I could hear them.

The vicious howls, the horrifying shrieks, the guttural screams and spine-chilling growls of those unspeakable things which dwelt just beyond the boundaries of this world. I could feel their claws and teeth and tendrils ripping and biting and slithering against the brittle wall that separated Equestria and its innocent inhabitants from the horrors of the 'Other Side'.

They were desperate to finally escape the confines of the Black Dimension, eager to let loose, eager to run wild and tear the life out of this beautiful place like beasts gone mad, and that's what they were when it came right down to it. Mad beasts, driven insane by a level of violence and cruelty that transcended mortal understanding. Now that I was whole, I could remember a time when that wasn't always the case. The Black Dimension, the 'Other Side', it had never been a pleasant place to live, but there had once been peace of a sort, many eons ago, before I arrived from an Equestria brought to ruin by my own hooves and took the Throne for myself.

Yes... I had been the Usurper, I was the Defiler, the Warbringer, the Mad Scholar, and the holder of many other infamous titles besides—the most infamous of which was Skal-Gazaath, the 'Dead Goddess who Grants Life'. I had not given myself that name; it was a name given to me by a creature or creatures I couldn't remember for a feat that I also had no memory of, and at some point, I simply accepted it as my new identity. It was a name that surely meant something once, but was now nothing more than a symbol of the literal monster that I'd become.

I was the one who ripped asunder the fragile peace that had been so carefully and painstakingly crafted by the Ancient King who ruled before me. I fully believed, and still believe to this day, that knowledge is power, and so in my ruthless quest for knowledge, I became one of the many villains my friends and I had spent most of our lives using the power of the Elements to take down... only I was much, much worse. I gained the power of the Throne, and with it, complete dominion over the Black Dimension.

Somewhere along the way, my search for knowledge had become a mad bid for power, and somehow—through means I can't even remember—I had come out on top. I had all the power I could possibly ask for, I'd gained countless pawns and pets and had even forced the only one who never abandoned me, the only one who remained closest to me even as I became an absolutely vile and abhorrent monster, into nothing more than a Servant whose name and face both he and I had forgotten along with my own.

And now, compared to that, I had nothing. Though I don't know how he managed to do it, I knew my displacement into the mind of a Twilight Sparkle from another time and place was not an accident. I knew he was at fault, and I even knew why he did it, but as much as I remembered, there was still much of my memory that was missing, including one very important bit of memory that I need to recover as soon as possible.

I recalled enough to know that I'd hidden the Throne here in the White Dimension well over a millennium ago, but I couldn't remember where or even what it was. In the midst of a struggle I was beginning to lose against the Ancient King, I'd come up with a plan that I foolishly thought was fool-proof, but somehow he'd known. Somehow Nel-Baloth had gotten wind and had compromised that plan, and now I couldn't remember some of the most crucial parts of what I'd intended to do.

I knew it had something to do with that desperate stallion I'd met all those years ago, but the details still escaped me, and if I didn't find it soon, I knew without a doubt that he would, and this world would suffer cataclysmic consequences as a result. If he reclaimed the Throne, then I'd be powerless to stop him, for while I was grateful to be of one mind and mostly equine on the outside again, it was for this very reason that he sent me here in the way that he did. In the process of merging two minds into one, I had recovered the 'me' that I abandoned literal ages ago and as a result, I was far more 'Twilight Sparkle' than 'Skal-Gazaath', both in mind and body.

I was now a walker of both the White and Black Dimensions, and could make use of 'thaumic' and 'odic' energy—White Dimensional and Black Dimensional magic respectively. To my frustration, however, I found that this change actually made me weaker in comparison to how I'd been before. I was still far, far above any being that existed in the White Dimension, and even most things that existed in the Black Dimension, but I could constantly feel the pressure from both 'Sides' pressing in on me like a collapsing star. As I was now, I might barely be a match for the Ancient King without the Throne, and if he obtained it, that would be it.

The brittle wall holding those mad beasts back would shatter, and the horror of the Black Dimension would become Equestria's new reality.

"And it would be my fault in the end, wouldn't it?" I muttered to myself with a self-deprecating smile. It fell into a serious frown as I imagined the gruesome picture, "...I can't let that happen. I won't, not this time, not when I've been given a second chance."

