“This way girls!” Twilight yelled as she led Rainbow Dash and her other friends though Ponyville, which was mostly on fire. Each house or shop they passed was either in full blaze or already burned to the ground. As they galloped, they dodged pieces of burning debris that had fallen from the engulfed buildings around them. The street was deserted of any other pony; those who hadn’t left already were franticly searching for family or friends in the burning inferno. Rainbow Dash watched the destruction with horror-filled eyes, but said nothing.
Eventually, Twilight stopped in the town center, which was already burned to nothing but ashes. A large pony stood amongst the ashes, watching the fire with a twisted smile. But it wasn’t just any pony, it was Princess Celestia. Not as the loving, caring co-ruler of Equestria, but as a dark, evil villain. “It’s Nightmare Moon,” Twilight explained as her friends stared in shock; “she’s back and she has taken control over Princess Celestia! And she’s calling herself Nightmare Sun!”
“Nightmare Sun” looked just like Celestia, with the addition of burning red eyes and a flaming mane instead of a multicolored one. She was shooting scorching hot fireballs from her horn and aiming at anything that wasn’t already on fire. “ALL SHALL BURN UNDER MY WRATH! ALL SHALL FEEL THE POWER OF THE SUN!” Nightmare Sun roared in a low-pitched distortion of Celestia’s voice.
“I don’ understand, Twi,” Applejack gasped as Nightmare Sun shot another fireball off toward a group of ponies trying to push a cart full of belongings out of town, “I thought we destroyed Nightmare Moon when we freed Luna.”
“I was almost sure we did too,” Twilight said in an ashamed tone, “But I was wrong, and we need to…”
Before Twilight could continue, Nightmare Sun took notice of them and shot a fireball strait in their direction. Everypony was able to dodge it; except Fluttershy. The fireball completely engulfed her and shot her backwards into the ground. “NO!” Rainbow yelled as she flew over to her smoking friend. Whether she was unconscious or…worse… she lay motionless in the small carter her body had made on contact. The smell of burnt fur was overwhelming. Rainbow’s eyes turned from fright to fury. She was going to make this monster pay. But when she turned around to face Nightmare Sun, she found instead that Discord was standing in her place.
“Hello once again my pesky little ponies,” Discord chided with a grueling smile. “You look surprised to find me here.” Keeping his gleeful smirk, he teleported next to Pinkie Pie and Applejack and put his arms around their necks. “You didn’t think that little stone statue would hold me forever did you? After all, I escaped it before. I’d think my appearance would be pretty expected by now.”
“Then ya’ also know yer’ going right back into it where ya’ belong” Applejack confidently retorted, hoping to break some of Discord’s will.
Discord let out a burst of uncontrolled laughter before responding. “Well actually, I was thinking we could switch things up. Add a little…chaos.” He snapped his fingers. “Tell me,” Discord asked with a quizzical face, “why do they call you ‘Earth Ponies’ again?”
“Well cus’ we have a special connection with the…” Applejack began before she realized that she and Pinkie Pie were sinking into the ground.
“Let’s see how you like being imprisoned in earth for eternity.” Discord leered manically.
Rainbow Dash rushed over to her submerged friends. Grabbing a hold of each of them, she reversed direction and pulled with all her strength. But nothing was happening. Soon, only their heads were above the sinking earth. “I don’t think this is what they had in mind when they called us Earth Ponies,” Pinkie Pie mustered in a frightened tone.
“Rainbow Dash, ya’ gotta keep fighting….don’ ya worry about us…,” Applejack let out before they both disappeared into the ground without a trace.
“Applejack…Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash franticly dug into the spot her friends had been seconds ago, but all she found was charred grass and dirt. Realizing she wasn’t getting anyway, she turned to her remaining friends. “Twilight, we have to…” but was stopped short by the scene in front of her.
