Applejack stared at the cloak-covered body. Suddenly all that she had gone through with Twilight Spark became a joke. That... creature was not her friend. It never had been. Twilight never harbored lustful feelings for her. She had never seen Applejack as anything but her friend. And that is exactly how Applejack wanted to remember the studious unicorn.

The fact that a twisted, fraudulent and lustful thing was prancing around with Twilight's face was unforgivable.

The fact that that fiend had used her friend's face to try and lure her into bed was inexcusable.

The fact that that monster had forced her into a kiss... and that she had kissed back... was really confusing.

But one thing was for sure, regardless of the things that it had done, her unicorn friend was pure and innocent... and it was something that made her feel much better about the conflicting emotions inside of her. There was a tiny voice inside of her, sounding much like her deceased friend, that told her that she had been right, that her honest feelings for Twilight Sparkle were as strong and clear as ever.

Even if Spark was another story.

She shook her head. The conflicting emotions when it came to the Twilight-clone were getting too distracting for the normally grounded earth pony. Glancing around the room, she took note of Soarin', talking to Nightmare Moon, and further back, her brother standing guard over the artifact that had absorbed Trixie.

Forgetting about her own problems, she considered her brother and the now-gone ghost. What had happened there? Big Mac had been to that mockery of a show Trixie had put up in Ponyville so long ago. She remembered how she had ranted and raved about the showmare. Applejack recalled vividly how he had supported her when she explained how much she hated Trixie and how bad she had felt at being humiliated in front of everypony.

Since then, Trixie had somehow died and came back as a ghost. She had then met her brother, and in the span of time it took for them to meet and arrive in Canterlot, both ponies had developed feelings for each other. Big Macintosh seemed truly devastated by the loss of Trixie, so Applejack had no doubt whatsoever about his interest in the late showmare.

The feeling seemed to be mutual since Trixie's last words had been directed at her brother. The longing and helplessness behind it also showed that even in her last moments, her thoughts had been for Big Macintosh.

Applejack sighed. She didn’t like Trixie, but her brother was a good judge of character, and she had never had any reason to doubt him. If his gut feeling was that the showmare was the right mare for him... then there was probably more to Trixie than she had seen or thought.

But thinking about Trixie made her realize how little things made sense now. Applejack groaned and fought the urge to bump her head on the granite wall. One of the reasons she loved her life as a farmer was that things made sense. Everything was straightforward. If you plant a tree in good soil and care for it, it grows strong. It then gives fruit, and you reap the benefits of your hard work.

Granted, sometimes her life made her feel like she was pulling a train uphill, by herself. However, apples might come out bad, or pests might attack. Perhaps the trees would get sick. For the most part, if you were careful, worked hard, followed the steps, and kept honest, good things happened.

That made sense. Love... love did not. Especially when there was a certain crazy pony-creature claiming to love her.

Applejack sighed and sat next to her brother. The least she could do was be there for him.

“I think we're lost,” Sweetie Belle said to aloud to nopony in particular. She then turned to Scootaloo. “I think we're lost, Scootaloo.”

“I heard you the first time,” the pegasus growled, looking around at all the big houses. “If I could fly...” she sighed.

“How did we get lost again?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I have absolutely no idea,” Sweetie Belle said. “We followed the instructions from that colt with the yellow and black bandanna Scootaloo was talking with to the letter.”

The three looked around and sighed. “Okay, I say we ask someone more reliable than a pony with a huge backpack,” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Fine, fine,” Scootaloo growled. “Hey, I see a few guards over there! They definitely know the city, right? And they should be reliable.”

“They should,” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“Let's do it!”

As the three Crusaders made their way down the street, the guards would stop on each house, talk to briefly to the ponies there and sent them on their way somewhere.

“Ah wonder what's goin' on.” Apple Bloom said looking at the group of guards as they talked to yet another pony outside their home.

“Do you think it has something to do with the show at the plaza?” Sweetie Belle looked at all the ponies that would immediately leave after talking with the guards.

“Probably! It’s got to be something awesome if they’re having the guards remind everypony about it!” Scootaloo said, a big smile spreading on her face.

The three finally reached the guards just as a family of three unicorns walked out of their home to meet them.

The unicorns didn’t look very happy- in fact, they all seemed tired, and the young unicorn- who had to be about their own age- looked like she had been crying. She was clinging tight to a familiar-looking piece of cloth.

“... and it is by order of the Queens that all citizens, without exemption, are to go to the plaza today.”

“I understand, but please, we have just heard horrible news,” the male unicorn pleaded to the guard. “We just lost one of our own, we want time to mourn...”

The guard actually looked uncomfortable. “I am sorry sir, but it is a direct order and... well, the Queen was very... clear about what would happen to those that fail to obey it.”

