Some Might Say Without End
Some Might Say Without End
Through the dead of night and many passageways of the castle, the sound of heavy hoofsteps from the royal sisters echoed at great length. The unusually barren halls offered little in the way of comfort, and Celestia was beginning to wonder why there was such an extreme lack of security, but she held firm for her sister, who only hours before had experienced the most painful dream of her life and still had trouble recovering after the fact. They walked close together, which admittedly they had not done in some time, but the circumstances seemed to call for it.
Slivers of fear began to slip through minuscule cracks into their hearts, for Luna had no way to discern what Twilight's true intentions were. She did not seem openly hostile and was extremely preoccupied with thoughts of Rainbow Dash. Luna was certain she was cursed, but that still did not give her any insight as to whether or not she would attack them. There was simply no way to be sure.
Celestia picked back up the conversation as they walked. "So, Twilight said she 'loved' her?"
"She did," Luna leaned her head slightly, "But it was the way in which she said it, sister. I know I've heard something just like it before."
"It does sound a bit familiar," she softly agreed, "Do you think it had anything to do with her curse?"
"It's hard to tell. She could have been under some outside influence, but her words seemed genuine to me."
As they turned another wide corner Celestia let out a rather brief yawn. She was about to reply, when Luna abruptly beat her to it.
"Will you require rest soon, Celestia? I know maintaining the barrier is an immense burden on you," she noted.
Her sister's expression turned grim. "It can be, but sleep is out of the question. If Canterlot is in danger then I must be ready, no matter the cost."
"What about me, sister? I can be of assistance. Surely you know that. I am quite accustomed to sleeplessness, I can assure you."
Celestia glanced at her fleetingly and then turned away. "I know you can, Luna... but for some reason I feel as though this is happening because of something I've done, and as such I couldn't possibly ask you to bare the weight of my burden."
"That's preposterous!" she blurted, "Why have you come to such a drastic assumption? Because she is your pupil? It matters no more, Celestia. We rule Equestria as one. That means I must protect our citizens just as much as you have, and nothing you say could make me believe otherwise. Whether you like it or not, I'm here to bear the weight."
Celestia was rather surprised at her passionate pleas and wasn't quite sure how to respond, but she had learned from past mistakes.
"Yes Luna, I'm sorry," she hesitantly replied, "I would love your assistance, but I think I feel this way because of more than just the one obvious reason."
Luna calmed down considerably. "What do you mean? You feel guilty for something else?"
"Yes, and... I'm not quite sure why that is," she sorrowfully responded.
They finally made their way out to the expansive grand foyer of the castle and were immediately approached by three pegasus guards. The grey stallion that headed them was completely lacking every piece of his armor, but it was clear from various cuts and bruises that he had seen a vicious battle of some kind. All three bowed synchronously to their princesses, when the heavily beaten pegasus suddenly spoke in a hurried manner.
"Princess Celestia, I'm sorry to have returned from duty so quickly, but Manehattan is under heavy attack by Twilight Sparkle. The city is being leveled as we speak. I only just barely escaped."
Celestia eyed his tired frame for a moment as if gauging the truth in his words. His unrelenting gaze seemed entirely sincere, but Celestia was secretly hoping it was some kind of trick. However, the evidence his exhausted body presented proved utterly damning.
"No... it can't be," she said under her breath, "I had no idea it would escalate this far."
"Princess," he interjected, "I must also add that there was not only one, but several of her there. She must have somehow made clones of herself... or perhaps we are dealing with changelings again."
"Impossible," asserted Luna, "the changelings would know better than to attack us again. Besides, they have nothing to gain from all of this."
Celestia carefully turned to her sister, fear once again seeping through the cracks of her mind. "Then... it had to have been Twilight, Luna. I don't know how she's doing this, or whoever else is doing this, but we must act immediately."
"One other thing, princess," he shyly blurted, "but on my way back to the castle, I could see violet lights over the hills and past the horizon in every which way. I hate to say it, but I don't think this is an isolated event. I think that Twilight Sparkle... is attacking more than just Manehattan. It seems as though all of Equestria in under attack, I'm sorry to admit."
This time, it was Celestia's turn to cower.
She backed away from them apprehensively, placing a shaking hoof over her chest. Her worst nightmare had finally been realized. All of Equestria was under fire and she felt so terribly unprepared. After centuries of peace, her royal guard had become stretched impossibly thin. If Twilight had really copied herself and somehow managed to retain all of her abilities, then what was to stop her from completely taking over?
"Celestia," her sister called.
Luna lightly snapped her out of a nervous haze by placing a delicate hoof right below her collarbone. Celestia turned frightfully toward her sister who remained adamant despite this even greater threat. She struggled to find inner peace and reached it briefly thanks to her sister's reassurance.
"Look, Celestia... the moment we begin to panic, is the moment we begin to fail. It matters not how powerful she is. As I said before, we don't have to face these challenges alone anymore. Confrontations are sure to come, and we must meet them confidently, sister."
Celestia's gaze narrowed as she lifted her head. Luna's words strengthened her resolve as she closed her eyes to think, but there was only one logical option she now had.
"I-I know... Luna. You're right as always," she turned back to her guards, "Take all the others and split yourselves into equal parties. Then head for every major city, and be alert."
"B-but your highness--" one guard interjected.
"Do not question me!" her voice rose for an instant, "I will take watch of Canterlot myself, along with Princess Luna. I will deal with Twilight when she arrives, for I am sure she will, and I will be prepared all the same."
BOOM!
