Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle weave desperately around the clouds of mist that continually consume ponies and leave them just like Rarity. "Where're we going? This isn't the way to the railway lines."
Apple Bloom looks back with a nervous nod. "We cahn't escape, we need tah get tah mah house. Big Mac and Granny'll know what tah do." By this point, Sweetie Belle is completely numb and just wants to sleep so she doesn't even bother arguing. I'll take sleeping in a barn on the hardest mattress in Equestria at this point if it means I can just rest. I just can't take anything else.
Since they were already near the edge of Ponyvile, it doesn't take them long to reach Sweet Apple Acres and both nearly pass out from relief when they see a light on in the farmhouse. After taking a moment to calm thier pounding hearts, which feel like they’re about to rip from thier chests, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom trudge calmly through the front door.
They find Granny Smith and Big Mac in the kitchen, sitting in a pleasant silence after having apparently just drawn up plans for tomorrow as it’s the beginning of harvest season. When the kitchen door opens though, Granny's head snaps towards them and she glares sternly at her granddaughter. "Un wha time dah ya call this? 's pas' tenna clock an' we've bin worried sick. We were jus' abou' ready tah go out lookin' for ya."
The two fillies shy back guiltily. "Sorry, Granny. We've jus' hada very... tough day'."
Granny Smith nods mysteriously and pulls up chairs for the two Crusaders who happily enjoy thier first proper rest in hours. Despite the day they've had, it's frankly incredible how relaxing being around family can be. Granny adopts a cheeky smile. "Now, where's that friend o' yers gotten to? Scootaloo's usually naught that far behind you." The look that the two fillies exchange gives her pause though. "What happened? ‘N why d’yuh look like that?”
Apple Bloom struggles to speak through the lump in her throat. "Y-you wouldn't believe us. You'd think we were makin' it all up."
Granny Smith gives her a comforting smile. "Now you listen here, if anythin's happened, we need tah know. I promise tha' we'll do whatever we can tah help 'er, won't we?"
"Eeyep." The two fillies exchange a defeated look, sigh, and begin to tell the events of the day starting with them arriving at the Golden Oaks Library that morning.
Half an hour has passed passes by the time that the story has ended and another five pass in silence. Before long though, Granny Smith starts to chuckle as the Crusaders snap to looking at her. "Oh, that explainsa lot." The Crusaders just look at the old mare with tired defeat.
Instead of her dismissing it however, she exchanges a meaningful look with Big Mac. "We hava way outta town that even Applejack dunt know about yet. Firs' though, you two should get sum rest. You're both exhausted." The two try to argue but they are simply too drained so Granny gives them a disarming smile. "An' don' worry 'bout the Shadows. Me an' Big Mac'll keep 'em away until we're ready tah go. Makin' an escape attempt when you're plum tuckered out is too dangerous."
Sweetie and Apple Bloom want to protest but are almost asleep in the chairs so reluctantly agree.
Princess Luna and Aegis Shield work quickly to try and exploit temporary weak-spots around the dome when a visibly exhausted Celestian Royal Guard flies over to them. "Pr-Pr-Princess Luna!" They wait patiently for him to catch his breath but his urgent look concerns them. "Your Highness, the army has swarmed Ponyvile. The scouts lost all visual contact with the town. It's covered in a large dark cloud of darkness."
After a moment of realisation, Luna's face becomes grim. "You've done well, rest easy." The surrounding ponies snap a salute as the guard obeys.
After he turns in, Aegis Shield turns to his unsettled Princess. "Princess Luna? What's going on?"
Luna looks rattled; something he has never seen before which honestly scares him. "Please wake Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armour immediately. This just gotten much, much, much worse."
Princess Celestia has long since adjusted to being woken up at the most ungodly hours of the morning by everything from a national crisis, to urgent matters of state that will effect Equestria's future, to the return of her ancient enemies, to the return of the Crystal Empire and due to Discord finding the idea of role-playing a cockerel at 2AM absolutely hilarious. The fact that she's been stressed all day certainly hasn't been helping her to sleep either.
