I am...

A light.

There, shining in the Darkness like a beacon of hope. I could scarcely believe what I was seeing—indeed, I was shocked to find I could see. Wrapped in pitch black Darkness for so long, I was all but certain I had either lost my sight or never had any sight to begin with.

Yet there it was, a single point of light in the distance.

To my further surprise, more dots of light appeared one by one, blinking into existence without a sound until I was completely surrounded by the tiny motes on all sides. What I found strange, was that these lights did nothing to brighten the all consuming Darkness around me.

They merely popped into existence, offering nothing but their radiance, but after having seen nothing for so long, their brilliant shine was enough for me. The lights didn't stop there however.

Soon enough, they began to shift, moving this way and that in a slow, almost hypnotic motion. Even as I watched, they began to move faster and faster until they were nothing but lines of white in my vision.

Quickly becoming disoriented by the display, I closed my eyes and turned away. But no matter where I looked, I couldn't escape it. I had looked upon that first spot of light with wonder and curiosity shining in my eyes.

Now I just wanted it to stop.

I just wanted my peaceful Darkness back, I wanted the dizzying lights to go away, I wanted to go back to sleep.

Sleep?

I had... been asleep?

Why was I sleeping? How long had I been asleep? If I had been asleep, then how did I know I had spent such a long time trapped in the Darkness? All of these questions fought for dominance in my mind as I continued to shut my eyes against the maddening spiral of bright lights, but one question eventually won out in the end.

Why did I wake up?

My thoughts screeched to a halt as an ear piercing wail rang out from seemingly everywhere at once. Somehow I knew that the sound wasn't a natural thing and it shook me to my core. The sound seemed to reverberate through every fiber of my being, and I found it impossible to shut out.

Then it stopped.

Just like that, everything was returned to its quiet peaceful state. Opening my eyes, I was shocked to see that I was no longer enveloped in Darkness, nor was I a victim to the bright disorienting lights I had seen before.

I was... in a grassy open field.

Terribly confused, I looked around and saw that I was beneath the shade of a drooping willow tree. I furrowed my brow and looked down to see a book opened to a specific page, and my attention was immediately ripped away from the book as I spotted two strange appendages before me.

I raised one of the appendages and was bemused to see that there was an odd stump, with the rest of the limb covered in what looked and felt like lavender fur.

No, not a stump... a hoof.

I blinked and looked around, wondering where I was and what had happened to my comforting Darkness. Then my thoughts shifted to myself and what I even was. In that eternal Darkness, I had no real form, no real substance or matter—I wasn't even sure I really existed at all.

It was only when I saw that first speck of light that I began to get a sense of... well... my senses. It was only when I had first seen those lights that I had even known I was asleep, but now I was awake... and I wanted to know why.

There were things, words, memories that came unbidden to my mind as I puzzled at what I was seeing. Grass, field, the willow tree, the book, these hooves. I had no business knowing what any of this was, yet the knowledge of them came easily to me.

In fact, the more I thought, the more knowledge came to me.

Knowledge of where I was.

Knowledge of what I was supposed to be.

Knowledge of who I was supposed to be.

It seemed my name was Twilight Sparkle, which was odd because I was fairly sure I wasn't anypony or anything to begin with.

Wait... anypony?

...Yes.

That felt... right somehow.

As I sat there under the shade of tree, I continued to let the knowledge wash over me, taking in every scrap of information I could like a sponge. After what felt like an hour, I blinked and looked down at the book I had apparently been reading.

The Elements of... Harmony?

Intrigued, I scanned the book and discovered the story of two sisters and the struggle that tore them apart. Emotions ran high and in the end, one sister had to banish the other for her wicked intentions by using these 'Elements of Harmony'.

Emotion.

A simple word with a lot of weight behind it. Emotion could be both a wondrous and ruinous thing, and as I read, I could see the consequences negative emotion in excess wrought in this world.

Interesting.

In this place... in Equestria, emotion—whether it was wondrous or ruinous, whether it was positive or negative—was a very powerful thing indeed. For reasons I could not fathom just then, I felt a strong desire to know more about this world and these 'emotions'.

I needed to know if I too was susceptible to such a thing, and I doubted I would find out by sitting here. I looked around for a moment and spotted a pair of saddlebags lying a small ways away.

With a flick of my horn, I bathed the saddlebags in a magenta aura and floated them onto my back. Opening the latch on one of them, I closed the book and levitated that into the bag.

With that done, I trotted across the field until I came across a stone pathway. With the knowledge I had gained, I knew the way to go, and made for the tower with spiral staircase—my tower—at a leisurely pace.

As I trotted, I thought more about who I was and what I meant to the ponies of this place. I was a smart mare, studious, curious, and rather antisocial. Still I had done well for myself, as I was apparently the personal protege to the Princess of this land.

Interesting.

I also knew that I had an assistant waiting for me back in my tower. A dragon if memory served, and somehow I got the feeling he was an unorthodox assistant all things considered.

It was strange.

There were many things that came to me, and many things that I remembered, but there were some things that escaped me. Whatever I was supposed to be doing before I woke up beneath the willow tree was completely lost to me and I found myself rather annoyed that I couldn't remember.

Ah, so it seems I'm susceptible to some emotion after all.

Good... very good.

I was snapped out of my musings as I heard a voice from up ahead.

"There you are, Twilight!"

I blinked and looked up to see three mares blocking my path. I froze and stared at the three, studying their features and how they differed from me. They had different colored coats, manes, and tails. They were unicorns like me, but I could sense that they weren't nearly as powerful when it came to raw magical ability.

Magic was something else I had gained knowledge of—a lot of knowledge of—and it was rather fascinating, though somehow I doubted being able to passively sense magic was normal for ponies, even unicorns.

Interesting.

As I brought my focus back to the three mares, I was surprised to see two of them looked rather nervous, shifting their hooves uncomfortably and turning away from me. I found it odd, but paid it no mind as I searched my memory for any recognition.

Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and... Minuette.

They were supposed to be old friends, but I found I couldn't really muster up any sort of joy at meeting them here. Still, this would give me a chance to interact with my fellow equines and I wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

"Uh... Twilight?" the light blue mare, Minuette asked nervously, "are you... okay? You've kinda been staring at us for the last minute or so..."

"Yeah, it's... kinda creepy," Twinkleshine added, furrowing her brow, "we were gonna invite you over to the west castle courtyard for Moon Dancer's get-together, but if you're not feeling up to it, we'd understand."

Lemon Hearts merely nodded, looking somewhat unsettled for some reason.

I didn't want to let this chance slip through my hooves, so I decided to reassure them, let them know everything was okay. I opened my mouth to tell them I'd be delighted to go, and...

AndthentherewasscreamingsomuchscreamingIdontknowwhytheyrescreamingIwantthemtostopIneedthemtostopIcantstandthescreamingpleasestopscreamingpleasestopscreamingstopscreamingstopscreamingforcelestiassakepleasestopscreamingithurtsithurtsithurtsITHURTSPLEASESTOPSCREAMINGSTOPSCREAMINGSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPST—

There was a noticeable spring in my step as I trotted towards the tower's spiral staircase. I couldn't help but marvel at how invigorated I felt after talking to my friends and at how good it felt to feel... well... good. I resolved to talk to ponies more often, though, thinking back on it, my friends never did tell me when the party was.

Either way, aside from a bit of... unpleasantness, I was thoroughly enjoying these emotions, and talking to Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Minuette had been a great learning experience.

Now I was confident I could talk to anypony.

I set those thoughts aside for now, trotting up the spiral staircase outside the tower and stopping just outside of the entrance. I took a moment to look out over the horizon and my eyes widened in wonder at what I saw.

Knowing that I was on a mountain that overlooked vast rolling green hills, lush forests, and a quaint looking village in the distance was one thing. The memory was there, but I hadn't experienced it for myself until now, and to see the view for myself was an absolutely awe inspiring experience indeed.

Satisfied, I turned and pulled the door open with my magic before stepping inside.

It was exactly as I expected it to be. The tower was filled with bookshelves that lined every wall, every nook and cranny was crammed with literature and the only space that wasn't stacked to the rafters with books was the large windows that took the place of the walls.

"Twilight?"

I looked down to see a purple dragon hatchling standing in front of me and looking rather surprised at my sudden entrance. He was holding some kind of red package wrapped with yellow ribbon.

A gift.

It seemed I had found Spike, and apparently he hadn't expected me to be back so soon from... whatever it was I was supposed to be doing originally. He took a step back and furrowed his brow.

"I didn't think you'd be back already," he said with a bemused frown, "weren't you supposed to be browsing the Royal Archives for another half hour or so? I was gonna meet you there so we could go to Moon Dancer's party," he held up the gift, with a proud smile, "I even got her a present!"

I was taken aback by this development.

I hadn't known Spike already knew about the party, and had no idea what to say. I never got a chance to find out when the party was, but if Spike knew about it, then maybe he could tell me and we could both go.

It would give me a chance to talk to more ponies.

"Hey, uh... Twilight?" Spike asked, lowering the gift and giving me a concerned frown, "you alright there? You look a bit... out of it."

I really needed to work on responding in a timely manner. There was still so much to learn about communication, but I would get it eventually. It would just take some practice. I shook my head and attempted to give the baby dragon a reassuring smile, opening my mouth to speak once more.

"I'm perfectly fine, Spike, and I'd love to go to the party with you," I replied sweetly, "I'm sure that Moon Dancer would love whatever present you got for her."

Spike froze.

He took a step back and visibly shivered before narrowing his eyes. I frowned in bemusement at his reaction and took a step forward.

"Spike? Is something wrong?"

"Stop," he said suddenly, "Twilight, what's going on here?"

I retreated back a step and furrowed my brow in further confusion.

"What?" I asked with a tilt of my head, "what are you talking about?"

"What am I—" he shook his head vigorously and glared at me "—Twilight, why do you sound like Minuette?"

I stared at the little dragon blankly as I tried to determine why this seemed to be a problem. Even sifting through every memory I possessed of my time before I had woken up, I couldn't find one instance of me ever having a different voice... or any voice for that matter.

Interesting.

If Spike's reaction was anything to go by however, I was supposed to have a completely different voice. Apparently I did have a voice of my own at some point and didn't remember what it sounded like.

It was that same irksome problem that I knew would lead to more situations like this one. Some knowledge and memories came readily while other things remained lost and forgotten—assuming I even had those bits of knowledge and memories to begin with.

Regardless, it seemed I had aroused some kind of suspicion within the tiny drake, and now I had to figure out what to do, or what to say to regain his trust. Or maybe I could just find a way to keep him quiet until I figured out how to properly speak.

What to do...

...not normal.

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"It was... an oversight on my part, Spike."

Spike raised an eye ridge at my answer.

"An... oversight?" he repeated in bemusement, "what kind of oversight?"

I nonchalantly trotted further into the room as I spoke, figuring it would be best to act natural in this type of situation. past experiences told me I had something of a bond with this little dragon, and I didn't want to ruin that, so I lied... and to my surprise, it was rather easy.

"I tried to cast a voice mimicking spell I had found in a book in the Archives," I explained as I levitated my saddlebags off my back and onto a nearby desk, "it worked, but I haven't quite figured out how to reverse it yet."

"Oh... well that isn't good," Spike replied, blinking in surprise, "what are you gonna do? Can you go back to the Archives?"

I thought on the answer, trying to remember where the Archives were. Thankfully the memory came to me, and to my amusement, it turned out I actually had seen a book detailing a voice mimicking spell. After a moment I slowly nodded and gave Spike a small smile.

"I suppose I'll have to if I want my old voice back, right?"

"Yeah, you should do that," Spike agreed with another visible shudder, "for some reason, hearing you talk is really creeping me out."

"Really?" I asked in slight confusion, "why is that?"

"I dunno exactly," Spike replied with a shrug, "when you talk, your voice just kind of sounds... fake, I guess? I don't really know how to explain it, but it's definitely creepy."

I frowned.

That was the second time I had been told I was acting 'creepy', and I didn't like it. I now realized from Spike's reaction that using another's voice wasn't normal, but I hadn't known it would cause such a negative reaction.

This was something I needed to remedy, and quickly. I searched my memory for something—some kind of spell that would help me get back to the archive quickly so I could be back in time to go with Spike to the party.

Teleportation?

It appeared to be something I had been working on getting right for quite some time, but hadn't learned enough to properly use yet. I wasn't sure why exactly, the spell itself didn't seem all that difficult as I ran through the steps in my head.

I nodded to myself and turned back to Spike.

"Alright Spike," I said, lighting up my horn, "I'm heading back to the Royal Archives for a bit to get ahold of that spell."

"Wait, what?" Spike asked incredulously, "the party's in half an hour, Twilight! How are you gonna—"

His voice was cut off as I vanished in a magenta flash and reappeared an instant later in front of the large double doors leading into the Royal Archives. I turned to the startled guard standing beside the entrance.

"M-Miss Sparkle?!" the guard cried in alarm before quickly regaining his composure, "I... I didn't realize you had mastered the teleportation spell already," he gave a sheepish chuckle, "I uh... wasn't expecting you to show up again so soon."

"I just needed to check up on a spell real quick, First Strike," I replied with a friendly smile. I saw him give the same reaction as Spike and quickly moved to explain myself, "I know I sound weird, but this is why I'm here. I'm trying to fix... my... voice?"

I frowned in confusion as my voice suddenly changed on its own. I wasn't sure if the spell I had intended to research would be of any help, but I was willing to try it anyway. Now I felt there was no need to, as the voice that was now coming out of my mouth sounded much more natural.

The guard seemed just as confused as I was, and he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Well, it looks like you didn't need to do... whatever you were gonna do after all," he said with a chuckle, "did you still want to enter the Archives?"

"No, that's okay," I replied slowly, distracted by my thoughts and the oddness of the situation, "I have a party to get to."

"Oh, okay then," the guard replied, looking somewhat dejected, "I'll uh, I'll see you later then I guess, Miss Sparkle..."

I nodded absently as I lit my horn and vanished once more. When I reappeared back inside the tower, I found Spike standing at the far end of the room reading what looked like a scroll of some sort.

When he heard me pop into the room he turned to me and called out, waving the letter in his claw.

"Oh, hey Twilight!" he called, running over to where I was, "I just got a letter from the Princess. You gotta read this," he held out the letter, which I took in my magic. I looked back to Spike, who shifted on his feet nervously, "it... it looks like something happened, and it doesn't look good."

I raised an eyebrow and turned my attention to the letter.

My Faithful Student,

I fear I may not have much time to write this, so I'll make this short. Earlier today, I sensed a presence unlike any I have ever come across before, and initially, I was unsure of what to make of it. Now however, things have changed and I must investigate the matter further. I'll withhold any more details until I know more, but for the time being, I'd like you and Spike to make your way to Ponyville to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I will send you the details via Spike so be sure to look them over thoroughly. I don't know how long this investigation will take, but I should be ready by the time the sun needs to be raised. And before I forget, I've made arrangements for you and Spike to stay in the Golden Oaks Library in town for tonight, just ask Mayor Mare for more information when you get there. Please await the chariot outside your tower, as it should be there shortly. On one final note, I'd like you to try and make friends while your out and about in Ponyville.

~Princess Celestia

As I finished reading the letter, I heard a loud belch follow by the telltale fwoomph of dragon fire being released. I looked up from the letter to see Spike holding another scroll.

I pulled the other scroll from Spike's grip and held it in front of me, briefly scanning the information on the events I was supposed to oversee. I found it hard to focus on the words, as my mind kept going back to what I had just read as well as what had happened in front of the Archives.

The letter had been so... formal compared to the letters I remembered receiving in the past, which meant that whatever she was investigating must've been something serious.

Somehow though, I had gotten the feeling she was talking about me, and if that was the case, was it about what I had done to those three mares? The more I thought about it, the more I realized it may very well have been a possibility.

After all, I wasn't quite sure myself of what had happened with those mares to be honest, but they had seemed okay when I left, if a bit less talkative—well... a lot less talkative.

...Maybe less... responsive, would've been a better word.

In any case, I may not have known exactly what I did—and it may have helped me understand a bit more about communication—but I had the slight impression it may not have been exactly a good thing. It was that feeling that had pushed me to hide the whole exchange from Spike.

"Um... so..."

I looked back up at Spike to see that he was shifting from foot to foot, looking as though he wanted to ask something, but was afraid of the answer. I blinked and shook my head slightly before giving him an encouraging smile, prompting him to continue.

"So, ah... were you able to get that book with the voice spell?" he asked a bit nervously, "because, y'know, the chariot's gonna be here any minute to pick us up and with your voice that way it is..."

He trailed off and gave me a significant look, to which I replied with a small chuckle.

"It turns out I didn't need the spell after all, Spike," I responded, floating the letters into my saddlebags and levitating them over to me, "it kind of just... wore off on it's own."

"Oh, thank Celestia," he breathed, "glad I don't have to deal with that anymore, and you managed to finally get that teleportation spell down!" he beamed at me as we both made our way over to the entrance, "you've been working on that spell for months. I was starting to wonder if you'd ever get it."

It was true, I had been working on the spell for quite awhile, but I wondered why it had taken me so long. The spell itself really wasn't all that complicated—in fact, thinking back on all the spells I had yet to master so far, I felt the same way about each of them.

Why had it taken me so long to learn these spells?

Whatever the reason was, I decided to set those thoughts aside and focus on my trip to Ponyville. Just in the last few minutes or so, my communication skills had already gotten a lot better, and I couldn't wait to get to the little village and meet new ponies.

Even better, the Princess had outright told me to make some new friends, something I had every intention of doing from the begi—

—to spend less time worrying about friends, and more time worrying about this—

—don't think that really matters right now, Twilight! Even Moon Dancer knows when to—

—just can't right now, Twinkleshine, I've got a ton of—

"...light? Twilight!"

"Huh? What? What's—" vertigo briefly took hold of me and I would've fallen over had it not been for the wall at the top of the staircase just outside the tower entrance. I shook my head and straightened up once more, blinking a few times to clear my vision, "...Spike? What happened?"

"You suddenly... locked up right outside the door with this weird look on your face, then just kind of... fell over," he replied worriedly, "seriously Twilight, what's going on with you today?"

"I... I don't know, Spike," I replied with a troubled frown, "I guess I... just don't feel good right now."

"Maybe we should tell the Princess you—"

"No!" both Spike and I winced at my sudden outburst and I tried again in a more measured tone, "no, that's alright, Spike, I just... need a minute is all, and besides," I looked towards the main castle and saw a pair of pegasi making their way over to the tower, "our ride's here anyway."

"I... well... if you say so, Twi," Spike replied, clearly unconvinced, "just... don't push yourself, okay?"

"I won't, Spike," I replied with what I hoped was a reassuring smile, "I promise."

As Spike and I made our way down to where the chariot had just landed, I wondered as to what exactly had happened, and why I had been so excited to meet a bunch of small town ponies I knew nothing about.

Well, if it's what the Princess wanted, and if I could help the Summer Sun Celebration run smoothly, I guess I could deal with it for one day.

Am I...

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I knew emotions were complex things, but I didn't imagine how complex they could really be to somepony like me, who wasn't used to them.

The chariot ride to Ponyville had been largely uneventful for Spike and I—at least outwardly. Inside, I struggled with odd conflicting feelings of being excited to meet new ponies, and being irritated at having to go through with such a task.

I don't even know where the latter feeling came from. I remember being happy that I could meet new friends, then something strange happened, and all that eagerness just... vanished. Suddenly I found the whole idea tedious and a waste of time.

As we made our way towards the small town however, those feelings of anticipation slowly crept back into my mind, and now I was at odds with myself. I was so distracted by the dichotomy of my emotions that I completely failed to notice that we had already touched down on the outskirts of Ponyville.

A nudge to my barrel brought my attention back to my surroundings, and I blinked before looking down at Spike. The little drake eyed me worriedly even as he stepped off of the chariot.

"Twilight, are you sure you're okay?" he asked again, "you were staring into space the whole way here. I know the Princess gave us this big task and all, but it's obvious there's something wrong with you."

"I... no I'm fine, Spike," I replied with an apologetic smile, "I just... need some sleep probably," I hopped out of the chariot, "come on, we should get this done so I can get some rest at the library before it's time for Celestia to raise the sun."

Spike gave me another dubious look. Though it was well meaning, his constant worry was beginning to wear on my nerves a bit and made it difficult to focus on what was happening to me. I cast him a side glance and put the tiniest bit of edge in my voice as I spoke again.

"Drop it, Spike."

Spike's eyes widened and he raised his claws defensively.

"Alright, alright fine," he said, backing away slightly, "I just want you to know I'm here if you need anything."

"And I appreciate that," I replied, making my way over to the town just ahead, "but it's really not necessary right now, I just need some time to think and rest, that's all."

"...If you say so, Twi."

"I do," I responded simply, "now come on, we don't want to fall behind schedule."

Spike nodded after a moment and I lowered myself down so that he could hop on my back. As he climbed up, I felt him pause and shiver before slowly crawling back down again.

"I uh... I think I'll walk this time around, Twi," he said, stepping back and looking away uncomfortably, "if that's cool with you I mean."

"What?" I asked, frowning in confusion as I looked at him, "why? You never pass up an opportunity to laze around on my back while I do all the trotting."

"I dunno," he replied with a half-hearted shrug, "just feel like doing something different I guess."

I frowned in bemusement.

Looking back in my memory, I knew Spike had trouble keeping up with me and other ponies because of his short stature and rather stubby legs. Whenever we went out somewhere together to do something that involved a lot of trotting around, he always chose to ride on my back.

...Maybe I was just reading too deep into it.

"Alright, if that's what you want, Spike," I replied slowly, "just don't wear yourself out trying to keep up."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Spike muttered stepping past me, "can we go now?"

I raised an eyebrow at the sudden attitude, but didn't comment on it. Soon enough, the two of us had reached Ponyville proper and were taking in the sights when the sound of jovial humming caught my attention.

I turned towards the distant sound as it got closer and discovered that the source was a prancing pink mare with an impossibly poofy mane and a smile as bright as the sun itself. Realizing she was heading in my direction I froze.

That strange dichotomy surged and I wanted to simultaneously call out in greeting and move along while completely ignoring the mare. In the end, my desire to communicate won out and I raised a hoof.

"Hey there!" I called out with a friendly smile, "I'm new here! My name is Twilight Sparkle and... I... just... wanted..."

I trailed off in confusion as the pink mare suddenly stopped and stared at me.

She wasn't smiling anymore.

In fact, she had no expression whatsoever.

"Um... hello?" I asked nervously, "is something wr—"

"You don't belong here."

My eyes widened in shock and I took a step back.

"E-Excuse me?"

But the pink mare offered nothing more than that as she backed away, never taking her expressionless eyes off of me. Spike and I watched her as she continued to backpedal away from me. After she had gained a certain amount of distance, she turned and quickly trotted the rest of the way until she was out of sight.

"Huh... well that was weird," Spike muttered in bemusement, "not exactly a nice welcome to Ponyville is it, Twi?"

I didn't hear a word of it.

I was still staring at where the pink mare had gone, my eyes still wide and my heart pounding in my chest. I didn't know who that mare was or why she had said what she said... but it hit me in a way I hadn't expected... and they hit me hard.

Her words had caused me to break out into a cold sweat and I couldn't stop shivering.

"Twilight?" Spike turned to me and his brows shot up in alarm, "Twilight, what's wrong?"

I just slowly shook my head and took a step back before trotting off in another direction.

"L-Let's just get going, Spike," I said in a quiet, shaky voice, "d... don't worry about that mare, alright? Let's just... let's just go find the f-f... first mare on the list," I lit up my horn and pulled the event scroll out of my saddlebag. Unfurling it, I scanned the list of events pointedly avoiding Spike's piercing and troubled gaze, "it looks like we're supposed to see a mare named Applejack."

Focusing on the task at hoof calmed me somewhat and I let out a quiet sigh of relief as the sudden anxiety ebbed. I rolled the scroll back up and put it back in the bags as I spoke.

"According to the list, she lives in Sweet Apple Acres just outside of town and southwest from here," I explained, "so... oh, right. We need to see Mayor Mare first about the arrangements at the library..."

"No we don't," Spike corrected with a shake of his head, "I took a look at the list on the way here. Everything's already clear, we only need to see her if we have any questions about the arrangements."

"Oh... well, thanks for picking up on that," I replied with a sheepish smile, "I guess we should head over to these Sweet Apple Acres then."

The little dragon just grunted noncommittally as we changed direction and headed for the farmlands. I would've worried more about how Spike was acting, but I was too busy trying to figure out why that mare's words had struck me so deeply.

I was aware that I had been asleep in the Darkness for a long, long time, and that I didn't have any sort of form before I woke up, but I was a pony now. I had memories of being a pony—growing up as a pony. I knew what being a pony was about and it felt natural.

I was—am, Twilight Sparkle, protege to the Princess and an intelligent mare with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Didn't all of that make me just as much of a pony as she was, even if I didn't start out as one?

What made me so different that she would just come out and say I didn't belong?

Maybe it was just me reading too much into things again, but the way she had said that... it sounded like she meant far more than just me not belonging in this town, I was almost sure of it.

I didn't like this.

I didn't like feeling this way.

First it was Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Minuette, then it was Spike, and now this new mare. Why was everypony so wary of me? Sure, I might've done something bad to the first three mares I had seen, but that was an accident, and I didn't even know what I was doing—and besides, it wasn't like they got hurt.

I just wanted to talk to ponies and make friends like the Princess wanted. I already knew from my memory that I had several ponies who cared about me, and who I cared about, but it felt like I had never met them before.

Even though I had all these thoughts, memories, feelings, and sensations, it felt like I was experiencing everything for the first time... and maybe I was. Maybe I had gotten a chance to start over somehow.

Maybe I hadn't started out as a nonentity.

It was fully possible that I had always been Twilight Sparkle and had gotten some kind of second chance to experience everything anew—as though my consciousness had been... refreshed somehow.

But if all of this were the case, why did everypony I knew treat me as though I was acting out of the ordinary? If I started out as nothing as I had originally believed, then why would everypony fear me? Why would they fear something that came from nothing? There was literally nothing to fear before I existed as Twilight Sparkle.

...Unless I was actually something before I was Twilight Sparkle.

For some reason, the thought made me shake and my heart pound all over again.

...even a pony?

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As Spike and I made our way back out of town and closer to our destination, I picked the sweet scent of fresh apples wafting through the air.

The smell did wonders to light my spirits and bring my mind out of the mire it was rapidly falling into and I smiled. If I was going to have an existential crisis, it would have to wait, because for now, I had a job to do.

The sight of those apple trees soon came into view and I quickened my pace slightly, eager to meet this 'Applejack'. The strange pink mare scared me for some reason, and I resolved to avoid her whenever I could, but not everypony in or near this town would feel the same, right?

Even if they all did fear, or at least were wary of me, they wouldn't all act like that mare did... would they?

No, I can't think like that.

I shook my head and continued trotting down the dirt path, determined to stay positive. No matter who or what I was, there was a whole world out there to experience and I wanted friends to share that experience with.

I'm not sure where this desire for friendship came from to be honest. It started out as a desire to know more about the world and the creatures in it—specifically the ponies that surrounded me.

It might've been when I had first read that letter from the Princess, thinking back on it...

I pulled that same letter from my bags and floated it in front of me as I trotted along.

I'd like you to try and make friends while you're out and about in Ponyville...

Friends...

The word made me feel oddly warm inside, and I couldn't fathom why, but after rereading the letter, I knew for sure that that was when things changed. That was the moment I had become enamored with the idea of making friends.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt it was something I had to do.

But then... something happened and I suddenly felt repulsed by the idea.

The feeling was short lived all things considered, but it was a strange and confusing situation nonetheless. I decided not to dwell too much on it as I neared the heart of the farmlands.

"YEE-HAW!"

The sudden enthusiastic shout snapped me out of my musings and I looked up to see an orange earth pony mare in a stetson further ahead. With that cry, she proceeded to buck a tree with enough force to send every apple in it tumbling down and into a basket below.

Spike and I watched her repeat the process a few more times before I decided to introduce myself, inwardly praying that this meeting would go better than the last. I took a deep breath and pushed my fears aside as I trotted towards the mare.

"Excuse me!" I called out with a bright smile, "you wouldn't happen to be Ap—"

—already told you I was busy with—

—don't know, Spike... maybe the Princess was right, but—

—lunch with all of you, but that's it. I still have a lot of—

"Twilight!"

"Ugh... Spike?" I groaned, "what's going on? Why am I..."

I shook my head and sat up from where I had apparently been lying on the ground. Something felt off again, and as I rose back to my hooves I felt a bit nauseous.

I stumbled a bit and would've fallen again had it not been for a strong pair of hooves supporting me. In my disorientation I wasn't completely sure, but I could've sworn I heard some odd line about 'trotting over a grave'.

"You alright there, sugarcube?"

I looked over to see the orange cowpony eyeing me with no small amount of concern. I blinked a few times and shook my head once more before taking a step back and answering.

"Y-Yeah, I'll be fine in a minute, thanks... um..."

"Name's Applejack," the mare answered with a tip of her stetson, "proud member of the Apple Family. Nice ta meetcha, Miss..."

"It's... Twilight, Twilight Sparkle," I replied uncertainly, "I was actually on my way to check up on the catering for the Summer Sun Festival, you were in charge of that, right?"

"Darn tootin'," Applejack replied with a nod, "mah family an' ah make the best apple dishes ya ever shoved down yer gullet, ah can guarantee ya that."

It was so quick I almost missed it, but for a split second, Applejack's earnest smile became unsure. Before I could ponder on it anymore however, she turned the other way and looked back towards me questioningly, "why don't ya come on back to the farm an' we'll set ya up with some samples?"

"That... actually sounds wonderful," I replied with a strained smile, "I do need to make sure everything is in order regarding the catering after all."

"Well, shucks, Twilight that practically goes without sayin'," Applejace replied with a chuckle before trotting ahead, "an' this'll give ya'll a chance ta meet the rest o' the family."

"Right," I muttered before following after the cowpony, "c'mon, Spike... let's get this over with."

Spike gave me another odd look, one I ignored, and followed behind me.

Going with Applejack to meet her family was suddenly the last thing I wanted to do... and I didn't really know why. I had another 'episode' which may have had something to do with it, but... why?

Why did this happen again? Both times this happened, I felt like I temporarily lost a bit of myself—like something was trying to push me out of my own head and replace me with someone else... someone I'm not.

Whatever the case, I wasn't going to let this stop me from doing what I needed to do, even if I really didn't want to do it now.

Spike and I arrived at the farm with Applejack, and by that time a little of the enthusiasm I had lost returned, making me feel a bit better. As we came to a stop in front of a large wooden table, I went to ask the orange mare where her family was, but I couldn't so much as get one word out before the musical clang of metal on metal filled my ears.

"SOUPS ON, EVERYPONY!"

And it was after that, that I heard the rumble of hooves... lots of them. I turned towards the sound and my eyes widened in surprise at the massive dust clouds being kicked up.

"Oh geez," Spike muttered, his eyes just as wide as mine as he took an involuntary step back, "that can't be good..."

"Spike, hold on!"

"Wha—whoa!"

I grabbed the little drake in my telekinesis and simultaneously cast a teleportation spell just as the rest of Applejack's family came pounding past. With a pop, I blinked out of existence and reappeared next to Applejack herself with Spike in tow.

"Could you maybe give a bit of warning before your family tramples us to death, please?" I asked with a frown, "it doesn't really set a good first impression y'know."

"What? What are ya..." Applejack looked over to where we had just been standing and at the deep dents in the ground from the many heavy hooves that had tread upon it. She looked back to me and chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah... I suppose yer right," she conceded, "sorry about that, Miss Sparkle."

"Just Twilight is fine," I replied with a nod, before taking a seat at the table, "alright, so you said you were going to... Spike? Are you okay?"

I had already set the baby dragon down at the table as I spoke with Applejack, and it was only by chance that I happened to catch a glimpse of him as I took my own seat.

He looked like he'd seen a ghost.

He had gone pale—the color draining from his scales, and looking closer I could see a visible shudder overtake his tiny frame. I frowned and moved a bit closer, trying to comfort the dragon. I placed a reassuring hoof on his shoulder, only for him to violently flinch away.

The pang of hurt caught me as much by surprise as his sudden movement did.

"Spike?" I asked worriedly, "what's wrong? Talk to me..."

He must have seen that hurt on my face or in my voice, because he looked away with a guilty, if still somewhat fearful, expression. He gave another shudder before looking back towards me.

"I... I'm sorry, Twi. I'll be okay in a second," he said quietly, "just... just don't teleport me again, alright? I... don't think I like that spell very much."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" I pressed out of both concern and nervousness, "did I... do something weird again?"

"Well... I don't really know if it was—"

"Now that we're all here, lemme introduce ya!" Applejack interjected, sliding next to me and Spike, "these here are the rest of the Apples that came out ta help with the caterin'!" she gestured towards the many, many ponies milling about with heaps of food, "we got Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala..."

And the list of Apples went on and on to the point of absurdity. Strangely, the more ponies Applejack named, the more this odd bitterness ebbed away. By the time she got to Apple Bloom—an adorable foal with a red mane tied by a large pink bow—I was smiling and nodding to each of the family members in turn.

"...And Granny Smith," Applejack finished.

The old green earth pony mare snapped awake, muttering something I didn't quite hear, as I was becoming more focused on the massive stack of apple based treats that had been piled up as Applejack spoke.

I turned to Spike, still worried about what he had said earlier, but relaxed somewhat when I saw that he had already started digging in. I turned back to Applejack with a grateful smile.

"This is... quite a family you've got here, Applejack," I said as I looked around the large group, "and these dishes look delicious."

"Well, that's mighty kind of ya ta say," Applejack replied with a chuckle, "now go on, don't be shy, feel free ta eat as much as ya like, we got plenty ta go around," she nodded towards Spike who hadn't stopped eating, "yer little dragon friend's certainly got the right idea."

I turned back to Applejack with a nod and a small smile.

"I think I will," I replied, taking an apple strudel in my magic, "thanks, Applejack."

"Aw don't sweat it," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "just enjoy."

I eyed the treat held in my magic aura.

In truth, I had no clue if these were going to be good or not. In fact, I only knew they were edible based off the knowledge I had gained. That went without saying of course, but it felt as though somepony had only just told me food like this was safe to eat.

It felt like I had never eaten in my entire life.

In fact, the entire concept of eating to sustain one's life felt oddly foreign now that I thought on it. I... was fairly sure this wasn't a normal feeling, and that worried me. It brought up some rather uncomfortable questions I had tried very hard to ignore.

"You okay, sugarcube?"

I blinked and looked over to see Applejack eyeing me with a bemused frown. At my confused look, she gestured to the treat and elaborated.

"You've been staring at yer apple strudel fer the last minute or so," she pointed out, "is there somethin' wrong with it?"

"Oh... no! No, not at all," I quickly replied, "I'm just... not as hungry as I thought I was is all."

"Well shoot, why didn't ya say so?" Applejack asked with a shake of her head, "Ah'm sure we coulda gotten ya something a bit lighter."

"No, that's okay," I replied, lifting the strudel, "you went through all the trouble, the least I could do is finish what I started."

"Well... if ya say so," Applejack said with an unsure raise of her brow, "just don't push yerself if ya can't finish it."

I nodded and turned my attention back to the strudel with a small frown. Reluctantly—almost fearfully—I brought it to my mouth and took a tentative bite.

Nothing.

I took another bite.

I didn't taste anything.

My heart began to pound in my chest as I finished the tasteless confection. I quickly grabbed another treat and devoured it. Then I grabbed another, and another, and another, and three more. Eight apple dishes became ten, then fifteen, then twenty-five, and so on and so forth before they were all completely gone.

I couldn't taste a single one.

Not only could I not taste anything that was put in front of me, I didn't even feel any kind of fullness whatsoever from the food. It was like there was a void in place of my stomach.

It felt as though I could've eaten forever and still never have been full, not that it mattered, because this... food, didn't feel life sustaining—not to me anyway. In my sudden panic I failed to notice the shocked looks of Spike, Applejack, and the rest of the Apple family, but I didn't care at the moment.

I was far too caught up in my own frantic thoughts to give them any thought.

Maybe it's just apple based foods.

Maybe there's other things I can eat and I just... don't like apples?

I shivered as doubt, confusion, and fear welled up within me. These weren't the experiences I had been craving ever since I woke up. I wanted to live my life as anypony would. I wanted to fit in, be part of this wonderful existence and make friends along the way.

I wanted to learn.

I wanted to grow as a pony.

I wanted to experience these brand new thoughts and emotions that had captured my interest and held it so tightly. Instead however, all I got was uncomfortable—and sometimes fearful—looks, thoughts and feelings that were more confusing and conflicting than anything, and questions I didn't want to know the answers to.

Questions regarding who I really was.

...Or even what I really was.

Maybe it doesn't matter...

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I needed to get out of here.

I needed some time to myself—some time to come to terms with what was happening to me. I needed to find an answer to just what was going on, to clear away the confusion.

"Land sakes, girl," Applejack remarked, looking between me and the empty dishes with no small amount of awe, "fer somepony who ain't hungry, ya can certainly put it away."

I pushed myself away from the table and stood up, turning to the cowpony with a strained smile.

"I ah.. guess I was a bit hungrier than I thought," I replied with a nervous chuckle, "once I started I... just couldn't stop."

"Ah'll say," Applejack replied with a bemused shake of her head, "ain't even seen Big Mac eat as much as that," her confused frown turned to a proud, grateful smile after a moment, "well, ah can't really fault ya, sugarcube, us Apples pride ourselves in our homecookin', and ah'm mighty glad ta see ya enjoyed the meal."

"Yeah," I responded quietly, "hey, Applejack? It's been fun, a-and the meal was great don't get me wrong... but somethings been on my mind, and I think I need a bit of time alone."

Both Spike and Applejack gave me odd looks and I winced, trying to better explain myself.

"I... haven't really been feeling well, as I'm sure Spike can tell you," I continued, "I don't really feel like myself right now, and I think I just need to work some things out on my own. Can you look after Spike for a bit?"

"What?" Spike cried, hopping down from the table and walking over to me, "Twilight, what are you talking about? We got things to do and—"

"I know, Spike," I interjected, backing away from the little dragon and the rest of the Apple Family, "I know, and it won't take long, please, you most of all should know how weird things have been."

Spike opened his mouth to reply, but stopped himself, eyeing me with a thoughtful, worried look. Eventually he sighed and shook his head before dismissing me with a wave of his claw.

"It's fine, Twilight," he replied, "you have been acting really weird since you got back from the Royal Archives. If you need some time to figure things out, I'm not gonna stop you... just... you know you can tell me what's bothering you, right?"

"I know, Spike, and I will once I figure out what's wrong with me," I replied with a grateful smile, "I promise."

Spike simply nodded in response and I turned back to Applejack. I gave the confused mare an apologetic smile as I spoke.

"I'm sorry to put you on the spot like this, especially after all the hospitality you've already shown us."

"Aw shucks, ah don't mind none," Applejack replied, pushing her stetson back to scratch her mane, "ah don't know what's eatin' ya, but I figure watchin' after yer dragon friend here won't be any trouble."

"Thanks, Applejack," I replied, turning to leave and looking back to the orange earth pony over my shoulder, "I appreciate it, and all the food. I'm sure everypony will be thrilled to get a taste of your family's home cooking."

"Yer darn right they will," Applejack replied with a snort. She turned to look back at the yellow filly near the table, "hey, Apple Bloom! Why don'tcha show Spike here around the farm fer a bit?"

With that, I left Applejack to it and made my way off the farm and back into the large field of apple trees. I furrowed my brow as I thought.

I couldn't continue like this.

I had to get some sort of handle on just what the hay was going on with me. The problem was that I had nothing to go off of. I decided to compile what I did know about my situation.

I was uncertain about my existence before I had woken up in that Darkness, but I was certain that I had been sleeping.

In fact, I would've had to have existed in order to be asleep... right? What did 'waking up' mean for me? Did it mean I had fallen asleep at some point, or did it mean I was opening my eyes for the first time since I came into being?

I didn't know, and I was getting distracted again.

Getting back to what I did know, I was missing bits of my memory here and there for reasons I didn't know—though it was unclear whether or not they would return in time.

I knew I wasn't normal.

Judging by the reactions I had been receiving from everypony I met, there was definitely something wrong with me—the incident on the way to my tower was more than proof enough of that.

I had to accept the fact that the Twilight I had been before I opened my eyes under that willow tree, wasn't the same Twilight I was now.

Something had changed, but I didn't know what. I couldn't figure it out, and I had nopony to talk to about it either...

Or maybe I did.

As much as she unnerved me, that pink mare seemed to know something about me that I didn't know about myself. I didn't want to go anywhere near the mare, but... maybe she had the answers I was looking for?

I shivered at the thought of seeing her again.

Moving on, another thing that was becoming increasingly apparent, was just how unsettling my very presence seemed to be around others.

Spike had always jumped at the chance to ride on my back, but he didn't, and I was fairly sure it was because of me. Then there was the issue with my voice, and the fact that it changed on its own.

Whatever I had done to Minuette and the others, I had done it without thinking, and had initially assumed their reaction and my use of Minuette's voice was a normal part of the communication process.

Apparently that had been far from the case.

I didn't remember my own voice, but then it suddenly came back to me unbidden. That, coupled with the odd flashes of memory I had been having confounded me, and something about it scared me as well.

I felt like there was something inside me trying to get out... and what made it worse, was that I felt like the one who was the invader trying to keep that something at bay.

"Hey! Look ou—"

My body suddenly went rigid an instant before something slammed into my barrel. The impact jarred me down to my bones, but I didn't budge—thought I did yelp in surprise.

I snapped my shocked gaze towards the sound of a pained groan and spotted a cyan pegasus splayed out on her back a few hoof-lengths away from me.

"Sweet Celestia," she groaned, sitting up and rubbing her muzzle, "did I hit a brick wall or..." she trailed as she saw me her, eyes widening in surprise, "...oh."

For a second, we both stared at each other, her eyes on me in general, and mine on the messy prismatic mane that covered her head.

Eventually I snapped out of it and rushed over to the mare.

"Oh, geez, I'm so sorry," I cried holding out a hoof to help her up, "are you okay?"

"Uh," she replied, absently taking my hoof and allowing me to pulled her up, "yeah, sorry about that, shoulda watched where I was flying."

She stared at me for another second before shaking her head and putting on a cocky smile.

"I tend to get a bit carried away when I'm training," she said, her tone suddenly proud and confident, "didn't mean to hit ya," she frowned and jabbed me in the shoulder, "seriously though, I felt like I was the one that got hit."

"Oh, um... sorry?" I replied, giving her an unsure smile, "I heard a sudden shout and just kind of... froze, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Nah, it's cool," she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "I'm a lot tougher than I look, and apparently you are too. Don't see a lot of unicorns that sturdy."

"Oh, I see," I replied, inwardly surprised and pleased at how well the conversation was going, "I'm not nearly as sturdy as my older brother, though. He's a captain in the Royal Guard, and as far as strength goes, he's a match for any earth pony."

"Is that so?" the mare replied with a laugh, "I guess it must run in the family or something."

"Maybe," I said with a nervous chuckle. I cleared my throat and held out a hoof, "anyway, my name's Twilight Sparkle."

"Rainbow Dash," the mare replied, bumping her hoof against mine, "future Wonderbolt extraordinaire and all around coolest and fastest pony in both Ponyville and Cloudsdale."

"Wow, that's... quite a claim," I responded before furrowing my brow as a sudden thought crossed my mind, "wait... you said you're name was Rainbow Dash?"

"The one and only," she replied with a smirk.

I looked towards the cloud covered sky for a moment before sweeping my gaze around the rest of my surroundings.

Apparently I had wound up back in Ponyville at some point. In any case, I recognized the name from the list of events Celestia had sent me, and with that in mind, I turned back to Rainbow Dash with a bemused frown.

"Aren't you the one that's supposed to be keeping the skies clear for the Summer Sun Celebration?"

"Oh, yeah, that," Rainbow replied with a roll of her eyes, "I'm the top weather patrol pony in Cloudsdale. A little cloud cover like this is nothing I can't handle in ten seconds flat."

"Really?" I asked, genuinely intrigued, "now that's something I'd like to see."

Rainbow's face seemed to light up at my words and she took a step back before crouching low and spreading her wings.

"You want awesome?" she said, her eyes narrowing and a grin forming on her face, "you got awesome."

With that, she shot up into the sky, and pinballed from cloud to cloud, leaving a rainbow contrail in her wake. I could only stand there in silent awe as she busted through every single cloud in a matter of seconds.

It was as I watched Rainbow Dash wipe out cloud after cloud that I came to a decision.

Rainbow Dash had been the first pony I had talked to that didn't find me weird or creepy—or if she did, she was extremely good at hiding it.

Sure, she had been initially shocked at what happened before, but she had gotten over it quickly and we had an actual conversation without it coming back to how weird I was.

It was then that I decided to follow her example. I wouldn't let my fears and worries get to me, and if I came off as weird or creepy to other ponies...

Well... I'd just have to find a way to deal with it. The answers I was both searching for and afraid of, might come to me, or I might never figure out what was wrong, but I was done fretting over it.

It wasn't doing me any favors, I wasn't getting anywhere, and all I was accomplishing was worrying Spike more and more.

"Ha! Ten. Seconds. Flat, just like I told you!"

While I was lost in thought, Rainbow Dash had finished her work. I hadn't actually counted, but with how fast she went, it had to be around what she had claimed.

"So?" she pressed, "what'd you think? Impressive right?"

"I'll say," I said with a small laugh, "I've never seen anything like it."

"Darn right you haven't!" Rainbow Dash replied, puffing out her chest. Her ear suddenly twitched and she turned her gaze towards the sky, "oh shoot," she muttered before taking to the air and giving me an apologetic smile, "hey listen, I gotta go, but we should hang out more some time! See ya!"

She gave a quick salute before turning and shooting off into the distance, rainbow contrail following behind her as she went.

I finished waving back and lowered my hoof to the ground, a smile crossing my muzzle. With a satisfied sigh, I turned and began my trot back to Sweet Apple Acres, making a mental note to find out what the Wonderbolts were.

This trot had done me a world of good, and I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. I was certain I'd have to deal with my problems sooner or later, but for now, I didn't need, or want to worry about it at the moment.

I was Twilight Sparkle, and that was good enough for now.

...or maybe it does.

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It had to be today of all days...

Celestia sighed as she made her way through the rather crowded halls of the Canterlot Medical Center. Several doctors, nurses, and patients made way, their eyes widening at the unexpected visit from royalty.

The Princess herself, for the most part, ignored the stares—giving only a few nods of acknowledgement and a few gentle, reassuring smiles here and there.

Normally she'd be far more genial towards her subjects, but now wasn't the time for pleasantries. On top of the oncoming Summer Sun Celebration and her other major worry, Celestia now had this odd... disturbance to worry about.

Normal ponies couldn't sense magic, but Celestia was an alicorn, and as such, she had a much deeper connection to the thaumatic field that surrounded Equus.

It was only a few hours earlier that she felt something momentarily disrupt the field... but she couldn't tell whether it was a malevolent force or not. This was worrying, but she had more important matters to worry about at that moment.

Namely the Summer Sun Celebration, and the endeavors of a certain Faithful Student on the night before the event.

Everything had to be perfect, else all Celestia had planned since finding out who the next Bearers would be rendered pointless. Decades of work, which—while the blink of an eye in her long, long life—would nevertheless be wasted.

Equestria would fall to eternal darkness, and ultimately it would've been due to her negligence... and she would never forgive herself for failing her kingdom... and her sister, so badly.

That was why it was important that Twilight Sparkle accomplish her task in Ponyville. Everypony had their role to play, and Twilight's was perhaps the most important of all.

But then Celestia had received a message only a few hours ago that changed... not everything, but quite a bit.

A unicorn mare by the name of Lyra Heartstrings had been out on a trot while talking with a friend visiting from Ponyville, when both the mares had heard a commotion from further up ahead.

Upon investigating, the two had discovered three unconscious mares splayed out on the path to the Castle Courtyard. They searched, but there had been nopony else around the area.

Who, or whatever had been the cause of each of the mare's states had vanished by the time Lyra and her friend had reached the scene.

They had decided to tell the nearest guard on duty, and the unconscious mares were taken to the Canterlot Medical Center for treatment.

Now, as worried as Celestia was, and as much as she hoped nothing but the best for the mares, this in and of itself didn't warrant the Sun Princess' attention.

It was what her personal aide, Raven Inkwell, had nervously informed her of that caught her attention. This new information, coupled with Celestia's own worries about what she had sensed earlier, was why she now followed the doctor and nurse down the hallway and to a specific patient's room in the hospital.

With what she had been told, she had a hunch the two events were related in some way.

As Doctor Steady Beat, Nurse Fair Weather, and Celestia trotted closer to the room, the Sun Princess began to notice a change in the demeanor of the hospital staff on duty.

Other doctors and nurses trotting the opposite way would occasionally glance back the way they came with uneasy, or downright unnerved expressions.

One particular mare practically bowled the Princess over in an effort to put as much distance between herself and whatever it was she had clearly been afraid of.

Celestia didn't fault the mare of course, after all, if what she had heard was true, then this was something to be disturbed about.

Celestia frowned slightly as they approached the door to Room 495.

The sensation she had felt before had steadily been rising the closer they got. Now that she was this close, she could very clearly sense that strange disturbance coming from the room in waves.

It was an altogether alien feeling... and while she couldn't quite place a hoof on it... the aura she felt about the room also felt... caustic in a way—repulsive, and an offense to everything harmonic in nature.

It was as though the very aura about the room rejected life and everything it stood for.

"Er... Princess?"

Celestia blinked and looked down at both the doctor and nurse, who in turn were looking back at her with worried, nervous expressions.

Apparently she had stopped trotting at some point while she was lost in her thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Doctor Steady Beat asked with a concerned frown, "you seem a bit... rattled—n-not that I blame you of course. It's just..."

The mocha brown stallion trailed off, biting his lip and turning a tentative gaze towards the room just up ahead. The nurse looked from the doctor, to the door, and back to the Princess, her own look one of trepidation.

"T-The patients are just... r-right in here, Princess," the shivering mare explained rather unnecessarily, "t-they're not hostile or anything!" she added quickly, "just... something isn't... isn't right about them. Their eyes—"

"Why don't we let the Princess see for herself, Nurse Fair Weather," the doctor chided, giving the mare a stern frown, "I'm sure she'd like to get to the bottom of this... unprecedented malady as soon as possible."

"Quite right you are, doctor," Celestia replied with a nod before turning to the nervous maroon mare with a reassuring smile, "You've been a great help in leading me here, Nurse Fair Weather. If you don't feel comfortable proceeding further, you have my leave."

"R-Really?" the nurse asked incredulously before turning to the doctor. The doctor sighed and nodded once, causing the mare to look back to Celestia and smile shakily, "t-thank you, Princess!"

Without another word, she turned on her heel and quickly trotted in the other direction.

"I'm terribly sorry about Miss Fair Weather, Princess," the doctor said with an apologetic frown, "she's normally a lot more professional than this... it's just—"

"No need to apologize, doctor," Celestia interjected, narrowing her eyes slightly as she stared at the door, "I think the poor mare has seen enough. Now then... I believe it's past time I saw this... affliction for myself."

"Right," the doctor said after a moment, before giving a discreet sigh and trotting forward, "if you'll follow me, Princess..."

Doctor Steady Beat reached out and turned the handle of the door, pushing it open and stepping inside. Celestia soon trotted in right behind him and nearly reeled back in disgust as that caustic sensation practically overwhelmed her.

She stared in wide eyed horror at the three unicorn mares atop their respective hospital beds. Physically, they looked the same as any pony with their colorful coats, manes, and overall healthy complexion.

But that was only at a glance.

Each mare sat up in their beds, bodies completely rigid as if carved from stone. They all stared at the far wall as though they were all waiting for something to happen.

Their expressions were blank and their eyes were filled with an inky blackness that seemed to swirl and froth as though something were swimming within them.

And that was to say nothing of the constant ripples their very presence cast in the thaumatic field directly surrounding them.

Though Celestia couldn't see it, she could feel the ambient magic tearing itself apart and pulling itself back together rapidly around the mares.

"Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine."

The doctor's voice snapped Celestia out of her daze and she turned to the stallion. He appeared to be reciting information from some documents he had obtained while she was distracted.

"These three mares were found unconscious near the castle grounds roughly three and a half hours ago," he continued, "one Lyra Heartstrings and one Sparkler brought them here to be treated for any potential problems they may have had."

He flipped the document over the edge of the clipboard he was holding and moved on to the next page of information. Celestia herself turned to stare at the statue-like mares in the beds as the stallion spoke.

