//------------------------------// // The rise of madness // Story: Rise and Fall of Nightmare Star // by sykko //------------------------------// Twilight lay on the bed in the royal castle in Canterlot, a plate of uneaten food from breakfast, lay on the nearby end table. Guilt gnawed at her mind over the events that had happened over the past few weeks. She had stolen foals from their cribs, left seven of her friends stranded far from their homes and tried to burn the world. Looking over at a nearby news paper, her five friends from Ponyville, Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer and the duplicates from the human world were displayed on the front page, the headline read 'Hero Ponies saves Princess Twilight Sparkle and rescues foals!'. She scoffed to herself in disgust. Some Princess of Friendship I am. I don't deserve this title or friends. Looking to the window the opened to the balcony, she rose to her hooves, pulling the tops sheet from the bed, Twilight tore a long strip from it and tied it around her barrel, securing her wings to her side. Flinging the window open with her magic, she walked out onto the balcony. Looking out, the city perched on the side of the Canterhorn, spread out below. Her gaze drifted to the spires of a crystal castle in the distance, towering over a familiar town. As she stared out at the crystal castle and the small town, tears welled up. "I don't deserve this title, that castle or friends.", she whispered to herself, "Scum like me should be cleaned from the world." She climbed up on the railing of the balcony and balanced awkwardly. At the moment the maid walked in pushing a cart holding a fresh plate of food. "Good afternoon Pri..." Her words were cut off as she stared in shock seeing Twilight perched on the railing of the balcony. As she rushed to the balcony, Twilight lit her horn, casting a barrier, blocking access to the balcony. "Princess! Don't do this! I know things seem bad, but this isn't the way!", she shouted, pounding on the barrier. The shouting drew two guards. Bursting into the room, they paused for a split second taking in the scene. Rushing to the barrier, they nudged the maid aside and drew their spears. "Alert the princesses!", the first guard ordered the maid as the two of them started jabbing at the barrier with the spears. Turning her head, Twilight looked at the two guards attacking the barrier with their spears and the maid sprinting out of the room. Turning her head back to the Castle of Friendship where seven of her friends had been staying until they either figured a new way back home or found new lives, tears leaked down her cheeks. "Be better than me Sunset. I'm sorry Starlight.", she said softly. Closing her eyes, she leaned her body over and let herself fall into into the empty air. ***Six weeks earlier*** Starlight Glimmer screamed in horror as she stared st the empty bassinet and the shattered window, disrupting the stillness of the night. Lights came on in nearby houses. Cup Cake got up to check on Pound and Pumpkin, it was nearing the time when they usually woke up hungry and messy. She nudged her sleeping husband, "Carrot, I'm going to take care of the twins." Carrot Cake groaned groggily as he rolled out of bed. He stumbled in a half-awake stupor, following his wife out of the room and heading to the kitchenette. He pulled two baby bottles out of the ice box and put them into a small sauce pot of water to warm them up. Hearing screaming echoing across the darkened Ponyville, he mumbled to himself, "We'll have to ask Fluttershy in the morning if she can get the shrieking owl to move." Pinkie was roused from her sleep by a twitching in her left nostril, alerting her to a foalnapper. Springing out of bed, she opened her window, slipped out it and shimmied up the gutter to the roof. Seeing a dark alicorn flying towards the house, her brain started doing calculations and mapping out a plan to try and catch it. As Cup raised her hoof to open the door to the twin's room, she heard the shattering of glass. Bursting through the door, she saw a dark alicorn levitating Pound and Pumpkin out of their cribs. As she charged the alicorn, a wave of force sent her tumbling out of the room. Hearing the shattering of glass, Carrot immediately started stampeding through the house, leaving the two bottles of milk warming on the stove. As he entered the hallway, his hooves pounding hard on the floorboards, he saw his wife tumbling out of the twins' room and hit the banister with a loud crack. Without pausing he barreled into the room. He saw the dark alicorn turning to the window, levitating three foals in protective