> Is It Everything You Dreamed, Miss Sparkle?
>  by Arreis Of Avalon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Mysteries
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight stared at the dragon egg before her, eyes wide. How on earth was she supposed to hatch a dragon?! This was far, far, FAR too advanced for a little filly to handle. She took a deep breath, scared beyond belief and more nervous than she had ever been in her life. She had always wanted to aim for something big, but this was ridiculous!
“Well, Miss Sparkle?” Twilight giggled nervously, her hooves shaking slightly. Instantly, all of the professors levitated up their clipboards, writing away. Twilight gulped, staring at the egg. It didn’t look like any egg she had ever seen before. “WELL, Miss Sparkle,” the mare with the light purple mane asked, obviously annoyed at having to waste her time on such an obviously talentless filly who was not even old enough to have a cutie mark. One of the stallions coughed in the slight silence, turning back afterwards and glaring at her. Everypony was glaring at her, other than her parents, who were anxiously waiting at the side of the exam hall. 
Twilight took a deep breath and concentrated hard, shutting her eyes and biting her lip. Groaning slightly, she felt her horn spark with a tiny bit of magic. Come on, Twilight, Come on. You can do this! With a deep breath of air, the sparking stopped. Before her, the egg sat, uncracked. She tried again, with even less results. She heard one of the ponies watching her yawn, and the purple maned mare glanced at her clock. “We don’t have all day.” Trying as hard as she could, Twilight attempted every spell she had read of. Nothing seemed to work. Her heart was racing and she felt even worse than she had when she had come into the exam hall. 
Finally, Twilight fell over, exhausted from trying so hard. She sat up again, her eyes downcast. With a small, dejected frown, Twilight looked up at the fearsome judges. “I’m sorry I wasted your time…” Sadly, she shut her eyes as she heard the judges scribble away her fate on those clipboards. She felt horrible and tired and utterly miserable. She kept rolling around questions in her mind, always coming back to a single question: Am I just weak?...
In the midst of what she considered weakness, a large boom sounded throughout the hall, echoing in her mind. She gasped and looked up as she felt… power. She had read of magical surges, but this felt different than what she had read about. Instead of a bubbling up of power inside her, she felt almost as though somepony else’s magic was filling her, uncontrollable and forced upon her. Trying to focus this rush of magic, Twilight concentrated and aimed her horn at the closest thing she could – The dragon egg. In a surprising burst of power, her horn flared with magic and let out a torrent of power. The egg was surrounded by a magical aura and cracked open, revealing a small baby dragon.
Twilight gasped in pain as magic overtook her, her eyesight fading. Everything was white. She felt magic pouring out of her, uncontrollable and erratic. She heard crashes, seemingly from the ceiling, as her magic kept going, blasting away at everything in sight. Twilight cringed, her body attempting to refuse the strange change in her magic. She bit her lip, feeling tears begin to well up in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt a hoof on her shoulder.
Behind her was the form of the Princess. Twilight didn’t know how she could see her, but staring at the princess somehow calmed her… and angered her. She didn’t know why or how or what in Equestria was going on… but she felt her magic begin to fade as the white left her eyes. With a small burst of magic, she took her place back on the floor.
Twilight watched as the judges fell back to the floor, levitated by her power. She watched as her parents changed back from cacti to ponies, shaking with fright. Lastly, she saw the baby dragon fall back onto the hay crate where he had first lain. He quite calmly grabbed his tail and began to suck on the end of it. 
“Twilight Sparkle.” 
Twilight looked up at the princess, her eyes worried. “O-Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to-“
“You have a very special gift,” the princess said, smiling. “I don’t think I’ve ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.” Twilight could merely gape at the princess. “But,” she continued, “you need to learn to tame these abilities through focused study.” Twilight continued to gape at the almighty figure speaking to her. “Twilight Sparkle, I’d like to make you my own personal protégé here at the school.” Twilight felt her jaw drop further. Protégé to the most powerful being known to ponykind?! “Well?~” 
Twilight turned to her parents to see their excited faces. Twilight beamed and jumped up into the air. “YEEEEEEEES!!”
“One other thing, Twilight,” the princess said with a slight chuckle.
“MORE?!” Twilight fell back to the ground, unable to catch herself on her hooves. She fell against the floor, her hooves splayed out. Her new teacher and mentor pointed to her flank. Twilight glanced at her flank to see a star with numerous other stars around it, looking like the sparks from her horn as she does magic. She beamed with joy. “M-My cutie mark!” She jumped up, giggling a bit. “Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!”
Twilight went home with her parents to collect her things to move into the school dormitories. The princess glanced at the judges, her face concerned. All of them looked shooken up. “I’ll see you in my office tonight,” she said, pointing to the purple haired mare. With that, she walked out, leaving the mess to be cleaned up later that day.
*~*~*~*~
The mare, Crystal Clear, gently pushed open the door to the princess’s office. It overlooked the garden, but the full moon did nothing to shed light on the flowers shut for the night. “P-princess,” Crystal said, hoping she could have a few of her questions answered. 
The princess stood at the window, staring at the moon. “The moon is dim tonight.”
Crystal nodded, not really caring what the princess said about the moon. “But princess, what happened in that exam room? How did she manage to hatch a dragon?!”
The princess sighed. “I have a suspicion, but it is nothing more.”
Crystal trotted up to the window, glancing up at the mighty alicorn. “B-but, princess, we both know that all those eggs are fake. There’s no dragon inside. We just get the little unicorns to TRY to hatch them, to test their determination.”
“I know, Ms. Clear.” The princess turned away from the window, walking slowly to her desk. Sitting there were numerous papers, all of which had to do with an accident long forgotten by those of pony kind. An old mares tale… “I am looking into it, Ms. Clear. You need not worry.”
“Princess, what if she becomes a liability? A threat? We cannot have you teaching a pupil so… erratic!”
Celestia glanced up at Crystal, her eyes soft. “I am princess of Equestria. As such, it is my duty to eliminate threats to our well being. Have no doubt, Miss. I will terminate this threat…” She glanced once more out the window at the shining moon. “Even if it means doing the unthinkable.”
Crystal nodded. “If you are sure, princess.” With that, she walked out, just as confused as she had been walking in.
Celestia walked back to the window, watching the moon intently. “Sister…” Celestia hung her head, a single tear rolling down her face. High above Equestria, the mare in the moon shed a single tear as well.

> Question Not
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight closed the book and stood. She levitated it to her pack and began walking home, eager to learn more about this ‘Nightmare Moon’ and the ‘Elements of Harmony’. If she could figure it all out, maybe she could get something from the princess, or better – maybe she could find a spell or something to prevent anypony from turning dark like that again.
On her way back home, Twilight ran into three ponies. “There you are, Twilight,” one said happily. “Moon Dancer is having a little get together in the west castle courtyard. Ya wanna come?~”
Twilight hesitantly spoke up. “O-oh, sorry girls, I have uh… A lot of studying to catch up on.” Quickly, Twilight escaped the awkward situation and trotted away as fast as she could.
The pony who had spoken sighed and turned to her friends. “Does that pony do anything except study?”
The mare next to her sighed as well. “I think she’s more interested in books than friends.”
Twilight heard every word the mares said as she dashed away, but chose to ignore them. “I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony,” she said to herself, focusing on her main goal. She charged into her home in Canterlot, panting slightly from all the running. “Spike? SPIIIIKE!” There was a small groan in front of her. “Spike?” Before her sat a small dizzy dragon, groaning as he sat up. He was barely of any size, but that was to be expected of a baby dragon. “There you are. Quick, find me that old copy of ‘Predictions and Prophecies’.” Twilight turned to see a present impaled on Spike’s pointy tail. She tilted her head, confused. “What’s THAT for?”
Spike glanced at it and sighed as he pulled it off. “Well,” he said in his boyish voice, “it WAS a gift for Moon Dancer, but…” Spike watched the teddy bear that had been inside, now destroyed, fall to the floor. 
Twilight rolled her eyes, pushing through the numerous books in her library. “Oh, Spike, you know we don’t have time for that sort of thing.” As she pushed apart two books, she could have sworn she had seen two eyes staring back at her. She was startled, but blinked once afterwards. The eyes had disappeared. Blaming it on the sun streaming in from the windows causing sun spots, she continued looking through books.
Spike watched her looking through the books. “But we’re on a break!”
Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated a few books off of the shelf, glancing at each title in turn. “No… No… No… Nonono!” She groaned in exasperation. “SPIIIKE!”
“It’s over here!”
With a quick tug, Twilight pulled Spike over to her, glancing at the title. “Ah!” With a big smile, she let all of her books drop to the floor, taking the book she needed along with her. Spike glanced around, sighed, and began to clear up. Twilight, meanwhile, began to flip through her book. “Elements, Elements… E, e, e… Aha! ‘Elements of Harmony’… See… ‘Mare in the Moon’?”
Spike glanced over at her, confused. “’Mare in the Moon’? But that’s just an old ponies’ tale.”
Twilight flipped through another book. “Mare, mare… Aha! ‘The Mare in the Moon: Myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria… Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned to the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!”  Twilight gasped, turning to where Spike was teetering on a ladder. “Spike! Do you know what this means?!”
Spike tried to push a book into the bookshelf, teetering on the edge of falling down. “N-no…” With a ‘woaaah!’, Spike fell down. Twilight quickly teleported under him, catching him. He made a small ‘ow’ as he hit her back.
Twilight gave him a letter and quill. “Take a note please, to the Princess.” 
“Okaie – Dokey.”
“My dearest teacher,” Twilight began. “My continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!”
Spike interrupted quickly. “Hold on… Preci… Preci…” He looked at Twilight, confused. 
“Threshold.”
“Thre…” He glanced up again.
“Er… Brink?” He just stared at her on that one. She groaned. “Ugh, that something really bad is about to happen!” Spike nodded and kept writing. Twilight began walking towards the giant hourglass in the center of the room. She could swear she saw the face of Nightmare Moon in the glass, but knew it was just the sun reflecting light in a strange way. She continued speaking. “For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she is about to return to Equestria and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true! I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Twi…light… Spark…le! Got it!”
“Great. Send it.”
“Now?”
“Of course!”
“Uh…” Spike shrugged. “I dunno, Twilight. Princess Celestia is a little busy getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration, and it’s, like, the day after tomorrow.”
“That’s just it, Spike! The day after tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration! It’s imperative the Princess is told right away.”
“Impera… I-impera…”
Twilight growled, an almost unpony like sound. “IMPORTANT!”
Spike groaned as he fell back into the shelf behind him. He sat up after a few books fell on him. “Okay, Okay!” He grabbed the letter and burst it into flames, sending it to the Princess with magic. It was something Celestia herself had taught him. He wasn’t quite sure how he had learned the magic, but it was interesting to say the least. “There. It’s on its way.” He smirked. “But I wouldn’t hold your breath~”
“Oh, I’m not worried, Spike. The Princess trusts me completely. In all the years she’s been my mentor, she’s never once doubted me.” She’s never going to, either. Twilight smirked, knowing for a fact that she had everything under control. Spike gasped and burped, a letter appearing in the smoke of his flame. “See? I knew she would want to take immediate action.”
Spike cleared his throat and began reciting the letter. “My dearest, most faithful student Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and trust you completely…” Twilight smiled. “But you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!” Twilight gasped, shocked. Her own mentor called her books DUSTY and OLD? 
Twilight knew it didn’t happen often, but sometimes, just sometimes, a massive surge of rage towards her mentor would bubble up within her. She didn’t know where it came from, but it always went away quickly. She swallowed her anger and listened to Spike read the rest of the letter.
+~+~+~
“The night… Will last… FOREVER!” Nightmare Moon laughed her sickening laugh. Twilight watched, scared for her life – and the life of all those in Equestria. She had failed, and she knew it. There was no way she could fix this. The spark didn’t work. Everyone she knew, everything she had hoped for failed. Everything was gone… 
Unless I am at my most powerful.
Twilight didn’t know where the thought had come from. But she liked it.
Her ears twitched as she heard the voices of the ponies who had followed her all this way. Those ponies… They had followed her the entire time. Twilight had never considered herself as a strong leader… why had these ponies followed her? Because you have power… Magic. Twilight gasped as she felt something spark within her, much like it had when she was a child. That foreign magic, something she had no control over. But it felt weaker this time, took longer to rise to the surface. Twilight didn’t understand what was happening, her mind and heart racing. Finally, she discovered a possible solution, it HAD to be the answer. “You think you can destroy the Elements of Harmony, just like that?” Twilight smirked. “Well, you’re wrong, because the SPIRITS of the Elements of Harmony are RIGHT. HERE!” Twilight knew it was a long shot, but these ponies had followed her through it all – they had to be part of it all. They just had to be. And it only made sense that they would represent the Elements – Just look at them! 
Twilight felt that magic bubble up again, but knew somehow her horn was not needed. In turn, all of the shattered remains of the elements rose up, glowing with a different light each. “What,” Nightmare Moon asked, worried. 
Twilight began to list off all of these ponies traits, trying to discern the truth in all this mess. “Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of Honesty. Fluttershy, who tamed the Manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of Kindness. Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of Laughter. Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift, represents the spirit of Generosity. And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart’s desire, represents the spirit of Loyalty.” Twilight smirked. “The spirits of these 5 ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us!”
“You still don’t have the sixth element! The spark didn’t work!”
Twilight shook her head, somehow knowing that Nightmare Moon meant the spark of magic within her. Magic… Yes, it all made sense. “But it did. A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you,” Twilight said, turning to the five spirits of harmony. “To see you… How much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized you all… are my FRIENDS.”
In a spark of light, an orb or stone appeared above her head. Twilight knew it was her magic that had made it appear. My magic. Yes. It’s mine now. Nightmare Moon flinched back from the light and Twilight smirked. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the… the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth Element. The Element of… Magic.” In a burst of magic, Twilight closed her eyes. She felt herself lift into the air, all of them glowing. She could see the light behind her eyelids, shining brighter and brighter. She heard Nightmare Moon screaming. 
All this power… all the magic… Twilight couldn’t contain it any further. Her eyes opened to reveal the brightness within, pure white shining forth in a blaze of untamable intensity. She heard a faint voice, or at least she thought she heard something. The failure is gone. You will do well, Spark. Very well…
+~+~+~
Twilight awoke, groaning. She didn’t remember what had happened. There had been a light and then… She shrugged it off. It was probably nothing, honestly. She had just been through a tramatic experience, so it was sure to leave some residual effects. Around her, she heard everypony talking about their wonderful new necklaces. “Gee, Twiligh,” Applejack said. “I thought you were just spoutin’ a lot o’ hooey, but… I reckon we really do represent the Elements of Friendship.”
“Indeed you do.” 
All of the ponies gathered turned to see the sun beginning to rise. From the light came the form of none other than Princess Celestia. While everypony else bowed, Twilight gasped in joy. “Princess Celestia!” She quickly ran up to her teacher, nudging her head under hers.
“Twilight Sparkle,” her mentor responded. “My faithful student, I knew you could do it.”
Twilight looked at her, confused. “But… you told me it was all an old pony tale.”
“I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon’s return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her. But you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart.” Twilight glanced at her newfound friends, smiling. “Now,” the Princess continued, “if only another will as well.”
Everypony turned to the small form of a blue alicorn, forgotten by all there. “Princess Luna.” The mare looked up, gasping in fright. Princess Celestia walks up to the mare, her wings flared in anger and her eyes hot with rage. “It has been 1000 years since I have seen you like this.” She sat down next to the alicorn, her eyes softening. “Time to put our differences behind us.” Celestia fought against the need to cry as she gazed upon the mare in the moon. “We were meant to rule together, little sister.”
“Sister,” everypony said in unison.
“Will you accept my friendship,” Celestia asked, standing as she dreaded the wrong answer. 
The little alicorn hung her head, cringed, and charged forward to Celestia, tears rolling down her face. “I-I’m so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister…”
Celestia could not hold back her tears any longer. “I’ve missed you too,” she said with a relived sigh.
Pinkie burst into tears, then smiled brightly. “Hey! You know what this calls for?!”
+~+~+~
Twilight smiled as she moved the last of her luggage into her library home. Her mentor had agreed to let her stay here, in Ponyville. She would finally get to learn about this… spark some more. She blew out the candles and went to bed. On the way to her room, she could’ve sworn she had heard a voice… That’s right, she had heard a voice earlier, when she had defeated Nightmare Moon.
She was too weak… We need a new trial.
Twilight yawned, too tired to question her own personal thoughts this late at night. Anytime she tried to focus on the thought, it slipped through her focus like silk through her hooves. All in all, it was probably time for her to go to sleep. After blowing out her candles, Twilight lay down on her bed and drifted off to sleep.
+~+~+~
“What do you see, Luna?”
Luna’s horn was sparking as she analyzed pony’s dreams, as had been her job eons ago. “It’s just black right now, but I could swear I see something in her dreams…”
Celestia paced around the room, thinking. “Do you think it could be?”
Luna nodded. “It is altogether possible. I felt something happen up there on the moon. Something left me. I even remember his words…”
“His?”
“Sister, did you really think I would disobey you of my own accord? Not at all… Darkness invaded my mind, but all Darkness must have a name.”
“And what is the name of this Darkness?”
Luna gasped, her spell sparking bright. “N-no…”
“Luna??” Celestia trotted over quickly, worried. “A-are you alright, Luna?”
Luna’s eyes flared white for an instant as she grinned. “WE ARE FINE, CELESTIA. AND WE BELIEVE THY REIGN SHALL END IN DUE TIME. THE RISE OF MINE SPARK WILL DEVOUR THY WILL, BODY AND SOUL. PREPARE THYSELF… FOR DOOM.” Luna gasped in pain as her spell ended and she fell to the floor. Celestia gasped and quickly caught her sister. Luna had fainted, but Celestia knew that this was not the last time the Darkness would invade her sister’s mind. She did a quick memory spell, trying to delve into her sister’s mind. 
In the darkness, Celestia could see the form of Twilight, but darker. Much, much darker. “What is your name,” she heard herself call, though echoed around as though in a cavern.
“My name,” the dark form said, “is Ardor, Entity and God of Darkness. And you, Celestia, are my victim.”
Celestia gasped in pain as she was hurled from her sister’s mind. Luna shivered in her sleep. Celestia glanced up at the faceless moon, scared for her student and for her sister. Her mind flashed back to the promise she had made, all those years ago. “I am princess of Equestria,” she repeated to herself softly. “As such, it is my duty to eliminate threats to our well being. I will terminate this threat… Even if it means doing the unthinkable.”
Celestia carried her sister to her room and laid her gently on the bed. She then went for her nightly walk in the glass hall. Here, all the stained glass images were framed and stored. She went to the one she always did – her sister’s darkness enveloping her. She stared at it all night, thinking to herself. “Luna,” she whispered. In a pang of sadness, she remembered her sister’s change. She imagined the same happening to her dear student. “Twilight… I am sorry… but I cannot help you from this path.” She hung her head sadly. “I couldn’t help my sister… and now I will fail you as well.”
The Princess of the Sun wept herself to sleep as she did every night. Just this once, however, her sister did not.