"Each mare remained unconscious as they were placed in their beds," the doctor said before frowning, "the nurse—Nurse Fair Weather to be exact—left to check on another patient on my behalf, and when she returned around half an hour later..."

He looked up from his notes and cast a significant glance in the direction of the three mares. Celestia was barely paying any attention to the doctor's words as her mind raced to find an answer to what she was seeing.

She had never seen anything like this.

The closest thing she could compared this affliction to was a curse born of Dark Magic... but that wasn't it. Celestia knew what Dark Magic felt like, she had fought against users of it in the past and this...

...this wasn't Dark Magic.

It felt similar, yet wholly different at the same time. There was something necrotic about the aura she felt, but not in the same way a Necromancer's spell would feel.

It felt different... otherworldly.

Celestia grimaced in frustration as she tried, and failed, to make sense of what she was feeling from these mares.

"They've been like this ever since Nurse Fair Weather came back into the room," the doctor said, distracting Celestia from her thoughts once again, "they haven't moved an inch and refuse to respond to any external stimuli whatsoever."

"What—"

All three mares snapped their empty gazes towards the Solar Princess.

Celestia's heart skipped a beat and her next words all but died in her throat as they stared at her silently. Next to her, she heard the clipboard fall to the floor as Doctor Steady Beat flinched back in surprise.

For several moments, nopony moved.

Celestia stood there, staring at the mares as they stared back—her wide, bright magenta eyes meeting their soulless, inky black orbs.

The doctor held his chest, trying to calm his beating heart as he looked between the Princess and the mares. He opened his mouth to speak and froze, his eyes slowly widening as he looked at the three mares.

Their own mouths moved as though they spoke, but nothing could be heard—nothing aloud at least. Words were still spoken however, words unlike any the doctor had ever heard before.

Words not meant to be heard by any mortal, words that tore at the mind and twisted the soul, words that rent one's very sanity asunder at their merest utterance.

The doctor screamed.

He screamed and screamed and didn't stop screaming even as the Princess threw open the door and shoved him outside with her magic, rushing out immediately after the mentally broken stallion, and slamming the door shut.

Once outside, Celestia's horn lit up as she cast every ward, barrier, and detection spell she knew upon the door. That done, she slowly backed away, never taking her eyes away from that door.

She could still feel their gaze.

The Solar Princess stumbled back another step before turning around and quickly trotting down the hall. She vaguely made mention of the stallion to several surprised and worried hospital staff as she passed, but her words were distant in her own ears.

She didn't stop until she had made her way outside the building, and even then she hadn't noticed she had already left until one of her guards called out her name.

Celestia stopped and turned towards the two pegasus guards standing near her personal carriage. She blinked at the two owlishly as they spoke, their words not reaching her ears at first.

She gradually became aware that she was shivering violently. Raising a shaky hoof, she stared at it for a long moment, ignoring the guards completely as they approached.

She gave no explanation as to what had happened in that room, or what she had seen. She would have to go back and properly warn the other patients and staff to stay as far away from that room as possible—at least until she could find out just what they were all dealing with.

Whatever it was, Celestia was absolutely certain it wasn't of this world.

Taking several minutes to calm herself to a reasonable state, the Princess trotted back into the Canterlot Medical Center and address the worried staff of the situation at hoof before returning to her carriage and making her way back to the castle.

All thoughts of the Summer Sun Celebration, as well as those of her inevitable return, were swept aside by the words those three mares had spoken.

Hearing those mares 'speak' was akin to having thousands of needles shoved into her mind, but she had somehow been able to make out four 'words' from that eldritch 'language'... four simple, terrible, foreboding 'words' that chilled the alicorn to her very bones...

The Dead Goddess Rises.

Either way...

View Online

As I reached the farm I spotted Spike chatting with the yellow filly about something or another as he sat on a fence rocking his stubby legs back and forth.

From what I picked up on the conversation, it was apparent that the filly had been curious about dragons, and Spike was all too eager to tell her everything he knew... about himself.

I smiled and chuckled at the thought.

It was nice to see that Spike was back to his old self—happy, proud, and confident in his own abilities.

I knew I was trying to work out just what the hay was going on with me, but I hadn't fully considered how it was affecting Spike until recently.

Well... I planned to change that.

My laughter seemed to have caught the attention of both the little dragon and the little filly. They both looked up, Apple Bloom looking somewhat disappointed and Spike looking somewhat anxious.

"It looks like Miss Twilight is back," Apple Bloom muttered, looking back to Spike with a pout, "ah guess that means ya gotta go now."

"Yeah, probably," Spike replied with a nod and a sigh. He hopped off the fence and gave the filly a friendly smile, "well, it was nice talking to you anyway, Apple Bloom."

"Yer gonna come back an' visit, right?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head with a slight frown, "I wanna hear more about that dragon fire of yours, sounds mighty useful."

"We'll make some time to come back before we leave," I interjected as I trotted over to the two with a friendly smile of my own, "but we're behind schedule as it is right now."

"Oh... a-alright then," Apple Bloom replied, taking a step back and looking from me to Spike, "well... ah guess ah'll see ya later then... maybe during the Summer Sun Festival?"

Spike looked back to me with a questioning frown, to which I chuckled and shook my head in return before looking over at a hopeful Apple Bloom.

"We'll both see you there, Apple Bloom," I replied, much to Apple Bloom's delight, "I did come here to make sure everything went smoothly after all."

"Great!" Apple Bloom cried happily, hopping over to Spike and pulling him into a quick probably-too-tight hug, "ah can't wait!"

"Yeah... me neither," Spike wheezed, "can't breathe... Apple Bloom..."

"Oh!" Apple Bloom pulled away, her face turning red as she chuckled sheepishly, "ah... sorry 'bout that."

Pulling my attention away from them for a moment, I looked around the farm and frowned in bemusement.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," I asked, turning back to the yellow filly, "have you seen your sister anywhere? I wanted to tell her we were leaving."

"AJ's helpin' the rest of the family set up fer the festival, she told me ta make sure ya knew where ta find us when ya came back, so we waited here fer ya."

"Ah... okay then," I replied with an understanding nod, "well, tell Applejack I said thanks for all the food, and that it was a pleasure to meet her and the rest of her family."

"Will do!" Apple Bloom replied with a mock salute, "see ya'll at the festival!"

With that, and a wave goodbye, she took off further into the farm. Spike and I watched her go for a moment before the baby dragon spoke again, turning to me and shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"So... are you... okay?" he asked haltingly, "I mean, did the walk help at all?"

"You have no idea, Spike," I replied with a reassuring smile, "I feel a lot better, and..."

My smile fell a bit, becoming slightly guilty.

"...I'm sorry for acting so strange, Spike. I don't really know how to explain it, but... I haven't been feeling like myself lately and I hadn't given too much thought about how it was affecting you."

"No it's... it's fine, Twilight," Spike replied, his expression also somewhat guilty, "it's not like you haven't acted weird in the past, and I should be used to it by now. It's just..."

Spike sighed and shook his head before giving me a tired smile.

"You know what? Don't worry about it," he said with a dismissive wave of his claw, "if you're feeling better, that's all I care about."

"Thanks, Spike," I replied gratefully. I pulled out the scroll containing the events and looked it over a moment before turning back to Spike, "now what do you say we go see this 'Rarity' mare?"

Spike nodded with a relieved smile and together we left the Apple Family farm and headed back to Ponyville.

As we made our way back into town, I got a few more nervous glances thrown my way, but I ignored them this time. Instead I used the opportunity to talk to Spike about one random thing or another.

We talked all the way to Town Hall and I began to feel more and more like myself with the conversation. By the time Spike and I actually entered the Hall, we were both laughing like idiots at a particularly funny memory involving Shiny.

Spike didn't seem nervous around me anymore, and I contributed that in large part due to my change in attitude. I also felt a lot more comfortable now that I had gotten an ample amount of interaction done with other ponies.

"...yeah no kidding!" Spike was saying, still chuckling, "remember how long it took the big guy to..."

Spike trailed off and slowed to a stop just inside the Hall, his stunned gaze locked on something ahead. I raised an eyebrow and turned to see the back of a white unicorn mare with a curly violet tail.

The mare muttered to herself, fretting over decorations as she moved about the large room. I watched her for a moment before looking back over to Spike, who was now giving the mare an odd look.

I had no idea what it meant.

"Spike?" I asked, leaning down and waving a hoof in front of his face, "you okay? Spike?"

"She's beautiful..."

Both my brows shot up at the dreamy tone in the drake's voice and I looked back over to the mare. She had finally turned enough to see her face, and that's when it hit me.

Spike was enamored with the mare.

It took me a moment to realize this, and I felt like the only reason I even knew that was because I had read about the difference between 'true love' and 'having a crush' in a book at some point.

I had never experienced either—at least, not that I could remember.

I cast Spike one more side glance before snorting in amusement and making my way over to greet the mare.

"Hello!" I called out jovially, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," I trotted up next to her with a slightly apologetic smile, "my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here to—"

"Upupup! Not another word, darling," the mare interjected, waving a dismissive hoof in my face, "terribly sorry for the rudeness, but I'm in the middle of something positively vital to the success of this celebration."

"And... er... what is that?" I asked, completely caught off guard, "i-if you don't mind me asking? I heard there was supposed to be a pony here by the name of Rarity who—"

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, dear," the mare—apparently Rarity—replied distractedly, "now if you'll give me a moment, I simply must switch out these dreadful banners for something a little more..."

Her words died down into contemplative mutterings as she trotted away to inspect more decorations. I furrowed my brow and reluctantly made my way back over to where Spike still stood, my eyes remaining on the busy mare.

Spike, it seemed, hadn't once taken his eyes off of Rarity since we had entered Town Hall.

"Isn't she perfect, Twi?" he asked with a dumb grin, "so focused, so driven, so passionate, she's... well... perfect!"

I gave Spike a flat look and was about to retort when Rarity's voice suddenly rang out.

"Absolutely stunning!"

I looked back over to Rarity to see her taking a few steps back and scanning the room. A wide, satisfied smile broke out across her face as she admired her work.

"Oh, Rarity, you've simply outdone yourself this time," the eloquent mare said to herself with a nod, "why I doubt even the Princess could do better herself!"

I couldn't help but smile at Rarity's enthusiasm, and I giggled as I trotted over to finally get the mare's attention.

"It really does look amazing," I added, looking over the colorful banners and streamers lining the room, "you've done some very good work here, Rarity."

"Well I should think so," Rarity replied with a huff, "I do seem to have an eye for detail, and I'd simply be remiss as a designer if I didn't put that eye to good use... now then," she finally turned to look at me with a pleasant smile, "I hope you can forgive my—"

She yelped and stumbled backwards.

I winced and flattened my ears.

A strange sensation overwhelmed me for a moment. It was a familiar feeling, something I had felt not too long ago... and somehow I knew that if I gave into that strange sensation, something bad would happen.

I grit my teeth and tried to push the sensation back.

With a bit of effort, the feeling passed and I breathed a sigh of relief. I looked back up towards Rarity, ready to apologize, but my words froze into ice that shot through my veins.

That look.

Never had I been given a look like the one Rarity wore as she stared at me. It was one of such pure, unbridled fear that it made my heart stop dead in my own chest. It was more than just the fear, beneath it I saw something else in her eyes.

There was confusion.

There was... anticipation.

There was... longing?

Time seemed to stop for the two of us as we stared at each other. Her look of utter horror no doubt matched my own, but I had no idea why I was horrified.

Maybe it was due to her reaction, maybe it was something else... I didn't know. All I knew was that I had to leave, or something really, really bad was going to happen.

The sensation was coming back with a vengeance. It was all I could do to speak, the strain becoming too much to bear.

"S-Spike... we need to go," I said shakily, backing away from the still frozen mare before me, "we need to go... now."

"What? Why?" Spike asked in both bewilderment and disappointment, apparently oblivious to the crushing tension in the room, "Twilight, what's wrong? Why's Rarity acting like that? What happened?"

"Spike, please," I pleaded, shaking my head as I continued to maintain eye contact with, Rarity, "I don't know what's going on, but... you... need... to... leave... is that... understood... Spike?"

I turned to the dragon, waiting for him to obey my command. It took a moment, but his eyes glazed over and a look of understanding crossed his face.

He nodded slowly before promptly turning around and making his way out of Town Hall without a word. With the dragon out of the way I turned back to the shivering mare before me.

"W-What's... what's going on?" she asked, trembling like a leaf, "w-who on Equus are you? A-And why do I... d-do I... I don't..."

I don't know how long it took me to close the distance between myself and Rarity, but before I knew it, I had pressed a hoof to Rarity's lips, shushing the mare gently.

"It's okay, Rarity... you don't know me... and I don't know you... but I want us to be friends, and I think I know the perfect way to accomplish this little endeavor..."

I smiled and dragged my hoof across her face and down to her neck. The snow white mare did nothing more than shiver and stutter, unable to break away from my gaze. As I stared into those teary eyes, I could see it.

She knew what was about to happen.

I knew what was about to happen.

Things were going to be different between the two of us, and Rarity's life would change forever... but that was okay. There would be others—more friends to make, more ponies to communicate with, and when all was said and done... that's all that mattered in the end.

Friendship.

I let out a contented sigh as I heard the tell-tale snap, signaling the end of one life and the start of another.

Rarity fell over, her head twisted in a very unnatural position. I almost laughed at how ridiculous she looked, staring up at me with those milky white eyes.

I held back however, after all, there was more to be done.

Leaning over the body, I brushed my lips past one of her ears and smiled one last time before opening my mouth to speak—my voice coming out in a soft whisper.

It's time to wake up, Rarity.

The reaction was instant.

Her body jerked once and, with another snap, her head properly realigned itself. Her body jerked again before going still.

I straightened up and backed away a step, smiling as I waited for what came next. A moment of complete silence passed, and eventually Rarity shifted.

The mare began to rise with a sort of slow methodical grace, and it wasn't long until she stood tall once more, looking almost regal in her stance.

"Welcome back, Rarity," I greeted with a warm smile, "how do you feel? Are you okay?"

Rarity groaned and cracked her neck a few times before looking back at me—her eyes two swirling black pools and her smile almost beatific.

I found the sight rather striking... it was a good look for her.

She took a moment to answer, taking in her surroundings and nodding in satisfaction. She made her way over to me and once she got close, she pulled me into a brief hug before holding me at legs length, her smile widening slightly.

"I've never felt better than I do now, darling."

...I will continue to live my life.

View Online

For the first time since I had awoken, I felt... somewhat whole.

I felt... not quite complete, but more fulfilled than I had before. I felt as though a part of me that I hadn't even known was missing had returned... but that there were still other parts of me missing.

I still didn't know just who or what I was exactly, but I now knew that I had never originally inhabited this body.

I had indeed existed before this, and I was something altogether different than what I was now. I didn't know what I was... but I knew my 'words' held power.

Somehow, instinctively I knew... this power was mine to begin with, and—while I didn't know the cause—I now had some control over whatever this was.

Something had triggered a change within me, and I had a difficult time coming down from the strange high I was feeling. Was it a side effect of having this part of myself released or unlocked or... whatever it was that happened?

That too, was something I wasn't quite sure of.

As I watched the new 'friend' I had made trot about the Town Hall cleaning up her decorative supplies, however, something began to shift in the back of my mind and I frowned slightly.

Something was wrong, but I couldn't quite put my hoof on what it was.

As complete as I felt right now, there was something telling me this wasn't right. The feeling only grew in intensity as Rarity froze midway through replacing the several rolls of streamers and slowly turned to face me.

She frowned at me in confusion, but I ignored that as I took a moment to actually assess what I had done to her. Her eyes were still swirling black masses, and the decorations that were held aloft, bore no colorful magic aura as they did so.

Neither did her horn, which meant that whatever she was using to cast her telekinesis wasn't what she'd been using before. Rarity however, either didn't seem to notice, or if she had, she didn't seem to mind.

Other than that, it didn't look like anything else had changed. She was still the same sophisticated sounding, elegant and dedicated white unicorn mare I had seen when I first arrived.

After we had become friends, she had just... resumed what she was doing as if nothing had happened at all. I knew this power somehow, but just like my own identity, I didn't know everything about it—in fact, I didn't know a lot about it.

Still, I felt like something else had changed in the mare. Something important... something... fundamental, but I couldn't tell what from where I was standing... but then I noticed Rarity hadn't said or done anything since I had focused my attention on her.

It was almost like... she was waiting for me to say something. That's when I began to get a sneaking suspicion of what may have been going on... and that suspicion only caused the feeling of wrongness to slowly turn to dread.

The dread in turn, began to push away the rest of the fog that seemed to be clouding my mind, and I became somewhat more lucid.

I hadn't even realized my mind was clouded until the dread had set in.

I needed to confirm my suspicion, so I did my best to push my dread back down and—remembering the sensation—called upon that 'power' I had used earlier.

Come and stand before me, Rarity... I wish to speak to you.

The first thing I noticed was the clatter of several things falling to the floor. I blinked in confusion and it took a second to realize Rarity wasn't where she'd been standing originally.

I was watching her the entire time, and hadn't seen her move an inch. Yet here she was, standing before me, just as I had ordered—with a warm, expectant smile on her face no less.

There was no magical effect, there was no flash, or pop, or tell-tale hum of a teleportation spell being cast... she simply vanished and reappeared right in front of me in an instant.

"Is there something I can do for You, dear?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head. She frowned and suddenly began looking me over with a critical eye, "actually there just might be... perhaps a dress? Something form fitting, soft yellow to compliment the gorgeous lavender of Your coat... cross stitch finish? Hmmm..."

I gawked at her as she circled around me while mumbling something about fabrics and measurements. I was so completely thrown off balance by her sudden desire to make me an outfit that any residual high or haziness dissipated, leaving me feeling a bit awkward and uncomfortable.

"I... um... that's... that's not really necessary, Rarity," I sputtered, "I just needed to talk to you, that's all. Nothing more than that."

Rarity stopped in front of me and frowned in disappointment.

"Oh very well, then," she sighed, "I shan't argue, but if I may be so bold, my Goddess, I think You'd look quite fetching in a lace dress, though if I were to go with that, I think something a little darker in color might be called for... maybe a dark violet?"

I didn't bother to stop her tangent this time, as I was too stunned and confused by what she had called me to notice.

'My Goddess'? What the hay is she talking about? Why did she call me that?

I decided to ask her just that.

"Rarity."

She cut off her rambling at once and her countenance became much more serious, as though she had sensed the gravity of the situation in my voice.

"Yes, my Goddess?"

I flinched slightly, something inside of me rejecting that title outright, but pressed on nevertheless.

"Why are you calling me that all of a sudden?" I asked, furrowing my brow, "since when did I become a 'Goddess' of any kind?"

Rarity opened her mouth, only to close it once more and frown in contemplation.

"I'm... not quite sure, darling," she replied slowly, "it... just feels right to refer to You as such I suppose, it feels like the respectful thing to do in Your presence."

"But," I swallowed nervously, "we're... we're friends, aren't we? You don't have to call me a... a Goddess, why..."

I trailed off as a horrible realization hit me.

The haze had vanished and I still remembered what I had done to make Rarity this way. It was only then that the sheer weight of what I did slammed into me like a train.

I had killed Rarity.

I killed her, and somehow brought her back to life... not as a new friend... but as something else entirely. Then another thought hit me and I couldn't help but shudder.

Did... did I do the same thing to Minuette and the others back in Canterlot?

After seeing the effect my 'words' had on Rarity, an idea came to me... and I found myself really hoping it didn't work. With a shaky breath, I brought forth the power of my 'words' and called out.

Minuette... Twinkleshine... Lemon Hearts... come now, and stand before your Goddess.

My heart sank as all three mares appeared in the exact same fashion as Rarity—suddenly, quietly, and with no hint of normal unicorn magic whatsoever.

"You called, my Goddess?"

"Heya!"

"It's nice to see You again, my Goddess."

I took a disbelieving step back, slowly shaking my head in horror. Each of them stood there, their eyes just as black as Rarity's. but their demeanor no less vibrant than it had been before.

Each of their smiles were different to some degree, but, like Rarity, they were all looking at me expectantly, waiting for their 'Goddess' to give them a command.

I ignored the thousands of questions rolling about in my head and the shaking in my legs for the moment as I asked the one question I didn't want to know the answer to.

"W-What did I do to you three back in Canterlot?" I asked in a near whisper, before turning to the aqua blue unicorn mare, "and Minuette, how was I able to... use your voice?"

I wasn't sure if they knew what had happened back then, but it was worth a shot. It was Twinkleshine that stepped forward and spoke first.

"I'm not surprised You don't remember, my Goddess—"

"Please," I interrupted, shaking my head, "all of you, just... just call me Twilight, okay? No more of this 'my Goddess' stuff, please."

Everypony in the room seemed to shift uncomfortably before giving various hesitant nods of understanding.

"If You say so, Twilight" Minuette replied with a small shrug, "and to answer Your question, when we came to invite You over to Moon Dancer's party, You were acting kind of weird."

"Right," Twinkleshine continued, "we were worried about You, and the longer we stayed there, the more something began to feel weird... and not in a good way."

"Yeah, we... kind of started to get scared," Lemon Hearts added with a small somewhat guilty frown, "we... it got so bad that we kind of... tried to dissuade You from coming altogether."

"But then that's when You started... talking."

All three of them visibly shuddered at the memory.

"It... I don't really know how to describe what we heard, Twilight," Twinkleshine said, shaking her head with a frown, "but it wasn't Ponish, that's for sure."

Twinkleshine fell silent and Lemon Hearts picked up from where she left off, pawing at the floor nervously, looking ashamed at what she was having to say.

"All I know was that as soon as You opened Your mouth, I felt like my brain was gonna explode, and my heart was gonna burst right out of my chest with fear... it... wasn't a pleasant experience."

"I don't think any of us can really remember what happened after that," Minuette said, scrunching up her face in thought, "the last thing I remember is that You... changed all of a sudden, then there was this horrible pain in my head... and everything went black."

"And... this happened to all of you?" I asked, in a hoarse whisper, "you all... did you all... feel some kind of horrible pain before blacking out?"

I shivered as all three gave affirmative nods.

"I may not remember what happened to You, or the rest of us for that matter," Twinkleshine said with an apologetic frown, "but I do remember hearing a voice whispering in my head at some point."

My mouth was dry at this point. I was desperately trying to keep up, but my brain was running around in circles trying to gather the pieces to the puzzle, and the heart pounding in my chest was a bit distracting.

"A-And... what did this voice say?" I asked, knowing full well that it was probably my voice giving some kind of command, "do you remember?"

All three of them nodded in unison before Minuette spoke.

"I heard my own voice say something like 'You should all rest for now, a new Dawn awaits you... and with it... a new Life'."

"And the next thing we knew, we were all in hospital beds," Twinkleshine continued, "there was nopony in the room, and nopony came when we called."

"We tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge," Minuette said with an annoyed grimace. Then she smiled at me, "but then we heard Your voice from outta nowhere and... now we're here!"

She finished by gesturing to the room around her. I just sat there and stared at them dumbly, having fallen to a sitting position at some point during the explanation.

They had all fallen silent, something I was thankful for, as it gave me a chance to run the things I had heard through my mind.

I had so many questions I didn't even know where to start, but there was one thing that bothered me the most, and, turning to Minuette I asked the question. my voice quiet and shaky.

"Y-You said I had changed," I began, "how exactly did I change? What did I look like?"

"I... I don't know, Twilight," Minuette replied sadly, "I couldn't describe it then, and I can't describe it now. All I know, was that it... oh, Goddess I'm so sorry to say this, but it... was not a pretty sight. Just looking at You made me want to gouge my eyes out... literally."

The other girls in the room glared at the mare, and she shrunk back with an apologetic smile.

"Hey... She asked, I just told Her the truth," she said somewhat defensively, "you two were there, you saw Her! Could you have described Her any better?"

They must've realized they couldn't because their glares faltered and they looked away in shame. I wasn't bothered by the fact that she had basically referred to me as some kind of hideous abomination unfit to even look at.

No, what bothered me was both the weight she put on words when she was referring to me, as well as the fact that I had changed at all.

Now that I had noticed it, I realized that they had all been putting that odd emphasis in their tones when they were referring to me.

If I had any doubts before, they were completely gone now.

This... now I knew this was wrong, and I... had to fix it before somepony else found out. Who knew what they would do? Who knew what the Princess would do?

Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts, and Minuette had already been found and taken to the hospital. I just had to hope nopony had seen the black eyes and weird magic... or lack thereof.

I had to quell the thunderstorm of questions roiling in my mind and think.

"Okay... as... informative as this has all been, I don't think it's a good idea for all of this to get out," I barely registered the fact that I was now pacing back and forth. I stopped and turned to look at each of them in turn, "do any of you really know what's going on?"

All of them, including Rarity, who had been content to remain silent up to this point, looked to each with varying expressions of bemusement before turning back to me and shaking their heads.

I nodded, trying to remain calm and focused as I began pacing once more. It was clear that whatever I had done to these four had turned them into some kind of... obedient servants that worshiped me for whatever reason.

It obviously had something to do with this power I seemed to have, and these 'words' that I spoke. I could bend them to my will, and the thought made me a bit sick. I don't know why I did what I did to Rarity, and why I didn't remember doing any of this to the other three.

I killed them... probably all of them, and I didn't bat an eye when I snapped Rarity's neck... why? What was wrong with me? Why did they call me a Goddess? Why was I able to bring them all back to life? What did this all mean?

And then there were these odd moments of weakness and disorientation as well. I hadn't forgotten about them, and the fact that I had yet to solve that mystery only frustrated me even further.

There were now far more questions than actual answers, and despite my attempts to stay calm and rational, I was freaking out even worse than before.

A sudden tap on my shoulder made me shriek and scramble away slightly. My wide panicky eyes settled on a startled Rarity who took a sheepish step back.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother You, Twilight dear," she said with an apologetic smile, "but You seemed to be in an... ah... advanced state of intense stress."

I stared at her for a second before letting out a heavy sigh.

"You're right... I'm sorry, Rarity," I replied with a small, but grateful smile, "thank you for getting me back on track," I frowned, determined to sort things out properly, "now then, I'm going to... give you all some commands that I want you to follow."

I can't believe I'm doing this...

They all nodded knowingly and I gave a nod in return before continuing.

"I may not know what's going on here, but I don't want the situation getting any worse than it already is, so for now..."

I took a deep breath and let it out before speaking my commands and silently hoping this would work.

As your Goddess, I demand that you all maintain the utmost secrecy regarding the events surrounding your death and subservience to me. You will all go about your lives as though nothing of note has occurred. Am I understood?

"By Your Will, my Goddess."

All four mares answered simultaneously before blinking. Each of their eyes returned to normal, the swirling blackness vanishing as though it had never been there to begin with.

As soon as that had happened, Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts vanished the same way they had appeared, in an instant and with no sound or flashy effects whatsoever.

I briefly wondered for a moment where exactly they had gone, but soon put the thought out of my head as I turned back to Rarity. The mare resumed cleaning the rest of the decorations just as she had been before.

I breathed a small sigh of relief as I saw the normal light blue aura of her magic glowing around her horn and the objects she levitated. Then I frowned and narrowed my eyes.

I may not have actually been Twilight Sparkle before... but I was now, and if my memories and experiences were anything to go by, Twilight Sparkle knew magic.

With a simple glance, I could tell that the aura I had been so relieved to see was nothing more than a simple glamour... an illusion.

There was no real unicorn magic being cast.

Chapter I – Blessed are the Meek...

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I spent another few minutes or so gathering my thoughts and trying to swallow everything I had just learned... about myself.

I didn't know what this was all leading up to, but I was certain I didn't like it. I had also taken a moment to think back on how I was when I first woke up, and how different I had become since then.

It was hard to believe that had only been a little more than few hours ago.

I no longer felt awkward and out of place, and even with the new knowledge that I had been something else, I still felt like I had always been Twilight Sparkle.

I hadn't noticed it until now, but even the gaps in my memory were starting to fill in. I recalled a few more things I couldn't before. My guess was that those odd moments of disorientation had something to do with it, but I couldn't be sure.

Whatever the case, there was more to all of this than I knew... much more. I was still trying to wrap my head around it all when Rarity's voice broke through my thoughts.

"Twilight, darling," she asked, trotting over to me with a curious frown, "didn't you have something you needed to do?" she lifted a hoof to her chin in thought, "I believe there was somepony else accompanying you, was there not?"

"There was somepony..." I furrowed my brow in bemusement before it shot back up in alarm, "oh sweet Celestia, Spike!"

I scrambled for the entrance, stopping just long enough to grab my saddlebags and thank the white mare before throwing the door open and rushing outside.

With everything that had happened, I completely forgot I had sent Spike away when my... 'episode' started. I would've worried a lot more about where he had actually gone... if he had actually gone anywhere.

Instead, he was standing just outside the door and off to the left. I almost tripped over my own hooves trying to stop in front of him.

I was so focused on not planting my face into the ground that I completely missed the high pitched squeal of terror as a pink and yellow mass leapt out of the way.

I managed to stop myself a few hoof-lengths from the door and immediately whipped around to face Spike. I went to call out to the little dragon, but abject confusion silenced whatever I was about to say.

At first glance, Spike looked to be standing alone next to the door, his posture rigid and his eyes glazed over as he stared into the distance.

It was as though he were a Castle Guard who had been standing at attention for far too long. The comparison would've made me laugh had it not been for the circumstances.

Then I noticed the bushes lining the wall of the Town Hall just behind Spike. They were just normal, nondescript bushes for the most part, save for the one nearest to the door.

That one seemed to be... shivering.

I furrowed my brow in momentary confusion, but quickly put it out of my mind for the moment as I refocused my attention on Spike.

"Spike?" I called out, trotting over to the drake, "Spike can you hear me?"

I received no response.

I tried again to no avail, and took a step back, huffing in an annoyance meant to mask my worry. It took a moment's thought, but I eventually realized that if I had put him in this state using the power of my 'words', I might have to do the same to take him out of it.

I was about to do just that when I remembered the shivering bush. My eyes slowly widened in horror as the implications of what that shivering bush meant set in.

Bushes didn't move like that unless there was somepony causing it. If there was indeed somepony hiding in those bushes, they most definitely saw Spike like this.

If they saw Spike like this, they would've gotten curious, and curiosity would've led them to investigate... and since Spike had apparently been standing just next to the door this entire time...

That curious pony may have heard some things not meant for their ears.

I swallowed hard and took a shaky step towards the shivering bush. In that moment I had no idea what to say. How much did they hear, if anything? Was I going to have to do to them what I did to Rarity and the others?

Did I want to?

Yes... yes I did.

And that terrified me.

"H-Hello?" I called out nervously, "please... you don't have to hide, I don't want... I'm not going to hurt you. I just... just wanna talk, okay?"

The shaking stopped.

For several seconds, nothing happened... then there was more rustling and a single, terrified cerulean eye peeked out from within the bush.

I tried to give my best convincing smile, though I don't know if it worked. The eye blinked once and turned from me to the enthralled dragon, and back to me again.

Its gaze was both fearful and questioning. I followed it over to where Spike was standing and gave a nervous chuckle before turning back to the other pony.

I honestly didn't know what to say at that point. The hidden pony had completely caught me on the backhoof and I was scrambling for something—anything to get myself out of this situation.

She could've, been here the entire time listening in on what had happened, or worse—she may have just decided to take a peek, and if she saw what I did to Rarity...

Should I lie, or risk telling the truth? Would she believe me either way? I didn't want to just come out and ask her if she'd seen anything... but if she really had seen something, I could always just—

"You don't have to worry about Spike here, he's my assistant," I said as calmly as I could muster, "I had an errand to run in Town Hall and he got bored so I had him wait outside until I was done."

I made a show of giving Spike and exasperated look and turned back to the pony with an apologetic smile.

"He's a bit narcoleptic and has a habit of sleeping with his eyes open," I lied, "it kind of tends to freak ponies out. Again, sorry if we scared you."

There was another moment of silence, a silence in which I took the chance to desperately beat down that sensation that almost overwhelmed me again.

Thankfully I was far more successful this time.

The eye stared at me for an uncomfortably long time, the tense silence made worse by the fact that I could no longer read the emotion conveyed in that single eye.

After an agonizingly long minute, the eye drifted back towards Spike and blinked again. My ears perked up as I heard a soft voice speak up from the bush—though it was so quiet I couldn't make it out.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, taking a step closer, "I didn't quite catch it."

"...be okay?"

I frowned slightly and took another step closer.

"I... still can't hear you," I said, giving the pony another apologetic smile, "one more time?"

This time I took a step back as the bush shifted and the pony within slowly and tentatively emerged. It turned out the pony was a butter yellow pegasus mare.

Her pink mane cascaded down past her face, obscuring most of her facial features from view. Everything about the mare practically screamed 'meek'.

She turned her head towards Spike, but glanced at me, her expression calm and just as hard to read as it was a moment ago.

It was a far cry from when I had first seen her hiding, and frankly, it unnerved me.

"The baby dragon," she said quietly, "I asked if he was going to be okay."

"I... uh... y-yes, yeah," I stuttered, once again caught off guard by the mare's strange demeanor, "he'll be fine, I just... need to wake him up is all."

My rather unconvincing smile slipped a little as the mare continued to stare at me. I was about to say something else when she mercifully turned away and looked back at Spike.

"Oh... okay then," she finally said, her frame visibly relaxing and a small relieved smile crossing her face, "that's... that's good. I came here to meet with somepony, but then I saw him standing out here looking like... that."

She gave Spike a worried frown before shaking her head and turning back to me.

"I'm just glad he had somepony to take care of him," she said with a grateful smile, "I wanted to ask you more about him, but I think it might be best if I just go. You don't need to wake him up on my account."

"Oh," I replied, my eyes widening in disbelief that my flimsy lie had actually worked, "well... thanks, I guess," I composed myself as best I could before continuing, "but I really should wake him up, we have a few things we need to do."

"I understand," the mare replied with a small nod and a shy smile, "I won't bother you anymore. In fact, I have somewhere I need to be as well, so if you'll excuse me..."

She trotted towards me, but just before she was about to pass by, she stopped and turned to look at me again. I wanted to take a step back and put some space between us, but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to move.

She stared into my eyes and I froze.

I didn't move a muscle, even as she slowly raised a hoof to my face. She smile warmly and spoke again—her words soft, quiet... and haunting.

"You're a monster... but you don't want to be, and that's what makes all the difference," she nearly whispered, "I can tell you're confused, but things will get better for you... I just know it."

She lowered her hoof and stepped away before turning around. She gave me one last look over her shoulder.

"My name is Fluttershy by the way," she said with a more polite smile, "I live in a cottage near the Everfree Forest. If you ever feel lost, alone, scared, or angry, feel free to ask me for help and I'll see what I can do for you."

All I could do was nod dumbly.

She nodded in response and trotted away, leaving me with a mix of emotions—bewilderment being the most prevalent. I had no idea what to make of the mare, but she set me on edge in almost the same way the pink pony did.

Unlike the pink pony however, she didn't outright scare me. It was more like... like she left me feeling vulnerable. Like I was some small pet or child to be coddled and fussed over.

I didn't know whether to feel indignant or grateful that she was so understanding. Either way, the mare was certainly... strange, not that I really had any right to judge.

In the end I decided to put the whole encounter out of my mind for now so I could focus on snapping Spike out of the trance I had put him in... somehow.

Just as I had chosen to do with the pink pony, I decided to stay away from Fluttershy. She wasn't as scary as the pink one, but something about her didn't sit right with me.

Somepony with that much insight was liable to be trouble in the future, and with everything that had happened—with everything I had discovered, I didn't need that.

It sounded like she hadn't heard what went on in Town Hall, much to my relief... but there was still something nagging at me in the back of my mind about the mare.

She had looked so scared when I first saw her, only to completely change in a matter of moments. Then there was the fact that she just up and left without even meeting with the pony she was looking for.

Was it Rarity she was supposed to meet with, or was somepony else supposed to be there? Whatever it was about, it had nothing to do with me, so I also put that out of my mind.

"Spike," I intoned, "we're done here, it's time to go."

The reaction was instant.

The baby dragon shuddered and blinked rapidly before shaking his head.

"Ugh... Twilight?" he began groggily, "we're leaving already?" he looked around in confusion before looking back to me, "wait... how did I get out here? What happened?"

"Nothing much," I replied casually, "you were getting a bit bored while Rarity and I were talking, so you stepped outside, and I found you sleeping out here."

"Really?" he asked with a slight frown, "that's... weird. I don't remember going outside or falling asleep."

"Well you did," I replied with a small shrug, "are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah... I guess so," he said uncertainly. He looked back at the entrance to Town Hall, "so... I didn't really miss anything then?"

"Nope," I replied with false cheer, "I know you wanted to talk to Rarity, but we need to move on for now."

"Aw seriously?" Spike whined, whipping back around to face me, "I didn't even get to say a single thing to her! I was gonna tell her how I..."

He stopped and blushed as I raised an eyebrow at him.

"How you what?" I teased.

"...Nothing, nevermind," he mumbled, looking away, "let's just go."

My teasing smile fell away when I saw his dejected look.

"I'll tell you what," I conceded, "once we're done here, we can look for Rarity again so you can tell her what you want to tell her, okay?"

That seemed to cheer him up slightly and he nodded.

"Good," I replied with a smile before lighting up my horn and pulling the list of events from out of one of my saddlebags, "now then, let's see who's next... on... the..."

"...Twilight?" Spike asked, furrowing his brow in confusion, "hey... Twilight, you okay?"

I didn't respond.

I just stared at the piece of parchment with my mouth slightly agape in disbelief and dismay. My eyes passed over the name on the list a few times before I quietly rolled up the parchment and placed it back in my bag.

"Twilight?"

"I'm fine, Spike," I replied quickly, "I just... I'm fine. Come on, we're behind schedule as it is."

Before Spike could say anything else, I trotted ahead at a brisk pace, not quite at a canter, but close. The last name on the list wasn't one I was expecting to see, nor did it bring me any kind of joy.

I enjoyed music as much as the next pony. The choice to use birdsong for the music at the Summer Sun Celebration was certainly a unique one, and it promised to be entertaining if nothing else... but the conductor... the conductor just had to be one of the two ponies I didn't want to see again.

At the very least, she was the last pony I had to meet for the day, and then I could finally rest at the library. If I really had to, I think I could handle meeting her again.

It would be fine.

As long as I didn't run into the pink pony again or have another 'episode' and kill somepony, everything would be fine.

I just had to believe everything would turn out fine.

Chapter II – The Pink One

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Pinkamena Diane Pie trotted down the streets of Ponyville in a half daze.

Not bounced, not pronked, not hopped, but trotted... and quickly. She received the occasional 'hello' and 'how do you do' from the townsfolk, but in a rare show of unfriendliness, she completely ignored them.

It wasn't the regular ponies of Ponyville that she needed to worry about, but the ones who could feel it... the ones who could sense it.

She could see it in many of the ponies she passed by. The path She had cut through town was obvious in the way that Pinkie could hear the ones who had felt Her touch and responded, both consciously and subconsciously.

She heard it in the hushed, worried whispers, saw it in the nervous, directionless glances that belied a secret, forbidden, and probably confusing want, the ones that would simply sit there staring into space, lost to the world around them.

Pinkamena Diane Pie had watched for all these things and more. She was nervous, she was excited, she was terrified, she was ecstatic.

She didn't quite know how to feel at the moment.

After all, Her Goddess—the true Goddess had finally decided to bless Equus with Her presence after so many countless ages of waiting. The tales had been true, and the promised advent of the Dead Goddess had finally come to pass.

For generations upon generations, the story of the Dead Goddess and the Last Pie had been passed down in the Pie Family line, so that none forgot just who, and what they owed the continuation of their own lineage to.

For it was told in her family that through dark, desperate, and mysterious means, a deal was struck between the Dead Goddess and Onyx Pie, the last living member of the Pie Family at the time, many, many millennia ago.

The stallion had been getting on in years, and during a time of great upheaval in Equestria, he sought to keep his bloodline alive by any means necessary.

The stallion was completely sterile and could not produce an heir, so in his desperation he thought to bargain with a being beyond even Celestia's power.

And so it was that he summoned the Dead Goddess herself, but not before being fatally wounded when war had finally reached his hometown.

As he lay dying in his own home, the vision of the Goddess came to him. He explained his plight to the Goddess and it was said that the Goddess took pity on the stallion, granting him his final wish... for a price.

Though Pinkie had no idea how the heir was produced or the full extent of what that price was, Granny Pie had always loved to tell Pinkie and her sisters the story of Onyx Pie when they were foals.

'Our family tree will continue to bear fruit so long as we keep the memory of Our Goddess alive', her Granny Pie had said countless times, 'nopony else is to know of Her existence but us Pies, not until the time is right'.

Until now, it had been the Pie Family's most well kept secret. So well kept was it that not even the millennia's old Princess of the Sun knew... but she would, if she didn't already.

It was said that the Goddess had not seen fit to grace Equus upon first contact, but rather spoke to the Last Pie from beyond the Veil of Darkness.

Her presence was not felt by Celestia then... but now...

Now that she was here and given flesh, things would change. Pinkie Pie didn't know exactly how things would change—nopony in her family did—but she had been told to expect Equus to undergo a new age of... something.

Again, the details weren't clear, but that didn't matter to Pinkie.

She had also been told from a very young age that she had a gift. She was told the gift was a blessing from the Dead Goddess Herself, and that her own birth signaled Her return.

If Pinkie was being completely honest, she had a hard time believing everything she was told, and when she finally moved from her farm to Ponyville, she had put the whole idea of the Goddess out of her mind entirely.

It wasn't like she hated the Goddess or despised her family's worship of her. It was more that she found the whole idea outlandish and... well... more than a little bit silly.

She hadn't taken their faith seriously, and merely wrote off her gift—something she had decided to call her 'Pinkie Sense'—as some kind of... well, she didn't know, but it certainly couldn't have been because of some otherworldly, eldritch Goddess of Death!

That was just silly!

But no... no it wasn't.

The Dead Goddess was very real, and She had returned to walk the earth, just like Granny Pie always said She would.

She had been told many things about the Goddess, but for all the lore passed down in the Pie Family, the Goddess was still very much a mystery.

She hadn't felt it until she was right in front of her, but when she met that lavender pony, she knew. Something deep within her resonated strongly, and she knew it was Her.

She had arrived so suddenly, that Pinkie was completely caught off guard. The fact that she was caught off guard caught her off guard.

Pinkie Pie was never caught off guard.

She didn't know how to react, and in her shock, she had said something horrible to the very being she was supposed to be worshipping. The very being to whom her family owed it's continued existence.

She was scared, but at the same time—as she moved about town, following her Pinkie Sense to the local library—she began to wonder about the Goddess, and the mare herself.

She may have been terrified when she first realized just who she had run into, but she could also see that the mare—not the Goddess, but the mare, was just as scared as Pinkie herself was, if not more.

Why was that?

Was there some kind of dissonance between the mare and the Goddess? A conflict of the spirit perhaps? Pinkie's Sense could tell her a lot, and while it couldn't tell her everything, she did understand that something was wrong.

That something hadn't... mixed right when the Goddess arrived. The only conclusion Pinkie could draw was that there had been some kind of disturbance when the Goddess had taken her host, but she wasn't even sure of that.

Now, as she slammed the door open and entered the as-of-now empty library, her uncharacteristically pensive expression turned slightly more hopeful.

She had been expecting some kind of horrible retribution for not following the tenets of worship that her family did, as well as her outburst from when she and the mare first met... but maybe that wasn't going to be the case?

The mare didn't seem to recognize her at all, and again, there was that odd unbridled fear in her eyes when she spoke.

Maybe... just maybe, she and the mare could be friends. Pinkie Pie loved making new friends after all, and she was supposed to herald the coming of the Goddess herself.

She had never figured out what that meant, but maybe this was it.

Pinkie Pie looked around the main room of the library, her smile returning in full force. She wasn't sure why the mare was so scared of her, but she wouldn't let that stop her from trying to befriend the mare, and by extension, Her Goddess.

She needed to prepare something grand, something spectacular, something Ponyville had never seen before, but that could wait for now.

If there was one thing Pinkie remembered about the Dead Goddess, it was that her very presence affected living beings in different and sometimes odd ways.

Pinkie was taught to see the signs of Her return, and she indeed saw them everywhere she went. Some of the ponies—ponies she had grown to know and like all over Ponyville, weren't acting like themselves.

They were distracted, distant, and worried.

Normally, Pinkie would've just chalked this up to them having an off day or something of the like, but through her Pinkie Sense—which itself seemed to have heightened since the mare's arrival in town—she could tell they were touched by Her Goddess's presence in one way or another.

She was going to throw the biggest 'Welcome-to-Equus' party Her Goddess had ever seen, and she'd get the mare to warm up to her no matter what it took.

They themselves might not have known it, but the ponies who'd been affected by Her presence would eventually seek her out for their own reasons—or at least, reasons they thought were their own.

By inviting those ponies to her party, all Pinkie would be doing is speeding the process along.

It didn't matter how wary, nervous, or creeped out they were by her presence. They would all flock to Her eventually. They couldn't not, for the mare was the Goddess after all—a real Goddess, unlike Celestia.

Celestia was an ancient, immortal and powerful being in her own right, but she was still ultimately a being of the White Dimension—a peaceful realm of light, life, and magic.

The Goddess resided in the Black Dimension—a place normally anathema to this plane of existence. Even at her most powerful, Celestia couldn't hold a candle to any being from the Black Dimension, let alone the Dead Goddess.

Or so Pinkie had been told anyway. She had no idea if that was actually true or not, and didn't really want to find out if she could help it.

Pinkie didn't know much about the Black Dimension aside from the fact that the beings that lived there were unlike anything this world had ever seen.

That was another thing that had bothered Pinkie about her family's worship of the Dead Goddess. Whenever she would ask about where She came from or what made Her so almighty, all she got were vague answers that didn't explain anything.

Why worship a deity you knew nothing about?

The details on how the Goddess had been able to make it into this realm were lost on Pinkie, but she was certain it had something to do with the lavender mare.

What little she did know about the Goddess, and the other beings of the Black Dimension, was that they couldn't directly inhabit this plane without help, and She was probably only able to exist through the mare... somehow.

Still, now that she knew the Goddess actually existed, she wanted to find out more. This party she had planned on throwing would be the perfect opportunity to sate her curiosity.

She knew, through her Pinkie Sense, that the mare would be coming to the library, and soon.

The party would give her a chance to not only gain a new friend, but to pick the mare's brain as well. Hopefully she'd get more answers than her family was willing to provide, and she'd get to do what she loved at the same time.

It was perfect!

With her plan in place, Pinkie nodded in satisfaction and left the library to obtain her supplies and hoof out the invites. She pronked out the door with a big smile on her face, her usual cheer once more at the forefront, much to the delight of the citizens around her.

Whatever happened in the end, Pinkie knew this was going to be one Summer Sun Celebration nopony would forget any time soon.

Chapter III – The Library

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A faint smile of relief crossed my face as the giant tree adorned with a door, balconies, and windows came into view.

The Golden Oaks Library.

Technically I was supposed to check on how Fluttershy was coming along with the music, but I chose instead to completely forgo that visit and head straight for the library.

She seemed like a capable mare when she spoke to me, so I wasn't too worried about it. Besides that, I was mentally exhausted from all the madness I had run into today.

Thankfully Spike agreed, and was just as ready to call it a day as I was. I had long since stopped caring about the strange looks and not-so-quiet whispers I was attracting.

I still found them odd, but with how drained I was, I just couldn't bring myself to worry about it. On top of that, it actually did help that I had at least a tiny bit more insight as to what the problem was.

Though there was still a lot I didn't understand.

"We're almost there, Spike," I sighed, "and once we get in, we can finally put the rest of this crazy day behind us—at least until later tonight."

"Yeah, no kidding," Spike agreed with an emphatic nod, "today's been weird, Twi. I don't know about you, but when we get to the library, I'm gonna find a bed and nap so hard, not even an Ursa Major's gonna be able to wa—"

"Twilight, dear, a word if you please?"

Both Spike and I jumped, shouting in surprise at the sudden and familiar voice coming from right next to us.

I whipped around to face Rarity, who took a step back at our reaction. She collected herself quickly and smiled apologetically.

"Rarity?!" I cried in shock and bemusement, "w-what are you—how did you... wait, no," I cast a quick glance at Spike, "nevermind, I forgot you could cast a flashless teleportation spell."

Spike paid no attention to my lie, focusing all his attention on the mare in front of him. Once he realized who had shown up, he completely forgot all about her sudden and silent entrance.

I shook my head at the stupid grin that crossed his face and looked around me. Seeing there was no one in the immediate area, I turned back to Rarity with a small frown.

"Rarity, what are you doing here?" I asked worriedly, "I thought you were still cleaning up Town Hall?"

"I just finished not too long ago," Rarity replied, brushing her mane out of her azure eyes, "I'm terribly sorry for startling You like that, darling, but I thought it prudent to warn You before You reached the library."

"Warn me?" I asked, my frown turning quizzical, "warn me of what?"

In response, an open envelope with a card partially sticking out of it popped into existence landing neatly on top of Rarity's outstretched hoof.

"I'm still not sure how..." Rarity paused and glanced at Spike. She gave him a small smile and turned back to me, ignoring Spike's sigh of happiness, "...well, I'll leave that discussion for later."

I raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment as I waited for her to speak again. Whatever she wanted to talk about must've had something to do with what happened earlier if she was changing the subject in front of Spike.

"For now, I came to tell You that after an... interesting conversation with an even more interesting mare, I was invited to a surprise party to be held in Your honor at the very library You were headed to."

"A surprise... oh, you've got to be kidding me," I grumbled, "this was the last thing I needed right now."

"Indeed," Rarity agreed with a nod, "You've had quite an exciting day I'd imagine, dear. That was why I told You ahead of time. Pinkie insisted I keep it a secret, but... are You okay, dear? You seem rather... pale."

"Rarity," I asked quietly, "this mare... Pinkie. What does she look like?"

Rarity eyed me in confusion but replied nevertheless.

"Well," she said uncertainly, "her name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but we all just call her Pinkie Pie. She's... well... her name is quite apt as far as her coat, mane, and tail are concerned. All of it is pink—though the shade is darker for the mane and tail."

"Pinkamena... Diane... Pie."

The Pie Family.

As soon as Rarity mentioned the name 'Pinkie', that strange overwhelming fear gripped me. At first I didn't know where the fear was coming from, and it confused me.

That all changed when she spoke Pinkie's full name. When I heard that mare's full name, something clicked into place and the fear fell away.

Images and sensations flashed in my mind, things I couldn't make sense of, but were familiar all the same.

The sounds of battle from afar.

The smell of ash and blood.

A strange looking equine creature, felled in its own home—its coat black as unburnt coals, its mane and tail flaming curls of bright orange and ashen grey.

An older stallion whose cerulean eyes were dim, the veil of death settling over his weakened, bleeding form.

Though, despite his imminent demise, there was still a burning desire—a desperate wish yet unfulfilled.

Such a poor creature.

You've been through much, and I find your perseverance admirable.

I shall grant your final wish, desperate equine. Your family's legacy will continue... but my generosity is not without price, Dying One.

Tell me, feeble equine mortal, are you willing to pay that price? Are you willing to cast your mortal soul into the darkest depths of the Black Dimension?

...Very well.

"In Death, new Life is born, and the price for this Boon of Progeny is thus, the Pie Family is forever bound by My Will, and the Gifted shall practice Servitude Eternal should I ever deign to return to this world."

"Twilight? Are you alright, My Goddess?"

I blinked rapidly and raised a hoof to my head, trying to massage away the sudden pounding headache.

"Ugh... what?" I muttered, "Rarity? I'm sorry, I didn't quite—"

The knowledge that I had just said something strange, creepy, and very incriminating suddenly rose to the forefront of my mind, and I snapped a panicked gaze towards Spike...

...only to find the little drake snoring softly as he lay curled up on the ground.

"Wha... huh?" I spluttered in confusion, "Spike?"

"I'm afraid his current state of consciousness is my fault," came Rarity's apologetic voice. I turned back to the other mare and she smiled, "it seems Pinkie Pie's name invoked some kind of unintended reaction, and I know You haven't yet told Your dragon assistant about any of this."

"Oh, um... yeah," I replied, still somewhat stunned at the sudden turn of events, "I guess you could say that..." I turned back to Spike, "so... you put him to sleep?"

"I did," Rarity confirmed, following my gaze and smiling at Spike, "the poor dear was already tuckered out as it was," she looked back at me, her expression a bit more serious, "he'll remain asleep until either You or I give the command to awaken."

