"Come now, Luna, those faces weren't very lady-like."
A chill colder than a Windigo's breath shot down the alicorn's spine. That voice... No...
"Really now? You won't even look me in the eyes? But, my dear, it's been so long..."
Was it curiosity? Was it some kind of magic? Luna didn't know. She only knew that it was against her better judgment to look at the talking mirror. Still, she couldn't help herself. The pony looked up, straight into a pair of glowing eyes. The reflection of her face slowly twisted itself into the black visage of her former alter-ego. "Nightmare Moon..."
The black alicorn smiled. "That's all you have to say to me? For shame..."
If any expression was to be found upon Luna's face, it was one of calm composure. "You and I are no longer one. By what black magic have you returned?"
"I see that Celestia has been feeding you her typical lies. You and I will always be one and the same. You tasted evil, and you liked it."
Luna snorted angrily at the condescending mention of her sister. "I was not evil. That was jealousy. My mind was weak, and you took advantage of that. Nothing more!"
"Call it whatever you want, dear." Nightmare Moon calmly waved off Luna's retort. "But you mustn't be so modest. It was your magic that gave us this form. Excellent job, by the way; very...evil..."
"Jealousy and evil are not the same thing." Luna insisted.
Up until now, Nightmare Moon's expression had been peaceable enough. But it was clear that her patience was wearing thin. Her eyes flashed brightly and Luna staggered backward, holding the side of her head. "Nnnh!" Whatever the black mare had done, it felt like her very mind had been split into pieces.
"Silence! Your stubborn ignorance is infuriating! I am just as much a part of you as the stars are a part of the night! We are like a coin; opposites, yet two halves of the same whole. No matter how much you want to be rid of me, it will never come to pass; you created me, and I am here to stay!"
The alicorn princess cracked an eye to glare at the entity taunting her. Only about half of what Nightmare Moon had just said had actually sunk in; thinking had become somewhat of a painful activity. "My...magic might have created you, but...only because you forced me... It was not of my own accord..."
"Deny it all you want, foal, but we are the same; you cannot exist without me. When ponies look at you, what do you think they see? It isn't what you think it is... Benevolent ruler? Hah! Everypony is afraid of you... You will never be viewed like your sister..."
"I don't need them to see me like Celestia... I will make everypony see me...for me..."
"Stubborn as ever, I see. Very well. Two can play at that game!" The same cyan glow issued forth from Nightmare Moon's eyes once again, and Luna collapsed onto the floor.
The attack had come so quickly that Luna had had no time to cry out. The explosion within her psyche had been crippling and she could feel a dark presence seeping through the small fragments of her mind, reaching outward, seeking purchase with its shadowy tendrils. It was suffocating to the point where the princess actually had trouble breathing. Her vision began waning; dark tentacles started growing from the edges of her sight. What little magic she could conjure would be of little use. Her mind was failing, steadily succumbing to Nightmare Moon's magic. Nightmare Moon was right; I am e-
A sharp, blaring alarm cut through the black cloud enveloping the princess' senses, restoring some of her free will. The clock! Where did I leave it? Luna desperately searched the small part of her mind that was still available, trying to remember its location. There! A magic glow ripped the clock off of the nightstand and threw it into the mirror. The shattered glass exploded outward from the magical force that had slammed the clock into it. A wayward shard grazed the alicorn's cheek, and the shock from it snapped her from her trance. Finally freed from Nightmare Moon's spell, Luna could begin to recover. The first step to that recovery? The prompt loss of consciousness.
-------------------------
When Rarity had earlier said her mind was too busy to allow her any opportunity to sleep, she wasn't kidding. Sure, she had tried, but after seeing the state Rainbow Dash had been in, there wasn't the slightest chance. The white unicorn lay upon her bed, hooves crossed before her. She peered intently at a magically floating needle and thread through a small pair of glasses perched on the end of her muzzle. A sigh of frustration escaped her mouth as she watched the needle systematically work its way through the fabric. This was the third time, tonight, that she had missed a stitch. Not again... Rarity picked up a pair of sewing scissors and began undoing the mistake. I certainly hope Twilight is doing all right... Poor dear... Stay strong...for all of us...
The white unicorn looked from her work at a noise like someone turning over (and over) in their bed. "Spike, dear? Are you all right?"
The little dragon continued tossing and turning in his small bed, murmuring in a nearly unintelligible manner. "No... N-nagh! No...Twil -Twilight...!" Suddenly the dragonling sat bolt upright, causing Rarity to jump. "Aaah!" He looked around in a panic, tightly clutching a stuffed pony.
