//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: The Twofold Path // Story: What Might Have Been // by GreenFrogRibbit //------------------------------// Disclaimer: Once upon a time there was a herd of magical ponies that were loved by a heard of not-so-magical bronies. One brony went to the ponies' true and rightful ruler, the Alicorn Lauren Faust and asked to tell a story using her ponies. But because the pony Empress was so busy, she could not answer. So the brony told his story anyway and hoped that the Empress would not be angered. What might have been Chapter 4: The Twofold Path As the shock of his new responsibility slowly wore off, Luna began to fill Dusk Shine in on the specifics. The first thing the unicorn colt asked, was if it was possible to change what he had read. “Unfortunately no, it is not possible to defy the prophesy. That's not how my prophecies work. It's not like predicting the weather tomorrow, where you can send a team of pegasi to change it. In a way, the events described in that little poem have already happened. One can no more change the prophecy than one can change the past.” “What about the last couplet?” Dusk felt like he was grasping at straws, but he desperately needed some small hope that all was not lost. “What about the single soul and the magic key?” “I do not know. I have searched for a millennium to discover what is meant by 'the magic key', but I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine. I know of many deep and powerful magics in this world, but with so vague a description to go off, it could be any or none of those. “The power I called upon to defeat Solar Flare one thousand years ago was the Elements of Harmony, but that will not work this time. For one, I lost any connection to the elements when I used them against my sister, and for another, the elements have never been fully understood. You will have full access to the Canterlot archives, even the restricted section, tomorrow when you can do whatever research you like into the matter. “As for the 'single soul', that is the task I wish to entrust to you. As the prophecy says, I will likely be... absent, very soon, and I leave it to you to find the one who will 'heal her heart', so to speak. Help me Dusk Shine, you're my only hope.” She pleaded. “I swear I'll do my best Luna.” The violet stallion could barley keep his voice steady when confronted with the prospect of losing his mentor. By some miracle of fate he managed it, he could not stop the tears though. “I promise I will bring you back to us.” The princess smiled at her student. “You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that. Thank you Dusk Shine.” The mage returned her sad cheer with a smile of his own, before a troubled expression creeped over his face. “But what will become of Equestria once Solar Flare returns? How will the country get along without you?” The princess gave a rueful chuckle. “Well seeing how Senator Blueblood won reelection last month, I can't say I'm optimistic about how Equestria is getting along now.” Princess and student both broke out into snorting giggles. With such monumental and depressing thoughts weighing on their hearts, the release of a little laughter was a like ray of sunlight through a storm. When they finally calmed down enough to continue, the princess explained. “I have taken a great many measures to ensure that the governance of Equestria will continue despite an angry alicorn seizing the throne. Solar Flare will find that conquering a kingdom is a very different thing from ruling one. There are already under-ground networks of communication in place to allow the senators to retain their efficacy. By tomorrow, the last of the bureaucrats and decision makers, save myself, will have gone into hiding. You can be sure that the Lunar Republic will persist, for a time at least. “But I don't want you to worry about the coming struggle for power. All you need concern yourself with is finding the 'lost destiny', discovering the 'magic key', and putting a stop to my mad sister. I have the utmost faith in you, my loyal student. If anypony can do these things, it's you.” Long into the night did the two ponies talk. For a time, Luna related to Dusk Shine many secrets of Equestria's new underground government. She told him how to contact senators and advisers, the code phrases that would validate him as a representative of Princess Luna, and what he should do if he were to discover infiltrators working for Solar Flare. But each of the two ponies, in their own way couldn't bare to dwell on such grim topics for the whole night, and their conversation wandered to happier things. Well before the eastern sky began to lighten, Luna and Dusk Shine were giggling like any other night they had sipped coffee together. Dusk told his mentor about his recent studies, and the princess related the tribulations she had endured dealing with the