My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Night
Chapter Twelve: Omnibus Ultimatum
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinky Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike approached Twilight's house as the Sun prepared to set for the night. The air was colder than before, chilling the six to their bones. Each of them had their own fears and regrets after what had happened: Rainbow's heart still ached from attacking her friend, Spike continued to blame himself, Applejack punished herself for not being able to find a solution, Rarity feared for what would become of her friend, Pinky Pie regretted not seeing something wrong before it all came crashing down, and Fluttershy mourned the pony she thought Twilight was. Everypony shared concern for their friend, as well as helplessness towards their cause. After all they had been through together, it could not end like this. Stepping forward, Applejack knocked on the door, only for it to slide open and reveal an empty house. Somehow, the sky became far darker within that same instant. Rarity gently placed her hooves on the back of Spike's shoulders, though her true desire was to cover his poor eyes.
"Where is she?" Rainbow Dash demanded, her feelings spiraling somewhere between confusion, anger, and fear.
"I don' know, but she's not here," Applejack confessed despite her better judgment. "I'm sorry, y'all."
"Well, she's probably out on a walk," Fluttershy constructed a merciful lie for Spike's sake. Wearing a fake smile to hide her pain, the sunny Pegasus turned to the others. "She'll be back later."
Everypony but Applejack smiled back and agreed as if the fabrication were the obvious truth. Soon, all eyes fell on the orange Pony, who stared down at the ground and brushed her plated hoof back and forth through the dirt. For the first time, her gift for knowing and speaking the truth acted against the cowpony: She was entirely unable to entertain the lie, no matter how happy it seemed.
"Applejack?" Spike pressed his friend, recognizing what she was going through. "What do you think happened to Twilight?" The others tried in vain to shift their gaze away from Applejack, the only exception being an almost disgusted and already-incensed Rainbow Dash. "Please…tell me the truth."
Letting out a defeated sigh, the orange Pony crouched down to eye level with the baby dragon, tilted her hat out of her face, and looked her friend directly in the face. "Honesty, Spak…" she began in a sensitive voice. "Twilight's not been herself lately. The truth is…Ah have no idea what she's doing or where she's gone." Spike's weakly composed expression began to break down, and he began to turn away to conceal his tears. "But, listen." Placing her hoof on the baby dragon's shoulder, Applejack gently but firmly turned him back towards her. Now, nopony knew what was coming, and they were all rendered silent. "That doesn' mean we're not gonna find 'er." Her voice was bold and confident, as it never failed to be before. This time, though, she had true need of her courage. "If there's one thing Twilight taught us, it's that friends can, must, and will turn the world inside out for one another." Deeply relieved, his tears running down his little face, Spike collapsed into a grateful hug with the inspiring cowpony.
In that instant, Fluttershy regretted trying to lie to her friend. At the same time, Pinky Pie, jaw dropped and eyes bugging out, began a slow-clap as Rarity silently admired her old friend. Even Rainbow Dash took a slight step back. Applejack's voice was one of pure certainty and inspiration, and she meant every word of it. "What say we head out, y'all?" she declared.
"Yes, ma'am," the entire group answered in near-perfect harmony. Stepping up to the door to take one final glance inside for the sake of closure, Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy's hoof on her shoulder, turned away, and closed the door.
Their search hindered by the fleeting light of the Sun, the group stayed close to the streetlamps and lights of the nearby city. Sitting on Fluttershy's back, Spike gently tugged on her mane. "Don't beat yourself up, Fluttershy," he said with kindness and understanding in his voice. "Thank you for trying to make me feel better."
Rainbow Dash flew just above Applejack as the company hurried through the woodlands. "Hey, AJ," the Pegasus finally spoke up. Her anger had faded for the most part, and she was returning to her senses as best she could. "Sorry about back there. You had the right idea."
"Ah wish it was that easy, Dash," Applejack replied. "I understand what y'all were trying to do. Ah was about to do the same thing, but…old habits, you know? Thank you, though. It's nice to know we're all on the same side in all this."
"Now, if I were a wild Twilight Sparkle, where would I wanna be?" Pinky Pie asked herself aloud. "Ooh! A library…Or a really big bakery that serves books as food. Or…"
"I believe we get the point, darling," Rarity interrupted her friend. "But from what's just happened, I'm afraid Twilight isn't her usual self. Finding her could prove rather difficult."
