elements, Cassandra. But in the end, they are just stones. The true power lies within us.”

“No!! They are mine to command.” She believed it with her whole soul. Suddenly the Elements of Harmony began to shake. Without warning were they ripped from her body, leaving agony in their wake. The Elements flew to their true owners and as they did the six began to glow. “NO!!” she roared in hatred.

“This is the end, Cassandra Eveningstar.” Suddenly their beam of magic massively increased. Soon Cassandra's beam was gone.

“No, if I can’t use the Elements then I will use all the fear in the world.” Soon her magic on her shield rose to slowly match their new level of power. They were even.

“We have all these other attacks, we need just one more.”

Meanwhile down on the ground, in the rubble of Nightmare Spire, an alicorn mare looked. Princess Luna had survived the fall. She looked in sorrow to them. She knew what they needed to win, but she was too weak to help them. Nightmare had taken everything from her. Everything.

Suddenly shadows began to rise and break her chains. She looked and knew who's magic this was. King Sombra. But this was impossible, he was gone. Though she knew as long as she lived, he would never die.

She began to hear a voice, “Luna, I will give the remaining amount of my power. End this battle, save Twilight Sparkle.”

Soon tears flooded her eyes. “Yes, of course, my love.” she rose her hand up and his scythe flew to her. She caught it and stood up. Soon magical armor covered her. Her wings grew to gigantic size.

She flew into the air and headed towards them. Once she arrived, she spoke, “Twilight!” They all looked to her as best they could while holding the attack. She summoned all of her magic and all the magic around her. They looked to see the impossible. Standing beside her were the spirits of Celestia, Discord, and Sombra. She knew this would be the end for her. She lifted the scythe high into the sky as it stretched out. Soon the night ended as the dual eclipse rose up behind her. Once the scythe reached a certain height, the same height it had when it set Nightmare free, It dropped. “Eternal Guillotine.”

The blade of the scythe hit the shield head on. The shield began to crack. Finally, it broke apart as the spell Luna used ended. Suddenly Twilight heard Sombra's voice in her head, “The true purpose of Mtr Alddam was never to take life, but to give it. She is pure magic now. Give her what she desires.”

At that moment she knew what to do. As the beam finally hit Cassandra, Twilight charged head on.

Cassandra looked at her in an attempt to argue, “No, you can’t do this to me. I’m your Goddess!”

“No, you’re not mine.” She stabbed the katana right through her chest. Suddenly Cassandra felt herself being pulled into the katana. All of her. Soon the form that she took was now disappearing. In that moment, once it was finished, Twilight pulled out the katana as it began to react. Cassandra was now in the katana. Twilight tossed it into the air as it began to burn her hand. It landed with the blade in the ground.

Now this timeline’s Twilight was free. She fell to the ground. Flash raced by and caught her. The others landed with him. Seeing that she was still naked, Rarity took off her cape and put it over her.

Flash held her close in some hope that she was still alive. However, there was a gaping wound in her from the katana. “Please wake up Twilight. Please don’t die on me.” Tears fell from Flash’s eyes.

“Flash I’m sorry. There was no other way.”

“Please, I can’t lose you. I always will protect you. Please don’t go.” He held her closer. “Twilight I love you. Please don’t go.”

Twilight heard these words. Her heart twisted inside, but in the end, she knew things couldn’t work with them. She was simply a replacement. Not the real thing in this timeline. He only had feelings for this timeline’s Twilight.

Soon Princess Luna landed near them. She weakly walked over, using the scythe to hold herself up. She made her way to them. “There is a way to save her.” They all looked to her as she came over and placed her hand over the wounded Twilight’s head. “I must pass the torch, as it was past to me.”

Her eyes glowed. The dying Twilight's eyes opened up and began to glow. Suddenly their cutie marks began to glow. Sunset looked down to them, knowing what Luna was planning.

It took all of Luna’s remaining strength. The dying Twilight began to breathe again and was alive. Her wound slowly healed and her cutie mark began to change. Luna’s cutie mark disappeared and reappeared on her.

At that moment, Luna fell. Twilight ran over and caught her. She looked to Twilight, the Twilight from another time who had come here and saved this world. She held up her hand to her face. “I’m glad that I was able to see that face after so many centuries.”

This confused Twilight. Luna had seen her before this. When? How?

“Princess Luna hold on,” Twilight pleaded.

“No,” she nodded. “This is my end, but at least the last thing I get to see is your face. You look just like her. Just like my…..”

No more could be said as her eyes closed. Luna was gone. She had died. Twilight tearfully spoke as she placed her down, “Goodbye, Princess Luna.”

She got back up walked to the others. She looked to see the other Twilight’s eyes slowly opening. Without any warning, she leaned into a deep embrace with Flash. “I missed you so much. I thought you would never find me," the other Twilight spoke.

“I never stopped looking.” He held her tightly. She felt something ache in her heart. She pulled back and took him completely by surprise as she kissed him.

Twilight turned away from this as her heart twisted even more upon seeing them kiss. She tried to be happy for them, but it was really hard. Especially since this had been the second time she had lost her chance at Flash, even if it was another alternate Flash. Randomly, Rainbow Dash flew by. Twilight looked, confusing. Sure the magic was back now that Cassandra Eveningstar was defeated, but how was she flying. At that point, Twilight saw that Rainbow Dash's missing wing was back. Her actual wing.

That's when something incredible hit her. Her own wounds were gone. She turned around and ran over to the rest of the group as Flash and the other Twilight finished. “Yes, yes! Rainbow Dash is flying.”

“And how is that a reason to be so cheerful, dear?” Rarity question.

