> The Death of Princess Luna
>  by GigaBowser
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Darkest Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 1 - The Darkest Night

Princess Celestia walked through the hallways of the massive Canterlot palace. Despite its confusing layout, she never got lost, having lived within its walls for over a thousand years of her immortal life. The old stone walls could become monotonous and confusing to inexperienced visitors, but the Princess had learned to notice the subtle differences between the hallways. The different colours and the different decorations stood out to her. 

She turned a corner, passed by a door flanked by two guards, and found herself before two more doors. One, to her right, was white, yellow and emblazoned with a radiant sun. The other, to her left, was black, blue and had a beautiful crescent moon painted upon it.

Smiling, she turned to the door on the left and tapped her hoof against it. There was a moment of silence, and Celestia was about to knock again when she heard a voice on the other side. "Come in!"

The Princess lightly pushed the door open and tilted her head past the threshold. To the left was the ornate bed coloured in the same blues and blacks, and adorned with astrological decorations. Celestia turned her gaze to the right and found a desk with an astounding amount of books piled on top of it. 

She was able to see a navy blue horn poking out from behind them. An unmistakable horn. To the average pony, it would seem that all unicorn horns were identical, and they practically were. But Celestia could see past what most others could, and was able pick up on the smaller details of a horn. She was especially familiar with the one she saw now. Those circular, spiralling patterns only belonged to one, very special pony.

"Luna, what are you doing?" she asked, chuckling lightly.

The face of Celestia's younger sister found its way over the mountain of books. Luna's wavy blue hair was slightly messy, but her face was radiant. "Oh, hi Tia! I'm studying Equestrian history."

Celestia stepped fully into the room and regarded the large pile. The desk was in danger of collapsing. "I didn't know we had this much history," she commented with a bemused expression.

Luna chuckled and got up from her place behind the desk, her face momentarily disappearing behind the books again. "Well, there's a lot I want to learn," she said as she stepped around the desk and approached her older sister. "After all," she said, hesitating slightly before continuing, "I did miss a lot."

Celestia frowned for a moment, understanding the connotation of Luna's words. It was a topic that the two of them preferred to avoid, as it left the both of them feeling sorry for themselves. She then stepped forward and nuzzled Luna affectionately. "Well, don't spend so much time with your head buried in those dusty, old books. You didn't show up for dinner."

Luna looked surprised and turned to the clock on the wall. "But it's only…" she started to respond before seeing what time it was.

"It's only nine o'clock," Celestia finished. Dinner had already occurred at half past seven.

"Oh…" Luna said, crestfallen, "Oh, I'm sorry sis! I wasn't paying attention. I was just too busy enjoying myself. There's so much fascinating stuff in these books!"

Celestia could tell that Luna was distressed at having missed dinner. Due to their duties raising the sun and moon, the two of them only got to spend quality time together during breakfast and dinner. As the Princess of the daytime, she slept during the night, while her sister slept during the day.

"I'm sorry sis," Luna repeated, giving an apologetic look.

"Don't worry, Luna. I know what it's like to lose track of time." Celestia smiled cheerfully. "I'm just about to get some rest, so I'll see you for breakfast." She leaned down and nuzzled Luna before adding, "Right?"

"Yes! Yes I'll be there, I promise!" Luna responded, giggling at the affectionate touch of her sister, who smiled warmly. Simply being near Luna was enough to wash away the stresses of the day and leave her feeling warm all over. 

Celestia chuckled. "Good," she said, smiling. It had been nearly a year since Nightmare Moon had been defeated by the elements of harmony and Luna had been returned to her. Their relationship had not been perfect since then, but no relationship ever is. Sometimes they would feel guilty about actions in the past, and sometimes they would squabble. Sometimes they even argued heatedly. But, like any pair of siblings, they always found common ground, apologized when necessary, and continued to love each other. 

Celestia cleared her throat. "Now, I also came down here to let you know that you're needed in the royal court in an hour."

"I am?" Luna responded with an intrigued expression.

"Yes, there's a bit of a land dispute going on in the eastern provinces, and the two parties are scheduled to argue their claims."

Luna tried to suppress a groan, but was unsuccessful.

Celestia eyed her sister. "What?"

"Another appearance in the court when they don't even need me?" she muttered, annoyed, "They have the jury and they have the judges there! What do they need me for?"

The taller alicorn sighed, suddenly frustrated. "Luna, you know why you're needed. It's written in our laws that there cannot be any court proceedings, nor can there be any dispute settlements without the presence of a Princess to oversee the whole thing and, since it's getting late, I decided to let you handle this one."

"I know, I know all that," Luna replied, "but…it's just really boring. I just sit there until the end" She sighed, harbouring obvious disinterest in attending the court.

"Luna," Celestia began in a tone befitting an upset parent. This topic of conversation was nothing new. Luna clearly enjoyed being co-regent of the kingdom, and enthusiastically accepted most of her duties, such as travelling to distant towns to speak or to perform diplomatic duties. However, there were some aspects that she adamantly disliked. Presiding at court was one of them.

"Sorry, Tia, but I just don't like it."

"Luna, you know that ruling this land isn't easy. Do you think I enjoy half of the things I have to do every day? It's a tough job, but you are my co-regent and, as such, have duties to perform. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but you wanted to rule alongside me."

Luna was wincing, knowing that her sister was right, but still not liking it. "Tia," she began.

"You wanted this. You said so yourself," Celestia interrupted.

"Tia, I know! Of course I want to rule alongside you! You're my sister, and I love you. It's just…you know, I sometimes think that some of the stuff we do is…well, an inefficient use of our time."

"Luna, everything we do as rulers is important."

"But I don't do anything at the court! All I have to do is listen and then sign this thingy saying I agree with the judge."

"Exactly! You can overturn the decision"

"But I never have to! The judge is a judge for a reason! He knows what he's doing."

"Luna…" Celestia suppressed a groan. This was escalating into a heated argument once again.

Luna turned away from her sister and paced back to her desk. "Can't I take one of these with me?" She indicated the immense pile of books with her horn.

"Of course not! You can't read during court, that's disrespectful!"

"I think educating myself is a far better use of my time than sitting on my haunches and doing nothing. I was going to try to get through as many of these books as I could, and then maybe go and stretch my wings a little."

Celestia sighed. "Luna, nopony likes every single aspect of their job. It's no different for us, but you still have to do it. That's life." She paused before something in her brain clicked. "'Stretch your wings'?"

"Yeah, I was gonna go on a little flight," Luna responded casually.

"With who?"

"What do you mean, 'With who'? I was going to go by myself."

Suddenly, Celestia felt exasperated and said to herself, Not this again. "Luna, I told you that if you're going somewhere without me, you have to go with a guard!"

Luna furrowed her brow. "I'm just flying around the castle! It's not like I'm going off into the wilderness or down to Ponyville to see my friends or anything! I don't think I need a guard for that!"

"Luna…" Celestia said, beginning to lose her patience.

"Tia, I don't need a foalsitter!"

"Luna, it's for your own safety!"

Luna was getting visibly frustrated. Celestia had always wanted Luna to be escorted and to never travel alone ever since she had come back from the moon. She trusted Luna completely and knew that she could take care of herself. However, she was wary of the common folk. She could see in some of their eyes the distrust and apprehension. Many of them still had Nightmare Moon fresh on their minds and weren't entirely sure that the evil was entirely gone. She had always been afraid that some extremist pony would try something drastic.

"Luna, you can go on a flight after your court meeting. It's only one, so please attend it."

Luna groaned before saying, "Fine."

"You can have Moonbeam go with you."

"Tia! I don't need a guard for a short little flight around the castle! I'm not even going into down into Canterlot! I'll be high up in the air! Nopony will even be able to reach me!"

"It doesn't matter, Luna. You can either take a guard with you, or you can wait until I have some free time to go with you."

"Tia!! I'm not a foal!" Luna shouted.

"I never said you were! It's not a matter of your independence; it's a matter of security! I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"I'm not going to get hurt! Nightmare Moon is gone, and she isn't coming back!"

Celestia stared at her sister, slightly thrown by her choice of words. "Luna…"

"And besides! What if somepony did try to hurt me?! I'm an immortal alicorn!"

"Luna, your immortality means you don't age. You're not invincible. You can still get hurt, and you can still get killed. You know that."

"Whatever, Tia. I still have my magic."

Celestia could feel herself losing her temper, and so decided to bring the discussion to a close. "Luna, you have all night to read your books as long as you attend the court. I expect you'll be there. And if you don't want to have an escort on your flight, then I'll instruct the guards to not let you leave."

"TIA!!"

"Enough, Luna."

"Tia, this isn't fair!!"

"End of discussion, Luna." Celestia sighed and made her way towards the door, upset at the unpleasant direction the visit had taken. She paused at the doorway and turned back to face Luna, whose face was livid. "Life's not fair, Luna. Get used to it." She then stepped out of the door, shutting it tightly behind her.

As she stepped towards the other door with the gorgeous sun carved onto it, she paused and listened to the muffled sounds of Luna screaming in frustration. She sighed, shook her head, and entered her room, passing the guards who looked concerned but still professional and closed the door behind her.

As she moved about the room, removing her royal vestments and adjusting the covers of her bed, her mind raced. She was extremely frustrated; not only with Luna, but with herself and with the situation. She hadn't meant to get so hostile, but she had only imposed those restrictions upon her sister because she cared so deeply about her. She had spent a thousand years of her long life without Luna and, now that her sister was back, she wasn't taking any chances. 

Luna had always been a free spirit. It shouldn't have been a surprise that she did not wish to be confined to inefficient duties or to be escorted. However, Celestia still felt offended. Her sister's words had pushed her the wrong way, which had led to her slightly losing her temper.

At least the guards knew how to handle the situation. They were all informed of the need for a guard for Luna. If they saw her departing from the castle without one, she knew that they would notify her as soon as possible.

Celestia climbed into bed. As she got comfortable beneath the covers and lay her head on the pillow, her thoughts drifted again. Things had been different since Luna had returned. Celestia was a thousand years older than her now and, as a result, a thousand years wiser. Luna had remained mostly unchanged. She still carried her shy personality and apprehension to meeting new friends. It had definitely helped when she'd met Twilight Sparkle and made some excellent friends in Ponyville, but her underlying timidity was still visible.  Despite this, however, Luna's desire to be unrestrained also still remained. She disliked being controlled.

Everypony had been overjoyed to see their princess of the night returned to them unharmed, much to Celestia's delight. She had been so worried that the ponies of Equestria were not going to accept Luna after she had become Nightmare Moon. Yet, their love and appreciation was plainly visible at the celebration of her return.

However, as time went on, Celestia began to hear occasional gossip and rumours of Nightmare Moon possibly returning. There were even rumours that Luna was actually Nightmare Moon in an elaborate disguise. While most of the ponies they saw smiled and waved to them, she could always find a few giving Luna strange looks.

Thus, Celestia had insisted that Luna be escorted wherever she went.

She hadn't been the only pony to suggest this. Many of the royal guards, advisors and even some personal friends of hers knew that it wasn't entirely safe for Luna to be on her own. However, it had ultimately been Celestia's decision to impose these restrictions.

This, in addition to Luna's distaste of some of her royal duties, had led to many small fights. The two had always had fights when they had been young, but they had been closer to the same age at that time. They had simply been butting heads like most siblings do. Now, Celestia was a thousand years older. The dynamic between them now felt more like a mother and child arguing. Despite everything, however, the two of them still loved each other dearly.

The events of minutes ago swirled in her mind. She was upset with herself for having spoken to Luna in such a tone, but was also upset with Luna's tempered reaction to her. Had she been unfair? Had she spoken too harshly? The two of them had always managed to apologize to each other and make up quickly, but this was the first time Celestia found herself going to sleep with Luna still angry at her.

Arguments with Luna were always awful, even if she was confident that she was right. She found herself wishing that she could've handled the situation better, and that perhaps Luna deserved an apology for her tone. She nearly got out of bed to apologize immediately, but decided against this when she heard Luna's door opening and the sound of hooves on the floor of the hallway. Luna was heading off to the court already. 

She closed her eyes, trying to will away her ill thoughts. They didn't leave, and kept invading her subconscious. "I'm sorry Luna," she muttered under her breath, "We'll have a nice breakfast together tomorrow. Everything will work out, I'm sure." With this final, passing thought, Celestia fell into a soft sleep, shutting out the frustrations of the outer world.

…

"Your Highness? Please wake up."

Celestia's eyes slowly fluttered open. She glanced around, trying to get her bearings. It was still the middle of the night; dawn had not yet arrived. As such, her room was still bathed in darkness, and she found it difficult to see anything. A small beam of light was flooding in from one side of the room. The Princess realized it was coming through her doorway. Standing in this beam, casting an eerie shadow on the wall, was one of her royal guards. 

Celestia yawned, still mildly sleepy, and lit one of the lamps in the room with her magic. "What is it? I certainly hope this is important," she muttered. Fighting off the remaining fatigue, she sat herself up on the bed, yawned and observed the guard. He was dressed as all guards were and was not particularly noteworthy in his outward appearance. 

However, her gaze was drawn to his face. He looked shaken and emotionally drained. There was an intense sadness written upon his face. It was clear that he was barely holding it together. She could see marks of dried tears upon his cheeks. Suddenly, she wasn't tired.

"Yes, Your Highness…it is important." He was barely choking out his words. His eyes tried to avoid the Princess' gaze. "I, um," he stuttered, "I have terrible news." 

Celestia's mind raced and she immediately felt anxious. Something bad had happened. Something had gone horribly wrong.

"It's," the guard paused, as if afraid to go on, "about Luna." 

The colour drained from Celestia's face. Her ears splayed back and her heart skipped a beat. Luna?! Something had happened to Luna? Something had happened to Luna! She immediately found herself standing, staring wide-eyed into the guard's shaken face.

"What? What happened? Tell me! Is she all right?!" She had never heard her own voice sound that way before. It was shaken, panicked. It barely sounded like her own. She was vaguely aware that she was trembling. 

The guard's gaze shifted around the room, but never met with her own. She couldn't tell if he was afraid to speak to her, or if he was unable to choke out his own words. They spent a few more agonizing moments in silence. She voiced her frustration. 

"Tell me! Tell me now! Is she okay?!" Her mind raced. Had she been injured? Abducted? She could only assume that Luna had gotten out last night. Had she fallen and broken something? Had some horrible creature such as a Hyrda attacked her? Or had her fears come true? Had extremist ponies taken her or tried to hurt her?

The guard swallowed before finally speaking, "When we discovered that she had snuck out of her room, we sent the royal guard out to look for her. We found her…just outside the Everfree Forest."

Celestia's mind raced. The Everfree Forest?! Luna had said that she was only going to fly around the castle. Then again, she hadn't been angry when she had said that.

"I'm so sorry, Your Highness…" his voice cracked, and he took a breath. "When we found her she was already…" he trailed off. Celestia gasped, wide-eyed before he even finished his statement.

"Princess Luna is dead."

A deafening silence fell around them. At first the alicorn didn't move. She didn't speak. She barely breathed. The words of the guard nearly failing to register. 

A lump formed in her throat. She suddenly found it difficult to inhale. The words breaking through and repeating incessantly in her head.

'Princess Luna is dead. Princess Luna is dead. Princess Luna is dead.'

Celestia found herself slowly shaking her head. It couldn't be true. She held on to the faint hope that it wasn't. This had to be a mistake. Maybe this guard was lying to her. Rage burned. Maybe this guard was lying to her! 

Her wild eyes fell upon the guard's face. He was staring at the ground with a heartbroken look. Tears were now streaming from his eyes. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be. She was afraid. Maybe it was. It couldn't! It could! She shook her head again.

"No…" she said in a barely audible voice. She took a step back. The guard looked up at her with teary eyes. "No…" she said again, slightly louder, overcome with sadness and disbelief.

"I'm…I'm so sorry," the guard said, his voice wavering. As tears fell from his eyes, Celestia found that she was on the verge of crying as well. Her breathing quickened, her heart began to beat rapidly. 

"You're lying…" she whispered. 

The guard's frown grew larger, a feat that had seemed impossible moments ago. "I would never lie to you, Your Highness," he said, his sad eyes piercing into Celestia. Two teardrops fell to the floor with quiet splats. She only shook her head harder. 

"It's not true..." she said, waiting desperately for the guard to tell her that it was a ruse. A lie. Any scenario appealed to her at the moment, even one in which her entire guard was conspiring against her with this audacious lie. However, the guard only lowered his head and repeated what he had said earlier. 

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but Princess Luna is dead."

"NO!"

Suddenly there was an ear-piercing shatter of breaking glass. The guard looked up in surprise, only to quickly shield his eyes from the cascade of broken glass that rained down around him, some of it bouncing off of his armour. When it had all settled, he looked toward what had been an intact window several seconds prior. In the distance, through the fresh hole in the large bedroom window, he saw Celestia flying into the distance.

"It's not true! It's not true! It's not true! It's not true!" She muttered the same phrase repeatedly as she flew across the dark landscape of Equestria. With powerful wing strokes, she quickly made her way down from Canterlot. Tears streamed from her eyes, a combination of her emotions and from the blinding wind that was whipping at her face.

The alicorn flew at speeds faster than any pegasus pony could ever hope to achieve. The mountain upon which Canterlot rested was far behind her now as the large group of trees that made up the Everfree Forest quickly approached. Within seconds she was there and she began searching the outskirts.

"No! Please, no! Luna…" she mumbled, her voice quivering. Her wings ached and she still found it hard to breathe. She ignored the cries of her body and continued to circle the forest, hoping and praying that she would find nothing. She tried to tell herself that her search would come up empty and that she would return to the castle and imprison that guard for life. "Anything, please! A conspiracy, a hoax, a mistake! Anything but-"

Celestia gasped. She slowed down slightly. Just ahead, on the side of the Everfree Forest furthest away from Canterlot, she saw a group of ponies. Their armour glistened in the moonlight. They were Royal Guards. She began to fly towards them, her panic slowly intensifying. 

They were gathered around something on the ground.

"No…"

They were gathered around something the size of a full-grown pony, and it was a thick, dark blue.

"No!"

As she got close enough to see what was happening, she saw one of the pegasus guards lift a heavy black blanket over what they were gathered around. She recognized him; Sergeant Navy Shield, one of her most top-ranked guards. With a solemn bow of his head, he draped the blanket over the dark blue object.

But it wasn't an object. She could see that it was a pony.

Finally she came to a halt, hovering directly over the grim scene. The guards all turned to look up at her. They all carried sad expressions and a few were clearly holding back tears and trying to be professional. Many of them bowed their heads.

Her breath still coming in erratically and her heart still beating at a quick pace, she turned her gaze to the pony on the ground. The blanket was not quite large enough to properly cover the pony. Four dark blue hooves could barely be seen poking out of the bottom. Near the back, a thick cyan tail could be seen.

Celestia stared, wide-eyed. Her heart skipped a beat. Near the top of the blanket, a horn was sticking out. A long, blue horn with a very unique spiralling pattern.

A very familiar and unmistakable pattern.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. The airborne alicorn stared slack-jawed at the scene before her. She found herself unable to breathe. Her entire body shivered as a torrent of tears began to fall from her eyes. Somehow, she managed to stay afloat. There was an eerie stillness in the area. 

The lack of oxygen caught up to her and she hiccupped. She shook her head wildly, trying to wake herself up. Her mind trying desperately to deny what she was seeing. But no end and no relief came. "No…" she said quietly. She felt her heart leap into her throat. "No!" she shouted. Her face scowled into an awful display of emotional torment. 

"L…Luna…"

Tears began to cloud her vision. She was losing control. A few sorrowful cries escaped her lips as she backed up slowly through the air. The ponies on the ground bowed their heads in mournful respect. 

And then she bolted. She turned and flew away from the scene at such an incredible pace that she was sure she'd left a sonic boom behind. She flew as fast as she could. She didn't know where she was going and she didn't know when she would stop. 

She just had to get away.

Her right wing clipped a tree. As she lost control of her flight, she opened her eyes. Her vision was clouded and she could barely see. A soft landing out of the question, and she soon found herself collapsed upon the ground in a painful heap. The impact was substantial, leaving lacerations and a thick, coursing pain flowing through her body. 

She didn't feel it. All she could feel was the overwhelming sadness. It quickly built up within her and burst out suddenly. "LUNA!" she cried into the night. Her wail pierced through the silent air of the forest she had crash-landed in, sending the local animals scurrying away.

Her emotions rose to a fevered pitch and she began to cry. She buried her head in her hooves and cried her heart out. She had no idea where she was. She had no idea if anypony could hear her. She didn't care. She wasn't able think about such things. She could only think about her beloved sister.

She cried louder than she had ever cried before in her life. Louder than when she had lost her mother. Louder than when Luna had been taken over by Nightmare Moon and louder than she had been forced to imprison her. 

She didn't want it to be possible. She pleaded for it to be a lie. But her denial was growing thin. She had seen the body. She had seen her sister's horn.

She was gone. Gone forever. Her wails only grew louder. They seemed to course through the air and her sorrow seemed to be carried throughout Equestria. The wails of the Sun Princess. She was alone now. Alone like she had been for a thousand painful years, only this time it was forever.

"Luunaaaaa!!"

…

Many ponies heard her cry that night. They would later recall that it had been the saddest sound they had ever heard in their lives. The loud, painful cries of the princess brought tears to ponies' eyes, even though they hadn't known what she was crying about. Some would say that it sounded like the sun itself was crying. They said it sounded ominous. They immediately knew that something very bad had happened, maybe the worst thing to possibly happen.

The guards of Canterlot castle worked quickly and diligently to bring in Princess Luna's body, not wanting to cause a premature stir or panic. Their reactions were all the same. They grimaced and began to tear up at the sight of the fallen alicorn. Some of the guard had expressed their disbelief. Some had simply refused to believe that the Princess of the Night was dead. Their arguments fell silent at the sight of her body.

The mood at the castle became still, nearly dead. Many were unable to perform their duty, having broken down into painful tears. Only the most elite and diligent were able to handle her body with the care it deserved. Words were only spoken when communication was absolutely necessary. At all other times, mournful silence reigned.

The castle's doctors had briefly examined her. They could clearly see that she had been attacked by something. Bloody lacerations and gashes covered her body. One of her legs was broken. Her fur was ruffled and matted with dirt. She had obviously struggled with some creature of the forest. With heavy hearts, they all came to the grim conclusion that her opponent had won.

A few tense hours of the night passed with no sign of the elder sister. Many had placed themselves outside of the castle in the lawns and gardens and were scanning the skies for their beloved princess of the day. The most elite of the guards did their best to retain their professionalism, despite the circumstances. 

Eventually, one guard's relieved cry alerted the others. Those presently outside gazed to the sky and saw Celestia flying slowly back to the castle. She flew high above them all and landed directly in the throne room. There, she found the elite guards, who were all expressing their relief that she was safe and unharmed. 

Everypony could see that their Princess did not look quite the same as she had before. Her brilliant white coat was slightly darker. Her eyes had rings around them and it was obvious that she had been crying. Her crown was slightly off center and she wore an unreadable expression upon her face. It betrayed no emotions.

However, the most striking difference was her mane and tail. All of the colours had faded and darkened. The blues and greens had receded, allowing the pink to be more pronounced, albeit very dark and faded. Her mane and tail usually flowed constantly, as if lifted by some invisible wind. Now, however, they barely moved, as if this wind had died down to a gentle breeze.

The guards were all expressing their sorrow and offering their condolences, many biting back tears. They were clearly distraught at the loss of Luna and found themselves thrown into a situation none of them had prepared for. Celestia, however, held a steeled expression. All traces of her earlier remorse were hidden as she urged them to focus on important matters.

Politically, the loss of Luna changed little. Celestia was freely able to rule the land of Equestria alone. It also carried no negative consequences when it came to moving the moon. The elder Princess could move it herself. She had done both of these things previously; for a thousand years, no less.

These facts, however, did nothing to sooth the pain in everypony's heart. 

The main tasks she imposed on all of the workers of the castle were preparations for a funeral.

She was very quick and to the point. She instructed them to find the proper ponies to handle the event, although there was a noticeable quiver in her voice when spoke those words. She then assigned all of her pegasus guards to fly out to the various cities across Equestria as soon as the sun rose. It would be their job to spread the grim news. 

When everypony had their instructions, they all walked or flew away from Celestia. One pony remained with her in the vast throne room. Sunbeam, her highest-ranking guard and her top-ranking official, stood by her side. 

"Princess…" he spoke in a soft, caring voice. He had been under her employment for longer than any other pony currently working in the castle. They had developed a very close friendship. "Are you going to be all right?"

He saw her lips tremble and he swore he could see tears welling in her eyes. She did not look at him. She stared forward, taking a long deep breath. Then, she closed her eyes and spoke in a soft whisper.

"No, Sunbeam. I'm not."

She then walked towards the doors of the throne room. Sunbeam made to go after her, driven by an urge to comfort her, but stopped himself. It tore his heart up to see his beloved ruler so sad, but he knew that she needed time. He noticed how her tail dragged across the floor like a piece of fabric. Her mane and tail looked starkly different than they had before. They almost looked unhealthy.

Slowly and silently she made her way towards her bedroom. It seemed to take forever and, at the same time, no time at all, but soon she found herself in a familiar hallway. Before her stood two beautiful, ornately designed doors. One was bright and warm, one was dark and blue. 

For a while she simply stood staring at the door emblazoned with the night. Countless emotions and memories coursed through her mind. Eventually, she forced herself to tear her vision away from the dark door and stepped through the opposite one. 

Stepping inside of her expansive bedroom, she closed the door behind her and enchanted it with a lock spell. For a moment she stared at the broken window and the shattered glass that littered the floor. Her horn glowed and the window repaired itself. Soon, her room was picture-perfect.

Sighing heavily, she moved over to her bed, tears already forming in her eyes. As she crossed the room, she stepped in front of her mirror. Her own reflection caught her eye and caused her to stop.

She turned and gazed at the alicorn in the mirror. She saw the emotionally fragile face and the blemishes and marks of stress. She saw the state of her mane. The unpleasant sight of what had once been a proud and beautiful princess only urged her tears to flow faster. She shut her eyes and whipped her head away from the mirror, not wanting to see herself any longer. 

Painful tears flowed freely for the second time that night. "Luna…" she said through her cries. Thoughts of her sister flooded her mind. She remembered all of the wonderful times they had spent together. The laughs, the smiles. Luna's pleasant personality and charming character had been something that had never ceased to brighten Celestia's heart. Her face had been so cute and her mannerisms had been so endearing. 

And now she was gone forever. Never again would Luna nuzzle up beside her on a cold winter's night while she draped her wing over the younger alicorn for warmth. She would never hear Luna's sweet, naïve voice ask a question, imploring her sister's infinite wisdom. She would never hear the laughter that was so infectious that one couldn't help but join in with.

She remembered her sister's jealousy over a thousand years ago. Old pains of guilt resurfaced suddenly as she thought back to when she had been forced to banish Nightmare Moon to her namesake in the sky. She had replayed the situation in her head countless times since then. Now, it only served to create more painful tears.

"I'm…sorry…" she breathed out, barely able to form words. The pain in her heart was unbearable. Celestia could feel a gaping hole that had been left. A part of her had died along with Luna tonight. She sniffled, wishing futilely for the tears to stop. Memories, good and bad, assaulted her as Luna's life replayed before her mind's eye. 

This culminated with her most recent memory. The events of the evening returned to her memory in full force. She gasped as she came to the horrible realization. The last interaction she'd had with her sister had been a heated argument. The last feelings Luna had felt for her had been anger. 

Her own harsh words echoed fiercely in her mind. She had been insensitive and unfair. Earlier she had fooled herself into believing that her words, while possibly poorly chosen, had been deserved. She could clearly see how wrong she had been, and the overwhelming guilt began to suffocate her.

"No…No! Oh heavens, no! Luna! I'm so sorry!"

Her painful cries flared up again, fuelled by this new guilt. That anger had been the impression she had left, and it had been the last way she had acted towards her sister. A horrid sense of self-loathing came over her as she covered her head with her trembling hooves.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry!"

Luna had left this world feeling angry at her. This knowledge felt like a stabbing pain in her heart. Her cries continued to echo throughout the room, a stark epitome of her emotions.

Eventually her cries subsided, although her sadness did not, and sleep claimed her weary body. She would be awakened hours later by her mental clock, alerting her that she needed to raise the sun. She felt a horrible pang of sadness as she reached out with her magic and lowered her sister's moon. Then, after her heavenly body graced the skies, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. She viewed herself yet again. The signs of fatigue and sorrow still showed.

But her mane had changed again. It and her tail now hung limply, long and straight like a piece of fabric that had been attached to her. They did not sway in any unseen wind. And they were grey. Completely grey. There were no blues, greens, purples, and no pinks. Not even faded colours remained. Her mane and tail were grey.

Fresh tears welled in her eyes.

> Shock and Despair
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2 - Shock and Despair

"Spike? Where are you?"

There was a clattering and the sounds of hurried steps across the wooden floors of the library's second storey. A small purple head poked out. Spike glanced down the stairs at the source of the voice. "Right here. Trying to clean up." 

On the ground floor, Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes. That hadn't sounded like cleaning. "How's that going?" 

Spike stepped fully into view, rubbing the back of his head absentmindedly. "Uhh…well, it's certainly not easy. Why did you have to choose the top shelf's books to leave all over the floor? That ladder's hard to balance on."

Twilight gave a wry look before chuckling. "Well, don't worry about that now. I'll get them later. Right now, I need you to write a letter for me!" 

Spike's expression lit up as he proceeded down the stairs. "Oh good! Did you have fun with Fluttershy?"

Twilight levitated her saddlebags off of her back and placed them upon a nearby table. She had just returned from an outing and had stepped into the library only a minute ago. "Sure did!" she replied, "Fluttershy was right. It was the perfect spot to see all of the constellations. I'm so glad she convinced me to spend the night stargazing there."

Twilight stepped over to the desk and glanced at the roll of parchment. Spike had already begun to write out Dear Princess Celestia. "Spike!" 

"What?" 

"Don't assume things! Now you've wasted a perfectly good roll of parchment! This is a letter for Princess Luna!"

Spike immediately brought his palm to his face hard. "Sorry…" 

Twilight sighed. "It's okay, don't worry about it. Just, next time, wait for me to start."

Spike tossed the failed letter off to the side, unrolled a new piece of parchment and held the quill, saying, "Okay, ready."

Twilight smiled. "Dear Princess Luna," she dictated, "Three nights ago, I had been up late and enjoying a party being thrown by one of my best friends, Pinkie Pie. As the party had died down, and I was on my way home, I found myself staring at the night sky. I began to notice a lot of the constellations looked different than they had earlier in the year. A quick reference search in the library confirmed to me that, indeed, the constellations rotate along with the seasons.

"I spent the majority of last night under the night sky, gazing at these new constellations and mapping out their paths for myself. I know maps of the constellations already exist, but there's a certain satisfaction one achieves by doing it on one's own. 

"Anyway, I just wanted to tell you something that you probably already know; your summer constellations are just as beautiful as the winter ones. You have done an absolutely spectacular job constructing the night sky.

"How have you been? I hope things are going well. Next time I am in Canterlot, I will be sure to drop by and spend some time with you. 

"Always a pleasure to talk to you, Twilight Sparkle."

She grinned to herself. Her connection with Princess Luna had grown over the months that she had spent in Ponyville. Of course, everypony knew the story of how she and her five friends had reawakened the Elements of Harmony and saved Luna from Nightmare Moon. However, after Luna had returned to the throne, she had stayed very much in the background. She had not accompanied Celestia for any of her visits to Ponyville, nor had she made any headlines or done anything noteworthy. 

At the Gala, Twilight realized just how much she had been forgetting about Luna. The young princess' absence at the royal event had only increased Twilight's curiosity. She and her friends had, admittedly, not paid Luna much thought since they had dealt with Nightmare Moon. And so, when Celestia had come to greet the group of six mildly ashamed ponies in the donut shop, the conversation had eventually drifted to Luna.

The answer had been simple: Luna was shy. Twilight's desire to eat donuts had suddenly disappeared and she had asked Celestia to take her to talk with Luna. The Princess had complied, and she, Luna, and Twilight had spent the rest of the evening talking and getting to know each other.

After that, Twilight had begun sending her letters. The letters she sent to Celestia were her friendship reports, and they had always been written in a professional manner. However, when she wrote to Luna, she treated them more like letters between pen pals. They were always very informal; simple messages between two friends.

Twilight chuckled. She had not expected to become Luna's best friend, but it had happened. And, thanks to this friendship, Luna had been appearing in the public eye more often, even after her decidedly shaky appearance on Nightmare Night. Not only that, but she had promised to be at the next Grand Galloping Gala.

Spike had finished proofreading the letter and proceeded to roll it up. "Sounds like a great letter, Twilight. Ready to send it?"

Twilight paused, racking her brain for anything she may have forgotten. When she came up with nothing, she replied, "Yup! Go ahead." 

Spike walked over to one of the library's windows and pushed it open, letting the crisp morning air waft into the building. He held the letter out the window in his claw, took a deep breath, and then engulfed the scroll in a deep blue flame. The letter was burned up, the fire turned to blue smoke, and the smoke flew off into the distance. 

"I hope she's doing okay," he said, looking out across Ponyville, whose residents were just beginning to wake up. 

"Oh, she's doing fantastic. Ponies stay up much later than they did a thousand years ago, and some of them work right through the night," Twilight responded.

"That's good. She really deserves it, ya know?"

"I know what you mean, Spike. But everything is so much better for ponies who love the night now. We have telescopes, and we know so much more about astronomy and astrology. With advancements in electricity, the nights aren't as dark as they used to be, and ponies aren't afraid of the night as much."

"Mhm…"

"And we're such great friends. I knew it would be good for her to have a friend, but I didn't expect it would be me! But it's all good! She's a great friend and I love sending letters to her."

"Mhm…"

Twilight glanced over to Spike. His vision was glued to the window outside. "Spike, what's the weather like out there?" she asked him, harbouring a suspicion.

"Mhm…"

Twilight sighed and began to make her way towards the window. "Spike, you're not even listening to me," she muttered, slightly frustrated at her assistant. She reached the window and glanced out over his shoulder. "What're you looking at anyway?"

At first, she couldn't see anything of interest. However, she soon spied a white unicorn pony a fair distance down the street. Her friend Rarity was too far away to notice them, but Spike had definitely noticed her. 

"Spiiiike…" she said with a smirk upon her face, "get your head out of the clouds, will ya?"

Spike sighed in response. "Even when she's so far away, she's absolutely stunning. She's so pretty…"

Twilight chuckled. She then made to turn away from the window and return to matters within the library when something caught her eye. "Spike, look up there!" she said.

"Mhm…"

"Spike!" she shouted, giving him a light tap on the back of the head. This caused him to regain his senses.

"Ah, wh- wha? What?"

"Look up there!" Twilight repeated, pointing one of her hooves out of the open window and up to the sky. In the distance, but rapidly approaching, she saw a group of three royal pegasus guards flying through the sky.

"Isn't that the royal guard?" Spike asked.

"Yeah, it is…but I don't see either of the Princesses with them," she observed, curiosity building. "I wonder what they're doing here."

Spike turned to look at her and said, "It must be important!"

"You're right. These aren't messengers or scribes, these are royal guards. I'm gonna go find out what's up! Watch the library."

Spike saluted as Twilight rushed out the door.

The guards had already landed in the center of Ponyville, where the mayor had approached them and a large crowd was growing. Twilight ran towards them from the library. As she approached, she noticed that one of the guards had a horn sticking out from his helmet and had large butterfly-like wings sticking out of his back. He was a unicorn, not a pegasus.

As she reached the edge of the crowd, one of the pegasi's voice cut through the air loudly, amplified by a spell being cast by the unicorn. "Attention residents of Ponyville! Please gather in the town square! We, the Royal Guard of Canterlot, have a very important announcement."

Twilight glanced around and saw ponies sticking their heads out of windows and stepping out of doors. As the seconds and minutes drifted past, the crowd grew and grew with ponies of the village. Nearly all of Ponyville's residents were there. 

Twilight's eyes scanned the growing crowd. A multitude of colours met her eyes and she found it difficult to decipher where one pony ended and another began. Luckily, she spotted a unique mane among the ponies and made her way towards it. The rainbow-coloured mane of one of her best friends was sticking out like a beacon.

"Dash!" she called over the clamour of the crowd. 

Rainbow Dash turned her head at her call and grinned. "Twilight!"

Twilight pushed her way through the crowd and approached Rainbow Dash, noticing that Rarity and Fluttershy were standing nearby. "Hey, everypony," she greeted them, "I guess you all saw these guys?"

"I saw them flying in," Rainbow Dash said, "I thought it was weird that guards were flying in without the Princesses! I thought we were under attack by something! I was all set to go and kick some tail!"

"Well, thank heavens that isn't the case," Rarity chimed in, "I think we've all had quite enough 'attacks' to last Ponyville a lifetime."

Twilight chuckled. "I hear ya."

"That's good…that nothing's attacking us," Fluttershy said meekly, "but why are they here? I do hope nothing's wrong…"

Twilight looked out across the crowd, searching for a certain distinctive hat. "Where's Applejack?" 

"She's over there," Dash responded, holding a hoof out to her right. "She must've been on the farm when she heard the sound."

Finally, Twilight saw Applejack's cowpony hat across the sea of manes. She seemed to be attempting to make her way towards them. "She's trying to get to us," Twilight observed.

Dash turned her head and glanced at Applejack's hat. It comically looked like the hat was moving on its own, simply floating over the ponies' heads. She snickered. "She's not having much luck…"

The crowd had reached its maximum. Nearly every pony in Ponyville had gathered around the three winged guards. Applejack was having difficulty moving through the thick group of ponies. 

"Well, where's Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked, not seeing any sign of a bouncing pink pony.

"I'm right here, silly!"

Twilight, Rarity and Rainbow Dash jerked their heads around, startled. Fluttershy squeaked in surprise and dove behind Dash. The four stared at Pinkie, who had inexplicably placed herself behind them. 

"Pinkie, stop doing that! You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days!" Dash said. 

"Good gracious, dear, I didn't even hear you. You snuck up on us like a ninja," Rarity remarked.

This sent Pinkie into a fit of giggles. "Hahaha, oh Rarity. I could never be a ninja. Although it would be cool to be a ninja. I would sneak up on bad ponies and go 'Hi-ya!' and then they wouldn't be able to be bad any more. But I couldn't be one, because ninjas aren't pink. At least, I don't think I've ever seen a pink ninja. They wouldn't be able to hide very well. Unless they were in a pink room. Or if it was springtime and they were in the trees. Ooh! Or if they were in a cotton candy factory! Then-"

"Pinkie! Shush!" Twilight interrupted the endless tirade of Pinkie, "The Royal Guards look like they're about to speak."

The pegasus who had spoken before stood up tall, looking out at the ponies before him. He was clearly the highest ranked of the trio. He cleared his throat, his voice still amplified by the unicorn's spell. The crowd fell silent. 

"Thank you for assembling on such sudden notice," he spoke, his voice loud and deep. "Ponies of Ponyville, I am Navy Shield, First Sergeant of Canterlot's Royal Guard." He paused and took a breath, "Ponies, I bring with me grim news from the Royal Castle."

Hushed murmurs erupted through the crowd as they shared worried glances. Twilight and her friends stared with rapt attention.

"It is my solemn duty to inform you all that a tragedy has occurred."

Quiet gasps could be heard, but everypony was quickly silenced, hanging on his every word.

He took in another breath. "Our beloved co-regent and sovereign of the night, Princess Luna…"

Twilight's eyes grew wide.

"…has been killed."

Loud gasps of horror erupted from the crowd, and all at once a clamour erupted. They cried out, expressing their sorrow and disbelief. 

"No!" 

"It can't be!" 

"It's a lie!" 

"Luna?!" 

Fluttershy gasped quite loudly, as did Rarity. Twilight heard Dash sit down on her haunches. As for herself, she simply stared forward, mouth hung open in shock. At first, her mind refused to accept it. Princess Luna…dead?! It seemed impossible.

The distressed voices of the crowd continued. Navy Shield held up his wings in an attempt to bring silence to the upset crowd. They fell silent, aside from many sorrowful sobs. Navy continued to speak.

"She was discovered on the outskirts of the Everfree Forest in the middle of the previous night. We believe she had been attacked by one of the forest's creatures." He lowered his head.

Tears formed in Twilight's eyes and she stared in shock. This was real! This was really happening. The reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

"A funeral will be held tomorrow. It will take place in the main plaza of Canterlot. If you are able to attend, you will be graciously welcomed."

Twilight stole quick glances at the ponies around her. Rainbow Dash was staring in utter disbelief, Rarity wore a sorrowful expression, and Fluttershy was trying and failing to hold back a torrent of tears. 

"With this tragic passing of Princess Luna, Equestria will hereby return to the political system we held not long ago. Celestia is once again Equestria's sole ruler, and it is with her magic that the sun and the moon shall rise and set."

Navy Shield lowered his head. "Princess Celestia has decreed that this day shall henceforth be a day of mourning. An annual day of remembrance for her beloved sister, the Princess of the night."

He then turned to the other Pegasus guard and nodded. The other guard reached back and retrieved something from a compartment in his armour and handed it to Navy Shield. It was an official-looking document, and it bore a very distinctive and fairly large stamp in the shape of Celestia's cutie mark.

"This is the official documentation for this tragic event. As you can all see, it bears the seal of Princess Celestia. So, to anyone who still holds doubt, I am very sorry to say that this is no hoax or lie."

A frightening hush fell over the crowd. The silence felt eerie.

Navy Shield glanced around before saying, "If there are no objections, then we will be leaving. We have other assignments."

When nopony spoke up, Navy Shield turned to face Ponyville's mayor, who was near the front of the crowd, and handed her the document. Then, with nods to his colleagues, he took off into the sky. The other pegasus and the unicorn followed him.

Immediately, dissonance filled the air as everypony began to make some form of noise, be it actual words or simply mournful cries. Twilight, at first, was unable to speak or move. The sudden, harsh revelation of this tragedy had left her blindsided. 

"T-T-Twilight?" 

The meek voice was barely heard over the clamour of the other ponies, but it was enough to make Twilight glance down at Fluttershy before her. 

"Is…this real?" 

Twilight could see the pegasus' teary eyes. She was shivering lightly. Of the five of them, Fluttershy had clearly been hit the worst.

"Yeah, Twilight. Y-you're the one who knows all that Canterlot stuff," Rainbow Dash said in a confused voice. It almost sounded like she was pleading. "Was that seal for real?"

"It can't be. It can't be real! It must be a forgery!" came Rarity's voice, laced with denial.

Twilight attempted to swallow the lump in her throat, without much success. "That was definitely Celestia's official seal," she said in a subdued voice, "This news came straight from her. This," she paused, "This is real."

Fluttershy immediately broke down, collapsing to the ground, burying her head in her hooves and crying her heart out. Rarity hung her head and shut her eyes, fighting back tears. Rainbow Dash just stared at Twilight, her face frozen in shock. 

"That's…"

Twilight glanced back to see Pinkie Pie behind her. Her mane had visibly deflated, and now hung at her sides in thick, straight strands.

"That's awful…" she said in a voice that sounded nothing like Pinkie Pie. If Twilight hadn't seen her speak the words, she wouldn't have believed that Pinkie had said them.

"I…I can barely believe it," Twilight managed to say, "It's such a shock. It's awful, terrible." She sniffled. Fluttershy wailed. Rarity let a sob escape. 

"Twi!"

Twilight returned her gaze to the front. She saw Applejack pushing her way past other ponies in the crowd, which had dispersed slightly and were not as tightly packed. She was incredibly concerned.

"Twilight, please! Ya gotta tell me this ain't really happenin'! Tell me it ain't so. Tell me that document was a forgery!"

Applejack's words only made Twilight feel worse. Her frown grew and she drooped her head and stared at the ground. 

"It…it is true, ain't it?"

Twilight only nodded.

A particularly loud cry from Fluttershy reminded her of her friend's emotional distress. She returned her gaze to the pegasus and felt her heartstrings being tugged. She said nothing and bent down to hug Fluttershy tightly. It seemed to help. The pegasus' cries grew softer at Twilight's touch.

Suddenly, she felt more hooves around her. She looked up and saw her other four friends joining in the hug. No words were spoken. There was simply the silent communication that a group hug was necessary. As Fluttershy wept, they all cried quiet tears as thoughts and memories of Luna flew through their heads.

Twilight was impacted particularly hard. Most ponies had simply seen Luna as one of two beloved Princesses, and her friends had seen her as somepony they had saved from a terrible evil once. But Luna and Twilight had become close friends. It hurt her greatly to know that she'd never talk to Luna again. She'd never receive another letter from her. She'd never again see her pretty, smiling face.

"Poor Celestia…" Pinkie said quietly.

These words had an effect on them all. They all took in a breath at nearly the same time. 

"That's right…The Princess," Twilight spoke, still hugging Fluttershy and being hugged by the other four, "This is all making us feel really terrible, but imagine how it's making her feel!"

"The poor dear," Rarity spoke, "she must be absolutely devastated!"

"We lost a Princess and a friend," Dash said quietly, "but she lost her sister!"

