The two friends stopped talking as a key snicked into the lock and then they heard someone push on the door from the other side. A rush of warm early-evening air surged lazily through the apartment as the door opened and a hoard of teenagers spilled in.
“Hi, Twilight and Fluttershy!” came a squeaky and excited voice, “I’m so super-duper happy you’re here!”
“We got pizza!” shouted a male voice cheerfully.
“Oh darling, we’ve got so much to catch up on …” came a much more sophisticated and cultured voice.
“It’s great to see all of you again too” smiled Twilight, looking out over a group of teenagers she felt privileged to call friends. She bounced off the bed and stood up to greet them all, but before she threw herself into a group hug, she spoke up, “Guys, I’d like you to meet Fluttershy - the Fluttershy from my world.”
There was a faint “Eeeep!” sound from the back of the crowd, and she could guess in an instant who that was.
“Come on out now” she coaxed, “Fluttershy, I’d like you to meet Fluttershy!”
The two near identical teenagers moved forward with trepidation, each wanting as much as the other to run away, but met in the middle, principally because of the air of joyous expectation surrounding them.
“Um, Twilight” asked one of them nervously, “We’re not going to explode or anything are we? You know, because we’re the same and everything?”
“No, I think you’re quite safe” replied Twilight reassuringly.
Each of the two girls extended a tentative hand towards the other and one delicately took the other.
“We didn’t explode” said one as she turned their first contact into a hug before the others all joined in.
As soon as the hug began to dissipate, the Fluttershys found themselves to be the centres of attention as everyone wanted to know what is was like to meet yourself for the first time, how it felt not being a pony anymore, and all the other excited questions. One girl didn’t join the crush, but walked over to Twilight instead.
“Hey, Princess” she greeted, as Twilight turned away briefly from the sight of the Fluttershys getting on so well.
“Sunset!” she exclaimed, rushing forward to give her a big hug, “How lovely to see you again!”
“Yeah, it’s been some time since the Battle of the Bands.”
“How’s the guitar playing?” exclaimed Twilight, punching the air with excitement, “You really rocked!”
“Hey, the pizza isn’t getting any warmer you know!” piped up Pinkie having opened the large array of cardboard boxes.
“Oooh, what is that?” asked one of the Fluttershys, “It smells nice and I’ve just realised I’m feeling a little hungry. Can I get a hayburger anywhere?”
“No silly” interjected Pinkie, handing over a slice of pizza on a paper plate, “This is what we eat here.”
“Oh, thank you” said Fluttershy leaning her face down to eat it off the plate.
“Uh, Sugarcube” came a slightly concerned voice, “You … er … use yer hands …”
“Oh, sorry” apologised the demure ex-pony, blushing a deep crimson as she saw how the others were eating theirs.
“So, what’s this all about then Twi?” asked the stetson wearing blonde, making herself comfortable on top of a chest of drawers.
Twilight explained about the portal now going off in different directions and how Equestria’s old enemy had found it and used it to her advantage.
“So, let’s see if I got this right then” drawled the cowgirl, “There’s some psychopathic monster on the loose and she wants to take over Equestria and she could easily come here by accident and ever so slightly destroy our world too?”
“That’s about it” agreed Twilight gloomily.
“Well, no one can say your visits are ever dull!”
“Oh, and I brought this too” said Twilight, showing the crown, “By accident …”
“Uuggghh!” exclaimed Sunset, “I’m not going near that again …”
“Glad to hear it” chipped in Rainbow, “Cause the last thing we need is two psycho nutjobs running wild … oh, no offense Sunset …”
“None taken” replied their flame haired friend with a wry smile on her face, such accusations having become quite commonplace.
There was a brief lull as plates were refilled with more pizza and a few muted comments were exchanged.
“Wait a minute, I think I’m on to something” chimed in Rarity, sshhing the room, “When you told us about how you beat Tirek, you mentioned something about being the vessel for all the alicorn magic in Equestria, if I recall?”
“Yes, that’s right” conceded Twilight.
“Because magic couldn’t be destroyed” continued Rarity.
“So the sirens’ magic must still be here!” realised Applejack, the penny dropping.
“YES!” exclaimed Twilight, “Very old Equestrian magic. Firstly, it shouldn’t be here, but since it is, if I could find a way of capturing it, I could take it back to Equestria and use it on Nightmare Moon! But, I would need something magical to collect it in and carry it through the portal …”
“Ahem!” interrupted Applejack, her eyes pointing to the crown on the bed in front of them.
The blue smoke weaved its way around the flickering torches lining the darkened corridors of Canterlot Castle. It was night and there was very little activity in the castle; just routine patrols by the guards and the occasional cleaner. The dancing shadows played tricks on the eyes of anypony who was still up at this hour, causing them to see whatever they wanted, or feared.
Nightmare Moon knew how dangerous an adversary Celestia was. She had tangled with her in her own world and knew the threat she posed in a fair combat. Cadence had been easy, as she had expected and now she was going to exploit that weak minded alicorn in tackling Celestia; not by force but by skulduggery.
It was foalishly easy to drift around the castle and find her goal; all she had to do was follow the concentrations of guards. Before long, she saw what she wanted. Celestia was as vain as Cadence in displaying her cutie mark on the doors to her chambers. She suppressed a cackle; they really had no idea about keeping themselves secure and that would cost them their kingdom. They may as well have rolled out a carpet and handed her a key!
