Rumble sat at the kitchen table, meticulously reassembling one of his scatterguns. Its components lay sprawled across a canvas tablecloth, a symphony of finely crafted parts by Muzzle Talk Firearms, infused with a touch of Rumble’s personal modifications.
With the final piece slipping into place, he stole a glance at Nyx, sprawled out on the nearby couch in the cozy lounge. Her gaze was fixed on the ceiling, an expression of tranquil contentment gracing her features.
“You look good,” Rumble remarked casually.
Nyx arched her neck just enough to meet his eyes, a subtle grin playing at the corners of her lips. “You always say that.”
A chuckle escaped Rumble’s lips. “Well, what I mean is, you look genuinely happy. It’s that look you get after one of your memory dives.”
“True,” Nyx admitted. “I can’t help but think about how great things turned out. Despite how bad it nearly was, the outcome couldn’t have been more perfect. Getting to know Dusty really made my day.”
Nyx’s gaze shifted beyond Rumble to something in the kitchen behind him, and she did a double take.
Intrigued, Rumble glanced over his shoulder, where a cheery pink earth pony was busy stirring a bowl.
“Flitter, why do you look like Pinkie Pie?” he inquired.
“Huh?” Flitter blinked, her grin undiminished, but a faint blush painted her cheeks. With a burst of green fire, she reverted to her usual form. “Ah, heh. Well, I was just whipping up an extra-large batch of nectar sticks, and my mind drifted to Pinkie’s exuberance for baking snacks.”
Rumble’s curiosity piqued. “Mind if I give one of those a try? I’ve been wondering for years what they taste like.”
Flitter hesitated. “That’s not a good idea, Rumble, it’s not like—”
“Oh, come on, just a taste,” Rumble cajoled as he plucked a nectar stick from the tray and brought it to his nose for an exploratory sniff.
Nyx, lying on the couch, couldn’t help but snicker as she watched the exchange.
Rolling her eyes, Flitter sighed. “One lick. Don’t you dare bite it. And don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Like a colt given a piece of hard candy, Rumble stuck the end in his mouth and sucked. In an instant, the whole world burst into an explosion of vivid, electrifying colors.
“Whoooo ponyfeathers!” A sensation like lightning exploded from his tongue and shot through his nervous system. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide as saucers. “That’s… that’s some powerful stuff right there. W-why do I feel all funky?”
Flitter took the nectar stick back and helped keep him upright. “What did I say?”
The room was definitely misbehaving. Looking at his hooves, Rumble could have sworn they were somepony else’s.
Flitter leaned into him and walked him out of the kitchen. “Tell me this, oh master of medicine, did you somehow think pony physiology was even the slightest bit like that of a changeling?”
“I… uh…”
“You’re experiencing a dissociative reaction. That’s pure distilled love, my friend. Combined with… well, some other stuff. Don’t worry, though—your body will feel like it belongs to you again in a couple minutes.”
Nyx’s laugh bounced around in Rumble’s mind. “My poor hubby. Curiosity got the best of you again, my dear?” she chortled, watching him look around the room as if he’d never seen it before.
“I think I… think need lay down, I…”
A subtle glow shone from Nyx’s horn as she helped him keep from falling, guiding him to the couch. She cuddled with him, giggling and planting kisses on his face. “You always take such good care of me. Relax while I take care of you for a bit.”
Rumble looked up into her eyes. “You look byooooteeful. I feel so weird.”
“You’re high on changeling hormones and love.” She kissed him some more, holding him tight and smiling.
“If he had eaten the whole thing, you could probably saw his hoof right off and he wouldn’t care,” Flitter remarked from the kitchen. “I’m gonna make some tea. Any requests?”
“Something to clear his mind, maybe.”
Rumble shook his head, idly pawing at Nyx’s face, his hoof missing each time. “I love you, Nyxie.” He threw his forelegs around her neck and kissed her lips.
“You big goof. Next time listen. Who’s the medical pony here?”
Just then, the console by the elevator started beeping.
~…~
Nyx’s ears perked up. Someone is topside.
Flitter and Nyx looked at one another, their eyes simultaneously asking and answering the same question: ‘Were you expecting anypony?’
Nyx gently set Rumble into a comfortable position on the couch and walked over to the console to check who it was. The monitor showed the elevator carriage interior with a very familiar pony standing on the pressure plate.