bubbles. "Oh no you don't!", he bellowed, charging the alicorn. "Eh?", the dark alicorn muttered as she turned her head, revealing a pair of unnaturally glowing purple eyes, gleaming with madness. With a kick of her hind leg, her hoof connected hard with Carrot Cake's chest, sending him sailing across the room and into a wall. Slumping to the floor, he wheezed and gasped in pain, clutched his chest. The alicorn leapt out the window and spread her wings to take flight. Pinkie perched on the edge of the roof above the twin's room like a cat. Wiggling her rump, she re-positioned her rear hooves for a better grip and lowered her front half in preparation to pounce. As the dark alicorn leapt out out the window and spread her wings to fly, the pink pony leapt. "Gotcha!", she shouted, landing on the alicorn's back and wrapping her forelegs around its neck, "It's not very nice to steal foals. It's bad, it's wrong, it's bad-wrong or brong!...or would the right word be wrad?" "Get off you pink menace!", the alicorn snarled, shaking her body in an attempt to dislodge the unwanted passenger. She climbed, dove and barrel rolled in an attempt to dislodge the pink passenger. "You're going to have to do better then that!", Pinkie shouted as she leaned back with all of her strength, forelegs still wrapped around the alicorn's neck, pulling it's head up. The two went into a loop-de-loop before the alicorn's flight stalled and started plummeting head first towards the ground. At the last second Pinkie back flipped off the alirorn and produced a parasol from seemingly nowhere, opening it, she gently floated gently to the ground. The dark alicorn impacted the ground hard and lay in a heap, knocked unconscious from the fall. The foals, still in their protective bubbles, bounced on the ground unharmed. As Pinkie landed gently on the ground, she closed the parasol and stuffed it into her mane. "Whew! I sure am glad that the writer decided to not let me go splatsville! Now let's see about getting these foals out of these bubbles and back to their parents." As Pinkie walked over to the foals, she tapped the bubbles they were encased. She fumbled around in her mane pulling out random object. "Blender. Nope! Fishing pole. Nope! Map to the lost city of Marelantis. Nope! A signed June issue of Playmare featuring John Pones.", she turned to the fourth wall, a blush on her face as she slipped the magazine back in her mane, "Eh-heh-heh-heh! I like the articles. Don't look at me like that!", she blew out a sigh, "Fine! I look at the pictures too. But don't get all judge-y, I can see all of your search histories and I know the naughty things you all look at too. Sooooo...we'll just keep this between us. Okay?" She fumbled around in her mane again. "Ah, here we go!", she exclaimed pulling out a straight pin. As Pinkie lined up the pin in an attempt to pop the first bubble containing Pound Cake, the dark alicorn stirred, raising her head. Pinkie didn't get a chance to react as a blast of magic sent her sailing through the night. "BBBBBBBAAAAAAAADDDDDDD WWWWWRRRRRRIIIIITTTTIIIINNNNNGGGGG!" Cranky Doodle and Matilda snapped awake as a pink blur flew through their bedroom window sending broken glass sailing about the room. Switching on the lamp next to the bed, Cranky hopped out of bed. "Pinkie! What do you..." He stopped seeing the unconscious pink form, covered in bleeding cuts from the broken glass, laying in the middle of the bedroom floor. "Pinkie? Pinkie? Are you okay?" He gently nudged the unconscious pink party pony, who in turn groaned in her unconscious state, then turned his head to Matilda. "Stay here and make sure she's okay, I'm going to get help." He quickly pulled on a robe and hurried out of the house as quickly as his old legs could carry him. The dark alicorn rose to her hooves and shook off the disorientation. She looked off in the direction that Pinkie was blasted off, her eyes stopped glowing an unnatural purple and reverted to a lavender, some of the dark blotches faded slightly, a single tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry Pinkie, please forgive me. I don't know what's--NGH!" She placed a hoof to her head, wincing in pain, the dark blotches returned, spreading further across her coat, her eyes began glowing an unnatural purple again. "No time for that now. We've got more to do to complete the first step." She quickly checked the three bubbles containing the foals, ensuring they were still in stasis and gathered them up. Gathering the three bubbles around her in her telekinesis, she it her horn, purple and black energy writhing around its length, in a flash of dark purple, all four vanished. All