A pale light cast itself over the room, as the light of the moon filtered itself through one of the stained-glass windows near the east side of the room. Chrysalis stepped down from her position at the head of the room and slowly walked down the stairs that led from her pedestal to the ground floor.
She examined the materials that had been laid out in the circle, inspecting them to make sure that their quality was unmatched. After a few moments, she nodded silently, expressing her satisfaction at the quality of the materials.
She looked Dash in the face, who still bore a defiant expression. “Surely you must know that there is nothing you can do about this? The time has come for our one true ruler to ascend to the throne that she rightfully deserves, and if you think that you or any of your so-called 'friends' will have anything to do or say about it... Well then you are far more foolish than I ever took you for.”
Dash did not say a word, but continued to stare defiantly into Chrysalis' face. Chrysalis was slightly unnerved by this. After everything she had done to break Dash's spirit, none of it had worked? If she was not completely submissive in this, then she could conceivably put up a strong fight. And though Chrysalis was confident that in the end, her missive would still be accomplished, what could a fight do to the ritual? Delay it? Weaken the resolve of the participants?
These were things that could absolutely not happen. Chrysalis had prepared too long for this, and she was determined to see this through to the very end. Everything had to go according to plan...
It just had to.
Chrysalis motioned for the members of her Royal Court to come to the front of the room, and they made their way up to the circle. Once there, they positioned themselves equidistant from each other, making sure they surrounded the circle entirely. Adriu, though also a member of the Court, stayed in his position on Chrysalis' pedestal, as he was previously instructed to do.
She looked out over all of the Changelings- and the one pony- that had gathered there. She felt a swell of pride in her soul- for indeed, she did have one, in spite of what everypony else had said about her up until that point- as she gazed at her subjects.
She had prepared a speech for this moment, but she felt deep inside her that the other Elements were approaching rapidly. And though she had no way of confirming this, she had learned long ago that her instincts were not to be mistrusted.
And so, she spoke.
“It has not been easy on me, these past weeks. Having another being residing within my body has caused me nothing but the most excruciating of pain. But it will all become worth it tonight. This night shall go down in history as the single greatest event to have ever occurred on Equestrian soil.”
She turned to the Court members. “Begin the chant.”
The Court members closed their eyes in reverential respect to the ancient tongue, as was tradition whenever the words of the old ways were spoken. It began as a whisper, but soon began to grow in intensity, as words that had not been spoken in decades, or even centuries, flowed onto the air in the hall.
Slowly but surely, the pitch grew. The syllables began to flow into each other, as was common when the intensity of the chant was beginning to reach its fever pitch. Dash looked around in confusion; she had never heard words like this before, and it was beginning to scare her- and this, coming from a pony who wasn't easily scared by much.
Although it should not have been possible in such a circumstance, seeing as the hall was completely sealed off, and none of the windows could even open to begin with, a stiff breeze began to blow within the hall. Papers fluttered in the books that had been set out in front of each Court member, books that held the ancient ritual they were performing, one that had been outlawed in civilized Equestrian society for almost six hundred years.
The breeze blew against Dash's coat, matting it against her body, and she shivered against the wind, which was gaining in strength as the chant went further and further on. For what seemed like the first time since she had been captured, she began to seriously doubt if she would ever make it out alive. She was determined to last as long as she could...
But she just didn't know.
---
So rapt was their attention on the scene that was unfolding in front of them, that none that were present in the room even paid attention to the brief shimmering of the air in the back of the room. It only lasted for a short moment, and then it died out, leaving the air as still as it was before, the wind in the room notwithstanding.
Four figures now stood cloaked in the back of the room, looking out at everything that was going on. Shining Armor and Cadance stood beside each other, with Twilight on one side of them and Zecora on the other.
“This is way creepier than I thought at first,” Twilight said telepathically to Cadance. They had all agreed to use their magic to mentally speak to each other, so as not to inadvertently give away their position to those present before they were ready.
“I agree...” Cadance replied. “And that just shows that we need to end this- and quick.”
“I received word from Celestia a few moments ago,” Shining Armor stated. “They have dealt with the Changeling problem at the Castle and they are ready to teleport to our location as soon as I give them the signal.”
“Very good, my love. Just remember, don't give them the signal too soon. We want them to think that it's just us that they have to deal with; then, when we are in the heat of things, give them the word and bring in our reinforcements when they least expect it.” Shining nodded.
Turning their attention back to the ritual, they were a bit startled to see Chrysalis looking directly at them. They froze completely, not even breathing, unsure if Chrysalis could actually see them or if she was just suspicious that there might be somepony around there to begin with. After a moment, she looked away from that spot and turned her steely resolve towards another spot in the room, and they all let out near-silent exhales of relief.
They were about to shift positions as quietly as they could when Cadance spotted an unusual, albeit almost imperceptible, haze around the circle. She tapped Twilight on the forehoof silently, and pointed in the direction of the circle. Twilight saw it as well.
She almost swore. “They have a shield guarding the circle. I should have known they would have Changeling magic guarding their quarry. I might be able to take it out once we launch our attack, but even then I don't know how strong the shield is. It may be that it's growing in strength as the ritual nears its climax.”
