//------------------------------// // Loyalty, Forgiveness, and Kindness // Story: Daughters of Dusk // by PoneFluff //------------------------------// Star panted as she slumped down onto the ground, her breath coming in heavy bursts as she fought for air. Across from her, Scootaloo's wings buzzed frantically, fanning the orange filly's sides to cool her. "You two need ta exercise more." Came Applebloom, controlling her breathing with a practiced ease. The farm filly shook her head, remaining a little distance away from the fillies on the ground. As the only one of the trio left standing, she was on lookout duty for Sweetie Belle and Hazy. "Ah swear, we only galloped from halfway back home. You sure ya know the route from here, Star?" Offering a tired nod in reply, Star rose shakily to her hooves. The faint taste of iron on her tongue reminded her just how bad she was at galloping. Trying to ignore the nagging sense of regret at not following her dad's advice and going on a morning run with him, Star reached out with her magic. The dark, malignant presence of Nightmare Moon seemed to be in Canterlot, along with the source of Alicorn magic Star knew must be Princess Cadence. With a small pulse of her golden magic, Star felt out for her sister, trying to guess how long they'd have to wait. Dread kept building about what would happen when Nightmare Moon's attention returned to the sisters. A moment passed before a pulse of magic reached Star, the comforting feeling of Hazy's slightly tingly magic washed over her for a second before the sensation passed. Star's horn dimmed as she strode over to stand beside Applebloom, keeping an eye out for Sweetie's white coat. "They're close, I don't think we'll be able to spot Hazy with how dark it is though…" "Look for the mini marshmallow." Scootaloo chuckled before joining the trio. From their vantage point on the edge of the forest they could see all the way down into town. Star's heart sank as she spotted a group of brightly coloured mares galloping through the town. Even if she couldn't make out their individual colours, the rainbow trail being left behind by one of them was enough of a clue. The trio's ears drooped in unison. They could all see the white and green form being carried towards Ponyville General Hospital, albeit none of them wanted to comment on it. A flicker of white closer to them drew the fillies attention, a small cheer erupting from them as Sweetie Belle emerged from behind a treeline. Following closely behind her was Hazy, her cloak torn on one side as the tear flapped behind her. Star and Scootaloo staggered to the side as Applebloom let out a bellow that would put the Royal Canterlot Voice to shame. "Come on! Y'all nearly made it!" As Applebloom's yell rolled over Sweetie Belle and Hazy, the two visibly sped up. With the pair crossing the short distance remaining in barely a minute only to slow to a trot before stopping as they arrived. "T-told you we'd catch up." Hazy muttered in between large gulps of air, a nervous smile on her muzzle. Although Star reckoned she was the only one who could see behind the smile to notice how worried her sister was. "Before we get going again, though...we should talk." "Talk?" Scootaloo asked, voicing what was on all three fillies' minds. Hazy simply nodded, her eyebrows furrowing as she visibly considered her words. In the moment of silence that ensued, Sweetie edged away from the dark-coated filly, taking up a place beside Applebloom. "Sis? What's going on?" Star questioned, the look in Hazy's eyes deeply concerned her. She'd never seen this potent mixture of guilt, worry, and stress in her sister before. The smaller filly gently nuzzled her sister's neck, trying to reassure her older sister. In response Hazy sighed, steeling her nerves before looking up at her new found friends. "Star and I haven't been honest with you…" "Your name's not Hazy! I knew it!" Scootaloo blurted out, a grin on her lips. The confident smile faded rapidly as the other four fillies looked at Scootaloo in utter confusion. "What? No. I mean we aren't from around here... Ugh, how do I say this?" the dark filly continued, trying to find the right words as Star's eyes widened in realisation. "My name is Princess Hazy Sparkle, eldest daughter of Twilight Sparkle, Stargazer is my little sister." With a slight flourish, Hazy's purple tipped wings snapped open from beneath the cloak. Admittedly, her wings weren't that large but the effect was instant. Scootaloo's jaw dropped, nearly hitting the floor, whilst Applebloom seemed to freeze. "Lying was my idea, I was scared of what others might do to us. It took a word of advice from somepony important for me to realise that I need to trust my friends more." "Our friends…" Star muttered before unfolding her wings and letting out a small happy groan as she stretched. Three sets of eyes followed her every