There were some things I could infer based on what I did remember about my life as Skal-Gazaath, but much of the important pieces of that life were still missing. It was frustrating, but I had other problems to keep me busy, and I could dig deeper once Equestria wasn't on the brink of total annihilation... or worse. I didn't want to believe it was too late to stop what was coming, but if I didn't find out what I'd done with the Throne...

"Hmmm... that's weird..."

I looked down to see Pinkie frowning at the forest around her. Evidently, she'd gotten over the physical changes I'd gone through pretty quickly, though to be fair, the changes to my outward appearance weren't all that shocking, considering what my form had been back when I was more Skal-Gazaath than anything else. I was more or less the spitting image of Celestia in appearance if Celestia had dark violet fur, a pitch-black mane and tail that was more violent twisting and writhing than it was graceful flowing and waving, and a few other oddities.

The most standout features in my personal opinion were my irises, which both bore the amethyst colored shape of a six-pointed star much like my original cutie mark, and my cutie mark itself, which still retained its shape of a six-pointed star, but thinner, pitch-black like my mane and tail, and surrounded by a thick black ring. My horn was also more akin to what Chrysalis had atop her head than an actual alicorn's horn, at least in its shape if not its color and composition. To the 'me' that had existed in this timeline, the wings were a new addition, but to the other 'me'—the older 'me'—they'd been there ever since I'd transcended to alicornhood, long before I... did whatever I did to ascended past that.

I turned my thoughts back to Pinkie just as she noticed me looking at her. She grimaced in bemusement as she spoke, a hint of worry in her voice to go with the confusion.

"With that crazy transformation you went through, you'd think Rarity and the others would come popping right in to see what was going on," Pinkie explained, "I just thought it was weird that they didn't."

Pinkie was right, that was strange, and it wasn't just them either. I hadn't heard or felt anything from my Servant or Belzot Magh in some time, nor could I feel Rarity's presence anywhere in the White Dimension. A thousand questions and possibilities flew through my mind and a deep sense of dread grew with each thought that passed by. Before I could voice my concerns, I felt a shift in the thaumic field around me and turned to my left just in time to see Minuette pop into existence before me, her panicked expression briefly morphing into one of surprise, then awe as took in my appearance.

"Whoa," she muttered before shaking her head, "wait, no, focus. Problems. We got big ones, my... Goddess?"

She looked at me questioningly, and I gave a quick shake of my head and frowned.

"Still just Twilight, Minuette," I replied, my voice coming out a bit deeper and with an odd whispery undertone, but otherwise unchanged, "what's going on? What kind of problems?"

Given the cracks I felt forming in the barrier between dimensions, I had my suspicions, but I waited for Minuette to confirm them, and confirm them she did.

"So I was looking for those other mares like you told me to, right? And I found some of the other ponies in town just kind of wandering around looking lost and confused and scared out of their minds. Then I heard this scream and turned to see this... it was like..." she made wild gestures with her hooves, trying to find the right words, "it was like the air ripped itself open and these... these things started pulling ponies in! It's happening all over town!"

My eyes narrowed, but other than that I kept my face calm if a bit troubled. Inside, whatever passed for my heart was pounding hard. Now that I was listening I could hear the horrified and in some cases, bloodcurdling screams coming from Ponyville, reaching my senses out further, I could hear the same thing happening all the way in Canterlot, and I was sure it didn't stop there. The wall that separated this reality from what lay beyond was finally starting to break down, and I was too late to stop it.

My transformation had most likely been the breaking point, which meant that this too was my fault. There was certainly another very specific party responsible I had no doubt, but I also had a hoof in this outcome, unintentional or otherwise. I shared a quick glance with Pinkie, whose grimace deepened slightly, before turning back to Minuette.

"Where's Rarity and Spike?" I asked, burying my guilt beneath a mask of confidence and command with surprising ease, "and the others? Did any of you find the girls I told you to look for?"

"That's the thing," Minuette replied nervously, "not only did we not find the girls you had us look for but Rarity and Spike and the others... they were also pulled into those rips in the air. As far as I know, I'm the only one who's still here out of all of us... and Pinkie I guess."

A flare of anger and panic rose in me and I cursed inwardly before slamming my eyes closed. I'd wondered why I'd felt the need to gather those girls together before, but now I knew exactly why I needed them. Deep down I guess I'd always known why, even back before I came to Ponyville in this timeline.