Lunar Senate. With the Sword of Damocles so soon to drop, neither soul could bear to let what little time they had together slip away. Unfortunately, time waits for no mare as they say, and all to soon it came time for Luna to bring about the dawn. Dusk rose with his Princess and stepped out on to her private balcony. He did not cry. Only iron resolve filled his soul as he silently looked out over the horizon. Luna stood with him and surveyed her realm... Her realm. It was never meant to be so, but now she would do almost anything to make sure it stayed that way. The irony of the situation was almost funny. Maybe when she had her sister back (her real sister, not the monster) and they sat by side once again, maybe they could laugh about it. If that day ever came. What was she thinking. Of course that day would come! And it would come soon! Her loyal student Dusk Shine would solve the riddle and set everything right. The real question was if Celestia could ever forgive her younger sister for what she had done. If the sky sisters could ever heal their broken family. Only time would tell. Speaking of time... Luna took a deep and calming breath, then took hold of magics as old as the mountains and seas, and bowed reverently to her moon, setting it beyond the west. Together she turned to face the east with her student, her friend, and slowly pulled the sun up. As its golden light spilled over the land below, Dusk quietly whispered. “I'm going to miss you.” He did not look up, instead choosing to speak his words to all of Equestria. “I will miss you too.” She replied. “But I know we will see each other again soon.” She looked down and smiled, Dusk looked up and did the same. “Goodbye my loyal student.” “Goodbye Princess Luna.” With that, the alicorn of the night took wing. She still had much to do in Ponyville before the ceremonial raising of the moon. A thing she was sure she would be absent for. Of course the first thing Luna expected her mad sister to do upon returning was to seek her out and confront her. Without the Mantle of Harmony it was a confrontation that Luna couldn't hope to win, but winning such a contest was not what Luna intended. All her plans had already been laid. Now all she had to do was put on a show for Solar Flare, then wait. Wait and hope. She should have brought her notebook. No scientist worth her salt did anything without her notebook. And quills and ink. Extra quills and ink. But what she saw before her was so fascinating, so intriguing, so amazingly unexpectedly unbelievable, that she wouldn't have been able to stop to take notes even if she had brought her notebook. No scientist worth her salt could remain unmoved when the secrets of the universe finally revealed themselves to her. Twilight Sparkle stood in a place that was best described as being no-place what so ever. She 'stood' before a slowly churning, vaporous cloud of dense verdant aether, which she had just stepped out of. What she 'stood' on was a very good question indeed, as there seemed to be absolutely nothing below her hooves. This did not stop the nothing from behaving like something though. In fact, it occurred to Twilight to wounder why the nothing 'below' her saw fit to masquerade as 'the ground' and not some other nothing. No sooner had she finished this though than she felt a sudden pull up and to her left. With a grunt, the fledgling planes-walker found herself colliding with a new nothing and flopping 'down' on the 'ground'. “Uug.” She mumbled as she got to her hooves. “What just happened?” She looked around and noticed her new position relative to her floating green cloud of origin. “Did I just fall... up? But down was that way!” And so it was. “Huwaa! Uff! Ow.” Recovering from her most recent ill-fated disagreement with gravity, Twilight began to take some mental notes. “OK. Where ever I am, gravity seems to be... fickle.” She tried taking a few tentative steps forward. The 'ground' jerked again though not enough to throw her off her hooves. “If not flat out subjective.” As if to emphasize her point, the purple librarian found herself flat on her flank for the third time in as many minutes. “OK! OK!!! Down is that way!” She pointed below herself. “That way!! Aright?!” She looked around in defiance of the fickle gods that were obviously toying with her. She huffed. “Alright then.” With that problem out of the way for the moment, the violet mage took a moment to admire her surroundings. They were quite amazing after all. Behind Twilight was a cloud of hazy green... well, haze. It churned and billowed like real clouds would on a windy day, but it did so with a will of its own. Wisps of this inconsistent vapor darted and leapt sprightly about amongst ponderous and slow-moving billows. Still more amazing than its behavior was its substance. The nebulous fog faintly glowed a cool and comforting green that reminded Twilight of Applejack's orchard in