> Sunrise
>  by Black Kyurem
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Dark Sun, Dark Sky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





"Hurry up girls!"  Twilight Sparkle led her five best friends and Spike, still sleeping on her back, to the top of a hill that gave them a magnificent view of the mountains.

"Why did you have to wake us up so early?" groaned Rainbow Dash.  "I know you want us all to see the sun rise, but why today of all days?"

"It's the anniversary of my coronation!" said Twilight.  "One year ago today, I was crowned Princess of Friendship!  Once I learned about friendship after moving to Ponyville, little did I know that it would be my destiny to bring friendship to all of Equestria and spread peace and happiness!"

"Ah remember your coronation like it was only yesterday," said Applejack.  "We knew you would do great things, Twi... even if our friendships started out a bit rough and you seemed reluctant."  The six friends shared a good laugh over how things were back then.  That's when Spike finally woke up.

"Couldn't we just do this some other time?" groaned Spike, rubbing his eyes.  "What's watching a sunrise got to do with the anniversary of your coronation?  Why can't Pinkie just throw a party at noon when we're all awake?"

"A party!" Pinkie gasped.  "What a great idea!  I can't believe I never thought of that!  If Twilight's the Princess of Friendship, then I'm the princess of... PARTIES!!"  She threw confetti and streamers everywhere and blew through a party blower.

"You wish," Rainbow laughed.  "But you do throw the most amazing parties in Ponyville!"

"Oh!" exclaimed Twilight.  "Oh!  Here it comes!  The sun is rising!  Princess Celestia is raising the sun!"  The sun slowly starting rising over the mountains, casting its sunlight into the valleys below.  But just as the sky was starting to change color, the sun suddenly sprang high into the sky and then dipped back down below the mountains, causing the sky to return back to the way it was before sunrise.  Spike and the Mane 6 gasped in shock.

"Oh my goodness!" said Fluttershy.  "What happened?!"

"The sun!" exclaimed Rarity.  "It's... gone!"









Back in Ponyville, the denizens were abuzz with the recent happening.  The sun had suddenly jerked high into the sky, causing a premature sunrise before setting in the exact same direction that it rose.  The sudden brightness had alerted most of them, so they were able to witness the sun disappearing behind the mountains.  Mayor Mare was of course trying to calm everyone down.

"Citizens of Ponyville!" she announced.  "Please!  Do not panic!  We will resolve this as soon as we can!"  At that moment, Twilight and her friends approached her.  "Princess Twilight," said the mayor.  "I trust you can figure out this bizarre happening?"

"Yes, Mayor Mare," said Twilight.  "My friends and I will get to this one way or another."

"Any ideas, Twi?" asked Applejack.  "Ah reckon the Elements of Harmony could fix a problem like this, but we don't have 'em anymore."

"I know," said Twilight.  "But something terrible must have happened.  Neither the sun or the moon are in the sky."

"And that means it's neither day or night," said Rainbow.

"It's... twilight!" gasped Pinkie.  The others looked at her strangely.  "What?  It is!"

"Well, I reckon somethin' must be up with the Princess," said Applejack.  "She's the only one who can raise the sun."

"Yes, but Princess Celestia wouldn't do a thing like this," replied Twilight.  "Now who else do we know that would play with the sun like this?"

"I smell trouble," said Rainbow Dash.  "And when there's trouble, there's chaos!"

"And when there's chaos," said Pinkie.  "There's..."  The epiphany hit the Mane 6 and Spike.

"Discord!" they all said at once, save Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy, darling," said Rarity.  "You saw Discord last.  Do you know where he is?"  Fluttershy just pawed the ground nervously.

"Oh, dear," she murmured.  "Well... I don't think... um...  You girls don't think that Discord would actually do this, do you?"

"Who else has the magic to move the sun and the moon?!" asked Rainbow, starting to get impatient.  "We all know Discord is a trickster!"

"Come on, Fluttershy!" insisted Spike.  "Just tell us where he is!"

"Um... he's... he's at my cottage," she said.  "But I don't think..."

"Let's go, everypony!" declared Twilight, before Fluttershy could finish her sentence, and they went off.

"Um..." mumbled Fluttershy, to no one in particular.  "Don't you think... we should check on the Princess first?  But... if you want to talk to Discord first, that's fine."  She then trotted along after her friends.





Twilight was the first to knock on the door to Fluttershy's cottage.  The Mane 6 and Spike heard grumbling and moaning on the inside, following by the angry squealing of a bunny and a crash on the floor.

"You know," grumbled the familiar voice of Discord.  "I'm very much in the mood for some bunny stew!"  Angel was heard shrieking in fright followed by another crash on the floor.  "Well, really!  Mistress Fluttershy is going to have a fit and we don't want that!"  Finally, Discord answered the door, looking half-asleep and dressed in a bathrobe.  "Oh, it's you again," he grumbled, seeing the Mane 6 and Spike staring at him angrily, except Fluttershy.  "Would you mind if I get some more beauty rest?  Princess Celestia hasn't risen the sun yet."

"Oh, yes she has," snarled Twilight.  "Or at least she tried to before someone messed her up!"  Discord's eyes lit up.

"Well, well," he said, stroking his goatee.  "Princess Celestia wasn't able to raise the sun.  Yes, that does raise a few questions now, does it?"

"Drop the act, Loki!" Rainbow Dash shouted.  "We know you're the one behind this!  No sun, no moon, no broad daylight... and it has your name written all over it!"

"Hm?" said a supposedly puzzled Discord.  "Does it now?"  He then looked up at the twilight sky with the stars barely visible in the darkened magenta and blood red colors.  "Funny... I don't see my name anywhere.  It's not even written in the stars."

"You cut that out, mister!" snapped Pinkie.  "Just give us back the sun!"

"Oh, now see here," said Discord with a small hint of defiance.  "There's no reason for Ponyville's favorite party pony to lose her temper, especially over a minor setback such as this."

"This ain't a minor setback!" growled Applejack.  "Both the sun and the moon cannot be seen!  Without them, Equestria is gonna be up in arms!"

"Now really, ladies," said Discord, keeping his cool.  "I think we can all handle this a bit more rationally.  After all, accusing me just like this won't do our friendship any good.  Unless of course, you're just playing me because you no longer have your precious elements."

"Oh, of course not, Discord," said Fluttershy sweetly.  "We know how important our friendship means to you.  Don't we, girls?"  For once, Fluttershy's friends looked at her rather crossly.  But Fluttershy stood her ground.  "Don't we, girls?" she said a little more seriously and with a hint of anger.  Twilight sighed.

"Of course we do," she said almost sarcastically, rolling her eyes.  Fluttershy was not convinced that Twilight was being truthful, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Good," she said, sounding nice.  "Now then, let's all settle this calmly and rationally over a nice cup of tea."

"Tea?" groaned Rainbow Dash.  "Oh, come on!  We don't have time for this!"

"Oh, yes we do," said Fluttershy.  "Now come inside, everypony.  I'll put the kettle on.  Oh, and Discord, please don't worry about those broken dishes.  I'll talk to Angel."
> Chapter 2: The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The Mane 6, Spike, and Discord had all gathered around a small table as Fluttershy poured them all some tea.

"I'm sorry Angel tried to hit you with those dishes," said Fluttershy to Discord.  "He's just not being very nice."

"Oh, it's quite alright, my dear," said Discord.  "But what I can't figure out are your friends.  Do you ever wonder some days what gets into them?"  This apparently made Rainbow Dash furious.

"Arrrrgh!" she screamed.  "We're wasting our time!  We need to put Equestria right again!"

"Calm down, Dashie," demanded Fluttershy.  "I think it's bad enough you all decided to point hooves at Discord without any proof."

"Proof?" said Applejack.  "What proof?  The sun tried to rise, it suddenly hit the peak of the sky, and then vanished!  It's not day, it's not night, it's... ah dunno what it is.  But it ain't right!"

"And you just happened to decide that I, the master of chaos, was responsible for this series of unfortunate events... because?" asked Discord.

"Because we don't know who else to turn to for bein' the cause of all this!" replied Applejack.

"You know," grumbled Discord.  "I'm not the one whose job it is to raise the sun every day.  You could ask your princess, like your dear friend Fluttershy suggested."

"Oh," said a surprised Fluttershy.  "But... um... I did tell them... but... I don't think they heard me.  But... how did you know?"

"It's all part of being a good friend!" said Discord with delight, giving Fluttershy a squeeze.

"Aw, that's sweet of you, Discord," said Fluttershy, blushing.

"Enough of the mushy stuff," said Rainbow.  "If you're not the perpetrator, prove it!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"She said 'prove it'," repeated Applejack.  "We know you have magic.  Why don't you use it to bring back the sun?  We all know you toyed around with the time of day when we faced off with you that one time."

"Oh, that sure does bring back memories," said Discord with glee.  "We were all just getting to know each other."

"Knock it off, Discord!" snapped Twilight.  "Just get out there and bring back the sun!  We know you're capable of doing it!"

"Well, for a Princess of Friendship, you don't sound like you're doing a good job.  It's bad enough you have to come and wake me up and throw accusations against me, but giving me nothing but angry looks goes to show me that maybe you're all just trying to keep a leash on me so that I don't turn Equestria upside-down instead of actually trying to be a genuine friend.  At least dear Fluttershy here is on my side."  This made Fluttershy's friends all start talking at once.