"I just hope she's okay," Fluttershy declared with sorrow in her voice.
"Me too," Pinky replied. "I hate seeing her so sad and angry all the time. Do you think she caught that PTSD thing?"
"After all that insanity with Night Mare Moon?" Applejack called out. "Ah'm sure of it."
"Poor dear," Fluttershy exclaimed, feeling so sorry for her suffering friend. "It seems like she's always had so much unhappiness deep down inside of her."
"This must've been the breaking point," Pinky realized.
"I don't think any of that would send her off the deep end," Rainbow Dash bluntly declared, failing to take consideration for Spike. Catching her mistake, the Pegasus cleared her throat and apologized. "There's gotta be something else going on with her. That whole Elements of Harmony thing was a lot to take in, you know? It's all so…heavy."
"I hope we find her," Spike confessed, his spirits sinking. "I don't know what I'd do without her."
"We'll find her, Spike," Fluttershy promised in a gentle voice. "We'll work this out and be one big, happy family." Taking comfort in that thought, the baby dragon managed to relax as the mares continued on their way.
Suddenly, Pink Pie stopped short, causing Rarity to bump into her. "Everypony…" the pink Pony trembled, her jaw dropped. "Look at that." Pointing her hoof into the sky, Pinky guided the entire group's attention to the sky as the setting Sun became blocked out by a massive red Crescent-Moon that turned the stars a scarlet-violet color and chased away all light. "Oh, no…Not again!"
"How is it even possible?" Rainbow Dash asked, unable to look away or wipe the shocked look from her face. "Night Mare Moon is gone."
"It doesn't even look like her work," Applejack declared, making sure Fluttershy and Spike were nearby. "What other pony could do somethin' lak this, though?"
"Those stars…" Fluttershy realized as she felt her legs grow weak. "They look just like Twilight's Cutie-Mark." Pinky nervously shot her glance to the sunny Pegasus.
"There's no way," Dash whispered, refusing to accept the reality of what was happening. "She couldn't do something like this…even if she wanted to."
"Always the voice of reason, Rainbow Dash," a familiar but corrupted voice declared. Spike and the mares searched for the source, though they found nothing. "You're the perfect opposite of Applejack. She can't hide the truth and you can't take it."
"Who is that?" Rainbow Dash demanded, looking all around her. "Stop hiding in the dark!"
"Who's hiding?" the voice taunted the Pegasus. Then, from what appeared to be a solid mass of shadow, the darkened Alicorn approached slowly. Her eyes were piercing and filled with a dangerous joy. Horrified at who they saw, the group slowly stepped back. "What's wrong, everypony? Don't you recognize your best friend?" Her voice was cold, but it was still that of Twilight Sparkle."
"Twilight…" Applejack declared as she fought off the shock. "What…what happened to you?"
"I found myself," Nightmare answered with a sinister smile as her horn reflected darkened stars. "The real me…Call me Nightmare Twilight. I'm everything Luna and Night Mare Moon could never be! Welcome to my endless night!"
"You're lying!" Rainbow Dash broke down in anger. "Twilight would never become this thing, and she'd sure as hell never betray the Elements of Harmony!"
"Dashy, you flatter me," the empowered Alicorn mocked her former friend. "But let's face it: This is what I've always been destined to be! With Moon out of the way, I'm finally free!"
"Stop talkin' with her voice!" Applejack ordered, her heart pounding with rage. Charging forward, the orange Pony lost touch with her good judgment and caution. Upon impact, Nightmare Twilight's image faded into a black mist, tripping Applejack up.
"Come on, Applejack," the Alicorn laughed with scorn in her voice. "What kind of example are you setting for little Apple Bloom?" Knowing she had struck a nerve, Nightmare began to cackle with a voice that sounded all too much like Twilight's. "I'm sure she'd love to see her big sister like this!"
"You shut up!" Applejack hollered, gritting her teeth. "You're not Twilight!"
