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Chapter One: An Introduction3,323 words
Chapter Two: The Arrival4,894 words
Chapter Three: Thieves in the Night3,092 words
Chapter Four: School Day6,653 words
Chapter Five: Black Magic3,938 words
Chapter Six: A Date To Remember4,682 words
Chapter Seven: Family Day5,011 words
Chapter Eight: Coronation4,648 words
Chapter Nine: Not Over Yet4,745 words

Chapter Six: A Date To Remember

Lady Bug hummed quietly to herself as she trotted down the hallway. She sighed happily as she swapped her Algebra binder for her Chemistry binder. She glanced at the back of the locker door at the multi-colored display of sticky notes. Each one featured a hastily scribbled note with little reminders of important events. One such note was circled, telling her of a test in her next class. She groaned inwardly. The native students had been preparing for this test for weeks, while she'd only had the few days she'd been at Canterlot High. The blue filly reached a hoof into the purse hanging off her shoulder from the strap across her withers and chest. She felt the smooth surface of her mother's mirror and breathed a sigh of relief. She had a chance.

Somepony roughly bumped into her side, nearly knocking the binder from the Changeling's grip. "Oh, terribly sorry, princess! I didn't see you there!" an arrogant, snobby voice cut through the idle hallway chatter. "Don't worry, won't happen again!"

The filly raised an eyebrow Silver as he made his way down the hallway, smirking in her direction. She watched him as he disappeared down the hall. 'What is he up to?' she asked herself before slamming the locker shut and mimicking the colt's path to class.

Moments later, Lady was seated in the science lab, staring blankly at the test paper in front of her. 'Okay, let's see...a mixture of peroxide and water can be separated by A. evaporation, B. sublimation, C. decantation, or D. distillation. What the heck is this?!' the disguised Changeling snarled at the paper. She stared at the paper for a few moments before silently sliding her hoof into her purse. She felt around for a few moments, confused before glancing down. Panic rose as she began searching more frantically. Her mind screamed as she shoved her hoof around, all too aware of the absence of a specific object.

The sound of her teacher clearing his throat cause the filly's head to jerk up. "Do you need a pencil, Miss Lady Bug?"

"N-no, sir." she lowered her bag, fidgeting under the stallion's disapproving gaze.

"Well, if it's not a pencil you're looking so diligently for during a test, then what, pray tell, could it be? This, perhaps?"

Lady's heart stopped as she watched the stallion pull a mirror, her mirror, from his pocket. It was then, as she gaped, trying to form a coherent sentence, that her eyes locked with Silver Stocking's smug gaze. Her mind flashed to their exchange in the hall, when he bumped into her. She mentally slapped herself. How could she have been so stupid? She grew up on the Isle of the Forgotten; she should've seen it coming.

"It's my recommendation that you're expelled." her teacher's voice broke the filly from her thoughts.

"Now, Mr. Pedagogy, ain't ya being just a bit rash? She has a mirror, along with nearly every filly in this school. What's the big deal?"

The three ponies turned their surprised gazes to Scifresh Doubloon.

"The 'Big Deal', as you so inadequately put it, is that this villain's child used this magic mirror to cheat on school related work." Pedagogy glared daggers at the filly.

"And ya know this how?" Doub prompted.

"Mister Stocking approached me before class and explained the situation to me."

The country colt repressed a snort. "Did he manage to prove the mirror was magic? Activate it somehow?"

"Well," the stallion gained a frazzled look, "no, he said the magic only worked for her, but-"

"Were there any witnesses, other than Silver?"

"No, but-"

"So all ya have in terms of evidence is a mirror and the word of a known liar? Sorry sir, but that just don't sound like something that's gonna hold up against the school board." the stallion moved to argue, but was once again interrupted by the colt. "And, if Ah recall, ya caught Silver himself with a cheat-sheet last week, for the fifth time this semester alone, and ya only gave him a week of detention."

"Yes, because he's not-"

"A villain's foal?" the colt leaned forward, daring the stallion to deny the words, "Why, Mr. Pedagogy, I didn't take ya fer a bigot."

A round of 'ooh's' arose from the class as the older stallion turned a deep shade of red.

"Yes, well," he fought to compose himself, "it's still under suspicion. I'll hold onto the mirror, and if Miss Lady Bug can pass the test without it, she'll get her mirror back and I'll drop the whole matter."

