Previously, on After That Fateful Night:

Celestia: You have to accept yourself, give in to your true feelings!

Cloudy: My Queen, I have dire news. The griffons; they're coming...

Nightmare Moon: Captain Horizons, we must rebuild the army. It's our only hope.

Fancy Pants: Perhaps we should auction off the town?

Twilight Sparkle: NIGHTMARE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

And now, the conclusion...

Okay, enough of that silly stuff. Somepony said it would be awesome and I'll be damned if I disagree. Now for the actual fic: (Also, Do a barrel roll, Moon!)

Twilight stared into the air, her eyes focused on a mass of fur and feathers barreling towards the alicorn standing almost a hundred feet to her right. The object sped closer and Twilight realized what it was. A Griffon. She eyed its trajectory and took off at a gallop, hoping to intercept it in time, but she was too slow. There wasn't any way her legs would be able to close the distance fast enough nor would a warning now save her Mistress. Tears burned the corners of her eyes as she raced, the mare and Griffon speeding towards a single location, the latter dangerously close. In a final act of desperation, Twilight's horn flared as she screamed. "NIGHTMARE!!"

The alicorn looked up from the filly at her hooves to find the lavender unicorn racing towards her only to disappear in a flash half a second later. She heard the sound of feathers rushing through the air above her and finally noticed the Griffon descending on her spot. The curved blade it held in its claws gleamed in the pale light of the moon as the Griffon raised it above its head, preparing to strike. Nightmare flared her wings and raised a hoof in a vain attempt at defense, but it was too late. She braced herself for death, one final thought passing through her brain. Twilight, take care of Moon Beam....

Another flash announced the arrival of Twilight, floating just feet above Nightmare Moon's head as she levitated herself in the path of the winged assailant. The Griffon, having already begun its attack, couldn't redirect the blade and, instead of finding its original target, the cold steel tore through Twilight's chest. Twilight screamed in agony, blood gushing from the wound, and was thrown to the ground, carried by the Griffon's momentum. She landed hard, tumbling across the earth and smearing her blood in a haphazard line behind her. Her body was on fire, but she smiled despite all the pain. I... finally did something... right....

Nightmare stared in horror as Twilight was thrown from her levitation field and crumpled on the ground. She watched as the Griffon slowly recovered, shrieking in fury as it unsheathed a smaller dagger from a holster on its side. She watched as Moon Beam wailed in despair at the sight of Twilight dying in the grass, too distraught for her other side to take over. She watched as her own tears, tears of fury and grief, poured down her face, soaking her coat. Then, everything went blank.

Twilight gasped for breath, the sword making it harder and harder to breathe as the blade had cut into a lung. The part inside her had disappeared completely, stuck between her ribs and mere inches away from her spine. It was a fatal wound unless something could be done quickly and she doubted that any kind of help would arrive. She strained her eyes, her vision blurred by the burning agony of the gaping wound, and caught sight of the Griffon limping towards Nightmare Moon, seemingly too stunned to move. Twilight opened her mouth in an attempt to warn the mare, but only blood escaped. A fit of coughs wracked her body sending searing pain through her with every shake, but she couldn't give up. She... needs me....

Nightmare Moon's eyes opened wide, the turquoise gone, replaced by a seething blackness that literally sucked the light out of the air around her. The darkness seeped out of her sockets like dark tears and began to drip to the ground below her as the Griffon grew ever closer. A wave of magic shot from her horn, staggering the predator for a moment, but not severely hindering it. The alicorn opened her mouth and a seething mass of black began to ooze out, pooling in the grass. Her body shook, and her horn flared to life.

