Chapter 2 So Very Wrong
"Where is Princess Celestia?" Twilight demanded.
"And why should I tell you?" Nightmare Moon retorted.
"Because we'll beat you all the way to Tartarus if you don't!" Dash declared and she flew right into Nightmare Moon's face. The alicorn was unfazed by Rainbow's brashness.
"And how do you plan on doing that? You have no chance against me without your precious Elements of Harmony," she mocked.
Nightmare Moon was right. Twilight had managed to defeat an Ursa Minor once, but that encounter had taken a toll on her. There was no way she had the power to compete with an alicorn without the Elements.
"You mean these?" Pinkie Pie asked. All eyes turned to the earth pony that was holding all six Elements!
"Pray tell Pinkie where did you get those?" Rarity asked.
"From that old book Twilight keeps them in. When Nightmare Moon appeared my knee got pinchy; and that means something scary is gonna happen. So I took off the blue bag on my back and jumped into it and I came out of the orange bag at Twilight's house. Then I found the Elements and jumped back into the orange bag and came out my blue bag," she explained.
"Honestly, it don't matter how she got 'em. The point is they're here and we have an enemy to fight," Applejack claimed. She quickly ripped the pendant off of her neck and replaced it with the Element of Honesty. She then proceeded to kick off her boots and shake the tiara out of her hair.
"Applejack, don't be so rough! I worked hard on all of those," Rarity objected.
"Sorry Rarity, but Ah hate being weighed down by unwanted accessories," the earth pony replied. She reached into her long mane and pulled out her hat and scrunchie. Her quickly tied her hair into its usual pony tail and put her pendant inside the hat before flipping to onto her head.
"Let's get 'er done."
"Applejack's right. Who needs clothes?" Dash agreed as she slipped out of her flight suit and took her Element. The other four followed suit, although Rarity was reluctant to do so. She still kept the crown on her head however.
"It will not be a distraction. I promise," she stated.
"So now that you have your Elements what are you going to do with them?" Nightmare Moon asked. The alicorn's voice revealed no fear when she spoke. She wasn't afraid of the Elements despite being previously being defeated by them. Why was that… and how was she even there? Luna had reformed; she wasn't consumed with bitterness or envy anymore. Could it be that it was all a façade and that Luna had never truly given up her dark powers? Or was Nightmare Moon a completely different entity?
"I already told you. We're gonna beat you all the way to Tartarus! Ready girls?" Dash rallied. Twilight's friends nodded in unison, determination etched into their faces. Even Fluttershy's eyes had hardened and her lips had curled.
"Wait, we can't fight until we know the Princess is safe. If Princess Celestia isn't here, but Nightmare Moon is then she must have done something to her. And if she's the only one who knows where the Princess is then I don't want to jeopardize our chances of finding her by fighting," Twilight objected. The snarl and fury filled eyes on Fluttershy's face were quickly replaced with a doubtful frown and gaze.
"Twilight's right. We shouldn't jump straight into battle," she agreed. While Applejack, Pinkie and Rarity nodded in agreement Rainbow Dash seemed unconvinced.
"And why not? If we defeat her the Princess will show up just like she did the last time," she argued.
"How can you be sure it will happen that way?" Twilight questioned.
"I just am!" Dash defended.
"And that's not good enough!" Twilight refuted. "We need to know for sure before we do anything rash."
"You should listen to your friends Rainbow. They are clearly smarter than you," Nightmare Moon hissed.
"Nopony calls Rainbow Dash stupid!" Dash yelled. Without thinking, she rushed towards the trash-talking alicorn. Before she could land a hit the Wicked Mare of Darkness dissipated into a thick purple mist.
"Bravo Rainbow Dash, you sure showed me." She cackled. The mist began to swirl into a vortex and Nightmare Moon's head jutted out of the center.
"I admire your courage, but your ego and aggression will be your bane," she hissed.
"I'll show you aggression," Dash threatened and rushed towards the vortex. Before Rainbow could reach her target a hoof reached up and grabbed her tail. Her tail was yanked firmly and Dash slammed onto the hard ground.
"Who in the hay di—" Dash was cut off by Fluttershy's glare. Her eyes were wide and the left one slightly protruded from its socket.
"You need to calm down Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy commanded, her voice full of authority.
"But she—"
"Calm, down." Fluttershy's voice had lost its edge and was more soothing than commanding; but never once did she drop her gaze. Dash kept trying to look away, but her eyes always came back. The Stare was magnetic as well as effective.
Fluttershy released her hold on Rainbow's tail, and the cyan pegasus slowly stood up. She said nothing and stood beside Fluttershy looking down at the ground.
"Your friends have to resort to using the Stare to control you? How pathetic," Nightmare Moon taunted. Rainbow scraped her front hooves angrily against the ground but said nothing and refused to raise her eyes. Nightmare Moon gave a grunt of disappointment and turned to Twilight Sparkle.
"You'll find what you desire in the Everfree Forest. Take your time you foals, we're not going anywhere," she claimed.
