The dark forest was lit up with the brilliant golden light of a teleportation spell, and a second later, six ponies and a dragon appeared in the middle of a small area of the forest.

“Jeez, Princess…” Rainbow Dash muttered, rubbing her slightly dazed head. “You could’ve at least warned us about that…”

“I apologize, but it’s imperative that we find Twilight as quickly as possible.” Her horn started to glow with her bright yellowish magic again, and the area they were in was illuminated by the golden light. With the shadows around them banished to the forest, they could see that they were in a small area that was nearly surrounded by trees. A small path that led deeper into the darkness marked the only way forward. Celestia led the others onwards, though even with a princess leading most were shaking as they glanced nervously around at the trees. Fluttershy could barely walk, and it took both Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s help to get her to move. The orange and blue ponies stood on opposite sides of the yellow one, helping her walk as they trudged deeper and deeper into the unknown that was the Everfree Forest.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the air around them grew thicker, and the temperature was beginning to drop. The alicorn in front suddenly stopped, nearly causing the others to walk into each other.

“Why did ya stop, Princess?” Applejack asked, adjusting her hat.

Celestia hushed her, motioning for them to be quiet. At first they heard nothing, but as the shadows of the forest started to play tricks on their minds, a soft rhythmic sound started to fill the forest around them. The sound grew louder, and it almost sounded like a mare laughing, but abruptly shifted octaves to something more akin to crying. The disembodied noises started to switch back and forth between joy and sorrow, the contrasting noises growing ever louder. Fluttershy covered her ears as the others shifted around uncomfortably, looking around for the source of the ominous sounds.

Just as suddenly as it had started, the noises cut out, leaving them in a silence that somehow seemed worse than the alternating noise. Celestia stood her ground, unfazed by the trickery of the forest, but those behind her were noticeably shaken. She turned back and gave them words of encouragement. “Do not worry, my little ponies. I will protect you from anything that may lurk in this forest.” While not fully convinced, the presence of a princess was able to keep them walking down the obscured path, albeit with darting eyes and shivering bodies.

After an indeterminable amount of time in which they followed Celestia down the shadowy path, they came upon the literal end of the road. The path that had led them into the forest was blocked by the trees of the forest, and there was no way past the huge trunks that blocked their progress.

“Great, a dead end,” Rainbow Dash said with a grimace. “Any bright ideas to get us out of here, Princess?”

Celestia either didn’t hear the pegasus or simply didn’t answer, as her attention was drawn towards the trees that blocked the path. She was only a few feet away when the trees suddenly parted, opening up to reveal a small area that was illuminated by the purple light of a fire opposite of where the group was. With Celestia leading the way, they cautiously stepped into the encampment. As the last of the group walked tepidly past the trees, they suddenly shifted back into their original position, trapping the group in the strange area.

The purple light shined brightly, giving them a view of the area where they now trapped in. It was a small, enclosed patch of flat land that was surrounded by trees. On the other side of where they had entered, the purple fire burned in front of a large, mysterious box. However, before any of them could get closer to it, a twisted creature shambled out from behind it. The ponies and dragon behind Celestia stepped back at the sight of the deformed unicorn as the princess confronted it in the middle of the clearing.

The unicorn looked to be malnourished, as its dull purple coat was sporadically missing patches of fur, and its ribs were painfully visible under its worn coat. Its face… how its face could have gotten like it was shocked and horrified Celestia beyond anything she had ever seen before. Dried blood coated the creature’s horn and face, and if the terrifyingly large smile plastered on the creature gave any indication, it was ecstatic to see the ponies and dragon in front of it. The disgusted alicorn couldn’t take her eyes off the hideous beast, and with a mix of utter revulsion and dread, realized that this thing was in fact the very pony she was looking for.

“Twilight! What have you done to yourself!?” Celestia couldn’t believe her eyes as the monstrous unicorn smiled insanely at her. Twilight’s horrific eyes were locked with hers, and the others were all staring in fright and shock at their former friend.

“Oh, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for all of you to arrive! I’ve finally found a way to correct the errors of my ways!” Twilight burst into a fit of maniacal giggles, causing the others to back away from her. Her friends were speechless as she continued, “It was entirely my fault, I don’t deny that. I was the one who ripped all of us apart that day, when I pushed Rarity under that train…” She laughed once more, but this time she was cut off by the desperate cry of a crippled pegasus.