"You're right," the monster happily declared. "I'm better!" Reforming before the Pony, Nightmare smiled and levitated her old friend in a field of violet and black energy. "Tell me the truth, AJ…Are you jealous? Have you always been? Jealous that Celestia loves me so much? Jealous that I have a perfect future while you're going to be stuck at Sweet Apple Acres until the day you die?!" Helpless, Applejack tried to kick herself free as she tightly shut her eyes.
Suddenly, a blast of light that mimicked the shine of diamonds flashed in Nightmare Twilight's eyes, causing her to lose her grip and release the Pony. "That's enough, Twilight," Rarity declared, her horn still glowing with blue energy. "We're your friends. We're better than this."
"Twilight, whatever's going on, we can fix it together," Fluttershy called out, still close to her friend deep down. "I know you would never say those horrible things."
Spike carefully peeked out from behind the Pegasus' head to glance at his oldest and best friend. Even like this, he could still see Twilight through all the darkness. Turning her gaze towards the two, Nightmare managed to make eye contact with the baby dragon. For a second, her cold, serpent eyes became that of Twilight Sparkle once more. However, the dark Alicorn forced that side of herself back down, beneath the shadows. "You're wrong," Nightmare declared. "We're not friends. I only needed you to find the power. Now that I've got it…we're done."
"No…" Applejack gathered her strength as she stood up. "No, we're not done. That ain't how this works."
"That's right," Pinky Pie stepped forward with boldness in her voice. "We're friends."
"And friends never give up on each other," Spike declared as he leapt off Fluttershy's back and approached his guardian. "You taught me that: The real you, Twilight."
Suddenly, Nightmare Twilight felt an impact against her side, sending her into the sky within an instant. Looking down, the dark Alicorn saw Rainbow Dash tightly holding her and racing towards the sky. "You can't stop me with pathetic flight tricks," Nightmare snarled just before Rainbow Dash achieved the speed she needed to cause a Sonic Rainboom. Overtaken by the sheer force and vibrant explosion of colors, the Alicorn felt time slow around her as all of Ponyville witnessed a massive pulse of colored light in the darkened night.
No longer held back, the Pegasus allowed the Rainboom to spread to the far ends of the horizon as she held Twilight in place. "Do you remember the day we met, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked in a voice more gentle than ever before. "It seems like so long ago, but it's all so clear." Her serpent eyes scanning small droplets of pure crystal flying past her, Nightmare was taken back to her true past. "We were both still fillies: Didn't even have our Cutie-Marks yet…You were so young, but Princess Celestia's prized student. Your first day in Ponyville, and you were so scared…And then, a distracted Pegasus flew right into you. We both started crying at first, but I shook it off and asked you your name…"
"What?" the sniffling, timid, little Unicorn filly asked, wiping a tear from her large, scared eyes.
"What's your name?" little Rainbow Dash repeated herself. "Everypony's got a name, don't they?"
"I-I'm Twilight," Twilight answered, dusting herself off and forgetting all about her tears. "What's your name?"
"I'm Rainbow Dash," the Pegasus filly proudly introduced herself. "And I'm the fastest flier in all of Ponyville. What about you? What do you do?"
"Nothing, I…I don't really do anything," the Unicorn filly answered, looking at the ground. "I mean…I know a lot about magic. I'm not really good at it, though. And I'm supposed to take care of my dragon…'cuz he's still an infant."
"Where'd you get a dragon at?" Rainbow Dash asked with great curiosity as she bopped her head around, trying to find where the creature might be hiding. "I've never seen a dragon in my whole life."
"Queen Celestia gave him to me when he was an egg," Twilight explained, no longer feeling afraid. "She showed me how to hatch him, and I named him Spike because dragons have spikes on their back."
"How do you know how to take care of him?" Dash continued to investigate. "And who takes care of you?" Before Twilight could answer, Rainbow Dash curiously circled around, as if studying the little Unicorn. "I've never seen you before…Are you new in town? Who brought you here?"
Her fears returning to her, the purple filly dropped her glance to the ground. "Some guards dropped me off," she answered, fighting off tears as her voice began cracking. "But nopony's here with me…I'm all alone here."
"I'm all alone, too," Rainbow Dash declared. "Wanna be friends?"
