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As the night wore on, the negotiation between Luna and the Zebrican Ambassador - which had initially started peacefully - seemed to degrade; the look on the wizened Zebrican's face turned dark, and then became angrier, and angrier until at last, the Ambassador snarled at Luna, "Never! The Great Shaman will never allow Ponies to settle within our lands until you are dead abomination!" His maddened slur against my beloved friend brought the entirety of the Court to silence... but the Ambassador was far from finished. As the Royal Pony Sisters looked on, their jaws agape, the elderly Zebrican stormed from the Courtroom and made to leave... or so we thought.

Upon reaching the room's exit, he turned back to face the room and snarled at a still shocked Celestia, "You should have taken the opportunity to end the Demon years ago, Sun Princess. Since you have not... then I will end her for you!" With those words - before anypony could move to stop him - the Zebrican Ambassador began to dance and gesture to the air, casting some form of ancient magic. 'Wait a minute...' I thought, my eyes narrowing as I studied the movements he was making. 'Thrice round weave; Twice up and twice down; Then mark the Sign of the Seven Senses of... Oh, SHIT!' My eyes widening, I hurriedly turned to face the shocked Princesses and stated, "Get everypony out of here, now!"

My words served to snap them out of their shock, but rather than following my command the Princesses frowned at me before Celestia said, "Whilst you may be the Consort of my Sister, you have no place to interrupt the proceedings of..." Brimming with a combination of mixed terror and impatience, I waved a hand at her for silence, before breaking into my own best impersonation of the Royal Canterlot Voice. "ROYAL PROTOCOL BE DAMNED!" I thundered. "GET EVERYPONY OUT OF HERE NOW! NO TIME TO EXPLAIN; JUST BUCKING DO IT! DO IT NOW!" My warning was heeded far too late...

The sisters' combined spell of Mass Transport was powerful indeed, but not powerful enough... As more than half of the room's occupants were moved to a safe bunker dozens of miles below the castle floors a chill, howling wind raced through the throne room. Cackling with glee borne of utter insanity, the Zebrican Ambassador tore from the room as the entire floor peeled back towards the walls revealing a yawning, bottomless pit. Terror gripped our guts, then, as from that bottomless pit rose the enormous furred claws of a great unknown Beast! Said Beast had expected there to be a bounty of souls to pull down and devour... and there was...

All we could do was look on in horror as the furry claws of the Great Beast wrapped about the remaining ponies in the room and dragged them, kicking and screaming, into the depths of the abyss. A horrified scream escaped Celestia at the utterly senseless deaths of so many of her beloved little ponies even as she drew upon her power to form the strongest magical barrier she could make in order to protect herself, Luna, me, and those of her Elite Guard still with us. Eventually, dear readers, the spell for the Casting of Creatures to the Bottomless Pit just... stopped; the throne room was normal. There was no sign of the terrible death and destruction that had just taken place.

Traumatized by what had occurred, it was all that both Princesses could do to transport us all to Celestia's royal chambers. Upon arrival, stifling clothing, armour, and royal regalia was doffed before Celestia raced to her bathroom and therein vomited noisily into her toilet. A moment later - after flushing away the vacated contents of her stomach - weak, weary and trembling with fright, the Royal Pony Princess of the Sun made to join Luna, me and her Guardsponies as we collapsed upon her bed. Desperately embracing me, Princess Luna wept, her body heaving with great wracking sobs. Poor Celestia was faring no better; she cuddled close to us both, her own agonized, heart-wrenching cries filling the room.

Even her brave Guardsponies, too, were undone; stunned, confused, and misty-eyed at the horror they had just seen, the formerly brave stallions now cuddled around the Solar Princess as frightened colts to their dam, occasionally touching and stroking her with their hooves, just to make sure she was there; to be sure that what they'd experienced wasn't some terrible dream. As she lay there with us all - clutching me tightly, and desperately against her shaking body -Luna attempted to console a bewildered Nightmare Moon, even as the Dark Princess's revulsion at what had occurred filled their shared mind. 'I wanted to bring night eternal to Equestria - that's true - but I never... I never wanted to...'