across Equestria, parents woke up to the sounds of shattering glass. Screams of terror broke the peace of the night as mothers and fathers found their foals stolen. The castle in Canterlot was abuzz with activity, guards rushed through the hallways to secure the castle. Celestia stood next to Luna as the younger sister scanned the room where Twilight had been staying. "We art sure of it now, sister.", Luna said, "When Twilight Sparkle was trapped in the other timeline, she had been infected by Nightmare Moon." Celestia gasped in shock. "A-are you sure Luna? I know she suffered greatly at their hands, but infected by the nightmare?" "Verily. But there is more. We art sensing a bit of thine magic, though it is corrupted. We apparently did not remove all of the curse. It appears to not only have twisted her mind, but also corrupted her wellspring." "Can she be saved?" "If we get to her in time. Though if we art took late...", Luna raised her head to look at her sister, a grim expression on her face, "...we may have to do something thou had to do to us." Celestia felt lightheaded as Luna continued, "It is something we must both consider, as a last resort. I do not blame you Tia, if you hadn't banished me to the moon, any remaining spark of me would have been completely consumed entirely by the nightmare.", blowing out a sigh, she turned her head to the shattered window, "It is not going to be easy to save Twilight Sparkle and we'll need help." At this Celestia perked up. "I know who we can call Lulu." At that moment a guard rushed in carrying a note in his mouth. As Celestia levitated the note from his mouth up to her face and read it, she paled slightly. "Luna! Three foals have been snatched from Ponyville!" "What is the nightmare's plans?", Luna mused to herself, then said aloud, "We must make for Ponyville with much haste sister!" As the two sisters hurried through the hallways of the castle, several more guards rushed up carrying messages of stolen foals from across Equestria. *** Sunset Shimmer was awakened by her journal buzzing and shimmering. Stretching and yawning, she reached over and pulled the chain on the lamp by her bed, soft yellow light filled the room. Picking up the journal, she opened it and started reading the message. Dear Sunset Shimmer, I'm not sure how time works in your world, I don't know if it's day or night over there and I apologize if I woke you, but Twilight has been infected by the nightmare and has fallen to madness. I All of Equestria needs your help! Sunset blinked a few times and reread the passage again. She quickly grabbed a pen. I'm coming! Sunset picked up her phone and sent a mass text to her friends. Princess Celestia just sent me a message. I've got to hurry over to Equestria. Twilight is in trouble! I'm coming along to help you sugar. ME TOO! I'm coming too! You helped me when magic corrupted me, it's the least I can do if Princess Twilight is in trouble. I'm coming as well darling! I'm coming too. ME SIX!!!!!1111!!!!!! I don't want to put you guys in any danger. The nightmare is a real threat to everybody and everypony. Try and make me stay. Danger is my middle name! I thought your middle name was Mabel! Look here sugar, we're coming along to help you and that's that. Don't waste your breath and your battery trying to convince us otherwise. Well said darling. Like I said, it's the least I can do for saving me. Pinkie! If you say my middle name again, I'll scalp you. Also, like I said Sunset, try and stop me! I'm coming too! I'm coming too! Maybe their Pinkie throws superduperamazingtatious parties too! OOOOOO! Maybe we can throw a WEJUSTSAVEDPTWIANDTWOWORLDSATTHESAMETIME party! Sunset clicked off her phone's screen, went to get dressed. Grabbing her helmet and journal, she went downstairs. Straddling the dirt bike that was given to her after the Friendship Games, she sped off through the mostly empty streets of Canterlot City. Pulling up to a house, she switched of the bike, walking up to the door she knocked on it loudly and hurriedly. Principal Celestia, rubbing her eyes and blinking away the sleepiness, opened the door. "Sunset? Is something wrong?" Sunset shoved the journal into the woman's hands. "I've got to go to Equestria! There's an emergency! My friends insisted on coming along too even though I tried to tell them not to. Keep it safe and nearby. If something happens, I'll message you through this, otherwise I should be back in a few weeks." With that she rushed back to her dirt bike and straddled it. "Oh! And I'm going to leave my bike in a faculty parking lot!", she shouted before jamming her foot down on the kick starter and sped