//------------------------------//
// Sacrifices 
// Story: A Starry Nightmare 
// by Princess Star Gazer 
//------------------------------//

 “Nightmare, we can talk about this. Just let them go, and we can settle everything out.” Discord was still standing on the stairs, looking down at a site that looked so unlike the pony that was performing the act, the scene was laughable.

Nightmare, in Twilight’s form, was standing in front of a cage hanging on a chain above a large vat of some bubbling black goo. Inside the cage lay Luna, Fluttershy, Zacora, and the guard, all of them were asleep.

Twilight had been standing in a tight ready to fight stance, but a light hearted laugh started in the back of her throat took her out her form. 

“Did you know that when you beg, you’re as cute as a puppy?” For a single sentence she sounded like the real Twilight, Discord thought he might not have to do it. But then she laughed again, more horse this time. “I don’t need them; they have no use to me.” Nightmare’s voice was starting to sound strained.

What was going on? Why is she sounding different? Could it be Twilight, is she fighting back? Discord thought as he snapped his fingers as silent as a feather falling to the ground. This poofed away the ponies in the cage without a sound or flash of light, it sent them to the tree of Harmony. 

Now it was just Nightmare and Discord. Discord hear a voice in his head speaking to him, “Do what you have to, even if your worst case scenario comes true at least you know you destroyed her. Please don’t let anypony tell you to do anything else. Do it now before anypony can stop you.” 

He knew it was Twilight talking to him but something stopped him. Why couldn’t he just do it? Was it the fact that he knew it would kill Twilight? Or that fact that over the past few years he felt something for Twilight? Not in a “in love” feeling, more like a big brother to her. Especially when they went star gazing on his cotton candy clouds.

After the first time they went out on that cloud, he had a long heart to heart with Shining Armor.  He explained everything that he felt for Twilight, and even though Shining didn’t fully trust him, if Twilight could be kind to Discord then he could too.

Now, if he was to do what he found out just a few moments ago, he would destroy the only pony that ever truly loved him. Fluttershy was his first real friend in a long time but Twilight loved him as if… as if he really were her big brother. But there was still a small sliver of hope, if Twilight could fight the pain she could live. 

Maybe, just maybe…

Discord took a step toward Nightmare/Twilight and she stayed planted where she was. “Don’t you dare,” She snarled. “I’ll drop them in. That brew will turn their hearts as black as mine.” Nightmare forced Twilight’s head around to look at the cage. But before she could cry out in rage, Discord closed the space between them and grabbed her shoulders. 

“Twilight,” Discord whispered so softly, as if he were speaking to a child. “Listen to me. No matter what happens know that I will do everything in my power to save you.” Nightmare struggled against his grip but that did nothing but make him hold tighter. “Fight her, this isn’t you and you know that. Don’t ever give in, you are strong and brave.”

Nightmare held her breath and closed her eyes as Discord snapped his fingers, but when she dared open them again she was back in her old form. Nightmare couldn’t stand any longer; she fell to the ground with a solid smack of skin against hard floor.

Discord picked her up ever so gently and walked around the cauldron and transported as close as he could to the tree without his magic sending him somewhere else. They had the help of a cotton candy cloud to block out the sun. By the time they had gotten to the tree, the others had woken up from the spell Nightmare had put them under.

“Discord, why does she look like that again? And why are we at the tree?” Luna looked at him with a hard look in her eyes. As Discord explained everything, Luna put up a spell that wouldn’t let Nightmare leave the cave. The group then started the task of transporting to each of the places the rest of the mane six and Spike went to get them so everypony could talk about what they were going to do next.

They all walked to Zacora’s hut, but there was too many of them to go inside so they talked by her fireplace outside behind the hut. 

“Well tarnation Discord, if Twilight told you to do somethin’ you should do it.” Applejack was the first to recover from being told what she had just been told. “But there has got to be another way. Almost every time we try to fight something, we come up with a plan but it doesn’t work. There has to be something we can think of.” Applejack looked around for any ideas but no pony said a word.

“Applejack, if there was something any pony could think of, do you think I would still be considering this! Killing Twilight in this brutal way is… is … is like you killing Applebloom by pushing her off a bridge.” Discord knew he shouldn’t have said it but he needed all of them to see just how hard that was going to be for him. 

