Nightmare Moon cackles, loud and menacingly, poised to strike the final blow.

But Twilight Sparkle is calm. She looks to her new friends as they flank her and smiles, taking strength from their presence. She looks back to splinters of stone on the dais before her and glares up at the dark alicorn in the center of them.

“You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!” Twilight cries. In response, the shattered elements begin to levitate and encircle the alicorn.

Nightmare Moon rears back in surprise. “What!?”

Twilight looks to Applejack. “Honesty!” Then to Fluttershy. “Kindness!” To Pinkie Pie. “Laughter!” Rarity. “Generosity!” Finally, Rainbow Dash. “And Loyalty!”

As she lists off each tenet of Harmony and its bearer, the shards of each respective stone flies to orbit the pony in question.

“But you still don't have the sixth Element!” Nightmare Moon challenges.

“But we do!” Twilight gathers herself up as large as she can, for her chest is swelling with such pride for these five ponies beside her that she’s sure she’ll burst. She addresses them, “I felt it the very moment I realized how much I cared about all of you. It ignited inside me when I realized that you are all... my friends!”

She turns back to the enemy, now without fear. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element. The element of... MAGIC!”

At that final word, a sixth element appears before Twilight and in unison, all six ponies begin to levitate and glow to the point of being blinding. A brilliant wave of pure harmony, manifested in every vibrant color of the spectrum erupts from the group, shooting toward Nightmare Moon and engulfing her. She sucumbs with one last panicked cry that’s swallowed up by the roar of sound and color.

And then everything is quiet.

Twilight looks around. Her friends are still suspended in the air, gently bobbing up and down, eyes closed and serene smiles plastered across their faces, but unmoving. What… what’s wrong with them? She quickly looks back to Nightmare Moon, who is still moving. SHE must have done something! The Alicorn of Nightmare has plopped back onto her plot and rolls her neck casually until she hears a pop.

“Whew-ee! This one was a toughie! A good one,” Nightmare Moon sighs to herself. She pulls her helmet off with her forehooves and her whole head changes. Instead of the head of the svelt, black mare to match the rest of her body, her head is now that of a stocky, brown stallion with a black mane and no horn. He- she- he wipes his forehead with the back of a hoof. Even the voice is different, deeper. “but definitely a tough one. I can tell this is going to be a grea-”

“What is this!? What did you do!?” shrieks Twilight. The emotional whiplash from her moment of triumph giving way to utter incomprehension is more than she can handle.

Nightmare Moon, or whoever this stallion is, turns in surprise just in time to see Twilight charge her. “Huh? How are you-?”

Twilight cuts the stallion off, lighting her horn and pointing it directly at his throat just inches away, “I’m asking the questions here. What did you do to my friends? Why ARE you!?”

“Uh- uh- Stu,” the stallion stammers.

“Who?”

“Stu!”

“Stu?”

“It’s, uh… short for Understudy,” he sputters in a Bittish accent.

“YOU’RE the real Nightmare Moon? Why the disguise? What did you do to my friends!?” Twilight demands.

“Nothing! Nothing! I’m just doing my job! I’m just an actor!” Stu pleads.

“An actor? Then what’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing!” he reassures her. “They’re just sleeping. Like you’re supposed to be.”

Twilight is just about to ask what he means by that when another pony emerges from the stairs. She’s a tall midnight blue mare with a mane that flows ethereally like Twilight’s own mentor, Princess Celestia, only deep blue and dotted with stars. She has wings and a horn; another alicorn?

“Hey Stu, I’m ready for my entrance. How’d-” the newcomer starts, but freezes when she sees the position he’s in. “Aw, plot.”

Twilight quickly spins around behind Stu while keeping her horn near his throat, placing him between herself and the new alicorn. “Who is that?”

“Easy now, Twilight,” the alicorn says soothingly. “Nopony wants to hurt anypony here.”

“‘Specially not me!” interjects Stu.

“Shut up, Stu!” the alicorn hisses at him. Then back to Twilight, “My name is Luna and I’m a friend. I promise.”

“What is going on!?” Twilight sobs. She can’t understand anything that’s happening, and Twilight does not take not understanding well.

Luna keeps her voice soft and even. “We’ll be delighted to tell you everything, Twilight. We have to anyway now. But first I’m going to need you to calm down and let Stu go.

“O- Okay,” Twilight sniffles. She extinguishes her horn and steps away from Stu. The stallion with the body of Nightmare Moon quickly leaps away from her and trots over the Luna. The pair exchange a series of heated whispers.

“So… that explanation?” Twilight prompts.

Luna clears her throat. “Right. I can’t explain it to you right here out in the open. You’ll have to come with us to someplace more private. I’ll have to call it in first, though.”

Twilight slowly approaches the pair. “Someplace more private?” she asks. But Luna is already distracted, casting a spell, and a glow envelopes her ears.

Stu answers for her. “We call it ‘backstage’. ’S the only place we can talk freely.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Luna says to no one in particular, then waits and listens as if hearing a response. “No. No, something came up. We have another player.” Pause. “No, it’s not Pinkie. It’s Twilight.” Pause. “I know. Looks like we owe my sister lunch.”

“Who is she talking to?” Twilight asks Stu.

“Our bosses. Well, my bosses. I’m just an actor. She’s technically one of ‘em, but she likes to get in on the action, if’n you know what I mean.”

Twilight gives him a flat look.

“Right. You don’t know what I mean. Hoof in mouth. You’ll see.”

“Alright then, open the door, we’ll be right out,” Luna finishes her conversation.

