30: Midnight
When Twilight opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the center of Ponyville. Market stalls lined the square, each surrounded by stallions and mares from every color of the rainbow. She recognized the familiar faces of old friends scattered throughout the crowd, each greeting her with a warm recognition.
“Afternoon. Finishing up your errands for today?”
Twilight turned to find Chrysalis standing at her side.
“Shopping?”
“Yeah. Why else would you be standing in the market? Hey, did you do something different with your mane?”
Twilight scoffed. She summoned her magic. Blue lightning crackled down across her glossy black wings. The earth beneath her hooves trembled, sending stones rising slowly into the air.
“Twilight, what are you doing?” Chrysalis asked, stepping back.
“Did you really think I’d fall for this again?” Twilight called to the heavens.
“Twilight, wait!” Chrysalis reached for the princess.
And then Twilight’s home was gone, obliterated in an instant blue flash.
The Nightmare screeched as the magic coursed through her body, sending her spiraling down into the partially demolished pillar.
“You really thought that would work?” Twilight taunted as she glided down after.
Rubble shifted. The Nightmare rose from the debris, her gaseous form reconstituting opposite the corrupted princess.
“You’re going to have to try a little harder than that.”
Twilight reared onto her hind legs, arching her back as the pulses of magic flooded through her. She unleashed a flood of energy in a wide arc, sending a faint blue glow radiating across the bleak dreamscape sky.
This time, the Nightmare didn’t bother to try and block the spell. Her body evaporated as raw magic tore past. Loose stone shook from the tower, raining to the earth below as the world trembled beneath Twilight’s strength.
For a moment, Twilight lost sight of her opponent.
“Your power has grown, Princess.”
Snarling, Twilight whipped around toward the voice. Wounds in reality tore open around her, trapped within shimmering runes. As she pointed her horn forward, countless bolts of energy rained from the fissures, peppering the Nightmare and reducing her to ash again.
“But even this power means nothing here.”
The Nightmare reformed in the air, her stance regal. Twilight grit her teeth. Runes etched into the floor as Twilight readied another spell. Arcane symbols carved themselves into the stone pillar, radiating magic. From the center of her magic circle, Twilight swished her head to the side, her horn aglow.
The runes on the tower echoed in response, unleashing columns of blue fire. Each pillar converged on the Nightmare, colliding to form a swirling mass of power. A blinding flash resulted. Even Twilight could feel the heat of her own magic wash over her.
“I am master of this domain. You cannot touch me here.”
Twilight drew a deep breath. The Nightmare appeared, draped in the shadow of the moon, her dark form glittering.
“I think you misunderstand me,” Twilight interrupted.
The Nightmare raised an eyebrow.
“I’m really enjoying myself here.”
The dream beast’s glare narrowed.
“I suppose I should be thanking you, actually. In a way, you really did free me.”
“What do you mean?” The Nightmare questioned.
“Do you know the last time anyone asked me what I wanted?” Twilight chuckled. “You made a very good point. You can finally offer me what I’ve really sought for so long.”
“And what is that?”
Twilight spread her wings, putting them on display for the villain to admire.
“Freedom. I spend all day playing nice, trying to be friendly. Being the perfect princess. You don’t know how nice it feels to finally let go of all that. To really let loose. Don’t you get it? That’s what all this is. Exactly what you asked for.
“I’m showing you what I want.”
“I will be sure to remember that, for your next dream,” the Nightmare noted, her horn gathering energy for another attack. A small black bead formed above her.
Sensing the build-up of magical energy sent a tremor through the princess. A sense of giddiness welled up in her chest. She powered up her own magic in turn.
The Nightmare spell crested. “I wield the power of a goddess, Twilight. Resisting me is foolish. I offer you one final chance to—”
Twilight fired her spell, sending a beam of concentrated magic directly for the hovering demon. The Nightmare reacted, launching her own spell.
The black bead melted into the blue flame, unleashing its power from the inside. Blue and black spilled across the sky, rippling past the horizon as both alicorns poured their souls into their attack.
“The power of a goddess?” Twilight called over the din of the impending apocalypse. “Don’t make me laugh. I’ll show you magic.”
Their spells clashed. Lightning radiated from the resulting struggle, carving deep gouges into the earth as it tore across the landscape. The clouds above roiled, swirling like a vortex. Their magic howled, growing louder until they swallowed any other noise. Eventually, the ear-piercing howl gave way to silence, leaving only a show of lights to bless their battle.
Twilight’s focus faltered as one of the accidental spears of energy seared her fur.
The Nightmare pressed her advantage, driving the clash of power toward Twilight. And then she stopped. An itch in the back of her mind caught her attention, drawing far more fear than the angry princess could ever manage.
