Darkness.
The sounds of muffled voices from within the room tickled at Nyx’s ears. She was dreaming, surely. The faint scent of antiseptic, combined with the slight echo of ambient background noise resonating off hard walls, told her that she was not at home in her own bed. Familiar voices faded in and out in fragments as she struggled to grab hold of consciousness.
Luna’s voice hovered nearby, an upset whisper. “…told you this might happen.”
Twilight’s voice, some distance away. Crying. But why?
Celestia’s stern, quiet voice, nearby. “…is much more serious than…”
Luna’s voice. “…least she did not tap the Aether. There is still hope that…”
As Nyx drifted back into the deep dark, the passage of time became a blur in her mind. Her body seemed to fade away into a relaxed numbness as her senses dimmed. Eventually, faint echoes coalesced into voices once more. Her ears picked up Luna’s voice again, speaking in a sharp yet hushed tone from farther away than before.
“…not have known how to cast Death Blossom.”
Celestia’s voice, faintly. “She has perhaps remembered more than you anticipated, sister. Obviously, she…”
Spoken words faded back into faint echoes once more as Nyx lost the fight for cognition. What were they whispering about? It was unimportant. Only her overpowering fatigue existed. She needed to…
Needed to…
Sleep.
At some later point, clarity began to return to her mind, if somewhat reluctantly. It was as if somepony was slowly pulling cotton balls out of her ears. Her senses sharpened with each increasingly deep breath, her ear twitching at Luna’s words, nearer than before.
“…to be watched carefully for further signs,” the princess said. Luna… It felt like she was close enough for Nyx to reach out a hoof and touch. If only her hooves existed—she could not tell.
Then, Celestia’s voice in reply, also very close. “Agreed. She cannot participate in the war. It’s just—”
Unlike earlier, the voice did not fade away. She had abruptly stopped speaking as if she had just noticed something important.
It took an effort for Nyx to pull herself out of the fog. Her eyes slowly opened, blinking several times to discover that she was in a strange bed, lying on her back. The first thing she saw was the face of a white pony with a pastel striped mane, eyes wide and bright, looking straight into hers. A pleasant smile graced her face.
“Celestia?” Nyx croaked, feeling as if she hadn’t used her voice in years.
The princess turned toward the others. “She’s awake.”
In a sudden jumble of motion, Twilight practically knocked Celestia over to get at Nyx. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. The relief on her face was clear as she hugged Nyx’s neck and kissed her cheeks and forehead.
“Mom?”
Twilight caressed a hoof through Nyx’s mane while tears of joy formed in her eyes. “I’m right here, baby. I’m right here. I thought I might have lost you. You’ve been asleep for a day and a half.”
Nyx hugged her mother back with what little strength she could summon. She tried to sit up, fighting against stiff and stubborn muscles, but she only managed to prop herself up with a shaky foreleg. Somepony was missing—a voice she knew she had not heard yet. She glanced around the room for the one pony she most needed to see right now.
“Where is he?”
“Asleep in the visitor’s lounge,” Twilight said with a reassuring voice. “He stayed with you almost the whole time, but I finally told him to get some rest. He’s going to be so thrilled that you’re awake!”
Good, Nyx thought. At least he survived the… something. An urgency nagged suddenly at her mind, a foggy dread creeping over her. Something terrible had happened.
A look of panic fell across Nyx’s face. “Mom! There were zebras! What happened? Orion and Uncle Shining. They…”
No answer came from Twilight. There was only her face, which transformed from joy to sorrow in seconds. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she looked away. Luna walked up and put a wing over her shoulder as she sniffled, wiping her eyes.
Nyx found the strength to sit up properly, confused at what was happening. She looked to Celestia.
The princess’s voice was steady and soothing as she approached the bed. “You saved many lives yesterday, Nyx.”
“What? I don’t understand,” Nyx blurted out, even more confused than before. Had she really saved anyone? The events were so hazy in her mind. She didn’t… couldn’t remember doing anything.
“What did I do?” she asked, her mind rapidly losing traction. “Is Mom upset with me?”
