//------------------------------// // Chapter 27 // Story: A Nightmare Come True // by ShadowSprint //------------------------------// The air grew heavy amongst the group as they followed Chrysalis through winding hallway after winding hallway. Admittedly, Twilight hadn’t recognized the path the queen pulled them through. It almost felt like taking the back roads of the castle. Few windows, even less tapestries, many of the walls were just plain old bare. What walls they did see were just as damage ridden as Twilight assumed the rest of the castle would be. Large cracks streaked across the walls and down into the floor into the red carpeting. Dust sprinkled down from the bowing ceiling. “Queen Chrysalis, where are we going?” Twilight asked. She knew her friends all had the same question on the tips of their tongues, but with far harsher assumptions behind the reasoning. “To the entrance hall. You probably don’t recognize this route as its what the custodians and cooks would use. Keeps them out of sight, and out of the way during Celestia’s precious galas and other cavorting parties. With any luck, that fiery demon would have overlooked these passageways.” Even though Chrysalis said that, she still kept herself on high alert for even the slightest sign of trouble. The jaunt through the castle’s hidden obscured passageways continued for what felt like hours. Every second that passed, a new bead of sweat dripped down Twilight’s forehead. Each doorway Chrysalis led them through turned into another hallway, or a room stacked full of carts and crates. Storage rooms and closets, the sights were truly breathtaking. “How does one go about learning the ins and outs of such . . . back-alley crawlspaces in a castle as large as this?!” Rarity exclaimed to no-pony in particular. Chrysalis stopped near yet another door with a grin spread across her lips. The outburst greatly amused the queen and she happily turned to the unicorn. “It’s really quite easy. When attempting to overthrow a princess such as Celestia and overtake her kingdom, one tends to gravitate towards the parts of the castle she cares least about. Even if my initial endeavors to replace the delicate Cadence failed, I never would have gotten so close if it hadn’t been for little exploits like these.” Chrysalis drank in the reactions from Rarity and her friends. Even Twilight appeared mystified by the crassness of her statement. Still, the very brief green glint in the princess’ eyes gave little doubt as to whose side she was truly on. “And while I’d love to reminisce in detail on one my most brilliant schemes . . .” “Yeah, one that we kicked your plot over!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, kicking her hind leg for effect. Chrysalis merely rolled her eyes. “Please, it wasn’t even you that stopped me.” Then before she could get into some pointless argument with the pegasus, Chrysalis turned and pushed open the door behind her. This exposed a hidden side door to the main entrance wing of the castle. The familiar stair case in the center, along with the two large doors opposite of it. Chrysalis led the others out into the entrance hall. The once grand staircase was now mostly dilapidated and unusable. The two large doors still held firm, though fine cracks let in shards of light from outside. As had accompanied much of the ruins, debris and dust coated the floor. The ceiling leaked all manner of things, and any visible windows were stained, cracked, or broken. “So now where do we go? I thought you was a leading us ta the elements!” Applejack said. “I am.” Chrysalis retorted. “If you would just . . .” but the queen stopped. She stared past the group of ponies. Her jaw dropped. Without warning, Chrysalis bared her teeth. Hovering opposite of the group were Sun Flares. They’d been waiting. “This does not end here.” Chrysalis barked, and ignoring the other seven with her, she fired a powerful blast of magic into the chest of one of the Sun Flares. Of course, her emerald blast passed harmlessly through the monstrosity and exploded into the wall behind it. “Uhhh guys . . . what’s the plan?” Rainbow Dash asked, more than a little worried. A total of eight Sun Flares floated over the room, surrounding them. When Chrysalis’ magic finally dissipated, the Sun Flare reared its head and fired an equally powerful blast of magical energy back at the changeling. Chrysalis however, only smiled. Sure, her magic had no effect on the creatures, but it was the same of their magic as well. When the beam closed in on Chrysalis, it melted away and fizzled out just as it would have reached her. The shards around Chrysalis’ neck were working. Rainbow Dash circled through the air, counting and tracking each of the beasts around them. After seeing the effects, or lack thereof, that Chrysalis’ magic had on the Sun Flares, the cyan pony decided they’d just have to do this the old-fashioned way. “Alright! Brace yourselves!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she plowed through the air, wings beating against her sides. Somewhere below, Spike warned, “No Dash, don’t!” Rainbow Dash however, paid no attention. She stretched out her hooves, ready to clobber these things into next week. Dash closed her hooves around the creature and a second later, crashed them both into the nearest wall. The smoke and debris that flung out coated the pony a speckled white. “HA! No pony messes with . . .” Rainbow Dash stopped. She couldn’t have missed point blank like that. No way she could’ve missed. Turning around, Dash’s mouth dropped at the sight of the Sun Flare behind her. It hadn’t moved an inch. But how? Had she gone right through it? Impossible! It was then that Rainbow Dash saw Spike waving his arms out from below. “You can’t fight them like that! We need mirrors! It’s the only way!” He shouted out. “What? Why mirrors?” But Rainbow Dash didn’t’ have time to stick around for the answer. For at that moment, a blast of fire erupted from the shadowy creature’s maw. It spread out towards the ceiling, and Rainbow Dash leapt down onto the ground just in time to avoid getting fried. “Dash! Heads up!” Applejack shouted and before she knew it, the earth pony had bucked her