//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: Mother Moon, Fallen Sunset // by ShadowStar_IMHP //------------------------------// Another night passed as Nightshade woke up in the CMC clubhouse. “GUYS guess what!” Nightshade rubbed her eyes as she heard the yelling from outside. “Wait… “ She sprang up realizing the CMC was about to discover she was sleeping in the clubhouse. A deep fear came to her, will they hate her for staying in the clubhouse? Her eyes look to her stuff and in that moment of panic, a purple glow covered her hands and her stuff. Magic in that moment of panic she was performing magic, her stuff lifted up and packed away neatly. The glowing stopped just as the door to the clubhouse opens. “Rarity, made up with the others! She’s not mad at them anymore!” “Darn tootin’ same with Applejack. She was on the phone this morning talking to Rainbow Dash, they are friends again.” “Nightshade! You are here early.” Schootaloo spoke up seeing the newest member of the gang. Nightshade smiled and picked up her bookbag. “Yeah, I’m an early riser. So… your sisters are friends again? How that happen?” “Don’t know, something about that new girl Twilight Sparkle.” Sweetie Belle adds as she joyfully twirls. A rumbling of a hungry gut was heard and the three crusaders look to Nightshade. “Didn’t eat breakfast?” “No, was kind of in a rush.” “Alright! Let’s get to school!” The rest of the day went normally till lunchtime. Nightshade was taking her time looking at her hands. Twice now she used magic when in a state of panic, twice now she failed to use magic after. As she approaches the doors to the cafeteria she starts humming a tune. Then she “Help Twilight Sparkle win the crown”... Wait! She stops and cracks the door open seeing Twilight and her Human friends in some kind of costumes singing a song about her winning, not just that every student and even the lunch ladies are singing. All on key, all to the right beat, they were caught in a Heart song! Nightshade backed farther away not wanting to be caught in the magic. A Heartsong could only work in a magical environment. She needed a place to practice! She found the storage room off the gym where she sat down on some mats and looked at her hands. Minutes and hours went by as she focused on trying to use magic. A normal girl would have got bored after spending hours meditating in a dark room. It was almost the same for Nightshade, but in the dark corner of her mind, the part of her that remembers being Nightmare Moon kept her focus. “Okay, so it’s not just me using magic that was in my body, those children were caught in the Heartsong magic. So… how do I access magic without being scared?” Could she use heartsong? She starts humming a melody as she concentrates. Her body lofts off the floor and she feels her body change. Pony ears appear on top of her head, her hair mimics the tail of a pony, her back sprouts wings. Once her body transforms she lands back down. “That was interesting.” She feels her forehead, “no horn, hmm my hands did glow when I panicked at the clubhouse... “ Casting her hand out she focused on the telekinetic spell to grab and retrieve a ball from the bin. Her hand glowed that purple shade and so did the ball lifting up and came over to her grasp.  “YES!” She squealed in joy having figured out how to access this world’s magic. “Did one of you buffoons say something?” The voice of Sunset Shimmer came from the gym. Carefully Nightshade got up and crept to the door peeking out the window. “No, we didn’t say anything.” One of the male humans with Sunset said. It took a few moments for Nightshade to remember, their names were Snips and Snails. The three of them were trashing the decorations. It took her a few moments to realize that if the Fall formal doesn’t happen then her chance of getting the crown was shot.  Nightshade didn’t notice but the room grew even darker and her eyes became slit like a cat’s. In that dark corner of her mind, the Nightmare was waking up. “No one yelling, must have been the wind. Alright, you two make sure you get good pictures. I make sure that Twilight Sparkle reputation is in ruins and I will get that crown!” Sunset turns and flips a table over. Once the sound of the table hitting the floor stops she turns her head confused. Someone was singing? “Come, little children, I take thee away into a land of enchantment.” The voice was soft barely audible, high pitch gentle, but eerily creepy. “Who’s there? You better come out I’m warning you.” Sunset started walking to the storage room. “Come, little children, the time’s to play here in my garden of Shadow!” The voice jumped in volume and the doors to the storage room open revealing a wall of darkness. One step away was all she had time to do before the wall exploded out into the gym. “AGH!” Sunset yells as the wave of darkness overcame her. Her vision adjusted, it wasn’t pitch black dark, she could see a figure standing in the storage room. A full-grown woman with dark purple skin, hair so black it seemed to absorb light, her eyes, those eyes teal and slit like a dragon’s.  But what caught her attention was the wings bat-like wings, that and the pony ears. The figure raised her hand and shadows leaped out from every corner wrapping around the three students. This still didn’t scare Sunset, what really scared her was when the woman spoke. “Found you, Sunset Shimmer. Celestia was clever hiding you away in another universe, but I’m far smarter than she thinks.” “Who… who are you?” Sunset struggled against the now solid shadows holding her in place. It was like fighting against tar, the more she fought the tighter the binding. “Oh, don’t recognize me? The Queen of the Night, The one every foal is told would gobble them up unless they leave offerings during Nightmare Night?” Snails looked to Snips “What’s Nightmare Night?” “Quite… don’t get the mean lady angry at us.” Sunset visibly paled “No, you’re a myth.” “Let me tell you a story” The dark version of Nightshade turns and shadows rippled and flowed creating a large screen where images start appearing. “Long ago in the magical land of Equestria, there lived two sisters. Both beautiful, both fought to defend their little ponies, both suffered loss, and both found joy. It was not meant to be, for one was given power over the day and the other power over the night.” “But time passed and the ponies began worshiping the sister of the day, they praised her warmth and played in the light of the sun. She grew arrogant and selfish, ignoring the younger sister’s pleads.” “Day by day the elder sister ignored her younger sister and the ponies that followed her done the same. Soon the younger was left all alone, ignored.” Nightshade turns to look at Sunset Shimmer. “Sound familiar? Let me guess Celestia ignored you too didn’t she? The only time you got attention was when you passed some test or did some impressive task for your school. You had to be the best, or you be forgotten, passed by for some political event. She was never really there for you, never gave you what you really wanted. Just like her little sister, you were ignored.” It was a heartbeat before Sunset grasped the opportunity Nightshade presented. “Yes, it’s her fault! She ignored me, she ignored you!” Nightshade’s darker side smiled Sunset fell right into the trap. “Of course, well you don’t need to worry about her any longer.” “What do you mean?” “Think little Sunset, why wasn’t the Mirror in the Canterlot Vault? Why were you able to access it in the first place? Celestia wanted you to escape before I returned. Now she’s in the Crystal Empire and she brought the mirror with her, knowing you would return. Poor little Sunset, you were played.” “She couldn’t protect Canterlot, Discord, the Changelings, and she couldn’t stop me from finding you. Now thanks to you I can get the Element of Magic for myself, then all of Equestria will be mine!” “No…” Nightshade leans forward “And it’s all your fault. Don’t worry my little sunset, I reward you well for hoofing over Equestria to me. All you need to do is don’t get in my way, that crown is Mine!” With that last word everything vanished, Sunset, Snip, and Snails fall to the gymnasium floor. Around them the gym was put back in place, not a sign of anything happened.  Except for a young girl singing as she walks down the hallway.