> Rage And Power
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Formation!” Twilight glared at the God standing before her, anger teaming in her mind. This God had changed all of her friends, made them turn on her. “Now!!” 
Around her, her 5 – scratch that, 4 close friends gathered. “Eh” they all said in unison. None of them seemed to care. None of them cared at all.
Twilight refused to give up, however. She had spent so long with these ponies already, and all of them were her friends, no matter what they did… Even though they weren’t exactly the friends she knew… “Rainbow Dash! Get over here!” She saw Spike glance at her from behind the rock Rarity had named ‘Tom’.  He jotted on over, gulping. Twilight glared at Discord more, sighing. “Alright. Let’s get this over with.” She noticed a harder edge to her voice than she had ever noticed before. She wasn’t quite herself today.
Shutting her eyes tight, she felt power surge within her. The power of the Elements. Yes, that was what it was. She focused on channeling all the power she had to her crown. Around the 4 ponies and one dragon, wind howled. Twilight noted dimly that it wasn’t the same howling as when they had defeated Nightmare Moon. 
Feeling further power rising within her, Twilight let it all surge forth. All her anger, sadness, pain. She let it roam wild in her body, mixing with her magic. It was intoxicating, like freshly brewed cider, but with a sweeter edge. She felt herself rise up as though on wings, almost imagining the bones bending through her back. She opened white eyes, feeling her radiance light the dim world this ‘God’ had created. She felt her crown burst with light. 
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind. It would never work. Her friends weren’t the elements anymore. She didn’t even have Loyalty at her side. She would never be able to defeat a God. She was merely a pawn to his game, a small little trinket in the big scheme of things. Twilight suddenly felt very small. 
She suddenly could see Discord, the world around her. The light had faded. She fell to the ground, feeling powerless and weak. “What’s going on,” she asked, though she knew the answer. She had failed.
“Mine’s workin’,” Applejack said. “There must be somethin’ wrong with yours.”
“I HATE the Elements of Harmony!” Pinkie shut her eyes defiantly, obviously angry.
“Huh,” Fluttershy said indifferently, taking off her necklace. “Garbage.” She threw the necklace to the side.
“MIIIINE!” Rarity lunged for the necklace, grabbing it at once and dashing off once more.
“Sorry Twilight,” Spike said hesitantly. He laid the Element down at her hooves. “I guess I better get back upstairs and clean up the library. Good luck with all this- WOAH,” he said, tripping over Fluttershy’s tail. 	
“Oops. Sorry, Rainbow Crash!”
Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to Discord. “Bravo, ponies,” he said, clapping his claw and paw to make various sounds. “Bravo! Harmony in Equestria is OFFICIALLY dead. Discord rules, Celestia drools.” He poked Twilight in the nose, laughing.
Twilight snarled at him, feeling a strange anger unlike her own rise within her. This PETTY GOD had ruined EVERYTHING! He skated away, laughing. She watched him go, imagining a flaming pit where he had stood. 
Not yet, my pet. Wait for that power. You are weak until you understand me.
Her eyes widened slightly. That wasn’t her thought…
My my, powerful enough to hear me. Powerful enough to end him, don’t you think?
Twilight looked around for the source, unwilling to believe it came from her own mind, but was quickly distracted by others around her. “It’s YOUR fault it didn’t work,” Pinkie said beside her, yelling after Discord.
“Who are you talking to,” Twilight asked, bewildered.
“ANY OF YOU! ALL OF YOU! I’m outta here!” Pinkie hopped away, obviously annoyed. 
“Ah better go too,” Applejack said. “I got new, BETTER friends waiting for me at the farm.” Twilight watched her go, hearing Rarity groan as she and ‘Tom’ left as well. 
“Yeah,” Fluttershy said from above. Twilight turned to see her flying away. “I’m sick of you LOSERS!”
“FINE!” Twilight shouted to no one in particular, the voice a dim, fading thought in her mind. “Leave! S-see if I care! I don’t need you guys either! With friends like you… who needs…” She sighed, looking down at the ground. “Enemies…” She felt a tear roll down her face and fall to the ground. This is what friendship felt like? Then I’ve had enough of it.
+~+~+~
Twilight was walking through Ponyville, lost in thought. She realized she was being chocolate rained on, but she didn’t really care at this point. What’s the point of being here anymore? I have no power without my friends, and now my friends are… But, wait, we nearly defeated Discord back there… What if I’m a lot stronger than I thought without them? Twilight nodded to herself, thinking hard. Yeah, I don’t need them. Not anymore.
Good, pet. Keep thinking that way. Recognize your true strength.
Twilight was too tired and confused to argue with the voice. She realized dimly that it was the real voice, the one she had heard throughout her entire life. Why NOT listen to it? It was a part of her. Why ignore a part of her?
She briefly noticed Discord appear next to her, rambling about something or another that he had just done. Honestly, she couldn’t care less. She didn’t care what he had done to Ponyville. She didn’t care what he had done to her friends. I don’t need them anyways. 
“Come now, Twilight Sparkle,” Discord said, appearing in front of her. She looked up at the obstacle in her way, seeing him as nothing more than a moving figure blocking her path. “You’ve got to get into the spirit of things!” She watched him eat the candy cloud that had rested above her, getting cotton candy smeared on his face. Such a childlike God. “After all,” He continued, “this is your new home!”
Twilight glanced around, looking at all of the chaos that surrounded her. “Not anymore.” With that, she began to walk away, dejected.
She briefly heard Discord behind her exulting his victory, but she didn’t care. She just kept walking to the library. I don’t care about him in the slightest. I don’t care about anything except finally going home. 
Twilight opened the door and walked upstairs, her mind feeling numb. Nothing was right about this mess, but what could she do? The Elements had failed. I don’t need ANY of it anymore. No friends, no Elements – I’m more powerful than any of those. I just proved that, didn’t I? I just want to go back to Canterlot and extend my magical abilities there. Wait, no, I can’t go to Canterlot… Celestia would have my head… Bothersome Alicorns… “Pack your things, Spike, we’re leaving.” She dimly noted that he was curled up against the floor. “And don’t ask where we’re going, cause… I dunno yet. Just… not here.” With that, she levitated her crown to the trash can, realizing that it had no true power. She was more powerful without it – She knew that now.
Twilight looked at Spike as she heard him groan loudly. She realized he had been groaning like that since she arrived. “Can’t,” she heard him say haltingly. “Move… The Princess… has been sending these-“ Groan. “-Since I came back upstairs!” In a fiery blast, another scroll appeared. “Make it s-stop,” he whined in pain.
Twilight realized with a start that the room was littered with letters and scrolls. She lifted one up with her magic, reading it over quickly. “These are all the letters I’ve written to the Princess since I’ve lived in Ponyville… But… why would she send them back?” Were they not good enough? Did she finally reach the intelligent conclusion that I have? Friendship is meaningless? Why not just burn these bothersome things?
Read them pet. Her eyes widened as the voice resurfaced, startled that she had forgotten it. See the truth beneath the lies. All of the words between the words, the pages between the pages – See all of the things she never heard you say.
Twilight flicked through the letters, reading nearly every single one, despite being somewhat scared about the voice. She wasn’t sure why she was listening to the voice as it commanded her. She just felt the need to, the attraction of listening to the soothing, nearly purring voice – That voice which ebbed like flowing water, sometimes in a male voice, or in a mare’s voice, or something Twilight had never even encountered before. She read through them all, as it commanded.
Reading them, parts seemed to stand out in her mind – One in particular. There’s a way through any problem. Friendship is a magical thing, right? But it failed this time… Her eyes widened slightly with realization. That’s the problem this time… If there’s a way through every problem… I had strength back there… If my memories can let me see this, then all I need to do is…
“Spike! Spike, it’s all so clear!” She turned to him, letting the scrolls drop from her magical grasp. She picked up the baby dragon, smiling brightly, feeling a strange sort of power fluxing in her bones – Different than usual. Majestic. Powerful. Invigorating. “Can’t you see? Discord’s trying to distract us from what’s important.” She bounced around a bit, trying to work off some of this hyperactive energy that filled her suddenly. She was so caught up in the moment, she passed it off as an adrenaline spike. “He knows how powerful our friendships are, and he’s trying to keep us from seeing it!” She rubbed his face against hers, ignoring his groaning.
She was understanding everything now. “Do you remember what I said the first day we arrived in Ponyville? I told you that the future of Equestria didn’t rest on my making friends. But the opposite is true! The friendships I’ve made since I’ve been here are what saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon, and now they need to save it from Discord!” These friendships have shown me my own personal power – The power resting within my soul, that I can use to save them from themselves… I can protect my friends, even if they aren’t my friends anymore. I can still protect them, use MY power now.
She heard Spike groan, but was too caught up in her own thoughts, attributing what she thought to something he had said. “You’re right, Spike. I’ve got to fight for my friendships. For them. For me. For Equestria!” She looked at him, beaming, until she finally let herself realize how under the weather Spike was. “Oh… Uh… Why don’t you just… stay here and rest? I’ll take care of the whole ‘fighting for friendship’ thing myself.” With that, Twilight walked out of the room, beaming. She finally understood what she had to do. She had to fight with her magic – And had to fight for those who had led her down this path. Of course, the voice inside reminded her, do not forget to fight for yourself – After all, you’ve done the most to get here. Caught in the action and excitement of the moment, Twilight merely nodded, filing away the voice for now. She would concentrate on it later.

> Thinking Is Dreaming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Discord laughed, a chocolate milk glass in his claw. Around him, chaos reigned. Colors shifted, ponies crumbled, buildings grew, and everything was becoming simply grand in his eyes. “Chaos,” he said as a toast, holding up the glass, “is a wonderful, WONDERFUL thing!”
“Not,” he heard, causing him to stop his drinking of the toast, “as wonderful as friendship!”
“Oh, this again?” He rolled his eyes and drank down his glass, discarding the chocolate milk. He smirked as he heard an ear-shattering boom behind him. 
“That’s righ’,” Applejack added, her voice shaking ever so slightly before the God who had changed her personality so utterly and completely. Still, she held her head high. “You couldn’t break apart our friendship for long!”
“Oh Applejack, don’t lie to me.” With a quick flick of his paw, Applejack sailed towards him. She struggled, but his power was too great. She rose up to his level. “I’m the one who made you a liar.” In turn, 5 of the 6 elements joined him, in his power. “Will you ever learn?”
Twilight watched this, feeling a calm anger take her body over. It was a cunning anger as she realized, he didn’t notice they had changed. He had gotten overconfident. With a spark of her horn, she appeared in the midst of her friends, creating a shield from his magic around them. Discord looked stunned, and rightfully so. A mere pony with enough power to block even Chaos Magic?...
Twilight landed on the ground with all of her friends. She noticed dimly that the ground beneath her grew back to the soil and green grass it had once been. She smiled triumphantly at Discord’s bewildered face. He has every right to be confused, her little voice said. After all, he wasn’t expecting you to be so powerful, pet. Twilight nodded ever so slightly, unnoticed by anypony gathered. She trusted this voice, albeit cautiously, for the mere fact that it had been a part of her for so long – and it had been, she realized. She had analyzed her own thoughts and came to realize that not all of them were hers. This voice had led her to who she was today, and sweet Celestia, was she going to listen to it. 
“I’ll tell you what we’ve learned, Discord.” Her smile grew. “We’ve learned that friendship isn’t always easy, but there’s no doubt it’s worth fighting for!” Her friends all joined around her, all of them strong under her leadership. She couldn’t help but smirk inwardly, despite the seriousness of this moment. Celestia should make me a princess, if everypony likes my leadership this much.
Not as yet, pet – The time for that will come.
Twilight was slightly surprised that her voice – she had to think of a good name for it – would think she had any serious chance of being a princess. That was just a silly old idea. 
Not as silly as you might think. Now, pay attention.
“EEW, Gag!” Twilight snapped back to reality as Discord leaned close to her face. “Fine, go ahead. Try and use your little Elements of Harmony. ‘Friend me’. Just make it quick!” He teleported back to his throne, pigs flying in the distance. “I’m missing some excellent chaos here!”
“Alright, Ladies,” Twilight said, feeling her inner power beginning to grow already. “Let’s show him what friendship can do!”
+~+~+~
“We are gathered here today to once again honor the heroism of these 6 friends,” Celestia said, her smile proud. Before her stood, gathered, all of the Elemental bearers. “Who stood up to the villain, Discord,” she continued, “and saved Equestira from eternal chaos!”
A resounding cheer rose through the ranks of all those gathered. Everypony rejoiced in the fact that their saviors, the Elements of Harmony, had saved them all. Nopony noticed the false smile on Celestia’s face. Nopony but her faithful student, the one who knew her better than anypony. Twilight Sparkle watched her mentor, worried inside. Her face betrayed none of her fretting, however – After all, she had just saved Equestria from certain doom.
Everypony turned as Celestia’s horn glowed with a bright magic. Two curtains were pulled away from the wall to reveal a strained glass picture – Discord, defeated once more by all 6 Elements. Everypony cheered once more, and all of the Elemental Bearers turned and smiled to the applause. They were heroes. 
*~*~*~
Twilight groaned as she sat up in bed once more. She could not, for the life of her, get to sleep. She glanced at her clock, squinting to read the time. 
3:47 am.
“Uuuuugh…” She shook her head softly, glancing over at the small form of Spike, curled up in his bed. Out like a light…
Gingerly, Twilight shifted herself off the bed, trotting downstairs to the kitchen. She might as well grab a late-night snack if she wasn’t going to sleep. Maybe she could stay up a little and read. That might help her sort out the endless stream of thoughts that invaded her mind tonight. 
Yawning, she trotted to the fridge. She opened it up, hardly paying attention to what she was doing. Instead, she focused mainly on her thoughts. Or… Perhaps another’s thoughts.
The Princess seemed a bit… odd at the ceremony today. On edge. I hope nothing’s wrong…
Nothing is wrong, my pet. No, everything is going just… deliciously.
Twilight shivered slightly at the voice. She recalled throughout the past all of the various times she had heard it. It was always when she was at her most powerful. Perhaps… Was this the true source of her magical prowess? Why she was able to defeat both Discord and Nightmare Moon?
The voice was stubbornly silent. Twilight frowned slightly, her snack forgotten. She shut the door, thinking. I remember reading somewhere that Luna used to walk into dreams… I wonder if thoughts are any different… I suppose a thought is a sort of dream… Or maybe…
“Maybe I just need to fall asleep…” Twilight sat on one of the chairs at the table, eager to test her theory. If she was correct, then she could begin to communicate directly with the voice, this… thing. She still needed something to call it other than a voice. She felt almost… almost schizophrenic, calling it a voice. She wasn’t insane. There was logic behind even this.
She rehearsed the dream spell in her head a few times. After being sure she had it down, she took a deep breath. Slowly, her horn began to glow. She focused on the thought, the voice, daydreaming slightly of being able to see it and speak to it. Ever slowly, the spell began to fade to the back of her mind. She felt herself beginning to nod off. 
She was so tired, suddenly… She scarcely felt her head against the table as her eyes closed. Above her head, the dull light of the spell remained around her horn. Just as slowly as she had begun to fall asleep, the purple aura there began to darken to a sinister black. 
Why… Hello, Miss Sparkle~