Nyx let out a squee as her apprehension vanished. “Mom!”
She hurried to activate the lift. There was a hum for a few seconds, then the door opened, revealing Twilight Sparkle. Nyx rushed up and gave her mother a tight embrace. “Mom! I’m so happy to see you.”
Twilight held her daughter close, pressing her nose into Nyx’s mane. “I’m sorry it’s been so long.”
Nyx took in her mother’s familiar scent, which was like the embodiment of love and comfort. She wished she could pause time for a moment and just let the memories sweep over her. “Come in, come in.”
Twilight levitated her saddlebags to the end-table by the couch and sat down. “I heard what happened. I can only imagine how awful that was.”
Nyx sat next to her with joy written all over her face. “Don’t worry about me, Mom. How have you been? We haven’t talked in nearly a month.”
Flitter brought Twilight a cup of peppermint tea—her favorite. She smiled and took a sip. “Thanks, Flitter.”
Twilight set the cup down and made herself comfortable. “Things have been pretty crazy at the institute for the past couple months. You know how much I like to keep organized. With so many new projects, it hasn’t been easy. This mirror portal stuff has been taking up most of my time.”
Nyx’s stomach twitched as she was reminded again of the tragedy at Luna’s school.
“Did you ever figure out what went wrong?” she asked.
“No,” Twilight responded in frustration. “The portal should have locked onto the target in Canterlot. For all the energy Celestia was pouring into it, I still have no idea why it manifested in the Arkadian capital. They must have something there which has a simply enormous amount of power.”
A silence hung in the air for a moment before Twilight spoke again. “But nevermind that. I didn’t come here to talk about work. It’s just great to see you all again.”
Rumble sat up and gave her a quick hug, then slid off the couch and sprawled onto the beanbag chair close to Nyx. “It’s great seeing you too, Twilight.”
“Hey, handsome. You keeping my daughter safe?”
Nyx blushed.
“You know it.” He lazily waved a hoof in the air.
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Is… he alright?”
“Yeah, he’s fine, Mom. He’s just recovering from an encounter with Flitter’s happy-candy.”
“I’m arright!” Rumble interjected, still grinning.
Twilight suppressed a laugh.
“So, what brings you to town?” Nyx asked.
“Well, I was supposed to meet with the mayor at the Ponyville SMRI branch to get some paperwork done. But when I showed up, she was at the town hall holding a meeting about what happened today with the attack. You have no idea how grateful the parents are, Nyx. The mayor was working overtime on rumor control just to keep the story straight.”
Nyx’s nerves twisted upon hearing this. “That’s what I was afraid of. I would have stayed, but I just—”
“No, no,” Twilight assured. “Cheerilee explained all the details. Nopony expected you to be there; they know you’ve had a heck of a day and need some space.”
Nyx laughed. “I wouldn’t be so sure, Mom. You should have seen that mob coming for answers. Flitter had to impersonate me to draw them off.”
Twilight glanced at Flitter, who nodded with a prideful smile. She let out a little snerk. “Well… in that case, I’m happy that you’re happy. And I bet you’re hungry!”
With that, she levitated several wrapped items out of her saddlebags. “I brought dinner! I figured you guys were probably a bit too lost in thought to cook anything, so I stopped at the Hayburger on my way over.”
“Oooh, thanks, Mom!” Nyx’s stomach growled as she realized how hungry she was. She and Rumble eagerly accepted the yummies.
Twilight set a pouch down on the coffee table. “I brought some sugar for you too, Flitter.”
“Hey, thanks! I just used up a bunch making these.” Flitter showed Twilight her handiwork derived from all the feels at the schoolhouse.
“Not bad. How long will those last you?”
“A long time, probably. With Nyx and Rumble, I don’t often go hungry.”
“Awww. That’s so sweet.”
Rumble choked and pointed at the sticks. “NOT sweet. Don’t even think of trying one of those things, Twilight!” He paused and thought for a moment. “I meant the sticks. Nyx is very sweet. Not that you’d—I mean…” With a helpless expression, Rumble looked up at Nyx, his eyes begging her for rescue.
Nyx laughed and tousled his mane. “Relax, love. Learned your lesson, I take it?”
Rumble nodded. “Reality has once again embraced my senses.”