"She…" Fluttershy managed to squeak out between sobs, "She had just…gotten Luna back…after a thousand years."

"She had been so happy when we had defeated Nightmare Moon," Twilight said, more sadness creeping into her voice, "I can't imagine what she must be going through."

There was another moment of stunned silence before Pinkie Pie repeated herself. "Poor Celestia…"

No more words were spoken. The six friends silently mourned for Luna in the town's square.

…

The group of friends were now inside the Ponyville Library. The mood was heavy and sombre. None of them had felt a desire to leave one another and had gloomily made their way back to the library. Twilight and Rarity were presently sitting on the floor, lost in thought. Rainbow Dash was pacing about, unsure of what to do with herself, while Pinkie Pie sat on one of Twilight's chairs, looking dejected. Applejack sat in another chair, her hat pulled down over her face. Fluttershy lay on the couch, wearing an expression on her face that could be best described as 'lost'.

Spike sat beside Twilight, his chin resting on his claws. They had entered the library to find him urgently wanting to know what had happened. Twilight at first hadn't been sure if she even wanted to tell him, and then had wanted to sugar-coat it for him. He was still very young, and she wasn't sure such news was fit for the baby dragon. But she had found herself unwilling to lie to him, and had told him that Luna had died. She hadn't used the word 'killed', however.

Now the six sat in silence, unsure of what to do. Barely a word had been spoken since they had entered the library, aside from their explanation to Spike. The silence was eerie.

A sniffle broke the quiet, and Twilight glanced to her left to see that Fluttershy was again on the verge of tears. The sight alone compelled her to get up and walk over to her. It was one of the worst things in the world to see Fluttershy crying.

She approached the yellow pegasus and placed a hoof on her back comfortingly. "Please don't cry, Fluttershy," she said soothingly, "It breaks my heart."

"It's just so sad…I feel like we should've gotten to know her better," Fluttershy replied, "After we saved her, we pretty much ignored her."

"I know, but we changed that, didn't we? I started writing letters to her, and it helped convince her to stop hiding so much," Twilight said, "Remember how much fun you two had at the Winter Moon Festival? I think you two talked for hours."

Fluttershy nodded meekly, her descent into tears abated. 

"Fluttershy does have a point," Rarity said, "I feel so guilty that we spent so much time without her occupying our thoughts. We should've made a better effort to connect."

Twilight sighed. "Look, girls, we could spend forever talking about our 'What if's', but that's not the right way to look at things," she said, her logical side showing itself, despite her sadness. "Eventually you all got to know her better, and she made friends with all of us. And I know from her letters that she and Celestia were very close. The two of them were the best of friends and had a wonderful relationship."

"There ain't nothin' as good as a good relationship 'tween two sisters," Applejack's quiet voice floated across the room. Twilight glanced in her direction, but the orange mare had not moved.

Rarity nodded in comprehension, being the only other pony in the room to have a younger sibling. 

"You got a lot of letters from her, right?" Rainbow Dash enquired. "Did she seem…happy?" Dash was genuinely concerned, Twilight could see. It looked starkly out of place on the normally brash and confident pegasus' face.

Twilight nodded. "She was very shy, but she loved her sister, she loved Equestria, and she loved her life. She was really happy to be home again."

Dash put on a brave smile, though sadness still showed in her eyes. "Then we shouldn't be feeling sorry for her," she spoke.

All around her, Twilight's friends nodded. She also put on a brave smile. "You're right Dash. She was very happy," she paused, frowning again, "It's just so terrible that she had to be taken away from us so soon."

Pinkie Pie, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "Celestia must be feeling so awful. It's such a horrible thing; I couldn't even imagine what she's going through. So many sad and weepy thoughts…"

Twilight's heart sank as her thoughts returned to her mentor. "You're right, Pinkie. I don't think any of us could imagine what she's going through."

"I might be able to come close…" Applejack said, sitting up and lifting her hat. Twilight saw sad, tired eyes on her face. "If I ever lost Apple Bloom, well I jus' wouldn't be the same. The sadness would just eat away at me, an' I dunno if I'd ever get over it."

Rarity stared at the floor. "I can only hope that it never happens to any of us."

Another deafening silence choked the room, punctuated only by Fluttershy's sniffles. Twilight found herself lost in thought. There was an overwhelming sense of disbelief. Princess Luna killed? And by a creature of the Everfree Forest no less? It seemed fictional. Twilight had always thought of the alicorn Princesses as all-powerful and she often had to remind herself that they were immortal, not invincible.

Still, a primitive creature from the Everfree? Twilight simply found it difficult to believe.

She glanced down at Spike, who looked quite upset, and was suddenly hit with a spark of inspiration. "Hey! Everypony! I know what we should do." Everypony looked up at her. "We should write Princess Celestia a letter. All of us." She was met with unsure glances. None of the others said anything in response.

"She's probably very upset and depressed. A letter from all of us would show her that we care. I get the feeling that she needs to be reassured of that."

"I like it," Pinkie spoke up, "It's a good idea, Twilight. We can each put in our own paragraph."

"You do bring up a valid point, Twilight," Rarity said, "The compassion of others helps a lot when you're feeling upset."

Twilight smiled. "All right then. Spike? Would you please?"

"Sure, Twi," Spike said, standing up and walking across the room. He reached the desk, unrolled a scroll, and grabbed the quill from its inkpot. He turned back to Twilight and said, "Ready when you are." A look of sadness was still on his face.

"All right." Twilight closed her eyes and carefully formulated what she wanted to say in her mind. Ink wasn't easy to erase, and so it was always better to get it right the first time. 

"Dear Princess Celestia," she began, starting her letter like she would start any other, "The news has just reached us in Ponyville, and it has come as quite a shock. We are deeply sorry for your loss. Luna was a wonderful ruler, and a wonderful pony. My friends and I will all miss her dearly, as I'm sure everypony in Equestria will. I hope you are doing all right. One of the many things I have learned from my friends is that dwelling on the sadness and beating yourself up is never a good thing. I just hope you know that you still have myself, my five best friends, Spike, and the entire land of Equestria. The world is full of ponies who love you. You're not alone.

"My friends would like to write a passage to you, so I will now let them write."

Twilight glanced back to her friends, seeing who would go first. At no verbal prodding, Pinkie Pie stepped forward. Twilight stepped aside as Pinkie began to speak.

"Princess Celestia, this is Pinkie Pie. I hope you're feeling okay, I really do. I'm worried about you. I know you're probably hurting. I was hurting one time when I thought all of my friends had deserted me. It hurt, but you know what made it better? Spending time with my friends. I just…hope you're okay."

She glanced back at Twilight, her expression relaying that she wasn't sure if what she had said was good enough. Twilight offered a reassuring smile and said, "That was great Pinkie."

Pinkie Pie stepped away and, after a short pause, Rainbow Dash decided to step forward. She was silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts.

"Uhh…This is Rainbow Dash. I'm…really, really sorry. I don't have any siblings, so I really have no idea what it feels like to lose someone. Ugh, I'm no good at this…Don't write that, Spike. Okay, um…I guess the most important thing is to…look to the future. Yeah, that's good. Living in the past is a bad thing, so, uh, well it's normal to feel sad, I guess. But not forever. It's good to try to move on." She paused, "I think that's what Luna would've wanted."

Dash sighed and facehoofed. "That was awful…" she muttered. As she walked back to the group, Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder. 

"It was just perfect Dash. I'm sure she'll love it."

"I'm not good with the mushy stuff," she muttered, "But I did mean it, you know?"

"I know."

Applejack decided to step into the spotlight next. "Um…Howdy. No, wait, don't say 'Howdy'. Umm…Yer Majesty. This is Applejack. I jus' wanna say that I feel for ya. I have a big family with so many family members that it's kinda hard ta keep track o' them all. I even ferget their names sometimes. But, I know that if any one o' them were taken away, I would feel awful. I also know that if I were ta lose a member o' mah family, then the rest o' them would help me through it. And yer family isn't jus' limited ta ponies you're related to. I have five great friends in Ponyville, and I consider all o' them family. I hope ya'll will consider us family too…"Applejack stepped back, satisfied. 

"Fluttershy? Would you like to go next?" Twilight asked, turning to the yellow pegasus.

She sniffled and said, "I…I don't know, Twilight…What…what if I say the wrong thing? What if I make her even more upset? What if I-eep!"

Her train of thought came to a stop as she was lightly urged forwards by Dash's hoof. "C'mon, Fluttershy. She's gonna love anything you say. It's impossible for you to offend," she offered, kindly.

Fluttershy gulped and said, "O-okay….if you say so…

"Um…This is Fluttershy. Um, if you don't remember me…that's okay. I know some of the others already said amazing things, but, what I mean is, um, well…when I heard the news, I couldn't stop crying. I just felt so sad, and I must imagine you felt the same way. But, um, even though I still feel sad, I feel so much better because my friends are here with me. And, um, if you want…we can all help you…get better…if that's okay with you. Um…"

Her gaze shifted around before she decided to lay down, finished with her part of the letter. Twilight placed a hoof on her back and patted her lightly in a comforting manner. There was only one mare left. Rarity took a deep breath, stepped forward, and began to speak.

"Your Royal Highness, this is Rarity. Your Majesty, there isn't much I can say that hasn't already been said by my friends. Their words are very poignant and true, and I hope you take them all to heart. We love you, Celestia. And we're here for you. I know it hurts, but the ponies you love can make it better. Never forget that, never give up, and keep your spirits up."

Rarity stepped back and rejoined her friends. As Twilight stood back up, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Spike, do you want to add something?" 

He turned back and shrugged. "You all wrote amazing stuff, I can't compete."

"Oh come on, Spike! I'm sure she'll love anything you decide to write," Twilight responded. The others in the room nodded in agreement.

Spike sat in contemplation for a moment before he turned back and added a short paragraph to the letter. When he was finished, Twilight asked, "What did you say?"

Spike shrugged again. "Just the same stuff you all said. I sound like an echo."

Twilight chuckled dryly and replied, "That's all right Spike. It was very sweet of you. I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Now, let me finish it." 

She cleared her throat, "This is Twilight again. I hope my friends' words make you feel a little better. It would hurt us to see you torn up, so we hope you're feeling all right. What everypony said is definitely true; we're here for you, and we love you. We will see you tomorrow at the ceremony. We'll all show up bright and early. 

"With love from myself, my friends, including Spike, and everypony in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle."

A few seconds passed, and then the scribbles of the quill ceased. Spike replaced the quill in its inkpot, and then proceeded to double-check the letter for errors. 

Twilight glanced around at the room full of gloomy mares. They were crestfallen, but Twilight could tell that writing the letter had helped their spirits, if only slightly. She sat down and sighed. Two hours ago, everything had been perfect before the news had shattered her world.

It felt like an eternity had passed. The entire town was mourning and the atmosphere was dark and heavy. Twilight could feel the pains in her heart. She knew that she, and the rest of Equestria, were going to need some time to heal.

"It's ready. Any last minute additions?" came Spike's voice. He held the rolled up scroll.

Twilight glanced to her friends. None of them looked like they had anything more to say. "No, go ahead, Spike. Send it."

Spike nodded and stepped over to the window. He opened it, letting the crisp late morning air flow in through. He held the scroll outside, took a deep breath, and then enveloped the scroll in brilliant green flames. In an instant, the scroll was gone.

"I hope that helps…" Pinkie Pie said hopefully.

"I'm sure it will, Pinkie," Twilight said reassuringly, "I'm positive it will."

A silence fell over the room before Twilight spoke up. "So, we're all going to go to Canterlot tomorrow?"

There were sounds of agreement from her friends, though the response was subdued. 

Twilight sighed. It was going to be difficult for all of them. She almost didn't want to go, a sentiment she was sure she shared with some of the others. She was certain that being at the funeral was going to cause her immense grief and was desperately hoping that she would be able to hold herself together.

"I just wish there was something I could do…" she muttered under her breath.

…

In the grand castle of Canterlot, all of the ponies within were busy. They were all rapidly working to prepare Luna's funeral, feeling not only their obligation to their jobs driving them, but also their obligation to make sure Luna was properly honoured. There was a solemn air in the castle, but everypony steeled themselves against their emotions and worked professionally. There would be time to grieve later.

Celestia sat in the throne room. Nopony expected her to work, given the circumstances, but still she sat there, just in case anypony needed her. She sat at her magnificent throne, head held low, eyes staring at nothing in particular. Her thick, gray mane hung down, straight and unmoving. Ponies decided not to disturb her unless it was necessary, out of respect. 

She sat still, one eye obscured by her achromatic mane and the other staring blankly out the window. The sight of her rising sun did nothing to please her and only reminded her of the other celestial body she'd had to lower a few hours ago. A celestial body that wasn't hers. Inside she still felt empty sadness and horrible regret. She had been spending the whole day trying desperately not to cry.

Her grim thoughts were interrupted as a small flicker of green flame danced in from the outside, phasing unhindered through the window. It flickered in front of her before growing slightly and burning out, revealing a rolled up scroll. As she caught it in her magic, she glanced again at the sun outside, using it to gauge the time. Yes, Twilight was undoubtedly aware of the circumstances by now. This was not going to be a friendship report.

She stared at the scroll for many minutes, unsure of what to do. She felt too emotionally fragile to read it, yet a part of her compelled her to. Twilight was undoubtedly distraught, having been one of Luna's closest friends. 

But she didn't want to cry any more. 

She excused herself and stood up. Walking off to her nearby bedroom, she promised everypony that she would be back in a few minutes. She had to read it, if only for Twilight's sake. 

She stepped into her room, magically sealed the door, and unrolled the scroll. After reading the first paragraph, she gasped as she came to the realization that all of Twilight's friends had written to her. All of them.

She hadn't wanted to cry.

But the tears of sadness came unbidden.

> Vale Luna
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3 - Vale Luna

The large, expansive city of Canterlot sat perched upon the face of one of Equestria's tallest mountains. It was a city mostly designed to be vertical, as validated by its location. There were many levels to the city and many of the buildings appeared to be stacked atop of one another in an effort to fit as many buildings into the cramped space as possible. It seemed like a foal's dream, but the result was a magnificent and impossible city perched upon the side of the mountain.

Despite all of this, the lowermost level of the city was quite expansive, spreading out like a platform embedded in the side of the mountain. To the side of this lower level there was a smaller peak of landmass connected to the mountain, upon which this lower level extended. This was where many of the buildings were located, including the school a young Twilight Sparkle once attended.

The plaza sat at the base of the vertical buildings of Canterlot. It extended over the edge of the mountain and was ringed by gardens. Canterlot's iconic waterfalls streamed mostly from this plaza. It was presently packed with ponies. They sat upon buildings' balconies and platforms, and pegasi littered the roofs. The streets were completely packed, ponies filling up any space that would allow them a view of the large, open plaza that occupied the main area of the lower level. 

They were all gathered around a point somewhere near the far side. They had come from cities and towns all around just to attend Luna's funeral. They had hired pegasus-drawn chariots, had gotten unicorns to teleport them, had ridden the rails or had simply raced as fast as possible on hoof. They all found a way to make it in time to honour their fallen Princess.

Twilight and her friends sat near the front of the gathering of ponies in the plaza, very close to the centre of the ceremony. In the morning following the news of Luna's death, they had all found special passes in their mailboxes that allowed them to sit as close to the ceremony as possible. These had been given only to the sisters' closest friends, and the group had been honoured to receive such a distinction.

They all gazed forward. A relatively small stage had been constructed, and it was surrounded by poles and a roof of crossed planks of wood. The poles and roof were covered in weaving vines with small white and blue flowers, giving them a natural appearance. Behind the stage sat a large, regal throne that Celestia often used when giving public speeches away from Canterlot. It was nearly identical to the one in the castle's throne room, but was slightly smaller and less ornate. It was a portable throne that could be quickly erected and still look regal. It presently sat empty.

Upon the stage were many important-looking ponies. Twilight and her friends only recognized a few. Among them were Prince Blueblood and two of the four ponies that had administered Twilight's exam. Two royal guards also sat upon the stage. They were not wearing their helmets. One was unremarkable, but the group of friends recognized the other. It was the same one who had delivered the news to Ponyville: Navy Shield.

Finally, resting upon the center of the stage was a raised platform. It had upon it a framework that could only be designed for one thing; a coffin. It was surrounded at the base by flowers of all shapes and sizes, all blue. Many were a muted, darkened blue, identical to Luna's coat. There was also a wreath of blue and white flowers at the center. Perched within the wreath was a picture of Luna, smiling warmly and simply radiating happiness, despite it only being a photograph.

Twilight, her five best friends and Spike had all arrived early in the morning in an official carriage. They had sat and watched as the crowds grew and grew, spilling out of the plaza and into the surrounding areas. Such a turnout was amazing to witness. It brought a small smile to Twilight's face to see just how many ponies had grown to love Luna.

The group of seven had not conversed very much since they had arrived. The mood had been dark, and none of them had felt like talking. A few passing words had been said about the beauty of the display in the center and the astounding amount of guests that had shown up. At one point, Twilight had started to reminisce about her friendship with Luna, but had stopped when Fluttershy had started crying.

Presently, the ceremony was about to begin. Twilight stared ahead, deep in thought, Fluttershy gazed at the ground, depressed, and Rainbow Dash shifted uncomfortably. Pinkie Pie's mane hung suspended, halfway between being completely straight and its usual poofiness.

"Y'all gonna be all right?" Applejack asked the group comfortingly. 

Twilight turned to look at her. "I'll be fine."

"I…um…" Fluttershy started to speak, but trailed off, glancing away from the others' gazes.

Applejack nodded and turned back to the front. "Jus' don't be afraid to cry."

Dash furrowed her brow, mildly offended. "What? I'm not gonna cry! I'm-"

She was silenced as Applejack turned and gazed at her. Dash turned and looked away.

"Dash, don't worry," Pinkie said to her friend in a quiet voice, "We won't think you're any less awesome if you cry."

"Look!" Rarity's exclamation interrupted their thoughts as they followed her gaze into the sky. Flying towards the central platform was a procession armoured of pegasi guards, all without their helmets. Twilight came to the conclusion that the absence of the helmets must be a sign of respect. 

They were all using their hooves to carry a large, elaborately designed coffin, coloured a deep navy blue. There was an unmistakable depiction of a moon cutie mark on the top. The seven friends immediately found lumps in their throats as they watched the pallbearers make their way to the stage and then gently lower the coffin onto the raised platform. The crowd had grown eerily silent.

A light gasp from Twilight drew their attentions back to the sky. They had all been focused on Luna's coffin and hadn't noticed Princess Celestia flying behind the group. They all found themselves staring at the Princess as she made her way to the throne, head hung low in sorrow. 

Her appearance was shocking. Twilight in particular couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. The Princess' thick mane was tainted grey and trailed behind her. It gave Twilight a sick sensation in her stomach. She had never seen Celestia as anything but regal, professional, and with a stunning, rainbow-coloured mane. Her current appearance was jarring.

As the Princess landed and settled into the throne, she brought a hoof up to clear away the mane as it had fallen in front of her face in a fashion similar to Fluttershy's. It appeared to be difficult to tame, falling to the ground as she sat and giving her a decidedly off-putting appearance.

"Celestia…" Twilight breathed, barely audible. 

"She looks terrible," Pinkie muttered.

Their attention was then drawn back to the coffin as Navy Shield stepped up to it. The design of the platform had the coffin angled slightly towards the crowd, its top clearly visible. It was coloured very similarly to Luna's colour scheme, with dark and light blues swirling and mixing. The bright white moon in the center was surrounded by a splotch of black in a perfect representation of Luna's cutie mark.

Navy Shield gave a respectful bow of his head, and then moved his hooves up to the lid of the coffin. One of the other guards stepped to the other side to assist him. Twilight held her breath. Having studied Equestrian history extensively, she had known that the ceremony would be open casket. Still, she steadied herself, unsure if she was ready for this.

As the lid slipped away, the various members of the crowd felt desires to gasp or cry, but stilled their emotions and stayed silent out of respect. They all gazed at the peaceful form of Princess Luna. 

She lay in the coffin, cleaned of all her wounds. Her gorgeous feathery wings folded at her side, and her long horn resting upon her head. She still wore her royal crown, necklace and horseshoes, and wore upon her face a serene expression of peace. Surrounding her in the coffin were more blue and white flowers, arranged around her like a downy bed. 

Fluttershy sobbed quietly. She had been keeping her emotions under control so far, but actually seeing Luna before her in the coffin was threatening to throw her over the edge. Applejack, the one closest to her, put a hoof over her back and embraced her.  

"It's all right, sugarcube…" Applejack whispered.

"I…just, couldn't…it's…"

"She looks peaceful, doesn't she?" Rarity whispered, seated to the other side of Fluttershy.

"Yeah…" Applejack responded, "I hadn't wanted ta believe it before, but I guess this cements it…Poor Luna…"

Fluttershy sighed. Many ponies had still been holding onto the false hope that this news was a lie or a hoax. However, Luna's lifeless body sat before all of them in the coffin, undeniably proving to them that this was real.

Pinkie turned to Twilight, who was staring straight ahead. "Twilight?" she said in a caring voice, "Are you okay?"

Twilight only nodded.

Then, they all ceased talking as the other guard walked up to the podium. The ceremony had begun.

…

Celestia gazed at the ponies on the stage who were about to give speeches. She viewed the intricate decorations. She saw the seemingly endless sea of ponies that had shown up for the ceremony, and was touched by their sentiments. She looked everywhere, but she did not look at the coffin. The opening faced away from her, so she could not see within it.

She couldn't bring herself to look at her sister's lifeless form. It had been enough of an emotional shock to see her dead body as it lay upon the ground outside of the Everfree Forest. She simply couldn't do it. It would hurt too much. 

Her appearance was dreadful, even besides her stark, grey mane. She had rings under her eyes from stress and lost sleep, her fur was rough and unkempt and her royal attire did not shine with its usual brilliance. Her normally radiant and jubilant eyes now seemed empty as she attempted to gaze anywhere except that blue coffin.

Before her, she saw Sunbeam's sister, Moonbeam, step up to the podium. She was to be the first speaker. Moonbeam was a pegasus, just like her brother. The two siblings had held distinguished positions among the royal guard as the personal guards of Celestia and Luna. Sunbeam was Celestia's guard, and also a close personal friend. Moonbeam had been the same, but for Luna instead.

Moonbeam cleared her throat. She began to speak, her voice amplified by an unseen spell. "Ponies of Equestria, thank you all for attending. It means a lot to all of us here in Canterlot. My friends, we are gathered here to mourn the loss of our co-regent and beloved Princess of the Night, Princess Luna. She was taken from us unexpectedly two nights prior in a battle against a wild beast.

"We mourn her loss with heavy hearts. She will be dearly remembered by everypony across the land. From everypony here in Canterlot to the farthest reaches of Equestria, we will all miss her terribly."

Moonbeam then went on to briefly recap the events of Luna's life. Celestia knew of everything that she spoke of, but it was still very interesting to hear Luna's story told by somepony else. She hung her head and listened to Moonbeam's tale. The happy memories made her want to cry tears of joy, and the harsh memories surrounding Nightmare Moon made her want to cry tears of anguish. Celestia spent the entire story trying to hold back tears.

"Her recent years in the castle were filled with much joy and excitement, although she was very shy," Moonbeam continued, "I was her personal guard and I went nearly everywhere that she went. She and I became very closely acquainted with each other. I was glad to call her my friend, and I believe she was glad to call me hers. She brought happiness to a lot of ponies, and I was no exception.

"She was a marvellous friend, and I'll miss her dearly."

There was no applause as Moonbeam stepped back wordlessly to her seat, her speech completed. The next speaker to step up was a short, black earth pony with a dark blue mane. She had a white quill and a dark inkpot for a cutie mark. Her name was Fallen Poet and she had been Luna's royal advisor. She too began to give a heartfelt speech about Luna.

Celestia found herself scanning the crowd. The sheer amount of ponies in the plaza was astounding. The cobblestone ground of the plaza was completely obscured by the scores of colourful manes and coats. Celestia smiled slightly, her broken heart warmed by the sight of such a large crowd. 

Fallen Poet finished speaking and stepped back, her speech shorter than Moonbeam's. Bastion Yorsets then stood up, a grey unicorn stallion with a golden wreath cutie mark. The scholarly pony began to give a powerful speech about the successes Luna had achieved in her time as ruler. Celestia frowned, finding his speech to be too professional. She had wanted somepony from her School for Gifted Unicorns to speak about Luna, and he had been chosen along with his colleague, Ingrid. Though Celestia ran and oversaw proceedings at the school, Luna had expressed an interest in it too.

Sighing, Celestia scanned the crowd, looking for a particular group of seven. She found them without much trouble, seeing them near the front of the large crowd. She clearly identified Twilight's friends and holders of the elements of harmony. She saw Applejack and Rarity watching the speaker with respectful attention. She could see clearly the sadness they were experiencing and their struggle to hold it together.

She saw Rainbow Dash, shifting uncomfortably on her hooves. She had come to know the young flier quite well, and understood what she was feeling. She knew that heavy, heartfelt emotions were not something the pegasus preferred to deal with. 

Celestia glanced at Pinkie Pie and widened her eyes slightly. She saw Pinkie's mane in a slightly deflated manner and recalled the letter Twilight had written about Pinkie's brief struggle with depression. She glanced at her own mane, holding it slightly aloft with her forehoof. It was gray and lifeless, and it looked depressing. It hurt to see her mane like this, and now Pinkie's was going straight too. Celestia sighed, unable to fight off the bout of sadness that had suddenly overcome her.

Yorsets finished his speech and Ingrid stepped up to take his place. A brown unicorn mare with a thick, darker brown mane, Ingrid was one of two principals at the school, the other being Yorsets. She began to speak of Luna more as a pony than as a political entity. 

That's more like it, Celestia thought, returning her gaze to the group near the front. She attempted to find Fluttershy and, for a moment, could not. Eventually she spotted the pegasus, sitting low to the ground and partially hidden behind Pinkie. Celestia had expected her to be the most distraught out of the group, so her behaviour was of no surprise. It was still heartbreaking to see her so upset.

Finally, Celestia's eyes rested upon her prized pupil, Twilight Sparkle, who had Spike perched upon her back. The unicorn simply stared forwards at the coffin containing Luna, a concerned expression in her eyes. She barely moved and simply stared, her expression and body language crystal clear.

Celestia could see that Twilight was heartbroken; she could see how much it hurt to see Luna in that coffin. It looked as if the young unicorn couldn't tear her eyes away from the truth, no matter how much she wanted to. Twilight was some distance away, but Celestia was certain that she saw tears in the young unicorn's eyes.

The Princess shut her eyes and looked away, unable to bear seeing her favourite student in such a state of distress. Everything that this day was throwing at her was beating her down and sapping her strength. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep from crying.

"I still find it hard to believe that she's gone. I almost don't want to believe it," Ingrid was presently saying, "but, even though the truth hurts, we have to accept it. It is a terribly sad day for everypony, but life goes on, and Luna would've wanted you all to be happy. Thank you."

Ingrid stepped away and the next pony stepped up to speak. The ceremony flowed on through the morning. Words were spoken, kind and sorrowful, and, one by one, the ponies on the stage all stepped up and gave a speech from their hearts. Eventually only two ponies remained to speak; Princess Celestia herself, who would be going last, and the pony that was presently approaching the stand.

Navy Shield cleared his throat and began to speak. "Ponies of Equestria, my name is Navy Shield. This day is especially difficult for me because I was the one who discovered Luna out by the Forest." He paused and regarded the crowd, an expression on his face that belied no emotions. His professionalism was impeccable. The crowd watched him silently.

"It was a terrible tragedy that night. I had called my unit over to assist me, and seeing the looks on their faces was just about too much to bear. It was difficult to have to send somepony back to alert Princess Celestia. Nopony had wanted to perform that duty. It was a difficult day for all of us, but we persevered. 

"And that is what I feel we should all be doing right now. This is a difficult obstacle we are all facing, and it is causing us distress, pain and suffering. But we can move on from this tragedy and live happy lives once again. It's not an impossible feat, and it'll make our futures much brighter." He paused, letting a sniffle escape. "I'm sure that's what Princess Luna would've wanted."

Celestia sighed, drinking in the sergeant's words. She recalled seeing him standing outside the Forest on that night, gingerly covering up the body of her sister. She had seen his face; very solemn and saddened. He spoke what was the truth. Luna would've wanted everypony to go on enjoying their lives and would've been distressed if everypony had been consumed with depression. Celestia knew that she would have to try.

But she wasn't sure if she'd be able to.

"We will all miss her dearly," Navy said, with a bow of his head, "and Equestria will never be the same without her. There is a time for grieving, and that is now, but this time should not last forever. Ponies of Equestria, I hope you will all take my words to heart. Live your lives and be happy. It would have made her happy."

With that, Navy Shield stepped back, leaving the stage empty. Celestia took a deep breath, getting to her feet. It was her turn. Steadying herself emotionally, she gently made her way to the front. 

She stole a quick glance at Twilight and her friends. They all looked up to her with supportive eyes. Twilight's gaze lingered upon the coffin for a few moments before hers too was locked on the Princess. She took another deep breath and began to speak.

"My little ponies," she said in a low voice. It was still her gorgeous, melodic voice, but it was as if the octave had been lowered and the key had been altered. 

"Thank you all for coming here today. It means a lot to me. Everypony, I have lived in this land for more than fifteen hundred years. I have seen many things and endured many hardships. There have been very few times when I have cried. I am not ashamed to admit that the events of yesterday morning were one of those times. 

"Over a thousand years ago, when I had been forced to use the Elements of Harmony to seal away a great evil, I had also been forced to seal away my dear sister. It gave me such guilt and sorrow, and so I had promised myself that when she came back we would always be together and I would never let anything happen to her."

She paused, stealing another glance at her mane. "Ponies, this is why you see me like this. I will not lie to you, I have been very distraught. It is a terrible thing to lose a family member, and it is no different for one such as myself.

"But there is truth in what all of the ponies who sit behind me have said, especially Sergeant Navy Shield's words. It is a difficult challenge, but I will try to move on, and be happy once again. I know it's what Luna would've wanted.

She paused again, fighting back tears. Stay strong, Celestia. "Luna was a wonderful sister, and a wonderful pony. Though she was a royal alicorn with both wings and a horn, she was very closely connected with all of the ponies of Equestria; every single one of you. When the land was happy, she was happy. 

"I have loved her for as long as I can remember. When the frustrations of ruling the kingdom had ever built up and broken me down, she had always been there to cheer me up. There was only one time she had acted as anything other than sweet and caring, and even then, it wasn't her fault."

She sighed, closing her eyes, a few teardrops barely sneaking past. "I will miss her so very much. It is with great sorrow that I take her duties of raising the moon into my own hooves, as I had done so a millennium ago."

She then looked up, offering a weak smile. "Luna once told me that her time in this modern age had been the best time of her life. I thank you all for your love and support of her. She felt it, and I did too. She always seemed to be smiling, even though she was so shy. She made some fantastic friends. For any of her friends who are presently in attendance, she loved you all very dearly. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing joy to her life."

Celestia could feel the tears building. She turned her head to a collection of pegasus guards dressed in black armour standing off to the side and gave them a nod. Wordlessly, they flew over to Luna's coffin and carefully replaced the lid.

"Goodbye Luna. You brought so much joy to so many ponies, and warmed everypony's heart. We will all miss you."

The black armoured guards carefully hoisted Luna's coffin up and, with silent, powerful beats of their wings, began to lift it into the air. Hidden behind the stage, a small group of musicians began playing a solemn song. It was quiet and sorrowful and yet, somehow, also uplifting and inspiring. As the notes of the powerful song floated through the air, the guards began to airlift the coffin out of the square and towards a place located just below Canterlot Castle; the royal graveyard. 

Celestia did not watch the coffin's morbid progress. She simply returned to her throne and sat with her head held low, listening to the music. Despite the melodic sounds, she could hear from the crowd the sound of ponies crying. Many emotional dams had finally burst and a cacophonic mix of wails quietly mixed themselves in with the song. The uplifting quality had vanished. The song was now a morbid hymn of tears. She clenched her eyes shut, forcing her own tears away. 

Nearby, a group of seven watched in poignant silence as the coffin and its escorts slowly shrank into the distance. There was a strange feeling of finality the moment that the coffin disappeared from view. That was it. Princess Luna was gone.

And she was never going to return.

…

With the ceremony concluded, most of the crowd dispersed and left Canterlot. Eventually, the only ones still in the square were a few crying ponies, unable to move themselves, and their supportive friends. 

Fluttershy was one such pony. She was presently curled up on the ground, sobbing silently. Her six friends sat close by, patting her and comforting her. 

"That was tough…" Applejack said flatly.

"It certainly was, Applejack," Rarity responded. Fluttershy sniffled beneath them and Rarity turned her attention to the crying pegasus. "Don't worry, darling. Let it all out. We're here for you," she said as she lightly brought her hoof across Fluttershy's back.

"I'm…I'm sorry for…" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Hush, darling," Rarity shushed her, "There's nothing to be sorry about. We all feel the same emotions that you do, so you're not alone. We all just have different ways of dealing with them."

A moment of silence passed, save for Fluttershy's crying, before Applejack spoke up again. "Is everypony feelin' okay?"

"I'll be fine…" Rainbow Dash muttered, staring intently at something interesting on the ground. 

"You sure, sugarcube?" Applejack responded in a caring voice.

Dash was silent for a moment. "Those were some…good speeches," she responded, not looking up.

"Yeah…Kinda wish we could've spoken. We were her friends and we saved her with the Elements o' Harmony. But, then again, I think everypony woulda wanted ta say somethin'."

Dash sighed. "Some of them were saying that we should just move on. I mean, they're probably right and all, but…I dunno if I can…"

Applejack patted Dash's back and said, "I reckon we can. It'll take time, I won't lie ta ya, but we'll all heal." Applejack then turned her head to look at Twilight. "How 'bout you, Twi?" she asked.

Twilight didn't respond. She was staring at the still-standing stage, deep in thought. Her brow was furrowed and she barely moved. 

"Twi? TWI?!"

Twilight gasped as Applejack's hoof suddenly waved in front of her face. "What? Oh, sorry. What did you say?" she stammered.

"I was askin' if y'all were feelin' all right 'cus, by the looks of it, ya ain't." Applejack responded, her concern evident even though her thick accent.

"Oh…I was just…" For a moment she stared off again. Applejack was about to wave her hoof again when Twilight continued. "Sorry, it's just that…I dunno. It's been a long day, I'm sorry."

"Heh, don't'cha worry. We're all feelin' rough. If y'all wanna talk about somethin', then feel free."

"It's just…" Twilight began. She then shook her head and said, "It's nothing. I guess I'm just still really emotional."

Applejack frowned. "Y'all were closer ta her than any of us. You two were like best friends. I'm…I'm really sorry, Twilight. It must be tough."

Twilight sighed. "It hurts. It really does. I was crying all last night. I really don't want her to be gone…"

Applejack stepped over and sat beside her friend, hugging her with a hoof. "S'all right, Twilight. We'll get through this t'gether."

Another moment of silence passed. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but before she could make a sound, they heard a whine behind them. They turned and saw Pinkie Pie sitting, utterly upset and with her mane completely straight.

"Pinkie…Y'all okay?" Applejack asked.

Pinkie shook her head, her silky mane shrouding her face. 

"I know it's sad, Pinkie. Losin' a friend is never easy, but…"

"Didn't you see her mane?!" Pinkie half-shouted, looking up at the four ponies that were looking at her. 

They all paused and thought back to Princess Celestia's appearance. Her grey mane had been difficult to miss, and it was a shocking contrast to her regular appearance.

Pinkie sniffled and continued speaking. "I knew she'd be sad, but I didn't think it'd be that bad! I mean, my mane gets all straight like this when I get really, really sad, but I'm just a regular earth pony. Her mane is always sparkly and rainbow-y, and it flows even when there's no wind. It's a magical mane, so you know how sad she must be feeling for that mane to fall down like that…"

"I was so surprised when I saw her mane," Twilight spoke, "In all the years that I've known her, her mane has always been picture perfect. I even saw the pictures in the old books of her when she banished Nightmare Moon. It was only pink, but it was still flowing and bright, even as she sent her own sister to the moon."

Pinkie nodded. "Exactly! This is a whole new level of sad! I don't even know what would happen to my mane if I got that sad. It might just fall out!"

Twilight frowned. Seeing the Princess in such a state of sorrow only added to the pain. She couldn't bear to see Celestia feeling so much sadness that it made her mane lose its magic.

Pinkie sniffled again. "Poor Celestia…"

Fluttershy also sniffled. "Luna…"

Everypony stared at the ground. The negative energy in the air was expanding and it was beginning to swallow them up. Applejack covered her face with her hat again while Rainbow Dash turned so she was facing away from the others.

"I do hope she's all right," Rarity spoke softly, "I hope she got our letter."

"She might not'a been in the mood ta read it," Applejack responded, "but if she didn't, I'm sure she'll read it soon. "

"She has to read the letter. It'll make her feel better!" Pinkie said, glancing up with saddened eyes. "It…has to…"

Movement caught their downcast eyes as Fluttershy sat up. She looked as if she wanted to continue crying, for hours perhaps, but was simply exhausted and out of tears. She stared at the pavement with a pained expression. 

"Fluttershy…?" Applejack ventured cautiously.

She shook her head, not wishing to speak. Applejack sighed and returned her gaze to the ground.

They sat in silence for a very long time. Everypony was grief-stricken and staring at the ground except for Twilight, who was again staring off into the distance, as if in a trance.

Finally, the quiet was broken as Spike, who had been silent and nearly invisible until this point, spoke up. "Our ride's here."

They all glanced back, following his gaze to the pegasus-drawn chariot that had landed not far away. The pegasi attached to the front were looking to them expectantly.

"Well, let's get goin', unless any o' you have a reason ta stay," Applejack said, getting to her hooves. She glanced at all her friends, who were standing up and trying to keep from looking at one another.

"Guess not."

Slowly, they began marching to the chariot. To outside observers, it looked like they were headed to a funeral, not leaving one. Applejack gazed gloomily at her four pony friends as they reached the chariot and climbed aboard.

Wait…Four? Somepony was missing.

Turning her head back to where they had been sitting a moment ago she saw Twilight. The unicorn had not moved from her previous position and was still staring ahead, lost in thought. 

Applejack sighed, partially in frustration and partially in misery. She trotted back over to the statuesque purple pony and lightly prodded her on the back. "C'mon, it's time to go."

Twilight's glazed eyes again regained confused focus. "What? Oh, I'm sorry," she muttered, turning to the earth pony. 

Applejack wore a very concerned expression. "Twilight, are you sure yer gonna be okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm sorry. I'm just thinking…" she muttered, getting to her hooves.

"If y'all say so," Applejack muttered before turning around and returning to the chariot.

Twilight turned to follow her, but before she could, her eyes were drawn to the stage where the ceremony had taken place. Subconsciously, they drifted along the path that the coffin had flown as it had been airlifted by the pegasi. She stared in the general direction of the graveyard.

"What was…Why was…?" she muttered under her breath. For a moment, intense confusion spread across her face. Then she shook her head and turned to follow Applejack to the chariot.

"My emotions must be getting to me…"
> Enigma
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4 - Enigma


Ten Days Later…


Rarity tapped her hoof impatiently.

The unicorn was seated in a plush chair in the waiting room of Ponyville's local spa. The bright colours of the room cast a warming and uplifting mood and there were faint smells of soaps, herbs and flowers wafting in from the interior.

It was Thursday, which meant that Rarity and Fluttershy were meant to meet at the spa for their weekly get together. It had been a long-standing tradition that had lasted almost as long as the two had known each other. Since their first visit to the spa, they had not missed a single appointment. It was a special time for the two friends to talk and enjoy each other's company.

The previous week had been the first time that they had missed the appointment. The two had spent Monday at the Princess' funeral and hadn't been in any sort of mood to visit the spa when Thursday came. Instead of merely going on Friday, the two had decided to wait until next week.

While this lapse in spa treatment had been completely justified and understandable, one week later saw Rarity feeling absolutely filthy. Sure, to the outside observer she was an image of immaculate beauty, as always. However, in the white unicorn's mind, she was as good as covered in thick tar. She felt awful and had been looking forward to this for days now.

And now Fluttershy was late.

The pair's appointment had scheduled for 2:30pm, and it was now approaching three o'clock. Luckily, the sisters who ran the spa were good friends of Rarity and were quite understanding and flexible. They were willing to wait for Fluttershy, although Rarity could see that their patience was slowly fading.

Finally, Rarity caught a glimpse of yellow in the doorway and looked up to see Fluttershy slowly entering. "There you are, darling! Where have you been?" she said, standing up.

Fluttershy hid herself behind her mane. "Um, I'm sorry Rarity…I didn't mean to be late, I was just…" she trailed off.

"It doesn't matter," Rarity replied before calling out, "Aloe!! She's here! We're ready!"

A pink pony with a tied-back blue mane stuck her head out from behind the door leading into the spa. Smiling, she held open the door and gestured for the two to enter.

…

Many minutes later and the two found themselves in the mud baths, nearly halfway through their treatments. Rarity sat in one tub while Fluttershy sat in the adjacent one. 

"It was then that I realized what I fool I had been. Rubies?! I must have had a poor sleep the previous night. It was a lot of work to remove them all and even more work to come up with a suitable replacement, but I got it all done in time." Rarity sighed. "It's hard work, but I simply adore it."

Rarity glanced over to Fluttershy, who was hanging her head and staring intently at the mud around her. "Fluttershy? Darling? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine…" she replied. Not a moment later, a tear escaped and flowed down her face. She shut her eyes to stop more of them.

"Fluttershy, you are not fine. What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

Rarity looked at her friend compassionately. She could easily deduce what was upsetting the pegasus, and it was painful to see her in such a state. "Fluttershy…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Fluttershy, don't apologize for your feelings."

Fluttershy was silent.

"Darling, it's been about a week and a half. I know it hurts, but you must try to move on. You can't spend your whole life letting this eat away at you. This is the first time I've seen you since we were in Canterlot."

Fluttershy visibly winced at the mention of the grim event. She took a deep breath, trying not to start crying again.

"I want to…but I can't get over it…" she said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Well, that's why we're here now. It's why I've been throwing myself into my work."

Fluttershy frowned in response. 

Rarity continued to talk as they exited their mud bath and proceeded to the relaxing waters of the regular baths. 

"The day after, um, that day," she said, choosing her words tactfully, "I didn't even have any orders to work on. I had no work lined up and could've taken the entire day off. But I didn't. I spent the day coming up with glorious designs and simply doing what I love. Working at the boutique is something I adore, and the work I do there helps ponies everywhere look all the more fabulous."

They settled into the baths, washed off the mud and then stepped into another, larger bathtub. They relaxed in its warm waters.

"And I'm not the only one. Rainbow Dash has been spending her time practicing. I always see her flying through the air, trying new things or working on the weather. I daresay I've seen her smile on more than one occasion. I'm sure she's not completely forgotten about everything that's happened, but she is trying to move on, like I am.

"Likewise, I haven't seen very much of Applejack, but I know that it's because she's been working on the farm. She's pouring herself into what she loves to do, and so is her family. I think little Apple Bloom's even been helping out wherever she can. Just like how Sweetie is helping me out. She really does enjoy helping me.

"And then there's Pinkie Pie. While she doesn't quite have that trademark mane of hers back yet, she's returning to the Pinkie we all know and love. Although I really can't stand that mane…I think it looks so much better when it's down. But anyway, she's working at Sugarcube Corner and every day, it seems, her mood improves. Her mane is acting like a slowly inflating balloon. While not exactly visually charming, I know that it means she's feeling better.

"Do you see what I mean, darling?" Rarity said, wrapping up her tirade, "It's not going to do anypony any good to be sulking forever. It's simply not a good way to show respect for those we've lost." She smiled comfortingly. "I know you and I didn't get to meet Luna very many times, but I know that she adored your personality and hated to see you upset."

Fluttershy gazed at Rarity with her azure eyes. Rarity smiled and, after a moment, Fluttershy smiled back. Rarity's own smile grew at the sight.

"You're right, Rarity," Fluttershy spoke, "I'm sorry I've been so depressed."

"Oh, darling," Rarity responded, "There you go apologizing again."

"I'm sorry. It's just so difficult. I keep thinking about what's happened and…I just can't stop the sadness."

"Fluttershy, what have you been doing since we came home from Canterlot?"

"Um, well…" she paused, "Nothing really. I sit at home or I sit in the garden, maybe go for a short walk around my house."

"Haven't you been taking care of your animal friends?"

"Oh, of course!" she suddenly piped up, "Just, you know, not as much…only when they really need me."

"Well, how do you feel when you're helping them out?"

Fluttershy paused, and then smiled slightly. "I guess I feel happy. I almost forget about…"

"You see, darling? Exactly like the rest of us! Just spend time doing what you absolutely love! It'll all get better, I promise!"

Fluttershy gave a bittersweet smile and thanked Rarity for her kindness. The two sat in the waters for a few more minutes, simply enjoying the wonderful feeling of soaking in them. It was warm and therapeutic, and the waters had a very calming and soothing effect. 

