By the time I wake up, Applejack is already gone. Big Mac is sitting in the corner of the room, staring me down like I'm about to launch an attack at him at any second. I peer at him through half-closed eyes and shift on my hay bed. I can't say that I had a restful sleep - for the most part, it was restless and troubled, but at least I got some shut eye. My muscles are sore, and I'm chilled to the bone, but I'm still alive, and it doesn't seem like Equestria has fallen into ruin overnight.

As I shift in the hay, Big Mac gets up off his haunches and trots over to the edge of my makeshift bed. He sits down in front of me, his face gruff. "Git up." He says, frowning at me.

I turn to face him, squinting at him and trying to open my eyes. "Why?" I ask, my tone cold and flat. There's no point in getting up - I have nothing to do. No magic to make, no purpose. At least, I don't until Applejack gets back to me.

"Princess Luna will be here soon. She wants ta see ya." Mac says, apparently unhappy with the news that Luna wants to see me, of all people.

I manage a bit of a smirk just to irritate him. Sitting up in the hay, I shake a few stalks of it out of my hair and yawn in Big Mac's face. "Best not to keep the princess waiting, then." I say, getting onto my hooves.

Big Mac seems to be inches away from exploding with rage. He turns his back to me, muttering a few choice words as he leads the way out of the barn.

It'll be my first time seeing the sun since yesterday when I was paraded around like a sacrificial pig to the slaughter. Something tells me that seeing the sun will be a thing of the past before long, so I should enjoy it while I can.

The air outside Sweet Apple Acres' barn is fresh and light, as it usually is. It smells faintly of apples and the lush greenery that supports the orchard, though, that too, goes away as we enter the house, following the direct path to the kitchen.

Big Mac stops beside a chair that I assume I'm supposed to sit on. I trot toward it, and sit down, noticing that no one else has arrived yet. Immediately, I fear the worst. Maybe the conversation I had with Applejack was overheard? Has she been silenced forever, by her own fur and blood? I gnaw my lip nervously as my mind churns out at least a hundred 'what-if' situations. My only hope for saving myself, and all of Equestria lies with Applejack. Without her, I won't stand a chance at getting my magic back... and without my magic, there's no hope for Equestria.

Big Mac sees me fretting, misreading it as being terrified of Luna's arrival. He smirks wildly at me, satisfied with my reaction.

For what seems like hours, I wait in the kitchen with Big Mac before anything happens. In reality, it's only been about five minutes. By this point in time, I've resolved that Applejack is dead, and Spike is never coming to help us with our plan. Subsequently, Equestria is doomed, and my head is next on the chopping block, after Luna is finished using me for my powers.

From deep within my misery, I hear the front door open. The swishing of fine fabric against the floor tells me that it can't be Applejack, or even Apple Bloom. No, this sounds like - "Princess Luna," Big Mac says, his eyes wide and admiring as her royal craziness walks into the room. He drops down to a bow, his nose so far down, it almost touches the floor.

I roll my eyes. Seriously? I had been expecting an entourage of guards, or perhaps even Apple Bloom's accompaniment. No, Luna is alone. If it weren't for Big Mac guarding me, I might have taken my chances at fighting her with only my hooves. She doesn't seem like the type to put up a fight, anyway. I sigh quietly and wait for her to address me.

Luna moves across the kitchen to sit down in front of me, her starry mane twinkling and shimmering as it always does. "Hello, Twilight," she says, already having abandoned the royal Canterlot voice. Somehow, this new voice is more intimidating than her usual bellows. It's quiet, but confident in a poisonous sort of way.

I push past it and raise my eyebrow at her. "What do you want?"

Luna clucks her tongue at me like she's scolding a child. "Don't be rude, now. That won't stand up when I'm Queen."

Fat chance. "What's the 'great plan', then?" I ask, skeptical already.

The princess bucks her head back with laughter, a melodic giggle filling the room. "You say it like it won't work."

I shrug. "I'm betting it won't." I'm trying to read her face for any evidence of a fault in her plan, but she seems confident as ever. This isn't going well.

"But it will." Luna looks me straight in the eye and smirks. "I'm sure you're wondering, how."

I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to know her plans, but I'm not going to let her play me for a fool. She'll probably tell me a part of it and then leave the rest up to her and Apple Bloom to sort out. She wouldn't tell me, especially seeing as she knows where my loyalties lie. I was a faithful follower of Celestia in my days as a student. She taught me many things, so even after we drifted apart, as I had with everyone else, it would be easy to guess who I would side with if it came down to it.

Alternatively, she could tell me her plan in its entirety, just to screw with my head. The only thing I have going for me is that, in my isolation, I had become one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria. That doesn't help me, trying to read her mind and find out the truth of what is going to happen. She seems confident enough to become cocky - a mistake that I only ever made once. It ended in disaster. Hopefully she'll doom it before it even begins, but it's not likely. Celestia and her sister were, unfortunately, blessed with fortune on their side. How it would work out when they were pitted against each other, I don't know, and I'm not sure I want to find out.