As she emerges, she finds Luna pacing relentlessly in front of the map table. "I should have known! How could I not have immediately known she'd bring them?!"
Looking to her right, Celestia sees Cadance and Shining looking at her with equal concern. "Luna, what's wrong?"
Her sister looks at her with painful levels of fear and regret. "Celestia, there's something that we didn't tell you about before." Celestia manages to hide her growing worry and gestures for her to continue. "When we were Nightmare Moon, we created these creatures to use as our own army in taking over Equestria. They're beings composed entirely out of shadows impervious to most known forms of attack as they'll just pass straight through thier bodies. After banishing you and remaking the Castle of the Two Sisters, we were going to summon them to Equus and use them to consolidate our reign. Fortunately, we never got the chance thanks to Twilight and the others."
Celestia nods; she's heard all this before and it’s really just more for Cadance and Shining Armour's benefit. "What we never mentioned is that we instilled them with the ability to corrupt anypony into what are effectively mindless slaves. Ponies that retain thier original memories and personality but would do anything to protect us even at the cost of thier own lives. We saw it as an excellent way to show 'leniency' as a ruler whilst also stamping out resistance to my reign. Since they couldn't escape the Moon by themselves though, we didn't consider them a threat since we could easily stop them if they managed to escape. Now though... We wish we had gone to the Moon and dealt with them ourselves."
Her head sinks. "This is all our fault. Twilight and her friends have been banished or killed, Ponyvile is under siege and an innocent filly has been crippled or worse all because of our foolishness."
Celestia drapes a comforting wing over her remorseful sister as she tries to hold herself together. "We all make mistakes, Luna. The best that we can hope to do is solve them quickly so that our little ponies suffer as little as possible. We will finally bring down Nightmare Moon and finish what the others started. Our friends won't have died in vain."
After a few more moments, Luna calmly breaks free from Celestia's embrace and gets back to work as Shining Armour walks over with a hopeful look on his face. "Is it possible that Twilight and her friends weren't killed or banished but instead corrupted?"
Celestia thinks for a moment before shaking her head. "The Elements of Harmony completely protect them against outside corruption. Even when they're not being worn, the latent magic left inside them makes them immune to forced corruption. The only way for a Bearer to be corrupted is by using dark magic themselves, for them to willingly accept corruption or if another Bearer truly believes that they are doing the right thing and the Elements assess that thier intentions are truly pure. Corruption is impossible."
After some needed rest, Sweetie Belle is woken by a disturbingly familiar voice coming from downstairs. Starting to shake again, she gently shakes Apple Bloom until she wakes up. "Wahz up, Sweetie? Iz 3am."
Sweetie gestures for her to listen and they hear an all-too familiar twang coming from downstairs. At once, the country Crusader is on her hooves. "Clubhouse?"
Apple Bloom nods and they creep downstairs just to find Applejack waiting for them. "Good mornin' girls, you're up rather early t'day."
Sweetie instinctively backs away from the farm-pony just to walk into something else. "Good morning." She turns to see Night-time Flare and cowers just to be magically picked up and taken into the living room where she is placed on a sofa with Apple Bloom joining her. As the corrupted ponies take a seat opposite them, for the second time in twelve hours, Sweetie looks for a way out but sees just how clearly the windows and doors are enchanted.
After a few more moments of tense silence, a shadowy mist leaves Flare and Sweetie tenses as Nightmare Moon materialises next to her counterpart. "There, it's been a long time but we can finally get down to brass tacks."
Sweetie manages to pluck up her courage as she glares at the creature. "After what you did to Scootaloo, you have nothing left to say to us."
Flare sighs with regret. "Scootaloo is still alive but currently in a coma in the Golden Oaks Library and crippled. We want to help her but she refused our help because she doesn't want to end up like us."