“Twilight, it wasn’t your fault! We don’t blame you for anything! We’ve already gone over this, why can’t you accept it!?”

“Quiet!” Twilight belted, sending Rainbow Dash scurrying back to the others. Celestia positioned herself between her student and the group of ponies. “You weren’t the one she fought with! You weren’t the one who chased her on that platform! You weren’t the one…” Twilight suddenly started sobbing, tears of blood running down her cheeks and onto the cold, hard ground.

Applejack inched forward, still blocked from Twilight by the princess. “Twi…please…whatever you think you’re doin’… it ain’t right. Can’t you see you’re destroyin’ yourself? We can help you, you just gotta give us the chance.”

Twilight’s head jerked up, causing Fluttershy to yelp and whimper in utter dread while the cowpony quickly backed away. “No. You can’t help. I have to do this alone. Once I’m finished, not only will we all be with Rarity again, but everypony in Equestria will be bonded together in harmony. But until then, you will NOT interfere with my plans.” Her horn started to glow, and Celestia responded by preparing her own magic. “I’m sorry it had to be like this, but there simply isn’t any other option.” Twilight’s eyes lit up with magic that engulfed them in a literal black fire, the dark flames licking over the edges of her eyes.

“Prepare to join Rarity.”

The color of the unicorn’s magic shifted, the bright purple aura around her horn replaced by the same darkness that filled the abyss that served as her eyes. A bolt of black magic shot out, aimed straight at her friends. Celestia’s horn flared, and a shield of golden magic materialized in front of them. Twilight’s magic struck the shield, dissipating as it hit.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia’s voice boomed out, filled with a terrifying rage that none of the ponies around her had ever heard before. “I will warn you only once to cease this madness! If you attack again, I will have no choice but to forcefully bring you back to Canterlot for treatment!” She got her answer in the form of another bolt of magic. It struck her shield, the golden magic fluctuating but holding steady. Celestia steadied herself, hunkering down to the ground as she pointed her horn towards her former pupil. She rushed forward, the shield clearing the path for her. Twilight threw a few more bursts of magic, but the princess would not be stopped now. The golden shield wrapped itself around the demented unicorn like a net and threw her to the ground. Twilight struggled against her bonds, but the shield had a firm grip on her, holding against all of her attempts at escape.

Celestia and the others slowly approached her, wary of the black fire that still consumed Twilight’s eyes. The princess stood over her student as she spoke. “It is obvious to me now that you were in no shape to be released. I do not know what you have done, but I will do everything in my power to help you overcome this terrible curse you have brought upon yourself.”

Twilight stopped fidgeting against the shield and looked up at Celestia, her expression unreadable behind the dark pits that served as her eyes. “If any pony could understand, I was hoping it would be you, Celestia.”

“There is nothing to understand here Twilight. You are a danger to yourself and to others, and you will receive the help you need whether you want it or not.”

Twilight laughed at her with a hint of mockery. “Oh please, don’t tell me you’ve never had to deal with death before. Over a thousand years of life, over a thousand years of death. With such a long lifespan, I’m sure you’ve taken a life before.” Celestia was obviously distressed by what she was hearing, and she was slowly backing away from the trapped unicorn. “Do you feel the regret? The shame? The fleeting hope that you could have done something different?” The Princess of the Sun couldn’t believe that her best and brightest pupil was now dissecting her life in such a way. “You’re the only one who could possibly understand what it’s like, taking the life of another. After all, you’re the one who banished Luna.” Twilight’s fiery eyes made contact with Celestia’s, her mouth forming the terrifying smile her friends had become all too familiar with. “How does it feel, knowing that you deprived her of a thousand years of life?”

“ENOUGH!” The royal Canterlot voice echoed throughout the dark forest, bouncing off the trunks of the trees. The ponies behind the angered alicorn were shaken by her sudden outburst, and even Twilight seemed to have taken an interest in the princess’ rage. “I have heard enough!” Celestia’s horn was flaring with golden energy, and her shield started to ripple. “I will bring you back to Canterlot and treat you myself if I have to!”

