//------------------------------//
// Freedom (Rev. 2) 
// Story: Phantom Son 
// by Firestorm808 
//------------------------------//

Day 364994 of Celestia's Rule

Canterlot

A purple unicorn mare looks through her telescope to see a beautiful night sky over the kingdom of Equestria. As she is looking over some constellations, a flash of light draws her attention elsewhere. Her telescope rotates to the source only to find several green lights soaring through the sky past the moon and its mare pattern. "Spike!" she exclaimed in excitement. "Come here. There's a meteor shower." She heard a yawn.

"Twilight?" A little purple dragon with green spines walked onto the balcony.

Twilight moves over and lifts her younger brother to look through the telescope too.

He smiled brightly at the shower, amazed. "That's pretty cool. We rarely see those." He rose a brow after a few seconds. "Now that I think about it, why does it look green?"

Hearing the question, Twilight Sparkle got into book mode. "Meteor showers happen when something, usually a comet, leaves behind small particles of dust as it travels through space. If our planet happens to cross that path, those tiny bits of dust - called meteoroids - can run into our atmosphere and burn up. The color depends on what the piece of dust is made of. In the case right now, if there's a lot of magnesium in it, it'll emit green light as it burns up."

Spike stared at his older sister in confusion. "I don't think I understood half of that."

Twilight shook her head in amusement. "In retrospect, I don't expect you to, Spike. I only learned that in my Astronomy class during the academy."

Rolling his eyes at her, Spike started walking back into the house. "In any case, thanks for letting me see it. I should get back to work. I'm still working on my gift for Moon Dancer. Remember to put that away and lock up before you go to bed." He chuckled. "You don't want stray pigeons nesting in the library again."

She narrowed her glare at the young dragon. "One time. It happened one time. I took hours for me to shoo them out and clean up their mess." She shivered. "I still have nightmares of them tearing up pages for their nests."

Spike gave one last deadpan stare. "I'm not even surprised that you cared more about the books than them cleaning out most of our pantry." He continued his way to bed. "Goodnight, Twi."

Twilight gave a playful snort. "Goodnight, Spike." She continued to stargaze wondering what else this big world would hold.

Somewhere, The Next Morning

The area is flourished with numerous colors. Several birds perched on the branches of tall green trees. A gentle breeze sways the blades of grass. The only thing that stood out of place was the smoking crater. A small red fox approaches in curiosity with other forest creature close behind. They all felt the impact last night, curious about what it was. Looking down at its base, they all see a black and white stallion. While they have met other ponies in passing, this one felt different. There was a strange aura around him. A brave robin flutters to the bottom of the hole and lands on the pony's head. Making contact, she felt the cool yet comforting fur. Looking closer, the animals could see the pony's barrel expand and contract slower than normal. He was alive. How did he get here? How did he survive such a fall? Taking another risk, the robin began pecking at the stallion's face in hopes of waking him up. After a good minute of poking his cheeks, the body jerks slightly. Seeing this, the fox scurries a few away from the possible danger. Seeing the pony's eyes start to blink, she flew to a nearby branch, giving the pony some much-needed space.

Dusk felt pain all across his body. His mind felt hazy. 'Ugh. My everything hurts.' He rested for half an hour before attempting to move, flickering his eyes against the bright light now and then. It took several attempts for him to roll onto his back. After many breaths, he finally he opened his eyes to blue skies. Seeing the drastic change in atmosphere, he forced himself to his hooves, nearly falling over again. Steadying himself, Dusk took in the area around him. He was in a hole, a deep one. 'I hate my life...' Taking another half hour to crawl out, he collapsed. Immediately, his senses flared. His body pressed against the grass. His lungs breathed in the fresh, natural air. His eyes gazed at the multiple colors in the landscape. A flock of birds flew overhead and to the horizon.

"I can't believe it. I'm… I'm free!" Dusk raised his forelegs into the air, cheering. "I'm finally free!" He dropped down and began rolling around in the moist grass. Dusk was livid. He wasn't in a barren landscape. He didn't have to stare into the deep blackness of space every waking moment. "Luna, we're home. We're finally-" He looked around to see that he was all alone. The jovial expression quickly disappeared. "Oh… Yeah..." Dusk took a few breaths before sitting down.

"Look who's finally awake?" a feminine voice suddenly asked.

Dusk turned to the recognizable voice. Instead of Luna, Nightmare Moon stood in the grass; however, she looked different. Nightmare was semi-transparent, and her body was tied down in many frozen chains. Dusk sighed at her. "What do you want?" His voice filled with exhaustion.

