Arrival in a cruel land

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Starlight Glimmer and Twilight Sparkle dueled in the skies over the junior flight camp in Cloudsdale for the very fate of Equestria. Streaks of light purple and magenta streaked back and forth as the two fought. Two beams caught in a clash for dominance as the unrestrained fury of Starlight pushed against the learned skill of Twilight, between the two of them, their magic formed in a ball of swirling magical energy. In a deadlock, the ball exploded sending the two combatants flying backwards. Almost immediately they recovered and they rushed at each other, horns locking in a shoving match. Twilight's greater physical strength began to overwhelm Starlight, who in a move as much in desperation as a dirty trick, slammed her forehoof into the eye of the lavender alicorn.

Twilight lurched from the blow, giving Starlight an opening to buck her hind hooves into the alicorn's face. Twilight quickly recovered and wiped the trickle of blood from her nose. Twilight gave a smirk and flew up until her body was between Starlight and the sun, it was a trick Rainbow Dash had taught her. Twilight dove downwards, aiming her horn at Starlight, she knew that Starlight would dodge and prepared. Magic wreathed around Twilight's horn as she prepared a spell.

At the last second Starlight teleported out of the way onto a neighboring cloud and Twilight teleported herself in pursuit. In flashes of light, the two two combatants appeared and disappeared, unleashing blasts of magic or raining blows down on each other. Starlight appeared in a flash expecting Twilight to appear in front of her and instead was shocked when the lavender alicorn tackled her from behind. The two plummeted down towards the ground, raining blow after blow on each other. At the last second Starlight gained the advantage and shifted her weight until she was on top. Starlight sent a blast of magic into Twilight. Twilight's body slammed into the ground, digging a furrow where she laid limply. Starlight levitated herself down to the ground, standing over the limp form of Twilight and gloated while a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

"Well princess, it looks like you have failed.", Starlight said proudly, "What will it take to get through your thick skull that you cannot beat me? I know!" She raised a hoof in preparation to stomp down on Twilight's throat. "Good bye forev-AAAUUUGGGHH!"

Spike who had been enchanted with concealment and flight spells chomped down hard on Starlight's hind leg. As the time portal began to open, Twilight, who had been playing possum, leapt forth and tackled her opponent. All three of them got sucked in the portal. Through the tunnel in time, the two mares brawled. Blow after blow rained on the faces of the mares. Starlight grabbed Twilight's mane in a hoof and shoved her face into the side of the time tunnel. Twilight screamed in pain before summoning up every last ounce of strength and shoved her head back. She grabbed the back of Starlight's head with both forehooves and slammed her rear hooves hard into the unicorn's gut. Starlight gasped in pain as the air was driven out of her lungs. In a rage, she shoved both her forehooves into Twilight's eyes, then kicked her away hard and summoned up her magic, launching the alicorn through the wall of time tunnel.

"TWILIGHT!", Spike shouted in shock and despair.

Starlight cackled as she grasped the drake in her magic. "With any luck she has been torn apart in the space between spaces! Now to flense the-GAH!" Pain wracked her body as fire, lightning and ice swarmed over the time tunnel. "This can't be happening! My spell shouldn't be rebounding!" She stared in stunned shock as Spike began fading into nothingness. A split second later blinding while light filled her vision and she found herself free falling through the air. Pain exploded across the side of her body as she slammed into the map table and bounced off, soon after the world faded into darkness.

Starlight opened her eyes slowly, she didn't know how long she had been unconscious. The smell of iron filled her sinuses as the taste of copper filled her mouth. Slowly she rose to her hooves, groaning in pain and looked around. She found that other that the map table, there was no sign that the Castle of Friendship was ever there. Looking over the map, Equestria still looked mostly the same, though it showed the Crystal Empire was in ruins, Vanhoover was a blackened plain and there was no sign of her old village of Equalton. "Where am I? When am I? What happened here?" A flash of light from above made her dive for cover underneath the map and the parchment containing her altered time spell floated to the ground.

Gathering up the parchment and stowing it in a pocket dimension, Starlight began making her way in the direction of Ponyville. Cresting the hill that overlooked the small town, it still appeared to be the same idyllic little hamlet, though there were some grisly changes. In the center of town stood several gallows, the bodies of five ponies still hanging from the ropes, poles lined each street with cylindrical cages hanging from them, several of the cages still held the remains of ponies. Starlight took an uneasy breath and began walking to town.

As Starlight walked into Ponyville, the mares and stallions cautiously eyed her. "They don't know who I am, do they?", she thought to herself. She stopped at one of the cages and gasped in shock, though the cutie mark was different, the cyan coat and multicolored mane and tail show the emaciated corpse to be Rainbow Dash, a sign hung on the cage reading "High Treason". In a neighboring cage she saw a familiar emaciated corpse of a mare who had an orange coat and blonde mane and tail, the sign on the cage read "For Bringing Water To A Condemned Traitor". As she continued to walk through town, she saw a familiar earth pony filly with a golden coat, red mane and tail, she was missing one of her forelegs and branded on her side was the words "For Daring To Steal One Of Their Majesties Apples".

Starlight was forced to leap out of the way as a voice from behind shouted, "Make way! Make way!" Two stallions wearing thick plate armor, one set of armor was bright orange, the set was pitch black, rushed by hauling a wagon with a cage on the back, inside was a terrified pegasus filly with orange coat and brilliant purple mane. Starlight hid within the crowd as they gathered when the cage pulled up to a raised wooden platform with died bloodstains on it. An elderly tan mare, wearing black robes and a curly powdered wig walked up with a dour expression on her face.

"Bring forth the criminal!", the dour mare called out. After the heavily armored guards drug the terrified pegasus filly on the platform, the robed mare said, "Read out the charges of the accused."

One of the armored stallions pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. "The filly known as Scootaloo stands charged with one count of theft of a roll and one count of illegal flight to avoid capture on a wheeled vehicle."

The robed mare stared down menacingly at Scootaloo. "Does the accused have anything to say before I pass judgement on behalf of our most divine queens?"

"I was just hungry! You'd have done..."

"Silence!", the robed mare shouted as she stamped a hoof, "I'll hear no more. I should have your tongue cut from your mouth for even daring to imply that our most divine queens are anything but merciful and generous, but I have a soft spot for foals. Scootaloo, for your crime of theft, you shall foreleg cut off and you shall be branded as a thief. For your crime of fleeing from the guards, your legs shall be broken. For your crimes, your parents shall be given thirty lashes for each charge. Bring forth the accused's parents." When one of the guards whispered in her ear, the robed mare turned, "Really?! Scootaloo, upon the carrying out of your sentence, you shall be remanded over to a workhouse. Failure to maintain the work load will get you ten lashes."

Starlight fled from the crowd and hid. When she heard Scootaloo give a blood-curdling scream, her stomach heaved as she vomited repeatedly. She wiped the bile from her mouth as she shivered. "Oh Celestia! She was just a filly who was hungry and scared!"

"Your first time seeing a public trial?", a voice asked making Starlight nearly jump out of her fur.

Looking up, Starlight saw a familiar white unicorn mare wearing a blindfold, visible scars were at the bottom of the blindfold. "R-Rarity?"

"You seem to know me, but I can't place your voice.", Rarity said, "Hold still, let me feel your face so I can figure out who you are."

Starlight winced as Rarity ran a hoof across her face. "Hmm. I don't seem to be able to place who you are.", Rarity said, "Come along, maybe one of my friends can describe you to me. Have you eaten?"

As Starlight walked alongside Rarity, she noticed the mare had the words "For Daring To Cast Gaze Upon The Body Of The Divine Queens Unprovoked" branded into her flesh. Starlight waved her hoof in front of Rarity's face and asked, "Rarity, did somepony blind you?"

Rarity paused momentairily. "I'm sorry, I've been trying to place a name to your, but for some reason I can't. Were we foalhood friends? When we get to camp, I'll have somepony there describe you to me. Come along." Rarity continued, stopping occasionally to feel the walls with her hooves and listen to or sniff the area, "We shouldn't be far now, if my reckoning isn't off, it should be right around this next corner."

Starlight followed closely behind Rarity, her breath caught in her throat as she looked on at a dilapidated warehouse. Homeless ponies milled about, some living in crude tents, others others laying on the ground sleeping, others still wandered in and out of of the warehouse. The smells of desperation and extreme poverty assaulted her nostrils, the occasional sounds of stallions, mares and foals crying or whimpering in sorrow could be heard. "What is this place?"

Rarity's voice took a slight morose pitch. "When ponies can't keep up their work quotas, we have our properties seized, thrown out in the streets and have our status as citizens revoked. Those that are lucky enough have either enough money hidden or family and friends to help them leave the country, the rest usually wind up in camps like this. It's not all bad though, we all look out for each other and sometimes local farmers or restaurant owners will bring us food they couldn't sale or excess crops at the end of the season. Sometimes when they can...", she leaned in close to whisper, "...ponies from the resistance bring us food."

Starlight cocked her head. "The resistance?"

"Keep you voice down, you never know when a patrol of guards is passing by.", Rarity whispered. She held a hoof up to her mouth and called out, "Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle!"

A white unicorn filly came running out of the warehouse. "Wawa-ee! Wawa-ee!", she shouted.

Starlight watched as Sweetie ran up and hugged her older sister. She winced when seeing the brand on the side of her body reading "For Yelling At Her Royal Majesty.

"Sweetie, is Bright Eyes well? I need somepony who can describe our new friend to me."

Sweetie looked to Starlight, then back to Rarity and hummed an affirmative tone before running back into the dilapidated warehouse.

Starlight waited alongside Rarity for several minutes before Sweetie returned with a gray-coated mare with a blonde mane and a pair of misaligned golden eyes. Starlight initially though the mare was an earth pony until she saw the two masses of scars on her back indicating where wings used to be. Starlight placed a hoof to her mouth as she gasped and said to herself, "Am I responsible for all this?"

Bright Eyes walked up to the two of them with Sweetie in tow. "You needed me for something?", she said.

"Yes Bright Eyes, I need you to describe this mare for me. She seems to know me, but I place a name or description to her voice.", Rarity said in a chipper tone.

Bright Eyes turned her wall-eyed stare to Starlight and began looking her over. "Her coat is a pale purple, she has a darker purple mane with light green stripes, almost aquamarine. Her eyes are dark blue"

Starlight shuddered as Bright Eyes walked around her, a brand on her side read "For Breaking The Queens Favorite Window".

"Her cutie mark is a purple and white starburst with a two-tone swirl with light green and darker green.", Bright eyes continued, "She doesn't have any scars or brands I can see."

"Hmm.", Rarity said bringing a hoof to her chin, "Your cutie mark sounds like you're talented with magic. I've been rude this whole time and forgot to ask your name."

"S-Starlight Glimmer."

"Well miss Starlight Glimmer, welcome to our community. I know it's not much to look at, but here you will be safe.", Rarity said gesturing with her hoof, "You can come and go as you please. But if you choose to stay here, we only have three rules. One, everypony looks out for everypony else here, two, if you have any food, bits or alcohol, please share it with the others and three, if somepony is having a breakdown, help to calm them down and make them feel safe and loved. Sweetie, help guide me and our new friend to our spot. Oh and Bright Eyes, stop by my place with a cup or a bowl and I'll give you some of the pruno I've been saving for a special occasion."

Starlight followed Sweetie and Rarity into the warehouse. The living quarters that the ponies lived in, if they could be called that, were just improvised beds and a few crude shelves, old curtains or sheets suspended from the rafter partitioned off the living spaces. Stallions, mares and foals looked at the three passer-bys with hollow stares.

"Home sweet home.", Rarity said in a sing-songy tone, "It's not much, but you won't have any rain falling on your head and you can sleep here until you can find a place to settle in."

Starlight looked around the "living quarters", it was just a couple improvised beds made from blankets. Several loose cans of food were stacked around the area, on the back wall was a mural that had been scratched in it.

Rarity fished around in a pile of blankets and pulled out a bottle with a stopper in it. Pulling the stopper out, she held up to her lips and took a swallow, her body shuddered after taking the swallow. She offered to bottle to Starlight, "Care for a swallow of pruno? It tastes horrible and smells worse, but it can help you forget the pain for a few minutes."

Starlight took the bottle in her magic and gave it a sniff, she gagged and nearly threw up from the smell. "No thank you.", she said passing the bottle back.

Rarity returned the stopper to the bottle and returned it to the pile of blankets, a moment later she pulled out an old blanket and gave it to Starlight. "Something to keep the chill off." She shuffled to the walls, sat on her flank, fumbled around at the base of the wall and picked up a piece of broken glass.

Starlight watched as Rarity felt along the mural that had been scratched out on the wall and began scratching more on the wall. It almost looked like an artist at work.

After Rarity had finished on her work scratching out the mural, she took off her blindfold and Starlight gasped in shock seeing the two empty sockets where the alabaster unicorn's should have been. "What happened to your eyes?", Starlight said softly in horror.

