Past Sins

by Pen Stroke

6: Reunion of the Royal Pony Sisters

Twilight, along with the rest of the audience, applauded as the actors on the stage bowed and the curtain fell, marking the end of another performance. All of Ponyville, as well as a number of ponies from other towns, was sitting in the town’s central square, which had been transformed into an outdoor theater for the Spring Festival.

A large, temporary stage with a professional setup of lights and similar grade equipment had been constructed on one side of the plaza that surrounded the town hall. The rest of the area was packed with ponies and lit by long strings of paper lanterns that arched from building to building. The members of the audience were packed tight and were all eagerly waiting to see the next scheduled performance. Yet Twilight, Spike, and their friends were not amongst the crowd on the ground. Instead, they had been invited to sit with Princesses Celestia and Luna in what was being called the VIP section, for “Very Important Ponies”, which had been established on the second-floor balcony of the town hall.

“Oh, that was a funny one! I loved that one part where they threw a pie!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she bounced on her seat cushion.

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed as she tried to stifle her giggles. “That one pony just reared back and POW! Face full of banana cream!”

Spike, who had rolled onto his back and was holding his stomach, managed to quell his laughter just long enough to say, “Total laugh riot!”

“Yes, I do suppose it was enjoyable, if a little lowbrow,“ Rarity remarked. “Though I particularly liked the joke about blues music.”

“Really? ‘Cause that one was kind of stupid if you ask me,” Applejack argued.

“It must have simply gone over your head.”

“Really? Then wouldn’t it have hit her hat?” Pinkie Pie asked, making Rainbow Dash snort.

“Oh… oh geeze,” Rainbow Dash laughed, “somepony should tell those stallions that one. It should be in that play.”

The others were giggling right along with Dash, including Princesses Celestia and Luna. While the group of ponies had been a little tense around the royal sisters at first, a few good performances, along with Celestia’s casual, friendly personality, helped to lighten the mood. Princess Luna had joined in the conversation from time to time as well. While not as vocal as Celestia, Luna had, at the very least, practiced speaking with a more modern dialect since her public appearance at Nightmare Night. She had even cracked a particularly witty joke about the first performance, further helping Twilight and company feel more at ease around the royal sisters.

“And what is next on the festival program, sister?” Princess Luna asked, eager to see the next performance but keeping her enthusiasm in check.

Celestia casually cracked open her copy of the festival program and glanced across the page. “Let’s see… the Reunion of the Royal Pony Sisters, by the Ponyville Elementary School.”

“Oh yeah, this is the one I’ve been waiting for,” Dash said eagerly, sitting up on her cushion. “This is the one about us!”

“Personally, I ain’t as excited,” Applejack admitted. “I know Apple Bloom wouldn’t mean ta, but she could right easily make me look like a fool, and I don’t need no ponies snickerin’ behind my back because of this.”

“I’m sure Apple Bloom will do fine,” Fluttershy reassured. “After all, she actually knows you. I don’t even know the pony who’s going to be playing me.”

“Yeah, I guess yer right,” Applejack agreed as she flipped open the program sitting at her hooves. “Hey, says here they got Nyx to play Nightmare Moon.”

“Really? Huh, I… I guess that’s kind of cool. I mean, sure, she’s got the right coat color… but I don’t know if she’s Nightmare Moon material.”

“Rainbow Dash, that’s mean!” Fluttershy scolded.

Dash shrugged. “Hey, I just call it as I see it.”

“Well, I… I wouldn’t get your hopes up, girls. Nyx wasn’t feeling well earlier,” Twilight lied.

“Oh, the poor thing; did she have a stomachache?” Fluttershy asked.

“Oh yes, really nasty tummy ache,” Twilight said, more than willing to latch onto Fluttershy’s provided excuse. “I actually left her back at the library with Owloysius. I doubt she’ll be able to make it.”

“Twilight, do correct me if I’m wrong, but it sounds like this little filly is living with you,” Celestia said casually. “I’m surprised you haven’t told me.”

“Oh… really? Ha ha… I thought I’d told you. She’s my cousin… half-cousin, really… but yeah, she’s been staying with me for a while now.” Twilight was trying to speak as casually as possible but was unable to stop herself from putting on a stupid, forced smile before quickly changing the subject. “So… uh… Princess Luna, are you going to be okay? I mean, this play is kind of about—”

“Do not worry about me, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said flatly. “I will be quite alright. The story of my return can not be told without telling the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon. If I didn’t want ponies to know about that part of my past, then I never should have let my jealousy get the better of me.”

Luna turned to face Twilight and put on a reassuring smile. “Furthermore, I’ve been informed that this play is not meant to dwell on my sins but to celebrate my return to my true self. It is also performed by elementary school children. If anything, it will make ponies laugh at Nightmare Moon… and I think it would be nice to see that particular part of my past portrayed comically. You do not need to worry about my welfare, though I thank you for asking.”

“Oh, you’re welcome, Princess,” Twilight said, smiling both because Luna was doing well and because she had successfully redirected the conversation. It was then the Mayor Mare of Ponyville, Ivory Scroll, walked out to the center of the stage, once more playing her part as the Spring Festival’s Master of Ceremonies.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Ivory began with her usual flair, “I am now proud to present the Ponyville Elementary School’s original play: The Reunion of the Royal Pony Sisters.”

