//------------------------------// // Chapter 26: Epilogue // Story: The Nyxing Hour // by Nagel Navari //------------------------------// The damage of the Children of Nightmare could not be forgotten in an hour, even with the mind-parasite defeated at last. By the time they made it back to Ponyville, the city was positively swarming with royal guards, with every citizen corralled out of their homes and into the protection of city hall for a night of uneasy sleep and endless questioning. In some ways, it seemed like something she wouldn’t want to miss—surprise sleepover for the whole town! But she didn’t get the chance. Celestia had returned, and she was apparently first on her list. Nightfall tensed as they made their way up the stairs in city hall, past dozens of guards in shining gold armor. “I don’t suppose I can get out of this one,” she muttered, dragging her hooves as she made her way down the hall. “After saving the world? You probably could.” Midnight stopped a foot away, turning back to watch her with concern. The guards waiting by the mayor’s office door made no effort to speed them up. “But the last time wasn’t so bad, was it?” Midnight settled one of her wings on Nightfall’s shoulder, nudging her to look up with one hoof. “You did it, Nightfall. You did something even Luna couldn’t do. You honestly think her sister is going to be upset with you?” She tapped one hoof against Nightfall’s horn. “You’re one of them, Nightfall. You’re going to have to make friends with the Alicorns sooner or later.” The door opened, and Nightfall caught a single glimpse of dawn light swirling around the desk before it shut again, and Sapphire emerged from within. She still looked a little worse for wear, with thick bandages wrapping around her neck and covering one eye. But she was on her hooves again, despite that. She hurried over, stopping beside Midnight. “Warmed her up for you,” she said, grinning. “Though… she might still want to hear the whole story from you. The Children of Nightmare did take over a whole town.” “And after that… it’s over, huh?” Midnight said. She sounded almost… no, that couldn’t be disappointment. “Over,” Sapphire agreed. She smiled down at Nightfall. “I think you lost this, sweetie.” She tossed something onto the floor in front of her—the enchanted headband. Or… maybe this was a different one, because she couldn’t see any sign of damage. “Guess that means no more guards,” Midnight went on, as though there’d been no interruption. Is she afraid? I didn’t think she was afraid of anything. Then Nightfall looked up, and saw the way the kirin was watching Sapphire. Sapphire shrugged, apparently too battered to notice. “That depends on her.” She nodded towards the door. “Might as well just go in, before you scare yourself more than the princess would ever do.” “Yeah.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Will you come with me?” Midnight answered with a hug. “Even a princess couldn’t take you away from me.” Princess Celestia had transformed the little office in the short time she’d been there. Nightfall couldn’t see the walls anymore, and instead only a clear path leading straight to the desk where Celestia sat. In any other direction the princess’s magic made it seem like they were outside at the top of an impossibly high mountain, with only a brilliant sunny sky on either side. It stung her eyes for a moment, but that didn’t last. She didn’t feel the need to crawl under a rock and hide anymore. “You made it,” the princess said, watching them approach from behind the desk. “There was less time to prepare than I would’ve liked—for any of you.” Midnight stood tall beside Nightfall, unintimidated by the day princess as most ponies were. But then, Sapphire didn’t seem frightened either. If they’re not afraid, then I’m not afraid. “It was enough for Nightfall, princess. She was ready the moment I met her.” “That may be true,” she said. “The outcome certainly speaks for itself. But I would like to hear the account personally.” She gestured towards Nightfall. “From you. While ponies across Equestria will celebrate, I cannot join them until I know.” Midnight glanced briefly down at Nightfall, as if to ask if she wanted to be rescued from telling the story. But this time, Nightfall ignored the offer. She could handle this. She explained everything, with Midnight filling in what she remembered as somepony briefly captured by the cult. The story took a long time to tell, but the princess let her tell it her own way. “That’s really it,” Princess Celestia finally said, when the story was done. “You separated from her forever. Even with all that she was offering you.” Nightfall nodded. “We don’t have to wonder if the effect was permanent,” Celestia went on. “The ponies she captured were set free. She never would’ve done that if she had a choice. Nightmare Moon was… absolute. She never gave up a drop of power without being forced.” She leaned back in her chair, smiling weakly. “I guess she would have to be, to think that making the night last forever was a good idea. “Thank you, Nightfall. Your actions have helped my sister to heal in a way I never could’ve done. Equestria will never understand what you have done tonight—in a few days, I suspect they will