Both Twilight and Rarity were locked in a duel with none other than Queen Chrysalis herself. Chrysalis was shooting a green bolt from her horn as Twilight and Rarity countered with a bright blue bolt. Both sides appeared to be getting nowhere, until Chrysalis’ eyes lit up. “I can feel the friendship between you…the love…” she breathed in a lusty tone, “and it gives me so much…POWER!” With that, her bolt grew twice in circumference and completely swallowed up Twilight and Rarity in one bright flash. They were blasted backwards into a nearby pile of rubble. At first neither of them moved, but then Rarity weakly open her eyes and turned to Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow Dash… get out of here…save yourself,” Rarity pleaded. And then a second blast from Chrysalis silenced her forever.
Rainbow Dash lowered to the ground as she looked around. She was alone. Any courage left in her was easily countered by the urge to break down and cry, but she couldn’t give into it. She had to be strong; for her friends. Rainbow Dash pushed herself up into a fighting stance. Her self-assurance lowered instantly when she found Nightmare Sun, Discord, and Chrysalis all standing right before her.
The words of the unicorn in the woods came back to Rainbow as she stood solo in front of the three most infamous villains of Equestria. ‘A great evil is rising, and thou art the only one that can stop it.’ Rainbow Dash backed away as her foes closed in on her, now chanting.
“Only you…only you…only you!”
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“NO!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she sprung out of her bed, hovering above it a few seconds before realizing it had only been a dream. ‘Not a dream,’ she corrected herself, ‘a nightmare.’ It was only then that she realized someone was knocking at her door. Rainbow groggily flew over to the door and opened it. Standing before her was Fluttershy, thankfully unburned and very conscious.
“Oh, hello Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said in her usual, soft tone. She was out of breath, as if she had flown as fast as she could to get here. “I didn’t wake you did I?” Something was wrong; her eyes gave it away.
“No, I was already awake,” Rainbow assured as she attempted to fix her untidy mane. “What’s wrong?”
Fluttershy looked down, only confirming Rainbow Dash’s suspicion. “That’s just it, I don’t know. All Twilight said was she needed us all at the library, and that it was really important. It has something to do with Princess Celestia.”
Rainbow’s eyes widened as her mind shot back to the dream, but she quickly hid it. Trying not to sound out of place, she asked, “There isn’t anything wrong with the princess…is there?”
“Twilight wouldn’t say anything else, but she sounded really worried. We should really get going.”
Rainbow Dash had never seen Fluttershy so persistent, with the exception of her incident after Iron Will’s demonstration, and she didn’t need to hear anything else. She followed Fluttershy as she took off toward the Ponyville Library.
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Rainbow trailed the chariot on a strait path towards Canterlot Castle. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie sat in the chariot, which was being pulled by five of the Princess Pegasi Guard. Fluttershy flew close behind Rainbow. No pony had said a word since the chariot had left Ponyville. The morning air left a chill in Rainbow’s bones. Or maybe it was the fact that Princess Celestia had requested all of them for a conference that was too important to even wait for a train into Canterlot. Rainbow couldn’t even imagine how Twilight must feel, seeing how naturally anxious she was.
The moment Rainbow and Fluttershy arrived at the Ponyville Library, Twilight had rushed onto the already waiting chariot and they had set off. She had refused to say anything except that it was of the upmost importance that they got to Canterlot Castle. Even when Rainbow asked direct questions about what was wrong, Twilight just blew her off, too busy reviewing the letter she had received from the princess earlier that morning. They had traveled in silence ever since.
“We’re coming up on Canterlot Castle!” the lead pegasus yelled, breaking Rainbow out of her thoughts. Sure enough, Canterlot Castle loomed in front of them, casting a shadow that swallowed them up as they approached. The Pegasi flew up to the tallest tower and landed on a balcony that overlooked the entire town of Canterlot. Princess Celestia was already waiting for them, along with Princess Luna standing beside her. Both wore grim faces as they watched the chariot land. As soon as the chariot touched the floor, Twilight rushed out and went straight over to Princess Celestia.