The crowd applauded, the parents in the crowd with noticeable vigor, as the mayor stepped off the stage and the curtains opened. Smoke began to curl out from the stage, and a few dark set pieces loomed in the sea of mist. The only light came from the stars and moon in the sky above, and, for a moment, all things were quiet.

“Beware, beware you pony folk, for the tale I am about to tell is no joke. It is a story, begun in days, months, and years gone by, about the pony sisters who, in harmony, ruled the sky.”

At this, one of the set pieces on the stage moved, causing some ponies in the audience to jump and others to gasp. What had appeared at first to be a set piece was, in fact, a cloaked equine figure, who moved to the center of the stage as a light clicked on. The single light cast heavy shadows across the figure, whose body was hidden in the darkness of the cloak until she lifted a white-and-black striped hoof.

Zecora couldn’t help but smile as she removed the hood of her cloak. She looked out across the audience, who stared back at her with varying levels of shock.

“The eldest did raise the sun, bringing forth the dawn,” Zecora narrated, continuing the performance’s introduction. “The other brought the moon when the sun to bed had gone.”

Two more lights clicked on, revealing two small figures. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were standing on the opposite sides of the stage, dressed in costumes that made it easy to identify them as Princesses Celestia and Luna. The two fillies climbed up steps hidden behind the painted backdrop of rolling hills and came to a stop when they each stood on the peak of a painted mountain. At the same time, Zecora retreated from center stage to continue her narration while a number of other students came out and began to dance and play.

“The two sisters brought harmony and balance to the moon and sun,” Zecora continued, her voice carrying out over the crowd though she was currently hidden from view. “Beneath their guidance all different ponies lived, laughed, and had fun.”

“Wow, Zecora is doing a really good job with the whole narrator thing,” Dash whispered to Applejack.

“You got that right, sugarcube.”

“But not all was well; the younger grew envious. To her, the ponies were ignorant and oblivious. They frolicked, laughed, and played through bright days. They lived their lives under the sun’s golden rays. Yet they ignored her stars and slept through her night. To her, it just wasn't fair; it just wasn’t right.”

While Zecora spoke, the fillies and colts on stage performed the scene. Diamond Tiara, dressed as Princess Celestia, stood proud as the ponies on stage played and laughed, but, when she hid and Silver Spoon came out as Princess Luna, the other ponies on stage all quickly pretended to fall asleep, some playfully snoring.

“In time, it all became too much for the younger to bear; to have her night ignored… to feel as if nopony cared. One fateful night she did protest. She refused to lower the moon in the west.”

“Luna, why won’t you lower the moon? It’s time for the sun to come up,” Diamond Tiara said, overextending the words as she gave a very forced regal tone to her voice. She and Silver Spoon were facing one another from opposite sides of the stage, standing on wooden steps hidden behind the plywood mountains. Below them, their classmates continued pretending to sleep, as if ignorant to what was going on.

“I am tired of nopony seeing my night,” Silver Spoon shouted back while she faked a regal tone. “I work so hard on it, and all they do is sleep through it. It’s beautiful, but nopony ever sees it but me.”

“Well… well…” Diamond Tiara stammered.

“Looks like somepony has forgotten her lines,” Rarity whispered. “Personally, I don’t think it could have happened to a nastier filly.”

“Well… what else are ponies supposed to do? It’s too dark to work at night and, like, it’s too bright to sleep during the day,” Diamond Tiara finally answered. This caused some chuckles to go through the audience, Luna herself snorting. Diamond Tiara, in her moment of panic, had reverted to her normal, snooty way of speaking, and her voice was a comically inappropriate match for any princess. Celestia just smiled and took it in good humor. She even chuckled under her breath.

“I don’t care!” Silver Spoon yelled, able to remember her lines better than Diamond Tiara. “I won’t have my work be ignored anymore! They are going to see the majesty of my night, whether they want to or not.”

“But sister…” Diamond Tiara called out, only for her voice to fall silent as the light on Silver Spoon grew dark and Zecora began narrating again.

“But it was too late for kind words to soothe the younger’s heart, too deeply had she been hurt by the ponies who ignored her sky-bound art. The bitterness inside her twisted, writhed, and contorted, to the point that even the princess’s exterior became distorted.

“Gone was her gentle visage in the emotional monsoon; leaving behind only the dreadful Nightmare Moon!”

The light on the right side of the stage clicked on again, and gasps cut through the audience. Silver Spoon had been replaced by another little filly, one with an all-black coat and supposedly fake wings that were stretched high and held perfectly still. On her flank was a fairly well-painted crescent moon cutie mark, and the fake armor she wore looked genuine from a distance. The most convincing part of her costume, however, were her eyes: they were shaped like a dragon's, with brilliant turquoise irises and whites that were a lighter teal.

“Hey, look! Nyx made it!” Applejack whispered energetically. “Sweet apples, that little filly does pull off a convincin’ Nightmare Moon.”

“Oh… oh yes, of course,” Rarity agreed, glancing nervously at Twilight. “She’s… positively a doppelganger.”

Celestia leaned over to whisper to Twilight. “And it's good to see she’s over her tummy ache. Must have just been pre-show butterflies.”

“Uh… uh… yeah, butterflies,” Twilight answered weakly, suddenly feeling as if she were about to lose her lunch.

Nyx looked at the audience and realized just how many ponies she was standing in front of. She instinctively closed her eyes and struggled against a growing temptation to hide. She had been so excited about the play, so excited to do the story, and so excited to make some new friends that she hadn’t realized that there were going to be this many ponies watching her.