"We? But there's only one of you. Or are you using the Royal Canterlot Voice? But you didn't do that a second ago and that's Luna's thing not yours. But you really are Luna so it really is your thing and—" Pinkie Pie was cut off when Applejack shoved an apple into her mouth. Although she continued her talk, the fruit muffled her voice.
"Pinkie Pie has a point. What happened to Princess Luna?" Twilight asked. The only response she received was the arrogant chuckle Nightmare Moon gave before she returned to her mist form and disappeared into the night.
"So what's the plan Twi?" Applejack asked.
"Simple, we go into the Everfree Forest and find Princess Celestia," she replied matter of factly. Fluttershy let out a shrill squeak at the mention of the Forest and hid behind Pinkie Pie.
"Twilight, do you really believe this is a good idea? I want to save Princess Celestia as much as anypony, but can we really trust Nightmare Moon? Besides, it's too dark for our search to be fruitful and the Forest is so icky," Rarity questioned.
"I don't think we have much of a choice Rarity. If Nightmare Moon is active then that means there's something wrong with both our Princesses and it's our job to find out what. I know it's dark but it'll stay dark unless we do something," Twilight answered.
"Ah'm with Twilight. That Nightmare Moon is shadier than a rattlesnake hidin' under a rock, but it's the only lead we got. Maybe Zecora could lend us a hoof," Applejack suggested. Twilight hadn't thought of that. Zecora was a friend of hers who lived in the forest. If anypony could help find the Princesses it was her.
"Ooh, I love Zecora! Now that I know she's not some evil enchantress who does evil dances and will gobble me up in a big tasty stew; I love talking to Zecora! She has a really funny way of talking," Pinkie Pie chimed in with half an apple left in her mouth.
"I'm down," Rainbow added nonchalantly; although her eyes were bright with the prospect of adventure. She continued to beat at the ground with her hooves, but now it seemed to be out of excitement rather than anger.
"Well, I suppose you and I ought to come as well Fluttershy. It would be rude to shun the Princesses in their hour of need; especially when the others are so willing to come to their aid," Rarity proposed. Fluttershy, who was still cowering behind Pinkie, gently shook her head.
"Come now Fluttershy, do you really want to offend the Princesses?" Rarity asked.
"Well, no but—"
"And you know the Forest better than anypony," Twilight added.
"Not better than Zecora," Fluttershy countered.
"But suppose we don't find Zecora, or she can't help us. It would just be the five of us and it'd be mighty hard for us to get anywhere without you. Not to mention how frightened we'd be without a guide," Applejack argued.
"Not me! I'm not scared of the Everfree Forest," Dash declared. Her boasting was followed by another swift kick from Applejack.
"Would you stop that?" Dash snapped. The earth pony ignored her.
"If you like, Ah'll be there with you the whole time sugarcube. Nothin' will get past me," Applejack offered.
"Pinkie promise?" Fluttershy asked.
"Cross mah heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Applejack recited as she did the motions. Fluttershy left her hiding place behind Pinkie and stood as close to Applejack as possible.
"Okay… I'll go," she agreed, her voice laced with doubt.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about all those mean ole monsters. They'll be running scared once they see you've got Applejack with you. Plus you've got your Auntie Pinkie Pie so you're super safe!" Pinkie exclaimed. Fluttershy frowned at Pinkie's patronizing.
"I'm still a year older than you," the pegasus grumbled irritably.
"Alright then, is everypony ready?" Twilight asked. All her friends nodded, some more vigorously than others.
"Then let's—"
"What about us?" Scootaloo interrupted. Uh-oh. Spike and the Crusaders had completely slipped Twilight's mind. They couldn't come; there was no question about that. Nightmare Moon had caused a landslide and unleashed a manticore on Twilight and her friends the last time they chased her into the Everfree Forest. She was a dangerous enemy and it would be irresponsible to bring three young fillies and a baby dragon on a journey into the same forest.
"We wanna help fight Nightmare Moon," Apple Bloom stated.
"We won't get in your way. We'll be good little fillies," Sweetie Belle chimed in. All three girls stood together and looked up at the older ponies with large smiles and bright eyes. They looked so adorable! Twilight didn't know how anypony could say no to them.
"No." Apparently Applejack did. Blunt as ever, she stared into her sister's eyes as she disappointed her.
"But Applejack, we wanna come with ya'll. Please," her sister pleaded. Apple Bloom began to pout and her amber eyes began to droop.
"You can't come with us. The Forest is a dangerous place as is. But with that varmint causin' a ruckus it'll barely be save for us grown ponies. Ah know ya'll think otherwise, but listen to me Apple Bloom. We'll come back and finish this here picnic once Nightmare Moon is gone; Ah promise." Applebloom turned to her friends and sighed.
"She's right, we should stay here," she reluctantly agreed. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked up at Rarity and Rainbow Dash for acceptance but the older ponies simply shook their heads. The Cutie Mark Crusaders sat on the grass and looked down at their hooves dejectedly.