Rarity turned her mouth downwards in a scowl, then answered, "I had made some tapestries for the queens, they hated it and ripped them apart. Without even thinking, I scowled at them and they ordered my eyes plucked out. Poor Sweetie suffered worse, she shouted angrily at them and even though I begged them to punish me, they ordered her tongue cut from her mouth. Of course I had no way to properly make new tapestries, being bling and all, so they had my shop seized and me and Sweetie tossed out in the street. That was nearly four years ago." She sniffled quietly, though no tears came from her empty orbs.

Starlight scowled slightly, she had wanted to punish Twilight for taking control of Equalton from her, but she didn't want to win like this, if she wasn't shocked and horrified by what she had seen and heard, she would have cried. After several minutes she found the gumption to speak again, "Who are the queens?"

Though Starlight couldn't completely sure, she would have guessed Rarity looked surprised. "You must be from outside Equestria if you don't know who our queens are."

"I guess you could say I'm not from anywhere near here, so today is the first time I've heard of your queens."

Rarity placed a hoof to her chin. "So you've never heard of queens Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon?"

Starlight screwed up her face in shock. "I've heard of Nightmare Moon as an old mare's tale, but not of Daybreaker before. Where did they come from?"

"Around five years ago during the summer sun festival that was scheduled here in Ponyville when Princess Celestia was supposed to raise the sun, she instead disappeared and the mare known as Nightmare Moon had arrived, It turns out she was a ruler from a thousand years ago and had fought against the princess before getting banished. For a week the sun never rose and Nightmare Moon attacked Canterlot. During the battle, Daybreaker must have joined her and either slew or banished the princess. After that the two of them have ruled over us as queens."

Starlight began to hyperventilate. "What have I done?"

Captured

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That night Starlight tossed and turned fitfully, sweating in her sleep. The images and sounds of her battle with Twilight ran through her head, a particular line kept running through the dream, "Starlight! You need to stop this! Every Equestria I've come back to was worse than the last!" The dream changed as new images and sounds entered, along with a new sensation, smell, particularly the smell of decay. She looked up at the cages holding the emaciated remains of Rainbow Dash and Applejack as the sickly-sweet stench of rot filled her nostrils. The lifeless bodies of the two mares turned their heads to face her, their mouths opened and said three words that shook Starlight to her core, "You killed us!"

Starlight thrashed about in her sleep as her dream was filled with the bloodcurdling scream of a filly. A pair of turquoise eyes with vertical slitted pupils appeared in the dream. "Hahahahaha! I have found you my little pony!" "NO!", Starlight screamed as she snapped awake from the horrible dream, sitting up as sweat poured down her body like rivers.

"Huh! Wuzzat!", Rarity slurred as she shot up from a dead sleep, her breath smelling of pruno. She blindly groped around with her hooves before finding the trembling Starlight. "Is everything okay?"

"No,", Starlight said in a cracking voice as she fought back the urge to cry, "I have done something terrible and I have to find a way to make it right."

Rarity placed her hoof on gently on Starlight's back and began to rub it gently. "It's okay. Whatever you've done, we'll help you make it right in the morning."

Starlight gently pushed Rarity's foreleg away. "You can't help me make this right.", she said in a half sob, "Not after what I've seen my dream. Something or somepony knows I'm here and after what I've seen in my dream, something's coming for me. I can't stay here."

"What did you see?", Rarity asked concerned.

"Turquoise eyes like a snake and a voice saying they've found me."

Rarity gasped in fright. "Queen Nightmare Moon found you in your dreams?! That is serious. If you run, make for the Everfree forest, the bunnies in there will guide you to safety." She waved her hoof in front of her face, giving a self-deprecating laugh, "When she or her guards come looking for you, I can honestly say I've not seen you." She passed Starlight the half empty bottle of pruno. "Take this. I know you hate the way it smells, but it can help numb the pain and make your dreams blurry. If nothing else, you can trade it to somepony for some food or a safe place to sleep."

Starlight grunted softly as she nodded her head. Taking the half empty bottle, she deposited it in the pocket dimension with the modified time spell and stole off into the night.

In Canterlot Nightmare Moon opened her eyes and smiled maliciously. "Now that I know you're here Starlight Glimmer, it's only a matter of time until I find again." The pitch black alicorn made her way down to the dungeons. Opening the heavy iron door to the interrogation room, she first looked to the "interrogator", a lavender unicorn mare with two crossed knives as a cutie mark,rinsing the blood off her various instruments of torture, then to the lavender alicorn strapped to the steel table, her wounds slowly closing on their own. "Any new information from our guest?"

The lavender unicorn turned to Nightmare Moon, lowered her gaze and prostrated herself. "Just the same half-incoherent ramblings about somepony named Starlight Glimmer and a time spell before losing passing out my queen."

Nightmare rubbed her chin in contemplation as an evil smirk spread across her lips. "Very well, I will tell my sister of your good work and recommend you be rewarded for your loyalty. Now leave me with the prisoner so I can interrogate her myself."

"Yes my queen.", the lavender unicorn said before rising from the floor and leaving the interrogation room.

Nightmare Moon leaned down next to the lavender alicorn's head and whispered, "Your dreams intrigue me Twilight Sparkle. You may have beaten me in your old timeline, defeated that draconequus, perfected that old fool's spell to get your wings and even defeated that centaur. I don't doubt that you're resourceful and will find a way back to your timeline. So I will leave an insurance policy to ensure that when you manage to escape, you will truly know the power of the darkness." Rising up to her full height, she lit the magic in her horn and summoned a pinprick-sized ball of pure blackness. Cackling softly to herself, she directed the ball of blackness into the head of the lavender alicorn.

The door to the interrogation room snapped open revealing a white alicorn with blazing orange eyes and a mane and tail of flickering yellow-orange flames. "What are you doing sister?"

"Just ensuring our victory dearest sister.", Nightmare Moon said turning, "I have managed to acquire the information not only from when this one came, but also the unicorn she came to this time with."

Daybreaker cocked her head curiously. "Pray tell sister, what information have you discerned?"

"This one here comes from a timeline where we don't exist.", Nightmare said with a smile. "She comes from a time where the elements of harmony had been reawakened.", she spat, "The unicorn she came through time with is named Starlight Glimmer. She was wrathful at this one for foiling her plans and prevented a filly named Rainbow Dash from rediscovering the sonic rainboom. That's what led her to here."

Daybreaker rubbed her chin in thought. "Really? Just how powerful is this one and this Starlight Glimmer?"

"This one was the personal student of Celestia." Nightmare smiled as Daybreaker winced visibly as the mention of the name. "This one also freed Luna, defeated the draconequus and the centaur. This one also managed to travel to the other world and defeat Sunset Shimmer. As for how powerful Starlight Glimmer is, she managed to steal the cutie marks of a town and created a cult with herself at the center until this one revealed her treachery. That's when Starlight Glimmer swore vengeance and rewrote that old fool's time spell. Though Starlight Glimmer is powerful and shouldn't be underestimated, it would be folly to underestimate this one as she is very powerful and resourceful in her own right."

"Hmm...", Daybreaker hummed thoughtfully, "So Starlight Glimmer knows not only time magic, but also how to steal the cutie marks of others. Now as for this one, what have you done to ensure our victory?"

Nightmare Moon chuckled coldly. "I have left in her dreams an old friend that will slowly twist her to our cause. Now if you want to find Starlight Glimmer, she's in Ponyville, we may want to send our forces to track her down as she won't be there for long."

Starlight used her magic to conceal herself as she slipped through the shadows. Standing on the edge of town, she first looked to the Everfree forest. "No, if they know I'm here, that's where they will look for me first." Closing her eyes, she summoned up her magic and teleported to the mountains above where her old town would have stood, she looked towards the maze of caverns across the old natural bridge. "Nopony knows those better than me, I can hide there if they come looking for me." Crossing the bridge, she paused to created rune traps that would collapse it in the event she was pursued and then cast a rune trap on the slopes over the pass to create an avalanche that would cover the entrance to the caves. Entering into the mouth of the cave, she found a concealed spot to lay down for the reminder of the night.

As the moon hung low in the night, Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker teleported in with a contingent of guards. The guards began pounding doors to rouse the residents. Once the citizens had gathered, a white unicorn stallion with a blue mane said in a loud and clear voice as he levitated several posters in a raspberry aura, "Citizens of Ponyville, your most wise and benevolent queens request any information that leads to the whereabouts of the wanted outlaw named Starlight Glimmer."

A cream-colored earth pony mare with a two-tone pink mane and tail walked forward and prostrated herself on the ground. "I-I have seen her my most benevolent and divine queens.", she said shivering.

"Where did you see her good citizen?", Daybreaker asked in a voice sweet as honey laced with venom.

"She came into town yesterday. When the thief Scootaloo was sentenced, she ran into an alleyway over there to hide.", the cream-colored earth pony said pointing a hoof, "I think she's hiding out in the hobo camp."

"What is your name good citizen?", Nightmare Moon said in a voice equally dripping in saccharine sweetness and danger.

"Roseluck my queens."

Daybreaker summoned up a small pouch of bits. "This will be yours when she's in our custody. For your sake, you had better not be lying."

Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and delved into the dreamscape. "Hold sister. She may have been here earlier, but she has since fled the town. I believe she's hiding in the mountains on the edge of the badlands."

Daybreaker scoffed before pulling a couple of bits out of sack and tossed them to Roseluck. "Your most kind and benevolent queens thank you for your assistance Roseluck." She rose to her hooves. "Come along sister, we have an outlaw to capture."

The two queens and the contingent of guards teleported to the valley on the edge of the badlands. The guards spread out across the area in a wide search pattern. "My queens!", a pegasus guard shouted returning, "We've found a cave across a natural bridge. She might be hiding there."

The two queens walked along with several guards to the natural bridge. "After you sister.", Nightmare Moon said in faux politeness.

Daybreaker raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Though I thank you for your politeness, you wouldn't be allowing me to blunder into a trap would you?"

"But of course not dear sister.", Nightmare Moon replied in faux shock, "I was thinking of giving you the honor being the first to capture our guest."

Daybreaker smiled deviously at Nightmare Moon, who returned the same smile. "Guards! Go and apprehend Starlight Glimmer.", Daybreaker ordered.

Several guards saluted. Unicorn and earth pony guards began advancing slowly across the natural bridge as pegasi guards flew across the gap. One of the guards stepped on one of the concealed rune traps, causing it and the others on the bridge to explode in bright flashed of light, sending the natural stone formation along with several guards plummeting into the gorge below, a split second later the rune traps on the slope exploded, triggering an avalanche of snow covering the entrance of the maze of caves.

Starlight snapped awake at the sound of the rune traps exploding and began running deeper into the maze of caves.

"The honor of capturing her indeed dear sister.", Daybreaker said laughing, "Your deviousness knows no bounds."

Nightmare Moon feigned ignorance. "Dearest sister, I would never do anything intentionally bring harm to you. But let's tarry not, she thinks to hide from us in that maze."

Starlight rounded a blind corner and stopped to catch her breath. She knew that it wouldn't be long before they found a way in here to search for her. Seeing the remains of a long dead prospector, she used her magic to rip a section of the rotting clothes off it and summoned the bottle of pruno. Tying the cloth around the bottle to make an improvised weapon, she began backtracking across her own hoofprints. Using her magic, she created several false trails of hoofprints leading down several other passages before taking off down another passage. They might have the advantage of numbers, but this was her home turf.

Daybreaker melted the mass of snow covering the entrance to the caves. The two queens teleported into the caverns along with several guards. "Do whatever you need to do to bring her in to us alive and unspoiled.", Daybreaker ordered, "Come along sister, you know as well as I where the exit to this maze is." With a gesture, Daybreaker ordered a few guards to post up at the entrance to the caves.

Starlight galloped through the caves, stopping occasionally to listen. She heard hooffalls and shouted orders from the guards moving through the caverns. Creating more false trails, then continued through to where she knew the maze exited. Galloping fast and hard though the maze, she followed the cool breeze indicating she was nearing the exit. Her hooves dug into the floor of the cave as she came to a skidding stop, seeing Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon waiting at the exit smiling. "No!", she exclaimed before turning back on her track.

Several guards moved up the cavern to block Starlight. Using her magic, she lit the rag tied around the neck of the bottle of pruno and hurled it. The bottle struck the armor of the guards shattering, a second later the crude alcoholic beverage ignited. As the guards screamed and rolled trying to extinguish the flames, Starlight barreled past them. Rounding a corner, she found her path blocked by a raspberry-colored magical shield. Summoning up her magic she shattered the shield and continued running. Two earth pony guards tackled her to the ground. As Starling struggled to get free from the two earth pony guards, the last thing she saw was a white unicorn stallion guard looming over her before bringing his armored hoof down towards her head.