Right as she finished, an ungodly tremor tore through the tile floor beneath them and continued for several agonizingly long seconds. The grand chandelier high above them started to sway, and a slight crack started to form in the ceiling at its epicenter. Luna nearly fell onto her side, but was swiflty caught by Celestia at the last instant. The colossal stone supports of the foyer seized under some new incredible weight, but despite the quake, remained firm. Several stained glass works showed signs of bowing before splitting chaotically from end to end.
They were all immediately prepared to evacuate... when the quake abruptly ceased.
The guards, still stunned at what just occurred, were even more flabbergasted when Celestia bolted right on past them, followed closely by Luna. Suddenly embarrassed by their lack of preparedness they all began to give chase for their princess, ready to fight off any danger. Two other guards posted by the massive main doors prepared to open them for her, but Celestia quickly seized them open with a forceful heave of her powerful magic.
"Sister, please tell me where you're going!" Luna cried.
"I have to see if the barrier has fallen!" she shakily replied.
A small group had flocked behind her out onto the main castle gardens, but she was instantly relieved that her immense magical barrier still held. Its near opaqueness practically blotted out the sky, however stars could still be seen slightly bleeding through. When she finally came to a stop, so too did everyone behind her.
"Princess," spoke up the injured pegasus, "if you don't mind me asking, but what was that?"
She briefly glanced back to him. "I'm not sure," she thought for another moment, "But every member of the guard must go about their duties, for Luna and I will handle Canterlot's safety personally. Everypony else is in great danger, so please go now!"
They were all hesitant to leave to say the least. It went against everything that they had been taught to leave the princesses to their own devices, and just simply leaving seemed almost unthinkable. But what were they supposed to say?
"You heard her!" one armor clad pegasus shouted.
Without wasting another precious second, the three of them took off to warn any pegasi still remaining in the fleet to leave immediately. As they flew over distant spires for the edge of Canterlot, Celestia began to feel inexplicably relieved, almost as if a mere ounce of the figurative ton of weight bearing down on her shoulders had been lifted.
"We must find Twilight's friends," she calmly admitted to Luna.
Her sister raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you fear for them, Celestia?"
"I fear for everyone at the moment. But, just as you said before, the moment I panic is the moment I begin to fail."
"On my signal!" yelled the lead Twilight Sparkle.
From the small entrance to their secretive cave, the quintet peered up at the royal city's underbelly intently. The heavy barrier of yellow magic still impeded their progress, but soon their break would come. They had patiently waited for the last ten minutes since the initial blast for some sort of retaliation, yet it never came. They would have attempted to teleport into the city by now, but Celestia's magic was specifically put in place to safeguard against it.
Several things would have to happen for their plan to succeed. The first, which they had already counted on happening, would be for one pegasus guard to return and request for backup. It couldn't be too obvious that her clones had intentionally let one go, at least that was what she had commanded of one of them. Secondly, when the rest of the airborne fleet departed, the shield would be temporarily weakened. However, the final stage would come after the fact, and rely solely on their own combined destructive power.
Suddenly, the aura began to fade slightly just above their heads, causing a glint of light to flicker in the angrily glaring eyes of their leader. Exactly as she predicted, the sound of beating wings grew into a roar as a heavy multitude of flat-colored pegasi guards passed swiftly overhead. Everything was going along almost too perfectly.
"Now! Disrupt the shield!" she yelled.
On her cue, three distinct violet beams lashed out and buried into the underside of the barrier. They pierced its surging hide, creating a small triangular sized hole and slowly began to pry. Her clones were visibly struggling but this would be their only chance. If they attacked with any more power, they ran the serious risk of punching straight through into the city and disrupting the lives of everyone who would be sleeping, completely unaware of the imminent danger. But, Celestia had indeed taught her well in their short time together. Only she could possibly know how to break the shield.
The near deafening sound of the massive pegasi exodus muffled the sound of their beams. Their focused triangular formation of power expanded, letting the now unexposed stone face of the city stand vulnerable. But that's not what they would enter. They wouldn't attack so belligerently, not with so much at stake. They would have to be much more stealthy for their plan to follow through.
The leader turned to another clone who was standing at the ready. She quickly took up her hoof within her own, much to her sister's surprise, and glanced back up to the slowly expanding opening.
"We'll only have one shot at this!"
"And what if we miss?!" her copy nervously replied.
"Then we'll have a long way to fall!! Let's go!" she ordered.
The pair tightly focused their magic into one converging spot that undulated around them. The familiar spark of a teleportation bridge began to crackle and they suddenly jumped through space. They were only able to narrowly pass through the rather small opening, which had almost seemed to pass by in slow motion. Phasing through the stone wall proved rather simple, as material objects did not hold the same weight as magic ones.
As quietly as they could manage, they flashed into existence at the center of a four-way intersection of a city street. When their hooves hit the brick road, they quickly darted to the sidewalk to avoid being spotted from any windows. The long corridors of the roads remained mostly barren save for a few lit street lights. It was clear they had reached Canterlot's market district, and it was remarkably quieter within the city's walls compared to its outside. High overhead, Celestia's shield taunted them as if they were enclosed within some expansive magical prison, yet they were the ones in control.
"Take heed," the leader commented to her clone, "we will only have one chance for this to succeed, and should we get caught now, there is no telling what could happen to the mountain. The longer we take, the longer its power will seep out, so time is of the essence."
"And the others? What happens when we confront the princesses? Without their help we will surely be defeated," she responded.
"Now that we are inside, the barrier we be open to greater influence... and will break."
They flashed off again into the night, darting past any stray lights and open windows that could give away their position. The cold was bearable enough, but the latent magic within their bodies kept them warm. They could only hope their three other sisters were faring the same.