early summer, and it glittered like Luna's undimmed sky. Probing the aether with a hoof, the mage found it responded to her touch, reaching out to touch her back. Its quiet caress moved her heart in ways most elusive to her conscious mind; it felt like searching for a long lost memory that had never been hers to begin with, like dreaming somepony else's dream while they were still awake. Turning her attention away from the cloud, Twilight gazed out into the sweeping void of her new discovery. It was dark, but not unlit, and in all visible directions were spheres of colorful mist very much like her own. They lazily meandered amongst each other, performing a stately waltz to some unheard melody. Slowly the great orbs drifted in and out of her view and the dance of this piecemeal rainbow was hypnotizing. As she watched, the mage noticed that the clouds seemed to react to each other's presence. When two spheres drew very close, their substance would distort and reach out toward its partner. The misty vapor of the orbs would mingle just a bit, before the glowing titans began a lumbering separation. Twilight was in awe of what she was witnessing, and the feeling was compounded by the fact that she had no idea of what that could be exactly. Fortunately, her scientist's brain could not be stalled indefinitely and, failing to recall any established research methodology relevant to her current situation, the violet unicorn resorted to the most basic scientific procedure. When in doubt, poke it and see what happens. Of course she first had to solve the problem of actually getting to another one of these vaporous clouds. The formless void that separated her from them offered no advice on how it could be crossed, but her recent difficulties with falling did give her an idea. Looking 'below' herself, Twilight picked out a cloud of frosty blue mist as her target. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and imagined herself about to descend a flight of stairs. “Ok, here goes. Just going to walk down...” she took a step and felt her hoof land below the rest of her body. “...some stairs. Ha ha! It works! Ok, steady now.” Slowly she descended toward her goal. By the time she had gotten half way there, her confidence with her new 'stairs' technique and built enough for her to look around. Now that she wasn't so close to one of the glowing balls, her eyes could adjust to the darker environment. Far off in the distance, she could now make out other creatures wandering between the globes. They were too far away to make out clearly, but some seemed to be pony-shaped while others...didn't. Filing that mystery away for later she resumed her 'downward' march until she reached the blue sphere. Its mist seemed to be of a similar character to the mist from the previous green globe, so she stuck her hoof in. It was cold...ish. Like she was feeling the idea of a cold thing and not actually being exposed to its temperature. It was a very disorienting sensation but, determined to learn more about this strange blue ball she stepped deeper into the mist. The idea of cold grew stronger, though she still didn't actually feel anything yet. Slowly, images resolved themselves out of the vapor. They started like vague shadows of continents covered in ice more than a mile thick, then resolved themselves to appear more and more like a specific place. Before she knew it, She stood before what appeared to be a foggy glass wall, on the other side of which stretched out before her a frozen wasteland. From what she could tell, there was ice as far as the eye could see. Strangest of all was her view of the sky which held no sun, no moon, no stars, and no clouds. This world was empty, and were she to step through the glass wall, Twilight would be the first and only living being to ever grace its surface. She backed away. She had no intention of freezing to death on an uninhabited ice ball, so she quickly made her way out of the frozen blue cloud of aether. Choosing another target orb, this one a deep indigo, the unicorn began her trek across the emptiness, this time, imagining a flat glass path connecting her to her destination. Her progress was faster this time, and far less straining on her knees. When she reached the swirling aether, she stepped boldly in without a moments hesitation. This cloud was also cold, but that was not it's defining characteristic. What struck Twilight's mind this time was darkness. Darkness and night. Soon she had arrived at the threshold of the world and for what seemed like the hundredth time today, she was shocked by what she saw. The land she looked out upon was steeped in shadows and somehow, Twilight knew they were permanent. In the sky above, the young mage could just make out a faint ring of solar corona, surrounding a disk as black as death itself. The sun was forever blocked by the moon. In this world the night lasted forever. Dread settled in