"Say, Rarity…" Fluttershy spoke up, "You told me about what you're doing and what all of our friends are doing…but you didn't mention Twilight."

"Oh, well, she's been…" Rarity trailed off and wore a confused expression. "You know, now that you mention her, I haven't really seen her lately. I think I saw her in the market once, but…"

They both sat in silence, thinking about their friend. 

"Do you think she's just doing what everypony else is doing?" Fluttershy spoke, "Maybe she's been studying a lot," 

"That's a good presumption. It's probably safe to assume that's what she's doing," Rarity responded.

"Well, I just hope she's okay…" 

"Oh, you know her. Once she buries herself in books, she's in an entirely different world. She might even be healing faster than the rest of us."

"But she was much closer to her than we were…"

"Well," Rarity responded with a hint of sadness, "you're right about that. She was pretty shaken up, wasn't she?"

Fluttershy hung her head, remembering her own reactions to the news and to the funeral.

"Um…what about everypony else?" she said, trying to move the conversation forward.

"Oh, well, I think everypony's doing okay. They're all doing their jobs and living their lives. Miss Doo's delivering the mail, I saw Lyra playing her lyre in the park. They're all dealing with it in their own way, but I think they'll all be fine."

Rarity glanced over to Fluttershy. "Just like you'll be fine. Right, darling?"

Fluttershy smiled meekly and looked away. 

Finally, they both felt like the bath had lasted long enough and so they stepped out. Rarity levitated over some towels and handed some to Fluttershy, who thanked her. They dried themselves off and Rarity wrapped one of the towels around her mane. Rarity was about to continue the conversation when Aloe suddenly burst through the door.

"OHMIGOSH! Come! Quick!" she shouted.

"Aloe! Darling, whatever is the matter?" Rarity asked, surprised, "You look as if you've seen a ghost."

Aloe started mumbling incoherently. "Can't believe it…in the spa…"

"Aloe, calm down. What's going on?"

Aloe took a deep breath, stared Rarity straight in the eyes, and exclaimed, "Rainbow Dash is in the Spa!!!"

Not a moment was wasted as the three ponies dashed through the doors and made their way to the lobby as quickly as they could. Even Fluttershy was rushing. The air inside the spa was frantic and wild.

Finally, the three reached the lobby and beheld the sight before them. There, standing just inside the doorway, was a very confused and uncomfortable looking Rainbow Dash.

"Uhhhh…" she ventured, "Hi?"

Nopony else could speak. They were all staring, disbelieving.

"Is everypony all right?" Dash asked, "Why are you all staring at me like that? Stop it! It's freaking me out."

Rarity finally found her voice. "I never thought I'd see the day! Rainbow Dash is in a spa!!"

"Um, yeah…I am…" she said cautiously, "Woo…"

Rarity blinked a few times. "Am I dreaming?"

Dash shook her head, "Look, I just came to see if I could borrow or buy some soap. I completely ran out and this place was closer than the store. I'm not here for," she paused and looked at the towel on Rarity's head, "…that."

This seemed to snap Aloe out of her trance. "Oh! Soap! Of course! Is there any particular kind you want? Any aroma you'd prefer?"

Dash stepped up to the group of three. "Um…soap. You know? The kind you use to clean yourself?"

Aloe stared blankly for a moment before turning to Rarity with a questioning look. A look that said, She's your friend. You deal with her.

"Umm…" Rarity faltered. "Get her some Dove I suppose."

Aloe shrugged and walked back through the doors leading into the spa.

"I need soap, not a bird," Dash deadpanned.

Rarity nearly facehoofed, but decided against something so unladylike. "Dove is soap."

"Um…no. A dove is a bird. I think I know birds. I'm a pegasus, you know."

Rarity sighed. "The soap is called Dove. It's a brand name."

"Really? Why's it named after a bird?"

"I believe it's because the feathers of a dove are the softest feathers there are, and the soap is very smooth."

"Soft and smooth aren't the same thing."

Rarity sighed again. "It's just a name, Rainbow. Don't put so much thought into it."

Dash shrugged. "All right, as long as it's soap." She glanced behind Rarity and noticed Fluttershy for the first time. "Oh! Hi Fluttershy! I haven't seen you since…" she trailed off.

Fluttershy hid herself behind her mane. "I'm sorry…I've been feeling a little down…"

"But you're better now?"

"Um, I guess…Rarity told me about how everypony's been focusing so hard on their jobs…"

Dash smiled. "Yeah…I've been putting in a lot of practice time. It's great. It washes away all of the negative energy. Maybe you should try it."

Fluttershy squeaked. "Oh! No! Um, I mean, no thank you…I'm perfectly happy on the ground…but all of you are right. I need to spend more time with the animals. It'll help take my mind off of things. It worked for you and Rarity, and for Pinkie, Applejack and Twilight."

Dash smiled and nodded. Then she frowned. "Twilight? What's she been doing?"

"Well we haven't seen her outside," Rarity replied, "so we assume she's been studying."

"Oh…but you don't know for sure?"

"No, I suppose we don't. Why?"

"Well, I dunno. She was hit pretty hard, and I just hope she's okay. Maybe I should go see her."

Rarity smiled. "Certainly! You go do that and be sure to tell us how she's doing. We would go ourselves, but we still have more to do here at the spa. Ah! Here's your soap."

Aloe re-entered the lobby, carrying two boxes on her back. Rarity used her magic to transfer them from Aloe's back to Dash's.

"Thanks a lot," Dash said, fishing out some bits for payment. "This pigeon soap is good, you say?"

Rarity wore a sour expression. "Dove."

"Dove, right. Well as long as it works. All right, thanks a lot Aloe. Nice to see you Rarity! You too Fluttershy! See ya around!" Dash said as she turned to leave.

"Give our regards to Twilight, would you?" Rarity called after her.

"You got it!" Dash said before stepping out the door and taking to the air. Fluttershy and Rarity briefly marvelled at her ability to keep two boxes of soap balanced while she flew before turning to each other, smiling, and returning to the interior of the spa.

"She seems to be doing quite well," Rarity commented. 

Fluttershy nodded. "She hates being sad anyway, so it's not surprising."

"Say what you will about that brash pegasus, she has grace and poise when she needs to use it. I can barely keep two boxes balanced without using magic."

Fluttershy giggled. "Hearing you describe Rainbow Dash with the words 'poise' and 'grace' is pretty funny."

"Why Fluttershy! Was that a giggle I heard?" Rarity said good-naturedly. She smiled. "Keep at it darling. You'll be back on your hooves in no time!"

Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her mane.

…

The magnificent structure of the Golden Oaks Library, which also happened to be a tree, was difficult to miss. From a distance, it looked like a tree that had gotten lost and found itself in the middle of the small town. However, up close, one could clearly see its intention as a fully functioning library and house. 

Dash alighted in front of the front door, having dropped off the boxes of soap at her house first. She had decided not to enter from the balcony, not knowing exactly what to expect inside the unicorn's house. 

Rainbow Dash walked up to the door and knocked on it a few times. A couple of moments passed before the door opened to reveal Spike. 

"Hey Spike!" she greeted the small dragon.

"Oh, hey Dash!" he replied, smiling. "What's up?"

"Not much. I just thought I'd check up on you two. Haven't seen you in a while."

Spike stepped back and allowed Dash to enter. Inside, Dash saw the library in its usual state: books strewn haphazardly across the floor. Somepony had been studying. 

"How've you been, Spike?" Dash asked after Spike closed the door.

"Not too bad." He paused. "It took some time to get over…it, but I think I'm okay now."

Dash smiled warmly. "Well that's good. Glad to hear it."

"It still sucks, but…" he shrugged.

"Yeah," Dash replied, rubbing the back of her neck. 

"How have you been?"

"I've been doing pretty good. Workin' on lots of awesome tricks, getting lots and lots of practice in!"

Dash then glanced around the library. Despite the telltale signs of an intense study session, the purple bookworm was nowhere to be seen. Dash briefly wondered if she was buried somewhere under a pile of books.

"So, uhh…" Dash started, "Where's Twilight?"

Spike's expression fell. He sighed and threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing it at the door leading to the basement. "She's been spending all of her time down there…"

Dash's gaze fell on the door. It was closed tight.

"She says she's studying down there," Spike continued, "but she doesn't take many books down. She comes out to eat and sleep and she went into town once. A couple of nights she's fallen asleep down there…"

Dash stepped tentatively towards the door. "Doesn't she tell you anything beyond 'I'm studying'?"

Spike shrugged. "She doesn't really feel like talking and, well, to be honest I'd been kinda grumpy for a while." He looked to the floor sheepishly. "I'm better now…"

Dash waved a hoof absentmindedly. "Don't worry 'bout it. I was like that too. But the rest of us have been kind of worried about her. Can I go see her?"

Spike shrugged again. "She didn't say anything about not disturbing her, so go ahead, I guess. I gotta go anyway. I just noticed that we're out of parchment and a certain owl didn't pick any up…"

Rainbow Dash had been about to step through the door when she turned to Spike with a confused expression. "Spike, Owlowiscious is an owl…how is he supposed to buy parchment? He sleeps in the day."

Spike open his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Dash snickered at his lost expression. "Good to see ya Spike," she said, turning and opening the door.

"Good to see you too," the purple dragon replied before quickly heading out the library's door.

Dash descended the stairs into the library's basement. It was darker than the ground floor, but Dash could see a source of light coming from the bottom of the stairs. She could also hear an indistinct noise. It sounded like somepony speaking, but the voice was not Twilight's.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and looked into the relatively large basement. Gnarled, twisting roots stretched from the dirt walls and hung above the room as an odd, natural decoration. At the bottom of the two flights of stone steps was the room itself, which was filled with all manner of scientific equipment. There were large machines, devices attached to wires, and a few computers. All of these were currently turned off.

The only thing in the room that was active was the television. TV's were still fairly new on the Equestrian market and not many ponies had one. A few in Ponyville had TV's, including the Mayor. Whenever important news was broadcast on the TV, everypony without access to one was free to use the Mayor's to see it.

However, Twilight's was slightly bigger than the Mayor's. It also had a slightly higher picture quality. From what Dash had heard, it had been a gift from Celestia. 

Dash examined the scene before her in the dark room. Only one of the lights was switched on, so most of the ambient light came from the TV. Twilight sat in front of it, watching it intently. There were a few loose scrolls with writing and diagrams on them. A quill pen, dripping with ink, hovered above the parchment, illuminated by Twilight's magic. She seemed to be unaware of Dash's presence and had an intense look of concentration.

Dash's eyes glanced up to the screen. She was instantly confused and concerned. On the screen was a recording of Luna's funeral. The sounds of Fallen Poet's speech filled the room as the video replayed her part in the event. Dash frowned upon seeing Luna's open casket again. Earlier emotions were returning to her.

Dash watched as Twilight paused the footage, stared for a moment, and then pushed some buttons. The video moved backwards frame by frame, slowly. 

"Uhhhh, Twilight? What're you doing?"

Twilight visibly jumped, her quill clattered to the table. She whirled around, startled. When she saw that it was only Rainbow Dash, she exhaled and closed her eyes. "Don't do that, Rainbow Dash. I nearly jumped out of my skin…" She took a moment to catch her breath.

Dash glanced up at the screen again, studying the frame Twilight had stopped the footage on. Nothing looked out of place. She saw the large crowd - she even managed to find her own rainbow mane - the speaker, Fallen Poet, and Luna in her casket. Dash hadn't even known that the funeral was being recorded.

"What…what're you doing?" she repeated.

"Oh, um…" Twilight stammered, "I was just looking at…something"

"Why are you watching this?"

Twilight said nothing as Dash stepped up beside her. They both gazed at the screen for a few moments. Dash could feel emotions she hadn't felt for a while now welling up in her again. Seeing the body of the princess once again was threatening to bring up fresh tears.

"What do you see, Dash?"

Dash glanced at Twilight incredulously, finding her question awfully random. "What?" 

"Tell me what you see."

Dash turned her attention back to the still frame. "Well what do you think I see? I see all the ponies on the stage. That one is speaking, I forget her name. Celestia's back there, her mane is looking terrible. There's a huge crowd and I can even barely see the seven of us." She paused, swallowing. "And I see Luna in her casket." At the word 'casket' her voice cracked slightly. She turned to Twilight, suddenly agitated. "Why?! What am I supposed to see?"

Twilight's eyes widened. "Calm down, Rainbow. I'm sorry."

Dash turned away. "Damn it, Twilight. What're you doing?" she asked for the third time.

"I'm sorry, Dash. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just…I was just looking at something unusual, that's all," Twilight replied. 

Dash took a few deep breaths to calm herself. 

"I'm sorry…" Twilight repeated.

Dash shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you," she said, "Everypony's been worried about you. We haven't seen you, and now I find out you're doing…this. I'm a little frazzled."

Twilight frowned. "Oh…I didn't mean to worry everypony. I guess I should go see them."

Dash returned her gaze to the unicorn. "Everypony else has been doing pretty well, you know. Well, except Fluttershy, but she went to the spa today with Rarity and I think that helped."

"Really? Well that's good to hear. I was a little worried about Fluttershy."

"I think she's gonna be okay," Dash replied. There was a pause. "I dunno what to think about you though…"

Twilight shook her head. "Really, Dash, I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying everypony. I just didn't realize how much time I was spending down here. Tell you what, I'll go see everypony right now. I'll have a nice chat with them all. Just give me a few minutes to get everything put away."

Dash smiled. "Now that sounds like a great idea! All right, Twilight. Go see everypony else first. They're all worried about you. We can talk later."

"Sounds like a plan!"

Dash turned to the steps and began to climb them. "All right, Twilight," she said while ascending, "I'll see you around!"

Twilight waved her hoof. "Bye, Rainbow Dash! Nice to see you!"

Rainbow Dash stepped out of the basement and closed the door behind her. "All right…" Dash muttered, "That was a little weird, but at least she seems okay." As she exited the library, she analyzed the scene in her head, wondering what Twilight had been doing.

As Rainbow Dash walked away from the library, Twilight was still in the basement. She made to collect all of her notes but found herself looking at what she had written. She turned to the screen again and stared. 

Without realizing what she was doing, she began watching the video footage again. She moved through the frames slowly, her original objective immediately forgotten by her study-oriented brain.

The door to the basement opened again some time later. It was Spike, who had already completed his errands. "Twilight?!" he called down, his voice echoing into the underground room, "Are you still down there?"

"Mhm…" came Twilight's distracted reply.

"Rainbow Dash said you were out with your friends."

This shook Twilight out of her trance. "Ohmigosh! I totally forgot! I got so focused on…Augh…"

Spike reached the bottom of the basement stairs, glancing at Twilight's workstation. His expression twisted into confusion. "I thought you said you were studying down here."

Twilight gathered up her notes, successfully this time. "I am studying," she replied plainly.

Spike stared up at the screen. "Studying what exactly?"

"Stuff," she replied absentmindedly, trying to get everything cleared and organized.

Spike gazed at the screen for a few moments. "They were filming that?"

"Yeah," Twilight responded, "Didn't you notice the cameras?"

"No."

Twilight looked down at him. "Oh…sorry."

Spike continued to look at the screen. "Have you seriously been spending more than a week down here just looking at the recording of the funeral?"

"No…" Twilight began.

"That's a little…unnerving."

"I haven't just been looking at the recording…"

"Well what the hay are you doing?"

Twilight paused, glancing between Spike and the screen. She seemed to be contemplating a response.

"Spike," she finally said, "Look at it. I'm sorry if it upsets you, but look at the screen. Just look for a minute."

Spike sighed and climbed onto the desk using a nearby stool. From this better vantage point, he stared intently at the screen for a minute or two. 

"What do you see?" Twilight asked, repeating the question she had asked Rainbow Dash.

Spike appeared confused by the question. "What am I supposed to see?" he responded before listing off the same things that Rainbow Dash had said earlier. "Nopony is there that shouldn't be, nopony is missing…I don't get it."

Twilight stepped up beside him. Spike glanced at her while she gazed at the still frame. She seemed to squint her eyes. 

"Twilight?"

"It's just…" she said quietly, "I'm not even sure if it's anything, really. I noticed it when I was there, and I was just…" she trailed off.

"Huh?" Spike was confused. "You're not making any sense …"

"Something's…off. Something's just…not right."

The two sat in silence for a moment.

"Ummm…" Spike was visibly puzzled. He returned his gaze to the screen. "Off?"

"Every time I look at this something doesn't feel right. I can never see exactly what it is; it's like I can't put my hoof on it. I just…something is not right."

Spike stared for a few more minutes before shrugging. "It looks fine to me," he replied, "Look, Rainbow Dash was right. You should really go talk to your friends. Just maybe don't mention…this…"

This snapped Twilight out of her reverie. "Oh! Right, I was heading out. Thanks, Spike. I might've been down here another hour!" she said with a chuckle.

With a sense of finality, Twilight got all of her notes and equipment packed up and organized. She then flicked a switch, turning the television screen off, and began to ascend the stairs, levitating her supplies behind her. Spike trailed her.

"Are you sure you're all right, Twilight?"

"I'm perfectly fine, Spike. And don't worry, I'm going to figure this out, and then we can all forget about it."

"If you say so," Spike said worriedly, "Just don't go over the top. Again."

The two reached the top of the stairs and closed the basement door behind them.

"Don't worry Spike. I've learned my lesson about over-studying. I just…you know…need a little reminder sometimes."

Spike rolled his eyes. "Riiiight…"

Twilight put down her notes on a table and proceeded to step out the door. "I'll be back later after I see everypony! Watch the library please!"

"Can do!" Spike replied and waved goodbye. Moments later, the front door closed and Spike was alone in the library.

The young dragon turned around and walked towards the kitchen. On the way there, however, he took notice of where Twilight had deposited her notes. "Ugh, the dining table? Really? For a pony who's so organized, you really…ugh," he muttered.

Spike reached up and retrieved the notes, intending to place them on another, less food-oriented table. As he carried them over, he couldn't help but notice what Twilight had written on the top-most page. Spike was not one to pry into Twilight's studies, but she hadn't exactly hidden them and it was hard to miss the writing when he was carrying them.

"Whoa…she mapped out the whole stage. Look at all these diagrams…"

His curiosity grew as he turned to the next page. He was greeted with a huge list of spells and their effects, many crossed out with large X's.

"Twilight…what are you doing?" he muttered, worriedly, "What do you see that we don't?"

> Jigsaw
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5 - Jigsaw

The expansive gardens of Canterlot were gorgeous and filled to bursting with an unimaginable amount of flora and fauna. Everywhere a pony looked they would find a different spectacle. The colours melded and swirled to form a beautiful array of flowers and other colourful plants. Animals of all kinds moved through the trees and across the ground, chattering to each other as they went.

Even now, as heavy rain drenched them, the gardens were still amazing. In fact, the downpour of water added a mysterious, almost mystical effect. Water droplets coated the green of the leaves and dewdropped on the flowers. The sound of the rain as it assaulted the various leaves and branches gave it an eerie, otherworldly feel. 

Celestia sat in the garden, surrounded by drenched flowers, thick trees, and the droning sound of the storm. Her fur was soaked, and her grey mane hung heavily, weighed down by the water. Her wings were closed firmly at her sides to protect the delicate feathers.

A few curious animals had occasionally hopped over to her to investigate. Celestia had given some of them a simple passing glance, while others she completely ignored. None of them stayed around for long. Even they, as animals, could see that she wanted to be left alone.

She sighed, staring at the muddy ground beneath her hooves.

Things had been getting better. They really had. The Princess was far from completely recovered, but she had definitely started feeling better. 

And then it had happened. Why did it have to happen? It was salt in the wound; a twisting of the knife. Her mood had instantly fallen, and she had been trapped within depression once again.

She lifted her head up and stared at the sky, regarding whatever higher powers may have been up there, beyond her.

"Damn it," she said, barely above a whisper, "why are you making this so hard?"

A tear, lost within the endless cascade of raindrops, fell to the ground.

…

"Thank ya kindly!"

Applejack smiled brightly and waved a hoof to the stallion who had just purchased a basket of apples. He smiled in return and walked off into town, carrying his bounty.

Applejack sighed contentedly. Business had been excellent today. There hadn't been too many customers so that she was constantly attending to their needs, but when they did show up, they had always bought a fairly substantial amount of her merchandise. This allowed her many extended moments of relaxation.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day in Ponyville. The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds in the sky above. Applejack could see clouds elsewhere in the distance, but none were within the vicinity of her town. When it came to standing by the stall and selling apples, these were the days she looked forward to the most.

"Hi, Applejack!!" 

The cheery voice rang out over the mild cacophony of the busy Ponyville market. Applejack turned to look at its source.

"Well, howdy Pinkie Pie! Howdy Fluttershy," she greeted the two approaching ponies. 

Pinkie bounded over, full of her usual energy and her poofy mane and tail bouncing behind her. Fluttershy followed at a more reserved pace, although she smiled at Applejack as she approached.

"Howdy!" Pinkie responded as she reached the apple stand, "How's apple selling going today?"

Applejack chuckled. "It's th' perfect kind o' day, working th' stand. Lots o' bits, but also lots o' time in-between customers."

"Sounds awesome!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, "Gotta have fun while you work! And sometimes just relaxing is all the fun you need!"

"Y'all got that right. So, how ya been, Pinkie?"

"Great! I was just walking through the square looking for a tambourine when I saw Fluttershy walking too. And so we decided to walk together because that's a lot less boring. Although, I wouldn't say Ponyville is boring, even if I am just walking through it. But it's less boring by comparison."

Applejack blinked. "Rii'…" she said before turning her attention to the pegasus behind the pink pony. "And how 'bout you, Fluttershy? I haven't seen much o' you lately."

"Oh, um…I'm fine, thank you. I was just taking a walk through town," she responded quietly.

"Well, that's good ta hear," Applejack smiled, "I'd heard ya weren't doin' so well. But it's nice ta see ya out an' about. Ya look like yer feelin' better."

"Oh, I am. I feel much better," Fluttershy said, glancing at the ground, "I'm not perfect yet, but…" 

"I knew y'all'd be fine."

"Um, and how about you?" Fluttershy asked, wanting to be polite.

Applejack adjusted her hat. "Well, ya ain't got much time ta be feelin' bad when there's work ta do."

"Yeah," Pinkie chimed in, "There's lots to do at the bakery, and you have to buck the trees and sell the apples."

"Tha's right. I think we've all done well. We've all healed and recovered, wouldn't ya say?"

Fluttershy and Pinkie nodded for a moment, before glancing at each other and sharing an unsure look.

"What?" Applejack enquired, catching this.

"Well, there's…" Fluttershy began, only to be interrupted by a shout from behind them.

"Hey, gals!!"

The three ponies turned and saw Rainbow Dash land on the road not far from them and trot over. "Wazzup?"

Pinkie instantly smiled and said, "Not much. WAZZAAAP with you?!" 

Dash laughed in response. "WAZAAAAAAP wit you?!"

Applejack simply stared. "Uhhhh….you two okay?"

Pinkie giggled. "Of course we are. We're just asking each other what's up."

Applejack opened her mouth to respond, but found no words to adequately portray her incredulity.

Dash snickered. "So, seriously. What's up everypony?"

"Fluttershy and I were walking and we saw Applejack running her stand," Pinkie responded, "so we decided to come over and chat with her."

"Cool, cool," Dash said, turning her attention to the meek pegasus, "Hey Fluttershy! How are you?"

Fluttershy hid behind her mane slightly. "Um, I'm fine. Why does everypony keep asking me specifically?"

"'Cus we were worried about ya, sugarcube," Applejack replied.

"Oh, um…" Fluttershy glanced at her three friends modestly, "Sorry."

Dash chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Fluttershy. We're just glad for you."

"And I just know you're doing awesome, Dashie! I saw that awesome trick you were working on yesterday!" Pinkie exclaimed giddily.

"Ugh, don't remind me of that," Dash responded with irritation, "That trick took like six hours to perfect. I'm still aching from the crashes…"

"Yeah, but I saw it when it was done!" Pinkie continued, "I mean, it didn't look good when you crashed into that apple tree, but then you picked yourself back up and kept going! And then you did it!"

"Hang on, time out," Applejack interrupted, "You crashed into one of mah apple trees? Dang it, Dash, I told ya not ta practice over mah orchards!"

"Forget that," Dash said dismissively, "You saw me crash into the tree and when I finally got it? Those were like two hours apart!"

"Yup!" Pinkie chirped.

"You were watching me for two whole hours?"

"Yup!"

"Why?"

"Well, duh! I didn't have anything better to do!"

Dash stared in silence for a moment. "You…I don't…ugh, you're so random…"

Pinkie giggled. "That's me!"

Dash shook her head. 

"Funny," Applejack observed, "You work more on your tricks than your actual work, Dash. You do still work as a weather pony, right?"

"Well, yeah, but there hasn't been much for me to do lately. The weather schedule's been calm."

Applejack shrugged. "I guess so. It's just good ta see ya back to yer old self."

"Well, everypony else is back to their old selves, so why not me?"

"Well…" Pinkie said in a subdued voice, "Not everypony."

"Huh? Who do you mean?" Dash responded, intrigued.

"There's still…"

"Hello, everypony!!" Rarity's voice cut through the air, interrupting Pinkie Pie. The four heads turned to see their unicorn friend trotting over to them.

"Oh, hello Rarity!" Fluttershy greeted.

"Hello, darling! What a pleasure to see you!" Rarity responded, "I see you're out and about with friends! How wonderful!"

Fluttershy flushed slightly. "Is this going to happen every time I see you girls?"

Rarity was confused, so Applejack explained. "Every one of us has already said how happy we were ta see her out."

"Oh," Rarity replied, "Well, it's still wonderful! How are you all doing on this fabulous day?"

The previous discussions repeated themselves for a third time as Rarity was brought up to date on the conversation. 

"Well," she said after everypony had finished speaking, "That's definitely great news! I'm so happy for everypony."

"Yeah…" Applejack sighed, "It's a beautiful day, and Ponyville looks just like it always has."

Rarity smiled in agreement. "Everypony's back to their old selves."

For the third time, Pinkie and Fluttershy shared an uneasy glance. Applejack again noticed it. "Girls, y'all've been tryin' to say something but keep gettin' interrupted. What is it ya wanna say?"

Fluttershy sighed. "Thank you, Applejack" she said quietly, "Well, you all keep saying that everypony is feeling okay, but…"

"There's definitely still one who isn't," Pinkie said, concluding Fluttershy's sentence.

"Who?" Rarity asked.

"Twilight…" Fluttershy whispered, as if afraid the scholarly unicorn would hear her.

"We haven't seen her in, like, four days," Pinkie chimed in, "In fact, I've only seen her once since Canterlot."

"Four days…sounds about the same fer me," Applejack agreed. 

Fluttershy and Rarity both nodded as well.

"She came out to see each of us four days ago," Pinkie observed, "and then nothing!"

"What?" Dash exclaimed incredulously, "Is she still hiding in the basement?"

The four others each gave her a perplexed look.

Dash frowned. "Oh…oops. I wasn't supposed to say that."

"Why?" Rarity pressed, "What's she doing in her basement? Are you telling me that's why we hadn't seen her for ten days straight, and now an additional four days? What's she doing?"

"Well," Dash responded, rubbing the back of her neck, "to be honest…I have no clue."

She was met with flustered expressions.

"I don't know what to say, really. Four days ago, I went to see her. You know, to check up on her. I found her downstairs in the basement and apparently she had been down there since Canterlot."

"But what was she doing?" Rarity repeated her earlier question.

"Well," Dash paused, "I don't know if I should say."

Applejack shook her head. "Rainbow, I think you should tell us. Obviously somethin's up with her, and it's our duty as her friends to help her out if we can. Unless she told you not to tell us, then y'all can tell us."

Dash paused again before stepping closer to the group and speaking. "You all know Twilight has that big TV right?" She was met with four nods. "Well, when I found her down there she was watching a recording of the funeral on it!"

The others responded with shocked expressions.

"And she was freeze-framing it," Dash continued, "and looking really closely at it. She was studying the footage."

The five shared an uneasy glance. 

"Did you ask her what exactly she was doing?" Rarity asked.

"Not really, I was too flustered," Dash responded, "Then she asked me what I saw."

"Beg pardon?" Applejack interjected, confused.

"She said, What do you see?" Dash frowned. "Obviously, I didn't see anything, but it seemed like she could see something."

The group gave each other worried looks. "That…doesn't sound good," Rarity spoke.

"And she's been doing that for fourteen days now?" Pinkie asked, troubled. 

"Well, Spike said she'd been down there since we all got back," Dash continued, "I mean, I convinced her to go out and spend that one day with you all, but now it looks like she's back."

"Well," Applejack interrupted, "this is all speculation. We don't know fer sure if she's still doin' that."

"But," Fluttershy replied meekly, "if she is still there, then…"

"Then it's definitely something to worry about," Rarity concluded.

The group of friends sat in silence for a moment, contemplating the situation.

"I wish she'd just tell us what she was doing," Pinkie muttered.

"Well, maybe Twilight would tell us if we asked her," Applejack responded.

"Ask me what?"

The five suddenly stiffened and whipped their heads around to look behind them. Standing not far off and well within earshot was the subject of their conversation; Twilight Sparkle. She wore an expression that seemed to be a mix of scepticism and suspicion.  

"Oh, hi Twilight!" Dash said nervously, drawing out the second word, "We didn't see you there!"

"Yeah, I noticed," she responded, stepping over to join them.

"Um," Dash faltered, "how are you?"

"Fine. Were you girls talking about me behind my back?"

"No, of course not!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, "Why would we do that?"

"We were just," Rarity said before pausing, "thinking about you. Wondering where you've been and what you've been doing."

"Oh," Twilight responded, glancing around, "Is that all?"

The others nodded and Applejack spoke up. "We're just all a li'l worried about ya. We haven't been seein' much o' ya."

"I see. Well, I'm here now, aren't I? I've just been a little busy, that's all," she replied, defensively.

"Whoa there, sugarcube, nopony's mad at'cha. We just tend ta get concerned when the five'a us only see you once in fourteen days."

"Oh, well don't worry about me," Twilight said dismissively, "I'm fine, honest. I'm just a little caught up in studying something."

"Studyin' what?" Applejack enquired.

Twilight sighed, this being the third time she had been asked that question. "It's nothing important, really…"

"Darling, it must be important if you've been spending two weeks examining it," Rarity offered.

"Well, I mean…" Twilight backpedalled, "It sorta is important, but…well, I really don't know yet. That's why I'm studying it. Look, if it turns out to be important, I'll let you all know. But seriously, don't worry about me. I'm fine."

Twilight's statement carried with it a feeling of finality, and none of her friends decided to press the issue. The six sat in uneasy silence for nearly a full minute.

"Hey!" Dash suddenly spoke up after struggling to think of a new topic of conversation, "Did you all hear about that nut up in Canterlot?"

"Oh, that unicorn named Night Wish? Oh yes, it's such an outrageous story!" Rarity replied.

"Is that what his name was? Gee, it's not surprising then, is it?" Pinkie joined in.

"Such a mean thing to do…" Fluttershy softly replied.

"Wait," Twilight cut in, holding up her hoof, "Stop. What are you all talking about?"

"My goodness, Twilight, you really have been isolating yourself too much. You haven't heard?" Rarity said in surprise. Twilight shook her head in response.

"Well, as you probably know, Celestia holds an open court every day, where ponies can come and ask her questions, or request the government's assistance in something," Rarity began telling the tale.

Twilight nodded. It was a time honoured tradition of the Princess and she had recently started doing it again since the grim events of two weeks ago.

"Yeah," Pinkie picked up, "so yesterday, this dark blue unicorn named Night Wish came into her court all excited about something!"

Rarity glanced at Pinkie, slightly miffed at having been interrupted, but continued speaking. "Right, so he ran right up to the Princess and the first thing he said was, She's alive!!"

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise.

"The Princess was visibly shocked, and asked him to explain himself, but he was way too excited and couldn't really speak clearly. Some ponies believe he was mentally challenged but, mind you, that's speculation."

"Wow…" Twilight muttered, "What happened next?"

"Well, Celestia tried to calm him down and get him to make sense, but he kept saying things like Trust me and It's true! Eventually, Celestia had him thrown out. Open court was cancelled for the rest of the day and there wasn't one today either. I think the whole event has dug up some of her earlier depression."

"Shoot, that jus' ain't right," Applejack commented, "Whether he was goin' on some crazy conspiracy, or if he was pullin' some hoax. Either way, it's just awful."

Twilight stood still, processing this information. "Really?" she asked incredulously, "That's pretty wild. And you said it upset the Princess?"

Rarity nodded. "I think it really upset her. Poor darling. That is most definitely not the kind of thing you need to hear when trying to get over a tragedy."

Twilight also nodded, glancing away, deep in thought.

"I just can't believe somepony would do something like that…" Fluttershy said sadly.

"I know, right?" Dash responded, "What kind of nerve does he have to come up with a claim like that? It's pretty hard to deny who was sitting that coffin…I mean we all saw her!"

Four of the other ponies voiced their agreement, albeit quietly due to the touchy subject. However, Twilight didn't answer.

"Found 'em, Twilight," came the voice of Spike as he approached the group carrying two large glass bottles.

"Oh," Twilight replied, turning her attention to him. She levitated the bottles from him and thanked him.

"Listen everypony," she spoke as she turned to her friends, "I gotta go. Got something important to do. Nice talking to you all. Bye!"

Without a moment for response, she turned and began to trot away. Her five friends all stared after her, confused.

"Spike, you coming?" she called over her shoulder.

"Um…I'll catch up to you, all right?" Spike replied.

"Well don't be long, I still need your help," she said as she galloped quickly in the direction of the library.

"Well…that was mighty strange," Applejack observed.

"So what else is new?" Spike muttered dryly.

"She sure seemed to be in a hurry to get out of here," Fluttershy noticed.

"I'm still surprised she came outside today," Spike said, "Was she talking to you girls about her, um, project?"

The five mares shared a glance. "No," Rarity responded, "but we certainly were." 

"I guess Rainbow Dash told you what she saw in the basement," Spike presumed. He was met with a series of nods. "I gotta say, everypony, I'm really starting to get worried about her," he continued.

"She doesn't seem to want to talk about it," Pinkie remarked, "I mean, I'm sure whatever it is that's bugging her, we can all help her out."

Spike just shook his head. "I dunno girls," he groaned, "I just hope it all works out. I gotta go, though. Just…help me keep an eye on her. I'm afraid something's gonna happen…"

Spike waved to his friends and turned to follow Twilight's path to the library.

When he was gone, Fluttershy turned to her friends and said, "What are we going to do girls?"

Applejack shrugged. "Not much we can do right now, sugarcube. We just gotta wait 'n see what happens."

…

Three loud knocks fell upon the wooden door.

"Hello? Anyone home?" Twilight's voice called into the building.

The door to Zecora's hut opened and the enigmatic zebra stood in the doorway smiling. "Ah, Twilight! You are finally here. I was wondering when you would appear," she greeted in her familiar rhyming style of speech.

Twilight smiled and stepped through the threshold into Zecora's exotically decorated house. The various masks, trinkets and containers of unknown liquids had once frightened her, but she had since grown used to them. It almost made Twilight laugh when she thought back to the days when she had thought of Zecora as an Evil Enchantress.

"Thank you for coming with such great speed. I trust you have brought me what I need," Zecora said as the two moved to the centre of the room.

"Yeah, I've got them right here," Twilight replied as she used her magic to retrieve two glass bottles from her saddlebags. Inside each of them was a swirling, restless flame. One was green and the other was dark blue. Carrying them carefully, she brought them over to one of the shelves full of other containers.

"Ah, excellent! A young dragon's flame. Wildly dancing and uneasy to tame. Containing powers and mysterious force, it carries its cargo along its course."

"Yup. It moves stuff," Twilight said absent-mindedly as she once again found herself examining the various potions and liquids. 

"Thank you again for this generous donation. Perhaps now I can create a potion of transportation. You're certain it's all right if I accept this gift? I would hate for you to succumb to erroneous thrift," Zecora continued.

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Twilight responded pleasantly, "It's not like a dragon's flame is a closely guarded secret. I'm sure unicorns have studied it before." As Twilight spoke, her eyes fell upon an otherwise non-noteworthy bottle of blue liquid. It was labelled only with an insignia of the moon.

"So green is for She who presides over day, and blue for the one sadly taken away?" Zecora enquired.

Twilight frowned. Zecora's question, combined with thoughts stirred up by the moon symbol, made her feel uncomfortable. She sat in thought for a few moments.

"Twilight? Are you all right?" Zecora asked concernedly.

"Oh, I'm sorry Zecora. Yes that's correct," she responded.

Zecora gazed at her thoughtfully. "Something is clearly troubling your mind," she spoke, "Something frustrating, and it's being confined."

"Sorry," Twilight muttered, glancing at the ground, "I've been very busy lately, and there's a lot on my mind. I've been," she paused, "studying something."

"Tell me, young Twilight, what fills your thoughts?" Zecora said, stepping towards the young unicorn, "It is quite clear to see that you're very distraught."

Twilight turned to face her, but her hooves slipped on something on the ground and she lost her balance. She artfully sidestepped to keep from tumbling and glanced down at what had caused the problem. A few loose papers littered the ground, all with the exotic language of Zecora's native tongue written all over them.

"It's probably nothing, Zecora," Twilight replied after she had sustained her balance, her eyes briefly lingering on the papers, "It's just something odd I noticed, and I'm looking into it. Once I figure it out, I'll let everyone know what it is."

Twilight lifted her gaze from the ground and turned it forward. Black and white stripes filled her vision. Zecora was suddenly uncomfortably close and staring intently. Twilight couldn't help but yelp lightly in surprise.

"You are not being completely honest, Twilight," Zecora spoke slowly, "Of the past few weeks, this has been your highlight. Studying hard and hiding away, why is it that you do not want to say?"

Twilight unconsciously found herself backing up. Despite all of her stereotypical thoughts and initial impressions having faded away, a small part of her still found the zebra intimidating. 

"I-I…" she stammered, "I don't want to say anything just in case it turns out to be false. I want to have all the facts and data first."

Zecora stepped forward after her. Her gaze was intense, but it was not malicious. Rather, it was imploring. "Twilight, do not misinterpret this exchange, but I must say you are acting quite strange."

Twilight shifted her eyes around the room and took another step back. Her rump connected forcibly with the shelves behind her, disturbing the countless potions and containers upon it. She glanced quickly behind her to see if any of them were falling.

"Ah!" she exclaimed as she reached out with her magic and caught three glass containers before they could tumble from their places upon the shelf. "Sorry!" she said quickly as she ensured that the containers remained in their proper place.

"Twilight, beware! Do take care!"

As if to punctuate the point, the air was filled with the harsh sound of breaking glass. Twilight winced and glanced downward to see what had fallen. With a frown, she saw that it was the bottle of blue flame she had delivered not two minutes ago. The glass bottle sat shattered on the floor, and the flames were dancing along the ground.

Twilight groaned. "Darn…Sorry, Zecora." Twilight took a quick moment to ensure that nothing else would fall, before returning her attention to the misfortune that had just occurred.

"Sorry," she repeated, "I'll go get another bottle right away."

"Don't fret Twilight, it was not your fault," Zecora responded, "No need to dress your wound with salt. The damage caused was really quite small, and I thank you for letting nothing else fall."

Twilight didn't respond. She was staring at the flames on the ground. Slowly they flowed along like spilt water. Within moments, they reached the pile of papers she had nearly slipped on a moment earlier. 

The unicorn watched as the flames surrounded the papers rapidly and began to burn them. The hungry flames devoured the papers within seconds and turned to blue smoke, which rose up and was swept out the open window into the air outside.

Twilight stared at the window, even as the smoke disappeared from sight, eyes wide. Zecora followed her gaze.

"Well, there go my notes on White Devil's Flower," Zecora said forlornly, "I can see now the dragon fire's power. I suppose there is not much I can do, for out of the window, the papers flew."

The logical, polite side of Twilight's brain told her to apologize immediately for Zecora's lost notes, but her mind was busy dealing with a million other thoughts. The spectacle she had just witnessed left her speechless.

"Twilight Sparkle? You seem quite hushed. I can rewrite the notes, do not feel crushed."

Twilight shook her head, storing away her thoughts to deal with later. "Sorry, Zecora, I gotta go. Like, right now. I promise I'll get you more blue fire. Bye!" Without even waiting for a reply, Twilight bolted out the door of the hut and rushed back towards Ponyville.

A very confused and concerned zebra sat staring after her wake. Her desire for blue dragon fire and her mild irritation at having lost her notes forgotten. "Something is troubling that pony intensely. She seems to focus on strange things immensely."

Zecora shook her head, and stepped over to close the door that Twilight had left open in her rush. "Whatever it is, I hope she'll be well. Maybe later she'll have a great story to tell."

> Ethereal Illumination
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6 - Ethereal Illumination

Two extremely soft knocks came from the doorway. Princess Celestia had nearly missed them.

She had been sitting in her bedroom when the disruption had come. Earlier, she had been reading over various reports and legal documents that had needed her attention, but eventually she had grown weary of reading the legalize and had chosen instead to simply sit and be alone with her thoughts.

"One moment," she called to whomever was on the other side of the door. Standing up from where she had been sitting, she retrieved her crown and necklace. She hadn't bothered to take her golden shoes off.

Celestia took a deep breath and composed herself. Deep down, she knew that she was still terribly depressed and was making a slow recovery. However, she always tried her best to keep her poise and composure when around others. She was still their leader and knew that they were all looking up to her.

When she had reached the door, she lightly nudged it open with her hoof. Standing outside were her two statuesque guards, vigilant as ever, and a very nervous-looking orange pegasus.

"Sunbeam!" Celestia said in surprise, "There you are! You've been busying yourself and hiding from me." The Princess eyed him curiously. "I must've called for you at least four times, but you were always doing something else."

As her highest-ranking guard, she knew that if she had needed an escort or were in danger, Sunbeam would've been there in a heartbeat. However, these needs had not occurred and Celestia had merely wanted to ask for his assistance or to consult with him. These were duties he could pass on to somepony else.

Sunbeam inhaled deeply, looked up to the Princess nervously and said in one quick breath, "Your Highness I know you'd prefer to be alone but I need to talk to you so please let me in." He then winced, as if expecting somepony to strike him.

Celestia gazed at him, bewildered. "Sunbeam, my little pony, what's the matter?" she asked him in a calming voice, "Why do you look so afraid of me?"

He stole a quick glance to ensure that nothing bad would happen to him before sighing and facing her. "I'm sorry, Princess. It's just…I know how you've been feeling and I don't want to upset you by bothering you."

Celestia smiled and shook her head. "Sunbeam, you're only half correct. It is certainly true that I am not my usual self. I am still," she paused, "injured. But the needs of the ponies of this land will always come first. I have a duty to uphold as the sovereign ruler of this nation."

Sunbeam offered a weak smile. "Thank you, Your Highness. Please, if you could follow me?"

The two ponies began to walk down the hallway together with Sunbeam in the lead. They left the bedroom behind them and began making their way into the heart of the large castle.

"How have you been, Sunbeam? I hope everything is well," Celestia said, making polite conversation. 

"Oh! Yes, Your Highness, I'm doing fine. Nothing interesting is going on in my life other than this wonderful job that I have," he replied. He then turned back and gave a sheepish look. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, I believe the question on everypony's mind is how you are doing," he enquired cautiously, "I-if you don't want to answer, that's fine. I mean-"

"Sunbeam," Celestia interjected before he could go on a nervous tirade, "Thank you for asking. It shows that you care. I know a lot of ponies are worried about me, but I will be fine with time."

"That's good," Sunbeam replied, smiling softly.

"How is your sister faring?"

His smile vanished. "Oh," he said sullenly, "She's, uh…She's still pretty depressed."

Celestia frowned, thinking of Moonbeam. The pegasus had been offered a new position in the guard, but she had wanted some time off first. Given the circumstances, Celestia was completely accepting of her request. "I'm so sorry to hear that," Celestia replied sadly.

"It really hurts me to see her so upset. She barely leaves the house…"

"Is there anything I can do for her?"

Sunbeam looked back in surprise. "Oh, Your Highness, I couldn't ask that of you!" he exclaimed.

Celestia shushed him. "Nonsense. We share a common ailment, so I think it would be beneficial for the both of us."

"Well," Sunbeam responded, "I mean, if it's not too much trouble…" However, he trailed off as his gaze fell upon a window they were passing that looked out across the grounds of the castle. "Oh my goodness! Your Highness! Look!"

Celestia quickly joined him at the window. She was visibly shocked. 

"Wh…what?!"

…

"Everypony! Come to the Mayor's! Quickly!" Rose shouted.

"Something's happening on the TV!" Daisy exclaimed.

"The horror! The horror!" Lily cried out.

There was a thundering of hooves as nearly the entire town stampeded towards the town hall, where the Mayor kept her TV. There was a great cacophony of surprise and confusion as everypony struggled to make their way towards the large building. A crowd slowly gathered and grew in the large room that housed the TV. Not everypony could fit, but those who couldn't get inside gathered around the windows.

Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were fortunate enough to get inside. They were gathered together near the middle of the room and staring up at the TV. There was a reporter in a studio talking, but the sound from the TV was being drowned out by the crowd.