> The Tale of Ardor : Part One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight gasped as she stood – Or, rather, flew. Her hooves rested on nothing but air, leaving her simply hanging in the darkness. Nothing around but for a pony in the darkness. 
H-Hello, Twilight said timidly, her voice echoing around the oblivion. She looked around constantly, trying to gain some purchase of where in Equestria she was.
Please, don’t be scared of me, Miss Sparkle. The pony trotted out of the darkness. He was a tall stallion, gentle looking. His eyes were a deep, calming blue. His body was a soft shade of lilac, with a white base to his hooves. His mane was a mix of dark grey and black, but Twilight could just make out a hint of purple there. The thing she took the most notice of, however, was that the stallion was an Alicorn.
I… I’m not scared. Twilight looked around. I’m dreaming, right?...
That you are, Miss Sparkle. However, I can tell that you’re uncomfortable. Would another setting be more to your liking?
Another… Wait… This is a lucid dream… That means…  Twilight felt her horn glow softly, and in an instant, she was standing on the floor of the Golden Oaks library. Around her were millions of books, all ready to be read, all dusted with shiny, gold print on the covers. Twilight gasped, twirling around and laughing. 
Your library, then? The stallion smiled, chuckling softly. He pulled up a chair, sitting. I must admit, it is a rather cozy domicile. 
I’ve always loved it… Twilight smiled, sitting as well. Around her, the voices still echoed, but softer. It felt like she was at home. Care for a glass of tea? As she asked, a tea set appeared.
I would love one, thank you. After getting their cups, both taking deep drawls of the substance, the stallion put his glass down. So… You wanted to ask me a few questions, I believe. This can’t be simply a courtesy call. 
You’re right about that. Twilight smiled. She felt very relaxed. First of all, please, what should I call you? I feel strange, just calling you a voice.
The stallion laughed, smiling softly.  I have many names. You may call me what you wish. Another name is no matter to me. However… I am usually known as Ardor.
Ardor? I’ve never heard or read about you…
 I wouldn’t think you would. Ardor smiled, pouring her more tea.  I come from a long line of Alicorns… The same as  Celestia and Luna, to be exact. 
You’re related to the Princesses??
But of course. He set down his cup, chuckling. Allow me to divulge a small tale, Miss Sparkle.
Please, my name is Twilight. No need for so much formality. 
Alright, Twilight… Allow me to tell you the story of the Alicorns.
Twilight smiled at he began to speak. 
*~*~*~
Once, a long time ago, the tale most colts and fillies know of Hearths Warming Eve did occur. Ponies from all spans of life celebrated the day for eons. And, as with all spans of life and celebrations, ponies celebrated with… Well. Procreation. I won’t go far into detail, for both our sakes, but yes. Ponies had fun in various beds of hay which involved quite a bit of rolling.
In any case, ponies of all kinds were born. Pegasi, Unicorns and Earth Ponies lived together – And some fell in love with each other. They had… ‘hay rolling’ fun as well. However, they had only your average races of ponies. Nothing special. Everypony was fine with this of course; All but one.
His name was Star Swirl – Yes, you’re familiar with him. You see, he still saw the hatred in places of the world – The segregation. He wanted there to be a true leader, a true combination of ponies. He researched so much. He wanted a pony with the wisdom of the Unicorns, the strength of the Pegasi, and the stamina and the fortitude of the Earth Ponies. 
He traveled far and wide, but came across few answers. Few, that is, until he came upon the Draconequui Cult. A group of ponies, gathered to worship a sacred beast they thought would rise and bring about true harmony. Beings with untold power, the power to make or break a world. 
Star Swirl befriended the tribe of ponies, all of whom agreed with these… admittedly primitive ideals. He taught them of the world – And, in turn, they taught him more than he would ever have known otherwise. They taught him how to truly understand and use magic. The magic of all beings – They taught him how to harness the power of life. 
You see, all ponies in Equestria are only able to survive on a single power, a magic that holds us all together. Without magic in our bodies, we would die. Fade. It would be gradual, of course, but as magic fades, we do as well. There is a small failsafe, however – I’ll get to that in a minute.
Star Swirl learned to access that power within him. He learned more than he ever thought he would. He thanked these ponies… But these ponies decided that he knew too much. They wouldn’t let him leave.
When he revealed he wished to leave, they kidnapped him. Revealed to him something he had known not of… They did not understand what they taught him themselves. They lacked all harmony, you see. They were so busy worshipping, they lacked that vital spark of Life, Power and Magic to hold them together. And, so, they did what all religious ponies do. They went to their God.
Star Swirl understood what they did not – He knew how to enjoy, cherish and manipulate the power of life. How it formed, how it grew, and how it may be undone. They threatened, pleaded, begged… They even held a sacrifice. A small pegasus, badly deformed, that they had beaten to the verge of death. It was a young child, forced to wear the skull of a deer for the ritual. He would die without somepony’s help. And so, Star Swirl, knowing he could leave simply through brute force, but also knowing the child would die without his aid, did all he could think at that time.
He infused the magic of Life and Power and Magic into the child… But not even he could control it. He blacked out as the spell continued, as it drained him of his vital energy. The child latched onto the power and spark of all those around it, and it grew. It grew into… Into a monster all would fear.
When he awoke, Star Swirl was surrounded by the corpses of his captors… And a single beast, the Draconequus child now grown. The skull has fused with him, as the tribe had expected, giving him two twisted horns atop his head. His body was deformed as his wings had been, his visage a mess of confusion. Star Swirl asked, weakly, why the being let him live. Who this being was, why he had come to be.
And… The monster answered simply… “I am here because all ponies make mistakes… All Harmony has a drawback, every Light casts a Shadow… I am fear and chaos and evil in this world… I am the embodiment of all things disharmonious… I… am Discord. And I am a God.”
> The Tale Of Ardor : Part Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	WHAT?! Twilight’s eyes were wide. Star Swirl the Bearded created Discord!? H-How does that make any sense?! Why didn’t he just heal the child and escape? How does a, even above average unicorn, create life?! T-this makes no sense!
Please, Twilight, calm down. Twilight gasped as she stared into Ardor’s eyes. In an instant, all of the stress from her minor episode evaporated. She felt calmed, relaxed. She took a deep breath, sitting down on the chair once more. I’m sorry I had to use that power, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time.
We don’t?
I’m afraid not, Twilight. You see, we may only talk whilst you dream. As soon as you wake up, the spell will end… We can always talk more using the spell, but it is taxing to have so many conversations. It is better to have few, and answer questions later.
Twilight nodded. That makes sense…
Of course it does. After all, we have been together a long time – We have begun to think alike, you and I. Ardor took a sip from his tea, smiling. To answer a few of your questions… For one thing, Star Swirl did indeed create Discord. It was one of the worst mistakes of his long life. Although, he wasn’t bearded at the time. He was actually quite young. 
I… Wow. It’s hard to believe he created something so… powerful.
Ardor scoffed. You defeated him easily enough. 
I… suppose…
In any case, Ardor continued, he did not intend to make him. It was all a mistake. He was never the best at healing magic, but he knew Life energy can cure all diseases and wounds. He harnessed his own, and almost killed himself trying to save the child by spreading his life force to it. Of course, you were correct. Even a powerful unicorn would be unable to harness the power of life alone.
Twilight nodded. But why use that power in particular? Couldn’t he have tried to heal it, even thought he was never the best at healing…
I honestly could not tell you. Ardor sighed. These things have a way of happening. Everything is destined to happen as it does, and all that follows is as well. We can change certain points, points that are variable… but, if you’ll listen, you’ll realize that without Discord, there would be no princesses.
Twilight’s eyes widened. Please… tell me more.
*~*~*~
Star Swirl went into a time of depression. Discord ruled as a cruel tyrant. All ponies in all spans of life suffered. Discord took ahold of all races, having little mercy for those who pleaded for freedom. The effects of his power only grew. Star Swirl desperately searched for a way to fix this all, to make it right.
Upon Discord’s escape from the Pony Tribe, Star Swirl found that only two ponies remained alive in the village – A stroke of luck, a missed pair. Both were fillies, a little blue unicorn, and a white pegasus. Both were terrified, their parents destroyed. Star Swirl took them both in, knowing death was all that remained for them.
As time went on and they all hid from Discord, they researched together. They tried as hard as they could to find anything that could stop that beast. The children helped cheer him up as much as they could, forming a sort of familial bond. They all helped each other in the darkness. Struggled and fought for what they sought. 
And, in the darkness of that age, a single ray of hope shined.
An ancient power, which you know of well. The Elements of Harmony. You see, they did not exist back when Star Swirl lived, when chaos thrived. They were made. Star Swirl retreated underground, deep in a forest, his two fillies joining him as always. There, a single, solitary tree grew. It was nothing special, simply surrounded by crystal. However, this tree had lived far longer than any tree he had ever known. 
After examining the surroundings, Star Swirl realized the crystals around him were filled with Life Energy, the same that the tree used to live so long. The tree was nothing special, almost a parasite. But, to Star Swirl, it was a symbol hope in the darkness of these chaotic times.
He began to come up with a plan, one that would most likely kill him. He didn’t care, however. If he could die, he would feel blessed at that point. However, his only wish was that the two fillies would survive. He devised a plan to create 6 items, 6 crystals of Life Energy, and with them in existence, they would counter act the chaos that had formed. They would protect the children, and finally give these ponies peace.
He came to surround himself in crystals he managed to dislodge. They were the best he thought he could control with his newfound magic. The 6 of them rested in a circle around him. The two fillies were instructed to stay back, both of them standing on either edge of the tree. Both feared for their new father, but obeyed him nonetheless. 
Star Swirl quickly began his spell. Just as quickly, the 6 crystals latched onto his magic. Slowly, they mixed his energy into their own. They drained him, and as they did, he began to age. The children both shouted, but he couldn’t hear a thing behind the power that took hold of him. The power of the 6.
The first crystal took part of his energy, but they appeared to be sentient from that energy. They all knew draining him completely, or being greedy for power, would cause him to die. They all decided to cling to beings around them, instead of becoming entities themselves, at least if they could help it. Living hosts with gems of power to practice and hone their magic through.
Hanging from the tree was a small spider. He was part of a small village of them, nestled in the branches above. He had always been witty, yet deadly – The latter being a common trait in his kind. The first crystal shot a bright, clear blue beam at it. It was quickly enveloped in the blast, growing from the power of the magic. It quickly came to hover above the ground below the blue crystal as it grew to the size of a small filly, its face bewildered.
The second crystal struggled, being one with far more energy. Finding no hosts it saw suitable for the power it held, it created one that it had seen wandering into the cave on occasion. In a blast of pink energy, the form of a large bear appeared below it, hovering as the spider did. This used up a great deal of Star Swirl’s power, but there was more to come for the now older wizard.
The next gem, seeing the distress on the children’s faces as their adoptive father struggled, did something simpler than the second. Using Star Swirl’s knowledge of teleportation, it forced an Owl to the scene, engulfing the flapping fowl in a purple light. This used up only a slight bit of life energy, yet still used some.
The next two crystals saw the drain in power, unsure what to do. Their power was substantial, but knew that if they used their power singularly, the pony would die before the 6th was created. Seeing two living hosts, albeit young, nearby, the two elements clinged to them. 
Star Swirl watched in amazement, his eyes growing older and more tired as the spell continued, as his daughters became surrounded by light. Both rose into the air slightly. A magenta blast surrounded the dark one’s sides, wings forming there. A red blast surrounded the pegasus, circling into a spiraling horn on her head. Both aged from the massive amount of power pulled between them – The blue mare younger, yet stronger with magic, whereas the older was wiser, yet less powerful. Having split their energies between the two hosts, they left Star Swirl with just enough life left to fill the remaining host.
The last crystal struggled. It was weaker than the rest. It absorbed as much energy as it could from Star Swirl. 
It was not enough.
No more hosts remained. With nothing left to do, the crystal shaped its orange magic into the shape of the most generic thing it knew – A simple pony, without wings or a horn. Yet it could not fulfill even this simple task. There were holes in the design, filled with nothingness. Redirecting some energy, the crystal spent its last magic power on the creature’s horn, which became deformed and crooked – Yet a horn, nonetheless. With that, a shadowy husk remained in the weak orange glow, looking this way and that. It had no face or bones or even a soul, yet it had life. It was hollow, yet filled.
Star Swirl collapsed to the ground. The 6 hosts looked at each other as he fell, and instantly knew what to do. Channeling their collective powers, they all focused on the stallion. In one unified blast from all 6 crystals of power, the stallion was engulfed in a rainbow light. With a gasp, he awoke, his body being filled with the minimal life energy to survive – And something more.
You see, life energy is a tricky thing. Creating things with it makes it nearly impossible to destroy. There is but one way to destroy those made of life energy… And that is to destroy the creator.
And thus… The Elements poured something more into him. The curse, and gift, of immortality. 
> The Tale Of Ardor : Part Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Star Swirl was immortal… Twilight sat back, nodding. I honestly should’ve seen that coming. It makes quite a bit of sense.
Indeed it does. After all, he was a pivotal part of many a legend in the past. The rise of Clover the Clever, before Discord’s reign, was because of him. He befriended Tirek’s brother, which became Tirek’s downfall.
Tirek?
Hopefully you won’t have to deal with him. Ardor’s eyes hardened slightly. He has quite the power, and could be a threat to all ponies if left to run amuck. Thankfully, he was locked away in Tartarus.
Twilight nodded. The two fillies… Those were the princesses, correct?
That’s right, Twilight.
And… The other pony, the husk… Was that a changeling? I’ve read about them…
Half right. Ardor glanced at the clock on the wall. Twilight hadn’t remembered seeing it there before. I believe, he said, that I can spare a few moments more from my tale to explain that. He turned back to her. You see, this… husk. It was the original changeling, the first and foremost. It did not feed off of love as changelings now do. This changeling fed off of magic ability and power. It did not take all power – merely enough to survive from his surroundings, without having stolen all of Star Swirl’s energy.
That… Actually seems like an amazing feat. Twilight watched Ardor closely, thinking. You said you were related to the princesses… As none from the tribe survived… I can only assume…
Yes, Twilight. In a shadowy blast, Ardor transformed. Twilight gasped as she saw him – Him, for real, his true form. Looking into him was as though, not looking at a shadow, but a complete absence of… anything. A black hole in the form of a changeling, without eyes and without a mouth. On his head was a curved horn, much as she had seen in fairy tales. 
C-change back, she said, her eyes wide. The creature nodded and changed back to the comforting form she had been talking to.
I’m sorry for that shock, Twilight. You see, I can chose any form I wish, with my ability… Yet, I’ve always preferred this form… Honest and true, as my element, with caring eyes and a kind heart. That is who I am to you, an honest guide.
Twilight watched him, thinking. This stallion might be telling the truth… No, she could tell. Just like when Applejack was honest, Ardor was as well. She nodded. No matter what, she could trust his word. Care to finish your story? I don’t know how long we have left.
Gladly, Twilight.
*~*~*~
Star Swirl awoke to the 6 creatures around him. He stood, old yet strong and powerful at the same time. He could feel his connection to all of the beings around him, deep within. However, he had no idea what all of this meant. He looked up at the 6 hovering gems. “Please,” he said to them, pleading. “I need your help to defeat the one called Discord… What has happened? Who are these creatures?”
To his surprise, the spider to the right of him spoke. Yet another magical ability, supplied by the gem. “I’m just as surprised as you all are,” he said with a silky voice. His pincers clicked together every so often as he – Yes, that’s right, he chuckled. “One minute, I’m hanging from a tree, and the next, I’ve turned into an oversized arachnid. So, typical Tuesday.”
Star Swirl, despite himself, could not help but smile at the creature’s words. “And what is your name?”
“Well, I usually go by Tikl, but you can call me jokester or idiot or anything you really want, honestly. I prefer Tikl to insults, though.” Another chuckle.
“Very well, Tikl. You seem to enjoy laughing quite a bit…” The spider nodded slightly as Star Swirl turned to the bear. “And you are?”
The bear simply watched him. Evidently, it either could not talk, or did not. Star Swirl frowned and did a rather quick spell. Using the spell, he could communicate to any creature, at least for a short while. He asked his question again, this time, the bear smiling. “I am called Killian. I do not talk much.”
Star Swirl smiled. “I noticed.”
“I will aid you in any way I can.”
“That’s kind of you,” Star Swirl said, moving next to the Owl. A quick test revealed the Owl could not speak either. Continuing his spell, he opened his mouth to question the animal.
“The name’s Castelli,” the Owl said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll do what I can to help too. I was just minding my business, trying to catch a mouse…”
“Nice to meet you, Castelli.”
“And you, Star Swirl. You seem powerful. Here, let me see…” With a single pluck, the Owl pulled out one of its feathers. “You can use this later to write down our names and everything. Should help you remember it all.”
“Your generosity will not go unnoted.” Star Swirl then turned to the husk, feeling rather… unsettled by it. “And you are?”
In a flash a shadow, the being changed, copying Star Swirl’s appearance. It spoke, it’s voice a perfect match. “I… I have no name,” the copy said. “I was just born today.”
“Hmm…” Star Swirl circled the being, taking in the copy. “You have an interesting power… Tell me, what do you know about yourself?”
The being tilted its head softly, thinking. “I… I can change into anything I want. I can be anything you need me to be. And… One name sticks in my mind. I think my crystal named me. Ardor.”
“Alright then, Ardor.” Both smiled at each other. “Perhaps, you should try and create your own form? Two Star Swirls would become confusing.”
“I agree.” In a flash, the 6th changed, becoming – Well, as you see me now, Miss Sparkle. “I believe this is better. Now, I think you should talk to the other two, Star. They seem rather interested in their new forms.”
Star Swirl turned. “Thank you for speaking honestly with me, Ardor. It’s hard to admit that you’re new to this sort of thing.” And, without another word, he went to his daughters, both of whom looked at him with respect and wisdom. “Now… My children… Luna, Celestia…”
Luna hugged her father tightly. “Father… We were so scared for you…”
“And I you, children… Please, what do you feel? What have the crystals done?”
Celestia looked up at her horn. “We’ve… Well, we’ve become both pegasi and unicorns… Not to mention, I feel powerful. Much stronger than I had been…”
“I feel the same, Tia. These wings are so fluffy… Father, what does this mean? Why do I feel so much magic in my veins now, so much power? What are we meant to do with it?”
Celestia bowed her head softly. “I will always follow your instructions, Father. You wished for us to end Discord, correct?”
“I-I had meant for the Elements to, not you, Darling…”
“Father… Look around you. Six Elements… Six Beings… Do you think there is some connection?”
Star Swirl glanced around at them all in turn. “I… Hmm…”
All of the Six smiled at each other. The Elements seemed to glow as they did, a rainbow of color. In a single instant, it all made sense. “Harmony… The opposite of Chaos…” He turned to his daughters once more, albeit addressing all of them. “Friendship between you all, all you different beings… It is a sign of utmost trust and harmony. Harmony is the only thing that can defeat Discord… You all represent that. Only you all can defeat him.”
Luna shrunk back softly. “Father, we are not ready. We do not understand our powers…”
“I think I do… Each of you has a pivotal part of Friendship ingrained in you from birth, something that made it possible for the Elements to find, or, in some cases, make you. Tikl, you are Laughter, something to bring much needed Joy to the lands after Discord’s end. Killian, you are Kind enough to do anything needed of you, no matter the price. Castelli, you are willing to give up anything, or make anything to further the quest, Generous enough to keep us alive. Ardor, you are Honest with yourself and with others, a perfect trait in any friendship and any kingdom. Celestia… You are Loyal to any cause you put your mind to, especially your friendship here. And, Luna… Dear, sweet Luna… You have always been so powerful, and to bind together every Element, a certain life force is needed, a magical bond. You shall represent Magic.”
All Six beings nodded, understanding their roles. Star Swirl sighed, looking at the hovering gems above once more. “You must all claim your crystals… Keep them safe from harm.”
“What of you,” Tikl asked. 
“Me? I simply helped supply them. My work here is done.”
“Not so, Father,” Celestia said. “We all felt it. Without the original creator… If you die, we all lose our power. The Elements will shatter.” Star Swirl’s eyes widened. “Using up that much life energy should kill a normal pony, yet here you stand. You have become Immortal, as I believe we all are now.”
“I… This is a lot to take in.”
“You can say that again,” Tikl said. “To think my friends called me old before…” Celestia giggled softly.
“I mean… Immortality…” Star Swirl sighed, then nodded. “I shall help protect the Elements with my now… quite extended life. I will help guide you all in your quest.”
All in agreement, they set off to defeat Discord.
*~*~*~
And the rest is… Well, history. Ardor smiled softly, chuckling. Discord was turned to stone – Again, anything created with life energy could not be destroyed unless we killed Star Swirl, which would be counterproductive. We sealed him away in stone with the magic of the Elements. Then, Celestia and Luna decided to create a center of a kingdom, Canterlot. This way, all ponies from every span of life could come and live in harmony. However, there were beings manipulated by Discord who did not wish for a lovely life. Those, I took in. They became the Changelings.
So, Changelings were originally ponies?
That’s correct. That is why they feed off of love now. They were ponies once… And all ponies crave love, no matter what the form. Changelings, however, forsake that life, and now pay the price to their most inner desires. He sighed softly. It’s a tad bit saddening, but somepony must look after the disharmonious and, quite honestly, bad seeds.
Twilight took a deep breath. Is there anything else I should know about them, or you?
Well… Only one short thing. You see, the Elements all supplied us with one special power, to help guide us to the roles they represented. Tikl now held two types of poison – A deadly one, and one that could make you laugh uncontrollably with a single bite. Killian gained the ability to heal easily, quickly healing us in case any of us got sick or hurt. Castelli gained the power to pull anything from anywhere, usually knotholes. He used this to give us what we needed. However, neither Luna nor Celestia knew the spell to read minds. We often needed to solve the mystery of what he supplied could be used for. Luna, she could calm ponies within their minds. If I remember correctly, she used that power to enter nightmares and relieve anxiety. I have the power of illusion, of course, to shape my body into how I need to look for ponies to see the truth about themselves, and others. I also had my ability to absorb power. That, sadly, faded with time. Lastly, Celestia had the weakest, but most important power of us all. She knew where the next Generation of Elemental Bearers would be found.
Wait… She knew?
Yes. You see, in the case one Host of Power dies, or betrays the others, the Elements scatter into new ponies. In this case, after the Rise of Nightmare Moon, the Elements scrambled, causing you and your friends to claim the elements. Luckily enough, all the original hosts remained with residual power, meaning we can still use some power from our own Elements. Thusly, you can see me as I appear now, instead of my… other form.
Twilight nodded, then gasped. She stood quickly as her chair seemed to dissolve under her. W-wait, there’s still so much more I want to talk to you about!
I’m sorry, Twilight, Ardor said calmly. I’m afraid our time is up.
Wait, Ardor, don’t-
With a gasp, Twilight awoke. Above her, Owlicious flew, hooting. She shook her head, panting, almost as though she had awoke from a nightmare. She looked at the clock, seeing she had overslept. “O-Oh! Thank you, Owlicious!” She stood quickly, looking around. “Oh, I need to write this all down! I need to keep it all straight in my head…” Without another word, she ran off up to her room.
Deep in her mind, Ardor rested, thinking over how the Owl had cut their time short. Tsk… Castelli never liked me much back then, either...
> Friendship Zero : Hallucinations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day begun as it always did. The sun shined brightly, and Twilight had woken up bright and early (thanks to Owlicious). Of course, she felt peculiar today; perhaps it had been the extended spell she had used to talk to Ardor the previous night. She yawned as she opened up the curtains, smiling. She felt like there was something in the back of her mind, but for some reason, she just couldn’t remember it.
Hours passed, breakfast was eaten, and it was time for the everyday chores. “Quill,” Twilight said aloud, levitating her quill to her desk. 
“Check!” Twilight smiled at her assistant.
“Parchment?”
“Check!”
“Extra Ink?”    
“Check!”
“Extra extra ink.”
“Uh… Check…”
“Is that everything on the checklist,” Twilight asked, glancing at all the things on her desk. 
“Yep!”
“Great!” Twilight turned around, smiling. She began to pace, smiling as she circled Spike. “Now that we’ve completed the checklist of things to create a checklist, we can make my checklist of the things I need to get done by the end of the day!” She smiled at him. “Ready?”
“Ready,” he said, raising his quill high.
“Item 1,” she began, “create checklist of things I have to accomplish by the end of the day!” She smiled brightly, but frowned as she heard a long sigh next to her. She glanced at Spike to see him slumped over, exhausted. She couldn’t help but giggle.
Same old, same old.
*~*~*~
“Looks like that’s everything,” Spike said, riding on Twilight’s back as they finally got back home. 
“Almost everything,” Twilight said, lying the cupcakes down that she had gotten from Mrs. Cake. They might not have much icing on them, but she was positive her friends would like them anyways.
Spike looked closely at the scroll in his claw. “T...Triple check checklist to make sure we didn’t miss anything when we double checked the checklist? Uh… Check.” Spike groaned as he dropped the quill, looking at his swollen claw. “Oof… I’ve been holding that quill for so long, I’ve got a claw cramp…” He walked to the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bit of bandage. He began wrapping his claw, smiling in relief. “Good thing we don’t have anything to report to Princess Celestia this week. I don’t think I could write another word!” 
Twilight dropped the cupcake she was examining. Her eyes widened. That name. Celestia. She had forgotten a friendship letter? But that would mean Celestia would want her to send one. What if she didn’t? Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. “We haven’t sent a letter to Princess Celestia this week?!”
“What? Is that bad?”
“Bad? BAD?! Of course it’s BAD! I’m supposed to send Princess Celestia a letter every week telling her about a lesson I learned about friendship! Not every other week. Not every 10 days. Every. Single. Week.”
“Huh,” Spike said softly. Twilight glanced at his claw and nearly stopped panicking - hadn’t he just put on a bandage. She shook her head quickly. She was just seeing things.
“Ooooh, where’s my calendar, where’s my calendar?!”
“Uh… Where it always is?” 
Twilight grabbed it quickly, disregarding the strange thud against her table and the small groan that followed. “When did we send the last one?!” She flipped quickly through the calendar, past dates and random appointments that she couldn’t care less about. 
Spike groaned as he turned toward her. “Last… Tuesday?...”
“And today is... “
“Uh… Tuesday…”
Twilight screamed as she felt… something. It was like a pony was right behind her, breathing down her neck. She straightened up, her eyes wide, sure that someone was behind her. As fast as she could, she ran upstairs. “Nononononono…”
She looked outside her window as the feeling suddenly vanished. What was that all about? Nevermind, she didn’t have time to think about any of that. She watched as the sun moved slowly across the sky. “If I don’t send her a letter by the end of the day, I’ll be TARDY!” 
Spike watched her, his eyes filled with bewildered concern. “What now?”
“Tardy, Spike! Late! I’ll be late!” Twilight sighed as she fell back against her bed. “Oooh, how could I have let this happen?! I’m usually so organized! I’ve never been late with an assignment!”
“Maybe it’s all that talking to Ardor?”
Twilight shook her head quickly. He hadn’t just sai-
“Oh please! You’re the most studious student ever!” Twilight curled up tighter in her blankets, wondering why she had thought of him saying that. Was she that concerned about it? Was that the reason why she was so disorganized? “I’m sure the Princess will forgive you over one little deadline!” 
Twilight sighed, looking over the bed. “I’m afraid to take that chance, Spike. This is the ruler of all of Equestria we’re talking about, the pony who holds my fate in her hooves!” Her eye twitched as she thought she heard something literally snap. “What if she doesn’t forgive me?”
“Yeaah… I don’t think she-”
Twilight quickly teleported behind him. “What if instead she starts thinking I’m not taking my studies on Friendship seriously?!”
“Why would she-”
“What if she makes me come back to Canterlot,” she said, beginning to pace, “and puts me back in school and makes me PROVE I’ve been taking them seriously by giving me a test?!” She gasped. “What if I don’t pass?!”
“Why wouldn’t you-”
“Because she’s my teacher! Do you know what teachers do to students who don’t pass??” Silence followed. Twilight felt her panic rising - why was she getting so worked up? “They send them back a grade!” Oh yeah. That was why. Completely logical, right? “But she won’t just send me back a grade! She’ll send me back to Magic. Kindergarten.”
What was going on? Why was everything suddenly black? Why did she hear laughing - it sounded like little children giggling. It distorted. It started to sound like buzzing. Static. She was scared. What was...
“Twilight!” She opened her eyes as she gasped. What just happened? Had she blacked out? “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! You’re not gonna be sent back to magic kindergarten!” 

