//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Vampire Night IV 
// by Phazon_Corrupted_Unicorn 
//------------------------------//

Twilight groaned as she stirred awake, the sunlight slicing across her eyelids and pulling her out of her sleep. She stretched, letting her joints creak and pop, before sighing. She was tempted to just fall back asleep, roll over and pull the thick blanket over her head in hopes that the world would leave her be for a few more hours. But a glance over at the calendar reminded her of the important task she bore upon her shoulders. She sighed, then pushed the blanket away and rolled out of bed. She rested her hooves on the ground, standing slowly as she waited for her body to gather the strength she needed. It took a while, longer than it used to, back when she was young. Her wings fluttered, their feathers out of order and ruffled, as they tried to steady her.
Finally, she stumbled over to her vanity and plopped down on her plot. She stared into the mirror, her face hidden by shadows, then lit her horn and started to pull open the curtains. Her horn flickered and failed halfway through, her purple magic sparking and flickering into a sickly green. It had never been the same after the encounter. But the curtains let enough light in to illuminate at least part of her, the sunlight resting on her back and hugging her like an old friend. She cooed softly as she let Celestia's charge warm her cold body, though it couldn't penetrate where she needed it: to her bones.
She reached out and picked up a mane brush with her hoof, struggling to hold it in her weakened grasp. She slowly ran it through her dull and off color mane and tail. Rarity would try to bring it back to its old glory, but it would never stay that way for long, no more than a few hours. Her coat wasn't much better. It was dull, almost lifeless in appearance. She let the brush drop onto the floor then pushed herself up and turned to the door.
She pushed the door open and gasped, closing her eyes in anticipation of getting soaked. But after a few minutes, she opened them and looked up. Where a bucket of water usually sat above her door, or even a heavy rain cloud at times, there was nothing. She blinked in surprise at the lack of Rainbow's signature prank on her. Was there something wrong? She looked around then, seeing no pony, walked slowly down the hallway.
A ghostly figure slid through the wall, looking away from her. Twilight smiled as she saw the translucent purple mane and silver horn poking through it. “Rarity,” she whispered, her body not allowing her to speak louder than Fluttershy.
“Oh!” Rarity replied, turning around and smiling as she saw her friend, “my dear! I'm so sorry I wasn't around when you woke! I try to be around to help you, but Pinkie asked me to come over to her house because she wanted to talk to me.”
“That's okay, Rarity,” Twilight replied softly. “What was it about?”
“Well, it was to help set up a party,” Rarity replied, gliding through the air until she hovered in front of Twilight, then she formed hooves out of herself and settled down to the ground. She didn't feel the ground, ghosts don't feel anything, but the fact that she was still trying to relate to her friends brought a smile to Twilight's face. “So, what's on the docket for today?” Rarity asked, stepping into stride with Twilight.
“I'm just going to go around town and check out the festivities for Nightmare Night,” Twilight replied. “That's all I have planned right now. I want to get ready for the biggest party of the year.”
Rarity nodded. “Well, then let's be off!” Twilight smiled as she followed the ghost of her friend down the hall, out into the entrance hall, then through the doors. Rarity literally went through them, while Twilight pushed them open with a mix of her bodily and magical strength. Rarity stood on the other side of the door smiling as she watched her friend open it. Twilight panted as she almost fell over, leaning against the door and looking around. Her eyes went wide as she saw what was in the large clearing around her castle.
“SURPRISE!”
Twilight smiled as she saw all five of her friends standing around a large cake while a banner hung in the still air above it, fixed to a pair of trees that were part of a small grove around her castle. Her eyes read the banner, her smile only growing wider as she read.
“Happy Nightmare Night, Twilight!” she whispered to herself. Her eyes twinkled as she looked at her five friends, each of them asking a question with their eyes. She nodded and felt each one embrace her gently, pulling her into a group hug. She couldn't help but rest her head on Rainbow's shoulder, breathing in her scent. Her nose picked up each, different scent.