the pit of Twilight's stomach as she recalled a passage she had read when she first began the studies that had lead her here. “each and every possibility that ever could have come to pass exists as its own separate continuity of reality” Somewhere along the line in the reality before her Nightmare Moon had won, and this umbrial world was the result. Cold, desolate, and dark. She slowly backed away from this scene of quite horror until she was back in the abyss between the worlds. The violet mage took a deep breath to steady herself and found her hooves were shaking. It was one thing to know that such a nightmare was possible, and to have thwarted it. It was quite another to see that same nightmare played out before your eyes. Twilight's thoughts were interrupted however, when from out of nowhere a spinning blue box whizzed past her and nearly took her head off. An instinct developed from long association with Rainbow Dash immediately took over and the frazzled unicorn whipped her head around and shouted. “HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!! YOU ALMOST CRASHED INTO ME!!!” Before her thoughts had a chance to catch up with what was happening, a sliding door opened on the side of the box, and a gray pony with a blond mane and an unmistakably wall-eyed smile stuck her head out and waved from the rapidly retreating contraption. “Sorry Miss Sparkle!” Was that... the mailmare? She thought. That was it. She was done. Every neuron and synapse in her head had put in a valiant effort but now it was time to pack up and move on. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here. Please exit the unicorn through either the left or right ears, and use caution when retrieving your luggage from the overhead bins, as it may have shifted during the flight. For a long time Twilight stood there, little more than a dribbling mass of frustration and confusion. Eventually though, she did come back to herself, and her course of action was clear. “And with that, Twilight Sparkle has officially earned a study break.” She said to herself. “Now which one of these gas balls did I come from?” She looked around and was confronted with the sight of multitudes of spheres all slowly drifting aimlessly about. An icy claw of fear gripped Twilight's heart. “Oh no.” Dusk watched Luna fly away toward that little town in the valley, Ponyville she had said its name was. For a time, his mind was clear of his perennial dialogue. Too full was he of tumultuous emotions to spare any brainpower for conscious thoughts. For once, he just stood, saw, and felt. It was a beautiful dawn. But his moment of calm did not last, could not last. He had a duty, a mission, and it would not wait. He had a world to save, and it was time for him to set about saving it. Turning and walking back into Luna's chambers, Dusk made his way to her desk and took the Writ of Agency Luna had left for him there. It stated almost literally, that Dusk Shine was entrusted with her majesty's royal word on all matters. With this signed document, no door would be closed to him, no secret withheld, no service denied. The idea that Luna had actually made him the most powerful pony in Equestria after herself briefly occurred to the young stallion, and the reality of the situation began to settle on him. This was no diplomatic breakdown in the far flung reaches of the Griffin Kingdom. A minor squabble between tribal leaders that had no bearing on his daily life. This was... well... this was war. And he had been chosen to win it. With a final look around, Dusk took his leave and made his way to the royal archives. In the coming battle for his home, the mage would need every weapon he could get his hooves on, and there was no keener blade than knowledge. “Oh no. Oh no. No no no no NO! Ok Twilight. Just think rationally. Ok, I came down and... this way. So that must mean my orb is up and over... uh, there. Yeah.” She gazed off in the direction she thought she had come from. She saw a cluster of globes in the distance calmly glowing in all different colors. All colors except green. “No no no!!! I came from a green orb. Where are all the green ones!” As fast as her hooves would carry her, Twilight began sprinting up an imaginary staircase. Very soon, too soon, she was winded and gasping for breath. Wait! She thought. Up there! Oh thank Celestia that's it! It's so far away. I'm not going to catch it! “NOOOO!!! She screamed into the void, finding within herself a reservoir of energy her body hoped she would never need to use. That last little bit that is held in reserve for when a pony is being chased by a hungry dragon. But the cloud was still moving away from her. Her muscles burned and her lungs ached for more air than they could hold, and still she ran, tears of desperation streaming from her eyes. The flame of hope was guttering and horrible thoughts of never seeing her friends, her home, or her world