“I would ne’er, why you! You can’t talk about that!” Applejack’s eyes were starting to water, a rare thing for any of the others to see. Rarity looked away, her eyes gleaming as well. 

Discord and Applejack started fighting over something but no pony could keep up. Fluttershy tried stopping them but just ended up crying into Luna’s shoulder.

“WAIT A MINUTE!” A pink pony stood up and walked in front of Discord and Applejack. “What if we let Twilight decide? You said you could talk to her in your dreams, what about her own dreams?” Pinkie was doing her ‘just a hunch!’ voice where you could tell what she was saying but it was hard to keep up.

“Well, Pinkie I… well…. actually that might work. If I could convince Twilight to fight back against Nightmare using her dreams, it just might give Twilight just the right amount of hope to destroy Nightmare for good.”  Discord was running his claw down through his beard as he thought about this.

“Hay hay no way! We all already know what Twi wants us to do! Does she even realize what this is going to do to her?!” Rainbow had started flying around to calm herself down. Fluttershy had been crying into Luna’s shoulder, Applejack had retreated to her seat next to Spike and he magically became her shoulder to cry on.

“Look Rainbow no matter what happens, Nightmare has to be stopped. I do believe that Twilight knows what will happen if she does go through with it. But as her friends we have to respect that she knows what is best for herself.” Discord knew he couldn’t say it without shedding some tears but it had to be said. “We have to let Twilight do this,” His voice started to shake as he continued. “And you know how she is, once she gets something in her head, she won’t stop unless one of us gets hurt. Even if it means…” That was his stopping point; he couldn’t say another word without breaking down.

There was an eerie silence, thick as the moss growing around them. But then a small, weak, broken voice cut through it all. “So the plan is that… we’re going to let Twilight do it? And…” a sob broke the statement half way but she mustered the courage to finish it. “We’re just supposed to what? Let her? Let her go into this unknown without us?” Fluttershy had stopped holding onto Luna but had to grab onto the log she had been previously sitting on for support. 

“No,” Discord’s voice was strong and hard, it had to be, for Twilight. “No, we are all going to be there for her. If she needs help then we are going to give her all our strength. She is going to need all of us.” Discord looked at each of the ponies, some were glaring daggers at and others just had a lost look in their eyes. 

“I think there is something we must do, but first I must make a brew. Applejack if you would be so kind, perhaps this will calm your mind.”  Zacora, who had been quiet this whole time, stood up without another rhyme and walked into her hut. Applejack stood up and walked to the hut. Spike, now free from being cried on, walked up to Discord.

“I think it’s time we had a talk.” Spike said, and without saying anything else, walked into the tree line. Discord followed him mumbling:

“If this is anything like the ‘little’ talk I have Shining Armor, one of us is going to either end up hating the other or dead…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Tell me Applejack and tell me true, tell me as we make this brew, tell me what is bothering you?” Zacora had set Applejack to work at grinding grains into dust; she set herself to work by trying to find the right bottle she needed.

“Well if ah have to tell ya, Ah guess Ah’ll try.” She took a deep breath, and let everything out. “When Ah was just a young’un Rarity and me… we had had a fallin’ out at school. Mah Ma and Pa made me go back into town to apologize. It went fine, Ah even offered for h’r to stay the night at mah house.” A single tear rolled down her cheek. “But when we got to a bridge Rarity and me, we ran head, but mah Ma and Pa didn’t.  They just walked acrossed it.” More tears came down. “All Ah remember next is mah Ma screaming, an’ mah Pa was screaming h’r name. We ran back to the bridge but all we got see was mah Pa falling off the cliff. Big Mac came in just in time to grab Rarity before she looked over the edge, but he couldn’t hold both of us.” Applejack stopped grinding, as she had realized that she had worn the powder to practically nothing. Blushing she poured it in when Zacora told her. She turned from her friend, and looked out the window. 

“Ah looked over and saw that both of mah parents had fallen off the cliff. Big Mac led Rarity away and Granny Smith came and got me.”  She turned back to Zacora, tears streaming down.

“When we got home, Applebloom was cryin’ and Granny couldn’t calm h’r down. Granny gave h’r to me, ah didn’t even hold h’r for a second and she fell asleep in mah arms.” 