Shocked, Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash with tears in her fearful eyes. Never, in her whole life, had she expected another pony to take such interest in her. "Are you sure?" she asked as her heart nervously pounded. "Yeah, I'd like to be your friend, Rainbow Dash. I can write the queen all about you. I've never had a friend like you before." With that, the two hugged, vowing never to be lonely ever again.
"You always doubted yourself," Rainbow Dash declared as the Sonic Rainboom held her and Nightmare Twilight in place in the sky. "Every day, you were so afraid I'd get mad and never wanna see you again…But that never happened, even after you pushed me away. You taught me so much about everything, Twilight: Magic, temperance, other stuff I never use, and friendship. All that from a pony terrified of the rest of the world. You helped me see that I was never really alone…That there was more to life than just being the best at what you do."
"…Stop trying to distract me," the dark Alicorn commanded. "Don't try to tell me we're not just as alone now as we were back then…What could a Pegasus possibly know about the world or those in it?"
"You see, that's another thing you taught me," the sky-blue Pegasus answered with a bold smile. "You showed me how to take time and find myself…To Night Mare Moon, I was just a rat with wings…but that's not who I am…" Her rainbow lightning-bolt Cutie-Mark shining, Rainbow Dash felt drops of rain from the highest clouds begin to fall. "I'm a Rainbow…and I'm lightning: The rain transformed." Then, as if outflying lightning, the Pegasus broke away from the Rainboom and drove herself and Nightmare Twilight into the ground.
Pulling Rainbow Dash out of the small crater by her hoof, Rarity walked her friend away from the Alicorn. Given her opening, Applejack tossed her lasso around Twilight before she could recover from the impact, successfully restraining her and holding down her wings. "You've got nowhere tuh go, sugar cube," the orange Pony declared in her normal, light voice. "You got in mah head before: Kept me from usin' wit." Pulling the rope tight, Applejack slid down into the hole and faced her old friend up close. "Ah know you've had a bad time, Twilight. Ah know you're scared, n' all that power hasn't made things any better, has it?"
"Spare me the lecture, bumpkin," Nightmare snarled as she attempted to break free. However, despite her efforts, the Alicorn found herself unable to escape. "What is this?" she demanded.
"It's somethin' you taught me, Twilight," Applejack happily explained. "Yuh see, when one pony makes a snare, it can break with enough force working against it…But when friends forge ties, there's nothin' in all of Equestria that can break it. We made this together, Twilight: Been working on it since the day we met. We might not have known each other as long as you n' Rainbow, but the time we spent together made a difference…" Turning her head to the side, Nightmare Twilight found herself back in Sweet Apple Acres under the warm summer's sky. "We both had our Cutie-Marks, but there was still a lot we had to learn."
"Howdy," a younger Applejack greeted the timid stranger walking through her apple orchard. Slightly older than a filly, the orange Pony smiled wide-eyed as her pony-taled mane blew in the breeze without a hat to keep it in place. "Mah name's Applejack. Ah haven't seen you before, stranger. What's yer name?"
"I'm Twilight," the purple little Unicorn answered. "I'm sorry…I think I'm lost."
"No yer not," the little Pony smiled, catching her new friend off-guard. "Yer at Sweet Apple Acres. Come on, I'll introduce you to the whole family!" Taking Twilight by the hoof, Applejack walked her back to the Apple family house.
"You'd think I'd be the one teaching you a lesson, but you're the one who taught me, Twilight," the Pony told her suffering friend. "You never looked down on me or my family because we were different or 'country-ponies'. We believed in each other, stood up for each other, and never let one another fight any battles alone. You were a true friend. You still are…and that's not gonna change."
"Enough of this!" Nightmare screamed, her fury growing as she attempted to escape. Focusing her power, the wicked mare rose to her hooves and began thrashing from side to side in an attempt to break Applejack's grip.
"Ooh! My turn!" Pinky Pie cried out as she bounced over to her friends. As Nightmare Twilight attempted to escape the snare, the pink Pony tightly hugged her, never wanting to let go. The Alicorn continued to struggle, only to find herself subdued as her thoughts became too scattered to focus her dark magic. "Oh…" Pinky moaned at her friend's suffering, no longer in her silly, joking voice. "You poor, sweet thing…This must all be so unhappy for you. But we're right here, Twilight. You've always been here for us. In fact…" Gently placing her hooves on Nightmare's pitch-black cheeks and gently laid her face against the Alicorn's, closing her eyes as their foreheads touched.