Starlight groaned as consciousness came back, her head throbbed and her ears rang. Rising slowly to her hooves, she found she couldn't get upright as three lengths of chains attached to a collar around her neck and to the base of the cage she was in held her in place. Summoning her magic to break the chains, pain wracked her body as runes on the chains lit up, bleeding her magic away. Looking around, she inspected the cage she was in. It appeared to be a regular black iron cage, but closer inspection revealed that not only the bars, but also the chains had several magical restraining runes carved into them. She continued looking around, seeing that two guards were hauling the wagon her cage was in, beyond the bars she saw she was being hauled through the streets of Canterlot and several guards surrounded the cage. "Where are you taking me!", she demanded with a shout.

One of the guards struck the bars of the cage with the butt of a spear. "Silence prisoner!", he shouted.

"Somepony tell me where I'm being taken!"

The guard struck the bars again. "You will be silent or you will be gagged."

Starlight snorted at the guard as she pointed her horn at him.

The guard shoved the point of the spear between the bars and pressed it against Starlight's throat. "Try it!", he growled.

Starlight decided to relent for now and laid down in the cage. She continued to look around as the wagon came to an open square in front of the palace. Several ponies around the edges of the square had their heads and forelegs locked in stockades as crowds of ponies hurled rotten fruit at them. Other ponies were tied to posts with their forelegs stretched above them while the were flogged. In the center of the square two ponies she recognized as Fancy Pants and Fluer di Lis were lashed to a post, along with a changeling, all three were standing atop a large pile of wood. A pony wearing a black outfit and mask tossed a lit torch on the pile of wood.

The wagon hauling Starlight came to a stop at a side entrance to the castle. The guards opened the door to the cage, detached the chains from the floor and hauled her out. As the guards led Starlight through the dungeon, they passed an iron door where she heard a familiar voice shrieking in pain. She dug in her hooves to try and stop so she could find out what was going on, only to receive a sharp blow from the butt of a spear in the base of her ribs. The guards hauled her to a cell, several guards pointed the tips of their spears at her while another guard unhooked the collar around her neck and shoved her through the door of the cell.

As the heavy iron door to the cell was slammed shut and locked, Starlight looked around letting her eyes adjust. The only light that came in was through a narrow slit at the top of the far wall, in one corner sat a bucket for her to relieve herself in, against one wall was a plank of wood suspended from the wall by some rusty chains with a dingy blanket balled up on top of it. She lit her horn probing the cell, only to find wards that blocked her magic. She found herself mentally overwhelmed and curled up on the damp floor crying. Once she had cried herself out, she rose to her hooves and walked over to the plank of wood to sit on it.

As the light slowly began to fade, Starlight's stomach began to rumbled and gurgle in hunger. They had to feed her at some time, didn't they? As the last of the light faded indicating the day was over, darkness filled the cell. Starlight wrapped her forelegs around her stomach as it began hurting with hunger. Slipping into a fitful sleep, she now regretted using the bottle of pruno as an improvised weapon. Light slowly filled the cell as morning broke, she woke not feeling rested as her stomach hurt from not eating. Walking over to the door, she banged on it with a hoof and shouted, "When do I get something to eat?!"

A guard banged on the door shouting, "You will be silent!"

"But this is inequine! Do you starve all your prisoners?!", Starlight shouted.

The guard banged on the door again and shouted, "You will be silent!"

"I won't be silent!"

The door unlocked and swung open as a guard with a truncheon stormed in. Starlight tried to summon her magic to defend herself, but found the wards blocking her. White flashed across her vision as the guard struck her across the head with the truncheon. Stars and spots swam before her eyes as she collapsed to the floor. "You...will...be...silent!", the guard shouted as he struck Starlight a few more times with the truncheon.

Starlight laid on the ground her head spinning, as she felt a warm trickle ooze down the side of her head. As the heavy door slammed slammed shut, she whimpered as her tears pooled on the floor. As the cell spun around her, darkness began enveloping her.

Starlight was snapped from unconsciousness as a guard banged on the door of the cell. A slot on the bottom of the door was unlocked and opened. An empty wooden bowl and cup were shoved in. "Prisoner!", the guard shouted, "When it comes time to feed you, you will have ten seconds to have your bowl and cup placed next to the slot or you will go hungry!"

Starlight slowly rose to shaky hooves and stared at empty bowl and cup. Her head spun from hunger and the beating she had received earlier. Suddenly she felt sick and she ran to the bucket, every muscle in her body locked as she vomited. Slumping to the floor, she began crying. "Stars above please hear me.", she prayed, "I'm scared and I don't want to die here! Please help me!"

The guard banged on the door. "You will be silent!"

Starlight curled up in a ball, terrified as her breath wavered. Her eyes became pinpricks as panic began overtaking her. She went to scream, but the fear of the guard outside the door made her throat close up. After some time that she could not fully comprehend, she came back to her senses and began pacing the walls. "Okay Starlight, think.", she whispered, "They've got to feed me at some time. They also have to let me out of here to wash up or get some exercise. They can't be so inequine as to keep me locked in her all the time, can they?" A realization came over her, they could very well let her rot in this cell.

A familiar voice screaming in pain made Starlight's blood run cold. "I'm so sorry Twilight!", she whispered in a wavering voice, "I wanted to beat you. But not like this. Not like this." She slumped to her haunches in a corner and laid her head against the wall, sobbing quietly. She sat for hours in the corner, refusing to move. As the light began to fade signaling that the day was coming to an end, she made her way to the plank and laid down. "Please forgive me Twilight.", she whispered. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she cried herself to sleep.

A loud banging on the cell door snapped Starlight awake, the pale light of early morning was filtering in through the narrow slit in the wall. "Feeding time prisoner!", a guard shouted through the door. Starlight rushed over to the door and slid the bowl and cup to the slot. The slot opened, a ladle filled with gruel filled the bowl, another ladle filled with water filled a cup, a slice of black bread was tossed on top of the gruel. Starlight looked down at the water, gruel and bread. The look and smell of the gruel disgusted her, but hunger overtook her sensibilities and she greedily gobbled down the bread and gruel, then drank down the water. She didn't feel full, just not hungry anymore.

Starlight paced around the cell, counting the cracks in the floor and the blocks in the wall. A gurgling in her stomach indicated that nature was calling and she hovered her haunches over the bucket to relieve herself.

The door to the cell snapped open, startling Starlight. "Prisoner!", the guard barked, "The queens request your audience. You are to be taken to clean yourself and make yourself presentable for their divine highnesses."

Starlight was lead by several guards through the halls of the dungeon. A guard ran his hoof across her flank. "You know you are a pretty filly.", he said in a leering tone, "After you visit the queens, maybe you can show me and some of the other stallions a good time and well make sure you get something nice. Maybe a muffin or a slice of cake or maybe a pillow for your bed or maybe some wine in your cup?"

Starlight groaned in disgust as she shirked away from the unwanted advances.

"You'll crack eventually.", the guard leered, "If you're a good filly, we'll reward you." He smacked her flank and made lewd kissing sounds as some of the other guards snickered lewdly.

Starlight was shoved into a room with a trough of water against the wall. A scrub brush and bar of soap was shoved into her hooves. "Clean yourself!", the guard barked. Starlight nodded and walked to the trough. As she lathered the soap on the scrub brush, she wished she had some shampoo for her mane and tail, but the soap would have to do for now. Splashing water on herself, she began scrubbing her body. Looking over, she shuddered with disgust as the guards leered at her.

After Starlight finished rinsing the soap from her fur, mane and tail, she looked to the guard and asked, "Can I get a towel?"

The guard smirked and levitated a towel in his magic. When Starlight reached for it, he moved it just out of her reach. "You want it?", he jeered, "How about you give my flank a little kiss first?" He turned sideways and wiggled his flank at her.

Starlight scoffed in disgust. She refused to degrade herself for this scum's pleasure and instead shook herself off. The guard smirked and gave a little snicker. "Come along."

Starlight expected to be taken to the throne room, she was surprised when she was taken to the royal baths first. Walking into the bath, she looked on as Daybreaker lounged in a bath while two attendants scrubbed Nightmare Moon.

"Good morning Starlight Glimmer.", Daybreaker said as she rose from the water, water streaming off her. Walking over to a table and laid on it, two attendants began scrubbing her.

"I trust you haven't been treated too harshly.", Nightmare Moon rising from the table and walking over to a shower to rinse off. Attendant began wiping her down with soft towels.

"I haven't been treat harshly, if your show of hospitality is locking me in a dank cell, being beaten by a guard for asking for food, being starved for days and having guards proposition me to pleasure them with promises of bribes.", Starlight said in a disgusted tone.

Daybreaker pouted in mock hurt as she rinsed off. "You wound us both my little pony. You did however kill several guards with your traps and improvised weapon. That normally gets your head on a stake or locked in a cage. But we are kind and benevolent rulers."

Nightmare Moon walked over to Starlight and fluffed her mane with a hoof. "You need a proper bath." She gestured to the tub and clicker her hoof on the floor. "Give our guest a proper bath and some perfume, I'm thinking some rose oil."

As the attendant guided Starlight to the tub to soak, Starlight asked, "What did you want to see me for?"

"Tut tut tut!", Daybreaker scolded in gentle words dripping with honey and venom, "No talking of business until we've all had a proper bath and breakfast."

Starlight's muscles relaxed as she lowered into the hot water of the tub. Attendants tossed crushed rose pedals into the water and stirred the water. She raised a hoof, watching the water fall of her foreleg. The attendants helped her out of the water and guided her to a table where two began scrubbing her down with sweet-smelling suds. Starlight couldn't help but let a sigh escape her lips as the gentle scrubbing of the attendants made the knots in her muscles from where she had been sleeping in the very uncomfortable cell began working loose. Walking over to the shower to rinse off, she watched as attendants rubbed perfumed oil on Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon.

Starlight shivered slightly as the cold water from the shower ran across her body. Attendants gently rubbed fluffy terry cloth towels across her body. An attendant began rubbing rose oil into her fur, mane and tail.

"Come along.", Nightmare Moon said in a sing-songy tone, directing her to a dressing room.

Attendants slipped a gleaming bronze ceremonial chest piece onto Daybreaker as other attendant slipped a similar shining silver ceremonial piece on Nightmare Moon. Both slid their hooves into elegant crystal slippers. A gleaming gold braided crown was slipped onto Daybreaker's head as a pointed black iron crown was slipped in Nightmare moon's head.

"Hmm...", Daybreaker hummed thoughtfully as she looked over Starlight, "I'm thinking something simple and elegant, maybe a silken robe for you. What do you think sister?"

"Indeed sister.", Nightmare Moon replied.

The attendants brought out a shimmering white silk robe and offered it to Starlight. Raising a hoof, she politely refused.

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow each as they smirked. "Very well...", Daybreaker said in a smooth voice, "...maybe the silk robe is a bit much. No matter. Come along, breakfast is waiting.

Starlight apprehensively followed the two into a dining room with a long table. Every instinct was screaming that she was in the presence of dangerous predators and her prey sense was screaming for her to run, but the presence of the two queens seemed to push her forward. Silver platters filled with fresh fruits and cheeses were laid out on the table, a crystal decanter of juice along with three crystal goblets were also laid out. Starlight found her mouth watering as she hadn't had anything to eat except the disgusting gruel and a piece of bread.

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon sat down at the table and began to elegantly pick up pick up pieces of fruit to eat. "Sit and join us.", Nightmare Moon sat gesturing to a chair.

Everything in Starlight screamed for her to run away screaming, but she found herself compelled to sit down. Looking at the silver platter, her body told her that she was hungry and her mouth watered. She stopped herself from reaching for the fruit. "So why did you really bring me here?"

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon scowled slightly before returning their faces back to the pleasant masks. "It's rude to discuss business at the table.", Daybreaker scolded. "Indeed sister.", Nightmare Moon replied, "Don't be rude Starlight Glimmer. Be a gracious guest and accept our kindness."

Though the words from the two queen sounded like honey, they felt like vinegar. Starlight scowled and shoved the platter onto the floor.

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon glared at Starlight's insolence. Pushing their platters away, they rose to their hooves. "I guess breakfast is ruined.", Nightmare said glowering. "Indeed.", Daybreaker replied, "I guess if you're going to be rude, then we shall get down to business."

Starlight's eyes went wide with fear. She was in it deep now, jumping to her hooves, she went to run, only to find herself caught in an orange aura.

Daybreaker pulled Starlight close to her face, her eyes glowing like bronze in a furnace, the flames in her ethereal mane flickered. "Since you are going to rude and refuse our graciousness, then I guess we get down to business. We know you have the knowledge of the magic to take ponies mark and how to travel through time. You will give us that knowledge." The kind mask was completely gone, revealing the monstrous ruler of the unforgiving sun, curling her lips back she revealed her fangs.

Nightmare Moon moved in close, her regal mask gone revealing the monstrous ruler of the unforgiving night and barred her fangs. "If you won't give it to us, we can make you tell us."

Starlight felt her heart trying her heart trying pound its way from her chest as she heard her pulse pounding in her ears. She gulped and put on a strong face to try and hide her fear. "Buck off!"

Daybreaker hurled Starlight across the room. "Very well! You have sealed your fate and the fate of that alicorn you came with. Guards!" After several guards entered the dinning room, she said, "Take this prisoner to see mistress Sparkle! Maybe seeing her little friend suffer will loosen her tongue!"