motion, Scootaloo tracing every line and contour of Star's wings with a keen interest before turning to examine her own. "Yer an Alicorn. Well shoot, that explains the cloaks, ah guess. Who is Twilight Sparkle, though? Ah haven't heard a her before." The innocent question made both sisters flinch as if the words had physically struck them. "...we thought mom would be in town based on when we are…" Star practically whispered, her words causing Sweetie's ears to prick up. "When you are? You're from the future!?! Oh Celestia, can you tell me what the future is like? Are we still friends? Do I get my cutiemark? Oh! What's Equestria like?" The mini marshmallow bounced on her hooves excitedly as she unleashed a torrent of words on the two Alicorn fillies. As the duo battled against the raging stream of questions directed at them, Star was the only one able to get a word in. "Our mom rules Equestria alongside Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna, we don't actually know you in the future ‘cause...well you're older than us…" Sweetie Belle stopped talking to digest Star's response, her face flickering through various emotions as she thought. Star was partially surprised that she wasn't trailing steam out her ears or boring a hole in the ground with the intensity of her thoughtful stare. Seizing on the opportunity, Hazy took a step forward to enter the Everfree Forest. "I understand if you don't want to come with us anymore, I abused your trust, but... we think we know how to defeat Nightmare Moon and we'll need all the help we can get." Hazy offered, her heart pounding as she looked from Sweetie Belle, who was still deep in thought, to Scootaloo's excited smile before settling on Applebloom's frown. Silence hung in the air between the fillies, broken only by the distant sounds of panic and Star shuffling over to be at Hazy's side. "You lied ta us, but you did it to protect yer sister. Ah know Big Mac would’ve done the same fer me, even if he wouldn't admit to lying like that. You need me to help defeat that... monster... from back in town? Ah’m with ya." Once she'd finished, Applebloom crossed the small gap to stand with the sisters. Almost immediately followed by Scootaloo, her excitement was almost infectious. "I'm in, always wanted more friends with wings." The four fillies glanced at Sweetie, only for her to burst out laughing. "What? You thought I wasn't with you? Come on! We've got a world to save!" As she spoke, Sweetie launched into a gallop, charging into the Everfree Forest. Behind her, the other four followed quickly, keeping pace with the unicorn filly as they let loose a series of cheers. The sound of their cheering rang out across the otherwise silent forest. The thunder of hooves preceded the fillies as they charged down the shadowed dirt paths. Leading the group, Star raced down the path, her horn's golden light banishing the darkness around them. Glancing over her shoulder, the blue filly swore she saw something moving in the shadows behind them. Before she could comment about it, her attention was yanked forward as she felt her hoof smack into a root coming out of the forest’s uneven ground. The floor raced up to meet her face, only for something to yank on Star's cloak. As soon as she found her stride, Star looked back to find a smiling Applebloom. "Ah’m not just gonna let ya trip." "Thanks, Applebloom," Star beamed back at her new friend, the group's pace slowing down momentarily as they came to a fork in the path. Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember the right direction, mentally retracing the route Zecora had shown them. "Uh...Hazy, any clue which way we need to go?" "So, if we came onto this path from the right walking towards the town, then it should be on the left, I think?" Came Hazy's reply as she craned her neck to see over Scootaloo's head. A murmur of agreement rose from the other fillies, prompting Star to turn around and lead them further into the forest. The twisted and gnarled trees surrounding the path bent and curved unlike any kind of tree the fillies had seen before. Some were barren of any leaves whilst others had long dangling strands of moss rustling through the cold breeze in the forest. Carrying on in unflinching silence, the path they followed gradually began to lose its definition. Star could see the trail of hoof prints they’d left earlier, a sigh of relief escaping her only to form a small white cloud in front of her. Behind her, Sweetie Belle wasn’t handling the path as well as they did, squirming in disgust as her white hooves were sinking into the muddy path with every step. Despite the tracks they made having long-since faded into a muddy trail, the group of fillies managed to forge onward, only for Star to stop. Before the rest could complain, though, the two Alicorn fillies shushed them while Star’s ears kept flicking around as