All those years ago, as a filly Twilight Sparkle and her bouncing baby dragon made their way through the forest, a silly little pink Pony with an innocent smile on her face and a poofy mane found her head stuck in the hole of a tree. Unable to pull herself out, Pinky began to panic, only to feel something take hold of her. Popping the Pony out from the seemingly-hungry tree, Twilight smiled and continued on her way with Spike as Pinky recuperated. "You saved me that day," Pinky narrated with the deepest sincerity. "And then…"
Several months after the first incident, Pinky Pie once again found her head stuck inside a tree. "Okay," the little filly declared to herself. "I can do this…Nope. No I can't." Just as she prepared to give up, the Pony felt a tug on her tail that successfully freed her from the snare.
Smiling, Twilight looked at the mysterious Pony. "You okay?" she asked in a sweet, helpful voice.
"I think so," Pinky answered, rubbing her sore bum as she sat upright in the grass. "Thanks to you."
"No problem," the Unicorn filly replied with a smile. "Have a super day." With that, the two parted ways. "And then…"
Now a young mare, Pinky struggled to pull herself out of the mouth of a tree. "Come on, Mr. Tree," she pleaded. "I've got places to be…Oh, who am I kidding? I'm gonna be stuck here forever." Just then, purple energy surrounded the Pony and pulled her out of the captor tree.
"Hey, I remember you," Twilight declared with a degree of excitement in her voice. "You're that silly-goose-Pony who always got stuck in that tree. What's your name?"
"I'm Pinky Pie," the pink mare excitedly introduced herself as she jumped up and shook her new friend's hoof. "You must be the guardian angel that always saves me when the trees try to swallow me." Suddenly, Pinky Pie became timid, catching Twilight off-guard. "There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time, but I've always been too stunned to say it."
"No problem," the young Unicorn comforted the strange Pony before her. What's up?"
"…Thank you," Pinky warmly declared, giving her protector a warm hug. "You're the first pony who cared enough to help me."
"Don't worry about it, Pinky," Twilight replied with compassion in her voice. "I'm glad we keep finding each other." Almost in tears, Pinky Pie smiled warmly. "My name's Twilight, by the way. Do you wanna meet my friend Rainbow Dash?"
"Do you remember?" Pinky asked the same Unicorn as she held her still. "You always went out of your way to help me, Twilight. That's how we became best friends. Don't you still remember all that?"
Struggling to break her bounds and focus her magic, Nightmare Twilight did all she could to fight off the memory. But Pinky refused to give up, only holding her tighter. No longer afraid, Rarity approached the two and shined her magical light on Nightmare. "And do you remember when we first met, Twilight?" she called out before stepping into the crater and taking over for Pinky. "Listen to me, darling." The Unicorn's tone was serious and firm as her words came from the depths of her soul. "When I met you, I was nothing more than a spoiled brat whose parents made her work one summer at an apple orchard. Applejack introduced us, if you'll recall."
"Rarity, come say hi to mah new buddy, Twilight Sparkle," Applejack introduced her friends to one another.
Nervously stepping forward, Twilight could not help but stare at Rarity's flawless white coat, flowing, neatly curled purple mane, spotless and shining horn, and carefully made-up eyes. "Hi," the purple Unicorn dared to speak up. "Rarity, she said? …Nice to meet you."
"Charmed, I'm sure," Rarity replied as she glanced at her dry and dirty hooves. Even as a filly, she seemed grown up. "If you'll excuse me…"
"Cut the high-snout routine, Rarity," Applejack ordered her friend. "Twilight's sweet as they come."
"That's okay, AJ," Twilight replied, wanting nothing more than to slip away. "I can tell she's busy. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Letting out a somewhat defeated sigh, the white Unicorn gestured towards a tall tree filled to the brim with fresh apples. "If you must," Rarity gave in. "I have had no luck with that blasted tree over there. The apples will simply not budge. Be a dear and help me, Twilight?"
