Twilight slowly woke up to the clopping of hooves against tiles of stone. No not hooves, metal. the she remembered what happened. She was shackled to the wall, teleportation was not an option then. The clopping got louder and louder and louder. She knew who it was that now stood before the cell door. Celestia. The towering mare looked down on the lavender pony.
"Twilight Sparkle. Tomorrow at dusk you will face the ultimate punishment Equestria has to offer. Execution." The queen wanted the mare to cover before her as she stared her down.
Twilight looked upon the ruler, she did not even flinch under the hard gaze. "Bring it on Nightmare."
This enraged the queen. "Tomorrow at noon!" She put her face closer to the bars, bad mistake. Twilight spat the furious mare in the face. "AT NOON AND WE WILL DO IT BY OUR HOOF! " Twilight just looked on her with arrogance. A plan was already formulating in her head when the queen stormed of. Twilight laid there on the bunk with a smug smile.
_.-._
"Can't ya be alone in the bathroom, seriously these ponies are weird." Alice had somehow dodged the small hoard of ponies inside and made it to the porch out back. After Big mac had walked in on her it had become a once sided discusion inside when 3 mares decided to chew out the big stallion for his little mistake. All he had done was forget to knock when he brought a fresh towel and there was no lock on the door, broken. Alice had quickly finished glancing herself in the mirror she noticed her her eyes, streaks of red was starting to overtake the amber. Never a good sign for her, once had her eyes gone into fully crimson. The mess after that had resulted in the deaths of seven people and a cat, she had mercilessly eaten the later alive.
Always remember your training, essential for your and others survival. Find balance with your inner demon Her inner monologue of master Pao was interrupted by someone.
"Ah so it's you that she want's me to meet." A cloaked mare said. Alice gave her a quick glance from what she could see she was a unicorn a little big, probably the angle of sight. She had a red luster to her white coat. "To bad I don't have the time to properly introduce myself. I bring grave news, friend of Twilight." Alice listened what she said but did not look.
Then hurry and tell, the others are her friends to. So long you speak I will hear. Alice thought to the mare who with a nod went inside.
Then tell them we shall. The mysterious mare went inside to the seven inside happily greeted her. Alice could now hear everything that she spoke, or thought to her.
"My friends. As you know Twilight have been taken by Queen fury." Alice tried to meditate at the same time so their responses was a blurry mess. "It have come to my knowledge that she intends to execute her tomorrow at noon, we have little time to act." Alice lost her focus. "The elements are not in our possession, this have proven a problem in the past and I don't think we can get them again like last time seeing that discord is not in the mix."
Twilight is held in the castle dungeon right?
Yes.
Take me to her. I can get her out without them even noticing. All I need is a map
Sorry we can't do that, we will reveal the plan now so stand by.
"I don't know if I'm strong enough but with Twilight's help I believe we can defeat her without the elements."
Alice decided that the plans details could wait. She had another thing to do for the time being. Not becoming a rampaging murderer. Why did this happen again?
....
Alice had spent the night in her mind for the most part. sensing that it was not enough to quell whatever demon she had in her head in time she decided to go with it, last time had taken a week of meditating and relaxing. She splashed herself with some water. the red in her eyes still lingered. The train they where riding moved about little in the turn it took. Somehow the trains in Equestria did not bump around as much as Earths.
When she sat in her seat the mysterious pony smiled at her. "Feeling better?" ´She asked giggling. She had enjoyed this morning a hundred times better than Alice.
"Not really. Do you know how hard it is to adapt to this?" Alice pointed to her feet.
"No I have lived with it. But learning to walk is not the issue here is it?" The cloaked mare had the stomach to still giggle after what she had done to her. And not to mention what situation they were going to face later.
"Ah yes suddenly becoming a pony really helps. If it was an illusion of some sort I would have been fine with it but a full transformation? Really?"
"We have been over this. It's fully reversible when you want to, the medallion I gave you gives you full control for 24 hours."
"I know... I tested it just to make sure. Still walking on all fours make me feel weird." Not to mention perverted, she thought.
The other mare had reviled that she uses a similar to hide her own identity as Sun Flare a happy go lucky unicorn that had moved to ponyville only a day or so after Twilight's banishment to Mares, Equestrias equivalent to Mars. Her true identity is, you guessed it none other than Princess Luna. She spoke highly of her lavender friend and the importance why she would be saved.