"GIRLS!" Fluttershy shouted.  "I'll handle this."  She then spoke to Discord.  "Discord, would you be so kind as to bring back the sun for all of Equestria?  We would very much appreciate having at least some temporary daytime until we can figure this out."

"It would be my pleasure, dear Fluttershy," said Discord, taking a graceful bow.  "But for you, anything.  Them, I'm not so sure."  The others just looked at him angrily.  "Fine, fine, I'll do it."





Everyone stood outside Fluttershy's cottage looking up at the twilight sky.  Aside from Fluttershy, they seemed to be looking at Discord expectantly.

"Here comes the sun!" declared Discord, snapping his fingers.  The sun instantly sprang into the sky as if it were high noon.  "There we are.  No harm d--"  But in mere seconds, the sun went back down in the same direction, followed by a crashing sound and the squawking of a chicken.  Discord was utterly surprised.  "Well, well...  That's never happened before."

"What did you do?!" shouted Rainbow Dash angrily, but this made Discord just as mad.  With a click of his fingers, Rainbow's mouth disappeared.  She was shocked, but constantly made muffling noises to get attention.

"Now see here," said Discord.  "Even you of all ponies shouldn't be so hostile and irrational, even towards a feller like me."  Applejack sighed.

"Discord, just give Rainbow back her mouth," she said, sounding exasperated.

"Oh, as you wish."  Discord clicked his fingers and Rainbow's mouth came back.

"What in Equestria was that about?!" she bellowed.

"You asked for it," retorted Discord.  "Now, I suggest you all go and talk with Twilight's favorite princess."

"She's...!" Twilight started to snap but sighed.  "Forget it."

"Come on, y'all," said Applejack.  "Let's just take the next train to Canterlot."

"A wise choice," said Discord.  "That's right, you all go on ahead.  I'll catch up with you later!"  Applejack looked at Discord and raised an eyebrow, but he was not amused.  "Your Princess is waiting."





The Mane 6 and Spike were on a train bound for Canterlot and discussing Equestria's predicament.

"I'm still convinced Discord is lying," said Rainbow flatly.  "This whole thing has hard evidence against him."

"And I'm convinced that Discord is not behind this," said Fluttershy.

"Oh yeah?  Just what in your right mind makes you think that?"

"Because we have yet to check up on the Princess, which is probably something we should have done first."

"Maybe Fluttershy's right," said Applejack.  "Now that ah think about it, maybe Discord made a valid point about us usin' him like that.  Maybe we shoulda started bein' nicer to him after Fluttershy won him over."

"Oh, fat chance!" said Rainbow.  "Like we should ever trust that guy!"

"If that was true, the Princess would never have asked us to try to reform him in the first place," insisted Fluttershy.

"The Princess herself wasn't so sure," said Twilight.  "That's why she entrusted me with the Elements of Harmony before we had to give them up.  If anything, I'll bet Discord is trying to test our friendships.  And... maybe I haven't been doing a good job."

"Now darling, don't start putting yourself down," said Rarity.  "We all make mistakes and we've all done things we've regretted and wished we could take back.  Even our friendship isn't perfect.  No friendship is.  But that is why we keep trying and by coming back and never giving up on each other, it makes our friendship even stronger."

"Rarity's right, hon," said Applejack.  "We all have our disagreements, but ah think we can agree on at least one thing."

"That Discord's a liar?" said Rainbow, which earned her an angry stare from Fluttershy.

"We can all agree," Applejack resumed.  "That we couldn't ask fer better friends."

"That's forever," agreed Fluttershy, as all seven got in a group hug.

> Chapter 3: Dying of the Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The train soon arrived in Canterlot and Spike and the ponies approached the castle gates.  Two royal guards were stationed in front, barring their way.

"The Princess is unable to see anypony," said one of the guards.  "I'm afraid not even you, Princess Twilight, may enter."

"Ho, guards!"  Princess Luna stepped out of the castle.  "Let them in!"

"But... Princess Luna, we must refrain..."

"They are my sister's most loyal subjects," insisted Luna.  "They have to know."

"As you wish, your highness," said the guard, as he and the other guard stepped aside.  "But it might not be wise."

"That's for my sister to decide."  Luna led Spike and the Mane 6 into the castle.  "I'm sure you saw what happened earlier."

"Everypony in Ponyville saw it," said Twilight.  "They must have been woken up by the sudden brightness.  Do you know what happened?"

"Yes.  It started early this morning when my sister tried to raise the sun.  Something terrible happened..."





In a flashback, Celestia stood on her balcony and started using her magic to raise the sun, lifting herself into the air as it rose.  But all of a sudden, Celestia was struck by a sharp inner pain right in the heart, widening her eyes and gritting her teeth.  The sun violently rose into its highest position in the sky as if responding to Celestia's irregular heartbeat.  Celestia fell back down on her balcony and tried to stand up.  She managed to stagger back into her chambers, but collapsed quickly.  And at the same time, the sun quickly went down in the same direction it rose.

"S... sister..." Celestia uttered through limited breathing.  Princess Luna arrived on the spot.

"Sister!" she cried.  "Someone help!!  MEDIC!!"





"Y'mean the Princess had a heart attack?" asked Applejack.

"I fear it's much worse," said Luna, deeply saddened as she led the group of friends through the castle corridors.  "Her heart condition was temporary, but it paved way for her to contract... a terminal illness."

"T-t-t-terminal...?" Twilight stammered in horror.  "You mean... she's dying?"

"I'm afraid so," replied Luna, tearing up.  "The worst part is, we don't know what kind of illness this is.  Even our unicorns with their most advanced healing magic are only barely able to keep her alive... but it's all they can do."

"Oh, this is terrible," said Fluttershy.  "Is there anything we can do?"

"I'm not sure.  But I'm certain my sister will be glad to see you.  I would have told you to come myself, but I couldn't bear to leave my sister's side.  But I knew you would come, so I waited for you."

"Wait..." said Rainbow Dash.  "How do we know this illness isn't Discord's doing?"

"Because while Discord may be a prankster, I'm almost certain he would never intentionally claim any lives.  Otherwise, he wouldn't take so much delight in any havoc he creates if there's no one to react to it."

"Look, Rainbow," said Fluttershy.  "For all we know, this whole thing could have just happened.  I don't think anypony did this to the Princess.  Maybe she was just stressed out and worked herself too hard."

"Are you kidding?" replied Rainbow.  "She's ruled Equestria for thousands of years!  How could things possibly be stressful for her?!  And even if they were, why now?  I still think Discord is doing this just to 'test our friendship' for the umpteenth time!"

"Rainbow!" snarled Fluttershy.  "That's absolutely ridiculous!  And even if Discord is testing our friendship, it's because he's making a point!"

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen the way you girls behave around him.  Whenever he shows up, you've never been happy to see him!  Whenever he's around, you all accuse him of causing trouble!  You know, maybe he's right!  Maybe you girls are using him just to make sure he doesn't cause any mischief simply because we don't have the Elements of Harmony anymore!  We have no proof that Discord is behind this and no hard evidence against him!"

"That's it!" Rainbow shouted.  "I'm tired of this!  If you'd rather take Discord's side and give us all sideways glances, then maybe you'd rather be friends with him instead of us!"

"Rainbow, shut up!" snapped Rarity, surprising the others.  After all, it wasn't every day that such a refined mare like Rarity would resort to saying something so powerful.  "I'm sorry I had to say that, but you're just being stubborn and unreasonable!  Fluttershy is our friend too!  Her standing up for Discord should not have to change that."  But Rainbow just rolled her eyes, earning her another angry stare from Rarity.

"I get it, Rarity," she said.  "But even if Discord isn't behind any of this, how do you explain the sky being stuck in... well... like that?"  She pointed out a window where the sky was still shown to be frozen in twilight colors.  "I doubt Celestia's illness is connected to that."

"It's not." said Luna.  "I tried to raise the moon to test that theory.  I couldn't pull it above the horizon."

"And Discord tried to bring back the sun," said Fluttershy.  "But it wouldn't stay in the sky."

"And whoever caused this besides Discord just 'happened' to do it at the exact same time the Princess starts dying!  Sure.  I'll buy that."  Rainbow's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Let's just go visit my sister for now," said Luna, surprisingly having put up with the Mane 6 arguing.  "The important thing is, we are at least able to keep her alive... for now.  But she is suffering from a great deal of pain."





The group arrived at the medical wing where Celestia was being treated.  Two guards blocked the room, not about to let anyone in, unless it was Princess Luna.

"The Princess is in absolutely no condition to see visitors," said one of the guards.

"That will be for her to decide," said Luna.  "Now stand aside!"

"As you wish, your highness," said the other guard, both of them stepping aside to allow the group to enter the room.  Princess Celestia was in bed, hooked up to an oxygen mask with computers monitoring her current heartbeat, which was surprisingly in stable condition despite her illness and labored breathing.  She looked even paler than white and her eyes showed that she was not sleeping, but going through intense periods of pain.  Her royal garments that she usually wore were all cast aside.  Four unicorns with highly advanced healing magic were all casting spells on her at the same time, preventing the terminal illness from claiming Celestia's life.  A stallion doctor approached Luna.