"You should keep them company Spike," Twilight suggested. It was more of an order than a suggestion but Twilight didn't want the girls to know they had a babysitter. That might incite them to cause some mischief. Spike understood Twilight's intent and gave her a brisk nod.
"Don't worry girls; we can have a great time! If they're off adventuring then there's less food to share!" he exclaimed. This seemed to brighten the girls' moods. They smiled and began to indulge in the apple deserts before them.
Twilight found herself smiling. What would she do without Spike? He was her oldest friend as well as her most trusted. When she was obsessed with being tardy on her friendship report some time ago it was Spike who took her seriously. He knew her better than anypony else and that was why she loved him. Not the romantic love her friends were hoping for, but love nonetheless.
"Everypony ready?" Twilight asked.
"You already asked us that. Yes, we're ready. Now let's go!" Dash replied impatiently.
"Let's get this over with," Fluttershy agreed. She was right. The sooner they got there the sooner they could leave; and Twilight didn't want to spend any unnecessary time in the Everfree Forest.
Something felt very wrong. The hairs on Twilight's body began to prickle and she could feel sweat slowly dripping from her forehead. This wasn't normal. Twilight didn't particularly enjoy the Forest, but she didn't fear it. Something was different this time. The atmosphere was darker and she couldn't shake the paranoid feeling that she was trotting into a trap.
A bloodcurdling scream from behind her interrupted her thoughts.
"Rarity!" Twilight yelled desperately as she whipped her head around. She dreaded to see her friend being mauled by a manticore.
"My crown fell in the mud! Pinkie Pie, be a dear and fetch it for me?" Rarity asked.
"Okey dokey lokey," the earth pony replied as she jumped into a mudhole.
"Rarity, ya'll said the dang tiara wouldn't slow you down and now it has. Can't we just dump it and fetch it later?" Applejack asked sharply.
"Heavens no! What if it were to sink to the bottom? Then I wouldn't be able to 'fetch it later'," Rarity disputed.
"It's no trouble Applejack. It's nice to have an excuse to jump in the mud!" Pinkie dismissed.
"Any luck?" Rarity asked. Pinkie Pie shook her head and dove under the mud.
"Fancy unicorn," Applejack mumbled under her breath.
"I heard that and take it as a compliment. Somepony has to have class," Rarity stated and flipped her hair into Applejack's face. Applejack actually growled and hunched down onto all fours. She was about to tackle Rarity into the mud when Fluttershy intervened.
"Stop, both of you! Can't you see that you're just playing into Nightmare Moon's hooves? If the six of us aren't in harmony then we won't be able to win against her. Besides, it saddens me to see my friends fight with each other," she scolded.
"Fluttershy is right, we'll get nowhere by quarreling," Rarity agreed.
"An' we'll also get nowhere if ya'll keep losing your crown," Applejack retorted. Rarity's eyes flashed in fury and her cheeks turned red hot.
"I found it!" Pinkie declared before Rarity could reply. The earth pony leapt out of the mud and skipped excitedly over to her friend with the crown dangling from her mouth. Rarity scrutinized the mud soaked crown disdainfully.
"Well, go on then. Take it," Applejack suggested.
Rarity gulped as she slowly reached towards the crown. Twilight noticed that Rarity's body was shuddering, and the shaking became more violent as she grew closer to the crown. That was the last straw.
"Ugh," Twilight groaned. She captured the crown with her magic and levitated it towards Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow Dash, you fly ahead to Zecora's hut and bring her back to us. We'll meet you on our way there. And while you're there; give her this," Twilight ordered. Rainbow took the crown and nodded compliantly before dashing off towards Zecora's. Rarity smiled at Twilight in gratitude and was given a curt nod in return.
"Um Twilight, wouldn't it be safer to use your magic to teleport us to Zecora? That way we wouldn't be so exposed," Fluttershy asked. The purple unicorn slowly shook her head.
"It would actually be more dangerous. I'm used the environment in Ponyville so I can teleport around without a problem, but I'm not used to the Everfree Forest. If I'm in an unfamiliar place and can't see where I'm going I could end up way off course. I don't want us all to get lost," she explained.
That was all true, but there was another reason Twilight didn't want to teleport. Teleporting took a lot of energy, which was why she walked most of the time. Even if she could successfully reach Zecora's the strain of teleporting six ponies would take its toll on her. Twilight had to be at full strength when it was time to confront Nightmare Moon. Losing was not an option when the Princesses were at stake.
"We're gettin' nowhere fast just sittin' here talkin'. Come on girls, we gotta move along," Applejack said. Her friends nodded in agreement, although Rarity's eyes were still cold with hostility.
"Fluttershy, since you know the area best you should take point," Twilight suggested. She expected opposition, but none came.
"Okay, I'll do it for the Princesses," Fluttershy agreed. The pegasus strode past Twilight and Applejack quickly took to her side.
"Don' worry, we'll all be okay," AJ whispered. Fluttershy gave her a small smile and began to lead her friends to Zecora's.