Although Celestia was a near immortal entity, she was still a pony. A pony with awe inspiring powers and a thousand years of life behind her, perhaps, but a pony none the less. At the moment, as she stared down at the monster Twilight had become, she was faced with one of the most difficult challenges of her entire life. One of the most kind and promising ponies she ever had the pleasure of knowing was now a deformed mass writhing on the ground in front of her, continually denying the help that she so desperately needed. Twilight had become like a surrogate daughter Celestia, and to see her like this now…

Celestia lost her focus for a split second. It was all Twilight needed. In the second that the princess was distracted her shield rippled violently, and the pony trapped underneath it unleashed her raw power. The energy that surrounded her horn glowed blacker than the shadows of the forest, and she focused all of energy she had accumulated into the tip of her horn. In a huge, ear popping burst, the dark magic radiated out at the speed of light, engulfing the forest in complete blackness.

The Elements of Harmony screamed, calling out for each other in the soul piercing darkness. Tumbling sounds could be heard as they tripped over their hooves and fell to the ground. The shadows were suddenly banished by the princess of the sun when she ignited her horn in the bright golden glow of her magic. As the light replaced the darkness, the ponies that had tripped over themselves rose back up, with the exception of a hyperventilating yellow pegasus. Applejack and Pinkie Pie rushed over to help her while Rainbow Dash and Spike looked around the foreboding clearing.

“Rainbow Dash…why is Twilight doing this?”

The question caught the blue pegasus off guard, and it took her a moment to respond. When she did, there was an extremely uncharacteristic tone of uncertainty in her voice. “I…I don’t know. I knew she was suffering, all of us were…but this…” Rainbow shook her head. “I didn’t think she would be feeling so much guilt…”

“What happened to her?”

“I don’t know, Spike!” The baby dragon flinched back from her, and the Pegasus knew that she had gone too far. She comforted him in a quick hug. “I’m sorry. It’s just… Twilight… I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Before Spike could say anything else, a golden bubble appeared over them, and they were joined by the princess. “Get back and join the others, now.” The two obeyed Celestia and hurried over to their friends as the princess covered them all with the golden bubble.

“Princess, where’d Twilight go?” The orange cowpony questioned uneasily as her eyes shot to and fro around the forest.

“She has escaped. It was my fault, I let her play my emotions against me. I do not know where she is, but I have no doubt that she’s watching us as we speak.” That particular remark caused Fluttershy to squeak and bury her head underneath her bandaged hooves.

As if on cue, the crazed laughter that only Twilight could have managed filled the small clearing, causing the ponies to jump and look desperately for the source of her voice. Celestia held her ground, unfazed by the sudden maniacal laugher.

“Sorry about all that, Princess, but I couldn’t just let you keep me imprisoned under that shield of yours, now, could I? However, don’t think my words didn’t hold true. You miss those who came before, I know you do, but you never had the gall to try to bring them back.” Twilight’s disembodied voice was coming from every which direction. “I’ve done what you never sought to accomplish. I’ve found a way to bring the dead back from the cold embrace of eternity.”

“Twilight, please, you must realize that death is inevitable, that all ponies will face it someday!” Celestia was shouting out into all directions, hoping that something she said would be able to get through to her student. “Rarity’s death was untimely and tragic, but you cannot change what happened! You must face the fact that she has passed on! The only thing you can do is put the past behind you! If not for your sake, then for your friend’s sake, for my sake!”

“Twilight, we only want you back!” Spike’s yelled out to the forest, tears starting to well up in his eyes, “I miss you, we all do! All we want is your old self back! Why can’t you get that through your thick skull!?”

There was complete silence. The ponies and dragon’s heads darted around, looking for any sign that Twilight was still listening, or if she was even still there.

“…You want me back? Is that what you want?” Twilight’s voice had lost much of its former malice, and there was a detectable hint of doubt in it. “If you want me back, then you will allow me to continue with my plans. You can’t understand it now, you won’t, but I am doing what’s best for all of us.”

“Twilight, what’s best for all of us, for you, is for you to surrender yourself and receive the proper care you need,” Celestia could sense Twilight’s armor beginning to crack, though she still kept the shield up, not taking any chances. “If you allow us to help you, we can all get past this together.”