Twilight reached her hooves out once more, stretching them as far as her weakened body would let her, and dragged herself inches closer to her queen. Her body was losing its warmth from the blood loss, but her mind wouldn't let her stop. I... have to.... She pulled herself again, more blood trailing behind her. Help... my Queen.... I have.... Another short distance and she had pulled herself five feet closer to the alicorn, but still not close enough. Save... the mare... I love.... She almost stopped to contemplate her words and where she had come to that conclusion, but she didn't have the time. She was dying quickly and she had to stop the Griffon from finishing what it started. She stopped momentarily to take in a shuddering breath and looked at Nightmare to see blurred liquids dropping from the alicorn. Please... don't cry... for me.... Then the moon grew dim.

The moon began to grow fainter as Nightmare's eyes bulged, the black that had taken them over pushing out of her sockets. She focused her attention and faced the oncoming Griffon who was nearly upon her. The Griffon froze, his vision trapped by the unholy mass working its way out of his target. He tried to move his body, but none of it was responding then, in a flash of unbearable pain, he could feel his left hind leg being torn from its socket. He stared unwillingly at the terror before him, trying to break his gaze to save himself, but he couldn't move. Nightmare moon opened her mouth again, the black mass gone, much to the Griffon's worry, and spoke. "YOU HAVE CROSSED THE ONE TRUE RULER OF THIS WORLD AND HAVE TAKEN THE OBJECT OF MY HEART AWAY FROM ME...!" Her voice shook the air around her and grated against the ears of anything within range as if her vocal chords had been replaced by gravel and glass. "YOU SHALL SUFFER DEARLY FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSION...!"

Twilight watched in terror as the Griffon's hind leg was torn from its body by a dark tendril. The limb was torn to shreds as more tendrils joined it. Blood spewed from the wound, but the flow was cut off by a sudden blazing fire, cauterizing the wound. Twilight gasped, feeling her body begin to stiffen, and redoubled her efforts to reach Nightmare Moon. Moon Beam had long since passed out and it was up to her to calm the alicorn.

The Griffon would have screamed in agony, but the stare he was locked in prevented him from doing anything but breathing as if it was only to keep him from killing himself. He felt the icy cold of the demonic tendrils sliding their way across his body and tensed as they sporadically dug into his flesh, opening gaping holes that were burnt closed like his leg. They continued to snake along his body, piercing him every few inches, until they came to his wings. Two tentacles wrapped about the base of the wings and gave a tug. Pain lanced through his shoulders and, after another firm tug, the tendrils tore the feathered limbs from his back, ripping muscle, nerve and bone as they were torn to bits like his leg. He could sense the darkness feeding off his fear and the limbs he had lost, but he hadn't a way to free himself.

Twilight inched ever closer, the gap between her and the Moon Queen growing smaller and smaller with every passing moment. She could also feel her life draining away as well, her blood pooling on the ground in her wake. She saw the tendrils that were maiming the Griffon worm their way up its body to its face, wrapping around his throat. They snaked their way into his gaping, drooling mouth, and slithered down his esophagus. She saw his eyes bulge and blood begin to seep out of his open orifice then, one of the two tendrils slid out, wrapped around a bloody kidney. The two tentacles repeated the process back and forth as they tore his organs from his body, one by one. They took the organs he could live without first: His kidneys, then liver, then stomach until they ended with his lungs. Twilight was very near and she could feel her body giving out, the exertion becoming almost too much. I only need... a little... bit more....

Nightmare saw the life beginning to fade from his eyes through the darkness in hers. "YOU WILL NEVER CAUSE HARM TO THE THRONE AGAIN...! DO NOT WORRY, THOUGH... YOU SHALL BE JOINED BY YOUR BRETHREN VERY SOON...!" Another tendril shot from the writhing pit below the Griffon, this one twice the size of the others and wrapped around the upper part of the Griffon's beak, forcing it open wider. One final dark limb joined the first, but on the opposite side, gripping his bottom beak. The two began to pull and, soon, the sounds of bones snapping could be heard. The Griffon wanted to give one final shriek, but his lack of lungs and oxygen prevented any attempts. His jaw shattered and his cheeks tore down the sides of his face. The tentacles gripped further back and continued their tugging force until, with a sickening tear and several crunches as bones broke, the lion and eagle hybrid was torn in half, his top and bottom being devoured by the unholy spawn that had come from Nightmare's moon fed rage.