“I gathered my friends as fast as I could,” Twilight pleaded as she looked up at her mentor, “I hope I wasn’t too slow. I don’t want you to think I’m not taking this seriously. As soon as Spike got your letter…”
“Twilight, calm down,” Princess Celestia responded in a practiced composed tone. “I wanted you to come quickly, but I didn’t mean for you to overwork yourself.”
“But in the letter, you said that…”
“Patience, Twilight. We’ll discuss everything in time.” Celestia turned to the lead pegasus guard. “Thank you, Captain Maverick. I knew I could trust you to get everypony here fast.” The chestnut pegasus nodded and took off with the other guard, leaving them alone on the balcony. Princess Celestia gestured for them to follow her, and then proceeded into the tower.
As they walked into the room, Rainbow Dash realized it must be Princess Luna’s room. There were star charts hanging on every wall, and there was a large bed with midnight blue curtains and a jet black headboard with stars etched into it. As soon as the last pony was in, Princess Celestia closed the balcony doors with her horn and turned to face the group before her.
“I apologize for this sudden summoning. I hope you realize I wouldn’t assemble you like this unless it was extremely important.” Celestia began as she paced before Rainbow and her friends. “As it turns out, I don’t know how serious it is myself, and that’s what makes it so imperative.” Celestia then turned to Luna. “Sis, perhaps you would like to begin.” Princess Luna stepped forward.
“If thou wish me to,” she said, giving her sister a small nod. “My night started out like any other,” she said, gazing into her own memory as she spoke, “by me creating it.” Luna levitated a model of the moon in front of her and studied it a moment before continuing. “I was just getting done adjusting the brightness of the stars when I felt it; tis something…hard to describe. It was like part of my night…was being absorbed by something. Like something was feeding off it. At first, I thought I was feeling things that weren’t there. It has happened to me before, even since…” Luna looked up at her sister apprehensively. Celestia gave a regretful look in return. “Anyway, after a while it went away, and I thought nothing of it. I continued my work with the night. Everything went according to routine…until it was almost time for my sister to raise her sun.”
Luna stopped, her eyes suddenly filled with horror. Celestia went over to her and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. “Do you want to stop?” She asked, concerned eyes looking between Luna and the group in front of her. Luna looked down, trying to hide her pain. Eventually, she looked back up at her sister and gave a small smile.
“Tis alright, I can finish.” She managed in a small voice. She walked over to the lone window that was letting in a stream of sunlight and sighed. “I felt it again, only much more intensified. But this time it wasn’t just feeding off my night…it was feeding off of me.” Luna shivered. “It was horrible, but it got even worse. As my energy was slowly drained from me, it was replaced by…thoughts. The kind of thoughts I had when I was…her.” Luna didn’t need to elaborate; everypony in the room knew exactly what she was talking about. “I thought I was going to lose control, and fighting the thoughts seemed to suck up more of my power. And the waves of thoughts just seemed to grow stronger and stronger the rest of the night. But I refused to let them control me. By the time it was time for my sister to raise the sun; I hardly had enough energy or willpower to fly back to castle. Only when I entered the castle did the thoughts and the pain finally secede…” Luna breathed as she moved over to Princess Celestia, finished with what she had to say.
“Thank you, Luna,” Celestia said as she hugged the mare’s neck. “I know it was difficult, but you have described it better than I probably could of if it had happened to me. I’m very proud of you. You should see Nurse Swan just to make sure nothing is wrong. You know I lack experience when it comes to medical issues.”
“Thank you, Sis.” Luna said before weakly trotting out of the room.