A few animals in the background were staring at Dusk in hesitation and confusion. Who was the pony talking to? There was no one there.

Nightmare's coy smile turned into a faux frown. "Why the harsh tone? After all the time we spent together, I would have thought you would be used to me by now."

Dusk narrowed eyes at her. "Luna and I were doing just fine up there until the day you came back."

"When will you finally understand? I am everything Luna wants to be." Nightmare's power flared but did nothing to the chains.

The prince rolled his eyes. "Keep telling yourself that." Dusk started walking away in a random direction.

"I am her true self brought to life. The events of crystal empire and its fallout paved the way."

Dusk glared. "What do you mean by that? You mention it now and then, but you never go into detail."

She paused before speaking again. "Fear, Dusk. Ponies fear what they don't understand."

He slumped. "I never thought of Luna that way. I loved her."

"And that is why I need you, Dusk, more than you realize. To the world, I am just another danger, hiding in the darkness. Look at me now. Their fears have become reality." Nightmare shook her head from those thoughts. "It's not too late, Dusk. Release me, and you will be the herald of my new age. After that?" She fluttered her lashes. "Who knows."

Dusk deadpanned. "Yeah, not gonna happen."

With a sigh, the apparition of Nightmare followed the young stallion. "I've waited centuries to take back the kingdom. I can wait a little longer to get you on my side," replied Nightmare.

He turned back to her. "You and I both know that you can't do anything without a body."

"As long as you have me chained in your subconscious, you're right." She huffed in annoyance. "I'm stuck with you."

The animals nearby gave him a short sniff before going on their way. He was a strange pony, but not a threat as far as they could tell. Dusk started walking again. "Nightmare, we need to get our priorities straight right now."

She simply took the insult from her warden. "Fine. What do you want from me, then?"

Dusk took a good look at the area around them and found nothing. "Do you know where we are? Does anything look familiar? I got nothing."

She scoffed at him. "How would either of us know? All I see is a grass field and trees. Not exactly much to work with. We've been trapped on that blasted moon for who knows how long."

Dusk sighed. "Yeah, I lost count after a few centuries."

"The same goes for me as well." Raising a brow, she asked, "Why? Where are you trying to go?"

"I need somepony who can tell me where to find Mom." Deciding to head east, he started his way. 'I guess I should try walking and see where that takes me.'

The figure of Nightmare floated alongside. "So what? You'll try to get rid of me."

Dusk paused. "I just want to fix our family..."

Nightmare expression softened at his answer. "How many times do I have to tell you? Luna is no more. The age of two princesses has ended. There's no going back."

"And I told you that you're wrong!" he yelled. "I know Luna's still in there, somehow, and I'm not gonna stop just because you said so." Dusk went quiet before continuing. "I can't stand us falling apart for so long..."

Nightmare looked at him solemnly. 'So naive, yet that is one of the things I like about you.'

Suddenly, a rumbling sound echoed the area. His eyes widened at the realization, and a blush reached his muzzle. "Huh. It feels weird feeling hungry after hundreds of years." When he finally found daisies to eat, biting into one sent a wave of flavor through his mouth. While it's not the best thing ever, it was enough to cause Dusk to scarf down several patches worth. Various herbivores scampered away from the pony eating with such vigor. With his energy filled up, his body started to heal much faster than before. Looking back up, Dusk saw Nightmare lick her lips at the thought of food. "You want some?"

She raised a brow. "And how are you going to do that?"

"Let me see if this works..." Dusk closed his eyes and tried to focus. He wrapped his thoughts around the taste in his mouth and feeling of content.

Nightmare was astonished as wisps of ethereal blue energy began to swirl in the mindscape. Seconds later, a lone flower appeared in front of her. "Fascinating."

"Well, try it."

Picking up the flower in her free hoof, she took a small bite. Pupils widened as she registered the flavor, and she proceeded to gobble up the rest. Calming down, she saw Dusk trying to hide his laugh. A small blush of embarrassment forming, she looked away and coughed. "Let's hurry up and get going."

Dusk shook his head. "I suppose it's time for an aerial view." Closing his eyes once more, Dusk focused on the icy feeling inside himself and pulled it outward. A white halo formed around his body. Splitting in two, they crossed his entire body, and as they passed, the color of his fur inverted. His white coat became black, and his hooves, collar, tail, and mane became snow white. Black and white wings sprouted from his back. A slight white glow emanated from him. His eyes opened to reveal toxic emerald irises.

Nightmare examined Dusk and his transformation. Even after years of seeing it, there was so much about it that she didn't understand. "I keep telling you, black is your color." She gestured to herself. "Very slimming. I do miss your horn, though."