Rainbow's was like an evening rainfall, while Fluttershy smelled like a cool, moonlit meadow. Both ponies carried a slight hint of copper, the only hint that they were both Vamponies. Applejack's scent was woody, like the orchards she tended with love and care, guiding each new generation of Apple farmers. She was the most difficult to know that something had changed. The woody scent would be hoofwaved away as part of her job, but Twilight knew that the smell was thicker since becoming a Timberpony. Pinkie was the one that stood out the most: fire and ash, mixed with sugar and pink. Twilight had no idea how Pinkie smelled pink, but she'd just ignored it. Pinkie had absorbed a demon, that was the fire and ash. How she'd done it, no pony may ever know.
Twilight stood there, hugging her friends of almost a millennium, and she felt the love and friendship flow into her, warming her body and bringing a bit of color back into her mane, tail, and coat. Finally they all separated and stood back. “Thanks girls,” she stated. “I needed that.”
“No problem, your highness,” Pinkie replied, smiling before she handed Twilight a cupcake. She held it as Twilight bit into it, slowly eating away at one of Pinkie's specialties. It wasn't just the sugar, but the sense of friendship and joy that Pinkie had put into the treat that made Twilight smile and her eyes tear up.
She felt something underneath her shift, almost hugging her hooves, and she shook her head.
“Hey, Twilight!” Rainbow called from near a low barrel. “Ya want ta bob for apples?”
Twilight nodded, slowly stepping down the path until she stood to one side of the barrel. “Of course! I'd love to!” She didn't notice the other four friends glance at her, then at each other, their eyes heavy and teary. Pinkie sniffled softly while Applejack hung her head.
“Why can't we help her?” Fluttershy asked.
“What can we do?” Rarity replied. “Immortality spells are out of my league, and I doubt Twilight would be able to perform much more than basic levitation and even that's a rare thing.”
“Couldn't we find somethin' like what happened ta us?” Applejack asked.
Rarity shook her head. “If we do something like that, she might die from the strain. This all happened to us a long time ago, and at that time we all thought Twilight would be fine as an Alicorn.”
“It wasn't until she went to the Badlands that she started to look like this,” Pinkie replied.
“So it's Queen Chrysalis' fault?” Fluttershy asked.
Pinkie shook her head, turning to look at Twilight who had her mane plastered to her body and water running down her face as she held an apple in her mouth and a smirk in her eyes. “No,” she said simply. “It's not her fault.”
Twilight turned to the four girls and her eyes twinkled. She tossed her head up and caught the apple in her mouth, chewing it before swallowing. She sighed and her eyelids drooped. She returned to the four of them, Rainbow following her and joining them. “Girls,” Twilight whispered, “I'm glad that you've done all this for me. I really couldn't ask for better friends. Since the Badlands, these have been the best three hundred years of my life.” The five ponies smiled, their eyes twinkling like her's. “I'm really tired now, so I think it's time for me to rest.”
“No problem Twilight,” Pinkie replied, stepping forward and letting her friend rest against her barrel. “Do you want some cake before you go?” Twilight nodded and let herself be led over to the table where Pinkie sliced a piece of cake for her.
Twilight let Pinkie feed her the cake, shuddering slightly as something shifted beneath her. The cake was delicious, a rich chocolate and raspberry filled pastry. It was one of the best Pinkie had made, in her opinion. She shuddered again as the sky dimmed, clouds moving in from the Everfree Forest and obscuring the sun.
Rainbow frowned as she glared up at the clouds. “We're not expecting a storm for another day or two,” she scowled, her mane flipping into her face by the wind that grew stronger. Leaves blew through the clearing, while the shadows seemed to grow deeper as the clouds grew thicker.
Twilight smiled up at Pinkie as the sun was completely blotted out, making the clearing almost like night. Faint wisps of dark blue mist poured into the clearing as five mares glanced around. Rainbow and Fluttershy bared their fangs, their eyes darting this way and that as they felt a presence, while Applejack's hairs stood on end and her eyes glowed emerald. Pinkie blinked in surprise as she stared at one end of the clearing, then spun around and stared at Twilight and slowly shook her head.