Nyx leaned back on the couch, pressing up against her mother. They used to fit together like this much better several years ago. Didn’t matter—it was still her mom, and Nyx was a happy pony.
“Have you met Dusty? He’s the little colt we saved today. I spent some time getting to know him at the school before we came home.”
Twilight shook her head. “No, but Cheerilee says you have a permanent fan, now.”
Nyx chuckled. “Yeah, he’s something. Brave little fellow. He was showing me his toys. He had these… Say, I need to ask you something.”
Nyx levitated a small object off the coffee table to show her mother. It was a trading card that Dusty had given her at the school. On the card was an image of Nyx in combat armor. The caption read: ‘Nitemare Nyx: Defender of Ponies’. She passed the card to Twilight.
“This is from Equestria Forever’s new toy line,” Nyx said, rolling her eyes. “I think I may need to have a little chat with Rarity.”
Rumble glanced at the card. “I think you look awesome.”
Twilight nodded with a mouthful of fries. “Oh. Mmm, I wuf gonga tell you abou’ tat.” She paused, swallowing. “Sorry. Equestria Forever has been making children’s toys to encourage the younger generation in regards to the war effort.”
“Yeah, I noticed. But, what’s up with my plastic doppelganger? I’m not a soldier.”
Twilight laughed. “Yes, that one. The action figures depicting you are particularly popular. Rarity is just… helping to nudge your public image in the right direction. In many children’s eyes, you’re like a real life superhero.”
“In some adults’ eyes too,” Flitter pointed out, winking at Rumble.
“Hey, Dusty’s gonna have to step up his game if he wants to be Nyx’s number-one fan,” Rumble declared.
Nyx put her head in her hooves with a groan.
Twilight patted her shoulder. “It’s healthy to give them a character they can look up to. Most kids still associate Nightmare Moon with something evil and scary. You should have seen Rarity’s long spiel about how ‘fabulous’ these would be.”
Nyx rolled her eyes and shifted on the couch so she could face her mother. “You know that’s not how I see myself. I’m not a celebrity. I’ve never wanted that kind of attention.”
Twilight levitated a napkin to her lips. “It’s not about fame, Nyx. It’s more to put some tangible faces on the heroes of Equestria. It’s about inspiring the kids to grow up with a healthy, realistic outlook on this war we’re all stuck in, rather than being terrified by it.”
“I… guess that’s a good point,” Nyx replied with reluctance.
“They’re also hoping that this will help inspire more than a few older kids and young adults to enlist in the various branches of the military. We all know Equestria needs more warriors. More heroes.”
“I have to agree with that,” Rumble added. Flitter nodded as well.
Nyx munched on her hayburger, considering the idea. It did mean a lot to Dusty. Maybe it wasn’t all bad. Maybe Rarity was a marketing genius after all; that didn’t mean Nyx actually was all those things. But she did enjoy the idea of being an encouragement to the kids.
Twilight regarded Nyx for a moment. “How are you really doing, Nyx? You’ve been through so much today.”
Nyx nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay. Today’s been pretty overwhelming, but I’m feeling better now.” Her thoughts drifted over the day’s events. “Well, actually something really strange did happen today. When I saw that zebras were targeting children, I just lost it. I killed two of them with nothing but… well, I guess nothing but fury.”
Twilight stopped eating and looked at her sideways. “What do you mean ‘nothing but fury’? That doesn’t make sense.”
“I know. I was so angry, and then they burst into flames. I didn’t mean to, it just—”
Twilight shifted into that investigative tone Nyx was all too familiar with. “Wait, so you cast a fire spell on them? Do you know any fire spells?”
“No. It wasn’t a spell, Mom. That’s what I’m saying… It just happened.”
If Twilight had a pair of lecture glasses handy, she would have put them on. “Nyx, dear, that’s not how magic works. All direct-cast magic is spells, except telekinesis.”
Rumble chimed in. “It’s true, Twilight. I saw it go down, and Nyx’s whole body started looking really strange. These weird patterns were shifting around on her coat. It was like a million bits of ink were dancing around on her.”
Twilight just stared at Rumble like he was speaking backwards or something. Nyx felt her face flush, regretting she had even mentioned it.
“I guess you had to be there,” Rumble continued. “But it was pretty intense. Oh, and she also gained energy afterward.”