"It's not good, your highness," said the doctor.  "She needs treatment, and fast."

"I know," said Luna, beginning to cry.

"This is terrible," murmured Twilight.  "What do we do?"  Luna went to her sister's side, so Twilight decided to do the same.

"Sister..." Luna whispered.  "Princess Twilight is here to see you."  Celestia barely opened her eyes.

"T... Twilight...?" she moaned.  "Is that you...?"  She tried to raise one of her hooves to comfort Twilight.

"No, sister!" protested Luna.  "Save your strength!  You need to rest!"

"I'm... fine... Luna..."

"You most certainly are not!  You are dying!"  It pained Luna greatly just to say that.  Twilight held Celestia's hoof with both of her front hooves, on the brink of tears.

"Oh, Princess..." murmured Twilight, afraid if she said too much she would burst into tears.

"It's alright... Twilight..." Celestia whispered.  "I'm glad... you're here..."  Rarity spoke to the doctor.

"Doctor, please," she said.  "Is there anything we can do?"

"I know she needs treatment," replied the doctor.  "But I don't know what can cure this kind of illness."

"Maybe Twilight could look it up in the library," suggested Spike, wanting to be hopeful.

"That might be our only hope, Spike," said Applejack.  "Twi's usually good about that."  She looked over at Twilight by Celestia's side.

"Your friends..." Celestia croaked.  "They came...  Let them come... to me..."  Twilight continued to hold Celestia's right hoof as the others came to her cautiously.  "I want you all... to know..." said the dying Princess.  "If anything happens..."

"Don't say that!" said Twilight, tears streaming down her face.

"Listen to me!" said Celestia.  "If anything happens... to me..."  She panted through her oxygen mask.  "I want you... to know...  I am proud... of everything... you have done... for Equestria... for me..."  Applejack removed her hat and shed her own tears.  "And Twilight..." Celestia huffed.  "I want you... to know...  I'm sorry... for doubting you..."  Twilight knew exactly what Celestia was talking about.

"No, Princess!" she protested.  "Please don't bring that up!  It was--"

"My fault!" heaved Celestia.  "It was... my fault...  I'm the one who let you down...  Me... and your friends...  You did... nothing wrong...  And... never... ever... say that... I was flawless...  Promise me that..."

"But, I..."

"Promise me, Twilight...  Promise me... you will acknowledge that I have made... my foolish mistakes..."  Twilight had no choice.

"I promise, Princess," she wept.

"Oh, sister," Luna cried, nuzzling Celestia's head gently.

"I love you, Luna," said Celestia, finally shedding tears herself.  "I love you all...  Thank you... for everything..."

> Chapter 4: Light in the Dark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



It was a brand new day at Celestia's School for the Gifted Unicorns.  Many students could not believe the recent news.  Princess Celestia, the appointer of the school, had taken on a personal protégé, Twilight Sparkle.  Some students, out of jealousy perhaps, said it was sheer dumb luck that she happened to pass her entrance exam with flying colors and that she might have been set up.  But then there were other students who believed Twilight was one of a kind and destined to do great things and she would inspire other students to do their best.  Gentle Soul was one of those students.  And she had her first glimpse at the young Twilight seeing her walk alongside the Princess herself.

"Which book will I get to read first?" said Twilight eagerly.  Princess Celestia laughed.

"Have patience, little one," she said.  "I'll explain everything in our very first private lesson.  I look forward to all the time we will spend together.  There is much greatness you will learn and be destined for and it will be my job to prepare you for it."  Gentle Soul went up to Twilight to meet the young unicorn, who would one day become a princess, for the very time.


"Hello, Twilight Sparkle!" she said.  "My name is Gentle Soul.  I'm studying calming magic!"  Twilight just looked a bit nervous.

"Good to see you again, Gentle Soul," said Princess Celestia.  "I see you've obtained your cutie mark."

"Yep!  Twilight, wanna know how I got it?  I used a magic spell I didn't know I had to soothe a little foal!"  In a flashback, Gentle Soul noticed a crying foal in a baby carriage that apparently needed a nap, but couldn't seem to sleep despite the mother's comfort.  Feeling sorry and wanting to help, Gentle Soul concentrated with all her might and unleashed a magic spell that made the foal gradually stop crying and fall into a peaceful rest.

"Thank you," said the foal's mother, patting Gentle Soul on the head.  And that's when the young unicorn saw her cutie mark appear.

"My cutie mark!" she squealed.  And the flashback ended.

"Someday," said the young Gentle Soul.  "I'm gonna be a therapist!  And I'm gonna help ponies with their problems!  That's why I'm here at the school.  To learn highly advanced calming magic.  Like this!"  With a fragment of her magic, Gentle Soul managed to soothe the slightly nervous Twilight, making her smile.  The two unicorns then laughed as Celestia smiled at them both.





"I'm so sorry, Twilight," said Gentle Soul sadly.  "I know that you and the Princess were close as student and teacher.  And you still are.  I'm sure we all wish there was something we could do."

"I've looked up every single illness in the Canterlot library," said Twilight.  "I even checked the Star Swirl the Bearded wing!  Nothing..."

"Do you suppose what has happened might have been unnatural?" asked Gentle Soul.

"That's what we all thought at first, but Discord seems to be innocent."  Twilight sighed.  "I wish I had ideas."  Gentle Soul readied her horn.

"Your PTSD may have passed on for now," she said.  "But it's time for your dose of calming magic.  Relax."  Twilight knew the procedure, so as she was enveloped in her therapist's spell, she breathed in and out, feeling heavily soothed.

"I remember everything from when we first met," said Twilight.  "I was with the Princess and you told me how you got your cutie mark."  Gentle Soul smiled.

After Twilight was done with her therapy session, she met up with her friends who were accompanied by Discord and Princess Luna.

"I hate to say I told you so," sneered Discord.  "But..."

"Discord!" snapped Twilight.  "This is so not the time!"

"Discord and I may have found a way to save my sister," said Luna.

"Really?" said Twilight, a bit hopeful.  Luna turned to look up at Discord.

"We think that Princess Celestia has accumulated the hyper-rare 'Shadow of the Dark Sun' disease," declared Discord.

"Shadow of the Dark Sun?  What's that?"

"Well," said Discord.  "As you may recall in ancient times, in the days before the Royal Pony Sisters, unicorns were in charge of raising the sun and moon.  But as you can imagine, such feats couldn't be achieved so easily, although Princess Celestia does make it look easy, I should think."

"There was one time in unicorn history, believed by many to be a legend," said Luna.  "A young unicorn named Dusk Shine was once in charge of raising the sun, but he was unable to do it by himself.  It was said that the legendary unicorn, Star Swirl the Bearded, told him about the existence of dark magic, very powerful but unnatural.  Dusk Shine was warned about the possibilities of dark magic being unbalanced for any unicorn, but he wanted to take his chances for the sake of being able to raise the sun.  Dusk Shine was a very courageous and noble unicorn of his time, wanting nothing more than to help his fellow pony kin.  And with the power of the dark magic, Dusk Shine was finally able to raise the sun on his own, but to this day, nopony knows how he acquired the dark magic.
"So the second time he tried to raise the sun again, he was suddenly stricken with a temporary heart attack that healed on its own, but contracted the same terminal illness that my sister now has, and underwent tons of body pain.  And since nopony knew anything about the dark magic or any details, Dusk Shine fell into a coma and died peacefully a day later.  The illness was then christened as 'Shadow of the Dark Sun'."

"How come you never mentioned this sooner?" asked Twilight.

"Because Discord and I only just found out ourselves," answered Luna.  "It was believed that since no unicorn wanted to make the same mistake of resorting to dark magic, the history was said to have been buried, not to be acquired by anypony.  Discord found a hidden passage in the Star Swirl the Bearded wing and was able to obtain the long forgotten book on Dusk Shine and his connection to Star Swirl the Bearded.
After the death of Dusk Shine, several unicorns decided to pool their magic together to raise the sun without the use of dark magic, but it was only a valiant effort in vain.  In fact, it is said that before Celestia and myself became destined to raise the sun and the moon for many eons to come, unicorns had in fact used powerful dark magic just to be able to raise the sun."

"What about alicorns?"

"Any alicorns that lived before us were in fact able to join their energies together and raise the sun without dark magic and it was believed that only alicorns would be capable of raising both the sun and the moon.  As you know, the sun has much more density than the moon, so it always required much more effort than raising and lowering the moon.  As for the Shadow of the Dark Sun illness, in our history, and this dates back to the days before Equestria as well, only five ponies have ever contracted it.  Four unicorns and one alicorn.  They all went through the same symptoms that my sister went through today and later died because nopony knew how to treat them.  So that would mean my sister is the second alicorn to be infected."

"Ah reckon this explains a lot," said Applejack.  "But it doesn't explain how the Princess got this... 'Shadow of the Dark Sun' disease."

"Yeah," agreed Rainbow Dash.  "She never contracted any dark magic...  Did she?"