"Are you all right, Spike?" the unicorn asked. "It looked as if you were having quite the nightmare."
"H-huh!?" The dragon jumped at the voice and hugged the toy tighter against him. After a second of staring at the violet-maned pony, he glanced down at the stuffed one in his arms. "I-I'm fine!" he quickly stammered, hiding the pony behind his back. "Yup! Just fine! No nightmares here!" This might have been more convincing if he hadn't been blushing hotly.
Rarity let out a relieved sigh. "Good, because I'm simply terrified."
"Never fear, milady! I'll protect you!" Spike proclaimed, giving a brave salute...and forgetting the stuffed pony in his grasp. It gave a small squeak as it hit the side of his head.
The unicorn couldn't help but give a small laugh as the dragon began blushing again. "It's quite all right, dear. You don't have to hide anything."
"But I'm not!" Spike insisted.
The pony raised an eyebrow and affixed him with a disbelieving look. "Come now, darling; do you really think I've never seen Sweetie Belle have a nightmare? It's nothing new to me. Besides, with what happened today, I hardly think anypony could blame you for having one."
The purple-scaled dragonling sat down heavily. "Why...why did they do that? Why did they take Twilight?"
"I haven't the foggiest idea, Spike. Sometimes things just happen."
"But why do they happen? Twilight hasn't done anything to deserve this."
"I...don't have the answer to that. But you shouldn't worry about it; the princesses are working to find a solution. I wouldn't be surprised if they have something figured out by tomorrow. Try and go back to sleep, dear."
"Hmph..." The dragon snorted, blowing a small puff of green-tinged smoke from his nostrils. "I wish I could. I can't stop thinking about whether or not Twilight's okay."
I'm sure she's fine. Twilight would never let herself be outsmarted by some ruffian. She's much too smart for that."
Just as Rarity had seen through his facade earlier, so too did Spike see through hers now. "Don't tell me not to worry when you haven't slept at all for the same reason. I can see it in your eyes."
Slightly taken aback, the white pony looked to a mirror across the room and winced. Even at this distance, it was jokingly obvious that a night without sleep didn't help one's complexion. "Eughh... Perhaps you're right. I look simply dreadful. Anyway, back to what you said, Spike. Yes, I am worried. Not only for Twilight, but for Fluttershy and Applejack as well. We couldn't have picked a more inopportune time to have left them behind. No sooner had the Princess sent her guards after Philomena than Canterlot's weather teams reported a storm building directly in their path. I fear that they never reached Ponyville..." Rarity's careful magic removed the glasses from her snout for a moment, so she could rub her tired eyes. She sighed with fatigue. "Something tells me that the two of them are in great danger."
"What do you suppose it is?" Spike asked, leaning upon the end of the pony's bed.
"I'm afraid I don't know. I couldn't even tell you why it's troubling me."
Spike let his face fall into the downy comforter. "Darn. I could have used some good news to put my mind at ease." he mumbled around his mouthful of bedding. His mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and activity. It bears no explanation that Twilight was first on his mind. Like Rarity, something inside him kept telling him that his friend was not okay. He sighed and looked up. "What's that?"
"Oh, this?" Rarity held up the lavender fleece that the young dragon was pointing at. "It's a little something that..." She paused for an instant at the thought of her close friend before continuing. "It's a little something that Twilight asked me to work on. She told me that you were in need of a new blanket."
"Ooh! That looks awesome." Spike proclaimed, reaching for the fabric.
The magic holding the blanket quickly pulled it away from the dragon's outstretched claw. "Heavens, no. I would hardly call this 'awesome.' If anything, I would call it quite the opposite. I've had a terrible lack of inspiration lately; I've had no idea what to do with this project."
"I don't understand. It's just a blanket. It doesn't have to be fancy."
"I shouldn't expect you to understand, dear. It's just something that I, as an artist of sorts, have to struggle with. Besides, just because it's called a blanket doesn't mean it has to be blank."
The little dragon shrugged. "Whatever." His curiosity had the better of him however, and he couldn't help but watch as Rarity went to work again. He hopped up onto the bed to get a better view.
No response came from the unicorn; her attention was focused on the edge of the fabric and the needle pulling a dark purple thread through it. "Spike, be a dear and fetch me another spool of this color thread, would you?"