The wind and noise picked up, howling around the six mares until it sounded like laughter, Pinkie shivering at the sound. A figure coalesced from the shadows at the far end of the clearing, shadows dripping off the figure like oil until it revealed the midnight blue coat and galaxy mane of a pony that they hadn't seen in a long time. Each of the five gasped as they recognized the blue armor and long, sword-like horn coupled with the almost bat-like wings.
The figure laughed as the five gasped and said in unison, “Nightmare Moon!”
“Oh it's been so long since I've seen your sun-loving faces!” she cackled. “A hundred, no a thousand years? We've got a lot of catching up to do then. But, as I remember, things didn't go as smoothly as I had planned.”
“Yeah! We kicked your butt with the Elements of Harmony!” Rainbow shouted, lowering herself into position as she readied herself to leap at the dark Alicorn.
“Ah, yes. That's right,” Nightmare replied. “The Elements of Harmony. And I also remember that there was a single upstart that not only recognized me the first time, but was instrumental in my defeat. I suppose I should prevent such an interruption again.”
Nightmare's mane flared, flowing around her, then a beam magic shot from her horn and zipped past each of the five mares, who dodged aside to avoid the blast. Nightmare cackled, then the wind whipped her mane around her and she flew off in a large cloud of magic.
The five picked themselves up as they watched her fly away, huffing and growling at the intrusion. Each dusted themselves off and checked to make sure they had actually dodged the blast.
“Everypony okay?” Applejack inquired.
“I'm fine, but I really want to give that Nightmare a real battle!” Rainbow replied.
A gasp behind them pulled their attention away from the new threat and behind them. Pinkie stood over something huddled on the ground. The other mares gathered close to her and gasped as their eyes fell on their friend.
Twilight lay on the ground, her eyes wide and her mouth open slightly. A hole was burned through her barrel and blood pooled out of it onto the ground. She let loose a raspy breath as she turned her head to look up at the five, horrified mares. “Hi, girls,” she whispered, blood bubbling out of her muzzle.
Fluttershy sniffled. Rainbow Dash glared, though tears ran down her cheek. Rarity merely hovered. Applejack collapsed to the ground. Pinkie let her mane fall flat as she stared down at her.
“I guess we'll never know if I'll ever get immortality,” Twilight chuckled. “But I might see you later.” She let her head fall back down, her mane soaking up the blood that was pooling around her, as her eyes slowly closed and they watched as a few bubbles emerged from her mouth, then settle down and stop.
The clouds hung over the clearing, echoing the heaviness in the five mares' heart, as tears ran down their cheeks. Then, though starting out softly, one by one they began wailing. Every bit of their friendship flowed out of their mouths and into the dead air. A plip of water, then another, and another, until the very sky seemed to weep for their loss.

: : :

Hours went by as the mares sobbed, wept, wailed, and cried themselves hoarse. Finally it seemed as though all the tears had been released, as all five rose from their positions around their fallen friend and princess. They glanced at each other, their thoughts unified, as rivers of tears continued to flow down their cheeks. No words were said, none were needed, they knew what they needed to do. They all turned to the Everfree Forest as they made up their minds and began walking toward the looming canopy. As they walked, their steps grew heavier and faster as each pony changed.
Rainbow and Fluttershy shifted into their Vampony form. Applejack exploded in a burst of green magic as timber erupted from her coat to cover her like armor. Rarity seemed to become more corporeal, her eyes hardening. Pinkie Pie burst into flame, wings emerging from her back and her demon tail whipping about, slicing out parts of her cotton candy tail.
When they hit the edge of the forest they were running full tilt into the woods, their eyes hard and their minds focused on one goal: take revenge for Twilight.