“So you became the mother Applebloom never had, then why on earth should you be sad? Though what you said is sad it’s true, but it’s not what’s truly bothering you.” Zacora beckoned the cowgirl to her, and bade her to look in the cauldron.  “Time has made you strong and brave, but Time cannot tell you how to behave. To save your friend something must be given, to fully rid Twilight of this villain. A sacrifice must be made.” Zacora was starting to sound desperate, scared of something. “No matter the price it must be paid. If I could come with you I would, but that is not something I should.” 

In the cauldron was an image of Twilight as a small, newborn filly. She still had her wings and her cutie mark, but something was different about it. If Applejack looked close she saw what was different.

The six pointed star was the same, but the five smaller ones that surrounded it were smaller images of the rest of the mane six’s cutie marks. There was a blue balloon, a purple jewel, a red apple, a pink butterfly, and a blue, red, and yellow lightning bolt. Above those were a silver moon and golden sun. And underneath them was silver five pointed star. Next to the red apple was a small green flame.

“What is this? What’s wrong with her cutie mark?” Applejack stood in shock but Zacora just handed her a large bottle. 

“Before you free the trapped Twilight, before the trapped songbird takes flight. Drink the bottle each of you, and only then will you speak fully true.” Zacora walked away, tears starting to sting her eyes. Applejack tried to call her back but she stayed where she was until Applejack left her hut. 

“Dear friends stay safe for heaven sake, for any hurt to you I could not take.” Zacora collapsed onto the ground, tears staining the floor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back outside the group had come back together and each of them were taking a small drink out of the bottle that Zacora had given Applejack. It had no real flavor, but made each of their eyes open in surprise at its sweet scent. It reminded each of them of…

“Twilight’s shampoo.” All of them said at once. Applejack had started to notice that Spike had been abnormally quiet lately; she knew he missed Twilight but it looked a lot worse. He looked even more down in the dumps then when they arrived at Zacora’s.

“So…” Luna said to try and get some pony to say something, anything. “What is the plan from start to finish?” 

“We go back to the cave, put Nightmare to sleep, I’ll enter her dreams and talk to her and then…” He trailed off, not really knowing what happened after that.

“And then Twilight will fight Nightmare. If she wins we get Twilight back! If not we… we have… to…” Spike’s sudden statement caught everyone by surprise. 

“You will have to push her into the sun, killing Nightmare so this will be done.” Zacora sounded different, like she had stepped into some poison joke, but walked back into the hut as if she hadn’t said anything.

“Well, she was acting different.” Rarity stated with a small hair flip. 

“Well, I wouldn’t say she was acting different.” Pinkie stated with a small grin on her face. “No I’d stay she was acting completely, totally, a hundred present, absolutely, positively different.” For just one moment even Pinkie, the most sensitive in the whole group was starting to act like herself. Until… “Just like Twilight is.” 

Without any direction or leader, the group set out back to tree. When they arrived they found that Nightmare was still asleep. Discord put pillows down for everyone, sat down on the one closeted to Nightmare, and started the spell.

But soon everypony was asleep, even Spike was snoozing.

“Where in tarnation are we?” Applejack asked as ever pony looked at the small TV like screens that led to every dream and nightmare that Twilight had ever had.

Discord made them follow him to the doors at the end of the hallway. There were now eight of them, each had a cutie mark of a different pony, On Spike’s there was a small green flame. 

“We are in the mind of Nightmare and Twilight. If we go through that door then we will go to the dream that they are having right now. But we could replay any of the dreams or nightmares that either had ever had.” Discord was staring at his door.

“If at any time you want to leave, as long as you’re not replaying a dream, just walk through your door.” Luna stated and then walked through Twilight’s door. Everyone followed after her. 

When they first entered they thought they were going to see a war zone between the two mares that were in there but no, there was a small baby cradle and there was another Discord standing over it. “I’m so sorry my little one.” He said and with that the scene changed, it was now showing a small star falling for the heavens. 

Once it hit the ground as gently as a mother’s hug, it changed shape into a small newborn filly wrapped tightly into a light pink blanket. Celestia came out of a door and picked it up with her magic. She walked down a long road and stopped at a house. It was the family house of the Sparkle Family.

“Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, being of the closest friend of the royal family I would ask you to care for this child. She was left on my steps and no one has come to claim her. I would do it but I have no time for a filly.” Twilight Velvet took the filly in her hooves as Celestia continued. “You will find a box of a special potion inside this bag” She hands it to Mr. Sparkle. “In order to protect her, she must drink the brew until we can expose her wings without suspicion arising.” Twilight Velvet unwrapped the filly from the blanket to show a lavender filly with long flowing hair, a horn, and wings. “The brew will also take away any alicorn power that she has until we bring her wings back. It lasts only a year, so you will have to remember to give it to her.” And with that Celestia walked away. 

“What about Shining Armor, won’t he notice that she just showed up out of the blue?” Twilight Velvet looked down at the small filly in her hooves. “Just look at her dear, she’ll do great things. I can feel it.” Her husband looked down at the filly too, and he could feel his heart moving to her.

“We’ll just change his memories so that he thinks that she is his sister.” He was unable to tear his eyes away from her. 

“But what about our friends, Shining is one thing, but everypony we know?” Twilight Velvet looked concerned. 

“We’ll have Celestia do it then, change everyone’s memory so that it was as if we always had her.” He looked up at his wife and smiled. “Look dear, now you can have the daughter you always wanted.”

The scene changed again this time showing Nightmare standing over Twilight. “Now that you know what you really are, are you going to let me take over?” Nightmare laughed with a menacing grin, looking down at the once great Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Are you willing to accept my deal?”

“No, not as long as there is air in my lungs and hope in my heart, I won’t accept!” Twilight was standing up now. Neither seemed to acknowledge that the group was standing not that far away, all of them standing dumbfounded without a word anyone could speak.

Without looking over at the group, or even looking as if she knew they were there, Nightmare said: “Your friends are here, maybe they can make you see who you’re supposed to be.” And with that she disappeared into a black cloud of mist. Every pony ran to Twilight’s side as she fell onto her knees and sobbed.

“Twilight, I thought I’d never see you again!!” Spike ran the fastest of all of them and got to her first. Gasping for breath he held onto her until he couldn’t hold on any longer or he could break her neck. Once everypony got there they pulled her into a giant hug that was held together by Discord stretching his arms. 

“Twilight what was it that Nightmare was talking about, what deal has she tried to make with you?” Luna looked very concerned for the condition of her friend’s mind.

“She told me that she would send me home if I would let her take over Equestria. But I didn’t believe her at first, now… I … I don’t know what to think!”  Twilight stood up straight, tears starting to sting her eyes.

“Look sugar cube, Zacora showed me somethin’ not that long ago so I have to know. Did you see everything that we did?” Applejack looked at her friend with the tenderness of a parent. 

“I… I don’t know, the first thing I saw was me was falling from the sky.” Twilight looked around at every pony that was there. “Why, what else did you see?”  When Luna explained that they had seen was what may happen later in time, they all looked back at her with slacked jaws. 

“Discord might be a dad!?” Rarity, the one that didn’t believe that at all, screeched. 

“Awesome, I wonder who the lucky mare is.” Rainbow Dash said with a slight smirk and teasing look at Fluttershy. 

“Who said it had to be a mare?” Discord said looking down at Rainbow with an evil grin. SO many different images were running through her head it hurt.

“Do not ever repeat that!” Rarity and Rainbow Dash screamed at the same time.

“HEY! Get back on track. Twilight, Zacora said that something had to be paid so you could beat Nightmare, do you have any idea what that is?” Applejack asked.

“Um I might but… you can’t! There is no way I would let you-” The world around them started to fade. “Nightmare’s making me wake up soon!” Twilight paused and looked around. “The thing you have to pay is… a willing sacrifice made by each of you. But the catch is that it has to be something you have, didn’t know you were going to get it when you got it, and… you can never get it back. It’s the only kind of sacrifice that can separate us forever.” Twilight looked around at the confused looks on every ponies face.

Discord stepped forward, looked up at what should have been the sky, and said “I give up my powers of chaos and my title as Lord of Chaos.” He stepped back into the line her friends made. 

Luna came forward, “I give up my title as Princess of the Moon and thus give up my ability to move the moon.” She stepped back into the line.

All five of the main six stepped forward, “We give up our elements, thus giving up our friendship with Twilight.” They all said together, and then they stepped back into the line. 