off into the night. Principal Celestia stared dumbfounded at the girl with red and blonde streaked hair speeding off into the night. Sunset pulled her dirt bike into the parking lot of CHS. Her six friends were already waiting there for her. Pulling the bike around the side of the building to the faculty parking lot, she switched it off and hung the helmet off the handlebars. Pulling a pen and a piece of paper out of her backpack, she hastily scribbled an apology note to Vice-principal Luna, then stuffed the keys to the bike and the note inside the helmet, making sure both were secure. As Sunset walked up, Rainbow called out, "Sunset! I didn't think you were going to make it." Sunset rubbed her head. "Yeah, sorry about that. I had something to take care of before we all went through the portal." Walking over to the portal, she ran her hand across it, making rainbow-colored light dance across it like ripples in a pond. "Okay guys, you ready? This is going to feel really weird." Rainbow puffed up her chest. "Oh yeah! I bet I'm going to be as awesome over there as I am here!" "Just take it slow. Don't rush through. You're going to be disoriented and I don't want you to break your neck.", Sunset said in a firm tone. One by one the girls stepped through the portal. Rainbow Dash stepped through first, followed by Fluttershy, Rarity, then Sci-Twi. Pinkie got down on all fours and bounded through the portal with a "Whee!" Applejack laid a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "Ev'rythin's gon' be alright sugarcube. We'll all pop through, help out P-Twi an' be back b'fore ya know it." "I know AJ. I'm just worried. I haven't been back to Equestria since--" Applejack placed a finger on Sunset's lips, cutting off her words. "Like Ah said, ev'rythin's gon' be alright. Ah know you an' pony Celestia didn't leave off on th' best o' terms an' if'n she caint get past that, Ah'll punch her right in the nose." The two girls hugged. As they separated, Sunset watched the farm girl step through the portal. Taking a breath, she braced herself, Equestria, her homeland, a place where she had once parted from the prince and former teacher on bad terms, where she had stolen the Element of Magic in a futile attempt to conqueror it. Now she was returning, not as a conqueror or as a student, but to save a friend whom had saved her once. As Sunset reached a hand out to the portal, a car speeding out of the dark caught her attention. Turning her head, she watched as the car pulled into the parking lot. Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna stepped out. She gave them both a smile and stepped through the portal. "Be safe and come back.", Celestia said softly as she watched the girl step through the portal. "Godspeed Sunset Shimmer and may the angels carry you home.", Luna said softly. *** Deep under a ruined castle atop a craggy butte in the badlands, a dark alicorn placed the last bubble containing a sleeping foal in stasis in a hollowed out chamber. Once the bubble was placed, it paused to look over its work, hundreds of bubbles, each holding a foal in stasis, were carefully placed about the chamber. "Rest little ones.", she said running a hoof over a bubble, "Once I purify this land with fire from the heavens, you all shall inherit a clean world. Just one more to claim and step one shall be complete." In a flash of dark purple she vanished. Shining Armor paced through the throne room of the palace in the Crystal Empire. He was disturbed by the message from Canterlot. Walking through the castle, he paused outside Flurry Heart's nursery room where Cadance was sitting in a rocking chair, holding their daughter in her forelegs while gently singing a song to her. Stepping through the door, his wife looked up at him and gave him a weary smile. After laying Flurry in her crib, Cadance walked over and nuzzled Shining. "Flurry's fussy tonight." "She knows something's wrong with Twily.", Shining replied with a heavy heart. As the two turned to walk out the door, a crackling pop made them stop and turn. A dark alicorn was standing in the room with them. Shining Armor charged forward to confront the intruder and it fired a blast of magic at him. Cadance fired a beam of magic back, countering the blast. Shining continued to charge forward, only to get swatted aside by a powerful hoof. Cadance quickly pulled her husband back with her magic and took a step forward. "Twilight, please, don't do this. Come with me, I can help you." The dark alicorn glared at Cadance with unnaturally glowing purple eyes, wisps of dark magic curled from the corners of its eyes. "There is no Twilight anymore. She died in that