Twilight stopped just before Nightmare's legs as the Griffon disappeared into the abyss that had gripped him. Blood caked her body, but she had finally reached her goal. With a weak, trembling hoof, she reached out and brushed the alicorn's leg softly. Nightmare Moon froze up at her touch and looked down to see the lavender mare smiling up at her, the scimitar lodged in her side with tears and blood covering her face. The malicious darkness returned from whence it came as the moon regained its previous brilliance and was replaced with two glowing turquoise eyes, gazing down at the unicorn, tears welling up in the corners.

Twilight shook her head just slightly, a movement that brought no pain as her body was going numb, and dropped her hoof. "Please... don't cry... for me.... I just... want you... to... live...." Her words were soft and choked out between coughs. "I... love..." Her words were never finished as she crossed the threshold of consciousness...

Nightmare Moon stared down at Twilight's body, despair filling her mind, a feeling that was quite new to her, unable to accept what was going on. "No...! No...! NO! YOU CANNOT DIE! AS YOUR QUEEN I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU DIE!!" Her horn ignited and the three ponies disappeared in a dark portal.

Twilight gazed about herself, confused as to her current situation. She couldn't remember anything.... Her entire mind was a wall of fog intent on deterring her from drawing from the pool of her memories. Around her, there was nothing, just an endless abyss of black spreading out in all directions. She could feel a hard surface beneath her hooves, but could see nothing. She closed her eyes once more and opened them again, hoping that the lapse of sight would reveal anything about her, but was met with only the darkness. Terror spread through her fogged mind and she spun about, frantically searching for anything. She dashed off into the abyss, her emotions getting the better of her, and panted heavily as she began hyperventilating.

She couldn't hear anything other than her frantic breaths and the lack of her sight terrified her more than anything. She tripped over her own hooves and smashed face first into the invisible floor, her jaw splitting open on the hard plane beneath her. She didn't return to her feet, however, and simply laid upon the ground, sobbing like a foal. She was alone and terrified. She hadn't a clue as to what was going on about her. "Where are you, Nightmare Moon...?"

In a flash of color, the world around her came to life, filling with grass and trees and buildings just from the single memory that Twilight had managed to draw from behind that wall of fog. The moon hung low in the sky, its pale light reflecting off the pond that Twilight was sprawled out in front of. She blinked in shock, but was relieved to finally be able to see again. She gazed about and tried to take in her surroundings in an attempt to name her current location, but the fog in her mind prevented it. She knew she recognized the area, but her mind couldn't conjure up the name....

She gazed forlornly at the pool of water before her, the stars and moon reflecting beautifully off its surface, and wiped her face. What.... What was I doing before I came here? Where is here? What do I do now? These three thoughts played themselves over and over in her mind and she wracked her brain for any clues that could assist her. An idea popped into her mind and she shot up onto her hooves, heading into the small village behind her. I'll ask one of the locals where I am. I'm sure they'll be able to help me....

She puzzled her current existence over and over until she arrived at the nearest house, a quaint little cottage with a light smoke billowing from a brick chimney. She raised her hoof and knocked once, twice, thrice and waited for an answer. Nothing came. She knocked again, slightly louder this time so that she could make sure that she'd be heard, but again nopony answered back. "Hello? Is anypony home in there? I just want to ask where I am!" Again, she was greeted only by silence. Strange. It seems that nopony is home, but I can see a light on inside and there's smoke coming from the chimney.... Perhaps I could peek in through the window? I'm sure they wouldn't mind....

Twilight silently moved over to the low window just beside the front door and peeked around the corner. She looked inside as carefully as she could, but, to her great surprise, not a single creature was in the house. She contemplated the possible reasons for the lack of residents, but all her brain could come up with is that they were out visiting somepony else. That still doesn't explain why they left the lights on and a fire going.... Maybe the next house will be able to tell me.