Celestia’s golden-clad forehoof pressed delicately against Nyx’s lips, her gentle smile never wavering. “Shh,” the princess soothed. “It’s okay. The reason you’re here is because you burned out, Nyx. It’s very dangerous for alicorns. But rest assured, you haven’t done anything wrong.”
“I… I burned out. I don’t even rem—”
“Don’t worry about that now, Nyx. Here… I think somepony would like to have a word with you.”
Celestia telekinetically slid the bedside curtain back to reveal another bed next to her own. There, a white unicorn stallion lay, resting. His head was wrapped with a bandage, his deep blue mane spilling out the back. He turned toward Nyx and smiled weakly.
“Hey, Nyxie.”
Her face beamed with delight. “Uncle Shining! I thought… I saw… You were shot!”
“Shh,” he warned, gesturing for her to curb her enthusiasm. He then gave a gentle telekinetic tug, pulling the curtain back a bit further to reveal a little white alicorn filly curled up on the bed with him. “She’s still asleep.”
Nyx’s eyes went wide in surprise at seeing little Flurry Heart. She hushed her voice to a whisper, looking back to her uncle. “You were shot.”
Shining nodded, his hoof gently touching the side of his head where the bandage was.
“Shield deflected the bullet. Not as much as I would have liked, though.”
The filly at his side stirred, stretching for a moment before curling back up. The stallion affectionately ran his hoof down his sleeping daughter’s mane.
A knock at the door reminded Nyx where they were, in the hospital trauma ward. The newcomer was a nurse, drawing everyone’s attention.
“I see our patient is finally awake. I’m afraid I’ll have to ask all visitors to leave for now. I need to check on her condition.”
“Of course,” Celestia said. She and the others then filed out of the room, leaving Nyx and Shining Armor behind.
“Do you mind if she stays?” Shining asked the nurse, gesturing to Flurry.
The young mare walked forward, regarding the sleeping child with a smile. “She can stay. I won’t be long.”
A half hour after the nurse had left, Nyx found herself staring up at the ceiling, lost in thought. The nurse had dimmed the lights to help them rest and told them that they could have visitors again in the morning, leaving Nyx alone with her troubled thoughts.
“Uncle Shining? Are you awake?”
There was no answer from the stallion.
“Uncle Shining?” she tried again, just a bit louder, hoping she wouldn’t wake little Flurry Heart.
Shining Armor stirred, stretching his neck briefly. “Hm? Oh. Sorry, I dozed off. What is it, Nyx?”
Nyx turned her head to the side to face him. “What happened yesterday? I feel like I… Like I killed somepony.”
Shining Armor did not respond right away. He shifted a little bit so he could face Nyx comfortably while lying down. “Not any pony, Nyxie. But quite a few zebras, I’m told.”
Nyx felt her insides tighten up as her stomach twisted. “What?! I don’t even… Are you serious?”
She searched her mind, desperately trying to remember what had happened, but the thought evaded her like a cockroach skittering out of the light. It all felt like a bad dream. Was it true? Nyx knew it was inevitable that this would happen at some point. She had actually killed. Why? How? It didn’t make sense.
“Uncle Shining,” she began, afraid to actually voice the question. “How… how did it happen? I don’t remember anything.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
His face contorted to a pained look at her question, his eyes shifting about the room as if searching for something.
“Um… well, they told me it was a couple dozen zebras. They were all running toward the stage. They had it all planned out with shield cutting blades. They knew we’d be on the stage with shields raised… I think they killed several civilians.”
He was dodging, of course. Nyx needed to know the truth. Her voice became quiet, almost a whisper.
“You know that’s not what I was asking.”
The stallion formed one of those looks a parent gets when their child asks where foals come from. He stammered for a moment as if refusing to abandon the mental image of Nyx, innocent and sensitive young mare, who could never…
“You just kinda… It happened suddenly. They were well hidden throughout the park. Killed Orion with a sniper rifle. The crowd was rushed. They were killing civilians, and you just… You did something. Honestly, I don’t think anypony really knows what happened. But from what I hear, Park Sanitation will be picking bits of them out of the trees for weeks.”