The unicorn sighed. “Fine then, we'll go to the plaza...”

“Oh, you're going to the plaza!?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed as the three Crusaders reached the guards, she then tried to do her best impersonation of her elder sister. “I'm sorry to interrupt, but we were also hoping to get there, but we were wondering if you gentlecolts could tell us how to do so.”

Scootaloo leaned towards Apple Bloom. “Is it me or does she sound like Rarity?”

“She does.” the filly whispered back staring at the unicorn.

“We’ll take you there,” the unicorn mare said, giving a sad look to her daughter and the three fillies. “Where are your parents? You shouldn’t go alone to something like this.”

The three Crusaders suddenly looked nervous. “Um... well, our sisters are goin' to be there...” Apple Bloom said. “Applejack was at the castle not too long ago...”

“And Rainbow Dash will definitely be there!” Scootaloo said excitedly, not noticing the looks the guards exchanged. “She's not my sister, exactly, but we go back.”

“My sister Rarity should be there, as well as our friends Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie,” Sweetie Belle finished.

“Did you say Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle are your acquaintances?” the guard asked.
When the three fillies nodded, the guard gave them a hard look. “How do you know them?”

“We live with them in Ponyville!” Apple Bloom explained.

“I know Applejack,” one of the guards in the back said. “That little one speaks with the same weird accent. And she does kind of look like her.”

“It ain’t weird!” Apple Bloom complained.

“Not to mention the pegasus is like a miniature Rainbow Dash except for the coat color. Even her mane is done in the same style. Are you sure they are not related?” another said.

“Fine then,” the lead guard said, looking back to the unicorn mare that was now looking a bit conflicted at having offered to help. “My Lady, would you mind watching over these three while they’re at the plaza? They seem to have come all the way from Ponyville by themselves...”

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom gasped. “H-how did you know?!” the pegasus asked.

The guard ignored them. “... and are related and acquainted to some very important ponies. Including our Queen's second in command.”

The way that the guard had asked was more of an order than a question, and so Cinnamon had no choice but to acquiesce with a hesitant nod of her head.

“Good,” the lead guard said. “One of my guards will escort you to make sure you are close to the stage.”

The adults looked completely sick when they heard that, but the Crusaders jumped around happily.

“Did you hear that, y'all?! Front row seats!” Apple Bloom gushed.

“I knew Rainbow Dash would pull through!”

Sweetie Belle poked Scootaloo on the side. “Hey, I thought you were angry at her for what she did at Ponyville!”

Scootaloo turned around. “Oh yeah? Well, what about Silent Jade? Do you want to talk about her?”

“Girls!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Calm down! We shouldn't keep these nice ponies waiting.”

The other two lowered their heads. “Sorry.”

The guards, who looked bewildered by the casual tossing of names related to really dangerous ponies, just nodded as they returned to normal.

One of the guards started guiding the three unicorns and the three crusaders.

Scootaloo kept staring at the cloth wrapped around the young filly's neck. “Where have I seen that...” Her eyes opened wide. “Trixie!”

The three unicorns immediately stopped and the guard leading them carried on walking for a few feet before realizing they had stayed behind.

“What about her?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Look at that cape! Isn't it just like the one Trixie had? I remember Twilight taking it and a hat back to her with Ditzy's help!”

“Y-you knew Trixie?” the little unicorn asked.

“Can we get going?” the guard interrupted. “I'm sure you can talk on the way.”

The group started walking again, but this time the unicorn family kept pace with the three crusaders.

“Well... we didn't really get to talk to her, though Snails and Snips talked to her a lot,” Apple Bloom said after a moment.

“Yeah, but her show was pretty cool,” Scootaloo said. “Until she started making fun of our friends.”

“She wouldn't do that!” Daisy Sprout said. “Sis wasn't a bad pony!”

This time it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders that stopped short.

“Move!” The guard shouted back.

The three stumbled to catch up.

“She did!” Scootaloo insisted. “She turned Dash's rainbow into a twister!”

“And she tied up my sister with magic to prove she was better!” Apple Bloom added.

“And she turned my sister's hair into a rats' nest!” Sweetie Belle sighed. “It took her months to get over it.”

“... It was pretty funny though. Ah've never seen my sister tied up like that! She's gone done it to me a couple of times before, but since that happened...”

“Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle gasped.

“Oh, come on!” the earth pony filly rolled her eyes. “Why, Ah remember you mentioning rats all the time to your sister whenever you got annoyed with her. Didn’t you even leave one of Opalescence toys in her bed because she grounded you?”

“T-that’s just a rumor! She was never able to prove it was me!” the unicorn looked away from her friend, blushing.

“I remember that after she put the Ursa Minor to sleep, Twilight was trying to find Trixie all over the place,” Scootaloo said after a moment. “If it wasn't for Ditzy, I don't know if she ever would have.”