Starlight tried to run, only to be tackled by several guards. One of them slipped a magic restraining ring on her horn and drug her to the dungeon. They threw her into the interrogation room and Starlight gasped seeing Twilight chained to the wall, heavy restraints kept her wings from fully extending, a magic restraining ring was on her horn and a magic restraining collar was clamped tightly around her neck. "I'm so sorry.", Starlight said to the semiconscious alicorn, "I didn't want this." The only response she received was an incoherent groan.

After several minutes Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon entered into the interrogation room with a very familiar looking lavender unicorn. Starlight stared back and forth between the two Twilights.

The lavender unicorn unrolled a leather bundle containing several cruel-looking instruments. Picking up a small bell in her mouth, she rang it and several stallions wearing stained aprons walked in. "Place that one in the chair and restrain it. Use the copper clasps so it can't close its eyes.", she said in a cruel tone.

The stallions roughly picked up Starlight and shoved her into a heavy iron chair. They restrained her legs with thick iron clamps, wrapped a thick leather around her head to hold it place, wrapped a heavy leather strap around her barrel and place copper clamps on her eyelids to keep them open.

"This doesn't have to happen.", Daybreaker hissed in Starlight's ear, "All you have to do is give us what we want and we'll let you both go free."

"We contemplated letting Mistress Sparkle interrogate you...", Nightmare Moon hissed into Starlight's other ear, "...but I've seen you'd die before talking. You'll find that my sister and I can be benevolent if you give us what we want."

"Don't...", Twilight mumbled from the wall, "...they lie."

Daybreaker and Nightmare glowered at the lavender alicorn. "Mistress Sparkle is an exemplary interrogator.", Daubreaker cooed, "Though she failed her entrance into the university, she became an outstanding guard and her study into equine physiology is bar none."

"Remember that this all because you were rude and decided not only to ruin such a nice meal, but also refuse to share knowledge that is rightfully ours.", Nightmare Moon said in a smooth tone dripping with venom.

Starlight spat a wad of saliva in the hopes it would hit one of the queens or the interrogator.

"Very well.", Daybreaker snarled as she and Nightmare walked over a pair of padded chairs, "You may begin Mistress Sparkle."

The lavender unicorn smiled viciously. Levitating a long, thin needle in a magenta field, she it waved in front of Starlight. "We'll start slow and gentle." She tapped the needle against Starlight's frog then gestured towards the alicorn on the wall. "I'll begin inserting this into that one's frog."

Starlight braced herself as the lavender unicorn walked over to Twilight. "Be strong Twilight!", she whimpered.

Twilight hissed in pain as the long, thin needle was slowly pushed into her frog. "Alicorn physiology is such an amazing thing.", the lavender unicorn said cruelly, "I must thank you my queens for allowing me to study this one thoroughly." Twilight groaned in pain as the lavender unicorn wiggled the needle in her frog. Pulling the needle out slowly, the lavender unicorn began dragging the tip of the needle across Twilight's frog on her other hoof.

Twilight yelped softly as the lavender unicorn poked her frog quickly. A trickle of blood came from the lavender alicorn's lips as bit down on it to try and keep from crying out in pain as the needle was cruelly shoved into her frog until it hit bone. Starlight sobbed as she stared on in horror, unable to close her eyes.

The lavender unicorn smiled cruelly at Starlight's sob. She pulled out the needle and tossed it on the table. "Care to talk?" When she received no answer, she gave a pout in mock disappointment. "No? I guess we move onto the next step." She levitated a cruel clamp device with some threaded bolts on it. "Hoof screws are such an elegant method in the sheer cruelty. Allow me to demonstrate." She slipped the hoof screw onto Twilight's hoof and began slowly tightening it. Twilight groaned in pain as the hoof screw was slowly tightened. After several minutes of the hoof screw being tightened slowly, Twilight cried out in pain as her hoof split with a loud crack. The lavender unicorn continued slowly tightening the hoof screw until the sounds of bones breaking filled the roof. Twilight's eyes rolled up in her head as she fainted from the pain.

The lavender chuckled callously as she unscrewed the hoof screw and placed it on the table. She showed off Twilight's hoof and pastern began slowly healing and realigning. "You see, alicorn physiology is such an amazing thing. You can torture and break one's body for hours or days without fear of killing it.", the lavender unicorn said coldly. She levitated a vial of smelling salts in front of Twilight's snout to wake her up. "Now we move onto the next level. You might want to brace yourself."

The lavender unicorn levitated a large iron brace and clamped it to Twilight's foreleg, she inserted a flat iron bar into a slot on the brace. Starlight gave a loud sob as Twilight locked eyes with her, silently begging her not to talk. The lavender unicorn slowly twisted the flat iron bar and Twilight screamed in agony as her bone in her foreleg began breaking with wet pops. Starlight vomited as the cruel clamp mangled Twilight's foreleg, she struggled and strained against the restraints, trying to escape in futile. The lavender unicorn undid the clamp around Twilight's foreleg. "Don't talk!", Twilight said through clenched teeth, They'll kill you after they get what they want."

"Don't talk eh?", the lavender unicorn said with a chuckle, "I can accommodate you on that." She levitated a teardrop-shaped iron instrument. She gave the wingnut a few twists to demonstrate the iron leaves expanding, the closed it back up. "Now where to put it? The ponut? The vulva? The mouth? Hmm...since that thing said don't talk, the mouth will do."

For hours Mistress Sparkle cruelly tortured Twilight while Starlight was forced to watch in horror. Every opportunity Twilight locked eyes with Starlight, begging silently for her to not talk.

"Enough.", Daybreaker said rising to her hooves, "This starting to bore me."

"I agree sister, this is becoming most droll.", Nightmare Moon replied. She tapped her chin with a hoof in thought. "I have a brilliant idea sister."

"Ooh, pray tell sister!", Daybreaker replied with a maliciously excited tone in her voice, "Your ideas are usually most fun."

Nightmare Moon gave an evil smile, revealing her fangs. "Keep them both restrained so that they can't use their magic or fly and lock them together in a windowless cell together. Only feed them once a week and only have one bowl and cup in the cell with them." She pointed a hoof to Starlight, "Since this one has already eaten, they won't recieve any food for seven days." She then smiled maliciously at Starlight. "Seeing as she won't talk, we have no use for her until she gives us the information we want. Tell the guards they can use her as a brood mare when ever they feel lonely. When she gets pregnant and has a foal, maybe the pain of having her infant taken from her hooves will loosen her tongue."

Daybreaker smiled evilly. "Oh sister why are your ideas always so delicious?"

Starlight and Twilight were drug down to the deepest parts of the dungeons, where ponies would mourn and grieve as they forgot the warmth of the sun, the glow of the moon, the smell of rain and the feel of wind. The two were thrown in a cell together and when the door slammed shut, blackness filled the cell.

Starlight wept loudly in the darkness. "I'm so sorry Twilight! I wanted to beat you, but not like this!"

Twilight allowed her eyes to adjust as her alicorn physiology allowed her to make out images in the dark. She walked over to Starlight and pulled her in a tight hug. Even though days ago this unicorn saw her as a hated enemy, now she was a scared mare trapped in the darkness. "Shh. Calm down Starlight. We may be trapped for now, but I'll help get us out of here."

Starlight sniffled as she trembled in the tight hug from here former enemy. "How will we get out? They've restrain both our horns and your wings."

"I still have my earth pony gifts.", Twilight said as she stroked Starlight's mane to calm her down, "It will take time, but I can dig down to the crystal maze beneath the castle. I've been down there before and know a way into the castle from there, so there will be a way to find the other exit. I'm going to let you go for now to find a place to pry up one of the stones. If you feel overwhelmed, call out and I'll help you out."

Starlight nodded as Twilight gently let her go. She listened as Twilight shuffled around in the dark and muttered several scientific quandaries.

"Let's see if what I learned from Maud can be useful.", Twilight muttered to herself as she inspected the stones on the floor. She leaned down and inspected one of the floor stones closely. She sniffed it, then licked it and finally tapped a hoof on it. "This stone has a pretty high calcium carbonate impurity. That will make certain parts of it fragile and I can make a fracture." She began tapping the floor stone with a hoof. A voice whispered in her head. "Embrace the darkness."

Twilight shook her head trying to figure out why she was hearing a voice. Maybe the days of torture caused her some trauma, but she didn't have the luxury to examine herself at this time. Raising her hoof, she brought it down with an hard crack. Inspecting the stone, she saw and felt some surface cracks. "It's a start," She raised her hoof to strike the stone again. "Kill them all!", the voice whispered in her head. Twilight shook her head trying to dispel the voice before bringing her hoof down again. More surface cracks spread. "This is going to take a while."

Time slowly began to feel like it stretched on for eternity. Both mares knew it was only a few hours since they were locked in here, but their instincts were screaming as neither of them could see the sky to determine if it was day or night.

Starlight curled up in a ball and began to sob. He terrified mind began to make up phantom monsters in the dark. "Daddy?", she whimpered, "Daddy, I'm scared."

Twilight stopped what she was doing and began trying to comfort Starlight. "It's okay Starlight.", she whispered to the terrified mare, "We'll get out of this Tartarus hole. Just be strong." She gently ran her hoof across Starlight's mane until she fell into a fitful sleep, then went back to working on the stone.

For what felt like an eternity Twilight repeatedly struck the stone on the floor until it split in half. "Success!", she exclaimed softly as she pried up the half of the stone. Hooffalls in the hallway caught her attention and she placed the half of the stone back in place. She nudged Starlight awake. "Guards.", she whispered, "Let's hope it's just a patrol." She held the unicorn mare in a tight embrace.

As a key rattled and the tumblers in the lock turned with a loud clunk, Starlight whimpered as she trembled. "Be strong.", Twilight whispered, "Don't let them see your scared or they win." The door opened and five guards walked in. Twilight squeezed Starlight tighter.

"Prisoner!", the lead guard barked, "Come with us!" The five of them marched in and grabbed Starlight with their hooves as the shoved Twilight back.

"No!", Starlight screamed as she reached her hoof towards Twilight.

Twilight reached her hoof towards Starlight and shouted, "Stay strong!" Once the guards had drug Starlight out of the cell and slammed the door, Twilight held her hoof over her mouth crying. Turning with renewed determination back to the broken stone on the floor, she pried it up and began scraping away at the packed dirt beneath it. Pulling hooffulls of dirt up, she spread it into the cracks and lines in the floor to conceal her digging. "You have been abandoned.", the voice spoke in her head, "Celestia has abandoned and replaced you. Embrace the dark." "I know you're just a manifestation of the trauma. I'm not going to listen to you.", she said to the voice in her head.

After an untold amount of time, the cell door opened and Twilight used her body to hide the small hole she had dug. The guards roughly shoved Starlight into the cell and she collapsed into the fetal position immediately.

Twilight rushed to Starlight as the door was slammed shut and pulled her into a hug. Starlight wept loudly into Twilight's wither. "It's okay, let it all out.", she said gently rubbing Starlight's back.

"I didn't scream or cry or beg.", Starlight said between sobs, "I tried to stay strong."

Twilight gently rocked Starlight back and forth as she hummed a soft tune. "Kill the traitor.", the voice in her head said. Twilight refused to acknowledge the voice as she comforted the scared and traumatized mare. After Starlight calmed down and began to relax, Twilight said, "I'm going to work on the hole again. If you need me, call out."

Twilight continued to dig for what felt like eternity upon eternity as she made slow progress through the hard packed dirt. A key turning in the lock caught her attention and she rushed back over to hold Starlight in a protective embrace.

The door opened revealing a single guard holding a candle. "If you want to get out of here, follow me."

"Why should we trust you!", Twilight snapped.

The guard quickly looked side to side, before transforming in a flash of green flame revealing his true form as a changeling. "Trust me or don't, but I'm your only chance to get out of here. If you're coming, we need to go now! The ponies and changeling helping to keep the guards distracted won't keep them for long."

Twilight and Starlight looked to each other. "I'm getting out of here.", Starlight said weakly. Twilight nodded back, "Let's get out of here."

The changeling transformed back into the form of a guard. "Keep you heads down and act like prisoners being transferred.", it said. The disguised changeling blew out the candle and gestured for the mares to follow. As the three traveled through the corridors of the dungeon, the changeling would periodically stop and check the intersections. Coming to dead end, the changeling quickly lifted three stones on the floor and gestured the mares to the hole. "Quickly!", it whispered as the mares lowered into the hole. The changeling lowered itself into the hole and replaced the stones in the floor above.

The changeling dropped its disguise and lit the magic in its twisted horn, revealing a tunnel. "We crawl for about three hundred body lengths. Resistance soldiers will be waiting on us at the end." The changeling laid on its belly and began crawling into the tunnel. The two mares followed suit.

for what seemed like an eternity, the three crawled through the claustrophobic tunnel. It terminated in a small cavern filled with crystal growths. Several spears were pointed into the faces of the three, "Easy brothers.", the changeling said, "These are the two that the network told us about."