"We don't believe she acquired any through normal means," said Luna.  "Discord and I now believe that somepony must have infused her with some kind of dark magic that unintentionally activated whenever she raised the sun.  And if that's the case, we don't know how long she's had the dark magic.  But somehow it must have been assured that whoever secretly slipped her the dark magic was hoping she would acquire the hyper-rare condition.  And it worked."

"That's nuts!" Rainbow Dash shouted.  "Who would do such a thing to the Princess?"

"It's certainly beyond me," said Discord.  "A traitor, perhaps?"

"Like you?!" snarled Rainbow.

"Oh, please.  Didn't we go through this already?"

"Then prove it!  Tell us the cure for this... 'Shadow of the Dark Sun' whatever!"

"Now, you certainly can't think I'm all knowledgeable about the darkest of dark magic, do you?  I've only used my magic for chaos and anarchy!  Not dark, sinister, and evil."

"Riiight..."  But Rainbow's sarcasm earned her another angry stare from Fluttershy.

"I don't know what to tell you, my little ponies," said Discord.  "I'm afraid there's just no way to counter this illness.  Such a rare condition, nopony knows anything.  There's no way...  Well, maybe there is one way..."

"There is?" said Fluttershy.  "Oh, please, Discord!  Please!  If you know anything, please tell us!"

"Certainly, dear Fluttershy."  But then Discord looked uncertain.  "On second thought... I'm not so sure."

"What?  Why not?"

"Well... I just don't think you might take it seriously."

"I think it's fair to say that at this point, we might as well trust you on this," said Luna.

"Oh, very well.  There might be one pony who has the answers we seek... the Suppressor of Shadows!"

> Chapter 5: The Suppressor of Shadows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"Huh?" said Spike and the ponies.

"That's just a myth," Twilight added.

"See?" replied Discord.  "What did I tell you?  You're not taking this seriously."

"I did my research, for your information," said Twilight.  "While the Suppressor of Shadows is believed to be the unicorn capable of containing all forms of dark magic and negating all of its harmful effects that would normally cause corruption, it's never been spoken of any further than being an old pony tale."

"So was the legend of Nightmare Moon," said Discord.  "And that really happened in pony history, didn't it?  Surely you've learned to cut back on your skepticism by now."

"Well... okay.  If it'll help save Princess Celestia, we'll go and find this Suppressor of Shadows."

"That's the spirit!"

"Do you know where he is?"

"What makes you think I know everything?"

"Because you brought it up, duh!" said Rainbow.

"Well, why can't this just be something you have to figure out for yourselves?" asked Discord.

"Because we're runnin' out of time!" said Applejack.  "We don't want yer riddles, games, or... whatever!  We need to save the Princess before it's too late!"

"Fine, have it your way.  If you wish to find the Suppressor of Shadows, look to the one place that gets you straight to the source."

"I thought we said none of your--" Rainbow started to yell, but Discord interrupted her.

"No.  More.  Hints," he said firmly.  "You ponies are smarter than this and you can't always count on me to bail you out of every situation... especially when you choose not to be nice to a friend."  Rainbow growled.  "Now if you'll excuse me," resumed Discord, who used magic to conjure nurse clothes on himself.  "I have a sick Princess to attend to.  The Discord is in!"  And with that, Discord teleported away.

"Well..." Spike huffed.  "That stunk!"

"That jerk!" shouted Rainbow.  "I knew we shouldn't have listened to him!"

"Let's not be hasty, my little ponies," said Luna.  "Discord at least gave us a clue.  I'm sure that this place that is 'straight to the source' means that it's the place where we can begin to solve our problems.  So, this Suppressor of Shadows is known to diminish dark magic, which in turn keeps the peace.  What else do we know that can help keep the peace?"  Twilight suddenly gasped.

"That's it!" she said.  "The Tree of Harmony!  If the Elements of Harmony were once used to bring harmony where there was chaos from Discord and darkness from Nightmare Moon, then that's where the Suppressor of Shadows must be!"

"Come on, girls!" said Applejack.  "What have we got to lose?"

"Well, there's the Princess as a start," said Rainbow.

"Right, so we have to hurry!"





The Mane 6, Spike, and Princess Luna entered the Everfree Forest to see if the Tree of Harmony could give them a clue.

"You know, Twi" said Applejack.  "I just thought...  Even if we do save the Princess and all, it still doesn't explain the... twilight-colored sky."

"I know, Applejack," said Twilight.  "But first things first.  We have to find a cure for the Princess.  She needs all of us right now.  We've been in many terrible situations and no matter how bleak they were, we somehow always managed to set things right.  And it's because of our friendship that we prevail."  Applejack smiled.  Soon, they all arrived at the Tree of Harmony's location.  But instead of finding the tree, all they saw was black-colored magic swirls forming the shape of a whirling tornado.

"Oh, no!" cried Fluttershy.  "The tree!"

"It's... it's horrible!" cried an aghast Rainbow Dash.

"What do we do?" asked Applejack desperately.

"I had once given in to the darkness," answered Luna.  "Maybe I can help here.  The Suppressor of Shadows must be here."  She took a few steps towards the black whirlwind.

"Be careful, Princess Luna," said Fluttershy.

"Suppressor of Shadows!" Luna called out.  "Can you hear me?  It is I, Luna, Princess of the Night!  My sister is fading!  She suffers from the Shadow of the Dark Sun!  I have brought you her most trusted subjects, the former bearers of the Elements of Harmony!  We have been told that you hold the answers we seek!  Will you help us?"  At first, there was no answer, but then...

"You seek the Elements of Harmony," said a dark voice from the whirlwind.  "But they are gone."  A dark-colored unicorn stallion with a way brown mane and tail, a slightly curved horn, and wearing shades, stepped out of the magic swirls.

"Shadowstealth?" said a bewildered Twilight Sparkle.

"You're... the Suppressor of Shadows?" asked Spike.

"You know this guy?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"We do," said Twilight.  "Spike and I met him once when he told me he recently saved Ponyville from some kind of remnants of Nightmare Moon.  I never knew he was the Suppressor of Shadows, but now it makes sense.  He's not just a myth.  He's real.  Shadowstealth is the Suppressor of Shadows, the answer to our problems.

"Yes... I was..." answered Shadowstealth.  "But now... I will enforce them upon Equestria!"

"You what?!" gasped Twilight, dumbstruck.  But then, an epiphany hit her.  "Oh no!  When you purged the remnants of Nightmare Moon in Ponyville, it took hold of you!  You're being controlled by... Nightmare Moon!"  Shadowstealth smirked.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," said Luna.  "When Shadowstealth absorbs dark magic, he suppresses it with the aid of the Tree of Harmony, containing the powers of darkness within so they could be used for good."

"Correct," said Shadowstealth.  "And with the Elements of Harmony removed... I am the now the nightmare's new herald!"

"What are ya sayin'?" asked Applejack, horrified.

"He's saying that the Elements of Harmony have been stolen!" said Luna.  "They had been removed from the tree and without them, the tree didn't have the power to help suppress the dark magic that Shadowstealth absorbed!"  Shadowstealth levitated off the ground and glided backwards into the black magical wind, his front hooves spread and laughing maniacally.
> Chapter 6: The True Avatar of Night Mare Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



"I can't believe this!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Discord mentioned that the mastermind behind all this might be a traitor," said Luna.  "I wonder if Shadowstealth is the traitor."

"Ah wouldn't think so," said Applejack.  "Whoever stole those elements set him up fer this."

"It just had to be Discord!" exclaimed Rainbow.  "Who else would steal the elements to begin with!  Friend or not, Discord still knows the elements are his weakness and without them, he can do what he wants!  And he's the only one we know who could possibly make the sky stuck the way it is!  And this makes him a traitor!  It all fits!"

"As much as all kinds of evidence is directed at Discord, I think for now, we need to find a way to purge Shadowstealth of Nightmare Moon's grip!" declared Twilight.

"I agree," said Luna.  She fired a dark blue beam directly at the dark tornado, but it had no effect.  Twilight tried firing a magenta beam, but it also had no effect.

"Without the elements, you are powerless against me!" gloated Shadowstealth.  "Now it's my turn!"  He spread his front hooves out wide and dark tentacles shot out of the whirlwind, quickly ensnaring the Mane 6, Spike, and Luna.  The tentacles then began to work their dark magic, clouding them in black fog.  "Soon you will all submit to your deepest, darkest thoughts and become fresh, new avatars for Nightmare Moon!  Equestria shall fall this day!"  One by one, Twilight's friends shrieked in pain and torment, suffering from moments that haunted them the most in their lifetimes.  Twilight had to relive the three moments when her friends denied her.  They had laughed at her for being too studious, they shunned her at the wedding rehearsal of her brother and Cadance, and finally they sent Twilight away, treating her more like a princess than a friend.

"NO!" bellowed Twilight.  "I won't give in!  I am the Princess of Friendship!"  Her eyes glowed white and her horn glowed magenta, preparing to cast more magic.  Suddenly, streaks of magenta-colored shooting stars rained down on the dark tentacles, destroying them and also weakening the black tornado.  Once Twilight and the others were free, the two princesses then shot beams at the funnel, piercing it and hitting Shadowstealth directly.  The dark unicorn shielded his face with his hooves as the beams hit him, but he was eventually overpowered.  Dark mist then came out of his mouth and Twilight and Luna used more powerful magic to pull it all out of Shadowstealth's body and vanquish it into nothingness.  The black mist turned to dust and particles and the Tree of Harmony reappeared.  Shadowstealth staggered away from the tree.

