Lightning riddled the sky and illuminated the ruins below. The rain showered the mares, Spike, and Sanctus Nightmare as they bolted towards each other. Two vortexes of shadow formed around Sanctus’s front hooves. A flash burst from within and dissipated the vortexes, revealing Sanctus is now armed with a sickle-sword in each hoof, similar in likeness to the Olc Sword.

Sanctus leapt into the air and the raging winds collected in his huge wings. He flew over the mares and swung down. They ducked just in time and Sanctus flew over them. He circled back around for another dive.

“Spread out!” Twilight declared.

As the others did so, Twilight turned around and aimed her sights on Sanctus. Their eyes locked, and magic began to shine from their horns. Power surged through Twilight as she readied her strongest beam.

She waited for the right moment. She only had one shot, and had to wait for Sanctus to get close.

Sanctus continued to build speed, unfazed by the crackling aura around Twilight. He laughed at her, and raised his sickles at the ready.

Twilight waited, and held her ground.

200 metres away…

100 metres away…

50 metres away…

10 metres away, this was the moment.

Twilight was sure of her shot, and declared, “I got you in my sights!”

Her eyes raged with fire, aimed directly into Sanctus’s gleaming eyes.

Twilight pulled the mental trigger, and fired.

Nothing.

Only a sparkly poof of magic spurted from her horn. Twilight was in utter disbelief. Darkness suddenly enraptured the two foes, and the wailing cackles of Sanctus echoed around her.

“You fool!” Sanctus Nightmare howled in delight, his body already reforming into his dragon form.

Upon completing his transformation, Sanctus charged towards Twilight.

“Least I know that this is only a dream!” Twilight barked back.

Sanctus’s jaws opened wide and engulfed Twilight. But Twilight fought back, and gave her strongest kick at the roof of his upper jaw. The force parted the rain with a mighty shockwave. Sanctus’s jaws froze for a moment, only to snap down and pierce into Twilight.

Twilight screamed in pain as she felt her body tear into shreds, despite knowing that it wasn’t real. The pain felt so real.

Sanctus chomped down onto the frail body several more times before spitting Twilight up into the air, deep into the raging storm clouds.

“You can't hurt me. This is my world! And you can't ever leave!” He laughed as he gave chase to the airborne target.

His jaws widened again, and another pair of toothy jaws emerged from the throat. They reached out and chomped, but an unknown blur dashed in and plucked Twilight from the air.

“Are you sure about that?” A voice then hollered behind.

Sanctus turned to see Rainbow Dash, carrying Twilight on her back.

“Impossible!” Sanctus snarled. “The only way that can be possible is… you…!”

His body collapsed in on itself and changed once more. In a burst of darkness, a thousand wasps swamped the skies and chased after Dash.

“You think a few gnats are going to stop me?” Dash boasted.

With quick work of her wings, Rainbow Dash accelerated to the speed of sound and evaded the waves of Sanctus’s split bodies. She used corkscrews, loops, and other aerial tricks to keep Sanctus off of her and Twilight.

“Dash, how did you get here?” Twilight asked in astonishment.

“I broke into that black blob thing that creep and you were in.” Dash explained. “I tried to pull you out, but suddenly I found myself… wherever this is.”

“This is a nightmare world. You must’ve looked into Sanctus’s eyes.”

“Speaking of eyes…” Dash motioned above her.

Twilight looked up and saw one massive eye looking down at her through the red skies and black storms.

“Wait, where’s his left eye?” Twilight realized.

“Don’t you mean his right?” Dash asked, looking in the same direction.

“Look out!” A continent sized flipper suddenly breached through the clouds and swung down at Dash and Twilight. The two split up and dodged the fin. An equally massive, black whale body emerged from the storm and flew after the two mares.

As Twilight examined Sanctus’s new form, she noticed that only one eye was able to observe her due its limited vision.

“So what does that mean for us?”

“We need an escape and join up with the others.”

“Decent plan,” Sanctus’s voice chortled. “Too bad there is no escape!”

Sanctus lunged forward at the two mares and opened his gaping mouth. As hard as the duo tried, their efforts failed, and the two were sucked into Sanctus’s mouth.

“Let them out!” Pinkie Pie hollered.

“Twilight? Dash?” Applejack called for their names.