"What a pleasant surprise, to see Twilight and her friends before my eyes." The group had encountered Zecora without incident. Despite her uneasiness when they first entered the Forest, Fluttershy had led her friends with her head held high and a spark in her eye. Her effortless impression of a doormat wasn't as good as it used to be.
"Pleasant surprise? It's about time is more like it; what took you all so long?" Dash demanded. Rainbow's tactless comments were promptly ignored by her friends.
"How are you Zecora?" Twilight asked. The gray zebra shook her head.
"Truth be told, I will not lie; I am concerned about the starry sky. The shining sun I yearn to see, for Nightmare Moon has come to Everfree," she answered.
"An' what 'bout the Princesses? Ya'll see either of them?" Applejack asked.
"In the old castle of Everfree, a pony Princess there will be," Zecora replied.
"Where we first found the Elements of Harmony? Why would anypony, let alone a princess, be in such a dreadful place?" Rarity asked.
Twilight had a pretty good idea. An abandoned castle in the heart of a forest most ponies avoided at any cost; what better place to keep a high profile prisoner?
"Thank you Zecora," Twilight said graciously. As she turned to leave, Zecora reached out and placed a firm hoof on Twilight's shoulder.
"Forgive me if my words seem crude; but if you fail we all are screwed," the zebra warned. She then released Twilight and disappeared into her hut.
"And I thought Pinkie Pie was random," Dash muttered. Everypony but Twilight laughed. Zecora was right. The fate of Equestria rested on their shoulders. It was time to face Nightmare Moon and save the Princesses.
Something still felt wrong. Twilight and her group had reached the castle without interference. Why was this journey so easy? It was almost as if Nightmare Moon wanted them to rescue the Princesses. No villain in their right mind would want to lose their hostages, right? But Nightmare Moon wasn't an ordinary foe and all of this could be part of her plan. Twilight suddenly became very wary of the old castle.
"Sweet Celestia, look at this place!" Rarity exclaimed.
"It's beautiful," Fluttershy agreed. The ancient castle looked like it had received a makeover. All of the destroyed sections had been restored; and the castle now resembled the one in Canterlot in terms of architecture. Instead of the Canterlot white or the previous grey, the castle's new paintjob was a striking silver. The previously decaying door had received a crimson varnish along with an emerald doorknob that Rarity couldn't tear her eyes off of.
The wild vegetation that had taken over the castle was cleared away and allowed Twilight to see the emblem at the pinnacle. The emblem was a large white crescent moon in a dark purple fog; that was Princess Luna's cutie mark! Did she live in this castle? Twilight knew that she was co-ruling with Princess Celestia again but she assumed the two lived together in Canterlot. Then again, Twilight had never actually seen Luna in Canterlot so maybe she did live here. Or maybe it was another part of a trap.
As Twilight approached the door it slowly swung open to reveal a shadow-black void before her. Somepony seemed to be expecting them. "Keep your guard up everypony," she cautioned. A hoof lightly touched her back and she turned to look at Rainbow Dash.
"Let me go in first Twilight. If this is just one of Nightmare Moon's traps I'll spring it," she offered.
"But Rainbow, why would you want to spring a trap?" Twilight exclaimed.
"Because it's better if only one of us gets caught than all six of us. Besides, don't you remember what I said to you the first time we came here? I never leave my friends hanging," Rainbow replied with a cocky grin.
"But what if something bad happens…" Twilight didn't want to think of what could be lying in the darkness.
"If somethin' bad happens, RD will fly outta there faster than a barefoot jackrabbit on a hot greasy griddle," Applejack said. "She can take care of herself and she has my complete trust." Twilight sighed softly and hesitantly nodded her approval.
"Alright, just be careful," she conceded.
"Careful is one of my middle names; it's right in-between fast and awesome!" Dash declared as she recklessly charged through the open door into the darkness.
"I don't think she understands what careful is," Fluttershy stated. Twilight was inclined to agree.
"She's going to get herself hurt one of these days," the unicorn muttered irritably, trying to mask her worry.
"Don't worry sugarcube. Rainbow might be reckless, but she's as brave an' loyal as anypony. We'll here from her soon," she promised.
"I certainly hope so. It's positively freezing out here and I didn't bring a scarf," Rarity complained. Applejack rolled her eyes and muttered something about entitled unicorns.
A full minute had passed and there was no word from Rainbow Dash.
"What's taking Rainbow so long? Don't you think she would have said by now that she was ok?" Fluttershy asked.
"I'll go ask her," Pinkie volunteered. She bounced up to the mouth of the door and shouted:
"Hey Rainbow Dash, all clear?" There was no response.
"Dashie, are you okay?" she called. Still, there was no response. Pinkie looked back at her friends with very small eyes.
"She's not saying anything," she whispered.
"She must be in danger and we have a duty to save her," Rarity said. Applejack responded by gripping the brim of her hat and pulling it down over her forehead.