Twilight’s gaze snapped back to Nyx. “Is this true?”
With a nod, Nyx caused a translucent percentage counter to fade into view over the couch. “It was quite a bit lower this morning.”
Twilight stared at the figure for a long moment. “I’m… I’m sorry, Nyx. I didn’t mean to lecture you. I guess it’s just something I’m not familiar with. And I know magic. I think we should probably talk to Luna or preferably Celestia about this.”
Nyx raised an eyebrow. “What? Why?”
“You remember your burnout in Aria? When you were recovering, Celestia told me that one day you might start manifesting some unusual abilities. She said they needed to find out if you had the traits of a ‘natural alicorn’. I’m not very studied on alicorns, to be honest; there’s just not a lot of literature on the subject. But still, she did ask me to keep an eye out for something I didn’t understand, and I’d say that this probably qualifies.”
Uncertainty crept into Nyx's gut. “If you say so, Mom. You’re not upset with me, are you?”
Twilight looked Nyx in the eye. “Absolutely not. Seriously, I’m very proud of you, Nyx. You did good today. You all did.”
The Canterlot central post office was bustling with activity as conveyor belts sorted boxes and envelopes, and ponies trotted to and fro with overstuffed saddlebags.
“Mmm.” That’s some good coffee, Primrose thought to herself. It was one of the perks that came with being the shift supervisor. This was fresh-ground Baltimare coffee meant for the Palace but offered as a tip for good delivery services.
Primrose sipped her coffee, staring idly out the window of the second-floor operations room toward the processing floor below.
Without warning, several bright star-shaped motes of magical energy appeared in the room with Primrose and suddenly exploded into thousands of shimmering fragments. There was the sound of energized particles dissipating, along with a small gust of air which tousled her mane. Primrose took notice but did not react to the phenomenon.
A young, pretty unicorn with a lilac coat and blonde mane appeared out of thin air. She wore a cheerful smile on her face.
“Good day, Primrose! Would there be any urgent messages this morning?” The petite unicorn gave Primrose a hug.
Primrose accepted the gesture from the young mare. “Hi, Dinky. There’s just a couple over in the bin.”
“Thanks!” She trotted over to the priority bins, two of which were labeled: “Pony Express”.
A number of scrolls and envelopes flew out of her saddlebags as she swiftly deposited the incoming mail into the left container, exchanging them for the messages waiting for her in the right.
She turned back to Primrose. “Looks like I’m off to the Palace. We should catch up soon for tea.” She smiled, waved, and promptly vanished in a puff of flying stardust.
Princess Luna sat alone in her study, looking over war reports. Things were getting serious along the eastern extents of the southern border, where scouts had reported several thousand Arkadian troops gathering. They hadn’t made a move yet, but she was convinced they soon would. The real question was how many troops could she spare to defend that area.
On the Equestrian side of the border, several divisions of the R.E.A. were already en route. The SkyGuard was deployed first. Pegasi were already scouting the area to provide early warning, should the zebras advance. Hundreds of unicorns were already in a defensive position, combining their strength into a continuous shield surrounding their staging area. Thousands of earth ponies would arrive later by train. These would push the zebras back once the fighting began.
The problem was that Luna could not commit too many, lest other positions become weakened.
Perhaps that is their intent? she pondered.
Luna considered whether she should go there personally to command the operation herself. It might be the only way to ensure a minimal loss of life. It would be a risk, of course. If Arkadia knew Luna was going to be present, they would likely commit the entirety of their forces into taking her out.
She set the report aside, looking at the next in the stack. This one was from the mayor of Ponyville. Luna had already read it, but her thoughts still dwelled on the matter. Yesterday’s incident at the school had revealed just how vulnerable Equestria really was. There were simply not enough soldiers to guard every possible line of attack. Most were stationed along the battle lines and in the populated areas of the southern districts. It was an oversight she would soon have to remedy, if possible.
Setting that paper aside, Luna’s eyes fell upon the latest report. It had come in only this morning, delivered by a pegasus from the bayou region. What were zebras doing in that area? It held no strategic significance. She got up from her desk, walked over to the map of Equestria mounted on the wall, and pushed in a red pin along the western coastline. It was west of Whitetail Woods in the vast bayou network that extended to the coast in a complex landscape of swamps, dense forest, and rivers. She couldn’t remember the last time news had come from anywhere out there.