“No, you don’t get it. I remembered back in my timeline when my friends used the Elements for the first time it healed their wounds.”

Rarity's eyes widened at this. Without any hesitation, she pulled off her mask. Her wounds and burns were gone. Soon Spike landed as he returned to his main size. He looked to see Rarity’s burns and scars were gone. He ran over and wrapped his arms tightly around her, so happy to see her true face once more.

Soon ‘’F’ walked by. “Outer features aren’t the only thing that was healed,” he said to them. Rarity looked at him as her eyes widened more and a big smile appeared on her face. She turned back to Spike’s own smiling face and gave the biggest and loudest eek. Spike quickly silenced her eek with a kiss.

As that was going on, a winged ant flew by and landed on the katana. Twilight walked over to the katana in confusion. She went to swat the ant away. However, a voice stopped her.

“Do not swat me, little mare. You ponies have no respect for us insects.”

Twilight jumped back at this. Soon ‘F’ walked by. “Oh ‘M’ I was wondering when you would show up.”

“‘M’?” Twilight questioned.

The ant spoke once more as it began to glow and change shape and take his true form, “‘M’ as in Morpheus. King Morpheus Morningstar.”

Twilight looked upon a tall, royal changeling with a long teal mane tied in a bun and a long thin, flat beard and mustache. He wore a white chinese rode.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “I know you. You're Queen Chrysalis’s brother.”

“And husband to Cassandra long ago.” He held the katana to a strange looking lamp. Soon the magic that was Cassandra was pulled from the katana to the lamp. “Now I must go.”

He handed back the katana to Twilight. “Wait, what did you just do?”

“I am taking my wife with me. I still love her and wish one day to properly restore her.”

He turned and then for some reason looked at Spike for a moment. He smiled. A thought past his mind, but he chose not to ponder on it. Soon he turned away from them all and left.

Sunset landed and looked to the other Twilight. They both looked at each other. They knew what to do next. They raised their hands up to the dual eclipse and separated it. Finally after so many years, the Sun and Moon could be seen again.

******

Soon news spread all across Equestria. News of their victory and the defeat of the Empire. They had won. Soon all remaining forces of the Empire were disbanded. All across Equestria happiness spread.

However deep in Tartarus, in the rubble of the library that held Starlight, the assassin mare, Selena Moondie walked. She walked over and soon found something unexpected.

“Hello deary, I see that you survived.” She looked upon a weak Starlight Glimmer. She turned her head. “Over here, grandfather.”

Soon a tall figure in a grand royal red robe walked over. “Well done, my little princess. We have found our secret weapon.”

******

After a week of healing passed by, Twilight got ready to leave. She had everything ready. She wore a cloak and hood. She was now standing on the map table. She looked to her friends as ‘F’ got the spell ready. She had said her goodbyes to all of them.

She looked to ‘F’. “So you planned to send me to the point in time where Starlight went?”

“Yes but I must warn you, whatever changes you make in that time will not affect this one.” he said as placed a disguise spell on her.

“Why?”

“Because this timeline is separate from the others.”

“Others?”

“Yes, you may have seen several holes as you fell last time. Each hole represents a choice that somepony made, and in doing so also represents an alternate timeline. To get back to your's, you must find the original spell that was used.”

“Okay, seems easy enough.”

‘F’ looked down in sadness. It was time for some truth. “Twilight, no. It will not. For you see, I lied to you. You won’t be going to some random time. You will be arriving just a day before Nightmare Moon’s imprisonment.”

“But you said--”

“I know what I said,” he interrupted her. “Look, once you get there you must only stop one event. The event is Starlight’s death.”

Twilight was taken back by this. She had to save her enemy from death. Why? How?

“How will this happen?” she questioned.

“She is killed by an ancient evil, greater than any other. The evilest creature in all of creation.”

“How will I defeat him?”

“You won’t. His defeat will come during a prophecy that must be completed. The prophecy states that he defeated by a mare of light and dark. All I ask of you is to stop Starlight’s death.”

Twilight listened to his words and took them to heart. She turned towards the portal as it opened. “What about the map table?”

“It will follow you to whatever time you go to. It should disappear in this timeline soon after you leave.”

“So I do this and everything that has happened here will not happen in my timeline,” she hoped. However as she walked through ‘F’ eyes saddened even more, for he knew somethings were meant to happen, both good and bad. The problem was which events would happen in her timeline and which wouldn’t.

Once she was gone, ‘F’ turned to the rest of them and looked. He didn’t see Sunset among them. This made him happy. He didn’t want her here to see this part. He began to move backward towards the portal.

“‘F’ what are you doing?” Flash questioned.

What was 'F' doing? He had a distinct look of fear on his face. What was he planning? “I am sorry that not all truths could be heard.” Soon he found himself just centimeters from the portal as the table began to disappear. “And I am sorry it has to end this way. In the end, I knew I could never be saved.” Suddenly everypony’s eyes widened in horror as a hand ripped through the portal and right through his chest. They all looked in shock as he spoke. “Sinners must pay in full.”

The hand ripped him through the portal and he was gone. “Mentor!!” Flash screamed as the portal closed and the spell dropped and burst into flames.

THE END.

******

Author's Notes:

Well a shocking ending to say the least. And yes this mean 'F' will be in the sequel. Now Wednesday there will be a break so everything can soak in. Then on Thursday we will get on the Epilogue, plus in the notes for the Epilogue will a special announcement. So don't miss it.

******

Also you may have noticed Selena Moondie's grandfather call her princess. This does not mean she is an alicorn. I just wanted to get that out of the way.