"Hold on Rainbow, we're com—" Applejack's cry was interrupted by a cyan pegasus popping out of the darkness and screaming: "BOO!" The five friends screamed in terror; Fluttershy even fainted. Dash didn't notice due to her excessive laughter.
"I'm sorry you guys but that was too tempting. The looks on your faces are priceless," she apologized through her laughter.
"That's it!" Applejack yelled angrily. She jumped into the air and tackled Rainbow Dash onto the castle floor. The two ponies hit the ground hard, causing the lights to flicker on. The other four ponies shuffled into the large hallway and stared at the new interior.
Unlike the outside plants the inside ones were permitted to stay; they were much tamer than the last time Twilight had visited though. The walls retained their purple color, albeit a more vibrant one. The center piece that had once contained the Elements of Harmony had now become a six pronged chandelier and each prong was decorated with a design representing the cutie marks of Twilight and her friends.
At the back of the room was a small staircase that led to a large platform. The platform was covered in deep purple carpet and on it rested a large black throne. An alicorn mare was sitting on that throne. The alicorn had a coat as black as the night and eyes as cold as ice. The Wicked Mare of Darkness began to clap her hooves.
"Well done my little ponies; you discovered our castle," Nightmare Moon said.
"We played your game Nightmare Moon. Now tell us where the Princesses are," Twilight demanded.
"Or what? You'll use your pathetic Elements against me?" the alicorn challenged.
"They weren't pathetic the last time they defeated you," Dash asserted. Nightmare Moon bit her lip and let out a low growl.
"I'm not so stupid as to fall for the same trick twice you foals. Your precious Elements won't defeat me again. And as for the game Twilight Sparkle, it's barely begun. If you want to find you're Princesses you'll have to play a new one," she hissed.
"Ooh I love playing games, especially pin the tail on the pony! That one is so much fun. Is that what we're playing and if not then what game are we playing?" Pinkie asked excitedly.
"Follow the leader," Nightmare Moon answered, disintegrating into mist again.
The mist floated out of an open window and made its way to the highest room in the tallest tower. That must be where she was holding the Princesses!
"How are we going to get up there?" Fluttershy asked.
"The same way we did last time. Go do your thing Pink," Applejack said. Pinkie nodded emphatically.
"Okey dokey lokey!" she responded and she began to sniff around the floor.
"Applejack, what is she doing?" Twilight asked.
"Well, the last time we were here you had teleported with Nightmare Moon an' left us all behind. We had decided to just run up the stairs and follow ya'll but Pinkie smelled snacks and was sidetracked. Turns out there was a secret passageway full of old food an' it doubled up as uh shortcut."
Twilight was genuinely impressed. She knew Pinkie had an odd way of doing things, the earth pony had appeared inside a mirror earlier for pony's sake, but she had to give credit where credit was due. Pinkie was incredibly resourceful; she proved that when she saved Ponyville from the parasprite invasion last year. Sometimes it was good to have a cloudcuckoolander in the group.
"Find anything yet Pink?" AJ asked.
"Not yet, but I'm on the trail," Pinkie reported. She crouched down as far as possible and her sniffing intensified. Pinkie stopped moving after a few seconds and straightened up.
"Hold on I'm feeling something," she said. Pinkie's ears suddenly flopped, followed by a fluttering of her eyes and finally the twitching of her knee. Twilight remembered that Pinkie Sense combo all too well. Somewhere a door was about to randomly open.
Poor Rarity. She had gotten uncomfortable and slightly shifted her weight when the cellar door opened beneath her. It wasn't a long or hard fall, but her landing triggered an explosion of dust around her. Her scream was bloodcurdling.
"Rarity, what happened? Are you okay?" Twilight had jumped down the hole and began to examine her friend's body. Thankfully nothing seemed to be broken.
"Of course it's not okay. It's positively filthy down here! I had taken a very long shower before I arrived at the picnic and now look at me. I'm grey!" she complained. Rarity's moon-white coat had morphed into an ashy-grey and she kept shuddering as she examined herself.
"Ooh, ooh I know how to fix you Rarity! It's so much fun to do; will you let me?" Pinkie asked excitedly.
"And how do you plan on fixing me?" the unicorn asked intrigued.
"I'm gonna blow you like a candle!" Pinkie replied.
"Blow me like a candle? I'm not sure I follow," Rarity questioned. Pinkie looked at the ashy unicorn as if she was stupid.
"What do you mean you don't follow? It's simple, I blow on you and the dust comes off. Like blowing out a candle! Duh," Pinkie explained. She jumped into the cellar and intensely stared into Rarity's azure eyes.
"Pinkie Pie, what in Equestria are you doing?" Rarity asked uncomfortably.
"I'm staring," she answered flatly.
"Yes, I can see that but—"
"If you can see what I'm doing then why bother to ask?" Pinkie asked, genuinely confused.
"I'm simply curious as to why you're staring," Rarity clarified.
"Okey dokey lokey," the earth pony giggled and she continued to stare.
"So… are you going to explain why you're staring at me?" Rarity asked.