"What... what happened... to me?" he moaned.

"You were possessed by a remnant of Nightmare Moon," answered Luna.  "Can you remember what happened before then?  We need to know who stole the Elements and Harmony."  Shadowstealth rubbed his head.

"I think I remember what happened before I was brainwashed," he said.  "But I don't think I saw who stole the elements."  Shadowstealth began to explain his story in a flashback sequence.





"I need to harness the tree's power to subdue the remnant of Nightmare Moon I absorbed," said Shadowstealth to Twilight.

"Of course," said Twilight.  "We just returned the elements back to the Tree of Harmony."

"Good."  But when Shadowstealth got to the Tree of Harmony, to his horror, the elements were no longer there.  "This can't be!  The Elements of Harmony have been... stolen!  But how?  And... why?"  Shadowstealth's head was then suddenly shrouded in a black fog.  "No!  I can't let you take control of me!"

"The nightmare always needs a host," said the remnant.  "And you make a perfect fit!  A decoy!"

"What?!"

"The true nightmare resides... with the one who stole the Elements of Harmony!  You thought you absorbed all of me, but a fragment escaped you!  I've chosen a more suitable host... one who has the power to succeed... the Princess of the Sun!"

"No!  NOOOOOOOO!!"





"I can only surmise that Nightmare Moon has played a perfect hoof in an unethical experiment to terminate Princess Celestia with the Shadow of the Dark Sun," Shadowstealth concluded.

"Ya mean Nightmare Moon still wants to exact her revenge on the Princess?" asked Applejack.  "We're the ones that did away with her."

"I'm the one who created Nightmare Moon," lamented Luna.  "And now she has gone to extreme measures to take my sister's life.  Shadowstealth, I'm afraid I must ask you.  Do you know if there's any treatment for the Shadow of the Dark Sun?"

"I only know of one way," replied Shadowstealth.  "The dark magic inside the victim must be expelled from the victim's body, but I can only do it by transferring the dark magic back where it came from.  Since Princess Celestia didn't learn any dark magic to raise the sun, that means all the dark magic would have to be sent back to Nightmare Moon, assuming she's the mastermind."

"Wait a minute..." said Rainbow Dash.  "If Nightmare Moon is the cause of all this, why isn't it nighttime?  All we've ever heard about Nightmare Moon is that she just wants eternal night in Equestria.  That's all.  But the sky is more in between day and night."

"Then perhaps that must be a sign," said Shadowstealth.  "A clue that can point out the real culprit, or rather Nightmare Moon's host."

"But who in Equestria would want the sky stuck like that?" asked Applejack rhetorically.  Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to answer, but Applejack interrupted.  "Besides Discord."

"Perhaps that's not even a question that needs answering," said Shadowstealth.  "We just need to find out if Nightmare Moon is somehow responsible.  She still has one host left."

"And this host must have stolen the Elements of Harmony," said Luna.  "But not even Nightmare Moon and Discord could have possibly retrieved them from the Tree of Harmony.  The only kind of pony capable of this... is a princess."

"A princess?" said Twilight's friends at the same time.

"Yes," said Twilight.  "A princess."  And suddenly, there were the Elements of Harmony, surrounding Twilight.  She bore a smug look on her face.

"Twilight?" asked Applejack.  "Why do you have all six elements?  Are ya feelin' okay?"

"I feel fine, AJ," said Twilight, smirking sinisterly.  "In fact... I feel better than ever!"  A dark aura surrounded Twilight and the young princess levitated into the air with an evil laugh.

"Oh no!" said Fluttershy, just as Discord arrived on the scene.  "Not Twilight!"

"This can't be happening!" wailed Spike.

"But it can!" said Twilight.  And using the power of all six elements, Twilight transformed into a dark and taller pony figure.  Her wings grew larger and her horn longer.  Her mane was a brilliant shade of twilight colors with astral patterns.  Her cutie mark now had a dark cloud enveloping her symbol of magic stars.  She wore a dark red crown that bore the Element of Magic and also wore dark red garments with symbols of her cutie mark engraved on them.  "I... am... Nightmare Twilight!"  Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, let loose with an evil and terrifying laugh, as she was now the final host of the evil Nightmare Moon.
> Chapter 7: Boundless Nightmare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Twilight?!" said a stunned Discord.  "You're... the traitor?!"

"Yes," said Nightmare Twilight with glee.  "This was all my doing!  I instigated everything!  I gave the Princess dark magic to raise the sun to ensure she would contract the Shadow of the Dark Sun!"

"But why, Twilight?" said Applejack.  "Why did you do it?"

"Simple.  The Princess taught me everything she knew and introduced me to the power of friendship.  But then I realized something.  Friendship couldn't possibly be all that valuable, not after the many holes I suffered from, before and after I became the Princess of Friendship.  What kind of title is that for somepony who can't get friendship in return?"

"What are you saying?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"The magic of friendship... just doesn't exist!" answered Nightmare Twilight.  "How can friendship possibly be magic... when it means nothing?"

"Listen to me, Twi!" said Applejack.  "A wise pony said to us that our friendships would be tested.  That pony was you.  And you know it!"

"I did say that, yes.  But as of now, I've had enough!  Our friendship ends here!"  Nightmare Twilight's horn began to glow a deep crimson red.

"No you don't!" said Discord.  "I'll stop you!"  He clicked his finger, intending to stop Twilight from activating her magic, but her horn was still glowing.  "What?!"  Nightmare Twilight then fired a beam of crimson red energy, hitting Discord square in the chest.  Discord went flying and was slammed against the Tree of Harmony.

"DISCORD!!" Fluttershy cried in horror, as he fell to the ground, sprawled out.  He tried to get up, but couldn't.

"How is this... possible?" he stammered, as Fluttershy tended to him.

"I possess a magic far greater than your chaos," answered Nightmare Twilight.  "It is a magic that is not good, evil, or chaotic.  It is a magic that is only... power!  And it is far greater than any magic!  And that power flows through me!  A simple snap of your petty fingers won't work on me!"

"You can't do this, Twilight Sparkle!" shouted Luna.  "Princess Celestia was your teacher!  Why have you done this to her?"

"She said it herself," sneered Nightmare Twilight.  "Remember?"

"What?"  And then Luna remembered.



"Promise me, Twilight...  Promise me... you will acknowledge that I have made... my foolish mistakes..."



"The reign of Princess Celestia is about to end," declared Nightmare Twilight.  "I was trained to become her successor!  Now, I'll take the throne of Equestria for myself and fulfill my destiny!  And you, my so-called friends, you can be my slaves!"

"Please, Twi!" begged Applejack.  "Whatever it is, we're sorry!"

"Don't make me laugh!" said Nightmare Twilight.  "It's far too late for that!  And now, you will all suffer from your deepest, darkest dreads... once I'm through with you!  It's obvious I've gone down a road you can't follow, and those who refuse... will drown in the fear of their own darkness!"  A crimson red shockwave emitted from Twilight's horn, sweeping over the others and the Tree of Harmony.  At first nothing seemed to happen, but then, the tree itself began to grow in size, its root spiraling everywhere.  Princess Luna got Spike on her back and flew to safety and Shadowstealth levitated himself away with his magic, but Twilight's friends and Discord were not so fortunate.  They tried to escape, but one by one, they were ensnared by the possessed tree's roots and pulled towards the growing tree.  And right where five of the elements used to be, their former bearers were planted on those spots on a tree as if they were stuck like glue.  And then came a horrifying sight.  Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Discord were somehow becoming a part of the Tree of Harmony itself.  Roots spread across their bodies as they were steadily being swallowed by the tree, still growing to enormous heights and crushing the Everfree Forest.  And watching her friends succumbing to their newfound fate was Nightmare Twilight, smirking with sadistic glee. "How do you like this?" she hissed.  "You may feel excruciating pain now, but soon you will feel nothing.  And once you become one with the Tree of Harmony, your minds will be lost in your own darkness!  It is over, my little ponies.  You're fodder!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" wailed Spike, as Luna and Shadowstealth escaped to safety with the baby dragon in tow.  With the tree growing to astronomical proportions, Luna feared that her sister Celestia was not safe and led Shadowstealth to Canterlot in order to regroup.





The denizens in Ponyville were watching in horror as the Tree of Harmony grew towards the sky and soon the whole town was becoming ensnared in tree roots.  Eventually, every single pony in town was caught and buried in roots, ready to become the tree's next meal.  By the time Luna, Shadowstealth, and Spike arrived at Canterlot, several towns, villages, and cities had fallen to the monstrous tree.  The denizens in Canterlot had taken notice of the Tree of Harmony just about to touch the magenta and crimson sky.

"Princess Luna, what do we do?" cried Spike.

"I don't know, Spike," answered Luna.  "Our only hope is to... defeat Twilight Sparkle."

"We can't!" protested Spike.  "Twilight's being controlled by Nightmare Moon!"

