> Creeping Darkness
>  by Bronyxy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 Anything but an Ordinary Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight looked up as the last scheduled petitioner left Day Court, keeping the same warm smile in place as she had for every one of the visitors who had come to seek her guidance and judgement. These days, petitioners were not just ponies, as had been the case under the reign of the Two Sisters, but now society had become so much more integrated that the Princess had opened up the privilege of audience to any of the races that lived in Equestria, and even those who lived beyond. 

There was no longer a Night Court as there was no longer any dedicated Princess of the Night to adjudicate over proceedings, but Twilight kept the title of Day Court as an act of homage to her beloved mentor and close friend, Princess Celestia.

Technically, Twilight ruled the kingdom of Equestria by herself, but that was not strictly true in practice, for a large dragon was never far from her side. Strangers to the Court would invariably be shocked at the sight of a dragon so close to the seat of power, and even more surprised that he so willingly took a subservient role to the pony Princess, but that was how it worked, and it worked well.

“Come on Spike” she said, alighting from her throne and dropping the last remains of the slightly forced smile that had been in place throughout the entire session, replacing it with one of genuine heartfelt love, “Let’s go get you some gems; my treat.”

“Honestly, Twi” he confided, standing by her side in case she needed a claw of help, “All those nobles bickering amongst each other … how do you keep your temper?”

“Easy” she replied with a wink, “Just imagine them sat on a toilet – they don’t seem so pompous then!”

Spike chuckled easily and shook his head, having just learned another tip from the pony he thought of both as best friend and sister, despite them being completely different species.

“Hey, what did you make of that soothsayer?” Spike asked, “He sure seemed to have a bee in his bonnet about that astral conjunction thing.”

“Hmm, yes, I’ll keep that in mind“ agreed Twilight thoughtfully, “But it’s not as if something is just going to up and fall straight through the roof, now is it?” 

They were just about to climb down from the raised dais that elevated the throne from the floor, when they were startled by a loud grunt from the Clerk of the Court who had just been exiting the large double doors, and turned to focus on him as he bowled back in again, entangled with something pink. For an instant, Twilight was expecting to see Pinkie Pie climb up and dust herself down wearing some random look on her face, but as soon as that fond thought had flashed into her mind, it was brutally dashed away with the realisation that her dear friend had passed away decades ago.

To their credit, the guards recovered with lightning reactions, weapons drawn, to watch the clerk disentangling himself from a pink pony who had collapsed panting before them, eyes wide as she tried to suck the air into her lungs. 

The guards quickly both made assessments of the risk posed by the sudden arrival of the dishevelled pink mare, and concluded that she did not appear to present an immediate threat. More than that, she bore more than a passing resemblance to royalty herself. 

The junior guard shot a questioning glance to his fellow, obviously eager to help the distressed pony gasping for breath on the floor, but his sergeant responded with a harsh glare borne from years of discipline, directing him instead to watching the corridor outside. It was possible that she may not have been alone, and as harsh as it might have appeared, their job was to guard; others could attend to the needs of the unexpected visitor, even if she was royalty. He didn’t want to lower his guard and risk his Princess being ambushed just because her niece had arrived, even though it looked like she may badly need medical help.

Twilight recognised the mature pink alicorn with magenta and sapphire mane, and immediately spread her wings wide, flapping the few loping wingbeats needed to fly the short distance down to meet her, followed closely by Spike, gliding down on his large leathery wings.

“Auntie Twilight!” she gasped, fighting for breath, as the Princess furled her wings to kneel alongside and put her muzzle close.

“Take your time Flurry” she soothed, noting with alarm some charred feathers on her niece’s wings. Spike noticed too, and growled softly at the prospect of what he would do to whoever had injured Cadence and Shining’s daughter, even though she was now a fully grown mare.

Gulping down a few more breaths, Flurry Heart tried to get up but flinched as her legs refused to carry her weight and she collapsed.

“Medics!” boomed Spike, while Twilight devoted herself to listening closely to the message her niece was trying to deliver.

The pink mare’s heart was pounding, and her chest continued to rise and fall dangerously quickly.

Twilight caught sight of red stains smearing across the stone floor as the injured alicorn moved, and shot Spike a worried look.

“Medics!” bellowed Spike again, this time so loud that the guards minding the double doors thought they would lose their hearing permanently. Twilight did not react at all, she didn’t even tense at the outburst as she continued to hold her niece softly, surreptitiously looking for the source of the blood to try and understand the severity of her injuries.

At that point, two medics ran in to be suddenly confronted with the most impatient glare from a very large and very unhappy looking dragon, who was starting to seep smoke out of his nostrils as a sign of rising anger. Quickly they ran to the patient and began their examination, only to look up shortly and exchange worried glances. Immediately, one of them opened his bag, while the other rushed to get stretcher bearers.

”What’s that?” asked Twilight as the medic prepared a syringe.

“It’s a sedative, Princess” he replied without elaboration.

“But I have to hear what she’s got to say …” Twilight protested, “She’s obviously been in serious danger and ponies’ lives could be at risk.”

“Your Majesty” replied the medic, looking her straight in the eye, “If you push her any further now, you will end up trying to interrogate a corpse. May I proceed?”

Twilight looked shocked and a little taken aback.

“Proceed” she confirmed, and watched as the needle was plunged into Flurry Heart’s foreleg. She looked up at her Aunt, desperation etched across her face before her eyelids fluttered and closed.

“So close” sighed Twilight, frustrated not to hear what her niece had to say.

“Yes, your Majesty” the doctor agreed, struggling to find his patient’s weak pulse, then adding under his breath, “So close to death.”

Flurry Heart untensed in her Aunt’s protective embrace and relaxed under the influence of the sedative, until the stretcher bearers arrived to lift her as carefully as they could and whisk her away to the castle’s infirmary.

Spike looked at the bloodstained floor then up to Twilight.

“I’m going to kill whoever did this" he growled under his breath, and she knew he meant this as no idle threat.
> 2 Looking for Allies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight summoned the Commanding Officers of the Royal Guard and the Night Guard respectively and hastily convened a council of war in the castle’s lecture theatre. A grizzled looking pegasus general in full battle armour and his equally no-nonsense bat pony general counterpart responded quickly to their Princess’s command and stood to attention before their monarch until she ordered them to their ease. 

They listened attentively to the brief, which was rather limited by virtue of the lack of information, and drew heavily on inference rather than solid fact. All quickly agreed on the need for a prompt military response and relayed orders for their forces to be placed on combat readiness, whilst messengers were despatched to spread the word to the other towns and cities across Equestria.

Once that was done, they turned their attention to determining the appropriate response and striking the best balance between defence and offense, especially given the need to maintain their reserves. Even though Canterlot boasted the largest garrison of anywhere in Equestria because of it being collocated within the seat of power, they still had to be careful marshalling their resources to avoid overstretch. 

Quickly splitting the resources into halves, they immediately agreed to double the guard and send out increased patrols. After this, they focused on their attack, but where, and against what threat?

Since Flurry Heart had in all probability come from the Crystal Empire, this would be their provisional focus, but what was the threat they faced? Without anything else to go on, they agreed on a scouting party comprising pegasi, bat ponies and thestrals, leaving behind any unicorns and earth ponies in the interests of speed.

“Can I go too?” asked Spike quietly into Twilight’s ear, “I have a score to settle.”

“No Spike” she replied, “We don’t know yet what we’re facing. This may be part of a clever plan to lure us away to the north, before a larger force comes round and attacks on another flank, such as from across the Badlands. If that happens, then I will definitely need you here.”

Spike growled his displeasure, but despite his simmering thirst for revenge, reluctantly grasped the logic.

“I would, however, appreciate if you could fly over and inform Celestia and Luna” Twilight requested, “They need to be told what has happened to Flurry Heart and also that something could have happened to Cadance. It’s probably best to do it in person if possible.”

He turned and left for the Silver Shoals retirement home, his face reflecting the unsatiated anger burning in his soul.

Twilight hoped his rage would dissipate a little before he reached Silver Shoals, lest his frightening appearance scare any of the residents into an early demise, and then turned her attention back to the final stages of planning with the generals before dismissing them to go about their duties.

Once they had left, she paused; her mouth was dry, and her stomach was protesting at having been ignored for too long. Not daring to take time out for a formal meal in the dining room, she ordered tea and cake brought to her where she was. She knew this was how Celestia had coped with stressful situations, and could appreciate the comforting therapy it provided, but was determined not to become dependent, especially as she remembered all too clearly that Gabby Gums article from so many years ago.

She lamented the passage of time and how, in years gone by, she would have sent word to her fellow Element Bearers to embark on their latest adventure, but that was all in the past. They had all aged, died and passed into legend as is the way of life, except for those few blessed, or perhaps cursed, with immortality. Princess Flurry Heart, whom she remembered being born, had since become the de facto ruler of the Crystal Empire, her mother never having come out of mourning following the loss of her husband, Twilight’s brother, when he finally succumbed to old age.

It wasn’t just Cadance for whom immortality had gifted a heavy burden, but also Discord. He had shared the deepest of loves with Fluttershy, and indeed they had been held up across the kingdom as the exemplar of a happy marriage, but to his eternal heartbreak, she had refused to let him grant her the immortality he longed more than anything to give her. 

He had cradled her softly as she had given up her last breath and looked one final time into her beautiful blue eyes before closing them for her as a final act of respect. It had taken all of his self-control to let her slip peacefully away rather than at a snap of his claw have her alongside him forever. They had discussed it, of course, but he knew she would never have forgiven him for what would have been, he came to accept, an act of selfishness on his behalf, not love. 