"Everypony, please quiet down!" the mayor was presently shouting, barely heard above the crowd, "Quiet so we can hear!" The crowd did not comply. Confused and concerned conversations continued throughout the room. "Everypony!!!" the mayor shouted as loud as she could. It didn't work.

"Dang it!" Applejack groaned, "I can't hear a dang thing!"

"Somepony needs to get this crowd under control," Rarity remarked.

"QUIET!!"

The crowd instantly fell silent at the outcry and everypony turned to look at its source in surprise.

"Um…" Fluttershy muttered, "That is…if you want to."

"…covering the situation in Canterlot. Odyssey?" the newscaster's voice said over the TV, finally able to be heard by the crowd. They turned their attention to the screen and listened in silence.

The screen shifted from the newsroom to a white earth pony with some sort of swirl as a cutie mark. She was holding a microphone and an on-screen caption identified her as "Odyssey, Field Reporter"

She began to speak. "Folks, the residents of Canterlot, including the royalty of Canterlot Castle, got an unexpected surprise this evening when they looked out of their windows. The skies above the Canterlot Graveyard were filled with an unusual phenomenon, and it wasn't a pegasus' weather error."

The camera shifted to a shot of the graveyard. All of the ponies in the town hall gasped in shock at the sight. Flying through the night sky were wispy, transparent images of ponies. There were all kinds and colours to be seen and they were all flying around aimlessly, waving their arms in strange fashions. Everypony watching instantly thought of the same thing: ghosts.

"These strange apparitions appeared suddenly with no explanation, sending the workers and nearby residents fleeing in terror," Odyssey's voice was saying, "These 'ghosts', for lack of a better term, seemed to have no interest in harming anypony, and were simply content to fly around the graveyard."

The camera cut to a pre-recorded interview with a Canterlot resident. "Yeah, I saw them suddenly fly into the air," he was saying, "and I thought I'd walked into a ghost story! I don't usually get scared but…I was terrified!"

"Both authorities and unicorn experts were immediately called to the scene," Odyssey continued, "The magic specialists were then able to confirm that these were not, in fact, ghosts."

The camera then cut to another interview with a white unicorn. The on-screen caption identified him as an expert on magic from the nearby university. "Using powerful dousing spells, we were able to discover that the graveyard had been recently infused with a very complex spell. From what we understand, it latches on to those that are buried here and then projects their image into the air above. Basically, what we're dealing with here is a prank."

Odyssey once again continued to speak on camera. "These unicorn experts are now working to defuse this spell, which will hopefully stop the ethereal display. For now, however, the spooky spectres are still here."

A flurry of voices erupted from within the town hall. Expressions of shock and outrage filled the air, as well as disbelief that somepony would have the gall to do such a thing.

"Unbelievable," Applejack said, "Absolutely unbelievable."

"Who would be so audacious?" Rarity chimed in.

"Wait, look!" Pinkie said, calling their attention back to the TV. The crowd's chatter died down again.

The camera was showing a few families huddled together, crying softly. "Families and residents who have loves ones buried at this cemetery are outraged and distressed at this shocking display," the field reporter continued.

"It…it was just so jarring," a brown unicorn was saying to the camera, "seeing my aunt flying around up there, acting spooky like that. It was just horrible."

"These sentiments," Odyssey's voice intercut, "are shared as well by Princess Celestia."

The camera cut to the Princess, who was visibly displeased. "This is a despicable act," she spoke in a disapproving voice, "There are harmless pranks, and then there are thoughtless acts that simply cause pain. This is absolutely unacceptable. If we discover whoever is responsible for this, they will be justly punished for their insensitive actions."

The camera cut back to Odyssey one final time. "The unicorns working on disarming the spell estimate that the apparitions should be gone within an hour or two. Until then, residents are advised that the images are not harmful in any way and should simply be ignored. Back to you in the studio."

As the newscaster in the studio thanked Odyssey and moved onto the next story, a thunderous noise suddenly filled the town hall as everypony began to talk. They all had something to say about the event, none of it complimentary. The room was in an uproar. 

"Wow…" Rainbow Dash muttered, "Crazy stuff."

"I wasn't aware a pony could even do such a thing," Rarity remarked.

"Magic can do some pretty crazy junk when yer good at it. Jus' ask Twilight," Applejack responded.

"That's just so mean!" Pinkie exclaimed, "I hope they catch the meanie who did it!"

"Oh, I agree, Pinkie," Rarity concurred, "Could you imagine what those families are going through?"

"I just don't understand why somepony would do something like that. Why? What do they gain?" Fluttershy said.

Dash shrugged. "Some ponies just get a kick out of shock value," she said, "They have fun seeing others sad or upset."

"Simply terrible!" Rarity exclaimed, "Whomever is responsible must be caught!"

"I know right?!" Pinkie agreed.

The conversation died for a few moments as the five had nothing more to say that hadn't already been said. There was a brief moment of silence between the friends before Applejack piped up.

"Where's Twilight?"

Dash shrugged. "She's got her own TV, remember?"

"Ri'…Well I hope she didn't miss it."

"Somehow," Dash deadpanned, "I highly doubt that she did."

…

The day in Ponyville continued after the wild events that had happened at noon. The story on the news programme was still fresh on everypony's mind, but life in the small town was progressing fairly normally by late afternoon.

The five friends had each gone off to do their own daily chores and routines. Fluttershy went to tend to her animals, Applejack and Rarity returned to their work and Pinkie went off to be Pinkie.

Rainbow Dash's day ended up being a little less interesting. For the second time in less than two weeks, she had found herself without any duties to perform for Ponyville's weather. Usually, such an occurrence would mean that she would be out practicing new stunts and tricks.

However, Dash had been in a rut lately. She had already mastered all of her old tricks and was having a difficult time coming up with anything new. After the gathering at the Mayor's house, she had spent quite a few hours flying around and trying to find something interesting to do, but soon she found herself simply too bored to continue.

So Dash decided to read a book. It hadn't been long ago that she had fallen in love with the Daring Do books and had realized that reading could indeed be fun, as long as one was reading something one enjoyed. With this new plan in mind, she had raced home, excited. Her elation had fallen, however, when she had arrived and realized that she had already read all of the Daring Do books that she currently had in her possession.

So, as Celestia's sun began to set and bathe the nearby clouds in a beautiful orange glow, Dash made her way to Ponyville's library. After knocking and entering, she found the library in a slightly cleaner state than the last time she had visited. It was as if whoever had started cleaning had simply given up halfway through, which was more than likely what had occurred.

Spike was nowhere to be seen and Dash needed help to find the books she was looking for. She glanced around the building but its resident was not visible, although Dash had a fairly clear idea of where she was. With a sigh, she walked over to the door leading to the basement.

"Twilight? I need your help!" she called as she knocked. The door swung open before her, offering a glance down the stairs and into the basement.

"Oh! Rainbow Dash? Is that you?" Twilight called back, glancing up the stairs at the pegasus. 

Dash stole a furtive glance at the television, which was the only thing operating in the room as it had been during her previous visit. However, something different was upon the screen this time.

"Oh, so you caught that, eh?" Dash said, deciding to step into the basement instead, "Pretty wild stuff."

The news broadcast from earlier was on the screen, paused during the shot of all the ghosts above the cemetery. "Yeah," Twilight muttered, "absolutely unbelievable."

"I didn't know spells could do something like that," Dash remarked as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"To be honest, I didn't know either, although now that I've given it some thought, it's not too complicated," Twilight responded.

"It looked like Princess Celestia was really upset."

"I'm not surprised. It really hurts me to see her upset like that. She's been through too much already."

"Well, hopefully they'll catch whoever did it…"

Dash glanced at the rest of Twilight's workspace, which hadn't changed since her previous visit. The only noticeable difference was the increase in the amount of notes. From a distance she could see diagrams and lists. "So, you working hard?" Dash asked, understating her own thoughts.

The shift in conversation caused Twilight to perk up. "Oh!" she exclaimed, glancing at her notes and workstation. There were a few moments of silence as Twilight stood still. She seemed to be considering something and having trouble coming to a decision.

"You almost done down here, Twilight?" Dash asked, "The ponies of the surface world are starting to miss you."

Twilight still said nothing as she glanced at a few particular sheets and then up to the screen. Finally she broke the silence. "I…think I am."

Dash wasn't sure why, but she felt a strange feeling of finality in her friend's words. 

Twilight turned to face her. "Actually, now that I think of it, it's good that you're here."

"It is?" 

Twilight nodded. "Come here," she said, motioning to the screen. 

With a feeling of déjà vu, Dash stepped over to the large TV where Twilight indicated for her to look. "Uh, Twilight? Is this going to be another Where's Wallhay? exercise?" she asked, remembering what Twilight had told her to do last time.

"Not really," she replied, "Just look. Trust me."

When Dash was standing next to her before the screen, she pushed a button and the frozen image began to move. It played through a section of footage from the news that was about 15 seconds long, and then it looped back to the start and played again. The entirety of the clip featured the ghosts flying over the graveyard.

"Okay. So you saw the news report, right?" Twilight began. Dash nodded. "Right, so you know that the spell's intention was to connect with the bodies there and project their image into the air?"

Dash nodded again. "For all intents and purposes, these are images of those ponies' ghosts, right?" she replied.

"Right," Twilight continued, "And this is The Canterlot Graveyard. It's one of the largest graveyards in all of Equestria. Even though it's so big, this clip I have here shows the whole thing. You're not missing anything."

"Okay…"

"Now, Canterlot Graveyard is also very famous. Many very famous Canterlot ponies are buried here and, as a result, you can see their images here." She pushed a button and paused the footage. "See right there?" she asked, pointing, "That's Albert Hoofstein, famous for his work with physics and his development of the theory of relativity."

She pushed the button twice more to move the footage forward to another point. "And there you can see Ludwig van Beethooven, a very famous musical artist. You can still hear some of his piano compositions being played at-"

"Twilight," Dash interrupted, "where are you going with this?"

"Oh! Sorry, I was geeking out," Twilight said sheepishly. She pushed the button again and the loop resumed. "Anyway, my point is that a lot of famous ponies were buried there and you can see them clearly flying around."

"Right…"

"But there's one very famous, very important pony who was laid to rest in this graveyard. A pony that everypony knew. Perhaps the most famous pony of all of them."

Rainbow Dash gasped. "Princess Luna…"

"That's right. And I've been staring at this footage for longer than I'd like to admit, but-"

"She's not there…" Dash interjected, completing Twilight's thought.

"Exactly."

Dash's mouth hung open slightly as she stared intently at the screen, trying to see if she'd missed the alicorn's image somewhere. She watched through ten loops of the footage, but was unable to see anything.

"But…are you sure? I mean maybe she's…" Dash trailed off, leaving her question incomplete.

"Luna's a lot larger than most other ponies and she has features like her cutie mark that are pretty hard to miss," Twilight explained, "The simple fact is that she isn't there."

Dash turned to face her. "But…why? What does it mean?"

"Well, what do you think it means?"

Dash mulled over this question in her head a few times. "Well," she said, struggling to find her words, "maybe the spell doesn't work on alicorns."

Twilight shook her head. "I highly doubt that. Like I said, I didn't know such a spell existed, but it was pretty easy to figure out. The spell works by attaching itself to the ponies' physical forms, so it wouldn't matter what kind of pony it was."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"But what if…Maybe something…" Dash tripped over her words, struggling to come up with a logical explanation.

"That spell was working properly and everypony else in the graveyard showed up," Twilight said.

"I'm sure we just missed her," Dash remarked, turning back to the screen, "Play it again!"

"Dash," Twilight said, reclaiming the pegasus' attention, "she's not there. Plain and simple." Her voice was serious and to the point. Dash could see that Twilight wasn't fooling around with this.

"But…" she began again.

Twilight pushed another button and the television suddenly switched off. With the screen no longer active, the only light came from the single illuminated lamp hanging overhead.

"Dash, follow me," she said simply and began ascending the stairs.

Dash opened her mouth to protest, but quickly shut it and followed Twilight up the stairs. The unicorn led her out of the basement and then out of the library. Twilight took a moment to lock the library's door before leading Dash around behind the large tree. Dash stared in surprise as she saw Twilight's hot air balloon stationed there, fully inflated and ready for travel. She found herself demanding to know how she had not seen it when she had arrived.

Twilight came to a halt before the balloon's basket and turned to face Dash. "Like I said, it's fortunate that you're here," she said, "I'm going to Canterlot to check some things out and, since the trains aren't running until morning, I can get there in half the time with your help."

"Well, I can get you there in a quarter of the time," Dash replied, her ego flaring up momentarily, "but why are you going to Canterlot?"

Twilight hopped into the basket. "Something's not right, Dash. Something's going on, and I'm going to find out what it is."

There was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other. Dash had never seen Twilight look so serious before. She had a no-nonsense look upon her face that was simply off-putting to Dash. It looked foreign.

"Will you help me or not?"

Dash briefly considered the question. With the way Twilight had been acting for the past couple of weeks, she still wasn't sure if Twilight was in a proper state of mind. Yet, the mare she saw before her was determined. She could see that Twilight was dedicated to seeing her plans through and wasn't going to give up.

"This all has something to do with what you just showed me, right?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "I'll explain everything once we're there."

Dash glanced around. "All right, fine. If this is really something you need to do."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Dash. Thank you so much. This'll be so much easier with you helping me."

Dash gave a light chuckle. "No problem. Hey, maybe I should charge ponies for express transportation. I can get anypony anywhere in ten minutes flat!"

Twilight echoed Dash's chuckle as she reached down and grabbed a rope, which she tossed to Dash. "As long as we get there."

Dash took the rope and tied it to herself so that she could tow the balloon along behind her. When she was sure she was secure, she turned to look at Twilight sitting in the basket behind her. She briefly considered what was occurring. Whatever was happening inside Twilight's head was becoming both concerning and intriguing for Dash, and now she found herself actually getting involved. She honestly wasn't sure what to make of the situation.

However, she knew she couldn't let her friend down. 

"All right, Dash. Whenever you're ready. And, thanks again," Twilight said from the basket as she increased the torch's intensity. The balloon and basket rose slightly off the ground, and then Dash began to taxi it through the air.

"One way or another," Twilight said as they began to make their way to the grand city on the mountain, "questions are going to get answered tonight."
> Starlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7 - Starlight

A sullen, depressed pegasus walked through the hallways of Canterlot castle. The deep, dark blues of her coat and mane contrasted sharply with the bright, white walls and floors. Her head was held low and she moved at a slow pace. 

Moonbeam made her way through passages she had memorized long ago. Her employment within the castle had provided her with a near-flawless mental map of the building. 

She rounded a corner and came upon a door that was flanked by two guards. They both regarded her as she approached.

"Shining Sword, Navy Shield," she greeted them in a sorrowful tone. 

"Hello Moonbeam," the guard on the left, Shining Sword, replied in a comforting voice, "How are you?"

She didn't answer and simply gazed downwards. "The Princess wanted to see me?"

Shining Sword nodded and turned to enter the door. "Just a minute," he said as he left to inform Celestia of her presence. 

Moonbeam was left alone with Navy Shield. "Did…she say what she wanted?" she asked.

Navy Shield did not respond. He simply stood before the door, performing his duty as vigilant guard of the rooms beyond.

There was an awkward silence until Shining Sword finally reappeared. "Okay, go ahead," he said to her as he resumed his post.

Moonbeam nodded. "Thank you very much."

"Are you going to be okay? You don't look well."

Moonbeam again stared at the floor. "I'm not. I haven't been sleeping and I've been feeling awful."

Shining Sword frowned. "We sure miss you here at the castle. I'm sorry to hear that things haven't been going well."

Moonbeam sniffled. "I just…I don't know wh-"

"Ma'am, the Princess is waiting for you. It is not proper to keep Her Highness waiting!"

The other two looked to Navy Shield after his sudden exclamation. He was staring at Moonbeam with an impatient look upon his face.

"Oh! Right, I'm sorry. I'll go right in then," Moonbeam quickly apologized. She then made her way into the hallway beyond, after which Navy Shield closed the door.

"You didn't have to be so rude…" Shining Sword muttered.

"Her Highness Princess Celestia is a very important and very busy pony. It is disrespectful to keep her waiting longer than necessary." Navy Shield did not even glance to the other guard as he said this.

Shining Sword only rolled his eyes.

About ten minutes later, a similar-looking orange pegasus walked past the hallway that the two were guarding. He stopped and approached the two lower-ranking officers. He was not at the top of the ranks, despite being Celestia's personal guard, but he still outranked the two ponies that stood before him. They saluted him. 

"Vigilant as ever?" Sunbeam said to them. 

"Yes, sir!" they replied in unison.

"Very good. Has my sister arrived yet?"

"Yes, sir," Navy replied, "She has just arrived and is now speaking with Her Highness."

Sunbeam nodded. "Thank you, Navy Shield."

"Oh, no. Thank you, sir"

"Would you please inform the Princess that her meeting with the mayor of Cloudsdale has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances?"

Navy saluted again. "At once sir," he said before disappearing behind the door.

Sunbeam turned to Shining Sword and smiled. "I get a very strong and loyal impression from him."

"Oh, yes sir," Shining Sword responded, "He takes his job very seriously."

"I can see that."

"He honours and serves the Princess, no matter what is required of him. I believe he'd take a bullet for her, sir."

Sunbeam chuckled. "I don't doubt it."

…

Meanwhile, Moonbeam made her way through the short hallway after speaking with the guards. She tried her best to keep her eyes away from the door opposite of her destination and knocked upon the sun-emblazoned door of Celestia's room.

"Come in," the Princess' sweet voice could be heard from within.

Moonbeam nudged the door open and stepped through. Celestia was sitting in the centre of the room and smiling. Her crown was not on her head and her mane was still grey and lifeless, but she seemed to radiate more positive energy than in previous days.

"You wanted to see me, Your Highness?"

"Yes," Celestia said, nodding, "I wanted to give you something. Come over here, my little pony."

Moonbeam stepped over to where the Princess was sitting. "What is it?"

"This."

Suddenly, Moonbeam felt herself being hugged tightly. The warm embrace was cozy and comforting, but it took the pegasus by surprise. Moonbeam was silent for a few moments. She began to realize that she was not only being hugged by the ruler of Equestria. She was also being hugged by a pony who had lost somepony close to her heart, and Moonbeam realized that they could help each other get through the rough patches.

She began to cry.

…

The moon had risen about half an hour ago and the city of Canterlot was beginning to fall asleep. Despite the bright streetlights that kept the roads safe for travellers, the city was dark and uninviting. Its citizens were staying indoors to spend time with their families and to simply relax. The city seemed to be hanging up a sign saying, Come back tomorrow.

Some of the few ponies still around in the cold night air were the guards currently standing watch at the gates to the graveyard. Normally, the cemetery was overseen by a single groundskeeper, but the events earlier in the morning had necessitated an increase in security, at least temporarily. The guards yawned as they scanned the nearly empty streets for troublemakers.

In the square halfway across town, a hot air balloon being towed by a colourful pegasus touched down and its occupant jumped out. Nopony spared the balloon a second glance as balloon travel was not uncommon for ponies destined for Canterlot. 

Twilight and Rainbow Dash hastily made their way towards the Canterlot Graveyard, stopping on a street a few blocks up from the main gate. They could see the guards clearly.

"Okay, we're here. Now what?" Dash asked uncertainly. 

Twilight had worn a steeled look on her face since their departure, during which time she had barely said a word.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing here?" she pressed, trying to get Twilight to say or explain anything. She had initially been content to sit by the balloon and await Twilight's return, but the unicorn had insisted she come along.

Now the two of them were stationed a fair distance from official Canterlot guards, seemingly spying on them.

"Twilight, I-"

"Shh!"

Dash was about to protest but Twilight held up a hoof and gave her a look that said, Don't make me stick this in your mouth. Twilight returned her gaze to the entrance and spent a few minutes observing the guard. Dash simply stood, not moving.

"Okay," Twilight finally said in a coarse whisper, "they look tired but not totally out of it. Shouldn't be a problem."

"I'm guessing whatever we're doing doesn't involve us just going up and asking them if they can let us in," Dash responded in a deadpan.

Twilight shook her head and closed her eyes.

"…or anything legal," Dash muttered.

"Shh!"

Dash fell silent after being hushed for the second time. She looked at Twilight, who appeared to be concentrating. After a moment, her horn dimly glowed with a purple aura. She stayed still, concentrating for a few moments more, before the aura suddenly wrapped itself around the two of them.

"Twilight, wha-?!"

There was a small, white flash and the spot where the two had been standing was suddenly empty. The guards' heads shot in the direction of the flash, alerted. However, they saw nothing out of the ordinary and returned their gazes forward.

Inside the graveyard, not far from their earlier vantage point, Twilight and Rainbow Dash suddenly reappeared in another muted flash. The guards hadn't noticed, as they had been preoccupied by the initial flash. Dash blinked in confusion and disorientation. 

"Whoa…" she said, sitting down.

"Sorry," Twilight whispered, "Unexpected teleportation will do that to you."

Dash shook her head. "Uggh…" She looked at her surroundings. "Did we just commit breaking and entering?" she asked, "Into the Royal Graveyard?!" 

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Twilight whispered coarsely. 

"Sorry," Dash replied, now in a whisper.

Twilight nodded and then turned and trotted off in the opposite direction. "Follow me!"

Dash stood up. She stole a quick, worried glance at the guards. They weren't paying any attention to what was happening behind them. She then turned and followed Twilight.

Canterlot Graveyard was indeed huge. It was perhaps two or three times larger than the average cemetery. Dash hadn't been able to fully appreciate its size from the image broadcast over the news. She tried to look at the graves and read the names written onto them, but Twilight was moving too quickly and Dash didn't want to get left behind.

Twilight was as silent and vigilant as ever. Dash wished that she would say something about their 'mission', but Twilight's lips seemed to be sealed. Dash was slowly beginning to doubt if trusting and following Twilight was going to turn out to be a good idea after all.

They made their way approximately halfway across the cemetery from where they had teleported in. Near the exact centre of the graveyard was a large stone structure. It was square-shaped with decorative corners and writing in old Equestrian engraved above and beside a square shape on the front. Upon this square something was written:


Princess Luna
Coregent of Equestria, sovereign of the night,
Beloved ruler, cherished sister, friend.

We will all miss you.


Dash took a deep breath. They had found Princess Luna's tomb. She sat down and gazed at the fairly large structure. A humbled, breathless sensation overcame her. She felt insignificant sitting in front of the final resting place of such a great mare.

"Wow…" she breathed. She took a deep breath of the cold night air and then shivered. She had never thought of coming here, and now she wondered why she hadn't come sooner. The area had a unique atmosphere to it. It was strangely peaceful.

"What does the writing say?" she said to Twilight, indicating the old Equestrian writing. When Twilight didn't respond, Dash turned to look at her.

Twilight, meanwhile, had stepped towards the square marking and sat before it with her eyes closed tightly. She was concentrating on something. Dash was about to ask what she was doing, but then remembered being shushed twice before. She closed her mouth and simply observed Twilight.

The unicorn was barely moving. Dash wasn't sure if she was even breathing. She simply sat as still as a statue upon the cold stone. Dash's mind was racing with questions, but she held her tongue. Many minutes went by and nothing happened.

Then Twilight's horn began to glow. It was a soft glow at first, but it slowly increased to a shimmering purple aura. Dash's eyes widened. She's casting another spell? she thought, What if the guard sees us? It's gonna flash!

Twilight stood still for another minute with her horn glowing. Initially, nothing seemed to be happening. Then, however, Dash noticed a second glow beginning to form around the square shape at the front of the tomb. It also quickly increased in brightness.

Dash gasped. "Twilight, what're you doing?" she whispered uncertainly. She glanced over her shoulder nervously, looking back in the direction of the gate. Nopony was chasing after them yet. She looked back to Twilight, who was concentrating intensely. Dash wanted desperately to demand that Twilight explain herself, but she could see that if she broke Twilight's concentration, her friend would not be pleased. 

She stood and began to pace nervously as Twilight focused on her spell. She was gripped by confusion and it was frustrating her. Another minute drifted by, then two more, and then another four. The wait was agonizing.

Finally, something broke the silence. There was the sound of rock grinding against rock. Dash turned and looked at the square at the front of the tomb. Twilight was slowly moving it outwards towards them. Inch by inch, it was coaxed out of its position by Twilight's powerful magic. Before long, the large stone was nearly free.

It was then Dash realized what this stone's purpose was. It was the tomb's entrance. Dash immediately panicked. "Twilight, what are you doing?!"

With a huge sigh of relief, Twilight released her magic's grip on the stone once it was free of the passageway. She panted from the exertion of casting the spell. Once she had caught her breath, she opened her eyes to respond to Dash. She jumped when she saw Dash standing directly in front of her, eyes wide open and wild.

"Twilight, are you crazy?! What in Equestria are you doing?!" she exclaimed. She took hold of Twilight's shoulders and began to shake the unicorn as she continued her panicked cries. "Are you insane?! You just broke the seal on Princess Luna's tomb! Have you lost your mind?!"

"Dash!"

"You're gonna get us both arrested and locked in a dungeon forever! We're probably gonna be banished to another planet for this! You're mad, Twilight! Mad!!"

"Dash!!"

"And that's not even the half of it! Don't you have any respect?! How could you do something like this? How could you?" Dash wanted to say more, but suddenly found a purple hoof in her mouth.

"Dash!" Twilight hissed, "Quiet! Please, Dash. The last thing we want to do is let ponies know we're here. Now please. Be quiet when I take my hoof away."

Dash stared for a moment, but then nodded. Twilight removed her hoof. "Twilight," Dash continued, but in a whisper, "I could handle it when you were hiding in the basement doing weird stuff. I could handle it when you were making me look at recordings of a funeral like they were a game. But this? What in Equestria has gotten into you?"

Twilight sat and listened to Dash in silence. When the pegasus had finished, she stared Dash in the eyes for a few moments. The pegasus shifted uncomfortably. "Dash, do you trust me?"

Dash stared, dumbfounded. She opened her mouth to respond, but couldn't find the words to convey her sheer disbelief and incredulity. Instead, she shook her head.

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "Well, I'm sorry but you're going to have to." She stood up and began walking towards the entrance of the tomb.

Dash immediately stepped in front of her. "No. No, no, no, no! We're not going inside, you lunatic!"

Twilight gazed at Dash imploringly. "Dash, please! I'm just asking you to trust me this one time. Just for a few more minutes. That's what friends do, Dash; they trust each other."

"Twilight!"

"Dash, come on! We've come this far."

Dash paused and gazed at her friend. "You're insane…" she muttered.

Twilight chuckled. "Hey, maybe I am. But I'm pretty sure I'm not this time."

The two stood at a stalemate for a few more moments. Dash considered the situation carefully. Twilight didn't seem to be suffering from any kind of mental illness but, at the same time, the things she said and did were confusing and frightening to Dash. Every fibre of her being told her to drag Twilight off to the authorities or even the hospital by her mane.

However, what Twilight had said about friends trusting each other had ingrained itself in her mind. That was what friends did. She could remember a time, long ago, when Applejack had asked Twilight to trust her, and it had prevented severe injuries to the two of them.

Dash sighed and hung her head in defeat. Twilight paced up beside her.

"I promise, Dash," she said comfortingly, "nothing bad will happen."

Dash turned and gazed at her unicorn friend.

"Just trust me."

Twilight then turned and wedged herself through the small opening she had created by removing the block. In a few seconds, she had disappeared from view. Dash followed reluctantly.

The inside of the tomb was dark and cramped. Twilight immediately lit her horn and its glow illuminated their surroundings. It was a simple, square area made of thick stone. Bouquets and wreaths of now-wilted flowers were gathered around a smaller square stone in the center, upon which rested a familiar coffin.

Dash gulped. The moral side of her was fighting back. This is wrong, she thought, This is improper and disrespectful. She made to tell Twilight that she'd had enough and was going to leave, but Twilight had placed herself before the coffin and was studying it closely.

Dash gulped again. "Twiliiight…" she moaned anxiously as she stepped over to stand beside the unicorn. When she turned to look at Twilight, she was surprised at what she saw. 

Twilight was grinning triumphantly. Her expression showed confidence; more confidence than earlier. She began to shift on her hooves, as if anxious to start something.

Dash was tremendously confused. "Twilight?" she ventured.

Twilight turned to face her. "Remember what I said about trusting me?" 

Dash nodded

"Good," she continued, "because it's more important now than ever. Now just sit still and don't try to stop me."

"Try to stop you?" Dash echoed, even more confused. 

Before Dash could say anything more, Twilight lit up her horn with more magic. A purple aura suddenly appeared around the lid of the coffin. Dash's jaw dropped. 

"Twilight!"

Twilight ignored her and carefully lifted the lid off, depositing it on the opposite side. The coffin now lay open and exposed to the two visitors. Dash felt her stomach flip. She caught a quick glance of its occupant before turning away and covering her eyes.

From her brief glimpse, she had seen that the Princess' body had been preserved somehow. She recalled somewhere in the back of her mind Twilight mentioning something about the use of magic on deceased royalty. However, at this point she didn't care.

"What's wrong with you…?" she muttered almost inaudibly under her breath. Her mind couldn't quite process what was going on around her. She had been putting her trust in Twilight, a pony that her mind was telling her was beyond insane. Here she was desecrating burial places, breaking laws, and unearthing the dead. What was Twilight doing? What was she doing?

"I'm leaving," she said simply before turning around, not daring to look into the casket again.

"Dash, wait!"

"No."

"Dash, please!"

Dash stopped walking and hung her head, sighing. "Twilight…" she moaned, "please stop this. Please."

"Dash, come here! Please! I need to show you this!"

She faced Twilight, who was standing on her hind legs and leaning on the edge of the coffin, looking into it. Dash shook her head in disbelief.

"Twilight! Please don't make me drag you out of here!" she exclaimed, "Don't do anything stupid!"

Twilight's horn began to glow.

"Twilight!!"

The purple glow enveloped the coffin and its occupant.

"All right, Twilight! That's it!" Dash said as she made her way towards the unicorn, "You have completely lost your mind!"

Twilight's eyes were once again closed in concentration. She wasn't paying any attention to Dash.

"Come on!" she shouted as she got up beside Twilight on the coffin's edge, "Stop doing whatever you're doing and let's get out of here!"

Twilight ignored her.

"Now!" Dash wrapped her hooves around Twilight and tried to pull her away. The magical aura grew brighter. 

"Twilight! Stop this madness before you make a huge mistake!"

Dash's mind was reeling. She had no idea what Twilight was doing or what spell she was casting, but it was being directed at the body in the coffin. Dash couldn't allow her crazy friend to desecrate the Princess' body in any way.

She managed to slightly pull Twilight back, but the unicorn held on tightly with her front hooves.

"Twilight! Stop!!"

Dash was panicking. Whatever Twilight was doing, she had to stop it now.

"Twilight!!"

"Dash!" Twilight called out over the strain of casting the spell, "What do you see?"

Dash nearly let go of Twilight and fell over. Really?! she thought, This again? Now?

Twilight had her horn pointed directly into the coffin. Dash had been trying to avoid looking inside, but couldn't help doing so during the struggle. "What do you think?!" she exclaimed, outraged, "I see the dead body of Princess Luna!"

"No you don't!"

Twilight punctuated her response with a brilliant flash from her horn. Dash was momentarily blinded and she cried out in surprise and released Twilight from her grip.

There was an eerie moment of silence before the ponies' vision returned. Dash shook her head, trying to clear her mild dizziness. 

"Ugh," she moaned, "What the hay was that-"

"Look!"

Dash stepped back next to Twilight. "I'm sick of playing these games with you. What are…"

Dash trailed off as she glimpsed the inside of the coffin. Her jaw fell. "Wh…What?" She shook her head and looked again, but saw the same thing. "What?!" 

"Just as I thought," Twilight said matter-of-factly.

"Twilight, what did you do?"

Dash continued to stare in shock at the inside of the coffin. She was rendered speechless. What she saw before her was impossible, and yet she was staring right at it. The coffin still contained the body of a pony.

It was not, however, Princess Luna.

"What did you do?!" she demanded again. Where earlier Princess Luna's body had lay, there was now a blue unicorn mare that Dash did not recognize. She had no wings and was not wearing any royal attire. Even her cutie mark was completely different; it was a musical note. 

"What happened to Luna?" Dash continued, begging for answers from Twilight.

"Nothing. That's the same body."

Dash turned to look at Twilight, who was incredibly calm and in control. Dash was flabbergasted. "What do you mean? That's not the Princess!"

"Obviously not."

"Well, who the hay is this?"

"I dunno."

Dash stared at Twilight, completely bewildered. She tried to form a response, but couldn't find any words. Eventually, she settled for simply saying, "Wha?"

"I have no idea who this poor pony is."

Dash returned her gaze to the unknown corpse. "Well…how did she get here?"

"They put her here."

"Twilight!" Dash suddenly exclaimed, "Stop talking in riddles! Just tell me what's going on!"

Twilight turned towards Dash and began to speak. "This is the body that was at the funeral. This was the body they laid to rest in this cemetery. It's been her the whole time."

Dash simply stared in disbelief.

"I noticed it when we were at the funeral," Twilight continued, "As you know, I'm very adept at magic. It is my special talent after all. I could see that there was something off about Luna. She seemed fuzzy or unclear. It's hard to describe. It's like my brain knew something was wrong, but didn't want to outright tell me."

Dash tilted her head. "Come again?" she said, utterly puzzled.

Twilight shook her head. "The point is, I could see something when I was there. That's why I spent all that time in the basement. There, I could concentrate and not have any distractions. It was difficult, but I could tell there was some sort of magic cast onto the body. 

"That's what I was studying down there. I cast vision spells and enhancement spells on myself to try to help see through this illusion. They didn't help much, since I didn't know exactly what spell I was trying to look past, but I could see more and more the more I tried.

"I could see that it wasn't really Luna."

Dash had to sit down. She stared intently at Twilight, hanging on her every word.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you girls or ask for help or anything," she carried on, "but there was always the possibility that I was wrong, and I didn't want to raise any kind of false hopes or beliefs. And hey, who would've believed me? That's why I brought you with me tonight; so you could see it for yourself."

Dash was silent for a moment. "So, this whole time…all of us have been looking at a disguised body?"

Twilight nodded. "It turns out that somepony cast a 'High-Level Perception Filter Spell' on this body."

Dash twisted her face in confusion. "A what now?"

"High-Level Perception Filter," she repeated, "I didn't even know a spell like that existed. It's not well documented. That's what had me stumped for quite a few days. Thankfully, the Doctor told me all about it."

Dash tilted her head. "'The Doctor'?"

"Yeah."

"Doctor who?"

"You know, the Doctor! Brown earth pony, scruffy mane, hourglass cutie mark?"

Dash pondered for a moment. "Oh, him…He's a doctor?"

"I guess."

"How does he know about a spell like that if he's an earth pony?"

"I don't know." Twilight shook her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. He was completely right. That knowledge helped me see past the illusion in the funeral recordings easier. Once I saw the news story about the ghosts, that settled it. It was all the additional proof I needed."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how I said the 'ghost prank' spell worked by latching onto the ponies' bodies? That's why we didn't see Luna flying around." Twilight indicated the unknown mare with her horn. "Her body didn't change into Luna's. We could only see Luna, so the prank spell was still using this body as a template. If we went back and looked again, we'd probably see her flying around."

Twilight gazed at the mare. "I've managed to remove the spell completely now. I have no idea who she is, but I think I know why she was chosen." Twilight pointed her hoof. "Her horn is strikingly similar to Luna's."

Dash was still trying to process all of the information. "I still can't believe that everypony was fooled by this. Not a single pony except you noticed that anything was wrong." She rubbed her head with her hoof. "How did it fool Princess Celestia? She's an alicorn! I don't think any old spell could fool her."

"I don't think Celestia ever looked at the body," Twilight responded, "I think it hurt her too much. She never looked in the coffin while we were at the funeral."

Dash continued to stare at the pony laying in the coffin. Disbelief gnawed at her mind. "This is impossible…" she muttered.

"Believe it, Dash. That's not Princess Luna."

"Well…why? Why is she here? Where's the real Luna?"

Twilight shook her head. "Those are the questions I don't know the answers to. It's still a mystery."

Dash turned to Twilight with a hopeful look in her eyes. "Does…Does this mean she's alive?"

Twilight sighed. "Again, Dash, I don't know. I really can't say for sure."

Dash looked down, crestfallen. 

"I'm sorry, Dash, but I don't want to jump to any hasty conclusions."

"All right," Dash said, looking up again, "So what do we do now? We have to tell somepony! Should we tell Celestia?"

"I don't think we should, Dash."

"What? Why?"

"Well, how's it going to look? We broke into her sister's tomb and cast a spell on the body. Even though my theory was correct, it's still not going to go over well. They probably won't even believe us. Trust me. Besides, you saw what happened when that pony went to her during open court and said she was alive. It hurt her badly."

Dash considered Twilight's words. She definitely had a point but, at the same time, something had to be done about this. More answers had to be found. "Well," she asked, "what do we do then?"

"Well," Twilight replied thoughtfully, "I think that first and foremost we need to go tell our friends. Then we can work out something together."

"But they're not gonna believe us!"

"That's why I brought you, Dash. If it was just me, you'd all probably think I'm crazy or grief-stricken or something. But since you saw all of this too, they'll have to believe us."

Dash nodded. "Makes sense," she agreed, "You really are clever, Twilight."

The unicorn smiled. 

Dash looked back towards the mare in the coffin. "What about her?"

"It'll be fine if we just leave her here."

"Twilight, are you sure you don't want to tell anypony? The police? The guard?"

"Maybe that is the right course of action, Dash. But we need to tell our friends first. Six heads are better than two."

Dash nodded. "Okay then. Let's get out of here." 

The two mares carefully slid the lid back into place and exited the tomb. While Twilight used her magic to slowly slide the stone back into the entrance, Dash sat alone with her thoughts. Her mind was racing. Princess Luna wasn't in her coffin. She hadn't even been at the funeral. Where was she? Was she really dead? What was going on?

"Okay Dash, c'mon. I'll take us outside."

Dash nodded and followed Twilight to the edge of the cemetery, where they had first teleported to. "Twilight?" she said as they walked, "This is really screwed up."

"I know."

"I'm sorry I doubted you. It's a good thing you told me to trust you or…"

"Don't worry about it Dash. I'm just glad it all worked out tonight."

"Yeah…" Dash muttered, "I just hope things work out later too…"

> Waxing Moon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8 - Waxing Moon

"Ughh…Rainbow Dash! It is the middle of the night!"

"Sorry, Rarity, but Twilight needs to see everypony at the library. Right now. It's important."

Rainbow Dash was at the door of Rarity's boutique. She was hovering in the air to emphasize the urgency of the situation. On the other side of the door stood a tired Rarity with a sleeping mask resting above her horn. Somehow, her mane was still picture-perfect.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow? I need my beauty sleep," Rarity moaned.

"Beauty Sleep? I think you already have plenty of that. Now come on! This is really important."

Rarity groaned in deep frustration. "Fine," she said, dragging out the word, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Good." Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate for a second before she turned and flew away, kicking up a back draft. Rarity's mane was no longer picture-perfect.

"Auughhh!"

Seconds later, Rainbow Dash returned to the library and entered. Twilight was pacing in the main sitting area. "Are they all coming?"

"Yeah," Dash replied, "They'll be here soon."

"I'm guessing none of them were pleased about having to get up at this hour."

"Well, most of them were upset, yeah, but…"

"HI GIRLS!"

The two turned their heads to the front door, which was now occupied by a completely energized Pinkie Pie. She showed absolutely no signs of fatigue.

"I'm heeeeere!" she sang out, "So what're we doing? Huh? Is this some super-special midnight party? Oh, hey Twilight! I haven't seen you in forever! Ooh! Is this a 'Welcome back Twilight' party? Well, I guess not, since she was never really gone. But it is taking place in the library, so I'm guessing the party has something to do with her."

"Pinkie…" Twilight tried to interject.

"Ooh! I saw the balloon out back, too! Are we going flying in it? OOH! Is this some kind of party in the sky? That's so awesome! Twilight, you've come up with a better party idea than me! That's amazing. I didn't think anything like that was possible. But it's okay. I know I can't have the best ideas all of the time. That wouldn't be fair."

"Pinkie!!" Twilight shouted more forcefully. Pinkie fell silent.

"This isn't a party, Pinkie," Dash informed her hyperactive friend.

"Oh…" Pinkie replied, "Okee Dokee Lokee!"

Dash could only shake her head.

Moments later, Applejack arrived. "All ri', I'm here Dash. Wha'd y'all want?" Applejack was tired, but was used to getting up at early hours, so it didn't seem to affect her as much.

"Let's just let everypony else show up first," Twilight responded.

Applejack turned her head and noticed Twilight for the first time. "Oh! Howdy Twilight! Fancy seein' you up and about."

Twilight smiled at her friend. Moments later, a tired Fluttershy hovered slowly through the door, half asleep. She landed on the floor in a sitting position and gave a small yawn.

"Mmm…" she groaned, "I'm here."

"Great. Thanks for showing up, Fluttershy," Dash replied.

Fluttershy nodded and rubbed her eyes. 

"I'm sorry we got you up so early," Twilight said.

Fluttershy perked her head up. "Oh! Twilight! You're here too! Oh, it's wonderful to see you!"

Twilight smiled. "Thanks, Fluttershy. It's great to see you too."

The group waited in relative silence for a few minutes more before Rarity finally arrived. She was clearly tired, but was being kept awake by her frustration at having been roused from slumber.

"All right, I'm here. What is so important, Rainbow Dash?" she said in a huff.

"Excellent, everypony's here," Twilight observed, "so I guess I should tell you what this is all about."

Rarity also took notice of Twilight for the first time and it abated her frustration. "Oh my goodness, it really is Twilight."

"Well, of course it's me. This is my home, isn't it?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"I thought Dash was calling us over here for some kind of intervention," Fluttershy said.

"I kinda thought-a that too, sugar," Applejack replied.

"Intervention? What?" Twilight said, confused.

"I, um…I thought we'd all be going down into the basement to, um, drag you out," Fluttershy said quietly.

This remark sent Applejack, Dash and Pinkie into fits of giggles. Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her mane.

"Ah ha ha…Now don't get me wrong," Applejack said, "I'm glad it didn't havta come to that, but…shucks, that woulda been a lotta fun! Ha!"

Pinkie giggled louder. "Twilight would've been like, I'm still working, and we'd be all like, Come outside, silly filly! and it'd be like one big party game!"

Dash was in stitches on the floor. Twilight simply stared.

"Well," Rarity chimed in, "I'm certainly glad I didn't have to participate in such a ruffian event."

"Aw, c'mon Rarity," Applejack responded, "Ya woulda had fun. Trust me."

"I hardly think so."

"Hee hee, yeah!" Pinkie laughed, "But it doesn't matter, 'cus Twilight's up and she wanted to see us all!"

"I know, Pinkie," Applejack agreed, "It's good ta see 'er. We missed ya, Twi."

"Um, yeah, Twilight." Fluttershy said, "It really is great to see you."

"Er…thanks," Twilight said, feeling a little off-balance from the direction the conversation had steered off into. She held up her hoof. "Sorry everypony, but can I get back to why I asked you all here?"

The four ponies on the floor all returned their gazes to her. "Of course, Twilight," Rarity said, "Go right ahead."

Twilight sighed. "Thank you. That is kinda the reason I called everypony here tonight." A few glances were shared. "I know I've kind of been hiding myself away and being all mysterious, so I'm sorry if I worried anypony."

"Aww, it's okay Twilight!" Pinkie replied, "As long as everything's better now."

Twilight chuckled dryly. "Well, I wouldn't say that. Let me start from the beginning. When I saw the story on the news this morning, the one about the ghosts…"

"Oh, you saw that, Twilight?" Rarity interrupted, "Isn't it just terrible?"

"Yeah, sure," Twilight said, miffed at having been interrupted again, "But when I was watching it, I noticed something really strange. It kinda went with everything I had been studying, too. Then I showed it to Rainbow Dash, and she noticed it too. Actually, I'm surprised nopony else noticed it, to be honest."

The group turned to look at Dash. "Wha'd y'all see?" Applejack asked.

Dash shook her head. "No, no, it's what we didn't see."

"Which was?"

"Princess Luna."

There was a collective, surprised murmuring from the four ponies. 

"She wasn't there? Are you sure?" Rarity could be heard asking.

"Here, I printed a picture," Twilight said, picking up a piece of paper with her magic and giving it to Rarity. Fluttershy, Applejack and Pinkie gathered around.

"I watched the footage maybe 20 times," Dash informed the group, "Trust me. She wasn't there."

The four spent a few moments scrutinizing the picture and trying to find a trace of Luna, but came up empty.

"My goodness, she really isn't there. How did I not notice that?" Rarity said in surprise.

"Are y'all sure?" Applejack said, grabbing the picture. "There's a lot o' ghost things there. Ya coulda missed 'er."

"It was much clearer on the video footage," Twilight said, "I'd show that to you, but we don't really have time to move everypony to the basement to watch it. There was definitely no Luna ghost."

"But…why?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well, that's why Rainbow Dash and I took the hot-air balloon up to Canterlot to investigate."