“Reveal yourself, you coward!” Rarity hissed at the cocoon.

“Oh, Spike,” Fluttershy panicked. “What do we do?”

“I don’t know,” Spike replied, digging his claws into the shield.

“How did Dash pull it off?” Applejack asked.

“I don’t know. The only pony who was able to open the thing and let us in was Discord. And he’s out now.” Spike explained.

Pinkie exclaimed, “Hurry up and think of something! Twilight and Dash must be in grave danger in there.”

Fluttershy, overrun with emotions, hurdled herself against the cocoon, and rubbed against its side.

She cried out to the two mares inside, “Dash, Twilight. Please, please stay strong. We’re coming to help you. We’ll get you ou-OH!”

The parts of the shield that Fluttershy touched illuminated in a heavenly light. Fluttershy could feel herself slipping into the light. However, she pulled herself out before falling in, and the shield reformed back to solid black.

Spike’s mind quickly came up with a theory, one so crazy, it might just work.

“Twilight!” Dash yelled out into the darkness.

The cold, slimy floor of Sanctus’s stomach rumbled and shook as it delighted in tossing around the pegasus’s body. No matter where she flew, she was knocked back down by one of the tentacles lingering on the walls and roof of the whale’s insides. It had been like this for what felt like hours, and Dash was losing hope.

“Rainbow Dash,” a voice called out to her from the darkness.

“You,” she hissed.

“You always wanted a permanent rush in your life, didn’t you?”

“This is not what I had in mi-” the cyan mare was interrupted via a slap on the rear by one of the internal feelers.

“Whoopsie, looks like spitting focus makes the little details of my work more… self-governed. My, they are quite adventurous, too.”

“Sanctus, or whatever your name it, you will not get away with thi-”

TWAP!

“Ouch!” Dash piped.

“Hahaha,” Sanctus chucked, his white and red grin appearing on the fleshy ceiling. “The look on your face is quite exhilarating to see. But, we can make it better. Hmm, now, let’s see…”

“Try and search my brain all you want, I got nothing to be afraid of-”

TWAP!

Sanctus retorted, “On the contrary. Looks like I found your biggest fear, your greatest undoing.”

“What? Try me?”

A long, spindly drill emerged from the floor and aimed at Dash’s forehead. Tentacles restrained her as the drill wound up and focused between her eyes.

“Losing your courage…”

As Sanctus said those words, the drill immediately plugged into her mind. Dash hollered in pain and woe as she felt as if her soul was being sapped from her body. Fear, hopelessness, loss, disappointment, and her will were washed from her body and sucked into the drill. Upon pulling out, Sanctus was left with a whimpering, lost, terrified foal.

He continued, “You can survive being weak, you can survive being frightened, you can survive even Death. That courage of yours is your strongest asset. Imagine what would happen if your friends saw you in this state. Their last, and strongest, beacon of courage, drowned in a pool of tears. Oh, would it break their hearts, and you know it, you fear it.”

“P-P-Please,” Rainbow sobbed. “Don’t h-hurt-t m-me.”

Sanctus falsely pondered for a moment, “…nah, I’m just going to keep this up till this really scars you in the real world.”

The drill emerged once more, and aimed at Dash’s head. She had lost her will to even struggle, and remained in place as the device started once more.

Sanctus entered a fit of maniacal laughter as he heard the disheartened cries of Rainbow Dash.

He screamed, “Goodbye, Rainbow Dash!”

But as the drill moved in, a blinding light shot pierced through the darkness. The light was so powerful, it had cut the drill in half. Her will and courage flowed back into Rainbow Dash as she saw what awaited her at the end of the open mouth.

It was Pinkie Pie’s warm smile, dwarfing the size of Sanctus’s.

“You’re back!” Spike’s voice rung through Twilight’s ears.

Twilight’s eyes opened once more to the sight of her friends at the ruins. However, Sanctus’s nightmare shield is still up with Rainbow Dash inside.

“Dash!” Twilight yelled out, leaping to her hooves.

“Don’t worry,” Applejack nonchalantly replied, leaning against the cocoon. “Being honest, I lied when I said I didn’t find you suspicious reading that book.”

Applejack suddenly became enveloped in light, and phased into the shield.