No. That couldn’t be right. Nyx’s jaw went slack in disbelief. How could she have done such a thing? It’s bad enough she had killed for the first time. Protecting ponies was one thing, but this isn’t what she ever imagined it would be like. She let out a choked groan and buried her face in her pillow.
“Listen, Nyxie,” her uncle continued. “You probably saved half the ponies in the audience. If you hadn’t been there, those officers would have all been lost, along with countless families. The zebras weren’t playing around.”
Nyx’s voice was muffled as she spoke into the pillow. “I’m not a butcher.”
“This doesn’t change who you are, Nyx. Think of how much it means to everypony else. For hundreds of little colts and fillies, now you’re their hero.”
Nyx didn’t respond. What could she say? What did this make her, especially if she had lost control of herself?
Shining Armor sighed, pausing a moment before speaking. “Nyx?”
Her face was still buried in her pillow. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for saving my wife and daughter.”
Nyx lifted her head and looked over to him. She glanced at her little cousin and let out a sigh, contemplating the value of that little alicorn’s life. Of everypony who did not die if what Shining said was true. With some effort, Nyx managed a smile while inwardly cursing the war for what it had made her do.
“I thought I’d find you in here.”
Cadence closed the door after entering the visitor’s lounge. It was a comfortable room with warm hues and soft couches for those waiting to see their loved ones. Twilight was there by herself, resting on a couch. She was staring at a blank wall, her mane an unkempt mess. Cadence’s heart sank as she sat down beside her.
Twilight didn’t make eye contact. “How’s Shining?” she asked, casually.
“He’s improving. The doctor said he should make a full recovery, but he’ll have to stay a few more days while he heals. Flurry is still with him.”
Twilight looked up to meet her gaze. “Thank goodness. At least there’s… Well, Nyx is okay too. The princesses are safe. Most everypony is… Well, I suppose it could have been much worse.”
“That’s right,” Cadence agreed even though she could see that Twilight had trouble believing her own words. “All things considered, I think we—”
“I should be happy!” Twilight blurted out while thrusting a forehoof into the air haphazardly. “What’s wrong with me?! Why do I feel—” Twilight’s breath caught suddenly. She looked away but not before Cadence noticed the tears forming.
Cadence put a hoof to her lips. The poor dear. She shifted closer and reached a hoof out to hold Twilight. The intellectually minded mare wasn’t used to dealing with these kinds of emotions.
“Twilight, it’s okay that you feel this way. Nearly losing your daughter is enough to shake anypony to their core.”
Twilight wetly sniffed, pulling back slightly to wipe her eyes.
“Thanks. And you’re right. Nothing we tried could wake her. The first time her heart stopped beating, I nearly died. You have no idea the thoughts that flashed through my mind, Cadence. Nyx is immortal. And as strong as she is, it’s easy to assume she can’t really be hurt. But she can still be killed. Imagine how significant that is. Countless millennia of impacting the lives of others, discovering amazing things, seeing things nopony has ever imagined. All that invaluable life opportunity could have just been snuffed out in one brief tragic…”
Twilight took in a deep breath, letting it out quickly as if she could shed built-up tension through her mouth. And perhaps she could. Cadence regarded her friend for a moment before speaking.
“Have you stopped to consider that you and I are in the same situation, but we, as ascended alicorns, are even more fragile? An encounter with a single zebra soldier could likely end either of our lives, and yet, with luck, we will endure as long as the stars shine in the heavens.”
Twilight blinked at Cadence, her personal trauma clearly battling with her detached intellect. “Well. When you put it that way, I suppose you have a point. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m shaken about it. It’s… I guess it’s just hard to feel happy when—”
Cadence sighed, giving Twilight a serious look. “No one is blaming you for how you feel, Twilight. In fact, I tell you what… I think you and Nyx should stay here for a couple weeks. Take some time off.”
Twilight blew her nose on a tissue. “Oh, I couldn’t. I don’t want to impose. You’ve got so much work ahead of you, reaching out to your people about what happened. I feel like we’d be in the way.”