Nyx licked her lips and swallowed, thinking about her friends. She had just gotten herself in deep trouble with Twilight for them, and she wasn’t going to let them down now. She just had to get through her lines, and she had practiced those lines so many times she could recite them in her sleep. She just needed to take a breath and say them.

“N-Never again will the ponies of Equestria see the sun! I hereby decree that this night shall last forever! MUWAHAHAHA!” Nyx boasted, though her fake evil laugh at the end did nothing but draw a small round of laughter from the crowd. It, however, wasn’t the mean, mocking laughter of bullies, but the kind, supportive laughter of ponies enjoying her performance; it was laughter that gave Nyx more courage. She could do this, and she would do this… because she was already in trouble for it anyway.

Yet, while the laughter gave Nyx courage, the reaction of the crowd baffled Twilight. Why hadn’t an angry mob formed? Nyx looked too much like Nightmare Moon, but nopony seemed to take the resemblance seriously. Were they all convinced that Nyx’s costume was just that good? She couldn’t contemplate it for long as Zecora’s voice drew her attention back to the stage.

“And night did last across the pony lands, despite the elder’s pleas and demands. In the end, with no other choice to be made, the sister had to take up the crusade. With the Elements of Harmony, a power beyond all measure, the elder banished her sister, an act in which she took no pleasure.”

The lights on the stage began to flicker on and off in a rainbow of colors as Nyx faked cries of anger and pain. When the lights returned to normal, Nyx had disappeared from view, and, in her place, a plywood moon painted with the visage of the Mare in the Moon had been lowered.

“To the moon was the younger one then sent, so that the ponies of Equestria she would never again torment. The elder then took on duties two-fold. She tended both the moon silver and the sun gold. Harmony was returned, the elder’s actions many did commend. And for a thousand years all was good… but this story is not at its end.”

With that, the curtains quickly shut, the first act of the play ending to an appropriate round of applause. There was only one pony who didn’t applaud: Luna. While she had enjoyed the children’s performance, she had sunk down into her seat when the filly playing Nightmare Moon had appeared on stage.

Luna hung her head and stared at her hooves as memories of that particular moment in her life came rushing back like angry spirits. Before Luna could get too lost in her own thoughts, she felt a very gentle touch. Looking up, she saw a large white wing gently draped over her shoulder.

“Are you going to be okay?” Celestia asked very quietly, using her wing to gently hug her younger sister to her side.

“Yes… yes, I’ll be alright,” Luna replied, resting her head on Celestia’s shoulder. “Thank you, sister.”

While the play had the level of professionalism that one would expect from something put on by colts and fillies, the crowd as a whole was enjoying it, even those who weren’t parents. The first scene of the second act involved Twilight meeting up with her friends and Nightmare Moon’s return. That led into the second scene, where Twilight and her friends faced the trials within the Everfree Forest.

Of the crowd, Twilight’s friends seemed to be enjoying it the most. Dash was thrilled to see how awesomely she was being portrayed by Scootaloo while Applejack and Rarity were satisfied by how well their little sisters were acting. Dinky Doo put on a fairly good impression of Twilight, though she tripped on her lines occasionally. Pinkie Pie, however, seemed to have the widest grin of all just from hearing her song about giggling at the ghostly being sung on stage.

Twilight even found herself able to enjoy the play, though not until her concerns had calmed from a boil to a simmer. She was still going to scold Nyx at the first opportunity for not only disobeying her, but also for forgetting her glasses. Still, so far, nothing bad had happened. Princesses Celestia and Luna hadn’t winged down to the stage to capture Nyx, and no angry mob had formed out of the audience. They all just thought Nyx had a great costume, and Twilight wasn’t about to give them a reason to think otherwise.

So, for the moment, Twilight could only sit and watch. The performance was now entering the third scene of the second act, and the climax was about to begin. The backdrop had changed to resemble the interior of the old castle, and Zecora began her narration once more.

“And with the final trial passed they did arrive. They could plainly see the elements they hoped to revive,” Zecora said as the six ponies playing Twilight and her friends stepped into view and drew close to the wooden pedestals that held the fake Elements of Harmony.

“The Elements of Harmony! We’ve found them!” Dinky Doo cheered as the group of young actresses moved forward. Unlike the real elements, the fake ones were set on pedestals low enough to the ground that the little fillies were able to reach them without being able to fly.

As the other fillies worked to take the stones down, the one playing Pinkie Pie began to point and count the stones. “One, two, three, four… There’s only five!”

“Squeee!” Pinkie Pie whispered, trying to keep her voice down but finding it difficult. “I said that… I said that! This is so cool! They got everything just right.”

“That’s mostly because of you, sugarcube, since you somehow remembered everythin’ we said.”

“Oh, that was easy. I just read the transcript.”

“You read the what now?”

“Shhh! I’m trying to watch!” Dash grumbled as she continued to watch the stage intently.

“Where’s the sixth?” Scootaloo asked as she and the other fillies looked around.

Dinky Doo moved closer to the five fake elements. “The book said when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth element to be revealed.”

“What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Apple Bloom asked, pulling off her sister’s thicker accent fairly well.

“I’m not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back, I don’t know what will happen.”

“Come on now, y’all. She needs to concentrate,” Apple Bloom ordered, ushering the other fillies off the stage and leaving Dinky Doo alone with the fake elements. Dinky knelt down beside the painted, round props and made her horn glow, making it look like she was attempting a spell.