“Yes. I think I’m beginning to see what you’re saying.” The ponies and dragon under the shield broke into hopeful smiles, as it seemed like their words had finally made an impact on their friend. “We’re all going to get through this together. All of us. Together. Forever.” The ponies’ smiles turned to frowns as they gave each other looks of puzzlement. None of them were able to follow what Twilight was saying, and the subdued tone she was using only served to further their confusion. “There is a way for all of us to be together again. It will take time, but it will all be worth it in the end, trust me.”

“This is the only way,” Twilight’s voice echoed out, her last sentence repeating over and over as it grew smaller, until it was eventually lost to the forest.

Underneath the shimmering shield, Twilight’s friends were waiting for something, anything, to happen, but the forest fell into a disturbing silence like so many times before. After a few minutes of complete silence, in which those under the shield could hear their hearts beat against their chests, Celestia lowered her shield and illuminated the campsite in her golden glow. “Stay here. Twilight may still pose a threat.” The others watched as the princess slowly walked towards the strange box opposite their side of the clearing.

In over a thousand years of life, Princess Celestia was certain that she had experienced every possible surprise that life held for her, but as she reached the mysterious box and gazed inside it, she was met with a sight that would be etched into her memory until the day she died. The box, she realized, was a coffin, one that was missing its top. Inside, a writhing, withered pony was squirming around, its horribly decayed body giving Celestia a clear view of pony anatomy she would not soon or easily forget. Bones, ligaments, and muscles were all in varying stages of decomposition, and the few tufts of grim covered, discolored white hair did nothing to hide the grisly sight. The horrible creature’s bleached skull was clearly visible, as there remained very little to cover it. A cracked and nearly broken horn was protruding from the top of the skull. Its eyes had long since been eaten away, and the voided eye sockets were somehow staring straight into Celestia’s own eyes. The creature’s mouth moved and a guttural moan escaped, which was the final breaking point for the petrified deity.

She stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over her own hooves as she desperately tried to vanquish the shocking images from her mind, with absolutely no success. The group behind her had been watching the entire scene play out, and started running towards her when they saw her stumble back, but the princess held out a hoof before they could get any closer. “Stop! Stay where you are, do not come over here!”

“Princess, what’s the matter?” Rainbow Dash called out, speaking for all the ponies currently holding their ground in the middle of the encampment.

“Do not come any closer!” Celestia shouted back at them, her horn glowing as she turned around. Another golden shield appeared, this one blocking access to the coffin from the ponies on the other side of the magical shimmering wall. Pinkie Pie raised an inquisitive hoof and reached out for the shield, withdrawing it as the shield held strong against the silent pink pony.

Satisfied that her subjects were protected from the horror in the coffin, Celestia set about to figuring out a way to dispose of the horrible creature. It was obvious that this thing had been brought back to life through the darkest of magic, and in the princess’ mind, the pieces of the puzzle laid out before her started to connect, even though she would give anything to leave it unfinished.

What Twilight had said about bringing the dead back to life, how she had been so adamant about returning Rarity to life…

Rarity.

Celestia looked back at the coffin and saw the three diamonds enameled on its side. Her eyes grew wide as realization struck, and was thankful that she had put the shield up to protect the others. With them preoccupied behind the shield, she then had to decide what to do. There were a thousand emotions running though her mind, each fighting to overpower her, but with a tremendous amount of force, she was able to push them to the back of her head. She had to stay focused. She had to grant the Element of Generosity peace, here and now, but as she racked her brain for a solution, there was only one discernible option that came up. In lieu of any other way out, the princess walked back to the coffin. She looked inside, and the corpse greeted her with another bone chilling moan. Celestia, her sight starting to blur with tears, raised a hoof and positioned it over the exposed skull of the living corpse.

“Forgive me, Rarity. May you find everlasting peace in the next life.”

She could have sworn that she heard Rarity thanking her over the splintering and cracking sounds.

The Element of Generosity fell still.

Celestia withdrew her hoof as quickly as possible, using her other hoof to wipe her eyes. As her eyesight became unclouded, she noticed a small book on the bottom of the coffin. She grabbed it with her magic and started towards the group of ponies still trapped behind her shield. She released it, and without a word, teleported them out of the forest that would haunt their memories until the day they died.