“Hey, didn't Twilight leave Ponyville to go talk to her?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah remember my sister was very grumpy that whole week. She said it was a waste of time.”

“Why?” Cinnamon asked, looking at them with a serious expression. “Why was Twilight Sparkle looking for my daughter?”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shrugged and turned to look at their unicorn friend.

“Weeell...” Sweetie Belle looked at the ponies around her and blushed. “I wasn't supposed to be awake, but one night I heard Twilight tell Rarity that she had been very impressed with Trixie's control over magic. She said that Trixie wasn't as powerful as she was, and that she probably knew less spells, but that she more than made up for it with inge... inge...”

“Ingenuity?” Cinnamon asked.

“That!” Sweetie Belle said. “And when Trixie ran away, she had left behind a lot of her stuff, including her books and esseis, so Twilight tried to find her to give it to her, and also to talk about magic.”

Cinnamon closed her eyes and leaned against her husband, while Daisy Sprout sighed.

“Sis...”

“Are you really Trixie's sister?” Apple Bloom asked softly, having noticed how depressed the other filly had gotten ever since the showmare had been brought up.

“Did she give you her cape?” Scootaloo asked, trying to get the unicorn to speak to them.

They didn't see the two elder unicorns cringe, but Daisy Bloom had a small sad smile. “I think she would have, someday.”

The three Crusaders looked at each other. The family's sadness and the way that they kept talking about Trixie as if she was gone finally settled in.

“Um... do you want me to tell you about her show?” Scootaloo asked.

Daisy Sprout blinked tears away and nodded, smiling at the three crusaders as they took turns describing the tricks that The Great and Powerful Trixie had pulled in front of the crowd at Ponyville.

Nightmare Moon was deep in thought after Soarin' had finished describing the ĉambro before it had collapsed into itself.

She started pacing, looking around the room. The runes had absolutely nothing to do with the egg-shaped ĉambro. They were responsible for everypony being able to actually see and hear ghosts.

Her brow furrowed. Ghosts. The Guardian. Cults. Nightmares. The ĉambro. Twilight's body... Twilight Spark. Trixie.

There had to be a connection to all of this. She looked at the body on the floor, this time analytically. Her eyes roamed to the ĉambro, she recalled Midnight's words about his body being disintegrated just by touching it.

It was powerful enough to destroy the ghost too, she knew. And he had known it, so he had sent Trixie to it just to see what would happen.

The ĉambro... why was it so powerful? What sacrifice had been demanded to create it? Why create it in the first place? And who had created it? And what about the cutie marks described on it?

Slow realization seeped into her mind. Her eyes widened as she looked towards the artifact. Could it be that...

“Nightmare Moon!” a voice shouted as somepony ran into the cavern.

The inspiration disappeared like a bubble bursting and the alicorn swore silently, turning to face Silent Jade as she ran into the smaller chamber and straight to her, panting slightly. Clearly the years of inaction had affected the assassin a bit.

“What is it?” The Nightmare’s frown hadn’t disappeared, although the focus of it was now the green-maned unicorn.

“Nightmare Flare... she-”

“Hey!” Applejack had gotten up and trotted up to them, peering at Jade closely. “You can talk?!”

“A-Applejack!” Jade stepped back. “You're... still here...”

“You're losing your edge, Jade,” Nightmare Moon smirked, earning a glare from the unicorn.

Applejack frowned. “Wait... Ah recognize that voice-” Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak again, but her words stuck there as she felt cold metal pressing against her throat.

“Applejack!” Big Macintosh jumped up and approached the pair nervously, watching the blade the assassin had pulled out of no-where press against his sister’s neck.

Soarin' didn't look happy, the last thing he wanted to do was to get into a fight right now, but he decided to side with Big Mac on this one, flanking the assassin.

“Really, Jade,” Nightmare Moon frowned at the impromptu stand-off. “Is that necessary?”

Jade gritted her teeth, her body trembled, but the hoof with the hidden razor-sharp blade being pressed against Applejack's neck never wavered. The farmer was frozen in place, her eyes wide, staring in horror at the unicorn.

“You cannot reveal my identity!” Jade cried, her eyes never leaving the earth pony's. “I can't allow it! Too much rides on it! You have no idea just how bad it could get! Don't ever say my name while I'm Jade! Do you understand?! I need you to promise, Applejack! And you too, Big Macintosh! This is no joke!”

Applejack nodded very, very carefully, feeling cold sweat roll down her back. “A... Ah Pinkie Swear...”

Silent Jade glanced at Big Mac, who looked a bit doubtful, but also nodded. Sighing, she let her hoof fall, the blade retracting into its hidden chamber.

Nightmare Moon lowered her head to eye-level with the unicorn, her glare making Jade almost step back. “You and I will have a talk after all of this is done, and you will tell me why that was necessary.”