Alice tried to mentally go over the map over town and roughly the castle. Lay of the lands, a key factor in any plan. when she was interrupted. Again. "Oh what do you think Dawny?" The bubbly mare Pinkie Pie asked.
"Uh What?"
"What cake to have. Strawberry or chocolate?"
"Why not both?" She enjoyed the company of Twilight's friends for the most part but somehow Pinkie bugged her like fuck some how. Rainbow was somehow mad at Alice for being all cause for this and Rarity did not stop complementing her looks, especially after she was turned pony. Alice was lean and slim like the princess taller than most mares and graceful according to her. Alice saw noting graceful about her new appearance, she had stumbled and tumbled around more in those first minutes of her crash course in walking ,something she did not even needed when she was human. She was now a brilliantly white pony with golden mane and a part of her tail was in the same stile as Rd's. Her coat held a golden luster.
Then she remembered the walk to the train. Almost every pony had stared at her, even when she donned the cloak that Luna had, to hide her lack of a cutiemark.
"What do you think Sunny?" Pinkies nick name on Luna.
"That depends on this working... But I agree with Dawn, mixing it would be best." Alice was not a name in Equestria per say and so they settled on calling her Dawn. Alice just rolled her eyes. Arguing about cake now?
The train came to it's destination and they set off. It was still early and the execution was sett to happen in three hours. The buzz of the town was the event held at 2 o'clock. The rumors where not happy ones to hear but to their relief not many ponies thought the same. public execution? unheard of in the kingdom before. The group of ponies headed to the royal square just outside the gates to the castle. A grand podium was already built.
Alice silently broke from the group as they came near the castle, she saw no guard in one of the towers and jumped up in a shadow that covered parts of it.
With her hood up she once again turned human, making her pony self the escape plan if needed as it more easely could blend into the crowd. Sticking to the shadows she made her way into the castle. The guards she encountered was easily outmaneuvered and dodged, she even stole some keys with ease. The guards pony only noticed that his keys was gone later that night when he had to knock on his own door so his marefriend could open.
Alice encountered the first obstacle with a challenge when the the only entrance to the dungeon was blocked by four guards. A plan quickly formulated i her head, she back tracked into another corridor. Then she screamed for help! In mere moments two of the guards come and past her unknowing of the being that shadowed them.
Now to hurry, she made it back to the door. The two pegasi guards stood vigilantly outside until she started a small fire in a pot plant further down the corridor. The guards looked at each other and went to the fire with a small nod. She easily found the right key, the most unused one.
With a satisfied snap the door swung open and she entered unnoticed. She hid in the few shadows the lit corridor provided sipping fast between them pausing in every to make sure she was not followed of noticed. After a set of stairs she came to the actual cells.
Hiding in a shadow she let her mind wander to a familiar mares. Twilight? It's Alice.
Good to know, Alice i have something to tell you. We are not in my world this is a parallel universe of Equestria.
I suspected that. I also know who threw that rock.
You do?
Oh and we have a plan to fix this mess. Just one question do ya think ya can use the elements?
I... I think so.. No I know I can! What's the plan and who are we? She thought confidently. Alice let a gleeful smile reach her lips.
...
Escape went without a hitch. Twilight's last meal came and Alice sneaked out with the food cart. Less than five minutes later bumpy stair ride included she was back with the others. After a silent greeting to them she said.
"The elements can be used, Twilight knows a way to summon them."
"Then we?" Luna asked.
"Yes all we need to do is buy her time." She said in a hushed tone.
"Easy." Luna begun to prepare some complex magical matrixes.
Half an hour later the convicted mare was brought up on the stage. The Queen made a confident speech about her crimes to the nation. That if she had only lived her millenia long sentence in peace on mares she would be a free mare. Then she asked "Any last words. Twilight?"
"I have." Twilight lifted her bowed head and stared the queen in her eyes. "We will stop you nightmare no mater what it takes. And a question, Why do you cry?"
The queen let out a menacing laughter. "What are talking about Twilight Sparkle. Stop me? Crying? What makes you think you can stop me? You have nothing against me!"