He knew he had done the right thing by her, but his heart had broken. He was rarely seen these days as he struggled to come to terms with his loss, pining for the gentle and soothing presence of his one true love.

All of these changes left Twilight with very limited options should she need to call upon others for support if Equestria should be in danger, and right now she felt very exposed indeed. Ember still ruled the dragons, but a prolonged period of peace meant her grip on power was constantly being challenged by a swarm of young hot-heads from among the ranks. Twilight was therefore reticent in asking for her support, as most dragons still viewed ponies as weak, and if Ember were to be seen to be helping in some trivial matter, then it could cause a schism among her subjects, precipitating a challenge to her authority and the possible loss of their support.

However, if Twilight played the situation with care, she could yet turn it to their joint advantage; such as if it came to a fight, then she had no doubt that Ember would be all too keen to provide an outlet for the dragons’ pent-up aggression and help cement her position in charge. However, if it was a hostile magic they were facing, then the dragons would become little more than imposing looking cannon fodder.

This left Celestia and Luna who, having ruled for so long, spent most of their time these days away exploring and having adventures of their own. They were of course, always happy to help out when needed, but the problem was getting hold of them in the first place.

Twilight did have one dependable ally whom she knew she could count on to be by her side: Spike. He had always been her Number One Assistant and these days was proving his value more than ever. However, his dander was up having seen the condition of Flurry Heart when she arrived, and Twilight knew it was not going to be a case of needing to motivate him, but holding him back and preventing him from exercising summary justice on anyone or anything he even remotely suspected of being responsible.

She treated herself to a seat and poured a cup of tea, staring wistfully through the steam spiralling off its surface. She remembered being a young filly and first having tea with Celestia, watching in awe as she poured tea and regaled her with stories from history, some going back to a time even before the unification of the three tribes. Her favourite stories were always those in which Star Swirl the Bearded managed some magnificent feat of magic to save the day.

The teacup before her seemed to be lonely, so she cut a large slice of the sumptuously rich looking cake and placed it on a plate next to it. Satisfied that her sense of order had been fulfilled, she then took a large bite and revelled in the instant gratification it gave her, following it with a sip of tea that combined to deliver her a blissful feeling of delight, confirming that at least some things in the world were good today.

Her revelry was punctured instantly as a messenger burst into the room, catching sight of his Princess staring back up to meet his gaze, but with her muzzle plastered in chocolate ganache. 

“Your Majesty” he reported breathlessly, “I am to inform you that darkness has descended over the Crystal Empire!”
> 3 A Shortage of Alicorns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight flicked her eyes quickly to the high windows in the throne room. Clear blue skies smiled innocently back from each one in turn, serving to confirm that she had raised the sun that morning, as she knew deep in her heart she had.

Darkness returning to the Crystal Empire could only mean one thing, the unwelcome return of King Sombra.

She cast her mind back to the last time they had confronted one another, and how Discord had rallied the Element Bearers to defeat him, but now there were no Element Bearers, and she seriously doubted if she would be able to track down Discord in time. However, she had already sent pegasi messengers to his best-known haunts, on the off chance that they may be able to enlist his rather unique services.

Any hope of getting help now rested on Spike being able to find Celestia and Luna, or maybe just one of them. She sighed; if he was unsuccessful, it just meant that rallying the army would be a task she would have to take on by herself.

Although intensely frustrated that she couldn’t talk with Flurry Heart at the moment, she now had a fairly good idea of the message she had wanted to deliver; perhaps she had even seen Sombra weave his dark magic in person? One thing was for certain, time was not on her side, especially if he was at large again and had already begun enslaving ponies with his dark crystal magic.

Quickly sending word that she wanted to meet with the Royal Guard and Night Guard again to update them on events, she filled the brief time before they arrived by cutting herself another large slice of cake to keep her energy levels up; she had no idea when circumstances would allow her to eat next.

The generals filed in as before, neither having the audacity to pass comment on Twilight’s chocolate encrusted muzzle. She remained completely unaware of her appearance and went on to deliver the update relayed to her by the messenger, and the inference she had drawn.

“Begging pardon, Ma’am” the pegasus remarked once she had finished, “But if this King Sombra is casting the darkness and building up an army of mind-controlled slaves as you say he did previously, then how do we defeat him? You said yourself it took both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to banish him in the past, and then it took all the Element Bearers with Discord’s help to defeat him last time.”

“I agree, your Majesty” the bat pony concurred, “We in the Night Guard are happy to play our part in any combat as we operate best under the cover of darkness, but we still need to know our enemy’s weaknesses. However, from what you tell us, it would appear that this character has to be subdued with magic and neither bat ponies nor thestrals can wield magic. Perhaps a joint operation with the unicorns?”

The pegasus gave an affirmative nod of agreement, “We are all more than ready to make whatever sacrifice is necessary to protect Equestria, but if we need unicorns, we are left with the logistical problem of how to get them there.”

Twilight sighed.

“Sirs, your courage and enthusiasm are not in doubt, but I fear that equally brave guards have taken on Sombra before. There’s very few of us left who remember him personally, let alone have taken him on, and that’s Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Spike, Discord and me.”

“Stories of Spike’s heroism are the stuff of folklore” the bat pony acknowledged respectfully, “Why, the crystal statue of him as a proud young drake holding the Crystal Heart stands to remind us of that to this day.”

The pegasus acknowledged Spike’s role with a respectful nod, then enquired, “What about the others you mentioned?”

“I don’t hold out much hope there, I’m afraid” Twilight lamented, “If Sombra has conquered the Crystal Empire, we must assume Cadance has been captured, and Discord has become even more elusive than ever.”

“So, if Celestia and Luna can’t be found” said the bat pony, pausing for effect, “That leaves you as the only one capable of wielding the magic necessary to defeat him.”

“And if you fall, then Equestria loses its leader and there is no more night and day” summed up the pegasus soberly.

“Yes, and yes” replied Twilight with an engaging smile, “We had better come up with a good plan then. Would you care for some tea and cake?”

The generals both declined the cake, as they could see she had developed something of a penchant for it herself, but politely accepted the offer of tea and set about working up a plan together.

They hadn’t been going long when the door to the lecture theatre was barged open and all heads turned to see a lilac dragon filling the doorway. He ducked to get in, and upon seeing Twilight had guests, apologised for the interruption.

“Twi” he began, shaking his head despondently, “Can’t find them. They’re off somewhere together and nopony seems to know anything about where they are or when they’re likely to be back.”

“Don’t worry Spike. Thanks for doing your best; it was always going to be a longshot anyway” she consoled him, “Have you tried dragon mail?”

“Yeah; already gave that a go” he said despondently, “Seems like she’s switched it off at her end.”

“What?" asked Twilight, perplexed, "How can that even be possible?”

“Well, look at it this way” Spike explained, “If you’re doing a spot of birdwatching, or something else where you don’t want to be noticed, the last thing you’d want is for a scroll to suddenly pop into existence next to you in a puff of smoke.”

“I suppose I’d never thought of that” acknowledged Twilight, tilting her head to one side as the new concept forced its way into her memory banks, “Clever, but not terribly helpful given the current circumstances. Come and pull up a seat Spike, and see if you can give us a dragon’s perspective on how we’re going to tackle King Sombra.”
> 4 You're in Charge Spike
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike leaned forward to place his elbows on the table and laced his claws together, resting his chin on them to turn his gaze to each of the other three sitting at the table in turn.

“Well, if Twilight is the only one with a chance to take on Sombra" he reasoned, "She will have to go to the Crystal Empire before he gets too strong. In the meantime, you’ve got to keep trying to contact Celestia and Luna, and even Discord in the hope that you can find them before things turn really bad. Have I got that about right?”

“Um, Spike” interjected Twilight, “I notice you said ‘you’ when talking about contacting Celestia and Luna. I take it this means you still want to come with me?”

“Of course” he stated firmly, lifting his chin off his claws, “I’ll be by your side, just like always …”

“Spike” said Twilight, shaking her head sadly, “As much as it pains me to say this, but you have to stay here. If things turn bad, like you say, then I’m going to need somepony, or better yet, some dragon, whom I trust beyond all others to coordinate with Celestia, Luna and Discord if they turn up, or rally Princess Ember and the dragons if they don’t. Sorry, Spike, you are without doubt the best qualified to do this.”

“But, Twi …” he persisted, clearly desperate to pay Sombra back for what he had done to Flurry Heart.

“Spike, look, please don’t make it any harder for me than it is already” pleaded Twilight, “You’re needed here. I need you here, OK?”

The dragon shot her back a look that in days gone by would have seemed to resemble puppy dog eyes, but now came over as just plain menacing. She knew the look, and gave him a hug and a friendly kiss while the two generals looked elsewhere; one counting rivets in the ceiling, whilst the other made imaginary creatures from the shapes of clouds floating by beyond the windows.

“Gentlemen” she announced, drawing the generals’ attention back to her, “Any comments? Any better ideas?”

“No, Ma’am” they both agreed.

“Right, how soon do we move out?” she enquired.

“Soon as the scouts come back” the bat pony spoke up.

“A little longer for me” the pegasus chipped in, “My pegasi will be ready for the attack force, but I have unicorns and earth ponies to rally for defensive duties, let alone the specific weapon mixes they may need.”

“Of course” agreed Twilight, “We can lay on extra trains for the guards who can’t fly, and keep you supplied with food and equipment, just like we trained for.”

They had stress tested similar responses during exercises before, but hadn’t done one for some time, so went through the details, just to be sure each knew what was expected.