again flooded her mind. “no...” She weakly gasped. She wasn't going to make it. The softly glowing green ball of home then collided with a vermilion cloud and began to deform. The vapors reached out and touched ever so slightly, then it rebounded and came back toward Twilight. “Praise Luna and Celestia and Holy Faust above! Yes!!” Elation filled her heart and gave her renewed strength. With one final burst of speed she closed the distance, and took a flying leap through the emerald haze. Lighting her horn and filling it with as much power as she could muster, she crashed through the barrier of the world in a flash of light and heat. “AHHHH!!! UFF!” The earthy taste of dirt filled her mouth after her face-plant into the soft soil of Sweet Apple Acres. Never had she been so happy to have a mouth full of dirt. In fact she was so happy she started to laugh, and once she had started it was hard to stop. There she was, Twilight Sparkle, one of the most powerful and respected ponies in Equestria, rolling in the dirt, laughing like a mad mare. Fortunately for posterity and unfortunately for her dignity, Twilight's commotion attracted attention. “Are you alright miss?” Twilight froze. How long had she been watched? Too long, was the answer. She looked up into the deep green eyes of an earth pony mare she didn't recognize. The mare was tall, quite a bit taller than Twilight herself, with a bright red coat and a wavy orange mane and tail. Twilight thought she looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place her name. For a moment they both stared at each other, then Twilight realized she was still lying in the dirt and quickly got to her hooves. “Uh. Yeah, I'm fine. Great actually. Thanks for asking.” An awkward silence fell between the two mares. Twilight looked around and idly kicked her hoof at the dirt. She waited for the other pony to speak, but her companion seemed more comfortable with silence. Finally the the purple mage could take it no more and introduced herself. “So, my name's Twilight Sparkle. What's yours?” “Red Gala. It's a pleasure to meet you Twilight Sparkle.” “Oh. Thank you. You can just call me Twilight though.” “Alright Twilight.” She responded slowly. Her voice was a sonorous alto, and though she used it sparingly, it was easy to listen to. “May I ask you a question?” The unicorn mage was relieved to finally have another side to their conversation even though she was probably going to be asked about her strange behavior. Oh well, at least she was making new friends. “Of course.” The red mare thought for a second, carefully choosing her words. “How did you get here?” she asked. “I've been working this section of the farm all day and I never saw you until you were right here.” “Oh, well it's kind of a long story.” The mage replied. “That's alright.” said Red Gala. “I'm nearly finished here. You can tell me on the way to the celebration. You are coming aren't you?” “The celebration?” Twilight finally took a moment to appreciate her surroundings. She was in the middle of a path in a part of the farm that she was only vaguely familiar with, and nowhere near where she had been performing her experiments. She felt fortunate that she had wound up in Ponyville at all. With her adventures between worlds having gone how they did, she thought herself lucky she hadn't ended up in Appleloosa. It was also getting rather late in the day. The sun was slowly sinking toward the west and there was a bitter chill creeping into the air. Any minute now it would be time to gather at town hall for Pinkie Pie's town wide party. In fact if she didn't hurry, she was going to be late. “Oh yeah, the party! Of course I'm coming. Are you all ready to go? If we don't leave soon we'll be late.” Red Gala looked about. “It's nothing that can't wait until tomorrow. So, what was with that flash of light?” She began the walk into town with Twilight by her side. “Oh, well I was casting this spell...” She took her time on the flight to Ponyville. She was glad to savor the little bit of freedom that came from being unaccompanied by the royal guard. Luna knew that her banishment from her beloved Equestria would be short lived, but the times when she would be free of royal obligation, or demanding manners were few and far between. Not that she wasn't worried. There was always a chance that things would turn out for the worse, so she savored the moment for those reasons as well. The moon goddess did not dwell on such pessimistic thoughts however, she had faith in her loyal student and in all her little ponies. They would pull through, they always seemed to find a way. Cool night air tousled her mane and tickled her feathers has Luna swooped and glided, performing simple acrobatics just for the joy of it. It had been so long since she had an opportunity to fly unhindered. Taking a deep breath and savoring the feeling of cool morning air in her lungs, the alicorn of