//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Fading Light // Story: A Twist of Fate // by Slireon //------------------------------// “Come on, Twilight, it’s not that bad.” While it was true that Spike was trying his best to cheer up his despondent big sorta-sister, he might as well have doused a house on fire with gasoline. Twilight stopped staring at Canterlot, fading into the distance, and sharply turned to glare murderously at him. “Not that bad?” Twilight hissed. “Not that bad?! NOT THAT BAD?!” Her voice grew louder in utter outrage with each repetition. The dragon sighed in exasperation, bravely bracing himself to endure the oncoming storm. “Spike, I had it all worked out!” she began ranting, growing more and more irate and unhinged by the second. “I spent weeks poring over books, translating ancient scrolls in dead languages, reading between the lines of every single document I could possibly find regarding the topic, regardless of how nonsensical or silly they might be, and contrasting them to infer what themes and topics echo each other across the hundreds of accounts so I could discern what’s feasible and what is a pure flight of fancy! It was not a ‘pet project’, but rather a full blown factual paradigm-shattering academic research! And not one done just for science, mind you, but instead a very urgent research for a trascendental contemporary matter that must be adressed ASAP, and the Princess just told me to fuck off!” Twilight shrieked, panting for air. “She told you to take a break and oversee the Summer Sun Celebration’s preparations in Ponyville,” Spike interjected the moment Twilight paused to breathe, rolling his eyes. He shot an apologetic look to the bemused Royal Guards driving the carriage. “And very kindly, might I add.” “Same thing!” Twilight hung her head, defeated. “Besides, why does she even need me to go to Ponyville?” “Well, Ponyville is the location chosen for this year’s Summer Sun Celebration, after all. And since it’s part of Princess Celestia’s personal domains, she sent you, her personal protégé, to oversee the preparations in her place because she’s busy in Canterlot.” Spike recited, annoyance on his face. “Hell, I don’t even know why I’m telling you this, you should already know it. Unless, of course, you’re too busy feeling sorry for yourself to realise what’s going on,” he added with a little smirk. “Yes, I know that, but why couldn’t she send somepony else? I was busy trying to help her protect Equestria! How could she not see that?” Twilight moaned in self-misery. “Unless...” she paused, then gasped as her pupils turned into pinpricks. “Unless I made a mistake in my calculations!” She started pacing unconsciously around the confined limits of the carriage. “I hoofed in a flawed report! And Princess Celestia thinks I made a poor research based on half-plotted assumptions and filly tales! Oh my gosh, Spike, what if the Princess now hates me and thinks I’m dumb and unworthy of being her student anymore and this is her way of punishing me?!” Twilight wailed, hyperventilating. Spike blinked tiredly. “Or maybe she thinks you should get out more, socialise, make some friends, that sort of thing? Y’know, like she said in her letter?” “But why send me to Ponyville for that? If she wanted me to hang out with friends, she could have just ordered me to attend Moondancer’s party back in Canterlot.”  “Friends you’ve constantly ignored in favour of being a shut-in nerd, and a party you completely blew off for the same reason listed above,” Spike deadpanned. “Hey, I totally wanted to go, but I was very busy researching this 'Horse in the Moon' affair, which I’m pretty sure I told you was of paramount importance.” Spike arched his eyebrow. “... And now, besides being Equestria’s only hope of survival,” Spike’s eyebrow went higher, “I’m also in charge of the organisation of the Summer Sun Celebration. Couldn’t Moondancer just move her birthday to, I don’t know, a day the world isn’t ending?” Spike’s eyebrow went even higher than the unicorn would have thought physically possible. Should I research into it? she mused fleetingly before returning to the matter at hoof. What were they talking about? Oh, right, Fax Machine was being an annoying prick. And the worst part was, he was right. “... Okay, they would’ve had to drag me bucking and screaming for me to attend that shitshow,” Twilight admitted begrudgingly, looking away. “That’s exactly the point, Twilight! That’s what Princess Celestia wants you to stop doing! I swear, if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have anypony to talk to.” “Hey, that’s not true!” Spike just stared at Twilight. “I’d have Shining and Cadence,” she added after a beat. “Your big brother and his fillyfriend. You’re not exactly helping yourself there.” “Spike, come on, they’re just friends.” “Right, and I’m not a dragon.” “Exactly. You need wings to be a dragon. You’re an overgrown lizard at best,” Twilight replied, exasperated. “Wow, rude.” “Bite me.” “You know I could, right?” Spike pointed out. “I have fangs for a reason.” “And I could push you out of the carriage right now. See if you survive the fall.” “You wouldn’t.” “It would be so easy, too.” It really would. A tiny magical push would be all that it took. “Mum would be pissed.” “She’d understand.” “Shining would be pissed.” “Not my problem.” “... Dad?” “... Dad.” Night Light was widely known across Canterlot as the nicest unicorn in the city, and thought to be physically unable of being mean, nevermind angry. Worst case scenario, he would be mildly disappointed, and politely ask his fratricidal daughter to apologise to her victim. “Touché,” Spike grumbled. “Well, guess I’m fucked.” “Language,” Twilight admonished him automatically. “Or what, you’ll yeet me out of the carriage? You’re already going to do that anyway, so why bother?” Well, damn, can’t argue with that. Twilight couldn’t help but smile despite her despondence. Of course, she didn’t mean any of her insults; just friendly rapid-fire banter, as always. I have Spike. Do I really need anypony else? she thought as she shifted her look towards their destination. “That’s what I thought,” she heard Spike claim victory behind her, but her mind was elsewhere. Ponyville was fairly close to Canterlot, located at the feet of Mount Canterhorn. That being said, the little hamlet was radically different to Equestria’s capital: where there were pristine marble spires and towers, were instead timber frames and thatch ceilings. The quaint town reminded Twilight of how smaller and older settlements in Trottingham and Prance were depicted in her history books: narrow streets, overhanging upper floors, round town squares, and a steady supply of fresh water in the form of a river crossing the town. “Hey, Twilight?” Spike called her attention. “Does it at least make you feel any better the fact that we’ll be staying in the town’s library?” Her ears perked up at the information. “Really?” “Yep. Ponyville’s Golden Oak Library.” The name had a nice ring to it. “Was that the Princess’s idea, too?” “Uhh, yeah?” Spike frowned, unsure as to what Twilight was getting to. Twilight felt herself light up. The Princess wants me to read! She doesn’t hate me! She believes me! She paused. I mean, kinda? She seems to want me to continue my research, but… Perhaps there are some texts here that Canterlot’s Royal Library doesn’t have? The whole idea sounded preposterous, and Twilight almost scoffed if it weren’t for what she’d learned during her research into the 'Horse in the Moon' myth.  