As Dinky Doo concentrated, a fog, borrowed from the Cloudsdale Weather Factory and tinted indigo by special lanterns, began to envelop the stage. The pedestals that had held the prop Elements of Harmony were pulled out of view by ropes. At the same time, students backstage tugged on fishing line connected to the elements, making them slide across the stage.

When Dinky noticed them being dragged away from her, she reached out a hoof. “The Elements!” Her shout, however, did nothing but draw evil laughter from offstage.

The laughter had come from Nyx. She stepped onto the right side of the stage while the lights flickered and students behind the scenes smashed pots and pans together, simulating thunder and lightning. Yet, despite Nyx’s ominous entrance, Dinky did as the real Twilight Sparkle had done: She lowered her head and beat her hoof at the ground aggressively.

Nyx lifted a hoof in disbelief and arched an eyebrow. “You're kidding. You're kidding, right?”

Dinky, however, was not kidding. She charged at Nyx, and Nyx did the same. They raced towards one another, and, just as the two were about to cross paths, the stage lights went dark, causing a small gasp of confusion to cascade across the audience.

When the lights came back on, Nyx was standing alone in the center of the stage, and Dinky Doo was over by the elements. Her horn was glowing while some of the backstage students covered and uncovered theater lanterns in an attempt to make it look like the elements were beginning to activate.

Nyx raced across the stage, but before she could reach Dinky Doo, a number of lights, which were aimed out at the audience, flashed. The bright light blinded most of the crowd and obscured the stage for a few key moments. The lights were then dimmed, and, with the blinding effect gone, the audience was able to see Dinky Doo on the far side of the stage. She was pulling herself off the ground, as if she had been thrown back, while Nyx stood in the center of the fake Elements of Harmony.

“No, no!” Nyx snapped, shrinking back in fear of the fake elements, but, as in reality, the elements did not activate. The students playing with the theater lanterns stopped while Dinky Doo put on an overly large expression of shock.

“But… where's the sixth Element?!”

Nyx broke out her playful, evil laughter before she stomped on the fake elements. They crumbled under her hooves, and, when they were nothing but shattered pieces, Nyx turned to face Dinky Doo. She put on the wickedest smile she could manage and lifted a hoof to point at Dinky.

“You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me!?” Nyx called out, her voice turning very dark, very serious, and very convincing. “Now you will never see your princess or your sun!

“The night will last forever!” Nyx finished before letting out an evil laugh, the most convincing evil laugh the audience had heard from her all evening. It sent a shiver down Twilight’s spine. She had heard Nightmare Moon say those very same words and in a very similar way. She swallowed nervously and risked a glance at Celestia and Luna. The princesses still seemed to be just enjoying the play, but Twilight still couldn’t shake the worrisome thought from her mind.

Nyx had said those last lines too well.

“And thus the night again became ruled over by the younger, and banished from her body was the vengeful hunger. And from this story may a lesson you firmly grip: There is nothing stronger than the power of friendship.”

With those last lines from Zecora, the curtains fell and the audience broke into a roaring round of applause. A few moments later, the curtains reopened as Cheerilee stepped onto the stage and gave a few quick bows and waves.

“Thank you all!” Cheerilee said to the crowd. “I’m happy to see that you all enjoyed the play. The students worked really hard, and, because of their efforts, this became one of the best plays ever put on by Ponyville Elementary School. Now, let’s welcome the students back to the stage! First, a round of applause for those who played our story’s heroes. Dinky Doo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Cotton Cloudy, and Sunny Daze!”

The crowd eagerly complied, stomping their hooves as the students began to stream onto the stage. Applejack gave out an extra-loud holler for Apple Bloom, and Rarity put her hooves together and whistled when it was Sweetie Belle’s turn to take a bow.

“Next,” Cheerilee continued, doing her best to shout above the applause of her crowd, “we have the fillies who portrayed our dearest Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who have graced us with their presence this evening: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon came out, acting like proper divas as they smirked and bowed in their Princess Celestia and Princess Luna costumes. They lingered on the stage a little longer than they should have, soaking in the applause. It took Cheerilee motioning towards them to get the two fillies to back up and stand in line with the others.

“And now, playing the wicked and dastardly Nightmare Moon, give a big round of applause for Nyx!”

Twilight was shocked when the crowd cheered loudly as Nyx nervously walked onto stage, the cheering only slightly quieter than the applause had been for Dinky Doo and the other fillies who played the main characters in the play. Still, the applause Nyx was receiving was louder than what Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon had received, and, by the looks on their faces, the two snooty fillies knew it.

Twilight couldn’t keep herself from applauding either, even though Nyx was still in so much trouble. Twilight even heard a whistle come from her side, and, when she turned to look, she saw it had come from Celestia. Even Luna was applauding, despite the fact Nyx had been portraying something that she probably wished to forget. Did the two princesses really just believe Nyx was in costume?

It was a miracle Twilight would never have believed possible.

Nyx shakily bowed before stepping back to stand with the rest of her class. Cheerilee proceeded to introduce the rest of the class. She then called the names of some students a second time, letting them step forward and take credit for the work they had done making costumes, constructing set pieces, or working behind the scenes. The final two ponies invited up were Lyra and Zecora. Lyra was thanked for her work composing the play’s music, and Zecora, of course, deserved a round of applause for her expert narration.