She moved just up the roughly cobbled street to the next house. Another cottage, this one slightly smaller with a garden of vegetables about its perimeter, stood before her. She followed the last routine and, must to her dismay, this house came up empty as well. Where could they all-

"DO NOT LEAVE ME!!"

Twilight started at the booming voice as it echoed through the night, but a wave of familiarity washed over her. "Nightmare?" Her eyes widened and she gazed about again. This.... This is my home town... just below Canterlot.... How did I get here? Where's Nightmare Moon? Another idea donned on her, and she spun about to gain her bearings. If.... If I'm in my home town..., then I can ask my parents what to do.... They'll be able to help for sure!

She dashed off down the streets, checking each house and putting them out of her mind until she found the only one she remembered. A small, two-story house with a white picket fence enclosing its yard. It was a light blue like the midday with a white, angled roof, typical of most country homes. It had been forever since she had been home, but she would never forget her childhood home. With renewed vigor, she trotted past the gate and strode straight up to the door. Without even bothering to knock, Twilight magicked the door open and stepped inside.

"Mommy! Daddy! I'm home!" She looked into the main room and dead-panned. Instead of her two loving parents, a lone robed pony sat on the sofa that was placed in front of the fireplace. "Umm.... Who are you? Where are my parents?" she asked, her previous anxiety returning.

The mysterious robed pony didn't move, but his gravelly voice answered nonetheless. "They are gone. As is the rest of this town. As are you."

Twilight stared at the pony, a stallion she guessed from its voice, and moved closer. "What do you mean they're gone? I'm gone? I can't be gone! I'm standing right here talking to you!"

The stallion laughed, a harsh noise, and shook his head. "Oh, but you are gone. You just don't know it yet..."

"I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO DIE!!"

Nightmare Moon's voice roared through the air once again and Twilight paled. "I.... I'm dead...." A glimpse of her body laying in a pool of her own blood, the curved scimitar stuck in her side, flashed into her head. "Oh...!" Tears welled up in her eyes and she began to cry, grief overtaking her mind. The pony turned around, and stared right into Twilight's eyes. The lavender unicorn gasped at the sight and couldn't help but avert her gaze, her tears quickly forgotten. "You're.... You're death..., aren't you...? This must be the plane before the afterlife...." The robed pony nodded. Her analytic mind-set took over and she quickly lost herself in her thoughts. I've always heard stories and theories about death and read many accounts of ponies that claim they had seen the spectral plane, but I always thought they were speaking lies. Their accounts were never the same so I shrugged it off.... I guess this plane of existence, or is it non-existence, differs from pony to pony.

Her thoughts were cut short by the touch of a hoof on her shoulder. She flinched, but looked up into the endless pools of Death's eyes. "It is time to transcend. Come, I will guide you...."

She shook her head and cleared her mind of any lingering doubts as to what was going on. "So..., this is really the end?" He nodded and Twilight fought to keep her composure. It was a vain attempt. Her eyes let loose a torrent of salty liquid as she broke down once more. "I.... I don't want to die.... I still... have so much to live for.... I want to stay... with Nightmare... and Moon Beam.... I want to see... my parents again...." She looked back up at the faceless pony and pleaded. "Please..., let me go back...."

Death simply shook his head and motioned towards the upstairs hallway. "No. It is your time and I cannot allow you to break my laws no matter how much you beg."

Twilight opened her mouth to protest, but hung her head, resigning herself to her fate. I... finally found confidence... in myself... and it's already over...! I'm so sorry..., Nightmare...!

"YOU WILL LEAVE TWILIGHT BE! THAT IS AN ORDER FROM YOUR QUEEN!"

