“Chrysalis?” Twilight glanced around the empty corridor. Panic seized her as she realized she was alone. “Chrysalis?” she called again, louder this time.
“I know where she is, Mommy!”
Twilight blood ran cold as she turned towards the voice. Only to be met with the innocent face of a young alicorn filly. “E-Evenfall? How . . . Why . . .”
In her stunned state, it was easy for Evenfall to take her mother’s hoof and drag her along. She skipped, using her wings to keep her balance as she bounded through the endless hallway. All the while humming her favorite lullaby.
They journeyed several feet before Twilight regained her senses enough to free herself.
“No. Stop,” she commanded weakly. She couldn’t bring herself to stop her by force.
But, to her surprise, Evenfall complied.
“Is something wrong, Mommy?”The young pony watched her mother with a curious expression, mixed in with a bit of pain and confusion.
“Where are you trying to take me?”
Twilight’s words were soft. Despite every ounce of logic that told her none of this was real, that couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering every time she heard her daughter’s voice.
“I’m trying to take you to Mama.” Evenfall tilted her head. “Isn’t that what you wanted? To come home? To be a family again? Just me, you, and Mama? Like you promised?”
Twilight’s chest tightened. She knew that pleading look all too well. “I want to. But I can’t.”
“Why not?” Evenfall asked with the same whining cadence as when she wanted a new toy. As much as it annoyed her, she couldn’t help but feel a spark of joy at the memories it drew forth.
“Because Mommy has a job to do.”
“Why?” Twilight had always loved that insatiable curiosity.
“Because there are a lot of ponies counting on me to save the day. Like your uncle Shining, Aunt Cadance, Celestia and Luna. They need my help.”
“You’re going to be a hero? Just like in those stories you used to tell me?”
“Just like that.”
Evenfall twirled in place. “My Mommy’s going to be a hero! She’s going to save Equestria! Villains beware!” she sang. Twilight chuckled at her enthusiasm.
“That’s right. Those mean, scary villains better run!” Twilight added, edging on laughter. But each giggle only added to the misty film growing in her eyes.
Evenfall froze in place. Her childish grin faded. “But if you beat up the bad guy, then how will you come home?”
The question stung like a knife through Twilight’s ribs.
“I . . .” She felt a single tear soak into her cheek. “I don’t think I’ll be coming home, Evenfall.”
“But you promised!” Evenfall argued, her tears mirroring her mother’s.
“I . . . I know I did. But I d-don’t have a choice.”
“Yes you do! You always have a choice. You could come back with me. I can bring you home. We can be a happy family again.” She didn’t attempt to hide the anger and pain in her sobs.
Twilight glided forward, taking her daughter’s head in her hooves. “Listen to me, Evenfall. I love you more than anything in the world.” Evenfall buried her face into her mother’s chest, soaking her fur with tears. “But I have to go. I have to save Equestria. I have to save Mama. And I need you to be brave for me. Can you do that?”
They stood, locked in their embrace, for minutes. Only the muffled sound of a child’s cries filled the dark. Twilight ran her hoof through Evenfall’s mane, cradling her and whispering for her to quiet down.
“I love you, too,” Evenfall choked out. “But I don’t want you to go.”
“Alright,” Twilight bit back her tears and took a deep breath to settle her stomach. “You win. But I need you to do something for me, first.”
The tears didn’t stop. Neither did their hug. If anything, Evenfall only squeezed tighter.
“Anything.”
“I need to find Princess Luna. She can fix all of this. Do you know where she is?”
The young alicorn sniffled. “Yeah. And when you fix all of this, then you’ll come home?”
“Of course,” Twilight lied. She gritted her teeth, nearly biting through her tongue as she fought back against the storm raging inside her. This would hurt. More than anything. She was sure of it. But it had to be this way.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Evenfall pulled free. Though her eyes were still red and glistening, she was smiling.
“Okay. I know where Aunt Luna is. But I’ll only tell you if you mean what you say. If you lie to me again, I’ll never forgive you.”
Twilight ruffled Evenfall’s mane. “Never is a pretty long time. I’d better behave myself, then.” Her body felt hollow. But she didn’t let her smile waver.
“You’d better,” she ordered, her high-pitched voice unable to provide any authority to her orders. Nevertheless, Twilight saluted. She held out her hoof again, allowing Evenfall to take it. This time, she didn’t struggle as they walked off together into the unknown.