The assassin hesitated, but nodded.

The alicorn held her eyes for a few more moments before pulling back. “What is it that you needed to tell me so bad you blew your cover?”

Jade cringed. “It's your sister... she knows about the medallions, she caught Spitfire in a spell and... she was turning her into something!”

“What?!” Soarin' shouted, stepping in front of the assassin and ignoring Nightmare Moon. “What do you mean 'turning her into something'?!” He stared into the assassin's eyes. “What happened to her?”

“Flare put her in a circle with runes inscribed around it, she used the medallion to siphon power into it... I saw four smaller circles that had some sort of energy in them... I was interrupted and didn't see more... they don't trust us anymore, and it seems some of the guard are in the know... it took me the better part of an hour to get here without killing anypony else.”

Applejack stepped back. “You... killed somepony?”

Jade nodded, either not noticing the farmer's disturbed look or not caring. “I was caught scrying by a member of the cult.”

Nightmare Moon slowly raised a hoof and massaged her temple, eyes closed. “Anypony important?”

“He said he was third in the Order of Celestia.”

“You killed Sharp Glimmer.”

“Was that his name?” Jade shrugged. “I hid his body, I doubt they'll find him anytime soon.”

Through the discussion, Applejack had become paler and paler until she had to sit down, still staring silently at the unicorn as if she had grown two heads.

“Yes, that was his name,” Nightmare Moon said testily. “And the fact that he is one of the three most talented unicorns in Celestia's order...”

“Talented?” Jade huffed. “Please. I know of plenty unicorns with more talent.”

“Fine.” The alicorn rolled her eyes. “They will still notice him missing.”

Jade's ears twitched. “Did anypony else hear that?”

The others shook their heads, confused.

“Hear what?” Soarin' asked.

“It... sounds like crunching?” Jade inclined her head. They remained silent for a moment. “I guess it's gone.”

“Excuse me?” Soarin' raised a hoof. “Spitfire? Circles?”

“I'm afraid I don't know what she's up to... circles and runes can do a lot... but if she's changing Spitfire and using the medallion...”

A sharp crack made them all blink. They slowly turned around to find that the ĉambro was shaking; it’s shape contorting and trying to expand. Little rivulets of dark purple energy whirled and snapped around it as the group carefully stepped away from it.

Trixie woke up. Everything around her was light. There were no walls, no ceiling or floor. For a moment she panicked. How had The Great and Powerful... slowly memories came back to her and she winced. “Ouch.”

Her voice had a weird quality to it. It seemed distant, and at the same time was followed by an echo. It was... kind of ghostly.

Another voice seemed to float towards her. “... why...”

The voice was distant. But it seemed so much more real than her own, that Trixie immediately set off towards it. The voice... no, voices were clearer now, and the light seemed to dim somewhat, creating a feeling that she was walking into a room of some sort.

“... dangerous. We don't know exactly who they are, but my research points to their existence hailing from over a thousand years ago.” A strong looking unicorn in golden armor said.

Trixie carefully stepped into the room and everything came to be into sharp focus. It was... a nursery?

Trixie looked at the three ponies in the room. The soldier that had spoken was talking to Princess Celestia, who stood next to a crib. The last one was a unicorn in expensive-looking robes decorated with magic symbols and runes.

“But why would they want to harm my filly?” Celestia asked.

Trixie stared at the Princess, completely ignoring the answer the unicorn gave. A filly? The Princess had a filly?!

This, she had to see.

Since they seemed to be unaware of her presence, Trixie made her way next to the crib and peeked inside.

She had never seen an alicorn filly before. She smiled at how cute it looked. Would her own look like a unicorn or more like Big Mac? She blinked and shook her head. The Great and Powerful Trixie was not going to think about that right now.

She looked at the filly instead. Little wings tucked close to her body, the cutest little horn poking out from under her growing mane. She was... she... looked really familiar. The purple coat. The darker shade of purple on her mane... the violet eyes...

“But... how can we protect her then?” Princess Celestia's voice seemed louder and Trixie realized that the alicorn had turned to face the crib again and was effectively right next to her.

“If I might suggest something...” the robed unicorn in the room said, taking a hesitant step forward. “Twilight is too young to defend herself, maybe if we sealed some of her power... turn her into an earth pony, a unicorn, or a pegasus... she could still live in the Castle, but nopony would recognize her as your daughter. She would grow up learning the ways of the court and by the time she's old enough to receive her full power, and she would not be defenseless.”

“That seems complicated,” the soldier unicorn said, then turned to Celestia. “My Princess, let me hunt down those miscreants...”

“With all due respect, Lord Lance,” the robed unicorn interrupted, “we know that they have infiltrated the Castle, we cannot really trust anypony outside this room.”

