//------------------------------// // Searching // Story: Seeking Answers // by Skye Mist //------------------------------// As soon as Night stepped out of the cave, she transformed into her shadow form. For some reason that her mother never seemed to want to talk about, she could not turn into mist, only shadow, hence her name. Even little Skye could turn into mist, hence her name. Night had felt a little awkward about it, but after a talk with her mother, she was proud to have a talent so unique in the family. Focusing her mind on the present, she zipped through the trees, searching for any sign of her dear mother. The Everfree Forest was huge so it would take a while before she could even pick up a trace of her mother. That is, assuming that her mother was even in the forest. She could always be in town. Nighty, have you found Mommy yet? Skye's voice echoed in her head from their telepathic link. No, not yet. Be patient, Skye. I just left. She could be anywhere in this forest. Or town for that matter. Actually, I think I'll go to town first. Will you be ok by yourself? I'm not a baby anymore, Nighty. And this is urgent. There's no time to be overprotective. Night let out a sigh. Fine. But you better not leave the cave. Deal. Good luck! ************ Night stopped at the edge of the town at dusk. It'd be weird to see a shadow lurking around the town asking questions, so she would have to change her form. She transformed into a pony, but not her true equine form. A disguise. She was a unicorn. Her mane was now jet-black, her coat was a midnight blue, and her eyes remained their sky-blue color but her pupils changed shape to match a regular pony's. She trotted into town to see ponies milling around nervously. She didn't understand why. Then it hit her. 'The battle yesterday! How could I have forgotten?' Night scanned the crowd, searching for a friend she had made while in town. 'Ah-ha, there she is.' She walked up to the yellow-orange pegasus mare and said, "Hey, Amber Breeze. What'cha doing?" Amber jumped slightly, startled by Night's sudden appearance. She smiled slightly when she turned to Night. "Hi, Raven Feather." Night winced slightly when Amber used her alias. When she had first come with her mother, she had come up with the name and features of her disguise personally. What she didn't count on was making friends and she felt awful lying to Amber. Amber was very friendly and meant well, but she was a bit jittery at times. "Didn't you hear? Princess Celestia fought with Princess Luna a few hours ago! Everypony's in a state of panic. We never thought Princess Luna would betray her own sister!" Amber's voice shook as she finished. Night sucked in a deep breath. Her mother had often spoke of the Two Royal Sisters. If she remembered correctly, their castle was built in their forest. That would explain why the battle noises were so loud where they were. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember something else. Her mother had said something once about Princess Luna, but she had only half-listened as she watched her little sister, who was only a few months at the time, sleep. Amber noticed this and asked with concern, "Raven, are you alright?" "Huh...Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about something else." 'Get a grip. I'm sure I'll remember if I think about it long enough. Hmm...Now, what did Mother tell me again?' Really, Nighty. Can't you figure this out later? We need to find Mommy. Skye, don't intrude on my thoughts. And I don't know, Skye. I feel like this is connected to Mother's disappearance. I trust you, so...okay. And I won't intrude on your thoughts again. Don't worry, Skye. I'm sure this will help us in the long run. She looked at Amber and swallowed nervously. "Uhh...Amber, can I ask you something?" Amber blinked in confusion. "Sure." "You didn't happen to see my mother before the battle, did you?" "Shining Crystal? No, I don't think so. Actually, I know so. With a white coat as bright as that, she would attract everyone's attention...especially the stallions." Amber winked at Night. Night's only response was to roll her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Her mother's disguise was a light-blue maned white-coated unicorn mare. It had caught the attention of more than one stallion in town. Her mother would simply shrug them off, but they always came back. "Amber, you're starting to act like your mother. Always trying to be a matchmaker. My mother isn't looking for anypony. And that's final." Amber pressed on. "Oh come on, Raven. Your mom has caught the attention of so many stallions in town. There must be one that is the perfect match for her. And speaking of which, maybe there's somepony for yo-" "No. How many times do I have to say that? Besides, we're getting off topic. So, you haven't seen my mother?" Amber shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her since last week." "Hmm...Thanks, Amber." Night trotted away, leaving a confused Amber in her wake. ************ In her shadow form, Night hurried back to the cave castle. She had been deep in thought about what Amber had said. "No, I haven't seen her since last week." The words rang in her ears. 'If Mother wasn't in town for a week, then where was she?' She changed back into her natural form as she approached the cave. As soon as she stepped into the cave, she was tackled/hugged to the ground by Skye. "I was worried about you! How come you took so long?" "Don't worry, Skye. I wasn't gone that long. Only two hours." "Well, it felt like days! Did you find Mommy?" Night giggled at her sister's sudden turn of attention. "Well, no. But I managed to find out from Amber Breeze that the battle yesterday was between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And that Mother hasn't been in town for a week." "Then, where has she been for the past week, if not in town?" "That I don't know. But tomorrow, I plan to ask the rest of the citizens of the town." "Umm...Nighty, I don't know if this is the time to ask, but...can I...come with you?" Night opened her mouth to say 'no', but she considered how long that the questioning could take, and she would hate to leave her little sister at home for too long. "Okay, but remember to wear the necklace at all times. Hmm...We'll need to work on your disguise and transformation abilities." "Not to worry, Nighty. I was working on that while you were in town. Watch this." And with that, her little horn was surrounded by a sky-blue aura. The glow spread throughout her body and she began to change shape. Eventually, the light dimmed and Night gawked at what her sister's disguise was. The only thing that was the same about her was the color of her eyes. Like Night's disguise, her pupils were like a normal pony's, her cutie mark didn't change, and she was a unicorn. That was as far as the similarities went. While Night's disguise had a midnight blue coat, Skye's was pure white. Night's disguise had a jet-black mane; Skye's disguise had a light-purple mane with royal-blue streaks. "Wow. You improved. Last time you tried, you nearly fainted. What's your alias?" Skye puffed out her chest in pride. "Thanks, Nighty. My alias is gonna be Snow Dusk." She changed back into her true form. Failing at an attempt to say it casually, she asked eagerly, "So...when do we leave tomorrow?" "Around noon. I want to investigate in the forest as well. If Mother isn't in town, then she must be in the forest. Come on, we need our sleep." Night lead her sister back to the castle and they went to their respective rooms. As Night took the pearl necklace off, she remembered. ************ "Now, I have an important meeting with one of my clients. Can you guess who, my little shadow?" Nightmare Moon, unarmored, smiled down at her 200 year old daughter, who looked around the age of 10. "No, Mother. Who?" Night said nonchalantly without looking away from the cradle where her little sister rested. "Why, Princess Luna, herself, my little shadow! I still can't believe that a princess would strike a deal with me for anything! And she's been my client for around...what? 400 years? Anyways, could you take care of Skye for me for a few hours?" "Of course, Mother. I'll never let her leave my sight." Night said with much more enthusiasm and alertness. ************ Night sat on her bed. She was processing all she had heard so far, and she was close to piecing it all together. All she needed was to be certain that she was right. Though she hoped she wasn't. She stared at her bedstand, where a magic-made photograph of her, her mother, and Skye was. Enveloping it in her magic, she made it float in front of her. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered, "Please, Mother. Don't leave us."