I couldn't lose them, not Rarity, not Spike, nor Applejack, Fluttershy... or Rainbow Dash.

Even if the rest of equinity were wiped out, none of them could fall to the horrors of the Black Dimension.

Not them, I wouldn't allow it.

I let my own consciousness drift out through the bond I shared with Rarity, letting the bond lead me right to where she was. It didn't take before I found her, and with little effort, I pushed myself into her mind. When I next opened my eyes I was looking through her own, and what I saw nearly made my 'heart' stop.

"Sweetie Belle?" I whispered in a shaky voice, "Sweetie... please... your sister's here for you... she's sorry she couldn't get to you sooner... b-but she's here now... everything is going to be okay, alright? Just hold on a little longer..."

I continued to whisper and mutter assurance to my screaming sister, completely ignoring everything else around me. I ignored the broken, torn and bloody remains of the massive beast behind me as I shushed and cooed comforting words, I ignored the black red-stained claws that replaced my original limbs as I gently pulled my sister close, I paid no heed to the gruesome changes that had taken hold of me, even as my perfectly hooficured hooves, pristine white coat and purple mane eventually returned.

The screams of dying and changing ponies were muted and distant in my ears, the dark alien world I'd followed Sweetie into was irrelevant. The monsters attacking those screaming ponies meant nothing to me. Sweetie Belle was still alive—severely injured and slowly changing into something wholly inequine, but alive, and that's all that mattered right now.

That was the only thing that mattered.

"It's... it's okay, Sweetie," I continued, "just fight through the pain... it'll all be over soon and then we can get you some help," I smiled a brittle smile, "my Goddess is with me even now, she'll know exactly what to do. She can fix this... she can help you... she can save all of us, I know she will..."

Only for an instant did I allow my attention to leave Sweetie Belle as I turned my gaze inward, my mind's eye fixed on the Goddess watching me.

"She's just that kind of Goddess... just that kind of mare... right, Twilight?"

I pulled my consciousness back with a gasp and threw open my eyes. A torrent of emotion slammed into me, rendering me momentarily speechless, but it was only for a brief moment and I quickly regained my composure, or most of it at least. Feelings of terror, guilt, regret, and a slew of other emotions still boiled just below the surface and thousands of questions whirled about in my head—several of them devoted to Spike's whereabouts—but just as before, I pushed them to the back of my mind and focused on the two mares waiting for me to say something.

"Minuette," I began quickly, "go back into town and try to save as many ponies as you can. If they're being pulled into the Black Dimension, do everything you can to pull them back. If something tries to stop you, do what you can to fight them off," I paused, thinking, "...I don't think I can fully stop what's coming now with the way things are, but I might have a way to mitigate the situation, just focus on saving ponies for now, and not just in Ponyville either."

"On it!"

And with that, the light blue mare vanished, leaving me and Pinkie alone in the Everfree. The moment she was gone, I searched my connection for Belzot Magh and my 'other' faithful assistant but received no response. I couldn't even feel their presence, which only brought more dread and an unexpected burst of anger. Keeping myself in check, I instead reached out to Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine. Thankfully I found them, though they were in more or less the same position as Rarity.

Without bothering to send forth my consciousness this time around, I gave them the same instructions as Minuette, albeit with the addendum that if they couldn't get the ponies back through the cracks in the thaumic barrier, then to defend them, starting with Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy if they could find them. Rainbow Dash was a different problem altogether and would need to be handled differently. I could now enter the Black Dimension at my leisure and try to save everypony myself, but as much as I wanted to rush to everypony's aid, it would accomplish little and would be a waste of precious time in the end if I couldn't stop Nel-Baloth from finding the Throne.

No, I had another plan.

It was a bit of a gamble, but if it worked, it would restore a least a little order and keep most, if not all of the remaining White Dimensional inhabitants safe, or at least sane in a world literally gone mad. With my message sent to Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine, I then turned to Pinkie. In the interest of time, I informed her of my plan and intentions through the bond, sending the details in an instant. Her eyes widened and I could feel the questions coming back through the bond, but I only shook my head.

"If I still had the Throne I could do something," I replied to her unasked questions, "but as things stand, even with the power I do still have I can't stop the encroachment, not completely."