As they went, Evenfall talked endlessly. She definitely took after Chrysalis in that department. She covered each topic with fascination, but added a dramatic flourish. Principal Glimmer’s latest school project, the games that her cousin Flurry taught her, the stories her Mama used to tell her. Evenfall was the best qualities of the Twilight and Chrysalis, in one neat little package.
Then came the pain. And then more tears. Twilight wiped them away as they appeared, always making sure to smile and nod when Evenfall looked to her for a response. In a sick, twisted way, she hoped they would never find Luna. Even if she were to be trapped in this nightmare for the rest of her life, she wouldn’t mind. She would be here with Everfall forever. That didn’t seem so bad, did it?
“We’re here.”
All too soon, they came upon a portal. A swirling vortex of dark energy, twisting endlessly in on itself.
“This will take you to Luna,” Evenfall said proudly.
“Thank you, Sweetie. You did a great job.” Twilight bit her quivering lip.
“Don’t. Don’t try to hide it. I know you’re not coming back,” Evenfall said. There were no tears this time. Instead, she smiled. “But I know that no matter where you go, a little part of you will still be with me. And that’s enough.”
“Then why did you--”
“You needed me to help you. And I . . . I wanted to spend a few more minutes with you before you left.”
“Evenfall . . .”
Twilight trailed off. Her words had no meaning anymore.
“I know, Mommy.”
The floodgates burst open. Twilight’s composure melted away. She threw herself over her daughter, wailing madly. This time, it was Evenfall who comforted her. “I love you. More than the moon, the sun, and every single one of the twinkling stars in the sky,” Twilight said. “And if there were any other way, I would give anything for it. But this isn’t my choice to make.”
“I know, Mommy. You have to go and be a hero. Just like in Mama’s stories.”
“I’ll never forget you. You’ll always be my little Evenfall.”
With one final hug, Twilight closed her eyes and kissed her daughter’s cheek. Then she let go. When she opened her eyes, Evenfall was gone. Twilight stood outside the portal, wiping away the last few tears she had.
After a long while, and a final, shaky breath, Twilight composed herself and stepped into the waiting maw. On the other side, the air became cold. Though not quite the icy burns that the Nightmare inflicted with its claws, Twilight could still feel the frost clinging to her coat.
More importantly, she realized her movements were muted, like trying to walk underwater. Each step required a tremendous effort, especially for how little progress each one made. Up ahead, Twilight could see the other portal. Only a dark path connected the two. Given the feel of it, she thought it might be stone. Whatever it was, it couldn’t be seen beneath the thick bank of black mist.
After what felt like a mile-long journey, Twilight finally reached the second portal. Unlike the first, she didn’t have the luxury of time to prepare. The ice on her fur was starting to reach her skin. With only a moment to psyche herself up, she charged forward into the portal.
She nearly tripped over a stack of books. The cold air dispersed, replaced by a warm lavender scent. She recognized this place. The stacks of books. Shelves loaded with relics of a time before recorded history. The biggest giveaway was the portrait on the wall, depicting a stylized portrayal of Luna.
At least, that’s what it should have been. Instead, the painting depicted Nightmare Moon in all her glory. Her wicked smile seemed to follow Twilight everywhere. Luna stood at the base of the golden frame, her eyes locked on her former self.
“Luna?” Twilight asked, inching closer.
The only response from Luna was a quick and silent glance over her shoulder.
“Are you alright?” Twilight continued. “I came to get you out of here--”
“Do you know what a nightmare is?”
Twilight’s gaze swept the room, looking for anyone else she might have been talking to. As far as she could tell, the two of them were alone.
“A bad dream?” Twilight answered, stepping up until she was shoulder-to-shoulder with Luna, staring up at the picture on the wall.
“For most. But that is a simple explanation for a complex question.” Luna watched Twilight from the corner of her eye. Twilight watched her back with a raised eyebrow. "No. As terrifying as it might be, a bad dream is nothing more than that. A nightmare is far worse.”
“You’re saying that isn’t what a bad dream is? That doesn’t make any sense, Luna,” Twilight said, leaning forward for a better look at the other princess’ face.
“Dreams do not have to make sense.”
“What’s wrong with you? You’re acting really strange.”
That question finally struck solid. Luna turned away from her portrait and faced Twilight.
“Listen closely, Twilight. You will be only the second pony in existence to know the truth of what I am about to tell you.”
A sudden dread washed over Twilight. “What’s going on?”
“Many worlds exist aside from our own. Your own experiences should have taught you that. But there exists a world beyond them. A world where logic and reason cannot apply. It bears many names. I prefer to call it the Dreamscape. It is a place born of forgotten dreams and dark desires.”