"Alright then," I replied, floating Spike's sleeping form over and onto my back, "thanks... I guess," I gave him one last worried look before turning back to Rarity.

"I remembered something—about Pinkie Pie, I mean. Well, her family anyway," I explained, "I don't remember everything, but I know there was some kind of deal I apparently made at some point."

"Oh?" Rarity replied, leaning forward with an intrigued expression, "do tell, darling!" she paused and turned to head in the direction of the library, "oh but I imagine you want to get this silly surprise party over with?"

"Right," I replied, following after the other mare, "we still have a bit of time before we arrive, so I'll tell you on the way."

As we trotted the rest of the way, I told Rarity of what I knew. As it stood, I had visited Equestria once before a long time ago through some means I didn't really understand.

Some dying stallion had begged me to maintain his family line, and I agreed. I didn't remember what happened to him after that, or what I did exactly, but I remembered the deal I made.

I remembered something about eternal servitude, and that it was supposed to be this Gifted that was meant to serve me in the future if I ever came back to Equestria.

Given the reaction I had to Pinkie's name, I surmised that it could only be her. Strangely enough, whenever I thought about the mare now, I felt no fear whatsoever.

Was I simply afraid of remembering?

If that was the case, then why, and what did it mean now that the fear had vanished? Was I supposed to do to her what I did to Rarity and the other three mares?

I shuddered at the thought.

"How fascinating," Rarity replied after I had finished, "to think, You had graced our fair country in ages past."

"Well, I get the feeling it wasn't quite that simple," I responded with a troubled frown, "but yeah, apparently I've been here before."

Rarity hummed to herself thoughtfully before responding.

"You know, that actually lines up with what Pinkie told me before she gave me this invitation."

"What do you mean?" I asked, furrowing my brow, "what did she say?"

"Well, it was the strangest thing at the time," she began slowly, "she knew I had... er... changed the moment she saw me. She even knew that it was You that caused the change."

My heartbeat quickened slightly.

"Oh, really?" I replied uncertainly, "and... uh... what happened next?"

"She..." Rarity paused again, "well, she seemed rather nonchalant about the whole thing, saying she was more or less in the same boat... probably."

"Probably?"

"Probably," Rarity confirmed, "her exact words. She also knew about the other three somehow."

"The other..." I muttered before widening my eyes, "you mean Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine? How?"

"I'm not quite sure, darling, but I'm also not surprised," Rarity said, shaking her head, "Pinkie's always been a bit of an oddball among the citizens of Ponyville. Things like this are actually quite normal for the mare."

I was silent for a moment. I turned back to the path ahead to see that we had finally reached the library.

"So," I continued after a few moments, "you think she might be this Gifted, then?"

We both stopped in front of the entrance and Rarity turned to me with a small shrug.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but it seems very likely, dear," she answered, "with the things that mare is capable of—the frankly absurd and impossible things I've seen her do, again, I wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be this 'Gifted'."

I look at Rarity for a few seconds longer, giving a slow nod before turning to the door. At the very least, I'd be able to ask Pinkie what she knew without freaking out.

I just hoped I didn't end up doing to the mare what I did to the others. Maybe she knew more about this 'Servitude Eternal' thing, and could explain exactly what that entailed.

Maybe she could tell me more about that memory.

"Well then, are You ready, dear?" Rarity asked patiently, "there's going to be several ponies in there, and it's... well, it's going to get rather loud."

"I... I think I'll be okay," I replied with what I hoped was a convincing smile, "let's just... head inside and get it over with."

Rarity nodded and pushed the door open.

"SURPRISE!!!"

"GAAH!"

I stumbled back in alarm, scrambling away from the bright blue eyes that filled my vision as soon as I stepped inside.

"I'm sooo glad You could make it! Honestly I was a bit worried because almost nopony showed up, even though I told them all it was to welcome a very special pony. They all said they'd come, but none of them showed, and that made me a bit sad, but there were a few that managed to make it and—"

"Pinkie, dear," Rarity interjected, as she stepped in behind me, "can you please give the mare some space?"

"Rarity!" Pinkie cried, stepping around me and pulling the white unicorn into a tight hug, "ohmygosh, I didn't think you'd come too!" she pulled back and frowned, "well, I mean, that's what I thought at first, but then I remembered that special bond you and Twilight share, and then I thought 'duh, of course she's gonna show'!"

As Pinkie continued to ramble on, I tried to reconcile this overly peppy pink mare with the somber, blank faced mare I'd seen when I first arrived.

To my surprise, it wasn't all that hard.

And what does she mean by 'special bond'? Is she talking about—

"Yo, Twilight! Over here!"

I blinked in surprise and looked past Pinkie and Rarity to see a familiar cyan pegasus waving at me with a large grin.

My heart skipped a beat as I saw the other two ponies standing at a nearby table.

Applejack and—to my dismay, Fluttershy—both stood opposite Rainbow Dash. They all looked at me with mixed expressions.

The farm pony eyed me with both concern and a bit of wariness, something I found odd given the warm reception she gave me earlier.

Fluttershy stood a bit apart from the others, most of her face hidden behind her long pink mane. When she noticed she'd caught my attention, she stood a little straighter and gave me a warm smile.

I would've smiled back if it weren't for that gaze that seemed to pierce right through me. The smile was one hundred percent genuine, but that somehow made it all the more unsettling.

I shivered involuntarily and looked away, turning instead to Rainbow Dash.

The rainbow maned pegasus seemed to be the only one unaffected by my presence for some reason, and I found myself curious as to why—not that I was complaining.

I gave them all a nervous smile and a small wave before looking around the library. I saw that the immediate area was completely decked out in colorful streamers, fallen confetti, and balloons.

There were several tables set up around the main room and piled high with all sorts of confections and drinks. I also saw a few party games here and there, though they looked as of yet, untouched.

Looking around, I could see that as festive as the library was, it was devoid of any actual party-goers save for the six of us and the still snoozing Spike.

"Sooo, what do ya think?"

I turned to see Pinkie smiling expectantly. I glanced at Rarity who nodded encouragingly before trotting off to speak with the others.

As I watched the other mares converse, I was suddenly and acutely aware that it was just me and Pinkie standing alone near the entrance.

I swallowed and gave Pinkie a shaky smile.

"It's... uh... it's... nice, Pinkie," I said without much enthusiasm, "you definitely caught me off guard."

"Oh pshaw," Pinkie scoffed, wrapping a hoof around my withers and pulling me close, "You don't gotta lie to me, Twilight, I know this is one pooper of a party. It would've been a lot more spectacular if the rest of the town had shown up like they were supposed to."

She frowned.

"A lot more spectacular."

For a moment I saw something odd in her eyes, but before I could glean anything from her look, she pulled away, her friendly smile back in place.

"Anywho, I'm sure the six of us can have just as much fun together now that You're here," she pronked over to a spiraling staircase that led to a door built into the ceiling of the first floor and stopped at the first step.

"I bet You have a lot of questions, huh?" she asked quietly, her back still turned to me, "well that's okay, because I do too, and maybe together we can figure something out."

I stared at her.

I... didn't know what to say.

She was right of course, I did still have plenty of questions left unanswered. I even suspected that Pinkie might have a few of those answers, but this?

Given what I saw in my memory, and her current demeanor, I knew there had to be more to Pinkie than what she was showing the others.

"You're not scared of me anymore.... that's... good."

I furrowed my brow.

"What?"

"Hey, girls?" Pinkie called out in her normal cheery tone, "I'm gonna show Twilight around the library, 'kay?"

"What?" Rainbow complained through a mouthful of cake, "but she just got here! She hasn't even tried this awesome cake yet!"

Applejack merely stared at Pinkie and I as she took a sip from her cup of punch, her face unreadable. After a moment she looked away, maintaining a stony silence.

Both Rarity and Fluttershy simply nodded and smiled before going back to their own hushed discussion. I frowned worriedly as I took particular note of their serious expressions.

Pinkie giggled at Rainbow Dash.

"Don't worry, Dashie, I doubt Twilight is very hungry," she assured, before turning back to me, "right, Twilight?"

"Uh, yeah," I replied hesitantly, remembering the incident at the farm, "you can go ahead and eat without me, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow looked from Pinkie and I to the large three layer cake in front of her before shrugging and cutting herself another slice.

"Suit yourself, I guess. That just means more for me," she replied, shoving more cake into her maw, "don't take too long, alright? I wanna see if Twilight can match me and AJ at pin the tail on the pony."

"We won't be too long," Pinkie promised, "don't have too much fun without us!"

With that, Pinkie nodded towards the staircase before bouncing up the steps. After a moment's thought, I made sure Spike was secure on my back before tentatively following her up.

Once we reached the top, Pinkie pushed open the door and we stepped inside. To my surprise the entire second floor was a bedroom, complete with a bed on a raised platform, a vanity, a closet, and a small, fully stocked bookshelf built into the wood below the bed.

I was rather amazed at how... homey it was.

So this is where Spike and I are going to be staying...

The gentle click of a closing door caught my attention and I turned to see Pinkie looking back at me.

Any overt cheerfulness and mirth had vanished from her features, replaced with a more subtle smile. The look in her eye was one of intrigue and curiosity.

Though, beyond that I could see a bit of worry and even a little hesitation.

"So," I began, awkwardly shifting Spike on my back, "I'm assuming you wanted to talk?"

"Mhm," Pinkie replied before trotting over to the chair in front of the small vanity, "there's a lot to talk about, and not a lot of time before the others get suspicious—well, aside from Rarity I mean."

"Oh, right," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck, "she told me you had talked to her already. I guess that means you know everything already, huh?"

"I know a few things, but not everything," Pinkie replied airily. She turned the chair around and sat down before speaking again, "but what happened with Rarity isn't important right now."

She leaned forward in the chair, a wide, excited smile snaking its way onto her face. I took an unsure step back, suddenly wary of the pink mare.

"What is important, is that You've finally made Your way into the White Dimension at last, just like Granny Pie said You would!"

My mouth opened and closed uselessly for a few seconds.

"I... w-what?" I stammered, "Granny Pie? Who..."

Pinkie just giggled again and gave me another friendly smile.

"Welcome to Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle," Pinkie's smile widened and her eyes lit up with barely contained glee, "and welcome back to Equus... My Goddess."

Chapter IV – Existential Crisis

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There it was again... that title.

Goddess.

Just what did that even mean? What kind of Goddess was I supposed to be? How old was I? What was I? Where was I before? What did I look like before I became Twilight Sparkle?

Pinkie's statement just brought all these questions back to the surface of my mind. Well, she knew some things about me that I didn't know myself.

She may have said she didn't know everything, but she definitely knew more than I did.

"Pinkie," I began, levitating Spike over to the bed above us, "I know you said we could work together to figure things out, but at this point, I don't really know anything about myself—or rather, who I'm supposed to be."

Pinkie frowned, tilting her head in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked, "you saying you lost your memory or something?"

"I..." I hesitated a moment, "I... well, I guess I must have. All I remember before waking up under a tree was complete Darkness, then these strange dots of light, then the lights moved, then... I was Twilight Sparkle."

"Huh," Pinkie replied, furrowing her brow and raising a hoof to her chin, "well that's weird. I guess something must've happened during your transition from the Black Dimension into our world."

"Pinkie, what is this Black Dimension?" I pressed, almost desperate for any kind of answer, "you said something about a White Dimension, now there's a Black Dimension, and apparently that's where I was, but I don't remember any of that.

"I know I wasn't always Twilight Sparkle, but at the same time, I don't remember ever being anypony or anything else," I continued, beginning to pace around the room, "sure, things were strange and new at first, but as time went on, I started to feel more... I dunno, natural."

I stopped pacing and turned to Pinkie with my forelegs outstretched.

"...And now here we are," I exclaimed, "I don't know who this 'Goddess' is that I'm supposed to be, and yet I found out that I have the power to bring ponies back to life and... control them or something—make them subservient."

I shook my head rapidly and took a step towards the wide eyed mare in front of me. My own eyes were wide and panicked as I reflected back on everything that happened today.

"Pinkie," I whispered hoarsely, "I killed Rarity... in cold blood. I snapped her neck like it was nothing, and then I brought her back to life with nothing but my words!"

I barely even noticed the shaking in my hooves as I confessed to what I had done.

"It wasn't even hard! All I had to do was tell her to wake up, and she did! And she wasn't even the first!" for some reason, my eyes wandered over to where Spike was resting on the bed, "...what kind of pony am I? I didn't used to be able to do these things."

"You've always been able to do those things, silly!"

I whipped back around to glare at the pink earth pony, but my glare faltered when I saw her warm, understanding smile.

"I... then why don't I remember?" I cried, "what happened to me? All I remember, everything I am, everything I know, everypony I know, has to do with Twilight Sparkle!"

"I don't have any real answers for you, Twilight," Pinkie replied calmly, "I can only make guesses."

I stared at the other mare for a long moment before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I released it and opened my eyes, willing my panic to subside with mixed results.

"Fine," I replied wearily, "make a guess then... please."

"I thought about it a lot after I ran into you earlier," Pinkie's smile faltered, "sorry about what I said by the way, I wasn't expecting to see you and I said something super mean without meaning to."

"It's fine," I replied impatiently, "just tell me what you think is going on."

Pinkie looked at me for a moment before shrugging.

"Alright then," her expression turned slightly more serious, "like I said, I thought about it, and I think something interfered when you tried to possess your host."

"Host?" I asked furrowing my brow, "are you saying I'm possessing Twilight Sparkle? Or am I the one being possessed?"

"I don't know!" Pinkie replied cheerfully, "I don't know who you are right now, so I've just been referring to you as both in my head!"

I was so messed up I didn't even know if I was the invader or the invaded, though I felt more like Twilight, and it was her memories I held on to... or were they my memories?

"Oh sweet Celestia," I muttered weakly as I fell to my haunches, "I... I think... no, I don't know what to think. I just... I just wanted to make friends! At least... I think I did..."

I was spiraling.

Things still weren't making sense, and Pinkie wasn't helping. A headache was coming on, and even as it hit, I could feel it already growing past that and into a full blown migraine.

Pinkie was saying something, but I couldn't hear her over the sound of my beating heart. In fact, that's the only thing I could hear. It drowned everything else out, and it was all I could focus on.

Why is it so loud?

My eyes clenched shut and I fell to my knees as I felt something writhe and throb and twist inside me. It didn't hurt, but it scared me.

It scared me so much I felt as though I was going to be sick from it. I was supposed to be asking Pinkie Pie these questions. I still had so many more questions to ask.

So many questions.

The migraine faded away and the heartbeat slowed further and further until it stopped altogether, leaving only silence behind.

So many questions.

What is this?

Another sound cut through the silence.

It was faint at first, but grew louder and louder until I could make it out clearly. It was... humming. Somepony—no... something was humming a tune.

It wasn't equine.

I knew it wasn't equine.

What is this? What's making that noise?

The writhing, twisting, and throbbing sensation hadn't gone away, and somewhere in the distance, I could hear a scream, then more screams, but I ignored them all and focused on the humming.

I felt the ground shake, but I paid it no heed as I tried to figure out the source of that maddening sound.

It was so loud, so haunting, so... familiar.

Make it stop...

Everything sank back into Darkness.

Make it stop... please...

The motes of light were back.

I was once again back in my Darkness, confronted by those horrible shimmering lights. They moved and swayed in a hypnotic rhythm, horrifying as they were graceful.

I shuddered and felt the world quake violently—the sound like booming thunder in my ears. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it all falling apart.

It was all falling away, just like before.

Before? What happened before? What's happening now?

It didn't matter.

All that mattered now was the humming—the tune so haunting and familiar and relentless. I could hear it getting closer and closer.

The light continued their mocking dance and I felt myself growing angry. The lights, the humming, the shaking, the fear, the lights, the confusion, the lights, the lights, the lights...

The lights.

I just want it all to stop.

"As you wish it, so shall it be... my Goddess."

"Twilight!"

My ear twitched and I heard myself groan. Disoriented, I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt far too heavy and I gave up.

"Twilight! Can you hear me?!"

I could feel something slipping away and, like a half remembered dream, it was fading fast. I tried to hold onto it, but I couldn't... and it pulled away from me, leaving me with a feeling of emptiness, fear, desolation, sorrow...

...and a strange sense of satisfaction.

"Twilight!"

I groaned again and managed to open my eyes just a fraction, seeing a large pink blob through the blurry haze.

"Buh... Pinkie?" I croaked, reorienting myself as I attempted to rise to my hooves. With the movement I became aware that I was lying on my back on something soft, "I... what happened? Where are—"

My questions were cut off by a surprised yelp as I felt myself get pulled into a tight embrace.

"Twilight!" screamed a familiar voice, "ohmygosh, Twilight! Are you okay? What happened to you? You were starting to freak out and I tried to calm you down but then you suddenly fell over and—"

"Pinkie, for crying out loud, give her some space would ya?" came a raspy, irritated feminine voice, "I know she's got some tough hide under that fur, but if you squeeze her any tighter she's gonna pop."

"Oops... sorry, Dashie," I heard Pinkie reply as she released me, "just got a bit carried away."

With Pinkie no longer supporting me, I fell onto my back. I blinked away the remaining spots in my eyes and took a moment to look around.

I was in the bedroom above the library, specifically laying atop the bed where Spike had been before. It was darker than I remembered, and, facing the window, I could immediately see why.

The sun had nearly set in the sky, and night was fast approaching.

How long was I out? Why was I even out in the first place?

"Geez, Twi, you really know how to freak a pony out, don't ya?"

I turned and saw Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and—to my shock—Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine all standing around my bedside.

"You girls," I began, looking around in bewilderment, "what are you all doing here?"

"Worrying about you, dear," Rarity replied, taking a step forward, "when Pinkie told us you'd had a panic attack and collapsed, Rainbow and I both rushed up here as soon as we could."

"I... collapsed," I repeated, furrowing my brow, "that's all that happened?"

I didn't know what it was, but something told me there was much more to it than that. I could feel the beginning of a memory stirring in my mind, but the image wouldn't come, and the feeling disappeared as soon as it had come.

"What? Yeah, that's it," Rainbow replied with a raised eyebrow, "we didn't really know what to do, so we just kinda... put you in bed until you woke up again."

Something wasn't adding up here, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I was still groggy and couldn't focus my thoughts.

Then the nausea came.

"Bucket..."

"What?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion, "bucket? What do you need a bucket—"

"I got it!" Pinkie cried, shoving Rainbow and the others out of the way, "sorry, Dashie, but this is an emergency!"

Pinkie pushed a small trashbin in front of me and I barely had time to grab ahold of it before the bile rising up my throat erupted from my mouth.

I ignored Rainbow's cry of disgust as I heaved into the bin over and over again. The others looked on in grim silence, some of them shifting uncomfortably and frowning with worry.

After what felt like an eternity, I spit out the last of the vomit and hoofed the bin back to Pinkie, who looked inside and gasped before quickly slamming a lid on top of it.

Without a word she completely sealed the lid of the trashbin shut with duct tape she pulled from somewhere and threw the bin into the closet nearby before slamming the door shut.

She turned to see all of us staring at her in confusion and chuckled nervously.

"It was... really gross?" she tried, shrugging her shoulders innocently, "you really don't want to see it, trust me."

"Well with a reaction like that I kind of do," Rainbow replied, taking a curious step forward, "was it really that—"

She paused at Pinkie's blank face stare.

"No, Dashie, you really don't."

Rainbow stared back at Pinkie for a moment before grunting and shuffling back to the bed.

"Alright, alright, sheesh," she muttered, "didn't really wanna see it that much. I mean, it's vomit."

I looked at Pinkie for a moment, then turned to the closet with a frown.

Was it really that gross?

...No, Pinkie's hiding something.

But what was she trying to hide? Just what did I puke up? I shook my head and grimaced in disgust.

Maybe that was something I didn't need to know either.

Instead of worrying about it, I turned to Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine. My thoughts were clearing enough for me to guess as to why they'd be here, but something was still bothering me.

"I can understand Pinkie and Rainbow," I began, looking between the three other unicorn mares, "but when did you three get here?"

The three of them gave each other uncertain glances before Lemon Hearts spoke up.

"We only just got here recently," she explained, "We... ah...," she glanced at Rainbow Dash before speaking again, "we were on our way here for the Summer Sun Celebration when we... er..."

"When we ran into Spike!" Minuette finished quickly, "he told us you started freaking out and that we needed to come quick."

"Wait, what?" I replied, furrowing my brow in utter bewilderment, "but... how is that... I thought Spike was—"

My eyes widened in realization and I swept a panicked gaze across the room.

"Where's Spike?" I asked, sitting up straight, "he was here with me and Pinkie, he was supposed to be asleep and... where is he?"

"Calm down, darling," Rarity said, pushing me back down onto the bed, "he's not here, but wherever he is, I'm sure he can take care of himself."

"Pinkie?" I asked, turning to the suddenly nervous looking earth pony, "you were here with us. He was asleep, wasn't he? What happened to him? When did he even wake up?"

"Gee, Twilight," Pinkie muttered, flicking her eyes over to Rainbow Dash, "I don't think—"

"I actually saw him leave," Rainbow Dash exclaimed, causing everypony to turn to her in surprise, "yeah, I just happened to be looking out one of the windows earlier and saw him walking away from the library."

She frowned and tilted her head slightly in thought.

"Don't know how he got outside without coming down the stairs and going through the door, but I figured you'd just sent him on some kind of errand for Twilight or something, Pinkie."

"Ah, that's right, I did!" Pinkie replied with a vigorous shake her head, "I nearly forgot I told him to pick up something special from Sugarcube Corner for Twilight as a get well present!"

"Huh," Rainbow replied with a shrug, "well I guess that explains why he left, but that still doesn't—"

"So how long ago was that?" I pushed, cutting Rainbow off, "shouldn't he be back by now?"

"He, uh... when we met him earlier he said he had something to take care of," Twinkleshine offered, "he said he'd be back by the time the Summer Sun Celebration started and not to worry."

"Wait what?" Rainbow asked, blinking in surprise, "but what about Twilight's present?"

"Nevermind that, Rainbow," I answered, "it's fine, whatever he's doing, it's probably more important."

A knot of dread was forming in my stomach.

Something was very wrong here, and I had no idea what it was. It was clear the others were all trying to hide something from Rainbow, but as long as she was listening, we weren't going to get anywhere.

There was something going on with Spike, and I think Pinkie knew what it was. Did Rarity wake him up, or did he wake up on his own? In either case, why did he leave? What was he doing?

I had to find a way to get Rainbow Dash out of the room so we could all talk without making her suspicious... but there was something else...

"Wait," I looked around and a small frown crossed my face, "where's Applejack and Fluttershy? I don't see them here either."

"Oh, them?" Rainbow replied airily, "they left not long after Spike did. Applejack said she had something important she had to go do and Fluttershy decided to go with," she paused, "now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they were headed in the same direction as the little guy."

The knot of dread in my stomach tightened, then it tightened again as I caught sight of the uneasy glances the others gave one another.

That was it, I was done waiting.

I had a strong feeling something very bad was going to happen soon, and I needed to find out what it was before it was too late.

"Hey... Twi?" Rainbow asked worriedly, "you okay? You look a little—"

"Sleep, Rainbow Dash... now."

A dull thud echoed through the room as Rainbow's unconscious body hit the wooden floor. The others all breathed audible sighs of relief, but snapped back to attention as I spoke again, my hardened gaze passing over each of them in turn.

"Now... what happened?"

Chapter V – Her Number One Assistant

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Elsewhere, away from the library, a lone purple drakeling sat beneath a small maple tree—one of many within a secluded grove situated near a certain forest near Ponyville.

To anypony passing by, it would've seemed as though the little dragon had sat down for a nap under Celestia's slowly setting sun. The alicorn was due to hurry it along its course soon enough, but for now, it looked like the dragon was content to be right where he was.

It had been some time since he sat down beneath that tree, and he hadn't moved in what felt like hours, much to the growing irritation of the stetson wearing earth pony mare watching him from afar behind a small thicket of bushes.

Sitting beside this mare was another, a yellow pegasus who'd been watching the drakeling with undisguised fascination—a complete contrast to the earth pony's suspicious glare and frustrated grimace.

The orange coated earth pony was none other than the Ponyville's resident apple farmer, Applejack, accompanied by the shy and soft spoken animal caretaker, Fluttershy.

By chance, the cowpony happened to spot Twilight's draconic assistant, Spike, heading away from the library through one of the windows. It wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary, except the dragon hadn't left through the front door, or even gone down the stairs from where Twilight had taken him.

He had no wings with which to fly, so the only explanation would've been that he simply jumped out of the second story balcony that could be seen from the library's exterior.

But why would he do that?

What would be the point unless he was trying not to be seen. What was even stranger, Applejack thought, was that he didn't even really seem to be sneaking at all. He just walked away from the library as though he were out on an evening stroll.

Fluttershy, who had opted to come along on the grounds that she found the baby dragon fascinating, had told Applejack that that may very well have been the case, but the stubborn earth pony wasn't buying it.

Something was going on with Twilight and her dragon, she could feel it. She tried to be hospitable, when she and Twilight had first met, and she succeeded, naturally, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about the mare.

Now she felt that same eerie sensation coming from her dragon assistant, and she wanted some answers. With that in mind, she made her excuses and left the party, quickly followed by Fluttershy.

Now normally, sneaking around and keeping herself and her intentions hidden was anathema to a mare such as Applejack, but following her gut instinct was one of the many things she was known for.

At this moment, her gut instinct was telling her to stay quiet and hidden, and the feeling was strong enough to override any discomfort she felt from all the cloak-and-dagger antics.

Even now, after waiting around for the last two hours or so, and despite Fluttershy's occasional protests, Applejack's suspicions hadn't ebbed in the slightest.

Even as Spike continued to rest peacefully beneath that tree.

Unlike Applejack however, Fluttershy's interest was beginning to wane, and her thoughts began to turn towards her animal friends back at the cottage and how hungry they must be.

It was as the yellow pegasus turned to gaze out at the setting sun that something finally changed. Something in the air shifted, and the sudden change in the atmosphere made both mares gasp sharply—the sensation making them sick to their stomach.

Confused and disoriented, Fluttershy looked around for the source of the unnerving aura that had settled around them like a fog.

"What in Celestia's name... is that?"

Applejack's shaky, horrified whisper caught Fluttershy's attention and she turned to the other mare. Her hearbeat quickened as she saw Applejack's pale face and wide, terrified eyes. She swallowed and, against her better judgment, followed the earth pony's gaze to where Spike sat.

She froze, and her eyes locked, not on Spike, but rather the gaping hole in reality that had opened up next to him. The air around the jagged opening visibly twisted and warped in an unnatural fashion. Just looking at it made the skin beneath Fluttershy's fur crawl, but to her bewilderment, it didn't seem to faze the little dragon whatsoever.

In fact, it almost seemed as though he was waiting for it to appear. He stood up with practiced ease, and turned an impatient frown towards the black opening. Both Applejack and Fluttershy stood rooted to the spot, watching in horrified fascination as something moved within the darkness.

And then it appeared.

The assistant took a step back and looked on with a slight frown of annoyance as his contact finally made itself known.

Somewhere amidst the writhing mass of fleshy, slimy, black tendrils, the assistant could see a slowly opening eye. The eye was massive, and the full scope of its size couldn't be determined from within the confines of such a small opening.

Still, it was enough for the thing within to cast its baleful gaze in the direction of the much smaller creature before it. Its pupil was a dark violet and star shaped with six points set against pure white sclera, making for a stark contrast to the impenetrable Darkness around it.

The assistant returned its stare with impatient indifference, folding his tiny arms and snorting out a small gout of ebony flame.

"You're in quite a bit of trouble," the assistant admonished, "you do realize that, don't you?"

The thing within merely gave a long, drawn out sigh that echoed unnaturally in response. Its countless tendrils writhed and undulated erratically before settling back down again a moment later.

"I don't want to hear excuses," the assistant replied, his tone suddenly sharp, "I don't care if you were just worried, She was in no danger at all, or have you forgotten that nothing in this dimension poses a threat to Her?"

The thing within gave a deeper sigh, causing the earth around the assistant to shudder slightly.

"I... don't... care," the assistant growled, "do you know how hard it is to cross over into this realm?" the assistant gestured to his own body, "do you even realize how difficult it is for anyone other than Our Goddess to take on a host without tearing it apart in the process?"

The assistant began to pace, his increasing aggravation not allowing him to stand still any longer, "you're lucky I was able to find my host as quickly as I did, and that it was compatible. Conveniences like this happen rarely, and it's thanks to you that I had to risk this."

The thing within made to sigh again, but the assistant cut it off.

"No, I'm not even supposed to be here!" he practically shouted, violent gesturing to his own small frame once more, "this... this doesn't feel right, and it only made fixing your mess that much harder!"

The thing within gave no reply, simply continuing to move its tendrils in a slow methodic rhythm. The assistant glared at the thing for a long moment before letting out a weary sigh before sitting himself down against the tree he'd sat beneath earlier.

"This isn't the first time I've had to swoop in and fix one of your blunders, and I get the feeling it won't be the last," he continued, rubbing his temples, "but I suppose it's not my place to punish you, after all, you are Her precious little pet. She'd have my insides perpetually turned out if I did anything to harm you."

The thing gave a raspy sigh that caused the ground to rumble. The assistant's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing slightly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked warily, "what do you mean 'there was something else there'? Are you saying something else was trying to make its way into the White Dimension?"

Another, quieter sigh.

"Humming?" the assistant muttered, "that's... strange. I don't know any kind of creature like that," he looked back at the thing within, "could that creature be the cause of Our Goddess's odd behavior?"

The thing gave a slow blink of its titanic eye and sighed again.

"I don't know," the assistant replied with a sigh of his own, "I haven't been here that long, but I can already tell something is wrong," he looked towards the sky and frowned, "something, or someone is coming soon, and while I'm certain they won't pose any trouble for Our Goddess, I don't think the creatures of this world are prepared for whatever, or whoever it is."

For a long moment, there was silence as the two creatures let the statement sink in, then the thing within gave a long quiet sigh.

"I don't know why Our Goddess decided to come to this place so suddenly, or why she doesn't seem to remember anything," the assistant replied with a troubled frown, "but from what I've seen, she's already made her mark on the creatures of this realm. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

He gave a small growl of frustration and turned towards the thing with another irritated snort of black flame, his frustration aimed elsewhere this time.

"I can return a world to its natural state, but it seems staying here for much longer than I have been is beyond me, even with a host," he sighed again, "unless more of our dimension's influence bleeds over into this one, Our Goddess and her Awakened are the only ones who can stay here indefinitely."

The thing gave a curious sigh.

"I know, I want to be by Her side too," the assistant replied, shaking his head, "I want to find out what's happening to her just as much as you do, but the only thing we can do for now is watch over Her from the Black Dimension," he grimaced, "I also need to look into this humming creature."

The thing within gave another questioning sigh and raised one of its many tendrils.

"Nono, I can make it back on my own," the assistant replied, waving a claw dismissively, "before that though, there's something else I need to take care of."

The thing blinked once, and its eye twitched towards a batch of nondescript foliage in the distance. The assistant followed its gaze and smiled sardonically at the distant shriek of terror coming from said nondescript foliage.

"Go on," the assistant commanded, turning to fully face the shifting bushes. He chuckled as a yellow pegasus flew out and away from the grove, "I'll handle this and meet you back at the Castle in a few moments."

The thing gave one last drawn out, earth shaking sigh before its eye snapped shut, along with the tear in reality. With the conversation over, the assistant shook his head and vanished.

Fluttershy's heart was racing in her chest, and it was all she could do not to breakdown right then and there. The only thing that stopped her was the desperate need to escape from what she and Applejack had seen.

Neither of them could hear what was said, but the sheer presence of that thing in the darkness was enough to blot out any rational thought in the first place, rendering the words incomprehensible regardless.

That thing was a true monster, Fluttershy knew without a doubt.

Fluttershy could see something in Twilight's eyes, something that spoke to her—resonated with her on a deep level, and though she could feel the same kind of wrongness from the lavender unicorn as that thing in the darkness, it was overshadowed by that strange resonance.

There was no such resonance with that beast, whatever it was.

Fluttershy was willing to accept Twilight Sparkle, despite what she may have been, but that other monster had no place in this world, and she was going to get as far away from it as possible.

Or at least, that was the plan.

Instead, she suddenly found herself standing in front of seven mares, six of which wore stunned expressions and the seventh lying unconscious on the wooden floor of the bedroom above the library.

Standing next to her was a fear addled and bewildered Applejack, and standing directly in front of the group of mares was a small baby dragon.

"F-Fluttershy?" came a confused voice. The panicked yellow pegasus turned her wide eyed gaze towards Twilight as she spoke, the lavender mare flicking her own wide eyes over each of them, "Applejack? Spike? What are you all—wait," Twilight took a hopeful step forward, "Spike, are you—"

"I'm sorry to cut You off like this," Spike interjected, giving Twilight an apologetic smile, "but I promise everything will be explained in due time, My Goddess," he turned back to Fluttershy and Applejack with a slight frown, "for now, I'm going to wipe their memories of the last couple of hours. After that, feel free to do with them what You will."

"Y-You're going to do what?" Fluttershy shrieked.

"N-Now hold on just one apple buckin' minute—"

Applejack's protest was cut off as Spike blinked, his eyes darkening into empty black pits. Both mare's seized up as they stared into those bottomless pits.

Then Spike spoke.

No sound was heard, no words were audibly spoken, but the reaction was immediate nonetheless. Both Fluttershy and Applejack's eyes grew cloudy, and a moment later, they—along with Spike himself—fell to the floor, just as dead to the world as Rainbow Dash.

A long, tense silence fell over the room as the remaining mares stared at the unconscious bodies littering the floor. Then Pinkie gave an awkward chuckle before turning to a shocked Twilight and shrugging her shoulders.

"And that's how... Equestria was made?"

Chapter VI – Fury of the Eldritch Pet

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Pinkie wanted to help her Goddess—no, she wanted to help her new friend understand, but she couldn't. She knew there'd been something wrong with the Goddess, but it was far worse than she'd thought.

She was nothing like Granny Pie had said She'd be, but that normally would've been fine... had it not been for the now obvious unstable and tenuous relationship the Goddess had with Her host.

Pinkie knew something had gone wrong when her Goddess had arrived here in the White Dimension, but she couldn't have even imagined it would lead to this.

Looking at her Goddess... looking at Twilight now, as she sank to the floor and broke down before her, the pink earth pony could never have prepared for such madness, misery, and horror to befall her, despite her family's proclamations—proclamations she paid no heed to.

Pinkie had been given a very special Gift by the Dead Goddess, one she used everyday without realizing just what it is she truly held within her.

She could do things no other equine—not even Princess Celestia herself—could do. She made the impossible possible on a daily basis, on a whim, and without restraint.

She could appear anywhere at anytime, pull things from thin air, and even predict the future to an extent, but not even Pinkie Pie could've predicted just what lie in store for her beloved little village of Ponyville.

She watched her new friend—her ancient and omnipotent Goddess, cry and whimper and shiver and groan with sadness and pity in her heart. She wanted to help her Goddess and potential friend... but for the first time in a long time... she had no words of comfort to give.

What did one say to somepony who's very existence had been thrown into question? What did one say to a being whose very existence was both mundane and at the same time, transcended equine understanding?

Even Pinkie, who found a reason to smile in any and every situation, couldn't fathom the true terror and uncertainty of such an existence.

It would tear anypony apart, break anypony down, and yet, this mare—this unicorn, this pony, this White Dimensional being had managed to hold on to her sanity up until this point.

It was an admirable effort, and spoke volumes of just how worthy Twilight was to host such a powerful entity within herself... but all things must come to an end eventually.

Questions and uncertainty devolve into panic, fear, and madness. A mare, lost within her own mind submits to the mental torment of not knowing who or what she really is.

Sadness, and compassion give way to surprise, nervousness, and soon enough... overwhelming terror.

The pink earth pony can only look on as Twilight Sparkle, the mare who would become one of her closest friends, finally breaks and falls to the uncontrollable might of the Goddess within.

The crying, whimpering, and groaning stop.

Tear filled eyes snap open and despair gives way to grim purpose. Those eyes are no longer the eyes of a pony, nor any creature of the peaceful and pathetic realm of light, life, and magic.

Pinkie could see it as she backed away, shaking her head in horrified disbelief and muttering the prayers her family had taught her—words of praise and pleas of forgiveness that were long thought forgotten by the quaking pink pony.

Twilight Sparkle was no more, and in her place was something else. In her place was something that truly did not belong here, something that made Pinkie want to scream and quiver and cry and laugh helplessly and hopelessly.

Maybe it was because she was special, maybe it was because she was chosen, maybe it was because she was meant to serve, but somehow Pinkie knew this thing... this vile creature of the Black Dimension, wasn't her Goddess.

No, this was neither Twilight, nor the Dead Goddess her family had worshiped for so many ages. The eyes of the lavender furred host—the Holy Vessel as Granny Pie would've called her—were similar to those said to be possessed by the Goddess, but at the same time, Pinkie knew they were not quite the same.

Twin stars, six points each of the deepest violet hue, stared back at Pinkie—piercing right through her and taking in the world around them.

Even in her terror, the pink mare couldn't help but notice the shape of those eyes as being strikingly similar to the shape of Her host's cutie mark.

The implications were beyond Pinkie for the moment, as she was still trying to focus all of her being on maintaining the currently fragile grip on her own sanity.

She may have been chosen, she may have had the Gift, but she was still equine—still a lowly creature of the White Dimension and not yet Awakened as Rarity was.

Like a newborn foal, the Vessel rose slowly and unsteadily, stumbling to its hooves, all done in silence as Pinkie continued to look on. Once it had fully risen, the Vessel blinked, and once more turned its baleful gaze towards Pinkie.

Pinkie looked back with wide, teary eyes, her shaking frame backed against a far wall. She wanted to turn away from those horrible eyes, but she found she couldn't.

Then, right before her very eyes, the Vessel began to change—its lavender body growing and twisting and warping into a nightmarish mass of black, slimy flesh, sharp teeth, and countless black tentacles that whipped back and forth angrily.

One of the eyes disappeared entirely while the other expanded until it alone dwarfed the pony before it. Throughout its hideous transformation, it never once took its eye off the pink mare.

In that moment, Pinkie knew without a doubt that her world was about to come to an end. She sucked in a breath to scream, but the sound wouldn't come. She watched silently, her mouth agape as the Vessel opened one of its many monstrously gaping maws and let out a deep, furious sigh.

The force of the sound, combined with the beast's incomprehensible form was enough to rend Pinkie's mind asunder, and she finally screamed as the world began to tremble.

Rarity had felt it the moment her Goddess's presence disappeared from this world. She had sensed the arrival of something else in Her place, though she knew not what it was.

She had felt the stress of her Goddess, and had begun making an excuse to the others as she prepared to appear by her side, when She disappeared entirely.

Her Goddess had retreated to a place where she could not yet follow, and so she remained behind. All she could do now was wait and wonder just what this new creature was and what it had in store for their meager little town.

Rarity was not afraid—far from it.

Curious? Certainly. Worried for her Goddess? Most definitely, but something in her mind told her she need not be afraid of what was to come—that it would all be over soon, that everything would be as it should be, and that her Goddess would return in short order.

And so she remained unafraid, unfazed by the blood curdling scream from above and the rumbling earth below. While the others looked about, eyes widening in fear, confusion, and panic, Rarity calmly made her way towards the library's entrance.

The large black tentacle that smashed through the upstairs door drew everypony's attention away from the white unicorn mare and ensured her exit would remain unnoticed by anypony there.

Still, Rarity's curiosity made her stop and cast a glance behind her.

The other mares screamed in terror, scrambling to escape as the massive limb tore the remains of the door from its hinges and tossed them down the stairs.

Rainbow had responded in time to avoid the remnants of the bedroom door, but Fluttershy, frozen as she was by sheer terror, wasn't so lucky and took the blow full on, the door smashing into her weak frame with the force of a freight train.

The cyan pegasus, who had begun making her way to one of the windows, doubled back to help her oldest friend, and Applejack made to follow, but didn't quite get the chance.

Another dark tentacle shot out from within the upstairs bedroom, knocking chairs, tables, and bookshelves aside before wrapping itself around the orange earth pony's entire lower half.

She screamed for help, her front hooves uselessly scraping against the hardwood floor as she was dragged away and up the stairs to meet some hideous fate.

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, Rainbow's attention fully focused on pulling a whimpering Fluttershy from beneath the broken bedroom door, a task made somewhat difficult by the quaking earth.

Applejack could only stare, her eyes wide and disbelieving as her rainbow maned friend ignored her. She looked around for something, anything that would save her, and her bright green eyes landed on the white mare standing near the entrance.

The mare that watched.

The mare that waited.

The two simply stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, and in that moment, Applejack knew. Rarity would not help her, the orange earth pony could see it in her eyes.

Overwhelming fear was suddenly replaced with despair and hopelessness and Applejack stopped struggling, allowing herself to be pulled up and out of sight beyond the doorway to the bedroom.

Rarity watched her disappear, then allowed her eyes to follow the dislodged stetson as it gently tumbled down the steps and came to a stop, resting at the bottom.

She frowned slightly and turned her attention towards Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. As the ground continued to shake the foundations of the library, more and more of the ceiling cracked and crumbled, chunks of wood falling to the floor below.

Furniture was knocked over, books came loose and fell from their respective bookshelves, and windows shattered, but Rainbow Dash ignored all of that as she tried to help Fluttershy to her hooves, having finally freed her from beneath the surprisingly heavy door.

"Shhh, it's alright, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash was muttering reassuringly to her sobbing, shaking friend, "it's gonna be okay. I don't know what's going on, but we'll all get outta here, you'll see. We'll escape and get help."

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the mare as she helped Fluttershy over to the front door where she was standing. The cyan pegasus seemed completely oblivious to what had become of both Pinkie and Applejack.

But no... that wasn't the case at all, was it?

Rainbow turned to Rarity as she got closer and, upon closer inspection, Rarity could see that Rainbow's eyes were cloudy and unfocused. She was shivering just as violently as Fluttershy, if not more so, and she looked through Rarity rather than at her.

Denial.

Rejection.

A mind unable to accept what was happening around her as real.

She knew something horrible had happened to Pinkie and Applejack, but she desperately tried to cast those thoughts aside, push them away as she tried to save her remaining friends.

"Rarity, come on," Rainbow muttered tonelessly as she continued to shuffle towards the front door with Fluttershy in tow, "we need to get outta here... get help. Fluttershy needs help, she needs a doctor."

Indeed, the yellow pegasus was in terrible condition.

Fluttershy had suffered several cuts and bruises all over her body. One of her wings was clearly broken from the impact of the door, and there was a particularly large gash above her left brow.

To think that a simple wooden door could do so much damage.

Rarity didn't say a word in response, and was about to step aside to let them out, but as it turned out, there was no need. A horrible, echoing sigh reverberated throughout the library, chilling Rainbow and Fluttershy to their very core.

There was no time for questions or further panic however, as the world had begun to shake anew with the sound, and before anypony could react, another black, slimy, writhing appendage tore through the ceiling from up high.

Fluttershy screamed for all she was worth as the eldritch limb snatched her by the barrel and yanked her right out of Rainbow's grip, pulling her up towards the ceiling.

It was enough to snap Rainbow Dash out of her fear born stupor and she leapt into action with a cry of fear and anger. She flew up and desperately latched onto Fluttershy's hooves, grunting and growling with the effort of pulling her away from the thing that would take her like it took the others.

She held on as best she could, and though great, it was ultimately a pointless and futile effort.

A sudden movement outside one of the nearby windows caught Rarity's attention and she turned to see another tentacle lower itself down from somewhere above the tree.

It twisted, writhed, and undulated just beyond the glass, and had Rainbow simply turned her head slightly, she would've seen it, and maybe she could've at least saved herself.

As it was, her eyes and all of her focus remained rooted to the wide eyed, screaming mare in front of her. She only turned to look once the tentacle had smashed through the glass of the window, but by then it was too late.

Like a speeding arrow, the new limb flew straight towards and through the cyan pegasus, piercing her skin, pushing past the ribs, and ripping through the heart, ending her struggle along with her life.

Fluttershy only wailed louder as the corpse was pulled back through the window and out of sight, just like Applejack. She reached a hoof out towards where Rainbow had been taken.

Her cries of sorrow didn't last long however, as she too was wrenched away—tugged upward into the opening of the crumbling ceiling to meet her own demise at the tentacles of the wretched abomination.

Another inequine sigh.

Another violent quake.

Rarity stood there, staring up at the collapsing ceiling with a frown.

There was a pang of sadness, pity, and even some unease and discomfort at the sight of the events that had played out before her, but Rarity pressed on with the knowledge that everything would be as it was before in the end.

Her friends and her Goddess were gone now, but she knew it was not to be a permanent thing, and so she had no need to mourn or despair.

With that thought in mind, she quietly phased right through the front door, stepping out of one font of madness and directly into another.

The area around the library had fallen into sheer bedlam, and it wasn't hard to see why. Another echoing sigh caused Rarity to turn back towards the library, and her eyes widened in surprise.

She looked up, having to take several steps back to properly see the thing that had almost completely enveloped the library.

Wrapped around the giant tree was a massive black beast unlike anything Rarity had ever seen. Its one large eye swiveled this way and that—its star shaped pupil not appearing to focus on any one thing, and its multiple mouths snapped open and shut.

Rarity watched in awe as its many tentacled appendages tightened around the library. The tree creaked and cracked and groaned under the pressure, and it wasn't long before the entire thing splintered. Even then, the titanic creature squeezed tighter, causing the tree to completely shatter and fall to the earth.

Rarity had long since blinked away to a safe distance as the library crumbled, and as she watched, another sound reached her ears, reminding her of the chaos that had been unleashed around her.

As the beast continued to sigh and the earth continued to shake, the ponies around town had been worked up into a frenzy. The screams, sobs, whimpers, and broken laughter of the frightened and insane echoed throughout Ponyville.

Most ponies trampled each other underhoof in a desperate attempt to flee from something they did not understand, while some simply sat there and stared, their minds crumbling away to nothing.

And yet there were those few who looked upon that eldritch thing and groveled—falling to their knees, shouting its praises, begging for mercy, crying out for some kind of twisted salvation.

Rarity watched all of this with a profound sense of disgust. There was still a lot Rarity didn't know about her new life, and she still had many questions, but she certainly knew one thing for sure.

These fools had placed their faith in a monster.

This creature was not the Goddess—it wasn't any kind of god at all. It was a creature beyond what the feeble minded could comprehend, yes, but Rarity's eyes had been opened to the truth.

She could see that it was nothing more than a simple beast—an angry child throwing a temper tantrum. Still, she could also tell it was connected to her Goddess in some way and that at least, did warrant a bit of respect.

"Sheesh, just what the hay did I miss?"

Rarity gave an annoyed flick of an ear as she turned to face Minuette. The mare, looked around the town with wide, intrigued eyes. Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine stood beside her, their eyes locked on the monster smashing the splintered remains of the library beneath it.

"It seems our Goddess had a bit of an issue to work out," Rarity explained, turning back to the maddened townfolk, "She's gone away, and apparently saw fit to grace our humble town with... that."

"I dunno," Lemon Hearts replied, frowning thoughtfully, "it doesn't seem like something She'd do."

"And just how do you know what She'd do, Lemon?" Minuette asked, finally turning to look at the crazed horror, "for all we know, She got sick of this place and decided to trash it."

"No, I agree with Lemon Hearts on this," Rarity interjected, "I've been around Her longer than you three have, and I know something is off. She's scared, stressed, and confused, and I don't think She meant to bring this monster here on purpose."

"So you think it was some kind of accident then?" Twinkleshine asked, giving Rarity a worried frown, "I mean, I'm pretty sure we all felt Her freaking out before She disappeared, and then this thing shows up out of nowhere and now I don't know what to think. Where did She even—"

"And now it's killing ponies," Minuette exclaimed, cutting off Twinkleshine. She watched as the beast grabbed hold of two groveling ponies, crushed them to pulp, and began slithering its way towards the fleeing citizens, "I guess it got bored of smashing an already smashed tree."

"Girls, I'm starting to think we should probably do something about this," Lemon Hearts said, her own worried frown deepening, "somehow I get the feeling this is gonna start spiraling out of control soon—even more than it already is I mean, and I don't think our Go... I don't think Twilight is gonna be too happy if She comes back to see this."

"Ah, it'll be fine," Minuette replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "everything will work out in the end, we just have to wait. Besides, what the hay are we supposed to do about it? I mean seriously, look at that thing!"

"Well, yeah, I suppose you have a point... but..." Lemon Hearts bit her lip nervously before turning to Twinkleshine, "just what is it we're supposed to be waiting for anyway?"

Twinkleshine merely shrugged in response.

"Maybe Twilight will be able to explain things once she gets back?" the golden grey mare guessed, "I say we just wait and see what happens."

"That won't be necessary."

All four whipped around to see a familiar purple dragon standing directly behind them, his eyes hard and his mouth set in a grim line. Rarity's eyes widened, her pupils reduced to mere pinpricks as she took a startled step back.

"S-Spike?!"

Chapter VII – The Other Side of the Mirror

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With the horrible experience of the hospital behind her for the moment, Celestia's focus had once more returned to the Summer Sun Celebration and what had to be done.

She needed to prepare for 'her' return, and the horror of earlier had thrown quite a wrench into her plans. The Solar Princess was under no delusion that this strange and unsettling event was over, but neither would she allow it to get in the way of her long awaited meeting.

Still...

Day Court had ended early today in preparation for the festival, allowing Celestia time to make her own personal preparations in private. The sun would still rise and fall without Celestia's guidance but, as a lasting effect of Discord's reign, it was a chaotic affair.

If Celestia didn't regulate the rising and setting of the sun and moon, days could last anywhere from fifteen to thirty-six hours. As such, she had long ago devised a spell that would passively monitor and auto-correct the path and speed of the sun's trajectory.

She only took over personally during the early hours of dawn and the late hour of dusk. Once, long ago, she had shared this task with another, but had since grown used to doing it alone.

These were the thoughts Celestia ruminated on as she sat in front of her vanity. There were the thoughts she preoccupied herself with, as she tried not to think about what she'd witnessed earlier.

Still, those other thoughts resurfaced despite her efforts to push them away. Those mares, their horrible 'words', their eerie message and its ominous meaning. Like clockwork, the words and images came back again and again.

What happened to those mares?

Who or what did this to them?

Who was this 'Dead Goddess' they spoke of?

They couldn't have been talking about 'her', could they? That wouldn't have made any sense, it's not like she was dead. She was merely trapped—banished and bound to her lunar prison... for one thousand years.

A sentence that was soon to expire.

All these questions and more swirled around Celestia's head, pushing back thoughts of the festival and the inevitable arrival of the one she cherished the most—the one she had wronged so many years ago.

And if they weren't talking about her, then who or what where they talking about? Who was this Dead Goddess, what manner of creature was she to be involved in whatever happened with those mares?

As she observed her features in the mirror, Celestia flicked an ear worriedly. She didn't know what to make of the situation, and knew she'd have to deal with whatever was going on sooner rather than later, but surely it could at least wait until after the festival?

As she thought about it, she realized the obvious answer.

Everything had been set in motion regarding Twilight and the festival, and Celestia could only wait for the results. She had faith that her student could get the job done, and that left the Sun Princess herself to wait for the outcome.

No, something told Celestia this new matter would end up becoming much more of a problem not too far off into the future, if it hadn't already. She flicked her ear again and frowned.

Wait... what is that sound?

Celestia furrowed her brow and turned away from the mirror of her vanity. She scanned the room, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Everything looked as it should and she was alone, yet the sound persisted, and she couldn't put her hoof on what the sound was.

It was muffled slightly, but after a few moments of confusion, the sound gradually became clearer, and Celestia was able to identify the noise. Her ears continued to twitch and her bemused scowl deepened as she picked out the strange sound.

Is that... humming?

Indeed, it sounded like somepony was humming some sort of tune. It was a strange, unfamiliar, and haunting melody that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

It was faint at first, but slowly grew in volume, and it made Celestia's fur stand on end. Hackles raised, Celestia stood up and took a step back from her vanity, a tight frown adorning her face.

She thought to call out to the intruder, but decided against it. Instead she waited—watching and listening for anything to make an appearance. She waited for whoever had invaded to make the first move... yet, aside from the humming, nothing changed.

Then something did change.

Up until now, Celestia hadn't been able to discern whether or not the eerie, echoing voice was feminine or masculine, but then the tone shifted to a slightly deep, but still clearly feminine voice.

What's more, it was a very familiar voice—one Celestia would've recognized anywhere.

It was her own voice.

"Such a sad and mysterious tune, wouldn't you agree?"