Twilight’s jaw dropped, “How-”

“We figured out how to get through his shield!” Spike cheered. “When you girls tap into your element of harmony, you are somehow able to get in.”

“That sounds-”

“Ridiculous, I know. But then again, a story book had just possessed you and caused you to summon a nightmare demon.”

“…Touché.”

Sanctus Nightmare launched from the cocoon and onto his back, shattering it. From the dissipating remains of it emerge Applejack, Pinkie, and Dash, with proud smirks on their faces.

“That oughta teach ‘im,” Applejack remarked.

“You okay, Dashie?” Pinkie asked.

Dash answered, “I’m a bit stung, but I’ll be okay.”

The hissing noises of Sanctus called their attention. As the seven turned to face him, he was back in the air, wielding now a double ended scythe. His grin had shrunk a bit, but remained as blinding as ever.

“We figured out your weakness Sanctus,” Twilight declared.

“Oh? You have?” Sanctus asked.

Not giving Twilight time to respond, Sanctus instantly bolted forward. He swung his scythe straight at her throat. Twilight summoned a shield and caught the blade. Their eye locked for a moment, and the Nightmare’s eyes gleamed immediately.

As the two entered the nightmare realm, Sanctus grew into a giant and stomped towards Twilight. Twilight stood there unfazed, not a glint of fear in her eyes. Sanctus raised his hoof and dropped it. However, Applejack’s equally massive hoof caught it, and a giant Rainbow Dash lunged into Sanctus. The two massive ponies collapsed to the floor, which ripped to reveal the real world.

Sanctus Nightmare kicked Dash off of him and locked eyes with her.

The transition to the nightmare world wasn’t even complete when Rarity and Fluttershy busted in and pulled the two out. Sanctus was then met with a party-cannon to the face and hurled onto the altar. His back snapped as it made impact with the shattered stone.

The mares and Spike joined together and approached Sanctus. Booming with confidence.

Twilight proclaimed, “Your nightmares may be terrifying, but that’s all they are, nightmares. They aren’t real, and as long as my friends are with me to show me the good and hope in the world, I will never accept whatever you throw in my way as reality. You’re powerless, like a nightmare.”

Only the winds made a sound as the black mass remained silent. It seemed that he finally shut up.

However, that hope was crushed almost immediately, as Sanctus’s body began to shift once more. The sound of crackling and realigning bones resonated throughout the ruins, and the malicious laughter soon came after. As his spine rejoined, Sanctus arched his body back up and onto his hooves.

He blissfully retorted, “So, just a nightmare? I have only one goal, to plunge the entire universe in eternal pain, fear, and suffering, to get as many ponies as I can to only dread me their entire lives. I can and will fulfill that goal with the powers I have in the real world, and am both capable and willing to kill a few ponies from my torture if they get in my way. Tell me, can a simple nightmare do that?”

His tail extended to several metres in length, and swung it around the altar. It swiped across the legs of the ponies and Spike, tripping them onto the dirt. He then pulled out his scythe and threw it at Twilight. Twilight barely avoided it, as it struck where her head would’ve been a split-second earlier.

“I am a god!” Sanctus Nightmare roared.

Lightning struck the ground as Sanctus charged at the seven. He leapt into the air and dived towards them, pulling out his sickles. The mares and Spike rolled away just in time and regrouped a fair distance away.

“Okay, what’s the plan now?” Applejack asked.

“Win!” Dash declared, and instantly flew at Sanctus.

“That’s more of a goal than a plan!”

Sanctus whipped his tail around again. Twilight and the others ducked while Dash got slapped across the side, sending her into a pillar. Sanctus then took to the air and disappeared in the clouds.

“Keep close,” Twilight instructed her team members.

Suddenly, a fireball fell from the storm and smashed down in front of them, exploding and sending them back several metres.

“Never mind, keep your distance.” Twilight coughed.

A long, black blade then pierced the heavens and stabbed into the pillar above Rainbow Dash, causing it to shatter. Sanctus Nightmare then landed back onto the ground, wielding Margáil Le Bás, Thanatus’s eternally extending sword.

Sanctus aimed the sword towards Twilight, with its tip a metre away from her face. A red light engulfed the blade as it reformed into a small box. When the light faded, it was revealed to be the book, “The Adventures of Arcega Minn”.

“Remember, Twilight Sparkle!” Sanctus declared. “This is your doing!”