Spike stepped out, “I give up my ability to love anyone.” He stepped back.

Everypony heard Celestia’s voice seeming to come from everywhere, “I give up my title as Princess of the saSun and thus give up my ability to move the sun

“No, you can’t do that for me!” Twilight screamed.

“It’s too late, it’s already done.” Discord said with a twinge of pain. Every pony ran to Twilight and hugged her one last time. 

Just before everything faded away Twilight shouted, “If something happens to me, someone please take care of Spike and Owlowiscious!” She faded away from all of them… forever.

Everyone was standing in the hall in front of their doors. No pony just walked through the doors, all of them except Discord and Spike. Discord ran down the hall to one of the TVs and pressed it. 

The two found themselves in a large garden watching Twilight and her friends have a nice picnic, until a masked figure came out onto the grass. He came up to Twilight and took her away and asked her “Do you still love me?” 

“If there was ever a time when I didn’t love you, I didn’t know about it.” He embraced her and reached behind her and pulled out a small box. The scene started to fade, but not in the same way if she were waking up. No more like you were now looking at it through a dusty glass cup. Suddenly the glass broke around them and they found themselves back in Twilight’s hall. 

“Spike, we have to run to our doors now!” Discord started to run with Spike next to his. 

“Why the rush?” Spike asked. 

“Because if we’re in here when Twilight steps in the sunlight, whatever happens to her, happens to us too.” Discord stated as they reached their doors. Discord looked over at Spike, “See you on the other side!” Discord yelled. Both stepped through at the same time.

When they opened their eyes again they were laying face to face with Nightmare Moon. “Well it took you long enough.” Rainbow huffed at them. 

“What were you guys doing?” Fluttershy asked.

“We showed Twilight something she needed to see.” Discord said as Nightmare stood up.

“You can’t beat me with a pathetic dream, this is the real world.” Nightmare said with a sickening grin. She tried to move her left front hoof but it wouldn’t move. When she looked down at it, it was no longer dark blue. The fur color had changed to lavender. Nightmare’s hoof was now moving toward the entrance to the cave.

Now the lavender fur was on all four of Nightmare’s legs, crawling up them until Twilight had taken back nearly half of her body. But it was still not enough.  Four more feet to go until the entrance of the cave. 

“You won’t win Twilight!” Nightmare screamed as her eyes went pure white. The struggle of Twilight forcing her body to move continued as did the battle for her body. At three feet, Twilight had taken back all of her body below her neck and could finally talk again. 

“It’s time to give in Nightmare, I don’t have to kill you but I will if I must.” Twilight spoke with fire in her voice but forgiveness in her heart.

“Don’t try that Twilight; it’s unbecoming of a princess.” Nightmare said, at two feet all that was left of the dark blue coloring was Nightmare’s horn. Twilight took her first confident step and another until she was inches from the light. 

“Last chance Nightmare.” Twilight stood as straight as possible.

“If I die you die too. Their stupid sacrifices didn’t do a thing.” Nightmare only spoke in Twilight’s mind, but so strong was her anger that every pony in the cave could hear her every word.

“I’m willing to take that chance.” Twilight stepped into the light without another moment’s hesitation. At first the two felt nothing but the warmth of the sun, but then it turned a burning sensation then to immense pain. The two were screaming in harmony until a soft cooling ball of green light came toward them. But it wasn’t light; it was a ball of fire. It engulfed them and everything turned as white as nothingness but Nightmare screamed on while Twilight felt like she was floating in the sea. Not caring, not moving. They didn’t know where the green fire ball took them, nor would they ever know.

~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the cave Twilight’s friends were just standing there in shock of what just happened. 

“What in the hay was that ball of fire?” Applejack asked to no one in particular.

“I think we have bigger problems to worry about than that.” Spike said stepping outside.

“And what is that Spikey Wikey?” Rarity asked while stepping out with him.

“Where in the world is Twilight?” Spike asked as they looked down at the scorch marks that made up the ground around the mouth of the cave. 

“I think we… just saw the last… we ever will see of… her.” Rarity said trying to sound strong.

“No.” Both Discord and Spike said at the same time. “No,” Discord continued. “I won’t let that be the end, not after all of that.” Discord snapped his fingers and a door appeared. “Who wants to go first?” Spike stepped forward and walked through the door.