They began to creep silently along the back side of the room. The wind was now almost at gale-force speeds; the only thing keeping the pages of the books from flying out of control now, was the Changeling magic that kept the pages steady. Their chant, which had started out as a whisper, was now nearing an all-consuming shout.
“If we're going to do something, we have to do it quickly,” Cadance whispered, chancing speaking out loud instead of their normal telepathy. Twilight nodded, as did Zecora.
Twilight looked up and saw an incredibly ornate chandelier hanging above the hall. She smiled to herself and pointed up to it. Cadance got the idea immediately and grinned. She made a hole in the barrier so Twilight could do her thing, and Twilight fired off a bolt of magic. It struck the chandelier at the point where it connected to the ceiling, and the chain snapped.
The chandelier plummeted towards the Court. Chrysalis whipped her head around and her horn glowed. A moment later, the chandelier was incinerated in a burst of green flame.
Chrysalis roared in rage. “That was my favorite chandelier! You will pay for that!” She turned to her guards. “Just as I said, the dissidents are here! Fan out and find them! Do not let them interrupt the ritual!” She turned the Court members and shouted over the din. “Keep chanting! We are almost-”
Cadance shattered the barrier, and it exploded outwards with deafening force. Twilight took to the air and shot a magic bolt at Chrysalis, who barely put her shields up in time to deflect it. Chrysalis looked up at Twilight and smiled, which threw Twilight for a loop.
Her guards took to the air as well, and though they did not wield spears or lances as Celestia's and Luna's guards did, Twilight was sure that they were not to be underestimated. They had Changeling magic on their side, after all.
“You two go after the guards,” Twilight said to Shining and Cadance. “Zecora and I will concentrate on getting Rainbow out of here!” They nodded and took to the air after the guards.
Twilight turned to see Chrysalis now in front of the circle staring up at her. Chrysalis had a crazed expression on her face, but Twilight could see that cunning and guile behind her eyes as though it were the first time they had ever met.
“Your friends are not here to back you up,” Chrysalis spat. “Did they not think this as important as you are? Oh wait, that's right- they probably had more to deal with on their hooves than just one little Element of Harmony...”
“You mean the Changeling attack you ordered on the castle?” Twilight replied. “They managed to defend the castle. They are on their way here now, and-”
Chrysalis laughed gaily. “It is almost a day's journey from Canterlot to here. By the time they get here, everything will be over!” The temperature in the room plummeted about ten degrees just then, as if on cue. This only caused Chrysalis to laugh even harder. “It is almost done! Soon, this world will be under Nightmare Moon's rule... Forever!”
Twilight was stunned for a moment. Chrysalis seemed to genuinely believe that Nightmare Moon's rule was the best thing that could possibly happen. Didn't she know about the prophecies? About the thousand moons of night that Equestria would have been cast into, had Nightmare Moon been allowed to gain power in the beginning?
“I can never let that happen,” Twilight growled. “I stopped Nightmare Moon the first time, and I'll be damned if I won't stop her again!”
Chrysalis blinked a few times, and then she spoke again. This was not Chrysalis' normal voice, though. It was much more sinister, much more menacing. “You honestly think that fluke of a chance is going to repeat itself? Haven't the dreams I sent you told you anything. You cannot stop me. You will never be strong enough.”
Twilight shivered uncontrollably at hearing Nightmare Moon's voice emanating from Chrysalis' body. Nightmare's spirit had truly been in Chrysalis' body the entire time?
“I don't care what you said in my dreams,” Twilight replied in what she hoped was a defiant tone. “There is nothing that is going to stop me and my friends from making sure that your eternal night will never become a reality.”
The windows began to shake, as did the very foundations of the building. An ethereal glow began to emanate from the Court members, as their shouting grew to unearthly volumes. Their words were now entirely unintelligible; all it sounded like was discordant screaming.
“Do it now!” Twilight yelled, and though Shining Armor barely heard her, he nodded. He dipped away from the battle momentarily, and his horn lit up brighter than she had ever seen it before. A moment later, a bright flash came from the corner of the room, and the other Elements and Celestia were then standing there in the room, alongside Discord and Luna.
Chrysalis hissed. “So you managed to get them here after all... No matter. In a matter of moments, the ritual will be complete... And none of your insolence will have mattered at all!” She stamped a hoof against the ground, and all around the room, the air shimmered with a menacing hiss as hidden Changelings began to reveal themselves. Without a single word, they took to the skies and hurled themselves at the newcomers.
“We will handle these!” Luna shouted as she blasted a Changeling away from her. “Go and handle things with the ritual! We cannot let it be completed!”
Twilight darted in the direction of the circle, but she was halted in midair by Chrysalis, who engulfed her in magic and brought her back over to where she was at. Twilight burst the magic bubble around her with a bolt of her own, and flew towards the circle.
Chrysalis took to the air and flew in front of Twilight, landing just at the edge of the circle. The entire building was beginning to shake now, and the floor seemed to be dangerously close to cracking completely from the pressure that was building in the air.