"Sure thing," Twilight eagerly answered, following the snobbish Unicorn. "I hope you don't mind my saying, but I love your mane. You must work really hard on it." Rarity subtly brushed off the compliment and continued on her way. Finally, they reached the troublesome tree. "Let me try something." Positioning herself carefully, the Unicorn filly thrust her back hooves into the tree, and not a single apple fell.
"You see, it's impossible," Rarity exclaimed. "This is simply a waste of my time."
"Why don't you take a break?" Twilight suggested. "I've got a few more ideas to try out."
"Oh, how kind of you," the white Unicorn declared, her voice sounding sincere for the first time. "I'll just take a seat in the shade for a moment."
"And by the time I woke up from my nap, you had all the apples picked and told the Apple family that I had done all the work myself," Rarity concluded her story in a warm voice. "I couldn't understand why you would do that for a pony you had barely met, but I was so moved that I told them all the truth without a second thought. You did all that for a selfish little filly who could scarcely be bothered with you. Not only that, but you insisted on including me, even introducing Rainbow Dash and Spike to me. In many ways, your humble nature and willingness to help others made me into a better pony."
"Let me just tie this all up in a big, fancy bow," Nightmare snarled. "'And we all lived happily ever after', right?"
"You know that's not how it works, Twilight," Fluttershy declared as she flew into the crater. "Things never just end. We've all come a long way to be the ponies that we are today."
As the sunny Pegasus spoke, Princesses Celestia and Luna descended to the ground and watched the Mane 6 reconcile their corrupted friend. Immediately recognizing the Moon Essence, Luna shuttered at first, but then began to walk forward. However, Celestia held out her hoof and, without needing to speak, convinced her sister to let things take their course.
"When I met you, Twilight," Fluttershy began, her voice becoming bold. "I was already a young mare, but I was no better than a foal. I was timid, afraid of my own shadow, and completely reliant on others to fight my battles for me."
"It's okay," a younger Rainbow Dash declared. "Those bullies aren't coming back, Fluttershy. Twilight, this is my friend Fluttershy."
"H-hi," the yellow Pegasus nervously greeted, trying to hide her face behind her mane. "Thank you two for helping me."
"You don't need to be afraid, Fluttershy," Twilight reassured the poor mare. "I saw the way you defended those little animals. You were so brave."
"No…No, I wasn't," Fluttershy confessed as she avoided eye contact. She was already beginning to cry.
"I also saw how you handled those bullies before we showed up," the Unicorn continued. "Even after all those nasty things they said, you still showed them kindness. Any other pony would have gotten mean right back at them or taken off. But you stayed, Fluttershy. Honestly, I was kind of jealous over how you held onto who you are."
"Really?" the Pegasus asked, not feeling so foolish anymore. Twilight nodded. "I never thought of it that way before."
"Besides," Rainbow Dash added. "You know we've always got your back. Maybe you can teach us how to handle things as well as you were."
"I'd like that," Fluttershy's heart began to flutter. "Thank you, Twilight. Rainbow Dash is lucky to be friends with you. Would you…Would you like to be my friend too?"
"If you'll have me," Twilight happily answered.
"Yes, please," the Pegasus decided before hugging both of her best friends. "We'll be best friends forever…"
"And forever means never walking away or giving up," Fluttershy declared as she gazed into Nightmare Twilight's eyes. "No matter how bad or helpless things might get."
"She's right, Twilight," Spike declared, stepping forward. "I don't know what happened to you, but you know this isn't who you are. The Twilight that hatched me, raised me, and treated me more like a brother than a son is still inside of you. We're not gonna give up on her."
"Why…why do you all keep…" the Alicorn stuttered, her anger giving way to confusion and a growing childlike fear. Looking around at all her friends, Nightmare felt tears start to form in her eyes as things began to make sense again. The darkness still burned, though.
"The Moon Essence has overtaken you, Twilight Sparkle," Princess Luna declared as she and Celestia stepped forward. "It is an enemy only you can face."
"Remember all you have learned, my faithful student," Princess Celestia declared. In anger and fear, Nightmare lunged at the shining princess, though the lasso held her back. "The darkness that has vexed you represents a war you must fight inside yourself, Twilight. I am afraid we cannot help you this time."