Sweetie gulps at the information but Nightmare Moon gently cuts her off. "You're scared of us and what we represent aren't you? That what we represent is akin to Sombra or Chrysalis and that we plan to brainwash everypony into submission?"
Sweetie slowly nods as she refuses to look away from the spirit who laughs. Unlike her many other laughs though, it's filled with genuine mirth instead of malice. "Have a look at Apple Bloom beside you. " Sweetie turns to her friend who looks very unsettled. "She's gone through everything everypony else did but you still keep company with her? She could have turned on you at any time but she never did. She is still your friend and can attest to that fact.."
Apple Bloom nods slowly. "It's true. Ah still feel like me. They're not influencing me and Ah'm still Apple Bloom. I only fled 'cause Ah was worried that they'd catch me and take over mah mind."
Sweetie shakes her head. "How can I trust you? You could have taken control of Apple Bloom whilst we slept and this is all some act to make me give in."
Nightmare Moon chuckles. "If I took control of Apple Bloom as you slept, why would we be having this conversation? I could just have had her change you in your sleep and I don't need your consent. And if I only took control of her just now, surely I wouldn't bother talking to you?[\b]"
Sweetie opens her mouth a few times but can't think of a rebuttal. "What happened to Scootaloo was an extremely unfortunate accident but we have every intention of helping her. The simple fact is that your friends and family now have much, longer greater lifespans as a side effect of the changes. We're merely extending the chance to enjoy eternity with them. "
Sweetie Belle grows increasingly nervous at the possibility of lies and manipulations but then looks at Apple Bloom to see the worry for her in the filly's eyes. "I-I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave my friends and family alone without me but I'm scared of what'll happen if i accept."
Flare perks up immediately. "Apple Bloom could always do it if it makes you feel better. Everyone who turns gets instinctive knowledge of how to turn other ponies."
Sweetie thinks for several long minutes before slowly nodding. "Do it. At worst, I'll be under your control but still with my family for a very long time."
After leaving the Crusaders to rest, Night-time Flare and Applejack make thier way back towards Town Hall where they meet up with the others. "Is everything ready?"
Twilight nods but Rarity interrupts. "Darling, did you manage to find Sweetie Belle? I've been so worried about her. What if-"
Flare cuts her off with a smile. "She's fine, Rarity. She's staying over at Sweet Apple Acres tonight and she's joined us. I just had to convince her that we're not evil."
A sigh of relief leaves the fashionista as Fluttershy 'speaks up.' "Um, I received word from Zecora that the Wonderbolts just flew past the Everfree in the direction of Canterlot." She shirks back as all eyes turn to her. "Eep."
Twilight pats her on the back comfortingly. "The shield remains strong. So far, nothing has been able to even scratch it. Everything is going according to plan."
Flare smiles before turning to leave. "We'll begin in seven hours so please get some rest. Today's going to be quite... hectic. If anypony needs me, I'll be keeping an eye on Scootaloo." She turns into mist and floats away as her friends exchange looks of sadness at the filly's state.
Flare enters the Golden Oaks Library to find Shadowfright waiting for her with a wide smile. "My Queens, the Princess is waking up."
Flare nearly screams with joy but restrains herself; instead giving a respectful nod as she approaches the door. When she is about to open it, Nightmare Moon separates from her. "Are you sure that you can do this? You won't like what she has to say."
Flare shakes her head. "I can't keep hiding from my problems by putting them off or by burying my head in the sand. I won't sit by and watch Scootaloo suffer more than she already has just because what she has to say is going to hurt. It’s only right that she gets to doll some right back. I won't like what she has to say but I need to clear the air between us. If she hates me for the rest of her life, at least I won't be hiding anything from her. She deserves that at the very least."
Nightmare nods and goes back downstairs whilst Night-time Flare takes a deep breath and slowly enters the spare bedroom.