: : :

An hour later they burst through the forest and emerged into the clearing across from the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, only to freeze at the sight before them. The castle had been transformed back to it's original glory. Spires rose from the battlements, stabbing into the cloudy sky while the castle walls were lined with ponies pacing back and forth on them. Windows, filled with glass, reflected the light from within and they could see shadows flashing past the windows.
Rainbow and Fluttershy focused on the walls, staring at the ponies perched above them. “Thestrals,” Rainbow growled. “Traitors.”
“There are almost three dozen from what we can see,” Fluttershy calmly stated, “and I suspect that is not all the force Nightmare Moon has.”
“Little good they'll do her,” Applejack rumbled, gouging the ground with her claws. “We'll just go right through every pony in our way.” Pinkie and Rarity nodded.
They all backed up, then barreled full speed toward the stone bridge that Twilight had built years ago, their hooves and claws cutting and shaving off shards of stone as they ran. They passed under the walls just as they heard somepony cry out. A dozen Thestrals rushed them, drawing steel blades as they ran.
The five mares smiled, then crashed into the bat ponies. Rainbow seized one in her hooves, slamming them down onto the ground and sinking her teeth into their neck and ripping it out with a twist of her body. Fluttershy merely snapped her hooves out, crushing the skulls of two more, before lashing out at a third that had leaped through the air to tackle Rainbow.
Applejack leaped onto the back of one, biting down on their neck and crushing their throat before twisting around and ripping their head from their body. She dropped both parts, then drove her claws through the throat of another.
Rarity lit her horn, wrenching the swords from the ponies before swinging them in a storm of steel. She moved through the battlefield, dodging her friends, but lashing out at each pony she could and letting the blades sink deep into the guards.
Pinkie merely smiled as she formed a flame whip from the air and flicking it out to rupture ponies' eyes, or sever ears from heads, or she would occasionally wrap a hoof or leg in her tool and pull, cutting the limb from the body.
The massacre was over in seconds. Dead lie around the five mares and they dripped with blood and ichor, their breathing steady. Another small army of Thestrals poured from the castle and into the clearing, drawing weapons and charging at them. The five mares just smiled, then leaped at the incoming foes.

: : :

The doors to the main castle cracked as something heavy slammed into them. They crumbled at the second strike. The five mares strolled in as easily as if they were walking through a meadow and they looked as if they'd just been in one, if that meadow was flooded with blood, body parts, and brain matter. Any pony that saw them would think they were getting too into Nightmare Night. Not much of their original coat color was visible. Rainbow's and Fluttershy's wings, leathery as they were, had small rivers of blood running off them. Applejack's fangs and maw dripped with blood, her eyes glowing green and her claws surely stained with the red liquid. Pinkie didn't stop smiling, though it bore a hint of sadistic joy that was very out of place for the joyful mare. Only Rarity was clean, though she released her magic on the swords, each one covered in blood and bodily fluids.
“You know, those are not easy to find.”
The five mares grinned as they looked up at the towering Alicorn sitting on an onyx throne. Her turquoise eyes thin and watchful.
“I'm sure you'll see them again,” Pinkie replied. “We'll even help you be reunited with them.”
Nightmare Moon smirked. “Funny.”
“It's not a joke.”
“I never said it was. Though I can't help but wonder why you would go through all the trouble to find me when I did you all a big favor.”
“A favor by killing our friend?!” Rainbow shouted, her voice making the ground around her shudder.
“Why yes,” Nightmare Moon replied. “She was old and frail.”
“She was findin' a way to become immortal!”Applejack cried.
“And what's more immortal than a spirit?” Nightmare Moon smiled, glancing at Rarity. She only replied with a glare.
“You made her leave before she was ready,” Fluttershy stated.
“Did I? I thought the Elements were friendship. Isn't friendship magic?” The question made the mares pause. “Isn't that what she was trying to teach you?”
“Friendship lessons are taught gently, not like this was!” Rainbow shouted, her wings flaring.
“Ah, but you'll remember this one for years to come.”
