//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Mother Moon, Fallen Sunset // by ShadowStar_IMHP //------------------------------// Nightshade had until tonight. She was sure that Celestia had timed the Princess summat to align with the magic portal. So if she was going to sabotage her plan, she would need to be ready. As she was picked up once again, she made her plans. She would need to get to the mirror and break it. “You are being quiet, Nightshade. What are you planning?” Luna asks as she carries her daughter down the hall. Think quick! “I’m not planning to take the crystal heart!” Diversion! Luna sighs then say “What would you do if you did get the heart?” “I said I wasn’t… well, Sombra was stupid he just hid it. Love can be corrupted, just asked any mare who had a creepy Stallion watching her. So… with the right spells, I could corrupt the heart so all the ponies will love me.” Cadence blanched looking at the tiny terror. “Is that possible?” “Anything possible.” Celestia shakes her head. “Don’t worry so much Cadence. Nightshade might be extremely clever… in her own way. The amount of magic needed to overwhelm the pure love magic in the crystal heart is beyond even a single alicorn could do. The Crystal Heart has been absorbing love for generations.” “Except for the thousand years trapped, and the time it was resisting Sombra. It could happen!” “You wouldn’t have that magic needed to even try till about a hundred years. By then the Heart would have recovered fully and even been gaining more.” Nightshade flops down pretending to pout but is hiding her smile. So she needed magic, like the magic of the Element of Magic. There is the problem that it was bound to Twilight… IDEA. If she got the Element of magic to the other world, it would be severed from Twilight and the Tree of Harmony. It just is a massive magical battery, oh this evil plot getting better all the time. She just has to make sure she got that crown into the portal, put it on her head, and return. Then Equestria and the entire world will be made to Love her! Cadence looks to Celestia “She really is Nightmare Moon reborn.” Celestia nods “Luckily she really is reborn. The attention span of a child, and now that she used up what reserves she had she can’t even cast a basic levitation spell.” ‘Oh, but I will, Celestia, oh but I will.’ The four princesses headed down the hall to a new chamber. “Well, evil plots of little fillies will have to wait. Here we are at the nursery. I hope you don’t mind Luna, I hired a mare who I think would be a good nanny. So this is a test run when I have my own.” Cadence looks to her barrel. Pushing the door open Cadence walks in. “Tender Care, we are here. Once again I want to thank you for watching my cousin Princess Nightshade.” A light rose-colored and red-manned crystal pony smiled as she came out of a side chamber. It was clear the mare was a bit older; a few strands of gray were showing in her mane and there were faint winkles. A mare leaving middle age but not yet elderly. “Greetings Tender Care, this is my daughter Princess Nightshade.” Luna looks back to Nightshade. “Say hello to your temporary nanny.” “She should be bowing. Four royal princesses enter and she is not bowing.” Nightshade pouts. “Oh, my… your right.” Tender Care says as she bows before the four. “Please forgive me your Highnesses.” Luna sighs. “Nightshade, do you have to be? Nevermind.” She picks Nightshade off of her saddle and sets her down on the floor. “Now be nice and don’t give Tender Care any trouble.” “I’m sure she will be a real sweetheart Princess Luna.” Nightshade smiles “I will be good. I just want to play adventurer!” “That should be fine, just remember we don’t have any boxes to make a cave for you thought,” Celestia spoke up smiling to the youngest princess. Nightshade pouts and plops down on her flanks. “Oh… well, we can make a pillow fort and um… Sheets! We can hang sheets!” Tender Care nods “My, aren’t you a creative one.” “Yup! I need an adventurer’s saddlebags! With things like snacks, and tools.” Turning to face Luna “MOMMY! I need bits!” Luna was wondering if her daughter skipped ahead into the teenage mindset. “Why would you need bits?” “Stuff for adventure. We in the Crystal Empire, why wouldn’t I want to get stuff.” Tender Care was starting to understand that the filly before her wasn’t a normal foal. She looked to the three princesses “Are all Alicorn foals so… um… advanced?” Luna sighs and looks to Tender Care. “My daughter is a special case. We don’t know how a normal alicorn foal would develop.” Celestia smiles and nods “You have to understand Tender Care, much like how the Crystal Empire was displaced in time, so too was my Sister and Daughter. Her time away from normal reality seems to have had an effect on Nightshade’s development. Even if she seems more alert, be aware she is still a foal. She might know she needs bits to get things, but she had no idea how much they are worth, nor will she think twice if she really wants something.” “I’m still laughing remembering the time she got her head stuck in a cooking jar.” Cadence smirks as Nightshade gives her an angry look. Coming from a little foal it was adorable. Luna passes over a pouch of bits to Tender Care. “Try not to let her talk you into buying everything that catches her eye.” Once outside Nightshade was riding on Tender Care’s back. “Wow, lots of con… consr… building. Worker ponies doing lots of work.” “Yes Princess, there is a lot of construction. Not only are we rebuilding after… him, we are also updating the building. Indoor plumbing and new kitchens.” “OH ICE CREAM! Want Ice cream!” She waves her hoof at the ice cream cart. “No, it's too early for ice cream.” “Your mother told me to keep track of spending. So no. Besides if you spend the bits on ice cream, you might not have enough for your adventure pack.” “Hmm… you win this time.” The two then head into one of the stores. “Okay, what do you think you need for your adventure,” Tender Care asks