“I imagine that you wouldn't suggest something like you did without already having a plan?” Celestia asked.

The robed unicorn nodded. “I have done some research into the ĉambro spell.”

“I am familiar with it.” Celestia said evenly. “I fail to see how it would help in this situation, unless you want to capture my filly in time.”

“The spell can be adapted to contain the excess power and other traits that we would want to remove from the filly.” He hesitated. “I think Lord Lance is right in that we have to find the Assassins Guild. I don't know why they have kept up with the attempts on your life but where they failed at killing you, they might just manage it with an innocent filly.”

“It is probably because not many ponies have even caught a glimpse of her in the last eleven months,” the soldier said. “They sensed a weakness... my guards-”

“...Are really not a match to the Assassins,” the robed unicorn interrupted. “I know they are trustworthy for the most part, Lord Lance, but let's face it, the last time an Assassin made it into the Castle they were not of much use. Had you not been guarding the Princess yourself...”

The guard snorted and scratched the floor with his hoof, but didn't deny anything.

“What kind of life can I give to my own daughter by having her hide who she is?” Celestia asked.
It was then that a scuffle was heard outside, the door was kicked in and two ponies in cloaks rushed into the room.

Trixie unconsciously moved in front of the crib in tandem with Celestia as one of the assassins jumped towards Lance. The other one attacked the robed unicorn, but was stopped by a shield spell, followed by a small ball of energy that sent the pony flying out of the room.

The showmare had never seen somepony cast magic so powerful, so effectively and quickly before. Trixie had been so distracted by the casting prowess of the wizard unicorn that she didn't look at Lance until she heard a sickening crack.

She looked at the soldier as he let the dead assassin slide to the floor.

“Eldritch,” Princess Celestia said, looking at the robed unicorn. “Can the ĉambro be a short-time measure? If we hide my daughter with ponies we can trust until we have dealt with the Assassin's Guild... can we dispel it and return her to normal?”

“That should not be a problem, Princess,” Eldritch said. “In fact, if all involved give a little power to the spell, the ĉambro will use the energy as the sacrifice needed for it. When your daughter returns to normal, she'll have bit more magic than she would have otherwise, but she should be fine.”

Celestia looked at the bodies of the two guards and the assassins. “Do it.”

Trixie blinked as everything changed around her, she felt herself being pulled forward.

She was in another room... no! She recognized this place immediately. It was the cave where all the runes were! It looked exactly the same as when she had entered it.

The Princess and the two unicorns, Lance and Eldritch were there again, but they had been joined by two more. Trixie gasped when she recognized a much younger Midnight standing next to a mare with stars for a cutie mark. That must be Star Dancer. She thought.

The sleeping form of Twilight was wrapped and resting safely in Celestia’s levitation spell.

“I have cast the most powerful illusion and disorientation spells I could on Twilight's room as you requested, Eldritch. Nopony alive, other than I, should be able to even detect your shielding spell.” Celestia said, looking sadly at her filly.

The robed unicorn nodded. “I have already tied the ĉambro's energy signature to return to the room, where it will be safe until we dispell it and return the power to your daughter- unless entry is forced, in which case it will come back here immediately.”

Lance spoke up. “Are you absolutely sure that it will?”

“Yes.” Eldritch nodded as he walked around the room. “Our memories of the event should also return immediately.”

“For all of us?” Midnight asked.

“Yes, for all of us. Although in your case more work is needed.” Eldritch said. “We will need fake memories for you two... we trust you, but you have to be absolutely convinced that Twilight is yours.”

The two unicorns looked slightly uncomfortable, but nodded, regardless.

“You have to understand that our enemy is very resourceful. We don't know how far their influence goes, so after you two have your new memories, you will be transported back home. It was a happy coincidence that the both of you were gone for roughly a year for your research, so there will be less questions asked,” Lance elaborated.

“I understand, uncle,” Midnight nodded.

“Are you sure you are okay with this, your majesty?” Star Dancer asked after a second, looking at the alicorn with pity. “This seems dangerous.”

Trixie had to agree. While Eldritch certainly seemed to know what he was doing, the whole thing was probably more complicated than it should be. Were the Assassins so feared and resourceful that they merited actions such as this to protect a single filly?

Celestia looked at the filly, her eyes shimmering with tears. “For now... I know it is a lot to ask of you all of you, but... I have to do everything in my power to protect my filly.” she hesitated. “If anything went wrong... please take care of my Twilight.” She kissed the sleeping alicorn's forehead and then slowly drifted the bundle up to Star Dancer, who carefully levitated her with her own spell. She looked into the bundle, just as Twilight stirred and opened her big violet eyes.

The unicorn almost melted then and there. “It will be my honor to watch over her for you, Princess,” she whispered.