hard in the back. Rainbow Dash flopped over several feet. She could have cursed at the apple bucker, but a beam of magic split through the floor where she’d landed only seconds after being kicked. “What was that about mirrors?” Twilight shouted out. She currently had a barrier domed out from her horn, shielding both Fluttershy and Rarity. Two of the Sun Flares had the three pinned down, firing magical blast after blast directly at them. The pressure doubled down on them, not to mention the heat. When one chose to spew fire, the other chose magical blasts. Somewhere in the distance, Spike’s voice hollered back. Between the blazing fire that spewed from one creature, the zaps and crackles from the magic of the other, not to mention the other six Sun Flares, the dragon’s words were little more than gibberish when it reached Twilight’s ears. “We have to get out of this!” Twilight yelled at the girls. “What about your teleportation dear?” Rarity shouted, just to be heard. “Can’t we use that?” “I can’t. It’s taking all my concentration just to keep us from getting fried!” Twilight answered back. She caught a quick glimpse of the worry over Rarity’s face, and the terror stricken Fluttershy. Was there anyway she could use her magic to teleport them to safety? Observing the two Sun Flares, Twilight estimated they had maybe half a second between shots. If she timed things perfectly, she might be able to teleport them at least out of harm’s way. But where? Where do we go? A quick teleportation like this and she wouldn’t be able to go far. Another slamming of magic onto her little barrier and Twilight felt her grip starting to fail. It’d have to be soon, or they’d all be toast. Queen Chrysalis! The idea was so simple. Chrysalis at least could block the magical blasts of the Sun Flares without any trouble. “Hang on!” Twilight shouted to the others. She focused in on the mouths and horns of the Sun Flares holding them down. If this was to work, she needed the exact instant that one’s attack stopped. It didn’t take long. The changeling breathing fire closed its maw, and readied its horn to blast them with magic. Meanwhile the other was doing the opposite, opening its maw for fire breath and powering down its horn. Now! All at once, Twilight dropped her barrier and grabbing both Rarity and Fluttershy, vanished them from sight. When the three reappeared, they were only a few feet away from Queen Chrysalis. “W-What the hell is going on?!” She exclaimed, rushing in front of Twilight and the other two just as a Sun Flare fired off a powerful, heated magical blast. The flaming meteor of a magical attack once again fizzled out just as it reached Chrysalis. Turning back to a few shocked faces, she commanded, “Stay out of my way!” “You heard her.” Twilight said. Again, both Rarity and Fluttershy stared back at the princess, mouths agape. Certainly, they were shocked that Twilight would drop them so close to the changeling queen. They’ll get used to it. They have to. She’s with us now. Twilight convinced herself. A scream from behind and the princess whirled around. Past Applejack and Rainbow Dash who appeared to be taking care of each other just fine, was Pinkie Pie with Spike on her back. The party pony and her dragon accomplice were running out of options. Pinkie bit her lip, backing her and Spike against a wall. Two of the Sun Flares had cornered them with no immediate route of escape. “T-This isn’t good. This really isn’t good at all,” Pinkie said. The pink mare gulped, nodding towards the creatures as she addressed the baby dragon on her back. “What should we do Spike?” “Ummm . . . got any mirrors?” Was all Spike could come up with. “Nope.” “Then I got nothing.” Spike said. “And neither does anyone else.” He added, giving a quick look around the entrance hall to find that none of their friends were faring any better. Even Chrysalis, who while could render their magic useless, still couldn’t eliminate any of the eight. One of the Sun Flares reared its head and shot off a speeding bullet’s worth of magic at the duo. Pinkie hurled herself out of the way, but the magical blast managed to scrape along her side. Pinkie cried out in pain, tears welling up in her eyes. “Owwie owwie owwwwwie” She screamed, shoving a hoof over the burnt hair near her cutie mark. It’d burned down to the flesh, leaving a black streak near her cutie mark. “Pinkie! You okay?” Spike shouted. The dragon had gotten thrown from the pony and had to scramble just to get back to her side. When he saw the hoof clutching over her side, and the searing blackened wound, his mind blanked. Is it starting? Is Maud’s prediction really starting to come true? Struggling to stand, Pinkie weakly nodded, fighting back tears. “I-I’m okay. I just. . .” But Pinkie didn’t finish her sentence. For upon a quick glance, she found the Sun Flare, accompanied with another, lowering themselves to eye level. “I’m just . . . in trouble . . . in really big trouble . . .” She whispered. The horns on both Sun Flares lit up, an orange flare of magic surrounding their ashen horns. Pinkie wouldn’t be able to dive out of the way this time. Her side burned with pain, literally. She felt Spike clinging to her cotton candy mane, and the mare could only back herself into the corner. Both Pinkie and Spike shut their eyes. Neither could abandon the other. And if Maud’s prediction was coming true, then at the very least, Spike wouldn’t let Pinkie go out alone. He’d be there for her, just like a friend should be. Sweat dripped down the dragon’s head as both horns exploded to life. The heat of the Sun Flares’ combined magic ripped through the air at the two. This was it. This was it for them both. But, when Spike expected boiling hot pain, he felt nothing. The only thing the dragon did feel was Pinkie Pie’s trembles, and whispers of her sister. But no pain, no searing hot, agonizing pain. When Spike dared open his eyes, there stood Twilight, in front of them both. A violet barrier surrounded them. “Twilight!” Spike couldn’t help but shout. If there had been any doubt that she was the real Twilight Sparkle, it died right here. “Spike! Pinkie! You two okay?!” She shouted back to them. At that Pinkie