Twilight lay there and looked around at her beloved school's banquet hall, now crushed under the heavy hooves of the intruding force. She couldn't believe that anypony would be so cruel, but then she caught a glimpse of the pink unicorn's face. It showed nothing but absolute contempt for the ponies and creatures around her. She looked above her and saw Maddock, who's mouth was hanging open. He seemed to be in an awakened, yet somewhat comatose state. He wasn't moving, just staring endlessly.

The pink unicorn shook her head in mock disappointment. "Tsk, tsk, tsk," she said haughtily, "not a unicorn among you. You haven't been sufficiently categorized and compartmentalized…and you call yourself a school. What a shame." She moved among the creatures, picking out the injured students among them. She walked up to a certain griffon, who's wing had been badly damaged.

She bent down and sneered in the young one's face. "And what's your name?" She asked darkly. The griffon shivered. "M-m-m-m-Martha," she said softly. "Martha the griffon," the unicorn said, "and…what is it you hope to accomplish by studying at this School of Friendship?" The way she said the last three words and the vicious look she gave Twilight made the hair on her mane stand on end. "Well," the young griffon continued, with a little more confidence, "I just hope to make new friends and share the magic of friendship back home in Griffonstone."

"See, that's where you're wrong," the pink one said with an evil gleam in her eye, "you thought you were going to do that…but you're actually gonna be made an example of. This is what happens to creatures who cross the MIGHTY UNICORN RACE!" With that, she stabbed her horn through Martha's chest. Her parents tried to intervene, but two of the intruding unicorns magically held them back.

Twilight could only watch as the young griffon bled out on the floor in front of her. Her tears were instantaneous. Martha had been such a sweet young griffon, and a friend to many of her fellow students. Twilight had many a conversation with the nervous creature the first time she arrived at the school, but as the days and weeks went by, Martha built up her confidence. She had begun to make very good friendships, and Twilight was so happy for her. Now, those friendships would be for naught as a young life was ripped away in front of her very eyes.

"My name is Sapphira," the pink unicorn went on, "and unicorns shall rule Equestria before the week is out."

"Not if I can help it!" Twilight suddenly shouted, finding the courage to speak and to wobble to her hooves. She gave Sapphira a furious look and moved towards her slowly. "You dare to attack my school, hurt my friends, and kill one of my students?! GUARDS!"

A flurry of guards rushed into the hall and began fighting the unicorn horde. They managed to push them back a bit, but then fell victim to the numbers game. They killed every guard that Twilight sent against them. The princess could only look on in shock and horror. Those guards were her friends, too.

Sapphira looked around satisfactorily and then laughed. "You know, Twilight, you're a really great Princess of Friendship. You made no effort to defend your student and then you sent all of your guards to their doom. Way to go," she sarcastically sneered. "Now…where was I? Oh, yes, I was just about to KILL YOU!"

She raced forward and tried to zap Twilight with a death blast, but Twilight was too quick for her and flew off. Sapphira charged after her and soon the room was filled with magic zaps and the sound of an intense duel. Twilight maneuvered her way into a small loft built into the top of the hall and began using it like a machine gunner's nest. She rapidly zapped different points of the room, trying desperately to incapacitate Sapphira, but always finding that the evil unicorn was one step ahead of her, or to be more accurate, one teleportation ahead of her.

Suddenly, Sapphira hit a brick wall, so to speak. It was Applejack, who stood nose to nose with the evildoer. "Nopony, and I mean NOPONY, touches the princess!" Applejack sneered. The two ponies locked eyes and Sapphira shot at her. Applejack ducked out of the way and yelled to the head table, "PINKIE! MY ROPE!"

Pinkie grabbed Applejack's trusty rope and tossed it to her. As quick as a cat, Applejack raced around Sapphira, wrapping up her hooves so she couldn't move. She finished and looked back at her work…to find that the rope was empty. Sapphira had teleported herself up to where Twilight was, and was preparing to stab the purple pony through the neck.

But then Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash found their wing strength again and raced up top to defend their friend. Dash flapped as hard as she could, causing a strong wind that knocked Sapphira back to the floor. She used her magic to create a force field that redirected her back to the top of the room, but Pinkie Pie used a nearby trampoline to bounce up and knock her out of midair.

She magically floated for a minute before landing back on the ground, conceding this round of the young war. "You have some pretty impressive friends, Twilight," she sneered, "but it won't matter once I've done away with Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and yourself! I hereby declare war on Equestria! For the glory of the unicorn! Unicornis Vel Dominationem!"

With a flash of light, she was gone. Her unicorn army quickly marched out after her. "Come on, everypony!" Applejack yelled, "if my instincts are right, she's gonna make a beeline for Canterlot! We have to warn Celestia and Luna!" Twilight fluttered down from her post and stood in front of Applejack. "You're right," she said, "though I hate the idea of warring and fighting, we have to be ready for this. Spike, get a letter to the princesses! Tell them that this crazy unicorn and her malevolent group are on their way to Canterlot! Tell them to double, nay, TRIPLE the forces there! We'll make haste for the capital as well."

She turned to her frightened students and their parents. "Is everyone else alright?" She asked. Other than a few scratches and bruises, and one Changeling with a broken wing, everyone seemed to be okay. "We will mourn for Martha later," the princess said, "right now, I need every creature to head for their respective quarters. Stay safe, and stay out of the open areas of Ponyville. Sapphira might have left a small guard behind to keep watch. At this point, I am ordering a lockdown of the school and of the town. No creature, pony or otherwise, is to leave town unless I give the order! Somepony get a message to the mayor, and tell her this is a direct order from the princess!"

She turned and noticed the young pony Sandbar. "Sandbar!"

"Yes, Professor Sparkle?"

"Right now, it's Princess Twilight. Can you get that message to Mayor Mare?"

"Of course, your majesty!"

"Thank you," Twilight said before smiling, "the entire town may owe you a debt of gratitude before this ordeal is over."

He nodded and dashed off. Meanwhile, Twilight gave the sky a very pensive, almost pained look. She couldn't believe that this was happening in her beloved Equestria. Would she have to do something that she never thought she could ever bring herself to do in order to save her home? Would she have to kill another pony for the good of Equestria?