Twilight mumbled some incoherent.
"What?"
"I said. We have an Alice!" Twilight took a defiant stance on stage.
"What?" The queen let out.
"Supp!" Alice growled as loud as she could when she flashed up on stage. Arm hooked around Fury's neck she tossed her into the castle wall. The hollow wall crumbled by the impact, Alice slid by the high velocity she had coming to a halt by the ruined wall. "common I know you have more fight in you than that!" She growled.
With a furious cry the Alicorn lounged at her horn ready to kill. Alice sidestepped her charge grabed her leg and swung her around and into the wall again, this time she bounced off it. Her mane started to change as guards was making the way up to the stage only to be blocked by a purple shield. "Shining" She growled. "I will deal with you later!" She stared at one of the guards in purple armor. Getting Twilight's brother in the plan had been easy he had been on Twilight's side since the start. A quick letter from Luna was all that it took.
She tried to lift Alice in a magical grip only for it to be rejected. Add Magical resistance to the list Alice thought. The mare tried even harder before Alice came to stand still. Visual strain was covering her face as Luna's matrix of spells kicked in and aided Alice. One does not battle an alicorn goddess without backup. Fury resorted to the one thing she could think of, Kicking Alice flank and it was precisely what she did, but in the face.
The force from the unseen dual kick to the face made Alice fly into the barrier, a normal human's head would been teared off by the force. Alice slowly got back on her feet, with a hand motion fire shot from her hand. Fury no longer saw amber eyes in her opponent they where Crimson red. Alice felt her losing control by the second.
"Hey... how... long?" She coughed between the words.
Seven mares was now crowding half of the stage that was not barred by magic. "I have them." Twilight called as a flash willed a set of jewelry to manifest on their respectively wielder. "Gimme a minute to finish this."
"No!" The Nightmare cried. Celestia long into her mind just thought 'You reap what you sow. Nightmare.' The red eyed Alice launched herself at the alicorn in rage, no longer able to control herself properly as she snarled like a savage animal. .
Twilight could only watch in horror as Alice brawled with her mentor or her body at least. Celestia was not going to be happy when she came back in control. The human and alicorn traded blows and magic. Luna's matrixes allowed Alice to control her natural abilites with much more power. Fire did not hurt her mentor and the magical resistance from Alice made Fury's attacks more or less useless. The fight was equal and with both Luna and Shining armor holding the shielding in place and Alice holding Fury occupied nothing could stop the group that now had Summoned the power needed to vanquish the Nightmare from Celestia. Alice flipped Fury on her back and locked her down.
"Alice get out of there!" A hole in the shield opened.
No! Her thought sounded strained, Hit me too, I can't control my own actions anymore. She growled in her mind. Kill tear. NO! Only subdue. Do it Twilight! Or one of us might die!
Twilight closed her eyes. She hoped that the Elements of harmony would have mercy on her new friend. Her friend who had killed so many. Her friend that now fought both herself and the nightmare to save Celestia. A being that she did not know herself.
"May the elements have mercy on your soul." She let a single tear fall as the group of ponies ascended into the air a rainbow forming around them. The shield fell around the two and the rainbow struck it's target, a shock wave of harmonious energy flowed over Canterlot as it once again tried purging the nightmare from the world. As it subdued nightmare was no more, in her stead stood Celestia again. The flame of her mane had died down, flowing gently in the wind her chromatic ethereal mane swayed. A warm smile on her face, in her magical grasp Alice was put gently on her back. Tears gently rolled down he cheeks, eyes filled with pride as she looked over the ones that once again had saved her kingdom.
"Well done My little ponies and thank you." She looked out over the stunned crowd of her ponies. In a kind regal manner she asked the ponies to leave for their homes as she now would. The audience murmured. Celestia did not care that she had onlookers, she gracefully made way to her sister and nuzzled her. "It's good to she you again Luna. We have much to do, much wrongs to correct." She looked at her back and at Twilight. "Let's begin with these." Then she turned to the castle, as the regal pony walked by the wall repaired itself. Twilight and the others followed after when Luna gave them a graceful nod towards the castle.
...