Yes, this would do nicely. Low risk and plenty of opportunity to test the young alicorn’s mettle.
Luna sat back down at her desk and waited. It would not be long before the messenger pony’s arrival. Until then, she allowed her mind to wander, her eyes drifting across the framed photos mounted on the wall near her desk.
One was a photo of herself with Celestia at a formal diplomatic event. It would take a keen eye to notice that Luna was much less comfortable than her sister in that photo. Celestia had always been the more diplomatic and politically savvy ruler, adept at keeping the various noble factions in line by pandering to their egos. Nine years of war with Arkadia, and still the nobles focused on putting their own interests above those of Equestria. Luna simply didn’t have the patience to deal with those pompous fools, the factions, or the bureaucracy.
Another photo was of the six mares of Harmony. She stared at that photo for some time, reminiscing about how things were before the war had changed everything. With their long history of coming through for Equestria, these six were among the very few ponies Luna truly trusted. Yet this war was unlike any other conflict in recent Equestrian history. It would not be solved by a half-dozen virtuous Element Bearers alone, no matter how determined they might be.
No, this task was Luna’s to bear. Celestia had entrusted her with orchestrating the final season of this terrible war. And it was certainly not Twilight’s burden to carry—nor her friends.
Luna took note of Twilight in the photo, barely able to remember a time when she did not have wings. She was probably the pony Luna trusted the most. It was understandable why Celestia often referred to her as her “most faithful student”. She and her daughter were—
There was a knock at the door.
“Yes, come in,” Luna said.
The door opened, and a guard entered. “Messenger pony to see you, Your Highness.”
“Excellent. Send her in please.”
The messenger pony entered, levitating some scrolls out of her saddlebags. “Good day, Princess Luna.” She quickly approached to give the princess a warm hug. “You sent for me?”
“Hello, Dinky. I hope you are keeping well. Come. Sit. How is business?”
Dinky sat across from Luna. “Doing very well, m’Lady. I’ve been keeping quite busy in recent months, as you can imagine, with all the war correspondence. The Palace has been most generous.”
“That is very good to hear. I knew you would be successful ever since you graduated. You are doing a commendable job and have exceptional talent. I very much look forward to seeing in what ways you apply it in the future.”
“Perhaps, m’Lady, and thank you kindly,” Dinky replied. “The Focused Talents course at Celestia’s academy did help me refine the skills necessary for what I do. Although it’s curious you should mention the future, as I have been giving some thought to that very thing as of late.”
“Is that so?” Luna asked, her eyebrow raised inquisitively.
“It’s a bit strange, to be honest,” Dinky continued. “For two years, the thought that I might ever do anything else hasn’t so much as crossed my mind.”
“If I recall, you opened up The Pony Express soon after graduation?” Luna asked.
Dinky nodded. “Straight away, yes. I’ve been quite pleased with it, and I do meet so many splendid ponies all across Equestria. I suppose I have a fondness for it thanks to Mother.”
Luna smiled. She knew Dinky’s affinity for this line of work would have come from Ponyville’s mailmare. Though truth was, Luna had been keeping an eye on this unusual unicorn ever since her professor came to the Palace with concerns about her peculiar talent. The decision to give her an active role in Palace message deliveries had proven an effective way to not let her slip out of Luna’s purview.
“And now, you are feeling…” Luna prompted.
Dinky paused, her expression thoughtful. “I suppose I still feel the same,” she admitted. “Though recently, I’ve been having some rather… adventurous dreams. If it was just one, I would not likely have given it much thought. But I have had five.”
“You don’t say…” Luna remarked with a tone of curiosity while resisting a subtle grin that began to form on her lips.
“Often, the dreams have me out in the wilderness with a group of companions, struggling through desperate situations and saving lives,” Dinky explained. “I felt like I was playing an important part in something much larger and grander than I do in my current role. I know this may sound very odd and even foolish, but in each of these dreams, I was with my good friend Nyx.”
“Is that really so odd?” Luna asked. “Nyx is very well known, and I wager she inspires many such dreams among the youth of Equestria. We are fortunate to have her.”
“Oh, most definitely,” Dinky agreed. “I’ve had conversations with Nyx in the past about participating in what she does with Rumble and Flitter. Her response, however, has been a definite no. Don’t get me wrong, though—I understand why she feels as she does. But having put it out of my mind for a very long time now, it’s just a bit strange that these thoughts have again asserted themselves.”