Spike just sat dejectedly, twiddling his claws and feeling completely left out. He wished he could go too, but Twilight had laid out to him what was needed, so he was in no place to argue; his loyalty to her meant more than anything else, even revenge.

As soon as the meeting broke up, Twilight asked Spike to escort her to the sick bay and did her best to reassure him how valued his support was to her all the way there. They arrived to find guards posted outside; a new feature considered necessary due to the high profile patient who was in there receiving life saving treatment.

Unhindered by the attentions of the guards, they ignored the main entrance and knocked instead on the door bearing a plaque notifying everypony that this was the office of the Royal Physician. It took a few moments for the door to be opened, but when it was, their gaze was met by a senior looking doctor wearing tweed, and staring at them enquiringly over half-moon spectacles.

“Ah, your Majesty” he greeted with a warm, but slightly absent minded smile of recognition, “I take it you are here to check on Princess Flurry Heart?”

“Yes” she replied, “May we see her please?”

“She’s stable, but she’s still unconscious.”

“Thank you, but we should still like to see her if possible, please.”

“As you wish, your Majesty, but we are not expecting her to regain consciousness for another couple of hours at the earliest.”

“Is there anything you can do to bring her round, even for a short time?” asked Twilight, “It’s really very important.”

“Not safely, no. I’m sorry” he replied, keeping his beady eyes trained on her, “My first duty is to my patient.”

Twilight sighed, but respected his decision.

Inside her own private room, the pink pony lay motionless on a bed, with two nurses constantly checking her and monitoring the machines she was plumbed into. At their monarch’s appearance, they turned to acknowledge her silently, but kept about their important business.

Twilight approached the bed and knelt down beside her niece, reaching over to gently brush her forehoof through the distinctive magenta and sapphire mane, while Spike watched on, reigniting his anger at whoever had been responsible for this atrocity.

“I’m so, so sorry” she whispered softly, daring to stroke Flurry Heart’s muzzle tenderly, “You have been through so much to get word to us. You’ve been so brave and made your parents proud. Thank you.”

Twilight looked up and caught the eye of the Royal Physician who was watching closely and did not need to ask the question on her mind before he replied, “No, your Majesty, she is no nearer to regaining consciousness. As soon as she does, I will send word.”

“Thank you” Twilight replied simply and gave her niece a gentle kiss before rising carefully to her hooves and turning to her dragon friend, who returned her a look of controlled anger. “I’ve got to get ready now, Spike. You’re in charge.”

He didn’t reply, just in case his suppressed anger burst out, which he knew would be inappropriate in the current setting, and instead returned a shallow nod before following Twilight out into the corridor and wordlessly setting off in the opposite direction. She knew he wanted to ask again if he could come with her, but respected his self-control and allowed him to part ways without saying another word; she didn't have the heart to test his thinly stretched willpower any further.
> 5 Final Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight headed for her personal library to refresh herself on all the notes she had written about the dark tyrannical king, and soon found herself sidetracked by the anecdotes and stories she had amassed about her long-dead friends. Nostalgia flowed over her as she reminisced about their adventures, and not for the first time was glad to have taken such copious notes, transporting her back to the times they had shared. It was so vivid, so real, that it made her feel as if they were all there with her again, which in a sense they were.

A knocking sound echoed around the library as a messenger tried to get his monarch’s attention, but she was too engrossed in happy memories of times gone by. It was only on the third attempt that she stirred and pricked her ears up, suddenly connecting the sound of knocking with somepony at the door. She put a bookmark at the page she was reading with a soft smile, and closed the book with the gentle reverence it deserved before rising to cross the room.

“Coming” she called back, saving the messenger from having to knock for a fourth time.

She opened the door and received the few words that told her the scouts had returned. In an instant, her mood changed; this meant it was time to go.

Twilight went back to the lecture theatre where the generals were already waiting, and Spike was there with them too. They all stood as she entered and with a gentle wave of her hoof bade them seated as she joined them around the table.

“What news?” she asked.

“Scouts report that the railway line is blocked by an outcrop of crystals, and that the sky further north was black as night” said the pegasus.

“At this point, a contingent of Night Guard ventured forward as we have better night vision than our pegasi colleagues” the  bat pony added, “And they found themselves under attack from the air by ferociously determined pegasi wearing unusual headgear.”

“The metal masks with strangely glowing green eyes?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, your Majesty” replied the general, “Exactly as you briefed us.”

“What losses did you suffer?” she enquired, dreading the answer.

“The Night Guard defended themselves, but it wasn’t long before more of the enemy could be seen coming to join in. Completely outnumbered, the Night Guard fought a valiant rearguard action as they headed back out to where the pegasi from the Royal Guard were waiting, so as to even up the odds a bit, but we did take casualties and there are three who won’t be coming home.”

“I am sorry. Please let me know who they were and I will see the families myself; they will also be recognised as the heroes they were” Twilight lamented, “But that duty will have to wait for the time being. It is clear that Sombra’s power is increasing, and we must head up to stop him without delay.”

The generals agreed, and Twilight dismissed them before turning to head out of the door herself. She took one last lingering look at the remains of the cake that still beckoned temptingly to her, but she looked away, already focused on something even more important.

No more than twenty minutes later, Twilight strode out to her Royal chariot wearing her gold battle armour, ready to take her place at the head of her army. Once safely aboard, the two pegasi and two bat ponies acting as her charioteers sped forward and lifted effortlessly into the air. Once airborne, flights of pegasi,  bat ponies and thestrals joined in a pre-determined sequence to create an aerial armada in a defensive formation around their Princess.

The whole stunning spectacle was watched longingly by an adult dragon who stood on the Royal balcony, and waved a lonely claw for his Princess in a farewell gesture of love that none would see, before turning back to resume his duties as Equestria’s Prince Regent.

Being chauffeured gave Twilight an uninterrupted opportunity to think things through. Something wasn’t right and she was having trouble figuring out what it was. If she hadn’t set her mind to rest by the time she arrived, it would have to be put to one side as far greater problems would need to be taken care of first.

The lands they passed over were quiet, too quiet, she noticed; or maybe she was just being paranoid? Perhaps they had always been like this, and she had never really paid attention before? Certainly, this undefinable ambience ran an uncomfortable hooftip up and down her spine, gifting her with an unwelcome feeling of brooding doom.

They followed the railway on its scenic journey from the metropolis, through the inhospitable and increasingly mountainous landscape that led ever northwards. 

Peering forward from her seat over the four charioteers, Twilight was alert for something, anything abnormal. Finally, her patience was rewarded when she noticed that something was wrong with the sky; the one all around her was azure blue, yet up ahead on the horizon, it appeared to be transitioning rapidly to black. She looked over to one side and became aware of a pegasus scout flying alongside her; they exchanged knowing glances. How long had he been there waiting for her to notice?

She nodded her acknowledgement and he flew off to be replaced by the pegasus colonel and his Night Guard counterpart.

“Your Majesty” he broke in, “We are approaching the boundary of darkness reported by the advance party of scouts. We can expect Sombra’s forces to engage us at any time now, so we have spread word amongst the guards to be on high alert. Do you wish to draw their forces out or press on to confront Sombra?” 

“We go in” said Twilight with conviction, and the colonel nodded his agreement as the word was disseminated through the ranks.

There were no signs of any activity as they approached the eerily sudden transition from daylight into darkness, and drove on through as if entering a tunnel. Instantly, all those with light-adapted eyes suddenly felt blindfolded, while the  bat ponies and thestrals felt immediate release from the near blindness they had been experiencing in the harsh brightness of daylight, and began to see properly for the first time in hours.

The formation regrouped with the disadvantaged Royal Guard now being protected by the dark dwelling Night Guard; most noticeably the pegasi on combat air patrol were relieved of their duties by thestrals and bat ponies, providing continuity of essential protection from above.

Twilight looked at the sky. Because she was responsible for both the sun and the moon, she knew the night sky and all of its intricacies. This was most definitely not the night sky, but an inky blackness, possibly encompassing the entire Crystal Empire. Such a feat would, she reasoned, take an awful lot of magic, but before she could explore this idea any further, a shout rang out from her left side; attackers were approaching!
> 6 Survivors' Tales
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everypony in the main force stayed alert and scanned the skies for more of the enemy, but it was soon apparent that what they had seen was only a solitary patrol of three, all wearing the same eerie metal masks. These three pegasi were speeding unswervingly into the teeth of a vastly superior force, but showed no fear of the unequal odds they faced.

High above the main force, one of the flight commanders on combat air patrol led the thestrals under his command to intercept, apparently unseen by his enemy who were fixed rigidly on attack, without any apparent recognition that they were not just the hunter, but had also just become the prey. 

From her chariot, Twilight caught glimpses of the thestrals sweeping down in a graceful arc to approach their targets from above and behind.

Diving down and building speed, the thestrals closed fast on their inattentive targets, building momentum and ticking down the last few seconds until interception. 

A pair of thestrals singled out the pegasus on the left and exchanged a wordless glance between them, the lead pony taking his position at the front. As his target grew bigger and bigger, he extended his hooves and pulled up, striking a glancing blow that sent his winded adversary tumbling downwards where his wing pony was waiting to catch him in his hooves. The lead pony then returned to rip off the accursed helmet before the stunned pegasus could respond. The same action was repeated near simultaneously on the other two pegasi, completely neutralising the attack and releasing the shocked crystal ponies from their servitude.

In a few short moments, all the action was over and three startled pegasi, still fighting for breath, enjoyed their first breaths of freedom since having had their mind control helmets fitted.

Twilight strained intently to watch the entire interception, pleased to see that the Night Guard had neither killed nor seriously injured the pegasi, and signalled for them to be brought to her. One of them was struggling to fly, his torn wing muscles refusing to carry him as they should, so he was carried to the Royal chariot by the thestral wing pony who had caught him.