Rainbow snapped. She shot forward at barely lower than the speed of sound, her fangs bared and her eyes pulsing red. She came inches from Nightmare Moon's muzzle before twisting around and throwing her Vampony strength into a kick that sent the Alicorn's head slamming backward into her throne, cracking it. Rainbow grabbed her horn, slamming it down onto the ground and cracking the stone. She twisted around, throwing the Alicorn out of her throne and against a wall before snapping her hoof out and severing a column from its foundation. Rainbow seized it with her hooves and swung it into Nightmare Moon, throwing up a large cloud of dust.
Then she paused, breathing hard, as the dust started to settle. The only sound was Rainbow, while the others held their breath to see what would happen.
“You know, it's not nice to punch your host in the face when we're trying to have a serious conversation.”
The voice made every pony's face go white. The column glowed with dark blue magic and before Rainbow could move, it cracked in half and Nightmare Moon stood up and shook her coat clean, letting the dust and stone shards fall to the ground.
“But since you started this, shall I have a turn?”
Rainbow gulped and tensed her muscles to launch backward, only to freeze a moment before acting as her wings were seized in Nightmare Moon's magic. “You know, an Alicorn's horn is quite sensitive. I've only heard that a Pegasus pony's wings are equivalent.” Rainbow's eyes went wide as she felt her wing muscles strain as they were pulled. A scream pierced the air, a scream that no pony would have thought would come from Rainbow as she felt her wings strain and stretch. Nightmare Moon watched the Pegasus pony as she twisted the wings, releasing them before the skin and muscles tore. She grasped Rainbow's tail and swung her around, throwing her across the room and into another column.
“Rainbow!” the other four cried.
Nightmare Moon flapped her wings once, rising into the air and glaring down at the five mares. “Now then, let's teach you all a little lesson in friendship, one I made myself.” She grasped the column that Rainbow had dented, collapsing it around the stunned mare before picking up another chunk of stone and lobbing it toward the other four. They all dodged to the side, diving out of the way.
Applejack rolled a few hooves and sprung up onto her hooves, only to see a dark blue hoof connect to her cheek and throwing her back against the stone. She grunted and shook her head, then jumped up and onto the stone, her eyes glowing. She launched off the stone, shooting toward Nightmare Moon and slammed into her. She bit down, sinking her fangs into the Alicorn's neck. Her tongue was flooded with the taste of copper and she ran the tip along the neck. She felt a small scar along the neck, but before she could think more, she was grabbed by a hoof and torn off the throat. Her mouth dripped with blood as she was slammed into the ground, letting out a gasp of pain.
She blinked and rolled to the side to avoid a pair of hooves embedding themselves into her stomach, then lashed out with her hind legs and catching the mare in the side, throwing her away from herself.
Pinkie was right where she landed, reaching out with a flaming whip and lashing it across her flank as Pinkie skipped to the side. Nightmare Moon growled, then flared her wings and bit down on Pinkie's tail, whipping through the air as it were. Pinkie found herself lifted into the air by her tail before being slammed into the stone ground, leaving a crater. Before she could move, she found one of her flaming wings pierced with a spear of black stone, the stone stabbing right through the muscle and pulling a screech from her. Her head was forced back by Nightmare Moon's mane before being slammed into the ground, her horns catching and embedding themselves into cracks that had formed. Pinkie struggled to pull them free, only to lose her breath as Nightmare Moon drew back a hoof and smashed it into her stomach, cracking a few ribs and making it hard to breath.
Nightmare Moon drew back her hoof again, coating it in ice, but was prevented from slamming it into Pinkie's stomach by a sharp stone that sunk itself into her flank. She grunted, then glared at Rarity who hung in the shadows by the column that buried Rainbow. A second shard of stone launched itself toward Nightmare Moon, only to embed itself into Pinkie as Nightmare Moon pulled the pink pony up and used as a shield. Pinkie let out a cough of blood, splattering the stone with the red liquid, before Nightmare Moon dropped her unceremoniously onto the ground. Nightmare Moon wrenched the stone from her flank, sending a spray of blood onto the ground and Pinkie, before flaring her magic and changing the stone into a clear crystal. Rarity gasped as the stone shot forward from Nightmare Moon's grasp and sunk into her ghostly body, impaling her to the wall. She squirmed and shrieked as pain lanced through her spirit.