Instantly all eyes were on Twilight. "You did what?" Rarity exclaimed.

"Y'all went all the way to Canterlot and back in a few hours?!" Applejack asked, incredulous.

"Hey! I take that as an insult!" Dash said, raising her voice, "I towed that balloon there in no time."

"What did you do in Canterlot?" Fluttershy asked, addressing Twilight.

"Well," Twilight replied, rubbing the back of her neck. This was the part of the story she had been worried about sharing. She was anxious about what her friends' reactions would be. "We, uh…we needed to find out, um…" 

"We snuck into the graveyard," Dash stated simply. 

Four jaws dropped. "You what?!" They all exclaimed simultaneously.

Twilight recoiled. "Well, we had to. They weren't going to let us in after the ghost incident and we needed to find out what was going on."

"Twilight, I can't believe ya'd do somethin' so stupid," Applejack scolded, "I mean what's worse than breakin' into a cemetery?!"

Twilight broke eye contact with her friends and stared at the walls while awkwardly shuffling her hooves.

"Oh, no…" Applejack groaned, "What did you two do?"

"Umm…" Twilight faltered, "Well, we had to find out, um…exactly what we were dealing with and, uh…"

"We went inside Luna's tomb," Dash said, once again plainly stating the fact.

There was dead silence for many seconds. This was followed by a dull thump as Rarity fell to the floor.

"Rarity? Are you okay?" Twilight called out in concern.

She held a hoof to her face. "I feel faint," she moaned.

"Twi, what the hay were you two thinkin'?!" Applejack exclaimed, "Y'all coulda gotten inta a lot o' trouble! An' for what?!"

"Well, that's where the story gets interesting," Twilight continued, "Obviously, I wouldn't do something that crazy just on a hunch. I'd been studying video footage of the funeral, as you probably know. There was something off about Princess Luna, which is what led me to investigate.

"We got into the tomb and, using my magic, I was able to find and get rid of a spell that had been cast on the body. You won't believe it, but…"

"It wasn't really her!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

She was met with four blank stares. "Beg pardon?" Applejack said.

"The body at the funeral and the one they laid to rest in the cemetery wasn't Princess Luna," Twilight continued, "It was another unicorn mare that we didn't recognize. But it wasn't Princess Luna's body. Somepony had cast a spell on it to fool everypony else."

The four listening mares held incredulous expressions. They looked to each other in disbelief.

"Twi, just what kinda crazy stuff's comin' outta yer mouth now?" Applejack asked, regarding Twilight with a sceptical expression.

"It sounds crazy, but it's true! I saw it too!" Dash responded insistently. 

Applejack turned to look at the pegasus. "That there's a pretty tall tale for me ta believe."

"You're saying Luna wasn't at the funeral? But we all saw her!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Twilight nodded. "The spell was pretty powerful. It fooled us all."

"I can't believe it…" Fluttershy muttered.

"I don't believe it," Applejack retorted, still in utter disbelief, "Ya can't honestly tell me that thousands o' ponies were there at Canterlot, not ta mention the ponies who had ta actually handle the body…and none o' them could tell that it was a fake. It's impossible!"

"Applejack, I saw it with my own eyes!" Dash countered, stepping up to the orange pony, "I couldn't believe it either, but it's true!"

The two stared at each other for a moment. "Do you guys believe us?" Dash then said, addressing the other three.

"Well of course I believe you!" Pinkie piped up, "What kind of meanie pants would make up something like that? And I know you're not a meanie pants, Dash. And definitely not you, Twilight."

Fluttershy nodded. "If Dash saw it too, then it must be true."

Rarity finally sat herself up, still holding her head. "Dear me…" she muttered, "This is a lot to take in."

Applejack looked at each of her friends before finally looking to Twilight. The unicorn stared right back with an expression of pure honesty. "Well…" Applejack muttered, "Then I guess I believe ya too, Twilight."

The unicorn smiled.

"But what does that mean? That's crazy!" Pinkie suddenly exclaimed, "Princess Luna's not in her coffin? Then where is she?"

"I don't know," Twilight responded.

"Does…does that mean…?" Fluttershy said in a hushed voice.

"I know what you're going to ask, Fluttershy, but I really can't say for sure. I don't want to jump to any conclusions, and you four shouldn't either."

Fluttershy deflated and stared sadly at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy," Twilight said in a soothing voice, "but we just can't be sure of anything."

She nodded. "I know, Twilight. I shouldn't get my hopes up."

Pinkie patted her on the back. "Don't worry, Fluttershy," she said to the pegasus, who nodded slowly.

"Listen, girls," Twilight said, recapturing their attention, "the six of us need to come up with some kind of plan. We have to do something about all of this, but I'm not sure what."

"Well, obviously we have to tell the authorities!" Rarity said, having gotten over her dizzy spell, "Or the Princess herself! She must be told!".

Twilight fidgeted. "I don't know, Rarity. I really think that would be a bad idea."

"Now why ever would you think that?!" Rarity responded, taken aback.

"I just don't think they'd respond well to it. The police would definitely get the wrong idea. We broke into the tomb so, in their eyes, we could've planted the body ourselves. And I really think that the whole thing would just upset Celestia even more." Twilight sighed and looked down. "She's been through so much already. I don't want to put her through even more."

Rarity fell silent and the others muttered in agreement.

"Tellin' anypony else that ya broke into the Princess' tomb would be a terrible idea," Applejack agreed, "but I honestly can't think of another one."

"There has to be something we can do," Twilight said.

"Why…why would somepony do something like this?" Fluttershy asked, "This is just awful!"

"I know, right?" Pinkie responded, "It's crazy! There's so many questions!"

"Exactly Pinkie," Twilight said, "That's what we have too many of right now: questions. Why would anypony do this? When did the 'switch' take place? What's happened to Luna? Does anypony else know of this?"

The six sat in silence on the library floor, considering their options.

"This is really screwed up," Dash said, repeating herself from earlier.

"Yer tellin' me?" Applejack responded dryly.

"Dear me," Rarity muttered, "What have we stumbled upon?"

"That's an excellent question, Rarity," Twilight responded, "I'd love to get an answer…"

"What do we do…?" Fluttershy muttered.

There was more silence as the mares tried to formulate a plan.

"What we need to do," Applejack said, thinking carefully, "is to find 'er."

Twilight was about to speak, but Applejack held up her hoof. "I know Twilight. I know that we don't know what…state she'll be in," she responded, carefully choosing her words, "but the fact remains that we still need to find 'er."

Twilight nodded slowly. "You're right…She might not be," she paused and glanced at Fluttershy, "okay if we find her, but we should still try to find where she is."

Fluttershy hung her head, clearly seeing through the euphemisms.

"The question is: how do we find 'er?" Applejack stated.

Another moment of silence reigned. Then, the sound of an exhausted yawn reached everypony's ears.

"What're you all doing?"

Twilight and her friends turned to look at the stairs leading up to her bedroom. Spike was standing at the top, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Spike. Did we wake you up?" Twilight said apologetically.

"Mhm…" Spike mumbled before yawning again. A thin wisp of green flame escaped from his jaw as he did.

Twilight stared at her assistant for a moment. "What?" he asked in confusion. A smile spread across her face.

"Girls, I have an idea!"

…

Somewhere within the vast, expansive halls of Canterlot Castle stood two guards, positioned along an otherwise not noteworthy corridor. The two unicorns stood rigid and statuesque, infallibly performing their duty. Seconds, minutes and hours ticked by and, unless somepony required their attention, they never moved.

The sun had made its way across the sky and would set soon. As dimming light began to find its way through the palace's windows, two more unicorns approached the two guards.

The two newcomers saluted the guards, who saluted in return. The replacements then swapped positions with the two, relieving them of their duty. With a sigh of relief, they began to make their way to the guard house, exhausted after a long day's work.

"It's a tough job, isn't it?" one of the guards said, a blue unicorn.

The other, who was coloured a pale grey, nodded in response. "It's for tough ponies."

The blue unicorn chuckled. "I guess that's us then, eh Comet?"

Comet only nodded.

The blue pony gave a miffed expression. "You know, we're off the clock now. You don't have to be all serious any more."

Comet rolled his eyes. "You'll have to forgive me, RD. I suppose I'm a serious pony."

RD shook his head. "Whatever…"

They made their way to the guard house, entered, and took off their heavy armour. Comet stretched his aching limbs and moaned in relief. His cutie mark of a comet with a shimmering tail was now plainly visible.

"I feel like I've done two shifts in a row," RD muttered. Comet didn't reply.

They walked over to a large board near the entrance that was filled with punch cards. Using their magic, they lifted two particular cards and inserted them into the device, recording the termination of their shift. One was marked with "Comet Tail, Unicorn Division", while the other said "Radiant Dawn, Unicorn Division".

The workday completed, the two exited the guard house and made their way out of the palace proper. 

"Well, I guess I'll see you soon," RD said to his companion.

"Goodbye," Comet replied.

RD sighed. "You know, Comet. I'm trying to be nice to you. We work together for so many hours during the day. I'd like to get to know you."

Comet paused and looked over his shoulder. RD wore a frustrated but imploring expression. Comet shrugged. "There isn't much to know. And if you're trying to be friends with me, well sorry. You aren't really…my type."

Without awaiting a response, Comet began to walk towards the Canterlot train station. The town was bustling around him as ponies performed their last few errands of the day. The sun would be setting soon and the town would fall asleep before long.

Shortly after, he arrived at the train station. He sat on a bench and waited for his train to pull into the station, which wouldn't take long as long as there were no delays. He sighed. It was a relief to get on the train after working so hard. 

Comet had an unusual timetable for his employment. Since his residence was so far from Canterlot, he had a room in the guard house. He worked three days straight in Canterlot, staying in this room, and then left Canterlot for the remaining four days of the week. It was unorthodox, but it worked.

Not long after, Comet was riding the train as it snaked its way down the massive mountain. The various passengers on the train were mostly silent, save for the two foals at the opposite end of the cabin. Comet sank into his seat and sighed, thinking about everything he was going to do once he reached the house.

I hope I'm not going to be late…

There were two main train lines that connected with Canterlot station. One line went to Ponyville, while the one he was currently riding went in the opposite direction to Trottingham. Comet did not live in Trottingham, but it was the closest train station to the house.

The train finally reached the bottom of the mountain and followed the straight tracks across the fields towards the city in the distance. Now that it was on flat ground, the train could pick up speed. Comet looked out the window and watched the passing landscape. 

The brilliant light of Celestia's sun was still bathing the countryside in the last few hours before it disappeared beneath the horizon. The sunlight had not yet shifted into the purples and oranges of sunset. Instead, the land seemed to be bathed in golden light.

Gorgeous…

About 20 monotonous minutes later, the train finally pulled into Trottingham station. A full spectrum of colourful manes and coats disembarked and headed off in various directions. Lost in the sea of colours was the grey unicorn as he made his way towards the edge of town swiftly.

Damn it. I am going to be late.

Trottingham was situated on the exact opposite side of the Everfree Forest from where Ponyville was located. It was quite a distance from the forest however, unlike Ponyville, which rested right on the edge.

A path led away from the town, cutting through the rolling fields of grass. Comet began to follow it. Behind him, the sun began to set and bathe the land in beautiful colours. The landscape was appealing to the eye, but repetitive.

Comet walked along the path as it made its way parallel to the forest to his right. After ten minutes of walking, a structure could finally be seen in the distance. It was small; only one storey tall and maybe 20 or 30 meters squared. It stood alone off to the side of the path about halfway between it and the forest's edge. The house was an unusual and seemingly random structure placed in the field.

Before long, he had approached the house. He stretched his limbs, sighing after the fairly long journey, and stepped up to the door. He knocked three times, loudly and evenly.

After a few moments of silence, there was a voice on the other side of the door. "Who is it?" The voice was commanding and powerful.

"Comet Tail. Password is Saturday and another."

The door inched open slightly. An orange unicorn with a brown mane looked through the crack in the doorway at the monochromatic pony that waited outside. After he confirmed the identity of the visitor, he opened the door fully.

"You're late."

Comet glanced at the orange unicorn as he entered the house. His mane and tail were scruffy, but he was well built and appeared quite strong. His cutie mark seemed to be a beam of light.

"Ray," Comet said simply, in greeting, "I can't help it if I get slowed down on my way here. Things happen. The train runs slowly, or my relief arrives late."

Ray regarded him with distain. "Fine," he said gruffly, before turning towards the door.

Comet glanced at the house's interior. It was extremely simple and contained very little furniture. There were three seats and a couch, a television and radio, and a kitchen with a stove, oven and fridge. Sitting on one of the seats was a third unicorn. This pony was a dirty yellow in colour, nearly brown, with a deep brown mane. His cutie mark was a clock's face.

"Hey, High," Comet greeted him casually. The yellow unicorn only raised a hoof in acknowledgement.

Ray stopped, halfway out the door, and turned to look at the other two unicorns. "You two are far too laid-back," he said accusingly. 

Comet returned Ray's gaze with his own displeased expression. "Well pardon me. We aren't all high ranking officials like you are. Some of us are just soldiers."

Ray snorted. "Take your job seriously. This is extremely important and failure is not an option."

Comet sighed in exasperation. "I do take my job seriously, thank you very much. However, I simply deal with stress and demand in a way that is different than yours. It's not my fault that you're stuck up all the time. You should try relaxing."

"Is that insubordination?!"

"Ray! Caaaaalm," Comet said in a slow, soothing voice.

"Comet Tail, if we should fail and your," Ray paused, "laziness is to blame, then it's your head."

Comet rolled his eyes and turned towards the kitchen. "Whatever. Your shift is over, so get out."

The was a loud sound as Ray stomped his hoof angrily on the floor. "Watch your tongue!"

"Watch yours."

"YOU LITTLE…"

"Hey!" a third voice broke in over the two arguing stallions, "Both of you! Stop arguing!"

Comet and Ray turned to look at the yellow unicorn on the seat. He was looking at them, not amused. "You two are arguing like little foals. Stop it. What you're arguing about doesn't really matter. We need to work together as a team if we're ever going to get through this. We don't need arguments to tear us apart. That'll just be the end of us."

Ray returned his gaze to Comet and mulled over what High had said. Comet returned his stare. 

"Just…try not to be late," Ray said simply before turning and heading out the door, closing it firmly behind him.

Comet rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry about him, Comet."

"I know."

Comet then busied himself in the kitchen, preparing himself a large sandwich. He was absolutely famished after a long day in Canterlot.

"So! Four days of Comet!" High said conversationally.

"Mhm…" Comet muttered.

"I prefer your company. Ray doesn't talk at all."

Comet was rubbing his temples as he chewed on his sandwich. "Please, High. It's been a long day and a long commute. I have a splitting headache…"

"You won't be compromised, will you?"

Comet shook his head to clear his mind. "Ugh. No, I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"Ray was right about one thing. Failure isn't an option."

"I know that."

"We're all alone in this, so we need everypony to give their best."

Comet stretched his legs and exhaled a sigh. "Ohhh, man…" he groaned.

"Your schedule is still the same, correct? You work three days, then stay here for four?" High enquired.

"Yup."

"It's just a good thing that your schedule works with Ray's so well."

"Well…" Comet intoned, "I don't think that's just a coincidence."

High shrugged. "I just can't believe you guys are still holding jobs while you're doing this."

"With you, it's fine, but if all of us sit around here with no jobs, ponies would ask questions. Especially if Ray and I suddenly quit our jobs."

"I suppose so."

Comet finished eating his sandwich and sighed in content. "So, I trust there were no problems while I was away?"

"Not at all." 

"Good, good…" Comet muttered. He glanced at his surroundings before chuckling. "It feels a little strange, doesn't it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Everything we're doing here is so important and so…dangerous, and yet we're always so relaxed. This house is even, dare I say, quaint."

High also chuckled. "I guess so. But it's just because everything's been going so flawlessly."

"And we can all be thankful for that."

Comet stretched his legs again, groaning. "Uggghh, I'm still worn out. Working in Canterlot and that long commute are stressing me out." He turned and walked through a doorway leading to a room in the back.

"What are you doing?" High called after him, concerned.

"I'm going in the back," Comet replied from the doorway, "You know what helps me when I'm stressed."

High rolled his eyes and gave a wry smile. "You're crazy. You know that?"

"Ah, shaddup," Comet retorted playfully, "I'm not half as crazy as most of the ponies who live in this country."

High returned to his earlier, laid-back position on the seat as Comet turned and disappeared into the doorway. 

The room before him was cloaked in absolute darkness. Reaching out with his magic, he telekinetically gripped the light switch and flicked it on. A single bulb, hanging from the roof, feebly illuminated the small room. There was absolutely no furniture. The only thing occupying the room was a rug on the floor. The rug was the same colour as the carpet it rested on, making it blend in when the room was darkened.

Comet made sure the door was shut behind him; precautions had to be taken. When it was, he reached out with his magic and gripped the rug, flipping it back. A wooden cellar door was revealed underneath it. Attached was a small brass loop that could be used to open it.

Comet used his magic to lift open the door, revealing a stone staircase leading into near-darkness. The stairs were weathered with age and were chipped in most places. The passageway was extremely narrow and with a low ceiling. Comet had to duck as he stepped down and descended the stairs slowly. 

The stone walls around him were strong and had lasted decades. Dirt was seeping through some small cracks, but the old structure held firm, built to last. Comet reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the door, regarding the room beyond it. 

It was barely illuminated by a single, small light bulb hanging near the center. A straight hallway was spread out before him. It was perhaps 20 meters long and built out of the same, sturdy stone, even the ceiling.

On both sides of the hallway were several smaller alcoves placed at regular intervals. The hallway contained eight, four on each side. Each alcove was separated from the hallway by a wall of ruined and lopsided metal bars.

These relics of the prison had been here for a long time. Neither Comet nor his acquaintances were sure of exactly what had happened, but the assumption was that a prison had been demolished and this particular block of underground cells had accidentally been covered up and forgotten, rather than destroyed.

It had been easy to build a house over the entrance they had discovered.

Comet made his way past the broken bars of the old cells. Time had been unkind to them, and none could properly contain a pony any more. The bars were too feeble and easily broken, not to mention the gaping holes where some bars were simply missing.

Except for the cell at the end of the hallway. The light from the bulb barely made it to the hall's edge, and even less light found its way inside the cell. Unlike the others, this cell had brand new, pristine steel bars blocking its exit. The walls around the edge had been reinforced to prevent them from crumbling, which would've allowed the bars to slip. 

The clopping of Comet's hooves echoed loudly in the hallway as he approached the one operable cell. It sounded like the heavy hoof falls of a giant pony walking through the dark, cramped corridor.

Finally, he reached the bars of the good cell. The inside was mostly concealed by darkness. A simple bed could barely be seen. The back wall was completely invisible, giving the cell the eerie illusion that it went on forever.

Comet sighed. "It's too bad Princess Luna had to die…" he muttered aloud, "She was a good pony. Her sister is going through so much pain, and there isn't much I can do. Her death has impacted us all…"

There was a light shuffling from inside the cell.

"I can hear you in there. Stop hiding," he said in a louder voice, "What? Are you upset that Princess Luna is dead too? Well, I'm sorry, but that's what's happened. It's in the past now and we can't change it."

The bulb's feeble light was dimly reflected by two eyes from within the cell. The eyes seemed to be floating in the darkness.

"Good evening! There you are!" Comet greeted to the pony behind the bars.

There was no response.

"I guess I was right. Princess Luna's passing is upsetting you. Well, I'm terribly sorry. Certain things in this world are simply unavoidable."

The room fell silent, except for the breathing of its two occupants. The eyes continued to stare at Comet, glaring.

"Is that not it?" Comet continued, a touch of playfulness in his voice, "Is that thing around your horn uncomfortable? Well, I can't help you with that. We can't have you using magic, now can we?"

"Release me."

Comet's eyes widened. "Oh! So you are going to talk tonight. What did you say? Release you?" He then proceeded to break into uproarious laughter. "Oh, you crack me up. Really, now. You expect us to release you? After all you've done?

"You deserve to be in there," Comet continued, a hint of loathing seeping into his voice. "It gives me no greater pleasure than to see you in chains and locked up like this. If I had my way, you'd already be dead, but there's nothing I can do about that. So consider yourself lucky that you're still alive. For now."

"You will pay for this."

"I hardly think so, my friend. You're the criminal here, and we're the lawful ones."

"That is an outrageous delusion."

"Right, right. We're the deluded ones. That's a good one." Comet chuckled and then sighed. "Well, I'll be out of your mane then. I've got better things to do than sit here and talk to you."

Comet turned and began to leave the cell behind him.

"Come back here!"

The outburst was followed by the sounds of chains reaching their limits, becoming taut, and yanking their captive back suddenly. There was a cry of pain.

"Don't be stupid," Comet said while continuing to walk away, "You know you can't break those chains without your magic. Don't hurt yourself."

There was a groan of pain, followed by, "Damn you…Can't you see…?"

Comet stopped, turned around, and returned his gaze to the interior of the cell. The dark blue pony lay on the ground, trying to catch her breath after the chain on her neck had knocked it out of her. Her blue mane was messy and fell across her face. Her deep blue horn was encased in a strange, metallic disc. She was tattered, bruised, and extremely thin, and glared at Comet with a look of unmatched rage.

"No…" Comet said quietly, "You may not have jet black fur or a star field mane anymore, and you might've convinced everypony else that you're Luna now, but we can see right through you. Damn you, Nightmare Moon."

> Waning Eclipse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9 - Waning Eclipse


22 days ago…


"Life's not fair, Luna. Get used to it." 

Celestia then stepped out of the door, shutting it tightly behind her. For a moment, Luna simply stared. A strange silence fell over the room, their argument having come to an end, but Luna wasn't sure how to handle everything that had just happened.

Then she screamed. Loudly. She didn't care who was listening or what ponies would think. She just needed to scream. Her frustration had been building throughout the entire argument and she simply couldn't hold it in any longer. She stomped on the ground and yelled a few more times. 

"I'm! Not! A! Foal!" she exclaimed, punctuating each word with a powerful stomp of her hooves.

Luna vented her frustration for quite some time. Whenever she thought she was finally calming down, another wave of rage would crash over her. She knew that the guards outside were probably sharing glances with one another, but she honestly didn't care. Arguments like these happened far too often, and Luna had been growing irritated with them.

Finally, she took a deep breath and began to calm herself down. She wanted to shout some more, but her throat was beginning to hurt. She breathed slowly and deeply, eventually returning to a stable, but still upset, state of mind. 

Luna glanced up at the clock. Nearly 45 minutes had passed. She gasped in mild surprise. When did that happen? she asked herself, Where did 45 minutes go? She sighed, knowing she was expected to be in the court 15 minutes from now. Despite her protests, Celestia still wanted her to go. 

She wasn't going to let her sister down.

Her time at court was unbearably uneventful. Luna spent the entire proceedings bored and wishing she were somewhere else, preferably reading. Her frustrations from earlier hadn't fully mended themselves, and so they festered and steamed in her subconscious while she listened to the ponies before her prattle on about matters that held little importance.

Her mood hadn't improved when she was finally able to return to her room. It was probably worse. For a while, she simply paced around her room, replaying the argument in her head. Celestia's overbearing attitude and unwavering stubbornness were fresh in her mind.

"I don't need a damn escort like some filly who's still learning to fly," she muttered, even though nopony was around to hear. "I am an all-powerful alicorn Princess…I can't be taken down that easily. Worst case scenario, I can send Tia a distress signal with my magic."

She trotted over to her window. It was an extremely dark night outside, with her moon offering most of what little illumination there was. The window was closed, so she unhooked the latch with her magic and swung it open. Cool night air drifted in. She stuck her head out and gazed at the surrounding landscape.

"Your Highness? What are you doing?"

Luna glanced down to the voice below her. A group of three guards, two unicorns and one pegasus, were stationed below her window. She rolled her eyes. "I am letting in fresh air. Don't panic."

"Ah," the guard responded, "Very good. My apologies."

Luna shook her head and retreated into the room. She moved over to her desk and sat behind it. Frustration continued to show on her face. "This is ridiculous…" she muttered, "I am a Princess of Equestria. I should be able to go wherever I want and whenever I want to. Instead, they're foalsitting me. This is downright insulting.

"I should just go out flying anyway."

Luna glanced around her room, searching for inspiration. The unicorn guards were probably casting spells to detect magic, so any spell she used to conceal or transport herself would alert them. She needed another way to escape from her room without anypony knowing and without causing alarm.

She glanced to a wall opposite her bed where a piece of art hung from a nail. It was an abstract metal carving of the moon made out of pristine steel. It had been a gift from a delegate hailing from a neighbouring country.

The moon. It was her domain, her property, and her responsibility. She had complete control over it and everything relating to the night. It was the aspect of her duties that she most enjoyed. Ages ago she had felt jealous of her sister because the ponies of the land viewed the daytime as superior.

However, Luna had begun to realize that the night was special in its own way. Darkness was thick and fluid, and behaved in unusual ways. Moonlight as well had magical properties that only she could manipulate. It was a very unique time, and it was completely hers to control.

Suddenly, Luna had an idea.

Moments later, she stood near her window. She was off to the side, so as not to be seen by the guards outside, but could still clearly see the moon in the sky. Using simple telekinesis mixed with a bit of arcane alicorn magic, she grasped some of the moon's light from outside and gently drew it in.

It flowed into her horn smoothly like a river, but minutely so that it was undetectable to the observers on the grounds below. Using magic that was unique to her species, she manipulated the moonlight around her form, wrapping it gently against her body. To her, it felt like she was putting on a thin gown.

When she was finished, she glanced at the mirror but could not see herself. Instead she saw a faint, wispy glow. It was white and illuminating like the moon's light. She smiled. "Perfect…"

Moving quickly, she ran to the window and flapped her wings, taking to the air instantly and silently. Outside in the night air, her own glowing form was completely obscured by the ambient moonlight, allowing her to blend in. She stole a quick glance at the guards below her window. They gave no indication that they had seen her.

She snickered. The moon's magic couldn't be detected easily. It didn't last long and it was hard to manipulate, but she had complete control over it. As she flew away from the castle, her veil faded and the fresh night air rushed over her body. 

Smiling, she flew off to explore the lands.

…

Luna had been flying for 45 minutes and enjoying every second of her time outside. She had promised herself that she would be back within an hour of her leaving, not wanting to cause suspicion or alarm. Now, that time was almost up. Sighing, she knew she would have to turn back soon.

Below her stretched the Everfree Forest. She angled her wings and flew down closer to the trees. She had briefly passed over it when she had left, but hadn't taken the time to admire it. The twisted, uneven trees were simultaneously unnerving and intriguing. The forest had simply refused to allow itself to be tamed, even a thousand years ago. Nothing her or her sister did could curb its wild growth and unnatural behaviour. 

She flew around the outskirts, circling the collection of trees. Ponies had tamed the land as far as they could before the point where the laws of the Everfree took over, creating a sharply defined tree line. The forest was mostly surrounded by fields and croplands, with Ponyville adorning one of its sides.

Luna took a deep breath, marvelling at the splendour of the land below bathed in her night's ethereal glow. The light of the moon gave each object on the ground a new and exciting appearance. It allowed shadows to dance around more freely, creating art by covering up certain aspects of what they rested on. 

Luna smiled. She hardly ever got a chance to simply admire Equestria. Though she had gone against her sister's wishes to do so, she was definitely glad she had taken the time to go on this flight. It was proving to be absolutely wonderful.

She thought back to the argument she'd had with Celestia. The pleasant, uneventful flight she was enjoying only served to reinforce her own argument. Nothing could harm her out here, especially while she was in the air. Anything that would try to harm her would be no match for her magic. Besides, Celestia was a simple distress spell away if things took a turn for the worse.

Luna shook her head. "She was being ridiculous…" she muttered, "I was right all along…" She tried to put the argument out of her mind, as it was spoiling her good mood. "Crazy Tia thinking I need to be protected all the time…"

Ten minutes left. Luna looked to the starry sky and sighed. She knew that she would need to return to the castle now. Any longer and somepony was bound to notice her absence. Muttering something about a lack of freedom, she banked and turned in the direction of Canterlot.

"HELP!!!"

Luna's ears perked as the loud cry reached her. She turned her head back, searching for its origin.

"Augh!! Somepony help!! Please!!" The voice was hoarse and desperate, its owner clearly in a lot of pain.

Luna finally pinpointed the pony in trouble. Struggling on the fields, not far from the edge of the Everfree, was a grey unicorn. Blood was trailing behind him and he was tightly holding a hoof to his chest.

Luna wasted no time and dove down to ground level. "Worry not, kind sir!" she said in a fairly loud voice, the Royal Canterlot Voice. This was an emergency situation, but Luna prided herself on using the proper manners and poise she had been taught. "Art thou injured?"

Luna landed next to the stumbling pony, who groaned in agony. "Do not fear, we are here to assist you. Thy suffering shall soon be over, and- Oh, goodness…" Luna's royal vocabulary faltered as she saw how much blood was coating the pony's hoof and chest. The wound looked bad.

"I…I can't…I think…Aughh!" the injured pony stammered. 

"Okay, okay, don't panic. I can use healing magic. Let me see the wound."

The pony, who had been standing on three legs, began to lose his balance. He swayed forward, but Luna caught him. 

"Careful. Please, move your hoof. I can't use my magic until I see the wound."

"Uuughhhh…" the pony moaned in pure agony, holding his hoof against the wound even tighter.

"I know it hurts," Luna soothed, "but please let me see. I promise I won't hurt you, and once I see it, then I'll be able to mend it completely. Trust me!"

The grey pony before her still did not comply, panting in ragged breaths as the red liquid continued to coat his fur a deep crimson.

"Sir, it's only going to get worse if you hold your hoof against it like that. Please!" Luna pleaded. She reached forward with her own hooves, trying to pull her patient's hoof away.

"Ohhhhh…" the pony moaned.

"My magic is powerful!" Luna said as she wrestled with his hoof, "Whatever the problem is, I can heal it! But I have to see it first!"

Finally, Luna managed to pry the pony's hoof away. A few drops of blood were flung onto her face. Wincing, she looked to where the pony's hoof had been covering.

There was no wound. Except for the excess amount of red liquid, the pony before her was completely unharmed.

"Hey…what is-"

CLANG

Pain exploded on the right side of Luna's head as something hard and metal struck her forcefully. Stars flooded her vision as she fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

…

Luna awoke to pain.

Her head throbbed with a staggering ache. It hurt to exist. Luna groaned and held her hoof to her head, trying in futility to dull the pain. She felt dizzy and nauseous. Her head felt heavy and incredibly tender. The pain was mostly centred around the right side, where she had been struck earlier.

Luna wrenched open her eyes. Panic momentarily gripped her when she couldn't see anything but blackness. I'm blind!! a panicked voice exclaimed in her mind. However, after a few deep breaths, she realized that she was merely in a darkened location, blinded only by the lack of light.

She moaned again in pain. It was difficult to focus with the constant pounding in her head. She wanted to get up and explore her surroundings, to find out where she was, but she couldn't find the energy. Her head simply hurt too much. She began to wonder if she had sustained a concussion.

Luna lay on the floor, resting and letting the throbbing in her head subside. She wasn't sure if she'd laid there for two minutes or two hours, but eventually she began to regain her senses. The pain began to recede and the pounding eventually ceased. 

"Ugghh…" she moaned, feeling weak. As she tried to sit up, all of her limbs felt weak and unresponsive. She managed to sit upright successfully, but was hit by a dizzying vertigo. The pitch blackness didn't help matters. She placed her hooves firmly on the ground to steady herself.

The floor seemed to be stone and there was something else Luna could feel. Her dizzied mind struggled to catch up, still suffering from the injury she'd sustained. It was something around her legs. Something was touching her.

No. Something was holding her. Grabbing her.

In a moment of panic, Luna tried to back away from whatever was touching her. She was met with a cold, stone wall against her back. Clinking sounds of metal could be heard in the smothering darkness.

Luna shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Hello?" she called into the darkness. There was complete silence in response. She held her hoof up to her head, which was still aching. Something cold and metal swung against her body as she lifted it. She realized that it was what was attached to her legs.

"Hello?!" she called again, "What is going on? Where am I?" More silence was her answer. 

Her head dully throbbed and her whole body ached. What had happened? The last thing Luna remembered was being on the field, helping that pony. She shook her head, trying to wake up her mind.

Suddenly, she realized how foalish she had been. Sighing at her own ineptitude, she concentrated and formed an illumination spell with her horn.

Instead of the desired effect, however, Luna received a painful shock down the length of her horn. She cried out, mostly from surprise. "What…was that?" Confused, she tried the illumination spell again. She received the same painful shock. "Ow!"

More puzzled than ever, she stood up. The dark world momentarily spun, threatening to topple her over, but she held her balance. The alicorn took a few steps forward, the clinking metal sound following her.

Chains! she realized, recognizing the sounds. I'm…chained up? Luna held up her hoof to examine the chains, only to facehoof when she remembered that she still couldn't see anything.

Luna took a few more steps forward. She was able to take only five steps before the grips on her legs grew taut and pulled her back. Luna's confusion grew.

"What is going on?" she muttered. The utter confusion of her situation was beginning to frustrate her. She needed answers, and she wanted them now. Luna cleared her throat.

"WE DEMAND THAT SOMEPONY SHOW THEMSELVES AND EXPLAIN WHAT IS GOING ON!" Luna exclaimed as loud as she could in the Royal Canterlot Voice. The exclamation made her head throb painfully, but she tried to ignore it.

There was another minute of silence.

"DOST THOU HEAR US?! WE ARE PRINCESS LUNA!"

Finally, Luna heard a click from somewhere across the room. Dim light flowed in from a doorway far away from her. She heard the clopping of hooves as somepony- no, three ponies made their way over towards her.

Then there was another click and a light hanging near the middle of the room illuminated, finally shedding light on her surroundings.

The first thing she saw were the bars. She gasped and her mind froze. A prison? She gazed around at her cell. The light was feeble and she couldn't see very much of the room beyond the stone walls and a large, dirty bed. She returned her gaze to the bars.

Anxiety began to set in. I'm in a prison! her mind screamed at her, And I'm chained up too! She fought off oncoming panic, taking deep breaths.

The ponies who had entered the room finally stepped into view. There were three of them, all unicorns. One was grey, one was a dark yellow, and one was orange. After a moment's observation, Luna recognized the grey pony as the one she'd tried to help on the field.

"Well, well, well!" the orange one said, stepping forward to the bars, "Look who finally woke up!"

"What…What is the meaning of this? Dost thou not know who we are?!"

"Ugh," the yellow unicorn muttered, rolling his eyes, "I told you she'd talk like that."

"Why is she talking like that?" the grey one turned to the yellow one and asked.

"It's the official Canterlot voice or something…"

"Excuse us!!" Luna boomed, "We asked a question!"

The orange one at the front chuckled. "You're where you belong," he said simply.

Luna blinked. "Er…what? I mean…What art thou talking about?"

The unicorn held up a hoof. "That's gonna get really old, really fast. Can ya knock it off?"

Luna regarded the unicorns before her in incredulity.

"It's taken months of work and planning," the orange pony continued, "but we finally caught you when your guard was down. Hard work really does pay off, eh boys?"

Luna shook her head. "Explain thyselves! Why hast thou imprisoned us?!"

"Well, Luna," the orange pony responded, dragging her name out in an exaggerated tone, "it's because we know who you really are. You've fooled a lot of ponies since you came back. Like the foals they are, they blindly accepted your ruse. But we can see right through you. We aren't fooled."

Luna tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. "Whatever art thou talking about?"

"Cut the charade," the grey unicorn spoke up, "we know who you really are. It's about time somepony stopped you."

Luna's concern grew. "What dost thou mean, 'Who I really am'? We are Princess Luna. Is it not clear to see?"

The three unicorns' expressions darkened. "Princess Luna is dead," the orange one said.

"What?"

"You killed her."

Luna's mind blanked. She sputtered for a minute before shaking her head. "Thou art not making any sense. We are Princess Luna! How could we have killed her?"

The orange unicorn suddenly rose up and placed his hooves on the bars, glaring in at the trapped alicorn with a furious expression. "Quit trying to fool us!" he exclaimed angrily, "We know who you are, Nightmare Moon!"

Luna gasped, her eyes widening and her jaw falling. No…

"We know the legend!" the orange unicorn continued, "A thousand years ago, Princess Luna was lost to the temptations of her rage and jealousy, and her body and mind were taken over by the vengeful spirit, Nightmare Moon! Princess Celestia was able to seal you in the moon for a thousand years, but now you're back. And we're not going to sit idly by and let you destroy Equestria!"

Luna could only stare at the furious unicorn in stunned silence.

"You fooled everypony! You disguised yourself as the young Princess Luna! But we know the truth! You can't hide it from us, Nightmare Moon!"

"No…It's not true…" Luna said, her voice quiet and pleading, "I'm not Nightmare Moon anymore! I'm not!"

"Shut up!"

"You're making a mistake!"

The orange unicorn banged his hoof against the bars loudly. "Silence, demon! We will not have you defile the image of Princess Luna, may she rest in peace. There's nothing you can do to escape now, so just sit there and shut up."

"Please! You have to believe me. I can prove it! Nightmare Moon is long gone!"

"NO!" the orange pony exclaimed.

"Ray, forget it," the grey one interjected, stepping forward, "she's just trying to rile you up. That's what Nightmare Moon does."

The orange pony, Ray, spent a few moments staring into the cell. He stared deep into Luna's eyes. The Princess was surprised by the fire she saw burning in his eyes.

Finally, Ray turned to leave. "You'll be dead soon, anyway…" he muttered as he left, the other two unicorns following behind him.

"What?!" Luna exclaimed, her anxiety spiking, "What do you mean, 'dead'? Come back! Please, let me go! I'm not Nightmare Moon! She was defeated by the Elements of Harmony! Hadn't you heard?"

The unicorns paid her no mind. They turned off the light in the room, plunging Luna into darkness once again.

"Her dark spirit was purged by the Elements! She's gone!"

"Enough of your lies!" Ray exclaimed before Luna heard the door slam forcefully, cutting off what little light remained. 

Seconds later, the door reopened. "Oh," Ray's voice called in, "And don't worry about all your friends and family. They all think you're dead." The door slammed shut again.

For a moment, Luna was stunned and rendered speechless. "They're…" she muttered, "They're crazy. They're…They think I'm Nightmare Moon…"

You'll be dead soon, anyway.

The words of Ray replayed continuously in her mind. "They're…going to kill me." Luna was nearly breathless.

"Tia was right…" She recalled the argument that had happened mere hours ago. She remembered Celestia's insistence that somepony defend her and she remembered her older sister often worrying that ponies would try something drastic or extreme.

She hadn't listened. She had been overconfident in her own abilities and ignored her sister's warnings. She had upset her sister with her harsh attitude and gone against her wishes behind her back.

Now she was paying the price.

Luna could feel tears. She felt her heart break and her stomach do flips. Her breathing quickened. "No, no, no, NO! This can't be happening!" She began to sob. "What have I done?!" Panic gripped her. Her situation was bleak. She was locked up, restrained, somehow prevented from using magic, and Ray had said that everypony thought she was dead.

It was too much to accept.

Luna spent the next hour exploring her confinement and trying to find a way out or a way to get help. She couldn't reach the bars, her chains were very strong, and she found that the more complex of a spell she cast, the more painful the backfire was. 

She was trapped. She was utterly helpless. She was going to be killed.

"And…it's all my fault…"


Present


Comet returned from the prison in the basement. He found High Noon sitting in the same position as when he had left.

"Have fun?" High asked of his companion.

Comet smirked. "Sometimes I still can't believe we managed to pull it off."

"Hey, don't sell us short. This took a lot of planning and a lot of effort, but we're gonna succeed."

"It's just annoying that we can't finish her off yet."

"Yeah…" High muttered, glancing out the window at the field bathed in the moon's glow, "but you know what the ancient tome said. Unless we kill her under a new moon, the demon will just use the moon's power to keep herself alive and find a new host."

Comet joined High at the window and gazed at the moon in the sky. It was waning and less than a quarter of it remained visible. "Won't be long now…"

…

"Twilight, have I ever told you you're crazy?"

"Yes, Spike. Yes you have."

Spike was helping Twilight pack a few last-minute essentials. The other five ponies had already run or flown back to their homes and packed materials and supplies for the journey. They had no idea how far they would have to travel so they were preparing for a long journey.

Everypony was wearing two heavily-packed saddlebags, except for Applejack who had three collapsed tents slung around her. 

"Wouldn't it be hilarious if we only had to travel for like five minutes?" Dash mused.

"We can only hope…" Applejack muttered.

The group had been energized by the prospect of what they were about to undertake. There was no trace of fatigue to be seen in any of them, not even young Spike.

"Okay!" Twilight announced, "Everypony ready?"

She was met with a chorus of agreement.

"Good. Everypony understands the plan?"

"I'm gonna blow blue fire on all those scrolls," Spike replied, indicating Twilight's saddlebags, which were full of scrolls, "and we follow the fire."

"Are y'all sure this is gonna work?" Applejack asked, "I've seen Spike's dragon fahr b'fore. It flies pretty dang fast."

"That's why you have me!" Dash proclaimed, pounding a hoof against her chest.

"C'mon Dash, don't get a big head. Even yer not as fast as dragon fire."

"That's why I'm bringing so many," Twilight said, "We're gonna follow it until we lose the trail, then burn another one."

"I hope we don't run out…" Fluttershy mumbled.

Twilight chuckled. "If we manage to burn through all of these, then we'll probably be a few towns over. It'll be easy enough to buy more."

"I like this plan!" Pinkie piped up, "It combines the serious seriousness of our epic responsibility with the fun fun-ness of a road trip!"

"I do hope we don't have to travel far…" Rarity moaned, not quite whining, "I hate walking over dirty terrain. I certainly hope the fire doesn't travel over any swamps."

"I'm jus' hopin' it goes somewhere easy ta follow," Applejack said, "Imagine if it flies over th' ocean."

"Or up a big huge mountain…" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Calm down, everypony!" Twilight said, "We'll cross those bridges when we come to them."

"Who said anything about a bridge?" Pinkie quipped, "They were talking about the ocean and a mountain! Bridges don't go up mountains. And they definitely don't go over the ocean! Well, not the whole way, anyway. Sometimes a bridge might go over a little part of the ocean. Maybe an inlet or a channel. But not the whole ocean."

Everypony stared at Pinkie.

"What?" she asked, confused by the attention.

"Um…" Twilight stammered, "Anyway…"

"So this is really happening, isn't it?" Spike said in a dubious voice, "I'm still having trouble trying to wrap my head around it."

"I know, Spike," Twilight responded, "It's pretty crazy. But it's happening, and we need to do everything we can."

"I still don't see why you don't just tell Celestia," he muttered.

Twilight's ears splayed back and she winced. "Well…" she said slowly, searching for her words, "I really don't…want to get her hopes up if this all turns out to be nothing. She's been so sad lately, I don't know if she'd even accept it. She might throw me out and refuse to listen."

"I guess…"

Twilight hadn't told Spike about her and Dash's expedition to the Canterlot Graveyards. For some reason, she didn't think the young dragon would be as accepting of her actions, or as understanding.

"All right, unless anypony has any objections, I propose we begin!" Twilight announced.

Nopony in the room spoke up.

Twilight turned around to where, behind her, Owlowiscious was sitting perched on the back of a chair.

"Now, can I trust you to look after the library while we're gone, Owlowiscious?"

"Hoo?"

"She's talkin' to you!" Spike said.

"Hoo?"

"You! You, the owl! Owlowiscious!"

"Hoo?" 

"Ugh…" Spike facepalmed. "Sometimes I don't know why I bother."

"Hoo?"

"Oh, now you're just screwin' with me."

"Spike!" Twilight interjected, stopping the exchange before it could escalate, "Let's go."

The group exited the library and Twilight locked the door behind her. They then made their way to the edge of town. Ponyville was asleep; There was nopony out on the streets and the only illumination came from the moon in the sky and the few porch lights. There was a serene calm accompanied by near silence.

The group reached the outskirts of the town, near Fluttershy's house. Twilight reached back into her saddlebags with her magic and pulled out one of the many scrolls.

"Okay, get ready Dash!" she said.

"Right!" Dash said, flapping her wings and taking to the air.

Twilight handed the scroll to Spike. "Is anything written on these?" he asked.

"No, they're all empty."

Spike chuckled. "All right then. Ready?"

Twilight looked up to Dash hovering in the sky, who nodded. She turned back to Spike and also nodded.

The young dragon held the scroll before his face with his claws. He glanced at his friends who were staring at him with anticipation, anxious to begin. Except for Fluttershy, who looked nervous as usual. "All right," he spoke, "Let's do this." Spike took a deep breath.

He then expelled deep blue flames onto the scroll. It was engulfed in the fire and completely disintegrated within seconds. The flames danced high into the sky and then suddenly shot off into the distance.

Dash took off in pursuit of the fire with extreme speed, leaving a backdraft behind her. Wind from her sudden departure made the grass and trees nearby sway. The ponies on the ground followed the rainbow trail left behind by the speedy pegasus.

"Okay," Twilight said, already breaking into a gallop to follow the trail, "It looks like it goes into the Everfree Forest later, but we can probably go around. Once Dash comes back, we'll follow her to the last place she saw it."