Twilight moved to one side on her seat and accepted the pale blue and white pegasus as a passenger next to her. He furled his wings painfully, the left one hanging lower than it should, confirming that he still required medical treatment. As a reflex action, he turned his head back and tried to nudge it into place, but it wouldn’t stay and drooped back down to where it had started.

“Take a seat” Twilight invited, “We’ll get you to a doctor as soon as we can, but we have an appointment in the Crystal Empire to honour before we can turn back. Tell me what you can about what’s been happening, please.”

“Yes, your Majesty” he began, “My name is Sky Sapphire and I live in the Crystal Empire. A few days back ... well it may have been more; you can’t tell when you’re wearing one of those helmets … we were all going about our business when a darkness came. It spread out from the highest point of the Crystal Castle; you know, like how sometimes you can see pink, yellow and blue auroras … well this was kinda the same, but black, and then it just kept getting wider. It went dark and there was panic. I flew home to protect my family and we hunkered down. It wasn’t long before the front door was kicked in and ponies with helmets on ran into the house. I told my wife and foals to get out while I tried to hold the intruders at bay so as to buy them a little time to escape. Next thing I remember is a helmet being put on my head. That’s all I know.”

“Thank you” said Twilight, “You were very brave. If you remember anything more, then please let me know, but in the meantime we will have to carry you as we daren’t send you back by yourself.”

“I understand, your Majesty. Thank you”

At Twilight’s signal, a thestral came to pick up Sky Sapphire and then she spoke to the other two captured pegasi in turn. The next, a pink mare, gave a very similar account of a quick transition to darkness before being captured, but the third provided some further information.

“I was a member of the Royal Guard stationed in the Crystal Empire” he confirmed, “Something happened to Princess Cadance. I was guarding the door to the throne room and there was a bright flash. I turned to see if she was alright, but my eyes were shocked by the brightness and I could only see her as a dark silhouette, but what I remember clearly were the eyes; they were bright green with red pupils …”

“… And purple smoke pouring from them?” completed Twilight. 

“Yes, your Majesty, quite so” he replied, “I thought I was dreaming.”

“That was not a dream” Twilight pondered, “Is there anything else you remember?”

“Only her laugh” he replied thoughtfully, “It may be nothing, but I thought it sounded sinister. I could have imagined it, what with everything else going on. Next thing, a helmet was forced onto my head and I was suddenly powerless to resist following commands, even if I knew them to be morally or ethically incorrect; my will was not my own, so to speak. I cannot tell you how glad I am to have had it removed, Ma’am.” 

“Did you see a grey unicorn stallion with a black mane?” she continued, “He may have been wearing armour and a red cloak.”

“No nothing like that. I would have definitely remembered.”

Twilight thanked him and dismissed him to ponder what she had been told. The feeling that she was missing something obvious continued nagging from the back of her head. Something wasn’t right, and she still couldn’t place what it was.

She looked ahead. In the distance, the Crystal Castle was glowing a combination of violet and blue that she had never seen before.

Whatever thinking time she had counted on was gone. 

Twilight was now certain that her destiny, and the fate of Equestria, awaited her in the Crystal Castle, and she could not afford to be late.
> 7 Ordeal by Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly Twilight felt, rather than heard, a whoosh of air and turned her head to face the direction she thought it had gone in, but the pervading darkness made it impossible to lock onto something fast, shooting by close to her.

Dull thuds and the clatter of metal appeared to be growing more noticeable, and the sickening cries of stricken ponies seemed to be becoming more heart wrenching in their finality, suggesting strongly that the brutal fights going on around them were now being won and lost uncomfortably close by.

The encompassing darkness was counterpointed by the distant light from the strangely glowing Crystal Castle, and its eerie purple light that reflected from anything shiny, like helmets and armour. Much more sinister were the occasional streaks of ghostly green glow from the horizontal eye slits on the mind control helmets worn by enslaved pegasi as they swooped past. The ponies were all aware that by the time they saw these close up, they were already history.

Whilst Twilight was able to pick out and follow one pony, or possibly even a number if they were all flying in the same direction at the same time, the darkness deprived her day adapted eyes of any opportunity to focus on the detail of individual combats, or even take in the overall picture, denying her of any sense of whether they were winning or losing. 

Not knowing where the next awful sound would come from played on her mind; her heart was racing and a part of her brain was screaming at her to hide, but her strong sense of duty drove her to stay resolute and inspire those who were at that very moment flying around her, fighting to protect her and the pegasi in their battle group.

She looked up and strained to see a stream of bat ponies and thestrals wheeling down from altitude. She knew such displays would not be performed simply for the delight of showing off precision flying, and her mind raced with the thoughts of what hideous combat must be going on all around her that required so many Night Guard to come down and lend their support.

Deprived of all but rudimentary sight, she was becoming convinced that the sounds of horrible physical clashes were now creeping even closer to her, heightening her sense of vulnerability. Was it really getting louder, or was her brain, denied the full vision she desperately wanted, compensating by making everything seem that much more threatening? She tried to push such fears far from her mind and hold her imagination firmly in check, lest she start to conjure up frighteningly exaggerated scenes of bloody pony to pony combat, whittling away at her forces as the toll of personal loss increased and the possibility of failure loomed larger.

Twilight knew she had to keep going to the Crystal Castle, and the guards all recognised it was their sworn duty to ensure that she got there. Some of the Royal Guard were starting to develop a little night vision, but lacked the ability to see sufficiently well as to be effective in combat, so reluctantly stayed in close formation, placing their faith unswervingly in the Night Guard as they fought to protect their Princess and themselves.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a flash hurtled past followed by the grunt of a pony having the wind knocked out of him. Suddenly a gap formed in the ranks of pegasi close to the Royal chariot as one of the Royal Guard spiralled down to the suburbs below, winded and concussed from the impact of a helmeted pegasus. The grey stallion whose friend had just disappeared suddenly felt very vulnerable with a gap next to him where his friend had been up until a few seconds ago. 

Why had it been him? 

Who was next?

Twilight could sense the aura of fear beginning to rise among the guards and shouted out words of encouragement and support, helping to motivate all those who were close enough to hear, and engendering a feeling of confidence that spread much further.

The Crystal Castle was starting to look marginally bigger than before, but their progress seemed to be painfully slow as the sound of fighting reached a crescendo. One of the Royal Guard, confident in his night vision peeled away from the battle group and followed the flash that showed where a helmeted pegasus had just gone past, but he had gone very little distance himself before being knocked out of the sky by another of the mind controlled conscripts.

Twilight could taste the frustration which had made that ill-fated guard break ranks and called out again for all of them to keep going and not allow themselves to be distracted. She was holding them together, for now at least, but the pressure was intense.

“Your Majesty” came the voice of a bat pony flying beside her, “Apologies for the late reporting. The enemy attacked in force and we have suffered losses, but we are prevailing. Some of their attacks got through; I can only apologise for the losses suffered, but we are now clearing up the last of the remaining attackers.”

“Please spare as many as you can without putting our own forces at risk” Twilight replied, “Remember, they are unwilling combatants and we may still be able to learn something useful from them.”

“Would you like us to bring them to you, your Majesty” he enquired.

“We are close to our destination now” Twilight mulled over, “Find out what you can for yourselves and only bring somepony to me if you think they have something important to offer, thank you.”

“As you command” he saluted smartly before disappearing into the darkness once more.

As the sounds of battle began to fade, Twilight became eager to get as much additional information as she could from the captured pegasi and impatiently awaited one of them to join her or one of the Night Guard to bring word of what they had discovered. All at once, the Crystal Castle seemed to be getting closer much faster as time ran out.

“Your Majesty” a voice with clipped military efficiency announced to Twilight’s side, “Most of the freed pegasi knew little of importance, except for one. Apparently, the driving force behind this invasion is a mare …”

“Cadance …?” she gasped, suddenly recalling what the pegasus guard had told her earlier about a change coming over her sister-in-law, “Is it possible that Sombra is working his evil magic through her somehow …?”

“With respect, Ma’am” he continued, “We’re almost there. What do you want us to do?”

“Proceed as planned” she replied, “Also, spread the word that Sombra appears to have Princess Cadance under his control and she must not be harmed.”
> 8 Storm the Castle!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Your Majesty!”

“Yes, what is it?” asked Twilight turning to receive the message from the Night Guard colonel.

“The plaza under the Crystal Castle is filled with ponies. It looks like a crowd of civilians is being corralled in place by others in those helmets. We can’t land there without causing a lot of injuries. What do you want us to do?”

“Do you believe our forces can manage to enter the castle at the main entrance with minimal losses, or do you recommend we abandon this part of the attack and redirect that part of our force between the roof and balcony assaults?”

“I believe we can prevail, your Majesty” he replied, “It is also bright enough for the Royal Guard to be able to play their part too, doubling our numbers.”

“Does the Royal Guard colonel agree?” she asked.

“Yes Ma’am, we have spoken” he replied, “But your chariot won’t be able to land.”

“Very well then; let us proceed” she concurred, then called out to her charioteers, “Thank you Sirs, you have done your job admirably. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to leave.”

With that, she stood up on all four hooves, spread her wings, and briefly relished the wind ruffling her feathers before gently lifting clear of her chariot and beginning to flap with long loping wingbeats. Immediately, she was flanked by the Night Guard colonel on her right and a sharp-eyed thestral lookout on her left, moving in close to be her eyes, although by now, the purple and blue glow of the Crystal Castle was bright enough for her to see safely by.