"Nopey dopey lopey," Pinkie answered.
"Why not?" Rarity demanded.
"Because you never asked me to. You said you were curious as to why I was staring but you didn't ask me to explain it. Then you asked if I was going to answer you without actually asking me to tell you," Pinkie answered. Rarity curled her lip and began to dig at the hard tile with her hoof.
"So then tell me Pinkie Pie; why are you just staring at me?" she growled.
"Because I have to focus on my target before I can blow it out. And you're much larger than what I usually deal with," the earth pony answered. To Twilight, it was obvious what Pinkie Pie meant. She was used to blowing out candles and, being a pony, Rarity was much larger than the average candle. Rarity, on the other hoof, had a slightly different interpretation.
"Are you saying I'm FAT?" She cried indignantly. Her nostrils flared and her eyes grew wide and bloodshot. Twilight wondered if Rarity was about to freeze over.
When a unicorn's level of frustration was at the absolute maximum the unicorn would undergo a temporary transformation. When this happened to Twilight her coat would turn cream, and her mane and tail would burst into flames. For Rarity, her coat would become completely clear and her mane and tail would become icicles. Twilight had seen Rarity enraged a few times but she had only seen her ice form once.
It happened when Rarity discovered that Cherilee had broken down one of the walls at the Carousel Boutique. Due to being under the effects of a powerful love potion Cherilee had gotten off the hook. But Sweetie Belle and her friends didn't; and since Twilight had given them the book with the potion Rarity had chewed her out as well. It was the single most terrifying experience of Twilight's life; not even Discord and the changelings could hold a candle to Rarity's icy wrath. Luckily for Pinkie Pie, Rarity hadn't reached that point yet.
"You're not fat, you're just bigger than a candle," Pinkie replied. Rarity's eyes lost their intensity and the rest of her face returned to normal.
"Oh. My sincerest apologies Pinkie Pie, but I'm quite sensitive in regards to my appearance. Please forigi—" Rarity was cut off by Pinkie blowing into her face. All the dust flew off of Rarity and scattered around the cellar floor.
"See now you're all better," Pinkie said with a bright smile.
"Thank you Pinkie Pie. You've saved me from a potentially traumatic experience," Rarity replied gratefully.
"Of course, what are friends for?" Pinkie replied.
"Friends are for helping you kick flank and save princesses," Dash answered as she swooped down into the cellar. "I hate to break it to you Rarity but you're going to be touching dust with every step you take and every move you make. The only way we'll get through this is if you ride on somepony's back."
"Are you volunteering?" Rarity asked. Dash's response was to crouch and cock her head towards her back.
"Thank you Rainbow Dash, it is greatly appreciated," Rarity acknowledged, as she trotted towards the pegasus and got on her back.
"I want a ride!" Pinkie exclaimed and proceeded to jump on Twilight's back. "Onward, mush!" she cried and kicked her hooves into Twilight's sides. Twilight didn't bother to argue. Instead she galloped forward, confident that Pinkie would direct her towards the Princesses. Dash ran beside her while Fluttershy hovered close by. Applejack brought up the rear because the cellar was too narrow to have four ponies sprinting side by side.
"Are we going the right way?" Twilight asked.
"Yep we are, but this place is more abandoned than when we were here last time. I mean, where are all the snacks?" Pinkie answered.
"Maybe whoever fixed this place up cleaned out the cellar," Twilight suggested.
"Cleaned out the cellar? Twilight, how can you call this clean? It's absolutely filthy down here," Rarity commented.
"'Sides nopony could eat all 'em snacks alone. If they did they'd have to be as big as a dragon," Applejack added. Pinkie burst out laughing.
"It's funny because dragons are hugungous!" she shrilled.
Twilight was about to point out that hugungous was not a word and Pinkie Pie meant to say humongous; but she remembered that this was Pinkie Pie and the earth pony had an aversion to common sense. Besides, Pinkie's choice of words was irrelevant to the crisis at hand. They had discovered the secret passageway that would lead them to their enemy, and the Princesses.
***
The six friends had finally conquered the cellar, much to Rarity's chagrin, and made their way to the tallest room of the tallest tower. But there was no sign of Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia was missing as well. The only sights in the barren room were a neat four-poster bed with black blankets and a pony sitting on a balcony starring at the sky.
Twilight could feel joy radiating from the stargazing pony. Her misty-purple mane swayed in the night breeze and the pony held her head back, revealing the tip of her dark blue horn. She spread her wings and began to croon:
"Now the hour has come at last. The soft and fading light has crossed the west horizon and has bidden us goodnight. And what a lovely night it is. To walk to a moonlit field to see the softer shades that are by starlight now revealed." Princess Luna sprang out from the balcony and gently flapped her wings.
"I will never understand why they prefer sister's sunny day to my dark and jeweled sky," she bemoaned.
"Princess Luna, what are you doing?" Twilight asked. The alicorn jerked her head around and looked at the friends with scorn.
