Nightmares Over Equestria

by Ignimbrite

The Nightmare's Fear

Obsidian, Feldspar, and Clumsy flew up to the ledge and bolted through the caves as soon as they landed. Clumsy led the way through the labyrinth to the dungeons. Just as they reached the caves that some guards had converted into storerooms, a pegasus day guard appeared. Clumsy immediately extended a hidden wingblade.

"Wait! Wait! It's me! It's me!"

She took off her helmet, thus reverting the disguise spell that all the helmets had applied to them.

"Kind Face?"

Clumsy retracted her blade and hugged her.

"I suppose you are a bit short to be a guard. What are you doing up here?"

"Daryl thought something was wrong, so we went up here together. There's an evil Twilight now. And an evil Applejack. And the evil Applejack bucked him across the room... long story, but anyway, everypony's going nuts up here."

Everypony's eyes were a lot wider after hearing her story.

"Well, we need to get to the princesses. We found the crystal."

"Come on, then." She turned around and put the helmet back on. "Last I saw, they were fighting their mom."

---

Luna teleported immediately, landing in the middle of the port trap next to Solaria.

"We will not let thou escape so easily."

"Considering how long it took three of you to come anywhere near restraining me, how do you expect to..."

"TIA! TWILIGHT! SHE'S BACK!"

Evidently, Solaria had completely forgotten the raw power of the Royal Canterlot Voice. She slid backwards several feet on the polished floor.

Luna glared at her as the other two ran in. Her horn glowed a dark purple.

"Surrender."

"What?"

"Surrender. Now."

Solaria rubbed her ear with her hoof. "I can barely hear what hear what you're saying."

"SURRENDER, NOW."

Solaria grinned.

Luna rolled her eyes and lit up her horn again, broadcasting the message directly into Solaria's mind. Solaria laughed.

"Oh I heard you that last time. There was no need for that trick.

"You know, I had heard reports of you bearing the element of laughter for a while. No wonder it chose you."

With that, she leapt into the air and dove, her horn aimed straight at Luna's chest.

---

A hoof slammed into Rarity's face. She countered by throwing a syringe at Rarity, who just barely dodged it.

"Enough, you ruffian!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked at each other, wondering how both versions of their friend managed to say that in perfect sync. Rainbow jumped back in, attempting a flying tackle, but had to dodge a flying knife. Applejack, meanwhile, tried for a running buck, but got turned back by a syringe.

The two fashionistas paused and stared each other down for a moment, then resumed the fray, both resorting to bare hooves. They grappled each other, turning and struggling until neither of the others could tell which one was which. Rarity then used a takedown on Rarity and trapped almost all of her legs to keep her from getting free.

"Any last words?"

The Rarity on the ground grinned as her horn glowed.

"You could use some rest."

With that, picked up one of the syringes off the ground and slammed it into the other Rarity's side, depressing the plunger as far as it would go.

---

"When. Will. You. Give. UP?"

As Solaria vented her frustration, Lord Cutthroat and the other ancient nobles watched patiently. Any moment now, the princesses would be stripped of their power, and authority would return to the Queen, to whom it belonged.

Cutthroat turned to the Princesses.

"You don't understand, do you? Even if you weren't outnumbered by our guards, you couldn't defeat us. As long as our magic remains sealed, none of us are capable of being defeated, and there's nothing you have that can unseal it."

That was when galloping hoofsteps came echoing through the halls and a strange voice called out.

"Princesses! We've got it!"

Four ponies galloped forwards, only to be blocked by two of the guards. Cutthroat turned to look at them.

A guard that his mind spell must have missed was escorting two foals and their mother, and they had come to stop Solaria herself.

How cute.

They looked rather vaguely familiar though, and come to think of it, the guard was a bit short. Besides that, the foals' fur had streaks through it almost resembling sweat stains. It was almost as if they'd... dyed their fur.

Son of Celestia, it was that colt from the archive picture... and from the Nightmare Night contest... and the filly from Nightmare Night... oh dear, that guard was the last filly from Nightmare Night, wasn't she?

He suddenly got the distinct impression that those three were about to throw yet another spanner into his finely tuned works.

The colt had lifted a wing and was digging something out of a bag under it with his horn. Upon finding it, he dropped it into his front hooves and wound up as if he was about to launch a hoofball back into bounds.

"Princess! Catch!"

The object arced over their heads and landed in Celestia's levitation field.

Everypony in the room got a good long look at the floating crystal.

And that was the first time Solaria's eyes displayed fear.