night folded her wings and slid into a dive, she had a lot of altitude to lose to get to Ponyville after all. Upon her arrival, a detachment of the royal guard was waiting for her. As she touched down, the four armored stallions snapped out a salute, then fell into step along side their ruler. Quickly making her way to town hall, the Princess of Equestria got to work. The running of her country didn't stop for anything, not even a holiday dedicated to her. After almost a full day of attending to royal business in the center of Ponyville, (Luna had to concede that the change of scenery was very refreshing) the time to begin the Winter Moon Festival was drawing near. The sun was sinking low and Luna could feel a disturbance in the force. A foreign presence in the fabric of the heavens that she had not felt in a thousand years. She was coming. The princess of the moon quickly made polite excuses about needing some fresh air, promising that she would return and be back stage when the time came to begin the festival. Her guards flew with her to the edge of town, where she ordered them to return to town hall. They were clearly not happy about leaving their princess unguarded, but Luna was adamant. She did not want any other ponies to be involved in a fight that only she could hope to survive. Like in the royal court of old, the challenger had chosen the time for their duel and Luna, as the defender chose the place. It was a fallow wheat field a little over two kilometers from town. No roads or buildings nearby that could be destroyed by the struggle. Looking toward the setting sun, she waited. She did not have to wait long. From behind her, the voice of her mad sister pulled her thoughts into focus. “You don't have the Elements. Are you so confident in you abilities that you would stand to face me alone, or have you chosen to accept defeat and beg for my forgiveness?” Luna turned, and confronted the fear that had worn on her mind for centuries. “I do not need the Elements to stand up to you. Your jealousy has driven mad. You are no Princess, you are a monster, and I will ensure you are stopped.” The monster laughed, true amusement ringing from its voice. “And what exactly can you hope to do about it? How have you passed these intervening centuries hmm? I'll tell you how I've spent the time Luna. How I have spent the last MILLENNIUM!!! I have prepared for this moment. I've thought of little else since you took from me what I rightly deserve.” “YOU HAD EVERY THING YOU DESERVED!!!” Luna screamed back. “You had the love and admiration of our subjects and you ignored it because you envied the only thing that gave me comfort. But you were too consumed with your own vanity to see what you were doing to me! Or to Equestria!” It was shameful and foalish, but the goddess of the moon couldn't stop herself from getting worked up. Painful memories of painful times undermined her composure. The monster dawned a malicious smile. “Always so emotional Luna. It was always so easy to get under your skin. I can see little has changed.” A chill colder than the depthless void filled Luna's words. “Don't you dare lecture me about emotion. For a thousand years I have kept this country on its hooves BY MY SELF! I can see that a millennium of brooding has done you no such good!” The smirk slid from the monster's face. “You have no idea what I have endured, but you will. I will make sure of that!” She lowered herself into a battle stance. Luna did the same. “Bring it, bitch!” Their battle was furious, brutal, and short. When Luna finally found the courage to open her eyes, a pale and barren vista filled her vision and all sound fell from her ears. Twilight did most of the talking on the walk, and after her explanation of her inter-planar misfortunes their conversation wandered to all sorts of topics. With remarkable ease, Twilight found herself joking and laughing with Red Gala like they had know each other for more than just the fifteen minutes it had really been. She just could not shake the feeling that she knew Red Gala form somewhere. Try as she might, she made no progress toward unraveling her deja-vu. Finally Twilight gave up guessing and decided on the direct approach. “Hey Red Gala, I've had a really great time chatting with you, but something's been bugging me for a while now.” The scarlet mare lowered her head in shame and looked away. “Oh. I'm sorry if I offended you Twilight.” “No no. You've been great to chat with,” The mage reassured her shy new friend “but that's just it. I have the strangest feeling that I've met you before. Don't you feel the same way?” The earth pony mare recovered and gave a kind smile. “Eenope.” She responded, then realized that they both had reached the center of town. “Oh my. Look at the decorations!” While Red Gala was entranced by the sight of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was still on reboot after what she had