Nightmare Moon sighed, standing straight and shaking her head to clear her mind. Then her head snapped to one side as a yellow blur connected to her cheek. Before she had time to blink she was thrown against the wall, then gasped for breath as two hooves impacted her stomach, blowing out all her air. She coughed, trying to get air into her lungs when her muzzle snapped to the side and her cheek burned with pain, then snapped to the other side. A hoof connected to her chin, causing her to bite down on her tongue and her mouth to fill with the copper taste of blood, then a yellow hoof grabbed her horn and thrust it down to the ground, burying her face into the rubble strewn ground. Somepony seized her wing, twisting until a snap echoed through the chamber and she let out a scream of pain, redoubled as her other wing snapped. Her eyes were blurry with tears and pain and she grit her teeth, blood squirting out from between them, and growled. She pushed herself up and lit her horn, grabbing Flutterbat and throwing her away.
Only to have an orange pair of hooves connect to her stomach and knock her away. She gasped then her world blurred. She could only feel pain as it blossomed in her flank, her side, her head, her horn, and her neck. When her vision cleared, she found herself lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling while Rainbow Dash dropped through the air toward her. Her eyes went wide as she realized that Rainbow held a sword in her hooves, and she couldn't think to move before the blade was driven through her neck, where her scar was, and into the ground with the screeching sound of metal on stone. Blood sprayed from her mouth as Rainbow landed on top of her, forcing out her breath. She raised her hoof to shove the aggressive Vampony away, only to feel pain light up her hoof as something bit into it.
Applejack crouched with her hoof in her mouth and bit down, blood dripping from both her mouth and Nightmare Moon's hoof, and she could feel Applejack's teeth grind against her bone. White hot pain enveloped one haunch and she saw the sadistic smile of Pinkie Pie looming in her peripheral while Flutterbat wrestled with her other hoof as she tried to lift it, wrenching it in an odd angle and snapping the bone.
Nightmare Moon sobbed. Pain assaulted her mind from every part of her body, her breath leaked out in gurgles, and blood dripped from her wounds and splashed onto the ground. She lit her horn, only to feel more pain stab into her brain like lightning as Rainbow Dash reached up and bit down on her horn, canceling out her magic in a shower of sparks.
“S-stop!” She gurgled, blood bubbling up around the sword in her throat.
“Stop?” Rainbow asked. “You want us to stop? Twilight never asked to stop. She never asked for any of this!” She bit down and Nightmare Moon gurgled as teeth scraped horn.
“Twilight never asked to die,” Flutterbat whispered.
“She never asked to leave us,” Applejack whimpered through her mouthful of hoof.
“She never asked for the party to end,” Pinkie Pie replied, sniffling slightly as her eyes watered.
“She loved each of us,” Rainbow muttered and Nightmare Moon felt water fall onto her horn and into her mane.
“She brought us together,” Applejack sniffled.
“She made us who we are,” Flutterbat muttered.
“She was our friend, and we are her's,” they all said softly.
Nightmare Moon blinked, her eyes softening and tearing up. “Girls,” she whispered, reaching a hoof up and wrapping it around Rainbow's barrel, pulling her down onto her belly. Rainbow let herself collapse onto the Alicorn's belly, as the dam broke and all the mares sobbed as their feelings caught back up to them. Nightmare Moon watched as each mare collapsed around her, the steady plip of tears falling onto the stone floor as they let go and sobbed.