Cadence knew this was true, but she wasn’t about to let that get in the way. She softened her voice as she continued.
“I’d really appreciate it if you did. We haven’t caught up in a long time.”
“Maybe,” Twilight replied as she leaned deeper into the cushions. “I’ll talk with Nyx about it. I’m not sure if they’re heading back right away or not. But really, don’t you have a lot more important things to be focusing on right now?”
“That’s not fair, Twilight. Family is very important.”
“No, I didn’t mean… I’m sorry, I just meant we could catch up later or something. After the crisis is handled. I imagine everypony wants to know what to make of the attack.”
Cadence felt her cheeks flush. It was true, but she herself was overwhelmed by the implications the attack had raised. They were much more vulnerable than she could have ever imagined. Something needed to be done. She stared at the floor for a moment, Twilight’s words echoing in her ears.
“Yes, actually, they do. A lot of them are really shaken up about it. They want to know what I’m going to do to protect them. That’s another reason I want you to stay, Twilight. I really need your help with something.”
“My help?”
The rising fear Cadence felt, that she simply couldn’t protect those she was responsible for, was becoming more pronounced. She fidgeted on the couch, nervous to ask Twilight what she must.
“I almost lost my husband—your brother. Five ponies were found dead where the zebras snuck into the city. We nearly lost a huge number of citizens, not to mention the loss to Canterlot if the returning REA officers had been taken out. Or the princesses for that matter! Fear has gripped the city. Even the changelings are noticing a strain on the Crystal Heart.”
Cadence felt her heart beating faster, her voice rising as her fears could no longer remain hidden.
“I can’t risk my people like this, Twilight. The zebras have never directly attacked a large city like this before. They could kill so many, so quickly. If Nyx hadn’t been there to… I won’t have my people killed in this war, Twilight! I have to protect them!”
Twilight studied her with quiet regard. She spoke softly. Calmly. “I see your point, Cadence. But I still don’t know how I can help.”
Cadence looked her straight in the eye, hoping Twilight would understand why she should—no, must— consider her request.
“Do you remember that artifact we tested at the Palace last year?”
Seconds ticked by while Twilight processed the question. Suddenly, she sat straight up and stared hard at Cadence. She shook her head, slack-jawed. “No. You can’t be serious.”
“Think about it, Twilight. It’s not getting any better. If things keep going the way they have, we might lose everything. We’re not equipped to handle an invasion. The Royal Equestrian Army would never get here in time.”
Twilight glowered. “You can’t just… We barely know anything about it. You have no idea what it would—”
“I do know what would happen if five thousand zebras showed up instead of twenty-four,” Cadence countered, growing increasingly desperate.
Twilight shook her head, still refusing to understand. “No, this is ridiculous, Cadence. You’ve got what, a quarter million ponies here? Not to mention all the changelings? Don’t you think something of this magnitude should be put to a vote or something? How would the rest of Equestria react if an entire city just—”
Cadence stood and began pacing around the room. “A vote? If Equestria falls, then who is going to care anyway? If anything, they might envy us. All I’m asking for is a means of defense as a last resort. We have almost nothing to contribute in terms of military until the RCA is up and running, and that could take the better part of a year. Right now, we’re just a target.”
She stared at Twilight, watching her eyes dart back and forth as she processed the request. If only she could see the importance…
“Think of your brother. Your niece. Wouldn’t you want this for them?”
At this, Twilight looked her in the eye for a few beats. Then, her voice softened as she let out a sigh. “You don’t even know how long it would take to come back. I can’t imagine not ever seeing you again.”
Cadence sat once more on the couch next to her sister-in-law. “I know. But you know we wouldn’t be ready if they came back with a whole army. It would be a slaughter. Please. I know it’s asking a lot.”
Twilight swallowed dryly, taking a deep breath. “Fine. But only as a last resort. And only because I love you all and want you to be safe.”
The moon shone high over the silent, still battlefield, enough that Nyx could see the bodies in the soft light. It wasn’t the first time she had dreamed of the war. But it was the first time the slain were mostly ponies. Civilians.