Ponies and changelings pulled the two mares up to their hooves. They pulled screwdrivers and began meticulously undoing the restraints on the horns and Twilight's wings. After the restraints were pulled off, Twilight flapped her wings to work the cramps out. "Thank Celestia!", she said in relief.

Several of the resistance soldiers spit on the ground at the mention of Celestia's name. Twilight cocked her head in confusion at the act. "We don't mention the traitor's name who chose to join the Nightmare's madness of her own free will.", one of the resistance soldiers.

The resistance soldiers began leading the two mares into the crystal maze.

"Where are we going?", Twilight asked, "Everfree? The castle of the two sisters?"

"The buffalo network in the Appleoosan desert.", one of the resistance soldiers replied, "Welcome to the resistance. By following us, the two demon queens will declare you both equine non grata."

Once the report reached Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, all of Canterlot was in chaos. Magical detonation went off across the city as fires were started. The castle shook as a magical detonation went off, gutting one of the galleries holding priceless art. Daybreaker growled in anger as the stone of the floor began melting under her hooves.

"Calm down sister.", Nightmare Moon said, "Other than the attack on the city, everything is going as planned."

Daybreaker glared at Nightmare Moon as flames burned in the corner of her eyes. "Calm down?! Calm down! Why should I calm down?! Two prisoners that held vital information have just escaped and you say it's all part of a plan?!" The air heated up, causing the tapestries to ignite.

"Calm down sister.", Nightmare Moon said in a honeyed tone, "Remember I can walk in dreams and I saw the timeline the two of them came from. I placed a tantabus in the mind of the alicorn."

The flames around Daybreaker died down as an evil smile spread across her lips. "Oh my dear sister. You're plan is so delicious I wish I could frost a cake with it. Even if those two get away and make it back to their timeline, the tantabus will go after our counterparts." The two queens began laughing as the royal guard began overrunning the resistance fighters throughout the city.

Darkness within/darkness without

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"You have a lot to think about." The lavender alicorn stared up at the angered face of her teacher, "You are no longer worthy to be my student and are hereby banished." The magic in Celestia's horn ignited a split second before the banishing spell was cast. Twilight sat upright from a fitful sleep, sweat pouring down her body. She looked around and sighed seeing she was in a dingy basement. Shivers ran up and down her body as she fought the urge to cry.

"Your teacher has abandoned you."

Twilight tapped a hoof to her head. "Shut up.", she whispered.

The voice continued to harass Twilight. "Your teacher has Abandoned you. Your friends have abandoned you. The traitor has left you trapped here. Kill her!"

Twilight Stood and walked over to a small pail holding some fresh water and splashed a little on her face to wash some of the sweat away. "Please...", she whispered to the voice, "...just stop talking to me so I can sleep. You're nothing but a hallucination caused by days of torture."

Starlight opened an eye, the sound of Twilight talking had woken her up from a dull, dreamless fugue. Sitting up, she asked, "Twilight? Is something wrong?"

Twilight made her way back to the blankets their liberators had given them and laid down. "It's nothing.", she lied, "I just don't feel well." She pulled a blanket over herself and tried to go to sleep.

Starlight noted that Twilight's blankets were soaked with sweat. "Maybe she's sick and has a fever. She was held by those two longer than I was.", she thought to herself, "I'll ask somepony to get her some medicine when they come down to check on us."

As the sun rose on the first day since their liberation, Twilight and Starlight huddled together in silence as the sounds of patrols rang out across the city. Starlight noted that even though Twilight was completely silent, her breathing was ragged an uneven and sweat completely soaked her fur. "Twilight.", Starlight whispered. When Twilight didn't respond, she whispered again, this time a little louder, "Twilight!" Again Twilight didn't answer and Starlight focused in on her face. She watched as Twilight seemed to wince in discomfort then began whispering something incoherently to herself.

Starlight reached out a hoof and tapped Twilight on her foreleg, her fur felt sweaty and clammy. Twilight jumped in a start before turning her head to face Starlight. "Twilight, I think your sick.", she whispered.

"I'm not sick. Alicorns don't get sick. I've been...I'm just not feeling well. I spent Celestia knows how much time with them torturing and starving me. Once we can get somewhere to get some proper food and some decent rest, I'll be fine."

"Kill the traitor!"

Twilight tapped a hoof to her head and whispered, "Shut up!"

Starlight watched Twilight tap her head before whispering. Something was wrong and she didn't know exactly was going on. "Okay.", she said placating Twilight. Inside she was concerned for Twilight's mental state.

The door to the basement opened and a changeling disguised as a unicorn with a powder blue coat walked silently down the steps and gestured to the two mares. "Shh! Come with me, we've got to get you two out of the city."

Twilight and Starlight found themselves lead to a wagon with a false bottom. As the ponies hauling the wagon laid the two into the real bottom of the wagon, they said, "There's been a change of plans. All trains leading out of the city have been held while they're searched, so we're going to have to have to smuggle you two out right under the noses of the guards." The stallions began sliding boards over the two mares to create the false bottom. "You might want to keep you mouths closed, we're going to fill the bottom of the wagon with night soil as a convincing cover."

Twilight and Starlight put their hooves over their mouths and noses to block out the stink of the night soil as they squenched their eyes shut. Outside the wagon, the stallions hastily shoveled the night soil into the wagon before checking their falsified documents.

The lead stallion climbed up onto the seat of the wagon, with a whistle and a shout he directed the team of four stallions along the streets. Coming to a checkpoint on the edge of Canterlot, the guards held up a hoof to to stop the wagon.

"You travel papers!", the head snapped. After the stallion sitting on the wagon hopped down and presented the paperwork, the head guard noted the beads of sweat rolling on his face and smiled, it was good to serve the queens as ponies were terrified of him. He walked around the wagon, inspecting the foul smelling cargo. "What are you hauling and where to?"

"Night soil good sir!", the stallions said in a bright tone trying to conceal his nervousness, "I plan on taking it to Ponyville, selling it to the local farmers there by the shovelful. Unless you want a little for your personal garden. I can cut you a deal. Three bits per shovelful!"

The head guard took a sniff of the night soil and gagged softly from the stink. He ducked his head under the wagon trying to trying to disguise his heaving as inspecting the undercarriage. "Get that foul stuff out of my sight!", the guard snapped as he waved his hoof, "Let them pass!"

"A good day to you sir!", the stallion quipped as he climbed back up on the wagon. With a whistle, he ordered the team along their path. After they had pulled some distance away from the guards, he slouched and sighed, a silent prayer crossed his lips thanking whatever higher powers were there for his good fortune.

Twilight and Starlight barely breathed and dared not to open their eyes as they rode hidden under the false bottom of the wagon. The wagon rocked as it traveled for an untold distance, occasionally as it hit a bump or uneven rut, small amounts of the disgusting substance would sprinkle through the cracks in the boards. The two felt the wagon lurch to a stop and the sound of shovels scrapping on the boards above could be heard. Twilight and Starlight were unsure what was going on and a shiver went across their body thinking they had been found out. Reaching out with her forelegs, Starlight pulled Twilight in close and prepared for the worst.

The last shovelful of night soil was tossed onto the ground and the boards of the false bottom were pulled out, revealing the two embracing mares. The head stallion reached out a hoof to nudge the two, "I hate to break up such a touching display, but this is where you set out on hoof." He helped the two mares out of the bottom of the wagon and passed them a bar of soap, "You might want to wash that nasty stuff off. Sorry, I don't got no shampoo for your manes."

A part of Twilight wanted to correct his grammar, but she let it slide as she was grateful to be free from the castle and as far away from Canterlot as possible. "Thank you.", she said taking the soap and stepping in the stream to wash the night soil from her body. Stepping out of the stream, she shook the water from her body and watched as the stallions finished smashing the wagon with their hooves and shovels. "What are you doing?"

"Making it look like bandits attacked us and scattered our load. I makes a better cover story.", the lead stallion said before pointing a hoof towards the nearby forest, "When you get in the forest, follow the trail..."

"Follow the trail that leads to Winsome Falls and follow it to the trails that lead to the Everfree forest.", Twilight interrupted, "I know the area well enough. Thank you for your help." Trotting across the river, she called out to Starlight who was shaking the water from her body, "Come on! We're leaving now!"

Starlight raised an eyebrow as she followed Twilight. For as long as she knew Twilight, decidedly it wasn't that long and most of it was from several months of spying, she never knew the alicorn to be short or snappy with anypony. After they had entered into the forest, she trotted up next to Twilight, "Twilight? Is everything okay? I mean upstairs."

"I'm fine.", Twilight lied.

"The traitor knows! Kill her now!", the voice whispered in Twilight's head.

Twilight shook her head trying to clear the voice and Starlight took notice. "You're not okay.", Starlight said more insistently,"You're barely sleeping and when you do, you're pouring sweat. You're talking to yourself. You're zoning out. Please, tell me what's wrong."

"I said I'm fine!", snarled Twilight, "I don't...let's just focus on putting as much space between us and Canterlot as possible." She began pushing forward at a brisk pace.

Starlight quickly hopped in front of Twilight. "Something's wrong with you. I know you said you're fine and that alicorns don't get sick. But is there a possibility that you could be sick in your mind? I don't know how much time you spent being tortured by them, but something's wrong. You were going to tell me something a minute ago."

Twilight grabbed Starlight with her magic, pinning her against a nearby tree trunk and slammed her hoof into the trunk a few inches from the unicorn's head. "I said I'm fine!", she snarled dangerously, "The only thing that's wrong with me is that you've stranded me in this timeline where Celestia and Luna are murderous tyrants! Slow me down again and I'll snap all four of your legs, then leave you for the timberwolves!" With that, she dropped Starlight and started walking off again.

Starlight stared in stunned silence for a few moments, other than several days ago she had never known Twilight to resort to violence and even then she had never threatened anything so...overly violent. Was she responsible not only for this violent world, but now Twilight becoming so violent? She needed to get them both back to their original time. Suddenly she balked. What if when she went back she would be thrown in dungeon or banished or thrown in dungeon in the place she was banished to? No time to think on that now, the first thing was making sure the two of them got back to their proper timeline, then she'd worry about the imprisoning and the banishing.

After hours of hiking, they finally came to the base of a steep rise. Slowly ascending the rise, they found a small cave. Inspecting it, Twilight and Starlight found the remains of an old campfire. Starlight quickly dug through the ashes and charcoal, "It looks to be at least a month old." Twilight found an old sack holding a stash of crystals and an old tiara she recognized from the Crystal Empire, "Looks like smugglers were using this cave. We better keep an eye out for them. This seems like a good spot to rest for the night, I'll take first watch."

Like Tartarus Starlight was going to drop her guard around Twilight acting weird. "No, I'll take first watch, you get some rest.", she said, "I know we don't have any reason to trust each other, but I you need the rest worse than me. Please just get some sleep."

Twilight stared at Starlight uncomfortably for a few minutes before laying down, but she didn't close her eyes. "The traitor is planning to kill you! Kill her!", the voice spoke again. "Shut up.", she whispered. Twilight shifted on the ground, groaning as the voice continued to whisper in her head.

Starlight looked at Twilight with concern, though she denies, Starlight knew something was wrong. "Please just let us get back to the map table.", she prayed to whatever powers would listen, "I promise to make this right, even if it means my imprisonment or banishment." Closing her eyes, she allowed a few fearful tears to leak out. Suddenly her stomach felt like it was doing back flips and loop-de-loops. Starlight ran to the entrance of the cave and retched loudly, all that came up was several strings of saliva and some bile as she hadn't eaten that day. "Great! I'm getting sick." She kicked some dirt on the puddle with a hoof.

Twilight sat up at the sound of Starlight vomiting. "Are you okay?"

"I think I've caught a stomach bug. I suddenly felt nauseous."

Laying back down, Twilight turned over and said, "Don't forget to drink some water from the falls tomorrow. I can't afford you falling behind from dehydration."

Starlight nodded as she blew the few strings of bile from her nose. Though she felt a bit better after throwing up, she didn't feel that much better. "Ugh!", she whispered, "I can't afford to get sick right now."

As the hours ticked by, Twilight took over the next watch even though she didn't look like she had slept. "Get some rest Starlight. With you being sick, you're going to need as much strength if we're going to make it to the edge of the Everfree forest by tomorrow evening. I plan on skirting the edges of Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres."

"Kill the traitor! Kill her now!", the voice screamed in Twilight's head.

Starlight rolled over hearing a strange voice coming from Twilight. Opening an eye, she prepared to ask if Twilight was okay, but froze when she saw one of Twilight's eyes flicker with an unnatural deep purple light.

"Nngh!", Twilight winced as she felt herself slip for a second, images of madness and blood filled her head. "Shutupshutupshutupshutup!", she screamed fighting against the visions of madness.

Starlight was on her hooves in an instant, something was terribly wrong with Twilight and she was going to find out what was wrong, one way or another. Lighting her horn, she began scanning Twilight for any problems. First she scanned the alicorn princess' body and found no signs of infection or poison, she tweaked her spell slightly and began scanning Twilight's magical wellspring, other than a few ripples that indicated overexertion, she initially found nothing. Starlight prepared to shift her spell to scan Twilight's mind when she felt dark ripples in the alicorn's magical wellspring.