"Yes," agreed Shadowstealth.  "However, as of now, it's impossible for me to transfer the dark magic from Celestia's body to her.  Twilight's kind of magic is some kind of power different from light, darkness, and chaos itself.  In order for Nightmare Moon to take the magic back, she has to be exorcised from Twilight somehow."

"I can get through to her!" insisted Spike.  "She'll listen to me at least!  ...I'm sure."

"Are you really willing to take that chance?" asked Shadowstealth.  "It's very risky.  And you'd be putting your life on the line."

"Perhaps there's still one more pony who can reach out to her," said Luna.  "Her brother, Shining Armor, from the Crystal Empire."  Luna was about to take off, but Shadowstealth raised a hoof, gesturing her to stop.

"I think we're already too late," said Shadowstealth.  "Shining Armor once broke Twilight's heart too, if memory serves me correctly."

"How do you know?"

"You may not believe me, but I was there."

"You were?"

"Yes.  I witnessed that terrible night watching through a window.  I had come with every intention to warn the ponies of Canterlot, but eventually, I chose not to, deciding to let them solve their problems.  I must admit, as the Changelings overtook Canterlot, I stood idly by, watching from a safe distance, with no pity.  I was convinced that Equestria was not the land of peace and harmony as it was believed to be."

"What do you mean?"

"The six bearers of the Elements of Harmony may be good friends," said Shadowstealth.  "But deep down, they have traces of pride and ego that causes them to put some things ahead of what really matters.  And although they are common flaws, the lessons they learn from them for some reason are rarely taken into account for future reference."

"So do you think Nightmare Moon chose Twilight because she suffered the most?"

"Possibly."

"Poor Twilight," said Spike, shedding tears.

"Well, Spike," said Luna.  "I guess you could try to talk some sense into Twilight.  I just hope it's not too late for her."  She gazed up at the Tree of Harmony, which had now stopped growing, but it was still sucking up ponies like a vacuum cleaner, including the denizens of Canterlot.





Meanwhile, at the Crystal Empire, Cadance was already confronting Nightmare Twilight.  Her horn glowed a brilliant shade of light blue, as she was trying to cast her strongest love spell on Twilight, which wasn't working.  And Shining Armor was already ensnared in a root and slowly being absorbed by the root's massive size.

"Any last words, big brother?" Nightmare Twilight cackled.

"Why, Twilight?" said Shining Armor, in tears.  "Why are you doing this?  You're doing this to your own brother!"

"Hah!" snorted Twilight.  "That's exactly what I thought when you dejected me at the royal wedding!  Why did you do that to your own sister?!"

"I thought we made up!" cried Shining Armor, as root vines started to spread across his face.  "I thought I never would have to beat myself up over it again!"

"Twilight, please!" begged a crying Cadance, still trying to cast her spell on her sister-in-law.  "Please spare my husband!  He's your brother!"

"I told you," Twilight huffed.  "That's what I thought.  Don't make me do this to you too, the one pony I could trust in all this!"

"Twilight!" Shining Armor choked as the root started to bury him alive.  "Twilight!  No!!"  He was then swallowed whole by the root, horrifying Cadance.  She broke down and cried, but Twilight showed no remorse.  Seeing this, Cadance got angry and fired a blue beam directly at her, which actually stung her.

"How could you... have harmed me?" asked Twilight, stunned.

"It's the power of love, Twilight!" said Cadance, determined to save Twilight.  And it can overcome all!"  Cadance and Twilight then took to the skies, firing beams at each other.

"Foolish princess!" boasted Twilight.  "You have no concept of my power!"  Their aerial battle soon led them away from the Crystal Empire and over the city of Canterlot, which had now been emptied of ponies, leaving Luna, Spike, Shadowstealth, Cadance, and the now comatose Princess Celestia as the only survivors remaining in Equestria.

> Chapter 8: The Fate of Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Look!" shouted Spike.  "Up there!"  And there he saw, along with Luna and Shadowstealth, the princesses Twilight and Cadance were fighting it out.  Beams of bright blue and dark red streamed across the skies of Canterlot.  The battle raged for several minutes, neither princess willing to give an inch, until at last, Cadance scored a hit against Twilight.  Even thought she felt the pain, she shrugged it off and blasted Cadance with her own beam, causing her to fall to the streets below near the castle gates.  Luna, Spike, and Shadowstealth quickly ran to Cadance and soon Nightmare Twilight stood before the four of them.  Cadance was quick to get up despite her nasty crash, but she looked ragged.  Her mane and tail were a mess and she had bruises on her body.

"You are weak, sister!" Nightmare Twilight jeered.

"I'm sorry, Twilight," sobbed Cadance.  "I couldn't save you."

"And you cannot save yourselves!  Look around you!  My Tree of Harmony feeds on the souls of everypony in Equestria, tainting their minds with their darkest, cruelest memories!  They are being reminded that there is darkness in everypony!  The sorrow and regret that they should have felt for their selfish actions is consuming them!"  As she spoke, Princess Celestia was seen still in the hospital wing, still in a coma, but nearing the final phase of the Shadow of the Dark Sun.  Nopony was around her and she would die soon.  "And soon," continued Twilight.  "Your precious Princess of the Sun will be no more!  And Equestria will belong to me, her successor!"

"Spike," warned Shadowstealth.  "It would be very hard to persuade Twilight to come to her senses at this stage.  Do you wish to go through with this?"

"Well... what would you say?" asked Spike.

"Something that should be said as a saving grace," answered Shadowstealth.  "I've been more around the block than what most ponies would think.  I've seen a lot of things and I've witnessed how a lot of ponies act."  And as Shadowstealth spoke, the insides of the Tree of Harmony were shown, with tentacles wrapped around consumed ponies unconscious and merged with the inner walls.  Among them included Twilight's friends, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Shining Armor, several crystal ponies, Flash Sentry, Goldengrape, Lyra, Sweetie Drops, Dr. Hooves, Muffins, Golden Harvest, Cherry Berry, Thunderlane, Bulk Biceps, Mayor Mare from Ponyville, Trixie, Suri Polomare, Flim and Flam, Coco Pommel, Cheese Sandwich, the Wonderbolts, Cheerilee, Silver Shill, and many others.  And of course, Discord was being held captive with the others.  "It's true that maybe as a whole, most ponies think only for themselves and lack virtue, but even if they give in to their darkest thoughts, there is still a light inside that never goes out.  And that is called letting go of the past."





Inside the bowels of Discord's mind, the spirit of disharmony found himself confronting an apparition of the evil centaur Lord Tirek.

"What a pity," said Tirek.  "Your friendship is just an imprisonment.  Those ponies used you... suppressed you... prevented you from living up to your name and reputation."

"But... friendship is important to me..." said a sniveling Discord.  "Fluttershy taught me that.  Friendship is more powerful than magic.  What am I without friends?"

"Without friends, you are yourself," insisted Tirek.  "But you let friendship go to your head.  And look where it got you.  Trapped like a lab rat."

"No..." wailed Discord.  "You can't make me give in like this."

"Soon, you won't have much of a choice.  Because you are trapped in darkness, your mind will be plagued again and again until you submit.  And soon, that will be everypony's fate!"

"No!"





"We remember things that have happened before," said Shadowstealth, still speaking to Nightmare Twilight.  "And coming out of them and learning from our mistakes is something we may have all yet to acknowledge as a whole, but when that times comes, we are stronger than ever.  Friendship isn't only magic.  And it's not just an essence.  Friendship is something so powerful, no magic can take it away.  Only choices can do that.  It is choices that make us who we are.  It is choices that shift our lives.  It is by choice if we wish to let go of wrongdoings from the past and move on.  We don't have to move on, but if we do, we are stronger than what we would have been if we held on to past feelings."

"Wow, you're good," said Spike.

"Interesting speech, Suppressor of Shadows," said Twilight.  "But now that you seem to be finished, how would you like to be a snack for my tree?"  Her horn started to glow.

"Twilight!" shouted Spike.  "Don't!  Don't do this!"

"Nice try, my assistant," sneered Twilight.  "You're just trying to stall me!  It won't work!"

"I know," said Spike.  "But... if I can't stop you... then please... let me join you!"

"What?!"  Twilight, Luna, Shadowstealth, and Cadance were astonished.

"I know it sounds crazy," said Spike.  "And maybe I might be worthless to you.  But... I can't change your mind.  Not by force... and not by persuasion.  So... if there's no other way... I'll take your side.  Maybe... we could rule Equestria together."

"That sounds dumb," said Twilight, although she was starting to massage her forehead.  "Why would you join me?"

"Because..." murmured Spike.  "Because I love you, Twilight."  Nightmare Twilight gasped.  "I always have," Spike went on.  "And I always will.  Even if you are being driven by Nightmare Moon to do these... terrible things... I still love you.  That's why I want to join you."  Cadance then looked at the bewildered Nightmare Twilight and saw a prism reflection on the Element of Magic of her crown.  Then, rainbow colors flashed across her eyes.

"Spike is right," she said, wiping away her tears.

"Cadance?" said Luna.

"Twilight," Cadance went on.  "You're right, too.  We may not be able to snap you out of this, but if you allow Spike and I to be at your side... we will continue to love you, no matter what terrible things you do."

