Twilight sat down at the opposite end of the table.

Was it her table? It was in her house, so it must be her table; who's table would it be if it wasn't? Something nagged at the back of her mind; something she couldn't quite explain. It was probably nothing anyway.

Sighing to herself contently, Twilight lifted the tea-pot into the air with her magic. It was funny, she couldn't remember setting out tea but she must have, because here she was, drinking it. The brown liquid poured into her cup steadily; faint whiffs of steam floating into the cold air.

She needed to do something today, but Twilight couldn't remember what it was. Glancing around her library, Twilight tried to remember. Despite her books countless words of knowledge and scripture, none of them clambered forward to tell her what she was forgetting.

And she was forgetting something, that's why she had the itch in the back of her mind. But why wouldn't it just come forward and be scratched?

Leaning back, Twilight took a hasty sip of her drink. It tasted...missing. Like it wasn't quite there, but something didn't want her to know.

The sound of magic filled the room as Twilight fired up her horn. If she couldn't remember what she had forgotten, clearly it wasn't important enough to remember, and she should get back to her studies. There was still so much she didn't know.

Glancing at the books title, Twilight confirmed that it was the one she wanted. The words 'don't panic' 'Greater magical theory' were printed on the front in golden writing. Celestia had really been giving her quite a lot of research recently; she nearly had to give up time with her friends to cram it all in.

Luckily, it hadn't come to that. Between her new studies, taking care of Spike, calming down and countless other activities, it really was a wonder she still found time on top of it all to help Applejack on the farm, or to attend one of Pinkie's many parties. And all she had to do was cut out several hours of sleep! Problem solved.

Pages flicked past each other hastily as Twilight found her place. Age spells. Nothing too complicated, of course, she'd never be able to pull them off. Simple spells; like reversing the mayor's greying hair or removing a bag or two from beneath her eyes. There was just one she was stuck on at the moment, then she could finally move on to bigger and better spells, like an apples to oranges spell.

A knock at her door captured her attention quite quickly. Guests! That was it, she was expecting guests! That's what she was forgetting! Oh, how could she have forgotten in the first place?

Placing her tea back down on the table, Twilight pushed herself to her feet. Blood rushed to her head for a moment, and she immediately found herself sitting down again. Good thing too, she still needed to put her book away before opening the door.

Now, where did 'relax' 'Greater Magical Theory' go again?

Sliding the book into it's proper place, Twilight trotted over to the door. Despite the fact that she now remembered that she had guests, it was still odd that she couldn't remember who she was waiting for. Rarity? Fluttershy? Twilight didn't have a clue.

Perhaps she should put on some gentle music for them? Was this going to be one of those long visits, or just a short one? She couldn't find words to describe how annoying it was that she couldn't remember. This made everything so much more difficult.

Shrugging to herself slightly, Twilight lifted an old phonograph from out under the desk in the middle of the room. It's funny, she could have swore that there was crack in it ever since the changeling invasion, but that was all in the past for her now. A record, the name of which Twilight couldn't see, was lifted in the same way as the record player and placed firmly in its slot. The needle dropped into the grooves hastily, and the music started to play.

Twilight did a small dance as she hopped to the door.

She froze just a few steps from her destination. Rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining things, Twilight still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Someone had vandalised her door; covered it in nonsense symbols and words.
Don't open the door, Princess. She's already here.

Twilight scratched her head as she tried to make sense of it. "n't op he doo ncess. She alre here? That doesn't even make sense!"

A sense of anger built in Twilight's chest. Oh, when she found out who did this to her door, she was going to skin them alive! Or, more realistically, just glue their hooves together or something. It was going to take her hours to clean all this off, even with Spike's help. Just what she needed too, even more work on her pile.

Sighing in defeat though, Twilight had to place the task behind her for a moment, there was still someone at the door.

Her hoof froze halfway to the door though. Something was wrong, it wasn't right.

No.

No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go at all.

She wasn't supposed to be Twilight, that would freak out her guest. She needed something familiar, but not recent.

Twilight grinned devilishly. Yes, that was how it was supposed to go, how could she forget?

And then she faded away, drifting into white mist and appearing again on her seat at the table. The door swung open without a creak, and in walked the guest of honour. She walked with a purpose the princess hadn't seen in years; a subtle anger buried behind her eyes. She wanted answers, she wanted to know why. And there was only one person who could provide them.

The princess sitting at the table.

Twilight sat down at the opposite end of the table.

It had been...interesting, when she'd pushed open the last door. An empty white plain awaited her, entirely featureless except for one thing. Set just a few steps from the threshold of the door, sat Twilight's library.

And what could she do except knock? After all, the door was locked.

Twilight already knew what she would see when the door eventually opened. An exact replica of her own library; just another illusion.

The phonograph was new though, what band was that playing? Hoofey Lewis and the News? Twilight didn't like their earlier work, it was a little too 'new wave' for her taste. But that's detracting from the story.

With the nearly unnoticeable music playing in her ear and a cup of fresh tea set in front of her, Twilight started the conversation.

"I didn't expect you to actually set out tea for me, Celestia."

The being across the table nodded slowly. Twilight didn't know why she called it Celestia. It wore Celestia's skin, and spoke with her voice, but it was just illusions on illusions. More cornerstones set out to trip her up; to distract her from what was important.

"I've been waiting for you, Twilight."

Twilight simply nodded. "Yes, you've mentioned that." She said, unable to think of any else to respond with.

"I've watched you grow from a little filly. I've been here an awfully long time. Well, not here, but it's nearly the same. Not that it bothers me; I stopped tracking time by the rising of the sun long ago."

"I don't care." Twilight said simply, with all the passion and bitter hate she could summon. Breathing in to steady her nerves, Celestia disappeared briefly as Twilight took another drink.

"Aw, come on Twi, not even a little? I thought you were cooler than that." Rainbow Dash said, slamming her cup down on the table. It shook heavily, but didn't break.

"You killed my friends. I don't take kindly to ponies who kill my friends."

Rarity shifted in her seat, "I don't recall killing anyone, darling. Surely you're not projecting yourself onto me?"

"I want to know why." Twilight said. She wasn't going to let this...thing get the best of her. It was trying to distract her; things were drifting out the corner of her eyes, grasping for her attention, but she couldn't look. If she looked, it was over. She needed to stay on track, keep her thoughts straight. If could wear any number of faces, but none would slow her until she found the truth.

"Why did I what?"

Twilight lowered her drink slowly, taking one last sip before depositing it on the table. "Don't play this game, Luna, tell me why you won't let the knights up here; why they needed to die to prevent them from coming here."

