When Twilight woke up, Spike immediately fell in her arms.
"Twilight, thank Celestia you’re fine. I feared the worst!" said Spike with tears of joy in her eyes.
"Well, good that you're fine as well, Spike. Where are we now?" asked Twilight, half dazed.
"They put us in this cage and are bringing us to Nightmare Moon!" Twilight was immediately awake.
"Oh, no!"
Twilight looked around except for the guards around the cage, she only saw trees, but she recognized this spot. They were deep in the Everfree Forest.
"There is only one place where they could bring us ... and we are almost there!" realized Twilight.
"Any ideas on how we can get out of here?" Spike asked, but in reply he got a little snort from behind him.
Twilight and Spike turned around to see the captain walking behind the carriage staring scowling. “Stay ... alive...? " Twilight slowly replied.
When the Castle of the Two Sisters was in sight, it was far from what Twilight had expected.
The castle offered her a horrible picture of darkness in her eyes. It was shrouded in a purplish light, which made it look more frightening than it certainly was, whereas the great building and the three Great Towers in the middle of the castle, in their deep blue, carried the darkness of the night itself. And at the top of the highest tower was a huge glowing crescent moon.
She just could not stop screaming internally in her anger. Everything just went wrong, what could have gone wrong and now they were helpless at the mercy of Nightmare Moon. But her anger faded moments later as she realized how hopeless things are for her and Spike. She sighed. Nightmare Moon will surely throw her and Spike in the dungeon where they'll never get out again, and that will surely be the end of their adventure.
After a few, for Twilight eternally long, minutes the carriage stopped finally at the gate of the castle.
The guards formed a circle around the carriage as the captain walked to the cage and opened the cage.
"Your ride is over, Princess!"
Twilight and Spike silently followed the captain's instructions, and as soon as they came out of the cage, they instantly got chains attached all over them.
"Just to make sure. Move on now, you little troublemaker. The queen is waiting!"
With all the guards behind the Duo, Twilight and Spike followed the Captain into the palace. When she entered the castle, Twilight and Spike initially saw complete darkness. But then, one after another, blue shining torches lit up to their sides, illuminating the lobby in an unreal blue light. The captain led the way through the empty entrance hall and led them upstairs to the throne room.
Twilight would have found the way herself as she knew the castle of the two sisters pretty well after all the events, that happened here and even when everything looked different, it was, essentially the same castle where she and her friends defeated Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony. But that didn't matter anymore as the Duo entered the throne room with the guards. Nothing mattered in her eyes anymore.
The queen looked curiously at the prisoners who were brought to her and she could throw her guards herself into the dungeon for this.
They actually brought her a highborn alicorn in chains like the worst criminal as well as her little dragon! Nightmare Moon rose from her throne and stalked slowly toward the captain, and when he looked up at her as proudly, like he is about to get promoted, she had the utmost trouble not to lose her temper.
"I demand an explanation, Captain! Why do I see here the first Alicorn, that Equestria has seen in years, in Chains with her pet?!?"
The captain immediately lost his confidence.
"Well um ... my queen, ... she broke into the old Castle of Canterlot while ... the dragon sounded alarm ... and half ... Canterlot ....panicked."
The captain kept getting smaller as Nightmare Moon came closer and closer while speaking, staring more and more furiously.
"So, a bigger disturbance and a break in into an empty castle. And that's IT?!? THAT'S YOUR REASON TO PUT A HIGHBORN ALICORN IN CHAINS!?! AWAY WITH YOU ALL! SHOULD SOMETHING LIKE THIS EVER HAPPEN AGAIN, YOU'RE WILL REGRET TO BE BORN! The guards bowed quickly and ran out of the throne room to avoid annoying their queen even further. And where there were a handful of hardened soldiers before, only Twilight and Spike remained in her shadow, chained and panicking internally, while Nightmare Moon looked at them calmly.
A huge black alicorn with a mane, as deep dark blue and glittering as the night sky. But it was not her look or her elaborate silver armor. It was these piercing, scary, green eyes that scared Twilight so much even when they looked at Twilight almost lovingly. She used a quick spell and Twilight and Spike were instantly released of their chains.
"Excuse me for all those inconveniences. Sometimes I think these barbaric yaks could be more civilized than my guards. But allow me to make up for it. Come, you and your dragon and be my guests, princess .... well ....?"
"...Twilight Sparkle." finished Twilight her sentence still half in shock.