"But…how can I…" the Alicorn spoke out with Twilight's pure voice. She was scared, and her voice was breaking. "All this…"
"The Twilight I know isn't gonna let some shadows get in her way, is she?" Rainbow Dash encouraged her friend. "Come on, Twilight, you've got this."
"The time has come, Twilight," Princess Luna declared. "Take back who you are and what is yours. Use all that you have learned and all that you have taught."
Looking around, Twilight could see with her own eyes that Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinky Pie, Rarity, Spike, and her beloved princesses were all right beside her. Still trapped in the body of a monster, the young Unicorn gathered her strength and knowledge.
"We can't help you in the fight," Spike and the mares declared in flawless harmony. "But we'll be right here when it's over. Nothing's changed."
Smiling at her loved ones one last time, Twilight closed Nightmare's eyes and began her inner battle. As Fluttershy took Spike in her loving wings and the group stepped back, Princesses Celestia and Luna extended their wings to hold and comfort them. Defying orders for the first time in her life, Princess Cadance flew down from the hilltop and walked towards the scene, her Crystal Heart Cutie-Mark glistening even in the dark. Knowing it was not her place to interfere, the young princess kept her distance, though she refused to turn away.
My name…My real name…is Twilight Sparkle. When I was a foal, I started hearing a voice filled only with hate and jealousy. I was afraid, but I still carried on. At a young age, I became the prized student of Queen Celestia. She has always been like a mother to me, and I love her with all my heart. She saw that, deep beneath the surface, I was lonely and afraid. That's how I wound up in Ponyville with Spike. That's where I made such wonderful friends. I love my friends, and they've all taught me how to love myself as well. The voice tried to claim responsibility for my actions, and for years I believed her.
I'm stronger now than I was as a foal. I now know the truth: The voice is weakness. All my victories, all the things I've accomplished, and all the friends I've made are my own, given to me through the grace of the All-Maker and Queen Celestia. The voice never did a damned thing for me. And I don't need her…anymore.
Standing alone in a vast, open space of pure darkness, Twilight Sparkle, a young Unicorn mare with a shining star as her Cutie-Mark, experienced the silence and coldness of a place without form. She was all by herself without so much as the presence of light. "Did you really think you could survive without me?" the voice demanded as her essence filled the darkness. "Did you really think you could exist without me? I've been there for you your entire life!"
"No, you haven't!" Twilight stood up, forcing the darkness to take physical form. "You've only ever looked out for yourself! You always told me I was weak and terrible…and I always believed you. But after everything that's happened: All the terrible things my friends and I went through…You never had any power. You manipulated Princess Luna, tried to break us all apart. But you've failed every single time. Night Mare Moon is gone, but Luna's still here. There's only one more nightmare to be forgotten now."
"You can never get rid of me, Twilight," the darkness declared, spreading its massive, spine-laced wings. "I will be here forever and consume all you know and love!"
"No!" the Unicorn commanded, focusing her energy to create a beam of purple light from her horn. "My fear and guilt kept you here all this time. You were thrust on me as a foal. But whenever the light shined on us, you were nowhere in sight. You could never stand the fact that I was whole without you. All the hatred and lies inside of you made you empty. Night Mare Moon and Nightmare Twilight were destined only to destroy themselves, just like you." Roaring wildly, the darkness lunged forward at Twilight with razor-like fangs and piercing red eyes. Without fear, the Unicorn released her light, splitting the shadows and exposing something brighter than she had ever known. Screaming and begging, the voice soon became consumed by the light as it flooded all that existed. "You never understood, did you? You never saw the truth behind the light, the Sun…any of it. I never needed you. You were the one who needed: The one who couldn't live on their own. You weren't even darkness…just a scared little foal hiding from it. You poor, helpless thing. I'm sorry that this is the path you chose for yourself. You chose to hate and destroy instead of trying to love or understand. Where did all that power and dominance get you? You have nothing…Nopony, no kingdom, and nothing to protect you from who you are."