*~*~*~

Twilight petted her tail, clutching it close. She felt on the verge of tears. She was so getting sent back to magic kindergarten. It was completely irrational for her to feel this way - so why were her emotions running haywire? She almost giggled at the thought of hay being turned into wires. “It’s fine,” she said softly. “It’ll all be fine. Day’s not over yet - but it will be soon!” She groaned as she leaned back against the bench.
She stared into the puddle there. Had it even rained? She sighed as she saw ripples in the water - was she crying? No. She wasn’t. So why were there tears on the ground? Why was she rippling? And why did she see Ardor there?
“It’ll be all over… my time in Ponyville…” Her voice sounded like  Ardor’s. “My advanced studies…” Those secret studies I’ve been doing on Ardor. On Celestia’s past. What if she finds out? What if she already knows?
“No, no, Twilight. You’re a good student! You can do this!”
“Oh, but what if I can’t?! What if I can’t hide it from her, what if she finds out?!”
“You can!” She grinned as her voice became something more than her own, something far more demanding and, dare she say it, commanding. “You just have to keep it a secret…” She felt like roaring - like flying. She could fly. She could rule. She was almighty.
	TWILIGHT!
Twilight gasped as she came to her senses. What just… “Twilight?” She hardly registered the voice next to her as her mind strayed. What was going on? What was that voice, in the back of her mind? Was that… laughter?...
She sat up, her ear twitching. Her world felt black. All things harmonious had rotted. Before her was a giant spider - somehow, she knew his name. Tikl looked angry. Yes, that was right. She had committed a heinous crime. There would be no victory in strength, nor harmony, nor friendship. Truth had shattered all. Now only she remained.
“What have you done,” Tikl roared, no hint of laughter remaining in his voice. Twilight grinned despite that however; his pain was her joy. Her malice his defeat, and his defeat her delight. Even if her friends were hurt, it made no difference now. Friendship was meaningless now. It held no true magic; only a flimsy facade, just as she had been, before she had truly come alive in the shadow of her sins.
“I have beaten down this veil of truth you deem ‘Friendship’!” She laughed, a cruel bitter laugh, absent of any and all love. “This fantasy you all call the saver of our world; it’s all a lie! And who better to open thine eyes than I? I, God of Truth and all Honesty?! God of your True Blasphemy, yet the universal gospel of sweet perfection! I am the true and almighty God of you worthless foals, and I play to exact my vengeance on you all! As my body and mind were born into darkness, as will you Immortal beings BLEED by the shadows of night!” 
She felt so much power. So much hidden potential. She felt weak. So much left to learn. She needed a challenge. She needed a victory. She knew just who to chose to make her nightmare realm - the true mare of the night. The mare of shadow. The Mare of the Moon.
“I am the God of all you hate… of every outcast… and now… it is time for them to Rise up… to Rise as the moon does… and exact their revenge.”
Children laughed. Children screamed. Twilight grinned her horrible grin as the world was engulfed in night. She would win. She would rule. And Celestia would finally learn what a real king could do.
“SNAP OUT OF IT!”
“Huh!?” Twilight shook her head, suddenly finding herself on the ground. When had she… It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Something was very much wrong with her. The nightmare - or was it a vision? A hallucination? - had left her blood rushing. What was wrong? Was it last night? Too much time spent with Ardor? What was…
“Are you okay?” Twilight sat up, not answering. She wasn’t sure how to answer. How do you tell someone that young that you just became a horrible monster trying to kill the Element of Laughter? “I’m really worried about you. I mean, this letter thing is really getting to you! Here…” Twilight swayed slightly as he spoke, feeling mildly sick. “You’ve been so anxious all day that you completely forgot about the picnic! Why don’t you just relax and go hang out with your-”
Friends. Memories sprung forth that she didn’t remember - Tikl, Killian, Castelli, Luna and Celestia, all waiting for her. All waiting to play and talk and have fun. That’s what friends do. “The picnic!” She turned, her face holding that same horrible grin from her dream. “I should go see my friends!” 
She ignored what the pesky dragon said. What did he matter, compared to Celestia? Compared to Luna? They were so powerful… He just had to be their friends. Ardor wanted nothing less than to belong; and as such, Twilight knew she had to make her hallucinations - no, her dreams a reality. She just had to make them proud.

*~*~*~

	Ardor smiled as he saw them all again. It had been so terribly long. All so terribly long. Castelli sat aside, pecking at a mouse. Tikl hummed and clamped his pincers down on numerous balloons, trying desperately to blow them up. Killian talked to a squirrel nearby. Luna… That’s right. Luna was beside him. She always was. They were the best of friends. And Celestia… Oh so powerful. She hardly knew it. How Ardor wished to have her as his closest friend. She lounged, today with shades on, to block out the bright sunlight of her own making. Ardor quickly sat down some baked goods.
Everyone smiled at him, and he grinned back. They were all so happy. Everything was alright. They were fine. Everyone still liked him.
“Hey, everyone, Ardor brought the cupcakes!” Celestia grinned as she sat up, pushing up her sunglasses. Luna chuckled. “Sister, must you always be so happy about pastries?”
Celestia laughed. “You know how much I like cake, Lulu.”
“We ALL know, Celestia” Tikl said. “I think the thing that notices most is your scale!” Everyone laughed except for Celestia, who merely snickered. Ardor couldn’t help but laugh along. They were all friends. He hadn’t destroyed their friendship yet. He could still savor that warmth. 
But as he kept talking, throughout their conversation, they dismissed him again. They passed him off as what he had always been. Simply a husk. Nothing. Invisible. Never there. Why did they always brush him away like a stray speck of dust in the wind? Was that all he was to them?
He felt anger. Rage. All of the hatred of thousands of years. He felt… sad. He shut his eyes tightly. He had more important things to deal with at the current time. In a flash of lavender magic, he disappeared.
Causing Twilight to leave the very peculiar conversation with her friends with a groan. Her friends all glanced at each other, mildly concerned, but mostly just confused. “Wow… I’ve never seen Twilight so upset before... “

*~*~*~

Ardor watched the three changelings with tired eyes. They all watched back. He took in their pitiful appearance with nothing but dread. Each were starving; their ribs showed, their wings and body were holed beyond compare, and their eyes shone with desperation. “You poor monsters,” he whispered, almost too quietly for them to hear. 
“Call us a monster all you want,” one said with a scratchy voice. “We want no love, nor pity from you…” 
“You all will love me,” he whispered. “No one else might… but you will love me… You will be loyal, and kind, and generous, and joyful, more than you have ever been before…” Shutting his eyes, he felt his blackened horn glow a tainted lavender, darker than the very skin of the Changelings before him. 
Before his eyes, their skin healed. Their bodies became fully formed, and they grew into tall, lithe forms. Their manes grew, their wings buzzed - but their eyes died as they were overtaken by a dull green glow. “Master…”
“What do you want?”
“You.”
“What do you need?”
“You.”
Ardor smirked. “Welcome to the chessboard, gents.” Twilight chuckled as the three fillies fought.

*~*~*~

	They all began to turn away. All of them hated him. They were worthless. They were of no value anymore. All were sickening little leeches. Those ‘Elements of Harmony’... All a hoax.
Ardor looked up from the ground. How was it that She was so powerful, and he so weak now? How could she look upon him with such judgement? Such… Hatred? Such vile?
How was she so lovely?
“Twilight Sparkle,” she called out.
Who was she?
Twilight…
Sparkle….
…
……
………

The damage of the spell she had no control over was done. Celestia had seen to that. And now the Princess, in all her fury, stood before her. Twilight looked at her tiredly. Somehow, she couldn’t work up tears or excuses now. For some reason, all was exhausted - all magic, all will, all life. She simply wanted the day to end.
“Meet me in the Library.”
Twilight stood as the Princess flew off. “Goodbye, girls. If you care to visit… I suppose I’ll be in Magic Kindergarten…Back in Canterlot...” She nearly felt like laughing at the thought. She would be dead. She could only hope she would die soon. Then days such as this could never happen again. In a daze, she walked away.


*~*~*~

Twilight watched Celestia fly away, the smile on her face a mask. Her insides were turmoil. She knew the princess knew, after their conversation. She knew her mentor knew about her strange… possession. She knew the princess knew. Her secret was out.
Twilight sighed. She would be casting another spell soon.
> Friendship Zero: Ignorance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight sat, the spell prepared in her mind.She was beyond ready to speak with him again. Her mind had been moderately sane for the rest of the day - discounting those few times that she saw eyes in the bookshelves and spiders who wanted to kill her. She shook her head for the thousandth time today, shaking the thoughts away. She had been going rather mad all day; she was sick and tired of it.
“Ardor had better have some answers,” she said under her breath as she focused on the spell. She had been wary about attempting it, but she was positive she could handle the repercussions. Who knew - maybe casting it again would help the illusions stop. She highly doubted it, and it would most likely cause them to come back, full force, but it was worth the risk for some more answers.
Her horn began to glow, and her mind grew fuzzy. Her vision began to go black as the aura around her horn shifted to the same oblivion. Just before she fell asleep completely, she registered dimly that Owlicious has come to rest next to her. She smiled gratefully for the company before blacking out.

*~*~*~

Ardor, she called out as her library formed around her. Her ears twitched as she heard something - laughter? No… crying. Somepony was crying. It was a heart breaking sound, as though all happiness in the world had been sucked out, leaving the world an empty and miserable abyss. Ardor, please, are you here?
Twilight Sparkle. She glanced around as the ragged voice, sinister yet forlorn; no, he sounded… tragic. Like the sun had gone out. You should not have come here, he whispered.
I had to, Ardor! Please, show yourself and explain what happened today!
You foal… Twilight recoiled as a dark form appeared before her, leaching from the colors of her lucid dream to create a black husk. Holes filled its incomplete body. Its eyes - or the gaping empty holes where they should be - glowed violet, then a sickly green green; its body was surrounded by golden and amethyst armor, royal in design. He looked at her, and all Twilight could feel was sympathy. Tears streamed down his face. She wanted to run, she should’ve been terrified… but as she looked at him, pity filled her heart. See me as you think of me now, then, from those vile lies. See me as you saw yourself today, a hideous, shattered husk of a pony, trying to become something greater, losing themselves to what they thought of as true!
A-ardor, please calm down! T-the dream - Around her, the library shook slightly. Twilight closed her eyes, feeling her horn glow as she held the dream together. Ardor turned his back, his image changing to the one she knew from the night before, the one she had found so soothing. She took a deep breath and sank into a chair, her hooves feeling unstable. Please, Ardor… just sit. Relax.
Ardor glanced at her with those deep, calming blue eyes. Tears still rolled down his face, like silent little raindrops. He sighed softly and nodded, making his way to the chair. He sat gently, resting his head in his hooves against the table. Twilight watched as the wood work became stained with wet spots. Not quite sure what to do, she simply sat there silently. 
In the silence, she thought. She thought about the questions she had, and his reaction to the events of today. He had given her no indication in the past of his pain. In fact, he had always seemed happy with his lot in life. He had been part of something great. Finally it was time to ask: where had it all gone wrong?
She heard a sigh. She looked up to see Ardor, sitting back in his chair, watching her with listless eyes. You had questions for me. Ask away. I think I’m ready now. His voice was clearly exhausted.
Are you sure? You sound -
I know how I sound. I know how I sounded. You deserve to have your questions answered. Besides, the sooner, the better. The longer you spend here, the more the world out there gets torn apart. 
Twilight nodded. I expect that’s why I had those hallucinations today. After last night…
That is… part of the reason, yes.
Part?
Think back, Twilight. You had them, growing up. You’ve had visions all your life. 
Twilight tilted her head. No she hadn’t. Nothing came to mind… well… actually…
Hadn’t there been a time, all those months ago, back in Canterlot, when she had thought she had seen things? Things that weren’t really there? There had been… times. She had seen eyes in bookshelves. Nightmare Moon’s face in an hourglass. Then, that strange dream about Zecora… That time she had seen Pinkie in a mirror, telling her how she had been so close to keeping a secret. There had been plenty of times, in the past, where she had seen strange and unexplainable things. That was normal in a land of magic… right?
Twilight gulped. Maybe… Maybe you’re right… Am I insane?
No, Twilight. I’m afraid… He sighed again. This is my fault, once more. I’m sorry, Twilight, but you have those visions and hallucinations because of me. 
Why, though? Why would you cause those things, even unintentionally?
It makes sense. Think of it, Twilight. You have two minds in your head - two totally separate entities are in here, trying to vie for control. I try to keep myself shielded when you don’t talk to me, but each time you access me here, my mind awakes. Your mind and my mind fight, trying to assert dominance.
Twilight sighed. So you staying in my mind caused me to hallucinate?
There are countermeasures in place, of course. I would never just invade your mind and leave you to hurt. I have proper spells and everything else… It’s just… You know my talent. I need power to survive, I…
Twilight thought a moment while he searched for words. Needed power… She thought back to the very first time she had felt foreign magic come to her. Back at the school for gifted unicorns.... When she was trying so very hard to use her inner power… That was when you came to me, wasn’t it? You felt the power I had inside, and you came to me to take it.
Not to take it, Twilight. Please, you must understand… I was dying.
Dying? But I thought you were Immortal.
Ardor shook his head. Not dying in a sense that you can understand. Not yet, anyways. You see, being immortal has its perks, but… imagine it. Living so long you have no connections but to those who are also immortal… Being so… so very alone, all your life, as you watch countless others die. Others you had loved. Imagine it, Twilight. Imagine your friends. Imagine them growing old and fading to dust while you age not a day. 
Twilight couldn’t help but imagine it as he said it. It was tragic, and painful… Stuck, unable to do anything while her friends moved on without her. How could she ever… She shook her head as Ardor continued.
I had so few friends… Me, Celestia, Luna… Killian, Castelli and Tikl… They were the only people I had… but…
They ignored you, didn’t they? Ardor glanced up at her, somewhat surprised. I know, Ardor. I felt it today… I lived it, today. It was… so very painful…
What you saw… You saw half truths. Concepts, taken out of the full story. You felt my emotions…
I had some questions…
You ought to make them fast, then. I do not want to keep you here long. Not unless you want tomorrow to be the same.
Twilight nodded. What happened between you and Celestia and Luna? I feel the pain there… and the hunger.
Ardor gulped. Despite not bearing the Element, I stay true to it. I will not lie to you, Twilight… Back then, I… I befriended Luna. She was one of the only ponies who did not fear my true form. She saw it as a sort of reflection of her night, which was equally misunderstood. Celestia, however… She… I fancied her.
Fancied? As in… You loved her?
Not so much in the sense you think. I longed for her, yes… but as a friend. I wanted to have her love me as a friend… I felt so brushed away by her elegance… She was so very powerful.... and oh so beautiful… How does one measure up to a goddess?
Twilight nodded. And what happened? What turned that longing into… into ‘no victory in strength, nor harmony, nor friendship’?
I… I had been ignored so long… So very, very long… I was so pained by it, my powers… I corrupted… He hung his head again. Twilight gulped, knowing simply from his voice how pained he was, remembering this all a second time today. I turned into… into a complete monster… My friends eventually pulled me out of it… But it was never the same… They moved away from me. Nopony trusted me. Luna even distanced herself, but I think she might have trusted me still.
Luna would be the only one to trust you, after you tried to reign down darkness, to try to prove to them that friendship was meaningless… Why would you of all ponies think that? You thrive on that power…
Because it had done nothing for me until that day. Brushed off, ignored… I was in pain, and nopony saw me bleed… But then they saved me, and still ignored me… but I lived. What more could a husk like me ask for?
Twilight, as stealthily as she could, wiped away a tear. Nopony should have to feel that way. I’m sorry…
Don’t be. It is my unfortunate past. Learn from my mistake, and do not allow it to be your future. 
And… What about the three changelings?
That was… far, far after… everything…
Everything?
I… I hated being ignored, you must understand… And then Luna… poor, sweet Luna… 
Twilight nodded. The elements collapsed, and Nightmare Moon was born.
And quickly banished. There was no other solution… She sought to destroy us, even if it meant finding Star Swirl and ending it, then and there, for us all.
She would kill herself, just to destroy Celestia?
To make her night last forever. The unicorns no longer knew how to move the sun and moon. That was Celestia and Luna’s jobs, so how would they be able to move the moon out of place after they were gone?
That… makes some sort of morbid sense. Suicide terror…
After her banishment, Celestia… made us part ways. Told us that friendship would never die - that it had simply moved on. I tried to plead with her, but she didn’t trust me. She never had, after… He sighed again, shaking his head. She told us all to split up. To take a different part of the globe, and to watch for signed of darkness among the beings of Equestria and beyond. Castelli rose to the occasion… He traveled everywhere, and favored the Griffons. Killian kept the animals in check. Tikl favored your very home, the Everfree, and eventually Ponyville. But I… I was effectively banished to the Outer Lands…
The Bad Lands? 
Whatever you choose to call them… That was where my changelings were… Those corrupted foals, who had no Luna to guide them back to friendship’s bliss now. They became my ponies, the only things I could help… But even I was misguided as them. I only sought love… and that was all they sought, then.
So because Celestia wronged two immortals… catastrophe struck… Twilight groaned. She seems to have just as many mistakes in her past as anypony else, but they have such great repercussions… She forgot her sister, which led to her sister being banished. She brushed you off, which led to a new and dark race being born, one that has become more legend than truth. 
 She made a great many mistakes… Ardor’s eyes hardened. Twilight was almost surprised at how much malice was in those usually calm seas of blue. Those mistakes are why I now hide, here, in you Twilight. I hide from her and her reign. I am scared for my life.
Why? Why would you be scared, if she can only kill you if she kills Star Swirl?
Because… she knows ways around such spells. Think of it, Twilight. Banishing her sister, her immortal sister, the Element of Magic, for 1000 years? That took a lot of power.
But she had the other Elements on her side…
But who wielded the Element of Magic, in Luna’s place? Twilight’s eyes widened. She did. And even then, she created an Empire alone. Canterlot. She made that, all on her own, while all of her only friends, the only ponies she could ever trust, were sent away. She had no friendship then. She watched ponies fade to dust for 1000 years… And no one ever questioned, ever considered, if it was time for her to step down, even for a week, month, day or year, to relax? To seek us out? Yes, I am scared, Twilight. I am scared of what she has become in our absence…
But she is a perfectly good ruler and teacher… Why would she even want to end you?
Ardor shut his eyes tightly. She… She thinks I was behind Luna’s transformation.
Twilight jumped in her seat. What?!
She thinks I used my Element against Luna. Fed her with lies, then told her I was being honest. She thinks I transformed Luna with my dark ways. She always judged me on appearance… Black, dark husk… Must be how I am, in her eyes.
She thinks you made Luna transform?... But… But she must believe that with good reason, not just…
Think about it, Twilight. In all my years I have spent with you, I have had the power to corrupt you. Turn you against that being I fear the most. And what have I done?
You… You kept yourself hidden, in fear… while I spent nearly every waking day under the wing of that pony you feared the most… 
Yes, Twilight. I stayed hidden. I stayed safe. I have put all trust in you, Twilight… I can only hope you trust me to stay here and not harm you…
Twilight watched as Ardor bowed his head lightly. He was respectful… remorseful… He was just looking to survive. He needed power to live. What was he doing to her, other than some silly visions? So long as Twilight began to leave him alone, and stay away from sleep spells, they would be just fine. She could live with a few visions. Besides, this might give her some insight into Celestia’s past… She had always longed to know more about her elusive teacher. 
What do you say, Twilight? If you wish me gone in fear of what Celestia could do to me, then I will leave. I do not wish to intrude if I am unwanted…
That sealed it for Twilight. No, please. Stay. I will not cast you out as they did. Ardor smiled, and Twilight beamed. To see a smile on his face, even after everything that had happened to him - it felt wonderful.
I suggest you leave now, Twilight. I wouldn’t want you to suffer from those hallucinations anymore.
Thank you for being so honest, Ardor… Thank you.
Always, Twilight. Always.
Twilight gasped as she opened her eyes. Beside her, Owlicious hooted. She turned to him, smiling softly. “Oh… Hello, Owlicious… What time is it?”
Owlicious hooted again, pointing towards the clock. It was well after midnight, but the spell had not taken too long. Ardor must have seen to it that she wasn’t under for too long this time. “Ah, good… I can get some rest then…”
Twilight stood, the owl following close behind her, landing on her back. Twilight smiled as she walked to her bed. His company was reassuring, somehow. He had come to her mysteriously one night, and she had always liked his company in the night. “Thanks for staying with me while I talked to my friend, Owlicious. It means a lot.”
“Who,” Owlicious said.
“My friend, silly,” she said with a giggle, playing it up. It was late, and it had been a serious conversation. She needed a laugh.
“Who?”
“He calls himself Ar-”
Twilight?
“Oh!” She cleared her throat a moment, thinking. Was there something I forgot, Ardor?
No, I just wanted to say… thank you… for accepting me.
No problem, Ardor. After all, I’m the Element of Magic now. Of course I would treat you with friendship!
Twilight smiled. Talking to Ardor like that would make it easier and less strenuous on her mind. “Yes, that’ll be much better,” she said with a yawn. She was suddenly very tired…
Owlicious hooted, keeping her awake. She forgot what she had been ‘talking’ about with him. She giggled again. “Alright, alright, I’ll go to sleep…”
Twilight lied down in her bed, covering herself up in her blankets. She fell asleep quickly. Inside, however, the immortal being that took her mind as residence did not sleep. He had never slept. He never needed to. He dropped the foalish form he put on for show for that pesky girl, Twilight. He fit much better into his natural form… His True Form.
A wicked horn, jagged and sharp, took place on his head. Armor shielded his body, black and silver and gold, coiling around the star shaped hole on his chest. His eyes grew to slits, black pupils in a white abyss, longing to be filled with another’s color. Much more comfortable, he cooed, his shadowy body shifting around in the dark oblivion of Twilight’s unconscious mind. It’s good I stopped her from saying my name… Although… I think Castelli knows our secret already…
Owlicious stood on his perch, watching Twilight closely through the night. He shut his eyes as he plucked a single feather out of his wings. It was time to send Luna a message. His eyes glowed purple, and in a sudden, yet dimmed flash, the feather disappeared. 