opened up her eyes. An incredible combination of love, joy, relief, and excitement all surged through the party pony’s system at once. “Twilight!” Pinkie shouted with all her heart and without warning, tackled her friend in a Pinkie Pie copyrighted hug. This meant of course of that Twilight quickly found herself laying on her back, with the pink mare straddling her waist. “It really is you!” “Pinkie! Get off me!” Twilight tried to scramble out. The sudden burst of love from her friend had knocked out her protection spell, and the Sun Flares were already gearing up for another attack. I’ll never make it! Twilight thought as she saw a powerful aura encasing the blackened beasts’ horns once more. The Sun Flares fired their blasts of magic at the trio and Twilight shouted, “Pinkie Pie!” But it was too late. She couldn’t get her spelling going, and the magic as already upon them. A sudden flash of bright light and one of the Sun Flares exploded into a puff of smoke. The explosion caught the attention of the other Sun Flares, and its powerful blast shook the castle, causing some debris to fall from the ceiling. At this, Twilight used her magic to quickly slide her two friends out of harm’s way as some sheet rock and solid oak beams caved in from above. “What the . . .?” Twilight started to ask, but then stopped as she saw what had caused the explosion of light. Several feet from where they sat lay a changeling. Its tongue hanging out, twitching. Before Twilight could ask, a familiar buzzing sound crept in from the floor above. Then within seconds, dozens of changelings flooded into the room. There had to be at least thirty or forty of them. A small handful of changelings transformed themselves into mirrors which the others carried. “T-They’re helping us . . .” Spike said in pure shock. His mouth hanging open, he could only manage out, “B-But why? After all this . . . why?” A smile beaming over Twilight’s face, a brief green glaze in her eyes, the princess simply said, “Because . . . they need us.” Queen Chrysalis’ mouth dropped open when her minions flooded into the room. “What?” She asked, turning around in circles as changelings buzzed overhead. When one changeling transformed into a mirror, two more were right there to catch it. “No . . . that won’t . . .” Chrysalis started and watched in shock when a beam of magic slammed into her disguised minion. It took the two holding him everything they had to keep the mirror angled correctly. A third even flew up from behind, pressing against the back of the “mirror”, just to help keep it in place. After what felt like hours, the magical beam redirected back into the Sun Flare. Another explosion rocked the castle as the thing burst into a puff of smoldering ash. The force of the blast cracked walls and showered bits of ceiling down onto every-pony. Unfortunately, the disguised changeling, did not fare much better. Chrysalis watched her soldiers lower the broken body of the brave changeling to the floor. He’d quickly reverted to his regular self shortly after reflecting the attack. His body spasmed, loud cries of pain escaped his lips as he lay doubled over in agony. The queen wasted no time in galloping over to the fallen one. All around her, Chrysalis’ soldiers fought in similar fashion against the beasts. Explosion after explosion shook the castle to its very foundation. Some of the magic redirects struck their targets, others missed. But no matter where the magical blast went, the effect on the changelings was the same. Her heart racing, Chrysalis gazed down at the injured changeling. “Coil.” She whispered. He’d earned his name “Coil” at a very young age when Chrysalis discovered his tendency to coil up like snake, just before springing into attack. “What’s his status?” Chrysalis questioned the two. “Not good, my queen.” One changeling answered. His voice low and soft amongst the battling. “The pressure placed on our bodies from these attacks . . . we’re lucky they don’t just rip us to shreds.” “Damn!” The queen cursed. Changelings were dropping like flies, and Twilight and pals couldn’t do a thing to help. “Where’s Tremor?!” She demanded. Within seconds of hearing his name, the changeling in question buzzed on down to his queen and lowered his head. “I’m sorry Queen Chrysalis. We were delayed. We . . .” “Brief me later.” Chrysalis interrupted. “Take a group of soldiers and get Twilight and friends out of here. We need those elements, and we need them now.” “Right away!” “And Tremor . . .” Chrysalis called. “Keep an eye on them. We’re not done with them yet.” “Of course.” Tremor bowed and then quickly disappeared from sight. Turning back to her soldiers, Chrysalis scanned the room. The number of changelings had dropped, but so had the number of Sun Flares. She grit her teeth. There was certainly a possibility of her minions defeating the ashen monsters, but how many would survive? One hit from those bastards was enough to put down one of her changelings. The castle shook again when a rather powerful blast careened into one of the walls. We need to end this fast. “Are you sure you know where the Elements of Harmony are?!” Twilight called out to Tremor. “I’m sure Twilight! We have to get you girls to them fast. Queen Chrysalis and the others won’t be able to keep the fight up . . . even if we outnumber those Sun Flares.” Twilight followed the group of changelings with her friends. After rescuing Pinkie Pie and Spike, Tremor had led a group of twelve changelings to gather up Twilight and her friends. They were ushered out of the entrance hall and up a set of stairs out of the Sun Flares’ reach. Fortunately for Twilight and her friends, the creatures were so caught up in their battle with Chrysalis and the others, that Tremor had managed to sneak them away unnoticed. Of course, it probably helped that a few of the changelings had acted as decoys to throw the Sun Flares off. “Twilight,” Applejack said, “Ya’ll got a backup plan in-case this here plan goes sour don’t ya? I mean . . .” and the earth pony lowered her voice to only a whisper, “these are changelings. They could sap us dry in at a moment’s notice.” The princess knew with a moment’s glance that the rest of her