Before Starlight cold respond, she felt whatever the darkness was lash out at her. "Traitor!", an unnatural voice erupted from Twilight's mouth. Twilight's eyes glowed with with dark purple light as black energy crackled across her horn. Starlight found herself pinned up against the wall by her neck by a ripple of dark purple energy crisscrossed with crackling lines of darkness. As the field of energy around her neck began to slowly constrict around her neck, cutting off her air supply, she stared into Twilight's face with stunned fright. Twilight's expression was a mixture of murderous hatred and confused fear. "Heh-heh-heh-heh!", Twilight cackled softly in an unnatural voice, "You will suffer traitor!" The ring of magical energy tightened slowly around Starlight's neck, squeezing the life from her painfully slow.

As Starlight's vision began to blur at the edges, she came up with an all-or-nothing gambit. Summoning up a small ball of light on the tip of her horn, she unleashed it with a blinding flash. As Twilight recoiled screaming in shock and rage, Starlight summoned up a familiar spell. Snatching the cutie marks off Twilight's flanks, she pinned them to the wall with a hoof, making it look like an old cave painting.

Twilight immediately slumped as her spell broke. Her magic now amply restrained by the equal sign on her flanks, the darkness that had taken advantage of the momentary weakness slowly recoiled back into the depths of her mind. Looking around with confusion and fear she saw Starlight looking at her in fear, she saw her cutie mark restrained against the wall with a hoof. Did something just happen? The last thing she remembered, exhaustion was catching up with her and the world had just started spinning. "S-Starlight? Wh-whuh? Huh?" The world began to spin as her eyes rolled up in their sockets and she fainted.

Starlight wasted no time after Twilight fainted. She let her cutie mark go from the wall and rushed over. Liting her horn again, she began scanning Twilight once again, starting with her magical wellspring. Now that she knew what the darkness looked like, she began to search for it. "Just hold strong!", she said scanning Twilight, who had started to sweat heavily again.

Twilight groaned in her dreamless stupor. A pair of serpent-like turquoise eyes manifested in the bleak dreamless void and looked at the lavender alicorn cruelly.

Back in Canterlot, Nightmare Moon drew back from the dream aether and into her body, a cruel laugh made her sides shake.

"I see you're in a good mood, sister.", Daybreaker said walking into the room. Flames from her mane and tail licked down her body, coiling through the air. A cruel smile graced her lips, revealing a long row of sharp fangs.

Nightmare Moon returned the same cruel-fang-filled smile. "I would say so, sister, that wretched little alicorn was nearly in my grasp."

"You mean our grasp, sister?", Daybreaker said, her orange, flame-ringed eyes flared.

"Of course sister!", Nightmare Moon replied in an oily tone, "Just a slip of the tongue."

Crackling flames danced around Daybreaker's sharp fangs for a second. "For your sake dear sister, it had better have been."

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes as she stared down her sister for a moment. "I was the one who agreed to forge this powerful kingdom by your side, don't threaten our stability by making threats, sister. Unless you've got too much of that weepy Celestia in you still!"

Daybreaker's mane and tail flared up, filling the room with near unbearable heat. "You dare?!"

"I do!"

The two sisters stared at each other, one filling the room with licking flames, the other filling it with an inky darkness. Their powers met in the center of the room, canceling each other out in a magical stalemate.

"Let me be the mature one.", Nightmare Moon said. She withdrew her power as a cold, calculating smile spread on her face.

Daybreaker's flames spread across the room for a second before she pulled her power back and allowed the same smile to spread on her face.

"Patience, sister.", Nightmare Moon said coldly, "It won't be long before that one is fully in our grasp. Maybe if we're lucky, she'll find your former niece before she fully falls into our grasp."

Twilight woke up on the cave floor with a concerned Starlight hovering over her. "What's going on?"

"Twilight...I know you don't want to hear this...Tartarus, I know I'm starting to sound like a broken phonograph. You're unwell, there's something dark inside you that's slowly driving you into madness." Starlight hoped her expression conveyed the seriousness of the situation. "You lost control for a few seconds, something dark took control and would have killed me if I didn't cast the cutie mark-stealing spell to restrain you."

Twilight initially doubted the light purple unicorn, but her serious-as-a-heart attack look told her she believed what she was saying. Digging through a hidden sack, she found a small clay jar, popped the lid off and dumped out it's contents. "If I lose control again, place my cutie mark in there until I come back to myself." She tossed the jar over to Starlight.

"How will I know if you're back to your normal self and not just faking?", Starlight asked as she looked at Twilight in serious concern.

Twilight just shrugged. "You'll have to use your best judgement I guess." She looked up at the sky outside the cave. "The sun will be up in a few hours, let's try and get some rest until then." She settled down against the section of the cave wall to rest.

Starlight nodded her head as she sat down and got comfortable.

Twilight sniffed the air once or twice and sighed closing her eyes. "Starlight?"

"Yeah?"

"When do you normally go into estrus, the spring or fall?"

Starlight shifted uncomfortably on the wall. "I go into estrus in the spring. Why do you ask?"

"When we get back, I think you need to pee on a stick."

Starlight's eyes snapped open. "There's no way I'm pregnant. It's summer now."

"Starlight, it was spring when we left the Equestria we know. Somehow Celestia and Luna being corrupted here have altered the natural flow of the seasons." Twilight opened an eye. "I think they had the guards violate you because there are few things more damaging to a mare's psyche than seeing her foal ripped from her forelimbs right after she's had a chance to bond with it."

Starlight shifted uncomfortably before closing her eyes. "Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

Starlight tried to hold her composure together, but found it falling apart. "I-I'm so so sorry!*hsnf* This is all my fault!*hsnf* I was so angry at you for losing losing my village*hsnf* a-and I wanted you to see what it was like to lose something important. Y-you tried to tell me that it was destroying Equestria's future, but I didn't bucking care!" She completely broke down and started bawling.

Twilight walked over and cradled Starlight's head in her hooves and gently stroked her mane. "Shh! That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that we get to the map, if it followed me through time this time."

Starlight swallowed hard, feeling like she had a boulder in her throat. "It did, but they've probably got an army guarding it now."

"It doesn't matter if they've got an army or not, I think I know who's the leader of the resistance and where she's hiding. She'll probably want to stick it to the two of them out of pure spite."

Starlight looked up at the stern expression on Twilight's face. "Who do you think is leading the resistance?"

Twilight looked down at Starlight. "Just focus on getting some rest for now."

Meeting the resistance and getting home

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Starlight and Twilight climbed the slope that below Winsome Falls. Reaching the of a sheer cliff that marked the last stretch of their climb, the two mares settled down for several minutes to catch their breath, above them they could hear the rushing of water. Starlight and Twilight continued their climb up the sheer cliffs, forehooves gripping onto small stony outcrops while their hind hooves pushed off where they found purchase.

Starlight looked over her withers at the lavender alicorn climbing below her. "Twilight, why are you climbing? Couldn't you, I dunno, fly or even teleport yourself up to the top? Heck, why haven't I levitated or even teleported myself to the top?"

"If I have another attack and lose control, I'd rather have it while clinging to this cliff than in flight or in the middle of a teleport.", Twilight replied, "Besides, if I'm right and you're with foal, you shouldn't overtax your wellspring, you could give yourself a miscarriage."

Starlight took a few moments to look around. "Well we're pretty exposed here, all it would take is one pegasus patrol to fly by and we'd be right back in that dungeon. I'm pretty sure that would cause some unwanted complications." She shimmied down the cliff next to Twilight. "Brace yourself, I'm about to get us to the top, potential miscarriage be damned."

Before Twilight could protest, the two of them vanished in a flash of turquoise light, leaving a scorch mark on the rock face, a split second later the lavender alicorn and the lilac unicorn appeared on the top of the cliff. "That was extremely stupid Starlight.", Twilight scolded, "Any pegasi flying by would have surely seen the flash of your teleportation, not to mention you've probably taxed your wellspring." Starlight sat on her haunches catching her breath. "Well then I*pant pant* suggest we find some*huff huff gasp* cover."
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Daybreaker walked through the upper dungeon on her way to the interrogation chamber. Opening the heavy iron door, she stepped in, her chief torturer, Mistress Sparkle, was standing by a table where a changeling was strapped down, twirling a long knife with a cruel curve in her magic, fresh hemolymph, clear-green in color, trickled from fresh wounds.

"I receive so few live changelings to entertain in my parlor.", Mistress Sparkle said in a tone that was both calm and cruel, "Even if you won't tell me what I want to know, I can still use this opportunity to better learn about insect anatomy." The lavender unicorn mare with the pair of crossed knives cutie mark slowly ran the tip of the sharp knife along the carapace of the changeling. "Don't worry about it hurting, I promise I won't feel a thing. Oh! Your majesty! I'm sorry that I did not hear you come in my most divine queen. Many apologies." She bowed low to the floor and offered the handle of the blade to Daybreaker.

"Rise my faithful and efficient interrogator.", Daybreaker replied, "It is I that who should apologize for interrupting you during your work. Though I must admit that watching you work is like watching a painter or a composer create a masterpiece."

"Did you come to watch me work? Or maybe this changeling knows something that requires extracting by your own sacred hoof?", Mistress Sparkle said, supplicating before her queen again.

"I have not come to inquire of this...thing, instead I have come to ask a small favor of you."

"I live to serve my queen. Ask it of me and it is yours, even the very last drop of my life's blood."

Daybreaker gently a bronze shod hoof across the cheek and under the chin of the lavender unicorn. "And to think Celestia was so blind as to not recognize the true talent she had right here under her own snout. Surely your talents would have moldered and atrophied as a requisition officer of the guard. But I do not require such a sacrifice of you. Do you still have the fur, mane and blood samples of that little alicorn that knew your tender loving graces?"

Mistress Sparkle placed the long, cruelly curved knife back in its box and bowed. "I do my most divine queen." She walked into her office and opened the various cabinets that containing all sorts of specimens. "All I have is yours to do with as you so choose."

"I only require one hair from her mane, three hairs from her coat and a few drops of her blood."

Mistress Sparkle took the asked-for items and placed them in three test tubes, then passed them to Daybreaker. "Will that be all my most divine queen?"

"Now that you mention it, do you have a vial of fire cobra venom?"

Mistress Sparkle pulled a small glass vial of cloudy reddish-yellow liquid from a stand on her desk. "Be most careful with this my queen, there is a reason why the fire cobra is also called the suicide asp."

"Thank you my most loyal and efficient interrogator." Gathering the things in her magical aura, Daybreaker walked to the door of the torture chamber and left. Entering back into the castle-proper, she walked through the hallways as guards saluted and servants bowed to her. She entered into her private study, setting the things on her desk, on one side of the desk lay the damaged, but still mostly intact petrified head of Discord, on the other side lay the charred skull of Sombra.

Daybreaker pulled out a piece of pure crystal, carved to look like an alicorn, she levitated the test tube containing the drops of blood over the top of the carved crystal and dripped the few drops of blood onto it, then fused the hairs from the mane and coat to it. She looked at Sombra's charred skull. "Your first mistake was thinking that you could take what was rightfully mine. Your second mistake was thinking I was that pathetic weakling Celestia. Your third mistake was thinking I couldn't pry the secrets from you. Your last mistake was thinking you could best me. Hahahahahahahaaaaa! I am the eternal sun and none can stand before her!"

"Only the eternal night can truly stand before the eternal sun.", Nightmare Moon said walking into Daybreaker's study, "Now pray tell sister, what have you concocted and why you think you can go behind my back to prepare tortures without seeking my council?"

"Did you seek my council before implanting your tantabus into that little wretch?", Daybreaker snarled, baring her sharp fangs.

"Put away your fang, sister of mine. I meant it not as a challenge. And yes, I did implant a tantabus into her without your council.", Nightmare Moon replied, "Now pray tell sister, what have you concocted?

Daybreaker levitated the vial of fire cobra venom, chanted a few strange words softly. The reddish-yellow liquid turned purplish-black and started bubbling. She placed a dropper in the vial. "Just a curse of pain and madness meant to poison that little wretch's mind while she is awake. Who knows, maybe if fortune favors us, she'll find Cadenza and that wretched insect and in a fit of madness, rid us of their burden. Then maybe their pathetic little rebellion will die without their leadership."

"How do you know that Chrysalis still lives?", Nightmare Moon asked, "When you burned her hive, there was enough ashes that any could have been her."

"I know she still lives.", Daybreaker sneered, "If she was dead, then why do her changelings aid those who defy our rightful rule?" She levitated the dropper filled with purplish-black liquid over to the head of the alicorn carving.
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Twilight and Starlight stopped at the edge of a pool where one of the many rainbow-colored falls poured in to, lowered their snouts to the water and started drinking.