The final mare to be credited was Cheerilee herself. Zecora introduced her to the crowd as the playwright and director, and, with a small blush, she bowed to the many applauding ponies. After that the whole cast bowed a final time, the stage’s curtains closed, and the Spring Festival entered an hour long intermission.

“Mommy!” Dinky Doo chirped as she ran up to a gray-coated, blonde-maned pegasus. “Did I do good?”

“You were wonderful, Muffin,” Ditzy Doo replied, giving her little filly a nuzzle and a hug. Twilight passed by the warm scene with Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash as they moved backstage to where the students were getting out of their costumes.

It didn’t take long for the quartet to find the fillies they were looking for. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Nyx were drinking water from paper cups. Three of the fillies had already gotten out of their costumes while Nyx was still completely in hers.

“Darlings, that was positively fabulous!” Rarity chimed, alerting the four fillies to the group’s approach. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle all quickly turned and ran over, grinning ear to ear. Nyx, however, hung back and tried not to meet Twilight’s gaze.

“Really, was it good?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Positively pitch perfect,” Rarity assured.

“Yea, big props, Scootaloo, you got me down pat.”

“Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh,” Scootaloo rattled off, overwhelmed by the fact that she was getting such a compliment from her personal hero, Rainbow Dash.

“How about me, big sis?”

“It was like lookin’ in a mirror, sugarcube,” Applejack praised, giving Apple Bloom a little noogie. “Y’all did a great job, didn’t they, Twilight?”

“Yes, they all did amazingly well,” Twilight agreed. Nyx chanced a look up. Her currently undisguised dragon eyes met Twilight’s, and she was able to smile. She smiled because Twilight wasn’t glaring at her with disappointment or anger.

“By the way, Twi, nice work on Nyx’s eyes,” Dash said before fluttering over to inspect Nyx more closely. “I didn’t know you knew a spell for this.”

Twilight nervously smiled, thankful that Rainbow Dash had assumed it was a spell. “Oh, uh, j-just something I found in one of my books.”

“That is so awesome. I’ve got to try it.”

“Say what now?” Twilight asked as her smiled weakened.

“Come on, Twilight,” Dash said. She landed and used a hoof to motion towards her face. “Lay that spell on me. I want to see what I look like with dragon eyes.”

Twilight swallowed nervously, only now realizing that she might actually be asked to perform the spell. There was no going back. She’d have to try at least once, and, if she failed, then she could tell Dash she’d do it tomorrow, buying herself enough time to actually figure out the spell.

Maybe she could pull it off. It would just be an illusion spell like the one she put on Nyx’s glasses. Yes, it shouldn’t be too hard, but it wouldn’t last very long. That’s why she had chosen to enchant glasses instead of Nyx’s eyes directly. With glasses she could attach other spells to ensure the magic was resilient and long lasting. Yes, in theory the illusion spell could be applied straight to Dash’s eyes. It was no big deal, she just had to use it on a live pony with the opposite effect. She could do it… maybe.

Closing her own eyes, Twilight focused her magic. She gritted her teeth, concentrated, and felt the flash of the spell going off. For a moment, she didn’t dare to look. She feared that the spell hadn’t manifested, and she had just made a fool of herself in front of her friends.

But the gasps of amazement from the other ponies encouraged Twilight to open her eyes, and she was relieved to find that her spell had worked. Dash’s eyes had been transformed and now looked very dragon-like. They had strong irises with dagger-shaped pupils, and even the whites of her eyes had been tinted a light pink.

“Whoa, this is so awesome!” Dash said, catching her reflection in a nearby wall mirror.

“Well, don’t get used to it. The illusion spell will wear off quickly,” Twilight lectured.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya,” Dash said as she looked away from the mirror. “Still, I’m going to enjoy this while it lasts. After we’re done here, we have to find Pinkie Pie. She is so going to freak out when she sees this.”

“Yeah, I suppose she will,” Applejack agreed. “I reckon all you little fillies have worked up quite the appetite with all this actin’. How about we catch up with Fluttershy and Pinkie and then all go get dinner together?”

“Yeah!” the fillies cheered in unison.

“Sounds good,” Twilight agreed. “Why don’t you go on ahead and find us a place to eat? I need to help Nyx out of her costume.”

The others nodded in agreement and headed off stage to begin their search for food. Twilight waited until her friends were out of sight before she turned, arched an eyebrow, and tapped her hoof as she gazed expectantly at Nyx.

“I’m… in trouble, aren’t I?” Nyx asked.

“Yes… yes you are. You did disobey me,” Twilight said firmly, though the frown on her face was soon replaced by a smile. “But… you were right. It wasn’t fair of me to try and keep you from the play, and you did do a good job.”

“R-really?”

“Yes, really,” Twilight reassured as she nuzzled Nyx before stepping back. “But now, would you mind telling me why I can see your real wings and why you don’t have your glasses?”

Nyx sat down and began to trace circles on the floor with her hoof. “Well, when I was trying to get my costume on, I kind of… broke the costume wings. I’ve been keeping my wings up like this all night though, so nopony has been able to tell the difference.”

“And the glasses?”

“I… forgot them,” Nyx admitted. “Cheerilee thought you must have cast a spell on my eyes since you’re so good with magic.”

“Well, if there was a night to forget your glasses, this was it,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Now why don’t you get on my back? We’ll use my teleport spell to get back to the library. Then we’ll get you out of that costume, get your glasses and vest, and come back so we can eat dinner with the others.”

