The roar of wind rushing past filled Twilight's ears as she fell. She could faintly hear screams from somewhere above her accompanied by the crackling sound of lightning. Her stomach lurched as she tumbled through the air. Reflexively, she tried to pull her legs in in a futile attempt to stave off the cold of the icy rain that fell with her. Through narrowly slitted eyes, she could see Canterlot castle in the distance, its spires rushing up at her.
So this is it, her foggy mind thought numbly. I'm going to die. I wonder if it'll hurt?
There was a sharp stop and Twilight felt as if she had been thrown into a wall. For a moment she hung there, unwilling to move, her body screaming in pain. Eventually she willed her eyes open, and the entire world was tinted pink.
Twilight hung in a telekinetic bubble floating in midair. Raindrops pelted the field of energy and thunder roared mutely around her. She turned her head, looking for the source of the familiar energy.
"It's alright, Twilight, I've got you," came a soft voice, and Twilight turned with a weak smile. Next to her, horn wreathed in the same pink energy that currently held Twilight, hovered Princess Celestia. The princess' wings beat slowly as the rain rolled down her feathers.
Relief flooded Twilight, followed by exhaustion. She felt battered and bruised and the call of sleep was irresistible. Her eyes began to close again. Somewhere in the distance, Twilight could hear the princess, her voice alarmed.
"No, Twilight! Open your eyes, stay w-"
---
Light stabbed at the back of Twilight's eyes as she slowly blinked them open. The cold and rain was gone, although she could still hear the roar of the wind from somewhere nearby. Her vision rapidly resolved and she sat up, groggily.
She was in the ballroom again. Celestia was standing over her vigilantly and her friends were all grouped nearby, with the notable exception of Luna. It was pitch black outside the ballroom's tall windows and the wind and rain raged outside, punctuated by intermittent flashes of light and roars of thunder. The rest of the ballroom had likewise clustered protectively into small groups. It all gave Twilight the impression of an overly-elaborate bunker rather than a ballroom.
"Princess, what's going on?" Twilight asked, thickly. "Where's Princess Luna?"
A warm smile came from Celestia in response. "Calm down, Twilight. Luna is making sure Najstariot is alright and then she'll be reigning in this storm. She should be joining us shor-"
A loud roar shook the ballroom, drowning out the wind and rain and cutting off Celestia. The roar was followed by a hollow whooshing sound from somewhere far above, and the darkened sky outside the ballroom was briefly tinged an ugly shade of red. Twilight cringed; she was fairly sure that there was only one thing that could have caused that and it didn't say anything good about what was happening with Princess Luna.
A burst of dark blue energy flashed at the center of the ballroom and several groups dove away. It was accompanied by a wave of heat that washed across the room. A moment later, the blue energy faded, leaving behind a shaky Princess Luna, a few small wisps of smoke vanishing into the air around her.
"Sister," Luna said, speaking between gasps. "Please, say that the dragon wards remain intact."
Celestia's face hardened. "The dragon wards?" she asked cautiously. "Luna, we dismantled them all hundreds of years ago. It was part of our treaty with Ormsreich."
Luna stamped a hoof angrily on the marble floor and began walking slowly toward Celestia and Twilight's group. "Fie! I had expected as much. There is no time, then, we must rouse the guards and begin evacuating the city."
The murmurs going through the crowd had dulled to an uncomfortable hush, and Twilight felt the hair on her neck stand on end.
"Luna," Celestia said. "What's wrong? Has something happened with Najstariot? Is she alive?"
"Najstariot is more than alive! She pledges to attack the city!" Luna snapped back. "I escaped with my life, but only just. She is bound by moonlight but it will not hold her long." The blue alicorn seemed to droop in front of Twilight, exhaustion winning the battle against adrenaline. "Tia, you remember the old legends, don't you?" Luna asked in a small voice. "How in the last days she would devour the sun and moon? Perhaps-"
"No," Celestia said, cutting Luna off firmly. "Those are old pony tales and nothing more."