not even remember. But I will. If there is anything you wish, anything in my power to grant, you only need to ask.” Nightfall didn’t hesitate for a second. “I want to stay in Ponyville,” she exclaimed. “It seemed like keeping me here was just to stay away from the cultists, and that you would’ve wanted me closer. But I don’t want to be closer, I’ve already made friends here.” She glanced over her shoulder. “My mom did too. I don’t know if we still need any guards or whatever, but I’d like it a lot if Sapphire got to stay too.” She laughed. “I think I can make arrangements for that. Ponyville has already proven to be a useful magical training ground for another of my students, and Canterlot’s court would devour you. There will come a time when you need instruction only an Alicorn can provide… but that doesn’t have to come today, or even this decade. “Will you hide your identity?” Princess Celestia rose, and at once the illusion all around them melted away. A distant glow emerged from the windows on one side, seeming to light the whole village on fire. Had the princess done that? If so, she’d moved the sun with barely any apparent effort. “I don’t see how I could,” Nightfall muttered. “I’m sure some ponies saw me come in.” “Maybe they did,” she agreed. “But they also saw Ponyville taken over by cultists telling them the world was about to end. If anypony noticed you, I’m sure they’ll rationalize it away. You could go back to the way things were, if you wanted.” “Do I have to?” Princess Celestia stopped only feet away, towering above Nightfall. It was strange to be near a pony who could make even Midnight seem normal. “You’ve earned the right to choose. But understand, choosing doesn’t mean having any control over how ponies react. Even if I went downstairs and demanded that the population of Ponyville accept you, that would only breed greater resentment. Their actions are their own.” “Are we going to tell Equestria what happened?” Midnight asked. “When I came to Ponyville, the townspeople were happy to see me because they thought I was here to protect them from future attacks. If they knew what Nightfall had done saving them, I can’t see them caring that she’s an Alicorn.” Celestia nodded. “Not with the details you’ve just told me. But they will be told. And just as importantly, assured that the danger is over at last. The Children of Nightmare will never return now that their master has…” She trailed off. “Well, not died, exactly. But won’t be able to return to Equestria.” “Then…” Nightfall slipped the headband back on, and watched her horn vanish again. “I’ll wait a little while to tell them. Until tomorrow. But Nightfall was tired—barely even on her hooves anymore. She tried to stay awake through the rest of Midnight’s conversation with Luna. But her mom was so close, and after everything she’d endured that day… She climbed up onto Midnight’s back, and everything got blurry after that. “You don’t mind, do you?” Midnight asked, when they had finally finished with the princess and were heading home. They weren’t kept inside with the rest of Ponyville, not with the sun already rising and all the interviews finished. Nightfall still rested on her back, thoroughly asleep now. She might be an Alicorn, but she was still a child, and her last day had been nothing if not traumatic. Something told her that she wouldn’t be making it to school today. “Do I mind that Midnight asked for me? That I won’t be assigned anywhere else in Equestria for a while? I can’t imagine why I would. Ponyville’s a wonderful little town, and it’s halfway to lots of more interesting places.” Midnight smacked her with the flat of her tail, annoyed. “That isn’t what I mean, and you know it. Do you mind staying with us? Nightfall and me.” Sunrise over Ponyville showed the damage of the night’s attack in sharp relief. Lots of broken windows, a home that had burned down near the Everfree. Midnight caught sight of Twilight emerging from the library on the other side of town, and she waved one hoof. The unicorn waved back, as weak-looking as Midnight felt. “Nightfall is wonderful,” Sapphire answered. “In a way, she beat the princess. And training an Alicorn… that’s a rare opportunity.” Midnight nodded, though she couldn’t stop her tail from whipping about behind her in increasing frustration. “I agree with you completely. Surely those things are the only reasons worth staying in Ponyville.” “Well…” Sapphire stopped walking, right in from of their little house. Its front windows were among the many that had been shattered the night before, and already leaves and trash had blown into the empty storefront. Really ought to do something with that. Maybe now that there’s not a cult to run away from. Sapphire leaned close to her for a few seconds, and Midnight froze. Whatever frustration she had been feeling turned to nervous anticipation. “I made you dinner. Before…” She flicked her tail around the square. “Well, before this. Kinda ruined the evening. Maybe I could take you out instead. Uh… and Nightfall can come too! If she wants to. She might sleep for days after what happened, but—” “I’d love to,” Midnight interrupted, before the pegasus could get even more worked-up. “But it doesn’t have to… I’m sure Nightfall