"W-w-what did you just call me?!" Twilight stuttered, stumbling a few steps back.
Nyx just realized what she blurted out herself and mentally slapped herself. Stupid Nyx! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! What were you thinking?! Oh hey, you're my adoptive mother, but I messed around with time and now-
Her own train of thoughts were interrupted by the old glass windows shattering. Instinctively Nyx put a shield around herself and everypony else, but it turned out to be an unnecessary precaution. For the one who actually broke the window made sure that the shards only fell slowly to the ground without hurting anypony.
Right in front of the two ponies was princess Celestia, gracefully landing on the old stone and she was pissed. Her eyes were glowing white of power and narrowed at the sight of Nyx, the air heated up a good deal and her hair seemed to flicker a flame every now and then. Twilight had never seen her mentor in this state and was downright terrified of the sight in front of her.
"NIGHTMARE!" Celestia's voice boomed through the entire castle, causing the old building to shake a little. "Get away from my student this instant!"
Nyx narrowed her eyes at the sun goddess, knowing one wrong move would end up with her being incinerated. Carefully Nyx distanced herself from Twilight, trying not to get close to any of the other element bearers. However, she made a wrong move in getting closer to Celestia. The sun deity was on edge and had her own stun spell prepared. Nyx couldn't raise her shield fast enough and was hit straight in the chest.
"Gagh!"
The spell was so strong, her vision turned black before she even hit the ground.
"Twilight, are you alright?" Princess Celestia quickly was in front of her student, checking the unicorn from head to tow, like a mother worried about her child.
"Y-yes princess, I'm fine. Just a little...exhausted from the night." Twilight replied, leaning into the hug the princess was offering her. Twilight would have loved to stay like this for a while, but it seemed as if the sleeping spell Nyx put onto the others was wearing off, since they all started groaning and getting up.
"What happened? Did it work?" Rainbow asked, getting airborne immediately. "Holy-! Princess!" Immediately she got back to the ground and bowed. The others let out each individual gasps, before copying the cyan mare. Pinkie Pie ended up hitting her face on the floor.
Celestia regained her regal posture and positioned herself so that Twilight would stand next to her. "Please rise my little ponies. I see you were able to collect the elements of harmony." It was just then that they each noticed a necklace around their necks, except for Twilight who's element was a crown for some reason.
"Oh my."
"Oh dear."
"Awesome!"
"Look at mine! Look at mine!"
"Well, ah'll be."
Everypony was distracted with their new accessory, until Pinkie Pie notice Nyx lying unconscious in the room. "Is that black snooty? She looks different somehow. Oh, she dyed her mane!!"
Immediately everypony's attention turned towards the black alicorn. "Guess she couldn't take our pure awesomeness after all." Rainbow boasted, putting her hooves on her hips, while being mid-air.
"It wasn't our doing Rainbow Dash."
"Huh? What do you mean Twilight?" Everyone's gazes shifted towards the lavender unicorn.
"Yeah, what do you mean?" Pinkie Pie suddenly stood in the middle of all of them. "She was all like MUHAHAHAH and we were like Ah, ah, ah, ah and then we were like pfush! Zaap! And she was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Pinkie made multiple movements, too quick for anypony to catch up with her. Twilight decided to ignore the weirdness of her friend for the time being.
"Perhaps you could all explain what happened up until now." Celestia suggested.
"Of course Princess. You see, it all started in the town hall..."
Twilight proceeded onto telling Princess Celestia of the trials in the Everfree Forest, the confrontation of Nightmare Moon, who then turned out to be an alicorn named Nyx. She also explained what Nyx told her, even though it wasn't really much and what she had done to Twilight. Alarmed Celestia immediately proceeded into using every kind of scanning spell that was at her disposal. To her relief she found "broken" traces of magic. Broken magic was simply another term for a failed spell, because from the inner eye of a unicorn or alicorn in this case the spell structure looked like broken glass.
"Is there anything you have to add Twilight?" Celestia asked her student.
"Well...this...won't make any sense and too be honest I think I didn't understand her correctly, but...when I asked her why she did all this, she answered..." Twilight blushed "she said:..."Because I love you, mom.""
"WHAT?!"
"You have a daughter?!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, zooming in on Twilight's face.
"What? No! I don't even have a coltfriend!" the unicorn retaliated. "I must have misheard her! There's no way that can be true!"
"Yeah, that would be pretty messed up." Rainbow Dash commented, rubbing the back of her head.
"I think we all agree that you simply misheard her." Celestia stated. "There's also something I need to confess to all of you." she closed her eyes. "I'm sure you're all aware about the story of Nightmare Moon and recently learned that the story was true." She looked down at Twilight. "I seemingly ignored all your warnings, because I knew only the Elements of Harmony could possibly safe my sister from the Nightmare that had possessed her. Or at least I thought."
"You thought, your highness?" Rarity asked carefully, her head low.
Celestia nodded. "My plan was weakening my sister-"
"YOUR SISTER?!"
"Of course!" Twilight facehoofed. "It all makes sense. Two alicorns are at the beginning of the story and at the end there is only one."
"Yes, in any event, as I was saying, I planned on weakening my sister, by forcing her to banish me to the sun. She wouldn't be able to do much afterwards. I knew Twilight would be able to make friends and find the Elements of Harmony. I'm sorry for using all of you, for such selfish desire."
"Ah, shucks princess." Applejack waved off. "Family always comes first in the Apple Family. Ah understand. Ah'd have probably done the same, were ah in your horseshoes."
"It was nothing I couldn't handle." Rainbow Dash boasted.
"I made a new friend!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"I fully understand your highness and I feel honored for the trust you put into us." Rarity bowed politely.
"Umm...I...agree with everypony." Fluttershy said timidly.
Celestia stood proud in front of the five ponies. "Thank you. All of you."
"But...I hate to kill the mood, but what happened to your sister?" Twilight asked.
"I already told you that I thought the elements were the only thing that could save her. Well, I was wrong." Celestia looked over to Luna. "When the face on the moon disappeared, I expected Luna, my sister, to appear any moment in my chambers. But instead I was hit with a powerful stun spell, after I was distracted by one of the servants bringing me a "present"."
The cake. Twilight thought dryly.
"I wasn't unconscious, I simply wasn't able to move. And then this mare appeared in my chambers, together with Luna in her magical grasp."
"She didn't do anything to your sister, did she?" Twilight asked.
"Well if she did, she's gonna get the bucking of her life!" Rainbow punched her hoof into the other hoof.
"Seconded sugercube."
"No, no, she didn't do anything to Luna as in...a bad thing." Celestia shook her head. "Luna...she wasn't Nightmare Moon anymore. Somehow this mare returned Luna to her normal state without the elements. She...tucked her into my bed and then resumed the form of Nightmare Moon herself, making me belief she was indeed the Nightmare. She put a sleeping spell on me before leaving for Ponyville I assume. The rest you know better than I do."
Everyone looked over to Nyx again. "Princess, is it true that the elements only work on those who are 'evil'?" Twilight asked.
"Honestly Twilight, I do not know much about the Elements. They have always been a mystery, but the one thing you stated is true. The Elements you see have somehow a consciousness of herself and can sense those who are 'evil'. If they truly spared her, than she had only good intentions in her doing, although at this point they're still questionable."
"So, Princess Luna is alright?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, exhausted but healthy as ever. In fact, I think my little sister has been naughty again and didn't listen to her older sister, when she said to her to stay in the castle, did she?"