“Poor Luna,” Celestia sighed as she watched her go. “She has been through so much already… and now this. When she came back to the castle, I could tell something was wrong. I tried asking her, but she wouldn’t tell me. I decided to let her get some rest, and I went to go raise the sun. Nothing abnormal happened, and I didn’t feel anything out of place…at first. But then, when the rays of my sun began to shine onto Equestria, I did fell something wrong. Normally, I can feel every city, town, and village that my sun rises over. It’s a special connection I share with everypony throughout Equestria. But as my sun rose over the last town, I felt something missing. I searched back over the land, and I found that my connection to the town of Hayton was completely gone from my mind.”
Celestia stopped and closed her eyes, her mind searching for something far beyond Luna’s room. After a few seconds she opened her eyes a lowered her head. “And still…” she continued, “I cannot feel it. It’s as if the entire town has been absorbed by something, just as Luna described about the night. I knew this must of been connected have been what Luna was upset over. I rushed over here as fast as I could, and Luna told me every horrifying detail. I contacted you immediately after that, Twilight.” She stood there as a single tear rolled down her face. Twilight rushed over to comfort her mentor. Celestia accepted Twilight’s hug and returned to her regel posture.
“How can an entire town just…disappear?” Rarity questioned
“I don’t understand how, but I know whatever it is the town is in trouble. I realize that whoever is doing this must want something. They might have taken the town to threaten me with. I can only hope no one has been hurt yet. If I send any guards, whatever is behind this might see it as threat, and who knows what might happen. And that’s what I need you for, Twilight. I need you and your friends to find out what has happened, and resolve this dispute in the most diplomatic way possible. I want more than anything to go myself, but I have an important meeting with officials from Manehattan about this very issue, and if I miss it, it could make this situation much worse.”
Twilight had listened intently the whole time, and as Celestia turned to her, she gave an optimistic smile. “Of course we’ll go, Princess. We want to help in any way we can.”
Princess Celestia nodded and levitated a map over to Twilight. “This will guide you to the exacted location of Hayton…if it’s still there. It’s no short trip, three days at best, so I suggest you return to Ponyville to pack some supplies. I also want you to take the Elements of Harmony. You might need them; I can only hope that you won’t.” Celestia looked over the whole group and nodded her head. “I have total confidence in you, Twilight. I’m sending you because I know you and your friends can handle anything.
Twilight took the map with her horn and studied it. She then rolled it up and took it in her hoof. “We’ll leave for Hayton as soon as we can.” Twilight confidently assured the Princess as she strode to the door, her friends following close behind her.
“And when we find Hayton, we’ll make sure to throw a ‘Welcome back to Equestria’ party!” Pinkie Pie shouted as she bounced behind Rarity.
Princess Celestia let out a short chuckle before calling out one last time. “Twilight…”
“Yes Princess?”
“Please…promise you’ll be careful”
Twilight let out one last smile. “Of course, Princess, don’t worry about us. We won’t let you down.” And with that they left, leaving Princess Celestia alone. When she was sure they had left, Celestia was able to let out the fear she had been hiding for Twilight’s sake.
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Rainbow Dash slowly gathered food and placed it inside the saddle bearing her cutie mark. She was trying in vain to keep her mind off what she was packing for. How could this be happening? The unicorn she had met in the forest hadn’t been crazy after all. She regretted ditching him without listening to what he had to say. But for whatever circumstance, she had to go through with this. No matter how much she was afraid, she had made a promise to the princess and her friends and she wasn't going to let them down. This thing had hurt Princess Luna and was threating Princess Celestia and Equestria as a whole, and nothing was going to get away with that. She looked down at the red lightning bolt that now hung around her neck and smirked. Besides, they were the Elements of Harmony; she should be feeling sorry for the enemy. Rainbow strapped the saddle tightly across her back. She trotted out the door and took one last look at her house; having a strange feeling she might not see it again for a long time. Convincing herself she was just being paranoid, she dove off the cloud and set off for the south end of Ponyville where Twilight had instructed them to meet. ‘Whatever this thing is,’ Rainbow confidently thought, ‘it messed with the wrong ponies!’ The thought, however, did little to still the fear she had deep inside her ever since the night before.