Celestia whipped back around to face the mirror and saw herself reflected as she was. She stood, her body facing away from the vanity while her neck twisted around slightly to face that reflection.

That reflection that was so much like her, yet not at all.

That reflection that stood the same as she did, twisted around the same as she did, gave the same warm, knowing smile she herself was wont to do when addressing her little ponies.

None of this would be out of the ordinary if that reflection's expression had matched Celestia's own... but it didn't.

Celestia stood frozen, her own face was a mask of shock and confusion. The reflection turned and sat, fully facing the stunned Princess, but Celestia didn't move a muscle.

"No opinion?" The reflection chuckled airily, "that's fine, I personally hate the tune myself, but I can't seem to get it out of my head."

"Who... what are you?" Celestia asked, narrowing her eyes. She turned and took a cautious step back from the mirror, "how have you come to be here, and what are your intentions?"

Celestia had lived quite a long time, and had seen her fair share of odd and mysterious events and circumstances. Even something like this wasn't too far out of the realm of believ, but all the same, she was wary—more so than normal given what she'd seen and heard earlier.

That had been something truly out of the ordinary. She felt like she could still sense their foul aura, even from this distance. Just thinking about their horrible gaze made her shudder slightly.

"Please, Princess, I mean you no harm," spoke the reflection in a reassuring tone, "in fact, I'm here to help you, believe it or not."

Celestia didn't believe it, not for a moment. Nevertheless, she allowed the reflection to continue speaking. The reflection shifted, making itself more comfortable as it rested itself onto its stomach and wrapped its prismatic flowing tail around itself.

"I'm sure you've already noticed by now," the reflection began, "but something has made it into your world—something unnatural to your kind, something that doesn't belong, something that's causing problems even as we speak."

"Something a lot like you, I'd imagine," Celestia replied, once more furrowing her brow, "I'll ask again, what are you, creature, and what do you know of these... abnormalities?"

"I'm no one of consequence, Sun Princess," the reflection replied dismissively, "as for the abnormalities... well..." the reflection smiled thinly, "I'm afraid you're in the midst of a subtle invasion—one that's going to get a lot less subtle as time goes on."

Celestia's eyes widened slightly and she took a step back. Images of the three mares in the hospital came to her unbidden, their ominous message replaying itself in her mind.

She'd known something was amiss, and had even entertained the idea of another potential Equestria-wide disaster waiting to happen... but an invasion?

"What do you know of this... 'Dead Goddess'?" she asked, regaining her composure, "if Equestria truly is being invaded as you say, is it her that leads this campaign?"

"Oh?" the reflection replied, raising an intrigued eyebrow, "you surprise me, Princess. I doubt there are many records of her existence in this dimension. Regardless, the answer is yes, you have her to thank for the push into Equestria."

"So I was right," Celestia muttered, lowering her head with a concerned frown, "whatever this is... it is not of this world, or even this realm..."

The reflection had alluded to as much, but to have it confirmed like that...

And what of this creature in her mirror?

"You said you were here to help me," Celestia continued, narrowing her eyes, "yet you take my likeness and hide behind the veil of this mirror, and what's more, I know nothing of your origins. To put it frankly, why should I trust your word? What do you have to gain, creature?"

The reflection stared back at Celestia with an unreadable expression, then gave a long suffering sigh and rose back up into a sitting position with an impatient frown.

"Were I to reveal my true form, Princess," the reflection replied with a hint of annoyance, "even a being as old and powerful as you would most likely be reduced to a screaming, babbling idiot devoid of any semblance of sanity. If you believe anything, then believe that I contact you in this manner for your own good."

Celestia considered the reflection for a moment. She thought back on how Doctor Steady Beat had reacted once those mares had started speaking. It wasn't all that hard to believe, so Celestia let it go for the moment, but there were still many questions left unanswered.

"As for my motivations," the reflection continued, "I simply don't want to see our worlds mix. I'd rather everything remain as it is—uphold the status quo as it were, and there are forces at work that seek to change that for the worst."

"Such as?" Celestia pushed.

"Our beloved dead goddess for one," the reflection replied, shrugging it's shoulders, "she's already made her way here, and as you've no doubt already seen, she's already worked her... ah... magic on your fair equine subjects.

"As I've said before, it's not me you need to worry about—not when the real threat is already on your doorstep. I tried to stop her from leaving, but it seems I'm unable to enter your world. As things stand now, I can only warn you from beyond this 'window'."

"And do you know where she is now," Celestia asked, taking an urgent step forward, "what does she look like? Do you know what her current plans are?"

"For now, I believe she means to turn your subjects into hers," the reflection answered, sitting back up with a serious frown, "make them into something horrid and unnatural by your world's standards, and on that front she's already made a small bit of progress."

Celestia matched her reflections frown.

Celestia still didn't trust the creature in her mirror, but for the moment its info was all she had to go on, and she had no other leads and no clue where to even begin searching for any.

If the creatures words were indeed the truth, then she had less time than she originally thought. It was a gamble, but she really had no other choice at the moment.

"Is there any way I can reverse whatever she's done to my little ponies?" she asked worriedly, "can I still save them?"

"No, you can't," the reflection stated bluntly, "once they've been Awakened, there's no going back to being a simple pony, and the longer the Awakened remain in her presence, the more they... change."

"Change?" Celestia questioned, "change how?"

"Oh trust me, Princess," the reflection replied evasively, "you don't want to know. Let's just say, that it'd best to stop this fiasco sooner rather than later."

"I... see..." Celestia muttered, hanging her head, her ears folding back against her head. She stood in a sullen silence for a brief moment before her ears perked up and she stood a bit straighter, "then there's no time to waste. I must find this 'Dead Goddess' and put an end to this madness before it truly begins."

The reflection gave an amused chuckle and shook its head at Celestia's words. Celestia frowned, but the reflection didn't elaborate, instead opting to move on.

"And on that note, I suppose I should actually tell you where—or rather who the dead goddess is," the reflection responded, "you see, in order for any of our kind to survive in your world for any period of time, we need to take on a host, and if you want to know who the host is..."

The reflection paused just as an urgent knock sounded from the bedroom door behind Celestia. She gave no visible response, all of her attention fully focused on the reflection's next words. The reflection smiled a wicked smile and ice cold dread flooded Celestia's veins.

She knew.

Somehow she'd realized it moments before the reflection had even spoken her name. It made no sense, and yet, for some reason, to Celestia at least, it made all the sense in the world that it was her.

The necrotic aura Celestia had been feeling in the back of her mind suddenly pushed itself to the fore, causing the Solar Princess to shiver involuntarily.

Another knock, this one more urgent than the last and accompanied by a panicked plea to open the door. Celestia continued to ignore it as the rest of her world drained away, leaving only her, the creature that was her reflection, and its next words.

"...you need look no further than Twilight Sparkle, your own faithful student, Princess."

Somewhere in the distance there was a deep sigh, and the mountain rumbled.

Chapter VIII – Madness Expunged, Order Restored

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Any other group of ponies might've seen Spike and thought him a normal, unassuming baby dragon, if slightly out of place in a town consisting of only ponies. Rarity and the other three mares however, saw this creature for what it truly was.

A stranger, an outsider, a being completely and horrifyingly alien despite all appearances. Though not as powerful as their Goddess, it was still far above what they could ever be, even with Her blessing, that much was for certain.

It wore the drakeling's form like a coat, and Rarity found herself wondering just what this thing had done with Twilight's adorable assistant. Was he still in there somewhere, or had this new entity completely taken over?

Its sudden appearance and unfiltered aura of superiority had robbed the mares of speech, and they could only quietly step aside as the thing moved forward. It didn't acknowledge the Awakened mares beyond the words it first spoke to announce its arrival.

It only had eyes for the monstrosity slaughtering and devouring the poor citizens of Ponyville. It stopped a few yards ahead, watching without comment as the tentacled beast passed through Ponyville like a violent tornado, destroying and consuming everything in its path.

The Spike-creature frowned slightly.

Before any of the mares could utter so much as a word of inquiry, the creature raised its head and spoke, the baby dragon's natural tone doing little to mask the unfathomable power of the command given.

"Belzot Magh, Faithful Pet of the Dead Goddess Skal-Gazaath!"

The voice boomed out over the town like thunder, the sound of the unnatural tongue pushing the already panicked townsponies into a maddened frenzy. The group of Awakened mares simply stood by in awe as the interloper called out to the much larger monster.

The rampaging beast seemed to freeze in its tracks, its star shaped pupil dilating. A moment later, it turned around to face the voice that had spoken, dropping a captured pony in the process. Its massive eye landed on the small baby dragon below and it gave another long sigh.

"By Her Grace's own command, you are to leave Her host and return to the Darkness. Now begone, Black Beast of the Abyss, so that our Goddess may return and reclaim what is Hers!"

Amidst the cries of the terrified citizens of Ponyville, the beast in question was silent. For what seemed like an eternity, it didn't move save for the constantly undulating limbs and the occasional blink of the gargantuan eye that focused on the small dragon.

Then, with one last earth shaking sigh, the abomination known as Belzot Magh began to shrink, its slimy black tentacles and snapping jaws receding, and its glossy ebony skin being replaced with pink flesh and soft lavender fur.

In the span of seconds, the horror was no more, and in its place was an unconscious lavender unicorn mare fallen on her side and breathing deeply. It was almost as though she was sleeping peacefully among the death and destruction the eldritch pet had wrought.

Upon seeing that the massive creature was nowhere to be seen, the ponies around town slowly but surely began to settle, though the odd screams and sobs could still be heard.

Rarity noted with some relief that the ponies had been so blinded by fear, panic, and madness, that they hadn't yet determined the source of their misery, but that could still change.

Ignoring the distraught ponies around it, the Spike-creature made its way over to where Twilight was. The four mares behind him looked at each other uncertainly before trotting after him.

None of them knew quite what to make of the situation, nor did they know what would come next. The only thing they knew for certain was that this being, who or whatever it was, had brought their Goddess back.

Once the creature reached Twilight he stopped and turned towards Rarity and the others, finally acknowledging their existence once more.

"Our Goddess has returned, but it seems She carried a bit of the host with Her when She withdrew from this realm," the creature explained, "I brought both back, but they will need to rest and recover. In the meantime—"

The world suddenly exploded in a flash of light so intense, it scorched the earth and burned the retinas of any unfortunate ponies caught looking directly into its brilliance. Princess Celestia had arrived, her grief bottomless, and her fury burning with the brightness of a dying star.

She didn't want to believe it was true, but the evidence was overwhelming. To the mere mortals who cried out in fear, confusion, and despair, the world as it was had ceased to make any sort of sense.

To the Princess however, none of that mattered. The instant she arrived in Ponyville, she knew she'd been far too late. She could sense the horrible aura that permeated the town like an unbearable stench. She could see the death and devastation with her own eyes, and it broke her heart.

The creeping feeling that something was wrong had never truly gone away since the hospital, but she had tried her best to ignore it, to the peril of her own beloved subjects. Now she was paying the price—the entirety of Ponyville was paying the price for her negligence.

This was far worse than the inevitable return of her sister, and upon seeing what this Dead Goddess had wrought upon the citizens of Ponyville—upon realizing it had taken hold of the one pony she considered almost a daughter in many respects, she knew she'd been a fool.

Her mind reeling with the tragic scene before her, Celestia's blazing eyes fell upon the source of the foul energy, or rather, the sources, and was shocked to find not only the three mares she'd sealed away in the room back in the hospital, but one of the mares she'd been keeping an eye on, as well as a familiar looking baby dragon.

"No..."

It came out as a hoarse whisper, barely audible above the pandemonium around her. The four mares looked back at her, not with worry or fear, but with an almost casual curiosity—as if wondering just what she'd do next now that she was here.

The Princess's wide, teary eyes swept over the group until they met those of her student's assistant and long time friend. Where she expected to see terror and confusion, there was none.

There was no recognition whatsoever, in fact, Celestia saw nothing of the young drake she had known. The thing that was not Spike seemed to look through her, like he wasn't seeing a living breathing demi-goddess with the power of the very sun at her command, but another bland piece of the scenery.

All the rage and sorrow drained away from Celestia then, replaced by that same dread and outright fear she'd felt back at the hospital. Twice in the same day she felt a primal fear like she'd never felt before in her unfathomably long life, and it was made all the worse by this thing that had taken over Spike.

This monster... whatever it was, it was ancient beyond understanding and powerful beyond reason. She didn't believe even Discord could compare, powerful as the old draconequus was in his own right.

After what felt to Celestia like an age, the creature pulled its gaze away from her and towards a spot somewhere off to the side. Celestia couldn't help but follow, and what she saw was enough to drag her out of her shaken, horrified state. A few yards away, surrounded by the wreckage of a destroyed cottage, lay Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia's reaction was instant.

With an anguished cry, the Solar Monarch flared out her wings and made to rush to her protégé's side. The knowledge that she was no longer the Twilight Sparkle she knew was shoved aside.

Lost to emotion as she was, Celestia paid no heed to the almost toxic aura coming off of the lavender mare before her. It was enough to make the bile rise in her throat, but she pushed it down and continued to gallop towards her precious student.

Then everything stopped.

The Princess stood frozen mid gallop, mere inches away from Twilight's side. Her face was locked in a mask of pain, tears just beginning to fall from her eyes as they fell upon the fallen mare in front of her.

It wasn't just the despairing Princess either.

Every wounded, crying, screaming, fleeing citizen had halted in their tracks. The wind was still, the world was silent, all motion had been put to an end, time had effectively stopped in its entirety... save for a certain dragon and five mares.

"I think we've wasted enough time here," the Spike-creature explained as he calmly stepped past the frozen Princess, "Rarity, take the host, we're heading back to the library."

"The... the library?" Rarity asked, frowning at the false drake in confusion, "but... but the library... was... oh my..." she had turned back to the remains of the giant tree, only to find that against all reason, it stood as though it had never been smashed to bits by an eldritch horror, "well then... I suppose I can do that much for my Goddess..."

In a matter of moments, the group had reappeared in the library, Twilight still unconscious and draped across Rarity's back. Inside they found the main room, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy just as they were before the beast had attacked.

Like everything else, they'd been stopped in the middle of what they'd been doing. In Rainbow's case, she'd been trying to inconspicuously nab the last slice of cake off of Applejack's plate while the cowpony was facing the other way.

Applejack for her part, had been talking to Rarity and had been stopped mid-conversation as she looked over to where the white mare was standing originally. Fluttershy sat at a slight distance, watching the two from afar as she sipped her punch.

All four Awakened mare's had several questions regarding what they were seeing, and Minuette had even looked outside to see if anything else had changed. Pulling open the front door, the light blue unicorn could see no sign of the prior destruction of the town.

The citizens were much the same as Rainbow Dash and Applejack, halted in the middle of their daily routine, and Princess Celestia herself was nowhere to be seen. With a curious quirk of her brow, she closed the door and returned her attention to the others just as the creature addressed Rarity.

"Rarity, take the host upstairs, then come back down," he commanded, "I need to speak with these two, but after that, we're going to make everything normal, just as She wished it."

"O-Okay then," Rarity replied, hesitantly. She turned to head up the stairs, but paused and looked back at the creature that had broken reality in order to fix it with no apparent effort, "um... what should I tell Twilight when She awakens? I'm not sure it'd be in Her best interest to know of this."

"I agree," it replied, turning its contemplative gaze towards the mare on Rarity's back, "but if She commands that we tell Her the truth, then there's nothing we can do but obey. For now, just let Her rest and we'll worry about it later."

Rarity made to say something else, but closed her mouth and nodded instead before vanishing out of sight. The mare still had so many questions, and not just about what had happened recently.

Because of what the Dead Goddess had done, Rarity had somehow transcended beyond equinity and become something else. She still looked like herself, she still acted like herself, but was all too aware that she wasn't herself. Not anymore.

The other three were the same, and no doubt had the same questions. The only thing they knew for certain was that they had changed in some way, they had abilities that somehow came naturally, and that the Dead Goddess was now more or less the center of their world.

They had also had the honor of hearing Her true name for themselves.

But what did it all mean? How was She able to do these things, who or what was Skal-Gazaath really? What else would change? What about Sweetie Belle? What was to become of her baby sister? Should she ask her Goddess if it was okay to tell her the truth?

All these questions and more piled on top of each other, and this creature—this... powerful interloper had the answers. Even had she not witnessed its power firsthoof, she would've known that this creature held the answers to the questions she so desperately wanted to ask.

Unfortunately, in the same way she knew everything would be restored to how it was in the end, she also knew now wasn't the time to ask such questions. Rarity had the distinct feeling this wouldn't be the last time she saw the interloper, and so she held her silence.

She'd get her answers eventually, all it took was a little patience, and a true lady had plenty of patience to spare. With that thought in mind, Rarity nodded once and vanished, reappearing in the upstairs bedroom an instant later.

It was there that Rarity found Pinkie Pie, staring at an empty spot on the ground with an unsure expression. no doubt looking on as Twilight had her breakdown. Rarity eyed her for a moment before moving towards the bed above the built-in wooden bookshelf below.

"Oh I do hope you can come to terms with who and what you really are, darling," Rarity said quietly as she carefully deposited Twilight onto the bed, "in truth, I'm just as lost as you are, but a lady shouldn't let something like a little crisis of identity keep her down."

She gave the unconscious mare one last reassuring smile before vanishing back downstairs. It was several minutes after that, that Pinkie Pie finally stirred. She blinked and furrowed her brow in confusion before looking around the room for the distraught mare she'd just been talking to.

She was about to call out Twilight's name when she spotted her lying in bed. She opened her mouth, closed it, and frowned again as something tickled the back of her mind. Something had happened, that much was clear, but what it was, she couldn't tell.

Then everything hit her at once and she reeled as though physically struck.

A terrible vision of monstrous eyes and a black horror the likes of which she'd never seen before assaulted her mind. A hideous transformation had overcome her Goddess and the rest of the memory was lost to madness and agony as her mind was broken and her flesh was rent asunder.

The sound of retching filled the otherwise quiet room as Pinkie emptied her stomach all over the wooden floor. A few moments later the pink earth pony sat back on her haunches, her body shaking violently, her breath coming in short ragged gasps, and tears pouring from her eyes.

The poor mare was so caught up in the horrendously vivid memory that she failed to notice the little dragon watching her from the chair beside the desk across the room. Deciding it had seen enough, the creature intervened, hopping off the chair and calmly making its way over to the sobbing, shivering mess that was Pinkie Pie.

"You are Skal-Gazaath's Gifted, one of Her children," the creature exclaimed suddenly, finally catching Pinkie's attention. She whipped around to face the false drake as it spoke again, its imperious tone at odds with Spike's small pudgy frame, "you, and to an extent, your family, are meant to serve Her to the utmost of your ability, but you haven't yet reached your potential."

The room seemed to darken considerably as the interloper moved closer. Pinkie cried out and stumbled back as its eyes shifted to that same star shaped pattern that haunted her memories even now.

"You are chosen, yet you squander your Gift and have rejected the Goddess up until this point," it continued, "were Skal-Gazaath to remember herself, the tearing of your flesh from your bones would be a mercy compared to what she would do to you."

Then it blinked, and the eyes were gone, replaced with Spike's normal, predatory jade eyes. The encroaching darkness dissipated along with the choking aura and Pinkie let out more ragged gasps before coughing violently.

"As things stand however, that is not in line with what She wishes," the creature said, its voice now devoid of the menacing undertone. "to that end, I cannot have you remain as you are."

Before Pinkie could comprehend just what the thing meant, the creature spoke again. No words reached her ears, but somehow the message was understood just the same, and the overwhelming distress seemed to melt away in an instant.

The horrid memories however, remained as sharp as ever, and just knowing she died in such a horrible manner still sent shivers down her spine and caused a cold sweat to form across her brow.

"I'll leave you with the vision of your own death, something most mortals fear above all else," it disappeared before Pinkie's eyes and reappeared next to Twilight's bed before speaking again, "don't worry though. Once you've become an Awakened and reached your full potential as a servant to the Goddess, you will transcend, and live a life beyond death."

Pinkie Pie could only stare up at the creature in response, her mouth hanging slightly open and her mind grasping at something to hold onto. In the end, her eyes fell upon the mare in the bed.

"Is... is She... are they going to be okay?" she asked somewhat timidly, "Twilight and... and the Goddess, I mean."

"They will recover, but in the meantime you will find the rest of your... 'friends' downstairs, alive and well," the creature replied, "go to them if you must, but remember that the well being of your Goddess is of the utmost importance in her current condition."

The creature paused as he looked out the window. The distant forms of Minuette, Twinkleshine, and Lemon Hearts all stared back at where it was from outside. It nodded almost imperceptibly and the mares vanished on the spot.

"The one called Rarity will fill you in on what has transpired," it continued, turning around to look down at Pinkie, "you are, of course, to speak of none of this unless She wishes it."

"O-Okay," Pinkie replied before tilting her head slightly, "what about you? Did you... is Spike gone?"

"For the moment," the creature replied, looking down at itself with apparent distaste, "my entry into this realm was... less than smooth, and because of that, I will be... stuck in this body for quite some time, but it is ultimately a temporary thing," it shook its head and looked back at the pink mare, "it doesn't matter. Go, I have something I must take care of now."

And with that, the interloper vanished, leaving Pinkie alone with an unresponsive Twilight. For a long moment, she simply sat there, trying to soak in everything she'd experienced—something she regretted almost immediately as the memories resurfaced.

She shivered again and shook her head before raising it to stare at Twilight's unconscious form. She gave the other mare a sad frown before slowly turning on her heel and trotting out of the room and down the stairs.

Rainbow was the first to greet her return with an enthusiastic wave, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy's more subdued, yet no less warm greetings a moment later. Applejack paid her no mind as she looked out one of the windows with a deep frown of her own.

Pinkie gave what she hoped was a convincing façade of her usual bright and cheery smile. Though the creature that replaced Spike had somehow repaired the cracks in her sanity, Pinkie was still far from okay.

She locked eyes with Rarity for only a moment, but it was enough for Rarity to get the message, and both she and Pinkie excused themselves, offering to check on Twilight, who they claimed had fallen asleep from the stress of the day.

Fluttershy and Rainbow were sympathetic, but Applejack's frown only deepened into a grimace. She narrowed her eyes, but didn't say anything against it. Neither Pinkie nor Rarity noticed Applejack's bright green eyes follow them as they made their way back upstairs.

Pinkie was more than willing to hear what Rarity had to say, but more than that, she desperately needed somepony to talk to. Not since she'd left the rock farm had she needed somepony else to cheer her up so badly. It was enough to remind her why she'd devoted so much of her energy towards making other ponies smile.

To Pinkie, a genuine smile was a gift far more precious than any otherworldly power, and despite what that thing had said, she believed that now more than ever.

Chapter IX – In the End, We all Play our Part

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I listened to the events as Rarity and the others told them, remaining completely silent throughout. This was mostly because I was left speechless by the whole thing.

I wanted to be horrified, and to an extent I was, but oddly enough, I wasn't nearly as torn up or freaked out about what happened as I felt I should be. Sure, I could tell myself it was because everything had worked out in the end, and the others were alive and well, but deep down, I knew that wasn't it.

What had me speechless, and where most of my horror came from, was the fact that I had apparently been shoved out of my own body and replaced with some hideous monstrosity that was apparently supposed to be my pet? Or her pet?

Our pet?

I shook my head, not wanting to go down that particular road again so soon. At the very least, I now had a name, and that went a long way towards answering the one big question that'd been plaguing me.

I now knew for certain that I'd once been two separate entities, and the fact that I was here in Equestria as a pony and not in that weird other place, meant that the pony I was now had been taken over by this 'Skal-Gazaath'... who I also was.

As Rarity and the others finished speaking, I took a moment to close my eyes and breathe deeply. I took a moment to soak in the new knowledge I'd gained. I mulled it over in my head and came to a decision regarding my identity. It was a decision I'd made before, but had been thrown out the window when I met with Rarity and Pinkie.

I didn't want to have another breakdown if I could help it, and despite what happened, I still had almost no memory of being Skal-Gazaath. In light of that fact, and the fact that I did have memories of being Twilight Sparkle, I decided to fully identify as Twilight Sparkle, at least until Skal-Gazaath's memories came back.

Then it was back to worrying about who and what I really was.

For now I did my best to accept that I was a pony born and raised in Canterlot, tutored by Celestia, and sent here to make friends. I told myself I'd been possessed and that the apparent power I had over others was simply a result of that possession.

Nice and simple.

Except it wasn't because I had no idea what the true extent of these changes were or how my abilities even worked. Spike could completely rewrite events as they happened on a whim, and he'd been possessed by one of Skal-Gazaath's servants. If he had that kind of power, what could I, as Skal-Gazaath's host, do?

What kind of power did I wield?

The thought both intrigued, and terrified me. If I was host to this 'Dead Goddess', did I have some kind of power over life and death? What I did to Rarity and the others seem to suggest as much.

I had some of my questions answered, but now there were so many more. Just what had possessed Spike, and where was he now? I still didn't know Applejack all that well, but given her earlier behavior, she most likely had gotten suspicious when she noticed Spike had left, and Fluttershy must've gone along because she'd been worried about the baby dragon.

That's what I guessed at any rate.

The problem was that I didn't know what the servant was up to, and that made me nervous for the other two ponies who'd followed after him. According to Pinkie, the thing that took over my assistant had only done so to fix everything and make things normal again, so I might not have had anything to worry about, and aside from that, evidently Spike's possession wasn't permanent.

Strangely enough, I found that both a relief and a disappointment.

Then there was Pinkie herself and what the thing possessing Spike had told her. Would Skal-Gazaath really have punished her the way the servant said she would? The only thing she was guilty of was wanting to make ponies happy, and I couldn't fault her for that.

Frankly, I was of the opinion that it was a much better use for the gifts Skal-Gazaath had given her. I would've worried more about what happened to the town, and the fact that Celestia had been here and had seen what became of Ponyville, but that had all been erased, so there really wasn't a need to worry about it.

One thing I did worry about was this whole 'Awakening' thing. The way Skal-Gazaath's servant spoke, it was almost like I, as this 'Holy Vessel', was supposed to go around doing the same thing I did to Rarity and my friends from Canterlot, to everypony else.

At the very least, the servant seemed to think me 'Awakening' Pinkie was an inevitability, but I didn't want to change anypony else. I didn't want servants or slaves, or minions or whatever Rarity and the other three were now. I didn't want to kill ponies and bring them back to life like some kind of Necromancer.

Skal-Gazaath might've wanted to do that when she possessed me, but I wasn't Skal-Gazaath right now, I was Twilight Sparkle. In fact, now that I thought about it, I seemed to be in far more control of myself since I'd woken up.

Was it because of what happened with Belzot Magh? Did the experience somehow render Skal-Gazaath dormant within me? I didn't know, but I wasn't complaining. The constant dread and confusion was gone for the moment, and that was enough to make me happy.

Well, the confusion was still there, but it wasn't due to a crisis of identity. I still had questions, and not everything had been made clear just yet, so I set my remaining thoughts about myself and Skal-Gazaath aside, opened my eyes, and turned to my three friends from Canterlot.

"So what happened with you girls?" I asked with a small frown, "why did you leave and then come back?"

"Well for one thing," Lemon Hearts answered, rubbing the back of her neck, "it would've been weird for all of us to just suddenly be here in the room with you all, wouldn't it?"

I couldn't argue with that.

The one thing I wanted above all else right now was normalcy, especially after everything that'd happened up to this point. The three mares spontaneously popping into existence without any kind of magic being cast would look very suspicious, or at the very least, incredibly odd.

There was the lie I told to Spike about how Rarity appeared, and while it might've worked on Rainbow Dash, I somehow got the feeling Fluttershy and Applejack wouldn't buy it.

"Aside from that," Minuette continued, "we were told to check on Celestia without being seen, something about making sure everything stayed normal like You wanted."

"What? Why?" I asked, furrowing my brow in bemusement, "she would've just returned to the way she was after everything returned to normal, wouldn't she?"

"That's what we thought too," Twinkleshine replied with a nod, "we popped into the castle without anypony seeing us so we could spy on her, but I guess she sensed us or something, because she said something to one of her aides about checking the hospital and teleported off."

"We went back to our room in the hospital just in case she chose to pop in for a visit," Lemon Hearts finished, "and what do you know, we made it back just as she showed up to check the wards she apparently put on the door, which I guess explains why we couldn't get out the normal way. After that we came back to the library to check up on you... the normal way."

"Oh, I see," I muttered, frowning thoughtfully, "Celestia isn't like the rest of us—well, not like other ponies anyway. She's an immortal being with abilities beyond that of the rest of ponykind. Some would argue that she isn't even an actual equine, so it stands to reason that she might've had some resistance to whatever changes the servant made."

"I remembered everything that happened to me," Pinkie pointed out quietly, "but I'm not like other ponies either, I guess."

I gave the despondent pink mare a sympathetic frown before turning back to the others. I wanted to help Pinkie, but I felt there wasn't much I could think to do to help her.

I could exert my will and force her to be happy, but I was not going to do that. With what she'd gone through, she'd need more than just kind words, and I didn't know what else to provide her.

Actually, there might be something I could do after all, but...

"Did Celestia remember anything about what happened here?" Rarity asked suddenly, "does she suspect us or Twilight at all?"

"Doesn't seem that way," Minuette replied with a shrug, "from what little we saw, she was still getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Good," I replied with a relieved sigh, "that's... good. At the very least I don't have to worry about that," I turned my attention to Pinkie, who'd been looking out the window with an expression I couldn't read, "Pinkie?"

She blinked and turned back to me with a questioning expression. I bit my lip nervously, unsure of how I wanted to approach the subject I was about to bring up.

"Pinkie," I began hesitantly, "do you... if you want me to, I could probably erase the memories of what happened to you," I winced as Pinkie's expression once more went blank, "I... I mean, what happened to you and the others was terrible, and I don't think it's fair that you alone have to suffer that kind of trauma, so—"

"Twilight, stop."

I froze, my mouth hanging open in surprise. The others looked at Pinkie with the same expressions—Rarity even looking somewhat indignant. Pinkie ignored the rest of them as she fully turned to face me, a grateful, but sad smile on her face.

"I appreciate the offer, really," to my further surprise, her sad smile suddenly became a hard scowl of conviction, "but I want something else, something that only you could provide as Her 'Holy Vessel'."

She moved closer, stopping a moment to glance down at the still unconscious Rainbow Dash before shaking her head and moving on.

"Ever since the Servant left, I've been thinking about what it said," she continued, "and y'know, I think it might be onto something."

"W-What do you mean?" I asked, taking a wary step back and trying to ignore the sudden stirring in the back of my mind, "Pinkie, what are you talking about?"

"Ever since I was a foal, Granny Pie and my Ma and Pa would always tell me I was meant for something greater," Pinkie's smile became more genuine, an odd glow in her eyes, like a rekindled fire, "because there was never any evidence of Her existence, I began to think Skal-Gazaath didn't actually exist, and eventually I stopped worshiping her like the rest of my family altogether."

I said nothing in response as I tried to push back a very familiar and very insistent sensation. I knew this feeling, it was the same thing I felt just before I killed Rarity, and knowing that, I began to panic.

No! I thought she was dormant!

"P-Pinkie—"

"Sure I had these neat things I could do, but I just chalked that up to having a little extra magic or something," Pinkie said, unaware of my struggle, "I dunno, I just thought it might've had a more mundane explanation than 'I was Gifted as Skal-Gazaath's Chosen'. It just sounded too silly to me."

"Pinkie Pie, I—"

"But now you're here!" she stepped right in front of me, her face inches from mine and her smile now as wide as ever, a strange, almost manic gleam in her eyes, "She's here, and the Servant was right, I need to reach my full potential, and you can make that happen!"

My eyes widened as I realized what she wanted me to do, and why the feeling was coming back. Before I could say anything in response, Pinkie took a step back, her smile becoming less insane and more subdued, almost serene and understanding.

"I still want to be your friend, Twilight, and I still want to make ponies smile," she said, her tone more relaxed, "as a pony, I think that's what I was born to do," she glanced back towards her flank, "it's what my cutie mark is for, but I have to accept that that's not all I am. That's not the only thing I was meant for."

She turned back to me, and though her smile was still calm, the eerie religious zeal had returned to her eyes. I looked back, my teeth grit and my body shaking with the effort of trying to hold back the overwhelming desire to kill the pink mare.

By this point I was convinced that's what she wanted, but that wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to kill Pinkie Pie, I didn't want to turn more ponies into my servants. Unfortunately I could feel it becoming less and less about what I wanted, and more about what the Dead Goddess wanted.

"Both my family and the Servant were right," Pinkie took one step closer, "I have a duty as one of Her Children to serve, and that's what I'm going to do, but before I can truly take on that role, I need to reach that full potential."

She took another step forward, putting a hoof on my shoulder and forcing me to look into her eyes.

"Twilight," she nearly whispered, "I need you to Awaken me. You're a good mare, and I know this isn't what you wanna do, but this is my choice, it's my calling—the other role I was born into, and no matter how you or I feel about it, I need to fulfill that role the best way I can."

She stepped back, sat on her haunches, and spread her hooves out.

"So go on, don't hold back! Hit me!" she shouted with that same wide, friendly, infectious smile, "don't worry, I'll still be the same old Pinkie Pie you know and love, just... more subservient."

I stared at her.

The others, who'd been completely silent up to this point, watched the two of us with varying degrees of anticipation. I ignored them, my entire world focused on the pink mare in front of me.

It wasn't what I wanted.

I wanted to just be Twilight Sparkle and live my normal life. I wanted to make Celestia proud, I wanted to sit down and read a good book with my faithful assistant by my side, I wanted to watch my mentor raise the sun on a brand new day, I wanted to make friends.

In a sick, twisted kind of way, I guess I am making friends...

Seeing Pinkie Pie sitting there, ready to accept her fate, I finally began to realize that this was no longer about what I wanted. I realized that, in a very real way, Pinkie and I weren't all that different.

Pinkie just wanted to be free of her family's beliefs and make ponies happy, and yet she couldn't escape from what she was meant to do. I just wanted to live my own life like I did before all this madness, and yet I was thrown into the role of some kind of ancient powerful deity no matter what I did.

The difference between us, aside from the scale of the situation, was that Pinkie was accepting her fate in the end, and what got me was that I saw no regret or sadness in her expression. There was only a sort of contentedness, like she really believed this was for the best.

If I accepted that I was no longer just Twilight Sparkle, would I feel the same?

I closed my eyes and shuddered as the sensation washed over me. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I opened my eyes and gave the others one last glance. They all smiled reassuringly, Rarity nodding in understanding. I looked from them to Rainbow Dash, wondering what she'd think about all of this.

I don't know if this is a good idea or not, or how it'll all end... but I can't hold back anymore either way.

"I could make this a messy affair, but out of respect for your decision, I won't," I intoned, turning back to Pinkie with a proud smile, "as my Chosen... as one of my Children..."

...I'll simply ask that you die for me.

The others and I looked on as Pinkie Pie shuddered and slumped over bonelessly, her eyes glassy and her life snuffed out before she even hit the ground. My smile widened slightly as the mare's body shuddered again. A moment later Pinkie blinked, her cloudy light blue eyes vanishing behind a veil of swirling black.

As it turned out, I hadn't even had to command her to rise. Her status as my Chosen had been enough to allow her to Awaken on her own. After several seconds, Pinkie blinked again and her eyes returned to their normal bright cerulean hue.

With that, she hopped back up and groaned loudly, giving a long languid, catlike stretch. She sighed a second later and gave me a happy mock salute.

"Goooood morning, my Goddess!"

"Pinkie, dear," Rarity replied flatly, "it's nearly dusk."

"Eh, morning, noon, night, it's all just different times of day, and time is relative," Pinkie Pie answered with a careless shrug, "more importantly, Pinkie's back from the dead, and probably better than ever!"

Now that Pinkie had been Awakened, the sensation had passed, leaving me with an odd mix of emotions. I was still struggling with myself when I was suddenly pulled into a tight hug by an excited Pinkie. I cried out in surprise and was about to protest when Pinkie released me, the hug ending as quickly as it had started.

"Thanks, Twilight," the mare said more quietly, an earnest smile on her face, "I know it's hard to accept, but you did the right thing. This is the way it's meant to be, and I'm glad a pony like you was chosen as the Holy Vessel, and besides..."

She sidled up next to me, putting a hoof around my withers and pulling me close as she waved another hoof towards Rarity and the others.

"...we're all like one big happy family now, and it'll only get bigger!" she turned back to me, gasping in excitement, "ooh, maybe when Applejack and Fluttershy get back we can have them and Dashie join us, then we can all be besties and serve under the Great Skal-Gazaath. I can see it now..."

Pinkie went on like that for some time, shouting and laughing and gesticulating wildly as she bounced around between me and the others, talking a mile a minute. This was the happiest I'd seen the mare, and while I was still uncomfortable about what she was expecting of me, I couldn't help but smile at her antics.

Maybe this really was for the best.

Pinkie may have initially rejected her family's teachings and worship, but in the end, she'd been raised on those beliefs and had embraced them. I couldn't blame her for how she acted when it came to Skal-Gazaath.

When it came to me.

I still didn't know why the Dead Goddess had come to Equestria, or why she chose me of all ponies to act as her host, but running my mind around in circles wasn't getting me anything but more confusion.

I found myself thinking back to Fluttershy's words, and how she'd told me I didn't want to be a monster. She was right of course, I didn't want to be a monster. That was the last thing I wanted, but that didn't change the fact that was one.

I was once just a normal pony, but that was no longer the case, and it didn't seem like things were going back to the way they were anytime soon. I couldn't identify as just Twilight Sparkle, because I wasn't just Twilight Sparkle anymore, and I couldn't identify as the Dead Goddess Skal-Gazaath, because I wasn't just her either, nor did I really know anything about her.

I wasn't going to get anywhere by agonizing over my identity. Until more things were made clear, I was simply stuck as a confused pony who was playing host to some dark goddess from another world.

Yes, that's exactly what I was.

I didn't know who's consciousness had taken over, but it was clear my memories as Twilight had affected my behaviors and opinions, making me more simple equine than eldritch goddess... though I still had a nasty habit of wanting to kill and resurrect ponies on occasion it seemed.

In any case, that would have to be good enough for now, and if something else happened, I'd just have to cross that bridge when I came to it. I nodded to myself, still confused and still unsure, but on far more stable ground than I was before, thanks in no small part to Pinkie Pie.

Speaking of the mare, the others had just about enough of her boisterous attitude and Rarity was in the middle of trying to get her to calm down. I was about to step in and say something, but that didn't happen.

What happened instead was Spike suddenly appearing in front of us, right along with two familiar and very terrified ponies.

Chapter X – An Unexpected Development

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I paced about the bedroom nervously, wondering just what to do next. I still wanted to maintain at least a façade of normalcy, and to that end I'd already sent Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine back to the hospital. They of course, didn't protest, but I could tell they were unhappy with the decision.

I felt bad when they'd told me of their imprisonment in the room, so I told them to feign a loss of memory in the hopes that Celestia would allow them to leave. If the princess really could sense that something was wrong, I doubted we could fool her by acting completely normal, so that would have to be the best we could do.

I didn't want to go against Celestia, and though it was probably an inevitability, I wanted to hold it off for as long as possible. In the meantime, I wandered about my room, trying to decide what to do with the unconscious mares and Spike.

Pinkie and Rarity stood by, the former with bemusement, and the latter with a small amount of worry on my part. I knew she was worried for me without having to look in her direction, and that was another thing I found odd.

It was like I could sense Rarity, like I could sense her thoughts, feelings, and presence, and that had most definitely not been the case a few hours ago. I wasn't completely sure, but now that I thought back on it, I felt as though it'd been happening gradually ever since I woke up.

It was the same for the other three mares I'd sent back to Canterlot. Even though they were gone, I could still feel them as though they were right next to me, and I could sense their displeasure at having to remain in the hospital room, and not by my side.

The only one I couldn't seem to sense was Pinkie Pie, and I began to wonder if Awakened ponies grew some kind of intimate, unnatural connection to me, and I to them. Pinkie had only just been Awakened, and I resolved to watch the mare closely to see if my guess was right.

The new sensations made me shiver slightly, and as I listened to Pinkie complain for the fifth time since Spike had returned, I wondered just what else would change in the near future, and to what extent.

"I still don't see why we can't just Awaken them all now, Twilight," Pinkie was saying with a mock pout, "I get where You're coming from, but it's not like death is actually death when it comes to You. In fact, it's kinda like a new life more than anything, a way, way better life, full of happiness and joy and parties and cake and servitude to our all powerful Goddess and—"

"That's the problem, Pinkie!" I cried, whipping around to face the surprised mare, "I still don't know how any of this works for one thing, and even if I did, I don't want servants or slaves or worshipers or any of that nonsense. I just want things to be normal for now, at least until I can..." I gestured towards myself and the blacked out group on the floor, "...get this all sorted out."

I paused and turned back to the unconscious group laid out on the floor, biting my lip with worry and indecision. After a moment Rarity spoke up, her tone slow and deliberate and her eyes fixed on the sleeping mares.

"Twilight, darling," she began, looking back to me, "night has already fallen, and everything has returned to normal as far as everypony but ourselves are concerned. Why not simply bring the others downstairs and leave Spike in bed until it's time for Celestia to raise the sun?"

"Oh, that's right!" Pinkie agreed enthusiastically, "there's a party we never got to finish waiting for us downstairs, and thanks to the Servant, we don't gotta worry about Dashie, Fluttershy, and Applejack freaking out!"

Before I could give my own opinion on the plan, Pinkie had already vanished from the room completely, no doubt to rekindle the party downstairs. I wanted to protest, but found no reason to. Rarity's plan was a sound one, and I was rather embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it in my panic.

Unfortunately, that left the matter of the gap in Applejack and Fluttershy's memories. That new worry grabbed at me, but Rarity was quick to reassure me with an encouraging smile, nodding in my direction as she teleported Spike into bed.

"No need to fret about the memories, dear," she said, making her way over to where the rest of the mares lay, "I will personally see to the others, so you can just relax and enjoy the party."

"I... okay, alright," I finally conceded with a heavy sigh. I smiled wearily at the white mare, "thanks, Rarity. Maybe I do need to just relax for now."

"Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity chuckled, waving the matter away, "it's my pleasure to serve, whether you like it or not. Now, go on, leave Spike to his rest and leave the others to me. I'll meet both you and Pinkie downstairs with the other girls in a moment."

I would've found this extremely worrisome, and would've remained wary of Rarity's intentions, had I not been able to sense said intentions. As it was, I could tell Rarity had nothing sinister planned for the mares, save for maybe some more twisting of memories here and there.

Deciding that it may have been for the best in this situation, I nodded and headed downstairs, leaving Rarity to her work with the three mares. In the meantime, my mind was still somewhat preoccupied with the other major issue of what I'd do once Celestia arrived in Ponyville.

How would I explain myself to the princess, and what would she say? Would she even allow me to explain myself and what happened to me and the others?

All I can hope is that she still sees me as her faithful student...

As I made my way downstairs, I could hear Pinkie humming some kind of tune I didn't recognize, and when I actually saw her, she was darting about the room, making the decorations even more elaborate than earlier.

More streamers were placed throughout the main room and library, balloons were scattered here and there, and there was an entirely new three layered cake on a platter on the table. I reached the bottom of the steps, my eyes longingly glued to the cake.

I wasn't hungry, and I knew from my experience earlier in the day at Applejack's farm that I wouldn't be able to enjoy the oversized confection. I idly wondered if Rarity and Pinkie suffered from the same issue now that they'd changed into something more like me.

"Oh, heya, Twilight!" Pinkie cried, waving me over to the table with a wide grin as she spotted me, "c'mere, I wanna show you something neat!"

I furrowed my brow, wary, but curious all the same of what the mare wanted. All the while, my eyes never left the cake, and I was beginning to feel as though there was something strange about it.

"Pinkie," I asked distractedly, "what is this cake? Where'd you find it?"

There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the cake as far as outward appearance went, but there was still something about it I couldn't quite put my hoof on. I was so focused on finding out just what the thing was made of that I almost didn't notice my stomach rumble suddenly.

"Find it?" Pinkie replied, snapping me out of my transfixed state with a high pitched giggle, "I made it, silly!"

I whipped around to face the mare, my eyes wide with surprise and incredulity. Pinkie simply gave me that same wide, encouraging smile. I looked from her, to the large, if somewhat ordinary looking vanilla cake, and back to her again.

"You made this?" I finally asked when I found my voice again, "but... how? When? You were only alone for maybe four or five minutes at the most!"

"I'm a baker, it's what I do," Pinkie replied with a simple shrug, "and if you don't mind me saying, I'm reeeaaalllly good at it. I mean, if I didn't get a cutie mark for my penchant for planning parties, then I probably would've gotten one for baking sweets."

"I... you... alright then," I replied, still uncertain and slightly stunned, "but that doesn't explain how you m—mmph!"

My confused rambling was cut off as Pinkie shoved something into my mouth, something I realized a nanosecond later must've been some of the cake.

"Here, try it! I guarantee it won't be like anything you've ever had before," I heard Pinkie say as I tried to chew and swallow the confection, "since you don't, and can't eat like the rest of us, I made this especially for you!"

"Pinkie, I..." I paused as I tasted the cake, and my eyes slowly widened once more as I realized I could actually taste it, "Pinkie... this... you... how did you..."

It was strange.

Pinkie was right in that I'd never tasted anything like it, and yet it was still somehow the best thing I'd tasted in a long time. To my further confusion, I found the odd flavor almost... nostalgic for some reason—so much so that it almost brought tears to my eyes.

"Pinkie... what is this cake made of?" I asked, tearing out another chunk of cake in my magic and digging in, "I can actually taste it, and it's..."

"Wonderful? Spectacular? Splendiferific?" Pinkie guessed, sidling up to me and throwing a hoof around my withers, "the best darned cake you ever tasted in your life?"

"Y-Yeah," I replied, most of my focus still on the cake, "something like that. How did you pull this off? I thought I couldn't eat anymore because of..." I paused in my consumption and grimaced as I looked down at myself, "...all of this. Because of what happened to me."

Pinkie pulled her hoof away and stepped back to fully face me, a proud smile on her own face.

"I'm pretty sure the Servant already knows this," she began, "but once I fully become a denizen of the Black Dimension, I won't just be any old pony-turned... something-that-isn't-pony. As the Chosen Child of Skal-Gazaath, I'm gonna replace the current 'Servant' one day."

"I... what?" I asked, blinking stupidly, "what does that mean? And what does it have to do with the cake?"

Pinkie giggled again and moved to sit over in one of the chairs before speaking again, her tone surprisingly calm and measured as she gazed at the cake she'd made.

"The thing that took over Spike?" she continued, "it was probably another one of Your Chosen Children at some point, and overtime, it grew in power, serving You faithfully until it became the 'Servant'.

"That's what Skal-Gazaath does, She chooses creatures to eventually become Her Most Faithful Servants, giving them awesome power above all others except Herself in order to carry out Her will, whatever it might be," she shrugged again and turned back to me with that same proud smile, "and now it's my turn, I guess."

I stared at the pink earth pony, my meal all but forgotten in the face of this new revelation. She still hadn't answered as to how she'd exactly managed to make such a cake, but that didn't matter to me nearly as much as this 'passing of the Servant mantle' business.

"Pinkie," I asked slowly, "how do you know all of this? I've never even heard of Skal-Gazaath or this 'Black Dimension' until now. I'm not even sure Celestia's heard of any of this, and she's thousands of years old."

"Oh, that's easy," Pinkie replied with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "my family's been in commune with creatures from the Black Dimension almost as long as Celestia and Luna have been ruling Equestria. Some of my ancestors wrote a bunch of texts and we have all kinds of rituals and other crazy stuff that we do. Of course, my sisters and I didn't really get to participate in any of it, or read a lot of the texts because it was 'not yet time'."

She raised her hooves in air quotes before blowing out a raspberry and rolling her eyes. I simply continued to stare at her, baffled as to how a family could be so devoted to an entity from another dimension, and keep it a secret for all these years.

Then something she said suddenly clicked and I furrowed my brow.

"Wait... did you say Luna? Who's Luna?" I asked with a bemused frown. My frown deepened as I thought, "you said she ruled alongside Celestia... then that means..."

I thought back to the story I'd read of the Mare in the Moon, and I shook my head in disbelief. The thought had also brought back the memory of how I'd acted when I was first possessed by Skal-Gazaath, and I winced at my careless and ignorant behavior towards everything.

It felt like that had happened so long ago, and now that I had time to reflect on it, I realized that I'd more or less gradually changed back to the mare I was before—no doubt due to my own memories coming back, and the absence of Skal-Gazaath's memories.

"Pinkie," I continued, getting my mind back on track, "are you telling me that Luna is the Mare in the Moon... and that she's real?"

"Well of course she's real," Pinkie replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "why do you think the moon looks like it has a pony in it?"

"Well, I assumed it was just an... oddly pony shaped jumble of... craters," I replied, feeling incredibly stupid all of a sudden, "I mean, it's possible, but when you put it like that, I don't know..."

Then I remembered something else I'd read, and my eyes widened again, this time in alarm.

"Hey, wait a minute," I cried, rising out of the chair I'd sat in, "on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars shall aid in her escape... that's..." I turned towards Pinkie, who looked back at me expectantly, "Pinkie, that's the Summer Solstice, and the Princess is bringing it about in a few hours! You don't think—"

"Terribly sorry for the wait, darlings," came Rarity's voice from behind Pinkie and I. I turned to see the mare heading down the stairs with the other three mares in tow, "it took me some time to, ah... rouse the others."

"Whoa, Pinkie, you baked another cake? Sweet!" Rainbow Dash cried, spotting the cake in question on the table, "hey, you guys don't mind if I dig in, right?"

Without waiting for a response, she spread her wings and flew down from the steps towards the table. It only took me a second to realize that what may have been good for me, may not have been good for a regular pony, but before I could say anything on the matter, Rainbow had already grabbed a piece.

"Rainbow, wait—"

She shoved the slice into her mouth before anypony could stop her, and I watched with no small amount of trepidation as she ate. The others, meanwhile, had come down the steps and were heading our way. Both Applejack and Fluttershy looked around the room in a slight daze, like they didn't quite know or understand where they were.

I ignored that for the moment and focused on Rainbow as she hummed in delight and grabbed another slice of cake before she'd even finished her first. That was when I started getting suspicious, and as I turned back to Pinkie, I could see she was eyeing Rainbow Dash with a thoughtful frown on her face.

I barely even noticed as Rarity took up the chair next to mine, and only turned towards her when she tapped me on the shoulder. The fact that she was looking from me to Rainbow Dash with a mixed expression of worry and puzzlement didn't help matters.

"Twilight, dear," she muttered, leaning in close to me as she watched the cyan pegasus finish off the second slice of cake and reach for another, "I'm not quite sure how to put this... but there's something... not quite right about Rainbow Dash."

"What do you mean?" I muttered back, already aware that something definitely wasn't right, "what happened up there, and why do Fluttershy and Applejack look like they suffered a botched lobotomy?"

"Well, you see," Rarity began, turning a nervous glance towards the two aimlessly wandering mares in question, "the thing is—"

"Oh wow," Rainbow suddenly exclaimed through a mouthful of cake, "I don't know what you put in this cake, Pinkie, but it's freaking amazing! You gotta make another one of these!"

"Sure thing, Dashie," Pinkie replied with another cheerful giggle. She stood up and made her way over to where Rainbow was before grabbing the entire platter of cake and tossing it onto her back. Rainbow began to protest, but Pinkie cut her off, "can I talk to you in the kitchen for a sec though? I'll bring the cake so you can eat it there."

Rainbow looked from the cake, to Pinkie, to Rarity and I, then finally over to where Fluttershy and Applejack were sitting, staring at nothing in particular.

"Fluttershy? AJ?" she asked, frowning in concern, as she took a step towards them, "hey, you guys okay over there?"

"I think they might just be tired," Pinkie said, trying to catch Rainbow's attention, "Rarity and Twilight can take care of them, but I reeeeaaallly need to talk to you. In the kitchen. Now."

Rainbow bit her lip, eyeing the two dazed mares worriedly for another before relenting and letting Pinkie drag her off towards the kitchen. Just before she moved out of sight, she turned to both Rarity and I.

"Hey, I think something might be wrong with the others," she called back, "see if you can find out what's going on with them, they're kinda freakin' me out here."

"Will do, darling!" Rarity called back with a reassuring smile, "just leave it to us, and go have your little talk."

Rainbow turned to give Fluttershy and Applejack one last look before following after Pinkie. With the pegasus gone, Rarity turned back to me, all semblance of calm reassurance gone, and more worry in its place.