The other four ponies took off after Twilight, Spike hopping up on Applejack's back as she was closest to him. The group began to gallop into the fields of grass that surrounded Ponyville and hugged the edge of the Everfree. Dash's rainbow trail was hovering mostly perpendicular to the edge.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy murmured from the back of the pack, "This is going to turn into another wild adventure, isn't it?"

Applejack chuckled from in front of her. "It jus' might! Yee-haw!"

"Don't say that," Rarity chastised, "You're going to jinx us!"

"Heh, sorry," Applejack responded, "If I have ta go along with this crazy mess, I want it t'at least be mem'rable."

As their conversation ended, Dash suddenly returned to the group, hovering in the air above them.

"That fire is fast," she panted.

"Dragon fire is very mysterious. It has very special properties," Twilight explained.

"It's hard to see it too, but follow me and I'll take you as far as I can."

With that, Dash turned and flew along the edge of the forest at a slower pace so the other ponies could keep up with her.

"Maybe Dash has a point," Twilight said, "It'd be easier to see the blue flames in the day."

"But then the sky would be blue!" Pinkie observed.

"Oh yeah."

"Hey, I still kept up with it for quite a ways!" Dash called back from her lead position.

"We don't want to wear you out either," Twilight called to her.

Dash let out an uproarious laugh. "Tire me out! Ha! That's a good one."

"Just don't get overconfident, Dash."

"No worries, Twilight! Flying this slow so that you can keep up with me is practically rest anyway!"

Twilight rolled her eyes.

The group continued to run, following Dash along the Everfree's tree line and keeping an eye out for stray creatures.  

"I hope Twilight knows what she's doing…" Spike muttered from Applejack's back.

"Yeah," she replied, "I do too…"

> Veil of Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10 - Veil of Darkness

"Will you be careful, Rainbow Dash?! I just finished pitchin' that tent!!"

"Oops. My bad, Applejack…"

Applejack sighed and trotted over to the tent that Dash had carelessly knocked over. The sun was shining brightly in the sky overhead, halfway in its journey across the sky. The group had stopped to set up temporary camp as exhaustion began to set in. None of them had gotten a full sleep the previous night and everypony's stamina was beginning to run out.

"How am I supposed to get to sleep in the middle of the day?" Rarity protested.

"It's better than waiting until nightfall when we're all so tired that we can't move." Twilight responded.

The decision to get a few hours of sleep at this time of the day had been debated earlier. In the end, everypony's growing fatigue had convinced them that they would prefer to sleep now rather than later.

"We're not going to rest for too long, remember," Twilight said.

"I'm probably not going to rest at all! Oh, this is going to throw off my whole sleep schedule!" Rarity retorted.

"Ya gotta adapt when yer on the road," Applejack said as she finished setting up the tent that Dash had ruined.

"I probably won't sleep anyway," Dash said, casually flying around the campsite, "I'm too pumped!"

"Well try to get some rest," Twilight said, "We need your strength most of all, Dash. We need you to be able to keep flying like you've been doing."

"Pssh," Dash scoffed, "This is nothin'! I could follow Spike's fire in my sleep."

"Well you will be if you don't get some sleep now. Meaning you'll fall asleep while chasing it. And that would be bad."

"Twilight, quit worrying! I didn't mean that I'd be up all night flyin' around or whatever. I just said that I'm too excited to get to sleep."

"And it's completely the wrong time for me to get to sleep," Rarity interjected.

"Yeah, I dunno if I'll be able ta sleep either," Applejack said, "Us farm folks get ta sleep early in the night, so I've already gotten plenty-a rest."

Twilight sighed. "Just…try. Please? Trust me, if we keep going until nightfall, it's going to do us more harm than good."

"Well, I ain't arguin' with that," Applejack responded, "This is the most logical time ta take a snooze, all things considered. It's just that our bodies ain't exactly logical."

"You guys!" Pinkie whispered, suddenly appearing between the group, "Shhhh!!!"

The four gave her an inquisitive look. Pinkie said nothing and pointed behind her. The group followed her gaze and found Fluttershy passed out on the ground, sound asleep.

The five let out a collective "Awww…"

"Poor thing," Pinkie whispered, "She was so exhausted when we woke her up last night."

"She was probably too shy to tell us she was getting tired," Twilight said.

"Well come on then," Rarity said, walking over to the slumbering pegasus, "let's get her to bed."

Twilight nodded and moved to help Rarity. Working together, the two unicorns carefully lifted Fluttershy with their magic and delicately moved her into one of the tents. They moved slowly to ensure that she wouldn't wake up and before long Fluttershy was snoring softly in her warm sleeping bag.

Twilight and Rarity stepped back outside. "Well, that officially settles it," Twilight said, "We're napping."

"All right…" Dash muttered before flying into one of the adjacent tents. The other four exchanged goodnights before heading into their tents as well. 

Rainbow Dash took a moment to admire the tent she was standing in. "Wow…they really don't let in a lot of light, do they?"

"Nope!" Applejack responded, stepping in behind her.

"Ugh," Dash moaned, "Do we really have to share tents?"

"Hey, s'cuse me!" Applejack said, indignant, "Carryin' three whole tents is plenty o' work for just one pony. I can't be expected ta carry six. The others had full loads as well and you can't carry anythin' 'cus yer chasin' Spike's flame!"

"All right, all right!" Dash relented, holding up her hooves, "I get your point!" 

Dash and Applejack spent the next few minutes climbing into their sleeping bags and getting comfortable. With the flap of the tent closed, the lighting inside was close to evening's light. Not bright, but not quite dark either.

"G'night, RD" Applejack said, laying her head down.

"It's the middle of the day," Dash deadpanned.

"Whatever. It's an expression."

"Yeah…for ponies going to bed at night."

"Look, do y'all wanna argue, or d'ya wanna get some sleep?"

"I want to keep going, but that's not gonna happen."

Applejack chuckled. "Just get ta sleep, Dash."

The pegasus sighed. A few minutes of silence passed before she spoke up again. "What do you think's going on?"

"Mm?" Applejack muttered, slightly annoyed that Dash was still making noise.

"I mean…" Dash paused, trying to choose her words. Eventually she gave up and asked, "Do you think she's alive?"

Applejack sighed. "I dunno, sugarcube," she said softly, "I'm a down home, hard workin' earth pony. I don't know much about this magic stuff. I'm still tryin' to wrap mah head around what y'all found up at Canterlot."

"Yeah…" Dash muttered quietly, "I don't know a lot about magic either. And this is dragon's flame, something even Twilight doesn't completely understand."

"Think about it like this, Dash; Twilight found somethin'. Whatever it is, it's prob'ly in our best interest ta go check it out. So we might as well enjoy the journey."

Dash smiled. "I guess you're right, AJ." Another moment of silence passed before Dash whispered, "I hope we find her…"

Applejack closed her eyes and said nothing. 

Meanwhile, in the third tent, Twilight, Spike and Rarity were also getting settled. Twilight was already laying in her sleeping bag, but Rarity was still standing. 

"Aren't you going to get some sleep?" Twilight asked.

"Really, Twilight, do you expect me to go to bed with my makeup on? Or without my sleeping gown. Honestly, I have a million things to do before I can even consider going to sleep."

Twilight chuckled. "Well, don't take to long. We'll be up and moving fairly soon."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Rarity responded, "I should get some sleep."

Rarity manoeuvred her way through the cramped quarters of the tent to make her way to her sleeping bag. However, her hind hoof ended up knocking Twilight's saddlebags over, spilling scrolls all over the floor. 

"Oh no!" Rarity exclaimed, "Oh, Twilight, I'm terribly sorry! I am so clumsy!"

"Don't worry about it," Spike said, standing up, "I'll get 'em."

Twilight smiled gratefully. "Thanks, number one assistant!"

Spike grinned. "You know it!"

"Well, all right, thank you Spike," Rarity said,  "When we're out travelling like this, help is always appreciated."

Twilight frowned. "I wonder what we're going to find when this is all over."

"Oh, don't fret, Twilight! I'm sure everything will turn out fine."

Twilight was about to respond, but she was interrupted when a flash of blue flame shot past her and out the tent's flap, nearly singeing her nose.

"Spike!"

"Sorry," the dragon sheepishly responded, "I sneezed."

"You almost got me…" she muttered, rubbing her nose.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Spike. Let's just get some rest."

"All right…"

Within the next five minutes, the six ponies and their young dragon friend had all settled into their sleeping bags. The sun above was bright and the area was occasionally filled with the sounds of the waking world. The group laid their heads down nonetheless and attempted to fall asleep. Some where more successful than others, but they all ended up falling asleep eventually.

Outside, a pegasus flew by the camp, barely giving it a passing glance.

…

Luna's ear twitched. 

It was the sound of the door to the prison block being opened. A moment later, the ceiling light was illuminated. Luna shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness.

Once her vision had adjusted, she looked up and through the bars. The yellow unicorn, High Noon, stood before her cell levitating a small plate with his magic. Sitting on the plate was something grey and mushy, looking absolutely nothing like what one would call 'food'.

"Eat," High said, using his magic to phase the plate and its contents through the bars and place it before her.

Luna stared at her captor coldly. High stared back in much the same way. A smothering silence filled the room as neither pony said anything or made a move.

Finally, Luna wordlessly bent down and ate the disgusting substance on her plate. It was gross, slimy and hard to chew. Luna wasn't sure what it was and she wasn't sure her captors did either. It tasted like soap if soap could go bad like milk.

High was taken aback. "What, that's it?" he said in surprise.

"Hm…?"

"You're not even going to say anything this time?"

Luna finished chewing her mouthful of 'food' and swallowed, wincing. She gazed back up at the unicorn on the other side of the bars. "Why should I bother?" she mused, "I've tried being logical. I've tried pleading for my life. I've tried being angry and aggressive. None of it has worked, so why waste my energy? There's obviously no swaying you." With that, she returned to her meal.

High was silent for a few seconds, at a loss for words. "Well…good," he said slowly, "Good that you know your place. You're absolutely correct. Nothing you say will convince us to let you go, so why try?"

Luna said nothing.

High paused. "Makes our job a hell of a lot easier…"

"And boring…" Luna muttered. She heard him begin to respond but stop himself. Smirking she looked up. High was glaring at her. "What?"

"You're an enigma, Nightmare Moon…" he said slowly.

"I wish you would stop calling me that."

The two stared at each other again. The feeble light made shadows dance all over the unicorn's body. Half of his face was shrouded in darkness and his eyes seemed to glow yellow from the nearby bulb.

"Just let me out," Luna said smoothly, "You've made a mistake. Don't make it worse. I can even make sure you don't get punished for this."

"We have not made any kind of mistake. We are saving Equestria."

"Everypony has faults. Everypony makes mistakes."

High smirked. "You are right about that. Everypony does have faults. Even the glorious Princess Celestia. Her fault is that she fell for your ruse and trusted you. Ponies before us have tried to convince her of who you really are, but she is blinded by the love she had for her dear sister.

"You are a twisted, evil being, Nightmare Moon. You are taking advantage of Her Highness' emotions to further your own devious goals. You deserve everything that's coming."

Luna was silent a moment. She did not get angry or upset. She kept a calm expression throughout the entire conversation. 

"Tell me," she spoke, "what exactly does this old book say?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Call it a last request."

High contemplated this for a moment. Then he spoke. "It is an ancient tome written by a powerful unicorn from a thousand years ago. When you and Celestia were battling, he was studying you, Nightmare Moon. He was measuring your strengths and abilities.

"When Celestia sealed you in the moon, he was afraid that you would return one day. And rightly so. He used all of the knowledge he'd gained from studying you and he put it into that book. It was he who made the discovery that your hold over Luna could never be broken, and it was he who discovered the way to truly defeat you."

Luna scoffed. "That was a thousand years ago! Ponykind wasn't as far advanced as it is today. Despite how tirelessly he must have worked, the proper resources simply weren't available to him. He couldn't properly study and he couldn't check his work."

"You wouldn't say that if you had read the book," High retorted, "His reasoning is sound, his logic is foolproof. There is no reason for him to be wrong. He said that one day Nightmare Moon would break free from her prison. And you did just that during the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Yes, but Twilight Sparkle and her friends-"

"Shut up!" High cut her off, "How many times must you repeat the same lie?"

Luna was about to retort, but she heard the sound of hooves entering the doorway down the hall.

"Noon?" the voice called in. It was Comet.

"Yeah?" High called back.

"Get out here. We've got company."

"Really?" High was incredulous.

"Just get out here."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'…"

High returned his gaze to Luna. "Well, I would love to stay here and poke holes in your poorly constructed logic, but it seems I'm otherwise engaged. But don't fret! You won't be down here for much longer. Heh heh…"

Without awaiting a response, High turned and departed from the room. Luna heard the door close tightly followed by the muffled hoofsteps as he ascended the stairs on the other side.

"Dumbass forgot to turn off the light…" she muttered sourly, turning and laying down on the cold stone floor of her prison cell. She sighed heavily. 

Well, this is fantastic…I've got about 30 hours to live.

Though she could not see it, Luna could tell what phase the moon was in. She knew that the coming night would be the last night before the New Moon.

There's no way I can get myself out of here…

Luna had tried everything. She'd tried to break her chains and she'd tried to damage the device around her horn. Neither would yield to her efforts. She'd even tried different kinds of magic, but the damned device blocked all of it, delivering painful results. She'd even tried digging out, but to no avail.

Those three are too deluded to ever let me free…

Her captors seemed to enjoy taunting her and egotistically showing their superiority whenever they came down to deliver her food. As she had said to High, she'd tried every approach, but not even a glimmer of doubt could be seen in their eyes. They were dedicated to their cause and would not give in.

I've been down here for nearly a month…If anypony was coming to save me, they'd be here by now…

Despair was growing inside of Luna. During the first few days of her imprisonment, she had been scared and angry at herself. Then, as time went on, she became determined and hopeful that she'd find a way out.

Now, however, she was beginning to resign herself to her fate. Hopelessness was threatening to consume her. She was growing increasingly depressed at the dark situation that she found herself in. 

She stared at the walls that surrounded her. Somehow, they seemed closer than they usually were. Though the light was still on, her environment seemed dark and constricting. The air seemed thin and even gravity seemed to be stronger.

Help me…

Every single night Luna spent imprisoned in here involved much tossing and turning. Restful sleep did not come to her and it was beginning to take its toll. In her dreams she saw Celestia shaking her head. "I told you," she would speak softly. Other times, she saw Celestia utterly depressed and in despair; a broken mare. Luna couldn't bear to imagine how her 'death' must be utterly tearing her sister apart.

Luna shivered. The underground cell block was cold, especially at night. The food was terrible and minimal, and the bed was a disaster. The floor, quite frankly, was cleaner. Luna shuddered to think what the bed's previous occupant had put it through.

I promise…I promise I'll never go anywhere without guards or Tia ever again. Just please…get me out of here.

Luna was still beating herself up for her mistakes. She knew doing so wasn't helping matters and just made her feel worse, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't get past the terrible errors she'd made and where she'd ended up because of them. She couldn't ignore how foalishly she had ignored her sister's warnings.

Luna knew now. She realized that Celestia was only looking out for her safety. Her sister cared so deeply for her that she couldn't imagine being without her. Celestia had been taking every precaution to keep her safe because she couldn't bear to lose her little sister again.

A teardrop splattered to the floor.

No! Don't cry! You have to be stronger than that, Luna! Don't let them see weakness!

Luna sniffled and tried to stop the tears from flowing.

You have to be brave, Luna, she told herself earnestly, You have to be strong! Celestia's probably so depressed. She misses you, and you're going to see her again. She's probably tearing herself up for how she left you.

Luna thought back to the last time they had interacted. The fight was still fresh in her mind, but Luna was no longer angry. Her sister had been completely justified and she had only been irrational. Luna couldn't imagine the pain that Celestia must be feeling believing that the last thing she'd done with her sister was argue with her.

Just imagine her face when she sees you again. Think of how happy she'll be. You can't deny her that happiness. You will see her again. You will!!

Luna glanced back at the decrepit bed in the corner of her dismal cell. She got up and stepped over to it, her chains clinking noisily on the cold stone floor. 

Just have hope.

Glancing back to make sure that none of her captors were around, she reached underneath the bed with her hoof.

Just believe, Luna!

Carefully, Luna used her hoof to pull out from under the bed four scrolls, neatly tied with red ribbon. They were a stark contrast to everything else in the cell; they were absolutely pristine and new. They looked like they hadn't even been used.

The first scroll to arrive had given her an incredible surprise. The logical part of her mind told her that there could be any number of reasons that somepony would send her a scroll. A dragon could've used the wrong flame by accident, or perhaps somepony just couldn't come to grips with her 'departure'.

This logic was still eating away at her, refusing to let her believe otherwise at point blank. 

Luna lifted up the scrolls and gazed at them.

Believe, Luna!

One of the scrolls was untied. Luna carefully unfurled it and regarded the blank parchment within.

Somepony's coming.

A smile graced her lips.

Her ears twitched. She looked at the wall to her left just in time to see blue flame phase through it unexpectedly. It swirled through the air before condensing in front of her and revealing another fresh scroll, tied up neatly with a red ribbon.

"Another one…?"

…

"Everypony up! That means you, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight's voice rang out over the campsite.

"Ugghhh…" Dash moaned.

"C'mon, lazy!" Applejack jested, lightly jabbing Dash in the side.

"What time is it…?" Dash groaned.

"Sunset," Twilight answered, "We should get moving as soon as we can. Applejack, can you take down the tents?"

"Sure thing, Twi!"

Fluttershy stepped out of her tent, yawning widely. She leaned forward, sighing contentedly as she stretched her legs and neck. Then she opened her wings and stretched them as well. "Mmm…morning…" she muttered.

Twilight chuckled. "Good morning, Fluttershy. It's almost 8pm."

"Oh, really?" she responded absentmindedly, her mind lagging behind her momentarily, "I had a really nice sleep and I- 8pm?!"

"Darling, you fell asleep when the sun was just rising," Rarity said, also exiting her tent.

"Oh my goodness. I don't even remember falling asleep…"

"You were pretty plum tuckered out," Applejack said, trotting over.

"I'm sorry…" she said meekly.

"Oh Fluttershy," Twilight said, smiling, "it's not your fault. We were all tired."

"Dash wasn't," Applejack muttered, "I thought she'd never get to sleep." She looked over her shoulder at the tent she had exited from. "And now I think she ain't ever gonna get up!"

Twilight sighed and trotted over to the tent that Dash was occupying. "Up, Dash. We need you flying!"

"Fiiiine…" Dash moaned, sitting up and stretching her wings. 

About five minutes later, everypony was up, camp was packed away, and the group was planning their next move. Fatigue was gone from everypony's face except for Dash's.

"Okay, here's what I'm thinking," Twilight said, addressing the group, "Dash, why don't you fly up first and get a good look at our surroundings. Then we'll try lighting another scroll."

Dash yawned. "Mm…Okay. Flying'll wake me up."

Twilight chuckled good-naturedly. "Great."

With a few powerful wing beats, Dash took to the air and ascended rapidly. She continued to rise into the air for some time before levelling out and beginning to fly in a circle formation. The earth-bound ponies below her waited patiently.

Eventually, Dash rejoined them on the ground. As she had predicted, the sleepiness had been erased from her features and she was noticeably more upbeat. "Okay," she said to her attentive audience, "here's how it looks…"

She scanned the ground for a few seconds before spying a stick laying not too far away. Dash trotted over and picked it up with her mouth. "So, w'rr n'rr the f'rrest," she said, the stick impeding her ability to speak clearly.

"Th's's th'edge" she said, angling her head and using the stick to draw a straight line in the dirt. "But up th'rr…" she said before extending the line outwards in a large bump before evening out the line again. "It does dis…"

"Oh," Twilight said, studying the diagram, "So the treeline extends outwards?"

"Yhhh!" Dash responded, "S'lik a bg prmpr rtrrz."

Twilight could only tilt her head and say, "Umm…what?"

Dash spit out the stick. "I said it's like a big pimple of trees."

Rarity scoffed. "Dash, what an absolutely vulgar description!"

"I know, but I couldn't think of any other way to describe it."

"How far out does it go?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, pretty far out, but it's not very wide."

"I guess you're saying it would be faster if we went straight through it."

Dash nodded. "If last night was any indication, then the dragon flame will go right over it, and it could take us hours just to go around this part."

"Hmm…" Twilight pondered the situation. She looked to her friends, who were all slightly nervous, but not overly so. They had all been into the Everfree Forest many times. Usually it led to danger, but not every time, and they always managed to come out on top.

"Does anypony have any objections to that?" she asked to the group.

"The more speed, the better!" Pinkie piped up.

"Ah'm with ya on this one. It's the smart thing ta do," Applejack said.

"I suppose it is the logical choice," Rarity agreed.

The five then turned to look at a very silent Fluttershy. She let out an "eep" at the sudden attention. "Um…yes? I guess? I mean, if Dash thinks it's too big to go around, then we don't really have a choice…"

"Don't be nervous, Fluttershy!" Twilight said reassuringly, "We'll stick together and we'll be out before you know it."

"Oh, um…I'm not nervous." Fluttershy lied.

Applejack chuckled and patted Fluttershy on the back. "S'all right, sugarcube. We look out for each other. Tha's what friends do!"

Fluttershy nodded.

"Right then!" Twilight said, stepping back and addressing her assembled group of friends, "Let's get going then! No time to waste!"

"Right!" four of her friends chimed back. 

"Um…right…" said the other meekly.

…

High shut the door leading to the room with the hidden trap door behind him and walked out into the main room of the house. "Company you say?" he said quietly to Comet, who was standing silently beside the front door.

Comet nodded. "I caught a glimpse of somepony approaching the house, but I couldn't see who it was. I'm waiting for them to knock." Comet's mind was already working, coming up with responses and plans of action for every possibility. High joined him at the doorway.

The two rested in silence at the door. After a moment, the unicorns could hear the clopping of a single pony approaching the doorway. A second later, powerful knocks resounded on the door.

Comet counted to five before calling out, "Who is it?"

"Saturday and another," the pony responded in a powerful, commanding voice.

The two unicorns glanced at each other. High shrugged. That was the password after all. Cautiously, Comet unlocked the door and inched it open a small amount, gazing out.

He was met with the sight of Navy Shield, the royal pegasus guard, glaring at him.

Comet stifled an exclamation of surprise and stopped himself from hastily slamming the door in the visitor's face. He cleared his throat. "Um…may we help you?"

High joined his companion and looked over his shoulder at the pegasus standing outside. He gulped nervously.

The guard outside narrowed his gaze. "What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Comet's gaze wandered nervously. He looked behind the pegasus, seeing that there were no other guards outside. This pony was most definitely alone. "I…don't understand the question, sir."

"Let me in."

Comet bristled. He fought off momentary panic. No, he mentally told himself, calm down. It's just one guard. The operation isn't blown yet.

"Sir, I'm afraid you aren't going to be able to just enter my house unless you have a warrant," he said smoothly, letting absolutely no trace of his fallacy slip through.

The guard studied them for a moment, seeing their confused and aversive faces. Finally, he raised an eyebrow. "Are you two really that thick?"

Comet's mind skipped a gear.

The guard took off his helmet, letting all of his dark blue mane hang free. "It's me, you idiots! I'm Navy Shield!"

Comet stared for a few minutes, then shook his head. "Oh whoa! Boss, it's you! How'd you…how are you…?"

Navy sighed. "It must be this new armour," he grumbled, "It uses a different spell to change our coats to white and our manes to blue so that we all look the same. I guess it masks perception too. I'll have to bring that up with somepony…"

"Whoa," Comet muttered, then regained his composure, "Erm, sorry boss! Come inside before somepony sees you."

Navy stepped inside as High closed the door behind him. He regarded the two unicorns critically. The two stood tall and gave him their full attention, both giving him a quick salute.

"Comet Tail, High Noon…" he said in a low, even voice, "I trust there have been no problems."

"No sir," Comet responded promptly, "Capture was successful with zero third-party sightings and negligible injuries. Subject has been kept under lock and key as well as magical restraint non-stop since then."

Navy nodded, but did not smile. His face remained serious and emotionless. "Good. She is still alive now?"

"Yes sir."

"I assume she's been very vocal about her situation."

"Yes sir. She has been very adamant about not being Nightmare Moon, and is still utilizing her disguise as Luna. We are not fooled, sir. We have not fallen for her deceit."

"Excellent…" Navy shifted his gaze to High. "You have not received any intrusions during your stay here?"

"No."

Navy paused and arched an eyebrow, but continued. "I see…and Ray has been doing his job as well?"

"Yup."

Navy narrowed his eyes. High had a nonchalant expression on his face. He almost looked bored with the conversation. 

"High Noon, despite what we are doing here, I am still a high-ranking member of the Equestrian Royal guard and you will give me the respect and proper responses that such a position entails."

High stared at Navy for a minute before saying, "Very well." After a pause, he added, "…sir."

Navy glared at the yellow unicorn standing before him. "High Noon," he said after a pause, "do you have some sort of issue with my leadership?"

High gave no response.

"Speak freely," he said with a look that dared the unicorn to make a move.

High was silent for another few moments. "No, I do not…" he finally said, "…sir."

"Then explain your lack of respect, hm?"

"Navy, I know this whole escapade was your idea. It's a great idea, and we all fully support you in it. But it was Ray who deciphered the book, and Ray who came up with most of the logistics. It's thanks to Ray that this whole thing went without a hitch." 

Navy narrowed his eyes.

"I'm just wondering," High continued, "why you're the leader."

The two stared at each other for an extended period of absolute silence. Navy's gaze was unbroken as he studied the unicorn who stood before him. Comet looked on from the sidelines nervously.

It took less than a second for Navy to reach under his wing with his mouth, remove his pistol from its holster, and point it to High's head. The firearm clicked as Navy cocked the weapon and High's eyes widened in surprise. Comet gasped.

"I could end you right now," Navy said smoothly, not raising his voice. Instead, he spoke in a calm, almost conversational tone. Despite the weapon that was held in his mouth, his speech was barely impeded. "If I have even the slightest inclination that you are doing anything or behaving in such a way that hinders our operation in any way, I will kill you. This operation is far too important for your simple life to have any significant value. Is that clear?"

High was silent for a moment, but then nodded.

"I said, Is that clear?!" Navy prodded, raising his voice a little.

"Yes…sir…"

"Good," Navy continued, not moving the firearm, "I was placed in the leadership position because not only am I the highest-ranking and most educated among us when it comes to missions such as this, but I am also the closest to Celestia and all of the foalish ponies who have been fooled by this demon's ruse."

Comet's gaze shifted nervously between the two ponies.

"Perhaps if the stakes weren't as high, I would indulge your petty complaints and relinquish my leadership…just to show you what would go wrong." He paused, still holding the gun to High's head, "But this is a matter of the security, integrity and longevity of our glorious nation. Chances cannot be taken.

"Do I make myself clear?!"

Throughout the entire conversation, Navy's tone had slowly grown from quiet to forceful. High simply stared at the pony who was threatening to kill him with no trace of fear in his expression.

"I understand," he replied, "…sir. You make valid points, and you are correct. This is an extremely important mission."

Navy paused to consider the unicorn that stood in the sights of his weapon before lowering the gun and returning it to its holster. "Good," he said, stepping back from the unicorn. High breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Now, then," Navy continued as if nothing had happened, "we should begin preparations and make sure everything is in order." He paused and gazed out the window at the sun, which was mere minutes away from disappearing beneath the horizon completely. "Tomorrow night, the Nightmare will end…"

…

The six friends found themselves standing before a row of strange, twisting trees. Just as Dash had said, the Everfree's treeline suddenly jutted out from its usual straight course, thrusting the forest before them to block their path.

Twilight gazed up at the sky, which was growing darker every minute. She lit up her horn with a bright flash, illuminating the surrounding area.

"Twilight, are you certain we should be entering this forest at night?" Rarity asked, not taking her eyes off the forest before her.

"Yeaahhh…" Twilight muttered, "I know what you mean. But we gotta."

Dash approached and hovered between the two mares. "I saw it from above. If we keep up a good pace, we'll be through there in about 15 minutes."

Twilight nodded, her resolve renewed. "Right! And this section of the forest is so skinny that there probably won't even be any animals here. They'll all be deeper in the forest. Right, Fluttershy?"

Twilight turned to gaze at the yellow pegasus beside her, who was staring into the forest nervously.

"Fluttershy?"

"R-r-right…" she said with a shiver.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy," Twilight said, stepping next to the nervous pony and placing a hoof on her back, "We'll all look out for one another. We'll be fine! It'll take no time. We'll be in and then we'll be out. Even if some animal was in this part of the forest, it's probably sleeping now."

Fluttershy nodded meekly.

"And if we don't go through, we've got to go aalllllll the way around."

She nodded again.

Twilight smiled. "All right then! Let's get cracking."

Dash hovered to the front of the pack. "Great. Just follow me and I'll lead you to the other side."

"Perfect!"

"Uhh, Twilight?" Spike piped up from Applejack's back, "Don't you need me to fire another scroll?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, Spike. Not until we're on the other side. It'll be too hard to see and too hard to follow."

"Right…"

"All right, girls!" Dash turned and announced, "Let's go!" Without waiting for a response, she took off into the forest at a brisk gallop. The other five were not far behind her.

In the late evening night, the forest was more mysterious and frightening than usual. However, the group usually ventured into the forest at night time anyway so it wasn't anything new to them. 

It was still unnerving. Trees grew out at strange angles, seeming to reach out with their branches to attempt to pick up passers by. Dash had entered the forest at a rather quick pace, but was almost immediately required to slow to less than half her speed. The group tried to move as quickly as they could but the uneven ground and twisting flora was impeding their progress.

Near the back of the pack, Fluttershy gulped. No matter how many times she entered the Everfree, it always made her extremely nervous. If she was helping animals relocate, like she often did with the frogs to Froggy Bottom Bog, her mind was distracted and she wasn't as nervous. Right now, however, she was terrified.

As she moved through the undergrowth, her gaze drifted to the trees. In the dimming light, shadows danced across them in incredibly eerie ways. The trees were moving. She was absolutely sure of it.

She shook her head and ignored that ridiculous notion and continued forward. Ahead, Twilight and Applejack were talking about something. Dash was blazing the trail, trying to find the quickest way through. 

Her head swivelled to the right. She'd heard a noise. Her eyes scanned the landscape to her side, but she saw nothing apart from the unnerving trees. Shuddering slightly, she returned her gaze forward and stifled a whine. 

More light disappeared from above. Night was beginning to overtake the landscape, and the trees disappeared back into the growing darkness. The branches began to look like reaching claws in the dimness. The moon above gave off an abysmal amount of light in it's current waned state. Everything began to look like a vague black haze.

Fluttershy gulped nervously.

"Twilight!" Rarity called from behind the purple unicorn, "Are you sure this was a good idea?"

"We'll be fine," she responded, "Dash! How much further?"

"We're almost there," the pegasus called back.

"There, see? We've almost made it through. Nothing bad happened!"

Twilight smiled to Rarity, who smiled nervously in return. Their smiles disappeared when they heard the piercing cry of the yellow pegasus behind them.

"Aaaahhhhhh!!!"

> The Stars Will Aid Her
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11 - The Stars Will Aid Her

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Calm down, Fluttershy! Breathe!"

Fluttershy was laying curled on the ground of the Everfree Forest, breathless and groaning in pain. Minor scratches and cuts covered her legs and the side that she had landed on. 

"Owww…."

Twilight was pacing around her nervously. "Does anything else hurt? Can you stand up? Here, we'll help you. Come on."

Twilight signalled for Rarity and Dash to come over and help her. With the two unicorns' magic and Dash lifting with the help of her wings, Fluttershy unsteadily got to her hooves. Tears were in her eyes and she gritted her teeth against the pain.

Dash winced. "Ohh, that doesn't look good…" she said quietly.

Fluttershy had been galloping at the back of the pack. Her eyes had been darting nervously around at the landscape. As a result, she hadn't been fully paying attention to where she had been running and didn't see the fairly large root sticking up out of the ground.

"Oh no, Fluttershy!" Pinkie exclaimed in despair, "Ohhh, don't worry. It'll be fine. Here, let me give you a hug! Hugs make things better!"

"No!" Dash cried out, blocking Pinkie's advance, "Don't touch her. You might damage it more."

"Is…Is it really bad?" Fluttershy said through painful breaths.

Dash turned back and studied Fluttershy's right wing. It was bent at a sickening angle, the bone completely broken. When Fluttershy had initially tripped on the root, she had extended her wings in surprise, and in the tumble she had landed on one of them and crushed it beneath her weight.

Dash swallowed. She was by no means a medical expert, but she was the only other pony with wings in the group and Fluttershy couldn't move the wing enough to examine it herself.

"We…we need to set it and then wrap it up," she said quietly. Fluttershy winced at the word 'set'. She gulped and shivered, but said nothing.

"Fluttershy…" Twilight said with unease, stepping up to the Pegasus' good side.

Fluttershy shook her head. "Don't talk. Just do it." Her voice was heavy with reluctance, but there was also a sense of determination to get done what had to be done. "It's not going to heal right unless you do it." She paused, lightly shuddering. "So please…do it. Quickly."

Twilight paused to admire her friend's bravery. She didn't have wings of her own, but she had read quite a lot about them and knew that they were delicate and sensitive. In most cases when a pegasus, or even an animal, broke a wing, they would be anesthetised before the wing was set. However, they were too far away from any hospital and within the boundaries of the Everfree Forest. Options were slim.

"Okay," Twilight spoke, "Pinkie, get the gauze tape out from your saddlebag. It's the stuff in the white packaging. Rarity, grab the antiseptic from her other saddlebag. Some of these scrapes look like they need attention. And Fluttershy?"

The pegasus turned to look into the concerned eyes of Twilight.

"Breathe."

Fluttershy inhaled deeply upon realizing she had been subconsciously holding her breath. She took a few very deep breaths in an effort to calm herself.

Rarity and Pinkie trotted over to her with the supplies Twilight had requested. "Good," she said to them, "Just hold those for me until we need them."

Twilight then stepped around to the front of Fluttershy, who followed with her gaze. The pegasus was trying and struggling to keep her anxiety from getting a hold of her. Her breathing was quick and mildly panicked.

Twilight eyed Dash and subtly instructed her to approach Fluttershy's damaged wing. "Okay," she said to the yellow pegasus, holding out her hoof, "now just hold my hoof. You can hold it as tightly as you-Ack!"

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as Fluttershy ignored her hoof and instead leaned forward to hug the unicorn tightly. She buried her muzzle Twilight's mane and neck and gritted her teeth.

Twilight gave Dash a look, who immediately took Fluttershy's broken wing in her hooves. Fluttershy inhaled sharply and stifled an exclamation of pain. She hugged Twilight harder.

"Hold still," Dash said firmly. She then carefully observed Fluttershy's wing to ensure that she did the right thing. "Right…looks easy to set. You ready?"

"Be careful, Dash," Twilight said.

Fluttershy sniffled through the tears that were flowing. "Do it, please."

Dash nodded. Then, she took hold of the part of the wing that was out of place as firmly as she could with her hooves. She had to move it slightly to ensure that the task would go off without error. 

"Ah!" Fluttershy cried before groaning into Twilight's mane.

Dash took a deep breath. "Okay, hold still and don't move. Three…two…"

Fluttershy took a deep breath.

"One!"

The timid pegasus' cry of pain rang out through the night air, spreading through the forest and causing countless birds to fly from the treetops in panic. It was agonizing even to simply hear, especially coming from Fluttershy.

Twilight opened her eyes, having shut them out of squeamishness. She saw Dash sighing with relief. The damaged bone in Fluttershy's wing was now properly back in place. Aside from many missing feathers and a small spattering of blood, the wing looked a lot better.

"Help me wrap it," Dash said, turning to Pinkie Pie, "Wrap the gauze all the way around her body but under her good wing. It needs to be held in place."

Pinkie nodded and stepped forward to assist Dash. Rarity took her cue and also stepped forward to apply the antiseptic to Fluttershy's wounds.

The yellow pegasus was still moaning and crying on Twilight's shoulder. The pain from the setting of the wing had been unbelievably excruciating. Though the soreness in her wing was now ebbing away, the sudden spike she had experienced was fresh in her mind. 

"All right Fluttershy. Good job," Twilight said soothingly to the sobbing pegasus, "We'll wrap it up and it'll heal up just fine. You were very brave."

Fluttershy nodded but said nothing. Her tears subsided and eventually she released Twilight from the tight embrace. She sat still on the forest floor, letting her friends mend her injuries and occasionally wincing when they touched a painful spot.

"Th-thank you…" she muttered as Dash finished applying the gauze strips to her. 

"Hey, no worries, Fluttershy! We're just glad you're okay!" Dash responded.

"Exactly," Twilight agreed, "We're always here for you, Fluttershy. Don't you ever forget that."

Fluttershy nodded and gave a small smile. "Yes, thank you everypony. Thank you so much."

Finally, Dash, Pinkie and Rarity stepped back, having finished their tasks. Fluttershy's injured wing was wrapped tightly, but not too tightly, to the side of her body in white gauze wrappings. Her other wing rested atop the wrappings freely. A couple of bandages were placed upon some of her more serious cuts.

"How do you feel?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy moaned lightly. "A little better…The pain is going away."

Twilight let out a huge sigh. "That's a relief. It's a good thing you didn't hurt it any worse."

"Yeah," Dash said, stepping to the front of Fluttershy's view, "If you keep it wrapped up and don't, you know, hurt it, then you should be fine in no time."

Fluttershy nodded. "Thank you so much Rainbow. And you too Twilight. And everypony." She ducked her head down. "Sorry I fell…" she muttered quietly.

"Oh, don't be silly," Twilight said, "It's not your fault. Accidents happen." 

Fluttershy sighed and sat down, resting her mind after the stressful experience.

Twilight was rubbing her forehead with her hoof. "Okay…" she muttered, deep in thought, "All right…I think it should be either Rarity or Pinkie Pie." The two mares gave her an inquisitive look while Fluttershy gave a confused one. "Which one of you would be able to take her back home?" she asked the two.

Fluttershy gasped. "What?!" she exclaimed, suddenly standing again, "What do you mean?"

Twilight gave her a compassionate look. "Fluttershy, you're hurt. You've got a broken wing. I can't let you come with us, you might hurt it even more."

"She's right, Fluttershy," Dash said, stepping over, "You have to be careful with a broken wing. You have to rest and let it heal. It's really, really boring, I know, but you have to."

Fluttershy shook her head violently. "No! No, I don't want to leave!" She wore a hurt, pleading expression on her face. "Please, I-I can't leave!"

Twilight was mildly surprised by Fluttershy's adamant behaviour. "Don't worry Fluttershy, it's okay. You don't have to put on a brave face just for us. I could tell that you didn't want to come on this journey anyway."

Fluttershy was still shaking her head.

"You're hurt," Twilight said, stepping forward, "I won't be responsible for putting you in danger like that. We don't know what we're gonna find on this journey. You have to go home and rest."

Fluttershy seemed to be on the verge of tears. "But Twilight," she pleaded, "I…I can't leave you! I can't let you go…without me…and without Pinkie or Rarity too! You can't lose one of them too! I-I mean…"

"Fluttershy…"

"My wing already feels a lot better! I-it doesn't hurt any more. I know I can't fly, but I don't usually fly anyway."

"Fluttershy, what-"

"Twilight, if I hurt my wing any more, it'll be my fault, not yours. I promise I'll be careful with it. But I can't quit now! I can't! Please, don't-"

"Fluttershy!!" Twilight exclaimed, cutting off the rambling pegasus, who closed her mouth and listened.

Twilight gave her a concerned look. "Fluttershy, why are you so determined to stay with us? I thought you were scared earlier. I thought you didn't like big adventures."

Fluttershy sat on the ground and gazed downward at her hooves. "I…I just…"

"I mean, you know how bad a broken wing is…probably better than I do. It'll be too dangerous for you."

Fluttershy shook her head again. "I want to help…"

"Fluttershy…What's this about?"

The pegasus sniffled, a few tears forming in her eyes. "Twilight," she said, with a tremble in her voice, "I just have to. If there's a chance…If there's even a small chance…then I have to. I can't leave her behind, even if she might not be there. I just…I just…"

Twilight's gaze softened in realization. "Ohh…"  The rest of the group was silent. Twilight thought back to her own reasons for undertaking this journey and even the reasons she began observing all the strange happenings in the first place.

Twilight understood perfectly. She knew that the same motivation was driving her. Even a small, slim chance had been enough to start this whole escapade. Her friends had been so sceptical in the beginning, that she hadn't thought of the same motivation being felt by any of them.

"I know you're right, Twilight," she said sadly, "I know we might not find anything there…and if we do, then she might not be…" A sob escaped her throat and she found herself unable to complete that sentence. "But if she's out there, and she's in trouble…then we have to help her. No matter how small the chances are that she's there."

Twilight nodded slowly in understanding.

"I know what you mean," Pinkie said, stepping forward to give Fluttershy a hug, "I was trying my hardest and I'm still going to try my hardest. Just in case…"

"That's real dedication there, 'Shy," Applejack said, "That's somethin' t'be proud of."

"But darling," Rarity interjected, "you're hurt! It's just not safe for you!"

"I know I'm usually the 'wild and dangerous' one, but Rarity is right," Dash said, "A broken wing is no small matter."

Fluttershy hung her head. The group of seven friends sat in silence for a few minutes, deciding what to do.

"Well…" Twilight spoke slowly. Fluttershy lifted her head to gaze hopefully at the unicorn. "I suppose…it really wouldn't be right to send you home."

Fluttershy's face lit up and she smiled brightly.

"But you're going to have to be careful!" Twilight said, cutting off any response from the pegasus, "You have to stay in the middle of the group. With that wing, you're our weakest link, so we have to keep you safe. And whatever we find at the end, if it turns out to be some big battle or something dangerous, you have to stay back. Promise?"

Fluttershy nodded eagerly. "Oh, thank you Twilight! Thank you so much! I promise I'll be careful! I just couldn't bear to be left behind! I couldn't imagine the thought that because of me not being there, Luna could be…" She trailed off again.

Twilight gave her a quick hug. "Come on then. Let's get out of this forest before something else happens." With that, she began to trot forward again.

"But Twilight!" Dash said, quickly flapping her wings to catch up to the unicorn, "Are you sure about this? She's hurt!"

Applejack approached Twilight's other side, with Spike still riding on her back. "Twi, I dunno abou' this…"

"Girls, I trust Fluttershy," Twilight said firmly, "I know she'll do her best. And she's not stupid. She knows that she has to be careful and to favour her broken wing. We might need all the help we can get, so let's just hurry."

"Twilight?" Spike spoke up, "Do you really think there'll be a big huge battle for us soon?"

"I don't know, Spike. I really don't know. We're heading into the complete unknown right now." Twilight glanced back at Fluttershy, who was galloping behind her and keeping up with her speed. "That's why I'm worried about her…"

…

Luna heard the prison's door open again. 

"High, you left the light on."

"Oh, oops…"

"We're trying to kill a demon, not cause global warming. Don't be stupid."

"Sorry! It was a mistake. They happen."

Luna smirked.

"Shut up, you two."

Her ears perked up. That last voice belonged to somepony new. She didn't recognize it. She stepped forward and tried to get a look at the newcomer, but the chains and the angle of the hallway prevented her from seeing.

The three ponies were standing at the far side near the doorway, not yet making their way down to her cell.

"You leave her in the dark, eh?" the unfamiliar voice was saying, "I like it. Gives her a taste of irony"

"Indeed, sir," Comet replied, "It is completely pitch black down here when the light is off."

"Have you checked the bars recently? This place is quite old, they may have shifted."

"Yes sir. About a week ago, and they're perfectly sturdy. She's tried to get out, but the chains are successfully holding her back."

"Excellent."

Luna now heard the clopping of hooves as the three ponies approached her cell. First she saw Comet step into view, followed by High. The two regarded her with their usual mix of smug superiority and disgust. Then the third pony stepped into view.

Luna gasped and fell to her haunches. The pegasus in partial royal guard attire stepped forward to the bars to gaze in at her. She stared in disbelief, her jaw muscles struggling to work.

The pegasus smirked. "Well, we finally got you. I hope you're enjoying your stay." His voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Navy Shield?!" Luna finally managed to blurt out. Her mind was struggling to fit the pieces together. Navy was an extremely high-ranking guard in Canterlot Castle. She had seen and interacted with him countless times. Luna knew him as a hard-working, steadfast pony who was always dedicated to what he did. So what was he doing here? Why was he talking to these two criminals? Was he working with them? Was this his plan?

Navy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, you recognize me? I figured that would've been difficult, what with all of the guards looking the same."

"Of course I recognize you!" Luna shot back, indignant, "You're one of the best guards we have! I've issued you dozens of commands, and we've talked plenty of times too!"

"Well good for you," Navy said snidely.

"I don't understand…I- Why aren't you- These are criminals! They've captured me! Arrest them!" A part of Luna's mind still refused to accept that Navy was actually working with these ponies.

Navy chuckled. "Now why would I arrest these ponies?"

"You…you can't be serious. You're working with these traitors?!"