"Fair enough."

The Changeling filly gawked at her lab partner, the colt she'd so rudely rejected barely two days before. The colt she'd been so heartless toward, had just saved her sorry hide. It wasn't until said colt nudged her and gave her a pointed look that she plopped unceremoniously in her seat, still staring dumbfounded with shock at her paper.

***

The sun shone brightly in the late afternoon sky. Nyx was walking back to the girls dormitory after her final class for the day. Surprisingly enough, her teachers hadn't given out any homework that day, leaving her free to study her spell book and come up with a battle plan for the coronation. She glanced around, realizing her path had taken her to the school gardens. She snarled her nose at the brightly colored plants. Must everything in this kingdom be so frilly and happy?

"Hey, Nyx, wait up!"

The filly froze, her breathing speeding up at the sound of the voice. Out of habit, she reached her hoof up to make sure the spelled glassed were in the correct position on the bridge of her nose before turning to face the yellow Unicorn.

"Will, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just headed back to my dorm. Mind if I walk with you?"

"Nothing's stoppin' ya." Why was her heart speeding up? She blamed it on fear of getting caught.

The colt cleared his throat, stopping as if he were about to say something important. He caught Nyx's hoof, stilling her movement. "Nyx, I wanted to apologize for putting you on the spot yesterday. I had it in my head that I needed to make this gigantic romantic gesture to get your attention, and I didn't even think how you'd feel with everypony watching you.

"So, I was wondering, if you were doing anything later. Because, I want to take you somewhere special, where we can get to know each other before my coronation. Not as a villain's foal and Equestrian prince, but as just us: Nyx and Will."

The filly stared at the colt, briefly wishing he really meant the words he spoke, wishing he wasn't under a spell. She quickly banished the ridiculous thought from her head. "Sure, sounds good."

The colt grinned. "Great! See you in an hour?"

"Mmhmm!"

With that, the two separated, headed to their respective dorm buildings. Nyx made her way to her room in a daze. She dropped her bag to the floor as soon as she entered, flopping on her bed with a sigh. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments, a smile slowly spreading, her earlier, wishful, notions of a non-enchanted colt reentering her mind. She levitated a pillow over her face as she let out squeal. After a few moments she sat back up, adjusting her glasses and trying to regain her dignity. The dark Alicorn glanced across the room towards a mirror hanging on the wall.

Her hair was parted weirdly. Her clothes fit wrong. Had her coat always looked so ruffled and shaggy?

"I need to find Lady."

***

School had finally ended for the day, leaving students with a few hours to do whatever they please until curfew. Many students sat in the picnic area, some waiting for friends and significant others, while some, like Scifresh Doubloon, sat studying on the many benches littering the area. The southern colt stared intently at his textbook, writing down what looked like important pieces of information on a scrap of paper.

After a short while, he felt somepony walk up behind him. He dropped his pencil and turned around to face the pretty blue filly. He smiled at her, scooting over and motioning for her to sit down. Lady Bug quietly lowered herself next to the colt. Her horn was enveloped in a purple aura as she levitated a paper before her eyes. Slowly, she set the paper down in front of the colt. He glanced down at it, her graded test.

"B plus." he read, turning his grinning gaze to the filly, "Ya did it."

"Why did you help me?"

Doub blinked in surprise. "What?" he asked dumbly.

"I was so awful to you. I barely knew you, and all I did was shoot you down." she stared him hard in the eyes, confusion clouding her face, "And then you defended me. No one else stood up, they watched me flounder. But you helped me. Why did you help me?"

The colt let out a small smile. "When mah mama met mah daddy, he wasn't a good stallion. He'd hit a hard patch in life, and he'd started workin' with these two con artists. Mama showed him the good in life, helped him get on an honest path, and they raised me to see the light in others. There's a light in you, and Ah sure as heck ain't gonna let it go out."

Lady stared in shock at the colt before her. With no hesitation, she leaned forward and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, pulling him in a tight hug. The colt could hear the smile in her voice. "Thank you, for everything." she whispered.

"Lady!"

The two teens pulled away, turning to see Nyx trotting towards them. She had a frantic expression written across her face, her wings spread half-way in a worried manner.

"What's happened? Are the guys okay?" Lady stood up, panic rising.

