"What happened?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Twilight took off towards the castle.
"Twilight!" yelled Spike. "Where you going?"
But Twilight didn't stop. She just kept running. When she arrived at the courtyard she stopped. There was smoke everywhere making it impossible to see. The smoke eventually began to clear, revealing the two prinesses. They lay still on the ground. At first Twilight thought they were dead, then she saw Celestia's hoof move. Celestia raised her head to look at Luna.
"Sister." she said softly.
Luna didn't move.
"Princess?" asked Twilight.
Celestia turned her head to look at her.
"Twilight?"
Twilight knelt next to Celestia and helped her up. Twilight noticed Luna's hoof budge.
"Come on, Princess." urged Twilight. "We have to go."
"I can't leave her." said Celestia weakly.
"We'll find a way to save her." said Twilight. "But we won't be able to if she kills us."
Celestia took one final look at her sister before following Twilight. Luna looked up slowly just as Celestia faded from view.
"It's not over yet." she said as she stood up.
She held out her wings to maintain balance. She then shot a beam of dark energy into the sky. Twilight, Celestia, and the others all looked up. Clouds started to swirl around the area where the beam met the sky. Lightning struck the ground as the sky turned a dark red. The broken pieces of Canterlot Castle began to swirl around in a tornado, returning to their original spot. When the wind cleared, the castle was put back together. Then all of a sudden spikes started to jut out of the stones. The towers grew a bit taller and gargoyles formed on their roofs. The pretty stone of Canterlot Castle turned to a blackish color. The entrance to the castle went from a large double-door to a large drop-down steel gate. Luna let out an evil laugh that echoed throughout the courtyard.
"BEHOLD!" she yelled. "GAZE UPON MY WORK, YE PONIES... AND DESPAIR!"
Twilight and the others looked hopelessly at each other.
"What are we going to do?" asked Rarity.
"I'm not sure." said Twilight. "But we're definitely NOT gonna give up."
"Are you sure?" asked Diamond Tiara. "I mean, it looks kind, like, dangerous."
"Not scared, are ya?" asked Apple Bloom.
"Scared?" asked Diamond Tiara. "Puh-lease."
"Yeah." said Silver Spoon. "As if."
"So how do you plan on getting the Elements Of Harmony, now?" asked Lyra.
"No clue." said Twilight. "But I'll do whatever it takes."
There was a booming sound in the sky, causing everyone to look up. A huge army of black ponies, unicorns, and pegasuses dropped down from the sky. They were each covered in a dark mist.
"Well, that doesn't look good." said Derpy.
"It's her Shadow Force." said Celestia.
"Shadow Force?" asked Twilight.
"Yes. When she was Nightmare Moon, she talked about summoning a whole army of them. I always hoped she wouldn't."
"Are they tough?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Very."
"Oh, great."
"Well, girls..." said Twilight. "we're gonna have to retreat to form a plan."
"I like that idea." said Fluttershy.
The group took one last look at the castle before heading off.