As Twilight regained consciousness, she found herself in a strange void. She moved her legs around, and felt as if though she was swimming in a pool of strange gel. Twilight attempted to open up her eyes, but the gel held them shut. It was difficult to figure out where she was in this current state, or how she got here. Suddenly, she began to feel the gel leave the top of her head, allowing it to emerge as if she was coming up for air after being underwater. Her head was free, and she was able to open her eyes once more.

To her horror, she was in some sort of containment tank, in a small lab room with grey walls and floors. She could hear a warning sound go off, and saw a flashing red light on the wall to her left. Once the gel finished draining from the tank she was free, or she would be, if she wasn't suspended in the air by a series of tubes and cables attached to places all over her body. She struggled in an attempt to break free from her bonds. Eventually, the cords all snapped from her body emitting several twangs as they separated from twilights legs, head, and other areas. She hit the floor of the tank with a thud, and the door of the tank slid open. Twilight slowly regained her footing and stepped out.

"He..Hello..? Is anypony here...?"

She was beginning to sound like fluttershy, as terror filled twilights body. There were several large wires leading from the tank, to the back wall, all the way up to the ceiling. Additional cables were connected to some strange terminals over on the right wall. Was somepony, or something, experimenting on Twilight? She shuttered at the thought being turned into a pony lab rat. Even though she had marveled at the concept of scientific research, being trapped and subject to terrifying experiments was something that Twilight could never imagine. As she exited the tank. She felt some sort of restraint tied around her chest area and back. Twilight attempted to remove it with her magic, but found out she was unable to use it due to a magic blocking ring on her horn.

Using her hooves, twilight removed the ring and was able to use her magic once more, only it was far weaker than it should have been. It was almost like she was partially drained of it. Regardless, she was able to loosen the straps, and the brace feel to the floor. Twilight felt some relaxation of the removal of her binds, she turned around, and noticed something that gave her a small bit of excitement. Her wings, they were back! The brace must have been used to hold them down. But now she was free to fly once again. The hope she felt was short lived however, as she still had to get out of this awful place.

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Twilight attempted to open the door leading out of the room with her magic, only to find out that it opened on its own as soon as she got close enough. A self opening door? That was something. She walked out the door and down the hallway, which was dark and dimly lit by ceiling lights.

"Is.. Is anypony here...?" There was no response as her voice echoed through the hallway, sending shivers down twilights spine. She didn't want to do this, but she had to if she wanted to get out of here, and hopefully find some answers.

When twilight reached the end of the hallway, she found another door, which opened as soon as she got close enough. The next room looked similar to the locker room that they had at the wonderbolt academy. Only it was much more bleak, with colors of grey and brown, as opposed to blue. Suddenly, Twilight heard the sound of metal hoofsteps coming from the next hallway. In a panic, twilight hid inside one of the open lockers, which wasn't very spacious, but it was big enough to contain her. Twilight looked through the seams in the direction of the hoofsteps as they grew louder and louder.

The door opened and what appeared to be an earth pony stepped into the room. But what really made twilight uncomfortable, was what he (or she) was wearing. It was a suit of armor, similar to the one that tempest shadow wore. But it was still very different. For one it covered the body completely from head to hoof, and it was a dark red color, with faint streaks of gold engraved in it. Large silver circles were on the helmet, exactly where the eye holes should be. Was this pony part of a nation that was keeping her prisoner, or worse?

The armored pony opened a locker, and got out what appeared to be some sort of weapon. A very small canon with a crystal sticking out of the back that could be held in a single hoof. Twilight had never seen such a device before. The strange pony then closed the locker, and walked out the door that Twilight just came in from. She slowly opened her locker and stepped out. Whoever that was, she was sure she wasn't friendly. Twilight knew she had to get out fast, but how could she do so without running into one of those armored ponies? It was at that point that she noticed a vent above one of the rows of lockers. This was her best shot, as she was sure it lead somewhere. Twilight flew up to it, opened the hatch, and crawled inside. The vents were much more darker than the hallway, and much more scary. Twilight, after a few failed attempts, cast a light spell which lit up the vent. She gazed into the dark void ahead and took a deep breath.

"You can do this Twilight. You can do this."

The sound of metal being lightly tapped and rubbed filled twilights ears as she made her way through the vents. She had encountered many turns and forks in the road which required her to twist her body a bit to fit through. Eventually, she saw a light shining through a duct up ahead. She made her way to it hoping it would mean freedom. But stopped as she heard voices.

"You know where she went? The guard who checked the holding room said her tank was empty!"

"I'm sure she couldn't have gone far. The simulation we put her through should have drained much of her energy."

"Yeah but she is still an alicorn princess, they don't go down easily."

"Look lets just find her before she gets away. We will be in alot of trouble if people find out about her escape, even if she is now seen as a traitor."