friends felt the exact same way. Even after everything the changelings had done for them, they still doubted Chrysalis and the others? Twilight couldn’t believe it. “Applejack . . . we’re alive because of these guys. How else would we have gotten free past those Sun Flares?” “Ah ain’t doubting that, I just . . .” “-get the feeling we’re being used darling.” Rarity finished. “That’s all.” “They’re not using us.” Twilight insisted. At this, the princess noticed a number of the changelings around them were sharing uncomfortable glances with others in the group. Clearly, they’d overheard at least part of the conversation between Twilight and her friends. “We’re not discussing this anymore.” Twilight finished her chat with Applejack and hurried on over to Tremor’s side, where she began discussing something with him. Applejack sighed. Twilight was sounding less and less like Twilight by the minute. Problem was, she couldn’t do a damned thing about it. Certainly, their friends would have wanted to do anything to help, especially Spike and Pinkie Pie. But there were just too many changelings around to start anything without risk of Chrysalis finding out. “Still not trusting us?” Tremor’s voice whispered low so only the princess could hear. “I’m sorry. But I guess after everything that’s happened, they’re all still on edge.” Twilight apologized. It’s not that she didn’t understand Applejack’s feelings, or Rarity’s, Pinkie’s, or any of the others for that matter. Logically, it only made sense that they wouldn’t trust the changelings, considering past run-ins. But what boggled Twilight was how they hated the changelings. Somehow, she felt she should feel the same, but something in her head prevented her from coming anywhere near that kind of extreme repulsion to them. “Don’t worry about how they feel.” Tremor said. “They’ll figure themselves out. They don’t need you to do that.” Then pausing to lead the ponies up another set of stairs, he said, “What we need to focus on now is stopping Daybreaker.” “You’re right, Tremor.” Twilight said. She hung her head and followed the changeling in silence. Suddenly, she felt as though a mile’s worth of distance had been placed between her and the others. Following the changelings up past the bedrooms and hallways of the second floor, Twilight quickly found herself, along with he others, on yet another stairwell, this time headed up towards the tower where the Elements lay. The noises of Chrysalis’ battle with the Sun Flares had long since died out. A pang of fear hit Twilight. Was Queen Chrysalis okay? She’d been losing changelings left and right down there. As Twilight galloped up the stairs, her gaze wandered off. She didn’t notice Tremor coming to a sudden halt and ended up colliding into his backside. Fortunately, Tremor said nothing. He didn’t even look at Twilight. His eyes were glued on something in front of them. When Twilight managed to see what it was, her mouth dropped open. “Princess Twilight! And the rest of the friendship gang!” Daybreaker mocked. “So wonderful to see you all again!” The possessed Celestia trotted her way down the narrow tower steps. Her armored hooves clicked against each stair, eyes lasered in on the group cowering below. With a nod to Twilight, Tremor leapt up into the air, and retreated back down the stairwell. “You really are working with them, aren’t you?” Daybreaker asked. A combined look of astonishment and sheer pleasure spread across her face. She gazed at the remaining changelings and over the group of ponies. “To think, the very creatures that sought your destruction are now your friends.” “They only attacked us because of you.” Twilight shot back. “But you showed your true colors when you betrayed Queen Chrysalis and her changelings.” Daybreaker merely cackled at the very notion. “Oh please, do you really think you’ve got a chance against me?! You and your friends couldn’t stop me before! And adding Chrysalis to the mix certainly isn’t going to help you now!” With that Daybreaker fired off a powerful beam of magic. The fiery mix of flame and energy jetted down at the mix of ponies and changelings. “Look out!” Twilight cried out, and she tumbled backward just as Daybreaker’s beam disintegrated nine stairs into a pile of ash. The resulting shockwave flung Twilight back against her friends and the changelings. Together, the group rolled out of the entrance of the tower and back into the second floor. “We’re never gonna get the Elements with her in the way!” Rainbow Dash cried out. A bright light from within the tower slowly grew brighter as Daybreaker lowered herself down the stairs. Her shadow cast against the stone wall, her voice cackling manically. “We don’t have a choice!” Twilight said quickly. Then turning to the eight changelings that remained with them, “We need copies! If all of us charge her at once, some of us are bound to get through!” “Yes ma’am!” One of the changelings answered, and with a quick flick of their horns, each changeling wrapped themselves in their magic. Within seconds, an exact duplicate of Twilight and her friends were standing before them. “I don’t like this Twilight.” Applejack started, “We’re . . .” “Applejack, stop!” Twilight demanded. They didn’t have time for arguing. The changelings were here, helping, she needed to deal with it. “We’re doing this.” Applejack glanced back at the others, and for a moment, Twilight worried they might refuse to help. “On your word then,” Applejack mumbled out as the others hung their heads in agreement. Thank Celestia! Twilight sighed and turned back to the entrance. She could already hear Daybreaker’s mocking voice. The possessed alicorn would be upon them any second. But now, with Twilight and her friends, a few copies, they might have a chance. After all, Daybreaker couldn’t stop them all. Twilight’s eyes narrowed. They needed to time this just right. If they jumped the gun on this, they could all wind up dead. She watched for the first glimmer of Daybreaker’s armor. Just the first spec, that’s all she needed to see. “NOW!” Twilight screamed at the glint of metal of their enemy’s hoof. With that, every-pony and changeling hurdled at the entrance all at once. A low