heard. Her new friend Red Gala had answered her question in the negative but in doing so, the red mare had more or less bludgeoned Twilight over the head with deja-vu. The wits of the purple mare were still recovering when she finally noticed the decorations her crimson companion was admiring. Her hooves shook and her heart trembled with fear as she took in the sight. The motif was overwhelmingly... Lunar. Pale wight disks adorned the tops of all the lamp posts and deep blue banners hung from every building. The shape of the crescent moon was emblazoned on flags and pennants, and star shaped confetti was fluttering about on a gentle breeze. Most prominently displayed of all was Princess Luna's Cutie mark, which seemed to grace every available surface. The deja-vu that Twilight was feeling went from shocking to out right crippling, and accompanying it was and equal amount of terror. Pinkie Pie was all about overdoing things, but the sight before the violet unicorn bore none of the party pony's trademarks, even if the princess was coming. “Is... Um, is Princess Luna attending this party?” Her voice quivered and her pupils had shrunk to pin pricks as she asked Red Gala, hoping against hope that she would be surprised by the answer, that her rapidly building sense of dread would be dispelled. “Well of course.” Answered the earth pony mare. “What kind of festival would it be if the princess didn't show up to her own celebration?” She turned back to look at her friend. “Oh my goodness Twilight, are you alright? What's wrong?” “I... I'll be fine.” The mage tried with some small success to pull herself together. “Lets just... keep going.” she said as she forced her hooves back into motion. “If you're sure.” Replied Red Gala, concern thick in her voice. Together they made their way to town hall. The crimson mare kept a careful eye on her new friend. It was obvious something was scaring her half to death, but Red Gala couldn't begin to guess what that thing was. She felt helpless and scared for Twilight. and more than a little scared herself by proxy. The interior of the Ponyville town hall was festooned in much the same manner as the exterior, and as many ponies as could fit were gathered inside. Twilight immediately recognized more than a dozen ponies all waiting for the ceremony to start. Carrot Top was quietly chatting with Derpy Hooves, Dinky at her side. Lyra was leaning against her marefriend Bon Bon, their tails romantically entwined. Above her Flitter and her sister Cloud Chaser shared a laugh with Blossomforth. Conspicuously absent from the crowd were the five faces she was looking for though. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were nowhere to be found in this collection of ponies, and this scared Twilight most of all. She was so scared of what was about to happen (and she didn't even know what that might be) but right then, she really needed her friends. Then the lights dimmed and the music started up, and every thing fell into place. She had done this all before. Same old story, same old song and dance. It was like waking up from a nightmare only to find it wasn't a dream, it was real, and no matter how terrible or confusing or impossible your dream had been, reality had conformed to it regardless. Your most irrational fears now made perfect sense. To Twilight, it all made perfect sense. She had read the script for what was to come, and the scariest part was there was nothing she could do to change it. From the main stage Mayor Mare began her speech. “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Winter Moon Festival!” Her announcement was met with cheers. It also sent a dagger through Twilight's heart. When the noise died down, the mayor continued. “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the moonrise, and celebrate this, the longest night of the year!” Another cheer, and another stab of ice into the unicorn's chest. Tears came unbidden to Twilight's eyes. She didn't want to see what came next, but she couldn't look away. Mayor Mare then unknowingly spoke the final words to the curse that was descending over the land. “And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the moon and the sun each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria...” In that split second of stillness, where the mayor hoped to build dramatic tension, Twilight's voice cut through the room. “She's not going to be there.” “Princess Luna!!!” The curtains were drawn, the lights came up, and an empty balcony was revealed. A chorus of confusion rippled through the crowd but Twilight was frozen in fear. The mayor tried to regain some semblance of order. “Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!” Here it comes Twilight thought. Right on cue, nightmare became reality. Blazing threads of fire raced up to the position of honor from every unseen corner of the room. Joining together, they built into a roaring