She glanced downward toward the tower, where Luna still lay bound by chains. Chrysalis stood nearby, one of the chains locked between her teeth. The changeling clamped her jaw shut; her fangs wreathed in green flame.
The Nightmare tried to break away, but the lapse in concentration allowed Twilight the upper hand, driving the orb of energy back into the sky.
Even from her high vantage, she could see Chrysalis smile as she gathered her strength for one final try. With a growl of exertion and a trickle of blood, the chain snapped.
Luna’s world slid into focus as she snapped back from whatever cell had trapped her mind. The umbral princess glanced upward to see Chrysalis standing over her, a broken chain hanging from the corner of her mouth.
“Chrysalis?” Her dry throat resulted in a raspy cry.
The changeling made a halting motion with her hoof as she tossed the chain aside. She wrinkled her muzzle in disgust before spitting out the chipped end of a fang.
“How much do you remember?” Chrysalis asked, her voice all business.
“Everything,” Luna grumbled, slipping free from the rest of her bonds. Her energy had been sapped to the point where the simple act of standing took immense effort. Together, the two of them looked up into the sky, where two dark figures struggled for dominance.
Twilight felt her opponent’s power wane for only a moment. She seized the opportunity, pressing her magic until her horn cracked under the pressure. The black bead evaporated, allowing the blue flames to rampage forth, unimpeded. The Nightmare had only a moment to raise her shield before the spell connected.
Though she managed to block a significant amount of damage, the energy necessary to sustain the shield left the Nightmare exhausted. It reached out for Luna’s power, but their connection had been severed. With no other choice, she flared her wings, rocketing toward the horizon.
Any hope of escape wilted as Twilight wrapped her magic around the creature, immobilizing her.
“Not so tough now, are you?” The alicorn smirked.
Twilight lifted her hostage slightly before launching her down into the tower. She smashed through each floor, the tower collapsing inward under the abuse.
Chrysalis hauled Luna up from the crumbling platform. Straining under the weight of a full-grown alicorn, she had to boost her strength with the remaining whimpers of her magic. She set the princess gently in the grass of a nearby field. They stood back from the edge of the crater made by such an attack.
Twilight appeared from a vortex of dark energy. She strutted forward confidently.
A figure emerged from the smoking devastation. The Nightmare’s crown had been knocked askew. Portions of her mane had turned to ash. Her wings were held aloft in the grip of blue magic, letting the rest of her body hang limp in the air.
“Twilight?” Luna slurred.
“Kind of looks like her, doesn’t it?” Chrysalis mused.
Twilight ignored her two observers, her focus held steadily on her new toy.
“That was it?” she pouted. “I wasn’t finished playing yet.”
“What are you?” the Nightmare stammered.
“That’s an odd question. I’m exactly what you wanted.” Twilight rose to her full height, her darker profile awash with an air of divinity. “You wanted to know Twilight’s deepest desires? Her dreams? I’m right here. I’m everything she ever wanted. I’m every sinister thought or dark temptation that she keeps locked up tight.”
“Twilight?” Luna asked, a little more sober this time.
Twilight glared over her shoulder.
“What is it, Luna? Can’t you see that I’m busy?”
“We need to go. I can open a passage home for us.”
“Hold on. I want to have a little more fun.”
Her spell tightened its grip. An ethereal shriek tore from the Nightmare’s throat as the tips of her wings pulled farther apart.
“Twilight, that’s enough,” Luna commanded, though her voice lacked the necessary energy to project authority.
“Why should I care what you say? Did you forget whose fault it is we’re in this mess?” Twilight scowled.
“Believe me, I have not forgotten,” Luna admitted glumly. “But we need to go. The Nightmare’s power has failed. I’m barely holding this dimension together as it is.”
“Fine,” Twilight groaned. “Just let me do one last thing.”
With a sickening smile, Twilight’s horn erupted with magic. The Nightmare offered one final shriek as Twilight plucked the wings from the bothersome little fly.
Ink poured across the field like rain.
“Satisfied?” Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.
“Hardly.” Twilight sauntered up to the changeling, close enough that she had to look up to meet her eyes.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“She thinks about you a lot.”
“Who does?”
“Twilight.”
“Aren’t you Twilight?”
“Kind of. There are so many things she wants to show you. So many things she wants to ask you. But she’s a coward. She doesn’t deserve you.”
“I think that’s my decision to make,” Chrysalis admonished.
“She’s scared that you’ll never really love her. I mean, how could you love a monster like me?” Twilight licked a splash of blood from her cheek.
“I don’t know.” Chrysalis tapped her chin with her free hoof. She shifted Luna’s weight, making sure she didn’t drop the princess. “She does look cute in black.”