"I'm still surprised that I can become part Pegasus at all." Letting out a tired sigh, he flapped into the air. The feeling of flying here felt so much better than on the moon. The cool breeze flowed under his feathers, bringing a comfortable cooling sensation. Meanwhile, the sun above gave a gentle warm washing over his fur. 'How did I live so long without this?' About an hour of casual flying later, he spotted what looked like buildings on the horizon. 'I guess that's a good place to start.' With a thought, his body turned invisible and flew near the town's entrance. He went behind a nearby tree before transforming back to normal.

Nightmare gave him a curious look. "Why are you not in your transformed state?."

He rolled his eyes at the question. "We may be centuries in the future, but I doubt ponies are very welcoming to mysterious glowing black pegasi."

Nightmare paused before she nodded in agreement. "Point taken."

"Now, where are we?" Approaching a sign, he read, "Welcome to Ponyville: A safe place to live?"

"Well." Nightmare laughed. "Now that we're here, I wonder how long that lasts."

Ponyville

Dusk slowly walked into the small town. It was one thing to see modern Equestrian civilization in dreams, but it felt so surreal to be back. Many ponies were walking around, going about their daily lives. Fillies and colts could be running through the streets. Stallions and Mares perused through stores and stalls. He could faintly hear the conversations around him. Dusk tried to take it all in.

Nightmare nostalgically smiled. "You know, this place is much more reminiscent of Everfree compared to the other places we've seen in the dream realm. I like it."

He nodded. "For once we agree on something.

Looking up, he saw several pegasi making their way around. One particular grey mare flew by with a stack of several packages. She didn't seem to be paying attention to where she was going because she collided with a lamp post. Both she and the packages fell with a crash.

Nightmare chuckled. "Would you look at that? We're already getting started."

Dusk sent Nightmare a glare. "Oh, quiet, you."

The foals who were playing nearby started laughing. A few adults who saw the incident rolled their eyes and went on with their day, pulling their children away from the scene.

He frowned. 'Not wanting to get involved. Some things never change.' Dusk walked over to the fallen gray mare. Her eyes were still spinning. "Excuse me. Are you hurt? You took a pretty nasty fall." He held out a hoof to pull her up.

Getting her bearings back, she quickly accepted the hoof. "Thank you, mister. I think I'm okay." She turned to the stallion and got a good look at him. "Are you new in town? I don't think I've ever seen you before. I know just about everyone in Ponyville."

He nodded. "I am." Dusk finally got a good look at her as well. She had a yellow mane with bubbles as her cutie mark. When he focuses on her head, he grew a bit worried. "Do you need a doctor? I think there may be something wrong with your eyes." Both of her pupils were looking in different directions.

Nightmare made a face. "Dear gods, she's like those lizards."

Dusk gave her a mental smack. 'I don't need your commentary right now.'

The mare looked away in embarrassment, a wing hiding the side of her head. She hated it when her eyes made meeting new people awkward. "No. No. It's fine. This happened as I grew older. I'm not sure why."

"I'm sorry for bringing it up." Dusk slowly raised a hoof to her wing. He gently pulled it down, so he could see her again. Her mouth writhed in nervousness. "You know, looking at it again, it's not that bad."

"Really? You're not just saying that to be nice..." She attempted to cover herself again only for Dusk to continue speaking.

"Believe me when I say that eyesight is the least of a pony's worries. All that matters is how he or she responds to the world..." Dusk thought about Nightmare. "I know somepony who has a lot of unresolved issues with her sister and family. They haven't talked in years."

She chuckled at how small her problem was. "I guess. You're right."

"Try not to let it get to you. Again, I'm sorry for bringing it up."

She shook her head. "It's fine. You didn't know."

He nodded. "How about we start over. I don't think I got your name."

"You can call me Ditzy. Ditzy Doo."

He smiled as well. "And my name is Dusk."

Ditzy gave a thoughtful expression. "If you'd like, Dusk, I can give you a short tour of the place."

"Really?" 'I do need to get my bearings and possibly a map.' "I'd appreciate it, but don't you have to bring these somewhere." He gestured to the scattered letters and boxes.

"Oh, yeah. Forgot about that. We can do that after." She started stacking some boxes. "So, how do you like the town so far?

"Well, my first impressions of this little town are a little mixed." Dusk bent down to collect the scattered letters. "It looks lovely, but it's also disappointing to see that some ponies would walk by you just now."

Ditzy rubbed her hooves a bit. "I can't blame them. I've been in this situation more than once. I suppose they got used to seeing me like this." She smiled at the kind stallion. "I'm glad you came through. It's been hectic lately."