land.", the alicorn said in a distorted voice. "I know that's not true. The filly that I used to foalsit. the same filly who through her own endeavors ascended and became a princess in her own accord, the very same Twilight who has saved Equestria time and again, she's still in there. Twilight, if you can hear me, fight! Fight with everything you have! We all love you and will do anything to save you!" The dark alicorn growled angrily. "There is no Twilight anymore!", she snapped and fired off a blast of magic. Shining Armor, recovered and quickly summoned a raspberry-colored shield, deflecting this blast. "Very well, if you are not Twilight, then who are you?", Cadance said, a tone of anger and concern in her voice. The dark alicorn narrowed its gaze and replied in a distorted voice, "Nightmare Star." "And what is it you want here in my kingdom?", Cadance said, flaring her wings as she rose to her full height. Nightmare Star lit her horn and summoned a dark purple barrier between Flurry Heart and her parents. She began levitating the infant alicorn out of her crib and surrounding it with a stasis bubble. "A leader for my new world." Flurry Heart snapped her eyes open just before the stasis bubble fully closed around her and summoned a golden shield around herself, shattering the bubble. Nightmare Star stared at Flurry Heart. "Hello little one. Would you like to--AAAAUUUUUGH!" A golden blast of energy sent her tumbling across the room and crashing into the far wall. Flurry Heart levitated in place for a few moments still surrounded by the golden shield. A golden aura surrounded the toy box, shelves, bottles and diapers. They were flung across the room at Nightmare Star. Nightmare Star's eyes reverted to lavender as Twilight's voice spoke, "Shining Armor, Cadance. Stop me please! I can't stop her on my--NGH!" Her hooves went to her temples as she winced in pain. "Naughty naughty little pony!", Nightmare Star's distorted voice came out. A dark purple shield scattered all the objects that had been thrown at her around the room and she rose to her hooves. Rising to her full height, she glared at Flurry Heart, who quickly flew away and hid behind her mother's forelegs. "You little brat! I gave you the chance to join me! Now you can burn with the rest of this world!" "How dare you threaten my daughter!", Cadance snarled. She stepped forward, lighting her horn. "Release your hold on Twilight Sparkle." Nightmare Star sneered. "Or what? You'll fight me? Pfft! You'd never harm you precious sister-in-law." Cadance took a step forward and lowered her horn. "Though you inhabit her body, you have made it abundantly clear you are not her. I'll demand just one last time, release your hold on Twilight Sparkle and depart, or I'll be forced to to wrench you from her body, abomination." A wicked smile crossed Nightmare Star's face, her sharp fangs gleaming. "Really? Calling names now?" She lowered her head and lit her horn. "Then have at you, whorse." Cadance levitated Flurry onto Shining's back. "Get Flurry out of here and get a message to Celestia. I'll try and hold her here as long as I can." Shining nodded and bolted out the door. As he scrambled down the stairs, an explosion shook the castle. "What's going on your majesty?!", a crystal guard asked. "Get the civilians to safety! The Empire's under attack!", Shining shouted. He staggered as another explosion shook the castle. Reaching the ground floor, he ran outside, narrowly dodging a chunk of palace falling and embedding into the street. Cadance and Nightmare Star, standing in the ruins of Flurry Heart's nursery, both fired continuous beams of magic at each other, locked in a magical duel. Coiling streams of light blued and purplish-black magic clashed, forming an artificial sun that grew. The growing ball of magic reached critical mass and exploded, rocking the palace again, sending the two alicorns sliding backwards. Shining Armor, running down the street, leading a crowd of crystal ponies to the train station, paused to look back at the palace. He watched as twin beams of magic made night temporarily turn to day. "Make it back to me safely Cady.", he whispered before continuing to rush towards the train station again with his daughter in tow. Cadance leapt out the hole in the nursery wall and into the night and took flight, power flowing off of her making her shine like a comet in the night. Flapping her wings hard, she flew high into the air above the empire. Nightmare Star followed close behind. Two comets, one light blue, the other purplish-black, soared high above the Crystal Empire as the two alicorns dueled, one simultaneously trying to save