"Of course!" He pushed himself off the bed and jogged over to the diamond-marked saddlebags. The spool of thread greeted him as he lifted their flap. Grabbing the requested item, he returned to the bed. "What's it for?"
The jewel-marked pony carefully stuck the violet thread through the eye of her needle before answering. "I'm using it to hem the edges of the blanket. We can't have any frayed edges, now can we?"
"I guess not..." Honestly, Spike wasn't overly interested in the intricacies of needlework and his attention span quickly waned, as did his ability to stay awake. Within the hour he was fast asleep again, using a certain pony's flank as a pillow.
The night progressed in this manner for several hours. It turns out that all Rarity needed to stimulate the creative juices was an hour of heavy thought. Stitch by stitch, the blanket began taking shape. "There we are! Finished at last!" The unicorn released her hold on the needle and held up the completed product. The square piece of fabric now sported a handsome spiral stitching around its edge, while the lower right corner was dominated by a very familiar design; a large, six-pointed magenta star, surrounded by five smaller white stars.
A glance at the available clock revealed sunrise to be roughly forty-five minutes away. The nearby mirror revealed Rarity's mane to be somewhat less than well-kept. With one fluid motion, the mare replaced herself under the dragon's head with an actual pillow and pulled the finished blanket over him. Smiling, she lightly touched her muzzle to his small head before slipping off the bed. A fine-bristled brush appeared from her pink saddlebags and floated over to the mirror. An unkempt mane is a travesty of the highest degree when looking to meet with royalty. Repeated strokes of the brush through her violet curls soon had everything in order however. "Ah! Much better!" she proclaimed. The white pony tiptoed to the door, taking care to make as little noise as possible.
"Good morning, Miss Rarity." The pegasus guard stationed at her door greeted her warmly. "Is there something I might assist you with?"
"Indeed. Earlier tonight, Princess Luna asked me if I wished to join her in her study. Might you be able to direct me to her chambers?"
"Yes and no." he responded at length. "I do know where Her Highness' chambers are located, but it would be against my orders to let you roam the palace unsupervised. The safety of you and your friends is priority number one."
"Ah yes, that's right. If it isn't too much of an imposition then, might you be able to take me there instead?"
"Think nothing of it. It would be my pleasure. Follow me."
Perhaps it was just her fatigue, but Rarity thought the palace to be oddly quiet, even for the early morning. "It's terribly quiet, isn't it?" she asked, attempting to break the monotonous clicking of hooves upon marble.
"I agree. Something seems off. Something about the atmosphere feels...apprehensive." After numerous hallways and flights of stairs, the pair of ponies entered the palace's royal wing. Roughly halfway down the hallway, another pegasus guard stood at attention. "Lieutenant Jet Stream!"
The pony turned to face the new visitors. "At ease, soldier. What can I do for you, Miss Rarity?"
"Do you know if Princess Luna is still awake?" Rarity inquired. "Earlier tonight, she extended an offer to me to help her with her studies."
"I see. As far as I know, she's still awake. Let me check." Jet Stream turned briskly and raised a hoof. Just as he knocked, a tremendous crash, akin to glass breaking, caused all three of the ponies to jump.
"What in Equestria was that!?" the white mare gasped, her heart pounding inside her chest.
There was no time for a verbal answer. Jet Stream spun around to forcefully introduce his hooves to the door with a mighty kick. Such an action was unnecessary to open an unlocked door, but no less effective. His heart nearly leapt from his chest at the sight. An instant later, he was at the alicorn's side. "Princess Luna, your Majesty! Breeze, fetch the infirmary staff! Quickly!"
"Yes, sir!" The guard behind Rarity was gone in the blink of an eye.
The look upon the Element of Generosity's face as she walked into the room said everything that was on her mind. Mirror shards and clockwork pieces littered the ground around the two ponies. "Celestia above... What happened in here...?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. But we haven't the time to look into that now. It is clear that an attack was made upon Her Majesty Luna. Her sister must be informed immediately."
"Shall I run next door and fetch her?"
"Negative. Her Majesty Celestia left the palace earlier tonight."
"Left?" Rarity repeated. "Left for where?" Her blue eyes widened with shock as Jet Stream explained.
"The escorts sent with General Headwind to locate your friends have returned, lacking a chariot. It fell from the sky somewhere over the Everfree Forest."
Oh no... I knew something was wrong... "Do you know anything else?" the mare asked hopefully.
