"For friends!" A blue pegasus with rainbow mane raised her glass into the air.

"For family!" The blond earth pony followed suit, a hint of accent coming through.

"For parties!" Everypony gathered stared at the hyperactive pink pony. "What? Laughter is important."

"For Equestria!" The white unicorn raised her own glass, tapping the rest being held up.

"For Princess Celestia!" There was an unusual strength in the shy pegasus' words.

The five friends exchanged a long look, each of them holding hope and sadness in their eyes before exclaiming as in unison, "For Twilight Sparkle!" They drowned their drinks, some of them taking it like pros, where others gagged at the horrid taste.

"So we're really doing this then?" asked Fluttershy. "We're all in this together?"

"Of course, I never leave my friends hanging." The confidence that oozed out of Rainbow Dash was somewhat soothing for once. "But if any of you want to back out, I'll understand. After all, if you're in, you're in forever. We'll be hunted down like rabid dogs and it won't be pretty living."

That last line was directed straight to Rarity, but she merely gave her haughty laugh. "Oh please darling, this is for the fate of Equestria and Twilight. I will get down and dirty right next to you."

Silence descended on the ponies in the cave as they each contemplated what joining would mean. What the future would hold.

"Ah don' know about ya'll, but we can’t do nothing." Everypony nodded. "We'll need a plan though."

"We'll need a name."

"A base."

"Spies."

"Outfits so we'll look like a group."

"Some way to communicate safely."

"Parties!"

"..."

"Parties raise morale silly."

"She's got a point there," sighed Rarity. "We'll also have to gather up our friends and family. If Nightmare Moon gets her hooves on them..."

A nervous look and gulps were exchanged.

"Can we actually do this?" asked Fluttershy. "Do we have the resources to wage a war? I mean, this has to work. We can't go throwing our lives away and we can't drag other ponies into this if there is no hope."

"This will work." The utter confidence and bravado in Dash's tone drew their attention. "This is bigger than Equestria. Bigger than ponies. This is eternal night and there are dragons, griffons, and all sorts of other things out there that are being affected. We need a base? Somewhere in the Everfree Forest. We have the only guide and the toughest pony in all the world to keep us safe – that's you Fluttershy, don't give me that look. We've seen you face down manticores. And the creatures will keep us safe from Nightmare Moon as well. We need spies? We've got Rarity and her contacts in Canterlot."

"I don't know about that..." Rarity licked her dry lips. "It's not like I have contacts to really important ponies there, though I suppose I could give it a shot."

"Ah agree with Rainbow Dash, an' Ah don't say that often. We can do this. Ah've also got contacts all over Equestria among the working ponies."

"And Spike can send messages over long distances," offered Fluttershy. "He told me himself."

Pinkie Pie nodded. "Plus, that Nightmare Moon is no doubt going around popping parties every which direction and that makes her a meanie mean grumpy frump meanie unhappy pants! We’ll make them laugh so much, they end up with stitches and then we can waltz right in and free Princess Celestia."

Fluttershy nodded, determination set in her eyes. "Alright. I know the perfect cave in the heart of the Everfree Forest. It's large enough to house the entirety of Ponyville, and it's close to water and food."

"We start this tonight then," said Dash. "It's still dark out and Nightmare Moon should be tired from fighting us. Fluttershy and I will keep a lookout above Ponyville so the rest of you can collect your family members and any important items. Then I'll collect stuff from my house and Fluttershy's before moving off to the secure location."

"We should stop by the Tw- the library as well. Pick up some spell books, books on war, maps, edible foods, herbal cures and such," added Rarity. "Once this gets under way, I doubt we'll be able to go into town often."

"Girls, we still need a name and symbol." Pinkie sighed at the blank looks she got. "A rallying name, some way for ponies to know there is a resistance, that it's serious and something that'll give hope."

"The Dawn Brigade," whispered Fluttershy. "Because we'll be bringing it back."

They looked at each other. Their Elements glowed faintly in the oppressing darkness, pushing it back.

"And we need to rescue Twilight."

An hour ago, even a minute ago, that statement weighed heavily on each of their minds and the mere thought of it would have sent them into a depression. That was the point of the alcohol after all, to drink away the pain. But now... now the alcohol seemed like an insult to the mare they had only met the day before. Twilight gave them hope when there was none. Twilight saved them when the Elements failed. Even if it meant getting captured.