Placing her hooves on the table, it was all Twilight could do to focus on the pony in front of her. The rips at the edges of her vision were growing stronger now and Twilight didn't even remember why she wasn't supposed to look at them; where they came from and how they tied into everything.

Chrysalis, in a rare moment of courage, matched Twilight's gaze, staring deeply into her eyes.

It was at that moment that Twilight realised what the problem was. She'd seen that look before, it was the same look a panicked animal had before Fluttershy could arrive to calm it down or the look Roseluck had whenever the town was in danger. It was...fear.

"You're scared," was all Twilight said.

Before her eyes, the thing changed its shape again. It was like a burst of static blurred the shape of the creature before a new disguise could be applied, not even proper magic. It seemed to be...searching for something, as if it couldn't decide who it needed to be.

Until it stopped, and Twilight found herself staring into her own eyes.

"You're scared and you don't want to admit it." Twilight said again, as her doppelgänger continued to stare into her eyes.

"If you knew what I knew, Twilight, you'd be scared too."

"And what do you know? You're making a lot of questions, I don't even know who you are, and you seem to be avoiding the answers for them."

There was a short silence between the two, before the fake Twilight sighed weakly. "Ask anything."

"What?"

"Ever since she came here, I can't...remember properly. I don't know the answers; or who I am, or what I was supposed to do, or anything. But...but if you can ask me questions, maybe it will all come back."

At this point, it was all Twilight could do to keep staring forward. The swirls at the edges of her vision had crept inward; looping around to the front of her head. All around her, she could see them. Each swirl and twist threatening to sweep down and take her memories with it. But she could stop them; she just needed to keep focused on herself.

There wasn't even a library any more, just a vast expense of moving light.

"Who are you?" Twilight asked. She didn't buy a single word her double was saying, but it was better than nothing.

"I...It's not working. I don't know! I keep shifting through these shapes and ponies and princesses and knights and wizards but I never find it. Ask a different one!"

"Who is she?"

A smile of relief spread across Twilight's clone's face. "The black one. The one with the mane of galaxies and the knowledge of the void.The green one. The one with the holes in her hooves and the swamp in her mane and the ponies in her mind and out her ears and up her nose and through her skin."

"Chrysalis."

The light from around the two inched closer. "That's the one! Yes! Chrysalis."

Twilight nodded knowingly. Of course Chrysalis was at fault here. It all came back to Chrysalis. "Where is she now? Do you remember?"

The clone shifted, as if it couldn't hold its form, before replying. "She's...up. Up higher, we can go there, if you want but I wouldn't recommend it. She's too powerful for you to take on yourself."

"I know that, do you think I don't? If I chase after her, she's going to destroy me. Completely and utterly."

"So why go?"

Twilight smirked. The lights closing in faltered for a second as she talked. "Because I know something she doesn't. I have something she doesn't. I have every little thing planned out; I just hope that I'm not wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"About who you really are."

With a crack, Twilight stood back up. Her legs felt like she'd been sitting on them for hours. Maybe she had, it was impossible to tell how long she'd been sitting there. There was much to do and so little time to do it.

So best to start as soon as she could. "Your majesty, if you would, now would be a good time to drop the illusion. I think it would make us both feel better."

"I hope you know what you're doing." Twilight's clone said.

"I hope I know what I'm doing." Twilight responded.

And just like that, it was all gone. Magic doesn't work like you would assume it does. It doesn't seep down the walls and dry out or disappear in a flash, it simply stops. Like an on/off switch. One moment Twilight was standing in an open plain speaking with herself over a glass of tea, the next she was standing alone in the top room of the tower.

There wasn't much to say of it. No windows, no torches, no beds or tables or anything like that, magicians don't need such trivialities. What there was though, was a single slab of perfectly round stone, buried in the tiled floor; and a giant hole cut out of the ceiling. It pulsed and swirled with untapped magic, though Twilight already knew what it did.

It went up.

Without a thing needing to be said, Twilight stepped onto the platform. With a century old shake and a great up heaving of dust, it shot into the sky.

And Twilight rode the air; not knowing if this would be the last thing she did.

As she rose, Twilight was given a clear view of all of Equestria. At this height, Twilight figured she could gaze over the mountain Canterlot was built on if she wanted. It all seemed so...small.

Beneath her, she could see that Canterlot was in the closest thing to civil war it could be. Ponies from all over the city, inspired by the return of their princess, were fighting for control of their home. It was slow though, barely a house at a time. Until Chrysalis was gone, the changelings wouldn't give up. Maybe they would even keep going after she was, Twilight could only dread. Her mentor had decided to join the charge below, shouting so loud Twilight could still hear her even from the great distance.

How many years had she spent trying to wrest even a small amount of acknowledgement from such a small pony; so far beneath her? Too many, by her count.

She could see the path that the knights and her had used to enter Canterlot, and two small ponies standing at the turn of the mountain. At least her brother was alright; someone needed to carry on the family legacy if she didn't come back. Of course, she shouldn't think like that, it was far too negative.

But, the sight of a happy couple just...living in spite of all that was happening around her. Twilight could only gaze on, thoughts untold running through her mind.

And beyond the mountain, visible through only a tiny sliver of or rock, sat Ponyville.

The town hall was clearly in view, albeit still covered in green goo and Gak. She should have spent more time in that town, rather than locking herself away in her library all the time. There were so many ponies she would never get to met. The mail-mare, the musician, the candy maker, the carrot farmer; so many ponies who would only remember her as the crazy librarian who occasionally saved the world.

And if her eyes weren't deceiving her again, she swore she could see five blobs of varying colours, fresh out of their cocoons. They couldn't see her, it would be impossible at this distance, but she could see them clear as day.
At the moment, she wanted to do nothing more than race down there and help Fluttershy with her animals, or race against Rainbow Dash, or harvest apples with Applejack. But she couldn't.
They didn't even know she wouldn't be coming back.

With these thoughts running through her mind, Twilight was nearly at her destination. Her magic flared up briefly as she scanned through her inventory. A red potion that tasted slightly of cherry. Everything would have to go exactly how she pictured it, or everything was doomed.

She could only swallow strongly as she arrived.

A soft click rang through the air, like stone scraping on stone; alerting anyone waiting to Twilight's arrival.

She couldn't see a thing though. Strong winds battered against her, like a tornado, and a bitter chill crept itself into her spine, but that was all ignorable if only she could see anything. A dark mist was covering...wherever she'd landed. Like flies and locusts whipped into a frenzy, the shadows ran and skittered around her vision; obscuring everything from her. It was nearly a miracle that she could still see her own hoof when placed in front of her eyes.