Twilight stopped dead in her tracks. Nightmare Moon's voice, which had previously been like an announcement in the air, now sounded close. Very close. She turned her head and her face lit up immediately, her tears of sadness replaced with tears of joy at the sight of the alicorn. Death turned as well and walked closer to the intruder. "You are not welcome here. This is not a place for you to be."

"I am the goddess of the moon and reigning monarch of Equestria! I make the choices of where I am allowed to be! Now, you have something of mine and I want her back!" She glared at the robed pony in defiance.

"You cannot have her. She must pass on as her time has come. If you interfere, I will not hesitate to end your existence as well...."

Nightmare Moon continued to stare Death down, but glanced briefly at Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle. Come take your place by your Queen. We shall be leaving this place." Twilight glanced at Death, but quickly moved over to Nightmare Moon's side, eager to be reunited with the object of her affection.

Death began to swirl into a vortex of black and brown the moment twilight left his side. "So.... That is your choice...." His body reshaped itself. His cloak, which was once suited for a pony, floated in the air, its form now bipedal, two sleeves for invisible arms set upon its side while the equine hood gained a taller, more rounded shape. The cloak was separated in the center by a glowing black orb, its depths occasionally flashed white as a captured soul moved across its surface a pairs of fingered gloves were suspended just beyond the openings of the sleeves. Another orb spun in the hood and, in a flash of light, two beady red eyes glared at the two ponies before him. He gripped his right glove shut and a sinister black scythe materialized, grasped in his hand. His soft gravelly voice was replaced by a fearsome bellow. "So be it...!"

"Let us depart, Twilight. I will not allow him to claim either of us." Twilight nodded and followed Nightmare Moon as she burst through the front door of the house. They raced off down the street just as death demolished the building they had been inside only moments ago.

Death floated behind them, wisps of dark smoke trailing from his cloak as he slowly gained ground. He swung his great scythe and cleaved the roofs off a row of houses, but missed his intended targets. Nightmare Moon glanced behind herself and saw the looming creature not far behind. She saw him move to swing again, and levitated the slower mare beside her just in time to avoid being reaped. "You cannot escape me...! I will have your souls soon enough...!"

Twilight watched in horror as the Thanatos drew ever closer to them, readying his scythe for a final swing. She clenched her eyes shut, preparing herself to finally meet her end. She could hear the sound of Nightmare Moon panting as she ran, the sound of the air whistling past her ears and, finally, the sound of the scythe slicing through the air. Then....

Nothing....

Twilight stirred, unable to see anything once again. She heard faint whispers of noise nearby, but she couldn't quite place the sounds. She tried to move, but her body felt foreign to her, as if something was missing or she didn't belong in her body at all. The noise grew louder as she slowly regained her full ability to hear and she could finally discern what that sound was. Crying. Somepony was crying beside her. She tried to turn her head, but her body still wouldn't respond so she did the only other thing that she could think of.

She spoke....

She said the one word that came to her mind and it slipped out of her desert-like mouth in a hoarse rasp.

"Nightmare...."

Author's Notes: HEY THERE EVERYPONY! Bet you didn't expect this out so early did you? Nope, didn't think so. So here is the next installment to the very magical tale of love, death, and hardship! Hope you all enjoy this one as I'm sure that the cliffhanger left you wanting more. Well, I must be getting to sleep as I have work later today so, without further adieu, Peppy out!

(P.S. I was soooooooooooooooooooooo totally going to leave you off on that cliffhanger with Death there, but I thought, "Now, Peppy. That isn't very nice. You just left the, hanging last chapter and two cliffhangers in a row is just plain cruel." So I didn't. Please don't kill me!)

Editor's Notes: That was rather gory, but the bird had it commin'. Fun chapter all 'round. Hmmmm, a bit of confusing dialogue, here and there. Sometimes, certain words were missing while at other times, there were words that didn't belong. But, from what I gather, Peppy wrote this in a hurry, so no big deal. Fixed everything I noticed. Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I know I did.