cackle emanated from the dark chamber and Twilight had just enough time to shout, “Look out!” as a hot beam of magic exploded through the doorway. The pegasi and Twilight easily dodged around the spiraling inferno. The earth ponies and unicorns however, were forced to scatter out of the way. Pinkie Pie, real or clone (Twilight wasn’t sure), was almost nailed full force if not for one of the Raritys. “You think any of you can get past me?!” Daybreaker shouted, revealing herself at the entrance to the tower. “Good luck!” Snapping her neck back, Daybreaker spewed out a wall of flame at the ponies. Applejack galloped hard and fast towards the tower. The sooner they could get their hooves on those elements, the sooner this could all be over. Then maybe she’d be able to knock some sense into Twilight. I jus hope those changelings haven’t dug too deep into her head. Applejack’s thoughts distracted her just long enough to miss the wall of flame bursting to life in front of her. The earth pony let out a terrified scream as her body careened towards the fire. Suddenly, a pair of blue wings dropped down on either side of her, and Applejack’s hooves left the ground. “Need a lift?” Came Rainbow Dash’s familiar voice as the two sailed on over the wall of flames. “You real or copy?” AJ shouted back. The pegasus was silent. “Does it matter?” “I . . . suppose not . . .” AJ finished and covered her face as Dash rocketed them through the towering flames. Applejack felt her hair burning. And in the blink of an eye, the two of them were through to the other side. The farmer was tossed from Dash’s grip as an angry Daybreaker fired another round of magic to obliterate the two. “Rainbow Dash!” AJ cried out after a hard landing on her side. The pegasus had been far less fortunate as she received the brunt of Daybreaker’s attack. Applejack wasted no time and without thinking, bucked Daybreaker with all of her strength. Now any other pony probably couldn’t have budged the alicorn, but Applejack, having a lifetime worth of experience clearing trees with her hind legs, easily managed to tip over the terrible giant. With the evil alicorn’s curses behind her, Applejack rushed over towards her fallen friend. “Rainbow Dash! Are you . . .” and then she stopped. It wasn’t Dash that had carried her over that wall of flame, but a changeling. The force of impact had torn his disguise away from him. Blood dripped down from an open wound in the changeling’s chest where Daybreaker’s beam had struck. “I-I . . .” Applejack was at a loss for words. She’d been saved, been carried by a changeling. Her mind blanked. Maybe Twilight had a point . . . “You insignificant fool of a pony! Did you really think such a stunt would actually work?!” Daybreaker screamed from behind. Her attention had completely turned onto the farmer that had kicked her. With a click of her tongue, a fiery ring formed around both Daybreaker and Applejack, trapping the pony in the hellish inferno. Twilight had only just recovered from Daybreaker’s blasts when she saw both AJ and Dash go soaring over the wall of fire. “No!” She cried out. One or both of those could’ve been her friends; or neither of them. It didn’t matter if those were ponies in danger, or changelings. She needed to save them. Grabbing a nearby clone of herself, Twilight said, “On my signal, have everyone rush Daybreaker.” “B-But how. . .” The clone started to argue. “Do it. Don’t have time!” Twilight commanded. The disguised changeling only nodded his head and the princess was off. Galloping hard over the span of the hall, Twilight skidded to as top when both Daybreaker and Applejack vanished behind a wall of fire. Without thinking, Twilight teleported herself into the ring with Applejack. The burning inferno circled around them almost to the ceiling. The increase in temperature immediately sent sweat running down Twilight’s brow. She became light-headed, but determined not to let Daybreaker best them, Twilight just grabbed onto Applejack’s hoof and teleported the two onto the stairs behind Daybreaker before she could so much as blink. “Go! Get the elements!” Twilight shouted. “I’ll hold her off.” “But Twi . . .I . . .” Applejack started to argue, but stopped when she saw an enraged alicorn emerging from the flames like a demon from Tartarus. “I’ve grown just about tired of you foals screwing around like this.” Daybreaker groaned. Her eyes locked with Twilight’s. Out the corner of her eye, she watched the earth pony disappearing up the stairs. “NO! YOU WILL NOT STOP ME!” She screamed. The flames on her mane and tail bursting out of control. Without a second thought, Daybreaker cocked her head back and spewed out a powerful blast of orangish magic. It melted plaster and dissolved stone as it tore its way towards the princess. Twilight swung open her barrier, deflecting the blast through a window at the last second. The window shattered, spraying them both with glass and metal framing. Biting her lip, Twilight trembled under the immense pressure being put on her. Though she dug her hooves into the stairs, she still was pushed back due to the force. I have to . . . contain . . . her magic . . . Twilight said to herself, not even able to raise her head to see where Daybreaker was. Wincing her eyes shut, Twilight could hear her friends in the distance, and some kind of noise from Applejack. Did the pony find them? Were they up there? She couldn’t tell. The discharge of magic from her horn had started to weaken her. She wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer. “D-Don’t give up . . . Twilight.” She whispered to herself. And then the magic stopped. As if Daybreaker’s attack had ceased completely. When she lifted her head to ready for another onslaught, her eyes bulged open. Standing before Twilight was the taller, midnight coated princess, Luna. Princess Luna stood firmly in front of her, figure somewhat on the lighter side. “Luna . . . you’re alive,” was all Twilight could say. The midnight blue alicorn held a strong magical barrier around both of them, shielding them from Daybreaker’s fiery assault. “I am sorry young Twilight. I did not mean to fail you all as I have done.” “B-But how?” Without giving