"You... you would do that?" asked Nightmare Twilight.  "For me?  But..."

"That's what love is, Twilight.  Putting somepony else's needs ahead of our own.  In this case, we would want nothing more than for you... to be happy... and to be loved.  And you are loved.  Sometimes, when ponies do awful things to each other... it's hard to see that.  But there's always a way to know if there is still love.  And that is when ponies feel sorry for the things they do and feel it in each other's hearts.  Do you feel that, Twilight?  Your friends...  Do you feel their affections?  The love they have for you as well as your love for them.  You once said that friendships would be tested.  Is this the test you want?  To make others feel your pain by having them experience their darkest thoughts?  You can't change their thoughts, Twilight.  But you and your friends can create your own world of harmony... and love."

Something could be said about Cadance's words because then, a bright blue glow emitted from the top of the enormous Tree of Harmony.  At the same time, Shining Armor vanished from inside the tree and reappeared near the other survivors.

"Shining!" cried Cadance, hugging him.

"What happened?" said Shining Armor.  "Am I alive?"

"Yes, but look!"  The captain of the guards looked up at the blue glow, which suddenly shot towards them like a shooting star.  The survivors and Twilight braced for impact, but when the light touched down, a jewel in the shape of the Crystal Heart, Cadance's cutie mark, was seen suspended in mid-air.

"What is that?" asked Shining Armor.

"A seventh Element of Harmony!" gasped Luna.  "The Element of Love!"

"Love..." repeated Cadance.  "Of course!  Love!  Shining, we can use this element together!"

"Will it save Twiley?" asked Shining Armor.

"Without a doubt, my love."  The two touched horns and the Element of Love somehow attracted five of the six elements, pulling out of Nightmare Twilight's grasp.

"What?" said Nightmare Twilight.  "What's going on?  My elements!"  She then saw the Element of Magic jewel being extracted from her crown.  "You can't do this!"

"Sorry, Twilight," said Spike.  "It's for your own good."

"NO!"  Twilight reared up on her hooves and slammed down, but suddenly, she turned into a silhouette and a small light shone within.

"Who's there?" said a familiar voice.  "Can anypony hear me?"

"Twilight?!" cried Spike.  "Is that you?!"  And the real Twilight suddenly appeared from the light.

"I'm sorry, everypony," said the real Twilight.  "I tried to tell you all the trouble I was causing... but Nightmare Moon's magic was too strong!"

"Don't worry, Twilight!" Spike shouted.  "We're going to save you!"

"Listen, Spike.  If anything happens to me, please save my friends!"

"But we're saving you, too!"

"I know, but if I don't survive from all this, please make sure my friends are okay!"

"You'll be fine, Twilight!  Stop talking like that!  It's bad enough that you were the one being controlled by Nightmare Moon to begin with!"  Twilight then started to fade away.

"Hurry, Spike!" she said.  "Cadance, Shining Armor...  All of you, do what you have to!  I love you!"  Nightmare Twilight's body came back into focus.

"No!" she cried.  "I cannot be weak!  I am stronger than anypony in Equestria!"  She fired a crimson red beam at the survivors, but Cadance and Shining Armor's love for each other protected them in a shield.

"You may be strong," said Luna.  "But love is the ultimate harmony!  And it is harmony that will banish the evil inside you!"  Luna wielded the remaining six element jewels while Shining Armor and Cadance used the seventh.  The intense power created a rainbow shockwave that spread across all of Equestria.  Nightmare Twilight screamed as her body flashed with rainbow colors.  The gigantic Tree of Harmony dissolved into rainbow wisps.  And the entire land of Equestria became engulfed in a massive rainbow force field, reversing all the damage.  Then, Nightmare Twilight's garments all broke apart and dissolved and her body was enveloped in a shadowy pillar.

"It's time," said Shadowstealth, activating his horn.  Back in the medical wing where Princess Celestia was, dark wisps were leaving her body, causing her to slowly wake up from her coma.  The dark wisps gathered into Shadowstealth's horn, but he then transferred the wisps into the dark pillar.  "Nightmare Moon... take back your dark magic.  The Elements of Harmony only contained your spirit after exorcising Princess Luna.  Now, with the power of seven, you will be gone for good."

"It matters not," said Nightmare Moon.  "As long as there is darkness in everypony's heart, I never truly leave this world!"

"I think the rainbow would disagree."  The Tree of Harmony was seen back in its proper place in the Everfree Forest and the original six elements returned to it.  And all across Equestria, the ponies who had been taken captive all instantly reappeared in their homes, towns, villages, and cities and rejoiced from being returning alive.

"I'M ALIVE!!" cried Discord, showing up in Ponyville with a party hat and blowing into a party blower while throwing confetti.

"Hey, mister!" snapped Pinkie Pie.  "Throwing parties is MY business!  Don't you dare try to put me out of a job!"  Elsewhere in Ponyville, Fluttershy and Muffins met up with each other for a bit of small talk.

"Oh my goodness," said Fluttershy.  "What an ordeal!  Right, Muffins?"

"Whew!" agreed Muffins.  "I'm glad it's over too, Fluttershy.  But look at it this way!"

"Huh?"

"You got to be a tree!"
> Chapter 9: The Magic of True Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


"Hey, y'all!" Applejack called out.  She caught up with Fluttershy along with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie and they all nuzzled each other.  And then Applejack asked, "Where's Twilight?"  They looked around with concern.





Back in Canterlot, the real Twilight Sparkle stumbled out of the black pillar as it dissolved along with the last traces of the Nightmare Moon entity and collapsed to the ground.

"Twiley!"  Shining Armor ran to her and touched her.  "Thank Celestia...  She's still alive."

"There's no need to thank me, Shining Armor."  And there stood Princess Celestia, also alive and well.

"Sister!" cried Luna, nuzzling her.  "You made it!  You're alive!"

"How are you feeling, your highness?" asked Shadowstealth.

"My goodness, I feel so much better," said Celestia as relief washed over Luna, Shining Armor, Cadance and Spike.  "Oh!  I almost forgot!"  She then activated her magic and started to raise the sun, but then stopped.  "Actually, that can wait a bit longer.  We all have a lot to talk about first."





Much later, while the sky still remained between dusk and dawn, the Mane 6, Spike, Shining Armor, and the other three princesses had all gathered in Princess Celestia's room.  Twilight seemed to be sleeping peacefully, as her ordeal had taken its toll on her, but the others were just waiting for her to wake up, as it had seemed like hours.

"She's been through an awful lot," said Princess Celestia.  "But the important thing is that we not beat ourselves up over any of this."

"Ah'll say," Applejack agreed.  "Ah think we're all just glad to have Twilight back."  Her other friends nodded.

"That Nightmare Moon was the real stinker," said Rainbow Dash.

"And I hope she's gone for good," said Luna.  Eventually, Twilight finally opened her eyes, much to the satisfaction of the others.  The first thing Twilight saw was all of her friends gathered around her, including Princess Celestia.

"P... princess..." Twilight murmured with a slight smile, tears forming in her violet eyes.  "You're alive...  And I'm..."  Twilight then allowed her tears to flow down her face.

"We know, Twilight," said Celestia, wanting nothing more than for Twilight not to get worked up.  "We may not know everything you went through, but we know how you're feeling right now."  So Twilight had no emotional outburst and just cried quietly.  And that's when the doors to Celestia's room opened.  Two royal guards had escorted Twilight's parents to the scene.

"Please tell us she's all right!" begged Twilight Velvet, Twilight's mother.

"She's fine," said the guard.  "She's just slightly frail."  Twilight's parents entered Celestia's room and found their daughter curled up with Cadance.

"Twilight, honey," said Velvet.  "It's us.  We're here."  Twilight turned to see them, tears flooding her eyes.

"Mom...  Dad..." she murmured.  Both parents gave her a big hug.

"I've decided that nopony is truly to blame for this," declared Princess Celestia.  "This was all just a serious misfortune that Twilight Sparkle happened to get swept up in."

"Do ya really think she wanted to overthrow you, Princess?" said Applejack.

"Perhaps Nightmare Moon did," said Celestia.  "But maybe one day... Twilight will be ready."

"How much longer before you decide to raise the sun?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I will in time," said Celestia.  "The ponies of Equestria are aware of this, so they have time to settle back into their lives before they start again."  Twilight was then seen fast asleep in the comforting embrace of her parents, Cadance, and Shining Armor.





Twilight was back in her old room in her Canterlot home with Spike, looking around to see if anything had changed.  Nothing had, of course, but Twilight felt good reliving the old times she used to have, including her moments with Shining Armor and Cadance.

"We're just visiting, right?" asked Spike.

"Yes, Spike," answered Twilight.  "We'll be going back to Ponyville real soon, I'm sure.  It was just nice for the Princess to let me have some time here."  That's when there was a knock on the door.  "Oh?  Who is it?"  The door opened, and there stood a tan Pegasus with a dark brown mane and tail, wearing a cap, jacket, and a watch on one of his front hooves.  His cutie mark was a game controller.  But Twilight recognized this pony as the father of Smiling Princess, the alicorn filly who touched the heart of Equestria with her passing.  "Artissimo!  What brings you here?"