"Twilight, darling, I think, the thing that took over Spike might've done more damage than we thought," she began, "I was able to rouse Applejack and Fluttershy, but apparently, they've lost more than a few hours worth of memories, and I can't seem to... reverse the effects on my own."

"What?!" I cried, panic rising quickly in my chest, "how is that... we have to—"

"Please, calm, down, my Goddess," Rarity hissed, before letting out a deep calming breath herself, "I mean, Twilight... I know it seems bad, but I'm fairly sure you have the power to fix it," she shook her head, "that's not really what worries me however. There's something else that bothers me more."

"I take it, it's about Rainbow Dash?" I guessed, turning towards the kitchen, "she's been acting... off ever since I met her earlier today. Well, not off, it's more like... she isn't affected by all this weirdness. That in and of itself is weird... and then there's the cake."

"Cake?" Rarity repeated with a bemused tilt of her head, "what about the cake?"

"Pinkie made that cake especially for me," I explained, "apparently, I can't taste normal food anymore, probably because I'm no longer a regular pony, but I could taste the cake she made, and it was amazing. That probably means that was no normal cake, but Rainbow Dash..."

I trailed off, my gaze drifting towards the entrance to the kitchen. Rarity remained silent for a few moments longer before giving a quiet reply.

"I see," she muttered with a grimace, "I suppose that makes sense then..."

"You suppose what makes sense?" I asked, turning back to the white unicorn, "just what the hay is going on with Rainbow?"

"Rainbow Dash, she..." Rarity looked from me, to the kitchen, then sighed and turned back to me with a troubled and slightly bewildered frown, "about Rainbow Dash... I don't think she's... entirely equine, darling."

Chapter XI – A Prismatic Awakening

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"Explain please."

Rarity licked her lips nervously and cast a worried glance back towards the kitchen where Pinkie was talking about who knew what with Rainbow Dash. She turned back to me a moment later and sighed before raising her head and giving me a compliant nod.

"You see, darling," she began, "when I demanded the others to rise from their slumber, Rainbow was the only one who didn't. At first I thought she'd somehow died, which would have been fine," she quickly added, "You would've brought her back with little trouble after all."

I grimaced, but nodded all the same, not liking the idea of doing to Rainbow what I did to the others, but willing to do so if that meant she'd live. I didn't want to curse her to a new life of servitude like the others—I didn't want to curse any of them to a life of servitude, but it was better than losing them forever.

...Wasn't it?

"So what happened then?" I asked, pushing the thought to the back of my mind, "what went wrong?"

"Well, Rainbow Dash, she..." Rarity worked her jaw for a moment, trying to find the right words, "I... heard something, some kind of strange noise I'd never heard before from seemingly nowhere, I was trying to figure out what it was and where it was coming from, but then Rainbow Dash began to wake."

"A strange noise?" I muttered, something tingling in the back of my memory at her words. I shook my head and looked Rarity in the eye, "can you describe the noise as best you can?"

"I'm not quite sure how, Twilight dear," Rarity replied apologetically, "it was... almost like a sort of melody, but not quite. I want to say it was a sort of whistle, or... or humming or something along those lines, but I feel like that wouldn't describe it properly either. Either way, the sound filled the room, and I could practically feel it rattling around in my brain."

The tingling in the back of my mind got stronger, and I felt like I was on the verge of remembering something important. To my frustration though, whatever the thought was, it stayed just out of reach. I pressed on, hoping it would come to me once Rarity explained a bit more.

"What happened with Rainbow herself?" I asked, "you said she just woke up, and it wasn't your doing?"

"She didn't just rise from her slumber, darling," Rarity replied, looking uncomfortable for some reason, "as that melody played, Rainbow's body started to... move, as though something were crawling around in her insides just beneath her skin. I don't know why, but I think it might've had something to do with that strange noise."

That doesn't sound good...

"And?" I pressed, "what happened next?"

"After a few moments, the sound just... stopped, as did the squirming beneath Rainbow's skin," Rarity returned her gaze to the kitchen, "then she simply woke up, as if nothing were amiss in the slightest. I'm fairly sure she doesn't realize what happened at all."

She looked back at me, her face troubled.

"She said she was starving," she added, "as soon as she woke up, she was sniffing the air, and mentioning something about a great smell, " Rarity turned to the still dazed Fluttershy and Applejack, "I suppose she could smell the cake Pinkie made, and it seemed to distract her from the state of the other two."

"Did anything else happen after that?" I asked, with a mounting worry, "did Rainbow do or say anything else odd before you came down here?"

"No, that was it," the white mare replied with a single shake of her head, "after that, I gathered them all and returned down here to join you and Pinkie."

I fell into a contemplative silence for a moment, wondering just what this all meant. There was something about that odd melody that Rarity heard, but I couldn't put my hoof on why it bothered me so much. Based on what Rarity had described about Rainbow Dash herself, it sounded like she might've been possessed like me.

Is that really the case though, or is it something else? Something worse?

I wracked my brain, trying to figure out whether or not, I'd done something to cause this, but I couldn't think of anything aside from putting her to sleep. I thought back to what the girls told me about what happened while I was indisposed, and how Rainbow Dash had died along with the others.

Did that have something to do with it? Did it trigger some kind of delayed response and cause... whatever happened to her upstairs?

I wasn't sure, and I didn't think I'd get any answers by just thinking about it really hard.

"Well, I think Pinkie's also trying to get to the bottom of this," I finally replied, "so I'll just have to ask her when she comes back," I turned to Applejack and Fluttershy, "in the meantime, I should probably do something about—"

"NO! S-STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Rarity and I whipped around just in time to see a prismatic blur come flying out of the kitchen and slam into the long table. The impact was enough to throw off Rainbow's momentum and she tumbled out of the air, slamming into the side of the staircase on the opposite side of the room a moment later.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" I cried, making my way over to the frantic pegasus, "Rainbow Dash what—oh..."

Both Rarity and I froze in our tracks at what we saw.

Her back against the wall, and breathing raggedly, Rainbow Dash looked from me to Rarity. Her eyes were wild with fear, panic and confusion, and it wasn't hard to see why. I heard no strange melody, but I could clearly see what Rarity had described about Rainbow Dash.

Just as the mare had said, it looked as though something, or a great many somethings, were squirming around inside the pegasus. As we watched, she violently shivered and raised her hooves up in front of her, staring at the wriggling flesh in horror.

"W-What's happening to me? What..." she muttered shakily. She suddenly snapped her bewildered and terrified gaze towards, or rather past us, shouting at the top of her lungs, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

"I didn't do anything to you, Rainbow Dash," came a calm, cold, and pitiless voice from behind me. I turned to see Pinkie Pie stepping out of the kitchen, her eyes black, her face unreadable, and her gaze fixed on the panicking pegasus as she spoke, "all I did was reveal the truth, that's it," she trotted past Rarity and I, gesturing to Rainbow Dash, "this? This is all you, Dashie, and I'm surprised I hadn't seen it until now."

"What are you talking about?!" Rainbow cried as another violent shiver wracked her body. She grunted as the writhing intensified, "what is this? What are you? WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON?!"

"Pinkie Pie!" I shouted, finally regaining the ability to speak, "what is this? You know something right? What's this all about?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Pinkie replied cryptically, never once taking her eyes off Rainbow Dash, "aaaaannny moment now."

I went to respond, but was interrupted by a sudden piercing wail from Rainbow Dash. I turned to see her clutching her head and thrashing about in apparent agony. I moved towards her, but stopped, my ear twitching at another sound I couldn't place. It was distance, but was gradually growing louder.

"N-No, what—" Rainbow gave another pained grunt, "...I don't get what you're saying! Master? I don't have a—gah!" the squirming skin beneath Rainbow's cyan fur grew in intensity, her form outright warping in an inequine shape, "I-I'm not... n-not going anywhere until... u-until I... bluh..."

Rainbow stopped shivering, the crawling in her flesh ceased altogether, and her hooves fell limp at her sides. Her rosy eyes grew dull and glassy. She'd stopped moving altogether and for all intents and purposes, the mare was dead, or at least she looked the part.

The room was deathly quiet.

Whatever sound I'd heard earlier was gone now, and nopony made another sound for what felt like an eternity. Nopony moved, nopony spoke, and all eyes were on Rainbow Dash.

"R-Rainbow Dash?" I said in a near whisper as I carefully, hesitantly made my way over to where she lay, "Rainbow, are you—"

I was cut off by Pinkie's upraised hoof, and when I looked over to her, I saw that she still hadn't taken her eyes off Rainbow Dash. Her eyes had returned to their normal cerulean hue, but her gaze was both troubled and expectant.

"Don't," she muttered, "it's not over yet."

"What do you mean?" Rarity asked, looking from Rainbow to Pinkie with a bemused frown, "what could possibly happen next?"

As if on cue, the cyan pegasus stirred, her skin rippling for a moment before settling once more. As we all watched, her glassy eyes slowly rolled up into the back of her head, until only white sclera remained.

"Rainbow?" I asked.

Rainbow groaned weakly and shuddered in response and, with several sick squelching noises, thick and slimy dark blue tentacles began to emerge all over her body from several creases in her fur. They practically poured out of her limbs and her mouth dropped open to reveal more.

Her wings began to grow in length, the feathers twisting, fusing, and morphing into ropy limbs, the ends of which had become a pair of three elongated digits sharpened down to a point. Another moment later her body began to lift itself into the air and she hovered above all of us.

The display was horrific, but a sudden, odd, and familiar sensation building inside me distracted from it. I may not have been able to describe it well, nor did I know why it happened, but I knew what this feeling meant by now.

It meant that I was about to become something else.

It meant Skal-Gazaath was taking over.

I gave a small grunt of my own, futilely trying to fight against the sensation, but it won out in the end, and a cold and terrible anger overtook me. I raised my head and gave Rainbow Dash a cool stare, my eyes roaming over her form with disgust and contempt. She groaned again and let out a throaty gurgle, her tentacles writhing, twisting and undulating about her.

"H-He calls..."

The voice that came from Rainbow wasn't equine in the slightest. It was low and choked, like she was struggling to force the words out of a mouth that wasn't meant to utter them.

At her words, my eyes narrowed and my frown deepened. I took a step forward and both Pinkie and Rarity followed behind me. Both Fluttershy and Applejack were somewhere else, distant and forgotten in the face of this new development.

"Who is he?" I demanded, "who is your master? Speak his name."

"He calls," Rainbow repeated, her gargling voice sounding strained and desperate, "I have been summoned... must... answer..."

Ignore him and answer me. Who is it that calls you?

Rainbow groaned again, louder this time and with far more pain. She flailed about for a moment before settling down once more.

"H-He is the One Who Watches. He is the One Who Waits," I could see black tears flowing from Rainbow's milky white eyes and streaming down her hideous face, as she spoke, but I paid it no mind as I focused on her next words, "in His infinite wisdom and patience, it is He who will come to claim what is rightfully His from the Usurper..."

My eyes widened and I took a horrified step back as a name emerged from deep within the recesses of my—or rather Skal-Gazaath's—memory.

"Nel-Baloth..."

I knew the name, and just the mere mention of it sent a bolt of both fear and anger coursing through me, but I didn't know why. I didn't know what Rainbow was referring to regarding the Usurper, nor did I really understand what the rest of her words meant, but I knew I didn't like it.

My attention was returned to Rainbow Dash as she groaned again. She was clearly in a lot of pain, and while I would've been happy to keep her that way in my current mindset, I was beginning to regain myself, and beneath her monstrous form, I could still see an innocent pony.

I wasn't sure where all the hostility was coming from, but it wasn't just me. I could feel the hatred coming from Rarity, and even Pinkie as well. The pink mare seemed to know something about what was going on, and I decided I'd ask her once this was over.

For now though, I focused on bringing the situation under control, and that meant Rainbow couldn't be allowed to return to this 'master' of hers. I hadn't wanted to do it, but given Rainbow's current state, and unable to think of anything else at the moment, I acted.

With a thought, I pulled the thrashing abomination down towards me so that we were face to face.

Listen to me Rainbow Dash... you serve no one but me. Who or whatever this being is, he will not take you from me. You are mine and I will not let you go.

Rainbow didn't reply, but I could tell just by a glance that my words had sunk in. I wasn't sure if something had possessed Rainbow Dash or if she'd always been this way, but as Skal-Gazaath's influence lessened, my desire to have everything back to how it was before returned.

Satisfied that I'd turned Rainbow away from whatever master she served, I forced Rainbow back into her equine form with another thought. The process was much quicker this time around, though by the screams of agony, it was no less pleasant for the poor mare.

Each of her tentacles retracted back into her body as I twisted and sculpted her shape into what it originally had been. A few seconds later her wings and eyes had returned to normal and I unceremoniously dropped her to the ground where she lay shuddering and whimpering in pain.

As the last bit of irrational hate drained away, I looked down at her, horrified at the pain I'd caused her.

"Ohmygosh, Rainbow," I cried, kneeling down and pulling her into my hooves, "Rainbow, I'm so sorry, I... I don't know... everything happened all at once and I... I'm sorry, Rainbow, I d-didn't mean it."

I wasn't sure if she was even listening as I held her, but I could feel her shivers lessen slightly, and I could see her wings twitching evey so often. She didn't speak for a long moment, and when she finally did begin to say something, she was interrupted by a violent fit of coughing.

"What should we do now, darling?" Rarity, asked, making her way over to where I was, "I'm... honestly unsure as to what to really say to all of this. Rainbow Dash's true form, the odd... anger, and... just all of this," she sat on her haunches and frowned up at the ceiling, "...just who is this Nel-Ba—"

"Don't say his name," Pinkie snapped, "not now, anyway. I'm not sure if anything will happen, but it feels like a bad idea, and I'd rather not risk any more nonsensical eldritch craziness today," she turned back to me with a sympathetic smile, "I don't mind it at all, but I'm pretty sure Twilight's had enough for now."

I nodded silently as I continued to hold a now sobbing and most likely thoroughly confused and possibly traumatized Rainbow Dash.

"As much as I'd like to just finish the party and wait for Celestia to come and raise the sun, I think we need to talk about what happened here," I turned to face Pinkie with a solemn frown, "I feel like the more I try to hide it or run away from it, the worse this all gets."

"So what do You propose we do, then, dear?" Rarity asked, "frankly I'm all for a little normalcy, and from the sound of it, you feel the same, but..."

"But I still need to sort this out," I gave Rarity a weak smile, "I'm hoping we can just... talk about all of this without having something ridiculous happen," I turned to Pinkie, "maybe over some cake that you can all enjoy."

"All of us?" Pinkie asked in confusion before looking over to where the two remaining oblivious mares stood, "You mean..." she gasped, "are You gonna tell Fluttershy and Applejack about us? About Rainbow Dash? About You?"

"I am," I replied with a deep sigh of resignation, "I think... I think we should let them and Spike know what's going on. After everything they've been through, I think they deserve that much."

"Darling, forgive me for questioning You, but are You sure that's wise?" Rarity asked worriedly, "they might tell others, and that might things more difficult for us in the long run."

"It's a risk, but it's one I'm willing to take," I replied with a resolute frown. I looked down at Rainbow Dash, who didn't seem to be lost in her own world of confusion and misery, "I want to believe they'll understand if we explain the circumstances, and besides, I'm tired of keeping them out of the loop. Whatever happens after that, we'll deal with it accordingly."

"Alright, if... that's what You want, darling," Rarity replied uncertainly. She took a deep, calming breath and smiled at me encouragingly, "I'll do my best to help things go smoothly."

"Oh, and I'll make sure to set aside some more of that super special custom made not-of-this-world Goddess tier cake for You!" Pinkie Pie added happily. At my look, she chuckled nervously, "and don't worry, I won't leave it out like I did last time. It, ah... wouldn't be pretty if any of the others got ahold of it..."

"Good, I'm looking forward to it, Pinkie," I replied, before looking over to Fluttershy and Applejack with a grimace, "but before we do anything, I need to fix those two and make sure Rainbow is okay."

Rarity looked from Rainbow Dash to Fluttershy and Applejack and chuckled humorlessly.

"It's going to be a long night, isn't it?"

I sighed wearily in reponse and turned a tired gaze to one of the windows, seeing just how late it was getting.

"Yes, Rarity... yes it is."

Chapter XII – Damage Control

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Reversing the effects of the creature that had possessed Spike—the Servant, Pinkie called it—had done to Applejack and Fluttershy had actually been the easy part, just as Rarity said.

I wasn't sure whether the Servant had truly erased their memories or not, but with some carefully worded commands in what was apparently known as the Black Tongue, I was able to rouse them from their mindless states, and judging by their reactions, it seemed they had retained some kind of knowledge of what had happened to them.

Thankfully it seemed the only ponies in the room who remembered Belzot Magh's rampage were Rarity and Pinkie. I wanted to be candid with the mares, but that was something I wholeheartedly believe they weren't ready to hear about, not yet.

Understandably, the two innocent mares had not responded well to recent events. Applejack was as livid as she was scared, and poor Fluttershy was far beyond distraught, sobbing heavily into Applejack's coat and refusing to look anypony else in the eye. Both were incredibly confused, and my heart went out to the two, but I promised myself I'd tell them what I could.

Pinkie had replaced the 'special' cake with one of her more palatable creations, and was trying to comfort an uncharacteristically silent and miserable Rainbow Dash over at the table. Rarity stood by me as I attempted to calm Applejack and Fluttershy enough so that we could have a civil discussion.

Spike, who I'd woken up only moments ago, stood off to the side trying to make sense of it all. I could see him casting furtive glances in my direction, and though he wasn't scared like the crying and raging mares before me, he still looked extremely worried.

I knew this wasn't going to go smoothly, but it seemed I wouldn't be able to get anything productive done any time soon, and if my suspicions about what might happen tonight were correct, time was something we didn't have a lot of at this point.

As I was lamenting the fact that I might have to once more resort to mind control to get results, Applejack spoke up, her voice suddenly calm, yet as cold as the Frozen North.

"What are ya, really?" she asked in a low, clipped tone, "ah may not understand a lick o' what's goin' on here, but ah know what ah saw, an' ah know what ah heard," she jabbed a hoof in Spike's direction, the drake flinching back in response as though struck, "that little dragon friend o' yers said some mighty strange an' incriminatin' things, mah Goddess."

I winced and averted my eyes at the bite she put into the title, unable to argue. I chanced a glance at Spike and saw the drake shift uncomfortably, a deeply troubled look on his face. He turned back to me, and I could see the multitude of questions burning in his eyes, yet for some reason he chose not to voice them.

I opened my mouth to say something, but decided against it and instead looked at the yellow pegasus Applejack protectively held against her. She had stopped crying, and was now looking not at me, but over to where Rainbow Dash was sitting with Pinkie Pie.

Her expression seemed to be some odd mix of fear and pity. To me, she looked terribly conflicted, as though she didn't know whether to console Dash or run screaming from her. Applejack followed her gaze, her frown deepening and her eyes narrowing dangerously.

"An' then there's you," she spat venomously, addressing the despairing cyan mare directly, "ah may not have been in mah right mind before, but ah still remember what happened to you. Ah still remember that... that... abomination ya'll transformed into."

If Rainbow Dash heard Applejack, she gave no indication as she continued to somberly stare at some point in the distance. Pinkie glared at the earth pony, intending to say something, but a quick glance and a subtle shake of the head from Rarity convinced her to keep her mouth shut. Satisfied, the white mare turned back to address Applejack.

"Applejack... darling, please," Rarity pleaded, taking a step forward, "I know this is a lot to take in, but you must understand. Many of us are just as lost as you and Fluttershy. We're all seeking answers to this madness, the same as you."

"Then start talkin', Miss Goddess," Applejack retorted, directing her vicious glare back to me, "ya'll seem ta be the mastermind behind it all, so speak up! What in Celestia's name is goin' on around here!"

She punctuated the last question with a furious stomp of her hoof. I went to reply, seeing my chance to finally reach some sort of understanding where we could all discuss the situation calmly and rationally, but it was Fluttershy that spoke first.

"Um... A-Applejack?" she began in a strained, near whisper. Her eyes still hadn't left Rainbow Dash as she spoke, "I... I think we should calm down... and listen to what Twilight and the others have to say."

Applejack sputtered in surprise and indignation at Fluttershy's suggestion. She turned to glower at me and Rarity, then at Pinkie and Rainbow. Her face relaxed somewhat as she turned back to Fluttershy and saw her scared, but pleading expression as she looked back.

A brief moment of indecision passed over her features, and another moment later, she gave a long, suffering sigh. She took a second to collect herself, visibly trying to rein in her own fear and suspicious anger, before grimacing at me.

"Alright, we'll talk like civil ponies oughta, even though none o' ya'll seem ta be ponies at all," she snorted and let go of Fluttershy before stomping off towards the table, "ah don't like it, but ah trust Fluttershy at the very least," she fell into the seat farthest from Rainbow and Pinkie, "if she's willin' ta give ya'll a chance, then ah'll follow along... fer now."

I breathed a quiet sigh of relief before turning and giving Fluttershy a grateful smile.

"Thank you for hearing me out, Fluttershy," I said earnestly, "I may not know everything, but Pinkie, Rarity, and I will do our best to explain what we can."

Fluttershy didn't meet my gaze, opting instead to silently stare at her own hooves. She stood that way for a long moment before finally speaking up, her voice quiet, yet strangely resolute.

"I'm not sure what's going on... and I have a feeling that whatever this is, is only going to get worse," she raised her head and gave me a small, weak smile, "but I'm sure... I'm sure you didn't mean for any of this to happen, Twilight."

With that, she followed after Applejack and, after a moment's hesitation, chose to sit next to Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. That just left Rarity, Spike and myself. I turned to Rarity, intending to tell her to give me and Spike some space, but she seemed to get the message through our strange link and nodded before making her own way over to the table.

I watched her go a moment before trotting over to where Spike stood near the slightly spiraling stairway.

"Hey," I greeted quietly.

"...Hey," he replied, looking down at his feet and speaking just as quietly.

For a long moment we stood there in an awkward silence, and even though I was a good distance away, I could feel the accusing stare of Applejack on my back. I struggled to find the words to convey the situation and how sorry I was that any of this was happening, but had trouble voicing the words. Still, I needed to say something, so I took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Look... Spike, I—"

"Twilight, I know less than anypony about what's going on here," he interjected, looking up at me, "as far as I do know, I suddenly fell asleep while I was talking to Rarity, and I only just now woke up to all of this."

He gesture towards the table and I followed his gaze to the others. His next words caught and held my attention.

"Now I'm hearing things about you being some kind of monster in disguise," he raised his claws and stared at them as he spoke, "and apparently I was possessed by something while I was asleep, but I don't remember any of it," he lowered his claws and looked back up at me with an expression full of helplessness and confusion, "I don't know what to make of any of this, Twilight."

"I know, Spike... I know," I replied, pulling him into a hug. I winced as I felt him shudder at my touch, "it's like Fluttershy said... I didn't mean for any of this to happen, but it did," I pulled back, placing my hooves on his shoulders and lowering myself enough to look the drake in the eye, "I've been trying to understand it all myself, and somewhere along the way, things got out of control, but I'm gonna try to make it right."

"How?" Spike asked, shrugging my hooves aside and giving me the same suspicious glare Applejack had, "you've been acting weird since this morning, and I'm beginning to wonder if you haven't been replaced by some... some alien or something. How do I know you're even the real Twilight?"

"Spike..." I grimaced at how close Spike had come to the truth, "it's me... I swear it is, but there's something else. You were possessed by something while you were asleep, and... something similar happened to me," I took a step back and raised a hoof to my chest, "I'm still Twilight Sparkle, but like you were, I've... been possessed by something, only it's still in here with me."

Though I'm pretty sure it's a bit more complicated than that, I think.

Spike bit his lower lip, looking me over with worried and contemplative eyes. He didn't reply for a long moment, and I was beginning to wonder if my explanation had been sufficient enough. After a long, torturous moment of indecision, Spike clench his claws and gave a determined scowl.

"Alright, Twilight... I... I'll believe you," he finally replied, putting as much conviction as he could into his words, "if... if everything you're saying is true... then I'll do what I can to help you get back to normal."

At hearing his words, it felt like a great weight I hadn't even known was there had been lifted from my shoulders. I smiled and pulled him into another hug, immensely grateful for his support, and doubly touched that it had been of his own will and not because I'd done something to him.

"Thank you, Spike," I whispered, "I... you have no idea how much it means to hear you say that right now."

"O-Of course!" Spike exclaimed as I set him back down. He tried to hide it, but I could see another visible shudder run through his body as he spoke, "what kind of number one assistant would I be if I didn't stick by you when the going gets rough?"

"Spike, I'd still consider you my number one assistant and my best friend even if you decided to reject me," I replied with a sincere smile. It fell away as I thought about my words and what the near future held, "I won't lie, Spike... things... might end up getting a lot worse before they get better."

"What do you mean?" Spike asked, his worried frown returning in full, "what do you thinks gonna happen next?"

"As far as my own situation is concerned, I'm not sure," I replied gravely, "but we may have an entirely different problem to deal with soon, which is why, important as this all is, I want to move this discussion along as quickly as possible."

Spike began to speak, stopped himself and frowned. He shook his head a second later as if to dispel a stray thought and nodded once.

"Alright, then what are we waiting for?" he replied, hurrying past me and towards the table, "the sooner we get this mess fixed, the more time we'll have to see Princess Celestia... oh..." he slowed his walk and turned back to me with a concerned frown, "you haven't told the Princess about any of this, have you?"

"No... I haven't," I replied reluctantly, "but I think she might already know something isn't right," I shook my head and began to follow after Spike, "but we can worry about that later. Right now we have to try and clear things up."

Spike looked like he wanted to say more, but decided against it, and together we made our way back to the table to have what was certain to be a very interesting talk.

Chapter XIII – Some Things Never Change

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I gathered everypony around the table to talk about current events, but I found myself unsure of how to start. I'd decided to take a seat next to Spike and Rarity, both of whom sat opposite Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie across the table. The cake sat in the middle, untouched by anypony.

Unsurprising given the circumstances.

"Well?" came Applejack's impatient voice as she turned to me, "ya'll got us right where ya want us, so... spill it."

"R-Right, okay... um," I took a deep breath to steady my nerves, gave one last look out into the inky darkness outside, and began, "from what I can remember, this all started in Canterlot, just before I arrived here. I was reading a book beneath a tree somewhere..."

I paused a moment, thinking about how I should tackle the discussion. It wouldn't have made much sense if I'd told them about what I did without any sort of context, so I instead opted to confer to Pinkie regarding my condition first.

"Pinkie," I began, turning to the mare in question, "you still know more about this whole thing than I do. I think it might be best if you do the explaining where Skal-Gazaath and my possession are concerned. What I've gone through won't make much sense otherwise."

"Skalga what now?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow before turning to Pinkie, "an' what does she mean you know more about it? Pinkie, don't tell me ya'll were in on this madness from the beginning?"

"Sorry, AJ," Pinkie replied with a nervous giggle and an apologetic shrug, "I'm... kind of a big part of it actually," she turned back to the rest of us, humming in thought. She nodded in satisfaction a moment later and spoke again, "the Dead Goddess, Skal-Gazaath rules supreme over another plane of existence known only as the Black Dimension."

"The Black Dimension?" Applejack asked, her frown deepening the more she heard, "the hay is that all about? And how do you know about all o' this nonsense, Pinkie?"

"Eh, it's a family thing," Pinkie replied, waving a dismissive hoof, "anywho, we all live in the White Dimension, and normally it's impossible for the two to interact with each other... at least, through normal means."

"If that's true," Spike jumped in, "then how did all of... whatever happened, happen?"

"Well~" Pinkie drawled before reaching into her mane, pulling out a massive black tome, and slapping it onto the table, "like I said, there are ways to communicate with the creatures living in the Black Dimension."

The book's cover was black with a silver trim lining its way around the sides in a twisting, swirling, almost hypnotic pattern. In shiny silver print was the simple and rather uninspired title of The Other Side. The book appeared to be written by somepony named Basalt Pie.

No doubt another one of Pinkie's relatives...

I eyed the tome curiously, but warily, making no move to reach for it. Looking around, I could see Rarity looking just as interested as I was. Rainbow Dash didn't seem to be paying much attention to the world around her, something I completely understood given what had happen not so long ago.

Looking at Spike and Applejack however, told a different story. Spike was eyeing the book with a mix of confusion and uneasiness, and Applejack had scrunched up her face in bemusement as she scrutinized the cover.

"What in tarnation?" the farm mare muttered, "Pinkie... what the hay kinda language is this?"

"You can't read it?" I asked, turning to Applejack in surprise. Something clicked and I turned towards Spike, "Spike can you not read it either?"

"No, I... don't know what kinda language that is, but that book gives me the creeps," he looked back up at me with a furrowed brow, "kinda like when you were talking like Minuette."

I then turned to one of the other mares who had yet to speak.

"Fluttershy?" I asked, "I'm guessing you can't read it either."

"No I can't," she said in one quick, strained breath. She was shivering, shrunken in her chair with her eyes clenched shut, "please put it away, Pinkie."

Pinkie, who been about to flip the book open, paused and blinked at the yellow pegasus. She looked back at me as if waiting for my say so, and with a slightly disappointed sigh, I nodded for her to do as Fluttershy requested. With that, she shrugged and shoved the book back into her mane.

"Suit yourself," Pinkie replied airily, "so like I was saying, the Black Dimension isn't like our White Dimension at all. It's like," she furrowed her brow and tapped her chin thoughtfully, "it's like... well... to most ponies it would probably be a nightmarish world full of horrors you couldn't possibly imagine. Terrible creatures and landscapes that would literally drive those unprepared to witness such things insane with fear... or so Granny Pie says."

She shrugged her shoulders again.

"It doesn't really bother me all that much."

"...So let me see if I've got this right so far," Spike began after a few uncomfortable moments of silence, "Skal-Gazaath is an evil—"

"SHE'S NOT EVIL!"

Spike yelped and nearly toppled over from the force of Rarity and Pinkie's combined shouts of outrage. I could hear the eerie undertone of whisper in their voice and to my dismay, both had stood up in their chairs, hooves planted firmly on the table and furious eyes becoming pools of inky black.

"Sweet Celestia!" Applejack cried out, pushing her own chair back and away from the irate mares, she turned away and doubled over, her face turning slightly green, "ah think ah'm gonna be sick..."

Fluttershy cringed back and whimpered pathetically, looking as though she was about to faint dead away. Rainbow Dash hardly reacted at all, save for a slight frown and a twitchy glance in Rarity and Pinkie's direction.

I couldn't feel it, but the aura coming off of the two angry mares must've been wreaking havoc on Applejack and Fluttershy's senses. I resolved to stop this before it got any worse.

"Everypony calm down!" I shouted, standing up in my own chair, "we don't have time for outbursts like these!" I turned to Rarity and Pinkie with as stern a glare as I could muster, "and will you two please rein in your ridiculous zeal? For my sake if nothing else?"

In an instant both of them had sat back down, their eyes normal and looking abashed. I hated to treat them like that, but if I was being honest, their blind worship was moving past uncomfortable and was beginning to grate on my nerves. As if reading my mind, Rarity winced and cleared her throat.

"Terribly sorry, dear," she muttered, "I know how you feel about that sort of thing by now, it's just... something of a reflex, I need to work on controlling," she brushed a stray lock of mane out of her face and turned to a shaken Spike with an apologetic smile, "you didn't deserve that, Spike, and I assure you it won't happen again."

"Y-Yeah, sure," Spike mumbled, edging away from the mare, "it's... it's alright, no problem... I'm over it!"

His uneasy grin wasn't fooling anypony, and I half wondered if he still had a crush on the mare after that outburst. I glanced over to Applejack and Fluttershy, the former of which seemed to have recovered and was now eyeing Rarity and Pinkie with an intense wariness.

Fluttershy looked as though she had calmed somewhat, though she still shook visibly in her seat. I shook my head and looked around at Applejack, Fluttershy and Spike with an apologetic smile of my own.

"I'm sorry, girls, and Spike. Things are... weird with Pinkie and Rarity right now," I turned to give Pinkie an expectant look, "I'll explain once Pinkie finishes her explanation," turning again, I nodded towards my assistant, "please, Spike, you were saying?"

"Um... right," Spike bit his lip in uncertainty as he looked at Rarity, "so this Skal-Gazaath, she's the Goddess of some other horrifying dimension, and somehow, she's the one that possessed Twilight?"

"To put it in super, super simple terms... yup!" Pinkie replied with a nod, "I don't know why, but I do know that She was fated to return to this world one day, I just didn't know how until today."

"R-Return?" Fluttershy squeaked, eyes wide with horror, "you mean... she's been here before?"

"Well..." Pinkie amended, "...not exactly."

In response to Fluttershy's query, Pinkie and I explained the fate of the pink mare's ancestor and how he had summoned Skal-Gazaath with his dying breath to preserve her family line. Spike, Applejack, and Fluttershy listened with a sort of horrified fascination.

"Wait," Applejack began once we'd finished explaining, "so, Pinkie..." she fell silent and worked her jaw for a moment, as if struggling to get the words out, "yer... are you sayin' ya owe yer family's existence to this Goddess?"

"Yeperooni!" Pinkie replied cheerfully, "if it wasn't for Her, Ponyville wouldn't have it's premiere party planning pony, Pinkie Pie, prancing around planning perfect parties for the precious ponies of Ponyville!"

Applejack blinked.

She eyed the other innocently smiling earth pony with an inscrutable gaze, unsure of what to make of this revelation. Slowly she lowered her head and frowned deeply, more in contemplation than anything from what I could see.

"...Huh."

She said no more than that, prompting Pinkie to continue with her explanation.

"So like I was saying," Pinkie began, "the White and Black Dimensions are normally completely separated and their denizens can't interact with each other under normal circumstances. That means ponies, griffons, changelings, and every other race that exists in this world, can't cross over to the Black Dimension, and the creatures that live in the Black Dimension can't exist here... at least, not without a host, or vessel, or whatever you wanna call it."

"And that's where Spike and I come in," I interjected, "Spike's possession was only temporary, "but mine... well... I don't know," I frowned, "I think, unless I actively find a way to remove Skal-Gazaath from my body, my possession might be a permanent one. At least, that's the feeling I get."

Spike went to reply, probably with words of encouragement, but Rarity, who was now looking at Rainbow Dash, spoke first.

"And what of Rainbow Dash?" she questioned, "I must admit, her... change, came as quite a shock."

All eyes turned to the cyan pegasus, the expressions ranging from curious to suspicious to afraid to worried and more. When Pinkie spoke, it was with an air of uncertainty and a troubled grimace had made its way onto her face. Rainbow Dash did her best to ignore the stares as she looked at a far wall.

"That... I'm actually not so sure about," she replied hesitantly, "I don't know how I didn't notice what she really was before, but then again, that could've been because Nel-Baloth was hiding her identity... maybe."

"Pinkie," I said, my own expression troubled as I looked from Rainbow Dash to her, "who is Nel-Baloth. I... Skal-Gazaath recognized the name, but I don't know anything about what it means or who that is."

Pinkie went to reply, but to her and everypony else's surprise, it was Rainbow Dash that spoke up, her slightly glassy eyes still locked on the far wall, and her voice quiet and distant.

"Nel-Baloth, The Ancient King, The One Who Watches, The One Who Waits," she muttered. She finally turned to face the rest of us, her face grim, but her voice growing stronger, "a long time ago—something like... three or four hundred years ago I think, He was the one who ruled over the Black Dimension..."

She winced, grunted, and raised a hoof to her head. It looked like she was in pain, but she pressed on nevertheless.

"...but there was this... war," she grunted again and her voice became slightly strained, "it was... huge, like it... nngh, armies large enough to cover planets, fought through time and space... lasted centuries..."

She pressed both hooves to her head and slumped over the table. Fluttershy moved closer, but hesitated, unsure of how to console her friend, or if she even should. After another moment's hesitation, she placed a hoof on Rainbow's back.

"Rainbow Dash, are you... okay?" she asked, "you look like you're in pain."

"Head hurts," Rainbow groaned before slamming a hoof down on the table and raising her head to look at all of them. She spoke through clenched teeth, "but... this is important. I don't know how I know all of this... but you guys gotta listen."

"Now hold on a minute," Applejack cut in, rising in her chair, "just what is all this about a war, an' what's that gotta do with what's goin' on now? What is goin' on now? Ya'll have been talkin' but so far ah ain't got much other than that Pinkie's family ain't normal and that there's this crazy horrible dimension ah've never heard of," she shook her head, "an' now ya'll are bringin' up this Nel-Baloth character, outta the blue. What am ah suppose ta make of all o' this?"

"I know the war Rainbow is talking about," Pinkie replied, her face growing slightly pale, "it was some massive war fought between Nel-Baloth and Skal-Gazaath for the Throne, and Skal-Gazaath and her forces won in the end."

"The throne?" Spike asked, actually looking more intrigued than nervous, "so it was some kind of war to rule the Black Dimension?"

"Exactly," Rainbow Dash replied with a pained grimace, "well, sort of. I don't know all the details, but apparently, the Throne is some kind of crazy powerful artifact that... that gives you the power to rule over the entire Black Dimension," she grimaced again and turned to me, "I don't know what it is or if it's an actual throne, but only the Dead Goddess knows where it's hidden now."

And I don't have any of Skal-Gazaath's memories, so I don't know where or what it is, either...

"Whoa," Spike muttered, shaking his head, "okay, this is getting kind of ridiculous."

"Yer tellin' me," Applejack grumbled as she pushed out her chair and hopped off, "ah think ah've heard just about enough. Ah don't know if ah can stomach any more o' this insanity."

"Applejack, wait!" Rainbow cried, trying and failing to follow after the cowpony as she fell to the ground, "something bad is gonna happen, like... really soon!"

"What do you mean, Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked, looking concerned.

"I don't know how I know, but He's close," she grunted in pain as she tried to rise to her hooves, "He's planning to do something horrible during the Summer Sun Celebration!"

"What's he planning?" I asked, rising up out of my own seat, "Rainbow Dash, is Nel-Baloth planning to make his way into the White Dimension?"

"I don't know," Rainbow growled, "my head is killing me. My mind's all screwed up, and I keep hearing this voice in my head telling me 'the hour is near' and I have this feeling that I really need to be somewhere else right now, doing something super important."

My mind was racing with possibilities, and it didn't take me long to come up with one.

Does this have something to do with the Mare in the Moon?

"What are you on about, Dash?" Applejack retorted, "ah swear ta Celestia, if this is more of yer crazy Black Dimension nonsense—"

"Girls," I interjected, my tone urgent, "I think we should finish this conversation later. The Summer Solstice is starting soon, and I get the feeling whatever is supposed to happen, is gonna put a lot of ponies in danger."

"W-What should we do?" Fluttershy asked, helping Rainbow to her hooves, "what can we do? This all sounds so... so... awful," she turned to me with a look of understanding, then panic, "are you... suggesting we go and stop whatever horrible thing is supposed to happen?"

I looked at her for a long moment, then sighed and gave a slow shake of my head.

"No... no, you don't have to go anywhere, Fluttershy," I replied with a soft, reassuring smile. I looked to Spike, Rainbow and Applejack, "in fact, I think all of you should stay here. Pinkie, Rarity and I will go to Town Hall and see what's going on."

"No! I... I need to go too!" Rainbow cried, "I think I might be able to get some answers about what the hay is wrong with me if I go," she grunted again, but stood tall and stared me in the eye, determination burning in her own eyes, "take me with you. Whatever's happening, I can take it."

"Rainbow," Fluttershy began, "I don't know if this is a good idea. We don't know how dangerous it could get out there, and—"

"I'm going, Fluttershy," Rainbow turned to the scared yellow mare, her expression softening slightly, "sorry, but I gotta know what all of this means. I think we all do."

"I don't," Fluttershy, responded, hanging her head just enough that her mane covered most of her face, "I really don't want to know. I just want to go home, make sure my animal friends are okay, and wait until this is all over... but..."

She took a deep breath and raised her head. Her legs were shaking and lips were trembling, but her eyes were set.

"If this gets as bad as I think it might, I don't want to lose you, so... so I'm coming too," she gave Rainbow a small, shaky smile, "I... I don't care what you are. I know you're still Rainbow Dash no matter what," she turned and nodded towards me, "and like I told, Twilight, you're only a monster if you choose to be."

"I... geez, Fluttershy," Rainbow replied, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, "thanks... I guess," she turned back to me, "so there you have it. We're going, and that's that."

"And you're not going without me," came Spike's adamant voice, from next to me, "not again. I've been asleep like all day, and I'm not gonna miss a chance to be there for you if things go south."

"But, Spike," I replied, worry coloring my voice, "aren't you scared of what might happen at all?" I looked back up at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, "aren't any of you?"

"Of course I am," Spike replied, "this is all completely nuts, but again, what kind of number one assistant would I be if I just stayed behind like a coward?"

He puffed out his chest proudly, but I could practically smell the fear rolling off of him. I looked back to Fluttershy, to hear her answer, but she only responded by moving closer to Rainbow Dash. Given how shaky she was, it was clear she was scared out of her mind, but she was still willing to go.

I had no need to ask about Pinkie or Rarity, as they had already moved to stand by my side. That just left the cowpony standing near the front door, and we all looked towards her expectantly.

"Ya'll are seriously just gonna buy into all this hooey?" she looked each of us in the eye. Her disbelieving frown gradually morphed into a look of shock, then understanding, and finally, resignation, "...ya really believe somethin' horrible is gonna happen while Celestia's here? Really?"

We all gave various nods and mumbles of confirmation, and Applejack heaved a heavy sigh.

"Well shoot," she muttered, adjusting her stetson so that it covered her face, "ah can see it in yer eyes—all o' ya, plain as day. An' ah can't just dismiss what ah've seen with my own eyes neither," she pushed her hat back and nodded once, "as much as ah'd like ta forget this whole mess ever happened an' spend the rest o' the night helpin' mah family with the caterin', it wouldn't be right to leave it at this."

"So... that's it then?" I asked, "you're coming with us?"

"Ah reckon ah am," Applejack sighed, "if what ya'll are sayin' is true, then ah gotta protect mah family from whatever is plannin' ta crash the party."

This wasn't going to end well.

Somewhere deep down, even with my apparently unfathomable power, I felt like something was going to go horribly wrong—something I wouldn't be able to just reverse with a thought. Still, the girls and Spike were all determined to go, and, while I could've forced them to stay, I didn't.

At the end of the day, this was their decision, and I refused to take that away from them. As long as Twilight Sparkle was still in control, I wouldn't subject anypony else to my will or change them into what I'd made Rarity, Pinkie and the other three.

I won't use those abilities unless I have to.

I had the sudden fear that if I relied too much on Skal-Gazaath's power, she'd regain her memories and try to take control, and I wasn't sure if I could stop her. Taking a deep breath, I pushed those thoughts aside, stood up straighter, and addressed the others.

"Alright, girls, I don't know what's waiting for us out there, but remember that you all decided to join me. That means you're following at your own risk," I trotted towards the door, pulling it open and turning back to the others with a nod, "that said, I'll do everything I can to keep you all safe, I promise."

I just hope I won't have to work too hard to fulfill that promise...

Chapter XIV – When All Else Fails...

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Something isn't right.

It was an absurd understatement, and Celestia would've laughed out loud had she not been so terribly uneasy. It was true that the hour of her return was nearly at hoof, and it was true that she still knew nothing about what had happened in that hospital earlier.

To add to the confusion, the three mares that had been brought in seemed to have outwardly recovered from whatever curse they'd been under, but Celestia knew better. She could still feel how their very presence seemed to warp, twist, and erode the ambient mana around them. Once she was informed of the change, she'd paid them another visit, upon which they'd all requested to be dismissed from what was effectively imprisonment within their own room.

Celestia, of course, had refused, putting on a caring smile and telling them they needed to be kept in the hospital so that the doctors could make sure there were no other complications from the mysterious 'illness'. After all, they knew nothing about what had happened, whatever had affected them could be contagious and/or deadly.

In reality the Solar Monarch simply didn't trust them to roam about on their own.

As strange and unsettling as all of that was, and even setting aside the return of her other half, there was something else bothering Celestia. As the celebration neared ever closer, she could feel the atmosphere becoming more and more tense, and she doubted it was because of her inevitable reunion.

No, there was something else about tonight that seemed to be making her and her little ponies nervous. Not only that, but Celestia herself felt like she was missing something important—something she desperately needed to figure out, or something she needed to remember. It was as though she'd experienced some strong sense of deja vu, but didn't know what the event was that had triggered it.

And so she sat on the balcony just outside her chambers, overlooking the city of Canterlot from on high. She watched the crowd of ponies that had gathered in the streets, waiting for their Princess to raise the sun on what was supposed to be a wondrous occasion. Even from a distance, she could tell many of them were restless, and she shared in that restlessness.

She scanned the crowd with a silent frown, a frown that only deepened as she turned her gaze towards the moon hanging low in the sky. It remained frozen where it was, waiting for her to assist in its descent, yet she made no move to finish the job, it wasn't yet time. The face on that pale surface always seemed to stare back at her accusingly, and it made her heart ache whenever she stared back.

After a moment she pulled her eyes away from the moon and set her sights on the small town to the south. The strange sense of unease seemed to grow as she watched Ponyville from her balcony, and she couldn't put her hoof on why that was. She creased her brow in thought, and her frown became a grimace of frustration.

It's only a matter of time now, and yet I'm still here when I should already be down there, waiting for my cue. I know Twilight can handle this, and yet when I think about her, I feel as though something isn't as it should be...

Celestia had laid out all the pieces, now it was up to Twilight to put everything together. She trusted her faithful student like no other pony alive, and still something nagged at her that she'd missed something crucial. The thought was there in the back of her mind, screaming at her to remember, shouting at her that there was an event much worse than the return of her fallen sister on the horizon.

Whispering that it was already too late to stop whatever it was.

The Solar Monarch grit her teeth against the negative thoughts and tried to focus on the moon. She was determined to see what came next through to the end, but then she felt something else. It was like a tug—something pulling her mind away from the task at hoof and towards something altogether different.

Celestia blinked once, then again, then once more, and her eyes widened in shock and confusion. She'd been staring at the pockmarked moon one moment, and in the very next instant, she was sitting in front of her vanity, her own stupefied expression staring back at her in the mirror.

She was still trying to figure out what had just happened when she noticed her image flicker for the briefest of moments. She scrambled to her hooves and took a step back, eyeing the mirror warily. Her eyebrows raised again when she saw that her reflection hadn't moved from where it sat.

Rather, it stared back at her, giving her the same knowing, yet motherly smile Celestia herself might've given a younger Twilight when the filly was asking a particularly troublesome question. It was a smile she'd practiced over many centuries, a smile that hid countless secrets and the answers to many unspoken questions. It also held just the slightest hint of amusement, and that smile, more than anything—more than even the fact that her reflection was alive at all, put the Princess on edge.

"And here we are again," said the reflection with a light chuckle. Celestia gave a small involuntary shiver at the sound of her own voice, but the image seemed either not to notice or care as it spoke, "I'd ask if you've been doing well since the last time I saw you, but it's clear that you have not."

"You imply that we've met before, yet I have no memory of ever speaking to myself in a mirror," her eyes narrowed, "what manner of creature are you?" Celestia asked sharply. Once again, something stirred in her memory, but she ignored it. Another thought came to her mind and her eyes widened. She took a step forward and spoke again, her quiet tone tinged with equal parts hope and disbelief, "wait... is this... a-am I dreaming? Is... is that you, sister? Is this your doing?"

"Sister? What are you..." the reflection replied, raising a quizzical eyebrow. Celestia surmised that the image must've realized something, because its eyes lit up and it gave a sharp, almost mocking laugh, "Oh! Oh no! You poor, deluded sun pony!"

Offended at the reflection's tone, Celestia was about to give an indignant retort, but was cut off by the slow shake of her image's head. It was still chuckling in amusement when it finally answered.

"No, I am not your sister, and this is no dream," it continued, "I could explain the situation to you, but why bother when all I have to do..." the reflection lowered its eyelids and gave an unpleasant smile, "...is drag out what you already know?"

It was like a floodgate had opened up in Celestia's mind. She grunted and raised a hoof to her head as the memories came rushing back to her in a torrent. She had indeed spoken to this creature before, but that fact was immediately shunted aside by the other memory that had been restored.

Her eyes snapped open and she whipped around to face where she knew Ponyville lay. Horror flooded every nerve in her body as she remembered the madness, death, and destruction she'd been far too late to stop. Then there were the ones most likely responsible. Celestia nearly sank to her knees as she recalled the four strange and horrifying creatures that had been her subjects.

It was only then that the distraught Princess realized the creature in her mirror had been right. She'd been an idiot to believe those things in the hospital were still her little ponies. They belonged to who, or whatever this Dead Goddess was, right along with—

"Twilight," Celestia muttered numbly, "oh no. No... nonono... not you, Twilight... anypony but you..."

She continued to mutter and mumble denials as she stared in the direction of the town beyond her walls, unaware that she'd begun clumsily making her way towards the still open doorway leading to the balcony. Her face had grown deathly pale and her eyes wide and unfocused with fear.

With these memories came far more questions than answers, but in that moment, all Celestia could focus on was the image of Twilight Sparkle sprawled out amongst the rubble, the sickening aura she'd felt from the lavender unicorn, and what the reflection had revealed to her about the fate of her beloved student.

"Ah, I wouldn't go gallivanting off like that so soon," came Celestia's own voice from behind her, "I didn't restore what you've lost just so you could go and get yourself killed you know."

Celestia had made it halfway across the room before she realized she'd been moving at all. At the sound of her own voice, she froze and rounded on the mirror, sudden fury snapping her out of her stupor and her eyes blazing like miniature suns. The temperature of the room noticeably increased, but the reflection stood calm and unaffected.

"What do you know of it, creature?!" she hissed, turning and stomping towards the mirror, "you told me many things but I still know little to nothing of what happened to my ponies! To Twilight!" her eyes narrowed and her horn flashed gold. For a brief moment, the walls lit up with her aura and all noise beyond her chamber fell away. With the silencing spell in place, she continued speaking, her voice growing cold, "if you're here to help me, then tell me what in Tartarus is happening in my kingdom."

"Well, that was unexpected," the reflection chuckled, "I was hoping for a different reaction, but it seems we're going this route instead. How... interesting..."

Celestia eyed her grinning reflection with no small amount of suspicion. The memories churned unpleasantly in her mind, and she could feel fear and despair threatening to overwhelm her, but she ground her teeth, pushed it back and forced herself to think rationally.

Whatever this thing in her mirror was, it had the same oppressive and repulsive aura as the mares in the hospital. It made her sick to her stomach, it made her shiver in fear and disgust, and, perhaps most importantly, it had access to powers she didn't understand. For all Celestia knew, it could've planted false memories in her mind to scare and confuse her, such magic did exist—she'd seen it at work firsthoof in the past.

She cast her mind back, setting aside the memories she'd gained from the creature and looking over everything she'd done prior to current events. Her horn flared to life again and a warm golden glow washed over her body as she cast another spell, this one to detect any mental or physical tampering that might've occurred by way of magic.

She wasn't too surprised when her scan turned up nothing—if anything, it only put her that much more on edge. The reflection was silent as it looked on in amusement, somewhat to the annoyance of the Solar Princess. She swept the petty irritation aside however and focused on how to get the most information out of the creature as quickly as possible.

The only problem is that I can't trust anything it says.

"Quite a conundrum, isn't it?" the reflection finally spoke, "you want answers, and I can give them to you, but if you're unwilling to trust even your own memories, how can you trust anything I say? Yes, it certainly is an incredibly frustrating situation," the image frowned, "...for both of us."

That was one thing they could both agree on.

There were all manner of spells that would render the problem a complete non-issue, and Celestia knew many of them, but the vast majority of those spells required the untrustworthy individual in question to be physically present, and Celestia had the distinct feeling the other spells would've been terribly insufficient.

All of what I know affects, and is affected by magic, and I'm fairly sure I'm not dealing with magic here—at least, no magic that I've ever heard of. If the Elements were still active I might've been able to make some headway, but...

"Time grows short, and my subjects will soon face threats both known and unknown," Celestia finally said, deciding on a course of action, "perhaps a show of solidarity is in order."

"A show of solidarity," the reflection replied flatly, "and what did you have in mind, princess?"

"Well, to begin with, why don't you show me what you really are beneath that facade?" Celestia suggested, "then we can go from there. It's clear that you want something from me, and I have no doubt that you could simply take it if you wanted to, but you haven't.

"Instead you choose to communicate with me, but you have yet to do so honestly," Celestia raised a hoof to her chest, ignoring the slight tremor that had yet to abate, "all I seek is answers for what's happening to my subjects, but with how you've approached me, there's no possible way for me to trust anything you say."