“We shall start now... I have devised a rune matrix that, once started, will conclude the whole spell, finishing by teleporting all of you back to your rooms,” Eldritch said. The other unicorns and the alicorn stepped back as the robed wizard started intoning a spell.

Before Trixie's eyes, Twilight began to glow. Her wings seemed to shrink until they were completely gone, turned into magic energy. It was then pulled together and a small ball of light formed.

Soon, tendrils of magic whipped about it, looking like long blank scrolls that contorted and swam in the air, the ball of light pulsated with every snap or twist of the tendrils, the magic seemed to want to eat everything around it.

Eldritch's horn was glowing with an almost blinding white light as energy seeped out of it forming floating runes in the air.

A rune flew over each unicorn and the one alicorn.

Celestia closed her eyes and let her magic flow as the rune over her flashed and died. The symbol representing the sun, an exact duplicate of her cutie mark appeared on the blank tendrils. It was soon followed by five more. One was the moon, a copy of Luna's cutie mark, the other four Trixie recognized as representing the four seasons.

The Princess slumped down, spent, although her horn still shone with magic, she looked confused at Luna’s cutie mark appearing on the blank tendrils alongside hers.

Each unicorn's horn glowed in turn after hers, Midnight's cutie mark appeared next, followed by Star Dancer's and Lance's.

Trixie noticed that the runes on the walls had started glowing softly as this all happened. Then... she felt a tug on her magic. And to her bewildered eyes a soft cloud of magic floated from her horn to add her own cutie mark to the tendrils!

“Where did that come from?!” Celestia asked, worried. “We need to stop this, Eldritch!”

“I don't know!” the mage shouted, confused. “It seems there's another unicorn here! The spell... it can’t be stopped now! It’s still draining our magic!”

“But that can't be!” Celestia shouted as energy began to whiplash around them creating a hum. “There should be nopony here! We all checked!”

“An assassin?!” Lance guessed over the sound.

“I... I think... I see somepony there!” Star Dancer shouted her own horn still glowing, pointing a hoof in Trixie's direction. They all turned to look at her.

“I can't stop!” the showmare shouted, although she did not know if they could hear her. The magic seeping out of her horn seemed to increase.

“She's destroying the matrix! I don't know what's going to happen!”

“Don't you dare risk my filly's life!” Celestia shouted, standing up.

“The Great...” she gasped. “...and Powerful Trixie...” the unicorn groaned as the magic was soaked out of her. “...would never... hurt... TWILIGHT!” she shouted back.

Celestia seemed taken aback, but a sudden shockwave of magic knocked them all down.

“The spell matrix is out of control!” Eldritch said as an angry red lightning bolt made purely of magic hit Lance square in the chest. The whole room shuddered and the air turned heavy as the magic enveloped him.

The soldier shouted in pain as a cloud of... something seeped out of his head and was absorbed by the sphere, which immediately doubled in size. The tendrils whipped with amazing force as if the memories had fed them somehow. The unicorn did not even hit the floor before he was suddenly not there.

“Lance!” Celestia shouted.

“Uncle!” Midnight tried to move towards where the soldier had been standing, but like the others, he was held in place by the indescribable force the magical artifact was exerting on the room.

“The spell is still working!” Eldritch shouted, as wind seemed to pick up from nowhere. His robes billowed all around him and he had to raise his voice to make sure everypony could hear him/ “His memories of Twilight were erased! He was then teleported away!”

Twin bolts of lightning crackled through the air and struck Midnight and Star Dancer. Celestia cried out as the spell holding Twilight failed, expecting the filly to hit the floor. A light blue aura immediately caught the bundled-up filly, holding her in place next to the unicorns.

The Princess looked gratefully at Trixie, who was slowly becoming more and more solid, it almost seemed that as the magic was drained from her form, the bursts of energy would feed into her body. “Who are you, Trixie?” she asked as the memories of both unicorns drifted out of them and through the magic storm into the ĉambro, which again doubled in size.

“I'm... a friend of Twilight!” Trixie groaned as she tried to hold the filly in place as her magic was being drained and could feel her body being assaulted by energy from all around her. “I... I just never appreciated what she did for me, or realized it... until now!”

The pair of unicorns suddenly disappeared, followed by the little bundle containing Twilight. Trixie gasped as the magical energy she had used to hold the filly in place was absorbed into the storm.

“Y-you...” Eldritch groaned as another lightning bolt hit Celestia, making the Princess cry out as a considerably bigger cloud of memories was taken out forcefully by the grasping-like tendrils of lightning and drained into the ĉambro. “Y-you're from the future?!”

“Yes!” Trixie shouted as the Princess was teleported away. “I found this ĉambro alongside Midnight! I came into it to find out more about it!”

“How far?!”

“About twenty years, I think!”