Navy laughed again, louder this time. "I'm not working for them! I'm their leader! I'm the boss!"

Luna was floored. 

"You seem surprised…"

"How could you…How dare you do this to me?" Luna said, shocked, "This isn't like you, Navy! I've always seen you as somepony to respect! Somepony who we could trust. You've always been loyal to Equestria."

"I am loyal to Equestria," Navy snapped back, "but more than that, I am loyal to Her Highness Princess Celestia. Her protection and wellbeing comes before all other matters. I was going to be one of the first to warn her about you, but when some ponies beat me to the punch and I saw how Celestia reacted towards them, I knew I had to be more careful."

"Enough of this madness, Navy!" Luna began to shout, "Let me out of here! I could've expected this from simple fools like the two who stand behind you, but never from you. You're better than this, Navy! I know you!"

"And I know who you really are," Navy cut in. He then chuckled. "You should be saving your energy. It's pointless to keep up that disguise, so you may as well drop it."

"There is no disguise to drop!!"

"Enough lies!" Navy shouted, suddenly extremely angry. Luna recoiled at the fierce expression on his face. "I saw the panic and chaos you caused on the Summer Sun Celebration when you returned. If it weren't for Celestia's star student and her friends, you would still be causing panic. But because of them, you had to disguise yourself. Just sitting and waiting for the chance to strike. Well, I'm not going to give you that chance, do you hear me?!"

"I…" Luna found herself unable to respond. His passion had surprised her.

"You're a monster. You killed Celestia's younger sister. And if we hadn't stopped you, Celestia would've been next. Am I wrong?!"

"Please…you are wrong. What can I do to prove it to you? I'll do anything!"

Navy chuckled sadistically. "Oh? Begging for your life now?"

"Just tell me what I can do."

Navy gave a wicked smile that made Luna cringe. "I think I like this side of you, Nightmare Moon. Weak, humbled…pathetic. It suits you."

Luna felt the tears begin to form, but she did her best to keep them back. "It's…it's really not about me. It's about Tia. If you kill me, then…then she'll be devastated. It's gonna tear her apart." She gazed at the two other unicorns in the room before returning her sad gaze to Navy. "Is that what you want?"

Navy scoffed. "Celestia will be glad we've purged the land of your evil wicked ways."

Luna sighed in exasperation. 

"C'mon, boss," Comet said from behind Navy, "Let's go. We've got stuff to do."

"Yes. You're right," Navy responded. He spared a final glance at Luna through the bars of her cell before turning and exiting the cell block. The other two unicorns followed.

"Turn the light off this time, High."

"Shaddup."

With a click, Luna was once again shrouded in darkness. There was a loud slam as her captors closed the door behind them. Less than a second later, blue flame phased through the wall and formed another scroll.

…

The early morning hours of Luna's final day passed overhead and Twilight and her friends spent them running and chasing Spike's flame. The sun had risen not long ago and the travellers found themselves on an open field with a path running through it parallel to the Everfree's treeline. The impressive mountain upon which Canterlot was situated stood tall in the distance.

"Ready Dash?"

"Ready Spike!"

Spike inhaled deeply and then expelled blue flames over yet another scroll, alighting it and sending the flames to fly through the air. Dash took off after them. This activity had become second nature to the two after having done it so many times. In total, they had sent about 15 scrolls with Spike's blue flame.

Twilight watched Dash take off and began to follow her rainbow trail. Fluttershy galloped behind her. For the most part, the injured pegasus had been keeping up with the pace quite well and showed no signs of slowing down. Twilight was still worried, however. In fact, all of her friends were.

They had exited the Everfree only five minutes after Fluttershy's injury. After that, they had crossed a river, with much complaining from Rarity, and passed by a small village in the distance. Nothing else of interest had happened to the group since the accident.

Rarity groaned near the back of the pack. "I hope we find something soon. I'm really getting worn out."

"Twi!" Applejack called, "How much longer we gonna go?"

"Let's send off one more scroll after this one. Then we'll rest."

"I guess that'll do. Y'all right there, Fluttershy?"

The pegasus nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

The group continued running along the path through the grassy field as the sun rose above them. Dash had seen fairly far into the distance where the flame had gone so they were able to run for longer before they needed to send another scroll. Morning arrived, which moved into Noon. It was almost one before they decided to send the next scroll.

"Quick break, everypony. Catch your breath," Twilight said to the group.

Everypony took a seat on the ground and regained their stamina. The exception was Dash, who was flying above them high in the air.

"Dash, what are you doing?" Twilight called up to her.

"There's something in the distance. It's along this path," Dash responded.

"What is it?"

"It looks like a house."

"Amazing," Twilight said without a hint of enthusiasm, "Get down here and give your wings a quick rest."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Dash muttered before lowering herself to the ground.

Fluttershy was panting. "Fluttershy? You okay?" Twilight asked her.

"I'm fine," Fluttershy said, "Really I am. I just need to catch my breath."

"If something's wrong, you tell us to stop, okay?"

"Twilight…please stop worrying. I'm not going to do anything foalish."

Twilight sighed. Five minutes passed before the group decided to have Spike light the next scroll. With a deep breath, he sent the blue flames forward once again with Dash in hot pursuit. As they had done many times before, the other five took off following her rainbow trail.

However, a few minutes later, Dash returned to them. "I lost it," she said quickly, "Send another one."

"Go forward to where you last saw it and then we'll send it," Twilight said, formulating a solution quickly in her mind. There was no point in having Dash follow the flames over the path she had already followed them across. Dash nodded and flew off again.

The group paused momentarily and watched her shrinking figure until she stopped moving. Then Twilight nodded to Spike, who exhaled over another scroll, alighting it in blue flames. 

The five then continued their gallop but again Dash returned to them shortly after.

"It's going inside the house I saw!" she exclaimed.

All five immediately perked up their ears, eyes wide.

"You sure?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah! It, like, went right through the wall."

Twilight gave a huge grin. "Excellent! Well, everypony, it looks like we've arrived!"

"Oh, that is superb news!" Rarity said, "I'm ever so glad the journey wasn't any longer than this."

The mares were all smiling and sharing excited glances. Fluttershy seemed to be stuck between anticipation and anxiety.

"All right. Let's get closer so that we can see this house," Twilight announced to the group, "Dash, stay on the ground with us, just in case."

They quickly proceeded along the path through the field. After a short while, they began to see the house in the distance. It was small and quaint; the sort of house built for a single family. It was situated halfway between the path and the edge of the Everfree Forest. 

As they got closer, they were able to make out more details. They could see a single, large window at the front of the house next to the front door. Curtains were drawn across it. The house was only one storey tall and contained a simple stone chimney. The roof was a deep chestnut brown and the walls were painted a light grey. There was another window on the side of the house that they were approaching, which was also blocked by curtains.

When the group was about 100 yards away they slowed to a crawl. By outward appearances, it appeared that the house was either unoccupied or contained somepony who did not want to be disturbed. It was an extremely inconspicuous house. The six would've passed by it without a second glance if the flames hadn't led them there.

"So…this is our destination, is it?" Rarity muttered.

"Yeah…" Dash said, stepping up next to Twilight, "What do we do now?"

There was a definite feeling of tension and anxiety within the group as they stood facing the house.

"All right, everypony. We gotta be careful," Twilight said, "Right now, we have no idea what to expect. We can't let them know we're here just yet…"

Twilight glanced at the faces of her six friends. Dash looked like she was ready to go flying in, hooves flailing, without a second thought. Applejack and Pinkie seemed apprehensive but prepared to face whatever or whoever was in the house. Rarity and Spike, for the most part, just seemed relieved that they had reached their destination. Twilight could see signs of anxiety on Spike's face, however. 

Twilight finally rested her gaze upon Fluttershy. "All right, Fluttershy. You st-"

"No! Not here!" Fluttershy suddenly interrupted, "I have to at least come to the house!"

"But…" Twilight started to retort, but fell silent when Fluttershy gave her a pleading look. Twilight sighed. "Fine…just stay near everypony. Don't wander off."

Fluttershy nodded her head.

Pinkie gulped nervously. "Wh-what…do you think is in there?"

"Don't get scared Pinkie," Twilight said, "Don't panic. It's probably nothing hostile, but we don't wanna be stupid either. We have to be careful just in case."

"C'mon, already!" Dash said impatiently, "Enough talking. Let's get over there!"

"Um, yes. I agree with Dash," Fluttershy said quietly, "I-um…Sorry if that offends you…"

Twilight turned around and faced the house in the distance. She sighed and said, "All right, let's see just what's going on."

…

"All right, Navy Shield sir! I will begin preparations."

The two unicorns and the royal pegasus guard had returned to the main living quarters in the house. Navy had paced over to the window on the far side and had drawn the curtains slightly.

"Um…sir?" Comet said, concerned.

Navy was glancing up at the afternoon sky, seeing the sun partially hiding behind clouds.

"Sir, are you okay?"

"Soon…soon the Nightmare will be over…" he muttered quietly, "I'm so sorry that it took so long, Your Highness. Your mistakes cannot and will not be blamed on you. From now on, may Equestria bask in your eternal light."

Comet stood still, unsure of what to say. High had already retreated to a room in the back to retrieve something.

Navy turned to face the unicorn standing behind him. "Your valiant efforts in defeating this monster will not be forgotten. You, High Noon and Ray will go down in Equestria's history books."

Comet smiled. "I do not care about that, sir. It wouldn't matter to me if Equestria completely forgot about me. All I care about is defeating Nightmare Moon and saving our land."

Navy chuckled. "You're a good pony."

"Thank you, sir."

"If only more ponies were like you and I."

The two shared a moment of silence before Navy spoke quietly again, returning his gaze to the window. "I'm sorry she put you through all of this, Celestia. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there those thousand years ago…"

Comet stepped up to the window beside him but didn't say anything.

"Your love for your sister has blinded you to the truth…" He paused. "But I cannot blame you for that. Nopony can. It's not your fault Celestia, so do not be sad."

"Her Highness will be okay once we destroy the Nightmare, won't she? The tome said killing the demon would reveal her true form."

Navy nodded. "I predict that she'll refuse to accept it at first. She will probably be angry at us. But do not criticize her for that." He gave a lengthy pause. "I know what it's like to lose somepony close to you. I know what she was going through then and what she's going through now."

A noise from behind caught their attention. They turned to see High exiting from one of the rooms holding an ancient book aloft with his magic.

"Ah, here is Mister Noon with the tome. Excellent," Navy said. He turned to Comet and flashed him a grin. "The sun will be setting soon, comrades. Let us begin our preparations."

"Yes sir!"

…

Celestia stood in front of the mirror in her bed chambers. The reflection of an alicorn with a limp, dull and grey mane stared back at her. She let out a heavy sigh. It had been nearly a month and her mane was still the same. It was very distressing.

In general, things had been going relatively well. Celestia had been spending more time with the public and performing her royal duties. She regularly held court, met with dignitaries and delegates from Equestria and beyond, and took time for herself to engage in relaxing activities like roaming the gardens, sipping tea or flying. To any outside observer, it appeared that Celestia was 'back to normal', and she thought so too. The only remaining symptom was her mane.

The unusual and magical behaviour of her mane had never been a topic that was fully understood, not even by her. When she had been growing up, it had simply gotten more colourful and animated as the years went by. She was beginning to think that it was going to stay grey like this forever, perhaps as a symbol of the permanent loss of somepony she had held dear to her heart.

She shook her head and turned away from the mirror. She had to take her mind off of such depressing topics. She needed some form of escape. The Princess glanced around her room, her eyes eventually falling on her writing desk, covered in quills, parchments and a bottle of ink. 

A smile graced her lips.

Celestia trotted over to the desk, took a seat before it, and magically gripped one of the quills. She dipped it in ink and began to trace it across the parchment.

My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle…

> Supernova - Part I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12 - Supernova - Part I

"Twilight, I can't see…"

"Shhhh!"

Dash tilted her head and tried to gaze through the crack in the curtains. Twilight and her six friends had slowly and cautiously approached the side of the house. They were now crowded around the curtain-covered window on the house's side. There was a very small opening between the two drapes, which the group was trying to look through with much difficulty.

Above, in the sky, the sun was approaching the horizon. The blue sky and the clouds would be changing to fiery reds and purples within minutes. 

"Twilight…"

"Hush, Dash! I'm trying to listen."

Twilight was peering directly through the crack in the drapes, but she couldn't see very much beyond a couch and the floor. She could, however, hear faint voices talking inside. Carefully, she pressed her ear up against the glass.

"…better, right?"

"Yes. The tome said success will be guaranteed if we use this."

"All right, shouldn't be much of a problem."

"The issue is that we have to do it outside."

"Exactly. We can't have anypony interfering."

"But we have all night, right boss?"

"Yes."

Twilight turned to gaze at the inquisitive looks of her friends behind her. She spoke in a harsh whisper. "Sounds like they're planning something. Doesn't sound good."

"What do we do now?" Pinkie whispered back.

Twilight was silent for a moment as she formulated a plan of action. "I wish we could see more…"

"Come on, already," Dash whispered impatiently, "Let's just go bust down the door and find out what's going on."

Twilight eyed Dash dubiously. "Seriously, Dash?"

"What?"

"We can't do that. What if they're armed criminals? Or worse, what if they're an innocent family?"

"Well we have to do something, Twilight," Rarity chimed in, "We can't just sit here and wait for something to happen."

"Yeah, Twilight," Pinkie whispered, "What if they're doing something totally evil?"

"We need more information…" Twilight muttered. She looked at the ponies that were gathered around, looking up to her as a leader. She could see that they were all ready to do whatever needed to be done and that they were all counting on her. The problem was that she couldn't think of what to do next.

She then noticed Spike on Applejack's back. He was clutching his stomach and appeared nauseous. "Spike? Are you okay?"

He moaned in discomfort and held a claw to his mouth. 

"Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight whispered, growing worried. The others cast concerned glances to each other.

When he made no further response, Twilight was about to step towards him. However, at that moment, Spike reached his limit and let out a loud belch, spewing green flames from his maw which swirled in the air and materialized into a scroll tied with a regal ribbon.

Twilight immediately panicked. She quickly turned back and put her ear against the window again. The voices were talking, concerned, and there were hoofsteps leading towards the front door.

"Crap!" Twilight whispered harshly, "They heard that. They're coming!" Her mind worked quickly in her panicked state. "Go to the back! Everypony, go! Behind the house!" As the group turned to leave, she stepped in front of Rarity. "Except you. You go to the front and distract them. Pretend you're lost and you're trying to find, I dunno, Trottingham."

At first, Rarity seemed apprehensive to the idea, as was evident by her expression. Before she could protest however, Twilight whispered again. "You're the best actress out of all of us and you can be very convincing when you need to be. Go! We'll be there if you need us!"

Without awaiting a response, Twilight turned and scrambled to join the others behind the house. Panting heavily she took a quick headcount and saw that they were all there, nervous and hiding.

"Oh! There is somepony home. Hello there!" 

Twilight and the others could hear Rarity's voice speaking on the other side of the house. 

"Who are you?" came a rough, accusing voice. Twilight winced.

"I'm terribly sorry to bother you, but I am completely lost. I was on my way to Trottingham, and I thought I was going the right way. I seem to have wound up here. You know, my friend Flitter kept saying to me, Take the map! You might need it! but did I listen? Nooo…"

"Oh reeeeally?" the male responded, scepticism heavy in his voice. Twilight held her breath.

"Shut up, you," said another voice; this one lower and smoother.

"Sorry, boss."

"Now then, miss…you're looking to get to Trottingham you say?"

"Yes," Rarity spoke, "I thought I was going the right way, but I found the Everfree Forest directly in front of me and I thought, That's not right…"

"Where were you coming from?"

"Oh, I'm from Little Horn, it's a little town in the middle of nowhere." Twilight felt relief that Rarity had used an actual location instead of simply making one up.

"Little Horn?" the low voice responded, "And you ended up here?"

There was a pause in which Twilight assumed Rarity was shrugging. "Quite so. Why? How far off the beat am I?"

"Well, for one thing, you're going the wrong way," the low voice said, chuckling.

Twilight sighed, confident that Rarity had the situation under control. She turned to face the others. "Okay, let's work fast. Fluttershy, stay where it's safe. Run into the forest if things get bad. Dash, AJ, keep watch at the corners. Spike, stay here." 

Spike jumped off Applejack's back and the two nodded before swiftly moving to the two corners, where they cautiously peered around the edges.

"Spike," Twilight continued, her horn lighting up as she lifted a scroll and quill from her saddlebags, "quickly write a letter to Princess Celestia. Write that we need her to come here and help us right away, but don't send it yet. Just have it ready."

"Okay, but…" Spike whispered back, "where is 'here'?"

"Umm…we're about four sixths of the way from Ponyville to Trottingham, right along the Everfree. Tell her to look for the single house."

"Gotcha."

"Right then…" Twilight used her magic to open her other saddlebag and lifted out a medium-sized book.

Spike glanced up from his writing. "A book? Seriously? You told everypony to pack the essentials and you brought a book?"

"Hey, it's an important book. It has spells in it that I'm going to use right now to help us," Twilight responded, indignant.

"Um…like what?" Fluttershy said in a barely audible whisper.

"Like a see-through-walls spell," she replied with a smile, "I'm gonna have a look through this wall."

Fluttershy, Pinkie and Spike gave quiet exclamations of wonder as Twilight quickly flipped through the pages of the book with her magic. With no-one talking, she was able to hear Rarity's conversation again.

"…don't quite buy it. We heard a noise back there," the gruff voice was saying.

"Oh." There was a pause. "You heard that? Oh gosh, this is so embarrassing. Yes, that was me. Like I said, I didn't know anypony was home. Oh my goodness, that is so unladylike of me!"

"Here it is!" Twilight whispered, indicating a page in the book. 

Fluttershy looked at it, bewildered. "Oh my goodness, you can understand that?"

"Yup…Okay, I got it." Twilight stood up and glanced at Applejack and Dash. Both were still keeping watch and hadn't moved. "Okay, here goes."

Twilight closed her eyes as her horn began to glow. She slowly and carefully formed the spell, following the book's directions, before casting it and letting the magic wash over her head. When she opened her eyes, nothing at first appeared different. Following the book's next step, she concentrated on the wall before her, pouring a small amount of magic outward and into it. After a few seconds, the wall seemed to fade away before her.

"Is it working?" Spike asked anxiously.

"Yeah…I can see," Twilight responded.

"What's in there?" Fluttershy asked.

"It just looks like a really small room…one door…a weird rug on the floor." She paused, carefully examining the contents of the room before an idea struck her. "Spike! Rip off a tiny piece of parchment and blow blue fire on it. Hurry, before the spell falls apart."

Twilight kept her gaze fixated on the wall to prevent the spell from failing as Spike reached into her saddlebags. She heard a small tearing sound before Spike carefully exhaled a small blue flame onto a tiny slip of parchment. She watched as the tiny fire flew forwards, through the wall that was now invisible to her, and straight down through the rug.

At that moment, the strain of keeping the spell active was too much and Twilight let it fall, closing her eyes and holding a hoof to her forehead.

"…think you'll have to explain it one more time, I'm afraid," Twilight could hear Rarity saying on the other side of the house.

"Seriously, lady?" the gruff voice replied, "How could it get any simpler than that?"

"I'm so sorry, I must be having an off day."

"All right," Twilight said, determination heavy in her voice, "We're going in. We have to get into that room because there's something in there. Everypony get close. Pinkie, stay out here in case Rarity needs help."

"You got it, Twilight," Pinkie whispered back.

"Spike, stay with Pinkie too. If things get bad, you know what to do, right?"

Spike held up the scroll he had written a minute ago. "I'll send this. Don't worry Twilight, you can count on me."

Twilight saw Dash and Applejack gallop over to her, so she turned and faced the wall. She closed her eyes and pictured the room she had seen beyond the wall a moment ago. Her horn began to glow as an aura of magic projected from it, enveloping all the ponies that surrounded her. She concentrated, keeping a clear image of the room in her mind. A few seconds passed before the whole group disappeared in a small flash.

Twilight blinked and shook her head. She was met with a vision of near pitch darkness. Reaching out with her magic, she quickly scanned the walls and found the light switch, turning it on. The bright illumination revealed the two slightly bewildered ponies standing before her.

"Sorry," she whispered, "Teleporting and all that…"

Applejack held a hoof to her eyes. "Land sakes, Twi…"

"Welcome to my world…" Dash muttered.

"All right, no time to delay," Twilight whispered, taking charge, "You two keep that door blocked. Don't let anypony through. Don't say anything, though. Just pretend there's something blocking the door from opening."

However, Applejack and Dash weren't looking at her. They were fixated on something behind Twilight. Giving them an inquisitive look, Twilight turned around. Her jaw dropped in perplexed exasperation.

"Fluttershy?!" she whispered harshly.

The pegasus standing before her cringed at her tone.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Um…sorry," she mumbled, "You said, 'Everypony get close'…I, um…I thought you meant me too."

Twilight shook her head, trying to formulate a response but ultimately failing. Her frustrated and frantic state of mind combined with the shock and exasperation of seeing that Fluttershy had teleported in as well nearly caused her to scream.

"Sorry…" Fluttershy said, shrinking and hiding behind her mane.

Twilight paused and took a very deep breath, letting it out slowly. "All right, whatever," she whispered, trying to sound calm although the aggravation in her voice was still clear. 

"Just teleport her out," Dash suggested from behind her.

"We don't have the time and I don't have the energy," Twilight replied, "Just…stick with me, Fluttershy."

"Okay…" she said meekly.

Twilight sighed. "Block that door, you two."

"You got it, Twi," Applejack whispered.

Twilight turned her gaze to the floor, where the rug she'd noticed earlier was laying. "The flame went straight through the ground, so there must be a way down." She reached down and grabbed the rug with her mouth, flipping it up and throwing it to the side. Underneath, the wooden door with the brass handle was revealed.

"What's that? A cellar?" Dash asked.

"Could be," Twilight muttered, "but I've got a feeling it's more than that." Twilight gripped the handle with her magic and slowly pulled the door open. She tried her best not to make any noise, but the door was quite old and the hinges squeaked as they moved. Applejack and Dash braced themselves against the door in case anypony heard.

The space beyond the door contained a stone staircase and a heavy metal door. The four ponies gazed in surprise at the stone construction of the stairs and walls. Wasting no time, Twilight began to descend. "C'mon, Fluttershy."

"Oh, um…okay…." The pegasus quickly followed her downwards.

…

Navy Shield was getting both suspicious and very annoyed.

The white unicorn before him was currently babbling on and on about things that were simply unimportant. He had noticed that she had an incredibly infuriating habit of getting off-topic. He shook his head, deciding that enough was enough.

"Look, miss. We've told you at least four times how to get to where you're going, so I suggest you be on your way," he said to her in a low, even tone, "We are quite busy, and so would appreciate it if you would depart." She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "If you get lost, there's bound to be a small village or a couple of houses nearby. You'll be fine."

The mare looked around at the three impatient and angry faces surrounding her. "Oh, dear me, you're right. Look at me, taking up your valuable time. I am so sorry. I shall be on my way immediately. Again, I am very sorry. It's just such a hassle travelling by hoof and getting lost. I really should have hired a hot-air balloon to take me there, but their rates are simply outrageous. You know my cousin needed to cross the Mareing Strait by balloon and it cost her nearly 800 bits! Absolutely ridiculous, if you ask me-"

"Miss…please…" Navy spoke, plain and simple. Comet and High glared at her intensely, but Navy kept his face emotionless.

She glanced around. "All right, I see you're really busy. Again, I am terribly sorry for the disturbance, but I shall be off! Goodbye!"

With that, the unicorn finally turned around and began to depart. The three watched her canter down the path for a while before turning to each other.

"Celestia help that filly…I don't think she's got a double digit IQ," Comet said in exasperation.

"No kidding. How brain dead can you get?" High said, vexed.

Navy said nothing. He lifted his gaze from the two standing before him to look down the path. The unicorn mare was no longer in sight. He stood in silence for a few minutes as the two other stallions continued to mock their visitor.

"Come," he finally said, turning and heading back into the house, "It's a good thing we have all night for this, or she might have made us late."

The two followed behind him as they entered the house.

"Right," Navy spoke, "High, grab the shackles and restraints. Comet, grab the rope."

Navy watched as the two saluted and entered the back rooms of the house to retrieve the items. The final moments of their operation were going to be the most difficult. According to the ancient tome, the slaying of Nightmare Moon had to happen outside, during the night of the new moon. He had already pulled some strings with the Canterlot weather team to make sure that this night would have clear skies.

The problem was going to be transporting their prisoner out of her cell and into the open, where ponies could possibly see what they were doing. Since Nightmare Moon was an ancient foe from over a millennium ago, they were going follow the tome as close as possible and use a knife to defeat the demon. Navy would refrain from using his firearm unless it was absolutely necessary.

The two returned with their tools with which to restrain her. Navy nodded to them and turned to enter the room with the trap door. He reached up with his forehoof and pressed against the door.

It didn't budge.

Perplexed, he tried again. Still, the door would not open.

"Sir?" Comet asked, concerned.

"The door won't open," Navy said quietly.

"It won't?" Comet stepped forward and also tried to open the door, with similar results. "The hell?"

"Comet, what did you leave in there?" High asked in an irritated voice.

"I didn't leave anything in there!" Comet shot back indignantly, "What do you think I am, an idiot?"

"Well, there's obviously something blocking the door, and I didn't leave anything in there. Obviously, it was you."

"I didn't leave anything in there, dumbass!" Comet shouted, "Maybe the door's jammed."

Navy was not listening to the argument. He tried pushing the door open a couple more times, carefully feeling how the door reacted to the force of his hoof. Something was off. He wasn't quite sure what, but his brain was telling him that the door wasn't reacting properly. It didn't seem firmly locked in place, it was just refusing to open. He pushed harder and the door moved inward perhaps half an inch. When he stopped, the door subtly moved back into the doorframe.

His eyes shot open as the realization hit him.

"There's nothing wrong with the door, you foals! Somepony's on the other side blocking it!" Navy's cool, collected attitude was gone in a flash. Panic and anger now meshed together to form a frightening visage on his face.

"What?!" Comet and High shouted simultaneously.

"Don't just stand there like morons!" Navy shouted back to them, "Push with me! All at once! Hurry up!!"

The two stepped to either side of Navy and raised both front hooves to the door. They began to push as hard as they could.

"Did she get out?!" Comet exclaimed.

"If she got out, she'd probably try to kick our asses," High replied, "She wouldn't be barricading herself in there. There's no way out!"

"Shut up and push!" Navy shouted thunderously. 

On the other side of the door, the earth pony and pegasus wore pained expressions as they gritted their teeth, kept silent, and tried their best to hold the door closed.

…

Twilight quietly moved down the steps and approached the door at the bottom. Fluttershy followed delicately behind her. The door was heavy-set and made of a thick, dark metal. It was strikingly out-of-place with the rest of the house, as were the walls of this passageway. They were too fortified for a simple, small home.

"Wh…what is this?" Fluttershy whispered, a tremble in her voice.

"I don't know…" Twilight responded, "It doesn't look like any cellar I've ever seen."

"What do you think's inside?"

"Well, we won't know until we go in. Make sure you stay quiet."

"O-okay, Twilight…"

She grabbed the door's handle with her magic and twisted it gradually. She was moving slowly and quietly, just in case there was somepony on the other side of the door. Once the handle was twisted all the way and the latch was free, she pushed the door open. The pace was agonizingly slow, even for her, but she was rewarded with complete silence during the task.

In the already dismal light of the cramped stone staircase, the room beyond held little to see. It was bathed in complete darkness. Twilight analyzed the situation. If there were anypony in the room, it wouldn't make sense for them to be there with the lights off. So, she reasoned that there was a high probability that the room held no enemies.

Although this was not a sure thing. Still moving slowly and quietly, she began to step through the door and into the room. She winced as her hooves made a quiet clopping sound on the stone floors. She paused, but heard and saw nothing. Cautiously, she continued to enter the room.

The darkness was overwhelming. She turned to look behind her, but could barely see a vague silhouette as Fluttershy entered behind her. It seemed to be swallowing up the light, like a black hole. It was a little disorienting. She felt as if she were blindfolded.

Once again reaching out with her magic, Twilight telekinetically felt along the walls beside the doorway. The wall was rough and made of stone, but for a while Twilight couldn't find anything. Eventually, however, she found what she was looking for and used her magic to flip the switch. A single, pitiful lightbulb hanging in the middle of the room sparked to life, bathing the room in an odd, almost unearthly glow.

Twilight and Fluttershy winced at the sudden illumination. When their eyes had adjusted they glanced to each other and then turned to look at the room around them. Slack jawed, they marvelled at what they saw before them. It was an old, forgotten prison cell block. Desolate and decaying cells surrounded them in what was a fairly long underground hallway made of sturdy stone.

The cells immediately near them were all empty. They turned to face the end of the hallway, but the angles wouldn't let them see into the cells at the end. 

Still trying to keep as quiet as they could to account for all possible situations, Twilight turned to look at Fluttershy and gave her a perplexed look. Fluttershy mirrored her expression. This is unbelievable… Twilight thought, What's an old, ancient cell block from a prison doing under this house?

They stood in silence for a few moments, but no sound or movement reached them. Slowly and treading carefully on the old, weathered floor, Twilight trotted towards the other end of the hallway. The single lightbulb cast eerie shadows across the walls, playing with the fallen stones and the bent bars of the cells. 

The two froze as they heard movement. There was the sound of shuffling on the stone floor, accompanied by the sound of metal. Still there was no voice and no sign of movement. Since there was nopony visible in the hallway, Twilight realized that whatever had made the sound had to be inside one of the cells. Her pulse raced with the sudden realization of who it could possibly be.

"Hello?" she called out. Her voice echoed eerily in the underground environment.

A female voice gasped. "Hello?! Who's out there?" it called out frantically.

Twilight immediately recognized the voice. Her heart fluttered with excitement as she broke out into a huge smile. Without wasting any more time, she quickly galloped down the hallway to the cell at the very end of the block, Fluttershy hot on her tail.

She skidded to halt before the last cell in the room and excitedly turned her gaze inwards. Her smile only grew even more.

"Princess Luna!!" 

Inside the cell, the deep blue alicorn stared outward in disbelief, which soon turned to joyous relief. "Twilight Sparkle!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet and rushing as far forwards as the chains would allow her.

Fluttershy gasped in astonishment. "Oh my goodness! Princess Luna!"

"And Fluttershy too! Oh, thank the stars you're here!!"

Twilight ran up to the bars and placed her forehooves up against them. "Princess Luna! I can't believe it's really you! I…we all…"

Tears were on all three's faces as they smiled in barely contained joy. Words did not need to convey the relief they all felt upon seeing one another. It was a surreal experience for Twilight and Fluttershy. They had thought Luna had died, and had even gone to her funeral. To them, it was almost like seeing somepony being resurrected from beyond the grave.

Fluttershy openly wept in happiness. "Princess," she said through her tears, "I'm…I'm so happy you're all right! We…everypony thought…"

"You have no idea how happy we are to see you," Twilight said.

Luna reached forward with her chained hoof, trying to reach out to Twilight but failing to reach her. "You came…all this way to rescue me. Even after…after everything they told me. Thank you. Thank you so much!" 

"Of course we came to rescue you!" Twilight replied, also reaching out her hoof, "As soon as I noticed something wasn't right, I got straight to work!"

Luna chuckled. "I suppose I should have expected such dedication from you, Twilight. I should've known I could count on you."

"Luna, everypony thinks you're dead," Twilight continued, "What happened?!"

"Oh, Luna…" Fluttershy bemoaned, "You look terrible. What did those awful ponies do to you?"

Luna glanced down at herself. "Do I really look that bad?"

"You must be starving!" Fluttershy said sympathetically.

"What's going on?" Twilight asked, "Why are you tied up down here?"

Luna grimaced. "Those ponies out there…they believe I'm still Nightmare Moon. They plan to kill me."

Twilight and Fluttershy gasped in horror.

"They were going to do it tonight," Luna continued, "You came just in time."

Twilight gave a brave smile. "That's good to hear."

Fluttershy was still crying. "I just…can't believe it's really you! When I first heard the news…that you'd been …I was just so sad. I was probably crying for a whole week. I couldn't stand the thought of you not being around any more."

Luna was touched. "Aww, Fluttershy…"

The pegasus gave her a tearful smile. "Thank the stars you're okay."

Luna returned her smile. It was then that she noticed Fluttershy's bandaged wing. "Oh, you're hurt! What happened?"

"Oh! Um, I fell and broke my wing…"

"Dear me…Are you okay?"

"Oh, yes…I'm fine now."

Luna could not help but feel unbelievable gratitude for these two ponies. Even though Fluttershy had gotten hurt, she was still here, willing to help her escape. "Thank you…Thank you both."

"Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Spike are here too."

"Twilight Sparkle…You and all of your friends have saved my life. I shall forever be in your debt."

A noise from the upper floors refocused their attention to the task at hand.

"We've still got work to do. We have to get you out of there," Twilight said, stepping down off the bars and moving to the cell's door.

"You must hurry!" Luna said urgently.

"Don't worry. Dash and Applejack are holding the door closed," Twilight responded. She gazed at the lock on the door. Lockpicking was definitely not something she was experienced in doing. However, since she wasn't confident she'd be able to bend the bars with her magic, she got to work on the lock. She was positive that she would be able to figure it out fairly soon.

"Um, oh dear…um…" Fluttershy mumbled, pacing back and forth.

"Don't worry Fluttershy, just let me handle this," Twilight said, reaching out with her magic to examine the inner workings of the lock, "I just need a few minutes…"

"Um…all right then. Um…Don't worry, Luna. Twilight will have you out soon."

"Thank you, Fluttershy," Luna replied, smiling at the pegasus.

"Oh dear…You need food. You're so…thin." She glanced up to the alicorn's face and eep'd as she realized who she was talking to. "Um, I mean, um…sorry…"

Luna chuckled. "I feel a lot worse than I look, Fluttershy. They barely fed me anything." She held up one of her wings and examined it. "I really do look terrible…"

"And those chains…Do they hurt? What's that thing on your horn?"

Luna scowled. "This thing is the reason they have me contained at all. It blocks me from using magic."

"Ah, yes," Twilight said, not looking up from her work, "They've started using those in unicorn prisons now. You'll be fine once I get it off."

Luna smiled. "Thank you Twilight. You have no idea how much it means to me to see you two here working so hard to save me."

Fluttershy sniffled. "Everypony misses you…" she said quietly.

"I miss them too…" Luna said with a sad smile. Then, her jaw dropped as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "My sister! How is Celestia?! Is she okay?"

The two frowned. "She's, um…" Fluttershy muttered, "She's not handling it very well, I'm afraid. She's very depressed, and she misses you dearly. Her mane is all grey."

Luna's expression fell. "Oh no…Oh, Tia…" she lamented, "Just hang in there, Tia. I'm coming…"

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. "I can just imagine her face when the two of you are reunited…It's going to be the happiest moment ever."

The cell's lock cluttered under the influence of Twilight's magic. She cursed under her breath. "Stupid lock…"

"Hurry, Twilight! We have to get her out of there!" Fluttershy said, actually raising her voice above a murmur.

"I'm working on it, Fluttershy…just give me a minute."

Fluttershy, unable to help, sat upon the stone floor and fidgeted nervously.

Twilight sighed and grit her teeth in determination. They had all come so far. Luna was indeed still alive, and they had found her trapped and locked up down here. She was within hoof's reach. They couldn't lose now after everything they'd gone through.

Right now, it was all up to her.

…

Pinkie Pie, with Spike riding on her back, had swiftly manoeuvred herself back to the side of the building. She stood in front of the window Twilight had been gazing into earlier. Now she too was propped up against the window trying to see through the crack in the curtains. She had grown concerned when Rarity's distraction had effectively been ended. Now she was desperately trying to see and hear what was going on inside. 

Shifting her view slightly, she was barely able to see the two unicorns and the pegasus pushing with all their might against a door that wasn't opening. They were struggling and pushing, anger upon their faces, but the door was not yielding to their efforts. With a gasp, Pinkie realized that the door must lead to the room Twilight had teleported everypony to. She immediately pressed her ear up against the glass.

"Whoever's in there, open up!"

"You're trapped in there, so you might as well give yourselves up!"

"We know you're in there!"

"Push harder, you foals! 

"Ugh…boss, I don't think it's her. Whoever this is, they're much stronger!"

"Well who the hell could it be?! We never saw anypony get in!"

Pinkie stepped back and turned around to Spike, who was gazing at her with a tense, worried expression. 

"What's happening?!" he whispered harshly.

Pinkie Pie frowned anxiously. This wasn't good. This was definitely not good. Her eyes drifted to the scroll in Spike's claws.

"You'd better send it, Spike. Right now," she whispered to him.

Spike's eyes shot open wide. "Why? Are they in trouble?!"

"Not yet…but the mean, bad ponies know they're there."

Spike gulped nervously, but wasted no time. He held up the scroll before his face as Pinkie stepped back from the window so his flames would not be visible. Spike took a deep breath and exhaled green flames across the scroll, igniting and incinerating it. The flames flew off into the distance towards Canterlot.

Pinkie frowned as she watched them go. "I hope she hurries…"

"Psst!"

Pinkie whipped around, half-expecting to see Celestia standing behind her. Instead, she saw Rarity.

"Rarity!" Pinkie whispered, stepping towards her friend.

"Ugh, I had to cut around and through the forest to get back here," she replied, "Is my mane okay? It feels like there's a twig stuck in there."

Before either mare could say anything more, however, there was the sound of a door being slammed against a wall. What followed was mayhem.

> Supernova - Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13 - Supernova - Part II

Dash and Applejack's ability to keep the door closed had been waning. Even the two strongest mares from Ponyville were at a disadvantage against three stallions, one of whom was a royal guard. 

The two had communicated through facial expressions alone. They had decided that eventually the ponies on the other side were going to wrench open the door and that what they were doing was pointless. They both made a silent decision to suddenly step back away from the door. Their synchronicity was impeccable.

The door fell inward, just barely avoiding Applejack and propelling the surprised ponies on the other side stumbling forward. The two wasted no time in tackling the group and pushing them back into the house's main room. It was a jumbled mess of hooves and shouting, but it ended with the five ponies sprawled on the floor. 

Applejack was the first to get to her hooves. She quickly moved back to the door and pulled it shut. During this time, the other four had gotten to their hooves.

The two unicorns were befuddled. "Who the hell are you two?!" Comet exclaimed.

"Shut up, you criminals!" Dash shouted hotly, "What did you do to our princess?!"

"How did you even get in here?!" High shouted, still trying to wrap his mind around what was transpiring before him.

"Answer the question!" Dash exclaimed, her temper rising, "We know you did something! What was it?! Huh? Did you kill her?!"

Navy stepped forward, his face full of rage. "I knew that prissy unicorn looked familiar!" He swiftly approached Dash and raised a hoof to strike her, but the pegasus was too quick.

"Boss?" Comet enquired.

"These are the Elements of Harmony!!" he shouted.

"Well, how flatterin'. Ya've heard of us," Applejack said, calm under pressure as always, "Now why don't y'all calm down before we end up kickin' the manure outta each other?"

Navy's response was to quickly step towards Applejack and take a powerful swing at her. She also swiftly dodged.

"All ri', ferget that…"

"Don't just stand there, you idiots!" Navy turned and shouted to the two befuddled unicorns, "Get them!! Hold them down and don't let them escape!"

The two unicorns lit up their horns and approached Dash, bearing fighting stances, while Navy continued to try to attack Applejack. The two mares tried to keep distant from their assailants, moving cautiously and biding time.

Comet and High converged on Dash suddenly, trying to grab her. At the last moment she jumped into the air, opened her wings, and hovered above the two. She smirked at the ponies below her, but her smile vanished when she felt the odd sensation of magic gripping her wings. She tried desperately to continue flapping them, but the magic of the two unicorns was too strong combined. 

As they tried to pull her down, she focused all of her strength into one powerful sweep of her wings. This propelled her forwards while the magic was pulling her down, allowing her to arc through the air and land on the floor beside them. They were still keeping their magical grip on her.

"Wanna play rough, eh?" she said, grinning. Surprising the two stallions completely, she suddenly dashed towards them. Using their magical tug against them, she propelled herself into the two, crashing into them ferociously and sending the three tumbling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Applejack was dancing around Navy Shield's aggressive attacks. The pegasus was swinging at her with his strong forehooves and trying to grab her. Her smaller stature allowed her to move swiftly around the blows, but she didn't quite have the agility that Dash had. When Navy suddenly unfurled his wings and used them to propel himself towards her, she wasn't able to move quickly enough and Navy was able to wrap one hoof around her neck.

"'Ey! Watch it, pardner!" Before Navy could even react, Applejack kicked out powerfully with her back hoof, catching him in the stomach. The wind knocked out of him, he cried out in pain and released her.

Dash was not having as much luck with her unicorn assailants. The aggressive scuffle on the ground was not going in her favour. She kicked out with her hooves and even managed to hit the stallions in the face with her powerful wings a few times. However, she was ultimately outnumbered and the unicorns were eventually able to grab on to and subdue her.

"Hey! Let go-a mah friend!" Applejack said, quickly rushing to Dash's aid. However, she was suddenly knocked to the ground by a blow from behind, crying out as she hit the floor. Groaning and looking back, she saw Navy had already recovered from her powerful kick and was now approaching her.

"Cut it out!" Dash was yelling, "Let go of me! Fight fair, will ya?!"

"Damnit…" Applejack muttered.

"Damn fools…" Navy said as his hooves landed mere inches from Applejack's face, "Did you really think you could take us down alone?"

There was silence for a moment, and then Applejack chuckled.

"What?" Navy said, leaning down to stare into Applejack's eyes, "What's so funny?"

"Buddy, we ain't hardly alone," she said to him smugly.

Suddenly, as if on cue, the front door burst open. "HEY!" shouted a loud, female voice, "Leave my friends alone!!!"

Navy and the two unicorns could only turn and stare in shock at the pink pony that stood in the doorway, wearing a visage of absolute rage.

"Um, Pinkie dear," Rarity said, also stepping through the doorway, "don't you mean 'Our friends'?"

The fierce expression disappeared from Pinkie's face and was replaced with a smile. "Oh right, silly me. Duh! They're you're friends too. Oopsie!"

"In any case, hooves off our friends!!" Rarity shouted, quickly adopting a kung fu stance that, quite frankly, just looked odd.

Navy, having been staring in disbelief at the two new intruders, regained his composure. He whipped his head around to face the two unicorns, still holding down Dash with their bare hooves. "Will you two get off your lazy flanks and use your magic?! Restrain them! It can't be that difficult!"

"Oh, that's not gonna do much," Pinkie said, suddenly mere centimetres from Navy's face. He jumped back in alarm, letting his grip slide from Applejack enough to allow her to wrench herself free.

No longer content to play nicely, Applejack immediately turned around and aimed a powerful buck at Navy's head. He was barely able to dodge.

Comet and High, distracted by the unfolding events were taken by surprise when Dash suddenly began thrashing, trying to free herself. She managed to get one hoof free and swung it at Comet's head. With a cry of pain, the unicorn fell to the floor, a vicious red mark on his cheek.

Pinkie quickly dashed over to help her rainbow-maned friend while Rarity rushed to Applejack's side. Pinkie reared up and wrapped her hooves around High's neck, struggling to pull him free from Dash. The pegasus was now swinging her hooves at the yellow unicorn, just barely missing their mark.

Applejack and Navy, meanwhile, were engaged in an all-out brawl. They were circling each other, hooves flying as both tried to damage their opponent. Rarity, not exactly used to fighting, was keeping her distance. Whenever she saw an opportunity, she used her magic to hold Navy back from striking Applejack. 

High finally released his grip on Dash, turning his attentions instead to the pink earth pony around his neck. He swung his hooves backwards, trying to hit her, but he succeeded in hitting nothing more than the air.

Dash immediately got to her hooves and was about to pummel the yellow unicorn when she was tackled from the side by a grey blur. Dash and Comet rolled along the floor, immediately engaged in a tussle with one another.

Sounds of battle resounded through the house. Blows were exchanged and cries of pain were exclaimed. Both sides were fairly evenly matched, with Navy's battling skill making up for their being outnumbered. 

At the moment, as they struggled against their opponents, the four mares could only hope that Twilight would return to them soon.

…

Click.

With a pull of Twilight's magic, the cell door swung outwards. Uttering a cry of success, the unicorn dashed into the cell. Fluttershy immediately followed.

The first thing the two mares did was fling themselves into Luna, hugging her tightly. The moon princess smiled and leaned down to nuzzle the two, bringing her wings forward to hug them back. 

"We missed you so much…" Twilight said quietly, smiling wide as she held her embrace with the alicorn. The sensation of physical contact her was the final ingredient of truth that her mind required. Princess Luna was really, truly alive.

"Excellent, Twilight," Luna said in a warm voice, "Thank you so much."

Fluttershy was crying joyful tears again. Luna brushed against her gently with her wing. "It's okay, Fluttershy. I'm okay, there's no need to worry."

Fluttershy lifted a hoof to her face and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry," she said, sniffling, "I'm just so happy to see you."