According to legend, Canterlot had been founded after the downfall of the previous royal seat during the Bleeding Years. Said castle was said to be located somewhere in what is now the Everfree Forest, in whose proximity Ponyville was located. However, historical records about the Early Dark Ages were scarce, if not downright non-existent. That being said, given the advances in archeology during recent decades, it was perfectly possible for the quaint little hamlet to have far more information about what she needed than Canterlot did; or at the very least, indications that would further her research. That’s it. I’ll check the preparations, then I’m off to the library to continue my research, prove once and for all that the Night King is real and coming, and help the Princess save Equestria! Twilight decided. She wouldn’t tell Spike; he would just continue to poke holes into her plans and be flat out annoying. Ponyville did have a certain provincial charm to it, Twilight supposed as they hopped off the carriage near the market. The guards nodded at her, and promptly took to the air, leaving her stranded in Middle-of-Nowhere-Ville. Unicorn and dragon stood in silence. A colourful variety of ponies moved around, minding their own businesses. The town’s market square seemed positively bustling, belying its tranquil appearance. A stand selling candy over here, an apple stand over there, some vegetables that way… It was nothing like Canterlot, filled to the brim with pretentious highborns and arriviste bourgeois who talked in polite and prim low voices. Here, ponies shouted, screamed and laughed with a bafflingly carefree abandon, loudly and shamelessly. Twilight was struck. Ponyville seemed so… genuine. Spike was just wondering exactly how the Avengers were going to defeat Thaynos, divided and halved as they were. “So… now what?” asked Twilight after a few moments of staring. “Huh? Oh, right!” the baby drake jumped out of his trance, taking out his checklist. “So, number one, banquet preparations: Sweet Apple Acres.” “Great!” They stood in silence. “So… where’s Sweet Apple Acres?” “I dunno. Go ask somepony. Maybe make new friends while you’re at it,” Spike answered cheekily. Twilight felt sorely tempted to press the issue, but quite frankly, she was rapidly nearing her daily dose of Spike’s cheekiness. As Fate would have it, standing by a puddle near the market was a garishly pink stallion all by himself. He seemed to be deep in thought as he attentively watched his reflection in the calm water. Or perhaps he just liked puddles. His extremely puffy pink mane obscured most of his face, so Twilight couldn’t really tell exactly what he was doing. “Excuse me?” Twilight asked. The stallion didn’t answer, completely lost in whatever the hoof he was doing. “Can I ask you a question?” Silence. “Do you know where Sweet Apple Acres is?” Nothing. Oookay… Twilight was weirded out. Perhaps I should ask somepony else? Just as Twilight started to back away, the pink stallion turned slowly to look at her. The purple unicorn had to stifle a gasp when his face came into view. He looked utterly awful, pink mane disheveled beyond reason, eyes haggard and sunken. He reminded Twilight of those ruined drug-addicted ponies whose sob stories sporadically appeared on the press. Slowly, haltingly, he raised his hoof and pointed west. “Uhhh… thank you?” she said. Silence. “Are… Are you okay?” Twilight asked, concerned. Silence. “I… I think I need to be alone for a while,” eventually answered the stallion. His voice was low, fumbling over his words and dripping uncertainty. “I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure?” “... No.” As silence descended once again, Twilight thought that this was officially the most awkward interaction she had ever had with another pony, and that was saying a lot. “... Please leave,” he pleaded. “... Okay,” she said softly. As she walked back to Spike, he raised an eyebrow. “So what was that about?” “I… I have no idea. He seemed pretty shaken, though. Hopefully he’ll get better soon”. Twilight sighed profoundly, before returning to the matter at hoof. “He did say Sweet Apple Acres is to the west, by the way.” “Yep,” Spike said nonchalantly. Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “You knew it all along, didn’t you.” “Yep,” now he was being cheeky. Again. “I hate you so much.” “No you don’t,” he said with what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. “No I don’t,” Twilight agreed tiredly. “Let’s go and get this over with, Spike.” Sweet Apple Acres, despite being Ponyville’s largest farm and home to the town’s founding family, was, all in all, a rather unremarkable farmhouse in Twilight’s eyes. A blood red barn, a stone well, a few pigpens, some hay and bale over there, and its orchards extended over the nearby hills. All it lacked was live music being played in the background by a bunch of cousins and their string instruments. “Let us pause in life’s pleasures and count its many tears~” Nope, there it was. Twilight fought the urge to roll her eyes as they neared the farm’s gates. Can they be any more stereotypical? “Yee-haw!” yee-hawed a bright orange stallion with a stetson and a work collar as he bucked a nearby apple tree with a mighty kick. All the apples fell from the tree to the buckets placed at its feet but one, which bounced off and came to rest right by Twilight’s hooves. The stallion reincorporated himself, glanced with satisfaction at a job well done, then turned to the newcomer. “Well, howdy there missy! Name’s Applejack. What can Ah do fer ya on this fine day?” He tipped the stetson over his uncombed blond mane, flashing her a warm smile. Yes. Yes they can. “Hi, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m here to supervise the preparations for this year’s Summer Sun Celebration. According to my checklist, you and your family are in charge of the food. Am I correct?” she said politely. “We sure are! Come right in, Ah’ll show ya what we’ve got.” “Oh, uh, it’s not necessary,” Twilight stammered, caught off-hoofed. She had not a single minute to spare for food! She needed to get to the library, ASAP! “I’m sure you’ve got everything under control and everything is going to be delicious and, uh…” Spike snickered at his sorta-sister’s plight, the stray apple half-eaten in his claws. “Nonsense! Ya just got here! And ya gotta see it fer yerself. Ah know we’ve got a good reputation behind us and all, but ya can’t judge a book just by its delicious apple-flavoured cover, right? Come along now, missy,” Applejack said good-naturedly. Twilight and Spike glanced at each other. Well, he has a point, they thought at the same time. Plus, he used a book reference. He seems all right, Twilight mused as she followed the farm stallion. Books aren’t really edible, though... The farmyard was filled to the brim with all sorts of colourful ponies wearing hats and bandannas going one way or another with plates, trays and pans. A little to the side, eight ponies were playing various string instruments with their hooves.  “‘Tis the song, the sigh of the weary, hard times, hard times, come again no more!