inferno on the indoor balcony. Ponies screamed in fright, fearing the building had caught fire. Some even kept their heads and shouted for water, but reality was not so kind. From deep within the heart of the blaze a cruel and twisted laugh taunted the assembled mortals. Its sound was hollow and warped by the fire, and its unearthly horror froze everypony in their tracks. The pillar of flame then burst into a thousand smoking embers and revealed the monster at its heart. Gleaming golden armor complete with razor sharp blades and spikes covered the form of a tall and slender alicorn. Her mane and tail were composed of sheets of billowing flame and infernal heat radiated from her crimson, dragon-like eyes. Her coat was the glowing orange of the sun just about to set, and her flanks were adorned with the mark of the blood red sun. She spread her vast and intimidating wings, every feather sharp like a dagger and eyed the crowd below her with a vicious, triumphant smile. “Oh, my beloved subjects.” She cooed, menace dripping from every word. “It's been so long since I've seen your precious, little night-loving faces. Soon though, you will learn to love the day, and you will pay me the honor I am due for lighting your world.” A challenging voice spoke up from the ponies somewhere behind Twilight. It sounded like a colt, but the violet mage was too preoccupied by the sight before her to pay it much mind. “What have you done with our Princess!?!” It demanded. “Are you so devoted to the night that you spare no thought for the day!?!” The creature demanded in turn. “Have I been so easily forgotten? Does my crown no longer count now that I have been unjustly imprisoned for a thousand years?” Her voice descended to a deadly whisper that cut through the silence of the room with all the malice of a rusty blade. “Do you not know who I am?” Twilight was on autopilot. Her roller-coaster day of explosions, discoveries, nightmares seen, worlds almost lost and only barely regained, new-old friends, deja-vu, and nightmares made real had all taken its toll. She had nothing left to give. No thoughts, no logic or rationality, no emotions but the pain-filled heart break of a lost little foal. She desperately wanted her mother right now. She wanted to wake up from this terrible dream. She wanted her most beloved mentor, teacher, and friend to embrace her and tell her it would be alright. She was denied all of these things, and their lack left her with nothing but confused, unliving desperation. “You're my teacher.” Twilight begged “You're my mentor and you're my friend and I'm Twilight.” Tears streamed down her face and her body convulsed with sobs as her world crumbled around her. “I'm your student, Twilight. Why don't you recognize me?” She collapsed on the floor, mind body and soul in all out breakdown. “Please Celestia! Why don't you recognize me!!!” She wailed through her tattered crying. The Creature's eyes widened at the sound of her true name, and instantly she morphed herself into coiling fire and shot toward the mess of a pony below her. She wrapped her fire in a tight circle around the balling unicorn, used its roaring heat to shield the two of them from the eyes and ears of others. Her horn blazed a fell and radiant light and brutally pulled Twilight face to face with her seething dragon eyes. “HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT NAME?!” The monster bellowed, rage infusing every echo as the sound bounced around inside their fiery sanctum. Mortal terror briefly overrode any other thought in Twilight's mind and she struggled futilely to free herself from the angry goddess's hold. But the monster shook her firmly and fixed her with a terrifying glare. ”SPEAK!” She commanded. “You're my Princess, and my mentor.” The distraught unicorn confessed. “You chose me to be your personal student. I lived with you for years at the palace. I send you friendship reports every week. You're my FRIEND!! Please, you're my friend” Twilight's speech fell apart into desperate whimpers and sobs. The monster held the weeping unicorn for a moment longer, but it was clear she would get no more from the pathetic mare. She unceremoniously dropped the inconsolable mass of pony and with a thought, dispelled the barrier between her and the outside world. Rising to her full height and lording her massive wings over the ponies around her, she addressed the crowd with scorn in her voice. “Even your prophets and madmares insult me with their ignorance. That will soon change.” She leapt into the air and let her awesome sight wash over those present. In the voice of gods she made herself known. “I AM SOLAR FLARE, REGENT OF THE DAY AND GODDESS OF THE SUN! I AM YOUR NEW QUEEN, AND FROM THIS MOMENT FORTH, THE DAY SHALL LAST FOREVER!!!” With a clap of thunder and a gout of flame she was gone, and the room was left with a silence broken only by the quiet sobs of Twilight Sparkle.