As the light cleared, all of Equestria appeared before Twilight. Standing at the far corners of the world, the Angels stood tall above the mountains, each of them draped in gold, guarding their chest and sides with four arms, and crowned by four wings. The Tetrarch were unmoving and bold as they surrounded Ponyville and Canterlot. Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance shined as they stood above Twilight and the cowering thing before her. Not far away, Spike, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinky Pie, and the rest of the Unicorn's friends stood and watched. Rising to her weak and wobbling hooves, her tiny body trembling, the once-monstrous voice now stood as little more than a sickly filly void of a Cutie-Mark and unique eyes. Even in her greatest weakness, the poor wretch was filled with anger, hatred, and jealousy, and struggled to make her way towards Twilight. "I hate you," the voice weakly snarled. "I hate you and Luna. I'm better than all of you. I deserve to rule everything!"
"You still don't see it, do you?" Twilight replied, her anger replaced by pity and feelings of empathy. Standing still, the purple Unicorn watched as the foal began to stumble and lose her balance before coming close to reaching her. Walking forward, Twilight held out her hooves and caught the voice before it fell to the ground. "Everypony would have shown you kindness. But you never even gave them the chance. I was wrong before: I don't hate you. In fact, it breaks my heart just to look at you. You could have been something amazing. You were the scared one. All those times you made me feel alone, it was all to take your mind off how unhappy you were. You poor thing." As the weak little filly struggled, trying to strike Twilight and break her grip, the young mare laid her down on the ground like a suffering infant being put to bed. "I forgive you…You can't hurt or scare anypony anymore. We could have even been friends. It didn't have to be this way at all. But it's all over now, I guess." No longer struggling, the voice felt itself starting to fade away. "I forgive you for what you did…what you tried to do. Maybe all you needed was some kindness."
"Maybe…" the voice quietly wept as it closed its eyes. "Thank you, Twilight." Then, without struggle, without meaning, the foal vanished, leaving not so much as a pile of ash where it once stood.
Opening her own eyes, her body reclaimed, Twilight Sparkle stood up and saw her friends and family standing around her. Spike was the first to run up and hug his best friend, though Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Mane 6 were not far behind. One by one, Vinyl Scratch, Octavia, Derpy, the Cutie-Mark Crusaders, Bulk Biceps, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, Zecora, Ms. Cheerilee, the foals, and all of Ponyville engaged in a massive, loving group hug. "Well done, my faithful student," Princess Celestia lovingly declared.
After the hug disbanded and Shining Armor had the chance to reconcile with his little sister, Princess Luna approached her old friend with a new lightness in her steps. Looking up at the night's sky as her Moon and stars illuminated it once more, the Princess of Night let out a heavy sigh of relief. "The Moon Essence…" she declared with joy welling up in her voice. "At long last, has vanished."
"The voice is gone forever now," Twilight replied with a smile as she sat down beside her princess. "All the fear and loneliness, all those battles…they're all over."
"Now, we're free," Luna and Twilight declared in harmony as their minds and spirits found rest.
Looking around, seeing all the faces of those who had come to fear her, Princess Luna grew uneasy once more. "My subjects," she spoke up. "I implore of you, on this night, please find it within your hearts to forgive me for the wrongs I have committed against you. I intend to become a better princess to you, and to correct my mistakes."
"But know that…" Twilight dared to speak out, only to pause for a moment to look at her old friend. "Like myself, Princess Luna was herself a victim. It's something I've kept to myself for too long." Looking to her friends, the Unicorn knew they would accept her, no matter what. "Since I was young, I've been haunted by a voice…The same voice that created Night Mare Moon as well as Nightmare Twilight. It used us both, tried to make us hate who we were…But we've overcome that voice through the Elements of Harmony…Through friendship. The nightmare is over. Princess Luna and I would never do anything to hurt any of you."
"We know that, Twilight," Applejack declared. "And as fer not tellin' us…We'll forgive you." With that, the orange Pony winked at her friend, who smiled back warmly.
"And to Princess Luna," Fluttershy spoke up, checking all around her to make sure she wasn't out of line. "…Welcome back."
Smiling, the Princess of Night watched as her subjects, for the first time, came to accept and understand her. Feeling her sister's wing touch her back, Princess Luna shed a single tear as the crowds around her and Twilight began to roar with applause. Harmony, at long last, had been truly restored.