Suddenly Twilight reared up on her hind hooves, screaming in pain and clawing at her head with her hooves. Flopping onto her side, she started thrashing as her mouth foamed, her brain felt like it was on fire.

"Twilight!", Starlight shouted, rushing to the alicorn's side, "What's wrong?"

Twilight got to her hooves, flecks of foam falling from her mouth. Her eyes stared unfocused as she babbled incoherently. She started walking in circles as her eyes spun in their sockets, she started foaming more and more, like she was rabid as globs of foam fell to the ground.

Starlight grabbed Twilight with her magic, holding the alicorn still. She stared into her eyes, noting that one was like a pinprick and the other's pupil had nearly blacked it out. "You're unwell. Come on, I'll carry you."

"I'm banana cream quesadilla oval square. Rotten apple decaying flapjack! You, you're bruised diamonds orange blue."

"Uh...whatever you say.", Starlight said as she lifted Twilight in her magic, "Come on, let's see if we can't find somepony to help you." The lilac unicorn started walking in the direction of the Everfree Forest carrying the lavender alicorn in her magic.

As they finally entered the edge of the Everfree, everything went from the brightness of late afternoon, to darkness like unto dusk The branches of the trees in the dim shadows made the forest feel claustrophobic, here and there light shown down through gaps in the dark green foliage.

Panting, Starlight levitated Twilight onto her back. "Bats fly at day. Phbbbbbttt! Yellow and pink! Yellow and pink!" "That's right Twilight, yellow and pink. Now how do we find this resistance? If it even exists." Starlight noticed several rabbits on a trail, staring at the two of them with large quizzical eyes before scattering into the undergrowth.

"Those who look for us rarely live long enough to regret it.", a voice whispered from above in the branches of the forest's canopy.

Starlight set Twilight down onto the ground and erected a shield around them. "Who's there?! Show yourself! If you're here to help, my friend is sick."

There was a rustle in the branches above and a blur too fast to make out went from the branches of a nearby tree into a thicket of bushes. Starlight turned to face it. "Hello? Is anypony there?" Twilight pointed a hoof and shouted, "Rotten banana! Poop sponge cake souffle!" "You're not making any sense Twilight." Twilight growled in frustration. "Sheep cake! Orange water green! Yellow pink! Pink pink! Gray! Brown and black from below!"

Three things ran through the undergrowth with a blur. As Starlight turned to face whatever it was, three thestrals dropped onto her shield from above. Before Starlight could cast a spell to knock them off her shield, two earth pony mares jumped out of the undergrowth and started repeatedly driving their hooves with all their might into the shield, one was gray, the other was pink. Starlight strained to keep the shield up as spider web cracks started spreading across it, as she went to reinforce it, the thestrals started slamming their hooves into it. When the shield shattered like glass, Starlight collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, the thestrals immediately dog-piled on her and Twilight. From the undergrowth a yellow pegasus mare with a pink and mane and tail walked out. "Good work.", she whispered. The pink earth pony mare leaned her head down close to Starlight's ear and growled, "You should have listened to your friend."

"What should we do with these two?", one of the thestrals asked.

The yellow pegasus mare walked around the to prisoners. "Bag 'em and take 'em to to camp.", she whispered, "We'll let Zecora find out the truth about them before we bring them to Cadenza and Chrysalis."

Starlight and Twilight had heavy burlap bags pulled over their heads, the latter babbled and sputtered incoherently. As they walked for what felt like an hour, Starlight heard Twilight scream, followed by dull thud and the sound of something thrashing on the ground. "Uh, boss?", a voice said, "I don't think this one is quite right." "Have the other one carry her.", came a whispered response. Starlight grunted as Twilight was placed on her back, the alicorn felt like she was burning up and her breathing was erratic and labored.

After what felt like an eternity of walking, the bag was yanked of Starlight's head. She blinked her eyes repeatedly as they adjusted. It was well after dark and they were standing in an odd village, village was too descriptive of a word, it was more a collection of tents and hovels. A motley collection of ponies and changelings walked or flitted around the camp, intermixed here and there were a few griffons and minotaurs. Sunset looked over her withers into the face of Twilight who was still laying on her back, her eyes were unfocused and partially rolled up in their sockets, she had stopped foaming, but it was replaced by a line of drool.

Quickly shifting her weight down to the ground, Starlight levitated Twilight gently onto her side. "Come on! Come on! Show me that you're still in there!", she said, brushing the alicorn's mane with a hoof. Twilight's lips moved, at first no sound came out. "T-t-tr-tr-trai-trai..." Starlight moved her head closer to Twilight's mouth so she could hear her better.

Twilight's eyes snapped open, they were glowing a deep purple, her coat started turning dark. "Traitor!", she snarled and leapt from the ground. Starlight tried to spring back, but quickly found herself overpowered and pinned under the slowly darkening alicorn. "You think you can murder the whole world and nothing would come of it?!", Twilight growled in a distorted voice and pushed her hoof into Starlight's throat. The lilac unicorn chocked and gagged as she flailed ineffectively at the darkening hoof.

"What is going on here?!", a voice called out. All turned to see a tall pink alicorn walking towards the fray.

"Whorse!", Twilight snarled in an unnatural voice and charged her. Starlight gasped , sucking in air as the hoof was removed from her throat. As Twilight covered the space between her and the pink alicorn, she suddenly found herself caught in a pale blue aura. Twilight struggled against the blue aura for a few seconds then teleported out of it. Appearing above the pink alicorn, she reached forward with her forehooves as she went into a dive. A lime green aura encapsulated her and tossed her to the ground.

Chrysalis strode forward, her black carapace covered in discolored burn scars, putting herself in between the crazed lavender alicorn and Cadance.

"Thief!", Twilight growled in a distorted and unnatural tone. Sticky green mucus surrounded her hooves. She struggled against the quickly hardening green mucus holding her hooves in place.

As Twilight charged up her horn to fire a blast, her cutie marks levitated off her flanks, leaving a pair of gray equal signs. All eyes watched as the two starburst cutie marks floated in the air towards Starlight, who quickly scooped them into a jar. Immediately Twilight's magic dissipated and she collapsed to the ground, the normal color returning to her coat. Her eyes went back to their normal color as they slowly closed.

Chrysalis stomped towards Starlight. "Who are you?! Why did that one attack us?!" Starlight hunkered down in fear as the changeling queen towered over her. "You will answer me or I will drag it out of you!"

"Chrysalis!", the pink alicorn snapped, "Hold your ground. These are the two our informants told us about. Zecora!"

A zebra walked up carrying a pair of saddlebags with a cadueus printed on them. "Get the lavender mare to the infirmary and give me a vial of truth potion if you have it."

"As my general commands.", the zebra replied reaching in her saddlebags, "Before i forget, Iron will has again broken one of his hands."

Chrysalis sighed. "I don't know why we keep him around, Cadenza. Every time one of turns round, he's hurt himself again."

"We need all the bodies we can get. If it weren't for his skills at organizing, the attack on Canterlot would have gone much worse.", Cadance replied. She pointed a hoof at Starlight, "You! Come with me."

Starlight followed Cadance into a hut made from stones precisely stacked on each other, with Chrysalis following close behind. Starlight found her hooves secured to the floor by sticky green mucus, Cadance pulled the stopper from the bottle of potion and shoved the spout into the lilac unicorn's mouth. "Drink and we shall know your truth.", Chrysalis said calmly. Starlight nearly gagged as she drank the truth potion down, it tasted like rotten apples mixed with the scraping of a pony's hoof after a long slog during the middle of summer.

Cadance and Chrysalis stood in front of Starlight for several minutes as they waited for the potion to take effect. "Okay, I think that's been long enough.", Cadance said, "Let's start off simple. What's your name?" Starlight found herself compelled to speak, "Starlight Glimmer." Chrysalis took a step forwards. "Where are you from originally?" "A small community called Sire's Hollow." Cadance rubbed a hoof under her chin. "There used to be a well to do community called Sire's Hollow, but it has long since been turned into a prison. Are you trying to say you're from that prison?" "No ma'am, I come from a different timeline where Equestria was nothing like this." "How did you come to his timeline?", Chrysalis asked. "I was so angry at princess Twilight for turning my village against me that I modified Star Swirl's time travel spell to stop the sonic rainboom from happening that gave Twilight and her friends their cutie marks."

As Cadance and Chrysalis continued to to interrogate Starlight, the two of them became more and more agitated. "SO BECAUSE YOU LOST CONTROL OF THE VILLAGE YOU HAD CONTROLLED AND THE DECIDED TO THROW TEMPER TANTRUM, YOU DAMNED US ALL TO LIVE UNDER THE HOOVES OF THOSE TYRANTS!", Chrysalis roared, beside herself in rage, "Give me an excuse to not crush your skull in right now!" She raised a holey foreleg to ring her hoof down on Starlight's head.

"That's enough Cgrysalis!", Cadance shouted as she interjected herself between the two of them, "We are not Daybreaker or Nightmare Moon!"

"But she admitted to..."

"She's right.", Starlight interrupted, "This is all my fault! However you choose to punish me, I won't resist. Just please, please don't let Twilight suffer for my foul-ups.", she pulled the modified time spell from her pocket dimension, "Get Twilight to the map table on the far side of Ponyville. She can cast the spell that gets her home where her friends can help her."

"Fine by me!", Chrysalis growled. "Chrysalis! Stand down!", Cadance shouted, planting her hooves and spreading her wings, "You weren't the one who watched aunt Celestia fall further into desperation and grief to the point of madness. I did! I watched as her student gave into jealously and greed led through the mirror! I watched her year after year when hopeful after hopeful prospect failed their entrance exams! I watched as Nightmare Moon came back from the moon and loom over her laughing! I watched as my loving and caring aunt gave into her own darkness becoming that...creature! I swore on that day that I would no long sit by and watch! I swore to save all I could, even if it meant my own destruction!", her tone softened as she lowered her wings, "Right now we've got a chance to stop this before it starts."

Chrysalis locked eyes with Starlight and gave a snarling hiss. "Fine!", she snapped turning with a huff, "We'll do it your way. But that doesn't mean I have to like her!"

Cadance gave a small smile. "Fair enough. Now find your fastest and sharpest-eyed changelings. I'll load them up on love so they can find that map table.", she then gave Starlight a deadly serious look, "For all our sake, they had better find that table or I won't be able to stay Chrysalis' hoof again."

Zecora walked into the hut. " This is the worst! I tried to heal that little alicorn, but even my knowledge could do little but calm her. Her mind is cursed!"

Cadance and Chrysalis both gave worried looks. "How long before before the curse consumes her?"

"Hard to say. Never have I worked with an alicorn who was cursed both awake and asleep. If I had to hazard a guess, she has at the most a few months if her curse was put on her today."

"Very well.", Chrysalis said, her countenance falling, "I'll gather five changelings, you load them up on love and they'll find that map."

Over the next three days Starlight walked around the camp with Twilight, the two of them surrounded by several changeling guards. Whenever Twilight would have an attack, Starlight her curie marks off and changelings would dog pile her.

Words spread quickly around the camp, ponies, griffons, minotaurs and changelings would post watch day and night. As each day rolled by, they would become more and more concerned. In the predawn hours of the fourth day, rustling in the undergrowth drew everycreature's attention. Bright Eyes stumbled into the clearing, leading Rarity, with Sweetie Belle close by.

"General Cadenza? General Cadenza?", Rarity called out. Cadance and Chrysalis hurried out .

"Rarity! You know the Everfree isn't safe!", Cadance exclaimed, "Do you have any news?"

"Two days ago a changeling staggered into the camp close to death. She said something about a map table and that the queen's soldiers were there waiting for them.", Rarity said morosely, "I'm sorry Chrysalis. If you want to bring her home, Bright Eyes can tell you where we buried her."

"Pharynx, Spiracle, Mandible, Stinger and Antennae knew the risks before they went out. They did their hive proud by making sure a message got back to us." Chrysalis closed her eyes and turned her head away so none could see her mourn for her children. After several minutes she regained her composure. "General, I think it's time we we upped our patrols. Sooner or later we're going to have to make a press for that map."

Cadance nodded her head.

That evening several ponies, griffons and minotaurs rushed into the camp by the way of the long abandoned castle, they carried on stretchers several sickly, emaciated foals. Starlight recognized one of the fillies, a pegasus with a bright orange coate and a bright magenta mane, the stump where her leg gad been cut off was badly infected. "Make way!", the lead creature shouted. As the sat the stretchers down, Zecora ran out with her medical supplies.

"Oh dear dear dear! Can somecreature tell me what happened, right now and here?!"

"We managed to liberate them from a labor camp outside of Manehattan.", the lead creature replied, "They were working them to death and barely feeding them."

Starlight watched as Zecora, along with several other creatures. Bright Eyes ran over to an unconscious form of a unicorn filly with a light gray coat and blonde mane, she was little more than skin and bones. Starlight clenched her eyes shut and looked away crying. "If I survive long enough to get back, I swear I'll do everything in my power to make this right."
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Starlight and Twilight waited four months as the resistance gathered supplies for an attack to draw away as many guards as possible. Twilight grew less and less coherent as he attacks became more frequent, Starlight's belly grew into a small bump, revealing she was pregnant, she walked into the hut where Cadance and chrysalis were putting the last details on a plan. "Me and Twilight can't afford to sit on our hooves any longer. She's getting worse and needs to get back to where somepony can help her."