A familiar sound captured Twilight's attention. The sound of a unicorn casting a spell.

Of course, it wasn't a unicorn, Twilight already knew that as she turned around.

It was a large crystal, easily three times Twilight's size. Lines of ancient runes adorned its body, cut deep in ancient history back when magic was a wild and untamed force. Pointed, but blunted at both ends and featuring six perfectly flat sides, it seemed like something otherworldly, as if it shouldn't have ever existed. It glowed and pulsed like a heartbeat before Twilight, its green light enveloping her completely.

The heart of magic.

She just wished she knew what it did. Fly and...that was about it. Also it was a princess, maybe? Twilight wasn't sure.

Final Battle. Hell yis.

Twilight couldn't even hide her grin as she realised she still had a chance to stop the princess Chrysalis.

And speaking of the devil...

The darkness shifted again, disappearing completely as Chrysalis descended from the top of the crystal; her fall slowing itself magically as she landed.

Twilight could only describe her as...tired. Nothing at all like she'd looked back in the throne room.

Thick bags of purple and green dragged her eyes down her head, her mane seemed sickly and rotten and her skin had lost its clean black sheen. Rings of decayed green had built up around the holes in her feet and were starting to 'grow' up her legs. Her horn was surrounded by a permanent mist of green, connecting her to the giant crystal behind her like a lifeline.

She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, just pained squeaks. Stopping for a moment, Chrysalis moved a hoof to her throat, choking slightly on emptiness as she tried again.

"My throat is dry. How long have I been up here?"

Twilight glanced around her, kicking her hooves slightly to prepare herself before thinking of an answer. "Barely a few minutes months, by my estimate."

"Impossible."

Twilight took a step forward slowly, and Chrysalis reacted immediately, throwing herself into a fighting stance. "Don't come any closer."

Freezing in place, Twilight placed her hoof back on the ground. "Chrysalis, I'm not going to waste time repeating myself. I asked you to take your changelings, and leave. Your changelings are still here, Chrysalis, so I assume I have to do this the hard way."

"You can't stop me now, Twilight, if you wanted. Look around, you're alone. You're in my domain. Everything you see is in my command now and there's nothing you can do. I've taken your knights, your princesses, your friends, everything! I even took the childish drake from you, you're alone."

Chrysalis stopped for a minute, pointing over the edge of the platform they were on. "Look out there, Twilight. Look over your kingdom. Right now, there are millions upon millions of ponies. Some don't even know you exist, some don't know I exist. Some could help you right now, if they wanted. They have the wings, the means to come up and fight me, but up here, they're mere dots. Not even worth a glance. Anything they do is confined to more tiny dots, dots among dots among dots; so many insignificant ponies. All of them so...weak."

Snapping her attention to Twilight, Chrysalis continued, "Even you, Twilight, are a dot. Weak, easily swept aside, a single grain of dust among a beach of similar grains. You need a crutch to do anything. The elements, your friends, the knights; all the life changing things you've done have been from somepony else's power. Somepony stronger than you. The help of giants treading the desert, crushing grains beneath their feet," Chrysalis grinned, "but what will you do when those same giants are turned against you?"

Twilight tried her best not to betray her curiosity. "What do you mean?"

A loud laugh filled the arena, though not one full of life. A tired and dried out laugh that was more desperation than joy. "Did you not once consider why the knights were helping you? Why they have an obsession with princesses and kisses? Did you honestly believe they liked you? Or wanted to? Or could even think? They're soulless automatons, Twilight, and nothing more. They complete the desire of the one who controls them. And how do they decide that?"

To Twilight's surprise, Chrysalis stepped closer. "It's the kiss. The kiss of a princess that does it. They kissed you, and you wanted to save your friends; so they did. Luna wanted to ensure that Cadence was still alive, they left Canterlot together if I recall; so they did. Cadence wanted to make sure Celestia was still of sane mind and so she was. And Celestia wanted them to protect you. YOU, of all ponies, and so...they took the places where you should have failed."

"But...but I'm not a princess." Twilight stuttered, but Chrysalis simply continued.

"The volcano, the Ursa Major, the barbarian ram, the wizard, the heart, each was designed for you to fail. And they sacrificed themselves so that you could finally come...here, to me. But Celestia forgot one very important fact."

For a brief moment, Twilight felt a burst of fear shoot through her spine. She hadn't prepared for this, not at all. She couldn't have prepared for this, it was just unthinkable.

With a great crunching of stone and nothing more, the green knight stepped out of the shadows behind Chrysalis. Small drops of water ran down his face, but other than that, he looked perfectly fine. Well, except the bow he had aimed directly at Twilight's face.
The blue knight was next; looking like he'd just stepped out of the stone he was once imprisoned in. He simply stood with his arms crossed, waiting for the screen to scroll to the right so he could act.
I'd like to say that the orange knight stepped forward next, but it's more accurate to say that he tripped forward and landed on his face, sliding for a few feet until he was in position. Still, it took him less than a moment to get back to his and ready for the order to attack.
And then...nothing.

Hang on, wasn't there another?

"I was once a princess too, and my kiss is just as valid as hers. And right now, my one wish is for you to be destroyed and to never bother me again. How easily completed, yes?"

Twilight didn't respond immediately. Time was important here; she needed to make sure she took full advantage of every second she could get. Small, nearly unnoticeable sounds, like the flexing of the green knights bow-string or the slight crackle of magic from the Heart, dominated the ring.

Until, Twilight figured out what to say.

"You're lying."

"What?"

Carefully, Twilight took a step forward. The knights tensed themselves, but remained still. "You heard me. I think you're a lying liar that lies. A lonely, loquacious liar that looks like lacklustre latex and lays lines of labyrinth length and loosely lucid trickery. And I'm not falling for it."

Chrysalis stuttered for a moment. "What's...what's loquacious mean?"

"Talkative, but no subject changing here. The point is, I don't think you control the knights at all. I've travelled with the knights, no one knows them better than me, and I have never once seen them sit still long enough for me to say something as alliterative as that. You control the knights, but you don't control the 'knights.'"

Suddenly, a loud snap echoed through the air and Twilight's hoof froze in the air. Small wood chips, barely large enough to bother her, sprang into her face as the arrow exploded on the ground in front of her. For a brief second, the same fear that she had a minute ago sprang back into her spine. If she was wrong...