"Twilight Sparkle, why doth thou bringest the trinkets?" she demanded.
"Trinkets? Do you mean the Elements?' Fluttershy asked. Luna nodded.
"Are we enemies once more?" she questioned.
"That depends," Rainbow replied.
"Pray tell what it dependeth on," Luna ordered.
"It depends on how much you know," the pegasus answered. The disdain disappeared from Luna's gaze and was quickly replaced with confusion.
"We are afraid we do not quite understandeth," she said.
"We want to know what you're doing here, where your sister is; and we want to know why the moon is shining in the middle of the day," Dash clarified. Luna's eyes widened.
"It's only the middle of the day?" she asked.
"That's what I just said," Dash answered rudely. Although Twilight knew Rainbow Dash had noble intentions, her friend's attitude wouldn't be useful at a time like this. She had to take control of the situation.
"I had wanted to spend time with Princess Celestia so I planned on hosting a picnic with her and my friends today. However, shortly after I showed up the sun had set, and Nightmare Moon reappeared. She led us to this room and now she's gone, but now you're here. We wanted to know if you knew anything," she explained.
"And why doth though believest we know anything?" Luna inquired.
"Because the last time we encountered Nightmare Moon she was you," Rarity answered.
"THOUH DARE ACCUSETH US?" Luna snapped.
"Heavens no, but it is hard to deny the coincidence," Rarity defended. Instead of diffusing any animosity, Rarity inadvertently lit a powder keg.
Luna perched on the edge of the balcony and slammed her hoof on the ground. Lightning flashed behind her and dark clouds began to gather in the sky.
"A COINCIDENCE IT MUST BE! WE HATH YET TO USETH MAGIC TO RAISETH THE MOON. IT IS NOT OUR DOING!" Luna thundered. She then turned her electric glare to Twilight. "AND THOU SHOULD KNOWETH THE TRINKETS REMOVED OUR DARK POWERS! WE ARE LUNA, NOT NIGHTMARE MOON!"
Twilight didn't know what to believe. Rarity was right, the evidence was not in Luna's favor. But Twilight could feel in her heart that the Princess was innocent. After Nightmare Night, Luna was happy and she was finally loved once again by her subjects. She wouldn't jeopardize that.
"I know," Twilight replied.
"How can ya'll be sure?" Applejack asked. Twilight shook her head.
"I just am," she answered.
"And that's not good enough. We need to know for sure before we just let her off the hook," Dash refuted. Twilight knew she couldn't refute Rainbow's logic; she had used it earlier herself. The atmosphere in the room had intensified as the unicorn and pegasus locked eyes. Neither of them was willing to give in to the other without solid justification. Only one thing could break the intensity in the room, a hungry earth pony.
"Hey Luna, do you have any snacks?" Pinkie Pie asked randomly. Luna looked down at her.
"THOU WISHETH FOR SNACKS?" she demanded. Pinkie nodded.
"Absolutely! When I realized we were going in the cellar I got excited and became super-duper starving and craved something sugary. But when we got there the cellar was empty. Do you know what happened?" she asked. The alicorn's eyes shifted downward bashfully and the storm clouds and lightning disappeared. Luna's cheeks turned a pale shade of pink and she began to shuffle her hooves awkwardly.
"After sister proposed that she and I rule together again it was decided that I should have this castle as my own. Canterlot had changed so much in a thousand years and I knew I would have trouble fitting in. Not to mention very few ponies were eager to see me. But here I would not have to deal with other ponies if I did not want to. I was ecstatic about the idea, but the castle itself was dreadful. I gave it what I believe you might call a makeover. During that process I stumbled upon the cellar and well… I was hungry," she answered.
"Now why would ya'll eat that much food all by your lonesome?" Applejack asked.
"We were sealed inside the moon for a millennium with nothing to eat. Why doth thou thinkest we binged?" Luna retorted, her voice regaining an edge.
"Fair enough," Applejack replied.
"To answereth thy question; no Pinkie Pie we doth not hath any snacks," the Princess said. The pink earth pony pouted but said nothing. Luna then turned to Twilight Sparkle.
"We apologize for our behavior Twilight Sparkle. We are sensitive when it comes to Nightmare Moon. But we promise that was our past not our present," she vowed.
"Don't listen to her lies Twilight!" Yet another thing made Twilight uneasy. That voice sounded was different. It was supposed to be benevolent. Twilight knew it for its warmth and wisdom, but now it spoke with pure venom. When Princess Celestia strode past Twilight, the unicorn could see an unrelenting force in her eyes.
"Sister, what are—" Luna was interrupted by Celestia's hoof smashing against her face. The younger alicorn fell off of the balcony and landed face first on the tile floor. She slowly raised her head and stared at her sister aghast.
"What is the meaning of this Celestia?" Luna demanded gently massaging her cheek.
"I could ask you the same thing," the elder alicorn replied coldly.