Shortly, she was joined by the Royal Guard colonel and they double checked the plan before splitting to lead their three respective forces; the Night Guard leading the assault from the roof, the Royal Guard dealing with the ponies in the plaza and entering from the main entrance, while Twilight would be going in through the Royal balcony with a mixture of guards drawn from the different contingents. There would also be a fourth group under the command of a Night Guard lieutenant colonel who would patrol outside to defend against enemy reinforcements should any arrive.

The die was cast.

With a final nod of agreement, the high ranking ponies split off to go their separate ways and assume a position at the head of their respective forces.

Twilight dove down towards the balcony, catching sight of helmeted ponies aiming a variety of bows and crossbows at them, but more immediately, she noticed isolated flashes of colour confirming that unicorns were lighting their horns ready to fire off magic at them too.

She primed her own horn and a transparent magenta hemisphere appeared in front of her, stretching wide enough as to protect the ponies in her group.

Spells smashed into the barrier, each dissipating in a flash of brilliant light, and arrows zinging towards them bounced harmlessly away, their destructive energy spent. Those ponies with crossbows could be seen hurriedly reloading, confirming that they too had fired, but the smaller bolts must have ricocheted off the forcefield unseen. They would not be getting off another shot.

Those with bows did have enough time to loose off another arrow, or maybe even two of they were fast, but they were all as ineffective as the first volley. An instant later, the unicorns and earth ponies on the balcony were overwhelmed by the mixed Equestrian forces intent on suppressing them by any means open to them.

The balcony was such an intimidating open space, when one stood there to address the crowds of ponies below, yet now being swamped with hordes of ponies milling around fighting, it suddenly seemed to be very small indeed, and most ponies could not find room to land, but fought instead from the hover.

Having subdued the defending force’s distance weapons, Twilight's force now fought in the midst of a free-for-all melee with clashing polearms, swords clashing in a continuous cycle of thrust, parry and riposte, and desperate hoof to hoof combat.

If there had been room and the opportunity to do so, the guards would have subdued the helmeted ponies and freed them, but right now, they were too busy fighting for their lives to think of anything beyond survival.

Twilight surged forward flanked by a pair of fearsome Royal guards, tackling any unicorns she could see charging up their horns before they could release their tainted magic onto her and her forces. The more they fought, the more the numbers surged through from inside, until ponies were standing on the bodies of fallen friends and adversaries alike, but still the mind controlled ponies kept up the pressure, obeying their programming to the last.

Twilight forced her way to the doors leading from the balcony and now had her first view inside where she could see more helmeted ponies ready to push forward and reinforce those fighting outside.

An angry magenta aura surged through Twilight’s horn as next thing, a sharp crack tore through the air and a pressure wave bowled through the defending forces, knocking them over like tenpins, presenting the Equestrian force with their opportunity and they seized it, surging forward and capitalising on the element of surprise. This broke the stalemate and Twilight’s forces piled in through the doors like a tsunami, those caught in the way being too stunned to respond as they were swiftly overrun by a tide of charging muscle.

The sight was as spectacular as it was frightening; a very angry fully grown alicorn Princess barrelling down the corridor flanked by two equally determined and heavily armed guards brandishing blood stained weapons and completely filling the passageway, the floor shaking to the drumbeat of their hooves.

Doorways opened up to either side and guards following on behind checked out each of the rooms as she thrust forward, neutralising any threat that could emerge to catch them from behind. Twilight was unflinching in her direction and aim; she knew where the throne room was, and Sombra would be waiting there for her with an evil self-satisfied grin and many more tricks up his sleeve.

Nothing and nopony was going to stop her from getting there and sorting him out.
> 9 Know your Enemy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight led her force along a maze of familiar corridors, everywhere lit with the same ethereal blue and purple halflight that fortunately allowed both Royal Guard and Night Guard to operate equally as effectively.

With momentum behind her, Twilight charged towards the shut doors of the throne room, lighting her horn once more to release a bolt of energy that flung the massive doors wide.

With a terrifying crash that reverberated around the castle, the heavy doors smashed into the solid walls on the inside of the large room, juddering their protest as they bounced back and came to rest half open. 

Twilight surged through the opening, but an unseen force threw her two guards and all those following back out and into the corridor they had come from, before deliberately securing the doors shut once more. 

She slowed to a halt and took in her situation.

She was on her own, but could sense she was not alone.

“I wondered when you would see fit to join me” said an oily and strangely familiar voice from the darkness surrounding the throne, “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

The voice was female.

Twilight was not going to be caught by surprise. If this was Cadance, then Sombra would be around somewhere. She span around to see if he was behind her, but saw nothing out of place, then turned her attention back quickly to the voice from the throne.

“We won’t be disturbed” the voice reassured, “It is insulting to think that I couldn’t have stopped your little invasion at any time.”

“Cadance …?” Twilight asked in bewilderment, seeking some kind of confirmation.

“Your weak and simpering goody four-hooves sister-in-law?”

Something about the voice was now beginning to strike a chord deep in Twilight’s memory; something awful.

“It is entertaining to watch the great Princess Twilight Sparkle fumbling around to join the dots together, like some naïve foal. I had always thought of you as the smartest of my adversaries, in fact I have held a certain begrudging respect for you, but now I am beginning to question my judgement.”

Twilight was rooted to the spot.

Surely not …

“Nightmare Moon …” she gasped, “In league with King Sombra …?”

The dark figure descended languidly from the throne and advanced slowly from the shadow.

“My” she said in mock admiration, “How you’ve grown since we last met.”

“But how …?” gasped Twilight stepping back, not out of fear, but shock.

“I do have time to entertain you, but first I will get rid of your tiresome guards” Nightmare Moon said coldly, “If I don’t, they will only knock over the furnishings and bleed over the carpets.”

“Don’t harm them or any of the crystal ponies” Twilight demanded, “There’s been enough blood shed already.”

“Suing for peace so soon? I was hoping for a little more fight out of you first.”

With that, her horn lit with a light blue aura and individual streams of magic snaked out in apparently random directions.

At that precise moment, the guards were all surprised to see light blue streams of energy suddenly appear out of the darkness and connect together with all the mind controlled unicorns. A second later, their individual energies linked together and a light blue forcefield formed, pushing away all the Equestrian forces to a distance of a hundred yards or so away from the castle, from where they could do nothing to continue their assault.

Twilight knew nothing of what had happened other than that the pervading sounds of combat had suddenly stopped, and the glow in Nightmare Moon’s horn had subsided once more.

“You could have done that at any time …” gasped Twilight.

“Yes. But now I have you, the last remaining obstacle standing in my way. Celestia and Luna have retired and lost their power, I have captured Cadance, and an unfortunate accident happened to her daughter as she tried to flee. You see, you are all that now stands between me and eternal night.”

“It was you who shot Flurry Heart?” Twilight challenged, her hackles rising noticeably.

“Oh, you must have found her then” retorted Nightmare Moon dismissively, “No matter.”

“That was a horrible thing to do to my niece!”

“I presume you have plans for revenge, then, do you?” Nightmare Moon sneered sarcastically, “I can’t wait to find out what horrors you have set aside for me.”

Twilight paused, not wishing to allow herself to be goaded, and focused instead on her breathing.

“Where’s Sombra?” she asked, containing her fury and trying to sound composed.

“I have no idea. Never met him, but I have found a stash of very powerful crystals he will probably want back when he returns. You know, once you work out how to tap into them, their power is just about limitless” Nightmare Moon monologued, “I was wandering around as little more than a spirit until I drifted into the Crystal Empire and found these crystals. They are so strong that they enabled me to have my true body back, just like old times.”

“I suppose he left you the mind-control helmets too?”

“Ah, yes. Wonderful little devices. They saved me the effort of enslaving the ponies by using magic” she added wistfully, before changing her tone into one distinctly more threatening, “Now tell me, Princess; now I have you, what should I do with you?”

Twilight held her ground as Nightmare Moon moved forward to gloat, poking her nose close up to the point of Twilight's muzzle, eyeing her meticulously.

“I’m not scared of you” Twilight retorted unflinchingly, “Our paths have crossed before.”

“Aren’t you?” challenged Nightmare Moon, her reptilian teal coloured eyes suddenly flashing blood red against green with streams of purple smoke snaking out of them.

Twilight gasped and couldn’t help but jump back out of reflex.

Nightmare Moon laughed; a cruel, heartless cackle, revelling in her victory.

“Oh, come now, Princess” she smirked, “That was then. This is now!”

Twilight blanched. She had taken on Sombra and she had taken on Nightmare Moon in the past, but not both together. Suddenly everything she thought she knew evaporated before her eyes; this foul apparition was a combination of both of them!
> 10 Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Now, Princess” crowed Nightmare Moon, “I would like you to be my slave, just like Cadance is.”

“She would never have agreed, unless she thought by sacrificing herself you would leave the crystal ponies alone” Twilight reasoned.

“Or her daughter.” 

“You absolute beast!” cried Twilight, “And then you nearly killed her anyway!”

“Nearly?” questioned Nightmare Moon raising a single eyebrow, “I must be losing my touch. I thought you had only found her body.”

Twilight was furious and lit her horn only to see a defensive shield materialise in front of her target.

“Really, Princess Twilight, you will need to learn some manners” chided Nightmare Moon, “Attempting to attack me in my own castle is a serious crime …”

“It’s not your castle!” retorted Twilight angrily.

“I am the most powerful alicorn in Equestria, and I say it’s mine.”

“You’re not that powerful” commented Twilight, pulling the bones of a plan together as she spoke, “Your darkness only extends a small distance. The rest of Equestria doesn’t even know you’re here.”