Breathing in deeply, Twilight placed her hoof back on the ground. There was nothing to worry about, she was going to be fine. "As I was saying, before the interruption, I probably should explain a bit. You can't simply 'control' these things. I've spent an entire field trip with them trying to control them, and the most I can do is point at something and shout 'punch.' All you can do is just roll with whatever crazy plan they decide to concoct in an effort to continue moving towards the princess. Mind control wouldn't work, because all you're doing is taking away that crazy. Sure, you'd 'control' the knights, but they wouldn't be very effective now, would they? And there's something very...useful, for lack of a better word, about th-"

Without any warning or announcement, Twilight sprinted forward mid-sentence. Time was the essence here, it was all she had going for her.

Hooves rang against stone as Chrysalis back-peddled; eyes glancing at the knights next to her. Only for a brief moment though, the element of surprise is something quickly lost. With her pupils thinning into lizard-like slits and a forked tongue resting on her lips slightly, Chrysalis gave the order. "Kill her."

The green knight disappeared from where he was standing and appeared directly in front of Twilight. And Twilight grinned.

She'd hadn't just been sitting there gawking the whole time the knights had been fighting for her. When she fought someone, she thought everything out. She predicted what they would do, how they would act, everything that could help her in a fight. And at this point, she'd watched the knights long enough to know exactly how each one choose to start a fight.

The green knight would go first, directly in front of her. A quick magical shield to defend herself and throw the knight off balance, before side-stepping him hastily. After that, the blue knight would attack next; while the green was recovering. Exactly three levitation spells to destroy the momentum of the icicles flying towards her and she'd be safe again, just in time to dodge around the orange knight before he could release any of his powerful magic. Just as she guessed they would.

And then...well, since she'd never seen the knight's lose before, she was kind of helpless in knowing how they would act next. She only really got one chance.

The hiss of flying arrows whizzed past her ears as she fired off another spell, a quick teleportation, to reach the end of her destination.

She rested her hooves on the surface of the heart. As strange as it sounds, she could 'hear' it. The magic flowing down its side's like water, the low hum as it hovered in the air innocently, the loud, contrasting cracks of its connection with Chrysalis and finally, something odd. Something that was just out of place.

"Stop, Twilight! You don't understand!"

Snapping back to reality, Twilight wasted precious seconds turning around to face Chrysalis. "Here's a hint, Chrysalis. Mind control makes things extremely predictable. Even Discord realised that. Now, where was I?"

Twilight placed her back hooves against the heart as she continued. "It was never about the princesses was it? It all came down to this, the princess in the tower the heart of magic. This is how you're mind controlling the knights, commanding the changelings, everything. But," Twilight added, "lets see what happens when we break that connection. Maybe we should..." Twilight imagined that if this were a movie, or even a poorly written book, the camera would zoom into her face at that moment. Of course, this was reality, not a story, and so no camera zoomed in on anything at all, "turn your giants against you."

Her horn shimmered in the light for a brief second, before a wave of magic flowed down her body. It shined, blindingly bright, as it wavered across her frame; pooling in the ends of her legs and clashing with the green magic holding the crystal in place. The two forces clashed against each other; the surface of the crystal shaking from the magical pressure, until finally, it stopped.

And the crystal fell from the sky.

From behind Twilight, Chrysalis screamed. A horrified, disbelieving squeal of pain. Twilight turned; just in time to see the life-line connecting Chrysalis to the crystal thin, growing smaller and smaller as the crystal plummeted, until it snapped.

It was like someone had exploded a bomb directly in Twilight's face. A sudden flash of light, a powerful push of wind and an all engulfing stream of heat was all she could remember as she flew backwards. Chips of rocks flew past her face in slow motion; suspended in the air like clouds in the sky simply by how focused Twilight was at that moment. The platform they were standing on was shattered with a large gash down the centre and without Chrysalis there to keep it floating; it too fell to earth.

Normally, the average pony would be more scared being blown into the open air hundreds of feet above the ground. Twilight was not an average pony though.

Streamlining her body like she'd seen Rainbow do many times before, Twilight sped up her fall. She just needed to get a bit...closer. If the crystal could fly once under Chrysalis' power, it could do the same again under hers.

Her hooves clicked against its hard surface with a soft clink, though it could barely be heard over the rushing wind. Twilight only took the time to glance over the side once, truly realise why Fluttershy was scared of heights and tap her horn against the surface of the heart.

Nothing happened.

"Come on magic, don't do this to me now." She whispered to herself, trying again. All she got for her trouble was a short purring noise, though Twilight couldn't identify what animal, if any, it was from.

The ground inched closer as Twilight tried again, and again. Another surge of adrenaline shot into her chest as she peeked over the edge again. "Come on crystly, Twilight doesn't want to die like this." She repeated, a hint of desperation seeping into her words.

In a last ditch effort, Twilight focused all her remaining magic into a single point. It was as refined as she'd like, nor was it something that would make another magic user smile, but it would serve it's purpose. She was the element of magic, it had to. She only had one chance left, of course it had to.

Her magic swirled around her horn like a whirlpool, searching for a release. It crashed and pulsed against her sides, giving her a warmth she'd never felt before. A rhythmic pattern developed deep inside her; wafted out of her mouth in her breaths and through her chest by the beat of her heart. In and out, in and out, with a sweet release waiting for her at the end.

Finally, Twilight could take no more. Her legs spasmed from beneath her as she released all the energy she'd pent up. A sudden squeak forced its way out of her mouth; just as she touched her horn to the crystal.

And nothing happened.

"No no no no, don't do this to me, not now."

It was too late to stop it now. The ground was rushing up at her, and she just didn't know how to stop it in time. She was just...moving too fast. She needed to slow down, or stop, or jump or something. If she hit the ground from this height, she would die. And she couldn't die, she was Twilight Sparkle. There had to be a way, she just couldn't--

There was no way of telling just how long she'd been out. With all the pegasi fighting the changelings in the city, there was no one to move the clouds out of the way of the sun. For all Twilight knew, she could have been out for anywhere between a few minutes to a few months. Maybe even years, time had seemed to lose whatever meaning it had at this point.

She was...lucky to be alive. She remembered that.

She couldn't feel one of her front legs, her horn sported a brand new crack along the base, something was stabbing her in the chest and dirt was pressed so deep into her coat that she knew that no amount of baths would be able to get it all out.

But she was alive, remarkably.

Looking around, it was easy to determine where she'd landed. Stone statues sat around her; dwarfing the injured pony in their size and grace. To her right, Twilight could see the edge of the hedge maze and a little path that ran along its edge. turning around, she managed to steal a glance of a large crater caused by the crystal; lit up by a faint white glow.