she carefully observed their surroundings. Hazy turned to look at the path behind them, trying to hear what Star had. Scootaloo shuffled beside Hazy, listening to the rustling leaves and occasional bird call. As the three strained to hear, their eyes shot open in sync as a high pitched scream pierced the silence. Without hesitating, Scootaloo launched into a full gallop towards the scream, followed closely by Hazy. “Where ya going!” Applebloom called out only to feel a pair of hooves connect with her flanks and shove from behind as Star urged the other two into motion. “Somepony is screaming, come on!” Was all the blue filly said as she bolted past the confused earth pony and unicorn. The two followed behind Star as she raced to catch up to Scootaloo and Hazy. As they raced through the forest, following the purple beacon of Hazy’s magic, the screaming grew louder. Mixed with the frightened sound, Hazy could hear animalistic snarls, spurring her on to try and speed up further. Her heart pounded in her ears as the realisation she could be too late began to set in, only for those thoughts to be banished as Scootaloo managed to overtake her. The two fillies moved like mares possessed, easily avoiding branches and jumping over roots until they heard another scream rip through the night air. Growing ever closer, Hazy found herself practically yelling as she charged toward a practical wall of green before her. Preceded by a burst of purple magic, Hazy and Scootaloo erupted through the dense foliage, their hooves clattering on the stone path they found themselves on. Hazy moved before Scootaloo had even found her hoofing. She sprung into action to protect the two fillies she saw, one was standing over the other one on the floor. Her dad’s words rang clearly in her head, the first action had to be to protect the wounded and then assess the situation. She flinched momentarily, a bolt of pain sliding down her horn as she forced more magic through her horn. Immediately, a bright purple shield burst to life between what Hazy realised was a, comparatively massive, timberwolf, and the fillies on the ground. With her barrel heaving, Hazy found herself blocking the vicious strikes of the plant-like predator not only with her own body but also with the pulsing barrier as well. Ignoring her size disadvantage, Hazy flared her wings and reared up, the glow of her horn and shield illuminating the entire clearing. Scootaloo skidded to a halt beside Hazy, sparing a glance at the two injured fillies before turning to face the wolf with a grim determination. “W-what?! You’re an alicorn?” One of the fillies behind them muttered, pulling Hazy’s attention towards them properly. By the light of her horn, she saw a grey filly wearing a pair of glasses, one lens cracked as she stood over the filly that had spoken. Despite her tiara being broken in two pieces on the floor beside her, and the mixture of mud and small amounts of blood dirtying her coat, the filly on the floor was immediately recognisable as Diamond Tiara. Hazy could recognise the filly that had attempted to intimidate her. As if she was more frightened of the alicorn filly than the timberwolf, Diamond Tiara shuffled further back, practically hiding behind Silver Spoon. “What happened?” Was the first question that Hazy could think of, feeling the wolf's paw prod at her shield. The other filly, who she guessed must be Silver Spoon, opened her mouth to answer only to fall silent, a look of utter shame forming on her face. “We...we were following you. Diamond thought it would be a good idea ‘cause you ran off when that monster attacked the Town Hall… We thought you were with her, but we got lost and that!" Silver spoon practically cried as she pointed at the snarling predator with a hoof. "That thing... it c-chased us almost as s-soon as we lost your trail...” Silver Spoon’s voice shook even harder as she spoke her next words, her body trembling despite remaining resolutely in place over her wounded friend. “Tiara’s leg caught a root and it m-managed to g-grab her leg...i-is she g-gonna be okay?” Before Hazy could reply, Sweetie Belle, Star, and Applebloom emerged through the gap in the trees. A small scream escaped Sweetie as she laid eyes on the snarling wooden monster. Hazy’s heart sank as the wolf turned, having lost interest in prey it couldn’t reach, in favour of the one that it definitely could. Seizing the opportunity, the timberwolf lept towards the newcomers, its wooden maw stretched wide open as it pounced. In a fluid motion, Star strode out in front of the other two fillies, her horn bursting into life with a golden glow. Much to the wolf’s surprise, instead of its fangs finding flesh, they clamped down on a solid glowing block of magic. It's two glowing green eyes glared at the blue filly, pure hatred finding only pity and sympathy looking back at it. “Sis, something’s