Cradling the Dark Mare's mind within her own - giving her the mental equivalent of a hug - the Equestrian Moon Princess soothingly replied, '... You never wanted to cause such terrible destruction like that Zebrican did; I know, sweetheart, I know.' Raising her head, Luna cast her gaze over her sister, cuddled with her Royal Guard, then to herself and finally to me as I lay dazed within her embrace... And then, nausea filled her thoughts as finally, she began to comprehend exactly what the mad Zebrican had been trying to accomplish... 'Oh, Faust ,' she thought, horror twisting her guts, ' Celly and I could've been pulled into that pit!' Utterly nauseated, the Equestrian Moon Princess released me, then leaped off the bed to race into her sister's bathroom.

Immediately, I made to follow her, arriving just in time to hold aside her mane as she, too vomited into the toilet. After a moment, she raised her head, whereupon I let go of her mane and then flushed the toilet, before moving to fetch her some water from the vanity which she used to rinse her mouth out. "I... I'm not going to ask if you're okay..." I croaked. Moving to lean heavily against me, Princess Luna shook her head, a weary sigh escaping her, her eyes briefly closing as the adrenaline left her body. A moment later, she softly replied, _"No; no I'm not, David. Most of the Equestrian Nobility were idiots at best and puppets of other Nobles at worst, but... none of those we could not save deserved... that! _

As much as it pains me to sound so callous, we can only be thankful that today wasn't a Session of Parliament; true Government. Today was just... just an Open Court..." Unable to continue, poor Luna broke down crying again. All I could do was hold her gently in my arms, feeling utterly inadequate. How could I - a normal, ordinary human - stand against terrible power such as that wielded by that mad Zebrican? A moment later, I was pulled from my thoughts by the voice of Luna, whom - after having regained her composure - continued, "The remaining Nobles are going to be wondering what the buck just happened back there. Shining Armor is going to be pissed that a Zebrican Witch Doctor slipped past his Guardsponies into the Royal Palace undercover as a bucking ambassador

Even worse this entire incident is gonna cause one hell of a political shitstorm between Equestria and the Republic of Zebrica..." Carefully and gently, I roamed my hands along her neck and then through her mane; at this she snorted, the sound soft and horselike, before she continued, "Buck me... this is going to be a Nightmare..." Then, to Nightmare Moon, she softly uttered, 'Uh, no offense...' 'None taken...' _ Came the subdued response of her dark alter ego. Shortly thereafter, I stopped my caressing of her neck and mane and then - after pulling away from her to fetch a water for myself - I swiftly returned to her, took a drink of said water and sniped, "Bah... Shitstorm my _foot! That Zebrican fucker tried to kill us all, Luna; you, me, Celly and everypony else in that Court.

Now, I don't know jack-shit about politics... but that's an act of war; it has to be..." At my words, Princess Luna nuzzled into my neck with another weary sigh, the sound bespeaking of one who'd been there, seen it, done-it-all-before. "Yup," she said, "just one of those days ..." "Tell me about it..." I grumbled. "What I'd like to know is: how did that Zebrican even get into the palace in the first place? Judging from what you told me about him during our last big talk, Shining Armor keeps security pretty tight around here; like Twilight, he's very well organized and is always one step ahead of the game." When Luna nodded wordlessly, I continued, "So how could he let this Zebrican fucker slip through the net?"

As I asked the question, there came the sound of heavy hoofsteps behind and - upon turning to investigate the source of the sound - we beheld the sight of Celestia, covered by a simple grey medical blanket. "I would like to know that as well, David" she said as she tromped wearily into the bathroom. "In addition to how you knew that the Zebrican was casting a spell at all." Stopping before Luna and I, the Solar Princess affixed me with a piercing, hawklike gaze as she impatiently tapped a hoof upon the bathroom's tiled floor. "I don't have the time or luxury for games, human, so come on - out with it - now," she growled. Appalled by her sister's attitude, Luna inhaled a breath to voice a protest, but even as she formed the words to say they died within her throat as Celestia silenced her with a baleful glare.

Then, returning her attention to me, the Princess of the Sun snarled, "Talk, now!" Heaving a weary sigh, I complied. "The magic the Zebrican used back there in the Throne Room was a powerful spell called 'The Casting of Creatures to the Bottomless Pit.' It's detailed in a book called 'Chasms of Malice...'" As I made to continue, with a thoughtful nod, Celestia uttered, "Hm. A vile name for a vile tome, no doubt filled with even more wicked spells..." Shaking my head, I replied, "Princess, 'Chasms of Malice'... it isn't a spellbook. It's... it's a Fighting Fantasy Novel. Let me show you..." Quickly, I looked to Luna and she nodded wordlessly before - with a soundless spell - she popped me over to her chambers wherein I swiftly retrieved the book.