as she takes a shopping cart. The place was a general store, the major shopping big box stores like Rich's Barnyard Bargains haven’t moved in yet. Nightshade looks about “Rope! All adventurers need hope. Travel goodies, cookies, and ice cream.” “Nope, we can buy some travel snacks like these cereal bars. Cookies and ice cream are not on the menu.” Tender Care puts some of the snacks into the shopping cart. She stealthy added some cookies. “Meany. Okay, need um... OH, purple flashlight!” Nightshade was waving her hoof at the small flashlight. “Oh and sleeping bag and pillow!” “You can use a blanket and pillow. We don’t need to buy a sleeping bag.” “Camera?” “Nope too expensive.” “Firestarter kit?” “What would you want a fire starting kit for? Oh no, we are not buying a fire starter for you.” Nightshade rubs her chin. “Water bottle!” Tender Care picks up a purple water bottle having caught on that the little princess likes purple. “How about a crowbar?” “What would you even need a crowbar for?” “Um… opening secret passages.” “No on the crowbar.” “How about holy water?” Tender Care stopped walking and looked at the filly on her back. “Holy water?” “Yeah, for vampire ponies!” “Do they have thieves tools?” Nightshade looks around. “What are thieves' tools? Where would you even hear that term?” After a few silent moments as sheNightshade thought of an answer, “Cousin Shining Armor plays Ogres and Oubliettes.” Tender Care sighs “So that where you learned about Thieves tools and Holy water.” “Yeah… that where I heard about it.” “We really need lots of rope. So we can hang the sheets for the cave.” “Alright, I can agree to that.” After buying the Adventuring gear the two left the general store. “It’s almost lunchtime, how about we grab something on the way back, we can eat at one of the parks.” Once they bought, lunch the older Tender Care brought Nightshade to the park. “The grass looks funny.” “That our grass it’s emerald green grass, we don’t have the same grass you have in Canterlot. Generations of exposure to the Crystal Heart’s magic made it permanently crystallized. Like us, Crystal Ponies were once normal ponies. After two or three generations, we are now a different group.” Tender Care went to a picnic table and set Nightshade down in the grass. “It tickles my belly like grass…” Nightshade lowers down and pokes at the grass blades with her hoof. Smiling Tender Care sets the lunch down then hears Nightshade yelling. “YAH, Take that!” Turning her head she saw Nightshade jumping and kicking the grass. She brings her hoof to her mouth as she tries not to laugh at the antics of the little filly. “Nightshade, lunch is ready.” “Huh… OH, food!” She rushes over and gets picked up so she could eat her salad. “It all crystaly too…” “Of course it is, you are in the Crystal Empire. Don’t worry they are all fine to eat.” Nightshade pokes at a crystal berry with her hoof looking very focused at the strange crystal salad. She then leaned down and sniffed it and then took an exploratory bite. Tender Care laughed as she saw Nightshade’s eyes widen “IT GOOD!” Then her little face went down into the bowl munching. Soon the little filly of terror was smiling licking the last of the crystal berry juice off her lips. “Was it good?” Tender Care smiles at her little. “It Yummy.” “See little princess; sometimes strange foods are yummy.” Tender Care put the filly down and motioned to the sandbox. “Go ahead and play as I clean up.” “Okay!” Then nightshade ran into the sandbox kicking the sand. Then Nightshade heard a voice. “HElleo!” “It’s Hello, Gem.” “Oh okay, Hello!” Nightshade turns seeing a blue shaded crystal pony filly with an aqua mane and tail, and what she assumed was her mother judging by a similar color pattern. “Hello. I’m Nightshade and this... “ Nightshade looked around and sighed realizing her friends weren’t with her. Then she didn’t want to look silly, so she motioned to her babysitter. “Tender Care, my babysitter.” “Wanna play?” Gem asks, smiling. “Gem star… introduce yourself.” “Right! I’m Gem Star. This is mommy.” Motioning to her mother. Tender Care came over “Go on you two, it’s a playground. Playing kind of the point.” “OKAY,” two fillies yelled together as they ran for the kiddie slide. “Is it hard to take care of an Alicorn?” Gem’s mother asks. “Oh, I’m Crystal Matrix.” “Tender Care, I only am the little Princess nanny for the stay here in the Crystal Empire. It’s surprising how sharp she is, at the same time she acts like a normal foal.” Motioning to the two fillies sliding down the slide. The playing goes on till Gem stops and looks over at a group of ponies heading to the castle. “Lookie another pony like you.” “Like me?” Nightshade got up on the slide and looked overseeing… Twilight Sparkle and her friends. That jealousy returned with a vengeance. “Oh… need to do something now. Bye-bye.” Nightshade leaps down and rushes to Tender Care. “I’m tired and want a nap now.” “Alright, we did have a long day.” She picked up Nightshade and put her on the saddle on her back. “It has been nice talking to you Crystal matrix.” Gem walked over, looking confused. “Did I do bad? Why did you leave?” Guilt tickles the back of Nightshade's mind as she looks at the young foal. “We play another time. I'm sleepy now.” The little filly sat down trying to think and then nodded. “Okay, nappy time. Play later.” Why was the idea of leaving Gem making her feel bad? It is not like they were friends, her friends were in Canterlot. The thoughts ran through her head making her quiet as they headed to the castle. “You must have worn yourself out, you barely moved as we got back.” Tender Care says as they enter the nursery. She lays Nightshade down in the crib. “Go take your nap.” “You make pillow forts for me when I wake?” “Sure. I have your adventure stuff all ready.” “YAY.” Then Nightshade lays down for a nap. She needed it if she was going to wake up during the night to steal Twilight’s crown and run through the portal to the other world.