“Remember, Twilight Sparkle!” Sanctus declared. “This is your doing!”

The book transformed back into the sword and Sanctus lunged forward. Twilight barely dodged the blade. She then ran away as the nightmare demon charged towards her, swinging his growing sword back and forth. Twilight hid behind a pillar just as the blade was about to reach her. It jammed into the stone pillar, giving the others an opening.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack leapt in front of Sanctus and barraged him with a flurry or hooves. Sanctus retaliated by countering the onslaught with his own hooves, cancelling and deflecting their combination attacks. Pinkie wheeled in her party cannon behind Sanctus and fired. Sanctus rolled away from the shot, letting it smack Dash and Applejack back towards the altar.

Sanctus ‘s eyes gleamed as he turned to Pinkie, immediately forming his nightmare shield. However, Rarity leapt in before the shield was complete and delivered a magically buffed uppercut into Sanctus. He was sent flying into the air, only to be sent back down by a diving stomp delivered by Fluttershy.

Twilight watched in the distance as Sanctus fell into the earth. While the dust clouds rolled in after, Twilight took the opportunity to obtain Margáil Le Bás. Grabbing the hilt, she pulled with all of her strength, but it only shifted a small bit.

A burst of powerful magic erupted from behind as Twilight pulled. She had to hurry, or she’ll be wide open to attack. The yells of her friends and their fighting echoed throughout the ruins. The sword moved a small bit again, and again.

She almost had it.

The thunderous stomps of Sanctus drew to her as she pulled. She could feel the cold emanating from his new sword only several metres behind her. Suddenly, Margáil Le Bás was free, and Twilight could instantly feel its power surge through her. She turned around and swung.

Upon her sword and Sanctus’s sword colliding, a shockwave ripped through the air.

“I must say,” Sanctus remarked upon the scene before him. “I’m impressed.”

Between him and Twilight were the shattered remains of his sickles on the floor, and the extending blade now aimed between his eyes. The sword was emitting a red glow, and Sanctus could notice the tip subtly moving closer and away from his face.

“Any last words, Sanctus,” Twilight declared, glaring into his eyes, fully confident in her victory.

Sanctus paused before giddily telling Twilight, “…You’ve tapped into Margáil Le Bás’s true power, you can alter its length. Very few have ever done so, and those few, have bargained a lot away to achieve such power. Usually, it’s their own, good souls.”

Twilight’s eyes bulged in shock and Sanctus’s eyes gleamed. In a second, the two were sealed within another nightmare.

“Twilight!” The others exclaimed.

Quickly, the mares approached the cocoon and tapped into their element of harmony. Spike watched in horror, counting every second Twilight was in there. The mares then leapt into the shield and attacked Sanctus, pummeling him with hooves, magic, and aerial-based attacks. Spike reached into the breached shield and pulled out Twilight, still dazed from Sanctus.

“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked.

“I’m-I’m-I-I-am-am-I-am-I…” Twilight rambled, collecting herself.

“Relax, you’re still a good pony.” Spike reassured her.

He rested a hand on Twilight’s back and gave a comforting pat. Twilight turned to Spike with a glowing smile. It was the first time in a while since Twilight felt such warmth.

With a smile, Twilight replied, “As long as you are there for me, I know I am good.”

“Enough!” Sanctus roared out behind them.

The other mares were flung away from him as Sanctus regained his stance. His skin was literally boiling in anger. He instantly locked eyes with one of the mares, Fluttershy, and sealed the both of them in a nightmare shield.

Dash leapt in right between them instantly, and Fluttershy was broken free. Sanctus took a step back and sealed Dash then. However, Applejack hopped in, freeing Dash.

Then Rarity leapt in.

Then Pinkie leapt in.

Then Twilight leapt in.

Then Spike leapt in.

Then Fluttershy rejoined.

Rainbow Dash,

Applejack,

Rarity,

Pinkie,

Twilight,

Spike,

Fluttershy,

Rainbow Dash,

Applejack,

Rarity,

Pinkie,

Twilight,

Spike-

“Arg!” Sanctus Nightmare hollered, overwhelmed by the rapid changing of targets.

By his own accord, Sanctus broke the spell and back away to regain proper vision. The seven heroes lined up side by side and watched as Sanctus rubbed his eyes.