"What? Oh, no, they're fine, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"Okay, Nyx, sweetie, calm down. Deep breath," the Changeling tried not to laugh at her friend's flustered expression, "and let it out. Good! Now, tell me why you've been looking for me."

"Will asked me on a...a date."

"Well then," Lady grinned, "let's get you ready!"

"See you later, Lady. Good luck, Nyx!" the colt said kindly as the girls turned to leave.

"Hey, Sci?" the blue filly asked. The colt in question turned in surprise at the little-used nickname. "If you still need a date for the coronation, I'm free that day." the two shared a smile, ending with the filly turning back to her friend. "Okay, did he say where you guys were going?"

"No! He just said he'd pick me up in an hour, and that was, like, thirty minutes ago!"

"Okay, dressy casual it is then. You're looking really dark today."

"No, duh!"

Scifresh laughed as he listened to the conversation fade away.

***

"Thank you for doing this." Nyx said to her roommate as the Changeling added a subtle pink to the dark Alicorn's cheeks.

Lady smiled, reloading the brush. "My mother taught me how to do this before I could talk, and I'd do Larva and Pupa's make-up all the time."

"Mom wasn't really any help with make-up tips, and I never had a sister."

The brush was replaced with a tube of lip gloss. "Well, now you do. We'll need all the family we can get if we can't pull this off; villains aren't the nicest ponies if they're disappointed."

"Especially if it's by their own kids." Nyx added dejectedly.

"Okay," Lady shook the miserable thought away, "mirror time!" The fillies moved from the bed to the lavish wall mirror.

Nyx stared at her reflection. Her mane was teased to add a slightly larger height to the natural wave she possessed. Her bangs were expertly curled, flaring out from a sea-foam headband with a darker, swirly design on the side. Her eyes looked normal, thanks to her glasses, and were framed by curled lashes and dark purple eye shadow. A clear gloss coated her lips, and a pale pink added color to her cheeks. She wore her mauve leather jacket over a hock-length green dress. Black combat boots studded in gold completed the look.

"Woah. I-I look..."

"Say it!" Lady singsonged from behind her friend.

"Less disgusting than usual."

"Not the words I was looking for, but I'll take it!"

Nyx turned to her roommate with a smile. "Thank you, Lady." she hugged the girl tightly, before taking another glance at her reflection. A knock sounded from the door. The Alicorn took a deep breath before making her way to the door. She opened it to reveal the yellow Unicorn.

Will was dressed simply in a navy button-up and white slacks. His jaw dropped at the sight of the filly in the doorway. "H-hey." he said once he'd regained the ability to speak, "Ready to go?"

"Mmhmm!" the girl nodded, following the colt away.

Lady smiled, closing the door.

"So, where are we going?" Nyx asked.

"You'll see!" came the answer as they exited the dormitory.

***

They'd been walking only fifteen minutes, and Nyx was ready for the earth to open up and suck her down as her mother told her it would if she didn't obey. She was tensed up, half-expecting this to be some kind of joke. If she hadn't known Will was under the influence of a spell, she'd be preparing herself for a glob of slime to fall on her head, a common form of revenge between teens on the Island.

Soon, however, the colt guided the filly towards the forest. It was in the shade of the trees that Nyx was finally able to relax. The shadows danced across the path in front of her, reminding her of the woods on the Isle. However, the forests on the Isle resembled the Everfree, menacing nightmare fuel. This woods reminded her of the ones in the torn postcards that found themselves in the mounds of garbage delivered to the island on a weekly basis. The sun broke through the trees overhead, spilling light in fractals across the ground. The leaves had already begun turning various shades of red and orange, signifying the approaching season that the heated air failed to show.

Will watched as Nyx visibly grew more comfortable the deeper they went in the forest, turning almost giddy as she used her wings to hover lightly above the ground when a breeze swirled leaves overhead, laughing as she mimicked their twirls, a halo of light wrapping itself around her. Will made it his personal mission to get her to laugh as much as possible, if only to hear that musical sound.

"Tell me something you've never told anypony." he said once she landed.

Nyx, taken aback by the request, surprised herself by answering. "My full name is Nyx Mare Moon."

"Nyxmare? Like, one word?"

"Nope, separate. You know what Nyx means, right?"

Will nodded slowly, wondering what the girl was getting at. "It means 'night', doesn't it?"

"He's smart, too." she joked, "So what's my name? Translated."