Nightmare Moon lay there, impaled to the ground as she was, letting each mare sob for a time before their cries were replaced with gentle breathing. She felt the five press up next to her, each one holding onto a limb, while Rainbow drooled slightly into her barrel. She sighed, then lit her horn. It glowed with a dark blue magic, then softened into a lavender color.
“I guess this is where this trick ends,” she whispered, yanking out the sword from her throat. She coughed a bit as the wound closed and her throat healed. She set the blade aside, careful not to wake the five, then wrapped each mare in her magic and teleported out from underneath them with a burst of dark blue magic. She reappeared a little to the side and stood up, shaking her wings and popping her joints as they mended and fused back together. She closed her eyes and recalled Nightmare Moon back into her. Her coat lightened to her normal lilac, while her mane brightened from a midnight sky to a twilight one, purple and orange erupting into being at the bottom part, like a sunset or sunrise. She blinked her eyes as they went from turquoise to white, though they retained their slit iris, and she fluffed her wings as the leathery skin split into feathers.
As the transformation receded, Twilight Sparkle stood over her friends, held in her magic, then teleported back to her previous spot. She held the girls close and ran a hoof through Rainbow's mane as the five slept. “I'm sorry that this went as long as it did,” she whispered, “I didn't mean for it to cause so much pain.” She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting sleep overtake herself.

: : :

Twilight stirred awake, yawning slightly as she pulled Rainbow closer. She smiled as she opened her eyes and saw the other five mares around her, each one snuggling close to her. Then her mind reviewed the day before. “It wasn't supposed to be like that,” she whispered, lighting her horn and letting the magic wash over her friends, healing their wounds and freeing Rarity from the wall. She sighed, then decided that she should talk to her friends about yesterday. She leaned down and snuggled Rainbow Dash, poking her muzzle into her ear. “Girls,” she said softly, then louder, “girls!”
The five groaned, then rolled, then moaned as they were pulled out of their sleep by her voice. It took them each a few minutes to wake, but Pinkie was the first to roll over and open her eyes, staring at Twilight.
“That was a nasty trick, Twilight,” she pouted, standing and stretching. She rubbed her back, flexing her shoulders and wagging her tail as her demon tail poked out from the cotton candy fluff.
Twilight blushed and smiled. “Sorry.”
“Twilight?” Rainbow moaned as she blinked a few times, focusing on the pony that she was laying on. “Where did you come from?”
“I've been here the whole time, Rainbow.”
“Now that don't make sense,” Applejack replied, stretching as she stood.
“It's the truth. I'd like to explain soon, when everypony's awake.”
“Well, then we won't have to wait long,” Rarity replied, floating over to the group. “Fluttershy's the only one still out.”
Rainbow Dash rolled over and moved down to Fluttershy, then knelt down and nuzzled the yellow Pegasus. “Matron,” she whispered, “it's time to awake. Twilight has something to tell us.”
Fluttershy murmured, then rolled over and blinked as she looked up at Rainbow. She smiled, then raised a hoof and ran it through Rainbow's mane, giving her a small smile. “You did really good yesterday,” she stated, “I'm proud of you.”
“Thanks, Matron,” Rainbow replied, nuzzling her Lady.
Fluttershy stood and stretched, spreading her wings out and flapped them a few times. Then she turned to look at Twilight and smiled, a glint in her eye. “When did you get here, Twilight? And what's up with your eyes? I didn't bite you to bring you back from the dead, did I?” she asked.
Twilight shook her head. “No, I'm fine and you didn't do anything. Well, nothing to save me that is. And my eyes are a sign of my acquisition.” The other five mares raised an eyebrow and Twilight sighed. “Let me tell you all what happened, but first,” she said, then dropped down into a deep bow. “I'm so sorry that my trick went as far as it did. Nightmare wasn't trying to hurt you all, we just wanted to make Nightmare Night something to remember.”
“What?” Applejack asked while the rest blinked in stunned silence. “What do you mean, Nightmare? As in Nightmare Moon?”
