Pain. Searing pain. Twilight's body felt frozen, colder than the blizzards in the north. She couldn't open her eyes, or hear anything around her.
"I'm trapped! I'm alone! I'm going to be trapped in this accursed darkness forever! What is happening to me?" Twilight screamed in her head. Her head was foggy, and her mind resisted her when she summoned memories.
"At last! My return! I can leave behind that life! My family is together again! Out glorious reign shall not end!" A voice echoed in Twilight's head. It sounded like her own, only twisted and cruel.
"Who are what are you?!" Twilight imagined if she could be heard, she would be shouting.
"There there dear! No need to shout! I'm in here with you! Whatever we think, the other can hear. I am you. Yet I am myself." It almost sounded as if it was mocking her.
"What do you mean?" Twily asked, almost frightened to hear the reply.
"You are the weaker form of myself. You are Twilight Sparkle, I am Coldlight Glimmer! Princess of the Crystal Empire. And, Princess Twilight Sparkle, I'm afraid you are no longer needed. Only I am. You need to accept me, Twilight, let us become one. Then will Equestria tremble under our might!" It replied. Malice was in its voice.
"Never! My friends will never let Equestria, or the Crystal Empire fall!" Twilight shouted, even as she spoke with confidence, fear edged its way into her thoughts.
"Oh…I feel your fear and doubt. Twilight Sparkle, tell me, who delivers mail in Ponyville?" Coldlight asked.
"Oh I know that! It's… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MEMORIES!" Twilight shouted.
"Relax…it's just phase one. It's time to wake up…Princess. You still have control, but I will break you." Coldlight commented as Twilight regained consciousness.
"So, Twilight Sparkle or Coldlight?" Cadenza asked.
"My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I hate you." She said and she attacked her old foal sitter.
"TWILIGHT STOP!" Twilight heard Coldlight scream in her head. The force of the shout made Twilight freeze. "That's right, Sparkle, you thought I was gone. Oh…I will haunt you until you give in. All you have to do is surrender to me, and all of your nightmares will cease."
"You're wrong, Coldlight Glimmer! You are my nightmare!" Twilight shouted back mentally. Her comment only earned an evil cackle.
"Well! At least Coldlight has some control! Now just listen to her, Twilight! This isn't you! Celestia's and Luna's spell were meant mainly to keep King Sombra imprisoned. We were just kind of thrown in! Several years ago, the prison weakened. Sombra could not escape, but we could. I chose to keep my memories, you chose to hide yours so that you could infiltrate at a deeper level. We cast an age spell so that I would be just old enough to foal sit you in the future! We found a family that had a baby that looked similar to you. We killed her and put you in her place. It's time, Twilight! You lived your life, now give me back my daughter! Please!" Cadenza's voice no longer sounded cold, instead it sounded soft and pleading. Twilight almost gave in when she noticed Mi Amore's horn glowing. She once again knocked her to the ground.
"Mind-influence spells don't work on me, Mi Amore! You're a terrible pony! I can't believe I let you into my brother's life! You'll never win! All I wanted was the life I had! I don't even want to call you 'Cadence' anymore! You don't deserve to be referred to in such a friendly way! Mi Amore-My Friend. That name isn't fitting, Cadenza! Twilight's rage had reached a boiling point.
"Not fitting, huh? To everypony, I was a friend. I was the one to calm you and your father, I was the one with a semi-caring heart! You are the monster here, Twilight! Keeping a mother from her filly? That's cruel!" Mi Amore shouted.
"You call that being a monster? You killed Shining Armor's sister! She didn't even have a chance at life! You are a sick excuse for a mother!"
"GIRLS!" The voice echoed around the room.
"Uh oh… now Dad's mad." Coldlight commented.
King Sombra entered just as regally as always. "If you two would cease your bickering then maybe something could be done around her!" His voice reflected his anger.
"Yes, sir." Twilight said, then realized what she had just said.
"Coldlight!" She thought.
"Well what you were going to say would have made him madder. So I simply pushed you to agree with him." Coldlight's voice was smug like she just said she discovered the cure for the common cold.
"Would you just get out of my head?" Twilight asked her.
"Ms. Sparkle, this was my head first."
It's PRINCESS Sparkle to you!" Twilight snapped angrily.
Twilight brought her attention back to the two ponies before her.
"My dear, anything you care to tell us about the Celestial Sisters?" Sombra asked.
Anger, fear, hatred, love, admiration, humility, friend, enemy.
Emotions from Coldlight and Twilight merged together at the reference to the royal sisters.
"Yeah… a message." Twilight said. She leaned over and firmly slapped Sombra's cheek.
that same time in Canterlot
"Sister, tis alright. We shall stop Sombra and his family. Please, stop your tears." Luna said in an attempt to lift her sister's spirits.
"My lady, if it isn't too much to ask, what happened to Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Flash asked with a puzzled expression. Only Rainbow Dash and Discord had enough composure to tell the story.
"We must save her!" Flash Sentry cried out after hearing the sad tale. He turned to fly off, only to be caught by a rope.
"Ain't no good, sugar cube. It took the Crystal heart to defeat Sombra last time. Without their princess, the Crystal Ponies won't feel any love n' unity. And it took the Element of Harmony to defeat him the time before that, and Ah recon' they won't work without Twi." Apple Jack said through tears.
"I like your initiative, though! Twilight definitely chose the right stallion to get…mnmnmmmn." The last part was muffled by an apple.
"To get what?" Flash's wings unfurled hopefully.
"To get transferred onto her guard!" Rarity was there to save the day from Rainbow Dash's almost embarrassing slip.
"Oh." Flash seemed to deflate a little, but then sprung back to joy faster than Pinkie Pie could. "You mean, Princess Sparkle asked for me? That's incredible!" He called. His joy only lasted a few moments before he dropped back into depression.
"Listen, everypony." Celestia said. Her sobs had ceased, but nothing could be done about the tears still flowed. "I intend to rescue my student. Who's going to help me?"
"I will!" Flash's reply was a bit too fast and too loud.
"Count the Elements in!" Rarity cried. Fluttershy yelped and hid behind Celestia's thone.
"I will help too, for Equestria, not its traitorous princesses.
"And what does that mean, sister?" Celestia asked.
"We can try to deny it all we want, sister, but Coldlight Glimmer is a sworn enemy of Equestria. As you recall, it was her powers that kept our battle against Sombra from being a quick one. Now she has your teachings. She must be stopped at all costs." Luna's voice sounded as if she had declared war.
"Luna! I will do anything possible to ensure the well being of my most faithful…" Celestia began. As she spoke, they watched Apple Jack pull the sweetest looking apple from her stash. She shoved in in the princess's mouth.
"Ah think we all agree that this here Coldlight Glimmer must be dealt with right away. But A think we also agree that Twi is our friend and she needs to be saved from 'er past life." Apple Jack stated. "Ah know Twilight Sparkle, and she was tellin the truth about not knowin what Sombra was talkin' 'bout. Anypony here that says Ah don't know the truth when Ah see it is a lier!"
"Applejack's right! We have to save Twilight and stop Coldlight!" Rainbow Dash called.
"YAY! THEN WE CAN HAVE A 'WELCOME BACK TO GOOD TWILIGHT' PARTY!" Pinkie said. She emphasized her point by blasting her party cannon.
"Good one, Pinkie!" Discord called as the confetti from the cannon turned itself into a feather and began to tickle the pink mare.