The tension in the room broke suddenly and the crowd erupted in shouts and arguing. The din was punctuated by the ear-splitting shrieks of gryphons and occasional shattering noises. Twilight could hear the ponies nearest her group arguing about what who or what had caused this sudden breakdown in relations and her name came up more often than she was entirely comfortable with.
A loud crack sounded and the noise of the crowd dulled. It was repeated, the sound of Hadalsnan al-Dhi'b's staff rapping loudly against the marble floor. Twilight watched as the unruly crowd parted before her. The old king, flanked by his retinue, stalked up to the two princesses, his long cloak sweeping imperiously behind him.
"Dragon queen break treaty!" he roared, his fractured Equestrian filled with the finality and determination of a judge's gavel. The last of the crowd noise died away under the magically enhanced shout. "For seven centuries, three nations at peace! Maybe she have personal dispute with somepony, no matter. Ghuls not stand by, let old wars resume, let innocents die. We stand with ponies in defense of Canterlot."
Twilight looked up and saw an unfamiliar hesitation in Celestia's face, before the alicorn acquiesced with a nod. "Thank you, Hadalsnan," she said. "I only hope we can repay you some day."
With a loud snort, al-Dhi'b waved a paw dismissively, his other resting on the head of his staff. "No repayment needed. Friends stand with friends. Magic of friendship, yes?" He turned his shaggy head slightly and winked down at Twilight, who drew in a sharp breath.
"You certainly get some attention, don't you, Twilight Sparkle?" Trixie asked under her breath.
"The gryphons, too!" Twilight watched as Gianna - Lady Gianna, she reminded herself - lofted up above the crowd. "We of the Mt. Grundle aerie," the gryphon said, her voice lapsing stiff as though this were a speech she had rehearsed but never before given, "pledge our lives in defense of the citizens of Equestria against this act of aggression. By the terms of the treaty of... um..." She trailed off, tapping a talon against her beak.
"Dream Valley," Celestia said, softly.
"By the terms of the treaty of Dream Valley," Gianna resumed swiftly, "and for the duration of the present hostilities, I place my forces at your command, Princess Celestia." She finished with a piercing shriek of gryphon language then looked down, her head tilting left and right. "I know there's only a few of us," she said with an awkward smile, before sinking back down into the crowd.
The crowd began to swiftly move around. Many of the unicorns, other ponies and a few members of other races shifted to cluster behind Celestia. Others, especially the gryphons and ghuls, formed into more regular ranks. The various leaders spoke back and forth rapidly, using language Twilight had only read in books about military history. "Area denial." "Base of fire." Disturbingly, "civilian casualties." From what Twilight could tell, they were furtively discussing strategies that had been devised against airship attacks or entire flying divisions. Appropriate, given that Najstariot herself could most likely devour the entirety of the city guard in one bite.
"Lady Gianna, thy gryphons shall join with the Night Guard," Luna said, eventually. "Thou and I shall lead the aerial defenses."
Gianna swallowed hard, but nodded. "Your majesty."
The groups nearest Luna parted and the Princess of the Night, with a quick nod from Celestia, walked to the exit from the ballroom, Gianna and her gryphon forces in her wake.
"Izvinete," a loud voice said. "Excuse me." Twilight immediately recognized Zlatan's basso voice and she watched as the miniaturized dragon took his turn to approach, stepping into the space left by Luna. His head was held low, near the floor, and his tail dragged behind him heavily.
"Zlatan," Celestia said.
The dragon raised his head slightly. "I-" He paused. "I regret what has happened here today. However, I cannot stand against my queen. However-" He paused again, inhaling deeply as Celestia watched him through lidded eyes. "The shantytown is also at risk. I can protect the area. I do not believe She would... intend to see innocents harmed."
"Thank you, Zlatan," Celestia said, inclining her head.
The dragon inclined his head slightly and vanished in a burst of golden energy.
"So," al-Dhi'b said. "That leave only hero ponies. Blue friend, too. You fight?"
Only Rainbow Dash responded immediately, rising up next to Celestia defiantly. "Heck yeah!" she said. "We beat a dragon before, and we'll do it again! Right, guys?"