wrong with it.” Star called out to Hazy, her eyebrows furrowing as she concentrated. As soon as Star spoke, six heads turned to look at her, all equally confused about what could possibly be wrong with the pony-eating magical wooden construct. In response to suddenly being the centre of attention for six fillies as well as one hungry timberwolf, Star let out a small squeak before coughing and mustering a look of calm focus. “There’s some other magic affecting the timberwolf. It’s….a cold, almost angry, feeling. Can nopony else feel that?” As Hazy opened her mouth to reply, the wolf wriggled free of Star's magical grip, lunging for the blue filly. Both sisters reacted, a dinner plate-sized golden shield bursting to life in order to block the wolf’s attack. Only for the wolf to never make it that far, in the first place, a purple tendril of magic coiled around its throat, tearing the wooden creature away from the blue alicorn filly. Two yelps of pain echoed out, one belonging to the wolf as pieces of its wooden neck snapped and were crushed by the force, whilst Hazy raised a hoof to her overstrained horn. “N-No, don’t hurt it! I have an idea.” Star called out, the golden glow of her magic fading from existence. Ignoring the whimper of fear from Diamond and the yelled protests from her friends, Star moved towards the large timberwolf. The golden glow of her horn intensified, only to unleash a pulse of magic towards the wolf. Breaking over the timberwolf's form like a wave against the coastline, the golden light took on a brilliant emerald green. Moments passed as the wolf seemed confused, lifting its head to watch the swirling vapours emanating from its body. Hazy swore she could even see a look of wonder on the predator's mahogany muzzle. The silence didn't last as Sweetie Belle realized what Star’s spell had done. The white filly’s hoof pointed at the now emerald vapours wafting off the wolf. “That's a tracing spell! Wait... what’s that black stuff?” Following her hoof, all eyes were drawn to a line of black magic that was almost hidden amongst the emerald. Roiling, bubbling and sickly looking magic, just a shade above black leaked from the back of the wolf. Without hesitation, Star closed on the timberwolf. Ignoring the risk, instead she gently stroked a hoof along the creature’s bark. A snarl built in the creature's throat only to fade immediately as Star lowered her horn to its head, sending a wash of golden magic through its body. The timberwolf’s green eyes briefly dimmed before returning to their previous state, the black trail wafting from the creature halted and left the magic flowing from it a pure emerald once more. With a joyful grin on her face, Star let the timberwolf stand only for it to shuffle away from the blue filly. Its legs wobbled as it stood, staggering away from the fillies as it headed for the treeline. All eyes returned to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon as the timberwolf disappeared from sight. Silver Spoon nervously stepped aside, allowing the group to finally get a clear look at Diamond's foreleg. The pink limb was stained a deep red as it hung limply beyond the knee. "I-is it gonna be okay?" Hazy's horn glowed as the star patterned cloak from her back floated up, tearing itself into long strips. Hissing in pain, Diamond Tiara didn't try to resist as she watched the strips of fabric wrap around the bite wound. All six pairs of eyes settled on Hazy as she sighed. "I think it'll heal, but we need to get you to a doctor." "What about Nightmare Moon?" Scootaloo asked, trotting over to stand beside Hazy. "You said we could stop her! If we have to take her back, won't it be too late?" "Wait, you think you can stop that monster?!?" Silver Spoon squeaked, backing up in panic. Only to rush forward to try and support Diamond as she fought to stand. Leaning against Silver Spoon for support, the pink filly's barrel heaved with each shuddering breath. "I-I'm in. That monster has done something to Princess Celestia and tried to hurt my daddy." Diamond spoke, her tone carrying no room for argument in it. A cold rage simmering beneath the surface of the pink filly's otherwise aloof exterior. Shocked silence descended over the fillies as Diamond Tiara looked at Silver Spoon. Both of their eyes met before Silver Spoon looked away. A sigh escaped Diamond's muzzle as she looked at her saviours. "Thank you, I-I was horrible to you back at the Summer Sun Celebration and I hope you can forgive me for that, Your Highnesses." A brief silence developed as Hazy tried to find the right words. Only to be cut off by an unsubtle whisper from Star, loud enough that anypony with ears could have heard it even on the other side of the clearing. The group's attention swiveled to the slightly flustered filly. "Sis, do we still count as princesses? Mom's not here, and... well... we don't exist yet....What? I