Nightmare Moon froze and her eyes widened, her authority challenged.

“You can’t have found many of Sombra’s crystals if that’s the best you can do” Twilight continued, watching as her adversary’s expression melted from anger to one of greed; her red eyes widening and the streams of smoke pulsing expectantly.

“You defeated Sombra before, didn’t you?”

“Twice” said Twilight, exaggerating slightly, “Firstly when the Crystal Empire returned, and then again when he was brought back by the Lord of Chaos. I probably know him better than you do.”

“Do you, now?” Nightmare Moon mused, “Yes, I suppose you would. I’m so glad we’re having our little chat. You are going to show me round this castle and take me to all the hiding places and secret rooms you know of, so you can find me more crystals.”

"Why should I?"

“You will know that Sombra had magic to force enemies to live out their worst nightmares. You also know I am at home in the dream realm. Put the two together and you will appreciate that I have the power to reach out and torment anypony I choose, including your sister-in-law, her daughter and all the ponies in your pitiful little army. In fact, I was going to do it to you once you had told me everything I wanted to know, but since you have shown that you are of worth to me, I will spare you; for now.”

Twilight had known this confrontation would be challenging and had managed to play for time whilst she had probed at what the black mare knew, and more importantly, what she did not know. Fortunately, she had been helped in her task by Nightmare Moon’s egotistical streak which had led to her monologuing and enabled Twilight to play to her insecurities, but more importantly, her vanity.

Nonetheless, Twilight had been taken aback by the scope of the threat against not just her, but so many innocent ponies. She doubted whether Nightmare Moon had the raw power to carry through her threat against so many at once, but was reluctant to push her until she could be sure.

With so many souls at stake, Twilight was committed to playing along until she could determine the limits of evil power ranged against her. Only then, would she be able to determine how best to take on this wicked mare.

“Well, come on then” barked Nightmare Moon impatiently, “Your pathetic little invasion attempt has caused me enough delays already. Show me where the stash of crystals is.”

“After you” Twilight responded courteously.

“You’re kidding! Me, turn my back on you; I don’t think so!”

Twilight was not surprised at having been seen through so easily; it had been a clumsy attempt after all. She knew Nightmare Moon would have been expecting some form of resistance, and if she thought she had been able to dismiss it so easily, her vanity would have only reinforced her fanatical self-belief to such an extent that she would be less likely to expect anything more sophisticated, if indeed anything else at all.

“Which crystal hordes have you found so far?” asked Twilight, faking an air of resigned defeat into her voice to cover her true feelings.

“Under your hooves” said Nightmare Moon, eyeing Twilight’s response critically, “Surely you remember the long winding staircase?”

Twilight did remember all too clearly, and thought for a moment how much easier her own journey would have been all those years ago if she had the luxury of wings back then, instead of having to do it all on hoof. However, she was vexed; this route had ultimately only been a secret way to the top of the castle where Sombra had hidden the Crystal Heart; there had been no secret stashes of crystals back then.

Realisation tugged at her consciousness; maybe Sombra had used the same route to hide something more? Nightmare Moon had not been heard of for decades; in her ethereal form she had been gifted plenty of opportunity to explore this castle far beyond the limits that Twilight herself had time to do.

“It is so laborious having to move the carpet every time; shall we just fly up to the top of the castle?” said Nightmare Moon, not so much as a question but more as an order, “We will of course be seen by your guards, but you will not attempt to communicate with them in any way, or you will all be experiencing the personal hell unleashed by my magic crystals. Do I make myself clear?”

Twilight nodded reluctantly and turned for the large double doors that opened in front of her under the influence of her captor’s light blue aura. She retraced the path she had taken when storming the building not so very long ago, feeling a keen sense of humiliation with every step she took back to the balcony.

She stepped out of the castle away from Nightmare Moon’s strange lighting, to stare out into the gloom. A voice cut through the unreal silence; an alert thestral was hovering a hundred yards away, trying to get her attention. She could not respond while she felt an unwelcome pair of eyes boring into her back, wordlessly demanding her compliance.

“We go up now, Princess” came the dangerous voice behind her, “The top of the castle is upwards from here.”

Other guards were now shouting, some to attract the attention of their Princess, others to warn her of Nightmare Moon behind her, yet the most astute observers could read the situation better and kept quiet, seeing the danger and realising there was nothing they could do to help.
> 11 The Price of Victory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pair of alicorns flew upwards from the Royal balcony, apparently alone, but the focus of hundreds of pairs of concerned eyes hovering a hundred yards away in the darkness, all aching with impotent powerlessness as they watched their Princess being escorted by Equestria’s arch-enemy to a fate they could not guess.

Twilight flew in between the balustrades and alighted onto the same platform where the Crystal Heart had waited for her and Spike all those years ago. Closely behind, Nightmare Moon touched down slightly to one side, the sound of her hooves jolting Twilight back to her current reality.

There was nothing there other than the stairs emerging from below. Gone were the jagged black crystals jutting up from the floor that she remembered from her previous visit, and all that now adorned the empty floor was a five pointed star motif.

“Do you want to, or shall I?” asked nightmare Moon.

Twilight didn’t answer, not understanding the question, so in the next instant she jumped back as a stream of light blue aura shot upwards to energise the large crystal above them that formed the apex of the castle. A trail of evil black energy flowed down from above and crept across to a seemingly featureless piece of floor, which then opened up to reveal a stairway spiralling downwards.

“Well?” Nightmare Moon prompted, gesturing to Twilight to lead the way.

Twilight looked into the stairwell which was filled with an impenetrable gloom and lit her horn. Instantly, she was knocked off her hooves by a bolt of energy and skidded across the floor. She raised her head and looked up at Nightmare Moon who was staring down at her imperiously, an angry grimace on her muzzle.

“No funny business” she commanded, “I thought I had told you before.”

“I need … my horn … to see” Twilight protested, gasping in air from where she had been winded.

Nightmare Moon kept her horn aimed directly between Twilight’s eyes.

“Get up!” she ordered.

Twilight tensed her forelegs and began to raise herself up, followed by her hind legs until she was standing, albeit a little shakily. At that moment, she suddenly appreciated the power she was up against and knew she would have to act firmly and decisively to defeat this threat, but also that she was now well beyond anything she had foreseen or planned for.

“I do not have night vision” she stated defiantly, “I need to light my horn.”

Nightmare Moon paused and stared, not allowing her gaze to drift for even a fraction, while she sized up her enemy.

“Very well” she conceded warily, “But point it away from me when you light it. Understand?”

Twilight turned her head, but kept her eye on Nightmare Moon and lit her horn. They both knew that once lit, she could easily fire off a different spell without there being any visual clue that was what she was doing.

Twilight walked submissively over towards the stairwell and began her walk down into the darkness, lit only by the weak light emanating from her horn.

“Oh for the sake of everything …!” Nightmare Moon ranted in her obvious impatience, “We fly! Walking would take way too long!”

Twilight turned her head to see the face of an angry black alicorn well inside her personal space.

It took only a fraction of a second to reach out the short distance and grab the evil pony by her forelegs, pulling her off balance, and beginning a freefall down the centre of the spiral stairwell. While Nightmare Moon was still in shock, Twilight looked her straight back in the eye and forced their horns together, calling on a strength that she had not unleashed in many decades.

“Rainbow Dash, give me courage; Applejack, keep me true; Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, my dear friends, be with me now! We may be separated, but we are never truly apart; help me NOW!”

She squeezed Nightmare Moon tightly and kept their horns forced together despite her enemy’s frantic wriggling and increasingly desperate head movements, straining to break the bond between their horns, but Twilight was determined not to let it happen.

As she held on with every ounce of strength she could muster, she felt a calmness descend upon her and saw her friends as they had been back in the happy days when they had all been together, each one giving her messages of encouragement:

“You got this Twi” said Rainbow Dash.

“We’re all with you darling” said Rarity.

Nightmare Moon’s anger turned swiftly into fear, and she screamed in the shocked realisation that not only had she been outwitted, but she was losing. She fought even harder to free herself as the Magic of Friendship began to take hold, and a rainbow aura swirled into existence.

Twilight allowed herself a brief smile of satisfaction as the rainbow bonds wrapped themselves ever more tightly around the wildly struggling black mare. She knew the spell was working, and released her grip, falling away free while the rainbow energy built up and in a flash had disappeared along with Nightmare Moon.

Finally alone, Twilight quickly unfurled her wings and began to flap, not knowing how much further there was to fall and began her journey back up to the top of the stairs once more, thankful that she had not hit what she assumed must be a solid rock floor at the bottom of the stairs.

She flew back up the core of the stairwell, passing the featureless and seemingly infinite carved steps, looking forward to reaching the top and being reunited with her army, with whom she could finally set things right now Nightmare Moon was gone. 

Eventually, the stairs ended in a solid stone ceiling. She pointed her horn at it and fired off some magic, then waited for it to open, but it remained resolutely solid. She fired off spell after spell, but none would work. With each failed spell, she came to realise that it had taken evil crystal magic to open it, and that was a magic she did not possess.

There was no way out for her up here, so she flew down the stairwell until she reached the bottom, a very, very long way down, but there was nothing. Once again, it seemed that any further access would have to be granted by using Sombra’s crystal magic.

She was stuck; entombed in a part of the Crystal Castle that was only accessible by dark magic. She had bought freedom for the crystal ponies and saved Equestria from the rule of Nightmare Moon, but at a high personal cost; she was immortal and destined to spend all of that time magically sealed away; the Princess of Friendship never able to meet anypony ever again. The price was high, but, she thought to herself with a heartfelt sigh, it had been the right thing to do.