Twilight felt far too many eyes on her. Her silence hung heavily in the air.
"Right? Guys?"
"Twi?" Applejack asked.
Seconds passed, broken only by a barely audible grumbling sound from Trixie, before Twilight finally answered. "The Elements," Twilight said. "We can use them."
"The Elements of Harmony?" Leaning down next to Twilight, Rarity spoke slowly and softly. "Twilight, this is not Discord we're talking about. We can't simply turn a foreign ruler to stone."
Shaking her head, Twilight inhaled deeply and stood up straight against the protest of her straining joints and overtaxed muscles. "No, it'll work. We can help her. I saw..." Najstariot was hurt. Deeply injured, and not just physically. "I saw inside her, up in the clouds. She needs our help, like Princess Luna did."
An unsure look crossed Princess Celestia's face. For a moment, it seemed to Twilight that the whole room held its breath. Even the thunder seemed restrained.
The moment passed, and Celestia nodded quietly. "Come then, Twilight," she said. "Let's go get them."
Twilight smiled. "There's no need, Princess."
Closing her eyes, Twilight channeled the trickle of power she could find inside herself through her horn. Somehow, as tired and hurt as she was, it seemed natural and effortless. An image of six gems filled her consciousness. A sudden weight behind her horn and a small but audible gasp from the onlookers told her that she'd been successful, and she opened her eyes.
The princess and other onlookers had stepped back, leaving Twilight and her friends standing in a group. Twilight could just see the last fading glow around the golden neck pieces that her friends now wore. Smiling, Twilight reached up with a hoof to adjust her newly-present tiara. "See?"
"Shoot, Twi," Applejack said, softly.
---
Wind and rain cascaded through the night, crashes of thunder and unsettling screams in the sky chilling Twilight even more than the icy rain that lashed against her coat. She leaned heavily against Applejack, the rest of her friends arrayed around her. Celestia stood next to the group, her white-coated unicorn guards holding an all-round defense position around the princess and the Elements of Harmony.
Celestia leaned down next to Twilight. "Are you sure about this?"
Twilight nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'm sure."
"Twilight!" Pinkie shouted. "What do we do what do we do what do we do? I can't see any dragons!"
"She's on the cloud bank!" Twilight replied. "Princess Luna said she was restrained!"
Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings, throwing water droplets everywhere. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
The sky was dark, the clouds heavy. Twilight blinked as she tried to see through the rain. The dragon queen was enormous; Twilight only needed to find a gap in the cloud bank. It should be easy, she thought sardonically. All we have to do is find a small black space in the middle of a big black space.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and for a moment Twilight could see a curiously green spot, about the size of a pea, illuminated from underneath the clouds. At the thousands of feet above the cloud bank hung, it must have been a huge gap. Perfect.
Twilight closed her eyes, focusing on the image in her mind, that green spot against grey clouds. "Everyone, get ready!" she shouted.
A warm feeling welled up in her as she focused. She felt her horn begin to channel energy, not from her depleted reserves but from something deeper within her. It was a familiar feeling and a comforting one. Images of the six elements of harmony swirled in her mind. She felt her friends close to her, not just the shivering mares crowded next to her or even Applejack's strong shoulder that she had put so much weight into, but the feeling she got when she spent time with them. They laughed together, cried together. They argued and fought and had parties and worked together.
Twilight's eyes snapped open as waves of energy erupted from the six Elements, beams that wove themselves together into a rainbow as they streaked into the sky.
Something was wrong. Everything seemed to slow for Twilight. She felt her hair stand on end. The warm feeling around her faded, replaced with a cold, greasy feeling.
The sky lit up brighter than the sun. Agony exploded inside Twilight once again.
When the light faded, Twilight found herself lying on her side in the damp grass, her tiara having tumbled off next to her. Her friends, too, had been tossed about. Celestia and her guards had also been thrown aside, Celestia's left wing bent at a painful looking angle underneath her. Twilight reached out with a hoof and roughly shoved the tiara back onto her head.