She flew over the outskirts of Huckleberry Junction, the southernmost Equestrian settlement along the main rail line before the zebra border. Nyx knew the story of its liberation during the joint REA and SkyGuard mission five years ago. The zebras had occupied the town for over a week. Driving them out was one of Equestria’s greatest victories of the early war.
But this isn’t how it went. The mission had been a success—not the tragedy which lay before her.
Her hooves set down on the misty soil outside of town, at the edge of what had clearly begun as a fierce battle. The torn bodies of zebras and ponies lay twisted together in death's embrace, but a peculiar oddity drew her toward the center of the conflict.
As she neared the heaviest concentration of the fallen, she stopped in horror as she realized the difference. The ponies here had been slaughtered—surgically cut down with no sign of resistance, killed as if in their sleep… or while unconscious. A few more steps brought her to her knees as she came face to face with the epicenter of the carnage and found herself staring into her own sightless eyes.
“I regret the need to show you this, Nyx,” a voice said, emerging from the fog. It was Princess Luna.
Nyx tried to suppress a measure of indignation, her ears pressed back against her head as she stared at herself lying on the ground.
“Luna, why am I—”
“Take a good look, young Nyx,” Luna interrupted. “But only for a moment. I suggest we continue in your hospital room.”
“In my… Oh, of course. Yes, please.” Anything was better than standing out here in this cold, surreal landscape.
The ground beneath Nyx’s hooves became like fluid, her body sinking fast with a splash. She found herself lying flat on her side. Blinking in the darkness, she could see the faint outline of hospital monitoring equipment, along with her uncle’s bed not far from hers.
“It is good to see you, Nyx. We have not had a chance to talk since the accident.”
Nyx looked to the side and found Luna sitting on a comfortable looking plush chair. She sat up in bed, leaning over to embrace the princess. “Thank goodness that was just a dream. What was that?”
“It was the battle for Huckleberry Junction. Fear not—you were not actually there.” Luna’s horn flashed briefly, and the fireplace came to life, bathing the room in a comforting ambiance of flickering warmth.
“Well it sure looked like I was there. In the dream, at least.”
“Indeed. What you saw is how things could have gone if you had been present. I need you to understand this, Nyx. That fight had many pegasi and supporting unicorns. If you had been there and burned out, the zebras would have slaughtered nearly everyone as they lay helpless. For this reason, among others, my sister and I have decided to keep you as far away from the war as possible.”
“Oh…” Nyx’s ears fell as understanding came over her.
“Do you recall what I said to you yesterday morning during the attack?”
Nyx shook her head, her eyes shifting up to meet Luna’s.
“I said that you were not ready for this.”
Ouch.
“I… I understand.” Her head nodded in defeat as her gaze drifted back to the floor.
Luna reached out to touch a hoof beneath Nyx’s chin, gently lifting her head back up. “Nyx, dear one, I did not come to bear such unhappy news. I feared you would be killed, but now, it is clear that there are things which must be addressed.”
“Luna, can you tell me what happened? What did I do?”
The princess paused for a moment before speaking, her expression betraying her troubled thoughts. “That will have to wait. Though I promise I will tell you one day. For now, I ask that you not concern yourself with it. I said before that you were not ready. But now, I say that we will make you ready. I would like for you to begin training and preparation.”
At this, Nyx’s ears perked forward, her eyes bright and curious. “Preparation for what?”
“For the day when you must fight for your people.”
What could she say to that? Luna had just essentially reconfirmed Nyx’s promise from all those years ago.
She had so many questions. If only the room wasn’t misbehaving. The walls shifted and began to distort. She glanced around. The fireplace was gone and Nyx was now standing in an empty room.
“Luna, I—” she began.
“I am sorry, Nyx, but I must go now. The train is getting too far away. We will speak again soon.”
At that, Nyx’s eyes opened and she tried to sit up in bed, only to fall back to a chorus of muscles aching and protesting their use. The room was dark and quiet. To her side, her uncle and little cousin lay asleep on their bed.
She let out a sigh. How could she get back to sleep now, knowing how much her life was about to change?