A traitor? Why would she be a traitor? Twilight hadn't betrayed anyone. At least, she didn't remember doing so. The thought could wait, Twilight still had to find a way out. She waited for the guard ponies to leave, and when they did, she moved over to the ventilation grate. After crawling through those dark enclosed shafts, twilight was urging to be able to stand up straight again. What she didn't realize however, was that opening the vent from the inside was much harder than it was from the outside. Twilight tugged and pulled at the grate in an attempt to loosen it. Eventually it gave way, but instead of opening at a normal pace, the grate snapped out of its frame, and fell to the floor with a loud clang. Twilight lept out of the ducts and stretched her legs, finally free of those tight halls. Unfortunately, a guard seamed to hear the sound of the grate falling.

"Hey! What was that noise?" Twilight felt a panic inside her, and she bolted into a nearby room. Frantically looking for some form of escape. Thankfully she noticed a manhole in the center of the room. She tried to lift it with her magic, yet for some reason it was too heavy for her. Twilight rushed over to it and used both her forehooves and magic to move the manhole. Eventually it gave way, and revealed a ladder that led into a sewer network. Twilight was repulsed at the thought of going down there, but as soon as she heard the sound of metal hooves, she slid right in.

As Twilight tried to move the manhole back in place, she lost her footing on the ladder and fell right into the canal. The water was absolutely filthy, and even though she was not Rarity, Twilight felt greatly disgusted that her whole body made contact with the stream. But what made Twilight absolutely sick to her stomach however was that flowing down the river not to far from her was a dead rotting corpse, not of a pony, but of a griffon. Her head turned green and she wanted to vomit. It was the cadaver of a griffon with multiple chucks of flesh missing, likely eaten by rats or maggots. Twilight swam away from it and climbed out of the canal onto the ledge. She stopped, coughed and shuttered. This world felt more like a nightmare than the one she had just left. Trapped in this lab where a group of ponies performed inhumane experiments on their victims, then dumping their bodies in the sewer system when they were no longer of use.

"Oh Celestia.... Where's a friend when I need one..?" Twilight followed the stream, still scared by everything that has happened here so far. With any luck, she would be out of this horrible place.

As Twilight continue to follow the stream, it started to get faster and louder. Looking up, she saw what she had hoped to see ever since she found herself in this place, a way out. Up ahead, a grate could be seen emitting light from the other side. Without a second thought, Twilight galloped towards the door. She rammed right into it, not caring if anyone heard her at this point. With a loud clang, Twilight bounced right off, and hit the floor. The grate might not have been as strong as the vents she had traveled through before, but it was still pretty secure. Using all the energy she had left, Twilight bucked the gate hard, and it swung open.

Unfortunately, Twilight lost her footing as the gate gave way, and she slid down a small hill leading away from the tunnel. She tumbled only for a few seconds before coming to a stop, but when she did, she was able to get a glance at the world around her. The ground was some sort of red dirt, the kind that could only be found in the appleosan mountain range. She looked up to where the sewer grate was and noticed a large red cliff, yet she saw no building. What the facility a bunker? The sky was a strange color of orange and pink, which made the landscape feel extra surrel. Twilight have never been to the Appleosan mountain range that often, but she did pass it a couple of times during her adventures. Suddenly, Twilight heard the sound of wheels against the dirt road coming from her right.

"Oh no no no..!" Twilight ran in the opposite direction, but stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"Twilight! Over here!" Was it who she thought it was?

"Luna?" She saw it now. Coming down the road was a strange sort of vehicle. Luna was reaching out the window, waving her fore hoof.

"Luna!"

Twilight ran for the vehicle approaching her. She didn't have to run for long, as the vehicle got close enough to twilight, and pulled up beside her. It was a strange looking car, which twilight could tell was a car as it had rubber wheels and nopony pulling it. It appeared to function like the ones found around Canterlot high, yet it looked nothing like one. The car was more bulky and was made out of a grey metal. The door opened, and out stepped the princess of the night.

"Twilight! Thank my sister that you made it!" Twilight hugged Luna and Luna embraced. While the sewage scent was not pleasant, Luna was able to endure. Operating the vehicle, was another pony that Twilight knew.

"Twily!"

"Shining Armor!" Twilight exchanged hugs with her brother.

"Thank you both so much for finding me! I..I.. don't know what's going on! Where are we? How did you know where I was?"
Luna closed the door and answered.

"We will discuss this later. Right now we have to get out of here."

Shining Armor turned a knob and the car started. The sounds of the motor and engine were very strange to Twilight, as she has never heard such a device operate, let alone see one operate. The vehicle then started to roll down the road, dirt hitting the tires. What Twilight found even more strange is how Shining Armor, her own brother, seamed capable of driving it. Had he gotten training while Twilight was away? More importantly, had the world changed so much that there was a technological boom? So many questions.

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As the vehicle continued down the road, Twilight just looked out the window, wondering.

"Strange.. I feel like I should be home, awaken from a nightmare. Yet everything looks and feels so different and strange..."

Up in the distance, Twilight noticed a small settlement that she had visited before. Appleosa. The earthpony town held much of the same buildings and structures that it once had, yet it wasn't the same place she remembered. For one, there were additional grey structures that stood out from the rest of the town. She also could make out strange objects attached to the ordinary buildings in the same color. But what really caught Twilights attention, was the look on the townsfolk.