Her mirror image frowned.

"I understand where you're coming from, Princess, really, I do," it replied, "but this is not a path you want to travel, believe me. You have lived a long time, and admittedly, you are wise not to trust me, but surely you are aware that some things are... best kept in the dark?"

"I'm well aware," Celestia answered with a nod, "but without some kind of earnest gesture on your part, I can only see this situation as suspicious and opportunistic, given what is soon to come," she snorted, "for sun's sake, you haven't even given me a name, how am I expected to trust you?"

She gave the reflection a level stare, and it stared back silently, its expression impossible to read, even to Celestia's trained eye. Hopeful that she was gaining some ground, the Princess continued on, all the while aware that the hour was drawing nearer and nearer.

"I've been in these kinds of situations before, creature, and experience tells me that you are looking to make some sort of deal, am I wrong?"

The reflection remained silent for a long moment before letting out a weary sigh.

"No, you are very much correct," it conceded, "but I see now that it would be a waste of time to give you the details of my offer," the mirror image smiled humorlessly, "you are a much stronger being than I gave you credit for," the smile vanished, "...and that is a problem."

Celestia gave a frown to match that of her reflection.

"...come again?"

"The dead goddess does exist, and is a very real threat to your world," the creature continued, its magenta eyes fixed on Celestia, "you at least know this much, yes?"

"If what I heard from those mares in the hospital is to be believed, then yes," Celestia replied carefully, "at the very least, I know there is something amiss besides my sister's inevitable return, but that doesn't necessarily lend credence to your own words."

"True, but if you believe anything, then believe this, Sun Princess," the voice of the mirror image grew cold, far colder than even her own tone had been earlier, "she is very near, and it is only a matter of time before she brings ruin to everything you've built, and that would be just the beginning.

"I meant to help you, to offer my assistance in ridding your dimension of her and her ilk, but I, as a Black Dimensional being, cannot survive in your dimension without a host, and you are the only White Dimensional being I could find with the mental fortitude to keep me contained without breaking apart or going mad in the process."

"Out of the question," Celestia answered immediately, "I know nothing of White or Black Dimensions, but I know all too well what becomes of ponies who give up their body, mind, and soul to something they know nothing about, and more often than not, terrible sacrifices are made to fulfill the desire of the one that made the offer."

"And therein lies the problem," the reflection replied with a nod, "it's clear that we cannot reconcile our differences, and that you will not trust what I say. Your need to know more about me, while understandable, poses certain issues I'd rather you not have to face... but there it is. We're getting nowhere like this, and as you said, time grows ever shorter."

"What do you propose then?" Celestia inquired, wary and uncertain of what would happen next, "will you reveal yourself to me so that we might talk openly and honestly?"

Silence was the only response she received for several long moments, as the reflection stared at her with that same, impossibly blank expression, and then...

"Suppose I'm right about everything, and that your memories aren't a lie," the creature said, its tone suddenly flat and unsettling, "suppose your precious student is indeed host to the dead goddess. Tell me, Princess, what exactly would you do then?"

Celestia blinked.

"I..."

The question completely caught her off gaurd. She'd been so focused on finding out the creature's true intentions that she hadn't given any thought to the possibility that what it said and what it showed her might just be true. She'd been quick to deny the thing outright simply based off of what she felt from it, and hadn't thought at all about what she'd do if it was right.

She'd gotten so caught up in trying to reason with the thing before her that she'd completely overlooked the simplest solution. Only now did she realize that just checking on Twilight would've proven whether or not the creature's words rang true. The thing in the reflection gave a grim smile at the realization on Celestia's face.

"Would you confront Twilight Sparkle?" the creature pressed, "would you try to talk to her? What if she no longer recognized you? What if she'd been fully taken over by the goddess? Would you fight against her? Try to kill her if it came down to it? Could you even bring yourself to do such a thing?"

"What? No, I..." Celestia hesitated, caught on the backhoof, and unsure of how to respond, "I..."

Brief images of a desperate battle from long ago flashed across her mind. Swirling colors, an expression of shock and outrage, and the pale moon filled her vision. In her mind's eye, Celestia saw the moon's surface, once bright and flawless, become stained with the blemish of both her and her sister's folly.

Could I bring myself to do what needed to be done if it came to it? I did so once before, but could I do it again?

Celestia had no idea, and had the feeling she wouldn't know until the situation was staring her in the face. She knew she wouldn't be able to outright kill the pony who'd been like a daughter to her, but if needs must... if there was another way...

I need to get out of here, away from this thing. I need to see Twilight, find out for myself what's going on.

Praying that what the creature said about not being able to cross over into her world was true, Celestia's horn flashed for the third time that night. She'd intended to teleport out of the room and make her way to Ponyville. She felt the tingle of magic wrap around her, she felt the instantaneous compression and displacement of air that signified a successful teleport, she blinked and stared dumbfounded at the mirror in front of her.

She hadn't moved an inch from where she stood before.

"No," she whispered, her eyes slowly widening in horror as she grasped the gravity of her situation, "it was a lie then. You've made your way into this room, into this world, haven't you?"

"In a manner of speaking," the reflection replied with that small, knowing smile, "I didn't want to have to reveal this, at least not yet, but I'm already in your head, princess—well, to a certain extent. That's part of the reason why we can communicate like this."

"I don't understand," Celestia muttered, backing away from the mirror a step, "how... when did you..." her eyebrows furrowed in realization, "the balcony. Something happened between when I was out on the balcony and when I appeared before the vanity."

The thing in the mirror merely gave another weary sigh in response.

"This isn't how things were supposed to go," the mirror image replied, almost in a tone of lament, "I saw a very different outcome, but fate, it seems, is a fickle thing," it chuckled humorlessly, "it's frustrating, but there are things even I can't control," the reflection shook its head, and gave the Princess a cold stare, "then again, perhaps this is for the best."

The bemused frown Celestia wore at the creature's words gave way to an uneasy grimace. Something in that look caused Celestia to flinch, but she held her reflection's cold gaze. A knot of dread began to form in her stomach, but as with her prior fear, she held it at bay.

"This would have been much easier on you if you'd accepted me as I am, without asking questions. We could've helped each other," the creature continued with a deadly calm, "but now we've reached an impasse and there is no more time left. I am patient... so very patient, but the time has come for action."

Celestia gasped as she felt something in the air shift ominously. A chill shot down her spine and she shivered involuntarily.

"You wanted a show of solidarity?" the reflection asked, its voice taking on a strange, almost guttural undertone that made Celestia's head throb painfully, "you want answers? You want to know of my true nature? To see what manner of creature I truly am?"

The painful throb in her head became a horrible pounding that resonated with the sudden pounding of her heart as Celestia watched the pristine alicorn form in the mirror twist and warp, the reflected surroundings changing right along with it. Then the mirror itself began to expand outward, or so it looked that way to Celestia.

She found herself unable to look away as the creature in the mirror became less and less equine and more monstrous. She tried to close her eyes, tried to turn away, tried to do anything, but she could no longer move—she could scarcely even breathe. Then, all at once, what little light there was around her vanished, bathing her in complete darkness.

The room was gone, the mirror was gone, there was nothing left save the darkness.

For a moment, Celestia thought she'd gone blind, then she saw something in that darkness—some kind of movement. Celestia opened her mouth to say something, or perhaps let out a horrified scream, but her breath caught in her throat and she could only give a choked gurgle as something cold and slimy wrapped tightly around her neck.

YOU KNOW NOT... WHAT YOU ASK FOR... FOOLISH MONARCH... BUT VERY WELL... I WILL ENLIGHTEN YOU...

She could hear it now as she was dragged forward, the horrendous sloshing and squelching of some massive fleshy thing hidden in the darkness. She reached for her magic in a half-hearted attempt to fight back or escape, but her horn didn't even flicker.

Then she saw it, and all thoughts of fighting her way out of this nightmare fled from her mind. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She couldn't scream, she couldn't think, she could do nothing but stare in numb disbelief at the mountain sized impossibility before her.

I AM HE WHO WATCHES... I AM HE WHO WAITS... I AM THE MOST ANCIENT OF KINGS... I AM... NEL-BALOTH. THE TIME FOR WORDS... IS AT AN END, PRINCESS... AND NOW I WILL SIMPLY TAKE... WHAT I REQUIRE...

The slimy limb squeezed tighter around Celestia's throat and pulled her closer, but by that point, her once sharp mind had already been reduced to nothing, save for a single image of a smiling lavender filly. She held onto that image for as long as she could until that too faded away. Everything she was and everything she knew had disappeared, replaced by blinding, spinning motes of light in a world of black.

Somewhere far, far away, in a distant sky, a certain set of stars vanished, and with them, the pockmarked image that had adorned the moon's pale surface for so many years.

Chapter XV – The Moon Rises

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By the time the others and I made it to Town Hall, the Summer Sun Celebration was already in full swing. Several stands had been set up within, many with piles of snack foods and souvenirs. The Town Hall itself had been decked out with streamers and banners adorned with the motif of Celestia's cutie mark, courtesy of Rarity's earlier work.

The entirety of the town seemed to have arrived and a countless mass of ponies milled about chatting, laughing, or simply perusing the stalls. All in all, the atmosphere was incredibly lively, especially given how early it was. Despite the nervousness I and the other girls felt, I couldn't help but smile at the scene. It was everything I'd been hoping to see, it was everything I'd wanted since coming to Ponyville. It was almost like none of the insanity of earlier had ever happened.

Then ponies began to take notice as we moved closer and I was painfully reminded that my situation was anything but normal. There wasn't any kind of outright panic thankfully, but I could see more than a few of the townsponies giving me wary, nervous looks and edging away, whether consciously or not, and I wasn't the only one that noticed.

"Wow, things got busy while we were gone," Spike commented as he observed the commotion, "I don't think I saw even half this many ponies when we arrived earlier."

Wanting to show he wasn't afraid of me anymore, he'd opted to sit on my back on the way. Though I could tell he was still somewhat nervous, the gesture was definitely appreciated nonetheless.

"It is quite a turnout, though it seems we're not likely to receive a very welcoming reception," Rarity commented as she scanned the skittish, murmuring crowd. There was a hint of sadness in her voice that made me wince guiltily as she spoke, "well I suppose it can't be helped, given how things have... changed."

"Yeah well, w-what'd you... expect?" Rainbow growled out through gritted teeth, though it looked more out of pain than anger, "almost... a-almost all of us are... twisted freaks that d-don't belong here."

Rarity rounded on Rainbow Dash and gave the colorful pegasus a scathing glare, but didn't say anything in response. Blunt as her statement was, we all knew it was true, and there was no denying it. I expected Pinkie and Rarity to come to my defense again, but they refrained from saying anything among the rest of the ponies in Town Hall, much to my relief.

Though Rainbow had ignored Rarity's look, it had a far more profound effect on those around us. I noted the visible chill that seemed to permeate throughout the group of ponies in our midst and how they scurried away just a bit more quickly. Applejack herself looked as though she wanted to do the same, and in all honesty I couldn't blame her.

I couldn't blame anypony after what I'd seen and done.

I was expecting as much, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience knowing I had such an effect on ponies, and the fact that I'd dragged the others into this mess only made me feel worse. To my surprise though, Fluttershy only moved closer to Rainbow Dash, a look of worry across her face.

"How are you feeling, Rainbow?" she asked quietly, "you don't look so well."

"I gotta admit... I've b-been better, Flutters," Rainbow muttered with a half hearted smile that came off as more of a grimace than anything, "I think I'll be a lot better... once I find out what the hay is going on... hopefully."

I looked back at Rainbow Dash, but didn't say anything. I didn't really know what to say in this situation. I was just as confused about what happened to Rainbow as she herself was, and I would've been lying if I said I wasn't at least a little wary. I wasn't sure how I'd changed her back to a pegasus in the first place and would've rather not have to try to do so again if I could help it.

A light tap on my shoulder distracted me from my thoughts and I turned to see Applejack glancing around the crowd worriedly. Apparently she'd gotten over her unease of being around me enough to lean in close and mutter in my ear.

"Somethin' in the air ain't right," she said, her brow furrowing, "an' I ain't talkin' about all that creepy nonsense from earlier neither," she stepped back and turned away before looking back at me over her shoulder, "ah'm gonna go look fer Apple Bloom an' the rest o' the family, make sure they're okay."

With that, she quickly trotted off into the throng of ponies and was out of sight in moments. I stared after where she'd been, a knot of worry growing in my gut at the cowpony's words. I lifted my troubled gaze skyward towards the moon, not having forgotten in the slightest about Nightmare Moon's possible return.

"Twilight, dear, if you don't mind," came Rarity's voice from next to me. I turned away from the moon and towards the white mare to see that she looked and sounded just as worried as Applejack did, "I know you're worried. We all are, and I hate to leave you like this... but I'm afraid I must follow Applejack's example. I've been away from my own sister for quite some time now you understand, and—"

"Of course, Rarity," I replied with an understanding smile, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Go check on your sister," I frowned slightly ,"...but be careful. I get the feeling things are gonna start going south pretty soon. If there's trouble, make sure you get your sister to safety above everything else... even me, got it?"

I could feel Rarity's relief flood through me like a refreshing drink of water in a dry desert. I was happy to see that while she and Pinkie had developed an annoying overzealous worship of me—or rather, what I'd become—they were still their own ponies. They still had lives outside of just me, even if most of that had apparently taken a backseat.

"Thank you, darling," Rarity replied with a grateful smile, "if anything happens, I'll make sure Sweetie Belle is safe and be back to your side in an instant, you can count on that."

At that, she vanished and I turned to Pinkie, who'd been oddly silent up until now, only to find that she was nowhere to be found. I looked around in bemusement, unable to get a feel for where she was like I could Rarity or the other three mares connected to me.

"Pinkie?" I called out, "where'd she go?"

Not seeing her anywhere I turned to look up at Spike who only shrugged, just as confused as I was.

"Beats me. I wasn't keeping an eye on her," he replied before glancing around, "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are gone too."

"What?" I cried, looking around me in surprise, "when did they..."

Pinkie and Rarity I could understand, but how did I miss the other two leaving? Why didn't they say anything?

I remembered what Rainbow had said about Nel-Baloth and a cold dread gripped me. She'd mention something about hearing voices and that 'the hour was near'. Did it have to do with this Nel-Baloth, or was it Nightmare Moon?

Or both?

"I'm not too sure where Dashie went," came a sudden and casual reply to my immediate left, "but if Fluttershy is with her, I wouldn't worry too much."

Spike gave a startled yelp and we both whipped around to see the mare in question looking back at me with an expectant smile. I frowned, somewhat put off and suspicious by the way she stood there as though she'd never left in the first place.

"Where were you?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, "I know Applejack and Rarity left, but I don't think it's a good idea for all of us to split up like that, especially with..." I paused and looked around before leaning in closer and speaking in a quieter tone, "especially if you-know-who shows up."

"You-know-who?" Spike asked with a bemused frown and a scratch of his head, "what are you two talking about? Who's gonna show up?"

That's right, I never explained the situation about Nightmare Moon to Spike.

"Nightmare Moon, silly!" Pinkie replied a little too cheerfully and a little too loudly for my liking, "it's only a matter of time before she breaks out and ruins everypony's day, literally!"

I winced and scanned the crowd, but if there had been any ponies near us, they were long gone. We weren't completely alone, but the majority of the other ponies were a good distance away, far enough to be out of earshot at least. I breathed a small sigh of relief and gave Spike an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Spike," I said, shaking my head, "I don't think we have time to go into an in-depth explanation, but if Nightmare Moon returns, it could be a lot of trouble for Ponyville and possibly Equestria as a whole."

"Oh, that's fantastic," Spike groaned, "as if we didn't already have enough to worry about."

"Oh please," Pinkie scoffed, waving a dismissive hoof at the comment, "with our all powerful Goddess around, there's nothing black snooty is gonna be able to do, you know that. Besides, both Rarity and I can be right back lickety-split, and we can grab Applejack if we need to. Heck, you can just teleport everypony really, reeeaaallly far away if you wanted to."

That gave me some pause.

It wasn't me I was worried about, but Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy and even Rainbow Dash, not to mention the other ponies in town. Pinkie was right about a good deal of what she said, but could I really move the town to safety with just the power of the Black Tongue? Aside from voiced commands, I realized I really had no idea how these 'all powerful' abilities worked.

I had no idea how to bend reality like the Servant who'd taken over Spike had apparently done, I had no idea how I'd turned Rainbow back to normal, I didn't know how to do anything other than give commands and have ponies obey me. Even if I had some inkling of how, I didn't really want to use these abilities and risk Skal-Gaazath taking over again and doing who-knows-what.

Do I just have to think about it?

Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie seemed to have no trouble accomplishing reality breaking feats. Maybe it was instinctual? It could be, but I didn't feel like trying it out at the moment. I got the horrible feeling there'd be plenty of time to test out that theory later.

"Anywho, I left real quick to check up on the celebration. I wanted to see if the festivities were up to Pinkie standards," Pinkie said, cutting off my whirling thoughts. She frowned quizzically, putting a hoof to her chin in thought, "now that I think about it, wasn't checking the Summer Sun Celebration supposed to be your job?"

Spike and I looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Pinkie.

"Well, yeah actually," I answered taken aback. I'd completely forgotten about the task the Princess had assigned me, but then what Pinkie said suddenly registered, "but wait, how did you know that? I don't think I ever actually told you what I was doing in Ponyville."

"Eh, Rarity told me when I went to visit," she replied with a careless shrug. She looked up at the sky with a small pout, "looks like it's almost time for the party pooper to make her grand entrance."

I followed her gaze and my eyes widened as I spotted four of the brightest stars around the moon vanish, right along with the image of the mare in the moon.

"We should find Rainbow and Fluttershy," I muttered, "I don't know what's going to happen next, but it might be better if we were all together," at Pinkie's raised eyebrow I shook my head, "I don't know why, but I just... have this weird feeling we need to stick together. I can't really explain it."

What I didn't tell her was that I also felt a bit off physically. My head felt a bit fuzzy and I could feel something close to nausea creeping its way into my stomach. It wasn't too bad, so I decided not to worry about it for the moment, but I did make note of it.

Not knowing exactly what I was doing, I reached my thoughts out to Rarity and felt an immediate response. It was something akin to mentally pulling on a rope and receiving a tug at the other end. An instant later Rarity reappeared without a sound, making Spike give a loud start on my back.

"Trouble?" she asked, looking just as nervous as I felt.

"Not yet, but it's coming," I replied, not taking my eyes from the moon, "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy disappeared somewhere and we need to find them," I finally turned to the other mare, "did you find your sister?"

"I did," Rarity replied, shifting somewhat uncomfortably, "she's... safe for the moment."

"That's... good to hear," I replied with a satisfied smile, "now we just need to find Applejack, Rainbow and Fluttershy."

It was clear that there was something Rarity wasn't telling me, but I decided not to pry. I could tell that she knew I knew and felt again her gratitude in me not asking any questions. A moment later her smile fell and she stared up at the indoor balcony above.

"I'd be happy to help you find them all of course," Rarity began hesitantly, "though perhaps I should've mentioned earlier that Mayor Mare is expecting me to unveil Princess Celestia up on the stage when the time comes."

"Wha—seriously?" I asked, giving Rarity an incredulous look, "yes, I think that's something we should've known about earlier!"

"I'm terribly sorry, Twilight dear," Rarity said with a sheepish smile, "it's just that with everything that was happening, that bit of information sort of... fell to the wayside."

I wanted to retort, but shoved my frustration back down, realizing that much of those distractions were probably my fault to begin with. Instead I just let out a tired sigh and shook my head before returning her smile with an understanding grin of my own.

"No, it's fine, Rarity," I replied, "it's like you and Pinkie said, you can be back by my side in an instant, so there's really no need to worry about it. Go on then, but be... wait," I stopped and the bottom fell out of my stomach. My eyes widened as a horrified realization set in, "Princess Celestia... is coming here. Here, to Ponyville."

There was a beat of silence as we all took that information in. Despite the Summer Sun Celebration being almost entirely centered around the Princess, and despite me knowing she was going to arrive, I'd somehow forgotten the possible disaster just her appearance alone might cause when we confronted each other.

"Oh dear," Rarity muttered, clearly as forgetful as I'd been, "I suppose that might pose a bit of a problem in our current state, wouldn't it?"

"Should we hide or something?" Spike suggested, "can we hide?"

"I don't think there's time," Pinkie replied, watching the townsponies gather around Town Hall in droves, "it looks like Mayor Mare's about to—"

"Fillies and gentlecolts! As mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!""

A mare's voice—presumably Mayor Mare's—rang out from above as she addressed the crowd. The crowd of unsuspecting ponies cheered uproariously at her declaration, but I couldn't hear it over my sudden panic.

"Oh no," I muttered, taking a step forward towards the crowd, "nonononono... this isn't good."

Whatever was going to happen, it was going to happen in a few moments, I could feel it. I didn't know if it was going to be the arrival of Celestia, I didn't know if it was going to be Nightmare Moon's timely return, and I could only pray it wouldn't be Nel-Baloth, whatever horrifying creature he may have been.

Who or whatever might've appeared, none of the possibilities were good ones, not in the slightest. I really wished the other three hadn't galloped off on their own.

"Twilight, darling?" Rarity asked, "should I go up or stay with you?"

I clenched my eyes shut, trying to think; the gears in my brain turned at breakneck pace, but I could feel time slipping away from me.

Could I bring that time back with the power of Skal-Gazaath?

I probably could, and at this point I was willing to give it a shot if it meant giving me a moment to think of a plan.

"Ah, looks like they replaced you, Rares," Pinkie observed, squinting in the direction of the stage above, "yep, I guess they got sick of waiting and got somepony else to raise the curtain."

Rarity, Spike and I followed Pinkie's gaze and sure enough, there was another pony; a light magenta coated unicorn mare standing beside the curtains at the back of the stage. Further up near the parapet, Mayor Mare continued her speech.

"In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year! And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria..."

I guess it's now or never.

"...Princess Celestia!"

The unicorn mare atop the platform lit up her horn and drew the curtains, and I made my decision. Throwing all caution to the wind, I closed my eyes, sucked in a deep breath and prepared to command everything and everypony to stop in the Black Tongue, but a series of sharp, shocked gasps from the massive crowd stopped me cold.

My eyes snapped open and shot towards the opened curtains.

Celestia wasn't there.

The stage was sans one Solar Monarch, and as the confused and worried murmuring began amongst the masses, my dread came rushing back in like a hurricane. If Celestia wasn't there...

"Remain calm, everypony!" came Mayor Mare's voice as she tried to calm the increasingly restless crowd, "there must be a reasonable explanation!"

Then there came a loud, shrill, echoing laughter that permeated the air, piercing the ears of everpony who heard it. The laugh was brimming with malevolence and confirmed my suspicions about who was to make their unwanted debut in Celestia's place.

"Nightmare Moon," I whispered, "so it was her after all."

A dark blue mist began to rise from the center of the stage, and as I watched, the sudden wave of dizziness and nausea I felt from earlier overtook me. I could feel Rarity and even Pinkie reacting much the same, but before I even had the chance to wonder what that meant, the mist coalesced into an equine shape.

A moment later there was a jet black alicorn mare in light, but elegant armor that covered her head, chest and hooves. Her mane and tail lazily twisted and twirled about much like Celestia's though this mare's mane and tail looked to be made of the very stars themselves.

Her features were far more predatory, with slitted, ice blue eyes and fangs sharp enough to pierce flesh. Without a doubt I was looking at the Mare in the Moon herself, Nightmare Moon. She grinned out at the crowd, flashing her fangs as she scanned each and every face. The reactions ranged from confusion to nervousness, but oddly enough, nopony seemed to be outright horrified.

Her arrogant grin briefly fell into a harsh sneer, but was soon replaced with a cool smirk as she spoke.

"Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little... sun-loving..."

Nightmare Moon fell silent.

Pinkie, Rarity, Spike and I were all in the back, well away from the rest of the gathered ponies, and yet Nightmare Moon had spotted us. We locked eyes and I felt my stomach twist into knots, though I did my best to stare back defiantly.

What in Celestia's name is going on? Why do I feel so...

I couldn't describe exactly how I felt, but it was far from pleasant. Nightmare Moon's eyes had widened in shock, but quickly narrowed, and—to mine and everypony else's surprise, she began to laugh. It wasn't the cold mocking laugh from earlier either, but a genuinely amused laugh, as though she'd heard a particularly hilarious joke.

"Oh this is too rich!" she boomed, still chuckling, "what abysmal timing you have! I've waited a thousand years to return from my imprisonment. One thousand years of waiting to finally cast my sister down and take her place as sole ruler of Equestria, only to find that something far worse has already gained a hoofhold in my absence!"

Her laughter died down and she frowned thoughtfully in my direction. I stared at the mare open mouthed, bewilderment washing away any fear and doubt. I could hear confused muttering coming from the large group of ponies as they tried to locate the focus of Nightmare Moon's attention. Eventually all eyes settled on me, but I barely noticed as the black mare began to speak again.

"Ah, but perhaps I am lucky," she continued, her face breaking out into another smirk, "perhaps you've only come to reclaim what is rightfully yours before departing back to where you belong and letting me reclaim what is rightfully mine, hm?"

She leaned forward over the parapet and grinned down at me.

"Well, Goddess, what is it to be? WIll you end my reign before it's even begun, or do you merely wish to take back what you left behind all those years ago?"

Interlude – What She Found in Hollow Shades

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My name is Nightmare Moon, the Queen of the Night; formerly Princess Luna, co-ruler of the Equestrian Diarchy along with my sister and the object of my eternal ire, Celestia, the Solar Princess and currently the monarch of Equestria. Though she may have held that title up until now, it will be torn from her very soon—though whether that is to happen by my hoof or another remains to be seen.

After one thousand years of being trapped within my own moon, I am finally free to take hold of my long awaited vengeance against my precious sister. I am finally free to take my place as the rightful and only ruler of Equestria. Now that I have returned to Equestria, I can finally be acknowledged, loved, feared by the subjects who shunned me in favor of her so many years ago.

Or so I thought.

Now that I am back, I'm faced with several dilemmas, both infuriating, and distressing. I found myself returning to the Everfree Castle where I'd been banished originally and found that it had quite literally become a ruin in the midst of a forest overrun with oversized flora, dangerous fauna, and wild magic.

This was unforgivable, and I would make sure Celestia paid for such neglect, but that could wait. I'd made my way to where I could sense the most ponies and found a small, quaint town just past the forest that hadn't been there when I'd been sent away. This in and of itself wasn't an issue, and it would give me a chance to announce my glorious and long overdue advent to Equestria.

I admit I was eager to make myself known to the masses once again; eager to see their shocked and fearful expressions as I fell upon their short and pitiful lives like a dark and imperious shadow. As I neared the town, I began to feel something in the air wasn't right, but in that moment I could focus on nothing other than inevitable retribution and the throne of Equestria. They were so close at hoof that I was blind to everything else, including a horribly familiar sensation of dread and that hideous, otherworldly aura.

It had been so long—too long since I'd felt that sensation, though it now boggles my mind as to how I could've possibly forgotten such an ancient and evil presence. It was something that did not belong in this reality or any other, and I was a fool for not realizing what it was the moment I set hoof in the old castle.

Ignorant of what was to come, and writing off my feeling of unease as simple weakness of the mind, I quickly made my way to the town, only to find that all of its denizens had relocated to what I guessed to be the town's center. From afar I could see countless ponies pouring into what was most likely Town Hall, and the sight filled me with a sort of foal like anticipation. I knew not the reason they had all gathered together, but rather than speculate, I instead focused on the convenience of the situation.

The entire town seemed to have gathered within the confines of the building, and I would've been remiss had I wasted the opportunity to reveal myself before these ready and waiting citizens. It would be an entrance fit to inspire both fear and awe in equal measure, and I could hardly contain myself, even as that nagging sense of dread grew stronger.

It wasn't until I finally appeared before the mass of ponies that I realized my folly, for as I began making my speech, something pulled at my attention—it all but demanded it. The growing dread reached its peak and as I laid eyes upon the source of the sickening aura, dread gave way to alarm, horror, confusion, and recognition.

To anypony else, she may have seemed like an ordinary unicorn mare, her coat a simple shade of lavender and her amethyst eyes wide with a fear so oddly absent from the rest of the crowd. The other ponies in the large room may have been nervous, worried perhaps, even shocked, but there was more bewilderment in their expressions than anything else; a lack of recognition on their part that was profoundly disturbing to me.

Still, despite all of that, my eyes remained fixed on that lavender mare, and hers on mine. She may have looked the part of a simple peasant, but both the malignant presence and the striking resemblance the mare bore to an unfortunate pony I'd failed to save long ago were all too telling. There were some subtle differences in her features, but no doubt remained in my mind about the unicorn's true identity.

The Dead Goddess, Skal-Gazaath.

I'd hoped to never set hoof in her awful presence again, but somewhere in the back of my mind I knew would eventually, for I was the only one who knew of the thing she'd left behind, and whom she'd left it with. To this day I'm unsure of what became of the stallion I encountered all those years ago, but I nevertheless curse the day I met him in that forest beyond the wretched town of Hollow Shades.

There was much I cursed about that day, but above all, that meeting was something I had hoped to wipe from my memory forever.

While I had thankfully never set eyes upon Skal-Gazaath's true form, the cold and sickening aura which she exuded was enough to pull at the threads of my sanity, which had already been horribly picked upon from a thousand years of isolation within my own namesake.

Despite the fear, anger, and dismay I felt then, I still couldn't help but laugh at my foul luck. Even as memories I thought long abandoned rose to the surface I laughed; even as images of the things I witnessed in that abominable town once again grew vivid and horrible in my mind.

Equestria had been a relatively peaceful country before I was banished to the moon by my own sister. It might've been that I made it slightly less peaceful given my discontent with the way things were between Celestia, myself, and our subjects, but for all of my bitterness, Equestria knew a great deal of peace.

This wasn't always the case—far from it in fact.

Shortly after my sister and I defeated the Lord of Chaos and officially taken the throne of Equestria, there had been war, and much of it. Equestria had been left in shambles after Discord's reign—in some instances quite literally. In the wake of Discord's imprisonment, there was no shortage of political and social unrest, both within Equestria and without.

It was a time of great uncertainty, and though my sister and I did our best to calm the masses and restore order to a then broken nation, it took several years and the task proved to be nearly impossible. Famine, plagues—both natural and magical in nature, civil disorder, threats from beyond the borders of Equestria and more all contributed to a nightmarish start to our reign.

We both looked to the then newly discovered Elements of Harmony for some kind of salvation, but the artifacts had been rendered inert after the sealing of the Lord of Chaos. Now that Discord had been contained, there was more chaos than ever, and the irony was not lost on me or Celestia. Even with as strong as Discord's prison had been at the time it was a wonder the wretched draconequus didn't break free.

That he didn't was a testament to how powerful the Elements of Harmony were back then. Celestia and I thought he'd be the greatest of our worries, but once Discord was dealt with, our worries only grew. By some miracle we managed to avoid an outright civil war and a war between Equestria and the Dragonlands, either of which would've devastated the country.

Unfortunately, just as we'd found a solution to the issue regarding country wide famine—just as my sister and I had slowly begun to rebuild our nation, war with the Griffon Kingdom broke out, and so a long and bloody battle was fought. Resources were being drained at an alarming rate, morale was low, and the citizens of Equestria began to crack under the pressure.

It was during this most dire situation that I encountered that stallion and his consociate.

While Celestia was busy keeping the nation together from our seat of power, I was leading our army against the griffons. It was also my unfortunate duty to quell the subtler issues that came from within our own borders. Traitors, malcontents, and those who would turn to dark magic for either some misguided attempt to end the war or for personal gain.

I'd gotten an anonymous report late one night of such a faction practicing unwholesome and potentially dangerous activities in a small village in the thickly forested swamplands far to the northeast of Everfree Castle. A large group of ponies consisting mostly of earth ponies and a few unicorns had formed some sort of doomsday cult and were planning to carry out a ritual to summon some unspeakable horror from beyond this realm.

At first this report was met with only mild concern, as there'd been no solid evidence of the claim and there were far more pressing issues at hoof to worry about. Nevertheless I sent what little help I could spare at the time; a small squad consisting of three Royal Guards were sent out to investigate the rather sleepy town known as Hollow Shades in order to verify the truth of the matter.

It was when they failed to report in after an extended period of time that I began to grow suspicious. It took time to travel from the capital to the forest where Hollow Shades was located, but a well stocked group of Royal Guards could make the trip there and back in just over a week's time—a pegasus squadron in roughly three or four days.

For the sake of expediency, it was a squad of pegasi that I'd sent to Hollow Shades. I had expected them to finish their investigation and be back in the capital within the span of roughly one week, but two weeks had passed by with no word whatsoever from the small squadron. The needs of the nation were many, but eventually I managed to free up enough time to personally visit the isolated town.

Gathering up two experienced soldiers from Equestria's standing army, I set out for Hollow Shades in order to find out both what had become of the Royal Guards I'd sent, and to uncover the truth of what was happening in that town. It was a journey I wouldn't forget for some time to come, no matter how much I wanted to.

Upon my departure from the capital, I took two ponies in particular; two ponies I knew I could trust, and that knew their business and knew it well. From the Shadowbolt air squadron I took Colonel Whipping Wind. A middle aged pegasus mare of cobalt coat, short silver mane, cold green eyes, and modest upbringing, Colonel Wind had seen plenty of battle in the last few years and had come out of her experience harder than anypony I knew.

Accompanying her was Tungsten Steel, the earth pony Lieutenant of the Equestrian Army's ground forces. Lieutenant Steel was a younger stallion—surprisingly young for his rank—and bore a coat the color of his own namesake. Like Colonel Wind and most of the ponies in the army, Steel's black mane was cut short; unlike Whipping Wind however, his dark blue eyes had a strange sort of softness, despite the fact that he'd fought especially hard to get to where he was in life.

Both ponies were proven and trustworthy companions, and perhaps save for my sister at the time, I wouldn't have had anypony else by my side.

Our trip into that ominous forest was not undertaken without some prior knowledge of the old and often fetid swamps, and the even older town that lie therein. In fact it was none other than I who founded the then idyllic fishing town of Hollow Shades. That had been back during a time when the forests that surrounded it were not so thick, and the water was clear and not so clouded and vile.

Over time, the isolated village became a dark and alien place, full of ponies who knew little of the goings-on of daily life as it had been outside the forest, and of whom little was known about save for a few expeditions by travelers who would divulge only minute details of what they saw of the eerie and unwholesome landscape. When asked about the town and its inhabitants themselves, their faces would grow pale and excuses would be made before they quickly departed, revealing nothing.

Indeed, the pony who had given the report of such terrible occult practices had only given a vague and mysterious account of what she allegedly saw in that town. Her dark gaunt eyes gleaming with unbridled terror, pallid wrinkled face twisted in fear, and unkempt grime spattered mane and tail may have lent some credence if not for the mad incoherent babble that spewed forth from her mouth.

She'd spoken of a harrowing escape from the town, but aside from that, not much else could be discerned. Her words were hushed, her sentences broken and incomprehensible, and her voice trembling with a fear she refused to elaborate upon in any great detail. When she had arrived at the castle, the Guard had refused to even let her through the gates, thinking her a complete madmare.

It wasn't until I had personally intervened that she was allowed an audience—something, I am ashamed to say, I regretted almost immediately. When she began speaking of dark forces, terrible rituals, and the unspeakably hideous world ending 'thing' which lay beyond, I was convinced she was every bit as mad as the castle staff claimed her to be.

Still, I had a duty to see to the safety of my subjects and if there was even the slightest chance that the mare's insane rambling held any truth, the situation would be handled accordingly. Thus did I send out those unfortunate Royal Guards who had yet to report back.

It was then that a sort of unease began to gnaw at me, and I found myself wondering more and more if it had been right to dismiss the mare's claims so easily. After all, neither Celestia nor I had given the town any thought in several decades.

When Hollow Shades was first founded, it had been at the behest of the citizenry that they be allowed to self-govern, and so, knowing little of what it meant to be a ruler at the time, my sister and I acquiesced without complaint. Since then, the town had been left to its own devices, an apparent mistake I had fully intended to correct once we'd discovered what had become of the Guards, the town and its citizens.

Tungsten Steel had been among one of the ponies who'd been there in the court when the mare, sick with fear, had told her frustratingly vague yet decidedly morbid tale, and of the three of us—myself and Whipping Wind included—it was he that wore his concern so openly. He could feel keenly the tangible shift in atmosphere as we finally reached the forest's edge, and had cautioned us against a brazen entry.

I did not blame him for his caution or his worry, for although I hid it well, I still felt the same sense of dread rising in my stomach. Even the colonel could not hide her discomfort completely, and, as Tungsten had suggested, we moved forward into the dense forest at a steady and careful pace, our eyes open and searching for anything out of the ordinary.

It had been late afternoon when we arrived and pushed into the thick underbrush, but as we made our way further into the trees the natural light from my sister's sun quickly began to grow dim to an almost unnatural degree. The forest itself was still and silent, producing not the sound of local fauna nor the ambient rustling of leaves in the wind.

Even the soft crunch of dirt beneath our hooves as we trotted ever further towards our destination sounded heavily muted in our own ears. There was most definitely something profoundly sinister in the air, of that I was all but certain, yet still nothing was immediately apparent within our line of sight.

Roughly half an hour passed as we traversed the horrendously quiet forest, and the darkness had become such that a simple illumination spell was necessary for my two companions to see by. The unnatural shadows which surrounded us were a clear indication that there was indeed some dark magic at work, and it was very potent at that.

Another quarter of an hour into the forest and the trees finally began to thin out, though the way was still as dark as ever. Through the thinning trunks and the haze of shadow, the beginnings of the murky swamp could be seen up ahead, albeit just barely. The stench had become an altogether unpleasant mix of rotted plants, natural bacteria, and other horrible smells which I either could not or did not want to readily identify.

I stopped our small entourage just before we reached the treeline in order to observe the misty clearing that lay beyond. The majority of what I witnessed was shrouded in darkness, but the large swamp was clearly visible and I could see a complex series of low wooden bridges that connected the mainland to the small town that had been built above the water's surface.

We had finally reached Hollow Shades proper, and through the anomalous gloom could be seen the silhouettes of crude wooden huts, cabins, and small boating houses that sat still as a grave atop the surface of the swamp. I saw plenty of structures dotted across the large platform that held the town aloft, but what I did not see were ponies, and that worried me greatly. Something about the lack of moving bodies within the town's borders tugged at my mind, and the unease I felt grew exponentially.

A sudden tap on my shoulder caught my attention and I turned to see Whipping Wind silently gesture out towards the swamp, her countenance deeply troubled. Tungsten Steel and I followed her gaze and my own brow furrowed in bemusement at what I saw. There was some object floating in the dark water near the swamp's outer edge not far from where we stood.

Oddly perturbed by the sight, I gave one last cautious glance back towards the strangely empty town ahead and made my way closer to the object, silently motioning for the other two to follow behind. As I neared the object, I became aware of a strange sensation I couldn't quite place. Whatever this sensation was, it greatly repulsed me, and the closer I got to my destination, the more repugnant the feeling and smell.

It seemed not to affect the other two as strongly, but I could tell they were growing ever more uneasy. Even at as close a distance as we now were to the thing in the miry shallows of the swamp, the thing was still hard to make out in the darkness, but make it out I did, and I was horrified, disgusted and dismayed at what I saw, for the thing that had washed up near the shore was none other than the bloated muddied corpse of a pegasus stallion, its flesh swollen and rotted to a hideous degree and grimy greenish brown stumps where the wings had once been.

The smell alone was enough to make me wretch, but that was not the most disturbing thing about this corpse. What gave me pause was the odd, unpleasant sensation that seemed to emanate from the body. Though they were sickened the same as I was, both the colonel and lieutenant were able to verify the body as having belonged to one of the guards I'd sent out to investigate more than a week ago.

A pang of guilt gnawed at me then, swiftly followed by a slight shudder of disgust and worry as I looked upon the face of the poor stallion who'd lost his life in this dreadful place. Between myself, Whipping Wind and Tungsten Steel, none of us were strangers to the sight of corpses. Many had littered the battlegrounds upon which we fought valiantly for our homeland.

Though all out war was a relatively new concept to Equestria, my sister and I were not entirely unfamiliar with it, and had several centuries of life experience prior to the trying times in which we lived then. Still, the sight of so much bloodshed never became quite so easy to bear, and aside from that, there was something different in what lay before me there beside the dark swamp—something that unnerved me greatly.

The face itself was grotesquely twisted and deformed from swelling, but I could see plainly that it was locked in an expression of the utmost horror and agony, as if the last thing the guard had seen before he died was some kind of beast from out of his darkest nightmare.

And the unfamiliar yet, oddly necrotic atmosphere which surrounded the body like a shroud, it was unlike anything I'd ever sensed. The aura was similar in essence to dark magic, but not quite magical in nature; a lesser trained mage would've said there was necromancy at work, but I knew better.

This stallion's body had been tampered with by forces yet unknown to me, though whether it was before or after he'd shed his mortal coil, I couldn't say. As I beheld the corpse, I began to wonder at the fate of the other two Guards I'd sent here, and these thoughts, along with the body, brought a renewed sense of urgency to the mission at hoof.

Against Tungsten's protest, and much to my own shame, I chose to leave the dead stallion where he lay, at least until this horrid situation could be sorted out. While I did not completely throw caution to the wind, new haste was made in reaching the town. After crossing one of the many low bridges into Hollow Shades, we began our investigation in earnest.

Whipping Wind suggested we separate to cover more ground, but I advised against such an action, wary of the fact that we had no real idea of what lay hiding in the shadows. Both the lieutenant and colonel had brought weapons in the form of hoof and wing blades, while I myself carried nothing more than a small shortsword that could be wielded with magic. It was a precautionary measure that we hadn't expected to come into play, but now, in this ominous place, I was glad of our preparation.

Together we searched the town, making sure to stay quiet and avoiding large open areas. As we systematically scoured the town for suspicious ponies and clues to what had transpired prior to our arrival, it was becoming quite obvious that most, if not all of the inhabitants seemed to have some sort of strange obsession or fascination with an odd symbol.

We soon discovered that the many residences, shops, and other structures were just as deserted as the streets outside, leaving us free to enter and inspect without incident. It was during our search of the surrounding domiciles that we stumbled upon these strange symbols. The images consisted of a thin black six pointed star ringed by a thick circle. It was a rather simplistic design, but something about it seemed vaguely and eerily familiar to me, though I could not for the life of me think of where I would've seen such a thing.

The image had been placed in nearly every home, whether it be painted on walls, stitched into small decorative banners, cast in black stone as sculptures of varying sizes, or in a few cases, carved as a small pendant to be put on a necklace. I of course, wondered at the symbol and what it could mean, but these musings amounted to nothing with so little information to go on, so I set them aside.

Everywhere we went within the town, I could faintly sense that awful necrotic aura. It permeated the town like a thick fog and I could scarcely ignore it. It was beginning to make me physically ill, and with every passing moment I wished more and more to be done with this investigation and be gone from this place.

I'd asked Whipping Wind and Tungsten Steel if they'd felt the sensation as I did, but they had no idea of what I spoke. They admitted to feeling something ominous in the air, but that was to be expected and I knew that most anypony would feel the same in these unnerving circumstances.

I was unsure of how much time had passed since we arrived in Hollow Shades proper, but eventually we stumbled upon something of note in one of the larger, more lavish abodes near the town's center. During a sweep of the home, the colonel discovered a journal that had been sitting atop a desk in a locked study. Whipping Wind had managed to break the lock and find the journal, and judging by her pale face, it was clear she had taken a peek at the contents within and didn't like what she'd read.

She gave me the journal and I proceeded to skim through a few of the pages. With each new entry I read, my own confusion and horror grew to match that of Whipping Wind's. From what I read, I was able to discern that this journal belonged to one Onyx Thaddeus Pie. According to the journal, Onyx Pie was an earth pony outsider who'd come from afar to Hollow Shades roughly four years back with the intention of spreading the word of a being he'd referred to as the Dead Goddess Skal-Gazaath, an all powerful being who ruled over a realm separate from our own—a realm the journal's owner called the 'Black Dimension'.

Praise upon praise was heaped upon this 'Skal-Gazaath' by the stallion, and there were hints of gratitude for some kind of miraculous service rendered by the deity, but the journal gave no detail as to what this service was. Several key pieces of information in fact, were missing; information about this supposed goddess, information about the world she resided in, and information about Onyx Pie himself.

As far as these topics were concerned, from what little I managed to gather, there was just enough information to hint at something potentially groundbreaking and horrifying in the extreme, but not enough to make any solid conclusions.

Not much, if anything at all was said about his origins, but evidently Onyx had chosen Hollow Shades for its isolation and the general ignorance of its citizens, most of whom had never set hoof outside the town and knew little of what lay beyond the forest. Within the first two years of his stay he'd successfully dragged just over half of the citizenry into this insane cult of worship, and by the third year he'd converted all but the most stubborn of inhabitants.

Onyx had pulled his believers in with promises of a glorious eternal life beyond death, the limitless power found within the 'Black Dimension', and deliverance from all encompassing destruction once it came time to 'wipe the Old King from existence'. All this he promised in exchange for their undying servitude to this Dead Goddess.

All of it was utter nonsense born of a mind wholly removed from the realms of sanity, of that I was certain. Still, such notions were not what made my stomach turn and the bile rise in my throat. It was what Onyx Pie and his followers had done to those who refused to join his cult that sickened myself and the colonel as we read on.

Those that refused to conform were instead used in gruesome rituals the likes of which I dare not repeat. The unhinged earth pony had described in unflinching detail the inner workings of these rituals in his journal, and in reading over these details I felt my ire rise alongside the disgust.

What this pony and his cultists had done, I could see as nothing more than hideous inequine experiments performed on poor souls who could see the true horror of what their town had become in Onyx Pie's wake. My anger grew all the more when I read that the bodies of those who had not survived were simply dumped into the swamp and forgotten.

Before I could discover the reason behind the stallion's depravity, there came the muted sound of a struggle from somewhere above. Both Whipping Wind and I turned our surprised gazes to the ceiling just as a muffled feminine cry of panic rang out. The sound was quickly followed by more cries, angry grunts, and the frantic shuffling and thudding of hooves against hardwood flooring.

It was then that I remembered that the lieutenant had ascended the stairs to the second floor in search of more clues to this morbid mystery. The fact that he'd found more than a simple clue was abundantly clear by the noise, and with great haste, Whipping Wind and I made our way up the stairs to Tungsten's location, the wretched journal left atop a small dresser below.

The second floor consisted of a singular bedroom, largely empty save for a single bed pushed back against one wall, a sizable bookshelf fully stocked with all manner of tomes, and a simple desk cluttered with loose sheets of parchment, quills, and a few more tomes stacked atop one another. Dark curtains had been pulled over the only window in the room, and a strange scent of lavender and some unknown spice pervaded the air.

Overall the room itself seemed rather orthodox compared to the others I'd seen around town, and unlike the other abodes we had come across, it lacked any sign of the oddly familiar symbol I'd seen before. It also seemed the house still had what I thought at first was a resident.

Upon entering the bedroom however, I was shocked to find Tungsten locked in a struggle with yet another of the guards I had sent to look into the goings-on of Hollow Shades. The pegasus guard in question had been bound in chains—chains which it seemed had been partially undone by the lieutenant.

From what I could see of the mare and a closet door which lay open behind the two struggling ponies, Tungsten had pulled the mare from the closet, but was not fully able to remove the guard's binds before she began her wild, panicked flailing. The words the mare cried were wrought with pure terror and her features were gaunt and etched with fear and madness, much like that of the mare that had made her way to Everfree Castle.

Whipping Wind was quick to assist Tungsten in detaining the hysterical mare, but try as they might, they could do nothing to calm her. I took the opportunity to listen to the guard, and much of her fear addled ramblings told of chilling acts she'd bore witness and been subjected to. As she spoke, she seemed not at all to even notice who we were, despite the many reassurances of my two companions. Her eyes were foggy and distant—as though she were still trapped in the nightmare of her prior situation. Her wings had also been removed and the wounds left open to fester and her words, or what I could make of them, seemed not to be directed at any of us in general.

"Don't put me back in! Please don't send me back there! Not with those monsters... not in that darkness, not again! I can't take it anymore! The... the lights... the stars... are they stars? Why do they hurt? The voices are too loud... awful... can't think... c-can't... spinning... w-why is everything spinning?!"

And thus the mare continued on, completely oblivious to the world around her and the fact that she was in the presence of the Princess of the Night herself. Her mind was gone, her words as portentous as they were nonsensical. The hopeless desperation and despair in her voice sent chills down my spine, and guilt began to weigh heavily on me once again; guilt that I'd let her and the other guards suffer for as long as they had.

I had found two of the three guards I'd sent to Hollow Shades, and dreaded to see what kind of state I would find the last guard in. The thought spurred me into action, and using a simple spell, I sent the raving mare into a dreamless slumber in which she would remain until my sister and I could give her the help she desperately needed. With that done, I gave both the colonel and lieutenant the command to give medical aid to, and keep watch over the sleeping guard while I dealt with Onyx Pie and the rest of his zealous followers.

A mix of anger and worry bade me to go alone to confront the situation, but for all my bluster and determination, I was not prepared for the sudden shift in the atmosphere. Up until now, the nauseating aura I'd been sensing since my team and I arrived in town had been somewhat subdued, but as I made my way back downstairs, the strength with which I was suddenly assaulted by that appalling energy was enough to halt me in my tracks and nearly make me wretch right then and there.

I stumbled forward the rest of the way, pushing back against the rising bile in an effort to seek out the source, only to find nothing out of the ordinary as I reached the bottom of the steps. By the time I stepped onto the first floor, the aura had drastically diminished back to what it had been before. Wary and shaking with built up adrenaline, I slowly and carefully scanned the main room for any sign of life, but found nothing.

It was with a deep sense of dread that I finally noticed what had changed. I had intended on keeping the journal as evidence of the Pie stallion's heinous crimes against equinity, and had also meant to use it to discover his intentions. I had hoped the journal would reveal the depths of his machinations, but upon attempting to retrieve the journal, I found the spot where I'd left it barren, devoid of the object that held all the answers.

Something or somepony had entered the house and taken the journal. The realization set me on edge, my heart racing in my chest and my mind whirling with questions and possibilities, none of them comforting in the slightest. It may very well have been that whoever took the journal had some need for it and had not realized we were here, but in truth, I didn't believe that for a moment.

To me at least, it was far more likely that somepony knew we were here and was actively trying to impede our progress. It was far more likely that the pony in question was none other than Onyx Pie himself. If that was indeed the case, it did raise several questions, not the least of which was how he'd managed to take his journal and vanish right from under my nose in an instant. I was fairly certain that the awful sensation I felt had much to do with it, but was not exactly sure how.

In the end, I was left with far more questions than answers, but answers I did have all the same. I would simply have to move forward with what I already knew and hope that would be enough. Casting one last worried glance back towards the stairs, I left the house, all the while trying to convince myself that the colonel and lieutenant could take care of themselves should the need arise.

The journal was no longer within my reach, but I had read just enough to discover that much, if not all of the heinous rituals took place in a large clearing in the forest northeast of the town. With grim purpose and a watchful eye on my surroundings, I began to move out of Hollow Shades proper and back into the forest, praying I would make it in time to rescue the last guard and put an end to whatever mad ritual the townsponies had set up.

The journey back into the unnaturally darkened forest was just as taxing on the nerves as it had initially been upon the arrival of myself and my companions, but the discoveries I'd made had tempered those nerves somewhat and a sense of righteous anger kept much of my unease at bay. I felt that, as the Princess of the Night and protector of Equestria's ponies, I had not only a personal, but moral obligation to see to the end of this madness, and marched eastward with renewed fervor.

It wasn't long before the zeal with which I moved began to wane, quickly replaced by caution as that unpleasant tingling in my horn began to strengthen once more. With the mute stillness of the forest pressing down upon me from all sides, I continued east for what felt like another half mile or so, the sensation of being watched from every direction leaving me tense and more than a little perturbed.

Then, from somewhere out of the blackness before me, I began to hear several voices. They were distant and indiscernible at first, but gradually, I was able to make out the distinct sound of chanting. The low and haunting cadence temporarily froze me where I stood and for a moment, all I could do was listen with a slowly mounting sense of foreboding. The words spoken sounded nothing like any language I had ever heard.

The voices had a sort of ebb and flow, like the tides of the ocean, and the sound pulled harshly at my mind much like the sickening aura. So horrifically captivated by the noise was I, that I lost all sense of time, and it was only when the chanting grew louder and more fervent that I came to my senses once more. As the voices grew more frantic, so too did the weight of that otherworldly energy.