“I see,” Luna said. “If I might ask an honest question, would you say you find such things appealing?” Luna asked. “If the opportunity did present itself, would you take it?”
At this, Dinky was silent for some time, lost in thought.
“You must understand, while most of my life has not exactly been what one would call adventurous, my earliest childhood memories are quite the contrast. I remember very early in life, going with my father on simply amazing adventures fraught with danger. The places he took both me and my mother were beyond description. But sadly, these memories are quite fragmented and likely unreliable. Still, despite Mother’s silence on the topic, I have often fantasized about the three of us being back on those adventures. It’s such a contrast to the rest of my childhood, however, that it was very likely all imagined.”
Luna knew very little about Dinky’s father, though she had heard he was quite enigmatic, a traveler of some sort. She pondered whether the answer to Dinky’s perplexing ability might have something to do with him. And with a gift this powerful, she was motivated to find out how this young mare might yet discover her full potential.
“I say this only to frame my answer,” Dinky continued. “Because despite the fact that my life has been rather uneventful, the seeds of adventure are there. I think the answer to your question would very likely be yes, if such a thing were possible. I would certainly not want to hold Nyx back or be in any way a burden, of course.”
“Understandable,” Luna commented. “Thank you for sharing this with me, young one. I would be more than happy to work through the dreams with you if you like, in time. But first, I have a task for you. May I ask for an urgent delivery?”
“Uunnggh!!” Apple Bloom grunted, putting her back into the effort. She and Nyx were pushing the new power regulator through the narrow metal corridors and into the control room. The device was very heavy, bulky, and a bit too awkwardly shaped for the tight spaces of the Covert Living Program’s prototype facility, but they were making progress.
“Rotate it a little bit this—no stop stop, the other way. Git ready to pull again,” Apple Bloom directed.
“Wait wait,” Nyx panted. “Stop a moment while I get a better grip.” She had all four hooves spread apart for stability while her horn glowed with swirls of black and indigo, making the regulator mostly weightless but no less awkward. She set the heavy device down in the middle of the doorway and backed further into the control room.
“Are you sure we need this thing?” Nyx asked between breaths.
“Yep,” Apple Bloom replied. “Y’all are gettin’ a seriously big generator to test out soon. We gotta get the infrastructure all set up in advance.”
“If you say so,” Nyx replied. She didn’t care much for all this techie stuff, but it was part of the package in order to live here. Rumble would probably appreciate it.
With renewed effort, Nyx focused her horn back on the task. The regulator lifted off the ground as she began to pull.
Just then, the console set into the wall of the control room chimed, indicating someone was waiting at the elevator up top.
“Oh, for ffffrickadilly sake. I can’t move. Can you go get that? And hurry! I don’t want to be stuck in here.” Nyx sat down on the floor with her back resting against the regulator, catching her breath.
“Sure thing, Nyx,” Apple Bloom said as she trotted off down the corridor back toward the living area.
After a few minutes of being trapped in the control room, Nyx was fighting off feelings of panic. It was such a stupid thing, really. Apple Bloom would be back soon. Wouldn’t she?
A cloud of swirling stardust appeared out of nowhere around Nyx’s body. She nearly had a heart attack as a chipper unicorn popped into the room quite nearly in her lap.
“Gaaahh!!” Nyx startled as Dinky tackled her with an affectionate embrace. “Whoa. Wow hi, Dinky!”
“Good day, Nyx! Wonderful to see you again.” Dinky climbed off Nyx and stood in a more dignified, but still very close position.
Nyx stood up and returned the gesture. “Thanks for stopping by, Dinky. What’s the occasion?”
“We’ll get to that shortly. Apple Bloom said you were stuck in the control room and could use a hoof with this thing.” Dinky pointed at the regulator.
“Um, sure okay. It needs to go over in the corner and plug into the power output interface. It’s kinda heavy. I can do most of the lifting if you want to guide it along.”
“No need—I’ll take care of it. Just show me exactly where it goes and I’ll take it from there.”
“No kidding? I thought you could only do small objects.”
“I’ve been practicing!” Dinky let out a tiny squee of pride. “Heavy objects are still a bit difficult, so I can only move them short distances. You may want to stand back in case I miss.”