“Really? You… you aren’t going to make me stay at the library?”

“Kind of pointless now that the play is over,” Twilight remarked. “So, no, you can come back with me and have dinner with everypony.”

Nyx gave a wide smile as she hopped up onto Twilight’s back. “T-Thank you, Twilight!”

“And then we’ll discuss your punishment in the morning.”

Nyx flattened her ears, realizing she had not gotten off the hook. “Oh… okay.”

“But daddy, how could they cheer louder for her? She was the bad mare, and I was Princess Celestia!”

“Diamond Tiara, please be quiet and eat your dinner,” Affluent scolded. Diamond Tiara’s and Silver Spoon’s families were seated together at one of Ponyville’s cafes. The restaurant was a fair distance from the Spring Festival, so it wasn’t too crowded. The parents had chatted lightly about the performance, but had long since moved on to other topics despite Diamond Tiara’s continued desire to keep whining about what had happened.

The worst of it was that Diamond Tiara hadn’t been able to escape Nyx. Within twenty minutes of her family’s arrival at the restaurant, Nyx had arrived with Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and a bunch of other, older ponies. Now, the large group was laughing and chatting at the far end of the restaurant despite the many dirty looks Diamond Tiara had shot in their direction.

“Oh, look, honey,” Affluent whispered, drawing Filthy Rich’s as well as Diamond Tiara’s attention. The whole restaurant, in fact, had turned their heads to watch as Princesses Celestia and Luna walked into the restaurant.

“I wonder what brings them to this quaint little eatery. It’s not exactly what I would consider royal class,” Silver Spoon’s mother whispered.

“Well, isn’t it obvious? They were so enamored by our daughters’ performances that they came looking for them. Now, everypony, look your best,” Silver Spoon’s father assured, and soon the four adults and two fillies were doing just that. They quickly primped and preened themselves as the princesses began to walk in their direction. However, despite Diamond Tiara’s wide grin, the princesses strolled right on by as if they weren’t even there.

“Where are they going?” Diamond Tiara whispered harshly as she turned around in her seat. “No, they aren’t… they are! They’re sitting with those losers!”

“Diamond Tiara, hush. It isn’t our place to judge who the princesses sit with,” Affluent scolded.

“But it isn’t fair! I actually had to dress up and put on a real costume to look like Princess Celestia. Nyx didn’t have to do anything but put on some fake wings to look like Nightmare Moon.”

Filthy Rich opened his mouth to tell his daughter to be quiet, but, as he did, he looked over his shoulder and caught a glance of the filly in question. “She does look a great deal like Nightmare Moon, doesn’t she?”

“Like, totally. She didn’t have to even dye her coat or mane or anything. Those are her natural colors. It isn’t even fair.”

Diamond Tiara’s father just kept staring, his blue eyes flashing a bit before he turned back to the table. “Yes, it’s an uncanny resemblance.”

“Well,” Twilight yawned, “that was a long night.” She had just arrived back at the library. Both Spike and Nyx were sprawled out across her back and sleeping soundly. It was cute to see them like that. The cuteness, however, didn’t make them any lighter. Twilight was worn out after carrying them back from the restaurant.

Owloysius gave a welcoming hoot when Twilight came in the door, and she returned his welcome with a nod. She moved to and climbed the library staircase, carrying Spike and Nyx up to the bedroom.

Spike was the first to get tucked in. He mumbled something about Rarity and donuts before he turned over and snuggled into his blanket. Nyx was next, and Twilight gently slipped her out of her vest and glasses before tucking her beneath the covers. Then, with the two tucked away, Twilight turned to head downstairs, only to hear a small voice call out to her.

“Twilight?”

“Sorry, Nyx. I didn’t mean to wake you,” Twilight apologized. She turned back to see Nyx’s bright eyes staring at her in the dark.

“It’s okay. Thank you for letting me go to dinner with everypony.”

Twilight moved back over beside Nyx’s bed and made sure she was properly tucked in. “You’re welcome. Now, you should get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

“Okay,” Nyx whispered hesitantly, “but, Twilight?”

“Yes?”

Nyx looked down at her hooves and anxiously fiddled with her blanket. “You remember what happened in the forest, that thing I remembered or dreamed about in the castle… how I wanted to hurt you?”

“Yes, I remember,” Twilight answered with a nod.

“Was,” Nyx paused and swallowed nervously, “was that Nightmare Moon’s memory?”

Twilight glanced away from Nyx and rubbed the back of her neck. “W-what makes you ask that?”

“When I was on stage, when I was saying my last lines, I remember that I heard those same words in that nasty memory,” Nyx confessed. “T-then I started saying them just like the nasty voice I heard did, and it was like I had really said them before. Was… what I acted out in the play… was it really the same thing Nightmare Moon did?”

Twilight froze for a moment, debating how to answer the question. She had been striving to try and protect Nyx from what she feared was the truth. Yet, after the long day, Twilight didn’t have the mental strength to try and contrive some new lie to shield Nyx, who was too smart for anything overly simple.

In the end, Twilight could only nod.