He returned it in kind. "I'm happy to help."

She glanced at the gear-shaped object around his neck. "I like your medal. What does CW stand for?"

"Thanks, and to be honest, I don't know. I've had this since I was a foal." He shrugged before rubbing its face. "I always figured that it would tell me where I was from before I was adopted."

"A thousand years later, I still have nothing," grumbled Nightmare.

Ditzy's expression softened. "I'm sorry to hear that."

He shook his head. "Don't be. Who I am now is all thanks to my Mom. I wouldn't want it any other way."

When the two of them picked up all the scattered mail, Ditzy asked if Dusk could help her back to the post office, and he obliged. The two of them proceeded to walk across town and continued their small talk. "Since you just arrived today, where are you from?"

"I'm from Everfree."

Ditzy raised a brow. "Everfree? Do you mean the Everfree forest?"

Dusk blinked at the response. Everfree did have a forest, but the connotation that Ditzy had was unnerving. "Uh, something like that. It's nearby."

She shrugged. "Must be a small town. Can't say I've heard of it. By the way, are you staying for the Summer Sun Celebration?"

"What did she say?" This caught Nightmare's attention.

"Summer Sun Celebration?"

"You haven't heard of it?" Ditzy asked with a tilt of her head.

"Sorry. I haven't. I've spent all of my life in Everfree. There's a lot about the outside world to get used to."

Ditzy beamed. "Then this will be your first one! The Summer Sun Celebration is when we celebrate Princess Celestia raising the sun for the longest day of the year."

The icy chains held down the angry mare. "Celestia did what!" Nightmare exclaimed. "She made an entire holiday just about her!"

Dusk kept his face from frowning. 'Really, mom. You're not helping me out right now.' "I see. It certainly sounds fun. What exactly do you guys do?"

"Normally, the town has one huge party, but this year, Celestia chose to raise the sun here in Ponyville. It'll be the one-thousandth sunrise!"

This brought a pause to Dusk and Nightmare. "Mom..." he whispered. 'Wait, did she say one thousand? We've been on the moon for a millennia!'

"We've been imprisoned up there while she's been having fun?!" Nightmare tried biting through her chains to no avail.

'W-We need to talk to Mom. I'm sure that she wouldn't have forgotten us.'

"How do you know? How do you know that we didn't fade into history like Everfree."

'I don't...' Dusk composed himself. "S-So, Celestia is coming here? When?"

"It'll be in five days, but the entire town is busy with preparations," replied the mail mare.

"It appears destiny is in your favor," commented Nightmare. "When I get my hooves on her..."

"I suppose that's why you have so much mail." Dusk straightened the packages on his back.

Ditzy nodded. "Yup. It can be a bit overwhelming. Everyone wants it to be perfect."

'Five days... I can finally see her again. Wait.' Dusk turned to Ditzy. "Do you guys have any inns in town?"

"Yup, ponies from all over will be coming to the festival."

'Ah, crud. Unless they accept moon rocks, I'm broke and homeless.'

"You never thought about where you were going to sleep. Did you?" asked Nightmare.

'No. No, I did not.'

"On the bright side, you've gotten used to sleeping on the cold hard ground for years."

Noticing the anxious expression on his face, Ditzy spoke. "Are you gonna be staying with family or friends?"

Dusk gave a sad chuckle "Sadly, no. I'm here without a bit to my name. Maybe I'll find a nice tree to sleep under."

"Really?" The two of them had finally reached the post office. "I'm sorry to hear that." Ditzy pushed the door open, only to hear a loud crashing sound. She strained a smile to the concerned Dusk. "Whoops." Once inside, they were met with stacks and piles of boxes and bags of letters. She laughed nervously. "We're kinda behind schedule. All of us here have been, rushing to get things done. If only we had..." Suddenly, Ditzy looked from the mail and to Dusk carrying a box a few times before she spoke again. "Hey, I know how to solve both our problems."

"What do you have in mind?"

"Since the entire office overflowing with orders, we can hire you as a temp."

"A temp?"

"You'll be working for us until the celebration is over."

"That's nice of you, but I just got here. While I do need money, I still don't know the lay of the land."

Ditzy shook her head. "Minor setback. We can work together on your first run while also giving you the tour I promised."

'What do you think?' Dusk asked Nightmare.

The lunar mare sighed. "The mare certainly wears her heart on her flank. In any case, it's better than nothing or trespassing. Seeing Celestia again would be an... experience."

"So, do we have a deal?" Ditzy held out her hoof.

Dusk thought for a moment before smiling and shaking her hoof. "Where do we go first?"