The sadness was still there though, but it no longer choked them. No longer held them down like shackles and made their limbs heavy. But something else was there, something that burned all the doubts away. Was it hope? Maybe.Determination?Possibly. But it was something else entirely, something different, something magical, something more.

It was a spark.

Drip...

Drop...

Drip...

Drop...

Pain. Every joint, every muscle, every inch hurt. If somepony walked in and told me Applejack bucked me nonstop for a day, I'd believe them. Each time I breathed, it felt like a white hot stake was being shoved into my chest and twisted around. I could feel the blood making its slow way through my fur. Each pulse of my heart pushing out a tiny bit more.

Drip...

Drop...

Dri...

Chains.Cold, metallic chains. They were tight, far too tight, I could already feel the numbness setting into my hooves and they bit into my skin like dragon's jaws – I should know, I had to take care of a baby dragon. Spike... Spike, where ever you are, I hope you're safe. And my friends – tears welled up for the briefest of seconds before I forced them back down – my new found friends, I hope you're safe too. What is it they say? Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Well in this situation, I'm glad I managed to make friends before I die.

Drip...

Dr...

No! Bad Twilight. What would Celestia say if she heard you right now? But Celestia's dead... No! She's locked up, and even if she was in your situation, she'd do something about Nightmare Moon. Confidence and courage seemed to course through me and the pain vanished. But a second later, it slammed back into me, drowning out any hope I had just seconds ago.

Dr...

I reached out for the magic deep within me, a smile tugging on my lips as its familiar warmth eased the troubles in my heart. It was the one constant in my life, the one thing I could always count on apart from Celes- I choked back the sob with pure determination. I would not let Nightmare Moon see me cry.

Drawing some from the well within me, I channeled into my horn. Pain zapped back through, causing me to cry out. It felt as though someone tried to break my horn in half. There was no doubt in my mind that if I forced, it I'd either die or pass out first. A sigh escaped. So no constants in my life anymore.

A sense of dread and infinite coldness slithered over me. The door opened with the barest hint of a creak and in strolled Nightmare Moon, I didn't even need my eyes to know that. Where Celestia radiated love and affection, Nightmare Moon radiated despair.

"Twilight Sparkle," her words were hollow and had a crack at the end that reminded me of a whip. "I am dreadfully sorry for making you wait for so long, but as Queen there are many duties for me to attend to. I hope you've been fed."

"..."

"Look at me Twilight."

"..."

"Look at me!" She grabbed me with telekinesis, not caring about my injuries or if my bones turned to powder under her deathly grip. "Look at me or lose your eyes."

My eyes snapped open, staring straight into hers. I kept my expression blank and tried to bore into her soul with my gaze. It was a silly thing to do, but it made me feel better.

"The silent treatment? How mature." She stepped back, not caring if her hooves landed in some of my blood. "I am only going to ask this once, where are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Where did you send them?"

What would Dash do to piss off others? A smirk appeared on my muzzle. "Oh what's the matter?" I cooed. "Is poor wittle Moon having twoubles catching some silly fillies?"

Pain exploded behind my eyes, my head thrown to the side and slamming into the wall. Blood dripped from my mouth. "You dare insult your Queen?"

"Queen? What Queen? All I see is a silly filly throwing a temper tan-"

A scream was torn from my throat as my back arched. It was an unearthly sound that echoed through the night for the whole of Canterlot to hear. It felt like my insides were being liquefied then brought to a boil.

As abruptly as the pain came, it stopped, leaving a sharp pulse in its place, as though a nail was being hammered in. Sweat dripped through my mane, matting it down, and my breathing was ragged. It was a constant struggle between gulping down air and the pain that accompanied each breath.

Do what Dash would do.

I took a deep breath, trying to fight back the pain that accompanied it. "That was it? I've felt-"

Was I screaming? I don't know. All I know is pain. So much pain. Did I drink some Rainbow Juice? Acid? I wanted to curl up in a ball. I wanted to die. I spared a glance down and Nightmare Moon must have noticed, for she twisted the ethereal blue blade in my stomach, sending a wave of blue electricity through my body.

Everything shut down. My sight.My hearing.My voice. My life, my being, was pain. My veins were on fire as though my blood had been extracted and chemicals pumped in. Something seemed to burst in my stomach and for a brief second, a strangled cry escaped my lips. Had my stomach popped under the stress? Maybe it was my kidney.