Twilight set about making herself comfortable and then with a sad sigh, began to reflect on all the friends she had made in her long life.
> 12 Return of the Sisters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Equestrian forces had been desperate to breach the forcefield and get to the aid of their Princess, especially when they had seen her fly up the outside of the castle with Nightmare Moon. As time ticked by, nothing seemed to happen and then suddenly a stream of rainbow energy had blasted out from the top of the castle and scorched through the inky blackness, revealing the azure skies beyond.

The guards shielded their eyes at the sudden transformation from the darkness, and once they had become accustomed to the daylight, pushed again at the forcefield, only to find that it had gone. Immediately, they descended as a swarm onto the castle and met with no resistance, the crystal ponies either displaying no willingness to fight, or having already pulled their mind control helmets off. While some guards set about freeing all those who still had helmets fitted, others headed for the top of the castle where they had last seen their Princess, but could find no trace of her.

The guards split up and quickly worked their way through the castle, one staff sergeant and his squad finding Princess Cadance in the dungeons, manacled to chains that were anchored solidly to a massive paving slab, allowing her to move by no more than a yard in any direction across the slimy, fetid floor. Her fur and feathers were filthy from days of captivity in this dank prison, but that was not all the guards noticed when they came in, for even more obvious was an anti-magic guard that had been locked onto her horn, depriving her of magic.

Despite her pitiful condition, the light of defiance was still burning strongly in her eyes, and while guards looked around for keys to unlock the cell, the manacles and the anti-magic guard, the staff sergeant briefed her on what had happened, seeing her expression lift at the news that Flurry Heart was safe. 

As he was approaching the end of his narrative, a set of keys was brought in and passed to the staff sergeant, who opened the door to the squalid little cell and finished off his briefing while he set about freeing the Princess. Although she expressed her gratitude, she wasted little time in making her way up to meet with the colonels and go over what she knew of the layout of the castle, in the hope that she could shed some light on what might have happened to her sister-in-law.

Everypony could see she was in poor shape and obviously hungry, but they all admired her tenacity as she accepted nothing more than a few sips of water, before giving everything she could think of to help the guards find Twilight. Even once this was done she didn't rest, but set about planning how to return the city to normal. She was dutiful and attentive to the needs of her subjects, thinking nothing for herself, and step at a time, returning to be the ruler she had been before becoming consumed with the loss of her beloved late husband.

Mourning was over.

Cadance was back.

The guards soon got the Friendship Express running again and the railway link to Canterlot was free to open up once more, restoring communications with the outside world. Shortly, builders and labourers would come from all over Equestria to help Cadance rebuild from the damage that had been caused and, aside from the influx of all these extra ponies, things could start returning to normal.

Cadance soon got word that Flurry Heart had recovered consciousness, and the first thing she had done was to dictate a message for Twilight, telling her that Nightmare Moon was taking over the Crystal Empire. This had been the message she had been desperate to pass on when she first arrived in Canterlot, and receiving the message now, was not just too late, but it also left a lump in the throat, knowing that Twilight was still missing.

With great sadness, Cadance was reluctantly coming to the only rational conclusion presenting itself, namely that Twilight had somehow sacrificed herself in the bolt of rainbow energy that had spelled the end of Nightmare Moon’s reign of terror. In as much as she didn't want to think on it, she had to concede that if this was so, then she was left as the most obvious choice to rule Equestria, while Flurry Heart would consolidate her position ruling over the Crystal Empire.

Whilst Twilight and the Royal Sisters before her had kept order among the various minor royal families as they jostled each other for dominance, Cadance could see that if left unchecked, these squabbles had the potential to boil over with disastrous results. The last thing anypony needed right now was a series of rival power grabs to seize the throne, which would do nothing but plunge Equestria into a long and bloody civil war.

Cadance neither desired nor sought such power, but she knew that if peace were to be maintained, then this was the path she would have to follow, and moreover, follow it with conviction, lest any perceived weakness be exploited to undermine her position. With a deep sigh of sadness and regret, she nodded her head softly and steeled herself for what was to come.

After a few days of continuous daytime everywhere except for the Crystal Empire, the sun set and the moon came out amid a panoply as sparkling stars. Cadance was almost dancing on the spot like Pinkie Pie used to, with the prospect that Twilight had returned, but no sooner had the moon risen than gasps of shock could be heard echoing across Equestria. For the first time in decades, the profile of an alicorn’s head was emblazoned across the moon, confirming that one of the combatants was now residing there, but providing no clue as to which.

It was later that night when Celestia and Luna alighted from the train at the station. On seeing them arrive, Cadance gave her first genuine smile in weeks and shed a few quiet tears of relief. It was only once on her own with her aunt that she gave in to the need for a reassuring hug, and allowed her pent up emotion to flood out. Sensing their need for privacy, Luna diverted herself by meeting up with the colonels of the Night Guard and the Royal Guard respectively to catch up on military issues.

Once all matters of urgency had been dealt with, the three Princesses sat around a large table and caught up with the minor details that helped complete the picture, while they were served tea and cake. Still consumed by worry about the outcome of the duel between alicorns and the fate of her sister-in-law, Cadance prodded the cake she had been served and chased it half-heartedly around her plate, but could find no appetite. 

The Royal Sisters had indeed been away exploring lands beyond Equestria, and became concerned when the day had begun to drag on rather too long. Upon their return to Canterlot, they began to pick up the pieces of the unfolding story, and then pulled rank to commandeer the Friendship Express for an unscheduled service northwards. During this journey, they were accompanied by representatives from the military, the government and NGOs, each giving their own briefings, so they could arrive with as full a picture of events as possible.

Celestia was also very upset to hear about her former student’s disappearance and her mind shot back to having taken this bright young filly under her wing all those years ago. It did not surprise her in the least to hear that she had probably sacrificed herself for the good of the ponies, but still wished she was there, just to tell her she loved her one last time. However, everypony else had gone through far more than she had, so she betrayed none of the deep hurt she felt.

Before long, the Royal Sisters asked to be shown the various sites of Sombra's dark magic and where Twilight and Nightmare Moon would have fought their final combat, so Cadance led them down the spiral stairs from the throne room and explained how the door, when it could be caught, led to the observer’s worst nightmare. She then led them to the top of the Crystal Castle where Twilight had last been seen.

A gentle breeze was blowing across the uppermost platform where Nightmare Moon and Twilight had stood. By instinct, they all looked up at the alicorn’s head on the moon.

It took Luna to break the awkward silence;
“So this is what I used to look like” she said in a tone that reflected genuine intrigue rather than any hint of malice, “I never thought I should see it for myself.”

“Yes, but who is it?” asked Cadance, “We certainly don’t want to risk releasing the wrong one.”

“Lulu, I don't suppose you can tell if two alicorns are up there, or just one?” enquired Celestia airing a concern that had been troubling her.

“I should have thought that two alicorns would have resulted in the images of two heads” she pondered, “But tis not a happenstance I have had cause to consider before.”

“If only these walls could talk” sighed Cadance sadly.
> 13 Night Guards to the Fore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“We need to recreate what took place up here to try and understand what happened to Twilight Sparkle” Luna stated, “Do we have an eyewitness?”

“Yes, hundreds” confirmed Cadance, “But all from at least a hundred yards away.”

“Are there any scouts among them?” Luna considered, “They are trained to be the most reliable observers.”

“Yes, I’m sure there would be some” agreed Cadance, “Would you like me to summon them with their Commanding Officer?”

“No” Luna reasoned, “I do not wish them to feel under any duress. They must be free to speak their minds.”

“A good point, Lulu” agreed Celestia.

Cadance dismissed herself and went to organise the witnesses, leaving the sisters alone.

“Poor Cadance” said Celestia.

“Shining Armor would have been proud of her” agreed Luna.

“He always was” confirmed her sister, “But to be honest, I am more concerned about what has happened to Twilight right now.”

“You and me both, dear Sister. Cadance will feel much better once Flurry Heart makes a full recovery, but the disappearance of Twilight Sparkle is most vexatious.”

Luna stared up at the moon, then after a pause added, “Tell me Sister, does that image look just like it did whilst I was imprisoned, or does it look more like Twilight Sparkle?”

“There will be plenty of pictures we could use as comparison” said Celestia, “But my impression is they look the same.”

A beating of wings followed by a delicate landing announced that Cadance had returned.

“The witnesses are all engaged in different duties at the moment, but I have secured four who will be with us in a few minutes.”

“They should be enough” Luna confirmed.

All three Princesses lapsed into companionable silence, each reflecting on their own thoughts in a pleasant moment of respite, where none felt the need to speak, or be heard.

The moment was broken by the beating of more wings as a pair of bat ponies landed on the same platform, but at a respectful distance from the powerful Royals.

“Please, come and join us. You may know Princess Luna and Princess Celestia” said Cadance, careful to introduce Luna first, as she would be the more important of the two former diarchs in the eyes of the bat ponies.

The two scouts bowed respectfully, but were otherwise unperturbed by the proximity of power.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us” Cadance acknowledged, “Please would you tell us what you saw when Princess Twilight and Nightmare Moon landed up here?”

The two scouts relayed their observations which both referred to a stream of blue light pointing upwards followed by the two alicorns walking down through the floor, after which a bolt of rainbow energy exploded upwards stretching up to the moon.

“Did they go down the stairs we see here?” asked Luna.

"I could not see” said one.

“I do not believe so, your Majesty” said the other.

“Where, then, was it, if you believe if may have been different?”

The bat pony walked across the floor, stopped, looked off thoughtfully into the distance then moved a little to one side before coming to a stop.

“Here” he confirmed.