Stumbling to her feet, Twilight heard a rough laugh from nearby. Hadalsnan al-Dhi'b leaned heavily on what remained of his staff, the old wood cracked down its length, the large gem at the top missing. "She... she strong, yes," he said, hoarsely. "Ha ha... Not make another shield like that soon."
Twilight turned to shout at Celestia when a thunderous voice came from the sky above. "Your attack failed, Twilight Sparkle!" Najstariot shrieked triumphantly, her voice far louder than the wind or even the intermittent booms of thunder. "Now I know where you are! If you're still alive, I won't give you or your princesses another chance to destroy me!"
Mocking laughter filled the air, and Twilight could feel her hair begin to once again stand on end.
"Everypony!" she screamed into the raging storm. "We have to do it now!"
It was no use. Her friends were all in disarray. Applejack lay slumped against the stone wall of the ballroom, a small crack in the surface above her head showing how hard she had struck. Fluttershy had curled into a small ball and was obviously crying behind her wing. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had recovered their hooves and were trying to help their fallen friends, leaving only Pinkie Pie, her hair flattened by the rain and an uncharacteristically angry look on her face, standing with Twilight.
Thunder roared and lightning flashed, and Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to be struck down by the same power she had turned only recently against the dragon queen. An angry roar filled the air, slicing through the wind and pounding rain, and Twilight opened her eyes once again.
The air was lit a bright blue, revealing the scene before her. Trixie stood, her horn glowing brilliantly, at the center of an enormous ring of scorched earth and burnt grass. A glowing beam rose from the tip of her horn into the sky, vanishing somewhere near the clouds. Twilight watched as another bolt lanced from the clouds into Trixie's magical lightning rod, burning the ground around the cyan unicorn. A scream of frustration came from the looming dragon queen.
A loud crack erupted from the sky and the huge mass of clouds split. A massive head pushed through followed by a long, sinuous neck. Enormous claws pressed down through, digging into the side of the mountain far above them, and Twilight found herself once again staring up into Najstariot's hate-filled eye, which was illuminated by the dull glow that emanated from the dragon's throat. She fell back on her haunches, dully, her mind blank.
"Twilight," Fluttershy's voice said, softly. "We're ready."
Looking around quickly, Twilight saw her friends once again gathered around her. Rainbow Dash had a wing over Applejack and Fluttershy's face was puffy with the tears that still streamed from her eyes, but her friends all stood with her.
This time, the rainbow streak flew straight and true, wrapping around the dragon's snake-like neck like a noose before it engulfed her head and claws, as well. Najstariot shimmered, her green scales surrounded by a shifting field of multicolored magical energy. Her screams died away inside the cocoon.
With a deafening roar an explosion of energy erupted from the dragon. The shockwave blasted outward in all directions. It tore the clouds over Canterlot apart, carrying the wind and rain away and blinding everyone.
After a short while, Twilight's vision began to clear. Through the spots that danced in front of her she could see that Najstariot was no longer present. The wind, rain and overcast had gone too, leaving only a clear, peaceful night sky studded with stars over Canterlot.
There was a moment of silence, then unicorns began filing out of the ballroom slowly. Gryphons and batlike pegasi, accompanied by a grim Princess Luna, flew in from the edges of the city. Celestia had recovered her feet, her wings seemingly none the worse for wear, and she was looking about, first in the sky, then along the ground.
"Where is she? Where is she?" Pinkie Pie's voice pierced Twilight's ears. Twilight watched the pink pony, her mane returned to its usual cotton-candy puff, bounce erratically around, her head swiveling rapidly. "Where's that meanie dragon? Where'd she go? Did we send her to the moon? I'll bet she's on the moon!"
"Is this what you're looking for?" a voice called out. Twilight turned and saw Amarok, the wolf-king sitting on his rump next to what appeared to be an egg. The egg was large and green, crisscrossed with jagged red tiger stripes. Slumping to the ground, Twilight watched quietly as Luna and Celestia trotted over to examine it.