A sun-gold glow enveloped her long white horn and a large cylindrical bottle levitated in front of her. The bottle was half-full of a sparkling golden liquid that could only be apple cider. Considering that cider season was already over, it must have been vintage cider. Twilight noticed that Rainbow Dash was drooling slightly and she had to admit aged apple cider did sound delectable; but what about apple cider would drive Princess Celestia to attack her own sister?
"Look familiar?" Celestia interrogated. Luna stood up and looked her sister in the eye.
"Yes, it's thy birthday next week and we started to searcheth for a present. We sent it early because we know how much thou lovest cider. Clearly we were mistaken," she answered. Celestia's cold magenta glare did not ease upon her sister's reply. Instead, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"What else is in the bottle Luna?" she pressed.
"Nothing, now will thou tell us what thy accuseth us of," her sister answered.
"Poisoning me," Celestia answered flatly.
"THOU ACCUSETH US OF WHAT?" Luna cried.
"HOW DARE YOU RAISE YOUR VOICE AT ME!" Celestia snapped.
"But Princess, why would Luna poison you? You're immortal! Poison would have no effect on you. Not to mention that Luna loves you," Twilight interrupted.
"I have a strong immune system Twilight, but I'm not impervious to all effects of poison. After drinking the cider I was in so much agony I couldn't move. If Cadence and Shining Armor hadn't discovered me I'd still be paralyzed in pain. Only manticore venom has that much bite," Celestia refuted.
"You drank manticore venom?" Fluttershy asked in horror. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wide.
"Fluttershy what is so potent about manticore venom," Rarity asked.
"Well as you all know manticores have stingers on the end of their tails, but due to their brute strength and nasty claws they don't usually have to use it. However, if a manticore feels severely threatened they will resort to using the venom in their stinger. I've read that it's strong enough to kill a hydra," the pegasus explained.
"And you put that in your sister's drink; what possessed you to do that?" Dash demanded.
"WE DID NO SUCH THING!" Luna cried.
"Then why did ya'll see fit to bring up the moon?" Applejack asked.
"WE TOLD THOU EARLIER WE DID NOT. TWAS ALREADY IN THE SKY WHEN WE AWOKETH FROM OUR SLUMBER!" the alicorn answered.
"Only an alicorn has that much power, but nor Cadence nor I raised it," Celestia argued.
"Maybe it was Nightmare Moon," Twilight suggested.
"What was that?" Celestia asked.
"While we were waiting for you to start the picnic Nightmare Moon appeared and led us here I initially wasn't sure if it was Luna having a relapse or if Nightmare Moon was really a separate entity. After this meeting I'm sure of the latter. Luna is innocent," Twilight declared.
"I'm sorry Twilight, but that's not possible. With the Elements you destroyed Nightmare Moon; I witnessed it with my own eyes. But the bitter embers in my little sister's heart were never extinguished and now they have blazed again. She took the form of Nightmare Moon to deceive you into fighting an enemy that does not exist," she asserted.
This was all so very wrong. Twilight knew that Luna was innocent. She didn't know how she knew it; she just did. But if she couldn't get through to Rainbow Dash then there was no way to get through to Princess Celestia. The Princess was the judge and her mind was made up. Something bad was going to happen to Luna and Twilight could sense that the repercussions would be disastrous. But she did nothing. She just sat there and watched the poor mare's punishment.
"The first time this happened I tried to reason with you Luna, but you wouldn't listen. I could only protect Equestria and I did that by banishing you. I had hoped that imprisoning you in the moon for ten centuries would have caused you to reflect on your actions and have a change of heart. I was clearly mistaken. You returned with a rage so dark that not even I could combat it.
"After your defeat at the hooves of Twilight and her friends I thought you returned to normal, and I extended a hoof in friendship. Clearly that too was not enough for you. Your bitterness and greed has led me to only one alternative. I am sorry my little sister; but you have brought this upon yourself."
Celestia's horn began to glow again and she struck her sister with a cold blast of light. Luna held out a hoof in defense, but the sad sparkle in her eyes revealed the hopelessness she felt. Within a few seconds, the once proud Princess of the Night had been reduced to a stone statue. Princess Celestia's icy demeanor shattered as she looked at her sister. She turned away from Twilight and her friends and began to cry.
"You left me no choice Luna… I'm so sorry."
Twilight felt herself tear up. She had just witnessed a pony she intuitively knew to be innocent, and a friend as well, be petrified before her eyes. Pinkie Pie openly wailed behind her and Applejack had removed her hat in respect. Even Rainbow Dash was sniffling.
The maniacal laughter only made it worse; sick and twisted laughter echoed throughout Luna's castle.
"Harmony is really quite fickle isn't it Celestia? One moment you love your sister and the next you give her the same treatment you gave me. You really are stone cold." Twilight felt her friends tense up around her, and for good reason. That voice could only belong to one creature. Somehow, Discord had returned.
Authors Note: Some of you may have recognized that Luna's first few lines were taken from "The Moon Rises," and I would like to give credit to the author Ponyphonic. It's an amazing piece of work and is my favorite brony song. I definitely recommend it.