A loud crash, followed by a cry of pain echoed in from the doorway, catching the three mares' attention.

Luna stepped back from the embrace, her face turning serious. "We must hurry. It sounds like there's trouble upstairs."

Twilight nodded, quickly shifting back into focused mode. "Right, of course." She quickly turned her attention to the shackles binding Luna's hooves. She again reached out with her magic and examined them closely, looking for a weakness. "Don't worry, Your Highness! I'll have you out of there in no time."

However, Luna raised one of her hooves to hold Twilight back, the chains clattering along the floor. "No, Twilight," she said before laying down upon the ground, bringing her head down to Twilight's eye-level. "Just get this off of me. I can handle the rest myself." She shifted her head, bringing her horn slightly closer to the unicorn.

Twilight realized that she was indicating the metal device around her horn. "Oh, all right," she said before stepping closer to get a better look. Fluttershy watched anxiously from the sidelines. 

More sounds of the battle floated down from the upper floor.

"What is going on up there?" Luna asked, addressing Fluttershy so that Twilight could focus.

Fluttershy paused to listen to the sounds emanating from above. She winced and splayed her ears. "Oh no…It sounds like they're all fighting."

Luna grimaced. "That is not good…They're in danger. They're not exactly the most intelligent ponies, but the unicorns are powerful and the pegasus is strong and well-trained…"

Twilight grunted, frowning as the device reacted oddly to her magical probes. "Well," she said absentmindedly, "If Pinkie's in the fight, then she's probably already told Spike to send the scroll."

"Oh yes, that's right! That's good then!" Fluttershy piped up.

"What scroll?" Luna asked.

"Twilight told Spike to send a scroll to Celestia if there was trouble."

Luna smiled. "Well, if Tia is coming, then your friends will be fine. As long as she hurries, which I'm sure she will." She sighed in contentment. "I can't wait to see my sister again. I have missed her so much."

Fluttershy gave a compassionate smile. "I'm sure the smile on her face will be the biggest smile ever in the history of Equestria."

Luna grinned even wider as she envisioned the joyful reunion.

"Damn it all…" Twilight muttered.

"Is there a problem, Twilight?" Luna asked, her smile vanishing.

"Ugh, no, it's just this stupid thing…" she grumbled, "It has a very complex lock on it. I don't want to do anything wrong, or it might not come off…"

Luna and Fluttershy exchanged worried glances.

"Don't worry, Your Highness, I'll get it off. Just let me concentrate."

A loud, painful-sounding crash echoed from upstairs.

"Hurry…" Fluttershy whispered.

…

Earlier, Rarity and Applejack had been standing by the front door, wearily facing Navy. Their attention had been completely focused on him, so neither saw the charging form of High as he tackled into them and sent them rolling out the door. The others had followed and soon the battle had shifted to the front yard.

Nopony was paying attention to the location, however. The fight was escalating. Navy, High and Comet were fuelled by their dedication to their mission and would not allow failure to strike them when they were so close to succeeding. These intruders needed to be brought down.

The four mares, on the other hoof, knew what their job was. They needed to buy all the time necessary for Twilight to work her magic in the basement. None of them knew yet what she had found, but the fact that she hadn't yet returned was sparking hope in all of them.

Hiding behind the corner of the house, Spike watched the unfolding brawl in shock and fear.

The tide of the scuffle was turning, however. The four mares were losing their stamina quickly, while their opponents continued to try to bring them down. They all had injuries, while the stallions remained mostly undamaged. Applejack and Dash were covered in bruises and Pinkie had received a black eye. Pinkie and Rarity were hanging back, keeping their distance while Dash and Applejack were working together, trying their hardest to stop the attacks of the three stallions. 

Presently, Navy was dashing towards Applejack, quickly stopping and spinning on his hooves, delivering a powerful buck in her direction. Applejack was only barely able to duck and dodge. Dash swooped in, aiming to tackle Navy and protect her earth pony friend. However, High and Comet reached out with their magic and restrained her helplessly in midair.

Applejack quickly rolled away as Navy brought his hooves down to the ground. Rarity lit up her horn and cast out her own spell, attempting to counteract the other unicorns' magic.

The conflicting magic managed to weaken the restraint on Dash and she fell to the ground on her hooves. She turned and was about to dash forward and tackle the offending unicorns when she herself was painfully thrown to the ground. She cried out as Navy held her down.

Navy's small victory over Dash was short-lived as Applejack proceeded to tackle into him, throwing him from Dash's downed form. The pegasus watched, panting, as Applejack and Navy rolled and tussled on the grassy ground.

Dash made to get up, but two hooves landed squarely on her back and kept her down. Craning her neck back, Dash saw Comet's smirking form standing over her, his horn glowing as he anchored her limbs to the ground.

Rarity stepped forward, intending to counteract the magic again when she felt herself being lifted off the ground. She stared down, watching as High galloped beneath her, his horn glowing as he cast the spell. The unicorn was galloping straight for Pinkie, who was focused on Applejack.

"Pinkie, look out!" Rarity cried, but the warning was given too late. The dark yellow unicorn reared up on his back hooves and shoved Pinkie to the ground, bringing his hooves down on her midsection to restrain her. 

Dash, Pinkie and Rarity struggled valiantly, but their captors kept a firm grip on them. Their stamina had fallen considerably. Rarity was trying in vain to disrupt High's magic, but he was using a different spell this time; one she wasn't familiar with.  

"Let go of me and fight like a real stallion!" Dash shouted, hot blooded as always. 

Nearby, Applejack lay underneath a triumphantly grinning and panting Navy. "Damn…" he muttered, "Your fighting's not too bad…" Applejack squirmed and lashed out with her hooves, but she was effectively trapped under Navy's larger form. She panted, staring daggers at the pegasus above her.

Navy glanced to the side and his smile grew when he saw that the other three had also been subdued. "Excellent job, you two," he said, smirking.

"Yer gonna pay fer this!" Applejack said.

"Yeah! You're not going to get away with this!" Dash shouted.

Navy chuckled. "Forget it, foals. You've failed." He then turned to address Comet. "Use your magic and grab the rope from inside the house and tie that one up," he said, directing his gaze to Dash.

"Yes sir," Comet said before lighting up his horn.

Navy returned his gaze to Applejack. "I don't know how you got into that room or what you hoped to accomplish, but I can assure you that you're not going to stop our mission. We will succeed. The fate of Equestria hangs in the balance." He turned his gaze to the horizon, where the sun had vanished only a few moments ago. The night of the new moon would begin in mere minutes.

"I must admit…you had me scared for a time. There was a fleeting moment where I thought you might have the ability to bring us down, or at least ruin our operation. I must learn to have more faith in myself and my two excellent unicorns. It won't be long now before it's all over. You will all see how blind you have truly been."

Applejack growled. "Y'all are terrible…wicked ponies…"

Navy smirked. "Hardly. We're only doing what must be done."

Dash was still struggling, but Comet held tight. "You're monsters!! You're evil!!"

"You're all terrible, criminal scum!" Rarity said from her suspended position.

Pinkie giggled.

The other six all turned to gaze at her in confusion. "What's so funny?" High said from above her.

She snickered. "You all sound like you're in a cliché movie."

"What's the matter with you?" Navy shouted to her, puzzled, "Don't you realize that we've beaten you?"

"Yeah, Pinkie…" Dash said, equally perplexed, "Aren't you, like, angry at these ponies?"

She snickered again. "Well sure, they're terrible and evil, but it's just funny."

"What is?" Rarity asked.

"That they think they've won."

There was a period of silence. Navy finally broke it, saying "What in Equestria do you mean by that? Do you not see us holding you and your friends down?"

"Of course I do."

Navy turned to look at Dash. "Is she always like this?"

Dash sighed. "Unfortunately."

Returning his gaze to the pink earth pony, he said, "Well then…what makes you think that we haven't won, exactly?"

"Well, duh!" was her response before wrenching free one of her hooves, much to the surprise of High, and pointing it up into the sky. "Because of her!"

The six ponies barely had time to whip their heads around and see the white and grey streak rushing towards them before a booming voice shook the landscape.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The stallions gasped as four hooves clad in solid-gold horseshoes landed forcefully on the ground a few meters away. Her wings folded to her side and her horn lit up around her grey mane.

"Princess Celestia!" Navy blurted out, "Your Highness!"

"SILENCE!" Celestia shouted. Navy shrank back in fear before the only pony in all of Equestria that he was afraid of.

Celestia wore a very cross expression as she took in the scene before her. The four mares looked to her with relieved eyes, pleading for her help with their gazes. Navy's mind immediately began to panic. Everything was going wrong. Their carefully laid plan was falling apart before him now that Celestia was here. He stared into the rage-filled eyes of the alicorn, a sight that was rarely ever seen, and felt his confidence and resolve melt away.

"Navy Shield," she spoke, softly but with a dangerous edge, "You'd better have an extremely good reason for attacking and injuring these four ponies."

The pegasus gulped.

…

There was a click, followed by a loud clatter as the magic damming device fell to the floor. Twilight beamed triumphantly.

"Got it!"

Luna wasted no time. She lit up her horn with a faint, flickering aura, which spread over the chains that were binding her. She grunted in exertion, the aura fading and flickering, but a minute later the chains had completely vanished.

Luna promptly fell to the floor.

…

"Your Highness, thank goodness you're here to arrest these criminals," Navy said in his professional tone.

"Princess! Oh thank heavens you've arrived to arrest these criminals!" Rarity shouted at exactly the same time.

Celestia glared at the three stallions. The scene before her was troubling and sketchy. It wasn't long ago that she had been in her royal chambers, about to go to sleep, when green dragon fire appeared before her and presented her with a letter. 

She had immediately detected that something was amiss. The scroll wasn't rolled up neatly and there was no seal. Twilight had always been impeccable in the preparation of her scrolls. When she had unrolled it, she had found a hasty message from her protégé, stating that she was in danger and needed immediate help.

Celestia had feared the worst. Her mind had conjured up images of fierce creatures such as Dragons and Hyrdas attacking and harming her faithful student. She had wasted no time and had immediately taken to the skies, flying as fast as she could to the location that had been given on the scroll.

Now that she was here, however, she wasn't sure what to think exactly. Twilight was nowhere to be seen, but four of her friends were injured and being held by two members of the royal guard and a third, unfamiliar unicorn. Most troubling to her was that one of these guards was Navy Shield.

"Princess! Help us!" Applejack shouted from under Navy Shield. To the shock of everypony else, Navy responded by pulling back his hoof and punching her in the jaw. Applejack cried out in pain and Celestia gasped in disbelief.

Immediately, a golden aura surrounded the three stallions, wrenching them off of their captives and forcing them to the ground nearby. They struggled to move, but Celestia's magic held them down sturdily. "Navy Shield!" Celestia shouted, anger clearly evident in her voice, "How dare you strike an unarmed pony without provocation?! Do you have any idea who these ponies are?!"

"Your highness!" Navy shouted, his panic rising, "Let me go! These are criminals! They are endangering all of Equestria! They must be captured before they can do any more harm!"

Celestia turned her head and glanced at the four mares. They were slowly gathering together, wincing from their wounds and simply looking relieved. A moment later, Spike ran out to join them from behind the house, having seen the Princess arrive. He immediately began to ask if they were all right and expressed his gratitude that they weren't hurt any worse than they were.

"Those do not look like criminals to me, Navy Shield," she spoke softly, "They look like good ponies who have just received a beating. If they really were criminals, don't you think they'd have run away by now?"

Navy struggled against his magical bond. "Your Highness, please!!" he shouted.

Celestia glanced to Comet, the grey unicorn looking deathly afraid of the taller alicorn, and then to the third stallion. He was simply laying upon the ground, held down by her magic, staring at her. Celestia did not recognize him, and his presence only served to discredit Navy's actions even further.

"Your Majesty! You must let me go! This is important!" Navy screamed.

"Enough, Navy Shield," Celestia spoke with authority, "I am going to get to the bottom of this. You, your comrade and whoever this other unicorn is will remain here."

Ignoring the guard's shouts from behind her, Celestia paced over to the four mares and dragon, her horn remaining lit. "Are you all okay?" she asked kindly.

"I think so…" Dash said shakily, "It's just AJ's jaw…"

Applejack was holding a hoof to her lower jaw tenderly, her face screwed up in pain.

Celestia glanced around at the area, taking in the setting. "Where is Twilight?"

"She went inside," Rarity said, stepping forward to face the Princess, "Your Highness, those vile ponies over there are doing something horrible in this house."

"Is that so?" Celestia spoke slowly, still trying to assess the situation, "We are a fair distance from Ponyville. What are you all doing out here?"

"It's a loooong, long story, Princess…" Pinkie said.

"We're still not entirely sure what's going on," Dash chimed in, "but Twilight and Fluttershy went down into the basement and they haven't come back up yet."

"This entire escapade was based on Twilight's findings," Rarity said, "She was the one who figured it all out."

Celestia shook her head. "My little ponies, slow down please. What findings? What did Twilight figure out?"

"It was her idea to follow Spike's blue fire! And that's what led us here!" Pinkie said, quickly returning to her upbeat attitude in the presence of the Princess.

"Blue…fire?" Celestia muttered.

"Spike's blue flames went right to this house, and they went down into the basement," Pinkie said, talking a mile a minute, "So that's why Twilight and Fluttershy went down there, although Fluttershy wasn't supposed to go in, she just got poofed in by accident. At least I think. Oh, and Dash and Applejack went in too to help block the door, but the mean ponies over there knocked the door down, which is how the fight started, I guess. Then you showed up!"

"Pinkie…what are you talking about?" Celestia said quietly, harbouring a suspicion of what the pink pony's words meant, but not willing to believe it.

"Well Twilight was spending all of her time in the basement. Oh, not this basement, the one in her house. Or library. Same thing, I guess. But she was looking at videos and stuff, or at least that's what Dash said. She's the one that went down there. There were things that weren't right at the funeral and especially during that ghost thing. That was cool, by the way. Twilight knew she wasn't entirely sure if she was right, but she wanted to go check anyway. And she asked us to come along to help find her!" 

"Don't listen to them, they're foals!!" Navy's voice could be heard shouting. To Celestia, it sounded distant. She was about to respond, when the sound of hooves on the floorboards reached her ears. Everypony turned to the house and saw Fluttershy standing in the doorway. She gasped and immediately fell into a low bow.

"Princess! You're here!"

"Fluttershy! Where is Twilight?" Celestia said.

The pegasus raised her head up and gazed at the princess, grinning brightly from ear to ear. She got up from her bow and stepped outside, gesturing into the doorway with her hoof. "She's right behind me."

When Fluttershy stopped talking, Celestia realized she could hear more hoof falls walking slowly on the floorboards. Everypony stood in complete silence, even the stallions. A few seconds later, two mares stepped through the door and outside.

One pony was Twilight Sparkle, who was walking slowly and using her body to help support the other mare. She saw Celestia standing outside and smiled brightly. Celestia's jaw fell.

Standing beside Twilight and leaning on her for support was a deep blue alicorn pony with a bright blue mane. She was dirty, thin and weak, her mane and tail a scruffy mess, and her eyes very tired, but there was no doubt of who she was.

Celestia couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't speak, she could barely breathe. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but when she opened them again the same pony was still standing before her. 

"L…Luna…?"

Princess Luna turned her tired eyes in Celestia's direction and then smiled brightly. "Sister!"

Celestia couldn't move. The logical part of her brain was telling her that this was impossible and was struggling to come up with an explanation. She must be dreaming, or seeing things. Wasn't this one of the stages of grief? The very idea of her sister standing before her, alive, was absolutely implausible.

And yet, there she was.

"Is…is it really you?" Celestia said, barely above a whisper, taking a tentative step forward.

Luna nodded, tears forming in her eyes. "Yes…It's me, Tia. It's really me."

"But…" Celestia was still staring in utter disbelief, "But…how…?"

"It was a ruse, Your Highness," Twilight spoke from Luna's side, "It was all a trick." She glanced towards the three magically restrained, but still struggling unicorns. "By them."

"Tia…I missed you so much!" Luna said, already crying tears of joy.

"It can't be…It can't really be…" Celestia muttered, "My little…My little sister is okay?"

Beside her, the four mares and Spike were smiling wide, bursting with joy at the success of their journey. They sat back, watching the heart-warming reunion.

Luna took a few steps forward. She was still shaky on her hooves, but Twilight remained by her side. "Tia, I'm so happy to see you again!"

Finally, Celestia began to smile. She took a few more steps toward her sister. "Luna!" she said, joy filling her voice, "Luna, it's you!"

"Big sis!"

The six ponies looked to Celestia as tremendous joy began to overcome her. Their eyes widened in astonishment as colour slowly began to seep through her mane and tail. Trails of colour flowed outward like a river, covering up all the grey and retuning the bright pastel colours that everypony was so familiar with.

Celestia's smile grew wider and wider as she quickly trotted over to her sister. "Luna!!" she blissfully shouted, "Luna, you're alive!" At last, she reached the younger alicorn and nuzzled her affectionately, tears streaming from her eyes. 

Luna returned the nuzzles, smiling brightly as she embraced her sister. "Tia, I missed you!"

"Luna!! Oh, my little sister! Thank the stars you're all right!"

The six mares and Spike all smiled warmly at the touching reunion.

Celestia didn't want to move. She didn't want to break physical contact with Luna, as if afraid that she would lose her again. She nuzzled her warmly, leaning her neck down to hug her tightly.

"Luna…" she whispered, "I thought I'd lost you."

Luna smiled, tears in her eyes. "I thought I was going to lose you too." They stayed like this for a minute, savouring the wonderful moment and ignoring the shouts of the stallion nearby.

"Careful, Tia…" Luna said finally, "Don't knock me over."

Celestia reluctantly stepped back. She stood smiling at her sister, shaking her head in confusion. "I don't…how is this possible? What happened?"

Luna raised a hoof and wiped away a tear. "It's a very long story." 

Celestia could feel her heart simply overflowing with joy. Her blissful tears did not stop, and her smile seemed to grow wider every minute. She had no words; she couldn't find any that truly reflected how happy she was at this moment. She simply gave a heartfelt smile at her little sister, her multi-coloured mane once again flowing on an invisible breeze.

She had lived for well over a thousand years, but this was without a doubt the happiest day of her entire life.

Everypony was gathered, watching the moving scene before them as the two sisters reunited. As the moon continued to move and the land grew darker, they could all feel a warm, joyful sensation that seemed to radiate from the two alicorns. It was as if happiness had manifested in the very air around them.

Nopony noticed that the aura around Celestia's horn had dimmed as her focus had shifted.

"The night of the new moon!! This should be enough!!"

Everypony quickly turned around to see Navy Shield upright and galloping towards them, his pistol already drawn from its hidden holster. Before anypony could react, he shouted, "For Equestria!!" and fired his weapon.

BANG!

The deafening shot rang out into the night. Celestia responded immediately, casting out powerful magic with her horn which enveloped Navy as well as the two unicorns. Less than a second later, they were collapsed on the ground, deeply asleep.

She quickly turned back to the ponies behind her. "Is everypony okay?! Is anypony hurt?!" She gave a quick left-to-right scan, seeing that most of the young mares were in shock, breathing deeply or rapidly clutching their body, trying to find a nonexistent wound. None of them were hurt. She was about to release a sigh of relief when her eyes fell upon Luna. The gazes of the others quickly followed.

The alicorn had a stunned look frozen upon her face, her eyes wide and focused straight ahead and her jaw hanging open. She was standing on three hooves, the fourth was held tightly to an area on her chest. A thick, crimson liquid was quickly seeping out from underneath.

Celestia could only gasp in horror before gravity got the best of Luna and she collapsed into a heap on the ground, her eyes closed.

"LUNA!!"
> The Shining Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14 - The Shining Night

Sensory overload.

And yet, at the same time, a harsh impression of absolute nothingness. Worlds flew by in a blur, unseen and unfocused. The sun remained high in the sky; the moon circling around the horizon sluggishly. Equestria was gone and in its place was blackness. Sometimes shapes could be seen; some bright, some dull.

A feverish pace of everything and nothing, both occurring at the same time. It was dizzying. It was disorienting.

There was the odd sensation of something touching. Prodding and lifting. Too fleeting to notice or analyze. Whipping wind and stale air. Harsh silence and dissonant cacophony. Opposites mixed and clashed, with everything going too fast to notice.

It was a mess, like a fever dream. 

Luna couldn't scream. She couldn't run. She couldn't even breathe. It hurt her head as everything happened around her, ignoring her. She felt lost in the darkness, with only fleeting glimpses of a bright, white light to break up the confusion.

Finally, calmness returned. Silence reigned and everything faded away until there was only a veil of black to see. Luna felt warm and comforted, but still could not move or speak. Her panic subsided to a dreamy state of tranquility. 

A crack of light appeared before her vision and Luna came to the realization that her eyes were closed. Opening them both slightly, she was greeted with a harsh, blinding light, forcing her to shut her eyes again.

Grimacing, she allowed a few seconds for her eyes to adjust before cracking them open again. She was able to keep them open this time, but could see nothing but bright white. She tried to move her pupils around to see if she could see more, but she seemed to be surrounded by bright whiteness on all sides.

This is heaven, she realized, I'm dead and this is heaven.

As she struggled to open her eyes wider, she thought back to what had happened earlier. Twilight had broken her out of her cell and had successfully helped her escape. She'd gotten to see her sister again, which had made her infinitely happy.

And then Navy Shield had shot her.

She remembered hearing his exclamation and turning in his direction only to see his rage-filled eyed glaring at her, pistol in his mouth. She'd had less than a second to react before he'd pulled the trigger and the bullet had flown directly into her.

She couldn't even remember any pain. The last thing she could remember was the bullet striking her, and then after that all she could remember was the mess her mind had just been in.

The bright light hurt her eyes and she squinted against it. Her body felt very comfortable. She felt as if she were lying on something very soft; heavenly clouds perhaps. However, the white light was painful to look at. She tried to turn her head away, but she felt extremely weak. Simply keeping her eyes open was a challenge.

Despite the pain, her eyes were adjusting to the light and she was beginning to see more. The bright light was coming from directly above her. Beyond it, she could see a smooth, white ceiling of some sort. Heaven's got buildings. Neat…

Her eyes were now halfway open, which was an incredible accomplishment. It was difficult and painful, to keep them open. Every part of her body and mind screamed at her to just shut them and go back to sleep, but she persevered.

She moaned and tilted her head to the right. The movement made her feel dizzy. A simple, green curtain came into her view, held up by a steel bar running parallel to the ceiling. Her vision was still slightly hazy, but she saw small tables with odd shapes on top of them.

She tried to move her stiff body, which reacted slowly. She felt like a heavy block of lead; every part of her body felt cumbersome and weighed down. She felt something that was covering her move in response. Craning her neck downwards, she saw that she was covered in a simple white blanket. It was plain, but felt very cozy. As she moved her head, she recognized the sensation of what she was resting on.

This is a bed… she thought, I'm in a bed…

She opened her eyes more, still trying to adjust to the painful light and her heavy fatigue and saw more green curtains in front of her. They continued around to the right, encircling her bed. Gazing to the right again, she took a closer look at the tables beside her. Upon some of them were containers and boxes. There were metal tools and collections of things like masks and wooden sticks. The more she looked, the more the familiarity of what she saw hit her.

I'm in a hospital!

She shifted her body, which caused a lot of discomfort, and looked further to her right. Sure enough, she saw more familiar medical tools, such as the machine used to read vital signs, an oxygen tank hooked to a breathing assistant and a blood pressure cuff.

She paused and considered the circumstances. She felt incredibly weak, and could feel pain around her midsection, although it was hard to tell when she was so comfortable under the blankets. She was still struggling to stay awake, but discovering her location had given her a jolt of energy.

I'm in a hospital! Does that mean…Does that mean I'm alive?

She changed her position again, rustling the covers. Something shifted to her left. She willed her stiff muscles to move and turned her gaze to the left. There, lying with her head on the edge of the bed, was the sleeping form of Celestia. 

Luna's heart raced and she began to smile. Celestia was stirring, having been jostled awake by the movement. Her tired eyes fluttered open. Groaning lightly, she lifted her head and looked up, her eyes locking with Luna's. She too began to smile warmly.

"Luna, you're awake!" 

Happiness was overcoming the blue alicorn. This couldn't be heaven if Celestia were here. "Tia…?" she said, finding her voice very weak and dry-sounding. Her throat instantly began to ache. "What happened?"

Celestia was absolutely beaming. She held a hoof out and laid it atop of her sister's hoof under the blanket. "Luna, I'm so glad you're okay!"

The older alicorn's mane was frizzy and unkempt, though it was still filled with dazzling colour. She had rings under her eyes, as if she had been awake for a long time, and there were dried trails below them from tears. Her normally radiant white fur was tattered and dirty, but through it all she was still smiling warmly.

"Tia…"

Celestia leaned forward and gently nuzzled her little sister. Luna smiled and returned the nuzzle as best she could. "Are you feeling all right? Do you need anything?" the older sister asked in a concerned tone.

"Water, please…" Luna said, her throat only getting hoarser the more she spoke.

"Oh! Yes, there's some here," Celestia said, turning to her right. On another table nearby there was a large jug of water and a few glasses. Her horn glowed as she lifted the jug and poured the liquid into one of them. She then gripped the glass and hovered it over to Luna, carefully holding it to her lips and pouring it into her mouth.

Luna swallowed the water gratefully, feeling the cool sensation as it glided down her throat. She continued to drink until the glass was empty, not realizing how thirsty she'd been.

Finally, she sighed in contentment as Celestia replaced the glass on the table. "Better?" her sister asked.

Luna nodded. "Thank you, Tia."

"How are you feeling?"

Luna groaned softly. "Really tired. Really weak. What happened?"

"As soon as you got…hurt, I used all of my power to teleport you directly to the Royal Canterlot Hospital, which is where we are now. The doctors took you in right away and the surgeons did their absolute best. You should be all right now."

Curious, Luna lifted her hooves and tried to get the blanket off of her top half. Celestia saw what she was doing and assisted her with magic. Luna glanced down at her body and saw bandages tied across her chest. She also noticed that a tube was connected to her left hoof. Following it with her eyes, she saw that it led to an IV drip standing nearby.

"They said you were really weak and malnourished," Celestia said quietly, "That's why you were out for so long after the surgery. It's been more than a day since…it happened." The elder princess grimaced at the memory.

Luna glanced to her sister. She saw the dirt on her coat and the rings under her eyes, realizing what they signified. "You stayed by my side the whole time, didn't you?"

Celestia smiled. "Of course I did, Luna. I had to make sure you were okay."

"Thanks Tia…"

"As long as you're safe, little sister."

Luna's train of thought was cut off as her stomach rumbled quite loudly. Celestia chuckled. "Hungry?"

It was at that moment Luna realized just how hungry she was. "Starving."

"I'll be right back." Celestia stood up and walked out through the curtains, leaving Luna alone on the bed. She had no idea what time it was, but the hospital around her was fairly quiet. She guessed that it was some time during the night or very early in the morning.

She paused as her thoughts collected. Navy Shield had shot her. She had almost died. If her sister hadn't been there, Luna didn't know what would've happened. She shuddered at the possibilities.

Celestia returned a few minutes later levitating a small tray behind her. Upon it sat a large assortment of nutritious foods, all of which looked incredibly appetizing to Luna, despite it being hospital food. Celestia helped her shift her position so she was sitting upright a little more and set the tray down on her lap. The movement caused her pain from the bandaged area, but it wasn't too bad.

Luna wasted no time and immediately began to eat. She tried to pick up the items with her horn and was pleased to see that she was able to, though her magic still seemed quite weak. Her sister simply sat and waited, smiling.

After she had finished two leafy sandwiches, she turned to her sister and asked a question that had been on her mind since she'd stepped out. "What happened to them? Navy Shield and his cohorts?"

Celestia grimaced again. "Those foul ponies have been locked up in the Canterlot dungeons," she said, distaste clearly evident in her voice.

"All four of them?"

"Yes. The grey one, Comet Tail, was very co-operative during his interrogation, I've been told. He alerted us to the fourth conspirator, Sunny Ray."

Luna sighed. "That's good to hear."

"High Noon and Sunny Ray refused to talk, and Navy Shield has been quite vocal about his refusal to co-operate, but Comet Tail has told us pretty much the whole story. He told us what they had been planning and why they were doing it. He told us about the old book they were reading from." She shook her head and sighed. "It's absolutely ridiculous."

Luna listened to her sister speak in silence while she ate a small salad from a container and a packet of hay. The food tasted absolutely brilliant after a whole month of eating next to nothing.

Celestia turned to her sister. "It saddens me that there are ponies like them in this world. It breaks my heart that there are ponies who have so little regard for the lives of others. I had expected better from members of the Royal Guard."

Luna swallowed her mouthful of food and gazed into Celestia's eyes. She thought back to the very beginning of the escapade she'd just been through. The fight that had started it all. Celestia had warned her about precisely this kind of thing happening. Luna could recall her sister telling her that some ponies simply weren't ready to accept her yet. All of her words from that fateful night came flooding back to her.

She began to cry.

"Luna? What's wrong?"

Luna sniffled as tears flowed down her muzzle and her heart began to ache. "Tia…" she muttered, "Tia, I'm…I'm so sorry. This is all my fault…"

"Luna…"

"I should have listened to you!" Luna exclaimed, heavy with emotion, "You were right! You're always right! After you and I had that fight, I…I snuck out of my room and I went flying on my own. You told me to take somepony with me, but I didn't listen to you. And it got me kidnapped. I'm sorry!!"

Luna felt Celestia place a hoof on her own. "Luna…" she said soothingly. The young alicorn blinked her tear-filled eyes and gazed at her sister. "None of that matters now, Luna. All that matters is that you're safe and we're together again." Celestia punctuated her point by leaning forward and nuzzling the young alicorn affectionately.

Luna sniffled. "I'm sorry…"

"Shhh…It's okay now. You're home. You're safe."

The two remained that way in silence for a few minutes, simply savouring the moment and taking pleasure in the fact that they were together again.

"I was scared, Tia…" Luna whispered, "It was frightening and they treated me so awfully. I thought I was going to die…"

"Luna…" Celestia whispered back, "I was scared too. I thought I'd lost you, and I couldn't bear the thought of going on without you…" She leaned back and stared into Luna's eyes. "Please don't scare me like that again."

Luna gave a small smile. "I promise, Tia…"

Celestia smiled back and the two shared another quick nuzzle. "So how are you feeling?" the elder sister said, returning to her position at the side of the bed, "Better? Any problems?"

"I just feel tired," Luna replied, "and the wound hurts…but I'm okay."

Celestia nodded. "The doctor said it would probably hurt for about a week, but there'd be no major problems."

Luna sighed, shivering. "I can't believe I was shot…" she muttered, "If you hadn't all been there…" Then, she perked up her ears and turned to her sister. "Oh! What about Twilight and her friends? I hope they're all okay."

Celestia smiled and nodded. "Yes. As soon as I got here, I ordered my guards to go and retrieve them in a carriage. They wanted to stay by your bedside too, but it was way too cramped in here, so I told them to go explore Canterlot until there was any news."

"That's good," Luna said, grinning, "They all worked so very hard to save me. They went all that way, and they put their lives at risk for me."

Celestia nodded again. "I am very proud of all seven of them, if not slightly disappointed in them for not telling me first."

"I'm so grateful to them…"

"It's like I've always been saying to you, little sister; There are ponies everywhere who love you."

Luna smiled warmly. Already, her wound seemed to be healing, simply by being in the presence of her older sister. It was a perfect moment, and Luna could not have been happier.

"Princess?" a female voice called from outside in the hallway.

"Oh!" Celestia said, perking up, "That must be Twilight." She stood up and walked to the curtains at the foot of the bed, poking her head through.

"Over here, Twilight," her sister called.

"Is she all right?"

"She's awake, but she's feeling pretty tired."

There was a gasp. "May we come in?"

"Of course."

Celestia pulled her head back inside and seated herself near the corner of the bed. Moments later, the curtains parted again and six young mares filed through, clambering to fit into the tiny room. Rainbow Dash flew in and hovered above the bed, but Fluttershy stood on the ground, her wing carefully bound to a splint. They all wore joyful smiles and sparkling eyes, including the baby dragon on Twilight's back.

"Princess Luna! Thank heavens you're all right," Twilight said.

"Luna we're so glad to see you!" Pinkie said gleefully.

Fluttershy sniffled and said, "Thank goodness, Luna! We were so afraid."

"Ya gave us a scare, Yer Highness," Applejack added, "We all missed ya."

"You have no idea how great it is to see you!" Dash proclaimed.

"It's so wonderful that you're all right," Rarity said finally.

Luna simply gazed around the room at the beaming, love-filled faces that surrounded her. She couldn't help but smile ear to ear seeing the ponies that cared so much about her. It nearly brought a tear to her eye.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "Thank you all so much."

As morning broke and the day slowly began, the eight ponies and dragon spent their time in the small, cramped hospital room, talking about the adventure they had all been through. There was always a smile on somepony's face, and they were all extremely happy to see the younger alicorn returned and reasonably unharmed. Despite their location in one of the busiest hospitals in Equestria, and despite the circumstances, it was the happiest that many of them had ever been.

…

Celestia walked through the hallways of Canterlot Castle and found herself before two doors. One, to her right, was white, yellow and emblazoned with a radiant sun. The other, to her left, was black, blue and had a beautiful crescent moon painted upon it. 

Smiling, she turned to the door on the left and tapped her hoof against it. There was a moment of silence before she heard a voice on the other side. "Come in!"

She pushed open the door and walked into her little sister's royal chambers, finding Luna seated at her desk, once again engrossed in a book. "Hello, Luna!" she greeted her cheerfully.

Luna looked up and smiled. "Hello, sister! How are you?"

"I am doing fine. How are you feeling?"

The young alicorn sighed and smiled. "I feel a lot better now that the bandages are off…"

Celestia nodded. "Well you definitely look a lot better. It looks like you've made a fantastic recovery."

"Thanks! I feel great!" Luna stood up from her desk and walked over to her sister. They shared a quick nuzzle. "It's been a wild week, hasn't it?"

Her older sister nodded. "Everypony was so happy to hear that you were alive and well. All the ponies in the castle have been smiling non-stop."

"So what's going on, sis?" Luna asked, looking up to the taller alicorn, "Got a last minute assignment or something for me?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, your schedule is fairly clear for tonight. Actually, I wanted to show you this." She used her magic to grab a photograph she had been holding under her wing and levitated it over to Luna, who took it with her own magic.

"What is this?" she asked, gazing at the picture. It was an image of hundreds, probably thousands of ponies all standing in the main plaza of Canterlot.

"That," Celestia replied, "is a picture of all the ponies who came to your funeral."

Luna gasped and her eyes shot open. "What? Really? But…but that's…that's…"

"Yes, Luna. Ponies from all over the land came as soon as they'd heard the terrible news. They all dearly wanted to be there to pay their respects…and to say goodbye. Even then, not everypony was able to travel all the way here."

Luna simply stared, stupefied, at the vast amount of ponies in the photograph.

"I know you doubt it sometimes, Luna," Celestia said softly, "but there are ponies all over this land who love you very, very much. I don't want you to ever feel unloved or unwelcome in Equestria."

Luna sniffled, fighting back tears. "Thanks, Tia."

The tall alicorn stepped forward towards her sister, nuzzling her affectionately once again. "I love you, Luna."

"I love you too, Tia."

The two broke the embrace and Celestia took a few steps back and sat down on her haunches. She gazed at the smaller, blue alicorn lovingly. Luna had already been growing quickly since her rescue from the grasp of Nightmare Moon, and even now, she looked different than she had a month ago. She was about a foot taller and her mane was longer. Her little sister was growing up.

It was still a surreal feeling to see Luna sitting before her, alive and well. It felt like a long dream that was too good to be true. Celestia had smiled more this past week than she had in nearly two months. It was an amazingly joyful feeling to be reunited with her sister and it refused to ebb away. Smiling brightly, she gave Luna another hug with her wing.

"Well then, sis," Celestia said, stepping back, "I'll leave you to whatever plans you have for this evening. The night looks gorgeous, by the way."

Luna beamed. "Thank you, Tia! I wanted to make sure my first night since my absence was spectacular."

"Well, you've definitely succeeded, little sister," Celestia replied, smiling proudly.

Luna sighed. "And I have nothing important to do tonight, so I'm going to finish the novel that I started and then go flying."

Celestia's jaw immediately fell into a frown as her mind conjured up terrible memories against her will. A wave of déjà vu hit her; this was how the argument had started. The staging was nearly the same. "Um…flying?" she muttered, hoping she'd misheard her sister.

Luna opened her wings and stretched them out, moaning blissfully. "I haven't flown in more than a month," she said, "I feel really stiff. I need to get out and move." Folding her wings up and opening her eyes, Luna took notice of Celestia's very concerned expression. 

"Oh! No, don't be silly, Tia. I'll go find some guards to fly with me."

Celestia let out a sigh of tremendous relief. She smirked. "Why did I ever doubt you?"

Luna smiled and shook her head. "After what I just went through, I'll never go out on my own again. I promise."

"That's good to hear, Luna. Thank you."

Luna stepped forward and quickly nuzzled her sister again before turning around and trotting over to her desk. 

Celestia stood up and watched her, pausing for a moment of thought.

"Actually, Luna," she said, causing her sister to turn around and look at her, "you don't have to go bother the guards."

"What?" Luna responded, baffled, "But, Tia! I-"

"I will go flying with you."

Luna paused for a moment before breaking out into a huge smile. "You will?" she asked, and Celestia nodded. "Oh wow, Tia! The two of us haven't been out flying together in…I don't even remember how long it's been!"

"I would love to accompany you, dear sister."

"But Tia, you've been working so hard! You've been doing both of our jobs. You need to rest!" Luna said, frowning. "You don't have to if you don't want to, Tia. I don't want to be a bother…"

"Nonsense, Luna! It would be no trouble at all!"

"Tia, you really should rest. It's night time now."

"I will rest later, Luna. You are more important right now."

Luna smiled warmly. "Thanks sis…"

"Anything for you, Luna."

"Well, if you're sure, then let's go right now! I'll read when I get back."

"That sounds like a great idea."

Luna, practically bouncing with excitement, tidied up her workspace and placed her novel on top of her bed so she wouldn't forget it. Her sister watched in amusement. Moments later, the two stepped out onto Luna's balcony, staring out across Equestria as it was bathed in the pale moonlight. The weather was very calm and the temperature was just right.

Luna couldn't stop smiling. "Ready, Tia?"

"Are you sure you're okay to fly, Luna?"

"I think I'll be okay, sis. I really do feel much better."

"Well, if you need to stop, just tell me and we'll land somewhere."

"Okay, Tia!"

The two spread open their wings, feeling the light evening breeze ruffling their feathers. Celestia took a deep breath of the cool, night air. It was all beautiful. The night was perfect, just like her little Luna.

"All right! Let's go!" Luna exclaimed before galloping forward. Celestia followed suit, and the two leapt off the edge of the balcony, catching the air with their wings and soaring off into the distance.

As the landscape sped by beneath them, Luna wore a gleeful smile, fully enjoying the freedom of flight, Celestia could only think of one thing; this was perfect. The perfect ending to a ridiculous and terribly upsetting series of events, and she couldn't be happier.

…

The royal alicorn sisters sat at the top of a grassy knoll, letting the breeze flow around them. It toyed with their manes and tickled their fur. The crescent moon was high in the sky above them, spreading minute but gorgeous light across the trees and grass around them. The sounds of the evening reached their ears; an owl hooting, crickets playing their song, a wolf howling in the distance.

"Sometimes…" Celestia mused, "it's nice to take a step back, forget you're a princess, and just take a long look at the beautiful world that we live in."

The breeze picked up, chilling the princesses. Luna snuggled up closer to her sister, who extended her wing to cover her. They sat in silence for a few moments, letting their thoughts roam freely.

"Tia?" Luna spoke after a few minutes.

"Yes?"

"What will happen to Navy Shield and those other three?"

Celestia frowned, her good, calm mood immediately soured by the thought of those four ponies. She let out a huff of breath. "They have been accused of treason, conspiracy against the crown, kidnapping, holding one against their will in inhumane conditions and attempted murder. They were all found guilty."

Luna stared forward as her sister spoke.

"Comet Tail will receive 25 years in prison, due to his identifying of Sunny Ray as an accomplice. The other two unicorns are going to receive 45 years, and Ray will be stripped of his position and will never be able to work for the crown ever again.

"Navy Shield…" Celestia paused, shaking her head, "I still can't believe he would even do something like this. I knew he was loyal to me, but to think…You and I interacted with him almost on a daily basis."

"I…I haven't been able to look at any of the guards in the same way, Tia…" Luna said quietly, "At least, not yours."

Celestia nodded. "On some level, I am inclined to agree with you. I had always suspected there might be some cult or group working towards harming you, but to have it originate from within the royal guard? I'm honestly shocked and appalled."

Luna shivered and snuggled against her sister again.

"Well," Celestia said calmly, "Navy Shield will never bother you again. The verdict was life in prison with no bail."

"Good," Luna said, sounding distant.

"You don't have to worry, little sister. We've put that monster behind bars for good."

Luna only nodded.

Celestia sighed. "I know, Luna. I understand what you're feeling. It's frightening, isn't it?"

"I just…" Luna mumbled, "Who can I trust any more?"

Celestia nuzzled her. "Me."

Luna smiled.

"Don't worry Luna. I'm here for you. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that nothing like this happens ever again. We'll keep a tighter watch on who we let into the guard, and we'll keep our eyes and ears open for anything that's amiss. It's going to be all right, Luna."

Luna gave another nod. "I trust you, Tia."

Celestia smiled and hugged her closer with her wing. "I love you, Luna. Never forget that." The two simply sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the cool night air. 

Suddenly, however, a bright flash of green appeared before them. It condensed into green flames that soared towards them, stopping and swirling before Celestia's face before forming into a tied up scroll.

"Oh my," Celestia said, catching the scroll with her magic, "A letter from Twilight."

She gazed at the scroll, tied up flawlessly and sealed. Perfect as always. What was different about this scroll was what was written on the outer edge; 'To: Her Highness Princess Celestia and Her Highness Princess Luna'.

"Oh, it's for both of us!" Celestia said, turning to Luna.

"Really?" Luna replied, perking up.

Celestia nodded. "Let's see what it says," she said, opening and unrolling the scroll. The two sisters leaned in and began reading it.

	Dear Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,

Greetings from Ponyville. I hope everything is going well for you two, and I hope Luna is having a great recovery. Everypony here has been sending you positive energy and hoping you get well, especially Pinkie Pie. 

I still remember the group of us stepping out of the Canterlot Hospital, helping you get back home, only to be greeted by an ecstatic crowd. The whole of Canterlot, and a few from afar, had gathered to welcome you home, and I'll never forget the smile that was on your face, Luna.

I also hope you're feeling better mentally, Luna. We all know that you went through a harrowing experience, and sometimes it can be tough. Don't forget that I'm only a letter away. Spike says he doesn't care if you wake him up in the middle of the night just to send me a message. My friends and I will always be there if you need us, and I'm sure your sister will be too. 

Celestia, I trust things are going well in the castle? I don't think your smile ever faded while we were there, and I wouldn't be surprised if the same one was still upon your face right now. We were all so happy to see you beam like that. It was a wonderful feeling to know that we helped bring a smile back to you.

Here in Ponyville, we've all been resting. Pinkie's eye and Applejack's jaw have healed up completely. Fluttershy just got her splint taken off, but she won't be able to fly for a few more days. She doesn't mind, though. She enjoys spending time on the ground with all of her animal friends.

Your Highnesses, I just wanted to share with you the lessons I learned this past month. I learned the value of never giving up, as well as the importance of pursing the truth. If your gut tells you that something's wrong with the way things are presented to you, then you should definitely do your best to investigate it. It's never a good idea to jump to conclusions, but you should always give your hunches a chance.

I also learned that sometimes your friends won't share your views or ideas. Sometimes they'll disagree with what you think and often aren't shy about voicing their opinion. However, I've learned that a true friend will give you the benefit of the doubt and help you seek out the answers you're looking for. After all she did to help me out, I know that if Applejack ever has a hunch and needs my help, I'll be there to do my best, even if I don't agree with what she's saying.

I can definitely vouch for my friends and say that they have all learned these lessons too. We are definitely thankful for all the wonderful lessons this adventure has taught us, but most of all, we are simply thankful that Luna is safe and the two of you are together once again.

It truly brings a smile to our faces to see the two of you so happy.

On behalf of my friends and the entire village of Ponyville, we wish you safety, happiness, and a great recovery.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

The two alicorns smiled after finishing the letter. The young unicorn's words were filled with warmth and sincerity; her happiness resonating through their minds.

"Tia?" Luna said after a moment.

"Yes?"

"You and I have some amazing friends, don't we?"

Celestia closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes, Luna. We do." 


THE END






Thank you to everyone who enjoyed this story, and especially thank you to anyone who left a comment. I couldn’t have done this without the fan support.

Big shoutout to the My Little Pony forum on Neoseeker (http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/54588/). Their fanfic contest is what originally gave me the drive to get off my posterior and actually write this, and the support of my friends from that forum encouraged me to keep going.