“Humph,” Twilight perkily scoffed. “Puny god,”

Dropping Margáil Le Bás to her side, Twilight approached Sanctus Nightmare, eventually followed by everypony else. Sanctus turned his back to the heroes as he continued to shuffle around with his hooves. Dark magic flowed from his horn to whatever he was doing out of their sight.

Eventually, the mares and Spike stopped and waited to see what he was planning.

Twilight scolded him for this, “Don’t you get it? It’s over. Whatever you say, show, or do, it’s useless against all us. Just give up now.”

“…” Sanctus remained silent and continued to work.

He slowly turned his head to the right side and grinned towards the seven. He winked before turning the other way around and revealing his left eye.

The mares and Spike gasped in horror.

Sanctus’s left eye had been covered with a gemstone monocle, tucked deep into his eye socket. His red eye was split across the seven faces of the crystal and each moved independent of each other. Each of the glass eye’s sevenths locked onto each of the seven and sent the entire group into a nightmare.

The world was plunged into darkness as the seven together entered Sanctus’s nightmare world. Streaks of red painted the bloodthirsty storm that completely surrounded the seven as they fell through the darkness. Pillars of burgundy lightning leaped across the storm and occasionally electrocuting the mares and Spike.

A wicked cackle rang throughout the groundless void. It was so powerful, that it deformed the blackness composing the nightmare world. Large blobs of goop tore from the void and formed into various beasts. A three-eyed scorpion, a dragon, a whale, and a massive version of Sanctus, were formed and circled the heroes.

“How do we get out of here?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“You don’t!” The four monsters simultaneously answered. “You shall remain within my world for eternity.”

“We’ll stay here if it means that you have to as well!” Twilight retorted.

“Right!” The others nodded.

Sanctus’s four bodies roared with laughter and countered, “Oh, I don’t have to. Once I regain enough power, I can put you all in a permanent nightmare whilst I send the rest of your world trembling to its core.”

“No!” The mares and Spike gasped.

“Discord will get us out!” Fluttershy shouted.

“I’d like to see him try, I have an extra eye for him.” Sanctus taunted. “For now, let’s see how much hopelessness I can instill into you all.”

“We got to think of a way out!” Rarity declared.

“Anypony got any ideas?” Applejack asked.

“You got something, Twilight?” Dash called out to her friend.

“Yes!” Sanctus interrupted. “Surely the mare that has doom the entire world into an eternal nightmare can think of a way out. Hahahahaha!”

“Oh, put a cork in it!” Spike shouted to the massive Sanctus before turning to Twilight. “Come on, we believe in you, Twilight.”

“…” Twilight turned silent and entered deep concentration.

She thought to herself, the gravity of this nightmare world makes it impossible to fly up and any magic that isn’t Sanctus’s is surely nullified. The four monsters circling us are indestructible, except from outside interference. Anything done to me and my friends is only pain, at least for now.

Wait, what creates these nightmares in the first place? The eyes at the top of the world, that’s it. Back when Dash and I were part of the same nightmare, Sanctus had to split its focus across its two eyes. I felt as if I had a bit more power in the nightmare than when both eyes were locked on me. So if only one eye is split is between all seven of us, that means…

“I got an idea!” Twilight declared.

But before she could explain her theory, the dragon swooped in and trapped Twilight in its mouth. It carried her off a hundred kilometres away from the others before spitting her out. A grin formed in the black void and chucked at her.

“I’m not going to just let you tell them to distract me.” He chortled. “This is my world. I can see what you’re thinking before you even complete the thought.”

“Watch me!” Twilight hissed.

As Twilight opened her mouth to yell out, the dragon chomped onto her neck. Twilight shrieked in pain, feeling the tendons of her neck snap and drop limp.

But she knew this was only pain.

With all of her mental might, she yelled, “Girls! Spike! Di-”

The dragon bit down again, but held its jaws close, almost completely cutting her head off. Twilight hissed and choked, but she wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.

“Friends!” She gargled from her distorted body at the top of her ripped lungs, “Distract the four!”

“You think they can hear you from so far away?” The mouth in the sky taunted.

“What do you mean?” She gladly retorted. “They’re right next to me.”

The mouth suddenly stopped smiling and vanished. The dragon chomped into Twilight and whipped her around.