For a minute, she thought that maybe she'd won. Her mouth was already open in congratulations to herself when a faint buzzing wormed its way into her ear. Almost immediately, she tracked the noise to its source and looked up.

Chrysalis, with insect like wings beating a thousand times a second, dropped herself to the ground, unharmed. A confident sneer was caught in her mouth as she scanned over Twilight, practically soaking in her injuries. "Had a little trip, did we?

Twilight tried to push herself to a more dignified posture, but a sudden needle shooting through her injured leg prevented her attempts from succeeding. "I feel like somepony launched me from Celestia's throne room across the country in a single powerful burst, but luckily that only happened to one of us."

The brittle grass snapped and crackled under Chrysalis' hoof as she walked closer; everything about her screaming 'control.' And she was in control of the situation, anyone could see that. "Just what was your plan, Twilight? Did you think that I actually needed the heart to beat you? Or that your precious knights would stand a chance? You should have just stayed at home, Twilight, and let yourself be captured like the rest of your friends. What good are you even, without your elements of harmony?"

A spark fell across Twilight's eyes as everything fell into place. "I get the feeling that you don't understand what exactly the elements are, Chrysalis, am I correct?"

Chrysalis' façade dropped for a split second as Twilight continued. "The elements aren't just some tacky necklaces and a crown, they symbolize the bonds that keep Equestria together. They're the very essence of magic itself, given powerful and untapped form. They can work for anyone, any group of friends that embody the elements. Which brings me to my next point."

The ground next to Twilight exploded with a loud bang. The stabbing pain returned to her leg as she instinctively threw it into the air to protect herself, only to lower it when she realised it was exactly who she was looking for. "The green knight, who risked himself to save us from Sombra and confessed to eating all the pastries in Sugercube Corner, represents the element of Honesty!"

"Wat?" Chrysalis croaked out.

Another explosion rocked Twilight as the next knight landed to her left. "The orange knight, who entertained the entire group with his antics and tamed the savage manticore, represents the element of Laughter!"

"No, seriously, what?"

The air gained a cold chill as the blue knight landed. The slight breeze caused by his descent caused small whirlwinds to spin around his feet, stirring up the grass beneath his feet. And with him, came Spike. Twilight bit her lip to stop herself from running out there and simply hugging Spike where he floated and telling him how much she missed him and how she was never going to let him go and how everything would be fine, but she didn't. She needed to finish this. "Blue knight, who helped Roseluck with her gardening and shared his food and drink with his friends represents the element of...Generosity."

"No, stop Twilight. Stop this now."

"Spike represents the element of Loyalty, for always sticking by my side on this adventure through thick and thin."

Twilight stopped for a moment. She was one short. That wasn't right, she should have had six friends. Wasn't there another? She couldn't...remember. The questions were there but the answer were not. Why couldn't she...

"And with the element of magic, it's all complete!"

A brilliant light started to surround the six five creatures as Twilight closed her eyes. Chrysalis started to back-pedal, curses dying on her lips. She had been so close, so very close to victory. And now, just like that, she lost? No fair. Looking into the sun of a spell Twilight was casting, Chrysalis closed her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to watch.

Twilight started to laugh as she lowered herself back to the ground.

Chrysalis cracked her eyelid open a tiny amount. "What? Why...why didn't you..."

"The elements...the elements don't work...they don't work like that, Chrysalis. You can't just...just pull random...pull random friends off the...the street. You need...need true harmony to make them work. These knights couldn't harmony if they wanted too. There's a reason only six ponies in over a thousand years can use them. Haha, I can't believe you fell for that."

Despite her fatigue and the blow to her pride, Chrysalis pushed herself tall again, nearly towering over Twilight. "I fell for no such thing. A queen such as myself would never fall for such a lowly trick."

"Kinda hard to believe that when you were cowering on the floor a couple of seconds ago."

"Silence, Twilight. I've had enough of these monologues and talks, it's time we finished this."

Twilight simply shrugged. "Alright, go ahead. But can I ask you a question before we start?"

Despite the magic gathering in her horn, Chrysalis faltered for a moment. What harm was there in indulging the mare? She probably just wanted to know why, or how, or some other small detail that wouldn't matter once she was gone. What was the harm? "What?"

"If changelings have conquered every inch of Canterlot, why are there none in the gardens?"

Chrysalis opened her mouth to respond, before snapping it shut hastily. She scanned the garden; searching for her drones, but coming up empty. That was...odd. "Where are you going with this? No, no, I don't care, enough talking."

"Chrysalis, it's time to wake up. For both of us."

"What are you blabbering about?"

Sighing, Twilight stepped forward. "Things don't make sense, Chrysalis, please tell me you noticed this?"

"The knights are simply sitting still and waiting for orders, there are no mountains between Ponyville and Canterlot to look through, magic doesn't work like an on/off switch, a floating platform above Canterlot is a ridiculous notion, I haven't encountered the heart climbing the tower yet, you hadn't been up there a few months at all, Spike wasn't on the floating platform with us, there are no changelings in the garden and finally, the one big thing that finally made me realise all this, realise all the tiny little discrepancies of this illusion, was this..."

Twilight perked her ears backwards. "There's no crystal behind me anymore. It left the moment it thought I was dead."

Slowly, almost fearfully, Chrysalis dragged her eyes to the crater behind Twilight. True to her word, it was completely empty; only a single line of up-heaved dirt remained. She struggled to grab her tongue, struggled to put things together in a way that made sense. "What?"

"This is an illusion, Chrysalis. One that you've gotten caught in. At this moment, I'm passed out on the fourth floor of the tower, probably drooling on the floor and embarrassing myself in front of...I can't remember who. Just more reasons this is an illusion. You, however, are passed out at the top of the tower, dreaming that you're fighting me in the garden. But now that I've told you this, you're waking up. Everything you've dreamed here is just going to...disappear."

Looking around again, Chrysalis' features dropped as she realised she couldn't recognize where she was. Endless dunes of pure white and a cold wind was all she could see, as far as the horizon. It was encroaching in her vision, choking her down through the mist and smoke, all in a futile effort to wake her up. She had to.

And then just like that, Twilight opened her eyes. The illusion was broken.

The shadows crawling across the roof parted as Twilight adjusted to the darkness.

A hasty breathe was sucked into her lungs as she fought for air from her sleep addled mind. She didn't even want to know how much time she'd wasted sleeping, that wasn't important any more. What was important was what she knew. She knew everything now; all the pieces were falling together into a perfect picture of the situation.