will want to catch up with her friends.” Nightfall could hardly imagine her good luck. It had only been a few days since the end of the Nightmare Cult—less than a day since Celestia and her sister had come out before Ponyville and explained everything that had happened. She could still remember sitting in the audience as Luna praised a “helpful new alicorn, who arrived to assist Equestria at our time of greatest need,” without once naming her or prompting her to come forward. Some part of her had wanted to then, so that at the very least she would have her true identity revealed and could move forward. Midnight had spoken several times about her experiences in other parts of Equestria—at the distrust and fear she felt when she revealed her secrets, and Nightfall didn’t want to repeat her mistake. But ultimately, Celestia’s word of caution had won her over, and Nightfall had kept her mouth closed. She would share the truth about herself with all Equestria in time, but she didn’t want to start with something that public. No, she would start with her friends. It seemed almost as though a helpful adult was meddling somewhere, because the very next night a sleepover was organized at Zipporwhill’s house and most of the ponies she knew were invited. The reasons were boring and over her head—several homes had apparently been damaged during the attack, and a remodeling crew was in from Canterlot who wanted to fix as many as possible overnight. Ponyville didn’t have any hotels, so… Her own home was one of those that had been damaged, and first on the list to repair. So she wasn’t even a little bit surprised that they wouldn’t be allowed to use it for the night. The night included plenty of what Nightfall had expected from a sleepover, even if she had only her friends’ stories of past adventures to go on. There was staying up too late eating things they shouldn’t, and plenty of “board games.” All new adventures for her, and things she’d be eager to try again. But Nightfall was really just waiting patiently for the end of the night, after Zipporwhil’s mother “put them to bed” in a row of mismatched sleeping bags beside the embers of the dying fireplace, and they began whispering scary stories. She waited patiently as Aura told one about a headless horse patrolling the everfree forest, as Zipporwhill recounted something about getting lost during a rainstorm. But then it was her turn. “I’ve got something nopony here has ever heard before,” she declared proudly, sitting up against the wall and spreading her wings. “The story of the pony who used to be Nightmare Moon.” “That sounds kinda familiar,” Aura said. “You mean, like… what Princess Celestia said yesterday?” “Kinda,” Nightfall admitted. “You just… wait until the end. You might change your mind. But before I can tell you, you need to promise not to tell anypony else. This is… our secret. Secret stories like this are too secret to share.” It wasn’t hard to get their promises—frankly she wondered what she would’ve had to say for them to refuse. And so she told them. Waking up terrified in the woods, running from cultists and getting all stabbed and cut to pieces by dangerous plants, until a helpful kirin out in the woods rescued her. Her arrest, interrogation, and eventual assignment to Ponyville. “But how do you know all that?” Featherweight interrupted, the first to say anything during the several minutes it took to explain. You didn’t even move in until...” “Wait until the end,” she urged. “You’ll see.” And she went on—about the great new friends she’d made in Ponyville, and how wonderful and welcoming it had been. How much she loved it compared to the world she’d come from, and never wanted to leave. But then evil cultists had attacked, trying to take away the nice new world and bring the mean old one back. “And so the cultists were gone,” she finally finished. “They got to go back to being good ponies again. Nightmare Moon was gone for good, and Equestria was saved. Then she got invited to this wonderful sleepover, ate way too many marshmallows, and… got to tell a story.” “Really?” Liza asked, her voice a nervous little squeak. “Is all that… did you just make all that up? About… going into Limbo, and stopping Nightmare Moon? Being taken away into the Everfree, watching everpony get mind controlled…” “Unless you were just… listening really good when Princess Celestia told us stuff. Maybe… some of that was in there and we just didn’t notice?” Nightfall reached up with one hoof, and removed the illusion headband, tossing it onto the sleeping bag in front of her. The change wasn’t much—her eyes, horn, and teeth would appear as they really were, clear for the other ponies to see. A part of her still expected gasps, screams, shrieks of terror. But none of that came. After a few seconds of staring, Aura was the first to recover her voice. “That’s amazing!” she finally said, maybe a little too loud. Adult hoofsteps sounded through the ceiling overhead. “You’re… Celestia was right! There really is another Alicorn!” As Liza’s mother made her way downstairs, Nightfall hastily tugged the headband back on, making her look like a regular pegasus all over again. “But it’s our secret,” Nightfall said. “At least… for a little while longer.”