The blue smoke slid across the ceiling and down the wall, sliding between the doors and into Celestia’s chambers. They were spacious and opulently appointed, once again reflecting her vanity, Nightmare Moon assessed. There were reception rooms, a personal library and a bathroom with a massive sunken bath. Nightmare Moon decided she would be claiming this as her own, subject to a few changes to the decor of course …
There weren’t many rooms left now that she hadn’t explored. She slipped under the door of the next one and heard the sound of gentle snoring. Perfect!
She floated over to the drapes that hung from the ceiling to the floor, covering the large windows and the exit onto Celestia’s personal balcony and rematerialised into her solid equine form completely unnoticed by the room’s only other inhabitant.
Nightmare Moon lit her horn and pointed it through the opening where one of the windows had been left open a crack, just enough to allow in some fresh air. She cast a spell and then turned her attention to sliding back past the drapes, into the bed chamber.
The lights flashed on and Celestia gasped, shooting up, bolt upright, the pupils in her shocked eyes shrinking rapidly in the unaccustomed brightness.
“Good evening, Celestia” purred the uninvited guest.
“If this is another one of your pranks Luna, I have to say it is in very poor taste!” chastised the white mare.
“Your sister is quite the prankster, then?” enquired the visitor.
“Who … who are you?” asked Celestia, beginning to feel a strong sense of discomfort.
“In my world, I banished you to the moon.”
“No … you can’t be …”
“Yes, Celestia” the voice gloated, “I am Nightmare Moon.”
“I defeated you before and I shall defeat you again” said the Sun Princess levelly, climbing out of bed and surveying her adversary.
“You may have prevailed over the Nightmare Moon in your own world, but I am more powerful than she was” crowed the jet black alicorn.
Celestia walked slowly to confront her enemy until they were facing each other horn to horn, yet neither adopted an aggressive stance and their wings remained furled. To an outside observer, it was like they were talking about the weather.
“Why are you here?”
“To claim Equestria for myself.”
“And what makes you think I would be likely to simply hand it to you, or do you intend to fight for it?”
“We could fight if you wanted, but you would lose.”
“You are arrogant and unhinged enough to actually be her” Celestia scowled.
“I shall take those as compliments” hissed Nightmare Moon, “Now go open the drapes and the doors behind them.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then you will lose something very precious to you.”
Celestia eyed her adversary evenly. She was too confident not to have something on her, so she complied, sliding the drapes to each side as directed and lifting the latch, opening the doors. She looked into the night and gasped, stepping back in horror.
“Do you like what you see?” asked Nightmare Moon, “Let’s bring it closer, shall we?”
Her light blue aura drew in an object that had been levitated outside, leading it in like pulling on a thread. A pink pony with wide, scared eyes was bound to a chair, but also attached to the chair by two very solid looking arms was a crossbow, obviously under some tension, pointing directly at the victim’s heart. The crossbow was loaded with what looked like a dagger, but one that was glowing a sickly green irrespective of the prevailing moonlight.
“That” said Nightmare Moon, “Is a magic dagger. It is under extreme tension and ready to be fired right through the heart of your niece. It is only being restrained by a magic spell that I am performing right now. If I stop, the dagger fires. If you attack me, the dagger fires. Now, I believe that she is an immortal alicorn which is why I have gone to so much trouble to source an enchanted dagger that will kill her; not cleanly of course, but slowly and painfully. Can you see it glow, ready to claim her life? I trust you are impressed with my thoroughness, Celestia?”
“You’re evil” replied the Sun Princess.
Nightmare Moon leaned forward and ripped off the tape that covered Cadence’s mouth causing her to yelp slightly.
“Don’t do what she says!” begged the pink mare, “She’s going to take over Equestria! Don’t worry about me, just save Flurry Heart!”
Nightmare Moon said nothing, but looked enquiringly at Celestia who returned an icy glare.
“Well, well, well” she sneered, “It’s decision time. I do indeed hold the young alicorn Princess and will torture her horribly if her mother does not do as I demand. Now the same goes for you, Celestia. You give me control of Equestria or that dagger runs straight through your niece’s heart. I don’t actually want to hurt her, of course, but if you do not do as I say, then her blood will be on your hooves. After that, we will progress on to torturing the alicorn foal. Can you imagine the depths of my depravity? WELL, CAN YOU?”
“You have no soul” whispered Celestia menacingly.
“Perhaps not” replied Nightmare Moon, “But that’s not important to your decision, now is it? Come along Celestia, tic, toc, tic, toc!”
“Don’t do it Aunt Celestia! I am not worth more than the whole of Equestria!”
Celestia looked into the eyes of her niece. She could read fear in them, but also courage, a strong courage that more than backed up her brave words. She was quite prepared to die to keep Equestria out of Nightmare Moon’s evil hooves. But threatening to torture little Flurry Heart was an obscene tactic. She was more than just a foal; she was a royal heir and would one day grow to power the Crystal Heart and protect the Crystal Empire. Losing her would eventually cause the Crystal Empire to fall, and with that, the collapse of Equestria from the north.
Celestia drew herself up to her full height and stared solidly into Nightmare Moon’s eyes with a firmness of resolve that shook the evil mare, although she wasn’t prepared to show it.
Cadence braced herself, her heart racing, waiting for the stabbing pain that would end her life. She knew Celestia had to sacrifice her, she had no other choice. She just prayed that her foal could be saved from this evil tyrant.
“Tic, toc, tic, toc!”