“Now, we both know that I can't let you do that,” Nightmare warned with no small amount of menace. “Nothing you can do now can stop us.”
Twilight snarled. “We'll see about that.” She teleported away and into the magical bubble. She grabbed ahold of Rainbow. “Let's get you out of here.” She flashed herself back out of the bubble, but when she regained her senses, she was shocked to find that she was no longer holding Rainbow. She looked back to find Rainbow looking back at her with a forlorn expression on her face.
“Just leave me...” came Rainbow's voice echoing in Twilight's head. “The ritual is almost over... There's really nothing that we can do about it anyways. Just save yourselves and the rest of your friends.” A tear crept down her face.
Twilight was stunned into silence. Her friend was just giving up like this? The Element of Loyalty? What in Equestria was she thinking? She shook her head. No. She would not let it end like this. She reached deep down into the recesses of her mind, trying to remember a spell that would allow her to teleport Dash away from it all-
And then, silence.
Twilight looked around her, confused. The room had become a vacuum. No one spoke at all. Even the battle between the Elements and the Changeling guards had ground to a halt. The air around Dash shimmered, and then a green dust fell to the ground. Twilight assumed that this meant that the shield around Dash had been lowered, so she leaped towards Dash to knock her out of the circle.
Chrysalis reached out a foreleg and clotheslined Twilight hard down onto the ground. As soon as Twilight hit the floor, Chrysalis drove a knee deep into Twilight's chest, and Twilight screamed in agony. She could swear she heard a rib break, as well.
“No...!” Chrysalis hissed, in her own voice. “It is done. You are too late.”
Twilight strained to be able to look at Rainbow. She saw Dash look at her, and she could have swore that she saw Dash smile. Then, with no warning at all, a black flame shot out from the center of the circle and engulfed Dash within itself. The smell of burning flesh wafted through the air, and when the flame receded a minute or so later, there was no one left in the circle- just a charred, blackened floor.
Twilight let out an involuntary squeak. One of her best friends... Gone. She could feel all the strength being sapped out of her as she lay underneath Chrysalis' pin.
Suddenly, the air around them exploded in heat. The six members of the Court who were standing around the circle were suddenly incinerated in a blast of unseen fire, and Chrysalis flew to the back of the room to avoid being incinerated herself.
The air was thick with heat, so much so that they could all swear that it was tangible. The Changeling Guard grouped around their Queen, fawning over her trying to see if she was ok. The Elements grouped alongside Twilight.
“You alright?” Applejack asked.
Twilight shook her head. “Physically, I guess so... But I just saw Rainbow die right in front of me... In front of my very eyes...” She started to shake uncontrollably. “And all for what...? For that bitch over there?!” She pointed a hoof at Chrysalis. “One of my best friends in the world is dead... What do we do now?”
A deep, evil voice echoed from the center of the room: “You bow.”
As one, they all looked towards the circle. A black mist swirled in the center of the circle, beginning to take form. At first, it looked similar to Rainbow Dash, but then it took a more Changeling like shape. Soon, it took the form of a twisted combination of the two. The mist continued to swirl, and then coalesced into something more solid.
A moment later, the mist solidified, and Nightmare Moon stood in the center of the room. She looked the same as she had when she had inhabited Luna's body, and Twilight looked reflexively to see if Luna was still ok. Luna was standing beside Celestia, who was consoling her younger sister.
“Now see, things would have been so much easier if you had just submitted from the beginning. Now, you all will have to die.” She turned to Adriu, who had retaken his place on the pedestal after being blasted off by the wave of heat. “Adriu. Kill them.”
Without hesitating, Adriu reared back, then leaped forward at Twilight. She stood there stunned for a moment, but before Adriu could reach them, a bolt of white magical light came from the back of the party, and it struck Adriu in the chest. He yelped as his body began to strip away from himself, and soon a scattering of green ash was all that was left of him.
Twilight looked back to see Rarity striding up to the front of the room, a look of complete disdain on her face. “You...” she growled at Nightmare. “You are the reason why Equestria almost fell so long ago. And now, you think you can just come back?”
“And what do you plan on doing about it, Miss Rarity? Defeat me with the Elements? If I recall correctly, you cannot now. One of your ranks is no longer among the living. And without all six Elements together in one place, your precious magical force doesn't work, now does it?”
Twilight didn't know how to respond. Nightmare was absolutely right. Without all six Elements together- not to mention being wielded by their respectful owners- there was nothing they could do about it.
“We'll find a way,” Twilight managed, choking back tears. “We'll defeat you again. We did it once before; we'll do it again.”
Nightmare scowled. “Get the hell out of my sight.” Her horn glowed bright black (Twilight didn't see how this was possible but apparently it was) and suddenly they were all sitting outside Twilight's library.
Twilight couldn't take it anymore; she collapsed on the ground, sobbing into her hooves, and her friends all surrounded her, trying to console her. Nothing was working, though. They didn't expect it to work, really.
They knew that they had to try, though. And so, they tried.