Nyx sat with her choice of cakes on a plate in front of her, the slice of sumptuous chocolate gateau being so large that it fully covered the Royal Crest of Equestria that was the standard design adorning all crockery used in the Royal Castle. She hadn’t much cared for the tea and had instead been given a fruit juice based treat that had been specially rustled up for her by the kitchen staff.
“So you see Nyx” explained Twilight “What we are looking at doing is all working together to rid you of this nasty thing that turns your spells into oranges and gives you bad dreams. Princess Luna will stay with you to keep you safe while the rest of us zap it with our magic.”
“Will it go away forever?” she asked apprehensively.
“I truly hope so. We are all going to do our best for you …”
“Even Princess Celestia?” asked Nyx hesitantly.
“Even Princess Celestia, yes.”
“When will it start?”
“When you get sleepy, my darling Nyx.”
“I’ll need at least two stories tonight then” she suggested “Just to make sure I’m really sleepy.”
“Oh, how much I love you!” thought Twilight, but instead answered “Of course. Any particular favourites you would like?”
“I want you to read to me Nyx of the Night, please” the filly requested “Because she was brave when she was faced with something she didn’t want to do, and I want to be like her.”
Twilight felt a lump rise in her throat and knew that if she tried to speak she would break down in tears, so just nodded instead. If the spell went wrong and this was the last story she ever read to her daughter, she swore her heart would burst.
Twilight put Nyx to bed in Luna’s personal guest quarters; the place she always stayed when in Canterlot. She read four stories, the lump in her throat growing with each one. She would have happily read her a hundred or a thousand if her daughter had wanted, but that was enough, and the last one was Nyx of the Night, just as she had requested. The black filly tucked down happily and Twilight kissed her gently goodnight. She spared a moment to look at the most beautiful sight her eyes had ever beheld, her darling Nyx, and began to tiptoe away when she heard the peace within the bedroom yield for just a brief moment as she heard her daughter say “I love you, Mom.”
She couldn’t speak, but held together just long enough to get of Luna's chambers and close the door behind her quietly before the emotions that she had tried her best to keep bottled up burst out from where they had been hiding, tormenting her every word and threatening to betray her innermost fears. She just knelt down and cried; cried for her daughter’s bravery, cried for her own concerns about the plan and her ability to see it through, cried for Luna at whom she alone would be aiming the focused power of three alicorns, and cried for Equestria.
She knew she could not fail.
A comforting hoof appeared on her shoulder; she knew somepony was there, but wasn’t finished, wasn’t ready yet to do what she had to do. She was an essential part of this plan and they were all counting on her; Luna, Celestia, Cadence and above all, more important than anypony else, her beloved Nyx. She knew that if her daughter was lost tonight, she would not want to face the dark path of eternity without her and would choose to join her in whatever fate she suffered.
“Twilight” a soft voice coaxed “Are you alright?”
“Just give me a minute, would you?” she replied, still choking on her tears.
She felt a wing stretch over her and through her sore eyes could see a fringe of pink feathers; Cadence.
“I’m sorry” she said regaining her composure and focusing on the task at hoof “I’m ready now.”
Twilight and Cadence strolled resolutely in to meet the two Diarchs of Equestria who were having their own private discussion and looked up when they entered.
“She’s asleep” said Twilight “Give her ten minutes and we can start.”
“Are there any last minute concerns; anything we haven’t quite got sure in our own minds?” asked Celestia, giving one last chance for doubts to be raised. There was no need, everypony knew what was expected of them. Once again, the fate of Equestria hung in the balance.
“Twilight” said Celestia “I am truly sorry for what I did to Nyx in the past. Whatever happens, I want you to know that I love you, and will never let Nyx down again.”
“Thank you Celestia” replied her former student, donning her livery collar “I know we will all play our part.”
The Sun Princess smiled briefly, “I remember when we all reassured you of the same thing once before, just when Tirek attacked and we transferred all of our power over to you. I know we have had our differences Twilight, but I am still very proud of you.”
“Don’t make me cry again please Celestia. Thank you for your kind words, I shall do my best to live up to them.”
With this, the four alicorns walked quietly down the corridor and entered Luna’s chambers, opening the door into Nyx’s bedroom. She was breathing contently, not quite a snore, but enough to confirm she was asleep. They took up their positions and one by one knelt down, Luna in front of Nyx, whilst Twilight placed herself between Luna on one side and Celestia and Cadence together on the other.
The only sound was that of quiet breathing.