Once more the blade vanished, except this time I was still in pain. From the way magic concentrated over my stomach, I'd say something did explode on the inside. I could also feel residual magic pulsing every second, bring fresh waves with it. It was as though there was a sword lodged in my stomach and every subtle shift tore the wound wider. Opening my eyes slowly, I was faced with the charred fur on my stomach and vomit. Looking away, bile rose at the amount of blood and urine on the floor. I read that bladder control could be lost under certain situations, but to actually have it happen was mortifying.

"Why am I healing you? Because this is torture. If I wanted an execution, I'd have one in public. I will ask once more my little pony, where are they?" Her voice was soft, almost tender, but it contained the promise of everlasting pain for refusing.

"Wh-What sp... What spell was that?" Forcing those words out was the hardest thing I had ever done.

To my surprise, my tormentor chuckled and summoned the shimmering blade. "Oh this little thing? I invented many, many, many spells during my exile, and this was one of them. Leaves no physical damage, and the amount of pain it causes depends on the amount of energy I channel into it. It overloads the body with magical energy and in an attempt to cope, the body transforms it into heat and electrical energy. In other words, I'm literally cooking you from the inside out. Best part is, it doesn't harm the exterior of the pony, only the interior, so it bypasses all that bone that protects your delicate little organs. And just so you know, that was barely a tenth of its full potential. And by full potential, I mean it overloads the body so much the pony explodes. All that fluid turning into gas... Very messy that." A second blade suddenly appeared. "And I can create more than one. But I ask again, where are they?"

I spat in her face.

"Oh this will be fun. This will be so much fun."

I tensed up, expecting the blades again, instead the air was ripped from my lungs. My eyes widened, panic rising up like a tidal wave. Just as quickly though, I shoved it back down, forcing my mouth to form a smirk. She wouldn't kill me. She wanted information, or to turn me into a pet to dash morale of any potential uprising.

She needed me.

My smirk grew wider and if there was any air around me, my laughter would have been heard in Ponyville. She could bring the pain, she could bring all the pain she wanted in the world, and I still wouldn't break. Though the edges of my vision began to blur and I could feel my body slumping, I focused entirely on keeping my grin in place.

"Twilight Sparkle, it is a pleasure to finally meet thee. We are afraid we have not accustomed to the language shifts that has occurred."

Groaning, I stood up, eyes fluttering open. All around me was darkness and stars. High above hung a blue and green orb with splashes of white on the surface while below was just a white surface with craters everywhere. I finally turned my attention back to the voice only for my jaw to drop. It was an alicorn with dark blue fur and a star filled mane, wearing similar accessories to Celestia.

"Where am I? Who are you?"

"We are Princess Luna." She gave a small bow. "And this is our prison within Nightmare Moon's mind. Or rather, within our own mind."

Multiple things clicked together at once. The first was that Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna shared the same body, but were separate entities. The second was that she still had some power, though limited. Thirdly, she was a potential friend within the castle.

"We only have enough power to enter the dreams of our subjects and we have to be careful when and how we do it. Nightmare Moon knows we are here after all, but currently she is having too much fun with thou's body to notice."

"What!?"

"Thou did not do it on purpose? Celly always knew how to pick her students. We cannot do much, but we can stop Nightmare Moon from entering your dreams and making them... well... nightmares." A wave of her hoof and the entire scene began to dissipate. "Till next we meet Twilight Sparkle. Remember the rule of four and the six fold path. May the stars guide thee."

Freezing cold water shocked me awake. There in front of me was Nightmare Moon in all her glory. Suddenly, her hooves slammed into my shoulders, forcing me against the wall, my head slammed back with an audible crack.

"What did she say?" For the first time, Nightmare Moon lost her cool. Her face was inches from mine and each word she spoke added a layer of saliva to my coat of grime. "She was talking to you, I could feel it. WHAT. DID. SHE. SAY!"

I opened an eye, blood dripped from my snout and all over my body. I could feel it trickling down my legs and my hooves felt numb. Hopefully they won't have to be amputated. With each second that passed, Nightmare Moon got more and more pissed off. The magical aura that came off her lashed out in all directions, cracking the stone beneath her hooves. It was suffocating.

"Answer me!"

Licking my lips, the metallic tang of blood was unmistakable. "I thought only wittle fillies lost control of their magic."

The blue sword appeared once more. This time though, it looked solid like crystals and sparks of magic flared up, jumping from the sword to me like lightning bolts. Each time one struck, the scent of burning fur and skin was unmistakable. Without a word, it plunged straight into my stomach until the hilt was pressed against my fur.

I thought I had no voice left to scream with. I thought I knew pain.

I was wrong.