"Regrettably, I do not. As we speak, the Princess is leading a search party for them. Regardless, she must be brought up to speed. How, though?"
The thought-laden silence was stifling. Finally, the unicorn's eyes lit up. "Spike! That's it!"
"Beg pardon, Miss Rarity?"
"Twilight Sparkle's assistant and our good friend." the mare explained. "He could send the Princess a message for us! I'll go wake him!" Without waiting, she quickly made for the door.
"Hold on, Miss Rarity. Allow me to escort you back to your room."
"What about the Princess?" The Element of Generosity glanced past the lieutenant to the unconscious alicorn.
"Her Majesty was found unconscious in her bedchambers. Whether or not it was an attempt on her life remains to be seen. Either way, she is not in a condition to rule. Canterlot law dictates that if either of the Royal Sisters is deemed unfit to rule, for whatever reason, any and all duties will be deferred to the able sister. If both sisters are unable to rule, duties are passed down through the military hierarchy to the currently acting General, which, at the moment, happens to be me. I am placing the royal city on lockdown; nopony will be entering, nopony will be leaving until further notice. As I do not know if Princess Luna's attacker is still within the palace premises, the safety of the Elements of Harmony is now more important than ever."
The sprint back to the mare's room seemed to take an eternity. The very air was thick and oppressive; almost saturated with evil. Tonight was not a night for doors to be opened gently, either, and the following crash roused Spike from his slumber instantly. He shot upright, as if forced by a spring, clutching his blanket in fright, just as Rarity's magic tried to yank it off of him. The result was quite comical, with the baby dragon dangling, wide-eyed, from the blanket suspended before the white pony's muzzle.
"Aaah! What is it!? What's going on!?" he babbled nonsensically.
"Spike, darling! Quickly! We must send a message to the Princess!"
Oddly enough, the dragonling remained attached to the blanket while he continued his rapid-fire questions. "H-hunh? Why? For what? Besides, I thought Celestia was here anyway..."
The unicorn shook her head, fighting to reclaim her lost breath (and wishing for a glass of water). "No..." she wheezed. "She went out to look for...Fluttershy and Applejack..."
Jet Stream took over the conversation as Rarity excused herself to track down a drink of water. "Their chariot went down over the Everfree Forest, but that is not important at the moment. Something has happened concerning Her Excellency's sister, and it is imperative that we contact her as soon as possible. Would you assist us, Master Spike?"
"Imperative, huh? You got it! Need a letter sent? I'm your dragon!" In the space of a few seconds, he had produced a quill and parchment. "Let me have it!"
"As you wish." the lieutenant replied. "I do hope that you'll pardon the impromptu letter, your Majesty, but a matter of the utmost importance has arisen. I have discovered your sister unconscious, yet alive, within her chambers, surrounded by broken glass, with a bleeding cut upon her cheek. Proper medical procedures have been taken, and, as per Canterlot law, I have assumed temporary rule in your absence. I will also be placing the city under lockdown until such a time as you see fit to say otherwise. I await your swift return. Sincerely, Lieutenant General Jet Stream."
"E-A-M... Got it!"
The pegasus stallion bowed his head in gratitude. "You have my thanks, Master Spike, and I am in your debt. Would you be so kind as to send it?"
Spike's claws were a blur as he twirled the parchment into a roll. "Way ahead of you." The iron hinges of the window, stiff from years of little use, creaked at its outward movement. A wisp of sparkling green flame curled out onto the night air, headed for the sea of trees that was the Everfree Forest.
"There is nothing more we can do; it is out of our hooves now." Jet Stream remarked flatly. "Miss Rarity, Master Spike, if you'll excuse me, I must see to the lockdown preparations. I will have a guard posted back at your door within five minutes. Until Her Majesty Celestia says otherwise, you and your friends shall be under constant protective surveillance. I apologize for the extreme measures, but luck favors the prepared, as they say."
Rarity nodded respectfully. "Of course."
"Wow..." Spike let out his held breath after the lieutenant had left. "That letter sounded serious... Things aren't looking too good right now, are they?"
The mare let out a long sigh, and the dragon saw that beautiful, confident gleam in her blue eyes fade as she did so. "No...they're not. This is far worse than anything that we've ever had to deal with in the past, and things will continue to get worse. I can feel it inside me, and it...troubles me deeply..."
"If it helps, I'll always be right here." Spike promised quietly.