her subjects and free her sister-in-law from corruption, the other seeking to overwhelm the first. Cadance and Nightmare Star hovered in place, firing two continuous beams of magic at each other. As the artificial sun grew between the two Cadance called out, "Twilight! I know you're in there! Fight! Fight for everything you're worth!" "Shut up already will you!" Cadance steeled herself as she began pouring on more power. The growing ball of clashing magic grew and slowly moved towards Nightmare Star. Cadance locked her eyes on her enemy, memories of her pushing a little lavender filly on a swing, teaching her a silly song, healing her boo-boos, seeing the filly grow into a mare, finding friends and finally becoming a princess in her own right. Suddenly she realized why Celestia couldn't bring herself to harm Nightmare Moon and she found that she couldn't bring herself to harm Nightmare Star. Tears poured down her cheeks as she stopped pouring on the power. "Twilight, come back to us.", she whispered Nightmare Star took advantage of Cadance no longer pouring on the raw power and poured on a beam of raw magic in a devastating blast. Cadance shrieked in pain as the blast of magic overtook her, and she plummeted to the ground, smoke trailing from her singed feathers, mane, tail and coat. Cadance's body dug out a small crater when she impacted the ground. She groaned as she raised her head. Nightmare Star landed and pressed her hoof hard on the Princess of Love's neck. As she prepared to give her hoof a twist, finishing off her opponent for good when a familiar surge of magic far off caught her attention. Nightmare Star removed her hoof from Cadance's neck and stepped away. "Celestia, what do you have planned?" In a flash of dark purple light, she vanished. Cadance, lying bloodied, broken, bruised and scorched, groan as she tried to lift her head again. Blackness slowly swam over her vision as the world slipped away. *** Celestia and Luna stood before the mirror portal in the Castle of Friendship. One by on Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Sci-Twi and Applejack from the other world came through the portal and staggered disoriented as they tried to get acclimated to now being quadrupedal. A few moments later Sunset Shimmer stepped through. She staggered for a moment before getting her bearings and letting her pony instincts kick in. She immediately bowed before the Equestrian diarchs. "Arise Sunset Shimmer.", Celestia said. Once the mare was to her hooves, she wrapped a foreleg around her in a hug. Parting from the hug, Sunset said, "Princess, I'm so sorry for how I..." Celestia pressed a hoof to her former students lips, silencing her. "Your past actions may have saddened me, but you have since then redeemed yourself and for that I am truly proud. Now tell me, why did you bring your friends along?" Sunset rubbed a hoof to her head. "Uuuummmm....yeah, about that..." "Now ya look here ya flashy-behind horse horse!",, Applejack interrupted as she defiantly interposed herself between her friend and the princess, "We..." "Pony.", Celestia interrupted back. "Beg yer pardon?", Applejack asked, caught off guard. "I'm a pony, not a horse." "Well I live on a farm where we raise horses an' ya ain't no pony. Y'all're too dang ol' big.", Applejack said in a matter-of-fact tone. She pointed a hoof at Luna, then at Celestia. "Yer as big as an Arabian an' yer as big as a draft horse." "We're not from Saddle Arabia.", Luna said, "We came from Dream Valley." "What in the heck is Dream Valley", Rainbow asked in a whisper. "According to ancient Equestrian stories, it's where the three tribes came from before the Winter of the Windigoes.", Sunset whispered back. "Applejack, darling. Let's not make the princesses mad or they might banish us or imprison us or imprison us where they banish us to.", Rarity said, interposing herself in front of Applejack. Luna facehoofed. "Seriously?! First our little ponies were doing this, now the oomins are doing this? Where do they come up with this bullspit?" Celestia ignored her sister and stepped forward. "Well you should continue with your tirade that you decided to so rudely interrupt the conversation between my former student and myself." Applejack swallowed hard and steeled herself. "W-well as Ah was sayin' ya flashy-behind hor-pony, we all came o' our on accounts an' there's nothin'...", she jabbed a hoof at Celestia, then Luna and finally at Sunset, "...you, her or Sunset here could do tuh stop us." "My my my sister, it appears this Applejack is very much like our Applejack.", Luna said. "Very much so.", Celestia replied, "She's just as stubborn and pig-headed