Dinky then faced the regulator and concentrated. Sparks flew from her horn, its spiral fluting aglow in a brilliant, pulsating yellow. The room shimmered with starry sparkles enveloping the power regulator. Suddenly, it vanished with a gust of wind and reappeared on the other side of the room exactly where it was meant to be. Dinky panted heavily, her face covered in sweat.
“Slick! Nice work, Dinky,” Nyx said with relief not only for having the job done, but for being set free from the confines of the control room.
“It’s my pleasure, Nyx. Of all the ponies I’ve met, you three probably have the most unusual lifestyle. It sounds quite interesting.”
Nyx found that amusing. “What, because we live in an underground bunker?”
“Sure! There’s all this fancy equipment you’re always testing… I don’t understand any of it, but it sounds fascinating. You also get a chance to make a real difference in defending Equestrian citizens from the Arkadians. I heard what happened at the school yesterday. Thank goodness you all were there!”
Nyx stared at her half out of surprise and half annoyance. “Word travels fast,” she muttered.
“I travel fast, Nyx.”
“Well in that case, I’ll race you to the lounge!”
Nyx sprinted through the exit, galloping down the hall and upstairs to the living quarters, only to find Dinky already there sharing a bag of cheesy oat puffs with Apple Bloom.
“Remind me to stop trying to race you,” Nyx said flatly, causing Apple Bloom to snicker.
“Y’all just put us ahead of schedule, Dinky. Thanks!”
“It’s my pleasure to help a friend, Apple Bloom.” She then stood up and addressed Nyx. “I would love to stay and chat, but I’m actually here on business and have to get going. Princess Luna wants you to meet with her tonight. Alone. Are you able?”
Luna? Nyx wondered what this could be about. She hadn’t spoken privately with Luna for nearly a year.
“Um, sure I guess. Rumble and Flitter are in Ponyville, running errands. But no, we don’t have anything important planned tonight. I can come.”
“Fantastic. Wait here, please.” Dinky vanished in her signature light show.
“It must be nice bein’ able t’do that,” Apple Bloom noted. Nyx nodded and grabbed some oat puffs from the bag.
A few seconds later, Dinky reappeared. “Princess Luna says she will see you this evening before sundown. Take care!” And then she was gone.
Apple Bloom stood up and patted Nyx on the shoulder with a hoof. “Sounds like y’all got some stuff to think about. I’ll be down in the control room configuring some things if you need me.”
“So, she wants you to go alone?” Rumble asked as he collected dishes off the table.
“Yeah. I’m kind of excited. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Luna all year.”
Nyx passed Rumble her dinner plate. “Thanks for doing dishes, hon.” She kissed him on the cheek and went to freshen up. She wondered what Luna wanted to see her about so suddenly. While brushing her teeth, Nyx regarded her reflection in the mirror. She turned her head left and right, considering the strange fact that this was what Luna’s face once looked like.
She sometimes thought about how much her own appearance was influenced by Luna’s. To what extent was she herself Luna? She was, after all, Nightmare Moon, and Nightmare Moon was Luna. It seemed paradoxical that Nyx and Luna could exist separately and interact with one another.
Nyx shrugged it off. Such hypothetical excursions were more fun with her mother. This particular existential puzzle often made Nyx’s head hurt and could wait until a later date. For now, her focus was on seeing Luna again. It had been quite some time since their last casual visit, and she was both excited and nervous.
Nyx brushed out her mane with a sigh. Truth was, she missed Luna. Things were so different years ago. Her mind wandered back to when she was a filly. Luna would come visit her at the library to play games with her and talk about life and how different Equestria was thousands of years ago.
It had always fascinated her to hear the stories of times long gone and the adventures Luna had with her big sister. In a way, the kinship between Luna and Nyx was strengthened by the fact that so many things about modern Equestria were new to both of them. Discovery of the new world was something they had the chance to experience together. It was almost like Luna herself was Nyx’s big sister.
Nyx turned away from the mirror and walked toward the elevator to leave. She felt a touch of sadness with the memories. Most of all, she missed their heart to heart talks. Luna understood very well the unique challenges Nyx had as she grew up. This bond had made that journey much more bearable.
Satisfied she was ready, Nyx took the elevator to the surface and flew off toward Canterlot.