Twilight sat by Alice bedside as she rested in a grand bed, Celestia's own to be correct. Night was falling and Twilight was starting to feel the events of these two days come to her. Not enough sleep and sitting in a dungeon did that to a pony, she nodded off a couple of times. Then fell asleep. She stirred a little in her sleep when she felt somepony move her but she did not wake up.
Twilight slowly stirred from her slumber. "How is it?" A familiar voice asked.
"It's great. Sorry for the trouble of making this." Another familiar voice said.
"Do not worry, our chefs are used to serving Griffins at occasion. A little meal like this is no trouble, how is the tea?" The first asked.
"Simply divine Princess." The second said. Twilight sat up in the bed she was sleeping in, She was sure that she had slept sitting on a cushion.
"Any complications from the element blast?" Said the first one Celestia.
"It's the third time ya ask I'm fine. Also I can ask ya the same." Twilight looked at the other person in the room. It looked like they had eaten "Good afternoon sleepy head."
"Afternoon?" Twilight asked confused. Alice just nodded and took a sip of her tea.
"It's just past lunchtime. Don't not worry I have talked to your friends and the princesses about all this." A third voice said.
Twilight snapped her head to the male voice. "Who are you?" She asked to the second human in the room. The male was tall as tall as Celestia at least maybe taller. he was clad in royal blue clothes with golden and silver trims, over his heart a version of Celestia and Luna's crest embroidered. He supported his old frame on a staff with bells on it.
"I am like you from another world. Then again I came here by my own means to aid you. Looks like you activated Starswirls Oculus." He sighed. "I should have never help him build that old thing. Never mind that now." he said with a shake on his head. "Well not much I can do about it. Darn thing ripped the universal laylines a new ass!" He grunted.
"What?" Twilight just said. Confusion held a tight grip in her face.
"What he want to say Twilight is that when we came here by the oculus we tared a hole in the sub laylines. Now he want's us to fix it. Easy remedy too apparently. To say anyway, all we need to do is go through one of those." Alice pointed at the far wall in the opposite corner of the room. A blue silver sphere hung in the air barely visible to her eye. "Looks like only you and I can truly see them too."
"That's a rift? In universes?"
"Yes if we go trough it, we close it. Thing is that's not the only one and we won't get to your home this time and because I'm here it means there is a good chance that we might stumble upon human populated worlds."
"I gave Alice some things you two might need. One is a notebook for you. the others you will see." Twilight got up from the bed as she listened.
"Then we better get going then." She said confidently much to Celestia's surprise.
"Really? You are going to accept that? Just like that?" Celestia said.
"I am. Fist I already was thinking about how to get home to my friends, my Ponyville and my mentor. I was also set in stone to show Alice my world. Not this or another, it just are going to take a little longer." Then she turned to Alice. "Are you with me?" She reached a hoof to Alice.
With a smile she grabbed the hoof of her furry friend. "Ya betcha." She picked up her hat from the night stand.
"Alice I'm sorry for your things." Celestia said again, this was the fourth time this hour.
"No, no. Don't worry I'm just happy that she took interest in my Ipod and the solar-cell and did not vaporize those. Everything else can easily be replaced. just bad that we can't bring food."
"We can't?" Twilight corked her head when she looked at her.
"Can't take the trip. most things can't. I gave Alice a spell matrix on her clothing and other things to make them immune to the effect of displacement decay. Most things can't take more than one or two trip before they break." Twilight nodded at him again and stepped up to the rift. Which in turn hummed and expanded, like it knew that they was going to pass trough it.
Before she took the last step to touch the oculus she turned around and said. "Thank you Princess Celestia and you too, who ever you are." He gave her a smile and graceful nod before he to disappeared into thin air, the world flashed away in a great blinding light,
"Did you have to look like that?" Celestia said. "The poor girl might be confused now." she had now turned to look at the second pony in the room, replacing the man. The old stallion chuckled with a light blush.
"Eh, can't really tell her that I helped myself build that thing." He grinned as he too started to fade from the room. "I am Starswirl the beaded after all." said the spectral voice of the old pony.
Twilight regained her eyesight in a clearing of pine and oak. "Wonder where we are." She said.
"I don't know... But it looks familiar." Alice said. Then it hit her. She knew where they where now. A very familiar sound could be heard only a few hundred meters away. A highway.