The aura swelled and rose until it became almost like a physical presence—like some horrible entity willed into existence; like a being that could not and should not be, but nevertheless was. Before I could register what I was experiencing, the frantic chanting was drowned out by a horrendous scream that pierced the air and sent chills down my spine. It was something wholly inequine; a wretched, tortured, agonized cry that would make even the foulest demons locked away in Tartarus recoil in horror.

The chanting then devolved into yet more screams, these far more equine, but no less chilling. The sounds that followed thereafter were of a completely different, and far more grisly nature. The distant and somewhat muted sounds of grinding and crunching reached my ears, punctuated by a series of wet squelches, the distinct noise of trees being felled, and heavy impacts fit to make the ground beneath my hooves quake slightly.

An abominable chorus of terrified screams and unearthly wails played all the while, and somewhere in the vile cacophony I could just make out the sound of laughter. It was wrong, mad—the laugh of a creature unhinged, or perhaps possessed. The laughter eventually turned to speech, the booming voice of a stallion somehow making himself heard over all else. The words he spoke were once more in a language both eerie and unfathomable to me, but the zeal with which he spoke could not be denied.

Then, with one final cry from the stallion, silence reigned once more—crushing in its suddenness and intensity.

The noise had ceased, but the alien presence remained. The sheer malevolence in the air combined with what I'd just heard was enough to make me want to turn and flee the other way, but I was not known for my cowardice, and so, despite my fears and worries I pressed on, determined to finish whatever that twisted stallion had started.

Before I could travel too close towards the disastrous aftermath of whatever had transpired however, I was stopped again by another sound. It was nothing so drastic as what I'd heard previously, merely the simple sound of hooves crunching softly against the dirt and fallen leaves of the forest floor. I strained my ears and could just pick up two sets of hooves approaching; one set at languid comfortable pace, and the other coming just as slow, but with far more uneven gait, as though the creature the steps belonged to had imbibed a bit too much hard cider before heading home.

Along with the shuffling steps I could also hear the familiar clank of metal on metal and deduced with a cold shiver of realization and despair that one of the two approaching entities was wearing armor. My worst fears were indeed realized when at last the two beings slowly came into view. The first to stand before me was an earth pony stallion. With his black coat, he would've been nigh impossible to see in the all encompassing darkness if not for the vibrant orange and grey that made up the curls of his mane and tail and the haunting, almost too bright glow of his cerulean irides.

I was unable to make out his expression in the gloom, but there was something in those eyes that did not belong there; something otherworldly, something that told me this stallion was not quite the pony he appeared to be. Truly he was a most unsettling creature, and in my mind there was no mistake that I was in the company of Onyx Thaddeus Pie himself. Still, despite having every intention of bringing this stallion to justice for the atrocities he'd committed, it was not his presence that kept me rooted in place.

Rather, it was the atrocious and oppressive malevolence of the thing that followed after the earth pony. Though there was something horrendous and ominously out of place about the stallion, I, at the very least, could still identify him as a pony. I could not call the abomination that trotted beside him anything of the sort. In my vision stood another pegasus mare—the last of the guards in fact, fully armored save for the head.

Her amethyst eyes were cloudy and unseeing, and her features expressionless. Her posture was terribly unsteady and her violet coat and straight cut cobalt blue mane and tail were dirty and frayed. Unlike the other two gaurds, the mare still had her wings, a surprising fact, but irrelevant in the face of everything else about her. Visibly she looked the part of an animated corpse, and Onyx her necromancer, but that couldn't be further from the truth as I sensed it. Aside from her appearance, there was nothing about this mare—this thing, that was remotely equine, not anymore at least.

From what I could feel of the two, it was almost as if Onyx was the servant and the shambling corpse-like pony thing was the one in control. I knew not what to make of what I saw and sensed, and received no time to parse the situation before the stallion spoke. His tone was calm, confident and casual—much as though we'd both met during a leisurely stroll through the public Everfree Gardens.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart, princess, for while She in Her infinite generosity has blessed me with much of what I need to continue my legacy, you have provided me the final missing piece—the Vessel I required to house Her power if you will, imperfect and temporary as it may be."

He spoke these words, and though I could not fully see his features, I could hear full well the genuine gratitude in his voice. After speaking those portentous words, both the stallion and the thing wearing the pegasus mare like a second skin sank back into the darkness and were gone from both my physical and thaumic senses, much to my shock, anger, and though I would refuse to admit to the feeling outright... relief. Though the latter did not last long, as Onyx Pie's last words filled my ears; a dark disembodied whisper carried on a non-existent wind.

"You will never see me or this mare again, princess, but in gratitude for what you've given me, I've left you with a gift; a keepsake of sorts. I no longer need it, as I've been given a new keepsake of my own to take care of by Her will... farewell, princess..."

And with that, the unnatural shadows began to lift from the forest and all faded back into a natural silence. Slowly but surely, the sound of rustling flora and chittering fauna began to return and I could feel a cool wind whip through my starry mane. As the darkness around me vanished, the amber light of the low hanging sun filtered back through the trees. It was only when I felt the cool but comforting embrace of the moon's energy just below the horizon that I realized my connection to the celestial body as well as my grasp of time itself had been tenuous at best.

Both my sister and I were bound to our respective celestial bodies, Celestia the sun and I the moon. It was our task to raise and lower each on a fixed schedule, one that was easily maintained through the use of magic meant to augment our internal clock. Now that the atmosphere had returned to normal, I found myself baffled and shaken. Baffled at the fact that hardly any time at all had passed since my companions and I had entered the forest, and shaken by the implications of what that and my weakened connection to the moon meant.

I could make no sense of it, and so decided to focus on the current situation, as the mystery of what transpired in this forest and in Hollow Shades had yet to be solved. With that in mind, and with thoughts of Onyx Pie's final words hounding me, I continued deeper into the forest until I finally reached a clearing further ahead. The chaotic multitude of sounds I had heard would have no doubt suggested some hideously macabre outcome, and I had well prepared myself to see just such a thing, but was once more shocked into open mouthed silence at what lay before me.

Many of the trees around the clearing looked like they had been torn out by the roots and flung about, and there was certainly evidence of some ritual taking place based on the large and oddly simplistic stone altar in the center of the clearing and the scattered and broken candles strewn about the ground, but that and the many deep grooves in the dirt were the only signs that anything had happened at all. Where I expected to see the maimed and broken corpses of cultists, and despite the heavy scent of blood that had wafted through the trees during whatever had transpired, I saw nothing of the sort.

As I searched the clearing, I could find no bodies, not a drop of blood anywhere to be seen, not a feather, a single lock of a mane or tail, or any fur whatsoever. If it hadn't been for the felled trees, the altar, and the heavily disturbed soil, I would've been convinced I had imagined the whole thing. There was however, one thing that stood out among the carnage that had taken place.

Atop the altar, sitting in plain view for me to see, was a book; a journal to be specific, and none other than the same journal I had come across in the large house back in Hollow Shades. It took a moment to understand, but as I took hold of the journal I realized that this was most likely the 'gift' that the stallion had mentioned, one I chose to accept in the end, if for no other reason than to continue my investigation into the grim events that had befallen the town and its ponies.

It was true that I had yet to find the information I needed from the journal, but I'd hardly had the chance to give the book a thorough reading, and was sure I'd find the knowledge I sought with time. In light of what I'd read and what I'd heard and seen in that town and the forest surrounding it, I chose to continue my research alone, swearing both the colonel and lieutenant to secrecy regarding the matter. Celestia and Equestria as a whole had suffered far too much already, and this I felt was not something that should be shared with the world at large with all the problems currently plaguing society.

I discovered within that journal terrible truths best left to rot in the darkness of obscurity—entities and powers that were, and should remain beyond our understanding. I knew not how Onyx Pie had come across this knowledge, but I was determined to keep such information out of the hooves of the public, lest this tragic event repeat itself. With that resolution in mind, I began my grim work. Fabrications were made, deals were exchanged and documents were forged regarding Hollow Shades, the investigation and population therein, and the ultimate fate of the three guards.

The mare that had initially escaped from Hollow Shades was officially deemed insane and I personally removed and destroyed utterly every trace of occultism I could find from Hollow Shades. Though it pained me greatly to do so, I also recovered the bodies that had been thrown so carelessly into the swamp and burned them from existence. The pegasus guard that had survived the ordeal was sent to a psychiatric hospital, though she remained in a catatonic state for the next few years before finally passing away. It was a tragedy to be sure, and I was there to mourn her loss along with those who loved her, but deep down I could not deny that it was an unexpected boon on my part.

I spent several months studying the journal in secret, and many more years seeking the whereabouts of the stallion that had caused so much horror, and in that time I learned much more than I ever wanted to know about this realm, and the other. Unfortunately Onyx Thaddeus Pie had been true to his word and as more and more time passed, I never found hide nor hair of him or the creature I now knew to be the vessel for Skal-Gazaath's power. I also knew from the stallion's words and his journal that he'd been given some kind of treasure to hold onto for this Dead Goddess, but I failed to find out exactly what it was.

A little over a century passed and I eventually gave up my search. Convinced I had learned all I could from my limited resources and buoyed by the fact that nothing else seemed to have come from the stallion's actions that day, I destroyed the journal and attempted to fully focus on my duties as a Princess of Equestria. Hollow Shades had long since been abandoned and become a ghost town avoided by all as far as I knew, and I did my best to put the entire ordeal out of my mind, with great difficulty. It was only after Equestria had finally regained its peace that the memory faded enough to be ignored, and by that point I had already come to resent my sister and her more prominent role as a ruler in the eyes of Equestria.

Now, well over a thousand years later, and during the advent of my long awaited return no less, I stand once more before yet another Vessel for Skal-Gazaath. I didn't want to believe it possible, but this mare reeked of that presence and worse yet, she was far more complete—far more alive and lucid than the previous Vessel had been.

The uncanny similarities between her appearance and that of the previously possessed mare, while not completely one-to-one, were nevertheless absolutely striking, and to me it was a sign that I was a fool to leave things as they were. I had no idea of the game fate meant to play against me, but it was all too clear that my glorious return would be met with peril the likes of which I could have never prepared for.

Author's Notes:

So initially I had intended to make a sort of flashback chapter from Nightmare Moon's point of view, but I myself am not really all that fond of flashback chapters. With this in mind I pondered on how to best go about it, and realized with what I was planning to write about, this would be the perfect opportunity to give the story that classic Lovecraftian flair so to speak.

As of right now I'm only intending to write in this style for this chapter (this story initially wasn't meant to be written in this style at all and I have another fic written more or less entirely like this anyway) but that may change in the future if another specific opportunity arises.

As an addendum I'm aware of Hollow Shades role in canon and the fact that it existed prior to Celestia and Luna becoming Princesses due to the whole thing with Mage Meadowbrook, but I've made some major alterations to history which necessitated the AU tag. To those who don't care for the change, I'm sorry, but the idea was there and I couldn't resist writing it, and to those who don't really care either way, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Chaper XVI – A Tyrant Tempered

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How did she know?

If what I'd read about her, and if what Pinkie had told me was correct, Nightmare Moon was supposed to have been trapped in her own namesake for a thousand years. I'd just seen her escape with my own eyes, so how in the world could she have possibly known about the Dead Goddess?

Was there something Pinkie wasn't telling me? Was there something she didn't know? More important than that, why did Nightmare Moon seem so... familiar? Like I'd seen her once before with my own eyes? I chanced a glance in Pinkie's direction, but the mare looked just as confused as I did, if not more so. She noticed my bewildered look, but could only shrug in response.

"Hey, don't look at me!" she whispered, "aside from Nightmare Moon returning on the morning of Summer Solstice, I knew just about as much as you do," her face scrunched up in thought for a second, "well, that and the fact that she was once the other Princess of Equestria before she got banished, but that's it. I had no idea she knew about the Dead Goddess."

"Hey... guys?" came Spike's nervous whisper from above me, "she's uh... she's still looking at us."

I turned back to Nightmare Moon and sure enough, her eyes were still locked on our little group. She'd fallen silent and as I watched, her expression shifted from amused to troubled, to confused, then thoughtful, and finally settled on something entirely unreadable. It all happened in a near-instant, but I managed to catch the change, and it only made me all the more uneasy.

What was she thinking? Just how much did she know?

What would she do about it?

"What do you suggest we do, darling?" Rarity murmured in my ear, her voice barely audible amidst the nervous muttering of the crowd, "it might not be a good idea to do anything... drastic in front of all these ponies, but I'm fairly certain you're the one that holds all the power in this situation, so it's up to you. Should we confront her or make our escape?"

The problem with that statement was that I wasn't even sure I did hold all the power, not as I was anyway. It wasn't mine to hold and aside from the Black Tongue, I still didn't know how Skal-Gazaath's power worked. Besides that, Rarity was right, I didn't want to cause a scene and do something I couldn't or didn't know how to take back. I felt like we'd gotten lucky when the Servant took over Spike, and I didn't want to count on something like that happening again.

I didn't want anything like that happening again, not if I could help it.

"Let's... let's wait and see what she does," I whispered back, "she hasn't attacked anypony yet, and I want to know what else she knows about me—er, about Skal-Gazaath, I mean."

"You... the pink earth pony mare."

We all looked up to see Nightmare Moon staring directly at Pinkie, her face still as blank as stone and her tone just as flat and emotionless. Pinkie blinked in surprise and looked around before gesturing to herself wordlessly. Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes slightly in response.

"What is your name?"

"Oh!" Pinkie replied pleasantly, "I'm Pinkie Pie! Ponyville's premier party planning—"

"Enough!" the dark alicorn barked in annoyance. Her irritated scowl settled back into an inscrutable line as she continued, "...do you know of a stallion by the name of Onyx Thaddeus Pie?"

There was a beat of silence before Pinkie's slow reply.

"Yeeess..." Pinkie said, squinting at Nightmare Moon with exaggerated suspicion, "but how do you know about Onyx Pie?" Nightmare went to reply, but Pinkie spoke again, pointing a hoof in her direction, "what do you know, black snooty? SPILL IT!"

Nightmare Moon slowly closed her mouth and frowned. Rather than the outrage I expected, or even annoyance, she just looked troubled again. Something wasn't right about the situation, but it didn't look like Nightmare Moon was Tartarus-bent on... drowning the world in eternal night or whatever it was she was planning on doing. Whatever her plans were, my presence, or rather the presence of Skal-Gazaath, seemed to have thoroughly derailed them, I could see it on her face.

It was like she'd completely forgotten about the rest of the ponies in Town Hall, or so I thought. As if to spite the notion, she once again addressed the entire hall, her voice booming and imperious.

"It seems my sister's precious little subjects have all but forgotten their Princess of the Night," she began, pacing across the raised platform and somehow staring down each and every pony in the crowd, "I wonder if you still fear the dark? I wonder if you still shudder when the sun sets and you look up to the night sky?"

She stopped and scanned the crowd as if to judge their reaction. A flicker of some negative emotion crossed her face—something that could've been anger, pain, or sadness... or possibly a mix of all three—but it was gone a moment later and she once again schooled her features into something more neutral.

"Whatever you might think, I assure you, you've no need to hide yourselves away from the night," she paused again and glanced in my direction before averting her gaze back to the mass of ponies, "perhaps... a proper introduction is in order..."

I frowned.

Nightmare Moon wasn't acting at all like I'd expected her to, at least, not anymore. Before she'd known I was here, she'd acted every bit the villain, but now...

Now she sounded reasonable, almost unsure of herself in fact. I got the impression that she was trying to tone down her arrogant and antagonistic attitude to win the crowd over... but why? Why change tack now? I knew I played some kind of factor, but exactly how did I factor into the equation?

"I've long since renounced the name, but at one time, I was called Luna," the alicorn continued, "sister to your vaunted sun goddess Celestia and Princess of the Night. I ruled this land alongside her and together we built this nation into what it is today... or at least we were supposed to..."

The gathered ponies looked to each other, their nervous mutterings taking on far more confusion. Suddenly a voice rang out from the crowd, the stallion in question apparently mustering up enough courage to speak to the dark mare directly.

"If you're a Princess, why haven't we heard of you until now?"

Before Nightmare Moon could respond, another voice spoke up, this one a mare.

"Yeah, and where's Princess Celestia? What did you do to her?!"

It was a fair question, and though I was admittedly rather glad she wasn't here at the moment, I couldn't help but wonder just where she was if not here. My own worries grew as the questions began to pile on and voices were raised as mob mentality slowly took over. Nervousness and confusion gave way to outrage and indignation. Though Nightmare Moon had been showing a surprising amount of patience with the ponies below her so far, I knew that patience could only last so long and after a few moments of trying to get a word in, she'd reached her limit.

"SILENCE, FOOLS!"

The command was deafening, and just as Nightmare Moon ordered, there was complete silence among the audience. Her icy glare pierced every pony in the crowd, making some shiver and others flinch back, lower their ears or bow their heads. I watched to see what the mare would do next and was again surprised. Once she'd cowed the audience into silence, I'd expected her to start screaming, and for a moment it looked like she was going to, but then she glanced over to me again and closed her mouth before letting out a calming breath and speaking again in a measured, if somewhat clipped, tone.

"I've done nothing to your beloved Celestia. I've not seen her since my return, and while I too wonder where she's gone, it ultimately is not my concern at the moment," the corners of her mouth turned down in another sneer, "so keep your petty grievances to yourself!" there was more flinching from the crowd at the edge she'd put into the last word, but Nightmare paid no heed and continued, "that said, there is a far more pressing issue at hoof than my sister's whereabouts..."

Her eyes settled once again back on mine and it was then that I realized just what she was doing.

"I'm sure some if not all of you have felt it, have you not? The dread? The horrible sense of foreboding that likely began to permeate this town like a heavy mist long before I arrived?"

She pulled her gaze away from mine and turned back to the audience as she spoke. I did the same and saw to my slight horror that, while some ponies were looking around uneasily, a good few near the back were looking right at me with eyes full of fear and suspicion. I didn't like where this was going and I wasn't sure what Nightmare Moon would gain by turning the entire town against me. It was Spike who voiced my concerns aloud.

"I don't like this, Twilight," he muttered, looking around the hall, "maybe we should leave?"

No, we weren't going to leave.

I had too many questions to ask, and Nightmare Moon seemed to be the only one besides Pinkie who had any answers. She probably had more answers than Pinkie did herself, and as ludicrous as the notion was, I needed to speak with her, mare-to-mare, and soon before she started some kind of riot against me.

"Nightmare Moon!" I cried, letting my voice carry over the murmuring den of ponies. The alicorn looked back at me expectantly, like she knew I'd speak out eventually. It wasn't just her either; the entire hall had gone quiet, and all eyes turned to me. I pushed aside my unease at that and continued, "I don't know what your goal is with all of this, but... but I need to talk to you about... things, and I'd rather not get the town involved."

It was the best I could think to say on the spot, and I silently prayed it would be enough because I didn't have any other ideas right now. There was another tense moment of silence in which some of the other ponies looked from me to the dark alicorn above. Confusion was once again written on the faces of more than one onlooker, but Nightmare and I only had eyes for each other. Then Nightmare Moon blinked and a small smirk crossed her face as she turned to address the crowd once more.

"I know well the source of your unrest, fair citizens, and though I've returned to regain what's been so unjustly taken from me, I've also come to put an end to that which threatens your lives," she boomed triumphantly, "think of me not as a tyrant or an usurper of the throne, but rather as your savior from a much greater evil that has descended upon our fair kingdom!"

My heart sank.

She'd completely ignored my request in favor of vilifying me even further. Throughout the audience I could see some ponies muttering, whispering to each other and pointing in my direction. Others were still unsure, but there was definitely a shift in the focus of their uncertainty. All the while, Nightmare Moon continued her speech with renewed fervor.

"Doubt me if you must, but know that at this very moment in this very place, something terrible is watching you, waiting for the opportunity to bring ruin to all you know and love!" she continued, "fear me if you must, but I am a Princess of Equestria, and soon I will be its one and only Queen. As such, I will not allow any harm to come to my subjects!"

At that, her horn burst to life with a dark blue iridescence. Seeing the anxious and indecisive faces in the crowd, Nightmare Moon frowned and a low growl of frustration escaped her lips.

"And if it will put your fears to rest, I will bring back Celestia to help me remove the threat if necessary," she grimaced, looking as though the statement had physically pained her, but her words had the desired effect. Though most remained nervous and doubtful, there was a clear ripple of approval throughout the audience. A mix of irritation and satisfaction crossed Nightmare Moon's face, but she pressed on, "if you stay here, your lives may be forfeit, so I will send all of you away to safety. Flee, hide yourselves in your homes, leave town, I care not, but do not come near this place again if you value your continued existence!"

Before anypony could object any further or get any more words in at all, Nightmare Moon's horn flashed brighter and an instant later, the entire crowd vanished with a deafening pop. Town Hall was left completely empty save for me, Rarity, Pinkie, Spike, and Nightmare Moon herself. I looked around in surprise, then turned to Rarity as if to confirm that what had just happened, actually happened.

"She's teleported the entire town from Town Hall," Rarity confirmed, looking just as surprised as I probably did, "and quite a distance it seems."

So that was it.

Through a rather unbelievable feat of magic, Nightmare Moon had given us the privacy I'd wanted, and what's more, it almost seemed like she'd planned to do that from the very beginning. With that feeling in mind, what was the point of trying to rile everypony up like that?

"Twilight, was it?"

We all turned just in time to see Nightmare Moon alighting on the ground floor where we were. She folded up her wings and made her way over to us at an almost leisurely trot.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle, yes," I confirmed, eyeing Nightmare warily, "and you were once one of the princesses of Equestria and Celestia's sister, Princess Luna?"

"I am a Princess of Equestria, and as I said before, soon to be its one and only Queen if I can help it," Nightmare Moon corrected, "but yes, I once went by the name of Luna, Princess of the Night, and despite what you may think, I am not the villain here; I'm no villain at all in fact," she stopped a short distance away from us and glowered at me, "I merely wish to reclaim the title and respect that are both rightfully mine, but what of you, Dead Goddess? What do you seek?"

"I'm not the Dead Goddess," I replied somewhat hotly, "I told you my name is Twilight Sparkle. The situation with Skal-Gazaath is... complicated."

"Clearly," Nightmare Moon huffed, before turning her gaze to Pinkie and Rarity beside me, both of whom stared back with eyes far blacker than Nightmare's own coat. To Nightmare Moon's credit, she only grimaced in disgust, "and I suppose these are your... thralls, then?"

"Wha—no! They're..." I'd spoken reflexively, but as I turned to face Rarity and Pinkie I winced, knowing full well that that was exactly what they were, "they're... they're my friends."

Though I still knew next to nothing about these mares, I was surprised to find that the words didn't ring as hollow as I'd expected. It could have been that strange unnatural bond that I'd more or less forced on them—I'm almost certain it was—but it really did feel like I'd know both of them for years. Reaching out with these unnatural senses, I felt the same for Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine, though I had actually known and been friends with them before all of this, even if I hadn't shown it all that often.

Rarity seemed just as taken aback by the revelation as I was if the shocked look on her face was anything to go by. Pinkie only smiled at me, as if what I'd said was an obvious truth for anypony to see. I looked up to see Spike wearing a strange expression that shifted into something resembling a smile when he noticed I was watching him. No words were exchanged between any of us, but I felt as though there'd certainly been a conversation of some sort, I just wasn't sure what kind.

"To speak of 'friendship' in so meaningful a way... you really are an entirely different breed compared to the last Vessel, and yet you are her spitting image. Curious, that."

I returned my attention to Nightmare Moon, almost having forgotten she was there. She eyed all of us with another thoughtful frown but as we all looked back to her, she focused her intense gaze on Pinkie. I followed that gaze and saw that Pinkie was staring back at Nightmare Moon in shocked disbelief.

"The Progenitor," the pink mare whispered, "so it's true then. That is how he did it, but wait... if she looked like you, then does that mean..." she frowned and looked from me to Nightmare Moon, then back to me again, her eyes growing wide enough to nearly pop out of her head and a giddy smile stretching across her muzzle, "wait... WAIT, SERIOUSLY?!"

"If you are indeed of his bloodline and Twilight Sparkle is indeed the new Vessel, then it would seem so," Nightmare Moon confirmed, somehow managing to look both grim and intrigued all at once, "frankly I would find the whole thing a horrible coincidence if I didn't believe that there was something much greater and much darker at work here."

I shared a confused glance with Rarity and Spike before turning back to Pinkie and Nightmare Moon.

"I'm sorry, but what's going on here?" I asked, "what's this about a 'progenitor'? And what do you mean the 'new Vessel'? Are you saying there was another pony that got possessed before me?"

"I suspect that only a certain pony can house the power of the Dead Goddess without either going mad or having their body destroyed," Nightmare Moon began, "looking at you, there is a strong possibility that the previous Vessel—a pegasus mare by the name of Shining Dawn—may have been an ancestor of yours, meaning that you and the pink one may possibly be rela—"

"SISTERS!" Pinkie squealed, pulling me into a tight hug, "you're not just my Goddess, you're also my sister! The Dead Goddess is my sister! Well, a billion times removed anyway... maybe? Is that how that works?" she pulled back and held a hoof to her chin in thought, then shook her head a second later, "ah that doesn't matter. What matters is that we're family!"

"I... but... but how?" I stammered, completely thrown off guard by the ridiculous turn of events, "even if I am descended from this 'Shining Dawn', how does that relate to Pinkie Pie?"

"Because Shining Dawn is the 'Progenitor', silly!" Pinkie explained, "none of my family knew exactly how Onyx Pie was able to continue our bloodline, but most of us figured there was some kind of ritual he used to create a progenitor of sorts using Skal-Gazaath's power. It was all just rumors and speculation, but now we know it's true!"

"And we're to just take Nightmare Moon's word for it, then?" said Rarity, eyeing the alicorn with distrust, "forgive for being a bit skeptical, but we have no reason to believe what this mare says just yet."

Rarity did have a point, but looking at Nightmare Moon, I got the sense that she wasn't lying, not about this. I could tell she was genuinely surprised by the set of circumstances in which she found herself—in which all found ourselves, and she had no reason to lie about something like this, none that I could think of anyway. Still, the idea that I could've been related to Pinkie in any way was ludicrous, but it was definitely something worth checking out when, or if, I got the chance.

"Believe what you want," Nightmare Moon replied with a dismissive snort, "it doesn't matter to me. More importantly..." her narrowed eyes once again settled on me as she spoke, "...the foul stench of the Black Dimension and her presence hangs heavy about you, and yet you remain unchanged in who you are as a pony," she took a step forward, "and I can feel that this is no simple ruse either. Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, how is this possible? How have you managed to hold back Skal-Gazaath's will so completely?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but stopped myself and looked to the other two ponies beside me. I'd been ignoring it up until now, but the strange nausea and sense of unease I'd felt hadn't gone away. If anything it had gotten worse because I knew now that while Nightmare Moon was involved in some way, she probably wasn't the cause of my distress. If what she'd said was true, and she had nothing to do with Celestia's disappearance, then why wasn't she here? Neither Rarity nor Pinkie had to say anything for me to know that they had no answers of their own to give, and I knew Spike didn't.

In the end, I decided to trust Nightmare Moon for now—or at least trust that she wouldn't suddenly attack me outright. She seemed to be just as hungry for answers as I was and I was hoping I could use that, so I chose to respond with the truth, or most of it anyway.

"I don't know all the details, but when I was... possessed, it seems like Skal-Gazaath lost her memories in the process. I don't have any of her memories at any rate," I explained, "from what I can gather, the transition into our world wasn't smooth, and instead of her taking over, I just... kind of lost my... sense of self?" I scrunched my face up in thought, "it's hard to explain. It was like I was an empty shell and didn't know who or what I was, but I regained memories over time, specifically of being Twilight Sparkle. Skal-Gazaath's memories never returned and still haven't, so... here I am."

"I see," Nightmare muttered before looking over my companions with a critical eye, "and yet her power bleeds through, and you've used it to obvious effect."

"That's... well..." I grimaced, "I didn't really know what I was doing at first. I only just found out what this ability actually was, and I don't even know if that's all I can do right now or not. There's still a lot I don't know, and you seem to know a lot about all of this, so I was hoping..."

I trailed off expectantly, but Nightmare Moon's cold predatory eyes were settled on Pinkie Pie, who waved back at her with a wide friendly smile. The alicorn frowned in response and turned back to me.

"Very well, Twilight Sparkle. I will share what I know, as there is much I wish to understand as well, and not just about this matter either," she raised her eyes to the sky above, silently watching the stars the shone through the opening of the roof, "...make no mistake, the return of a creature such as the one that resides within you is a catastrophe beyond measure, but it's also allowed me to stop and think."

"What do you mean?" I asked, both wary and curious, "think about what?"

"It's made me realize that I may have been too hasty in my approach," she replied quietly, "I will have my revenge, and I will take this country as my own, but I also have... many other things to consider as well," she fell silent again for a brief moment before lowering her eyes back down to look at me, "but first and foremost, I must consider what to do about you and your... friends. I've thought of putting an end to you while the Dead Goddess sleeps, but that may make the situation significantly worse than it already is, and so there must be understanding before action can be taken."

Relief flooded through me at those words, but it was short-lived, buried under all the other worries and questions that remained. Nightmare Moon's next statement didn't help matters either.

"Though I'd planned on using this gathering to make my grand entrance, I'm aware that it was meant for my sister," Nightmare Moon said after a quiet moment, "and though I despise the mare with a passion that burns brighter than her own accursed sun, I can't help but wonder at her absence," she cast an idle glance around the hall before looking at me, "if I know Celestia—and I do know Celestia, she wouldn't simply abandon her subjects in their hour of worship."

"I had nothing to do with her not showing up!" I replied immediately, not liking the accusation in her eyes, "I thought you'd done something to her. I don't know why she's not here, or where she could possibly be."

"Hm, well I suppose that can wait for now," she replied in an almost dismissive tone, "more importantly, there is somewhere I'd like to go, and I want you and the pink one to accompany me there."

"Hey! I have a name y'know!" Pinkie cried indignantly, "I told you, I'm Pinkie Pie! Ponyville's premier—"

"You've not yet told me everything, Twilight Sparkle," Nightmare interjected, "and if we're to solve the rest of this mystery and possibly prevent the end of all things as we know it, you must tell me everything, and quickly," she frowned and turned away from all of us. Her next words were subdued, but still audible, "and we must find Celestia, loathed as I am to do so. A horrible premonition is beginning to claw its way into my mind when I think of that mare."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I said nothing. I had already felt entirely the same about Celestia's disappearance, and deep down, I was rather heartened at the prospect that Nightmare Moon... that Princess Luna still cared for her sister in some fashion. There was an awkward bit of silence between all of us, a silence Spike was about to break before Nightmare Moon spoke again, turning just enough to look watch me out of the corner of her eye.

"I will be waiting for you at the ruins of my old castle deep in that old forest," she explained, lighting up her horn, "leave the dragon and your other thrall behind and come only with the pink one."

"I told you, my name is—"

"They're not my—"

Our words fell on deaf ears as Nightmare Moon vanished with a sharp crack.

Chapter XVII – Resonance

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The four of us stood together in the echoing silence of the empty hall for a good long moment, but the silence didn't last long as Pinkie finally spoke.

"Well, that was rude," Pinkie groused, pursing her lips in a mock pout, "what's so hard about calling ponies by their name? I mean seriously, 'the pink one'?"

"What are you planning to do?" Rarity asked, ignoring Pinkie's complaint entirely in favor of addressing me, "I understand the need for answers—I'd quite like some myself as it happens, but surely you don't plan to proceed on her terms? We still don't know anything about her, and I personally don't trust her motives."

I considered Rarity's worries, but before I could respond, Spike hopped off my back and turned his draconic green eyes toward me, his own worried frown making itself clear on his face.

"I'm kinda with Rarity on this one, Twilight," he said, glancing in the white mare's direction before looking back at me, "I'm glad Nightmare Moon decided not to attack us and all, but I don't like anything about this situation. Something still feels wrong, and I feel like it'll get worse if you and Pinkie go alone. Even Nightmare Moon has a bad feeling about all this. Nightmare Moon, Twilight!"

"Aw, there's no real need to worry!" Pinkie chimed in with a cheerful smile that fell an instant later as she continued, "...is what I'd like to say, but I'm pretty sure we can all see that proverbial ominous thundercloud in the sky," she paused a second and the smile returned, more subdued but encouraging nonetheless, "but no matter what happens, I'm sure Twilight will pull through when it counts."

I grimaced at that.

I wanted to be heartened by her words, and to an extent I was, but I didn't have as much confidence in my ability to handle what might come next. Sure, there was this unfathomable power hiding inside, but again, it wasn't mine to wield, nor did I want or know how to. I would've continued dwelling on my anxious thoughts if it weren't for the soft white hoof on my shoulder and Rarity's reassuring smile.

"Pinkie's right, dear," she said, "I may have my misgivings about everything that's transpired and might possibly transpire in the near future, but I also have faith in you—not just the Goddess within you, but you, Twilight Sparkle. I know you're a capable mare, I can feel it."

"Darn right she is!" Spike added, giving my leg a hearty slap, "she is Princess Celestia's student after all. You gotta be a capable pony to pull that off."

The positivity proved to be too much, and despite the stress and anxiety, I couldn't help the warm smile that crossed my face at their words.

"Thanks, all of you," I replied, "that... that means a lot, and I'll try not to let you down," my smile faded, replaced by a worried and thoughtful frown, "but Nightmare Moon is right. I don't think we have the time to stand around deliberating on what the best course of action is right now."

"So what do you propose, darling?" Rarity asked, then frowned as she read my motives, "you're going with Pinkie then?"

I nodded.

"Nightmare Moon is just as worried as we are, and like she said, harming me might not be in her best interest... it might not be in any of our best interests," I swallowed nervously at the thought, but quickly pushed it aside and continued, "I think we can trust that she'll keep her word at least, and it'll probably be easier to just do as she says."

"What about me and Rarity?" Spike asked as he, crossing his arms and frowning in dissatisfaction, "what are we supposed to do in the meantime?"

I gave that some thought but didn't have to think long before I came up with an answer. With an idea in mind, I reached out to my unnatural senses and pulled at the invisible bonds that connected me and the other three mare's I'd changed. Without a sound, the familiar forms of Minuette, Lemon Hearts, and Twinkleshine appeared before me.

"Hey there, Goddess! It's been a while!" Minuette chirps immediately, "you gotta call us more often. It gets pretty boring in that hospital."

"Not that it's been all that boring recently," Lemon Hearts muttered before speaking a bit louder, "but it is good to see you again, my G—ah, Twilight."

"The ponies in the hospital, and really all over Canterlot are all super nervous about something, and we can feel it too, like something horrible is about to happen," Twinkleshine said, looking around with a concerned grimace before turning to me, "did something happen?"

"Well, yes, but what happened isn't the reason ponies are worried. We don't really know what the reason is just yet, but I think we'll find out soon," I replied, "I don't exactly have time to explain, but I need your help," I nodded towards Spike and Rarity, "I need you three to help Rarity and Spike find Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy."

"Can do!" Minuette replied with a mock salute, a salute that faltered a second later as confusion set in, "and... who are they again?"

"Rarity?" I began, turning to the mare in question.

"I'll inform them of the details, darling," Rarity replied with a wave of her hoof, "don't you worry about that. Spike and I will be just fine with these three, you and Pinkie just focus on sorting this mess out and make sure to summon us if you need help, we'll be there in a literal instant."

"I know you will," I replied with a small smile. I looked down to see Spike looking more than a little queasy, "Spike? Are you okay?"

"Well, that depends, Twi," Spike answered, looking between Rarity and the other three mares that had just arrived, "am I gonna have to teleport again?"

I gave the drakeling a bemused frown before realization dawned on me and I remembered the last time I teleported with him in tow. I looked up at Rarity and the mare winced before giving Spike an apologetic smile.

"I'm afraid there may be a bit more warping about than you'd like," Rarity answered for me, "I'm sorry, Spike. Just try to bear with it for now," she leaned down close and batted her eyelashes at the baby dragon, "for me?"

I raised an eyebrow at the gesture, but it seemed to work strangely enough if Spike's goofy grin and stammered agreement was anything to go by. I'd honestly thought Spike had gotten over his crush when Rarity became... what she became, thanks to me, but it looked as though her looks and charm had won out in the end. With that taken care of, I turned back to the others.

"I'm not sure why, but something is telling me we all need to stick together," I explained. I hesitated, then frowned and looked each of the newly arrived mares in the eye, "and that means all of you. No more hiding in the hospital for you three. Whatever's coming, I think we all need to be prepared, and I'd rather have you all by my side."

That got a grateful smile out of each of the mares, though Twinkleshine's smile faded first and she looked up and away, her expression wistful and a bit sad.

"I just wish Moon Dancer was here with us. Like us," she said in a quiet, almost absent tone. She lowered her gaze back to me, "if you don't mind, Twilight, could you Awaken her when... if you get a chance? She was probably pretty broken up when none of us showed up at her party, and I don't want to leave her out anymore."

The request hit me like a ton of bricks, not just because I'd essentially have to kill Moon Dancer to accomplish the task, but—and more importantly at the moment—I'd completely forgotten about the mare. To be fair I literally wasn't in my right mind at the time, but that fact did nothing to quell the rapidly rising guilt.

"I... I'll find some time to explain the situation to her," I decided, "if she wants to—and only if she wants to go through with the... process, then I'll do it, but we need to focus on the here and now."

Aside from a few nods and one-worded agreements, nopony said anything else on the matter. They all knew how I felt about it through the bond, but I still couldn't bring myself to return Twinkleshine's sad, knowing smile.

"So... what should we do once we find the others?" Spike asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence, "do we meet up with you, Pinkie and Nightmare Moon?"

"Nightmare who?" Lemon Hearts asked with a quizzical frown.

"I'll tell you later, dear," Rarity offered before turning to me, "but Spike does pose a good question, Twilight, and not only that but do you even know where this 'old castle' is? I know you and Pinkie can handle whatever it throws at you, but the Everfree Forest is a rather large place and you may get lost."

"Oh that won't be a problem," Pinkie replied with a dismissive wave, "trust me."

Everypony looked at Pinkie Pie, but she elaborated no further and I chose not to pry. I did trust Pinkie, and there were more concerning things to worry about... like Rainbow Dash.

"Once you find any of the ponies in question, bring them back here to Town Hall and let me know. I'll... figure out what to do from there," I finally answered, then grimaced, "and... whoever finds Rainbow Dash, be careful. I don't know what she'll do or how she'll react, so regardless of what happens or what state you find her in, let me know immediately," I looked over to Rarity, "did Nightmare Moon—"

"Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are both safe," Rarity interjected, already aware of my other worries, "they're all with the other ponies that got teleported by Nightmare Moon."

"Good," I replied with a small sigh of relief, "well, I guess that's it then. You all know what to do, so do it fast, be safe, good luck... and thank you... all of you," I gave them all one last grateful smile, one they all returned, then I looked over to Pinkie, "are you ready, Pinkie?"

"Pfft, ready?" Pinkie scoffed, rolling her eyes, "we're already here!"

I blinked, then looked around and saw that, sure enough, we were at the edge of the Everfree Forest. My mouth dropped open in shock and I turned back to Pinkie.

"When did you..." I paused, and shook my head, "you know what? Never mind," I took another look at the thick line of trees before us and found myself shivering involuntarily. There was something very wrong about the forest and it only added to the nausea I was still trying to ignore. As I observed the trees, a thought came to me and looked back over to Pinkie, "why didn't you send us straight to the old castle? You said it wouldn't be a problem."

"Yeeeaaahh, it wasn't supposed to be a problem," came Pinkie's slow, unsure reply as she eyed the trees with a worried frown, "this was as far as I could take us for some reason," she gave me a shrug and a nervous chuckle, "looks like we're hoofin' it."

I didn't like this.

The situation was already bad, but I knew things were going to get much worse the moment I stepped into that forest. I'd gone from feeling nausea and uneasy to feeling outright sick, and now I could sense something stirring in the back of my mind, something that wanted desperately to break free, but couldn't. I looked at Pinkie and she returned my look. The cheer wasn't there anymore, and in its place was the same unsettled and sick expression that I probably wore.

"We can't just leave and ignore this, Twilight," Pinkie said suddenly, her voice quiet and worried, but nevertheless resolute, "there's something nasty in there, but we have to go."

I continued to stare at her for another long few seconds, but ultimately I agreed with her. Whatever the source of the problem was, it was somewhere in that forest, possibly in the castle with Nightmare Moon. As much as I wanted to turn the other way, I knew I needed to go in there and finally get my answers, and maybe some help. I gave Pinkie a slow nod and together we made our tentative trot towards and past the threshold that separated Ponyville and the Everfree Forest.

The moment I entered the forest I heard a shrill scream and everything fell away from me.

The scream was so close, it could've been Pinkie's or it could've been mine, but it didn't matter either way. The only thing that was left of me was a sudden and agonizing pain. Everything else was deep Darkness and brilliant starlight.

Then the images came.

Flashes of things I'd never seen before, nor had I ever wanted or asked to see. Dark shapes, twisted and hideous monsters in the endless shadows of a nightmare world far removed from my own lay before my mind's eye. A vast land ravaged by a violent war, a grand and destructive war once fought by beings that fell outside equine comprehension. Beyond the swirling black horizon of stars, I could see the silhouette of a massive structure—something impossible in its size and perverse in its construction, blasphemous even.

The images of this alien world assaulted me one after another in rapid succession, but against my will, and despite the horrible pain, I clung to each and every sight. There was much in this world that I saw, and much of it would've twisted and broke the minds of lesser beings, myself included, but I found it all oddly... nostalgic—familiar in a way that felt like home. As that feeling of familiarity grew, the agony began to ebb, and with it, I could feel myself slipping away again.

Eventually, the images faded altogether and my world was once again reduced to endless Darkness and brilliant starlight. The stars began to spin in my fading vision, and it wasn't long before everything disappeared completely, leaving me with feelings of both lingering dread and absolute peace.

And then... nothing.

Nothing but a voice.

A voice?

A scream in the distance, feminine in nature.

Mine?

No, it wasn't my voice, but it was growing closer, more defined and recognizable. It wasn't a wordless scream, but rather a repeated cry of something, some word I couldn't make out.

What is it? What is she saying? I can't understand...

I strained my ears, desperate to hear what was being said, and eventually, the voice became clear enough to hear.

"...ight!"

...Light?

"Twilight!"

Wait... I know that voice, and that word... that name... but... that's not my name. My name is... it's—

"TWILIGHT!"

A groan escapes my lips as I instinctively try to open my eyes, though I quickly shut them against the blindingly bright light of the world beyond my eyelids.

Where is my castle?

Where is my Darkness?

What is this light?

"Twilight!" the high-pitched voice spoke again in a panic, "Twilight, can you hear me?"

I tried to open my eyes again, more slowly this time and with a lot more blinking. The light came again, but it was a bit more bearable, and after a few more seconds I could finally see my surroundings. Thick foliage made up the majority of the scenery in my vision. As more of my senses returned, I could feel rough soil and upraised roots digging into my hide, and the strong smell of damp earth, rotting leaves, and the wild and natural magic that filled the air.

Magic?

Yes... I can smell magic... and something else... something foul and sinister... like the scent of an old foe...

I felt wrong, like a stranger in my own skin, but I also felt powerful, more so than I ever had before. I felt like I could do anything—make any idea a reality. I heard the other voice again, but I ignored it as I tried to rise to my...

Hooves?

"...Twilight?"

The voice was quieter now, more nervous and unsure. I stood up and turned in its direction, and was met with the worried expression of a pink equine with bright blue eyes and an impossibly curly mulberry colored mane. I narrowed my eyes and frowned at the creature standing before me. In a world that felt both terribly alien and oddly recognizable, I could sense the comforting presence of the Darkness within it.

"Who... what manner of creature are you, and... where am I?"

The equine remained silent and furrowed its brow in thought, then its eyes lit up, as if with a sudden idea or realization. It approached me with a slow sort of caution, keeping its face neutral all the while. A sudden impulse to crush the impudent being where it stood filled me, but another voice that I knew was not entirely my own held that impulse at bay. I made no move as it neared me and remained silent as it stopped only a few inches away and stared deep into my eyes.

"My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, your faithful Servant, your distant sister, and your friend. This is not your home, this is not the Darkness of the Black Dimension, and you are not who you think you are... not entirely."

Confusion was my first reaction to the words the equine spoke, but before I could voice my bewilderment, the words clicked, and the voice that was not entirely my own rose to the surface, filling the nearly empty basin that was my mind with names and other words that meant nothing and everything all at once.

Pinkie Pie.

Princess Celestia.

Nightmare Moon.

Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Minuette, Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine, Equestria, Canterlot, Ponyville, the Everfree Forest...

Skal-Gazaath

Twilight Sparkle.

Two minds sharing one body.

An almighty eldritch Goddess that ruled over a nightmarish dimension of horrors and a prodigious unicorn mare living the comparatively simple life of a Princess's protègè. It should've been impossible, and yet, in that moment, the memories of the mare known as Twilight Sparkle returned in a vicious torrent. Thoughts and histories clashed in a chaotic battle, and somewhere in the distance, a ragged scream could be heard.

For a time, there was no 'I', there was no 'me', and there was no 'my'. There were instead two voices, two souls, two minds, and they fought an unseen but violent battle for dominance. The fight wouldn't last very long, for what simple mortal mind could hope to win a battle against the ancient mind of an immortal Goddess? There could only be one outcome, and for a brief moment, it seemed the clash was at an end with the Goddess as the obvious victor.

Then, just as the mental battle was coming to a close, something unexpected happened.

The two warring minds found common ground.

It was only a single thought, a single memory shared between the two, but it was enough to shake the very foundation of both psyches. Both beings desperately latched onto that one shared memory, the Goddess having long forgotten it over countless eons of existence, and the mare unwilling to let such a precious treasure go. It was that single memory that allowed the two minds to resonate, to harmonize, to realize that even across the unfathomable distance of time and space...

...those two minds had once been one.

Just as quickly as it had been undone, my world was once again restored, or rather, rebuilt. I was changed utterly and immutably, but while there were still large bits and pieces of my memory that eluded me, I finally knew for certain who I was—who I'd always been. At some point, I'd fallen to the ground again, but this time it was much easier for me to recover. As I stood back up, I opened my eyes and turned to Pinkie who beamed back at me, any and all traces of worry gone from her smiling face. I could feel the subtle and not-so-subtle changes that marked my body from both within and without, but that didn't matter right now.

All that mattered was the knowledge that I was, without a doubt, Twilight Sparkle.

Interlude – Return of the King

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Everfree Castle, or as it was once known by the citizens of the once-great city of Everfree, the Castle of the Two Sisters.

It was a grand structure back in Luna's time, but as glorious as the castle itself was, time did nothing to preserve it. Nevertheless, it stood as a monument to the past—reduced to nothing more than old ruins, but defiant nonetheless. The same couldn't be said for the city that once surrounded it, as any and all structures that had been built were either completely gone or mostly buried beneath the earth. All that was left was an overgrown forest saturated with magic that had been twisted and ripened with age, like a rotten fruit.

It had naturalized and more or less infused itself into the forest, causing a strange and menacing effect on the flora and even some of the fauna. It was no wonder ponies stayed away from the Everfree, with its ominous air, ever-present gloom, and dangerous plants and animals. To most ponies, it was simply a place to be avoided at all costs, to Luna, it was a tragic reminder of a millennia she'd never get back, and to Nightmare Moon, it was more fuel to keep the fires of her hatred for the one that wronged her burning strong.

The fact that the forest existed at all was bad enough, but now there was something else here, something that didn't belong—something that wasn't here when Nightmare Moon had first returned from her namesake. She felt its presence immediately upon teleporting back to the castle ruins, and the utter foulness and malevolence of its aura nearly made her retch on the spot. It sucked the air from her lungs, leaving her gasping for breath for a few moments. Eyes wide and alert, the alicorn searched the area for any sign of the source but saw nothing, and yet the cloying aura of that wretched place filled every corner of the castle.

It was far stronger here than it had been when she was standing before the Vessel.

"This doesn't make any sense," Nightmare muttered to herself as she continued to scan the ruined throne room, "this aura is so pungent, it's almost as if a gate to the Black Dimension has opened in this very castle, but that shouldn't be possible, not unless..."

She stopped herself as a thought came to mind.

It would be entirely possible if Skal-Gazaath had managed to take over the Vessel, and there was every possibility that such a scenario could come to pass at any moment.

"Perhaps I should've destroyed her after all," Nightmare mused aloud, "but no, that wouldn't be wise, and something tells me this isn't entirely the Vessel's doing, but then what could be—"

A sudden scream ripped through the forest, piercing the relative silence of the night and sending shivers down Nightmare Moon's spine. It didn't last long and was cut short only a few seconds later, but the effect it had on the dark alicorn was profound. The ripples it sent through the thaumic field made it clear it was no normal scream, and if Nightmare Moon had to guess, it was most likely the Vessel's doing, meaning something had happened.

"Could it... no!" Nightmare hissed, "I was too late!"

There was no doubt in her mind that Nightmare Moon's worst fear since finding out there was another Vessel had come true. She could already feel the thaumic field around her beginning to fray from the constant pressure of the 'Other Side', and that otherworldly scream of agony had only destabilized it all the more. There was still much Nightmare Moon didn't know about the Black Dimension or how it worked, but she wasn't completely ignorant either thanks to Onyx Pie's journal.

She still remembered all of what she'd read and that, combined with her own knowledge of the thaumic field that enveloped all of Equis, told her that if the Black Dimension continued to encroach upon its brighter counterpart, it really would be the end of civilization as everypony knew it. Nightmare Moon didn't know exactly what would happen, and though she'd claimed to be too late, what could she do really? She'd only just returned from a one thousand year imprisonment in the moon, and she'd long since abandoned her research into the Black Dimension before that. Her plan had been to discuss matters with the Vessel and come up with a way to prevent the very catastrophe that was becoming more and more imminent.

Now she had no plan, and not just Equestria, but the entire world would suffer a horrible fate, whatever it may have been. So caught up in her feelings of frustration, fear and helplessness was Nightmare Moon that she didn't notice the thick bright blue tendril squirming and twisting just beneath her vision until it was wrapped around her throat. She let out a choked gasp just as another one joined it, then another, and several more. Before the mare even had time to comprehend the sudden and violent change in her situation, the ropy blue limbs had already wrapped themselves around her tall black form and held her fast.

Her magic flared to life only briefly, her horn sparking feebly before snuffing itself out with a painful crack. She didn't know if it was the instability of the field or something else entirely, but it was clear she wasn't going anywhere, at least, nowhere that she wanted to go. She tried to cry out, to ask what this was all about, to demand the culprit show itself, to scream her fury at being caught off guard and her fear of what the near future held, but her voice, along with her breath couldn't escape through the crushing grip of the tendrils wrapped around her throat.

CLOSE... SO CLOSE... THE THRONE... MY THRONE...

The voice wrapped around Nightmare Moon's mind much like the tendrils did her body. They stabbed at her thoughts and blocked out the rest of her world. She hardly even noticed as more tentacles slithered their way out of the ground around her. The words continued to fill every ounce of her as she was slowly dragged into the waiting maw of the black gate that had oozed into existence and taken the place of the floor below.

MY TIME... HAS COME... HER REIGN... IS AT AN END...

I HAVE WATCHED...

I HAVE WAITED...

FOR FAR TOO LONG...

Nightmare Moon's vision began to fade as the lack of oxygen took its toll, but the voice refused to let her go. Its claws dug deeper into her mind and kept her conscious even as the writhing, pulsing tendrils slowly choked the life out of her. As she sank further and further into depths unknown, she found her scattered thoughts focusing on the one mare she'd sworn her undying vengeance against. She saw that radiant face in her mind's eye and in her final moment of weakness, the rage and hatred gave way to deep sorrow, horrible regret, and a longing for days long since lost to time.

It was when that serene image of the sister she both loved and hated in equal measure began to speak that sorrow, regret and longing were washed away, replaced by horror so profound it robbed her of any remaining thoughts.

And now the wait is nearly over... come join me, sister... let us wait just a bit longer...

Yes... just a little longer...

In that bottomless Darkness, Celestia's warm, inviting smile was the last thing Nightmare Moon saw, her words the last thing she heard before all her senses were swallowed up and lost to the void. Elsewhere in the distance, another agonized cry rang out across the forest, and just for a brief moment, the world itself seemed to tremble.

Chapter XVIII – A Fatal Collapse

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I could hear them.