an inch to Daybreaker’s spell, Luna said, “I was never gone dear Princess. Only foolish. But now is not the time for explanation, I can do little more than what you see. You must hurry.” Fresh tears threatened to roll down Twilight’s cheeks. Luna was alive. She was really alive. But as much as she wished to wrap her hooves around the alicorn in an embrace, she didn’t have the time. Using a quick bolt of her magic, Twilight fired off a shot at Daybreaker’s head. The beam landed squarely against her temple, making the possessed alicorn stumble backwards, and cutting off her stream of magic. “NOW!” Twilight shouted, and without warning the remainder of her friends and changelings circled past Daybreaker and towards the stairs. The evil alicorn glared at each one. “I will not let this be the end of me! Luna, you should have stayed out of sight, where you belonged.” Her words sharp, and cold. With a glow of her horn, Daybreaker only laughed at Luna’s poised for attack stance. “It’ll take more than this to stop me dear sister.” She chided, and behind Daybreaker rose a Sun Flare from the floor, like the waking dead. Behind Luna, a series of screams were heard where another Sun Flare had appeared, blocking the girls’ path to their precious elements. Daybreaker only cackled and she fired off another blast of her magic at Luna, forcing her sister to defend herself. “I haven’t lost yet sister!” Queen Chrysalis watched in shock when the final two Sun Flares suddenly turned their heads towards the ceiling and disappeared up through the ceiling, abandoning the queen and her remaining changelings. “What . . . the hell is going on?” Chrysalis asked, a rumble from above shaking the very foundation of the castle. “The Sun Flares, they’ve been summoned by Daybreaker.” Tremor answered, tending to one of his injured brethren. He’d returned to inform his queen of the alicorn’s appearance. At the time though, they’d still be battling a couple of the demonic creations. Now though, all that remained was carnage. “Stay here!” Chrysalis commanded and galloped off towards the stairs. She needed to see what was going on. If her plan to defeat Daybreaker with the elements had truly gone sour, then the remaining changelings needed a route of escape, and quick. The queen galloped on up through the stairs, the rumbling growing louder by the second. “You better not fail me Twilight.” She whispered under her breath. When Chrysalis did manage to get within eyesight of the battle, she hid herself behind an adjacent wall. Peeking around the corner, she managed a quick glimpse of Twilight and her friends rushing up the stairs. “Is that . . .Luna?” She whispered, watching the pony fire up defensive spells against Daybreaker’s raging attacks. “So, she wasn’t dead after all.” “Chrysalis . . .” Tremor’s voice came from behind in a soft whisper. The queen whirled around on her changeling. “I thought I told you to stay with the others.” She whispered, still barring her teeth at her soldier to show her extreme displeasure at his disobedience. “I tended to who I could. My queen, we’re only about twenty-five strong now. We can’t risk anymore changelings.” Queen Chrysalis sighed. She’d knew things had gotten dire, but this bad? Really? No matter. She’d have to make due. “Prepare the soldiers then. We’ll delay the second phase of our plan . . . at least until Luna is defeated.” Chrysalis commanded, glancing back in time to witness one Sun Flare flanking the princess, with Daybreaker hot on her heels. Where the second one was, she couldn’t say. “And if Luna is victorious?” Chrysalis smiled. “Then its even better for us. We won’t have Daybreaker to deal with anymore. Either way, we win.” Chrysalis said, smiling. I’ll get my revenge, if it’s the last thing I do. “Twilight, come on!” Rainbow Dash shouted from above. “We’re almost there!” Another bolt of magic ripped through the air, tearing through the wall only a few feet from Twilight’s face. She quickly pulled up a wing to shield herself from the flying debris, the explosion leaving a ringing in the pony’s ears. When Twilight had uncovered herself, Luna’s figure lay sprawled at the bottom of the steps. The alicorn struggled to her feet, using her magic to spin out a rather flimsy-looking barrier. It wouldn’t hold up, not against Daybreaker’s incredible power. When had Luna lost so much of her strength? While Twilight wished for nothing more than to run down the stairs to her fellow princess’ aid, she knew deep down she couldn’t. If Daybreaker got those murderous hooves on her now, she’d be nothing more than a bargaining chip. “Twilight, let’s go!” Rainbow Dash shouted again, this time yanking on her tail. “Right!” Twilight said and turned back. She galloped up the stairs with the others. Changelings and ponies in tow, the narrow spiral staircase vibrated under the hooves of their little gang. “I swear . . . if those Elements ain’t a up here . . .” Applejack started. “there’s going to be some explaining ta do.” “Let’s just get their darling.” Rarity quipped, “then we’ll decide what’s what.” Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie both refrained from commenting, and most likely for very different reasons. One Twilight assumed was the scar on Pinkie’s side. Though the mare tried to hide it, the burnt hair and the limp in Pinkie’s step was a dead giveaway. But Pinkie took in stride. Spike had also grown unusually quiet during their trek up the stairs. All he did was eye the windows as they’d passed, watching the girls’ climb up into the tower. Not that much was to be seen out there. A decimated Canterlot drowned under the crimson rays of a bloodshot moon. Daybreaker’s work no doubt. But the look on Spike’s face spoke volumes. Something about that moon had shaken him up. Hang in their Spike! We’re almost through this. “We’re almost there!” A Twilight clone shouted back. Sure enough, when Twilight craned her head back, she just barely made out the roof of the tower above. With each step, they began to round the final turn on the staircase. Twilight could feel her heart almost leaping out of her chest. So close! They were so close to ending this all. Just a little bit farther and they’d have it . . . Several screams from the front of the pack echoed back down on the girls. Twilight and the others ahead of her stopped. A bright, orange glow lit up the brick and mortar above. Several of the ponies rolled backwards down the stairs at Twilight and the others. Their fur charred black and motionless. Two Twilights, a Rainbow Dash, and a Fluttershy were those scalded by the creature above. A second passed and the disguises disintegrated, revealing the casualties to be only changelings. “Sun Flare.” Twilight whispered. “There must be one up there!” Sure enough, the familiar ashen body of the Sun Flare drifted slowly down the tower and into sight. Its eyeless sockets locked onto the remainder of the gang as its horn glowed angrily. A few of her friends screamed and Twilight readied her magic, ready to thrust up another shield. But before she could summon the spell, the remaining changelings burst out from their disguises and flew up in front of the girls. One changeling quickly transformed into a mirror and dropped into the waiting arms of his comrades. “Go!” Another shouted. The Sun Flare moved to drift past the changelings, but Twilight acted fast. She switched her focus from a barrier spell to a teleportation spell. “Hold on girls!” She shouted, and with a flash of magic, they burst out from under the Sun Flare’s nose. The quick flash of transport, dizzying as it was, blinked the girls back into existence exactly where Twilight had plotted out. They stood in a small room at the tip of the tower they’d been climbing. Crimson shone in from the windows circling the walls. In the center, on a small pedestal, hovered the six Elements of Harmony. Twilight blinked out a couple tears. Her breath taken away as she trotted over to the stone structure. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for any indication of traps, or foul play. Had they really made it? She almost couldn’t believe it. In a matter of moments, this could all be over. Twilight turned to her friends and found them in an equal mix of disbelief and relief. A strange combination to be sure, but at least she wasn’t the only one. “Well . . .” Spike asked from the corner. “What are we waiting for?” Without saying a word, each pony reached out, one by one, and grabbed their corresponding element. Twilight was the last, as she watched each of her friends take theirs in turn. When finally, Twilight reached out and grabbed onto her Element of Magic, an ominous rush of air blew through the castle. Silence encased the room for a second. The girls looked at each other, somewhat confused. Then it happened. The mystical items of legend rose up out of their hooves, hovering over each of their heads. A bright, blinding white light shrouded over them. Waves of energy coursed through Twilight’s body as the power from her element surrounded her, embedded itself inside her. The magical output of the elements shook the tower and lifted the girls off their hooves and into the air. It all had to have been quite the spectacle for Spike, who had remained rooted in place. The white light then slowly faded, and the girls drifted back down to the floor. Feeling the crown on her head, and the legendary power of the Elements flowing through her and her friends, Twilight looked at the others. Each one of her friends sported the golden necklace emblazoned with their cutie marks. A soft rumble from below shook the castle. The battle between Luna and Daybreaker raged on. Without hesitation, Twilight said to the others, “Come on girls! Time to save Equestria!” A blast of magic drilled through the air into Luna’s waiting barrier. The force of her sister’s blast shattered the protective dome into a thousand glittering shards. Knocked back, Luna quickly pushed herself back onto all fours. Her eyes locked with her sister’s, she felt a warm liquid drooling out from her mouth. A quick wipe of the hoof revealed blood. “Is that all you’ve got Luna?!” Daybreaker scoffed. “As I thought, there is no need for you. It’s a miracle you’re even alive.” Daybreaker flung herself back and emitted a blanket of flame from her mouth. Luna again dodged out of the way. Hearing the soft humming of magic, she turned in time to block another powerful blast from the Sun Flare that worked in tandem with her sister. Damn! I do no have the strength to fight back. She cursed. “As long as you hold my sister against her will, I will remain here.” Luna said, hoping to sound threatening. The alicorn glanced from Sun Flare to sister. The two closed in on her, trying to suffocate the princess into submission. Narrowing her eyes, she goaded the foe that stood before her, “Equestria shall never be yours. You are far too feeble.” Daybreaker only smiled. “Such strong words from someone who cannot so much as land a strike on me.” Luna dug her hooves into the ground, keeping a close eye on the Sun Flare that drifted near her. It almost appeared to wait for its master’s command. “And in everything you have done, you have yet to successfully lay to rest any real threat to your rulership. How does a princess, no a queen, rule with such ineptitude?” At this, Luna saw a flare in her sister’s eyes. “Maybe if you would have studied your history, you’d have conquered with the same grace that I once did, as Nightmare Moon.” The snarl that emitted from Daybreaker’s lips, the teeth that barred angrily against the midnight princess along with the venomous stare in the alicorn’s eyes, she’d taken the bait. Daybreaker breathed heavily as each stabbing insult rolled off Luna’s tongue. “You assume I am somehow inferior to you, Luna?!” Luna only nodded. “I am certain you are.” She simply answered and hoped the girls had retrieved their elements. For this barrage of attacks, she knew she would not survive; not for long. It only took Daybreaker a millisecond to unleash her powerful breath of fire and magic onto her younger sister. Luna stood her ground, watching the magic pummel towards her like a freight train. It even had that earth-shaking rattle to it as it rocketed through anything and everything in its way. Walls cracked and windows shattered. Luna focused her magic, not into a barrier, but into her hooves. It was a spell