Luna asked if they had anything else to offer, and so they debriefed on everything they could remember, but neither provided anything that wasn't already known. With the approval of her aunts, Cadance then dismissed the two scouts as they waited for the second two to join them.

“What do you think?” asked Celestia.

“Let us wait to hear whether the next two accounts corroborate what we have just heard” suggested Luna, “We have been gifted more witnesses; we should hear them out before acting precipitously.”

“Wise, Sister, very wise.”

This time, there was more tension in the silence that descended between the Princesses, and none felt particularly at ease, their minds racing with possibilities.

After what seemed an interminable age, two more sets of wingbeats joined them; a bat pony and a thestral. Introductions were conducted by Cadance in the same manner as before, and they told their versions of events, both of which bore a striking similarity to what they had already heard. The bat pony could not confirm the existence of a second stairwell, but the thestral was adamant. He paced it out as the earlier bat pony had done and came to stop at exactly the same point.

“It was a much wider stairwell than the one that is here, your Majesty” he explained, “It seemed to wrap around in a descending spiral around a hollow vertical shaft.”

“How did you see it in so much detail?” Cadance enquired.

Luna flinched imperceptibly but said nothing.

“We hunt from a position of height, Princess” he explained, “Our natural instinct is to observe from above, and as a scout, that is what I do.”

Cadance decided not to ask what he hunted, because she had a very strong feeling it would make her feel queasy, but the point had been made; he was a reliable observer, and his information tallied with that from the earlier bat pony. 

Cadance dismissed the two scouts, but Luna bade the thestral stay as he had given the best description of what had happened.

“Twilight Sparkle’s magic is magenta; the blue magic was therefore clearly from Nightmare Moon” Luna reasoned, “Since we share the same magical signature, I shall repeat the action. Stand clear.”

Luna made sure everypony was well away from the area where she had been warned the unseen stairwell was situated and aimed her horn at the crystal structure in the roof. She fired a bolt of light blue magic, in just the same way as her wicked alter-ego had, and watched as the sickly trail of dark magic flowed down and spilled across the floor. As it coalesced, the floor opened up and there was the stairwell, just as the thestral scout had described.

Luna moved to the edge, then turned to her sister; “We do not know what or indeed who we may find down there. It could be Nightmare Moon, it could be Twilight Sparkle, or it could be nothing at all.”

She then looked to the thestral; “I should benefit from a pair of good eyes. This could be dangerous, so I shall not order you to accompany me, neither shall I hold it against you if you do not want to.”

“It would be my honour, your Majesty” he replied without hesitation, and immediately joined her in the darkness.
> 14 Farewell - But Only For Now
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“What do you see?” asked Luna from her position on the stairs.

“It is very deep, your Majesty” replied the thestral, hovering in the air by her side, “And I see nothing but these stairs spiralling downwards until they disappear. No traps so far as I can see.”

“Very well. We shall descend on the wing.”

At that, Luna alighted from the stairs and beat her wings in a slow backwinging motion, descending in the darkness alongside her thestral companion. 

The winding stairs seemed to go on forever, each twist and turn adding to the rising tension that something horrible would happen and they would not be able to get out, but they both kept their worries to themselves.

“Your Majesty, I think I see something down there” said the thestral, “It looks like we are nearing the bottom.”

“Can you make out anything further?” Luna asked.

“I see a solitary entity with a warm body signature.”

“Very well” Luna deliberated, halting her descent and going into a hover, “I shall hail them. Be prepared to seek cover on the stairs or fly upwards like your life depends on it should that be Nightmare Moon down there.”

“Yes, your Majesty, I understand” came the business like reply.

“Hello!” boomed the Royal Canterlot Voice, “We are Princess Luna. Identify yourself please!”

She mentally facehoofed that after all these years, in times of stress she still referred to herself in first person plural, as had been accepted grammar in the olde Canterlot tongue.

“Luna!” a strangely distorted echo responded, “It’s me, Twilight! Am I glad to see you!”

“The pony identifying herself as Princess Twilight has started to fly towards us” the thestral remarked unemotionally.

“I think we can safely say that is her” said Luna cracking a smile, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure is to serve, your Majesty” he replied.

“Luna! Luna!” Twilight’s voice sounded less echoey the closer she came to her rescuers, until finally level with them, she reached out and gave Luna a very happy and tearful hug.

“Come, we may rejoice further once we are away from this accursed place” Luna warned, “It would be inadvisable to tarry longer than necessary lest we become sealed in.”

Luna led the way with more urgency than the caution she had exercised when entering the stairwell, the others keeping pace with her until they could see the glow of a moonlit night, beckoning them to the hole in the floor that would be their exit.

Although Luna had slowed her ascent as she neared the top, she still emerged unexpectedly quickly to the surprise of her sister and niece who were waiting for them, and had to ensure she stopped before bumping into the roof.

Celestia and Cadance watched expectantly as the next to emerge was Twilight, and when they saw her, they couldn’t help but cheer and clap their hooves happily, even though Royalty was supposed to show reserve at times of personal delight. This was different; Twilight was back!

Finally, the sharp eyed thestral appeared and positioned himself at a discrete distance away from the celebrating Princesses, but Luna turned her head towards him and motioned him to join the happy little crowd. Even he, a rigidly disciplined guard couldn’t help but crack a smile in the atmosphere of infectious happiness.

Later on, once the entrance to the secret stairwell had been sealed over again and the guard returned to his unit with a hastily hoofwritten note of commendation, the four most senior Princesses in Equestria sat down together in an antechamber attached to Cadance’s suite where they swapped stories and indulged in tea and cake.

Cadance held her forehooves up to cover her mouth, eyes wide in astonishment, as Twilight recounted her clash with Nightmare Moon through to its dramatic finale. Meanwhile, the two sisters exchanged glances, both wrestling with similar concerns.

With her tale told, Cadance clapped her hooves together excitedly and then rubbed away the tears that had run down her muzzle, before sitting back and exhaling a gasp of relief that it had all ended so well. Or had it. Twilight noticed the sisters looked a little distracted, and that bothered her.

“Celestia, Luna” she asked, “You’ve got something on your minds; what is it?”

The older sister gave a polite little cough to clear her throat as discretely as she could before replying, “Firstly, I am delighted to have you back safe and sound …”

“That’s hardly what’s bothering you is it Celestia?” Twilight observed.

“No, no it isn’t. I have only cast that spell once” she replied, giving a regretful glance to her sister, who returned the merest nod of forgiveness, “And even then, I needed the Elements of Harmony. How did you manage to do it all by yourself?”

“Well, to be honest I didn’t do it on my own” Twilight explained, “Nightmare Moon was channelling the power from Sombra’s dark crystals, and when our horns locked I could see that her worst fear was to be returned to the moon. When I cast a simple spell to blast her away, it seemed to get amplified, and before I knew it, she was on her way to the moon.”

“You mean, you used Sombra’s dark power against her?” Luna gasped.

“Maybe” Twilight answered with a shrug, "But it was more likely the Magic of Friendship I had summoned that gave so much power to the spell; I think the dark magic just improved the aim."

A concerned silence descended while the three other Princesses exchanged glances, each harbouring similar concerns that Equestria's monarch could have become tainted by casting such a powerful spell using, at least in part, Sombra's dark crystal magic.

“Is it possible” Cadance probed warily, “That you may have established some kind of permanent link with King Sombra or his magic?”

“I don’t think so” replied Twilight, “If I had, I wouldn’t have been trapped in the magic stairwell. No, I’m pretty sure it was the Magic of Friendship that made my spell so effective.”

Nods all round confirmed this as a reasonable deduction, although she would now never be totally free of concerns linking her to the dark crystal magic and Sombra himself.

It was Celestia who broke the brooding silence and changed the subject:

“We have also to consider what to do with Nightmare Moon now she is on display for all to see. Firstly, I am concerned for any ill effects this may have for my dear sister, and secondly, there is always the possibility that her continued presence on the moon may form the focus of a cult set upon freeing her.”

“From my perspective Tia, I shall suffer no worries or concerns about her being imprisoned on the moon, but I do appreciate the ethical dilemma posed by holding an enemy of the State on public display without trial, as it were. There may be long term implications if this is not handled appropriately.”

“I see both of those points” Twilight interrupted, helping herself to another slice of cake and casually sitting back down again, “But I think before we act in haste, we should take stock. You see, I couldn't help noticing that her image on the moon is a lot lighter compared with when Luna had been banished up there; didn't you see it too? Go take a look for yourselves.”

Intrigued, all three Princesses approached the nearest window with a clear view of the moon, and sure enough, the silhouette was weaker than it had been decades before.

Twilight did not need to see for herself; the looks on their faces told her she was right.

“You see, the Nightmare Moon I banished was not a real pony; Princess Luna owns the only body that she could have laid claim to, and so she is only an ethereal entity who happened to be able to manipulate Sombra’s dark crystal magic to create a body for herself. Now she’s separated from the crystals that gave her that power, her energy will fade.”

“Do you mean she will soon just fade away and be gone forever?” asked Cadance in surprise.

“I think the image of her head will disappear quite quickly" said Twilight, “But, in as far as Luna is immortal, we must assume that Nightmare Moon is too. If her reappearance this time has taught is anything, it’s that she is determined and we must never let our guard down. In practice, I should be most surprised it we don’t see her again in our lifetimes.”

“But we’re immortal, Twilight” Cadance noted.

“Right” agreed Twilight, calmly taking a sip of tea, “She’ll be back, I’m sure of that. Either the stars will align to help her or ponies may fly to the moon someday. One way or another, it will happen, but probably not for some time. More tea anypony?”