~”, they sang. Twilight was tempted to inquire on just how exactly they managed to play with their hooves, but then her host started talking. “So, miss Twilight, it’s a pleasure to meet ya and yer overgrown lizard. Let me tell ya, things sure have been hectic around the farm these days! We’ve got Baked Apples, Apple Strudel, Apple Pie, Red Delicious, Apple Dumpling, Apple Slice, Golden Delicious, Goldie Delicious, Apple Rose, Applesauce, Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Apple Tart, Apple Brioche, Braeburn Apple, Caramel Apple, Apple Brown Betty, Apple Honey, Apple Cinnamon Crisp, Apple Cider, Apple Cobbler, Apple Munchies, Gala Appleby, Apple Kuchen, Apple Salad, Apple Juice, Apple Apple...” “Are you kidding me? That’s insane!” Twilight exclaimed, dizzied by her host’s rambling. “Did he seriously just call me an overgrown lizard?” Spike questioned, but no one paid him any mind. “That’s mah family,” Applejack clarified bluntly, “and they’ve all offered to help up with the banquet.” “O-oh. I thought you were talking about the food...” she admitted sheepishly. “Well, Ah mean, Ah’ve been told we’re a mighty delicious bunch.” Applejack winked. Spike burst out laughing at how cheesy that pass was, and Twilight flusteredly fought to contain a blush. The stallion chuckled, amused at the reception of his deliberately lame joke. “Ah’m just messin’ with ya, missy. Now to the food: we’ve got Baked Apples, Apple Strudel, Apple Pie, Red Delicious, Apple Dumpl—” “Wait, seriously?” interrupted Twilight. “Eeyup. Ah mean, a pony named Baked Apples who can’t bake apples? The buck outta here,” Applejack snarked, then flinched. “Uh… pardon mah Prench. So! We’ve all gone and done our own specialty fer the banquet to ensure we have a bit of everythin’ the Apple family can offer!” “And what is your specialty?” Twilight found herself oddly curious to know. For science, of course. “Oh, mah big brother Big Macintosh and me are just the farm’s applebuckers” – Spike, mind always in the gutter, chortled, but a glare by the unicorn silenced him. Applejack didn’t seem to notice – “but mah Granny Smith can make a mean apple pie. Want some?” “Er… It was a pleasure, but I really have to get going. Besides, I don’t want to intrude.” “Nah, it’s no biggie. We Apples love makin’ new friends, and what better way to do so than with food in our bellies and ale in our mugs?” Friends? No, nononononono. There is no time for friendship! “I’m not hungry,” Twilight lied blatantly. Just on cue, her stomach rumbled as loud as a Ponish cavalry charge. Applejack raised his eyebrow in amusement. “Ya sure about that?” “Uhhh…” She needed to find a way out of this! Equestria depended on her research getting into the Princess’s hooves, she couldn’t just waste her time eating an obscene amount of apple-related cuisine! No matter how much her mouth watered at its divine scent, she just couldn’t! And then, a small yellow filly with a ribbon on her red mane showed up and snuffed Equestria’s only sliver of hope with just one sentence and a pair of eyes. “Aren’t ya gonna stay fer lunch?” she asked softly, with the cutest eyes Twilight had ever seen. They were so wide, so bright, so heart-wrenching, like the ones a small klutzy kitten would have, the sort that would cause your heart to explode with just how utterly adorable they were.  The unicorn found herself bewitched by the filly’s gaze. Reality slipping through, tunnel vision setting in, darkness fogging her senses. There was nothing but The Eyes. Through them, Twilight stared at The Abyss—and It was staring back at her. A deaf pain started to take hold of her chest, as her breath caught in her throat. Come on Twilight, just say ‘no’! Do it for the Princess! Do it for all of Equestria! The fate of the entire world depends on you! You can do it! Just say ‘no’! “... Fine.” That’s an odd way to say ‘no’, but you go, girl, Twilight rued as her brain decided to leave town. Sight, sound and smell came back to her as the filly broke her gaze with an ecstatic smile, her heart resuming its normal functions as well. As the near-infinite Apple family members crowded Twilight, trying to get to know her and force-feed her (oh, and Spike too, I guess) their products, Applejack was approached by his enormous, red-coated elder brother. “Li’l Apple Bloom is gonna kill somepony with those eyes one day,” chuckled the orange stallion. “Eeyup.” “Gotta say, she sure is a cutie,” he added after a beat. Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow. “Apple Bloom?” Applejack smirked. “Nnope.” “I regret everything,” Twilight whined as she rolled down the path back to town. “I never want to touch an apple again,” Spike agreed, about to burst from the obscene amount of apple products they had been fed against their will. “Next thing is weather…” Twilight mumbled as she levitated the checklist in front of her. ‘Weather: completely clear skies. Pony in charge: Rainbow Blitz.’ Twilight glanced up to see the sky half-covered in clouds. “Seems about right. Next.” “I don’t know, Twilight,” said Spike as he grabbed the checklist and read it. “The list says the sky has to be completely clear. Emphasis on the ‘completely’.” “It’s not that important, really.” “Twilight, the word’s underlined.” Twilight facehoofed. “Spike, how many times do I have to say it? Equestria depends on us! We lost over a full hour back at the farm, and that was just item number one in the list! We need to speed it up! I doubt a cloud or two are going to make that much of a difference when the Night King returns from his thousand-year banishment, kills millions of ponies, enslaves the rest and plunges our world into eternal, never-ending darkness!” “You know, you make your silly delusion sound awesome,” said Spike with his arms crossed, amused by Twilight’s fantasies. “Well, it’s not! It quite literally means the end of the world!” “Just for the record, I agree with the overgrown lizard. That sounds totally fucking rad,” came a lax male voice from above, scaring the cutie mark (and scales) out of them. If they were expecting to see some sort of god when they gazed upwards, they were sorely disappointed, because relaxing on a small cloud directly above them was only a cyan pegasus stallion with a short and spiky rainbow coloured mane. He seemed positively amused by the newcomers. Regaining her composure, Twilight asked, as politely as she had dealt with the farmponies earlier, “And you are Rainbow Blitz, I presume?” Spike just glared at him for the ‘overgrown lizard’ jab. “Yep! The legend in the flesh!” he said inflating his chest, clearly proud of himself. Whatever reason he might have to be so, Twilight could not fathom. “Legend in… what, exactly? Slacking off?” she asked sarcastically. Rainbow Blitz’s gaze went as hard as a guardspony who’d caught a glimpse of Celestia’s divine plot. “Excuse me?!” he growled, taken aback as if he had been slapped across the face. “You’re supposed to keep the sky completely clear,” Twilight scolded him, “and yet you’re up there, doing… whatever it is you were doing. What were you doing?” “Taking a nap. Your rant woke me up. But what do you care?” Blitz asked, obviously aggravated. “You just said a cloud or two are irrelevant since we’re all gonna die anyway!” “If the Night King returns after a thousand-year banishment and brings the end of the world with him,” interjected Spike, not without sarcasm. “Awesome as it might be, we both know that it’s just a filly tale. Only a foal would believe it’s true,” he added, looking at Twilight with yet another one of his trademark cheeky smirks. “Regardless,” forcefully cut in Twilight, giving Spike the stink eye for his previous jab. The dragon’s smirk just grew larger, “you’re still not doing a very good job of keeping the skies clear.” She looked up at the sky. “As a matter of fact, you’re not doing a job at all!” Rainbow scoffed. “And who are you to tell me how to do my job?” “I happen to be Princess Celestia’s personal protégé, and I’ve been sent here to supervise this year’s Summer Sun Celebration’s preparations.” She sighed tiredly. “Look, I’ve had a very long day, and it’s far from over, so if you could just please, please, work with me here—” “Wait, wait, wait. You know Princess Celestia?” Blitz questioned, immediately perking up. “... Yes…?” “Then you must know the Wonderbolts in person!” he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. “... Really? That’s... That’s what you’re picking up from this?” asked Twilight incredulously. “Well, don’t get me wrong, the Princess is cool and all that, but come on, she doesn’t hold up a candle to the Wonderbolts!” Twilight reeled at Rainbow Blitz’s claim. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The Princess doesn’t… doesn’t “hold a candle”… to the Wonderbolts? She controls the sun at will! What the hay is wrong with you?! “That’s just… so wrong, on so many levels.” He didn’t relent. “Do you know Spitfire? Are you friends? What’s she like? Is she even hotter up close?” He badgered. “What does it matter?!” Twilight cried, her patience wearing thin. “What does it have to do with ANYTHING?! You’re not going to get to meet Spitfire, especially if you keep napping instead of actually doing your freaking job!” “Pffft. Whatever, what would you know?” he said, resettling in his cloud with the intention of resuming his nap. “I have an entire afternoon to do it. Far more time than I need, anyway. I can afford a nap. Or two. Or ten.” Twilight groaned, her exasperation reaching limits she didn’t even know were there. “So you admit that you’re nothing more than a legendary slacker and Wonderbolt wannabe?” If looks could kill, the stare Blitz gave Twilight after that remark would’ve made her burst into flames on the spot. He stood up furiously, flaring his wings. “Hey! I’m not slacking, and I can totally get into the Wonderbolts!” “You were napping instead of doing your job. Sure looks like slacking to me,” answered Twilight, impatient to get this over with. Spike closed his eyes and nodded his head. “Listen here, you little…” Rainbow raged incoherently for a brief moment, before groaning furiously. He sat back in his cloud. “You know what? Fine! I was slacking off, but it’s only because I can clear up the whole sky in ten seconds flat! Heck, even less than that!” Twilight rolled her eyes, unamused. “Sure you can.” “Oh, you wanna bet, prissy pants? All right, let’s bet!” Twilight smirked. Ah, the folly of a stallion’s pride. The colourful pegasus was so woefully behind in his job that there was absolutely no way he could win the bet, no matter how fast he fancied himself to be. “As you wish,” she conceded. “If you win, I’ll get you a good word with Spitfire. But when I win, you’ll have to join me in the rest of my duties.” “Whaaat,” he teased her with a cocky smirk, “are you growing fond of me, Twinkle?” “Misery loves company, and seeing you suffer will make me feel a lot better,” she said with a shrug. “And the name’s Twilight. Twilight Sparkle.” “Well then, Twilight Sparkle, you’ve got yourself a deal!” He proclaimed, standing up in his cloud and stretching his wings, full of swagger. “Whenever you’re ready.” At the unicorn’s signal, Spike pulled out a stopwatch. Twilight fought to contain a squeal, already revelling on the obnoxious pegasus’s incoming suffering when he invariably failed to uphold his part of the bargain. “Okay,” said Twilight. “Clear the entire sky in ten seconds or less. Are you ready?” “Heck yeah.” “All right. Ready… Set… Go!” Rainbow Blitz shot up to the skies before Twilight could even blink. Now, Twilight was the very model of a modern magic prodigy. She had information pegasus, unicorn and earth pony. She knew the Kings of Trottingham and could quote the fights historical, from Mareathon to Breitenpferd, in order categorical. She was very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical; she understood equations, both the simple and quadratical. In magic spells and theory, she was teeming with a lot of news, with many cheerful facts to help prevent thaumaturgic abuse. She was very good at integral and differential calculus; had learned many phenomena, no matter how anomalous. In short, in matters pegasus, unicorn and earth pony, she was the very model of a modern magic prodigy. And despite being the very model of a modern magic prodigy in matters pegasus, she felt every single neuronal conexion in her brain snap at the same time by simply trying to understand… whatever the hay was going on up in the sky at that moment. Before Twilight’s brain had even begun to process what was happening, the sky was completely clear (emphasis on the “completely”), and a very satisfied Rainbow Blitz dropped back in his cloud with a very smug smile. “Done, and with three seconds to spare! How do you like them apples?” He hadn’t even broken a sweat. “Not so much anymore, to be honest…” Spike muttered under his breath, diverting his astonished gaze between the stopwatch (which, indeed, had been stopped at seven seconds flat) and the awesome pegasus sitting atop his cloud. Twilight’s brain refused to work. Suffice to say, she was completely at a loss for words. Emphasis on the “completely”. “Duuuuuuude, I wish I had a camera around. You should really see the look on your faces!” snickered Blitz. Twilight’s brain was just starting to reboot, which allowed her to register something wet dripping down through her chin. Suddenly aware that her mouth was wide open, that she had forgotten even to swallow, that she was drooling like an open water tap, and that she was making a complete foal of herself in front of this stallion, she immediately latched at the first thing her reigniting mind could think of. “‘Apples’? Do you know Applejack?” If Blitz was just as confused as Spike was by that question, he didn’t show it at all. “We’re drinking buddies,” he said nonchalantly, before grinning devilishly. “So! Spitfire.” Twilight’s mind finally caught up with her. She sighed. “I’ll see what I can do.” “Sweet! Y’know, you seem all right,” he said, approvingly. With a smile, he finished, “See you around, Twinkle Sprinkle!” “My name is… Oh, never mind,” she grumbled softly, as the stallion returned to his professional slacking. 'Decorations. Pony in charge: Elusive.' Fortunately for them, the only thing elusive about the decorator was his name. A marble white unicorn was standing in the centre of the town hall’s atrium, using his magic to raise Celestia’s banners, tie ribbons here and there, and look good while doing so, wearing a black beret on top of his curly lavender mane and a pair of stylish glasses. “Hello? Are you Elusive?” Twilight asked as she entered the atrium. “Just a second!” he replied, absent-mindedly waving a hoof at them as he continued engrossed in his task. Twilight and Spike glanced at each other. “Well, he seems to know what he’s doing,” Spike shrugged. Twilight had to agree. “The décor is coming along quite nicely, yes,” she said, turning her gaze to the multiple decorations. It did look quite nice. “Aaaaand done!” exclaimed the stallion. Then he turned back and cantered towards the duo. “So, what can I do for you, my dear?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m in charge of overseeing this year’s Summer Sun Celebration. I just wanted to know how you were handling the decorations,” she said, for the third time that day. She was quickly growing sick of that introduction. “Oh, it’s been no problem at all! Why, I think it’s all gone swimmingly,” he said with a vague hint of a posh Trottish accent… A bit too posh to be entirely natural, in fact. “Say, whatever happened to Amethyst Star?” “Amethyst who now?” Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion. “Amethyst Star. She was the town’s designated event organiser. Had a thing for me, too, but sadly, I’m married to the job,” Elusive chuckled lightly. “Oh, uh… I have no idea, to be honest,“ she said, scratching her head. “Princess Celestia just heaped this duty on me and I complied.” “Princess Celestia?” Elusive’s brow furrowed. Suddenly, he gasped, eyes widening. “Wait, you said your name was Twilight Sparkle? The Twilight Sparkle?” His face was a little too close to Twilight’s for her comfort. “... Yes?” Twilight answered in an uncertain voice. “Oh, you simply must allow me to invite you for a cup of tea!” he exclaimed, with all the enthusiasm and admiration of a five-year old meeting Captain Equestria in the flesh. That would not do. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have time for that,” she tried, but her words fell into deaf ears. “Oh, but I insist! You are a scholar, not a bureaucrat. You’re not used to this sort of duties, and I know our quaint little village can be quite maddening,” You have no idea. “A cup of tea is the least I can do for you, after having to endure, uh…” He glimpsed at Spike’s checklist. The blood drained from his face upon reading the name of their most recent, uhm, acquaintance. “Oh. Oh. I can also afford a bottle of moonshine or seven, if it helps.” What’s with these Celestia-forsaken stallions and using up my time?! I have things to do! Places to be! Worlds to save! But to be quite honest, she felt herself caring less and less with each passing minute. At this point, I think I’d welcome oblivion… “Tea it is, then,” Twilight sighed with all the happiness of someone undergoing a prostate exam. “The worst part about that braggart is that he always lives up to it,” Elusive said as he lowered his cup. “Always?!” Spike asked, impressed. Twilight was too busy drinking her cup of coffee and feeling sorry for herself to react beyond raising both eyebrows in mild surprise. “Oh, well, not always, but…” Elusive started answering, but then stopped himself as he noticed something for the first time. Or rather, someone. He turned to Spike with a grimace. “Oh! Terribly sorry, my dear, I was so caught up with all that’s going on that I forgot to ask you your name!” “Name’s Spike! I’m Twilight’s dragon sorta-brother and number one assistant!” “Oh, you’re a dragon!” he exclaimed, surprised, then chuckled nervously as his eyes darted all over. “Well…” said Spike, confused, “yeah, what else would I be?” “My apologies, mister Spike, but I… uh… I actually thought you were an overgrown lizard,” Elusive admitted, embarrassed. “WHY DOES EVERYPONY KEEP THINKING I’M AN OVERGROWN LIZARD?!” Spike yelled, raising his arms to the sky. “COME OOON!!!” Twilight scoffed. “Told ya’ Shining and Cadence were just friends.” “It was an honest mistake, it won’t happen again,” promised Elusive honestly and quickly. Then his mood shifted immediately as he turned to Twilight. “But enough about good ol’ Ponyville. You’re from Canterlot! You pretty much grew up in the Royal Court itself!” he gushed. “If it’s not that much of a problem, could you please tell me EVERYTHING?!” he suddenly roared desperately, slamming his hooves on the table, veins bulging out in his neck and forehead, drawing looks from every single pony sitting in the coffee shop’s courtyard, plus every single passerby, aside from one white unicorn mare who was too busy bobbing her head at her gigantic headphones’ beat. “Uh… Why?” asked Twilight, wary of her host. Don’t tell me he’s one of those… she thought cautiously. “Why? WHY?!” Elusive’s eyes turned into pinpricks. Spike sighed and braced himself, recognising the signs of an incoming, unhinged rant. “Underneath the gilded façade of Canterlot’s Royal Palace lie the intrigue, the schemes, the politics! Why, they’re the corridors of power itself! Everything interesting that happens in Equestria happens over there, and just a single word, whispered in the wrong ear, can affect and alter the fate of all ponykind! It’s so positively fascinating!” Twilight’s eyes were as wide as Celestia’s plot. She blinked. “That was not what I was expecting.” Elusive raised an eyebrow, suddenly entirely composed once again. “And what exactly were you expecting?” “I don’t know,” said Twilight. “The courtesy? The chivalry? The great dances, the feasts? The romanticism? That sort of thing?” “Oh, well, yeah, there’s also that,” said Elusive nonchalantly, “but it’s not the most important thing. To be fair, I think I’ve read far too much Groom Q. Q. Martingale for my own good,” he admitted sheepishly. “You are aware that’s a work of fiction, right?” “Please, Twilight, I’m a fan, not a twat. Of course I do. But as always, reality trounces fiction. If only the press talked about how volatile things are up in Russaria, or Austrot, or everywhere, really, instead of the generic tabloid fodder of who is dating who and all that…” he mused, taking a sip of his tea. Twilight had to admit, she was rather impressed. Perhaps her first impression of Elusive as a shallow, social-climbing dandy had been misguided. “Huh. I imagined you would be interested in that sort of thing.” “My dear, I’m a fashion designer,” stated Elusive matter-of-factly. “Of course I’m going to be interested if, I don’t know, the Duchess of Buckingham suddenly introduces a new dress style at her court; and I’d be thrilled if she asked me to design a dress for her! Alas, what good is all that if a war breaks out?” He sipped his coffee, before muttering, “Well, at least we’ll all look fabulous while we bleed out in the mud…” “War? W-why would there be a war?” Twilight asked, confused. What are you even talking about? “Please, let’s not pretend everything is fine in Equestria, because it’s not,” sighed the white unicorn, “no matter how much we’d like it to be. That much is obvious even to my little sister.” He straightened in his seat and continued: “Case in point: Russaria is ridden with corruption, abuse, poverty and growing inequality. And while the same can be argued about most of the other kingdoms, Tsar Nikonlái is definitely not the pony for the hour. He’s manipulated by everypony around him. Who knows what might happen when the Russarians decide they won’t tolerate this anymore? And furthermore, what would the other constituent kingdoms do about it? There are already worker strikes by the dozens in the big cities. I doubt they would be too enthused about the idea of said workers taking over Equestria’s largest kingdom...” To be honest, Twilight had barely any idea of that. Granted, perhaps she’d been a bit too engrossed in her magic studies to pay attention to what was happening outside the Royal Library. But, if Elusive was telling the truth... How? Twilight thought with despair. How could this happen under the Princess’s watch? Princess Celestia is good, she’s smart, she’s kind. How could she let this happen? Why didn’t she stop it before it came to this? “But… Princess Celestia…” she mumbled weakly. “The Princess is an indisputable genius, and she’s doing all she can do, of that I am absolutely sure,” Elusive said in what he hoped was a comforting tone. “But I don’t think even she would be able to soothe these tensions. They’re run far too deep for a single pony to defuse. And she can’t really do much outside of her personal domains, I’m afraid,” he said with a sigh. “Is it really that bad?” asked Spike, deep concern in his voice. “So it seems, my