as our own apple farming Element Bearer." The two sisters giggled that quickly turned to outright laughter for several minutes making the human-in-pony form raise an eyebrow in confusion. After they finished laughing, Celestia caught her breath and said, "It's refreshing to have a pony not afraid to speak their mind to me, especially if that pony is a oomin mare. Come along, I'll make us some refreshments and then we'll figure out somewhere to put you all down for the night." As they all left the room holding the mirror portal, Luna paused and turned her head. "I was wondering when you'd arrive nightmare." She turned around to face Nightmare Star who was standing next to the mirror portal. Nightmare Star gave a malicious grin at Luna. "I see now that you're in on summoning the humans too. No matter, they'll burn along with this world too." She lit her horn. Luna stepped forward and lit her horn. "I know better that anypony else how to deal with a nightmare.", her tone became low and dangerous, "Go ahead, make my night." Celestia stepped in the room, "Luna? Are you..." She paused seeing Nightmare Star. "Tw-Twilight?" "Nay sister, though it is Twilight Sparkle's body, tis the nightmare in control." Celestia lit her horn and stepped forward. "If you have come for battle, then you are a fool." Nightmare Star chuckled evilly. "Oh poor ignorant Celestia, I did not come to fight the both of you." "Then why have you come abomination?", Celestia said, a cold tone in her voice. "Tia, practice caution. Though this nightmare has not come to fight, that does not mean it is not dangerous." "You should listen to your sister.", Nightmare Star said, "You might just get out of here with your flank where it's supposed to be." "So, is this your game?", Celestia said as an edge of violence entered her voice, "To come here to gloat?" Nightmare Star laughed as fired a blast of magic at the mirror portal and the arcane machinery keeping it open. The resulting blinding and deafening explosion shook the palace as the mirror portal disintegrated into thousands of shards. Both princesses threw up shields around themselves, blocking the flying fragments. The blast brought the seven from Canterlot City rushing back to the room. When the smoke cleared, all nine stared in shock at the destroyed portal and machinery strewn about the room. "Whu-What happened?!", Sunset exclaimed. "The nightmare struck an destroyed the portal." Luna said coldly. Rarity quailed and fainted. Applejack tried to catch her with her forelegs, but being used to a bipedal form, wound up falling over too. "H-how are we supposed to get back now?", Rainbow Dash asked. Celestia's face became a mask of cold, hard determination. "That's a question for another time. For now we've got to figure out how to cleanse Twilight of this corruption. Summon the Element Bearers." *** Cadance groaned in pain as she felt herself being lifted off the ground. Weakly opening her eyes, she saw the blurry figures of crystal ponies gently hoisting her onto their backs. "Just rest princess.", one crystal pony said as she checked Cadance's wounds, "We'll get you to the hospital." Cadance went to say something, but her parched mouth and throat stole her words. Darkness swam over her vision as the world slipped away again. *** One by one the five remaining element bearers groggily traipsed into the Castle of Friendship, as they entered into the map room, they were taken aback seeing their duplicates. Starlight followed behind, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, she paused seeing everypony's duplicate. "Either I am still asleep or there are two of everypony here.", pony Rainbow Dash said. "Thou art very much awake, Rainbow Dash.", Luna said. Pony Pinkie Pie, bandages still covering her cuts and scrapes, trotted over to the human-in-pony form Pinkie Pie. The pink party pony and the pink party human-in-pony form squinted as they eyed each other. The two Pinkies mirrored each other's actions before each pulling a cup cake from their manes and shoving it into each other's mouths. "Well, she gets the Pinkie stamp of approval!", Pony Pinkie Pie said before pulling out a big rubber stamp from nowhere and pressed it to the human Pinkie Pie's forehead, leaving a big green check. "And you get the Pinkie Pie sticker of approval!", the human Pinkie Pie exclaimed, pulling out a cup cake sticker and putting it on the pony Pinkie Pie's cheek. "It's a scratch and sniff sticker!", she said in a hoarse, loud whisper. Pony Pinkie raised a hoof, scratched the sticker and took a sniff, immediately her face scrunched up. "Pee-yew!" The human-in-pony form Pinkie started