The vicious howls, the horrifying shrieks, the guttural screams and spine-chilling growls of those unspeakable things which dwelt just beyond the boundaries of this world. I could feel their claws and teeth and tendrils ripping and biting and slithering against the brittle wall that separated Equestria and its innocent inhabitants from the horrors of the 'Other Side'.

They were desperate to finally escape the confines of the Black Dimension, eager to let loose, eager to run wild and tear the life out of this beautiful place like beasts gone mad, and that's what they were when it came right down to it. Mad beasts, driven insane by a level of violence and cruelty that transcended mortal understanding. Now that I was whole, I could remember a time when that wasn't always the case. The Black Dimension, the 'Other Side', it had never been a pleasant place to live, but there had once been peace of a sort, many eons ago, before I arrived from an Equestria brought to ruin by my own hooves and took the Throne for myself.

Yes... I had been the Usurper, I was the Defiler, the Warbringer, the Mad Scholar, and the holder of many other infamous titles besides—the most infamous of which was Skal-Gazaath, the 'Dead Goddess who Grants Life'. I had not given myself that name; it was a name given to me by a creature or creatures I couldn't remember for a feat that I also had no memory of, and at some point, I simply accepted it as my new identity. It was a name that surely meant something once, but was now nothing more than a symbol of the literal monster that I'd become.

I was the one who ripped asunder the fragile peace that had been so carefully and painstakingly crafted by the Ancient King who ruled before me. I fully believed, and still believe to this day, that knowledge is power, and so in my ruthless quest for knowledge, I became one of the many villains my friends and I had spent most of our lives using the power of the Elements to take down... only I was much, much worse. I gained the power of the Throne, and with it, complete dominion over the Black Dimension.

Somewhere along the way, my search for knowledge had become a mad bid for power, and somehow—through means I can't even remember—I had come out on top. I had all the power I could possibly ask for, I'd gained countless pawns and pets and had even forced the only one who never abandoned me, the only one who remained closest to me even as I became an absolutely vile and abhorrent monster, into nothing more than a Servant whose name and face both he and I had forgotten along with my own.

And now, compared to that, I had nothing. Though I don't know how he managed to do it, I knew my displacement into the mind of a Twilight Sparkle from another time and place was not an accident. I knew he was at fault, and I even knew why he did it, but as much as I remembered, there was still much of my memory that was missing, including one very important bit of memory that I need to recover as soon as possible.

I recalled enough to know that I'd hidden the Throne here in the White Dimension well over a millennium ago, but I couldn't remember where or even what it was. In the midst of a struggle I was beginning to lose against the Ancient King, I'd come up with a plan that I foolishly thought was fool-proof, but somehow he'd known. Somehow Nel-Baloth had gotten wind and had compromised that plan, and now I couldn't remember some of the most crucial parts of what I'd intended to do.

I knew it had something to do with that desperate stallion I'd met all those years ago, but the details still escaped me, and if I didn't find it soon, I knew without a doubt that he would, and this world would suffer cataclysmic consequences as a result. If he reclaimed the Throne, then I'd be powerless to stop him, for while I was grateful to be of one mind and mostly equine on the outside again, it was for this very reason that he sent me here in the way that he did. In the process of merging two minds into one, I had recovered the 'me' that I abandoned literal ages ago and as a result, I was far more 'Twilight Sparkle' than 'Skal-Gazaath', both in mind and body.

I was now a walker of both the White and Black Dimensions, and could make use of 'thaumic' and 'odic' energy—White Dimensional and Black Dimensional magic respectively. To my frustration, however, I found that this change actually made me weaker in comparison to how I'd been before. I was still far, far above any being that existed in the White Dimension, and even most things that existed in the Black Dimension, but I could constantly feel the pressure from both 'Sides' pressing in on me like a collapsing star. As I was now, I might barely be a match for the Ancient King without the Throne, and if he obtained it, that would be it.

The brittle wall holding those mad beasts back would shatter, and the horror of the Black Dimension would become Equestria's new reality.

"And it would be my fault in the end, wouldn't it?" I muttered to myself with a self-deprecating smile. It fell into a serious frown as I imagined the gruesome picture, "...I can't let that happen. I won't, not this time, not when I've been given a second chance."

There were some things I could infer based on what I did remember about my life as Skal-Gazaath, but much of the important pieces of that life were still missing. It was frustrating, but I had other problems to keep me busy, and I could dig deeper once Equestria wasn't on the brink of total annihilation... or worse. I didn't want to believe it was too late to stop what was coming, but if I didn't find out what I'd done with the Throne...

"Hmmm... that's weird..."

I looked down to see Pinkie frowning at the forest around her. Evidently, she'd gotten over the physical changes I'd gone through pretty quickly, though to be fair, the changes to my outward appearance weren't all that shocking, considering what my form had been back when I was more Skal-Gazaath than anything else. I was more or less the spitting image of Celestia in appearance if Celestia had dark violet fur, a pitch-black mane and tail that was more violent twisting and writhing than it was graceful flowing and waving, and a few other oddities.

The most standout features in my personal opinion were my irises, which both bore the amethyst colored shape of a six-pointed star much like my original cutie mark, and my cutie mark itself, which still retained its shape of a six-pointed star, but thinner, pitch-black like my mane and tail, and surrounded by a thick black ring. My horn was also more akin to what Chrysalis had atop her head than an actual alicorn's horn, at least in its shape if not its color and composition. To the 'me' that had existed in this timeline, the wings were a new addition, but to the other 'me'—the older 'me'—they'd been there ever since I'd transcended to alicornhood, long before I... did whatever I did to ascended past that.

I turned my thoughts back to Pinkie just as she noticed me looking at her. She grimaced in bemusement as she spoke, a hint of worry in her voice to go with the confusion.

"With that crazy transformation you went through, you'd think Rarity and the others would come popping right in to see what was going on," Pinkie explained, "I just thought it was weird that they didn't."

Pinkie was right, that was strange, and it wasn't just them either. I hadn't heard or felt anything from my Servant or Belzot Magh in some time, nor could I feel Rarity's presence anywhere in the White Dimension. A thousand questions and possibilities flew through my mind and a deep sense of dread grew with each thought that passed by. Before I could voice my concerns, I felt a shift in the thaumic field around me and turned to my left just in time to see Minuette pop into existence before me, her panicked expression briefly morphing into one of surprise, then awe as took in my appearance.

"Whoa," she muttered before shaking her head, "wait, no, focus. Problems. We got big ones, my... Goddess?"

She looked at me questioningly, and I gave a quick shake of my head and frowned.

"Still just Twilight, Minuette," I replied, my voice coming out a bit deeper and with an odd whispery undertone, but otherwise unchanged, "what's going on? What kind of problems?"

Given the cracks I felt forming in the barrier between dimensions, I had my suspicions, but I waited for Minuette to confirm them, and confirm them she did.

"So I was looking for those other mares like you told me to, right? And I found some of the other ponies in town just kind of wandering around looking lost and confused and scared out of their minds. Then I heard this scream and turned to see this... it was like..." she made wild gestures with her hooves, trying to find the right words, "it was like the air ripped itself open and these... these things started pulling ponies in! It's happening all over town!"

My eyes narrowed, but other than that I kept my face calm if a bit troubled. Inside, whatever passed for my heart was pounding hard. Now that I was listening I could hear the horrified and in some cases, bloodcurdling screams coming from Ponyville, reaching my senses out further, I could hear the same thing happening all the way in Canterlot, and I was sure it didn't stop there. The wall that separated this reality from what lay beyond was finally starting to break down, and I was too late to stop it.

My transformation had most likely been the breaking point, which meant that this too was my fault. There was certainly another very specific party responsible I had no doubt, but I also had a hoof in this outcome, unintentional or otherwise. I shared a quick glance with Pinkie, whose grimace deepened slightly, before turning back to Minuette.

"Where's Rarity and Spike?" I asked, burying my guilt beneath a mask of confidence and command with surprising ease, "and the others? Did any of you find the girls I told you to look for?"

"That's the thing," Minuette replied nervously, "not only did we not find the girls you had us look for but Rarity and Spike and the others... they were also pulled into those rips in the air. As far as I know, I'm the only one who's still here out of all of us... and Pinkie I guess."

A flare of anger and panic rose in me and I cursed inwardly before slamming my eyes closed. I'd wondered why I'd felt the need to gather those girls together before, but now I knew exactly why I needed them. Deep down I guess I'd always known why, even back before I came to Ponyville in this timeline.

I couldn't lose them, not Rarity, not Spike, nor Applejack, Fluttershy... or Rainbow Dash.

Even if the rest of equinity were wiped out, none of them could fall to the horrors of the Black Dimension.

Not them, I wouldn't allow it.

I let my own consciousness drift out through the bond I shared with Rarity, letting the bond lead me right to where she was. It didn't take before I found her, and with little effort, I pushed myself into her mind. When I next opened my eyes I was looking through her own, and what I saw nearly made my 'heart' stop.

"Sweetie Belle?" I whispered in a shaky voice, "Sweetie... please... your sister's here for you... she's sorry she couldn't get to you sooner... b-but she's here now... everything is going to be okay, alright? Just hold on a little longer..."

I continued to whisper and mutter assurance to my screaming sister, completely ignoring everything else around me. I ignored the broken, torn and bloody remains of the massive beast behind me as I shushed and cooed comforting words, I ignored the black red-stained claws that replaced my original limbs as I gently pulled my sister close, I paid no heed to the gruesome changes that had taken hold of me, even as my perfectly hooficured hooves, pristine white coat and purple mane eventually returned.

The screams of dying and changing ponies were muted and distant in my ears, the dark alien world I'd followed Sweetie into was irrelevant. The monsters attacking those screaming ponies meant nothing to me. Sweetie Belle was still alive—severely injured and slowly changing into something wholly inequine, but alive, and that's all that mattered right now.

That was the only thing that mattered.

"It's... it's okay, Sweetie," I continued, "just fight through the pain... it'll all be over soon and then we can get you some help," I smiled a brittle smile, "my Goddess is with me even now, she'll know exactly what to do. She can fix this... she can help you... she can save all of us, I know she will..."

Only for an instant did I allow my attention to leave Sweetie Belle as I turned my gaze inward, my mind's eye fixed on the Goddess watching me.

"She's just that kind of Goddess... just that kind of mare... right, Twilight?"

I pulled my consciousness back with a gasp and threw open my eyes. A torrent of emotion slammed into me, rendering me momentarily speechless, but it was only for a brief moment and I quickly regained my composure, or most of it at least. Feelings of terror, guilt, regret, and a slew of other emotions still boiled just below the surface and thousands of questions whirled about in my head—several of them devoted to Spike's whereabouts—but just as before, I pushed them to the back of my mind and focused on the two mares waiting for me to say something.

"Minuette," I began quickly, "go back into town and try to save as many ponies as you can. If they're being pulled into the Black Dimension, do everything you can to pull them back. If something tries to stop you, do what you can to fight them off," I paused, thinking, "...I don't think I can fully stop what's coming now with the way things are, but I might have a way to mitigate the situation, just focus on saving ponies for now, and not just in Ponyville either."

"On it!"

And with that, the light blue mare vanished, leaving me and Pinkie alone in the Everfree. The moment she was gone, I searched my connection for Belzot Magh and my 'other' faithful assistant but received no response. I couldn't even feel their presence, which only brought more dread and an unexpected burst of anger. Keeping myself in check, I instead reached out to Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine. Thankfully I found them, though they were in more or less the same position as Rarity.

Without bothering to send forth my consciousness this time around, I gave them the same instructions as Minuette, albeit with the addendum that if they couldn't get the ponies back through the cracks in the thaumic barrier, then to defend them, starting with Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy if they could find them. Rainbow Dash was a different problem altogether and would need to be handled differently. I could now enter the Black Dimension at my leisure and try to save everypony myself, but as much as I wanted to rush to everypony's aid, it would accomplish little and would be a waste of precious time in the end if I couldn't stop Nel-Baloth from finding the Throne.

No, I had another plan.

It was a bit of a gamble, but if it worked, it would restore a least a little order and keep most, if not all of the remaining White Dimensional inhabitants safe, or at least sane in a world literally gone mad. With my message sent to Lemon Hearts and Twinkleshine, I then turned to Pinkie. In the interest of time, I informed her of my plan and intentions through the bond, sending the details in an instant. Her eyes widened and I could feel the questions coming back through the bond, but I only shook my head.

"If I still had the Throne I could do something," I replied to her unasked questions, "but as things stand, even with the power I do still have I can't stop the encroachment, not completely."

Besides, if my hunch was correct, then I'd need all the strength I could muster. If it was just me, I'm sure the barrier between worlds and the thaumic field, while weakened, would've held, but the presence of Ancient King and myself as I was now here in the White Dimension was allowing the influence of the Black Dimension to bleed through at a frankly ridiculous rate, and he was here. There was no mistaking that aura, and it was the strongest in the direction of the old castle.

Though she would have to wait a bit longer, I feared for Nightmare Moon; I fear it was already too late for her. I feared for the ponies of Ponyville, I feared for Celestia and my family back in Canterlot, I feared for the White Dimension because while one half of me wasn't even originally from this timeline, the other half was, and now that I was one 'whole', this place, this time, this world mattered to me. I may not have been able to completely stop the Black Dimension from taking over, but I sure as Tartarus wasn't going to let Nel-Baloth have his way either. Pinkie must've felt my conviction through the bond, because she nodded and smiled in approval, a smile I returned before the two of us vanished on the spot.

Together we reappeared in a cave hidden deep within in a gorge that split across part of the Everfree, a cave most likely unfamiliar to the pink earth pony, but one I knew quite well. Despite the dire situation we were in, I couldn't help but smile at Pinkie's expression of wonder and confusion as she gazed upon the sight that stood before both of us.

"Huh, now that's not something you see every day," Pinkie commented before looking to me, "so this is the shiny tree you were talking about?"

"It is," I replied, my smile once more falling into a serious frown. Frankly I was surprised Pinkie didn't know about this place, given how much she did know, but rather than wonder about that, I focused my gaze on the large crystalline tree sprouting from the earth as I gave the rest of my reply, "this, Pinkie, is the Cave of Harmony, and the tree you see before you is the Tree of Harmony."

It was as inert as it had ever been without the Elements to sustain it, but I was glad to see it was untouched by Discord's plunder vines. It seemed the draconequus was still frozen in stone in this Equestria, something I was also immensely grateful for, though I did wonder what would happen once the world was swallowed up by the 'Other Side'.

"I feel all tingly inside," Pinkie stated, falling to her haunches and rubbing her tummy with a bemused frown, "it feels nice, but it also doesn't."

I felt the same, and though I wasn't surprised Pinkie could feel it even with the way she was now, I was shocked that I felt the same way. Even in its powerless state, just being near the Tree was making me ill, but at the same time, I could feel a familiar warmth rise in my chest. I knew what it was, and I'd hoped for this outcome, but deep down I hadn't expected the Tree to accept me. I lost my claim to the Element of Magic long ago, and yet I could feel it inside me now, willing me to use it.

That alone told me this would work. It had to work.

"That's the power of Harmony, Pinkie... the power of Friendship... of Magic, of the Light and of Life. Not the mockery of Life that I've given to you and Rarity and the rest, but real life. Actual life," I explained, "the Tree is calling out to us, begging us to do what we can, or at least that's what I think. There is something I can do after all, but if we're going to do anything major we need the help of Rarity and the other girls. Until then..."

I fell silent as I took a few more precious seconds to reflect on my plan, as well as everything that had happened to me recently. I could hardly believe that all this madness had occurred over the course of one single day. It felt like I'd been dealing with all of this for days, weeks, months even, and it still wasn't over; in fact, it seemed like it was just the beginning of something far worse. Even if I were to turn back time, it would do nothing to stop the inevitable collapse. The Black Dimension didn't exactly adhere to many of the same rules that applied to the White Dimension, and that included the way time worked.

"Twilight? Equis to Twilight! Can you hear me?"

I pulled myself away from my thoughts and turned to see Pinkie wearing an expectant expression, eyebrow raised and head tilted slightly.

"'Until then' what?" she asked, "what are you gonna do?"

I didn't know whether to frown or smile at the question, so I simply turned back to the Tree. I'd already more or less explained the basics of the plan to her and even if I spend more time explaining to specifics, I wasn't sure if she'd understand, so I instead settled for a simpler answer.

"The same thing we all used to do together as friends in another time and place, Pinkie... try to save the world."

Chapter XIX – The End of the World

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I gave no further explanations to Pinkie, nor did I need to.

I knew what I had to do, and she assured me she more or less got the gist of it, so with no further words spoken between us I closed my eyes and reached far, far into the recesses of my mind—far back into a time before I fell. I reached out to the part of me that had once been considered a heroine alongside my friends, to the part of me that had once been the Princess of Friendship, and I felt that warmth within me grow stronger still.

As I delved into more of my distant past, my sense of inner peace began to grow, as did a pain that couldn't properly be described. I was successfully managing to draw upon the power of Harmony, but being the creature that I'd become, I was suffering for it. Still, I was fairly certain the feat would've been impossible if it hadn't been for my literal 'better half', the Twilight that had been part of this timeline. In trapping me within the mind of my younger, more innocent self, the Ancient King had weakened me, but he'd also given me access to a potentially powerful weapon against him.

But that was something to be considered in the case of the Ancient King reclaiming the Throne, and for me to even utilize the Elements of Harmony effectively, I'd need the help of my friends, though I had no way of calling upon my friends of old.

They were all dead, most likely by my hoof.

The pain of that thought, combined with the pain of harnessing the power of Harmony, was enough to make me falter, and my connection to the Tree wavered as a result. The warmth began to fade, overtaken by cold despair that suddenly seemed to smother me like a heavy blanket. In my sorrow and panic, I almost didn't notice the warm hoof that gently rested itself on my leg. I opened my eyes and turned to see Pinkie standing next to me, her smile radiant and encouraging. She didn't say anything; she didn't need to. Just that alone brought the memories back in a much more positive light, and I was able to continue.

I gathered every ounce of positivity I could muster, pulled every memory of my friends and I to the fore, and grit my teeth through the pain. I didn't falter again, and after what felt like ages, I finally reached deep enough to find the 'spark'. For a moment I simply stood there in equal parts awe and disbelief. It had been buried under countless millennia of ambition, violence, and cruelty, but it was still there. The Magic was there, and the feeling it was almost enough to bring me to tears, but then realization set in and tempered my emotions.

The 'spark' was there, I could feel the Element of Magic, but it didn't feel quite right. Something about it felt off, and though it took me a moment to figure it out, I eventually understood why. I had been mistaken this whole time, assuming the two minds had become one when in reality, the stronger, older mind had actually taken over the younger. I didn't notice it because I still had the memories of the Twilight from this timeline, but the only thing that had really changed aside from my physical form and lesser strength was my disposition. My twisted cruelty had been washed away by the memories of two timelines, but I was still the same mare from that ruined timeline in mind if not completely in body.

In any other circumstance, this wouldn't have mattered. Nopony would've known the difference; I hadn't even known the difference. Even in this circumstance, I'd still be able to do what needed to be done. For all intents and purposes, I was the Twilight from this timeline, but it seemed Harmony knew and acknowledged that I wasn't. This wasn't my 'spark', this wasn't my 'Magic', it was hers. It was her Element, it was her destiny, and though it allowed me to wield it, it was clear Harmony wouldn't allow me to forget that I'd taken that destiny away from the mare who was meant to bear it. The Twilight Sparkle from this timeline didn't exist anymore, and it was only through Harmony that I or anypony else could've possibly known.

Yet again I played the role of the Usurper, and I hadn't even realized it.

Yet again there was more to add to the unfathomably large pile of guilt for the things I'd done. It was almost enough to make me wish I hadn't regained my equinity, but at the same time, there was meaning in this development. The fact that I was able to regain my equinity at all spoke volumes of how much my own memories meant to me, and I couldn't help but wonder how I'd managed to toss them aside and commit the atrocities I had in the first place. Not only that but to be able to harness the power of the Element of Magic even when it wasn't mine to wield...

Why?

Why had Harmony allowed me something I clearly was no longer worthy of? Was it that desperate to protect itself and the creatures of Equestria and beyond? What if I relapsed back into an abominable tyrant? What if I went back to lusting after power and crushing those who got in my way? I didn't think I would now that I'd remembered myself, but there was always a chance, however small. If I'd fallen once, surely I was capable of going down that same path again?

It's because Harmony has faith that you won't, and so do I...

My eyes snapped open and I stared at the Tree in open-mouthed shock. There was a slight glow to it that hadn't been there a moment ago, but it was faint. I could've sworn I heard a voice, but as I listened, there was no sound other than the distant drip of water falling from the cavern ceiling.

Did I... imagine it?

A surprised gasp next to me caught my attention and I turned to see Pinkie staring at me, her eyes wide with wonder.

No... she's not looking at me...

"Twilight, I think the Tree gave you some kinda gift!" she cried, gesturing to her mane, "there was this small flash of light and something just plopped itself down on your noggin!"

"My..." I reached a hoof up to my head and sure enough, I found something sitting amidst my writhing mane, "wait... this is..."

I brought it down to my field of vision and was greeted to the sight of a very familiar tiara. In my hoof was none other than the physical manifestation of the Element of Magic. The star-shaped gem embedded in the tiara emitted a soft magenta glow, and the whole thing was warm to the touch and brimming with life and magic. Most importantly—and most surprisingly—it didn't hurt to touch it. Up until now, bringing forth the power of the Element of Magic had been an almost agonizing endeavor, but now, with the Element literally within my grasp, there was no pain.

Before I could puzzle over the matter for too long, the gem flashed blindingly bright for an instant before pulling itself out of the tiara before the tiara itself vanished again in another flash of light. Pinkie and I watched in silence as the Element rose in air by its own power and floated towards the Tree. It moved until it was level with the Tree's center, aligned itself with the star-shaped opening, and embedded itself snugly into the slot meant to hold it. The moment the Element of Magic was in place, the entire Tree seemed to erupt with newfound life, much like the gem itself had. The luminescence with which it glowed seemed to increase tenfold and despite the crumbling thaumic field and lack of the other Elements of Harmony, the Tree of Harmony practically embodied the very picture of health.

Again, even this close to such brilliance, the negative effects were negligible—at least in comparison to what I should've been feeling as a partial denizen of the Black Dimension. The most I felt was a vague sort of unease and an easily dismissable desire to distance myself from the Tree. I noticed that Pinkie was having even less trouble than I was. The mare 'ooh'd' and 'ahh'd' in wonder at the beauty on display, and after so long mired in Darkness and violence I couldn't help but share her sentiments, though I refrained from showing it in the same way. All my focus was on what would happen next; I had an idea, but I found it unlikely to be the case, but then...

Well... this is definitely a new experience...

My eyes again widened in surprise as the sound of a voice that was clearly once my own rang out, not just from the Tree of Harmony, but from seemingly everywhere at once. It filled the cave, bounced off the rock walls and into my mind. Bemusement and intrigue were both heavy in its tone and were both sentiments that I shared—sentiments that only increased in intensity as a corporeal image of a lavender alicorn flashed into existence in front of the Tree.

"Sweet Goddess of the Netherrealm!" Pinkie cried in surprise, "Twilight?!" she flipped her bewildered gaze between the ethereal alicorn looking itself over with an oddly academic type of interest, and myself as I stood there doing more or less the same thing in regards to the sight before me, "but... you... I—wha?! Huh?!"

I could understand Pinkie's reaction, and though I had a small idea of what may have occurred, it was still a shock to see the mirror image of the alicorn I used to be, appear as a separate entity that somehow had attached itself to the Tree of Harmony. At Pinkie's confused exclamation, the image of my original form looked up and smiled at the pink mare.

Hey Pinkie, it's good to see you again... though I never expected it would be like this. This is... strange...

"You're telling me!" Pinkie replied with a raised eyebrow. She looked the alicorn up and down before giving a dismissive shrug and a wide grin, "eh, I'm over it. I have no clue what's going on, but hey, the more Twilight the merrier, right?"

At that, the alicorn frowned and gave a significant glance in my direction.

I'm... not so sure about that to be honest, Pinkie... but still...

She took a deep breath as if preparing herself for some unpleasant or particularly strenuous task, then fully turned to face me, her expression unreadable.

I have a ton of questions, and I'm pretty sure you do too, but we don't have a lot of time right now so I'll have to make this explanation quick. There'll be more time for an in-depth conversation after everything... 'settles down' for lack of a better phrase.

Being of the exact same opinion, I simply nodded and motioned for my apparent counterpart to continue, all the while internally reeling from the fact that this was most likely the Twilight I thought I'd erased from existence.

As you probably already guessed, I'm the Twilight from this Equestria. When you tried and succeeded in taking over my mind and body, I didn't disappear. I'm... not exactly sure what happened, but somehow I, or rather my consciousness survived somewhere deep inside you, and from there I saw who you were, who you'd been, what you'd become... the horrible things you'd done. The horrible things I could've done if things were... just a bit different...

For a brief moment, the ethereal mare wore an agonized look but swallowed her pain before either Pinkie or I could say anything and moved on.

And before you ask, no, I can't tell you what parts of your memory are missing. There are clear gaps that I couldn't see beyond, but the important thing is that you returned to who you used to be. I meant it when I said I had faith that you would hold true to who you are now that you've found yourself again.

She gave me a warm smile then, a smile full of forgiveness that I obviously didn't deserve, but nevertheless appreciated more than I would've liked to admit.

You know what you've done and I know you regret it. The guilt alone nearly did crush me out of existence when I was still just a consciousness. As for me... I heard your plan and know what you want to do. I wanted to help, but I had no idea how... until you came to the Tree of Harmony.

"Question!" Pinkie cried, raising a hoof. When she had both our attention, she continued, her head tilted in confusion, "so if you're the Twilight from this Equestria and the Twilight from this Equestria was a unicorn, then why did you come back with wings?"

The other Twilight spread her wings in response and briefly eyed them with a bemused frown, before turning back to Pinkie.

I don't exactly understand all the mechanics behind what allowed me to come back and join with Harmony as the literal Element of Magic, and I don't really know why my corporeal manifestation is that of an alicorn, though I suppose it might have something to do with the memory of my other self's ascension...

Her frown deepened for a second, but she shook her head and continued on, though the bemusement remained.

In any case, I guess the Tree of Harmony heard my desire to help and... did something about it. As I am now, I can feel the power of Harmony—I can hear its voice. All things considered, I basically am the power of Harmony now, or at least part of it. I'm not sure of all the details just yet, but I know we need Pinkie, Rarity and the others to take up the Elements of Harmony before we can do any real world-saving.

"And if you're here, then where exactly do I fit in?" I asked with my own frown of bemusement, "I did have a plan that involved the Tree of Harmony and the Elements, but it didn't exactly count on your sudden reappearance as the Element of Magic. Now I'm stuck without any plan at all."

Given what you are and what you've done, you can't wield the Element of Magic—not on your own anyway, and that's where I come in. Like I said, I can hear the voice of Harmony. Believe it or not, it actually has its own plan, and it's not even that different from yours. I think I was drawn out because I have my own role, and yours is to gather the rest of the Elements—that is, the ponies that embody them.

That... seemed fair.

I was actually planning to do just that, whether I could get my plan to work or not. She paused and closed her eyes, her mouth turned down in a thoughtful frown.

You and the other Elements of Harmony are probably gonna have to do some gruesome things to survive, but... as long as the ponies who are meant to wield the Elements don't lose sight of who they are like you did, I'm sure Harmony will accept them. But you have to hurry. With the power of Harmony, I think... no, I know I can hold off the more severe effects of the Black Dimension's influence, but the Black Dimension can and will eventually corrupt Applejack and Fluttershy beyond saving if you take too long to find them.

Her expression turned somber, but her gaze never wavered from my own.

When you do... you might have to do what you did to Rarity and Pinkie... and the same goes for Rainbow Dash. I hope it doesn't come to that, but... well... things aren't gonna be easy for anypony anymore. I'm not happy with what's happened here—with what's happened to me. I don't want to be one with Harmony, not like this. I don't want this burden—before all this, I didn't even know anything like it was mine to bear, but I understand the necessity and I do want to help in any way I can. Even if I can never go back to the way I was before... even if I can't get my old body back and have to live my life as part of a mystical tree.

"Maybe you don't," I replied, looking back at the translucent mare thoughtfully, "if we can manage to stop the threat of the Ancient King and find some sort of stability between the opposing energies of the White and Black Dimensions, I might have a way to restore you to how you were."

If there were a way to do that, I'm sure you'd be able to pull it off. You might not hold the Element of Magic within you anymore, but with my body and your power, you've already managed to stabilize those opposing forces within yourself. We just have to apply that stability on a larger scale, and I think the Elements might be the answer.

Then she smiled at me and Pinkie. It was a strange smile full of equal parts hope, sorrow, regret, reassurance, and poorly hidden fear.

And who knows? Once this is over and if all goes well, you might just be able to wield the Element of Magic again.

"Perhaps," I replied diplomatically. I didn't believe for a second that it was a possibility, and I knew she didn't either, but it was a nice thought, "but I think it's about time we wrap this up. The influence of the Black Dimension is nearing its peak and ponies are still dying or going through some very horrible changes even as we speak."

Right, once Equestria and the rest of the world are fully engulfed in the Black Dimension, I'll still be here. After you've found the Elements, bring them back here and I'll take care of the rest. It might look like the Tree of Harmony is fully revived, but it's actually still very weak without the other Elements. There's only so much Harmony and I can do on our own, but while we can't protect every single pony or other creature from our own world, we can still—

A sonorous hum suddenly cut through the ethereal mare's explanation. It was a deep and feminine sound that, like the other Twilight's voice, seemed to come from everywhere at once. The melody was as beautiful as it was haunting, like a dirge sung by an opera singer. I would've been captivated had I not known both the tune and the voice that sang it. I'd heard the song countless times in the past; I'd heard it upon my initial arrival in the Black Dimension, I'd heard it sung in the past by the creatures that inhabited that dark and twisted place.

The very last time I heard this melody was when I'd still been dormant within the other Twilight's mind. The melody had cut through even the heavy fog of amnesia to affect me. It was a melody favored by the Ancient King, a song that once brought peace of mind to the creatures who struggled to live their lives in the Black Dimension. It was a hymn sung on the fields of battle to turn the tides of war against me, and in the end, it ultimately became a weapon whose exposure could potentially drive any creature unfortunate enough to hear it insane.

To hear the Solar Princess of Equestria humming that unsettling tune was more than a little troubling.

Is that... Princess Celestia's voice?

The magical image scanned the cave, her expression one of intense dread, and rightfully so I thought, but I didn't answer.

I didn't need to.

She'd seen the memories I hadn't lost yet, she knew what that song meant, and she knew Celestia's voice just as well as I did—probably better even. Not only was the question unnecessary, but it became completely irrelevant in the face of the massive tremor that suddenly rocked the cavern. The ground rumbled, rocky debris shook itself from the walls and ceiling, and in the distance outside the cave, I could hear the triumphant cry of bloodthirsty beasts and the futile wails of the innocent victims that had fallen or were falling prey to those beasts. It was a sound all too familiar to me, and while I'd grown used to it, my ethereal counterpart was far from comfortable with the scenario.

She might've seen a lot of what I had, but she'd never lived that life and it showed in her sick and terrified expression. Unfortunately, we were out of time and there was no room for shock; the barrier was practically gone and if Harmony had a plan to stave off the worst of what the 'Other Side' had to offer, then that plan had to be implemented now. Aside from a few stalactites dislodging themselves from the cavern ceiling, the Cave of Harmony held itself together, and the Black Dimension's influence hadn't, or perhaps couldn't, affect the immediate area around the Tree, but I could tell that the world outside was a different story.

"Focus!" I called out to my other self, snapping her out of her horror induced shock, "whatever you and the Tree have planned, get it done, now. Your world is falling apart, and right now we're the only ones that can prevent complete collapse. Pinkie and I will take care of Nel-Baloth."

The translucent mare blinked and swallowed nervously before giving a slow nod. She closed her eyes, breathed deep, and opened them again, an uneasy but determined look replacing the terror.

R-Right... you're right. I'll do what I can from here. Just make sure to find the girls, and hurry!

With that, she vanished in a blinding white flash and the Tree began to glow even brighter. The light and life emanating from the Tree of Harmony was practically overwhelming in its sudden intensity—so much so that I began to feel ill again on top of the pressure from the clashing energy of both 'Sides'. The pressure was beginning to ebb as the Black Dimension took over, but my strength was still minimal for the moment. Not needing to see or feel any more of the Tree's power, Pinkie and I removed ourselves from the cave entirely and reappeared amidst the chaos of the rapidly twisting reality around us.

"Oh, wow," Pinkie muttered, eyes full of a sorrow and resignation I hadn't yet seen from the mare, "so this is it, huh? The end of the world..." she turned to me, "how are we gonna fix all of this?"

For a moment I didn't answer, nor did I meet her gaze.

Our destination had been the old castle in the Everfree, and that's where we'd arrived, but the throne room and the rest of the castle in general, had become almost unrecognizable. It was as if the entire castle had literally torn itself apart and most of the interior and exterior had been captured in a miniature orbit around what remained of the pieces still attached to the ground. Looking to the sky above, beyond the swirling mass of floating debris I could see the stars, but they were no longer the beautiful, glittering stars of Luna's night sky. The sky was far too dark, the stars far too cold and distant.

And the moon...

As I gazed up at a moon so far removed from the one Luna had once risen every night, I felt another pang of guilt and regret at what I'd done—what I'd brought about in my own madness. The Ancient King had every right to enact his vengeance upon me, but even if that was the case, I couldn't let him get away with dragging this world and its inhabitants into our eternal war against each other. I couldn't allow myself to fall to him, especially not now that I'd regained some semblance of my equinity. Still...

"We can't fix this, Pinkie—not entirely," I finally replied, my eyes still fixed on the sky, "the most we can do for right now is trust in Harmony and try to make things a little easier for those who haven't already died or lost themselves to a world that Equestria should've known nothing about."

Further beyond the forest, I could see the dark silhouettes of tall blackened spires erupting from the rumbling earth. The trees of the Everfree themselves were twisted or twisting into strange and horrifyingly fantastical shapes, and just from the sounds alone I couldn't even begin to imagine what was happening to the local fauna. Despite the drastically changing terrain all around us and the state of the castle itself, the area around the castle seemed relatively calm—terribly different, but relatively stable in a reality being warped by forces too powerful to completely control.

The fact that I hadn't seen Nel-Baloth or Luna was extremely worrying, but as I reached my senses out to find the Ancient King, I could feel his presence everywhere. His stench was permeating the air and mixing with the familiar taste of the ambient madness that eroded free will and pulled any sane creatures into a vicious cycle of violence and rage—a drive to kill and maim so powerful that it could keep some killing long after their body had rotted away. It was as I was pondering Nel-Baloth's whereabouts that I realized that, through the cacophony of shifting earth, eerie wails, and furious howls, I could no longer hear the song.

"Hey... Twilight?"

There was something in Pinkie's voice that made me look around. She stood, staring out at the mayhem unfolding around us, her face both pensive and nervous, and her tone slightly shaky with dread. She didn't look at me as she spoke.

"You... still don't remember what the deal is with the Throne, right?" she asked, finally turning to look me in the eye. Her face was pale, and there was a grim sort of realization in her expression, as if she'd just solved a mystery and deeply regretted what she'd found out, "you don't remember where or what it is?"

"No, I don't," I replied warily, "I remember I hid it here in Equestria a long time ago, and I'm fairly sure Onyx Pie was... involved... somehow..."

Wait a minute...

"That's what I thought," Pinkie replied with a slow nod, "I've been thinking about it, y'know—the Throne I mean. I know something really bad is gonna happen if that old king gets his slimy ropy mitts on it, so I've been trying to figure out where or what the Throne might've been, and then I had another thought..."

Wait a minute... that can't be it... can it? It can't be that simple...

"My family's been telling me all my life that I was born 'Gifted' by the grace of the Dead Goddess," Pinkie continued, "that my birth would signal Her return, and that I would help Her change this world or something like that," she visibly swallowed and spoke again, her next words carrying an ominous weight, "with that in mind, I thought what if... what if this 'Gift' was more than just the ability to do some neat tricks that nopony else could do? Like... a lot more?"

No...

Catching onto Pinkie's implication, I cast my mind back into the past—back to when I first made contact with Equestria and that stallion. I still couldn't fully remember the encounter, but I remembered his request and I remembered that I agreed in order to further my own agenda, my own plan... but what was that plan?

I ran Pinkie's question over again in my head and, though no actual memories returned to me, it didn't take much to put a few pieces together. As Skal-Gazaath, I would've never agreed to help a creature so far beneath me, at least, not unless I stood to gain something significant out of the deal. I'd put some of my own essence into a past Vessel, this 'Shining Dawn', so that Onyx Pie could continue his bloodline, but where did the Throne enter the equation? When I'd help the stallion complete the ritual, had I also somehow given him the Throne in the process?

Was that the 'Gift'?

If that was the case, then how?

No, the real question was had that Throne somehow been passed down from generation to generation? If I'd remembered what the Throne actually was, I could've figured out how I managed to hide it, but as it stood, the only thing I could assume was that I'd found a way to hide it within Onyx Pie's bloodline...

"...Until it was passed down to Pinkie as a 'Gift' from the Dead Goddess," I muttered, staring at Pinkie with wide, disbelieving eyes, "the Throne was right next to me the whole time and I didn't even realize—"

"And thus it's revealed at last."

I didn't need to turn to see who'd spoken, it was clear by the pleasant voice, who it was. Pinkie and I turned nevertheless and sure enough, the graceful form of the Solar Princess of Equestria was making her way towards us, her gait calm and easy and her smile soft and radiant, just like I remembered. Her eyes on the other hoof were nothing like I remembered, not from the warm, kind, and wise mare who'd been my mentor, friend, and mother-figure. Behind that smiling face and those brilliant magenta eyes was the cold, pitiless, calculating mind of an elder being who knew exactly what they wanted and how to get it.

"Though I must say, my faithful student," 'Celestia' continued, "I'm not quite sure I like what you've done to my precious Throne. This will make it somewhat... troublesome to use effectively, but it shouldn't pose too much of a problem in the end... not for me."

"T-Twilight?" Pinkie muttered nervously, "I... think he knows more than we do."

She took a step back, and I moved to stand in front of her, never taking my eyes off the creature that had taken the Princess as a Vessel.

"You're not taking the Throne, Nel-Baloth," I stated coldly as I pulled countless odic and thaumic spells to the forefront of my mind, "this world is already suffering enough as it is. If you bring it under your Domain now—"

"If I brought it under my Domain, I'd be doing you a favor, child," 'Celestia' spat contemptuously, before collecting herself once more, "they who control the Throne control the realm and every creature in it, or that's how it's supposed to be... but you broke the rules, didn't you, 'Dead Goddess'?"

The obvious thought that came to mind was to have Pinkie flee while I held off the Ancient King, and though I tried to communicate as much through the bond we shared, neither Pinkie or I got the chance to act before the former was pulled into a large tear that opened up in the sky right above her by a mass of brightly colored, cyan tentacles. Pinkie barely had any time to scream before she disappeared completely through the rip in time and space.

"No!" I cried, turning back to Nel-Baloth with undisguised panic and fury, "Nel-Baloth, you—"

He was gone, vanished just as Pinkie did, and this time I could feel his presence fading. He meant to escape with Pinkie—with the Throne in tow. He'd never had any intention of fighting against me in the first place, and as if to further mock me, he spoke again, the disembodied voice of Celestia seeming to whisper in my ear.

Even if I left the Throne with you, as you are now, you wouldn't be able to use it...

No matter its current state, it's best the Throne be returned to its rightful owner...

...and in exchange, I'll give you something I've taken in return. It's long since served its purpose... and is no longer needed.

I felt another shift in reality just as another tear opened up over the ground, though what dropped from the hole wasn't more tentacles or otherworldly beasts, but the familiar form of a cyan coated rainbow maned pegasus. Her body hit the debris cluttered floor of the old castle like a sack of bricks only about a yard away from where I was, and she didn't move. There were no appendages that weren't supposed to be there, and I couldn't feel the presence of the Ancient King anywhere on or near her. The moment she'd fallen through the rip in space-time I already knew she was gone. She'd fallen facing me, and sure enough, her once bright rosy eyes were open, but empty, blank... dead. There was no hint of life whatsoever.

These creatures are weak-minded... they make for poor vessels and even worse thralls... perhaps you can make more use of this than I... after all, that is where you excel... is it not, 'Giver of Life'?

Those were the last words I heard from Nel-Baloth before his presence disappeared from the area entirely, leaving me with the dead mare at my hooves. Seeing Rainbow's body, something welled up inside me that I hadn't experienced in eons—an emotion that had become as foreign as my memories of when I was just an innocent young filly looking for approval from her mentor and idol. The feeling passed as quickly as it had come, and though the transience of that emotion bothered me, I didn't let it distract me from what needed to be done. Pinkie was gone, taken by Nel-Baloth to who-knows-where, and I had to get her back, but I also needed Rainbow Dash.

Partially spurred on by that transient emotion from a moment ago, I decided to bring Rainbow Dash back first. It should've been a simple matter to bring her back, just as it had been with Rarity and Pinkie, but the moment I infused her with my will, the world fell away and the chaos around me was replaced with a bright blue sky. I felt rough winds violently whipping my mane back and the slightly chilly moisture found in the clouds as I shot through them at high-speeds. My heart was beating a mile a minute, my wings were screaming in pain as I pushed them beyond their limits, and my vision had narrowed to a focused pinpoint as my speed continued to increase.

I could feel the air resistance threatening to not only halt my rapid advance but send me flying in the opposite direction. I knew that if I let up for even a tenth of a second, I'd probably lose a lot more than just the race. As the pressure grew and grew, I pushed harder and harder and harder still. I wanted to scream, I wanted to stop, I wanted to cry, but I didn't—I couldn't, not now. There was no going back, all I could do now was grit my teeth and press forward, and so I did. I pressed and pushed and fought against the impossible pressure for what felt like ages, until—

My world exploded in a tumult of light, fear, agony, and finally—mercifully, came the darkness.

For a second I wasn't sure what was happening to me, then I felt my consciousness pull back from where it had escaped to and return to my own body. As I regained my senses it was immediately apparent that something had changed, and turning towards the distant pillar of prismatic light rising infinitely into the black sky, it was clear to me what it was. The pillar was massive, spanning almost an entire mile across by my calculations. The roar of thaumic magic being released drowned out every other sound, and the brightness was enough to cause me to turn away. Coincidentally, I turned just in time to see another, albeit somewhat smaller, pillar of light rise from the ground much further away, then another elsewhere, and another, and many more besides.

Whatever was happening, I was certain it had to do with the Tree of Harmony. The sheer amount of thaumic energy unleashing itself into the air was enough to make the skin beneath my coat tingle unpleasantly. As if that hadn't been enough, the changing, quaking earth below my hooves had grown drastically worse than before. It gave me the sense that Equis was either going to explode or shake itself to pieces under both its own weight and the weight of the opposing energies vying for control. The Tree of Harmony and my other self were both putting up a good fight, but I knew it would only be a matter of time before the odic field took over the thaumic, and with the Ancient King in possession of Pinkie, and by extension the Throne, things would only get worse.

Pinkie was right, it really does feel like the end of the world... but that isn't true, not completely.

With that thought in mind, I lowered my gaze to Rainbow Dash. The mare was 'alive' in the same sense as Rarity and Pinkie—that much I could sense—but she remained unconscious. Worrying as that was, I didn't have time to ponder the meaning, nor the several questions regarding what I'd seen and what Nel-Baloth had done to her.

It might be the end of life as these ponies and the other creatures of the White Dimension as they know it, but I'll find a balance somehow. We can't go back to the way things were, but that doesn't mean a new peace can't be achieved.

I'll find it... I have to.

That's the least I can do after everything I've done, but first, the Elements need to be found, I need to save Pinkie, and the Ancient King...

The thought of what I'd do once I ran into Nel-Baloth again gave me pause as I realized a fight might not be necessary, but I shook my head, choosing to put the issue out of my mind for the moment. There were other things that needed to be considered, like whether or not Celestia and Luna could still be saved, but again, I had a more important task to accomplish first, and so with one last look towards the far off crumbling mountain that once held Canterlot atop its lofty peaks, I vanished from the castle, taking Rainbow's unconscious body with me to a safer place beyond the reach of Equestria's collapse.

Meanwhile, the world continued to recreate itself to accommodate a new reality, and elsewhere in that changing world, a titanic structure of unknown stones and metals rose to the heavens, its monstrous construction an eldritch affront to everything life, light, and the magic of friendship once stood for.

Epilogue – Beneath the Light of a Broken Moon

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A light.

It was a small pinpoint, a simple speck that may as well have been nothing in the endless darkness of the void, but to a being who'd been robbed of all their senses to see that light, to feel the ice-cold sensation emanating from it. that simple speck of light was everything. It was their entire world. It defined their very existence, and that being—that creature drowning in complete Darkness would've done anything to pull itself further into that tiny mote of light.

Then, as if hearing that poor creature's silent yet desperate plea, that small speck of light began to expand, growing and brightening by the second. The light was so cold, but it was all the creature had, and so, by some unknown instinct, it threw itself into the cold embrace of the light. The Darkness vanished, swept away by the impossibly bright luminescence of the light. It was only when the creature had fully immersed itself in that light that it realized it was not the light of some unseen salvation, but rather the light itself was existence; it was consciousness, it was thought, and it brought with it the promise of a new reality. As the creature's, no... as the alicorn's thoughts and memories began to resurface from the void, and as the light began to fade into the darkness beneath her eyelids, a horrible sense of dread overtook the relief and gratitude she felt for the light.

The alicorn knew, even before she opened her eyes that this wasn't her salvation. She knew this wasn't the world she'd once been an integral part of so long ago. The very air itself was tainted with the scent of madness, and she could feel its influence with each new breath she took. She was powerless to stop that madness as it flowed like smoke through her mouth and nose, filling her lungs and clogging her newly regained thoughts with enticing visions of violence and chaos. She screamed as the sensation of snapping bones and tearing flesh wracked her body.

She was changing—no, something was changing her, and the agony of it was enough to send her back into that all-encompassing Darkness. It certainly would have, had it not been for the memory of a pony the alicorn held close to her heart. Another alicorn, a sister loved and hated in equal measure, the Day to her Night, the Sun to her Moon, the cornerstone of her rage and the focus of her vengeance.

Celestia.

The memory of that mare, that would be her salvation.

Next to the fury and sorrow the changing alicorn felt on behalf of that mare, the pain was nothing. She would endure the agony, she would shove aside all the maddening thoughts, she would accept the changes, no matter how horrific, so long as she could see that mare's face again. She would not fall victim to the cowardly machinations of another again. She'd been caught off guard once, and without knowing the details, she knew it had cost her everything... but never again.

For what felt like an eternity she fought.

She fought the pain, she fought to stay conscious, she fought the madness attempting to cloud her mind, she fought and fought and fought, and finally... there was silence—silence save for the ragged breathing of a creature who was only barely recognizable as an equine in body, but undoubtedly the same pony where it mattered the most. The torment had finally ended, and in that echoing silence came a small chuckle, a chuckle that quickly grew into a loud, braying laugh of victory that, despite her best efforts, still sounded half-mad in the alicorn's own ears. It wasn't entirely an equine laugh, but that was okay, so long as the mare knew who and what she was at heart.

She was no longer the wrathful Princess who would destroy her own sister to become the new Queen of her country, and yet, she hadn't entirely forsaken the dark rage that still simmered within her. With everything that had transpired and having been thrust headlong into a true nightmare the likes of which she'd never seen, the moniker of 'Nightmare Moon' no longer seemed appropriate, so the mare decided to discard it altogether.

She was Luna, and that was good enough.

As the laughter died down and the alicorn finally allowed her eyes to open, the first sight to greet her blurry vision was that of a pitch-black canvas of endless stars—a comforting sight for the creature that had once been, and still was the Princess of the Night, had it not been for the moon. The moon itself was far too pale, like it had been painted onto a literal canvas and given no detail whatsoever. It was an empty, hollow thing, fake in its appearance and partially crumbling at the bottom. The shards of the moon that had broken off looked like they'd been frozen just as they were falling away from what was left.

It was a chilling sight that made Luna's blood run cold.

Unable to stand the blasphemous sight any longer, she shakily rose to the twisted limbs that now passed for her hooves and took in her surroundings. Just as she'd feared, nothing was as it once was. Casting her thoughts back, the last thing she remembered was entering Everfree Castle and her sister's smiling face, but nothing more than that. Where she stood now there was no castle. In fact, there was no forest or anything even close to where she'd been. Luna moved slowly across the dry cracked grey earth of the flat plateau she'd found herself on, as if in a horrified trance. She moved forward until she came to a stop at the edge of the plateau, which dropped off into a steep cliff—the depth of the drop was impossible to measure due to a thick misty teal-colored miasma that stretched out for miles far below the changed mare. The mist was so bright it practically glowed in the relative darkness of the unnatural night.

From out of that glowing miasma rose countless black spires of varying shapes and sizes, though it was impossible to tell their composition from where Luna stood, and both her gaze and mind were elsewhere as it was anyway. Past the featureless plateau, past the nigh endless sea of miasma below, and settled on a distant landmass some hundreds or possibly thousands of kilometers away was what Luna thought was the dark outline of a gargantuan castle, but if that was indeed what it was, it was like no other castle she had ever seen. She couldn't make heads nor tails of it and wasn't even sure if it really was a building at all, but it pulled at her attention nevertheless. She shivered at the sight and eventually gave up trying to decipher its existence after a short while. Instead, she turned to see the world behind her and froze, eyes wide.

Her mouth opened slightly in a soft, rattling gasp and she started trotting further inland, away from the cliff and the sea of miasma. Her trot quickly turned to a gallop, then without thinking she spread her unfamiliar wings and clumsily took to the sky, soaring over more towering black spires that stabbed their way out of the lifeless grey earth. She ignored the fact that there was no wind beneath her wings to keep her aloft, and that, aside from her labored flapping, the world around her was as silent as a grave. All of her focus was on her destination and nothing else. It didn't take her much longer to reach the location she'd seen from the cliffside and soon enough she alighted on the ground below, her landing just as clumsy as her takeoff had been.

She stumbled forward, her mind in a daze of confusion and disbelief at the sight of the radiant crystalline tree sprouting from the ground before her. It was only a mere sapling, no longer large enough to house any of the Elements, but there was no mistaking the shape, the color, and the calming effect of the brilliant glow that surrounded it. Just standing in front of the sapling, Luna could feel a heavy weight she hadn't even known she'd been carrying lift from her mind, and her thoughts grew far clearer than they'd been a moment ago.

''This is... the Tree of Harmony?" Luna muttered. Her voice came out as a rasping growl that carried only a hint of the deep feminine tint it once had, "but... how can that be? What's become of it? Where are the—"

The tree suddenly flashed with a bright white light that made the mare stumble back and cry out in surprise. Her eyes slammed shut and she raised a gnarled hoof to her face to block out the light. After a few seconds, the light died down and Luna blinked a few times before fully opening her eyes and lowering her hoof. Her mouth dropped open in shock at the magical projection of the lavender unicorn mare she'd seen back in Ponyville, though the term 'unicorn' no longer applied. The mare was an alicorn, and not only that but Luna could feel the same calming effect of Harmony coming from the mare as the tree itself. In response to Luna's silent shock, the mare flashed a smile; it was sad and incredibly weary, but reassuring all the same. Then she spoke, her voice just as radiant as the glowing sapling behind her.

Hey, Princess... we need to talk... and I'm pretty sure you're not going to like what I have to say...

Life is Magic

by the7Saviors

I am...

...not normal.

Am I...

...even a pony?

Maybe it doesn't matter...

...or maybe it does.

Either way...

...I will continue to live my life.

Chapter I – Blessed are the Meek...

Chapter II – The Pink One

Chapter III – The Library

Chapter IV – Existential Crisis

Chapter V – Her Number One Assistant

Chapter VI – Fury of the Eldritch Pet

Chapter VII – The Other Side of the Mirror

Chapter VIII – Madness Expunged, Order Restored

Chapter IX – In the End, We all Play our Part

Chapter X – An Unexpected Development

Chapter XI – A Prismatic Awakening

Chapter XII – Damage Control

Chapter XIII – Some Things Never Change

Chapter XIV – When All Else Fails...

Chapter XV – The Moon Rises

Interlude – What She Found in Hollow Shades

Chaper XVI – A Tyrant Tempered

Chapter XVII – Resonance

Interlude – Return of the King

Chapter XVIII – A Fatal Collapse

Chapter XIX – The End of the World

Epilogue – Beneath the Light of a Broken Moon