The pair stayed relatively close together, keeping their rapid teleportations to only a dull thud here and there. The largest of the city's spires still hung low in the distance, but they were quickly closing the gap. Down in the busier districts it remained eerily silent as they passed into the shadows and emerged at the end of an alleyway, when they suddenly heard some light whispering around the corner.
They had just about reached the main castle gardens; the place that seemed least likely for any sounds to be heard. The leader took point and glanced beyond the alley and her eyes briefly flared with surprise... but she quietly remained calm.
"What is it?" her clone whispered.
"Twilight Sparkle's friends are leading the citizens into the castle," she glumly noted.
"What?!"
"Shhhh!" she quickly hushed, "This doesn't affect the plan... I was just hoping we wouldn't have to resort to such drastic measures."
"And what drastic measures would those be?" her clone asked skeptically.
Her leader pulled away from the corner and glanced back at her in deep thought, considering the option she feared most. She was willing to go to any length to defeat Celestia, and knew that to do so would require relinquishing any doubts she still had. This would definitely be the most impossibly drastic thing she had attempted thus far and could potentially jeopardize her entire plan.
"We might have to make a 'grand' entrance," she said with a devilish smirk.
"Careful, Twilight," Spike calmly warned.
He pointed to something just in front of her and she quickly turned around to dodge the object. The annoyed unicorn eyed the splintered piece of wood he was referring to as she slowly climbed the stairs. She wasn't as nimble footed as Rainbow Dash, who had already managed to make it to the top floor of the building. The blackened smoldering ruins offered no clue as to whose home or business this was, as nearly all the remains of Ponyville simply blended into each other. Yet, they would not allow their emotions to stop them now.
The heavily weakened floorboards creaked under Twilight's hooves, but somehow they managed to hold.
"It's okay, Twilight," Rainbow called down to her, "Just take it slow, there's no rush."
Twilight was obviously in distress, but this nagging feeling to impress Rainbow kept clawing at the back of her mind. She knew that Rainbow didn't really need to be wowed, and yet still she was willing to go out of harm's way for no discernible reason.
I don't want to go slow, though. I have to get to the top now, and I'm not going to let some stupid stairs stop me.
Spike followed close behind and lightly grabbed onto Twilight's straight tail for support, careful not to tug too hard. The railing along the staircase had been all but completely burned away, leaving the two to rely solely on their own balance. Normally, this would've been easy. However, with almost the entire building tilting to a slight angle, finding balance on a rickety staircase was more than a challenge.
"Rainbow's right, Twilight," Spike said, "There's no need to rush."
She slowly crept up the steps as ordered, though she was getting somewhat agitated.
I know she's right, Spike. But I have to--
CRACK!
Without warning, a blackened floorboard snapped in two underneath her right hoof. She tried to reel backwards, but the snap caused her to fall. Utilizing some barely tapped reflexes, she lunged upward and quickly caught the next step but it also gave out. As the smoldering staircase began to crumble beneath her feet, she gave one last desperate leap.
She closed her eyes and reached for as high as she could, not knowing if she could even fall the rather far drop without breaking a leg or crushing her rib cage. Spike held on for dear life and closed his eyes as well, waiting for the inevitable to happen.
But it never came.
"Oof!!" Rainbow yelped.
She quickly clasped one of Twilight's hooves within her own, much in the same way as when she had almost fallen down the waterfall. Twilight gasped at the sounds of crumbling wood behind her, and even more so at the extra weight hanging from her tail. She watched as Rainbow lurched forward off the edge of the upper level, yet managed to firmly plant her back hooves and keep them all from falling. The pegasus wheezed painfully in her struggle, causing Twilight to quickly snap out of her fog. Rainbow's stomach loudly grumbled as her grip started to fail.
"Darn it..." she weakly muttered, "why won't it just... go away?"
Hang on, Rainbow!!
Twilight immediately glanced back at Spike hanging down below and silently signaled to him to start climbing. A little stunned at first, he began to gently run his claws up Twilight's tail and then onto her outstretched frame. When he finally reached her shoulders, he gave a quick little leap and managed to catch the side of the upper level with his now flexed talons. He swiftly pulled himself up and began helping Rainbow, who was greatly relieved to have some of her workload lifted from her hooves.
When Twilight broke over the edge, she assisted them in pulling herself up as well and fell into a lazy heap out onto the upper level. Catching her breath was admittedly easier than it was for Rainbow, as the pegasus simply sat and clutched her abdomen in pain. Spike had been unaware up until this point of Rainbow's situation, but guessing the issue was no problem at all now. He could only grimace at her discomfort with worry and saw that Twilight could only do the same.
What he did not know, however, was the flood of emotions Twilight experienced now every time she saw Rainbow in pain. He did not know of her hidden feelings, nor of her desires, nor of her plans for the future with her. But what happened next said more about their story together than any words ever could, for Twilight calmly reached over to help Rainbow up... and gave her a loving kiss on the forehead while doing so.
He would not chance mentioning it, and neither did it seem would Rainbow, but that image in his head could not be burned away, and for some inexplicable reason he did not want it to be either. It comforted him. It made him want to hide a smile. Being with her his whole life, he could tell by now when Twilight was in love.
When the unicorn finally helped her friend to her feet, Rainbow shrugged off the pain in her gut and gave her a delighted smile. Being in Twilight's presence still made her forget about it all somehow and allowed her to focus once again.
"Alright, Twilight," she said sternly, "How do we get to the roof from here?"
Let's have a little look around first.