"I just wondered if it would be all right to have... a small talk," said Artissimo.

"Of course!"

"Well... as you know... my daughter passed away over two years ago.  I've been recovering for a long time now.  Yes, I have a good job that pays well and I have a most loving wife to support me.  But my daughter, Smiling Princess..."  He wiped away one tear.  "She meant everything else to me...  She was what a family was to me.  I know you might want to ask what this has to do with you.  Well, I think I have at least a small understanding for what you have suffered from.
"When I was younger and I discovered the kind of pony I would become, I was initially excited.  I knew I would be destined to do great things.  But as time went on, I felt that I was becoming distant from other ponies around me.  And I was afraid that I would be shunned for who I was.  Believe it or not, I used to be ridiculed.  I wasn't bullied or anything serious, but I was afraid.  Some said I had irrational fears, which was probably true, but I just wasn't sure of myself.  Things changed when I met my future wife, Sunny Sweet.  She taught me how I could change my life for the better and she wanted to be there for me when I finally achieved my goal.  We wanted to raise a family together and we did just that.
"Smiling Princess was my little angel... and like me, she had such a promising future ahead of her.  But unlike me, she was bullied... and terribly.  I wonder... if she ever realized everything she was leaving behind when she chose... to end her life.  My wife and I...  We knew about her depression.  But she was too quick to take her life when we wanted to get help for her.  We never imagined how quickly her depression took its toll on her.  We knew there was nothing we could have done, but it didn't stop the pain.  Twilight... I'll never stop missing my little girl, but I have been gradually moving on with my life.  And so has Sunny Sweet."

"I'm so sorry," said Twilight.  "But you're right.  It's okay to miss loved ones who have passed on or left our lives in any way.  But moving on is definitely a healthy choice."

"I remember that my late grandmother never really moved on with her life," said Artissimo.  "After her brother and father passed away, she had a choice to move on, but... she never did.  She chose to make her own life miserable that way... not that I didn't pity her, far from it."

"I know what you're saying," said Twilight.  "And thanks for coming to visit.  By the way, I know I'm the Princess of Ponyville, but would it be okay if I could visit you and Sunny Sweet in Vanhoover someday?"

"Of course, Twilight.  You would be most welcome with me and my wife.  And thank you for your time.  Perhaps we'll meet again someday."
> Chapter 10: Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Equestria had went a whole day without the sun in light of the things that had transpired.  Princess Luna raised the moon for the night, allowing everypony to sleep peacefully before a brand new day would begin.  The idea that Twilight Sparkle had secretly plotted everything to fall into place while under the influence of Nightmare Moon was difficult to swallow, but fortunately, things had been resolved and the other three princesses were able to see it that nopony would treat Twilight any differently.  Perhaps the rich and snooty nobles of Canterlot would never be convinced, but Princess Celestia didn't exactly care for their ways to begin with, as they were a group that never exactly agreed with harmony that Equestria was meant to stand for.

Twilight had slept in her room back in the Golden Oaks Library and she woke up early in the morning.  Perhaps today, she could gather her friends to see the sun rise again, hopefully without a hitch this time around.  She got out of her bed and gently prodded Spike, still sleeping in his little bed.

"Spike?" said Twilight.  "Spike...  Wake up, sleepyhead!  Time to watch the sun rise!"  Spike stirred.

"We tried that already," he grumbled.

"I know," Twilight giggled.  "But we shouldn't have any problems this time... unless Discord is up to his old tricks."

"All right, all right... I'm up."

"That's a good Spike."





Twilight carried Spike on her back and they were on their way towards the same hillside that she and her friends were at the other day.  The moon had already been lowered, but the sun had yet to rise.





"Do you think I made a good choice?" Twilight asked her psychotherapist, Gentle Soul.  "You know, staying in Ponyville with my friends?  After everything I did, I wonder if things would have different if I had decided to start over with friendship."

"I don't know if it's for me to say, Twilight," said Gentle Soul.  "But I'm very impressed that you and everypony else were able to move on so quickly."

"Well, I had a little bit of help for that.  Oh, I heard that the Canterlot nobles aren't quite at ease yet.  What if they address their problems about me to you?"

"I can only do my job, Twilight," the young therapist answered.  "But I'm sure the Princess will always have your back and take care of everything if need be.  Don't worry."  Gentle Soul cast another calming magic spell on Twilight to soothe her.





Applejack soon showed up and trotted alongside Twilight.





"Diamond Tiara!  Wake up!  We all agreed to watch Princess Celestia raise the sun!"  Apple Bloom had shouted from the gate entrance to Filthy Rich's manor.  Diamond Tiara eventually came to the gate, half asleep with her mane and tail a bit of a mess.

"How is it you Apples are able to wake up at the crack of dawn?" asked Diamond Tiara, groggily.  "Don't you ever sleep in?"

"It's all part of living on a farm," said Apple Bloom.  "Ah'm used to it."  Diamond Tiara pushed open the gate and joined Apple Bloom along with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Silver Spoon.  Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Filthy Rich then accompanied the children.

"Ah'm so glad y'all have been friends for quite some time," said Applejack.

"Eeyup," agreed Big Mac.

"Well, Apple Bloom," said Silver Spoon.  "Now that you finally have your cutie mark, what will you do?"

"Oh, ah'll still be a Cutie Mark Crusader," answered Apple Bloom.  "Ah'll just be helping other fillies and colts find out their special talents."

"Right," said Scootaloo.  "Once a crusader, always a crusader!"

"Till the end!" said Sweetie Belle.





Fluttershy joined up with Twilight, Spike, and Applejack.





"Oh, I'm just not sure I'm ready to face everypony," said a nervous Discord.

"You'll be fine, Discord," said Fluttershy.  "You had no hoof to play in anything that recently happened.  I knew you were innocent the whole time."  And then Fluttershy did something she never did before.  She gave the draconequus a little kiss on the cheek, stunning him and making his cheeks turn red.





Pinkie Pie came bouncing along after her friends.





"Hey there, Pinkie!" said Cheese Sandwich, having come to visit Pinkie at the Sugarcube Corner.  "Long time, no see!"  Pinkie squealed with delight.

"Cheese Sandwich!" she cried as the two shared a warm hug.

"I didn't think you'd want to be the only party pony to watch the sun rise," said Cheese.  "Perhaps afterwards, we can throw a huge party together!"

"Aw, I'd love that!"





Rarity accompanied the group of friends.





"Are you ready to go, Miss Rarity?" asked Coco Pommel, putting a finishing touch on one of Rarity's fabrics.

"Oh yes, darling," said Rarity.  "But I must say not having the sun in Equestria for one whole day and being up so early twice in one week...  I'm going to need a beauty nap after this.  Thanks for being my assistant during my day of rest."

"My pleasure."





And finally, Rainbow Dash came flying alongside the others.





"You've become an honorary Wonderbolt, Rainbow," said Spitfire.  "I can see you're going to go far, even more so when I decide to pass the torch along.  But that won't be for a while.  I've still got the moves!"

"You know it!" said Rainbow, doing a hoof-bump with the Wonderbolt captain.





Soon, everypony had gathered to the top of the hill where Twilight led her friends the other day.  The other three princesses were already there along with several other ponies, including Mayor Mare, Discord, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Shadowstealth and his daughter Thick, Cheese Sandwich, Coco Pommel, Shining Armor, Twilight's parents, Rainbow's dad, the Wonderbolts, the pets of the Mane 6, Artissimo and his wife Sunny Sweet from Vanhoover, Gentle Soul, and many of Ponyville's denizens.

"Hey, Discord!" said Rainbow Dash.  "Do us a favor and don't try anything funny.  Just this once!"

"You just worry too much, Dashie," replied Discord.

"I'm glad you're up for this again, sister," said Princess Luna.

"Well, I did teach you how to raise the sun yourself, should anything have happened," said Princess Celestia.

"Thankfully, nothing did," said Princess Cadance.

"You and Shining Armor saved the day again," Spike added.  "And so did Luna!"

"I think we all did, Spike," said Celestia.  She then turned to look at Twilight, who was all smiles once again.  It was amazing how fast the young Princess of Friendship recovered from her shock and ordeals.

"So Cadance," said Twilight.  "What will you and Shining do with the seventh element?"

"Well," said Cadance.  "We could find a place for it on the Tree of Harmony."

"Or we could hang on it," suggested Shining Armor.  "...You know, just in case."  Twilight, Shining Armor, and Cadance could do nothing but laugh at this.

"Is everypony ready?" asked Princess Celestia, with everypony watching.  She then spread her wings and activated her horn magic, slowly ascending into the sky as the sun peeked out over the horizon.  Everypony cheered uproariously as the sun finally rose into the sky, signaling the start of another brand new day.

"Sunrise party!!" shouted Pinkie, tossing confetti everywhere.  As Celestia touched down, Rainbow Dash couldn't contain her excitement any longer and quickly pulled off another Sonic Rainboom in mere seconds, its shockwave appearing to emit from the sun itself.  This brought in another big cheer from the ponies.

"Best... sunrise... ever!!" Rainbow shouted, as her rainbow formed an arc over the sun.


THE END