far simpler than any protective barrier, but only because its effectiveness was so temporary. Standing up onto her hind legs, Luna caught the blast with her front hooves. The force of Daybreaker’s intense attack pushed Luna back several feet, her hooves digging into the marble flooring. She could lean her whole weight against the force of the attack, and she wouldn’t tip over. But she didn’t have time for that. Her spell already had started melting away. Rotating her hooves, Luna deflected her sister’s attack into the nearby Sun Flare. The creature exploded into a puff of smoke and was gone. The satisfaction in Luna’s stunt lasted only a second as just after the Sun Flare disintegrated, her spell broke off and the brunt of Daybreaker’s attack blew into her. The magic cackled and sparked over her body. Her midnight blue coat began to burn, and everything went red. The air was sucked up by the heat, and Luna felt herself hurtling through the air. Everything whirled on by and she knew not for long she flew, only that when she landed, she could no longer stand. Her legs most certainly broken, Luna lay in a mess of blood, and debris. Small fires circled around the area in which she’d landed. She never quite felt the impact but did feel the splitting headache that came with it as a result. Her ears rang, and her eyes blurred. Luna blinked several times until finally things began to clear. “Poor pitiful Luna. You talk such a big game, but in the end, you’re no different from the others.” Daybreaker slowly approached. Her horn still sizzling from the previous blast. “Well dear sister, it’s been fun. But all good things must come to an end.” She stopped only a couple feet from Luna’s resting place. “I’d say it was fun, but . . . who am I kidding, you were a bore! Good night Luna.” “Daybreaker!” came a voice from the other side of the room. When Luna’s eyes laid on the alicorn who stood on the other end of the room, a smile crept up across her face. There stood Twilight, with the Element of Magic, along with each of her friends possessing their respective elements. “You tried this before Twilight Sparkle! And just like before, you will fail!” Daybreaker shouted, losing all interest in the defeated Luna. She turned away from her sister and readied her magic for another powerful blast. “You may have taken us down before, but this time is different. You don’t have Queen Chrysalis backing you up anymore.” Twilight said. “I don’t need her! I never needed her!” Daybreaker angrily shouted. The alicorn fired off another blast of magic at the six. A white aura surrounded Twilight and her friends, dissipating Daybreaker’s attack into little more than a soft breeze that tickled at their cheeks. This alone caused the possessed alicorn to swear. “I’ll kill you myself!” She grunted and charged the six. “Now,” Twilight shouted. Their elements stated to glow, and once again, a powerful white light encased the six girls. Into the air Twilight hovered with her friends. The power of the elements entwined them together. Magic surging from one pony to the next. The elements on their necklaces, and on Twilight’s crown glowed, humming to life. Even as Daybreaker galloped to them, the six rose only higher into the air. An explosion of color burst forth from the girls, stopping Daybreaker in her tracks. The alicorn froze, by some incredible force. Then in the same second, a rainbow of colors descended down from the girls, rippling the air as it passed. Daybreaker released a loud shriek, cursing the girls by name until her voice drowned under the weight of their magic. The magic grew to such intensity that Luna turned away, closing her eyes to it all. A thunderous BOOM echoed through the halls and then just as quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished. Luna opened her eyes when able, and saw the girls lowering themselves down back to the floor. Several feet in front of them lay an unconscious Princess Celestia, and Luna started to cry. Even if she didn’t survive, even if this puddle of rocks was her death bed, she didn’t care. Her sister was back. “Celestia . . .” she whispered. “Welcome home dear sister.” The magic slowly ebbed away into nothingness, eventually vanishing from existence. And just as everything had started, it stopped. Twilight took in a deep breath and finally opened her eyes. For some reason, her crown had fallen from her head and onto the floor. But just beyond that, lay Celestia. She gulped. Was this true? Was it really true? Princess . . . Celestia . . . Twilight shuddered and felt her legs give out. She toppled over onto her rump and sat there dumbfounded. They’d won. They’d really won. Twilight reached out to grab her crown, and a sharp bolt of violet electricity zapped her hoof. Waked out of her stupor, Twilight jumped up and was about to consult her friends when a shadow overhead caught the princess’ attention. With a quick glance up, she saw it. A black, lumbering orb hovered over them. It crackled and sparked with electric current, rolling over itself in the air. “What in tarnation . . . is that?” Applejack asked. “It’s . . . Daybreaker, or Nightmare Moon, or at least . . .the spirit I think.” Twilight answered. Suddenly, before any-pony could react, a green beam of magic fired up from the distance and into the dark orb. Violently it shook, tossing and turning, rolling around, trying to escape. The magic strengthened and buried into the orb, causing it to expand. The magical ball of dark energy spasmed and moaned in agony from the magic pouring into it. It tried to contract, tried to kill the swelling that it had garnered. But the magic continued to pour into it. With a final groan and bolt of electricity, the spirit of Nightmare Moon popped. It exploded in midair just like a balloon. The explosion shook the castle, rocking the walls and sending bricks and debris flying down from above. A high-pitched scream was heard, that of Nightmare Moon’s, and then all was silent. When finally, Twilight could take her eyes from above, she found Queen Chrysalis standing underneath, a satisfied smile spread across the changeling’s face. “I warned you Daybreaker. I warned you.” The changeling queen snarled.