“Luna, I really don’t think we have time for this.” Twilight glanced around anxiously. She could feel something watching her. “I don’t think we’re alone here.”
“Calm yourself.” Luna took Twilight’s shoulder, nearly frightening her out of her skin. “The beast that hunts us cannot find us here. But my cloaking spell will not last forever. There is much you need to know before you can face him.”
“Him?”
Luna nodded.
“The one hunting us. The one I call the Nightmare. He is from this world outside of time and space. He is far beyond anything you have ever faced before. And he will not stop until you are dead.”
“You’re throwing a lot at me here, Luna,” Twilight said. She could feel her heartbeat hastening.
“I know. And I shall explain more when we return . . . If we return.” The coldness in Luna’s voice cast a dark glaze over the room. “The Nightmare is no mere beast to be slain with sticks and arrows. No. He is a dream. The leftover remnant of some terrible, primordial dream that died long before my sister and I were born.”
“Oh,” Twilight squeaked. “Great.”
“In his own realm, he is a god. Untouchable. Unkillable. All-knowing and all-seeing.”
“And how are we supposed to fight that?” Twilight asked, already on the edge of panic.
“That is my task. He has pulled us into this unending nightmare to torment us while safe in his own world. But I can force him here. Here, he is mortal. But I am afraid that much of my power is already gone. Sapped away by that creature’s foul magics. Once he is here, I fear I will no longer have the strength to fight. This task must fall to you.”
“Sure. How hard can that be?” Twilight asked, her breathing now rapid.
“I know this will be difficult. I do not know if we will survive.”
“Not helping.”
“I am truly sorry for bringing this curse upon you. A single moment of weakness was all it took. I should have been stronger. I should have fought harder. But he overwhelmed me. He . . . He defeated me. This is all my fault. If there were any other way to fix this–”
“It’s alright, Luna.” Twilight offered a smile she hoped was reassuring. “We all make mistakes. We learn from them. And we do better.”
Luna looked up at her portrait.
“This is not the first time I have made this mistake, Twilight. And if I keep making it, our luck will eventually run out.”
“That’s what you said about Chrysalis.”
“I know.”
“And I didn’t listen to you then, either.” Twilight nuzzled up against Luna’s shoulder. “You’ve got a lot of ponies that love you. That would do anything to help you. You don’t have to handle this all by yourself.”
“Thank you, Twilight.” Luna closed her eyes and rested her head against Twilight in return. “I was alone for so long. I fear that sometimes I forget that there are those who care for me. But even if my story must end here, I am glad that there are those that would remember me for who I am, and not who I once was.”
“Of course.”
“Now.” Luna straightened herself. “We will only have one chance to succeed here. Are you ready, Twilight?”
Twilight took a deep breath. Then another. And a few more.
“Yes,” she finally decided.
Luna’s horn glowed a deep, oceanic blue. The walls around them crumbled. The shelves collapsed, books burned to ash. Even the portrait of Nightmare Moon fell from the castle spire, shattering somewhere in the streets below. Twilight looked out over the landscape.
“Canterlot?”
“A dream of Canterlot,” Luna corrected. “I have lowered my guard. The Nightmare will arrive soon to take me away with him. Twilight, can you make me a promise?”
“On top of fighting a godly magical being? Sure,” Twilight chuckled nervously.
“If something should happen. If our plan goes awry . . . Do not let him take me.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I said. Do whatever you can to make sure he does not take me. Even if that means you must kill me.” Luna bowed her head.
“But--”
“Please, Twilight. I know it is a grave deed to ask of you, but it is an important one. The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance.”
Twilight shook her head.
“No. But I will promise you this. We will stop the Nightmare. We’ll escape. After all, we still have to save Celestia, right? I made a promise to her, too.”
Above, the clouds parted, revealing a grand display of a full moon. It cast its light over the landscape. Over the mountains that held Canterlot, over the buildings below, and most importantly, over the duo standing on the broken tower.
A dark image appeared against the moon. A little spot of ink. As it moved close, Twilight could feel the magic radiating off it. Dark. Ancient. Wrong. Just attempting to comprehend it made her head ache.
“Ready yourself,” Luna commanded. “Indulge his weakness for speech. My spell will need time to work.”
Twilight flared out her wings and calmed her mind. Her magic pulsed within her, anxiously waiting for its call. Her muscles burned with adrenaline.
The Nightmare had arrived.