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// Chapter 34: On The Horizon 
// Story: When Snow Falls 
// by Prophet Of Doom 
//------------------------------//

     A large crowd had gathered at the Crystal Empire’s rail station, as word of a train containing refugees quickly spread. Soon word reached the central palace and its occupants came out to investigate.
Twilight Sparkle was leading them through the parting crowd. Her mind had been racing since the morning sunrise did not occur. Letters sent by Spike went unanswered, her tendency to overanalyse was only kept in check by Cadence. With said princess, her brother Shinning Armour and her friends in tow’ the crowd parted further revealing a pony that Twilight hoped could explain what was going on.
“Luna!” She almost shouted as her pace quickened.
“Twilight! Thank heavens your here!” -Luna breathed a sigh of relief- “I feared you were in Ponyville.”
“No. Where all here,” Twilight replied confused. Stepping aside to reveal the following ponies. “Luna, what's going on? Why has the sun been raised today?”
Luna stared at Twilight for a second, then swallowed a lump forming in her throat, “Nightmare Moon, has returned.”
The gathered crowd went noticeably silent. Some even started backing away from Luna. Twilight didn’t but become very wary none the less. “Luna, where is Celestia?” Twilight asked, choosing her words very carefully.
“I'm not certain, but I believe that my sister has been sealed in the moon.”
Gasps and murmurings now replaced the crowd's silence. Cadence stepped forward, her mere presence was enough to calm her subjects, “Luna, just tell us what happened?”

Luna did so, recanting her entire day. It was an astonishing story to those who heard it. From the moment she saw the image of the mare in the moon, to her forced landing on the train. It was only then that twilight noticed the burn marks on Luna’s dark coat.
“There's still one thing I don’t get,” Applejack chipped in. “Isn’t Nightmare Moon a part of you?”
“That is what believed as well. I thought it was the worse side of me made real but alas, I was mistaken,” Luna said with a clear hint of shame in her voice. “It now appears that Nightmare Moon is a being onto itself.”
‘So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “you're saying that Nightmare Moon is now loose in a separate body of her own?”
“No, not in her own body.”
The group looked up at the new voice. The old griffon Stonie was still sat on top the loaded coal wagon. Visible weary from a long journey.
“It attacked a pony in Hoofly and took control of her with some sort of dark magic, before attacking others and departing for Canterlot.”
“It took a mare?” Cadence clarified.
Stonie nodded, “One of the royal guards. Known to us as Foxtrot.”
“Foxtrot!” Twilight exclaimed. She then looked up and down the line of refugees who had made their way off the train, “Wheres Midnight Snow?”
Stonie pointed to a patch of coal beside him. Twilight had lever herself up onto the side of the wagon to see Midnight, curled up facing away from her. 
“Is he ok?” She asked quietly.
Stonie was slowly lowering himself down the side of the wagon, landing on his rump with an ‘Omph’.
“Well, after Nightmare Moon attacked Foxtrot,” He began solemnly. “It used Foxtrot to attack Midnight. Blasting him through two walls and knocking him cold. Luckily we had a doctor on the train”
“How awful,” Fluttershy muttered softly.
Twilight's ears sank, “Do you know when he will wake up?”
“He already is,” Luna answered in a low soft voice. “He has been for a few hours, just not in the mood to move.”
“He and Foxtrot had grown very close over the last few moons,” Stonie added. “Very close.”

Stonie then turned to Cadence, “Your highness, I have a message from a Steel Wall, one of the royal guards.”
Candace nodded and gestured for him to continue.
“Steel Wall confessed to me before I boarded the train, that against his will he had been Nightmare Moon’s host for the last year and a half. Whilst he claims that he was unable to stop himself but he was able to see what Nightmare Moon was planning. According to him, princess Celestia was its first target,” -He turned to Luna and Twilight- “Then princess Luna, then princess Twilight, and then yourself princess Cadence.”
The princess nodded thoughtfully, “we must assume that he is correct. With Luna and twilight here as well as myself, the Crystal Empire may soon become a battlefield.”
This last statement caused an uneasy stir in gathered crowd and refugees.
“Considering all this,” Starlight Glimmer added, making her presence known for the first time. “Shouldn’t we evacuate all none-essentials to a safer location?” 
“That might be difficult,” Came a voice from up high. They all turned to see Midnight sitting upright on the wagon. His mane was ragged, his coat covered in coal dust and his eyes were completely bloodshot.
“Why’s this, Midnight?” Twilight asked.
He pointed to the far horizon behind him, “There's a storm brewing.”
Cadence and Twilight exchanged glances and then laughed the selves on the coal wagon with a single mighty flap of their wings. Landing either side of Midnight, they now could see what he could. Menacing black clouds had gathered across the horizon and were slowly moving towards them. Twilight gulped at the sheer size of them. Very soon this land was going to bare the brunt of the frozen north.