The unicorn casually paced past her and nodded to her friends to follow. She led them down an eerily quiet corridor that split off into two adjacent rooms. The one at the far end seemed to have a trail of moonlight peering through and Twilight immediately knew this would be her best shot. When the trio reached her goal, she quietly pushed the smoldered remains of the door open. It barely swayed an inch before it snapped clean off its hinges and fell chaotically to the floor.
Still a bit startled from the loud snap, they headed inside and found that the corner of the building had messily collapsed, allowing the full moon to flood the bedroom with a low blue glow. The three carefully stepped around a rather large pile of debris clumped around the epicenter of the collapse and were quite elated to see that they had a clear shot to the roof.
Although, they were sincerely hoping that it wouldn't collapse as well.
Twilight continued to press ahead over the piles of burnt wood and stone, encouraged quietly from behind by Rainbow who gave her a nudge here and there. Now cloaked in moonlight themselves, the three friends slowly peered over the horizon of the roof and suddenly caught sight of their target wrapped tightly in binding purplish-magenta energy.
The sight nearly made Twilight cry, but she forced it back once again. With her brother bound in a state of suspended animation and turned away from her, she could only imagine what his face would look like.
Rainbow nudged her in the side again when they at last made it to the roof, offering her only a brief second of respite.
"C'mon, Twilight," she said softly, "We'll go see him, together. What's the worst that could happen if we're side by side, right?"
Her pleas of assurance did little for Twilight, but they helped enough.
The unicorn curled one hoof gently around Rainbow's front leg, coaxing her to follow while her head still hung low.
You're right. Maybe it won't be so bad with you by my side.
Spike kept his distance from the two as they calmly walked over to the encased stallion. Should anything go wrong he would not hesitate to step in for Twilight, but he knew she could handle this. How could she fail with Rainbow right next to her?
The unicorn finally had a chance to gaze upon his features, which were complex to say the least. His eyes seemed to be locked intently with those of an invisible foe. His teeth were heavily clenched. The muscles in his neck were stiff.
He was fiercely angry at something.
Twilight retreated to the comfort of Rainbow's side, horribly afraid of what might happen.
No! This is too much! What will he think? Will he attack me? Will he attack US?! He can't hurt Rainbow, I wouldn't allow it! But, I can't just leave him here...
Rainbow could see the fear in her eyes. She was now absolutely petrified of her brother.
"Twilight," she whispered in her ear, "Please calm down... I'm here for you, I'll be your voice."
Something snapped in that instant.
The unicorn's eyes suddenly began to rest, no longer wide with terror. Rainbow's words caused her heart to slow, her soul to mend, her mind to simply be put at ease. She inhaled quietly a few times, much longer and heavier than her initial breath of shock, and finally pulled away from the safety of her mare.
She leaned in close towards her brother, free of any doubt, and hardened her heart. Her horn eased its way into his bright shimmering prison and called once again upon Lily's power. Her own fear was kept at bay for the time being with Rainbow and Lily in her presence, allowing her to focus solely on pulling the magic out of her impostor's spell.
Spike watched timidly as the magenta shell surrounding Shining's tense frame slowly began to wither away, dissipating into softer and softer shades of pink with each passing second. The stallion's hooves began to twitch ever so slightly as the feeling in his limbs returned. His eyes and cheeks twisted and contorted as control of his facial muscles started to return as well.
After a few last seconds of focus, the spell was at last vanquished and he stood free of his all-encasing prison.
His angry facial expression dropped briefly as he caught a glance of Twilight before him, but suddenly his anger returned and he quickly teleported away to the edge of the roof with a bright flash.
"Why did you release me?!" he yelled threateningly at Twilight.
The unicorn stood motionless for a second, fearfully anticipating his next move. Rainbow, however, advanced past Twilight and placed herself in harm's way for her yet again. It took Shining Armor a second to recognize her face, but he remained adamant.
"Rainbow Dash?! I demand an explanation!!"
"Will you calm down already?!" Rainbow cried, "This is your sister here! She's done nothing wrong!"
"Says who?! You?! You could be tricking me!!" he retorted.
The pegasus continued to approach him, causing him to reflexively aim his horn at her.
"We're not tricking you!! You were tricked before, but this is the REAL Twilight!!" she pleaded.
"And why can't she tell me that herself?!" he abruptly quipped.
Suddenly, the small purple dragon who had been standing quietly to the side stepped out in front of all of them. Shining Armor had not noticed him before and quickly took his attention.
"Because..." said the dragon, "...her voice was taken away from her."
"What?!" he asked in utter disbelief.
There was an uneasy silence for several seconds as Twilight's friends slowly moved out of the way, allowing her a clear view to her brother. He seemed extremely hesitant to believe anything they said, but her eyes did not lie. She tried to mouth something silently to him and he could not hear it, so he moved in closer. Spike and Rainbow watched him slowly pass by, expecting him to attempt something hasty at any second... but it never came.
His expression turned somber. "What did you say... Twilight?"
"She can't speak," Rainbow stated again for emphasis.
The stallion simply ignored her and kept advancing upon his sister. Her tears now became apparent as he closed the distance.
"T-Twily?" he asked lowly.
Twilight sat down as he placed himself before her.
He listened intently for her voice, but then decided that watching her lips might be a better option.
'I'm sorry,' she silently mouthed up at him.
Her lower lip curled into a tiny pout and she closed her eyes in defeat, apologizing to him for a crime she did not commit. She was not expecting any sort of forgiveness, for she was sure he was just as upset about this whole ordeal as she was. No amount of apologies would be able to bring back Ponyville or take away any of this pain.