dears, so it seems. Hopefully it’s just the press fearmongering and exaggerating for a quick bit, as they always do. We’ll just have to wait and see, and hope for the best,” he concluded kindly. So even if Celestia manages to stop the Night King, Equestria is going to end up destroying itself? Twilight felt herself deflating. Why do I even try? Elusive had commendably tried to cheer them up afterwards with a degree of success, but the somber mood hadn’t been vanquished entirely. Unicorn and dragon walked slowly towards their final destination. Spike glanced at the checklist in his claws. “It’s okay, Twilight,” he said, shifting his gaze towards his downcast sorta-sister. “The only thing left now is music, in charge of, uh… ‘Butterscotch’.” Twilight sighed. “Let’s just get this over with, Spike,” she said, exhausted. “This day has been awful.” “Hard? Sure,” he said softly. “Tiresome? Oh yeah. But awful? That’s a bit too much, isn’t it? I mean, I wouldn’t call it awful.” “Then you clearly haven’t been paying attention,” Twilight snarked sharply with the enthusiasm of an eight-year old doing his math homework. Wait, no, she actually loved doing that. With the enthusiasm of... someone having a stroke. Yeah. That’s better. She was being a bit unfair, though, and she knew it. Applejack and Elusive had both been most kind with her, if a tad time-consuming, and she had found herself liking both of them. Rainbow Blitz had been an arse, but he certainly was an impressive fellow nonetheless. It simply had all happened at the worst possible date ever. Perhaps, any other day (when she wasn’t busy trying to find concrete, hard evidence about the Night King to help the Princess prepare for his incoming return) she would have liked hanging out with them, but not today. Not right now. Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, Spike. But I’m really, really tired. Do we know where to find Butterscotch?” “You mean the pony with the bird orchestra?” Spike asked bluntly. He pointed his claw down the path. “He’s right there.” “Wha—” “Hey, uh… Please, if you don’t mind, could you stop for a moment?” asked the butter yellow pegasus to his birds in a soft, deep voice with a northern accent. Twilight would have thought him clinically insane, but indeed, the birds obeyed his command and stopped their singing immediately. “Yes, uh, Mr. Andronikos? Your pitch is slightly too high. Could you please try to lower it a bit?” the bird nodded and saluted with one of his wings. The pegasus smiled. “Good. Now, let’s rehearse once again; and a one, and a two, and a one, two— oh.” he froze suddenly when he caught eye of Twilight staring at him. “Oh! Don’t mind me, I’m just checking out the musical preparations for the celebration. You are Butterscotch, am I right?” “... Yes.” He answered softly, completely still, as if Twilight was a predator that would pounce the instant he moved. “I see everything is going fine! I won’t bother you anymore.” “... Okay.” Spike turned to Twilight. “Well, that was easy.” “WAIT IS THAT A BABY DRAGON?!” Butterscotch suddenly shouted at full voice. Now that they could appreciate his voice on the rough, stripped from the soft, soothing cadence he previously had, they realised it was such a deep baritone that the world must have certainly trembled when the pegasus’s balls dropped. “FINALLY!!!” Spike punched the air as Twilight sighed with dread. Too good to be true. “Someone who can recognise a dragon! Oh, Butterscotch, it’s been terrible! Everypony has been calling me an overgrown lizard today!” he told Butterscotch, who was cantering towards them. “Oh, you poor thing. You see, overgrown lizards are a common concern in Ponyville, and they look a lot like baby dragons such as yourself,” he answered good-naturedly, his previous timidness all but forgotten. The definitely-not-overgrown lizard blinked. “Wait, they actually exist?” “Yep. They live somewhere in the Everfree Forest, so from time to time they come to Ponyville looking for some food. Most ponies have never seen a baby dragon, so of course they mistook you for one,” he said, then his blue eyes lightened up considerably. “Oh, this is amazing! How old are you? Did you ever meet your parents? What do you usually eat? How much do you sleep? What are your hobbies? Do you know the square root of Pi?” Twilight coughed, trying to take back control of the conversation and of her number one assistant. The sun was starting to set! “Yes, I’m sure you have much to talk about, but it’s getting very late. Butterscotch, do you mind if we leave? Spike is still very young and needs his sleep.” “I’m not tired!” Spike protested. “Of course you are!” Twilight proclaimed, using a jelly legs jinx on Spike and causing him to tumble down to the ground. “Look, you can’t even keep your balance!” “Oh… Uh… I-I guess...” Butterscotch wavered, all his bright, lively curiosity gone and his shyness back to the forefront. Twilight frowned. What, can’t talk with mares? Well, at least this means he isn’t going to distract me for long. “Sorry, gotta go! Take care of yourself!” she said as she quickly turned around and galloped to the library. “... Okay…” “He seemed nice.” “Just because he didn’t call you an overgrown lizard?” “Well, yeah, that helps. You were pretty rude, though.” “I’ll apologise later, but right now we’re running out of time! The Night King is coming back tomorrow morning, the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration, and will plunge our world into eternal darkness, unless I manage to find any indisputable evidence of his return and inform the Princess so she can prepare in time! Now, if I can just get a few hours to myself instead of being interrupted by every crazy pony in this town…” Of course, that was exactly what happened when she opened the Golden Oak Library’s door. “SURPRISE!” MOTHERFUCKER! Almost every single pony in Ponyville was crammed in the Library’s main chamber, wearing party hats and kazoos. At the central desk, there was punch and fritters cluttering what should be a place for studying. A banner reading "WELCOME TWINKLE SPRINKLE" was hanging in the back wall leading to the stairs. She could recognise Applejack, Rainbow Blitz and Elusive among the attending ponies. Twilight wasn’t really sure what angered her the most: the home invasion, the heretical desecration of a solemn place of scholarship and knowledge, the fact that every hope of studying tonight had just been snuffed like the hopes and dreams of everypony living in Pompequo on that fateful day, or the deliberate misspelling of her name. The only thing she was sure about is that she was absolutely livid. And the main culprit was bouncing towards her. It was the same pink stallion who seemed to be having an existential crisis when they arrived, but now he was sporting the biggest grin they had ever seen on anypony’s face. “Hi! My name’s Phil Pie, and this is your surprise party! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya?” “I…” Twilight’s confusion was so great that most of her rage dissipated in a jiffy. How are you smiling? Weren’t you having some sort of existential crisis just a few hours ago? What kind of name is "Phil"? What the hay is happening?! “You… What?!” “Oh, you’re referring to our meeting early? Silly me, I was just having a mental breakdown!” he cheerfully replied. “I had just woken up and I suddenly had a wee-wee and my voice was all deep and manly and stuff, so of course I had a panic attack and I had no idea what to do with myself so I ran away and I didn’t know if I even wanted to live like this, but then I met you and thought, ‘well, Pinkie you silly filly, things that never happened before are happening so you might as well see what the dreamworld has in store for you before you wake up!’’, and that helped me get over it! But then I realised, oh my gosh I have no name! I mean, I thought about Bubble Berry or Berry Bubble, but I still remember Maud and Marble and Limestone, and Pie is a family name, and it’s not like just because I woke up with a lil’ fella’ down below their names will suddenly change overnight, and I couldn’t be the odd one out without ‘Pie’ in my name, but I couldn’t just keep being Pinkie because I’m a dude now, so I thought, ‘hey, I’ll just be ‘Philippos Demian Pie’', because Philippos is a Hayzantine name that means ‘lover of horses’, and I’m a horse and I love other horses and I love seeing ponies smile and being happy, so I thought it was a very fitting name! A bit foreign, sure, but if there’s a mare named Derpy Hooves – she's over there, by the way. Hi, Derpy! –, then everything flies! Except earth ponies and unicorns, of course, because they don’t have any wings, duh. Oh, and Demian sounded like Diane, anyways, so there’s also that. Afterwards I met up with Dashie – or Blitzie, I guess? – and we threw up together this party to welcome you to Ponyville because you’re new to town and oh gosh wow you’re drinking the vodka straight from the bottle and you’ve already downed over half of it! Wow, that’s amazing, but also a bit bad for your health, isn’t it? But who am I to interrupt you and your fancy Canterlot style? So—” “Oh, for the love of Celestia, just shut the fuck up, Phil,” Rainbow Blitz muttered with a mirthful smile, rolling his eyes. “Okey-dokey-lokey!” Phil smiled widely. Then he noticed Spike. “Oh, hey, dragon dude! How ya’ doin’?” “How can you say that much without even stopping to breathe?!” Spike questioned, completely befuddled. “Oh, it’s super easy! All you have to do is...” You know, on second thought, perhaps suffering genocide was the most desirable solution. Twilight moped on her bed as the world spinned around her due to the vodka, and spinned without her right outside her closed bedroom door as the rest of the ponies revelled in Phil’s party. So much for helping save the world tonight… she thought ruefully. Suddenly the door opened. “Yo, Twilight!” shouted Spike, wearing a lampshade on his head. After the initial shock had passed, the dragon had gotten along rather well with Phil and the rest of the guys they’d met along the day. “AJ and Blitz are about to engage in a drinking contest! Wanna watch?” “Wanna die,” she moaned, not even bothering to raise her head. “Well, one of them is probably going to, they’re drinking almost pure, undiluted alcohol!” Twilight closed her eyes and groaned. “What are they even doing up awake? It’s like two in the morning!” “Come on, Twi, you know we’ve got to stay awake for a few more hours until the Princess raises the sun! Otherwise we’re going to miss it.” “Not gonna stay awake much longer if they’re drinking pure, undiluted alcohol, they won’t,” Twilight snarked, then muttered to herself, “or alive, for that matter.” Then she deflated with a sigh, and her voice softened. “Besides, the sun won’t rise ever again. We’re doomed, and it’s all because of me.” “Don’t be like that, Twi.” “But it’s true!” she wailed as she covered herself with the bedspread. “The Princess trusted me to study how to defeat the Night King, and I’ve gone and lost the whole day in lunches and shenanigans.” She looked out of the window, contemplating the night sky. She had always found it quite beautiful, often staying awake for hours just to gaze at the stars. Of course, she also spent quite some time studying it, because studying was what Twilight did best: the stars, the constellations, the moon, the sheer enormity of the sky, wondering about its many mysteries, hoping to one day be able to solve them herself. However, even when she was not in the mood for studying, she could always find solace in the nocturnal sky, beautiful, soothing and relaxing. Not this time, however. Her gaze shifted towards the moon, big and bright as always, a pattern of dark blemishes forming the silhouette of a stallion’s head. The Horse in the Moon. Marks that have decorated the moon for a thousand years, ever since the day the Night King had been imprisoned, if the legend was to be believed. And in only a few hours, said legend continued, “the stars would aid in his escape”, whatever that means, and all of Equestria would be doomed.  And all because of her.  And those stallions stealing her time.  And the party outside. But mostly her.  She sighed again, hope abandoning her with each breath. Sensing the need to comfort her sorta-sister, Spike walked up to her bed and sat down beside her. “Twi,” he said, putting a claw on her back, “if I know anything about you, is that you never give up. Why do it now? So there’s the wildest party in recent memory right outside your door. So what? The Twilight I know would never let that put her down, and would never, ever, let somepony stand in the way of her studying. And there’s still a few hours left ‘til sunrise!” Twilight kept staring at the moon, contemplating his words. What am I even supposed to do? It’s too late to do anything… … Except it wasn’t. Spike was right. She still had a few hours left to find some information regarding the Night King’s return before, you know, he actually came back. Even if she had to study with a wild party raging right outside her bedroom door. And what difference did that make, in any case? She had made it through Shining’s punk-rock phase unscathed. She was used to loud noises while studying. She turned to Spike and smiled softly. “You’re right.” “I’m always right.” “No, you’re not,” she said affectionately. “Just this time.” “That’s good enough for me!” shrugged Spike as he jumped back to his feet, grinning. “I’m heading back to the party! You go, pick up whatever books you need, and help the Princess save Equestria!” “Yeah!” she yelled energetically while Spike closed the door behind him. With renewed spirits and energies, Twilight stood up… only to immediately stumble back onto her bed, the world spinning around her twice as fast as before. “On second thought, maybe when the alcohol subsides a bit…” Checking her notes, there was not much more hard evidence regarding the Night King’s return from the moon, but there was a small part that she had overlooked in her panicked and apocalyptic first draft. A small detail called ‘Hope’: The Elements of Harmony.  According to some tales, an unspecified long time ago, the White Sister had used these so-called “Elements of Harmony” to defeat her Black Brother once his heart’s envy had festered into conflict, returning Harmony to Equestria and taking over their previous shared duties of raising the sun and the moon. Today, Princess Celestia was the pony in charge of said duties.  