Twilight nodded, her head low to the ground. “I met Nightmare about a hundred years ago,” she related. “I found her in a specter form, lingering in this castle. She was the only pony that we didn't try to share the magic of friendship with. We all assumed that she was just something inside Luna, but when I felt her roaming about, I looked into spells to speak with spirits and forces. When I cast it and was able to communicate to her, I found that she'd been there for almost seven hundred years, having found herself back there and unable to move beyond the chasm that holds the Tree of Harmony. I was originally hesitant to reveal much about what was going on outside the forest, but as we became friends I opened up to her, telling her what was happening and things that I knew. By that time, I had been out of the loop for about two hundred years and didn't know much about the recent world. But she didn't mind. She wanted to learn more about the world after we freed Luna from her.
Eventually I made a suggestion. We could merge, but that I would be in control. In exchange I would give her access to my thoughts and knowledge. She spent a day or two thinking about it before she accepted. She wouldn't be in control of a body unless I gave it to her, but the draw of my knowledge and power was too much to ignore. She didn't know how long she'd be here after I left, nor did she know if somepony would come along and talk with her as I did.”
“So, Nightmare Moon's inside you?” Rainbow asked and Twilight nodded.
“Could we talk with her?” Fluttershy inquired.
“Of course!” Twilight replied. “She wants to talk with you all and say something herself.” She closed her eyes and breathed out. As the girls watched, her coat dimmed and darkened, turning midnight blue, while her wings molted and flapped a few times as leathery membranes grew. Her mane darkened and sparkled as stars and galaxies twinkled into existence. Finally Twilight opened her eyes and they shifted from lavender to turquoise. Her mouth fell open and they watched as her teeth sharpened into fangs. She shook her whole body, then smiled. The other mares blinked and smiled back.
Then Nightmare fell forward into a low bow. “I'm sorry,” she sniffled. “I'm so sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to hurt you all as much as I did. It was never our intention to cause so much pain. We only wanted to play a trick on you five. We know that you're all immortal and that you're worried about Twilight, that's why she spent as much time in here as she did.”
She felt a hoof on her chin and she looked up to see Applejack smiling down at her. “And what does she get outta yer deal?” she asked.
“Immortality,” Nightmare replied. “We're immortal myself, as the embodiment of nightmares, and as long as there are dreams and nightmares, we exist. And now, because Twilight and we have merged, so is she.”
“So, yesterday was a dream?” Rainbow asked.
Nightmare shook her head. “And we're so sorry for the pain and sorrow we put you all through. It was never our intention to go that long,” she replied.
The five mares stared at Nightmare, each taking a turn in stretching and straining each muscle that the day before had been put through such a workout. Rainbow flexed her wings, cooing as she felt the knots work out of her muscles. Pinkie rolled her shoulders and formed her flaming wings, flapping them a few times before recalling them.
“You know,” Rarity stated as she rubbed the place where she'd been stabbed by the stone, “if yesterday wasn't a dream, why don't we feel the pain any more?”
Nightmare perked up. “Oh! It's because we cast a healing spell over all of you while you slept! Twilight was quite useful in that aspect. You wouldn't believe how many spells she knows!”
Fluttershy chuckled. “That's our Twilight for you,” she replied.
The six mares pulled each other into a hug, smiling at each other.
“So, does this mean we're all immortal?” Pinkie asked.
Nightmare nodded. “Yes, Pinkie,” she replied. “We're all immortal. We'll never have to part again.”
Pinkie just smiled.
“Hey, Nightmare,” Rainbow asked, “if you were here with Twilight for the past hundred years, who was it that lived in her castle?”
“Yeah, and where did you get all those guards from? Did you borrow them all from Luna?” Fluttershy asked.
Nightmare shook her head. “No, we got the guards from a good friend of ours, and they're all doing well. They have an amazing healing ability. As for Twilight, well we had a friend that was really good at imitation.” The five mares nodded, then leaned in for another hug, this one ending as all six fell asleep, dreaming of eternity and spending it with each other.