“You have to get out of here now!” Eldritch shouted. “You could be completely destroyed!”

“I have been trying!” Trixie retorted, annoyed.

The energy seemed to gather once more, and this time the lightning bolt flew straight towards her. She panicked and struggled against the unbending magical force that held her in place.

Eldritch's body just seemed to appear before her. He was hit by the bolt and screamed as his memories were ripped out of his mind, he struggled against it as words poured out of his mouth. “T-this is the last one... I... won't make it, but the spell should be finished...” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Will Twilight be safe all these years?”

The showmare nodded, her eyes wouldn't leave the unicorn that had just sacrificed his life for hers.

Eldritch shook his head and smiled, raising his voice even more as the whole room seemed to hum with energy. “Your horn isn’t glowing! It seems I broke the ĉambro’s hold on you! Run now!”

Trixie turned and ran. The room started to fade behind her when she heard an explosion. Magic itself rained around her as she was picked up from the non-floor and flung out into the light.

The ĉambro exploded.

Big Macintosh’ eyes widened as Trixie was hurled out of the magical artifact in an impressive wave of multi-colored energy. The Showmare flew through the air and slammed into the draft pony with enough force to knock them both down, where they lay in a confused heap.

The energy whirled around the cavern before blasting towards Twilight Sparkle's body.

Everypony stared as the cloak was burned in the magical vortex, the body was lifted into the air revealing the gruesome injuries Twilight had suffered.

Jade stifled a gasp when she saw the unicorn floating limply in the air. Twilight's horn had been ripped off her forehead, where the wound had bled all over her face and revealed little pieces of bone. Her left front leg was twisted in a way that made it obvious it had broken in several parts. The whole left side of her body was burnt; the coat was charred black and revealed the burnt skin under it. Her once carefuly kept mane was almost missing completely, also burnt by the magical fires of her encounter with the late Midnight. Her cutie mark had faded completely.

Slowly, as the magic seeped into her, the wounds reacted. The exposed skin lost the burnt look, going raw red and slowly turning a healthy pink as the coat seemed to extend over it, the burnt parts fading into the magic whirlpool of energy. Her leg stretched into a proper position, the blood slowly faded from her face as the bone seemed to shift and mend as a layer of skin covered it followed by purple fur. Her mane grew again, settling into the familiar style Twilight Sparkle favored.

The body was slowly spinning in place, held aloft by the sheer amount of magic acting on it. Twilight shuddered and drew a raspy gasp as she took in air. She groaned as her body twitched and slowly shook her head. There remained no sign of her injuries.

The fading magic slowly lowered her down until she stood, shaking, in front of the awestruck ponies around her. Tthe last of the magic snaked to her flank, where her cutie-mark reappeared with a flash.

“Ooooh...” she moaned, slowly opening her eyes and carefully looking around. “Dad?! Why did...”Her head snapped up, eyes wide as she looked around. “W-what... where am I?” when she saw Nightmare Moon staring at her with a small smile, her jaw dropped and she started stammering. “Wha... when... how...”

“TWILIGHT!” Applejack shouted. She ran around Nightmare Moon and picked up her friend in a crushing hug. “Twilight! You're alive!” the farmer started crying. “Ah can't tell you how glad Ah'm to see you! Ah thought you were gone forever!”

“Apple... jack... can't... breathe!” Twilight gasped. The crying farmer immediately lowered her down, but just as she thought she would release her, Applejack closed her eyes and kissed her.

Twilight stopped breathing and her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as her friend passionately tried to slip her tongue into her mouth.

Suddenly, Applejack’s eyes snapped open and she pulled back in a panic, letting go of Twilight, who landed on her flanks, staring into space.

“Ah’m... Ah’m so sorry sugarcube!” the farmer stammered, wiping a tear from her eye. “Ah'm just mighty glad you came back, is all.”

Twilight managed a weak smile. “Uh-huh...” Her brain finally seemed to kick in as she jumped up. “What was that?!”

The tan pony would look her in the eye, so Twilight looked around, hoping to get an explanation from the other ponies in the room. Her eyes settled on Nightmare Moon immediately and she felt her jaw fall slack.

The dark alicorn raised an eyebrow and Twilight would have asked something had Trixie not coughed and struggled to get up.

“Trixie?!” Twilight blinked. “What are you doing here?”

The showmare shook her head, but then looked down at Big Macintosh. Without stopping to think, she took his hoof in both of hers and helped him up.

It was when both of them stood firmer that she blinked and stared at her hoofs holding the draft pony's. “B-big Mac... I can... I can touch you...” she whispered.

Big Mac for his part was completely paralyzed. He looked down, wondering if he had died and his body had remained on the floor, but everything seemed to be in order. “Eeyup.”