giggling. "Oopsie! I gave you a joke sticker by accident!" The two Pinkies fell over giggling, laughing, guffawing and snorting. "Now there's two of 'em!", both Applejacks said at the same time. Princess Celestia cleared her throat, drawing both the mare's and girl's attention. "We need to stop this nightmare before any stronger and why it has taken foals. Applejack..." "Yes?", both the farm girl and mare said at the same time. "This is going to get tiring very quickly if we have to keep saying pony or oomin before addressing these mares.", Luna said pressing a hoof between her eyes. "Maybe we could use code names.", Sci-Twi said. "Yeah!", formerly human Rainbow Dash said excitedly, "I could be Rainbow Dash one and she could be Rainbow Dash two." "Why do I get to be two?!", Pony Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Eh, you kinda feel like a number two." "I'm not number two to anypony! Fine you can be number one, I'll be Rainbow Dash alpha!" "Ooo! Ooo! Ooo! We could call our team the Fighting Mongooses! Mongeese? Mongoosi?", pony Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Both Applejacks smacked a hoof to their faces. "Ow!", the formerly human exclaimed rubbing her eye. "Okay okay. How 'bout this, Back on th' farm...ya know...back in th' oth'r world, Big Mac sometimes called me Jackie. Ah guess y'all could call me that if'f ya want." "Uuuuummm...You could call me by my middle name, Moonchild...", the formerly human Fluttershy said, her cheeks turning red as she hid her face behind her man, "...if that's okay with you." Sunset raised an eyebrow. "I never knew your middle name was Moonchild." "Grandmother gave me the middle name, she was a hippie." "Darling, that's nothing to be ashamed of.", the formerly human Rarity said, "We can't choose our family or how they name us." Jackie raised an eyebrow, "Well then Rares, ya mind enlightenin' us on th' name ya were born to before ya made enough of a squealin' fer yer parents tuh change it when ya were twelve?" The formerly human Rarity blushed bright red and sputtered. "Well it looks like th' cat's got yer tongue. Maybe I'll tell 'em fer ya." The formerly human Rarity glared at Jackie. "Don't you dare!" "Now this Ah gotta hear.", Applejack said leaning forward. "Me too!", the pony and formerly human Rainbow said at the same time. The formerly human Rarity harrumphed before answering. "It used to be J B before it was changed." Jackie snickered. "And when we were in fourth grade, th' teacher left a not on th' student roster fer th' substitute J only B only an' the substitute read it Jonly Bonly." "Yes darling, and for years all the students cruelly mocked me for years by calling me such a childish nickname." The formerly human Rainbow busted out laughing. "Ah-ha-ha-ha! Jonly Bonly!*gasp* Ah-ha-ha-ha!*gasp* *wheeze* Ah-ha-ha-ha! I can't breathe!*gasp* My side hurts!" J B glared at her friend turned blue-furred pegasus. "It's not any better or worse than Mabel" The girl-turned-pegasus mare blushed bright red. Rainbow snickered. "Hey Applejack, don't you have a prize pig with the same name?!" Mabel growled. "Why you!" She lunged at the blue pegasus mare, the two started tumbling on the ground, throwing blows as they snarled curses at each other. Starlight cast a bubble shield between the two fighting blue mares, forcibly separating them. "ENOUGH! All we're doing is sitting around and squabbling over names. This is helping us get any closer to-to--" Fresh tears began to well up in her eyes and her voice began to crack. "I-I-I Just want Hope Beacon back.*hsnf* The one bright point of light that-that*hsnf* shone brighter than the sun." She laid her head on the table and began to weep bitterly, whimpering her daughter's name between sobs. The mares and former humans all looked at the weeping Starlight, a twinge of guilt twisted in their chests, the manes of both Pinkies drooped slightly. "It has seemed that have tarried too long.", Luna said. She turned to the formerly human Pinkie. "We guess we should ask what thou shalt be called." The formerly human Pinkie tapped her chin. "Well my middle name is Dianne...sooo..." Pony Pinkie let out a loud gasp. "My middle name's Dianne too!" "I guess you could be Pinkie D and I could be P Dianne!" Sunset let out a frustrated grunt as she plopped her face on the map table. "Of course Pinkies would be the same across universes!", she grumbled. *** Nightmare Star stood outside the crumbling gate of the ruins of the Castle of Two Sisters. She paused looking up at the waxing gibbous moon. "Though there has been a couple of snags, step one has mostly been a success. In a couple of days I'll start step two."