Rolling onto her stomach and pushing herself back to her hooves, Twilight scanned through the room.

She couldn't hide her grin as she zoned in on the red knight; sitting in front of the door and waiting for someone to open it so he could continue. That was good; it meant Twilight didn't have to waste time explaining what just happened to her.

Trotting across the room, Twilight bit the bottom of her lip, before lifting the knight from where he stood and placing him on her back. He was heavier than he looked; it was like carrying a bag of iron on her back. This would be faster though, she knew that. She needed to reach the top quickly.

"Red, better hang on, because we don't have much time left. I'll explain as I run, now let's go!"

Twilight threw the door open with her magic so hard it left an imprint the wall next to it. She followed that up with a quick teleport, followed by another, and another, skipping entire sections of the stairs at once.

"Chrysalis isn't the one messing with us here, she never made the illusions, not intentionally, and she has no control over them. She's just another alicorn that got in over her head."

Twilight nearly fumbled as the red knight shifted his weight. "There is a pony at the top of this tower, another alicorn, another princess, but she absolutely hates you. To the core. Chrysalis must have known this, that's why she came up here. You saw how she freaked out when you first arrived...well, you didn't, but that's beside the point."

"Chrysalis was intending to mind control the princess up here, and use her power to destroy you. But it didn't work, because the princess was stronger than her. Instead of her controlling the princess, the princess controlled her, then used her own illusion magic to convince her that everything was going to plan and to trap each of us on our own separate floors."

With a final flash, Twilight appeared at another door. "But it didn't work, because this princess hasn't been outside in over one thousand years. She didn't know what Canterlot looked like, or how Equestria had changed. It was impossible for her to create a realistic illusion."

Twilight placed her hoof on the door. "Red...I know we don't know each other that well; we only met a couple of hours ago, but I need you to understand one thing. Please, if you can understand anything I say, don't hurt Chrysalis. She's only partially to blame, and I can handle her punishment myself. Please, just aim for the black and purple alicorn and don't hold back. I've fought her before, and it took the elements to even dint her."

And with that, Twilight kicked the door down.

Light shone into the room that hadn't seen sunlight for centuries as Twilight rushed in. She couldn't see anything, just like before, but now it was frightening. Now she had a reason to fear the dark.

Like a spotlight shining down from the ceiling, a ray of light chased away the shadows on the other side of the room. A mare was sitting there, bruised and injured, but alive. Her appearance seemed to get worse every time Twilight saw her. Shining her magic again, Twilight lifted the knight off her back. "Remember, Chrysalis is mine. The second the other princess shows up though, give her your all."

Walking slowly, and with purpose, Twilight made her way across the room. It wasn't until she was just at the edge of the spotlight that the room was cast into darkness again, and a voice made itself clear. It was a smooth voice; one that as pleasant to the ear and carried a tone of both arrogance and class. "Well well, that was rather clever of you, Twilight. Figuring it all out like that. I nearly had you for a second though, we both know that's true. How does your leg feel? Ache a little?"

Licking her lips, Twilight glanced randomly into the darkness. The mare speaking to her seemed to shift and waver at the edges of her vision, but never truly enter it. That wasn't good, the red knight couldn't do anything until she showed herself.

"Nightmare Moon, I don't want to fight you. I'm here for Chrysalis alone. She's the only one who can call back the changelings, and I'm not leaving until she does so. Now bring her back to me, lock yourself in this room again, and leave me alone."

The shadows shifted, "It's only Nightmare now. You and your pesky friends made sure of that. Do you have any idea how close I was to bringing about eternal night? Thiiiiiiiiiis close. Can you see how close my hooves are at this moment, because they are so damn close you don't even know. You couldn't slid a hair between these hooves, because they're so close there is no room for error on how close they to each other they are. But now that you're here, that doesn't matter. I've been waiting for this moment, Twilight."

"And what moment would that be?"

The voice seemed to be closer; whispering in Twilight's ears. "Join me, Twilight. Somepony as powerful as you doesn't need giants to carry them. You are a giant amongst giants; an unstoppable force of magical potential. You could be an alicorn yourself one day; Princess Twilight, doesn't it ring a bell? Doesn't it sound right when it rolls of the tongue? Power, friends, wealth, fame, recognition, anything you want. I can get it for you, you just need to let me help you."

"And this would be the kind of help that blocks out the sun, right?"

"A mere side effect of having your way. Don't rest on something like that. Think of what's in it for you. Never having to worry about a friendship report again, an endless library to study and research, hundreds, no, thousands of friends to truly discover the magic of friendship with and a free business suit."

"Does the suit come with a tie?"

"Of course it can, Twilight. Anything you want."

Twilight cocked her head sideways. "Mm, that is a tempting offer. However, as much as I would love a business suit, I'm going to have to decline."

A shadowy hoof formed beneath Twilight's chin, pulling her gaze upwards to two eyes hovering in the mist. "No, you're not, Twilight. Think about this, really think about this, because this is not an offer I give to everypony. You need me, Twilight; and I need you. We were made for each other. Luna was...Luna was just a stepping stone to what we could achieve together, just a tiny taste to what was coming."

With a carefully weighed movement, Twilight pushed the hoof on her chin down. "You forget, Nightmare Moon, I have no interest in power. I don't...want to control ponies, or command their respect. All I need are my friends. They're always there to support me when I need it; I don't have any need for power."

For a minute, silence wafted through the room like shadows, until Nightmare finally responded. "And what would you do if...something were to happen to your friends?"

Another hoof materialized out of the darkness to stand beside its partner, but Twilight still couldn't see the pony they belonged to. "I don't understand. You can't threaten me like this, Nightmare, I know my friends are safe."

"Who said anything about threatening? I'm merely stating facts. For example, you weren't powerful enough to protect your friends when the changelings swept into Ponyville. You weren't powerful enough to defeat Sombra when he challenged you, you weren't powerful enough to save even a single pony in that town. Instead, what did you do? You ran, and hide, and cried for your mother and called upon the only force powerful enough to save the day."

Like a collection of snakes, the shadows twisted and formed in front of Twilight; growing pointed teeth and polished metal, framing the eyes in a frightening pony face. "It's all about power, Twilight, and together, we have it all. If you let me help you, you will never have to call for help to save your friends again. Look at the knight behind you, he knows...Look at him, Twilight! He knows he's the most powerful creature in this room. Perhaps all of Equestria. He doesn't need to worry about consequences, or the damage he causes or the ponies he hurts, because who is going to object to him? And you've been feeding this destructive attitude."