Then, after she and I returned to Celestia, I showed the Solar Princess the book - including the relevant pages dealing with the spell - and gave her a brief explanation of the Fighting Fantasy Universe, its accompanying book series, and the adventures to be had therein. As I spoke, Celestia's radiant though weary visage grew darker, and darker; then - once I had finished my explanation - the Princess of the Sun stood before Luna and I with her head lowered to bare her horn before us and her bangs covering her eyes. "Are you telling me," she growled, "that the Zebrican used a spell from a... a GAME BOOK?!" Seething anger brought to the surface bade her continue shouting at me with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"THAT ZEBRICAN USED A... A SPELL FROM A GAME BOOK TO KILL MY LITTLE PONIES?" When I nodded wordlessly, scraping a hoof on the floor, she continued, "THEN HOW IS IT THAT HE COULD HAVE MADE WHAT IS SUPPOSEDLY FICTIONAL BECOME REAL?! HOW?! YOU WILL TELL ME!" Leaning wearily against Luna for support - taking a small measure of strength from the comfort she silently provided - I sighed softly, resting my head in my hands, rubbing the top of my head as I tried to massage away a growing headache and clear my mind. Then, a moment later, I raised my head to look at Celestia and responded, "Scientists in my world believe that while our universe is self-contained, closing back in on itself..."

I sketched out a bubble-like shape with my hands in the air "...they think that it might also be, well, porous. Perforated with countless trillions of wormholes - tiny pinhole tunnels, too small for even a single atom - linking it to other universes around it. But maybe... Maybe things seep over. Maybe ideas, thoughts, memories, and concepts can seep through from one world to another, and certain receptive beings - for example, a nameless Zebrican - pick them up." Finished with my explanation, Luna and I waited for Celestia's response. For a moment, the Princess of the Sun just stood there blink-blinking, unsure as to how to respond... but then, as we watched - after having seen so much senseless death - something inside Celestia... broke.

"You..." she growled darkly at her sister, "you made the veil thin when you brought him over due to your own selfish desires! How dare you put yourself before Equestria - before us - all for the friendship of one pitiful, mortal human! This is all your fault!" Terrified, I watched as with those last, shrilly screamed words, Celestia charged towards her beloved sister than pivoted and tried to brutally kick Luna in the head with the full force of her powerful hind legs! Unwilling to allow my dear friend to be harmed however, I shoved the Moon Princess away from the path of her sister's blind rage then dove out of the way and not a moment too soon...

As I crashed painfully to the tiled bathroom floor, I felt the dinner plate sized hooves of the elder alicorn pass inches above my head, then heard Luna's terrified scream, along with the crash of breaking glass! A moment later - as glass fragments, large and small, rained down upon my aching form - I realized that, having missed her sister and I entirely, the mighty hooves of the Solar Princess had instead utterly shattered the mirror of the bathroom vanity. The fact that she had missed her targets only served to fuel her rage and shortly thereafter I clutched my throat, gasping and choking, as Celestia attempted to choke me to death! "Gkk--! Stop! This... wasn't... my... fault... Please..." I gasped, struggling to breathe through the force of her solar magic slowly crushing my windpipe.

My death, it seemed, was assured, dear readers; but fortunately it was not to be; as I lay there, my skin starting to turn blue from lack of oxygen in my blood as I started to black out - suddenly I heard the voice of Luna's alter-ego Nightmare Moon as she cried, "NO!" Then, with blackening vision I watched as the fully manifested Dread Mare of the Night barrelled into Princess Celestia, knocking her down and disrupting her deathly magic! My chest heaving as I gasped in great breaths of air, in awe, I watched as Nightmare Moon wrestled with the enraged Celestia, before pinning her to the ground and finally knocking her out with a variation of Batman's famous Ground Pound™ Attack!

Shortly thereafter things became even more hectic as a fresh squad of Royal Guardsponies - no doubt sent ahead by Shining Armor and attracted by all the noise - burst into the bathroom in order to investigate what was going on. However, even as they goggled and stared at the devastation around them, even as some made to accost Nightmare Moon and surround the unconscious Solar Princess, the Dread Mare paid them no heed; the only concern in her and Luna's shared mind at the time was my well-being. Hissing at the Solar Guard in warning - causing them all to back off - Nightmare Moon swiftly lifted me atop her back and then, with a final deathly glare of warning, transported herself and I to her and Luna's shared quarters.