*~*~*~

Luna gasped as she felt something land on her face. Her eyes dimmed as she focused, not on the dreams of her subjects, but the real and mundane world. She shook her head. Off her face, a single feather drifted to the ground. Her eyes widened. “Oh no…”
She ran, quickly, to her sister’s room. It was not far, thankfully. She opened the door to see her sister, sitting up in bed, a similar feather resting in her hoof. They looked at each other, grimly. “It’s time you went to Ponyville, sister.”
Luna nodded. “There’s that holiday coming up. Nightmare Night. I shall use that as my excuse to go. I will make the preparations immediately.” Celestia sighed, looking up at the smooth surface of the moon. Luna trotted over to her sister, resting a hoof on her shoulder. “Tia, you could not have foreseen this.”
“I should have seen the signs in my student… I missed them in her, just as I missed them in you… How could I have been so blind, Luna?”
“He is a master of stealth, sister. He was the Element of Honesty. As such, he knows the manipulative force of lies. He knows when someone is lying. He knows how much lying can hurt. He uses that knowledge now, just as he did then.”
“But Twilight… I don’t want her to be hurt.”
“That’s why we keep her safe, now. Castelli has sent back word that it is indeed Ardor. Tikl keeps watch as much as he can, while still remaining hidden to Twilight and 4 of her friends.”
“4?”
“The Pink One is his safe harbor. She question’s not his ability to speak.”
“That… somehow makes sense. And what of Killian?”
“Fluttershy has kept him safe. He is still in reserve, should something happen and Twilight needs healing. He can help them, if it goes wrong.”
“And none of them know who they used to be?”
“None but Twilight, who knows not that they are there.”
“Good…” Celestia sighed. “I hope this all goes well…”
“It will, Tia. You must have faith.”
Celestia nodded. Luna hugged her softly before leaving for her room once more. Preparations had to be made. She would be visiting Ponyville soon.
> Nightmare Night: Paper Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The mayor smirked as she spoke to all the little fillies and colts. Twilight chuckled as she watched the children titter in fear. She had never really celebrated Nightmare Night at home - she had spent the night reading. Here, however, Nightmare Night was a celebration as big as Hearths Warming. She loved the decorations, and just the general atmosphere of ‘spookiness’. Even though very few ponies seemed to like her Star Swirl costume. Her conversations with Ardor had given her the idea to dress as the influential unicorn.
She thought for a moment about the days since the want it - need it spell. Her mind seemed to have recovered nicely, and since then, she hadn’t seen any hallucinations that were horribly bizarre. The last thing that had caught her eyes was a slight surge of anger over Spike calling her grandpa earlier. She had moved beyond that, however, and Spike didn’t seem to think it was too out of character. So far, so good. 
“Now all the little ponies who have been out collecting sweets should follow our friend Zecora to hear the legend of Nightmare Moon,” the mayor announced with a menacing ‘oooo’, followed by a cackle befitting her clown costume.
Spike rolled his eyes. “Spooky voice might work better is she wasn't dressed like that.” Twilight giggled at his comment - he was right, after all. The mayor really wasn’t that scary.
Twilight smiled and watched as the stage was filled with a green mist. “Follow me,” Zecora said from the smoke, beckoning the fillies and colts away from the town, towards the Everfree, “and very soon you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon.” Foals followed her, as did Twilight and Spike. They were chaperones tonight, after all (at least, Twilight was. Spike was one of the kids listening). “Listen close my little dears, and I'll tell you where you got your fears... of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary; Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary.”
Suddenly, green mist curled around the children. Twilight was surprised, though not scared - Zecora had done well with that dust. The foals, already somewhat scared from the forest, huddled close together, eyes wide as they looked around. “Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves, from her searching eyes.”
Twilight squinted as she looked around the mist. She saw a pair of eyes, prowling around the children. For a moment, she feared she was hallucinating - until she saw Zecora’s slim body hunkered close to the ground. She smiled softly and stifled a small, conspiratorial giggle. A few children screamed as they saw the eyes. “But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing,” Zecora whispered, her voice carrying. 
Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw a very lifelike form of Nightmare Moon appear in the form of green mist. Something inside her flinched, afraid; it wasn’t hard to guess what. She gulped as Zecora continued, taking a deep breath in the hopes of keeping both her and Ardor calm. “To gobble up ponies in one quick swing!!”
She felt like snorting after hearing that, a welcome change from the slight dread. She had fought Nightmare Moon. Speaking from personal experience, she was fairly sure Nightmare Moon’s monstrous appetite wasn’t what she should be feared for. “Hungerly, she soars the sky. If she sees nopony, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, Equestria is safe another year!”
The mist began to dissipate. Twilight felt like giggling. What a silly story, she thought as a colt talked with Zecora. 
I quite agree, the familiar voice of Ardor responded silently in her mind. The Luna I knew never ate much, to be honest. Celestia was the one who ate too much.
Twilight snorted as quietly as she could, eliciting a glance from Spike. She cleared her throat as Zecora put on more of a show for the children. Now now, Ardor, be kind. 
You’ve seen how easily she gains weight. I’m simply stating a fact. When she said we had to banish Luna to the moon, I briefly contemplated asking her which: the one in the sky, or the one she wore on her flanks. 
Twilight was trying very hard, and was failing very badly, to hold back her fit of giggles. She really shouldn’t be laughing, especially about her mentor - but she had to admit, it was funny.
Yet, she quickly stopped her giggles as she saw the mist leave after a particularly strong gust of wind. How odd…

*~*~*~

Twilight got back to town as the mysterious and dark pony flew to the ground. The pony landed and flipped back her hood just as lightning struck nearby.
Twilight’s eyes widened. Luna had changed.
Luna? Twilight nodded, taking a deep breath. She wasn’t sure how Ardor would take this.
Ponies around her all fell to the ground. Twilight smiled. The best way to handle this would be to talk to her. It had been so long since she had seen her. “Princess Luna!” She started to walk forward, but was quickly pulled down by Spike. She gasped in surprise and glanced at him. He simply put his claw to her mouth and shh’ed her. 
Twilight turned to look at Luna, rolling her eyes at the dragon. She tried to stand, but as she looked at Luna again, she found herself frozen. She heard a single whisper in the back of her mind; Don’t move. She felt her breath catch in her lungs. She could only watch as Luna trotted forward.
Luna reached forth her hoof, taking a deep breath. “Citizens of Ponyville! We have graced your tiny village with our presence so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night; a creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a pony who desires your love and admiration! Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!”
Lightning struck and Pinkie stood up, eyes wide with terror. “Did you hear that, everypony?! Nightmare Moon said she’s going to feast on us all!!” All of the children around her screamed and ran with her.
Luna watched them, bewildered. “What? No, children, no! You no longer have reason to fear us! Screams of delight is what your princess desires; not screams of terror!” Luna spun around, walking towards the mayor. “Madam Mayor! Thy Princess of the Night hath arrived!”
Luna waited, but nothing happened. She watched as ponies cowered before her. “What is the matter with you?” Luna glanced around at all those gathered, but each pony flinched back in fright. She growled lightly under her breath. “Very well then. Be that way! We won’t even bother with the traditional royal farewell!”
Luna strode off in a huff. Twilight stood, the paralysis that had consumed her suddenly lifted. What was all of that about… There was no response. Twilight glanced after the princess. “I’m going to go talk to her.”
NO!
Twilight stopped suddenly as the voice in her head shouted. Ardor? She looked behind her as Spike tugged on her costume. “You can’t talk to her! She’s Nightmare Moon!”
Twilight tugged her outfit out of his grasp. “No, she’s not… I saw the Elements of Harmony change her back to good! It… seems like she’s having trouble adjusting after being gone for 1000 years.” Twilight started walking, leaving Spike to trick or treat. She needed some alone time with Ardor.

*~*~*~

She found herself wandering through the Everfree. Twilight knew exactly how she knew Luna was in here. It was Ardor. They had been connected somehow, and he knew how to find her. Still, she had a few moments before she got to Luna. Ardor?
Yes, Twilight Sparkle?
Are you… okay? Why were we so frozen earlier? Why did you tell me no?
There was a slight pause before he answered. Twilight, I’m… scared. It’s been so long. She’s so different.
Twilight could hear the wavering of his voice. She sighed. Ardor, you’ve got to keep control of your emotions. She might be different, but she’s still Luna. You’ve got to trust me on this.
Just… Be careful, Twilight. I don’t want a repeat of Celestia. I don’t want to live in fear of the only pony who was truly my friend.
Twilight shook her head. She still didn’t understand that part of the story. The magic of friendship is what powered the Elements, but Ardor was adamant that Luna was his only friend. How did that work?
Twilight stopped as she saw Luna lying before the statue of Nightmare Moon. There was time enough later to speak to Ardor. No doubt she would need to, with how he was acting. She sighed and tilted her head softly. “Princess Luna?” The princess lifted her head, but didn’t turn. “Hi. My name is -”
“Starswirl the Bearded.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “Commendable costume,” Luna said as she stood. “Thou even got the bells right.”
Twilight smiled. Of course Luna would recognize her costume; Starswirl was, in nearly every sense of the word, her father. “Thank you! Finally, somepony who gets my costume!” Twilight looked Luna in the eyes. There was worry there, and heartbreak. Twilight gulped. “Uh… I just came to welcome you to our celebration. My actual name is -”
“Twilight Sparkle.” She shivered; Luna’s voice was deeper now, more demanding. She felt the urge to take a step back, as though fleeing a predator. “It was thou who unleashed the powers of harmony upon us, and took away our dark powers!”
Twilight struggled against the wind that rose up as Luna flapped her wings. She opened her eyes to see Nightmare Moon before her, in all her evil - yet in all her glory. In a flash of lightning, the image was gone, leaving only Luna. She fixed her hat, smiling as best she could after the slight hallucination. “And… that was a good thing, right?”
“But of course… We could not be happier. Is that not clear?”
Twilight shied away again, trying to smile. “Well… You kinda sound like you’re yelling at me.”
Luna straightened up, and for a single instant, Twilight saw the slightest bit of surprise in the princess. It was gone as quickly as it appeared. “But this is the traditional royal Canterlot voice. It is tradition to speak with the royal ‘we’, and to use this much volume when addressing our subjects!”
Twilight stared back at her, wide eyed. Did she… really? In the past?
Too much, Twilight. Far, far too much.
Twilight grinned again, trying hard to keep up those smiles. “You know, that might explain why your appearance was met with… mixed results.” Twilight trotted up to Luna. “I think if you just changed your approach a bit, you might be met with a warmer reception.” She put her hoof on the lunar crest the princess wore, but flinched back quickly; when she touched it, she saw another image before her. 
It had been but a quick flash, but Twilight memorized every part of it she could in that time. Nearly everything was the same; Luna, standing in the forest, eyes wide with concern. But Twilight was gone; in her place stood Ardor, but not as Twilight knew him. A tall, strong stallion, covered in golden armor. His eyes shone a deep and enticing teal, but lighter than most; at times, his eyes almost appeared white. His fur was a light tan, and his mane a dark caramel color. Furthermore, he was an alicorn. Twilight took a deep breath, assuming that smile. More to discuss.
“Change our approach?”
Twilight took a split second to regain her place in the conversation. “Uh… lower the volume?”
“Oh… We have been locked away for 1000 years. We are… not sure we can.”
Twilight smiled. “It’ll be fine, princess. Why don’t you come with me? We can talk along the way back to town; I’ve got a friend who surely can teach you to speak softer.”
“Thank thee, Twilight Sparkle. Thy kindness is welcome.”
Twilight giggled softly. “Kindness is exactly who we’re going to see.”

*~*~*~

Luna sighed as she walked through the town, Twilight smiled sheepishly, all the while glaring at all those who dropped to the ground in fright as Luna walked past. They had already had a run in with Pinkie at Fluttershy’s house, and Twilight had seen a massive shift in the princess. She seemed not only sad, but angry. Almost resentful. It was odd.
“It is of no use, Twilight Sparkle. They have never liked us, and they never shall…”
“My friend, Applejack, is one of the most likeable ponies around. I’m sure she’ll have some ideas!” Twilight smiled, but sighed inwardly. She sounds so angry.
I have only heard her talk like this once before. Please, Twilight, try to make her… happy. 
I will, Ardor. Don’t worry.
Twilight snapped back to reality as she heard Applejack gasp. She rolled her eyes as the farm pony fell to the ground in fright, just as everypony else had. “Uh… Applejack? The princess is looking for a little advice on how to fit in around here.”
“Fit in?” Applejack looked at her. “Really?” Twilight grumbled, glaring at her. Applejack quickly stood. “Ah mean,” she said, clearing her throat, “that’s easy! All you gotta do is have the right attitude. Loosen up a bit! Be positive. Play a few games and have some fun!”
“Fun?” Luna looked bewildered. “What is this fun thou speakest of?” Applejack pointed her to a bowl of toy spiders. Luna trotted up to them. “Pray tell… what purpose do these serve?”
“T-try to l-land the sp-piders on the web,” the quivering mare in a bee costume said. Luna picked on up, looking at it critically before tossing it. It landed on the ground and bounced a few inches. She looked back, confused, at Twilight and Applejack.
“You can do it, Princess,” Applejack shouted, smiling. 
Luna turned back toward the web and tossed much harder. The spider soared and landed square in the middle of the web. She gasped in delight. “Ha! Your princess enjoys this… fun!” She quickly turned back to Twilight and Applejack. “In what other ways can we experience it?”

*~*~*~

“T’is a lie,” Luna shouted as Pinkie and the foals ran off. “Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!” Lightning stuck behind her as she slammed her hoof down in anger. Ponies nearby took a step back, suddenly fearful of the friendly princess. Luna watched them, concerned. “Fair villagers, please do not back away… Let us join together in fun!”
She looked around desperately as everypony backed away still. She saw a spider on the ground and picked it up quickly. With a good natured smile, she threw the spider towards the crowd. Everypony looked at her, the awkwardness as thick as a cloud. Twilight drove her hoof into her forehead with a groan. 
“Not enough fun for you?” Luna asked a bit bitterly. “What say you to this?” With a spark of her horn, the spider came to life. As it began to move, the ponies surrounding it screamed in terror. The entire bowl of spiders began to move, all making their way to the webs nearby. The mare in the bee costume fainted in fright as the spiders claimed her, making the way over her limp body. 
Together, all the spiders centered in the middle of the web. “Huzzah!” Luna smiled brightly. “How many points do I receive?”
Nopony responded but in screams. It was havoc in Ponyville. Luna looked around, trying to get them to stop desperately. “Do not run away!” Nopony listened. “As your princess, we command you!” Nopony cared. She looked this way and that - nopony saw. Nopony noticed.
She took a deep breath. “BE. STILL.”
She glared at each of the fallen ponies in turn. “P-Princess,” Twilight said, half terrified herself, “remember: watch the screaming!”
Luna turned, her eyes white with power and anger. Twilight gasped; wasn’t that Ardor’s power? “No, Twilight Sparkle. We must use the traditional royal Canterlot voice for what we are about to say.” Luna grinned, and Twilight felt a shiver of fear run down her spine.
Luna turned to all those cowering before her. She rose up on her wings so all could see her. “Since you choose to fear your Princess rather than love her, and dishonor her with this insulting celebration, we decree that Nightmare Night shall be cancelled. Forever!”
Twilight watched in fright, her eyes wide. A-ardor, what’s wrong with Luna?
Save her, Twilight. I can’t talk anymore. She knows I’m here.
Twilight felt something click in her; it was like something inside her stopped working. She realized what this meant. She was alone.
Luna disappeared into the clouds. The silence that followed her declaration was stunningly obvious. That is, until the children began to weep. Applejack sighed. “Shoot… We had everything going our way. Luna was happy. Everypony in town was happy. Now look at them…” 
Twilight looked out over all the crying children. Their adults tried to comfort them, but even they looked distraught. Twilight looked down to see the Nightmare Night emblem, one with the face of Nightmare Moon. Her eyes narrowed in determination; just because Ardor wasn’t strong enough to help her now didn’t mean she couldn’t do this. “It’s not over yet.”
“What’re you gonna do?”
What can I do without Ardor?... Twilight smiled, looking at her friend. “I’m going to do what I do best - lecture her!” Before Applejack could tell her just how bad an idea that was, Twilight had run off.
She found the princess quickly. Ponyville was a fairly small town, after all. “Princess?”
“Leave me be, Twilight Sparkle.” She sounded as though she had been crying. 
Twilight frowned softly, getting closer. “Princess… I’m sorry it hasn’t worked out how we wanted.” We? “But you have to believe me when I tell you that Nightmare Night is one of the most popular celebrations we have!”
“Yes,” the princess said, rolling her eyes. “I can tell by all the adoring shrieks of the children as they run away!” With a sad little glare, the princess of the night strode away, leaving a confused and sad Twilight. “Princess…” She stood, thinking. What can I do to fix this?... She thought, and came quickly to the answer. She ran back into town, past the crying children and the adults. She had a trap to set.
Nearby, the spiders still clung to the webs on the throwing game. One single spider slowly made his way up the web, unnoticed by all those crying and sighing. This spider was a real spider, and he was pink.

> Nightmare Night: Ardor Eclipsed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“No!” Twilight glared at Pinkie as she held her down. “No shrieking! No squealing or screaming either, okay?” Pinkie nodded, eyes wide with worry and tears. Twilight sighed and backed off. “There’s something that I want you to see, and I promise that it’s safe, but you really, really, really can’t shriek. Do you promise not to shriek?”
Pinkie nodded again, worried. Twilight backed off, sighing inwardly. Sorry I had to be so aggressive, Pinkie… Without Ardor, I have to be rougher. It’s the only way to get my point across. Twilight looked to the side and nodded.
Pinkie shuddered and sat up straighter as Luna trotted up out of the shadows. She started to scream, but kept her promise by shoving her hooves into her mouth. Twilight smiled softly. “Pinkie Pie, you remember Princess Luna, right?”
“Ah… The ring leader of the frightened children,” Luna said waringly. She trotted up slowly, eyes softening a bit. “Hast thou… come to make peace?” She slowly offered up a hoof.
Pinkie looked at the hoof offered. She smiled softly and slowly raised her hoof. They were about to come to an agreement when lightning struck behind Luna, making her eyes flash white once more. Pinkie flinched, shrieking. “NIGHTMARE MOON!” She ran as fast as she could down the alley.
Twilight looked up for the source of all the mysterious lightning - it wasn’t even raining! “RAINBOW!” No response came from the cackling Shadowbolt. Twilight growled and teleported before Pinkie. She grabbed the mare and pushed her down once again. “She’s changed, Pinkie! She’s not evil or scary anymore, and she definitely doesn’t want to gobble you up!”
Pinkie stopped struggling. She looked at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Well, duh.”
“Huh?”
“I know that! Sheesh, Twilight, I’m almost as big as her. How’s she gonna gobble me up?”
“So, why do you keep running away and screaming!?”
“Sometimes, it’s just really fun to be scared,” Pinkie said as she spread her hooves out wide in emphasis. 
Twilight looked bewildered as gears started turning in her brain. “Fun?...” She gasped after a moment’s thought. “Pinkie Pie, you’re a genius!”
“No I’m not. I’m a chicken!”
Twilight giggled and ran off. “Princess Luna! I finally figured out why you’re having so much trouble being liked!”
Luna sighed, hunched over. “Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm.”
“Come with me! I’ll explain everything on the way.” Luna sighed and followed her off into the woods.
Pinkie giggled as she stood, dusting herself off. “Teehee! ‘I’m a chicken’! I’m sure Twilight got a hoot out of that one.” She stopped for a minute before grinning her biggest grin. “Hey! Hoot! Twilight has an owl for a pet!” She giggled more, trotting around. “What did you think of those, Tikl,” she whispered to her mane.
No response came. She stopped. “Tikl?”
“Down here, Half-Pint.” She looked down to see a miniature spider below her. Pinkie picked him up and lifted him up to her ear. “I was hanging out with my friends on the webbing,” Tikl said, his little pincers clicking. “I tried to offer them candy, but they said they were stuffed!”
Pinkie laughed as Tikl burrowed into her mess of a mane. “Oh, you’re so silly! Wait till you hear what just happened between Twilight and Luna!”
“Tell me all about it, Half-Pint.” Tikl burrowed deeper, thinking back to the real conversation he had with Luna’s spiders. “Tell me everything.”