From what she could make out given the long distance, they looked not as happy as they could be. Several ponies just went about their daily lives not interacting with others. Then Twilight saw something that made her very uncomfortable. Out of one of the metal buildings, stepped a small group of Buffalo, bound in chains, and led by some of those armored guard ponies she saw back in the facility. They were enslaving buffalo. But why? Surely the settler ponies and the native buffalo were able to live peacefully together after they were able to share the stampeding grounds. Unless something drastic happened while Twilight was away. It has been several years since that particular incident after all, and alot can change in that time.

After being on the road for quite some time, the car came to a stop in front of a strange door, which was hidden behind a cliff. Luna stepped out, used her magic to power a seal embedded in the door, which caused it to open. Oddly enough, it seamed as if Luna struggled with her magic as well, though not as much as Twilight. Shinning armor bought the vehicle in, and Luna closed the door behind her. Shining and Twilight exited the vehicle, and rejoined Luna.

"This place used to be a hidden castle. Way before I was banished to the moon." Luna explained.

"Nopony else but us knows about it, so it should keep us safe." That made Twilight feel a bit better, but that still didn't tell her what was going on.

"Follow me. We will get you settled in, then we can tell you what's going on."

Luna led Twilight and Shining Armor down the hallway that led to the rest of the castle. They descended down a good amount of stairs, reinforcing the notion that this place was underground. Several doors lined the walls that each led to their own individual room. If anything, the place they were in felt more like a hideout than a castle. No throne room, no luxurious accommodations, just hallways and rooms. It wasn't frightening like the place where Twilight was being held, but it was nowhere close to the comforts of home.

Twilight had just finished bathing herself in the wash room. Taking a nice warm bath was the only way she could put her mind at ease, especially with the fact that she fell into sewer water. Once she had dried off, Twilight joined the others in what appeared to be a meeting room. Shining Armor and Luna were both sitting at a table, and Twilight sat down with them, with Luna in front of her, and Shinning to her left.

"Now." Luna began.

"I'm sure you're still wondering about what has happened to equestria." Twilight nodded.

"It feels so different. Like it's not the same land I remember!" Shining Armor addressed her concerns.

"Equestria has changed drastically over time, and not in a good way. It all began when somepony was successfully able to overthrow Celestia, and establish power as a dictator." Shining held up a file.

"I'm sure you'll recognize the stallion in this picture." He passed the file face down to Twilight. When she flipped it over, she immediately recognized the face on the cover. It was somepony who nearly bought equestria to the brink of war. A pony who Twilight had hoped, would see the error of his ways. He was the head of the EEA, Chancellor Neighsay.

Twilight had feelings of horror, disgust, and confusion all at once. How could one stallion, let alone the stallion who was only in charge of equestrias education system, gain so much power that he was able to kick both royal sisters off their thrones? It didn't make any sense.

"Chancellor Neighsay!? How!?" Luna answered.

"We don't know all of the details, but as soon as I found out that my sister was attacked, I immediately tried to confront the stallion responsible. When I arrived, he used some kind of spell that rendered me unconscious. When I woke, he had already taken power, and was able to convince everypony that the attack was my doing." Twilight was shocked.

"But... But why would anypony believe such a thing?"

"Neighsay is a very persuasive stallion. Maybe he used my time as Nightmare moon to get everypony to listen to him."

It was certainly an outrageous claim, considering how redeemed Luna had become since then. Surely not everypony would believe him.

"Shining, what about you? You must have been able to stop him.. Right?" Shining sighed.

"Once I found out what he was plotting, I attempted to arrest him. However he had another trick up his sleeve. Before I could find and confront him, Princess Cadence and Flurryheart went missing. Neighsay made the claim that I had committed trason by aiding the yaks in kidnapping them."

This was all to unbelievable. How could Neighsay make such ludicrous claims, exile both Luna and his own brother, and take complete control over equestria? There had to be an explanation to all this.

"That's outrageous! Why would anypony side with that tyrant over the princess of the night or the captain of the royal guard?!" Twilight exclaimed. Luna then spoke up.

"We are sure not everypony is on the side of Lord Neighsay, as he is now called. However the powerful enforcement of his rule has made everypony fearful of speaking up."

Twilight was sure of that, considering what she saw at Appleosa on the way to the hideout. What she was really concerned about was what happened to her friends.

"But... Surely more of my friends have gotten away.. Right..?" Shining Armor looked to Twilight, with a less than hopeful look on his face.

"Twily, I'm afraid we are the only ones who were able to escape Neighsays reign. At least the only ones we know about." Luna spoke again.

"We were lucky enough to find out where you were being held. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the others."

That statement didn't make Twilight feel any better. Only the opposite. The thought that most of her friends were either on the run, or worse, shook Twilight to her very core. Not only was she, Shining Armor, and Luna the only ones who have escaped, but they may be the only ones left alive. Whatever spark of hope that Twilight had gained upon finding Luna and Shining had begun to slowly diminish.