However, instead of some threat, or insult, or accusation... she received a warm and loving embrace. It was the strongest, tightest, and quite nearly the happiest hug she had ever gotten from her brother. His soul, which had nearly collapsed under some ungodly emotional pressure, finally began to lift, and soar.
"Twilight..." he said weakly, "How could I ever doubt you? I should've known... It was just so convincing, and I had heard rumors, and then you just attacked me... but it wasn't you, was it?"
He could feel his sister lightly shake her head in response, for it was all she could do.
"I didn't think so," he said.
Applejack and Rarity were leading another group of earth ponies and unicorns onto the castle grounds, exactly as Princess Luna had instructed of them. Most pegasi civilians had simply fled for Cloudsdale, for logically it was the one safe place that Twilight could not reach. The sisters had hoped that no pony would panic and were certainly grateful to her friends for offering to stay and help.
Only a handful of unicorn guardsmen remained in Canterlot, presiding alongside their princesses and helping the citizens in any way they could. The massive doors to the castle remained open to accept the influx of frightened ponies. The great stone walkway leading onto the main grounds was tightly packed with a heavy procession. Luna and Celestia kept a watchful eye on the crowds as they flowed into the castle.
"Do you think this was the best option, Tia?" Luna asked.
Celestia's cheek upturned with worry. She was still not used to her old name. "I'm not sure, Luna, but what else could I do? I couldn't just leave them outside of my protection."
"But isn't this shield your protection?"
An older unicorn stallion who was passing by abruptly stopped and bowed to them. "Thank you, Princesses, for your most gracious hospitality."
Celestia, who was still somewhat preoccupied, quickly nodded him along and turned back to Luna. "I know, Luna. But if there's a chance that this can save even a few of them, then I will take it."
"And shouldn't her friends be bringing the last of them soon?" her sister inquired.
"Yes... and it seems they are coming along now," Celestia gladly noted.
A final crowd of nearly thirty ponies was being led by Rarity and Applejack, with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gathering at the rear. They all tried to form a single file line, and the friends simply bowed out of the way, allowing the rest of the citizens to easily pass. The four friends then converged and followed up behind, when they suddenly heard a dull rumble of thunder.
They briefly stopped at the low, yet powerful sound.
"Do y'all hear that?" Applejack asked no one is particular.
"Yes," Rarity answered, "But that's so strange; I saw no storm coming this way."
Fluttershy unconsciously moved towards Pinkie Pie at the sound, nearly bumping into her. The pink pony took the hint and quietly allowed her friend to get close.
"W-what was that?" the pegasus stammered.
"I-I don't know," Pinkie responded, "M-maybe it was just somepony having gas?"
The crowd ahead of them began to speed up, leaving the four to scan the immediate area for the cause. When they saw nothing, they gradually turned back and continued to follow the group.
"What do you think it was?" Applejack asked Rarity.
"Well, it was probably just a--"
CRACK!
The sudden burst hit them hard and fast.
A sharp noise hit their ears unlike any they had ever heard before.
Fluttershy immediately fell to the ground in shock, while Applejack swiftly turned and glared behind them.
Celestia and Luna could only watch in utter horror as a heavy beam of light collided with Pinkie Pie and sent her reeling onto her back, flying into a soft patch of grass before her body completely froze stiff, consumed by a disturbingly familiar power.
"PINKIE PIIIIIIIEEEE!!!!" Rarity squealed in sheer terror.
The three remaining friends froze in place, rendered immovable by their own fear. Applejack's eye twitched in disbelief when she saw her former friend standing before her, emerging from a slight cloud of sparkling electricity, but what made her fret even more... was that she was not alone.
The once quiet exodus of ponies turned into a mad roar as they all funneled into the castle, leaving Celestia and Luna to fight to contain the crowd.
A brief silence hung in the air far away from the entrance, when the leader suddenly spoke.
"Good evening, my friends!" Twilight called out in a twisted fashion, "I warn you! If you do not stay out of my way, then what happened to Pinkie Pie will also happen to you!"
"You ain't no friend of ours!" Applejack yelled, "What happened to the real Twilight?!"
The leader stepped forward threateningly. "But Applejack... I AM the real Twilight!"
"I call horseapples on that!" she angrily retorted.
"Hmm... still not convinced..." The unicorn muttered to herself.
After a few seconds of doing nothing, Rarity finally mustered some courage from deep within and stepped forward with an angry passion burning in her eyes. Her horn flared to life with a hot blue energy she was not accustomed to summoning. Applejack was hesitant about letting her pass, yet did not want to stand so dangerously between the two unicorns.
Rarity's voice was hot and tempered. "I, for one, will never believe that YOU are Twilight Sparkle!"
"Very well," the lead Twilight said, as a similar charge began to build within her own horn, "It seems somepony else wishes to challenge my power."
"You bet I do!" The white unicorn hissed.
FOOM!
Without hesitation, she openly fired a tightly concentrated, cyan beam upon the impostor. The air singed and crackled as the lavender unicorn angrily retaliated with a densely heated laser of her own. An eruption of power surged between the two as their mixing auras collided and cooked the very ground beneath them.
Rarity's ocean-blue beam was considerably weaker than the impostor's, and her power gradually began to fail. Her face contorted in pain and frustration, remembering who she was truly fighting for and using that as fuel to keep her going... but this fake Twilight was simply too strong.
Struggling through tears and surging rippling power, she knew she was horribly outmatched.
"ENOUGH!!" shouted a foreign voice.
Their duel of explosive power was cut abruptly short by a swiftly intercepting yellow beam. The brief burst of disrupted energies crackled loudly across the sky and all throughout Celestia's massive dome.