Inside his black cocoon, Sanctus Nightmare’s right eye came alive and looked forward at the seven in front of them. They were all frozen in place, except for Twilight. Her eyes were subtly shifting and her teeth grinded in her mouth. A weak groan escaped her throat from the pain induced in the nightmare world.

Twilight’s consciousness was returning to the real world.

“Go…” Sanctus could see her mumble. “It’s just a nightmare.”

Sanctus’s grinning teeth clamped tightly and the corners of his lips begun to point downwards.

“Go!” Twilight screamed before the dragon snapped into her gut in the nightmare world.

As the other mares and Spike continued to fall into nothingness with the slowly approaching monsters, a strong wind had cut through the anomalous storm. It loudly hissed as it passed over the huddled group. It grew so loud, that it dulled out the roars of the beast and the worried cries of the mares.

Eventually, Spike noticed something in the wind that his ears could pick up. Soon, the others could hear it as well.

It was Twilight’s voice from the outside.

The wind whistled, “Friends… Distract the four… Go… It’s just a nightmare… Go…”

The mares and Spike glanced over each of the three monsters, then at one another. They all had the same idea. With a quick nod, they broke off and approached each of the monsters of Sanctus.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy flew towards the whale, who charged back at them. As it opened its mouth, Dash and Fluttershy split away from each other. They flew as hard as they can as a vortex formed around the mouth. The wind from the whale’s inhale was ferocious, tearing into their flesh. But the two pegasi pressed on, and escaped to the whale’s side.

They then flew up to each of his eyes and prepared to attack.

“Let’s see how you like the pain!” Dash hollered.

“Sorry for doing this to an animal!” Fluttershy whimpered.

Dash and Fluttershy kicked into the beast’s eyes. The whale roared in pain and flew forward. However, it was no match for the pegasi’s speed, and the duo gave another powerful set of kicks.

Sanctus’s eye twitched, but kept its gaze.

Applejack and Rarity glided towards the scorpion, somehow standing on nothing, yet still going down at the same rate as they are. The scorpion lunged its tail out at them. Applejack swooped in front of Rarity and took the jab. She winced in pain, but kept a determined face.

“Rarity, get in there!” Applejack groaned.

As she is pulled to the monster’s end, Rarity dove to the top of its face. Upon landing, she aimed her horn to the eye right in front of her.

She shouted, “Take this, you abomination!”

An awkward moment of silence soon took place. Rarity looked up and noticed her horn wasn’t glowing.

“…Oh, right, this is your domain or something.”

Rarity felt a piercing pain behind her as one of the scorpion’s legs stabbed her. It pulled her below and smacked her body into another one of its legs.

As it raised Rarity to smack her in the leg again, she saw an opportunity.

The leg swung down and towards the other. But before making contact, Rarity pulled the leg. The leg and her body turned so that her face was the first thing to make contact. She opened her mouth and bit into the leg. The force of the leg and her collapsing body further powered the bite.

Sanctus’s eye began rolling up, but with his remaining might, he pulled the twitching eyeball back down. He left eye could see a grin growing on Twilight’s face.

Sanctus silently stared as Pinkie Pie and Spike floated towards him. His wings flapped with such force that the duo’s ears popped with each burst of wind. Eventually though, the two made it, and hovered before the giant’s gaping grin.

“So,” The humongous alicorn spoke. “Twilight seems to think she has the victory.”

“She does.” Pinkie cheered.

Sanctus rebutted, “But does she? She was the one who caused all of this.”

“Because you possessed her!” Spike retorted.

“Possessed? It’s not like I took over her body, I didn’t have such power in the Void. The only thing I could offer was words and suggestions. It was her who decided to keep reading. She decided to ignore you, to make you all her enemies.”

“…”

“Looks like her moral compass is a bit jagged, don’t you think? And what do you think is going to happen after this? Is Twilight Sparkle going to get off with no punishment? Are you all just going to try and ignore it? Face it, all of this is pointless. In the end, there will always be nightmares, there will always be suffering, there will always be evil! You cannot escape from that!”

“And there will always be a silver lining,” Pinkie calmly replied. “We all have a jagged moral compass. Even I do, I do messed up things a lot that I regret all the time. And that’s the thing, we learn. We learn from our mistakes and become better in the end. Twilight clearly has, did you see the look in her face when you first showed up?”