If the tales were true, and the Night King’s imminent return led her to believe that both stories were connected, then the Princess was either the White Sister’s current successor or, most likely, the White Sister herself; she would certainly know what to do. At least that’s what Twilight hoped, because she didn’t have even the faintest idea about where were the Elements of Harmony, or even worse, what the heck they were. Fortunately, now Twilight had a vague idea of how they could defeat the Night King when he returned. Unfortunately, that would be in about ten minutes, give or take, so… “We’re screwed.” Spike, who had just entered the bedroom to tell her that it was time for the ceremony, sighed. “Don’t be like that, Twilight. Tell me, if there really was any danger of the Night King returning, you do think the Princess wouldn’t do anything about it? Wouldn’t she deploy the Royal Guard? Maybe even order general mobilisation if it really was that bad? Take care of the situation herself?” Twilight pondered on it. “Well…” “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now, come on, let’s watch the sunrise!” Twilight gazed at the moon for a few moments, then sighed, defeated. “Yeah, okay, whatever, I did my best. Slavery and/or death, here we go,” she muttered underneath her breath as she stood up from her desk. Spike looked at her askance, so she plastered on her face the fakest smile she could manage. He just rolled his eyes and walked out of the room, the purple unicorn following. After a few minutes, they arrived at Town’s Square, lined with tables filled to the brim with apple products, a choir of birds harmonising a soft tune. Celestia’s royal banners waved pleasantly and the night sky could be appreciated in its majestic totality, for not even a cloud was in sight. Which allowed Twilight to watch the exact moment the 'Horse in the Moon' suddenly vanished from the Moon’s surface, while four stars quickly circled the orb. Okay, we’re fucked. Deep inside of her, she felt a grim vindication. The town’s Mayor, a mayor mare with a pale brown coat and grey mane, stood on a podium in Town Hall’s porch and addressed the congregation of ponies. “Fillies and gentlecolts! As incumbent mayor of Ponyville, it is my great, great honour to welcome you to our town for this year’s Summer Sun Celebration! Many of you have traveled from all over Equestria just to celebrate today, the longest day of the year!” Ponies cheered and applauded her words. “Now, in just a few moments, our town will witness the magical raising of the sun! And who better to do it than the great, the kind, the wise, the keeper of harmony and Princess Sovereign of the Equestrian Empire herself…” Here we go. “Princess Celestia!” she exclaimed, leaving the podium empty. Now, the Princess would walk over the stage and raise the sun with her magic. ... … … Any second now. … … … Ponies were starting to get confused, talking in hushed tones with their companions, wondering what just happened. Had the Princess just gone and done a No-Show? Scandalous! And where was the sunrise? Wherever she was, it was still her duty to raise the sun at this exact hour, every single day. It’s not like she could have just forgotten about that. “Uhh… Twilight? What’s going on?” Spike asked confused. She couldn’t bring herself to lie, to try to comfort him. She just felt… Tired. Hollow. She had tried to warn him, to warn them, and they hadn’t listened. And now, it was too late. “The end of the world,” she sentenced grimly. The Mayor looked just as flustered and confused as the rest of the audience, but she did her duty, walking back to the podium. “Keep calm, everypony, please keep calm. I’m sure there must be a reasonable explanation for thi—!” “Kneel.” The single sentence suppressed any noise from the complete congregation instantly, a deathly silence blanketing the town. All eyes were fixed on the stage. Under the light of the moon, an eldritch, dark mist materialised from thin air. Violently twisting and turning like a gross cluster of snakes all moving in different directions, the fog grew to define the shape of a large, slender, four-legged creature. With a final flash of light, the mist disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. In its place, a heavily armoured stallion stood. Instead of a normal mane and tail, his were like nebulas connected to his body, waving and fluctuating on their own accord, studded with a star pattern. Plates of enameled silver steel covered large portions of his pitch black body, the moonlight reflecting off his greaves and sabatons. He wore an intricately designed peytral and a criniere connecting with the chanfron, a dark and edged piece of metal that covered his whole face but his unnaturally bright and mismatched eyes, his right iris a deep, ice-cold blue and his left a piercing, flaming blood-red; blades rose from his brow towards the sky, surrounding a long black horn. On both the croupiere and peytral, was engraved a single, pearlescent moon with a crown on top. His wings were extended, looking like they were made out of swords instead of feathers. The Night King. “Oh, my beloved subjects,” he talked with a low growl, yet his tone was soft and husky like a lover’s. “It has been far too long since I have seen your faces. Your Sun-loving faces. And yet, the Usurper could not hold onto her stolen throne forever, for your Rightful King has returned from his unjust exile. Now...” his voice lost whatever softness it could have had, “I ordered you to kneel.” Silence. Everypony was too terrified to move a muscle. Well, except for one. “What did you do to the Princess?!” screamed a stallion. Twilight turned to see Rainbow Blitz flapping his wings furiously. Either he was the bravest pony alive, or the drunkest. She would have thought him to be in an ethylic coma by now, but he seemed steady on his wings. Probably he just was too dumb to live. The Night King stared Blitz back into submission. “I paid unto her the same currency she used on me.” “Did you KILL her?!” a mare wailed. “No. Death is far too kind to that Usurper. She always loved the warmth of the sun; may she revell on it as it kisses her pristine coat with tongues of fire and sheds her skin from the bone for the rest of eternity.” “Who are you?!” somepony yelled. “Did you not recall the legends? Have you not seen the signs? Have you forgotten your own history? Or has the Royal Bitch lied to you for ages?” the Night King closed his eyes and hummed. “You don’t even know who I am, don’t you?” “I do.” Twilight opened her eyes in shock. That had sounded a lot like her voice. But she didn’t remember having opened her mouth! “Oh?” the Night King looked at the audience with amusement.  No, not at the audience.  At her. Oh. It was my voice. Twilight gulped. She was not easily scared, but the Night King’s lifeless, mismatched gaze was… terrifying. She felt as his red eye bore deep into her soul. “Then, please, tell the rest of your companions: who am I, my dear?” She forced herself to speak under his penetrant gaze. “You are the Horse in the Moon,” she breathed out. “The Terror of the Night.” She gulped. “The Night King.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “So they call me.” He chuckled darkly, then faced the audience once again. “Remember this day, my little ponies. For it was the last Day. From now on, the Night will last FOREVER!” he proclaimed. Murmurs and cries rippled across the desolated audience. “Seize him! Only he knows how to bring the Princess back!” yelled desperately Mayor Mare, gesturing wildly at their new monarch, yet nopony dared obey her. The Night King looked utterly unimpressed at her display.  “Be grateful, mare, that I am a merciful God: I will pardon your outburst, for I do not desire to inaugurate my reign with unnecessary bloodshed. But should your insolence continue beyond twenty four hours, I will personally ensure that your head is the first to adorn Canterlot’s gates,” he growled at her, who blanched and fainted. “Now, there is much to do. Edicts to be proclaimed. Oaths of fealty I have to receive. Sycophants whose heads must be lopped off.” And with a flash of light, he was gone.