*~*~*~

Twilight smirked as Zecora led the children to the Everfree. She hadn’t told anypony of her plan; a simple suggestion here or there had pushed them to decide to bring the kids to the annual candy offering. Nopony knew her plan, but that would just make this even more beneficial. Luna would see - she was sure of it.
The last of the children eventually made their way to the statue of Nightmare Moon, sighing as he put down his candy. “Goodbye, Nightmare Night… forever…” He turned away from the statue, but stopped as a particularly hard gust of wind went through the forest. 
Everypony looked around in fear as a voice rang out. “Citizens of Ponyville! You were wise to bring this candy to me!” Zecora backed up; this wasn’t part of the candy offering. “I am pleased with your offering.” Applejack gasped as the wind tore off her hat. She, along with everypony else, watched it drift toward the statue. The statue grinned and broke out of it’s stone prison. Everypony gasped.
“So pleased,” Nightmare Moon said with a grin, “that I may just eat it… instead of eating you!” She lunged forward, her fangs and eyes shining a brilliant white.
Everypony ran, screaming, adults and children alike. On the stone platform, Luna shrank down to her normal size, spitting out the fangs into her hoof as he eyes went back to normal. “I am not certain that did what you meant for it to do, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna frowned, glancing at the unicorn. 
“Just wait,” Twilight said with a smirk.
“For what?” She hopped off the platform, frowning still. “For them to scream some more?” She gasped as she felt a tug on her mane.
“Uuuh… Princess Luna?” She looked at the little colt dressed as a pirate. “I know there’s not gonna be anymore Nightmare Night, but… do you suppose, maybe, you could come back next year and scare us again anyway?” 
Luna looked back at the bushes, where all the little children cowered in fright. She glanced back at the pirate foal. “Child, art thou saying that thou… liketh me to scare you?”
“It’s really fun,” he said while nodding. “Scary, but fun!”
“It… is?”
“Yeah! Nightmare Night is my favorite night of the year!” 
“W-well then,” Luna said hesitantly, “we shall have to bring Nightmare Night back!”
“WOAH!” Pip struggled to maintain his balance. He stood, smiling brightly. “You’re my favorite princess ever!” He darted up and hugged her hoof before running back to his friends. “She said yes, guys!”
Twilight walked up to Luna with a smile. The princess seemed happier as all the children cheered. “See? They really do like you, Princess!”
“Can it be true,” the princess asked, almost to herself. She smiled brightly, standing on her hind hooves. “Oh, most wonderful of-” She stopped, blushing as she realized how loud she was. “I mean… Oh, most wonderful of nights.”

*~*~*~

“... and even if my Starswirl the Bearded costume didn’t go over, this still turned out to be the best Nightmare Night ever,” Twilight finished. Spike was nearby, writing every word she said down. Twilight nodded to him to stop as she nibbled a piece of candy.
Twilight looked up as she heard a scream. Rainbow Dash was darting away from a quickly dissipating black lightning cloud. Above that was Luna, smiling serenely. She winked, and all of them laughed. 
Twilight kept laughing as she heard a voice. Thank you, Twilight. She’s happy.
Me and you need to talk, Ardor.
After she’s gone.
Twilight smiled, levitating the finished letter. “Princess? The night’s almost over, and you most likely need to get back to Canterlot. Would you mind giving this to Princess Celestia for me?”
Luna smiled, taking the scroll. “Anything for a friend, Twilight Sparkle. Please, enjoy the rest of your night.” She flapped her wings, landing nearby. She looked back once. “And, Twilight?”
Twilight glanced at the princess. “Yes?”
Luna lost her smile. Her eyes narrowed and her face was grim. “Do not stay up too late.”
Twilight watched as Luna flew away. Spike rolled his eyes. “Wow. Overdramatic much? I think she’s trying too hard to scare us.”
“Yeah…” Twilight gulped. That comment had most certainly been directed at her and Ardor. Luna knew; that meant Celestia would know soon. “Let’s… get back home, Spike. I don’t want to be in this forest for too long.”
Together, they made their way back to town.

*~*~*~

Twilight paced her bedroom, finally out of her costume. Ardor, we need to talk again.
I don’t want you to put yourself under, he argued stubbornly. You’re still having hallucinations from the last time. We can talk like this.
It’s so much harder to concentrate like this, and so much easier for you to slip away! She huffed and slammed her hoof down. She was, perhaps, just as stubborn as he.
Twilight, you must understand. Luna knows I’m in here now. If you go to sleep, she’ll know you’re contacting me!
I’m sorry, Ardor, but there’s just too much for us to discuss. I can’t say all I need in this manner.
She heard a heavy sigh. Very well then. I’ll keep watch of the time, and will cut you off before the effects of the spell will get too bad. Please, at least go up to your room instead of in the library. 
Twilight nodded. That made sense. She glanced at Owlicious. “I’m going to bed now, so you’ve got the night to yourself.” The owl hooted, flapping over to Twilight and riding her back. She rolled her eyes. “No, you can’t be in my room all night. I’d wake up covered in feathers.” Using her magic, she moved him back over to his stand. She frowned slightly; he almost looked sad. “I’m sorry I can’t stay up with you, but I need my sleep.” She smiled. “Goodnight, Owlicious.”
“Hoot.”
She giggled and trotted to her room. She locked the door as she always did and lied down. “Here we go again…” She shut her eyes and started the spell. It was far easier this time around, and she found herself nodding off quickly. As she shut her eyes, her horn sparked black, the aura surrounding her. She felt nothing in that realm, however. 
Twilight was dreaming now.
She awoke, as always, in her library. Ardor, come out please.
I… really would rather not.
She tilted her head, sitting at their table. Her eyes narrowed slightly. Ardor, you can’t hide from me. Come out, now.
Another sigh. Just… don’t be too surprised at my appearance. I always looked like this around her, and I just had to be like this again. Twilight kept still as the tan alicorn trotted into the room. Should I change back?
I would prefer if you would, Ardor. All these changes in form are confusing. Just how many bodies did you have?    
Ardor shook his head. I lost count years ago, Twilight Sparkle. There are times when even the honest have to hide. His body wavered slightly. Twilight blinked, and gone was the intimidating yet gentle armored stallion; in his place was the lilac colored alicorn Twilight knew. He sat, his face thoughtful. Shall we get this over with? I do not want to keep you here overly long.
I don’t want to be here too long either, so I’ll get straight to the point. What in Tartarus happened between you and Luna?
Ardor winced. I… He sighed, shutting his eyes tightly. I cannot lie to you, Twilight. I hate to admit it, but I loved her.
Twilight nodded. I suspected as much. That image I saw… she was so concerned. You only wanted her to be happy. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
It is obvious why I loved her so much. She was so powerful, but never let that control her… until Nightmare Moon, that is. I tried to talk sense into her, but it just… He shook his head lightly. She was my only friend. Of course I loved her.
You keep saying that, but… it just can’t be true! I know you’re the Element of Honesty, but that has to be a lie, Ardor. You and all the others represented the Elements of Harmony and Friendship! 
The key term there is was, Twilight. She flinched; he sounded angry suddenly. I turned dark. I grew power hungry, and simply could not understand why none of my friends understood my need for power. They pulled me out of the darkness, and for that I was eternally grateful. But to them, I had shattered their trust. I was no longer honest, to them. I was just somepony to be brushed aside and ignored!
I’m sure they didn’t feel completely like that, Ardor. After all, you were still able to banish Nightmare Moon.
Banish, but not kill. Twilight’s eyes widened. That was right. Yes, you get that now. You and your friends managed to obliterate Nightmare, whereas we were only able to banish my one and only love. If our friendship had been strong enough, perhaps we could have healed her. Saved her. Perhaps I would not have lost her to the darkness that she led me away from.
After you turned dark… she still trusted you.
She was hesitant… but yes, she trusted me. She knew I had been made to be honest. She knew I could be trusted because of that. So she was the only pony who truly remained my friend. 
True friends…
Yes. Ardor looked at her, wiping away a stray tear or two. True friends help friends in need; but, furthermore, they do not abandon them after their mistakes. Remember that, Twilight.
Twilight nodded. But, if you loved her, why were you so scared to see her?
She… she changed, Twilight. Nightmare Moon changed her.
I thought you just said to never abandon your friends after their mistakes?
Ardor stood, pacing slowly. I know what I said. The problem is… I wasn’t the one who abandoned her.
Twilight tilted her head, confused. What do you mean?
I mean the final battle. Not the one between all of us. The one between me and her; Luna and I. I tried to make her see reason myself. I tried to make her understand… I still remember her exact words. He sighed. “You lie, Ardor. You lie as you always have to us. Even your very being is a lie, thou husk. How could one such as thee learn to love one such as I?”
Twilight shook her head. She had just spent the entire night with Luna. That didn’t sound like her. She wouldn’t…    
She did, Twilight. At least, Nightmare Moon did. Tonight, when I saw her, I could not see my love. That love was shattered by that monster long ago. Nothing remains of it today except faded memories and long forgotten dreams.
Twilight sighed. For so long, Ardor had lived with all these secrets. All this pain. I’m… sorry, Ardor. I’m sorry you’ve had to live like this, all because of past mistakes on everypony’s part.
It is not your fault, Twilight. Ardor trotted over to her, placing a hoof on hers. You have been my refuge and sanctuary. I cannot thank thee enough.
Twilight watched him. What do we do now? Celestia will surely know you are hiding in me now. What if she comes after you?
I do not think she will, Twilight. I can only hope she sees the good we have done, together. I can only hope she can trust me once more.
And if you’re wrong?
Ardor let his hoof fall to his side. If I’m wrong… He took a deep breath. I’m not wrong. Celestia is loyal to goodness. She will see what we have done. He turned his back. Even so, we should lie low for awhile. No more big displays, no more attracting attention. I will try to remain as silent and still as I can, Twilight.
Thank you, Ardor. I know I can trust you.
He was glad she couldn’t see his smirk. I was counting on that, Twilight. You really are a true friend.

*~*~*~

Celestia was waiting as Luna flew in from the balcony. “I trust you enjoyed the visit to Ponyville,” she said softly.
“I did, dear sister. But, while it was nice to see our subjects once more, there was something more disturbing.” She sighed. “Our suspicions are correct. Ardor is inside Twilight, and has been for years.”
Celestia shook her head in sorrow. “How could I have missed it… all these years…”
“He is a master of disguise sister, as I have said. You must stop berating yourself because of his actions.”
Celestia stood, looking out at the night sky. “How could you tell he was there?”
There was a slight pause. Luna joined her sister, her head down. “I… He still affects me, dear sister.” Celestia glanced at her. Softly, she placed a wing around her. Luna drew closer to Celestia with another sigh. “I-I grew angry when I shouldn’t have. I yelled constantly; I managed to convince Twilight it was just the royal Canterlot voice I used to use for pranks.”
Celestia nodded. “And the power levels you experienced?”
“The mana in Ponyville is wild, especially around Twilight. I lost control numerous times throughout the night. That same oblivion that took me around Ardor took me again tonight. I managed to convince many that it was just the Alicorn’s power, but some seem unconvinced. Namely, Twilight.”
Celestia frowned. “My faithful student…” 
“She seems to be okay, Tia. Ardor has not hurt her, yet.”
“But he fills her head with lies and other nonsense!” She drew her wing back, falling to the floor. Her back hunched over and she sighed. “I have tried to give her lessons to help protect her from this possibility, but I fear I may be too late, Luna.”
“If we are too late… you know what we must do, Sister.”
Celestia shook her head, tears beginning to form. “L-Luna…”
The princess of the night nuzzled her counterpart, sighing. “We must. There is no avoiding it. If she grows out of control, it will be our duty to stop her.”
Celestia sniffed, looking up at her sister. Tears streaming down her face, she reached out and hugged Luna. Luna held her gently, shutting her eyes. “I… I don’t know if I can do this again, Luna.”
“You must, Tia. If worst comes to worst… we must.”
Time passed and Celestia’s tears grew dry. She stood, weary from her weeping. “I trust you’ve alerted the others?”
“Castelli was locked away, but he knows already. I warned Tikl. He shall tell Killian for us.”
“How on earth did you manage to get to Tikl without Pinkie noticing?”
“A very convenient game of spider tossing. I brought the stuffed creatures to life. They told Tikl all he needed to know.” Celestia nodded, allowing herself one small smile. Luna saw this and smiled back. “You should sleep, dear sister. The sun will need to be raised eventually.”
Celestia nodded. “Goodnight, Luna. Thank you.”
The two princess parted ways for the night. In the morning, the sun rose, and all seemed well in Equestria.
> Dualities: The Canterlot Hallucination 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Life had been good for Twilight. Nothing too catastrophic had happened recently. Spike’s little growth problem had been sorted out fairly quickly, and Hearth’s Warming was fantastic this year. She was fairly certain Ardor had helped her with the heart spell, but nopony had commented on anything. Seeing herself from the future had been strange, and she had almost discounted it as a hallucination, but for the fact that Ardor had kept his promise and stayed pretty quiet. Even Cerberus had been an easy fix.
But now they were headed right into the belly of the beast; Canterlot. How would Celestia react to her in what would surely be prolonged exposure? She had seen Celestia briefly a few times, but never long enough to talk to her. What would her mentor do?
And then there was Shining. What would her brother say? Did he know about Ardor? Or would he be too distracted with the wedding to notice?
“Why the long face, Sugarcube?”
Twilight snapped out of her thoughts back into reality. She sighed. “I’m just thinking about Shining Armor. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, we’ve been seeing each other less and less, and now that he’s starting a new family with this… Princess Mi Amore Cal-what’s her name, we’ll probably never see each other!” She laid her head on the windowsill, downhearted. She would love to admit everything that was bothering her, but she couldn’t force that all on her friends. She couldn’t even risk her friends being part of this.
“Come on now, you’re his sister. He’ll always make time for you.”
“Couldn’t seem to make time to tell me he was getting married!”
She glanced at her friends, all of whom looked rather sad. She shook her head; she couldn’t explain this to them. Shining wasn’t her only problem; she was worried about too many things to count. She took a deep breath.
“We’re here, we’re here,” Pinkie shouted. Everypony gathered around, smiling. Twilight sighed; time to face the truth, she supposed. 
Suddenly, something washed over her. A shiver ran through her body as she suddenly felt frozen inside. It was as though every part of her being had been turned to ice. She winced as it turned to pain. “G-gah!” 
“Twilight?” Her friends ran up to her as she sat, hunched over in pain. “Are you alright, darling?”
Twilight shook her head, tears rising to her eyes. What was going on? It was like parts of her were trying to push themselves out, become an entirely separate entity. “I-It… hurts…”
Twilight opened her eyes, but her eyesight seemed to be fading. Whiteness was taking over. Her friends looked at each other, concerned. “Come on, guys,” Rainbow said. “We need to get her into Canterlot and fast!”
Twilight shut her eyes, feeling woozy. The pain was fading, but she felt ever so tired. Ardor, she called out. What’s happening to me?...
Sleep, Miss Sparkle. The voice wavered slightly, as though the pony speaking was wounded. Something strange interacted with our minds. Relax, and sleep. The pain will be gone soon.
Twilight shuddered softly. As Ardor whispered her wishes of comfort, the whiteness faded to black, and she lost consciousness. 

*~*~*~

Twilight groaned, opening her eyes. Darkness surrounded her. She stood, her body aching. What had happened? 
She focused and let her horn light. It did little to affect the blackness; she looked up at the aura. Was it darker than usual, or was it just the dimness of her surroundings? She pushed the question off for another time. More important things to focus on now. 
She squinted. The area around her looked vaguely like her library. "Ardor? Are you here?"
"Go back to sleep." She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. That voice wasn't Ardor. "Settle your heart and drift to rest. Don't fret, Miss Sparkle."
She ran forward, feeling as though she were caught in molasses. That voice - who was it? It sounded familiar, yet she couldn't even tell if it was a male or female's. She stopped as she reached the wall. Something hang there Was it... a mirror?
She trotted closer. As did the figure in the reflection. She was panting from fright as she watched. That whispering, honeyed voice still spoke, as though it came from right next to her. Almost as though it was in her ear, lowly muttering sweet nothings that terrified her. 	Almost as though it was right where she was standing.
She drew closer still to the mirror. "Don't fret, precious." She gasped sharply, barely holding back a scream as she saw her reflection: a dark Alicorn, grinning with fanged teeth, her shredded insect like wings flared out behind her. The element of magic was in her armor; it had shattered.
"I'm here."
Go back to sleep.


Twilight screamed, sitting up in the hospital bed, her chest heaving. Light stung her eyes. It was far too bright here; far too many colors around her. It burned. Everything burned. 
"Twilight!"
"Huh?" She turned before being tackled by her brother. She gasped and hugged him back softly, starting to get used to the light once again. All of her friends were standing outside the room, all of them worried. It was only now that she realized she was in a hospital bed. "What happened?" 
Shining stood back up straight, smiling softly. "You fainted on the train. Your friends said you had started gasping in pain and then just collapsed! You had us all worried, Twily."
I fainted?... Ardor? No response came. She cleared her throat. "I-I'm sorry to worry everypony... I've had an awful headache all day, and I... probably haven't drank enough water." She leaned back slowly, sighing; she felt much weaker than normal. Was it just from fainting?
Applejack nodded. "Y'did seem mighty agitated on the ride here."
"And I don't believe you've drank anything all day, darling," Rarity chimed in. "Perhaps a bit of tea, but that will hardly keep you hydrated."
Twilight smiled a bit sheepishly. "I guess I sorta... forgot." 
Shining rolled his eyes, smiling softly. "You've gotta be more careful, Twily. You can't just go around fainting all the time!"
Twilight huffed. "Maybe I might need too. After all, it took me fainting just for you to talk to me!"
Everypony took a step back, grinning awkwardly. "Oh come on, Twi. It's not my fault! Princess Celestia has requested a major increase in security. Didn't you see all the guards at the tr-" He stopped. "...Oh. Never mind, you... actually wouldn't."
"Not like me seeing them would change anything - there's kinda a big wedding coming up. Maybe you've heard of it?"
Shining shook his head lightly. "This isn't about the wedding." She tilted her head, concerned; he seemed more serious now. "A threat has been made against Canterlot. We don't know who's responsible for it, but Princess Celestia asked that I help additional protection. Remember back when I got my cutie mark, Twilight?"
"Yeah. You accidently fell and performed this shield spell."
"I'm using that protection shield now, but on a much larger scale." He winced slightly as his horn sparked, the pink aura a bit frazzled. "The burden of keeping Canterlot safe and secure rests squarely on my shoulders. Staying focused on the task at hand has been my top priority."
Twilight sighed softly. "Okay, okay, I get it. You've got a really important job protecting all of Canterlot with a force field only you can conjure up. But still... How could you not tell me about something as big as your wedding?" She felt tears rise to her eyes. "Am I not that important to you any more?"
"Hey..." He leaned forward to hug her. "You're my little sister. Of course you're important to me. But..." He smirked, nuzzling he lightly. "I'd understand if you didn't want to be my best mare now..."
"You... want me to be your best mare?" Shining smiled and nodded. "I'd be honored!" She smiled as she hugged him tightly before looking into his eyes. "But I'm still pretty ticked you're marrying somepony I don't even know. When did you meet this 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza'?" 
A small little cough was heard. The conversation paused as everypony glanced toward the door. A smiling, golden furred unicorn stood there, wearing the standard nurses outfit. She trotted in, levitating over a clipboard. “Sorry to interrupt, but I should check up on the patient. If all looks clear, you’ll be free to go!”
“Er, thank you…” Twilight tilted her head sideways, glancing at the nurse’s nametag. “Starlight. Not a name you’d expect from a nurse.”
Starlight smiled. “You’re not what I’d expect for the Element of Magic. Guess we’re both seeing things we wouldn’t expect today.”

*~*~*~

“I am NOT being possessive,” Twilight said, “and I am not taking it out on Cadance. You’re all just too caught up in your wedding planning to realize that maybe there shouldn’t even BE A WEDDING!” She slammed her hoof down on the table, disregarding the drinks as they fell. They didn’t matter. Not now, after everything that had happened today. She huffed and walked away.
Something was very wrong with Cadance. She wasn't acting at all like she should be. Twilight could pass a little bit of that off as bride nerves... but tossing out Applejack's food? Blatantly being insulting to Pinkie? The Cadance she knew wouldn't have spoken that way - not a Princess of Love. 
Twilight sighed as she walked. Today had been such a strange day. Cadance had been acting so strangely. Her friends had practically been ignoring her all day! Not to mention, fainting had left a ringing in her ears and a headache that simply wouldn't go away. She shook her head and started off in the direction of her brother's house. Perhaps she could talk to him? Ask him about everything? Maybe that would at least solve the problems with Cadance.
As she walked, her mind wandered back to the dream she had in the hospital. Was that reflection supposed to be her? Or darker, more sinister forces? The peace lately was making her paranoid, and this ‘threat to Canterlot’ sounded even more terrifying. Worse still, she had yet to hear a single word from -
TWILIGHT!
“Gah!” She jumped a good five feet in the air, startled. So much for ‘not a word’. Ardor?! I thought you were-
I’ve been trying to speak with you fo-- The voice in her head cut out peculiarly. She stood taller. What was going on? The shield is-- --utting into my speech. It’s a shei-- --lings.
Lings? Ardor, repeat what you just said. She ignored the slight embarrassment at ordering Ardor what to do. This was an important event, she knew, and she couldn’t waste time with misunderstandings.
Shinin-- --ield against Changelin-- --hy you fainted.
Twilight groaned as his voice cut out again. Concentrating, she cast a quick spell. Around her, a strange aura appeared, similar to the shield around Canterlot. Here, Ardor. Try one more time.
The shield your brother put up is disrupting our conversations, Twilight. It is a shield to stop Changelings - that is why you fainted on the train. I am, after all, partially a Changeling. There was a slight pause. How did you counteract the interference? 
Twilight trotted over into the shadows. I cast a shield of my own around us. It’s a normal shield, but nullifies the effect of his. Thus, this is neutral ground.
Excellent work, Miss Sparkle. She shuddered at the name. What’s wrong? I sense discomfort.
A nightmare I had after I fainted. Do you know anything about that?
Sadly, yes. It was yet another hallucination. I did not cause it, however - at least, my magic alone did not.
Really? Twilight didn’t like the sounds of that; what if Celestia was trying to probe into her mind to remove Ardor? She shook her head. She hadn’t seen Celestia at all since she had come here. There was no way the Princess would be able to localize those dreams on her. Luna, on the other hoof… That doesn’t bode well for us. What - or who - do you think caused it?
Cadance. She isn’t who she says she is.
Huh? What do you mean?
I can’t say much more - this is more taxing on me than we previously thought. All I can say is that Shining’s shield did not stop me from entering Canterlot, when by all rights, I should have been torn away from your body. That means there could be changelings in Canterlot. Just think back. From your memories, what color was Cadance’s magic?
What color? No response came. Ardor had gone to rest again.
Twilight thought back. What color HAD her magic been? “Easy. It’s emerald green. I’ve seen it countless times since I got into Canter… Wait.” She dropped her shield, thinking. When she had watched Cadance stop that couple’s quarrel all those years ago, it hadn’t been green magic. It had been blue.
A unicorn’s magic didn’t change color unless they a.) were poisoned by other magic, b.) were combining their aura with another’s, or c.) were not the pony in question. Twilight’s eyes widened. “She’s a changeling…”
Twilight took off at a gallop. She needed to save her brother.