With a final flash of retreating light, Nightmare revealed herself. Her mane was like the cool of a winters night; floating down her neck. A polished and dark purple helmet sat on her head, with only a hole cut for her horn to break the perfect shine. And she grinned, with a mouth that wouldn't be out of place on a vampire, and inched closer to Twilight. "And where does this attitude you've been aiding end? What happens to the knights once the fight is over? Do you not realise why Celestia imprisoned them in the first place? Once the fight is over, the knights are going to destroy everything, just like they did one thousand years ago. This is why we need to help each other, Twilight, for the good of us all. I will not let my kingdom fall to these brutes again!"

All Twilight gave her was a dismissive wave. "Give me Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon."

"What...bu...but you're just going to ignore everything I've said?"

"Nightmare, since the very moment I woke these knights, everyone has been trying to tell me they're 'evil,' or they're 'weak' or they 'obey the princesses kiss.' At this point, I couldn't care less what their motives are. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. All I want to do at the moment, is make sure that my friends stay safe while I call off this invasion. And I can't do that without Chrysalis. Now, be a good pony for once, give me Chrysalis, lock yourself in this tower and never bother me again; or I'll show you just why red knight is the most powerful guy in the room. Alright?"

Nightmare thought for a moment, before stomping her hoof. "No."

"No?"

"I've waited too long for a chance like this, I'm not just going to let it pass me by because you don't see things the same way I do," With a flick of her head, Nightmare stepped out of the shadows fully; her slender body like a silhouette in the moonlight, "If I can't have my wishes, this entire kingdom can burn for all I care. As long as I'm here Twilight, you will never find Chrysalis."

Twilight shrugged. "I suppose you shouldn't have stepped out of the shadows then."

The red knight moved so fast that the darkness around him swirled inward as he charged at the black alicorn. Nightmare didn't have time to react; didn't have time to block as the knight flew towards her. With a loud smack and a shockwave that was nearly visible in its strength, Nightmare was thrown backwards into the wall.

Nightmare was no sucker though. By the time the red knight was back on his feet, she'd already disappeared again. Almost on instinct, Twilight moved closer to the red knight. The darkness around the two was suddenly more menacing now that they had the knowledge that Nightmare could come from any direction. This fact was only punctuated by a low, guttural laugh; the source of which seemed to come from all around the two.

"This is a fight I will not lose, children."

Twilight was thrown off balance as a wave of shadow thrust itself between her and the knight. She stumbled forward, just enough to regain her footing before turning around. She could just make out the outline of the red knight through the shadows, but he didn't look too good.

There was no way he could predict Nightmare's attack. Every time he moved to block, Nightmare would reveal herself behind him; lingering only long enough to sneak between his defences and strike. Every time he tried to strike, on the few occasions Nightmare was slow on her retreat, his sword would slice through the shadowy mist where his opponent was a second ago, before a swift counter attack would throw him off again.

The sounds of the fight filled the room as Twilight tried to inch closer, being blocked at the last moment every time. Even if she couldn't do much, red knight needed her help. Needed any help. He needed the other knights; this wasn't a fight he could win alone.

Twilight wrestled with herself for an answer. There wasn't time to go back and try to find the other knights. There wasn't time to try and help the knight herself, there was just nothing she could do! What was she even doing here? If she'd taken the place of even one of the other knights this wouldn't be happening, Equestria would be safe! Helpless, that's all she could think. She was helpless to do anything.

And then, for a brief moment, everything fit together. The lines and webs of chaos spread across the world straightened and twisted into words, into a plan, and Twilight was given a glimpse into the mind of a knight.

And she knew just what to do.

She had to be crazy awesome.

"This is going to hurt." Twilight commented to herself, running through her memories. She knew it was in there somewhere; buried beneath months and weeks of research. It just didn't want to show itself, not yet. Magic was pre-emptively gathering on her horn, but without the right spell to release it, all the magic in the world would be useless. Words and figures surfaced in head, and she finally remembered the spell she needed.

A flash of light lit up the room, and Twilight swore she could see everything rotate as gravity reversed itself.

She landed on the underside of the roof with no problem; its steep angle instantly causing her to slide towards the centre. With a twist of her foot, stopped herself, just long enough to locate the red knight. She'd need his help for phase two.

On the other side of the room, the knight hadn't even noticed the change in gravity. There were bigger things to be concerned about. He could hear his enemy inching around him, moving from every direction. He just needed a chance, or a break. This boss had far too much health for one knight.

Until...a path blazed through the shadows and he found himself flying backwards. A purple cloud was surrounding him, the cause of his sudden movement, but he didn't know why. Twilight simply stared at him as she moved closer to the centre.

A quick breath outwards blew her mane out of her eyes as she reached the cone centre of the roof. Twilight turned her head backwards, focusing on the shadows gathering behind her and the pair of eyes hidden within them. "What are you doing, Twilight?" they asked.

Twilight didn't bother to answer. "Red, please trust me. That magic jump, from earlier, I've seen you do it before; you have to do that for me right now, at this exact spot. Trust me! I'll handle the rest. It's time to do the impossible; see the invisible."

Landing his feet back on the ground, the knight raised his fist into the air, as if to say 'row row, fight the power,' before crouching his knees and gathering his magic. Just a single jump.

Nightmare realised what was going on a second too late to prevent it. Lightning and power surged into the old wooden roof; ripping it apart as the duo shot straight into the air. Planks of wood and broken tiles floated into the sky as sunlight rushed into the room.

The thick mist of shadows and darkness was instantly destroyed by the sun; banished to the dark corners of the room. There was no where left to hide for Nightmare now, not in the light of the sun. At the same time, Twilight gathered her magic again and righted the twisted gravity.

"Hold on, Red."

Twilight was given one small chance to shield her eyes before her and the knight crashed into the floor. Or rather, through the floor. Between the magic jump of the knight and the natural aid of gravity, the two had more than enough speed to simply smash their way through the ground.

Just as Twilight planned.

Dust coated her as she continued her fall; the obstacle barely slowing her at all. Another floor stood in her way, only to fall as body met stone. And another, and another, until Twilight realised that was four and firing her magic up again; this time to cushion the last landing.

She hit the ground with a loud smack. Rivers of pain flowed up her legs from the collision; mingling with the bruises forming just about everywhere else on her body. It was only by a miracle that she hadn't bit her own tongue off yet. Rubble and dust rained down around her like hail but none were large enough to actually cause her any harm.