The princesses had finally arrived to deal with this problem once and for all, landing elegantly, yet assertively in the grass field next to Twilight's friends. Celestia immediately rushed to Pinkie's side and inspected her body, trying to come up with the appropriate counter-spell.
It would have to wait, however.
The impostor looked rather startled at the sight of Princess Luna's harsh glare, but stayed openly hostile.
"Twilight Sparkle!" the princess called, "If that is who you truly are... why do you so boldly challenge us and all of Equestria?! Surely you know you will fail!!"
Applejack helped up Fluttershy to her feet, and somewhat awkwardly, the two took up position behind Luna. Rarity nervously followed their lead, knowing disappointingly when she had been bested. It was certainly better now to let the princesses try their hand.
"Why do I challenge you?" the leader arrogantly asked.
Celestia peered away from Pinkie Pie, looking back upon the face of her pupil, but something was most definitely wrong with her.
"Whoever you are, why have you come here?!" the princess reinforced.
The impostor simply chuckled for a moment with her copy, who did not seem worried in the least. She made quick eye-contact with Celestia, as if taunting her and coaxing her to attack, but she knew psychologically that it would be difficult for her to follow through on a such a threat against her precious pupil. Being such, she decided to use this moment of weakness to her advantage.
As Celestia took one tentative step forward, the impostor suddenly teleported again, leaving her clone to take another vantage point.
With a loud crackle of electricity, she winked into existence behind Luna and her friends and brutally forced a solid magic beam into the side of Applejack.
"AHHHHHH!!!" the earth pony screamed.
The earth pony was sent skyward by the sudden jolt and immediately hardened into a crystalline shell before she collided with the soft, grassy earth. Luna pulled an about face, her eyes instantly beginning to seep with a deep, cobalt aura due to a buildup of excess energy. Celestia tried to react as well, but the impostor quickly snatched up Fluttershy into her threatening hooves and backed away, holding her horn close to the pegasus' temple. Now that she had a hostage, maybe she could have more leeway with the princesses.
"No... please don't hurt me!" whined Fluttershy.
"Silence," was all the impostor responded with.
Celestia slowly approached her sister, keeping an intent, watchful eye on her actions. Rarity backed away to the two sisters and prepared another blast with her horn. The impostor now faced down three sets of angry eyes and steadily building powers, all aimed to destroy her at a moment's notice. She had willingly left her clone and was now forced to face the consequences of her actions alone.
Everything was going according to plan.
Celestia's gaze never faltered, locked in a battle of wits with hers.
"You won't succeed, whatever your intentions are!" she cried.
"But princess," Twilight taunted evilly, "I just wanted to see you."
"Let! HER! GO!!" Rarity shouted.
Fluttershy struggled in Twilight's grasp, trying to get some sort of leverage. She attempted to turn her head, but was only able to chance a slight glance at her former friend with her horn pressed against her head so forcefully. The impostor made a horribly fatal mistake by glancing at her as well.
"P-please... just..."
"I thought I told you already-- GAH!!!" she instantly gasped.
Suddenly, she saw her piercing eyes and relented. She could not look away from her stare as it seethed into her soul. The impostor's eyes widened in fear, compelled to never again look away in her entire life. Her face twisted in agony and her body went stiff, but she fought against it.
Celestia and Luna could not believe what they were witnessing, for Fluttershy was actually winning the fight herself.
"N-no.... stop!" Twilight cried.
Fluttershy wriggled around in her grasp, but the impostor kept her bound tightly.
"You won't beat me!" Fluttershy bravely declared.
As the impostor's gaze deepened, something more terrifying was taking place... something only Fluttershy could see from this close. Twilight's violet irises were starting to change, filling with a heavily saturated crimson at their corners. The stress was proving to be too much for the impostor and keeping up her illusion was nearly impossible at this point. Her left eye was soon consumed entirely by the color of blood and her hold was about to give.
Then she started laughing. It was a most gruesome laugh. It was the laugh of an evil conqueror who would soon taste victory.
"Is that the best you have, Fluttershy?!" she cackled.
Terror once again plagued the pegasus' heart. "No!! It can't be!!"
Twilight's twisted expression soon mellowed out into one of complacency, and her gaze easily averted back to Celestia. Her conflicting eye colors tormented the princess, as she was torn between looking into the violet of her pupil's and the blood red of her enemy's. However, her focus suddenly turned to Fluttershy.
"Now, Princess Celestia!" she finally announced, "I want you to observe something!"
The impostor pushed Fluttershy away abruptly and barely tapped the side of her head with her magically wrapped horn. The pegasus calmly fell onto her side in defeat and slowly felt herself get swallowed up by her expanding and all-encasing spell. Rarity did not know what to do at this point. It was the worst pain that had ever befallen her heart, watching her friends go down helplessly, one by one.
Princess Luna, however, was tired of this.
The princess of the night had never moved so fast before. It was almost as though she did not move at all, but had simply appeared behind the impostor like she was there the whole time. She phased out of the shadows, nearly catching the impostor off guard, but somehow she turned at the last moment.
Her magically drenched horn fell heavily upon the impostor's, and their mixing powers finally collided. Their eyes met furiously in an intensely heated, extreme focus.
"How DARE you?!" the princess grunted.
Twilight showed no signs of backing down, even though she knew she was outmatched. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead and cheeks, abiding her time for as long as possible under the immense weight of Luna's superior power.
"Heheh..." the impostor chuckled nervously, "Wouldn't you... like to know, princess? I'll admit... grrhh... you are stronger than me, but... I have the greater... gruhhh... intellect!!"