*~*~*~

Twilight sighed as she watched her friends chatting over their dresses. Not a single one looked over at her. They were dismissing her worrying as her simply worrying; not that there was something worse coming for them. They had stopped caring. 
"Wait! You can't punish her!"
"It wasn't her fault!"
"Please, your highness. We all saw that Twilight was upset."
"I was so upset... I'm scared for my brother... Please listen to me..."
"But we thought that the thing she was worrying about wasn't worth worrying about."
"Why don't any of you care about that?"
"So when she ran off all worked up, not a single one of us tried to stop her!"
"Why won't you listen to me? Why didn't you care about me? What about that lesson?..."
"As Twilight's good friends, we should have taken her feelings seriously and been there for her!" 
She hung her head, tears rising to her eyes. "Liars... You didn't learn anything..."
"Please don't take her away from us just because we were too insensitive to help her..."
"You're just like them. The originals. Filthy..."
"I have beaten down this veil of truth you deem ‘Friendship’! This fantasy you all call the saver of our world; it’s all a lie!"
"Friendship... It was never worth it." Twilight took a step back into the dark night.
"And who better to open thine eyes than I? I, God of Truth and all Honesty?! God of your True Blasphemy, yet the universal gospel of sweet perfection!" 
"I am better than you," she whispered, her horn beginning to glow a sinister black. "I always have been, and always will be."
She retreated into the night, her horn glowing. She cast numerous spells on herself, anything she knew that related to the blocking of foreign magic. Twilight? What are you doing?
"I'm acting on what I know," she said, casting spells still. "She is a changeling, whether they stand with me or not. I plan to show them."
Why all the spells?
"Celestia will never approve of my actions. Now, she can't interfere with our mind."
There was a pause. You're talking directly to me.
"How observant."
Twilight. Take a deep breath. Twilight stopped what she was doing, freezing in place. Good. Just stop and take a deep breath. There is nothing that anger can do for you. Let go of rage and focus instead on the goal. 
Twilight took a deep breath. Then she took another. Slowly, her body began to relax. She hung her head. Thank you, Ardor. It's just... I know how you feel now.
It hurts, doesn't it? But you mustn't let pain and anger control you. I know it is not easy, but you must suffer through it. I, of all ponies, should know. Twilight nodded, looking back up. She finished up the last of her spells and took a deep breath. She would remain calm. 
"Tomorrow, it begins."


> Dualities: The Canterlot Investigation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Princess Celestia smiled softly as she watched the bridesmaids walk to her. “Perfect girls. No need to rush.” The girls looked at each other, giggling. “Then of course, Cadance will enter.” Right on cue, the doors opened, revealing Cadance. Shining’s smile grew as his eyes lit up; she was truly beautiful. 
Cadance began her walk to the front, her mane and tail swaying with her every step. “I’ll say a few words,” Celestia continued, “and then we’ll begin with the vows. Shining Armor, you’ll get the ring from the best mare.” He looked to his side, smiling.
The music stopped. Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Shining shook his head - how had he not noticed Twilight was there? “Hey… Has anypony seen Twilight?...”
The doors opened, and Twilight entered. Everypony looked at her. “I’m here,” she said cooly, careful not to let anger control her. She strode forth confidently. Nopony was going to ignore her now. They were going to listen. “I am not going to stand next to her, and neither should you,” she said to Shining.
Shining turned to Cadance, biting his lip. “I-I’m sorry… I don’t know why she’s acting like this.”
“Maybe we should just ignore her.”
Twilight huffed lightly. Ignore me? It will be hard to soon. “You have to listen to me - ALL of you. Listen to me!”
“O-Oh goodness!” Fluttershy flew over to Twilight. “A-are you okay?”
A surge of hope rose in Twilight. Could it be… did they still care? “I’m fine, Flutt-”
“You’re sure about that?” Twilight jumped as Applejack interrupted her. 
So that was what they were playing at. Her friends were trying to make her see ‘reason’. She scoffed, using magic to cover Applejack’s face. No more interruptions. "I've got something to say to you all. She's evil," she said, pointing directly at Cadance.
Everypony seemed startled by this declaration. "She's been horrible to my friends, she's obviously done something to her bridesmaids, and if that wasn't enough, I saw her put a spell on my brother." She paused. Time for the real part of this conversation. "Princess Celestia."
Her highness watched Twilight with a chilly gaze. "Yes?"
"Tell me - what color is Cadance's magical aura?"
Celestia rose her eyebrow. "Blue."
"What color is her magic, Shining?"
"I... I don't know."
Suddenly, there was the sound of sobbing. Twilight looked at Cadance curiously. She was crying. "W-why are you doing this to me?!"
"Because you're evil!" Twilight walked closer to the sobbing mare. "You're evil, and if I don't stop you, you're going to ruin my brother's life!"
In an emerald flash, Cadance disappeared. She reappeared outside the doors, running away and sobbing. The guards gasped and ran after her. "See?" She turned triumphantly to her friends; surely, they would see it now. 
She gasped as she felt a smack to her face. Time seemed to stop for an instant. Her cheek stung, but her heart stung more. Had her brother just... She slowly looked back at him, her eyes wide with tears. There was silence in the hall for but moments - all Twilight could hear was Shining's angry breaths, her own pounding heart, and the buzzing in her aching head. Then, as suddenly as it had all seemed to stop, it started again.
Shining glared at her in fury, unsympathetic of the pain he just caused. "You want to know why she's casting spells on me?! Ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines! Cadance hasn't been casting spells on me - she's been using her magic to heal me!"
Twilight gulped, taking a step back. "And she decided," he continued, "to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so that they could meet Canterlot royalty! And if she hasn't been on her best behavior with your friends, it's because with me being so busy, she's had to make all the decisions about the wedding!"
"B-but what about her m-"
"She's been completely stressed out because it's really important to her that our big day be perfect!" 
"I'm stre-"
"Is this not important to you?!" She stopped. "I can't believe you'd be this insensitive!" He trotted past her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride." He stopped, hanging his head. "You can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all."
Shining walked out. Twilight was paralyzed. "C'mon, y'all. Let's go check on the Princess." Twilight watched as her friends walked out. None of them looked back.
She realized what that meant.
There was a moment of tense silence. "What about you, princess," she said softly, yet scathingly. "What do you have to say about my 'outburst'?"
There was silence behind her. Slowly, she turned. She saw Celestia. Her slender hooves, that dove white fur; she was beautiful, and terrified. Twilight could have sworn she saw tears in the princess's eyes. 
"Ardor..."
Twilight felt that very familiar power rising inside her. She stood tall now, however; she would not cower before the princess. She might be hurting, aching from what just happened, but she would not show that weakness now. She wasn't going to break down now!
She grinned. Those violet eyes flashed white, then remained a dim magenta, almost red. "Nice to meet you again, Tia," she said in a voice not her own. A confident voice. 
No more hiding.
"W-What have you done to Cadance?!"
Ardor laughed, lifting a hoof up. "What have I done? This is not my doing, Celestia. You know how weak I grew after you all but murdered me."
"You must be behind this!" Her wings flared out, rage and sorrow burning in her eyes. "I'll not let you hurt my family again!" 
"You are blind and evil as you always have been, Celestia." Ardor bowed his head. "You should have listened to Twilight."
"The only evil being here is you, Ardor."
Twilight shook her head, looking back at the princess. "Then why are we so scared of you?"
Celestia took a step back. She shut her eyes tightly. In a single flap of her wings, Celestia rose. Her horn began to glow, and she was gone. Twilight sighed softly. Somehow, this did not feel like a victory.
She trotted over to the stairs, sitting on them. Did I do that correctly, Ardor?
It is impossible to say, Twilight. In my eyes, you did splendidly. I forever marvel your cunning, Miss Sparkle, even if the outcomes do not match the goal.
I’m glad that ended well. I was scared when you took over my body…
I’m sorry to have scared you, Miss Sparkle. I will ask permission from now on. I am surprised it even worked; one must have absolute trust in the host and soul for that control to occur. I thank you for your overwhelming trust, Twilight.
Twilight smiled softly. She felt tears in her eyes. She was finally branching out; trying new magic as her element symbolized, freeing herself slowly of the burden of keeping her duality a secret. She cried tears of relief and fear, at least solid in the fact that one day, somepony might understand. Hopefully, her friends would see. Hopefully. Until then, she had Ardor. Ardor could show her the way, for now.
What would happen now? Shining hated her. Her friends had abandoned her. Even Celestia ran off in fear. And what about Cadance? What could she do, now, to stop the changeling threat? Shining was being poisoned by her, and her friends would do nothing.
Her ears twitched; a noise came from behind her. She turned and gasped, her eyes wide.
Cadance's horn was glowing a deep shade of green. Fire formed around them both. "You'll pay for that, Twilight Sparkle." She grinned as the fire surrounded the speechless unicorn. She turned her back and walked away; she had a wedding to plan.
In a fiery blaze, Twilight was gone.

*~*~*~

Twilight sat up, groaning. Her head was pounding. The buzzing seemed even louder. Apparently, fainting and being knocked out both do incredible damage to ones mental and physical state. "Ugh... Where are we?"
"You're in the caves beneath Canterlot." Twilight looked around frantically. It was too dark; focusing, she lit her horn and gasped. The reflection in the crystals around her was shocking; a black Alicorn with green eyes, holes riddled through her body. A-ardor? Is this real?
Yes, Twilight. She is the one impersonating Cadance. Worse still, she is a queen of her hive.
Queen? Hive?
Just pay attention to her ramblings. She may give you a clue on how to get out of here.
“Why am I down here,” Twilight shouted, standing up. She still felt wobbly on her hooves.
“This place was once home to greedy unicorns who wanted to claim the gems that could be found inside.” The changeling smiled, her fangs glinting in each reflection. “And now… this is your prison. This is what you deserve after your little show today.”
Twilight stood tall, scowling. “Do you think some measly little labyrinth of crystal will stop me? You are NOT going to marry my brother!”
“It’s no use, Twilight. You’ll never be able to navigate these caverns alone, and no one can hear you down here. Nopony up there will even think to look for you, either. That’s why these caverns are the perfect place to hide those who interfere with my plans.”
Twilight shook her head. “But I’m not alone.”
The crystalline image laughed. “Ah, yes, you have your friends. Tell me, what has friendship done for you?”
If I may, Twilight, might I speak with her? She will listen if I speak.
Twilight smirked and nodded. “Friends aren’t what will save me…”
Her eyes flashed white. Ardor glared at the reflection as the light from Twilight’s horn shifted to a charred red. “I am what will save her.”
The queen gasped, her eyes widening. “The… That… You’re…”
“I am your God. State your name, you miserable creature.”
The changeling shook her head quickly. “I will not bow to t-this foalish attempt at trickery! You are not changeling! I can sense you, even from this far away; you are not a changeling.”
“Look deeper. Surely a queen can see into the mind of a pony as easily as through a window.” The queen flinched as though stung. “Ah… so you cannot. Such a pity.” Ardor stepped closer, seeing his own reflection in the crystal now - the body of Twilight stood tall and confident once more, demanding respect. “You are starving. You are lusting after love.” Ardor laughed bitterly. “You are weak as a wriggling larva on their first hunt. Pathetic…”
They turned their back on the quivering reflection. “Now… state your name.”
“... C-Chrysalis... “
“At the very least, you have a regal sounding name.” Ardor shook his head, glancing at the crystals around. “Now… You have made the grave mistake of stopping my pupil from reaching her goal. What has driven you to this miserable pursuit of stolen love?”
“W-we are starving… Our GOD has abandoned us,” she spat out, glaring at them.
“Yes, I have. Did I even mention just how much you disgust me?” He scoffed. “I will give you one chance. End this desperate display of prowess and release us. Go back to your hive, and I may give you enough love to survive, should it please me to do so.”
“Never.” The changeling's eyes narrowed. “God or illusion, I shall not abandon my kind.”
Ardor turned quickly to face the reflection, a sickening grin on their face. Chrysalis flinched, gasping. “Then on your own head be it.”
Twilight gasped as her horn began to glow a bright lavender. A blast fired from it, ricocheting off the crystals around her. She collapsed, dodging the blasts as her body shifted back to her control. She shuddered as the wall behind her shattered.
“Twilight?!” She looked behind her and dimly saw an alicorn run towards her. She looked pink; but as Twilight watched, she turned purple, then nearly black. The rest of the world faded as well, and Miss Sparkle went back to sleep.

*~*~*~

Twilight sat up, sitting in the nothingness of her own mind. Her library was nowhere to be found. Her head felt… clear. Nothing ached - there was no pain. Only peace. Ardor?
I am here, Twilight. She looked to the side. There he stood, the same serene alicorn she had always known. I am sorry if I exhausted you. I shall refrain from taking control again. He sat. I was hoping that by commanding her as I once did her race, she might see reason. They have lost me, however; they have lost all hope.
   What did you mean when you called yourself their God?
That is what I am to them, no? Giver of love and land and the possibility of life? Twilight nodded. I am sorry you had to hear all of that. I must speak with them that way; else they would rally themselves against each other, fighting in meaningless, bitter war to find who is the better thief of love. By degrading them all, I buy them peace.
 I understand. Twilight looked around. Why are we here? Where is the library?
The library is fading, Twilight. You are moving on.
Moving on?
You will find out, soon. Ardor stood. The time is coming when all will be revealed.
All? As in.. everything about you?
Everything about Celestia, Luna, the past, and I. Everything you have ever wanted to know about us will be told. The time is coming when you will ascend all greatness. As has been your destiny since time began. I was only a bystander here to witness it.
Twilight stood, her eyes full of fear. I’m scared, Ardor. I don’t know what you mean by any of this.
I do not expect you to. Ardor smiled, embracing her. She gasped, but accepted the hug. Somehow, it just felt right - like a hug from a close friend. You need not worry, Twilight. That day is still to come. 
Twilight took a deep breath, looking him in the eyes. She had truly known him for all her life; though she had met him when she came to Ponyville, she still felt a strange bond with him. Ardor… I… I need to know. Why me? Why did you come to me in particular?
Ardor looked at her and nodded. Do you remember how I told you that Celestia thought I took over Luna?
Yes.
That is because… When I first corrupted… I tried to rule all ponies. Every honest being was my disciple; every dishonest being was to burn. That included the other elements. They had lied to me, in a way. Told me our friendship mattered while still ignoring me.
But you couldn’t kill them without killing Star Swirl.
They knew that. I, however, still longed for another way to kill us. And… I nearly found one.
Twilight tilted her head. I… thought you said…
I did tell you honestly - there is no way to kill us without killing Star Swirl. But I did know of a way to effectively separate us all. Ardor sighed. I knew that if drove the right wedges between us all, we would scatter. For awhile, it worked…
But?
Ardor hung his head. Twilight saw a rueful smile on his face. But then, Luna came to me. She still trusted me, even after all of this. She told me I could be a good man. She brought me back to the being I was made to be. She told me that she trusted in our friendship… Ardor laughed lightly, for once sounding happy. She told me that through the darkest times, friendship would be there to guide me through anything. 
Was… was she right? Twilight thought back to how each of her friends had abandoned her. Was friendship really… worth it?
Ardor gently lifted Twilight’s chin up, smiling. It made me the stallion I am today. Do not let my past friendships that failed influence your current ones. You and your friends… perhaps you have what Luna and I had. A true friendship. That is why I came to you, Twilight. You are so much like her, in so many ways. You were both the Element of Magic… You both are so kind, so loyal, so trusting… You are every element, just as she was. I trust you, Twilight, as I did her; that is why I chose you.
But… Luna corrupted.
Ardor flinched lightly as she said this. He sighed, looking off into the vast oblivion around them. That is why… I fear Celestia may be right, in a way. Luna… I did make her Nightmare Moon. I did not help her in her time of need… 
But you didn’t do that on purpose! You are no more to blame than Celestia herself! Twilight stood tall and proud, smiling. I swear this to you, Ardor; I will show Celestia our power. I will show her the good you have done for me - for all of us. She will trust us once again.
Ardor smiled. Thank you, Twilight… You are truly… a true friend. He nodded. Now… it is time to wake, Miss Sparkle. 
Good Luck.
> Dualities: The Power Of Persuasion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You’re not going anywhere,” the three bridesmaids muttered, sickening grins plastered to each of their faces. They slunk closer, their green tinted eyes seeming to shine in the dimness around them.
Cadance backed away, trying to think of a way out of this. Twilight merely scowled. She had hiked through the caverns, tiredly picking through stone after stone, trying to find a way out, just to be stopped by these three ponies? They each looked vaguely familiar, but at this point, she couldn’t care less who they were. They were in her way, and if she didn’t hurry, Chrysalis would win.
“Stay back, Princess,” Twilight growled. Cadance looked at her, wide eyed, saying nothing. Twilight’s horn began to glow, not with her usual magenta aura, but with a blackened red color. Her eyes flashed white. The bridsmaids before her stopped, frightened. Each of their own horns began to glow the same color, and their eyes flashed as well. 
Simultaneously, the three mares began to scream.
“STOP! STOP, PLEASE!”
“MAKE IT END!”
“WE’RE SORRY! SHOW MERCY!”
Cadance took another step back, shock written on her face as she watched Twilight. The little filly she used to know was… grinning. She was enjoying this. This power. What on earth had happened to her?
All at once, the screaming ended. The three mares rubbed their heads, their previous agony seemingly forgotten entirely. They all looked dazed. Twilight took a deep breath, the light around her horn fading. “Twilight… W… What did you do to them?”
Twilight gulped, looking at Cadance. “A spell I read about a very long time ago. It clears the mind of any magic whatsoever; unfortunately, it causes unspeakable pain to unicorns, who are the most magical of ponies. It cleared their minds of that changeling’s hypnotic power, but brought them great pain as well.”
Cadance watched Twilight closely. She seemed to be telling the truth. Still… something was off about her. Cadance had known her long enough to tell that Twilight had changed, and not entirely for the better. She had to do something to fix that.
And yet.
Cadance nodded. “Alright.” Time enough for that later. For now, Shining Armor was more important. She had to get back to him, before it was too late. “Lead the way.”
Twilight nodded, and together, they made their way out of the caverns.