While Celestia and Cadence cleared their minds, Luna and Twilight meditated themselves into the dream realm. In front of Luna lay a worn old stick that Twilight would have objected to most strongly if she had seen it, but which Luna had stealthily prepared without her fellow alicorns’ knowledge.
In the bed chamber it looked like five alicorns were sleeping, but that could not have been further from the truth. Shortly, the most intense power was about to be unleashed and nopony was quite sure what would happen.
Twilight joined Luna in the dream realm. This time Nyx’s dream was easy to find, the reds, oranges and yellows hung around her more brightly than the night before. Twilight knew this was down to the transfiguration spell against Diamond Tiara, when most of the power had once again gone to feed this malevolent entity. She shuddered at the memory of what had happened when she had tried to tackle it alone and prayed that neither her nor anypony else would have to face that again.
Luna turned to Twilight and said simply “Thank you.”
“For what Luna?”
“For your trust in me, for your faith that I will protect Nyx, and for your love.”
“You knew?”
“I have loved you for a long time, Twilight Sparkle. That is why I chose to share the secrets of my library with you, why I have taught you to become a dream walker and why you can trust me with Nyx now.”
“Luna, I …”
“Hush now, we have work to do.”
In the blink of an eye they were both in Nyx’s dream, watching her performing aerobatics in front of an adoring crowd. Once she had finished the most spectacular, if not physically impossible display, she flew down next to the waiting Princesses as the crowd roared its approval with a standing ovation.
“Did you see that?” asked the filly excitedly.
“Yes Nyx” replied her Mom “That was amazing.”
“Are we ready?” she asked, striking a more sombre note. The illusion of the crowd melted away as the dream faded and she prepared herself for the incursion of hard reality.
“Stand with me” said Luna and the filly did as she was bidden.
“Twilight, I am about to join with Nyx in the way in which you may recall all the separate Nightmare Moons joining up before. As we are two different ponies, the appearance will be shocking to you, so you must go now and prepare for the next phase. Good luck.”
With that, Luna cast the same spell on Twilight as she had to get her in past the entity in the first place and suddenly she was out in the dream realm looking in once more.
Twilight focused her mind onto the dream realm and her body into the waking world, turning herself into a bridge between dimensions. It felt to her like she was hundreds of miles long with her hind legs on the ground and her forelegs way up in the highest clouds.
Celestia and Cadence, aware that Twilight was moving her body as the pre-arranged signal that she was ready, focused their auras onto Twilight and sent a small magical charge each, one yellow and one pink. Twilight received the energy and focused it onto the outer shell of Nyx’s dream, adding her own magic with it and ensuring that it didn’t drift.
With a jolt like she had been electrocuted, she suddenly felt the full magical energy from Celestia and Cadence tear into her body and surge through her. At this cue, she channeled it onto the infected dream and dialed up her own magical power to suit. It felt like she was hanging on to an immensely powerful fireman’s hose with the prospect that the sheer power could wrest it from her grip at any moment and fire it off in whichever random direction took its fancy.
The entity was increasing in size and its colour deepened as it absorbed the power, growing fat off the biggest meal it had ever enjoyed. Still the energy poured in and Twilight focused as hard as she could. It was really difficult and she wanted to let go, but hung on for Nyx and for Luna. Suddenly it wasn’t for Equestria any more, but just for them, the two ponies she loved above all others, and she wasn’t about to let either of them down.
She screamed with the effort of exertion as she could see a hole starting to appear in the side of the glowing sphere. It was like the entity was being given too much power – it was getting indigestion! She knew they were onto something and kept her mind and body focused; she was now an electric cable stretching from Canterlot into the dream realm, with both ends feeling ready to fly off and start flailing in crazy haphazard patterns at any second.
Inside Nyx’s dream, the silhouette of a dark alicorn was casting a glow of protective magic, which she prayed was enough to defend itself from the hostile environment. Luna could cope with it, she thought to herself, convincing herself as she poured more energy in; now was not the time to start doubting her and give up.
The red shell was angry now and Twilight directed the energy at the biggest concentrations of dark red she could see, battling it down like extinguishing a fire. The image she could see was still of a dark alicorn, standing resolutely against an all consuming sea of flame as magic fought magic.
The flames began to change as the entity could not match the power of the combined alicorns and melted as Twilight watched, evaporating into an inert gas that would dissipate in the ether, never to return. As the last remnants of angry red flames subsided and died down she looked for the reassuring image of the dark alicorn, but it could no longer be seen.
Twilight wanted desperately to find out what had happened, wanted to find Luna and Nyx, but felt herself slip powerlessly into the seductive embrace of unconsciousness.