"So, Twilight Sparkle," a voice came, its smug tone broken only slightly by a short coughing fit. "Excuse me. What do you think of - kaff - Trixie's magic now?" Trixie stumbled over near to Twilight, dropping heavily to the ground down next to her.
Twilight smiled up at the cyan unicorn, whose horn was spitting small blue sparks. "Trixie, you saved us," she said softly. "You saved everyone."
Trixie grinned back. "Was there ever any doubt?" She then lay her head down in the grass, her eyes rolling back as her eyelids closed.
A breath later and Twilight joined her in unconsciousness.
---
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The soft, regular sound cut across Twilight's consciousness. As she sluggishly returned to the waking world, she was momentarily alarmed by the darkness she was cast in. After a moment of thought, an idea occurred to her and she tried opening her eyes.
A few moments passed while Twilight adjusted to the painfully bright light. After her vision cleared, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. Glancing to the left, she saw an IV stand with a saline bag hanging from it, clear tubing snaking down next to the bed, across the sheets and into her left foreleg. A cardiac monitor stood next to the IV stand, emitting the soft beeps that had awoken her.
Slowly she turned her head to the right. There was a small endtable there. It was occupied with a pair of small, framed pictures. Twilight's parents looked back at her from the first, her mother's purple and white mane more white than she remembered. When was the last time she'd seen them? She'd come back to Canterlot to visit quite a few times since she'd moved to Ponyville, but there was always so much to do... At least the photo was there. It made the room feel less empty.
The other photo was a larger picture of her with her friends, all together at the library. Twilight remembered the day this photo had been taken. It was several days after her first Winter Wrap Up. Rarity had insisted she wear her All-Team Organizer vest, and so in the center of the picture Twilight stood, looking awkward in her vest while her friends looked as they usually did. She had felt self-conscious but was now glad that Spike had finally convinced her to let him take the picture.
The rest of the room was a typical hospital room with plain beige walls and a frosted window facing outside. The clear light of the sun streamed in through the cloudy glass. How long had she been out? She leaned back and rested her head back against the pillow.
A soft knock came at the door a few minutes later. A moment later it opened, a unicorn with a nurse's cap putting his head in the door.
"Hello?" Twilight asked.
"Ah, Twilight Sparkle, you're awake," the nurse said, kindly. "You have a visitor. She says her name is Sunny Ray. Should I send her in?"
Sunny Ray? The name didn't ring any bells for Twilight. "Um... Alright," she said.
The door closed and opened again a moment later. A white-coated pegasus with a bright yellow mane walked in, smiling brightly. "Good morning, Twilight," she said in a very familiar voice.
Twilight giggled. "Princess, that's a terrible disguise."
'Sunny Ray' trotted up next to the bed with a small pout. "I thought it was a very good disguise." She then giggled herself and smiled again. "How are you feeling, Twilight?"
Experimentally, Twilight stretched her various limbs. There was some stiffness and a faint echo of muscle soreness, but nothing worse than she'd expect after a day of physical activity. A small headache warned Twilight against trying any significant magic, but she was able to telekinetically adjust her blankets with no difficulty. "I'm alright, thank you."
Celestia nodded. "You nearly died," she said.
Twilight's blood froze. "What?"
Celestia walked around Twilight's bed, her blonde mane glittering in the sunlight streaming through the window. "You had hairline fractures on many of your bones, some burns and internal bleeding." Celestia spoke matter-of-factly. "Luna and I had to use some strong magic to restore you."
"What about everypony else?"
Celestia smiled again, leaning in to brush Twilight's cheek with a wing. "Oh, my Twilight. Trixie and Hadalsnan needed some attention but are resting comfortably. Everyone else is fine. They even came to visit you earlier." She gestured toward the photos. "As did your parents."
Twilight leaned up, pressing a hoof against her forehead to stave off a head rush. "How soon can I leave?"
The small pegasus glowed and after a moment was replaced by the towering figure of Princess Celestia, her multicolored mane flowing in a non-existent wind. "Let me speak with your doctor," she said.