*~*~*~

“Princess Cadance and Shining Armor,” Celestia was saying, “it is my great pleasure to pronounce you -”
“STOP!”
Everypony gasped as Twilight strode confidently into the hall. She stood tall, knowing now she had been right all along. She saw the disappointed faces of her friends and nearly laughed out loud. If only they knew what she knew. If only they were as smart as her, if only they could grasp such things as she knew. They had betrayed her, but she would forgive them. She was, and always would be, the bigger pony. The better pony.
The fake Cadance took a step back, startled. Celestia glanced at her, concerned. Cadance glanced around, obviously worried; where had Twilight come from?
Twilight smirked. Chrysalis was scared - terrified, really - of the power she had. Of the power they had, Ardor and she. “What’s wrong, Cadance? Or should I say, Chrysalis?”
Everypony seemed confused by her questions; all except the mare in wedding garb. She gasped, gulping, looking to Shining Armor for assistance. He stared blankly at her. She gulped, raising her hoof to her eyes and pretending to cry. “W-why does she have to ruin my special day,” she said, hoping she could wrap these little ponies far enough to get Twilight out of there.
“Because it’s not YOUR special day.” Everypony turned to look at who spoke. Cadance, the real one, strode into the hall, fury in each step. “It’s mine.”
“WHAT!?” The disguised changeling bit her lip, eyes wide. “B-But how did you escape my bridesmaids??”
Twilight and Cadance looked at each other. They nodded; they had agreed not to tell anypony about what had happened in the caverns. The guests would be disturbed to hear about the pain caused to the bridesmaids. It would be their little secret. Cadance sighed. “It was easy, really. A simple bouquet had them running.”
The queen scoffed. “Hm. Clever. But you’re still too late.”
“A-Ah don’t understand!” Twilight glanced at Applejack. “How can there be two of ‘em?”
Twilight frowned in disappointment. Not even a casual remark about twins? Not a single guess about cloning? How… saddening. They couldn’t wrap their minds around the idea she had been saying all along, even when it was right before their eyes. They still refused to listen to her. To believe in her.
“She’s a changeling,” Cadance said. “She takes the form of somepony you love and gains power by feeding off your love for them!” Twilight nodded. Cadance had gotten the full debriefing from her in the caverns. She had passed it off casually as simply “something she learned in a book somewhere”. How simple the little white lies came to her, now. The irony wasn’t lost on her; once again, she felt like laughing.
Everypony gasped as flames erupted in the hall. Twilight watched calmly as the true queen emerged; Queen Chrysalis. This was the mare she had seen in the caverns. This was the mare who was trying to steal her brother. This was the mare who was trying to steal love itself.
Twilight scoffed. Pitiful. She is falling apart; just look at those holes, that hair. She is sick, isn’t she?
No response came from Ardor. Twilight didn’t mind; she knew he was watching, just as she was. He would be beside her through it all. Twilight lifted her head taller as Chrysalis finally emerged from the flames, laughing.
“Right you are, Princess, and as queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I’ve ever encountered.” Chrysalis strode forth, seemingly with confidence. Twilight saw the falter in her steps, however. Chrysalis was strong on stolen love, love that would never fully sustain her. She was strong in magic, but weak in physical form. “My fellow changelings,” she continued saying, “will be able to devour so much of it that we will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!”
“They’ll never get the chance! Shining Armor’s protection spell will keep them from ever even reaching us!”
Chrysalis laughed. “Oh, I doubt that.” She turned. “Isn’t that right, dear?” Shining Armor slowly nodded, completely under the changeling’s spell. Cadance frowned in anger and charged forward. Chrysalis put her hoof down. “Ah-Ah-Ah. Don’t want to go back to the caves, now, do you?” Cadance took a few steps back. Twilight trotted up beside her, surprisingly calm. Both regarded the queen cooly.
“Ever since I took your place, I’ve been feeding off Shining Armor’s love for you. Every moment, he grows weaker, and so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it.” She cackled, turning Shining’s head to face her. “He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control now, and, I’m sorry to say, unable to perform his duties as captain of the royal guard!”
“N-Not my Shining Armor,” Cadance cried. Twilight’s eyes were wide in surprise, but they quickly hardened into a wrathful glare. Not her Shining Armor either. Not her brother.
“Soon, my Changeling Army will break through! First, we take Canterlot, and then, ALL of Equestria,” Chrysalis cried gleefully.
So that’s it then, Twilight heard Ardor mutter in the brief silence. This is a power grab, not a true crusade for love. Pathetic. We should end this, right here and now, just to get it over with.
“No.” The voice tore Twilight back to the matter at hoof. She looked in surprise at Celestia. “You won’t.” Twilight shivered. For the smallest of moments, it had felt like Celestia was talking directly to her. 
“You may have made it impossible for Shining Armor to perform his spell,” Celestia continued to say, “but now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self, I will protect my subjects from you!” The two beings clashed their horns together before the princess rose into the air, horn blazing. Chrysalis gasped, her own horn sparkling with a green haze. Their two beams of magic met, filling the room with intense light. Chrysalis cried out once in vain. 
Twilight watched. There was so much she could do, but she was paralyzed. She had never seen Celestia fight before. She is… so powerful.
Suddenly, she was filled with a dread horror. She didn’t know where the feeling came from - she simply felt as though all energy in the world had been drained from her. She shivered, her eyes widening. She heard but 3 simple, horrible words. She needs Luna.
Where was Luna?
Twilight blinked, and it was over. She heard the clattering of the crown as it crashed to the floor; moments later, the princess did as well. The ponies gathered gasped in alarm. Somepony cried out, “Princess Celestia!” As Twilight ran to her mentor, it took her an instant to realize it was her own voice.
Even Chrysalis was amazed. She stared in disbelief at the fallen Celestia. “Ha… Ha! Shining Armor’s love for you is even stronger than I thought! Consuming it has made me even more powerful than Celestia!”
Twilight leaned over Celestia. Her horn was charred, her wing obviously broken under her. She gently lifted the princess’s head, seeing her open her eyes. Celestia looked at her student, and Twilight saw only one thing. 
Despair.
“The elements of harmony,” she whispered. “You must get to them - they are your only hope, my faithful student.”
Twilight nodded, standing. She looked around; surrounding her were her friends. Each looked determined. Proud. Strong. She shut her eyes tightly and looked away. “Let’s go.”
Twilight ran as fast as she could. If Celestia thought she could handle the Changeling army with the elements, then she should trust Celestia. Her teacher had taught her everything; she was, by far, the strongest mare alive. With her advice, anything would be possible.
But hadn’t that very same mare just fallen to a simple hive queen?
Twilight groaned as she ran. The buzzing in her ears had risen to unbearable levels. She stumbled a bit and stopped when she heard a voice, clear as day in her mind. 
Chrysalis’s voice.
The time is now, minions! Break the shield! Stop them from getting to the Elements!
Twilight’s eyes widened. Her horn sparked green, red, purple and black and her eyes flashed. Her friends stopped, looking at her in concern. “T-Twilight!?”
Twilight gasped. “W-We need to go back! This instant!”
All of them looked at each other. “B-But,” Fluttershy stuttered out, “the princess said-”
“I DON’T CARE WHAT SHE SAID!” All of them stared at her in shock. “That shield isn’t going to hold until we get there! I just know it! We need to get back and stop Chrysalis - WITHOUT the elements!”
“We CAN’T Twilight!” Rainbow flew down to her level. “Did you SEE her? She’ll totally kick our butts!”
“We CAN. We can do anything! I am the Element of Magic for pete’s sake!” She spun around, her eyes narrowed in determination. “I can do this alone if I have to.” She shut her eyes tightly. “I’ll do it alone if you make me.”
There was a second of silence. She felt a hoof on her shoulder. She turned to see Applejack, smiling. “We’re not leavin’ you, sugar. We… made an awful mistake, earlier. We coulda listened, but…” She shut her eyes, hanging her head.
“But instead of learning our lesson the first time,” Rarity chimed in, “we chose to let stress rule our lives. We missed the point of an important lesson and, as history dictates, we were destined to repeat our mistake.”
“We should’ve listened to you, Twilight,” Fluttershy mumbled from behind her mane. 
“We’ve been awful friends,” Pinkie added.
Rainbow rubbed her hoof, sighing. “Can you forgive us, Twi? A… A second time?”
Twilight looked at each of them. Her eyes searched theirs. She swallowed the lump in her throat. What should I do, Ardor?
She watched them and listened. She listened to the buzzing and the nervous shuffling and the held breaths. She listened to herself, to her friends, and to her internal ‘guest’. She listened, and turned her back on her friends. Then, she began to speak very fast. There wasn’t much time left, after all.
“The magic you all just saw from my horn is a reaction to Chrysalis’s magic. She’s been communicating with her minions this entire time. That’s why we have to turn back - my magic reacted because they’re growing more and more powerful by the second. We need to go, now, and stop her, before she steals all the magic in Canterlot.” She shut her eyes. “My element is inside me, not just a little gem I can wear. I have that magic with me always. I need to face off against her.” She paused and opened her eyes. “I need to face her… but nopony ever said I have to do it alone.” 
All of her friends gave a collective cheer. “Come on, ponies,” she cried. “Let’s go!”
The ground shook. The world was filled with shattering. She looked up, eyes wide.
The shield was broken. They were coming.
It was time.
“GO! GO GO GO!”
Together, the 6 ponies ran away from the Element Tower, back to the queen.
> Death: The First Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Cadance groaned, struggling with the changeling goop that kept her trapped in place. She glanced over at Shining, concern etched into her face. “S-Shining,” she whispered, “please wake up… Equestria needs you.”
“Please.” Chrysalis stood at the window, her eyes searching the ground as she watched the mayhem her minions were causing. “He’s completely under my control. There’s no way your words can reach him now.”
Cadance looked at the changeling queen, her eyes full of hatred. “Why are you doing this, Chrysalis!? There has to be a better way to get love!"
Chrysalis hissed, glaring at the princess. "What would you know of our harvests?"
"I know that Equestria would give you love freely! Had you communicated with Celestia instead of so foolishly invading, you would have so much more love now."
Chrysalis scoffed. "Please. Celestia would never agree to help the changelings.”
“How do you know since you never asked!?”
“Because she hates our kind and our so called ‘God’.” Cadance tilted her head, some of her anger ebbing away into curiosity. God? 	Chrysalis hissed, shaking her head. “I’ve said far too much. Why am I telling a mere pony princess the history of the Changelings?”
“Because you can’t help it,” came the voice from the door. “Changelings always have this habit of saying too much.”
Chrysalis spun around to face Twilight and her friends, shocked. “H-How did you get back here? My drones should’ve caught you by now!”
“Let’s just say I had a little warning to your trap,” Twilight said with a thin smile, her horn sparking green for a single instant.
Chrysalis’s eyes widened. “Ardor…”
“It’s over, Chrysalis!” Rainbow landed next to Twilight, glaring at the queen. “Your dumb trap couldn’t stop us!”
“Yeah,” came Pinkie’s bubbling voice from the back of the group. “You and your meanie drones can just go back home!”
Chrysalis growled, her body lowering naturally lower to the ground. “I should’ve known you’d use that trick, Ardor. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle - how much has he manipulated you now? How much has he ruined you?”
Twilight felt a mild panic inside - Chrysalis was going to reveal everything! Stay calm my pet. Listen to my thoughts. Know what I say is true.
She took a soft breath, shaking her head as her friends looked at her, worried. “You can’t fool me with your mind games, Chrysalis. My talent for magic might have connected me to your hive mind, but I know those voices are just that - voices.” Her eyes narrowed into a glare. “You aren’t going to get out of this that easily.”
“Just look at them, Miss Sparkle!” Chrysalis pointed to those gathered. “Look into your friends’ eyes! Look at the doubt that practically DRIPS off of them! They don’t believe in you anymore.”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but stopped as Rarity stepped forward. “Now that’s where you’re wrong, you ruffian.”
“Rarity’s right.” Applejack stepped to Twilight’s side as well, looking at her friend with a determined smile. “We might not understand her magic or learn our lessons like we should sometimes, but we sure as sugar believe in her.” She glanced at Chrysalis. “No queen’s gonna pull apart our friendship that easily.”
Twilight felt tears rising in her eyes. Her friends…
Twilight, you’ve got to concentrate. She’s going to get the upper hoof if you keep talking instead of getting rid of her. Now, do the spell, just like I told you to.
She nodded slightly. “Alright, girls. Are you ready?”
“Yes!”
“Yeah!”
“Indeed.”
“Ready!”
“O-Okay…”
Twilight grinned. She shut her eyes and concentrated, her horn lighting with all the colors of magic held within her now; emerald, for the Changelings; red, black, gold, all for Ardor; lavender, for her own magic. It was all in an instant before the aura around her horn turned to a bright and shining white. She opened her eyes, blind to the world.
She rose up on invisible wings, white eyes shining along with her horn. Her friends all shut their eyes as they felt it. Her immense power. Each opened their eyes as well, their eyes as white as their friend’s. They felt her enormous power. Their enormous power.
“No! NO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” Chrysalis took a step back, her eyes wide in terror. Twilight snarled as this reaction. Why did this foal believe she deserved anything? Why did she think she was right and proper? She deserved a crime worse than death. With her head bowed, her horn pointed directly at Chrysalis, Twilight fired, not of her own accord, but of the entity who was held inside her. 
“YOU WILL PAY, ARDOR,” was Chrysalis’s last cry before the final blast. From Twilight, a pulsing, white field surged through Canterlot, sending each Changeling soaring for the skies. The slime they created melted to nothingness; the disguises they wore shed from their bodies like dirt in rain as they were sent, in pain, beyond Equestria’s borders.
Twilight breathed in, and in she breathed every atom of existence. She could feel every part of magic in the world, every last particle of substance that made up the water and earth and sky and air. She felt like the world was buzzing and she was the powerhouse. She wanted it; needed it. She needed magic. Lived for it. Sacrificed for it. She was magic.
And then she breathed out again.
The light faded from her horn and eyes and she fell to the floor, landing on her hooves. Her friends collapsed in heaps on the floor, panting from exertion. Twilight glanced at them, panting lightly. T-That was… incredible…
“Guh… C-cadance?” 
Cadance gasped as Shining shook his head, rubbing it with his hoof. “S-Shiny?!”
He looked at her, eyes spinning lightly. He shook his head again, groaning. “I… Is the wedding over?”
She laughed, tears rolling down her face. “S-Shiny…” She ran to him, nuzzling him and holding him tightly. 
Twilight smiled tiredly at them before she heard a soft groan from nearby. She glanced to the right. 
Celestia stood weakly, her wings drooping slightly. She looked at Twilight with a glare. Twilight gasped as she saw all of the malice and hatred in those eyes, and all in an instant, she realized who it was meant for. 
Do not dwell on her past grudges, my dear. She merely blames me for what could have been calamitous.
Twilight gulped and averted her eyes. Her friends stood and laughed together, however exhausted. She smiled at them all, still wary of the tension now in the air between her and her teacher.
Applejack took a deep breath. “That was mighty powerful magic, Twi… Are y’alright?”
Twilight nodded, smiling a bit brighter. “Yes… Yes, I am. Thank you, all, for standing with me… for believing in me.”
“Of COURSE we believed in you,” Pinkie said, springing to her hooves with energy to spare. “You’re, like, our bestest ever friend in the universe!”
Fluttershy nodded, receiving Rarity’s help to stand. “I-I only regret not believing you sooner…”
“Fluttershy is right,” Rarity said, hanging her head. “My dear, could you see it to forgive us?”
Twilight smiled. “I already have, remember?” All of them smiled and hugged. It was a beautiful scene.
Beautiful to everyone but one, that is. Twilight… I have a favor to ask of you.
Anything for you, Ardor. Anything.

*~*~*~

Twilight yawned as she returned to the section of the palace they were all staying in. Everypony had retired already; she was the last of her friends still awake. She smiled. The evening had gone well. The songs had been sung, the party was all just about cleaned up now… the only thing that really worried her was the fact that Princess Celestia had not spoken to her at all tonight. She frowned. “I suppose it’s because… well…”
Because of me?
She jumped, surprised. “A-Ardor?” She glanced around, her heart racing, but no one stood in the hall with her. She took a deep breath. “Y-Your voice was so loud… It was as though you were standing right next to me…”
I am growing more powerful.
She gulped, glancing around and returning to her regular speech with him. She didn’t want anypony to hear this conversation. More powerful?
It has to do with the magic you used today. That was very strong, very intense magic you used, Miss Sparkle. The stronger your magic, the more powerful I grow. Soon, I will be able to leave you.
Leave? Twilight licked her lips, stopping near a window and looking outside. I… wow. I never considered the possibility that you could… leave.
Is this… sentiment I feel? Will you miss me, Twilight?
She nodded softly, smiling as she looked at the bare moon. We have done so much together, Ardor. It’s… going to be strange without you.
She heard a soft laugh, warmer than anything she’d heard from Ardor before. Do not fret, Twilight. My magic is not so potent yet. You’re still stuck with me, at least for now.
That’s a relief.
Now, this playful little chat, while delightful, is not why I contacted you. 
Oh?
You will recall I asked you for a favor? Twilight nodded. Good. Now, you don’t have to do this… but… well…
Please, tell me, Ardor. I want to know.
Ardor smirked, a ball of magic held in his hooves in the inner depths of Twilight’s subconscious, the image of a bleeding queen held in the red orb. Well… It’s going to be a rather far trip, if you want to accept…

*~*~*~

Twilight gasped as she appeared in the middle of nowhere, her heart racing from the long distance teleportation. Her lungs greedily clutched at the air, heaving for oxygen. She’d never teleported that much in one night. 
Just take a few deep breaths, Twilight. Don’t hyperventilate.
She bit her lip and began to breathe through her nose, practicing the same breathing techniques her new sister in law had shown her. She quickly settled her heart down with easy breathing, shutting her eyes. She nodded when she had calmed down. Good job, pet. You did very well.
“Thank you, Ardor. Let’s keep going now.”
Alright. Keep going forward; you’ll be able to sense her soon.
Twilight nodded again and continued moving. The ground beneath her hooves felt unnatural. Dead. She shivered and kept moving, trying to keep her thoughts on anything other than the evil ground she trotted on.
She thought about her recent communications with Ardor. She’d been talking to him normally lately. Was it because he was becoming more real? She supposed that had to be the case. But what did his growth mean? Would his mind soon become too much for her mind to house? Would he have to move on? Where would he go?
She swallowed, looking around. She veered slightly to the right, from gut feeling or Ardor’s Changeling abilities, she wasn’t sure. She guessed it didn’t matter. She was still lost in thought; what would he do once he left? Would he inhabit someone else, or would he powerful enough to exist on his own? 
Why did that idea… scare her so much?
“W...who goes?”
Twilight stopped in her tracks, looking up at the sound. She heard faint breathing, felt the death in the air. She’d walked into a field of corpses; the Changelings she’d blown away. 
Her stomach turned in sickness as she saw it all; smelled it all. The air was thick with blood. She was breathing in the death of all of those she had killed, intentionally or not. And, before her eyes, stood the shaking, trembling shambles of the Queen. The Queen of the dead.
Chrysalis hissed softly, taking a step back from her. “You…” She coughed, her voice weak, her chest bleeding. Twilight was no expert on wounds, but judging from the amount of blood dripping down her front, Chrysalis would not survive long. 
“C-Chrysalis, I-I…”
“D-Do not.. speak to me… Twilight Sparkle…” Chrysalis coughed again, her blood staining her lips as she did. “M-My words are only… for the thing… you contain…”
Twilight shivered, looking down. She didn’t want to see anymore. She had done this. A-Ardor, what do I do?
You know what needs to be done. Just cast the spell I taught you, dear. You can do it.
Twilight gulped, focusing her magic. Her horn flickered once or twice, turning a strange, muted green. She shut her eyes tightly, concentrating on all that Ardor had told her. 
Chrysalis shuddered, the green surrounding her. “W-what are you…” She froze, her eyes widening. The holes on her body filled, the rips and tears and gashes along her wings and chest healing. Her body was paralyzed, feeling fuller than ever before, yet at the very same time, as though all her life had been sucked away.
Twilight shook her head, groaning as the spell continued. She'd already used up so much of their combined and powerful magic just getting here.  A-Ardor, I-I don’t know if I can control this anymore…
Just a little further, pet. Just a little more…
Twilight groaned, her eyes shut tight. She didn’t want to see Chrysalis’s face. Ardor had told her this spell would heal the Queen, but the look of intense pain on Chrysalis’s face was too much to bear.
Her head ached and her brain felt fuzzy. She took a faltering breath; the air tasted like magic, just like in her earlier encounter with the queen. She licked her lips. It tasted good.
She was getting so tired. So... very tired. Weakly, she collapsed; she never knew she did. 
Chrysalis cried out as Twilight fell, pain coursing through her now fully formed body. The fallen unicorn laughed, his voice chuckling through his faithful mouthpiece. "Your God," Ardor said, grinning as he looked towards the queen, "has forsaken you."
She screamed only once more before her full body deteriorated, and into ash she was made. Ardor inhaled deeply, the magic left from the dead queen rising to his breath. He smiled, standing, as his eyes flashed green. "Delicious..." He sighed, shutting his eyes. In a burst of magic, they disappeared.

*~*~*~

Twilight groaned softly as she opened her eyes. Everything hurt. She rubbed her head and sat up. She was sitting in her bed at the palace; her friends were all asleep nearby. She yawned and shook her head, confused. Wasn't I just... There was a spell…
Just rest now, Miss Sparkle. It t’was simply a bad dream.
A… dream? Twilight rubbed her head, thinking hard. It had all felt so real… Chrysalis… She had… “No,” she whispered so not to wake the others. “No, too much leans toward it having been a dream.” If she had teleported that far, there’s no way she would’ve gotten back so quickly, not to mention the ache her body would have had she used so much magic in so little time. Other than her confusion, Twilight felt fine - perhaps better than normal, even - and completely unlike a unicorn who had overextended their magic.
Besides, why would she kill Chrysalis, or Ardor, for that matter? It wasn’t like she was much of a threat. And Ardor would never lie to her just like that. It was simply out of his nature. With a soft sigh of relief, Twilight lied back against her pillow, yawning. Very well, Ardor. Goodnight.
Goodnight, Miss Sparkle. Ardor smirked as Twilight began to fall asleep once more, relishing the increase in magic he had gained from Chrysalis’s death.  I shall see you in the morning.