Breathing heavily, Twilight sighed. She still wasn't done.

"Twi...twilight?"

Looking up, Twilight quickly locked onto her apprentice. Innumerable emotion rushed through her body; joy and fear and guilt and happiness, but Twilight had to force them all aside. She wasn't done yet.

"Not now Spike, just sit still!" she shouted, charging at the blue knight standing next to Spike.

The room lit up the second Twilight was close enough and the four found themselves on the next floor, except a giant hole was punched through the middle. It took Twilight less than a minute to find the green knight; rushing over and adding him to the posse. Another flash, another floor, another knight and Twilight was ready.

At this point, she could nearly see the magic leaking off her horn. No unicorn had ever used this much magic so quickly, it was practicably unheard of. Objects split and wavered in her vision, but it wouldn't matter in a moment. She just needed to cast one last spell.

Mustering up the last of her leaking magic, Twilight threw everything she had into carrying the knights up the last floor. With a pained groan, the laws of physics buggered off to another dimension as light flooded the room and the group appeared at the top of the tower.

"Stop! Don't come any closer!"

Despite the loud ringing bouncing through her head, Twilight was still able to hear Nightmare's panicked shouts. It took a bit more concentration than she'd like, but with effort, Twilight could pull her fading vision together long enough to survey the scene.

Nightmare, with no shadows left to hide in, had propped herself against the wall. In front of her, held in place by sheer force of will, was Chrysalis; more a shield against attack than an actual pony. Both of the ponies looked worn down and broken, but that only served to make them all the more dangerous.

"Take another step and Chrysalis is done. I'm not letting this chance go to waste!"

Twilight couldn't care less. She was tired, magically drained and just plain bored. Luckily, the knights were ready to take over for her at this point.

They didn't even respond to the threat; didn't slow down their advance even slightly.

The red knight lead the charge, moving until he was within arms reach of the changeling. The two stared each other down; neither him or Nightmare willing to break the exchange.

Until the red knight casually lifted his arm, swatted Chrysalis out of Nighmare's reach as if he was removing a troublesome fly and moved in for the fight.

"Come on, Chrysalis, wake up...wake up, Chrysalis."

With a soft touch, Twilight lightly poked the unconscious Chrysalis' face. She was still breathing, but barely. They were nearly done, Equestria was nearly safe, they just needed to wake Chrysalis up.

Though as the minutes dragged on though, that goal seemed to slowly slip away in favour of just keeping Chrysalis alive.

Despite Twilight's slowly weakening grip on the arcane arts, she still continued. There were many spells dedicated to making sure ponies recovered from wounds faster, or to make sure they weren't in too much pain, or for just about any step of the medical procedure, but for some reason, none of them were working.

Time was running out; she could almost hear the hounds and changelings climbing up the sides of the tower.

"I can't...I can't do it." She said, breaking away from her spells to steal a glance at the knights. "She won't wake up."

"Unless..."

Twilight shuffled through her bags, which she totally did have at that moment and which were always there from the beginning, yes. It wasn't hard to find; there was only two things in the bag in the first place, but Twilight still couldn't stop a sigh of relief when it levitated into her face.

Rainbows painted the floor as light streamed through the clear container; half full of red liquid. This better not turn out to be a mistake.

Pressing her lips together in concentration, Twilight lifted the vial above her head before smashing it down hastily, directly onto Chrysalis' head.

The effect was nearly faster than instantaneous, except for the point where that was impossible and it just happened really, really fast instead. Chrysalis rocketed upwards; sleep running from her eyes. "I'm awake mum, don't worry. It's all...good?"

Slowly, her gaze drifted from the purple unicorn in front of her, to the unconscious alicorn on the ground, to the four knights sitting atop a giant chest, trying to crack it open and end the level.

"Did I...miss something?"

Twilight pushed herself into Chrysalis' face. "No more games, Chrysalis. Call off the invasion."

"Never!" Even if she wasn't sure about what was going on, Chrysalis wasn't a pony to simply give in to demands.

Shrugging, Twilight pointed at one of the knights, at random. "Would you like to explain why not to them then?"

Following her gaze, Chrysalis swallowed nervously as the knight's gazed back. Only the red knight was there to keep them in line, but it was clear he was loosing patience just as fast as the others were.

"I still refuse. The changeling empire will--"

Twilight nodded, and red knight dropped his arms; just long enough for the message to sink in before pulling his colleagues back again.

"Alright, alright, you win. I'll...I'll do it."

With a weary sigh, Chrysalis started to flap her wings; more of a fast fly like buzz than the strong wing strokes of a pegasus, and rose into the air. Flying even higher into the air, and eventually straight out of the hole punched into the roof. The room was filled with silence and tension, so thick it was nearly choking, until all of that came crashing down with a nearly ear deafening screech that shook the castle in its noise.

Another silence, somehow heavier than the last, before a sound that brought joy to Twilight's heart filled the room.

Buzzing. The sound of hundreds or thousands of changelings all flying into the air away from Canterlot, back to where they came from. She could nearly laugh from the sheer joy of the sound.

By the time the buzzing stopped, Twilight didn't even realise that Chrysalis had left with it. All she could focus on was the fact that she had done it! She'd saved Equestria! Well, mostly by herself. A little by herself. She was at least there, she did a little!

All her friends were safe, Equestria was safe, Canterlot was safe, there was no better way this could have gone.

Feeling her legs give out, Twilight sat down. The sunlight on her skin was the greatest feeling she could have at this moment. And as the knights sat down next to her, one by one, only one thought was left on her mind.

"I need to talk to Pinkie, because I could really use a party right now. What about you guys?"

The knights only raised a single hand, thumb extended.

Author's Notes:

You were expecting some dramatic reveal? Or perhaps something that made sense? Or maybe an explanation? It's a real shame that I'm the only one here then.

Alright, maybe it's just me, but I just spent about five minutes giggling at the big bold 'final battle.' This says something, but I don't know what.

Shot, I nearly forgot that the red knight was lightning, not fire.

I don't even know. How much of this chapter was actually necessary, and how much was just me attempting to create the biggest mind screw in history?

Other rejected possibilities for the top of the tower:
-Prince Blueblood
-Starswirl the Bearded
-That Crystal from the game
-Queen Chrysalis
-The purple princess
-The red princess
-The blue princess
-The orange princess
-Spike
-Celestia's mum
-Twilicorn
-Steve?

Well, that's it folks, stories over. Mostly. Now all we need is the epilogue and we're all done.
I sincerely apologise for the change in tone these last two chapters.