"And how, pray tell, is that?!" Luna barked.
Celestia decided long ago not to interfere with Luna's progress, for she had an undying confidence in her sister. Her sister was her only equal in all of Equestria, so she had little to doubt. But, that wasn't what worried her.
"Tell me, princess!" Twilight cried in struggling, "How many do you think I brought with me here tonight?!"
"NO! Princess Celestia!!" Rarity yelped.
It was far too late now to stop her. She had practically won already. It had simply all been a distraction, for Rarity swiftly directed Celestia's attention to the center of a far off field.
It stopped Celestia's heart instantly when she realized how she could've been so easily fooled, for the impostor's clone had placed herself underneath the apex of her magical barrier around the city, draining it for every last drop of power that surged within it and severely weakening it in the process.
Celestia knew it was ready to give, and her hope at last gave out when it finally did.
Luna triumphed over the impostor with a heavy flail of her horn, sending her reeling to the wayside with an explosive surge of power. The fake Twilight yelped in pain and tumbled into the field, kicking up loose dirt and blades of grass with each roll. When she stopped, she was allowed a brief moment to gaze up at the rapidly receding barrier and let forth a weak smile.
"Hahaha..." she chuckled lightly to herself.
As the great dome of yellow energy began to fail, she tried to falteringly stand up. Luna's blast, however, had nearly left one of her legs crippled. Running was out of the question.
Her laugh started to build, much to the Rarity and the sisters' dismay, at the sight of her plan coming to fruition.
"... haha... HaHa... HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!"
Her laughs carried far across the fields, far up into the now open night sky, and far into the empty corridors of Canterlot's heart.
If looks could kill, then Luna would have left all of Equestria in sheer ruin with her icy glare. Her overflowing dark power started to seep out of the corners of her eyes yet again, her hatred building for this unicorn impostor who was so boldly attempting to overthrow them. Yet, her power could not be contained, and although she desperately wanted this incident to end peacefully, it became painfully clear that would not be the case.
"Prepare yourself..." Luna whispered coldly.
All at once... the princess of the night unleashed hellfire.
Her scorching beam of cobalt flame tore the field in two, scarring the earth and everything in its wake.
The fire consumed the unicorn's vision and she instinctively attempted to deflect it away... but Luna's hammer hit its mark, sending her sailing through the air yet again.
"AIIIEEE!!!" she screamed again.
Her defeated body plowed into the field once more, taking with it its fair share of upturned soil, rocks, and grass.
When Luna's river of energy was at last quelled, a long canyon had been etched into the smoldering earth, and at its end laid a neatly round crater. She expected that to be the end of it. No unicorn had nearly the power to get up after an attack like that.
The princess turned back to her sister and Rarity for a moment, still in awe at what had just transpired, when she chanced a glance back at the lavender unicorn. Although, she wished what she was seeing was simply an illusion.
Out of the small pocket of carved-away earth, the face of the unicorn haunted her as it slowly peered over the edge and up at them, a twisted grin easing its way upon her face.
However, it looked as though she had two faces now.
Luna's attack had clearly left its mark. The impostor had what seemed to be a loose shell around her face that hid her true complexion. The flames had simply impacted the left half of her 'Twilight' coating, and now nearly a third of her actual colors became visible. She did not appear to be affected by the blast as much as Luna was expecting, but she was obviously weakened.
She started to laugh again at Celestia's look of horror.
The princess recognized those eyes now. In the deep moonlight, her pale beige coat underneath her illusory lavender one stood out. One single lock of her loosely flowing scarlet mane curled around the base of her cheek. Her left iris was now fully consumed by a rich bloody red.
"N-no..." Celestia mumbled weakly, "Why...?"
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.....sotry not bad sof ar, but it kinda ignores the factors of cloning with the mirror pond.
put simply, the clones would be vastly inferior in power, weaker than the normal twilight even, if too many were made. as we saw with pinkie pie's clones, then whatever power they have would be equivalently deteriorated.
put simply, pinkie's first clone was more or less intelligent, just lacking anything of pinkie's memories. however the ones that came after were probably more or less HALF as intelligent as pinkie pie.
so by that logic the clones would not even be as half as powerful as the impostor twilight, nor half as intelligent. of course that spell allowed the impostor to give them equal mind.......... yet that is a weakness. it would mean they would likely attempt to use magic far beyond them and either drain themselves dry or injure and or kill themselves attempting them.
also why hasn't anyone used the spell yet? the one twilight did to remove the clones in the first place.............. cause that is a primary wekaness of the mirro pond. the spell seems ot not affect normal ponies in the slightest, but being a user of the pond make it that you can be trapped inside of it.
seriously, the only thing known to be capable of this kind of feat is the mirror pond. two and two and a millenium year old alicorn.
3911058
3911176 the only other explanation would be that the mirror pool has the energy in it to create hundreds of ponies as powerful as twilight sparkle impostor........... which seems rather unlikely.
Another cliffhanger!? NOOOOOOO!
Is that who I think it is...?
3911176
My reaction exactly.
And I'm beginning to wonder if it's possible for you to not write a cliffhanger for a chapter
And at last, the villain is revealed. I won't say anything here, but not a bad choice for the villain. Now that her identity's been exposed, a lot of things are linking up. Though, all things considered, it looks to me as if we are either beginning to near the climax of this story or (more likely) we're ending the near of an arc, only to move into the final arc of this beast of a story.