“I’ll remember that,” Twilight noted with a sly grin. She closed her eyes, allowing the magic coursing through her to fall dormant. The blue flames extinguished. Her burning mane fell flat. Her black feathers molted, revealing purple underneath.
“Chrysalis?” Twilight muttered.
“You back?” Chrysalis tilted her head.
“Catch me.” Twilight collapsed forward. The changeling reached out with her free leg, snagging Twilight. Her muscles twitched reflexively, unable to follow even the easiest commands.
“A little more warning next time?”
“About catching me, or about the evil magic-spewing breakdown?” Twilight asked, blushing.
“Both, preferably.”
“I hate to break this up, but we really need to leave,” Luna interrupted. The umbral princess raised her head, forcing open one of the black portals that connected the Nightmare dimension.
“I can only keep it open from this side. Release Twilight, then come back and get me. Quickly. I cannot keep this up for long.”
“Right.” Chrysalis lowered Luna into the grass. She hoisted Twilight onto her shoulders. Instinctively, Twilight wrapped her forelegs tight around the changeling’s neck.
“We’re making a habit out of this,” Twilight mused.
“At least my leg works this time.” Chrysalis shook her head.
She carried the immobile Princess to the edge of the void. Kneeling, she let the alicorn slide off her back.
“There’s something I need to tell you.” Twilight looked away.
“I have to get Luna. Wait for me on the other side, and I’ll be more than happy to have that chat.”
Twilight wanted to argue but decided against it. With another confident nod from Chrysalis, the princess turned and left through the portal.
“Your turn, Luna,” Chrysalis called, trudging back to the dark horse.
Around them, the horizons of the world crumbled away into nothing.
“Leave me.”
“Why would I do that?” Chrysalis wondered aloud.
“Twilight was right. All of this was my fault.”
“So, you nearly killed a bunch of ponies. Big whoop. You’re not the first. Probably won’t be the last, either.” Chrysalis shrugged.
“I am not laughing, Chrysalis.”
“Neither am I.”
“This is not the first time I have allowed my weakness to threaten Equestria. First with Nightmare Moon. Then the Tantabus.”
Chrysalis tried to wrench the princess off the ground, but without Luna’s cooperation, she couldn’t manage to budge her.
“I think it would be safer if I stayed here.”
“That’s a dumber plan than Celestia’s,” Chrysalis grunted as she pulled Luna’s hoof. She stopped when she noticed Luna’s tears.
“I’ve hurt too many innocents. I’m dangerous. I’m –”
“A monster?” Chrysalis suggested.
“A monster . . .” Luna agreed.
“Well, join the club.” Chrysalis flashed green, using her magical strength to help lift Luna.
“I told you to leave me,” Luna ordered. She tried to fight back, but her limbs were numb.
“And I haven’t listened to a thing you said since I woke up in that hospital. Why would I start now?”
“Chrysalis, please. I can’t take it. I don’t want to hurt anyone else.”
“Oh, cry me a river, Princess. You want to stay trapped in an endless nightmare because you’re upset? I thought the princesses of Equestria were supposed to be goddesses. Beacons of hope and caretakers of their subjects.”
“A job I have failed at, time and time again.”
The edges of the field started to fall away. Chrysalis had barely managed to close the distance to her destination. She chewed her lip.
“Then figure it out. You don’t like how things worked out? Do better.”
“And what happens if I lose myself again? If no one around can stop me? Twilight told me of a world where Nightmare Moon ruled Equestria. I have seen it in her dreams. I would rather die than let such a horrible reality come to pass.”
“Thorax had a dream once, too. Of the whole hive of changelings learning to live in harmony with the rest of the world, while I was left behind to rot in the hell I made for myself. I would rather have died than allow such a world. Well, guess what? Your sister had something to say about that. And now here I am, risking my life to haul your sorry butt out of my nightmares because of her.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I, Luna. But let me tell you something. Life sucks sometimes. It really does. But you can’t just lay down and die. You think you’re some world-ending threat to those around you? Then why did Celestia spare you? Why did Twilight offer you friendship? Why am I helping you?
“You’ve got friends and family counting on you. And if you give up now, then you’re letting all of them down. You said you wouldn’t be the princess to let Equestria fall. What happened to that fire? That energy? So maybe it’s tough. Maybe you’ll fall again. But I promise you that when you do, me, Twilight, Celestia will get together and beat you into submission again and again. No matter how many tries it takes until you get it right.”
“Chrysalis?” Luna whispered.
“Shut up,” Chrysalis snapped back.
“Thank you. I think I finally understand what Twilight sees in you.”