"Night Mare Moon." he said, shock covering his face.

Nyx nodded, amused. "My mother literately gave me her name."

"I...I'm sorry."

"Why?" the filly gave a genuinely confused look, "She was the greatest villain there ever was. On the Isle, it's a great honor to have her name."

"Oh, well in that case, I'm happy for you!" the colt said. His mind recoiled at the thought. The filly was already a visible carbon copy of her mother; was she expected to be her mother in every way? Was she not allowed individuality? He pushed his musings aside, using his magic to move a branch, waving his hoof dramatically. "Voila!" he grinned.

Nyx's jaw dropped at the sight. There was a break in the trees and foliage, forming a large, flower filled meadow. Water spilled over a cliff high above them, feeding into a large lake towards the back of the area, large rocks perfect for climbing surrounding the water, blocking her view of where the overflow naturally drained. Closer to the two, a blanket had been spread out. A wicker basket sat invitingly in the middle.

Moments later, the teens were dining on the spread held within the basket. Nyx had taken off her jacket, and it now rested beside her on the blanket. Will struggled to suppress a grin as he watched the filly as she chomped down inelegantly on her sandwich. "Is this your first?" he asked.

Nyx paused for a moment. She adjusted her glasses as she spoke, taking care not to let them slip down far enough to deactivate the spell's hold. "We don't actually date-date on the Island. It's more like, you have a pony who you least wanna kill, and you go on raids together, gang activity, crap like that."

Will's smile faltered slightly. He inwardly winced at the filly's detached description of the Isle of the Lost's twisted version of love. "I meant, 'Is this your first daisy sandwich?'" he corrected himself.

The filly finally took notice of the breadcrumbs clinging to the front of her dress. A slight blush creeped up from her neck, tinging her coat in red. She quickly dusted herself off. "Well, I guess you can dress me up, but you still can't take me anywhere." she joked with a nervous laugh.

"You uh, you got a little..." Will leaned close and gently used the tip of his hoof to brush a daisy petal from the corner of her mouth. Even after the white petal was gone, he let his hoof linger against her face.

Nyx's heart seized up in her chest. She could feel his breath on her face, he was that close. Her eyes flicked down to his lips before locking back on his gaze. Will leaned ever closer.

"U-um, y-you should te-tell me something. T-that you...you've never told anypony. B-because I told you..." Nyx tried to pull together a coherent sentence. She felt a twinge in her heart when Will leaned away. She shook it off, focusing on the colt's easy smile.

"What if show you instead?"

"What? Show me? What do y-?"

There was a bright flash as a ball of light collected atop the colt's horn. The light swept across his body, melting away his unicorn disguise. His head remained the same, but his coat got thicker at the base of his neck. His left front leg turned to a furry lion's paw, the back right leg doing the same. His tail thinned out, his yellow coat stretching down before erupting in a black tuft at the end. Two wings materialized on his back, one a normal wing of yellow feathers, while the other was a gray color, similar to that of a wyvern.

"When I was young," he started after his transformation was complete, "I took to wearing a disguise, to make the ponies of my family's region more comfortable. You're the first pony other than family to see the real me."

Nyx was still unable to wipe the shock from her face. She was, however, able to speak. "That is so stupid! So what if you don't look like everypony else?! W-why should you have to hide your appearance to make them comfortable?!"

"Why not? You do it, too."

The filly stared at the colt, shocked and confused. "W-what are you taking about?"

Will raised his hoof. A pair of purple-framed glasses appeared on his hoof. His horn hadn't even lit up. It only took a second for her head to make the connection. Her leg instinctively shot up, wrapping around her eyes. A strong hoof settled on the bend of her leg, gently pushing it down.

"Nyx, look at me." her eyes remained tightly shut, every fiber of her being screaming in panic. "Please, Nyx. Let me see."

Maybe it was the gentleness of his voice. Maybe she just really wanted to open up to him. Her eyelids slid back, revealing her dragon eyes. She stared at him, terror raging across her face.

And he smiled. A pure, joyous smile spread across his lips. "I've never seen anypony like you, Nyx. Thank you, for trusting me, and for teaching me the difference between pretty and beautiful."

Never in her life had she been so confused. 'You want to remain inconspicuous, and those will not help you in the slightest.' Hadn't that been what her mother said about her eyes? She was so lost in thought, she almost missed the colt's words.