“She was terrified!” He roared in delight.

“She was,” Pinkie agreed. “She was also regretful for what she did. Like you said yourself, she made those mistakes herself. And after this, she’ll most likely try to avoid making those mistakes again.”

“And you can learn too.” Spike added, reaching a hoof out to Sanctus.

“What is this?” He curiously asked.

“It’s my hoof.” Spike answered. “I want you to take it. Please, things don’t have to be this way. Come with us, and we can be friends.”

“Yeah!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Friendship is-”

A massive, solid, red beam of magic plowed in Pinkie Pie’s face and sent her tumbling off into the vast distance.

“Don’t you say that word again!” Sanctus boomed, raising his horn back up.

“Hey!” Spike barked.

“You think a peace speech is going to ‘redeem’ me? I am Sanctus Nightmare! I am the bad guy! And I. Will. Destory. Everything!”

“Then I’m sorry, but we don’t let nightmares last for long.”

As Sanctus lowered his head and his horn charged another beam, Spike prepared himself. He took a big breathe and held it, building fire in his belly. Sanctus and Spike fired and the magic beam and fireball produced collided between the two. A bright flash of light engulfed the entire nightmare world. Sanctus’s eyes boiled from the fiery light, and he winced in pain.

Sanctus Nightmare roared in displeasure and he took a step back and rubbed his eye. Upon partially breaking eye contact, Twilight could feel her body regain power. Sanctus quickly noticed that and locked eyesight with her again.

But she didn’t lock in place, and eventually, neither did the others. Each one of the mares and Spike began to shutter and shift. Twilight was the most mobile, and had something on her mind that Sanctus couldn’t get a full grasp of.

Whatever it was, it was driving Sanctus to the edge.

The dragon flailed viciously with Twilight tight in its toothy grip. She felt as if she was going to pass out from the pain. This was Sanctus’s greatest efforts in keeping Twilight and the others trapped inside his nightmare. However, Twilight knew it was only pain, and escape was literally in hoof’s reach.

Her body felt as if her soul was being ripped from it. Each time it was pulled away, Twilight could feel cold air and a dense humidity. She reached for it, she reached despite the massive tooth cleaving her front hoof in two halves.

The ground. She felt the ground.

Twilight’s hoof patted the ground until she found Margáil Le Bás slightly behind her. She felt along the edge of the sword until she found the hilt. She then pulled, and suddenly felt a great weight in her mind.

Twilight looked to her side, and saw what was suddenly weighing her down. It was Margáil Le Bás, now in her hoof. Using her newfound strength, she pried open the dragon’s teeth and freed her hoof. She then tapped into the sword’s power, mimicking what Sanctus did and transformed the sword into the book that started all of this.

“Hey Sanctus, you’re a sucker for pain right?!” Twilight yelled out to the dragon. “How about a papercut?!”

Twilight swung the book into the monster’s teeth. The end of the pages sliced the end of a tooth clean off and the dragon cried in agony. It released Twilight, but immediately regained itself and charged forward. Twilight transformed the book back into a sword and swung at the dragon. The blade sliced through the corners of the dragon’s mouth. It screamed and flew just above Twilight.

However, it then looped back and went in for another dive. Twilight prepared herself and extended the blade to as far as she could. As the dragon opened once more, Twilight swung. The sword cut the entire monster into two halves, which immediately turned to the black goop that made it.

Twilight celebrated to herself for a second before the roars of the other monsters were heard. Looking behind her, she saw the three other giants, charging towards her.

“You’re not getting out of here!” They all bellowed.

Quickly, Twilight aimed the sword up. She searched the blackness above for the source. The monster’s beating wings, legs, and flippers drew close. Everything was black, and Twilight couldn’t find the eye.

Finally, there it was. The blackest part of the sky, the center of Sanctus’s pupil was there. As the three beasts reached her, Twilight fired the blade forward. The black tip snaked forward throughout the lightning-riddled tempest.

Up.

Twilight could feel the stinger pierce her back.

Up.

She could feel the whale’s tentacles slap her front.

Up.

She could feel the blazing heat of Sanctus’s giant beam in her face.

Up.

Suddenly, everything turned to white, as the sound of shattering glass filled the air.