"Whatever," I say, sluffing it off.

She eyes me up, pinching her mouth as she looks at me. "You want to know." It wasn't a question.

I shrug again. "You can either tell me, or keep me in the dark. I don't care. It's not like I really have a choice in the matter, now do I?" I'm starting to get angry now. She's reading me easily, even though I'm sufficient at keeping my emotions in check.

"Tell me that you want to know, and I will tell you." Luna says, settling back in her chair.

I'm angry now. She's trying to make me say that I want to know what her stupid plan is. Yes, it would help to know, but how am I supposed to know if she's not lying to me? I'd forsake my pride for what? Useless information. She wants to see me bend for her, follow her instructions. "No." I say, trying to make my tone final.

Luna doesn't seem perturbed by my refusal. She looks over my shoulder to Big Mac and nods at him once.

Big Mac leaves the room, leaving the two of us alone. "Twilight, I really think you should reconsider."

I stare at her incredulously. "Why? Just so I can hear your wonderful plan that's just going to fail anyway?"

Luna ignores me, and looks toward the kitchen door, as if she's waiting for something. It isn't until a few seconds later that I hear someone coming up the hall.

Big Mac enters the room, pulling someone along with him. They're obscured by Mac, though I'd recognize that whimper anywhere.

Rarity hobbles into the room behind Mac, looking terrified and severely ruffled. She's been bound and gagged; her hair is a mess, and her makeup has run all over her face, presumably from crying. There's marks in her fur from where the rope has been chaffing her. She catches sight of me sitting at the table and does her best to scream my name, although it only comes out as a muffled peep. My heart sinks as I watch her try to run to me. She trips before she gets anywhere, landing face first on the floor.

Big Mac grunts, pulling Rarity back up to her hooves. Tugging her over to the opposite corner of the room, behind Luna, Big Mac keeps her there.

For a while I just stare at Rarity, feeling miserable and hopeless. I don't miss the look of sheer satisfaction on Luna's face as she gazes at the horror on mine. "Let her go, she hasn't done anything to harm you." I manage, tearing my eyes off of Rarity to look at Luna.

"On the contrary," Luna says, sighing like it's a lost cause to even explain this to me, "she's part of the elements of harmony, don't you remember?"

I growl at her. "So?"

"So," she says, looking utterly bored, "she, and the rest of you miscreants have the ability to... hinder my plans." She looks back at me, fluffing up her hair. "But, I'm prepared to make you a deal. I know you don't want your dear Rarity to die."

At the word 'die', I can hear Rarity give a squeal of horror, followed by an attempt to escape Big Mac's restraint. He grunts again, tugging violently on the rope so that Rarity goes flying back to her original spot beside him, her haunches hitting the wall in the process. She whimpers in pain, and quivers before me, begging me with her eyes to help her.

I turn my eyes back to Luna, trying to keep myself from giving away too much about how much this is affecting me. "What kind of deal?"

Luna smiles. "It's quite simple. You help me, and I help you, by not killing everyone you love."

I blanch at her. She's not only threatening Rarity, but everyone that I love? I guess I should have seen it coming. Still, I don't find the thought of my mother, father, and brother roiling in pain very savory. "What do you want me to do?"

Luna seems pleased with my answer. "Tell me you want to know my plan, and I will tell you," she repeats.

I try to beat back the flames of hate that spew up when I look at her face now. Back to this. I don't want to show her that she has control over me - but as much as I hate to say it, she's got me dangling from her strings like some sort of pony marionette. "I want to know your plan."

Luna looks like she's over the moon with glee. "Then I shall tell you, Twilight." She shifts in her chair to lean closer toward me. "It's very simple. You write to Celestia and ask her to take you on as an assistant. You get there, and then you kill her." She claps her hooves together, beaming. "Simple!"

I look at the princess, baffled. "You want me," I say, trying to comprehend the boat load of stupid that just left Luna's mouth, "to kill Celestia?"

"Yes," she says simply.

"And how am I supposed to do that without magic? Let alone, get close enough to her for that to happen? Even as her student, we were never alone. Especially since the attack of the changelings, her security has been ramped up tenfold."

Luna shrugs. "That isn't my problem. Get creative. I'm sure you could work something out with your friends' and family's lives on the line." She looks at me, deathly serious. "All I care about is that you kill her. Once you've successfully done that, I won't touch a hair on anyone's coat that you love." She stands up, fluffing up her hair once more before she turns her back to me, starting to walk out of the room. "I'll give you some time to think it over."

I stare after her, my brain not able to process what just happened. Luna manages to make it to the kitchen door before I do the unthinkable. "I'll do it." I blurt out, my eyes trained on Rarity.

Luna looks over her shoulder at me and chuckles darkly. "I knew you would," she says, flicking her tail before exiting the room.