know somepony else was thinking about it!" The other fillies' expressions quickly showed varying levels of confusion as Star continued. A smile on her muzzle as she pulled Applebloom into a hug. "Then again, I wouldn't wanna just be a princess to all of you. We're friends right? Regardless of the princess thing." Star was given an answer in the form of Sweetie and Scootaloo rolling their eyes before hugging the alicorn. Scootaloo giggling a little before smiling as she spoke, "Of course we're still friends… Princess." "We need to get moving. If we can get to the old castle we should be able to stop Nightmare Moon, but not if she makes it there first." Hazy announced to the filles, ignoring her sister’s deadpan look at Scootaloo as she broke up the rapidly growing group hug. Igniting her horn, the dark coated filly took in a deep breath of the cool night air before heading back into the forest. Immediately, the group followed behind, a blob of colour amidst the dark forest all around them. The darkness around them sent shivers up the fillies' backs as they trotted onwards. Up above them, the silhouette of the ruined Castle of the Two Sisters was backlit by a full moon. Lit only by sparse moonlight and the purple glow of Hazy's horn, Sweetie found herself falling back gradually until she was trotting alongside Silver Spoon and the injured Diamond. Minding their hooves against the poorly lit ground, the fillies tried to avoid stepping on exposed branches for fear of tripping. Lamenting her inability to properly control her magic, Sweetie found her vision drifting across to the two earth ponies. "I could help carry Diamond for a little while if you want, Silver?" "You'd do that?" The two fillies said in unison, their jaws hanging open in shock at Sweetie Belle's offer. "Mhmm, you didn't have to come with us… it's the least I could do." Sweetie said as she carefully pressed her side against Diamond, allowing the filly to drape her injured foreleg around Sweetie Belle's neck instead, freeing Silver Spoon. "I didn't have to come with you, but I'm not abandoning Tiara." Silver Spoon shot back, a defensive glare adorning her face as she ducked under a dangling strand of moss. "But… thank you, it's hard to see in this forest." As she spoke, Silver Spoon tilted her head, letting the moonlight glint off her single intact lens. A small distance ahead of them, a golden glow ignited to join the purple light. Almost immediately, Silver Spoon sped up slightly, eager to actually see where she was walking now that she didn't risk hurting Diamond by speeding up. The two fillies brought up the rear, their seven legged rhythm forming an odd percussive backing to the ambient sound of the forest around them. Neither spoke as they trotted along, both unsure what words to use or if they should even speak. "I'm sorry." The white filly spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I shouldn't have treated you like I did... like I do." Came a response from her injured companion. Their distance from the group served to provide a modicum of privacy. "And I shouldn't have lied about... everything." Diamond felt her forelegs growing wet as a small sniffle escaped Sweetie. "Apology accepted...friends?" "I'd like that." With their surroundings beginning to look increasingly familiar, it only took the group of fillies minutes to find the path once more. The way ahead was illuminated by Star's magic, whilst Hazy brought up the rear. Beneath their hooves the worn stone path gradually gave way to a well paved road that Hazy recognised. "We're nearly there, last push everypony! We can do this!" Came Scootaloo's cheer as she pointed a hoof at the large ruined castle they could see far more clearly now. One of the broken towers silhouetted by the vast moon in the sky, casting a long shadow over the fillies. Reaching out with her magic, Hazy shuddered as she realised that in the time it had taken them to save Diamond and Silver, the pink beacon that was Cadence...had been extinguished. The dread she had felt earlier returned in full as Hazy realised that she couldn't feel Nightmare Moon's presence either. "Do those windows look weird to anypony else?" Silver Spoon asked, squinting to try and see the ruined tower more clearly. With the added benefit of a Pegasus' eyes, Hazy could make out the windows in question. Moonlight spilled through the strangely shaped windows. The horizontal oval shaped window frames were almost entirely empty. Except for what appeared to be the remaining skeleton of a stained glass window in the middle. As she watched, Hazy felt her stomach drop. "Looks kinda like eyes ta me." Applebloom answered Silver Spoon as she cocked her head to the side. Almost perfectly on cue, the centre of the windows burst to life, the blueish moonlight was joined by a darker glowing blue iris as a pair of pupils opened. "There you are."