“And when I went to the play, every… everypony kept telling me that I-I looked j-just like Nightmare Moon,” Nyx stammered. “They said my eyes were perfect and so were my wings. T-they thought they were fake, but… they’re not. A-and I don’t know of a-anypony else besides the princesses who’s an alicorn like me either, a-and before the play started, I saw that book again and looked at the picture… and… and after hearing what everypony else said, I—”

Nyx tried to brush away some tears that had formed in her eyes and looked up at Twilight. “Is the reason… is the reason I remember that night, r-r-remember you, a-and remember wanting to hurt you… Is the reason that I look like Nightmare Moon… i-is it because I’m…. am I… am I somehow—”

“No,” Twilight said firmly but comfortingly. “You are not Nightmare Moon.”

“But, what about—”

Twilight gently shushed Nyx and sat down beside the small bed before gathering her thoughts.

“Nyx, I know you may not understand all of this, but I think you deserve to know the truth… or, at least, what I think the truth is. You remember where I found you in the Everfree Forest? How, at the time, you didn’t have any memories before then? How you didn’t even have a name?”

Nyx nodded silently.

Twilight exhaled, trying to figure out how to word her explanation properly. “Well, I think that is because that was where you were born and because you had only come into existence a few hours before I arrived. You weren’t even a pony until that first moment you woke up tangled in that bush.”

“W-w-what do you mean?” stammered Nyx.

“Nyx, I believe you were created by a spell.”

“A… spell?” Nyx asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

Twilight nodded. “You see, there were some very mean, very evil ponies who I believe were trying to bring Nightmare Moon back.”

Nyx sat up in her bed, pulling the covers up to her neck. “Why… why would they do that?”

“I don’t know, but that’s what I think they were trying to do. They ponynapped me, and, while I wasn’t able to really see or hear what was going on, I know what I felt. When they started to cast the spell, I felt powerful magic… magic I have only sensed once before, when I was in the presence of the real Nightmare Moon.

“So, if my theory is correct, they were trying to bring Nightmare Moon back. They were actually able to start the spell, but then Princess Celestia arrived and stopped the mean ponies. She interrupted the spell, rescued me, and her guards arrested all who were involved.”

“And that’s where I came from?” Nyx asked cautiously.

“The thing about magic is that if you interrupt a spell, you can’t really be sure what you’ll get,” Twilight explained. “The spell wasn’t complete when it was interrupted, and… I think you’re the result. I found you right next to the same clearing where the spell was cast.”

At this, Nyx began to sniffle, tears already starting to stream down her face as she bit her lower lip. “But… but that means… I’m Nightmare Moon.”

“No! No, Nyx, you’re not.”

“B-b-but you said that I c-came from that spell!” Nyx blubbered, her crying turning into full-fledged sobbing. “A-and you said that spell was supposed to b-bring back Nightmare Moon! If that spell made me, and I look like Nightmare Moon, and I have her memories, then I must be—"

The tears Nyx had been trying to hold back came flooding out and she wailed, “I’m Nightmare Moon! I was the one that did all those bad things in the play! I banished Princess Celestia to the sun and hit those poor guards with lightning! I broke the elements and tried to hurt you and your friends!

"I’m a monster! I’m a bad pony! I’m—” Before Nyx could continue her breakdown, Twilight brought her head close and nuzzled Nyx’s neck while she used a hoof to gently rub Nyx’s back. Nyx responded by hooking her little front legs around Twilight’s neck, hugging her tightly, and continuing to sob.

“Nyx, you are not Nightmare Moon,” Twilight assured, her voice both comforting and firm.

“B-but—”

“You do look like her, and… and you do seem to have some of her memories,” Twilight admitted, “but, Nyx, you are not Nightmare Moon. What you are is a perfectly normal, wonderful, little filly. A sweet little filly that likes going to school and was willing to get in big trouble just so she didn’t let her classmates down.”

Twilight gently pulled herself out of Nyx’s hug and began to wipe away some of Nyx’s tears. “Nightmare Moon wouldn’t do any of that. She wouldn’t even have friends. Nightmare Moon was a bitter, vengeance-driven pony who was willing to doom Equestria to eternal night just because ponies didn’t stay up to look at the stars.

“And that isn’t you,” Twilight continued. “You aren’t the same pony. You are not Nightmare Moon, and you never will be.”

Nyx sniffed loudly. “You… you promise?”

“I promise,” Twilight assured as she nuzzled Nyx once more. This drew a smile from Nyx, but the moment of happiness was doomed to die quickly as a fresh frown and new tears appeared on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“I-if I was created by a spell, then… then that means I don’t have a mom and dad… I… I don’t have a family like my friends… I… I… ”

Twilight winced, realizing too late that Nyx had figured out more than she wanted her to. She had to think fast; she didn’t want Nyx to have to go to sleep with the knowledge she was born from a spell in the forest and that she had no real family. That was just too much to put on her, at least all at once.

“Nyx, just because you weren’t born like a normal pony doesn’t mean you don’t have a family.”

Nyx rubbed her tear-streaked face with a hoof. “It… it doesn’t?”

“No. You have all the family you could want right here in Ponyville,” Twilight reassured her. “Family is more than just the ponies you’re related to. Family can also be your friends and the ponies who care about you. After all, don’t you have really great friends?”

“I… I do.”

“And there are plenty of others who care about you too. Just look at Spike. He’s practically your brother.”

Nyx frowned again, though this time in confusion. “But… Spike is a dragon; how can he be my brother?”

“Well,” Twilight paused, needing to find the right words. “Spike keeps an eye on you when I can’t, and he really appreciates it when you help around the library. I know sometimes he teases you and gives you a hard time, but he only does it in good fun. I also promise he’d be among the first to jump up and help if you were ever in trouble.