"What about your foal?", Cadance asked.

"All that matters right now is getting Twilight back. If I'm unable to get back, I'll kill myself to keep my foal away from their hooves.", Starlight replied.

"You won't have to go that far.", Chrysalis replied laying down a small stack of papers, :Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon are coming tomorrow to make a big show about rooting out dissidents.", she snorted, "This will make the...what is it...eighth time they've tried this?"

"More like the twentieth time.", Cadance retorted, "But that's not what Chrysalis is trying to say. Go ahead and show her."

In a flash of green flames, Chrysalis changed her form to match Cadance's. "I'll go out with as many creatures that are willing to sacrifice themselves to make a big show that General Cadenza is staging a big showdown. I'll load me up on as much love magic as I can hold so I'll have a chance to hod the off long enough. Meanwhile the real General will be with you two, making sure you both get to the map safely."

"So when are they coming?", Starlight asked.

Cadance and Chrysalis glanced at each other before responding simultaneously, "Tomorrow."
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As the sun rose, Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon landed in the main square of Ponyville, dressed in full battle gear. They were accompanied by a battalion of heavily armored guards setting down on pegasus chariots. As Daybreaker started to give a grandiose speech, her attention was drawn by a ruckus from the gathered ponies. Chrysalis disguised as Cadance marched, wings held high, along with several hundred creatures.

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon walked side-by-side to confront their 'niece'. "Mi Amore Cadenza. I implore you to give up this futile and destructive defiance.", Daybreaker said, "Just prostrate yourself before my sister and I, kiss our hooves, declare us to be your most divine queens and everything shall be forgiven." She held up a hoof to accentuate her point.

Chrysalis placed a hoof to her chin like she was considering it. Hmm...a tempting offer, but...", she dropped her disguise, "...nah!"

The two alicorn sisters momentarily recoiled in shock. "Chrysalis!", Nightmare Moon snarled, "Why are you-Mffmmfmmmfmfff!" Her eyes went wide as a glob of green sticky mucus covered her snout, blocking her mouth and nose.

"Settle down Little Moon. Let the grown-ups talk.", Chrysalis chided in a mocking tone.

Daybreaker stepped forward as Nightmare Moon scraped the mucus off her snout. "If you want to talk, what shall we ever talk about? Oh, I know! Let's talk about how your changelings screamed as I burned your hive! Or let's talk about how every changeling that I captured cried out in agony and begged for their pathetic lives while Mistress Sparkle vivisected them."

Chrysalis felt her rage burn, but she kept a close lid on it. A wide grin spread across her lips. "I'd rather talk about the terms of your surrender."

This caused the two sisters to scoff in derision. As Daybreaker lit her horn, Nightmare Moon spoke up, "Not yet sister of mine. First let's hear her terms, then we'll decide what to do."

"How very mature of you Little Moon.", Chrysalis retorted. It nearly made her laugh when the black alicorn's face twisted up from the nickname. "Your reign is coming to a close and the ponies you rule over rise against you. Surrender your crowns, disband your armies, relinquish your hold over the heavens and give yourself over to my army for justice."

Daybreaker huffed and stamped a hoof. "Is that all, you pathetic excuse for a ruler?!"

Chrysalis sneered defiantly, it was time to provoke this fight. "No...", she said calmly, "...as we take you to your dungeons, we will stop at every house and hovel and the two of you will be the forgiveness of every creature that lives there, then you both will bow down and...", she shook her flanks at them, "...lay a big wet kiss on my rump."

"YOU DARE?!", Daybreaker roared charging forward. She and Chrysalis crossed horns.

"I do!", Chrysalis mocked back. As they went into a shoving match, she shouted, "Now!" Changelings disguised as members of the crowd or heavily armored ponies dropped their disguises and leapt on the surprised enemies, the creatures making up the ragtag resistance force charged forward to join the fray.

Daybreaker leapt backwards to make some space. Flames flowed down her mane to her tail and around her legs, melting the ground around her hooves into lava. Taking a breath, she breathed out a gout of flame. Chrysalis threw up a shirld around herself as the ground was flash melted into glass. The alicorn and the changeling queen charged up their horns, firing continuous beams that locked in a magical duel. Chrysalis dug in her hooves, she knew she was burning through a lot of absorbed love magic, but refused to yield. Nightmare Moon walked up and touched the tip of her horn to her sister's. Nightmare Moon's and Daybreaker's magic intertwined into a coiling beam of magic that slowly pushed towards Chrysalis, who poured as much power as she could in a attempt to hold back the advancing dual beam.

Cadance, Starlight and Twilight slowly crept towards the map table. The sounds of the fighting from Ponyville were heard clearly. The loud scream of Chrysalis was heard as clear as a bell a split second before the magic of the two sisters annihilated her. As the map table came into view, there were several heavily armored ponies surrounding it. Cadance leapt from their hiding spot in the tall grass, using her magic and greater strength to quickly overpower most of the guards. As she fought hoof-to-hoof against the last few guards, an armored pegasus flew off in the direction of town. Using her magic to knock out the remaining few guards, Cadance sprinted after the armored pegasus and shouted, "Get back to your own time or this is all for naught!"

Starlight started guiding Twilight to the map table. The lavender alicorn collapsed as an attack hit her. "Just hold it together a little bit longer!", Starlight exclaimed as she levitated Twilight onto her back, "We're almost there!"

Cadance's pained scream was the only warning Starlight received that Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon were coming. She hastily placed Twilight on the map and retrieved the time spell from her pocket dimension. The two sisters appeared in a flash of teleportation.

"If you try and cast your time spell to escape, you'll be dead before the first spark.", Daybreaker said in an angry tone. Starlight lowered her head. "Very good! Now, you will allow my sister and I to travel to your time...", Daybreaker said coldly, "...or...", the two sisters lit their horn. Twilight thrashed about on the map table screaming.

"You win! You win!", Starlight shouted, "Just don't hurt her anymore!"

"Very good.", Nightmare Moon said, "Now we shall travel to your time. We might even let you keep you foal." The two sisters stepped up on the map table. "Now cast the spell."

Starlight took a deep breath. 'Here goes nothing!", she thought to herself. She lit her horn in preparation to cast the spell. Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon's eyes lit up with shock as their cutie marks were snatched off and Starlight pinned them under her hoof. As the sisters tried to cast a killing on spell on Starlight, their magic was blocked by the gray equal signs on their flanks. Starlight quickly summoned a wall of force to knock the two alicorn sisters off the map table, she then quickly cast the time spell.

Starlight held the still spasming Twilight close to her chest as the tie tunnel opened, pulling them both in. In the Castle of Friendship, Spike, Twilight and Starlight emerged from the time tunnel and slammed into the friendship Map.

"Twilight!", Spike shouted as he scrambled over to the pony who was his big sister that was being held by the crying lavender unicorn. "Get off of her!", he growled shoving Starlight away.

Twilight's other friends crashed through the door to the map room and gasped at the seizing alicorn that was their friend. "You better have a good explanation why you're here, Starlight!", Applejack growled.

"Get help!", Starlight screamed, "She's been cursed!"

Spike hastily scrawled out a not, rolled it up and sent it with a puff of green flame. "When Princess Celestia gets here, you're going away for a long time."

In flashes of golden and blue light, Celestia and Luna in a flash. "Twilight!", Celestia screamed out as she cradled her thrashing former student, "Shh! Shh! It's okay! I'm here now!"

Luna locked eyes with Starlight. "Thou hast better explain. With due haste!"

Before Starlight could reply, a journal with a two-tone red and orange sunburst logo on the front started chiming and glowing. Celestia levitated the book over, opened it and gasped, "Sunset Shimmer calls for help!"

"Go sister! We've got things handled here!", Luna replied. Celestia nodded and sprinted through the mirror portal.
********************************************************************************************************

Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Sci-Twi were all sitting on a blanket in front of the stature where the portal to Equestria was. Celestia suddenly sprinted out, wobbling unsteadily on her legs.

Celestia shuddered. "Even after all these centuries, it still feels just as weird to be bipedal."

"Princess Celestia? Is something wrong with Twilight?", Sunset asked.

"Yes.", Celestia said, "She's been cursed. Don't worry, Luna's with her right now. But keep yourself on standby, I might need to call on your help. Now what happened that you called on Twilight to help?"

Sunset gestured to the human Twilight. "Wwwweeeeellll...it's kind of a long story."
********************************************************************************************************

Celestia stepped back through the mirror portal in Equestria. "Bbbbrrrrrbbbbbbbrbbrbbbbrrrrrr!", she shuddered shaking her head, "I'll never get used to that bipedal world!"

"Sister, is everything alright with Sunset Shimmer?", Luna asked.

"It turns out that Equestrian magic is roaring to life in the human world and there is a human Twilight who accidentally corrupted herself.", Celestia replied, "Don't worry, Sunset and her friends managed to get everything under control. Have you found out what happened to Twilight?"

"Verily, sister. It appears the curse that was put on her was concocted using the corrupted venom of the fire cobra. There is nut one other pony who used a similar curse."

"Sombra!", Celestia snarled, "Did you figure out how she ran afoul of such a curse?"

"Verily.", Luna replied, "It happened when Starlight Glimmer used Star Swirl's time spell she modified. Though naught but a few minutes passed for us, they were trapped in a timeline for at least four months where corrupted versions of ourselves ruled the land."

"Were you able to lift the curse from her?", Celestia asked.

"I was able to pull the poison from her mind, it it has already seeped into her wellspring. That shall take more time to cure. There is also something else deeper. Something familiar. Something that so far has hidden from all my probes.", Luna said.

"Get her back to Canterlot and start working on a treatment. I'll join you shortly.', Celestia said. After Luna teleported Twilight and herself away, Celestia turned to Starlight. "Now what to with you."

Starlight huddled low to the ground, she placed a hoof defensively over her belly. "Do with me as you want, but let me have my foal. After it is born, lock me in a dungeon or banish me or lock me in a dungeon where you banish me. I won't struggle as I know it's better than I deserve."

Celestia sighed. "Where do my ponies get ideas like that? I've only ever banished one pony." She stepped towards Starlight and placed her horn against the unicorn's horn. "Now be quiet while I look into this." Her horn glowed a soft golden color as she probed Starlight's mind.

Celestia raised up to her full height and called for Spike, when the little drake hastily eneterd the room, she ordered, "Go tell Mayor Mare that Starlight Glimmer is on probation and under house arrest for the duration of her pregnancy, whereupon she shall be judged again to see if she is worthy to join society as a whole." After the drake left, she looked down to the unicorn, "Starlight Glimmer, as of today your rehabilitation starts. I expect to be kept informed of your progress."

Tears ran down Starlight's face as she stroked her belly. "Thank you!", she whispered.

"Don't thank me just yet. It's not my forgiveness you must earn.", Celestia replied.
********************************************************************************************************

Over the next seven months down in Ponyville, Starlight's belly grew more and more gravid. She gave birth to a unicorn filly with a pearl pink coat, brilliant aqua eyes and a dark blue mane and tail. She named her daughter Hope Beacon.

Over the same seven months Twilight slowly lost her fight against the tantabus that was attacking her mind. One night as she lay sleeping fitfully on her bed, here eyes snapped open, glowing an unnatural purple, dark swirls of magic came from the corners of her eyes, the shadows extended from all the corners of the room to merge with her coat, turning it a dark purple. On that night Twilight Sparkle fell asleep and something much darker woke up in her place. An evil smile graced her lips as her teeth became sharp fangs, her pupils became cat-like slits. Her coat was dark purple with splotches of black staining it like soot, her feathers were a gradient of dark purple to black. A purplish-black aura swirled around her horn as she lit her magic and levitated a couch.

Luna reached up her hoof to open the door to Twilight's room when she heard the crash of glass shattering. Bursting through the door, the room was empty and the window was broken outwards. Running to the window, she caught the shadowy image of an alicorn slipping behind some clouds. Pivoting on her hind hooves, Luna sprinted through the castle to alert Celestia.

Down in Ponyville, Starlight had just put Hope Beacon down for the night. After gently closing the door, she started walking down to her room when the loud crash of shattering glass made her freeze mid-step. Rushing back up the hallway, she burst through the nursery where Hope was sleeping. The last thing Starlight saw before she was hurled out of the room by a blast of magic was a dark alicorn, silhouetted by the darkness levitating her daughter out of the crib.

Starlight woke up in the hallway smelling iron in her nose. She scrambled into the nursery, seeing Hope's bassinet was empty and the window was smashed in from the outside, she screamed in horror. That night all across Equestria, mares joined Starlight in their screams of horror as they discovered their foals stolen.

Stranded in the land of the two cruel queens

by sykko

Arrival in a cruel land

Captured

Darkness within/darkness without

Meeting the resistance and getting home