Suddenly, with no transition to speak of, there’s a door in the wall where there was none before. One second there was a blank stone wall, and the next there was a small wooden hatch, like a trapdoor, set into the wall. Twilight rubs her eyes in disbelief.

“Ugh. They’re using the trapdoor?” Luna groans. “Aw well. Come on.” She slides the door open and squeezes through, closely followed my Stu.

Twilight approaches the door cautiously. This is an exterior wall. There should be nothing on the other side but open air, but Twilight can see what looks like part of a room. She hesitates. Stu looks back through from the other side. “Well, come on, luv. It won’t bite,” he encourages her in his Bittish accent. He smiles roguishly and holds out a hoof.

Twilight takes it. He pulls and she squeezes through the hole. Twilight finds her sense of balance thrown off as she’s pulled upwards through the hole, scrabbling to find purchase on the other side. She finds it and she’s through. Luna slides the door shut behind her. Twilight looks around to examine her surroundings, but there isn’t much to see. They’re in a tight room with black wooden walls that seem to eat up the meager light given off by the old stage lantern in the corner. In the center of the floor is the small trapdoor they came through. But that… She shakes her head. On one wall is a normal sized door, which Luna opens and leads Twilight out.

“Hold up a sec, Lu!” Stu calls from behind them. Twilight looks back and does a double take. Stu is unstrapping and remove pieces of his armor, and where he does, his body reforms from the tall, wiry, and black of Nightmare Moon to stocky and brown. When he’s done, he’s fully a chestnut-colored stallion. The dreaded Nightmare is just… a perfectly normal earth pony. He gathers up the pieces, balances them on his back, and follows after them. “Sorry. Just ‘ad to get out of costume. ‘S just so tight. Though, that’s pro’ly ‘cause I could stand to lose a couple pounds, eh?” he jokes as if the process of his entire body changing is routine.

The trio exits the room and emerges near the end a wide wooden hallway, warmly lit, and lined with doors on either side. Along one side are a series of two-tiered tables spaced intermittently next to some of the doors. Stu dumps his armor onto one of these tables beside their own door.

“You shouldn’t leave that there,” chides Luna. “You should get that back to wardrobe.”

Stu counters, “Eh, what’s it matter? We’re not gonna need it unless you plan on turning heel again. It can wait. They’re gonna call me in to report anyway. May as well just come with you, right?”

Luna simply snorts in concession and leads them down the hall. As they walk, Twilight inspects everything. The tables, more workbenches really, are strewn with various objects. Books, tools, and other knickknacks. Glasses, clothes, and wigs. Props and costumes? Precious few of the doors are left open and she peers into them briefly as they pass. One has a set of bunk beds, currently unoccupied, and a pair of dressers. Another is brightly lit by a light-lined vanity mirror, where a unicorn is applying her lipstick. One is another empty room like the one they’d emerged from, with nothing but a single door, though this one is more normal and set in a wall. One has another bed, but also contains a griffon with lavender plumage doing wingups on the floor and Twilight catches her eyes as they pass. “What are you looking at, dweeb?” the griffon demands?

The hallway is quite long and they walk for several minutes. “Making us use the smallest, furthest door,” Luna grumbles to herself, “Making us look bad in front of the new kid. What kind of chintzy operation do they think we’re running here…”

Finally, they reach the end of the hall, where it opens out into a large open area, with more hallways leading off in the other three cardinal directions. The area’s walls are green and there are tables and cushions set about haphazardly. It appears to be some sort of lounge. At one table, an earth pony is reading a book and absently munching on some alfalfa. At another, a pegasus and a unicorn are playing a game of checkers. They look up when the trio enters.

“What the? Twilight Sparkle?” the unicorn jumps up and shouts in surprise. She has a light blue and a wand and moon for a cutie mark. She jabs a hoof at Twilight. “Why did you bring her here?”

Luna clears her throat and shoots the blue mare a sharp look.

“Sorry, boss,” the mare apologizes sheepishly and sits back down.

“While we still need to see the rest of the council for the final decision, it appears that Twilight is our newest member,” Luna explains.

“Really?” questions the mare.

“Oy, she didn’t freeze when she was supposed to,” answers Stu.

“That’s awfully coincidental. The new main character and she just happens to become a player in her first act?”

“Perhaps she was one all along,” Luna muses. “We’ll see what the council has to say.”

“Is anypony ever going to explain to me what this is all about?“ Twilight whines.

Luna nods. “Right. Now, Upstage, If you’ll excuse us.”

“Sure, sure, ma’am,” the mare concedes. She addresses Twilight, “I’m looking forward to working with you, Sparkle,” then goes back to her her game.

Luna, leads Twilight and Stu to the right, starting down the hallway perpendicular to the one they came from. They’re barely out of the lounge when they stop before a huge set of closed double doors. Luna knocks once.

“Come on in, Luna,” a voice calls from inside. Luna opens the door and the trio step inside.

The room is large, bright, and airy. Some sort of council chamber? It’s tastefully appointed with magic lamps, potted plants, and tasteful paintings. But the room is dominated by its central feature, a huge, oval mahogany table. Around it are a dozen cushions and chairs, seven of which are currently filled. Twilight’s eyes scan over the occupants: three unicorns, a pegasus, an earth pony, a… small, red dragon, and…

“Hello, my most faithful student.”

“Princess Celestia?” Twilight gawps.

Luna takes a seat next to the Princess. “Hi, sis. Guess I owe you lunch.”

“Sister?” gasps Twilight.

“I suppose we owe you an explanation, Twilight,” Celestia smiles.

“I’d… I’d like that very much, Princess,” Twilight squeaks.

Celestia’s smile falters slightly. “Twilight… have you ever heard the expression, ‘All the world's a stage?’”