The pretty white pony smiled softly and gave a small laugh. She extended a foreleg around the dragon and gently pulled him to her side in a friendly hug. "I wouldn't have it any other way." she murmured, lightly kissing the top of his head. "Thank you, Spike..."
-------------------------
"Y'all bring her back here this instant!"
Applejack's angry shouts echoed down the stone hallway, finally reaching Twilight's ears. The filthy strip of cloth shoved into her mouth prevented any understandable speech, so her reply sounded something like this: "Mmmmhhhmm! Mmm!" The corded loop around her neck dug painfully into her skin with her frantic escape efforts. "Mmmhh!"
From somewhere in the darkness caused by her unwanted blindfold, Twilight heard a voice rife with irritation. "Damnit! We put that in your mouth so you would stay quiet! Shut up!"
The helpless mare let out a muffled scream as a hard hoof collided with her cheek. "Mmmphmm!"
"Didn't you hear me!? Or do you want more!? I said quiet!"
The next blow hit Twilight in the other side of her mouth. This time she remained silent for fear of another blow. The acrid flavor of the blood seeping into her already foul-tasting gag helped a little bit too. She wanted so badly to spit it out, but any attempt to do so would probably result in another slap. She had two choices: Swallow the disgusting fluid, or end up choking on it instead. She had a hard enough time breathing around the gag as it was, but she wasn't ready to give up just yet, so swallowing it was. A small whimper was her answer to its revolting aftertaste.
"That's better... Now move it!"
Blind, mute, and unable to escape, the mare had no choice but to continue stumbling in the direction she had been shoved. After who knows how long, she received a yank on her collar, telling her to stop.
"Are you sure this is the back door? I don't see anything but a wall."
"And that, Charger, is why Nightshade didn't make you second in command. The switch is...right here."
The switch must have been some kind of chain, as Twilight recognized the sound of metal on stone almost immediately. It was what the switch had triggered that baffled her. The very stones under her hooves started vibrating with a rapid frequency. What was that? Another shove put her thoughts on hold and her hooves into motion again. She hadn't taken but one step before kicking a staircase and falling flat onto it. Stone steps aren't very comfortable, but Twilight just wanted to lay there. Whoever was holding her leash obviously disagreed with that option and continued their tugging.
"C'mon, get your sorry flank moving!"
Have you ever tried walking up the stairs, in the dark, while wearing a blindfold? Neither had Twilight, but her captors insisted she keep up with their quick pace. Just when the unicorn had lost count of how many times she'd stubbed a hoof on the next stair, she felt something different underneath them. Grass... The clean scent of the rain-soaked forest was a welcome reprieve from the musty dungeon air. Twilight had never missed the sound of rustling leaves so much.
The tranquil lull of leaves brushing past one another was startlingly silenced by a thundering voice. "Enough! Not an inch closer!"
The lavender pony's ears perked up at the voice. Princess Celestia!? The shock in the voices of her leaders revealed that they too recognized the booming voice.
"That's not good..."
"Then pick your mouth off the ground and let's get a move on! We're not that far from the hideout-"
"You four there, halt!"
That sounded like a Canterlot guard! Twilight thought hopefully.
"That fifth pony with you; the unicorn. Why is she gagged and on a lead? What is her name?"
Not surprisingly, no answer was given, so Twilight decided to voice her opinion. "Mmh-mmmph-mmmh!"
"Twilight? Miss Twilight Sparkle?"
"Mmmmhphmm!" The unicorn screamed as loud as she could through her gag to let the guard know he had gotten it right. The end result wasn't very loud, but the urgency within her stifled voice was answer enough.
"Release her at once!" the guard demanded. "Under direct order from Her Majesty Princess Celestia, release the unicorn immediately!"
"Your Princess holds no jurisdiction over the Everfree Forest; her words carry no authority here!"
"I say again, release your captive! We have been cleared to use lethal force, and if you do not comply, we will be forced to take action."
"Take your action then!"
A gust of wind slapped Twilight's face as pegasi on both sides flew into battle. This is my chance! The purple pony jerked to the side, liberating the rope from the one pony holding it, and was away like a shot.
"Hey!"
Courageous though her flight was, fate had laid other plans. Blindfolds have their name for a reason, and Twilight was quickly reminded why. She charged blindly into a springy, low-hanging branch. As it whipped back into place, it carried the unicorn off her hooves and knocked the back of her head against an exposed root. She was sent off into the dark silence of unconsciousness by an equally dark promise.
"That...was the worst possible thing you could have tried. You will regret that decision, I can promise you that..."