Besides, if my hunch was correct, then I'd need all the strength I could muster. If it was just me, I'm sure the barrier between worlds and the thaumic field, while weakened, would've held, but the presence of Ancient King and myself as I was now here in the White Dimension was allowing the influence of the Black Dimension to bleed through at a frankly ridiculous rate, and he was here. There was no mistaking that aura, and it was the strongest in the direction of the old castle.

Though she would have to wait a bit longer, I feared for Nightmare Moon; I fear it was already too late for her. I feared for the ponies of Ponyville, I feared for Celestia and my family back in Canterlot, I feared for the White Dimension because while one half of me wasn't even originally from this timeline, the other half was, and now that I was one 'whole', this place, this time, this world mattered to me. I may not have been able to completely stop the Black Dimension from taking over, but I sure as Tartarus wasn't going to let Nel-Baloth have his way either. Pinkie must've felt my conviction through the bond, because she nodded and smiled in approval, a smile I returned before the two of us vanished on the spot.

Together we reappeared in a cave hidden deep within in a gorge that split across part of the Everfree, a cave most likely unfamiliar to the pink earth pony, but one I knew quite well. Despite the dire situation we were in, I couldn't help but smile at Pinkie's expression of wonder and confusion as she gazed upon the sight that stood before both of us.

"Huh, now that's not something you see every day," Pinkie commented before looking to me, "so this is the shiny tree you were talking about?"

"It is," I replied, my smile once more falling into a serious frown. Frankly I was surprised Pinkie didn't know about this place, given how much she did know, but rather than wonder about that, I focused my gaze on the large crystalline tree sprouting from the earth as I gave the rest of my reply, "this, Pinkie, is the Cave of Harmony, and the tree you see before you is the Tree of Harmony."

It was as inert as it had ever been without the Elements to sustain it, but I was glad to see it was untouched by Discord's plunder vines. It seemed the draconequus was still frozen in stone in this Equestria, something I was also immensely grateful for, though I did wonder what would happen once the world was swallowed up by the 'Other Side'.

"I feel all tingly inside," Pinkie stated, falling to her haunches and rubbing her tummy with a bemused frown, "it feels nice, but it also doesn't."

I felt the same, and though I wasn't surprised Pinkie could feel it even with the way she was now, I was shocked that I felt the same way. Even in its powerless state, just being near the Tree was making me ill, but at the same time, I could feel a familiar warmth rise in my chest. I knew what it was, and I'd hoped for this outcome, but deep down I hadn't expected the Tree to accept me. I lost my claim to the Element of Magic long ago, and yet I could feel it inside me now, willing me to use it.

That alone told me this would work. It had to work.

"That's the power of Harmony, Pinkie... the power of Friendship... of Magic, of the Light and of Life. Not the mockery of Life that I've given to you and Rarity and the rest, but real life. Actual life," I explained, "the Tree is calling out to us, begging us to do what we can, or at least that's what I think. There is something I can do after all, but if we're going to do anything major we need the help of Rarity and the other girls. Until then..."

I fell silent as I took a few more precious seconds to reflect on my plan, as well as everything that had happened to me recently. I could hardly believe that all this madness had occurred over the course of one single day. It felt like I'd been dealing with all of this for days, weeks, months even, and it still wasn't over; in fact, it seemed like it was just the beginning of something far worse. Even if I were to turn back time, it would do nothing to stop the inevitable collapse. The Black Dimension didn't exactly adhere to many of the same rules that applied to the White Dimension, and that included the way time worked.

"Twilight? Equis to Twilight! Can you hear me?"

I pulled myself away from my thoughts and turned to see Pinkie wearing an expectant expression, eyebrow raised and head tilted slightly.

"'Until then' what?" she asked, "what are you gonna do?"

I didn't know whether to frown or smile at the question, so I simply turned back to the Tree. I'd already more or less explained the basics of the plan to her and even if I spend more time explaining to specifics, I wasn't sure if she'd understand, so I instead settled for a simpler answer.

"The same thing we all used to do together as friends in another time and place, Pinkie... try to save the world."

Author's Notes:

One more chapter left before the epilogue. Perhaps now you guys can see a bit of where I'm going with the sequel plot-wise, and if not... eh, that's fine too. More of a surprise that way I suppose.