"What?" she asked, surprised at the colt's phrase.

"Yeah, right now. Let's go swimming!"

Her mind screamed. "Actually, I think I wanna stay here and eat, uh," she grabbed a random container, ripping it open, "this! What is this?"

"Celery soup." Will laughed.

"Celery soup! I've never had celery soup before!" she grabbed a plastic spoon in her magic, taking in a mouthful of soup. Her eyes widened. She dropped the spoon and began drinking to soup straight from the container.

"Well, alright then." Will laughed at the girl's love struck face. "Enjoy yourself." he took off towards the water, howling as he dove into the crystal-like surface.

Nyx stared out after him, laughing at his childish antics. Soon, however, the look of mirth was replaced with pain. Her head told her she needed to get a grip; it was just a spell, only for convenience. But her heart...

"A million thoughts runnin' through my head

Could I let my heart keep denyin' it?

'Cause up till know, I've stayed in line.

Nothing lost, but there's something missing."

The Alicorn slowly stood up.

"I can't decide

if it's wrong or right.

Which path should I choose?

"If only I could hear what my heart's telling me!

It's new, what I'm feeling, could it be just a dream?

If only I could read the signs in front of me,

find a way to who I'm meant to be!

"Oh, if only!"

She swayed slowly, letting the breeze tug at her hair.

"With every step,

With every word,

With every second,

I'm fallin' deeper in.

"It's so brand new,

It's all so brave!

Now I'm someone I have never been."

The filly began pacing, fear once again taking hold.

"I can't decide

if it's wrong or right.

Which path should I choose?!

She paused, wings spread as she poured every emotion into her ballad.

"If only I could hear what my heart's telling me!

It's new, what I'm feeling, could it be just a dream?

If only I could read the signs in front of me,

find a way to who I'm meant to be!

"Oh, if only! Yeah!"

She grit her teeth, folding her wings halfway as she backed up, shaking her head furiously.

"I must be crazy!

But, maybe,"

She let a small, hopeful smile emerge.

"We could happen?"

Pain once again gripped her face. She looked off towards the water, her voice barely a whisper.

"Will you stay with me

Once the magic has all run out?

"If only I could hear what my heart's telling me!

It's new, what I'm feeling,"

Her voice raised, the passion returning to the song.

"could it be just a dream?

If only I could read the signs in front of me,

find a way to who I'm meant to be!

"If only, yeah!

If only, yeah!

If only, if only."

Her voice trailed away, her gaze lowering to her hooves. She could hear the water lapping against the bank. 'Will hasn't surfaced in a while.'

Nyx's eyes shot open. "Will?" she shouted. Her wings shot open, propelling her over the water. "Will?!" she screamed, panic rising. She caught sight of a motionless pony-shaped shadow under the water.

She barely noticed her body passing through the surface of the water. She felt her heart stop; she felt her wings lock up. She felt the absolute terror tighten in her chest when she couldn't touch the soft mud at the bottom. She felt her lungs ache with the need to breathe. She felt her muscles grow weak as her thrashing slowed. She felt her vision go black.

She also felt two strong legs wrap around her middle, pulling her to the surface.

She took in a deep breath as she came up, choking out water. Will's forelegs kept the filly firmly pressed to his chest. His wings propelled them through the water, then hovered them over to the blanket.

"You scared the hay outta me!" the filly yelled, punching Will in the chest once he'd set her down, "I didn't see you come up, then I saw that shadow-"

"You think I wasn't terrified?!" the colt interrupted, visibly shaking as he wrapped her up in the blanket, "You actually weren't moving! Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?! I never would've-" He trailed off, settling down next to Nyx. He cupped her face with his paw.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both winded from the experience.

"Nyx," Will started, "You know that I love you, but you've never said how you felt about me." he whispered.

The filly broke away her gaze, her voice barely audible. "I've never known what love felt like."

Will could hear the pain and vulnerability in her voice. It broke his heart. He used his hoof to turn her face back to his. He wrapped his wings around the both of them, pulling her closer as he played with her mane.

"Then maybe I could teach you."

Author's Note:

This song was blasted in my ears while writing this chapter. I think I found Nyx and Will's theme song.

So, who else was freaking out at the most-likely-unintended Bride of Discord reference while watching the movie for the first time? I know I was!