3911058 I don't believe anyone else knows the spell off hand, and they never took the time to question where the clones came from. We never saw a change in any of the Pinkie Pies that suggested any of their abilities had been affected, just their mental capacities. After several copies, they could only think about two things: partying and laughter. That problem was addressed with the aforementioned spell. Also, having her intellect doesn't mean that they would attempt powerful spells beyond their means and die, to me it makes sense that they would be just as cautious as the original. Also, there is no evidence suggesting that the clones, themselves, are more fragile than the original. If The original wouldn't die from casting a spell that is too difficult, why would the clones? The mirror pond made the clones exactly like the original with weakened brain function at an exponential rate and lack of memories. There was no other way to determine the original from the clones, which was the main conflict in "Too Many Pinkie Pies." Your argument is invalid, Sir.
3911324 ............. i have a strong feeling twilight knew the pinkie who gave the idea was the real pinkie pie, they just could not take a single risk with it.
you logic only works if twilight did not tell celestia about the well................ your logic is incredibly faulty if you actually think twilight would not tell her mentor about the super magical pond near ponyville. not to mention give her the spell as well in case someone tried to use it the same way it is being used here.
also if the mental functionality is weaker, it is logical to think that everything ELSE is lesser as well. it is how cloning works. it makes no sense that the copies would be anywhere as near as powerful as her, especially as she made more and more of them. it is how cloning works; the susequent generation will be weaker than the original. especially if there is a lot fo them.
true she found a workaround for the lack of intelligence, and it makes them more clever. however that can also have its dangers. i can guess that attempting a spell far too powerful would cause either them to lose control of their magic, or simply drain their energy without anything to gain from it.
basically the problem here is that why would the degradation be selective and not generalized? not saying they would not be fairly dangerous, just that they would not be nearly half the force supposed here.
3911414 My reasoning behind the magic not being weaker is Pinkie's example. All her crazy talents and natural abilities were still transferred between all her clones. Why should that be any different with unicorn magic? I do believe Celestia was told about the well, but I don't believe she bothered telling her the spell. She was closer to the well and already knew the spell, so she felt she was capable of fixing a reoccurance on her own. Also, she was very confident at the end of that episode that they had fixed the situation for good with that rock. Also, there's still the fact that they were all so caught up with being ambushed, that none of them have stopped to consider how the clones got there. Even if Celestia knew the spell, she hasn't thought about the mirror well. Also, she obviously still has conflicting feelings about Twilight. Not knowing for sure which was the original would guarantee that spell as a last resort only type of thing for Celestia. Now that she knows for sure that it's not Twilight, that might not be the case, but Celestia would still try to reason with the imposter seeing as they obviously have some sort of connection. I'm not saying she wouldn't do it given no other choice. That would be no different than sending Luna to the moon. The thing is, in a battle situation, you make rapid fire decisions. I'm in the military, and trust me, you look back and say damn...I should have done this different. (Especially when you're fixing people up...) You don't have time to think, "Where did those clones come from," you just think, "Clones! Three times the enemy! Enter strategy to take down three opponents without harming yourself or others! Go!" Short, in-the-now strategies and acting on them. Any more than that, and you're defeated.
3911414 I'm sorry.
I don't mean to be so argumentative. 
3911265 How can you possibly know who the villain is?
I haven't even explained anything yet.
3911324 Wow, thanks man.
You have no idea how much heartache you saved me.
That song is flipping awesome, mate.
3911727 By debating?
3911739 I know, right!?
3911739 I think I might cry.
3911740 And yes, man.
It seems as though every chapter someone is accusing me of writing something wrong or not making sense, and quite honestly it's hard sometimes. I know I should fight my own battles, but still it means a lot to me.
3911765
What can I say? You're cool, mate.
3911765 I just didn't agree with his logic and feel that you made absolutely perfect sense.
Don't let some criticism get you down. There's always going to be some. This is a great story, and people should really just take it as it is. 
3911711
I could be wrong with my guess, but from what you've described, I may be onto you. Or not. I'm probably wrong. *Checks* Yeah I'm wrong. Nevermind.
3911782 I can see the similarities.
Sorry, maybe I should've made it more obvious. 
132 views of this chapter and not a single edit suggestion in the comments. Not to toot my own horn but...
toot
3912330 It's okay, man. You deserve it.
3912721 Thanks.
I just can't wait until you win this contest. 
If you don't, we riot. 
Great song and great chapter.
3913481 Thank you. You really have no idea how much that means to me.
3912330
I have a single word choice I'd reconsider.
Other than that, both of you are doing great.
3917345 What's the word? I more or less left his wording alone, but I'm still curious.
3917403 I bet I know what it is...
3917410 I'm so not in the loop right now.
3917439 It was one of the last things you mentioned about the talk between Princess one and Princess two, and I just now changed it
3917442 Oooooh. That. Now I understand and completely agree.
3917461 Welp,
back to writing.
Found a Twidash fans group; submitted this to it
Who the hell is her?????
I must wait for another chapter, I think
3917403
petrified
Having Twilight described as petrified while standing in front of Shining, who is essentially petrified (immobilized and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings) himself seems a bit odd to me. Nothing wrong just odd.
The real problem was my mind constantly debating if that was intentional or not.
3917442
Nope not that one.
But that made me curious, what did you change.(no need to answer that)
3921943 Ah. I see. Well, it's up to him to change tha or not, not me, but personally, I feel like that's fine and even a bit clever.
3921988
Not gonna argue on those points, just bringing it to light.
3921317 Why aren't they just in the TwiDash group?
3922141 I meant I put it in this group.
The imposter is Twitchy Scarlet! At least, I think...
...I can't be sure. Bit the blood red iris part makes sense and her ability to be so powerful as well.