“Great for you. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it’s really going to matter in a minute.”
Luna glanced around. Oblivion raced towards them. Chrysalis’ gait had slowed to a limp as her magic reached its limit. Her chitin had already greyed.
“I can’t . . . I can’t hold . . .” Luna trembled as she forced the last bit of her magic into this realm. With all her energy spent, the princess closed her eyes, draping herself over Chrysalis.
“Did she just fall asleep?” Chrysalis muttered. “How did I lose to such weaklings?”
The world fell away before them, the earth descending endlessly into the abyss. With a resolute breath, Chrysalis bent her knees. Shaking, she leapt forward, a cry of pain and pride tearing through her throat as she parted with the collapsing world.
The portal inched closer.
But not close enough.
Chrysalis’ eyes widened as the realization hit her. She called for her magic, but the agony sent ripping through her body broke her concentration.
And then something else hit her. The warm grasp of golden magic.
Chrysalis glanced around, searching for the source. She only found a handful of pristine white feathers, fluttering past her face.
“Thank you, Chrysalis. I knew I made the right decision.”
She recognized that voice.
The dreamscape vanished as Chrysalis landed hard against the stone floor of Celestia’s bedroom. She flopped gracelessly to her side, sending Luna’s body skittering across the floor. Hopefully, she wasn’t conscious enough to feel it.
Chrysalis released a long, drawn out exhale. A cold tingling had set in across most of her body, leaving her helpless on the floor, staring up at an artist’s inaccurate depiction of the sun. The ugly painting slipped out of sight as Twilight leaned over her.
“Did I make it?”
“We both did.” Twilight smiled.
“Great. I can’t feel my anything. I am in desperate need of love. Would you mind fetching Thorax—”
Chrysalis never remembered to finish her statement. In truth, she forgot a great many things as a soft set of lips met her own. Twilight positioned herself over Chrysalis, pressing their bodies together against the cold stone floor.
Behind her shock, Chrysalis could feel the love radiating from the alicorn locked with her. She drew deeply, savoring every drop that crossed her tongue.
Twilight squealed as Chrysalis lifted her off the floor, twirling their bodies around until she knelt over the princess. She pinned the royal wings to the ground, panting as the two of them finally pulled away.
“How was that?” Twilight asked.
Chrysalis leaned in close, watching Twilight’s fur bristle at the touch of her warm breath. Her mane hung low, shrouding her face in shadows. She pressed a hoof to Twilight’s cheek in a not-so-gentle caress.
“Little Princess, I hope you understand what you’ve just done.”
The two of them pushed together, ready for another kiss when the sound of a clearing throat made them blush in unison.
Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were standing in the doorway. They looked thin and exhausted, prisoners of too many sleepless nights. They wobbled back and forth as they shared a nervous, if joyful, look.
Beside them, Thorax, Starlight, and Spike were waiting. The trio still bore the scars of their dream encounters, but more distracting was the thrill of victory in their eyes.
Two columns of armored ponies stood behind them, sniffing and scratching nervously as they searched for anything else that could hold their attention.
Among the gathered spectators, a familiar group watched the celebration. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were lined up in the hallway, their jaws hanging slack. Applejack was the first to find her voice, though she still wore her obvious surprise.
“Fluttershy, I think you forgot to mention something.”
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And because you forgot. The obligatory what Twilight looks like.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/10/16/1003372__safe_artist-colon-dashiemlpfim_artist-colon-missgoldendragon_sci-dash-twi_twilight+sparkle_equestria+girls_friendship+games_absurd+res_commiss.png
Or close enough.
where...
where did that button with a "Next" written on it disappear to...
it ought to be on the right of "Chapters" button...
i had just started reading...
and it's gone...
can i have more please?
Pretty please?
10518802
I should have some free time this week, so I'll see if I can kick the production up a notch, just for you, since you asked so nicely . . . (unless my editor kills me first)
Ah, right, Midnight.
Clever to fight one nightkin with another.
I just . . "Gaze upon me you figment of lunas imagination . . you wanted to see what i want? What i am? Very well . . Twilight no more (and then she goes into her ponyta form from when she was still a unicorn). I am Dawnbringer."
10518841
I have often considered using that as a joke for when Twilight is angry.
Wonder what choice Celestia was referring to...
And why only Chryssy heard it
10518909
it is canon after all :P
10518921
letting herself be corrupted by twilight.
10518983
What do you mean? Twilight never corrupted Celestia
10519206
i think it was referring to twi corrupting buggo.
Pinkie: "Hey, why did you stop?!"
I swear, if all this was some kind of elaborate ploy by Sunbutt...
Ah, so it is brainwashing then. A very subtle sort, but still artificially induced emotion.