“Big Mac! I can touch you!” Trixie shouted as she jumped and hugged the red stallion's neck, the showmare then promptly pulled him into a very deep kiss, shocking more than one of the assembled ponies. Unlike Twilight, Big Mac immediately reciprocated. He held Trixie tenderly against him for what seemed like an eternity. When the two finally pulled apart, the draft pony chuckled and wrapped a foreleg around Trixie's waist. “You sure can,” he said.

Twilight shook her head again and stepped back. “Okay, what is going on?!” she looked around. “Where are we?” her eyes roamed towards the stallion and the showmare nuzzling. “Why is Trixie here, acting like she’s Big Macintosh's fillyfriend? Why did she kiss him? Why did he kiss her?! WHY DID APPLEJACK KISS ME?!” she pointed at Soarin’ and Jade, her voice gaining a slightly hysteric tone. “WHO ARE THOSE TWO PONIES?” she kept walking backwards, eyes wild, until her back hit the wall. “AND MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, WHY IS NIGHTMARE MOON HERE?!”

The pegasus right next to Nightmare Moon raised his hoof. “Uh, Miss Sparkle? I have a question first, if you don't mind?”

“WHAT IS IT?”

“Weren't you supposed to be a unicorn?”

Twilight blinked. “What do you mean? Of course I'm a...” she stopped. She couldn't feel her magic! She brought up a hoof to her forehead... “My... my horn...”

She brought herself to eye-level with Nightmare Moon. “You! You must be behind this! Where is my horn? What happened to my magic?!”

Nightmare Moon sighed. “Why do I feel like I have been explaining myself every time I meet somepony in the last two days?” she looked down to Jade when the assassin poked her in the arm.

Clop-tap, tap-tap, clop, hoof pointing at her, then hoofs smashing against each other, clop, clop, scratch, forelegs opened wide.The unicorn had then proceeded to hoof-talk to the alicorn, seemingly taking a degree of glee as the fearsome Nightmare blushed, growled and looked scandalized.

Applejack snickered despite herself as Nightmare Moon glared at the unicorn. “Thank you, Jade, for pointing that out.”

Twilight was about to speak when she noticed that she was hovering. She felt her stomach go cold as she slowly looked over her shoulder at the pair of flapping wings on her back.

“Oh, horse-apples.”

o.0.o

In Queen Nightmare Flare's chambers five creatures knelt before the Queen and her faithful student.

The one at the front slowly stood up. “We are ready for the execution, my Queen.” She was almost as tall as the Queen, her wingspan was just as wide. Her draconian tail swished lazily behind her, her powerful claws clicked on the hard stone floor. Two pairs of wings- one draconian, one feathered- shifted slightly. Golden-red eyes regarded the alicorn and the purple unicorn with devotion.

“Good.” Nightmare Flare grinned. “And the members of this cult you were part of?”

“They will be rounded up and executed too.”

Nightmare Flare laughed. “Well said, my dear. I am debating whether to let you keep your old name, or give you another one.”

“Your wishes are my wishes, My Queen.”

“Oh, I like her attitude.” Twilight Spark smiled and trotted up to the half-reptilian pony. She nuzzled her. “Can I keep her while she's not in service? Applejack and I could have soooo much fun with her.”

“We shall see, Twilight,” the alicorn said. “Although I believe she has her eyes set on Rainbow Dash.”

“Ooh... just imaging it is giving me shivers,” the unicorn said, giving Spitfire a lustful look. “So, a new name?”

Nightmare Flare shook her head. “No... I think Spitfire is oddly appropriate. Especially now, wouldn't you agree, Captain?”

Spitfire's smile revealed a row of pointy teeth and a small spurt of flame.

“Sound the trumpets!” Nightmare Flare ordered as she slowly walked towards the door. “It's time to show all my subjects what happens when they make fun of their Queen!”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
As always kudos to my editors; Stephen Cawking, NotAGoodUsername360 and UnderstatedHyperbole. Seriously ponies, without you this would not even be half as good as it ended up. I cannot thank you enough for your efforts.

As for my readers, your comments and support keep this story going, just because we’re reaching the climax of this fanfic does not mean I don’t want to hear from you, so please leave a comment behind if you’re enjoying it! (I’m also interested in how many ponies out there caught the cameo/reference of the chapter!)

~WD

Stephen here. Much like half the cast of this story, I have died and come back. I would try and spoil something here, but you’ve probably figured it out by now.

NotAGoodUsername360: In that case, let ME take over for you and attempt to spoil something! HEY, EVERYONE, THE REASON TWILIGHT SPARKLE DIDN’T REGROW HER HORN BUT INSTEAD GREW WINGS IS BECAUSE SHE- *BANG* “Foreeeveerrrr!”

*slumps to the floor, dead*

Gun violence is best violence. Also... we may need another editor... They’re dropping like flies these days...