“There’s also Owloysius. While he’s my second assistant and pet, he also helps look after you. He brings you those little flowers and other presents once in a while and helps you with your homework when I don’t have the time. He even got himself in trouble so you could go to the play.

“Then there’s Peewee,” Twilight continued. “You spoil him with treats when Spike isn’t looking, and he loves you for that. He even let you have one of his feathers for show and tell one day. So, even though Owloysius is an owl, Peewee is a phoenix, and Spike is a dragon, they treat you like you’re part of our family.”

Nyx tilted her head to side, contemplating what she had been told. “But if Owloysius and Peewee are pets, and Spike is my older brother… what does that make you?”

Twilight felt the air catch in her lungs at the question that had just been posed to her. What was she to Nyx? What was Nyx to her? She could easily say she was just an older sister like Spike was a brother, but… that didn’t feel right.

Applejack was an older sister to Apple Bloom. Rarity was an older sister to Sweetie Belle. Both of her friends had shared some responsibility in raising their younger sisters. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got on Applejack and Rarity’s nerves from time to time, and, once in a while, Applejack and Rarity had to reign in Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They had sisterly relationships.

But… that wasn’t the kind of relationship she had with Nyx. Twilight began to think of all the things she had done for Nyx since her arrival. She had sent her to school, read bedtime stories to her, made her meals. She helped Nyx catch up to the rest of her class and tended to Nyx when she was hurt.

Most of all, Twilight thought of the day Nyx got lost in the Everfree Forest because of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Twilight had never been so furious or worried. She was really on the verge of turning those spoiled little brats into cacti.

And, yes, one could argue protecting a filly with such force was something a big sister would do. Applejack would have probably beaten the tar out of Affluent for trying to defend what Diamond Tiara had done. But… “sister” just didn’t seem to fit. Twilight… Twilight felt Nyx was more to her than a sister. Nyx depended on her. If it weren’t for her, Nyx could have easily died in the Everfree Forest.

No, Twilight was no older sister to Nyx, but there was another name that seemed to fit: one that slowly floated to the top of Twilight's mind.

“Well… Nyx… if I was really honest, I’d say that I’m—” The words caught in her throat, and Twilight swallowed to force down the knot before saying, “I’m like… well… your mother.”

The word hung in the air, and, to Twilight, it felt like the rest of the library had gone silent. She watched Nyx, gauging her reaction as it moved through several stages. First Nyx looked shocked. Her mouth hung open in disbelief. Then, slowly, a weak but honest smile formed.

“You really want to be my mom?”

“I’d love to be your mother if you’d let me.” Twilight said, leaning her head in close so she was at eye level with Nyx.

Nyx’s answer was not in word but in gesture. She sat up in her bed, and, before Twilight knew it, Nyx was once again hugging her neck. She nuzzled the side of Twilight’s face, and her voice trembled a little as she whispered, “I… I would love to have you as my mom. You’re the best mom ever.”

Twilight’s lip trembled, and her eyes started to tear up even though she was smiling ear-to-ear. She brought her own hooves up and returned Nyx’s embrace. The pair remained like that for several seconds until finally Nyx once more whispered quietly to Twilight.

“I love you, Twilight.”

“I… I love you too, Nyx,” Twilight replied as tears started to roll down her cheeks. She gently pulled herself away, quickly rubbing the tears off her face with her forelegs before using her magic to tuck Nyx back into bed. “Now, it’s time to go to sleep.”

“Okay,” Nyx replied before she yawned and snuggled into her bed. Twilight smiled and, thinking of her own mother, bent forward and gave Nyx a gentle kiss on the forehead as she drifted off to sleep.  

Sighing contently, Twilight stepped back from the bed and moved towards the door as quietly as she could. It wasn’t the way she had expected to be called mom for the first time. She had always thought she’d have a husband and a filly of her own some day. It had never occurred to her that Nyx could become so important to her.

Still, Twilight realized that she had really been acting like Nyx’s mom for a long time. She had been reading her to sleep at night and made sure she went to school. She had run into the Everfree Forest and nearly turned Diamond Tiara into a cactus, all for Nyx.

Yeah… she’d been acting like it, but it was a whole other bucket of hay to actually be called mom. Twilight would think about that in a minute. First, she needed to go have a word with Owloysius about why he had let Nyx sneak out to the play.

Yet before Twilight could reach the door, a voice whispered to her. “Hey, why am I just ‘the older brother’? Can’t I be her uncle or something?”

Twilight turned and smiled across the room at Spike. He was sitting up in his bed, arms crossed over his chest as he eyed Twilight.

“Spike, I was the one who hatched you, and I helped raise you before you could talk and look after yourself. Also, technically speaking, you’re still a baby dragon, and that kind of makes me your mother too.”

“Pfft. Whatever, I still say I’d make a better uncle,” Spike stated before bringing his claws to his face. “Especially if you let me have that awesome mustache back. No uncle is complete without a mustache.”

“Sorry, Spike, no mustache. Now you should get some sleep.”

“Yeah yeah, I heard you the first time ‘Mom’,” Spike scoffed before he lay back down and threw the blanket back over himself. He was asleep almost instantly, and Twilight couldn’t help but giggle quietly as she crept out of the bedroom and headed downstairs.

“Owloysius, can I have a word with you?”

“Hoo-hoo.”

“Uh-oh is right, Mister,” Twilight firmly asserted.