Chapter Eight
The first thing Starlight Glimmer became conscious of was the pounding pain in her head. It was like some-pony was hammering nails through the back of her eyes. Her horn throbbed, and her flanks felt as if they were on fire. She wanted to turn over and sleep, to recover from this sudden migraine. But then she sensed the cold beneath her, and realized she lay on snow-covered ground instead of her bed. She groaned, and reluctantly opened her eyes.
Trixie lay beside her, eyes closed and body still.
“Trixie,” Starlight whispered. “Are you…?” Her pulse quickened. Was Trixie—? But then she noticed her sides rising, and realized Trixie was merely unconscious.
Starlight heard groaning around her. With considerable effort, she raised her pounding head and looked around. Applejack and Spike were getting up, moaning and pressing their hooves against their temples. Rainbow Dash lay still, a tall figure in a gray, hooded cloak standing over her. “W-Who are you?” Starlight asked. The figure looked up, and Starlight recognized her. “Zecora!”
Zecora smiled gently. “Rest easy, friend Starlight. You’ve had an awful fight.”
“I gathered that much,” Starlight said. She stood up, her flanks burning in protest. “Who were we fighting?”
Zecora pointed. Nyx lay asleep on the ground, Twilight’s old saddlebags slung around her barrel. “Her?” Starlight asked, incredulous. “Are you sure?”
Zecora nodded. “With Slumber Smog I put her to sleep. From her, we shan’t hear a single peep. You’re lucky I got here so soon; she was about to spell your doom. But tell me, and tell me soon: why does she look like Nightmare Moon?”
“It’s…It’s kind of a long story. She is…well…her name is Nyx now.” Starlight bit her lip. She had met Zecora before, but she always felt a little uneasy around the zebra. But then she registered what Zecora had said. “Wait, doom?”
“That you, Zecora?” drawled a voice. It was Applejack. She stood up, but staggered forward. “Hayfeathers! I feel like I ran headfirst into a stampedin’ bull!” She pressed a hoof to her face. “What the hay happened?”
“Zecora was just about to explain,” Starlight answered. “She says Nyx attacked us.”
“What? She sure?”
Zecora nodded. “I saw her hit you with a great flash, then assail you in a mighty clash. I stepped in only to save your life—against your throat she pressed that great knife!”
“Knife?” Applejack asked. “What knife?”
Zecora pointed. Starlight and Applejack followed her hoof, and gasped. There, gleaming in the dim light of the forest, lay a long, curved knife. Starlight knew little about knives, but she realized at once that it was meant to be a weapon. A sheath lay nearby, made of a thick, porous substance similar to Nyx’s coat.
“Where the hay she get that?” Applejack demanded.
Starlight glanced at Nyx, and noticed that her saddlebags were open. “From the bags?” she guessed.
“Must have,” Applejack said. “I reckon she snagged it out o’ Chrysalis’ room.”
“Chrysalis?” Zecora asked. “What does she have to do with this?”
“She’s the one who had Nyx,” Starlight explained. “We rescued her from the Changelings a few days ago.” She looked around at her friends lying on the ground, and chuckled nervously. “I guess…she picked up a few things from her?”
“I’ll say.” Spike stood, his claw pressed against his head. He pointed at Nyx’s prone form. “She knows Changeling magic!”
Applejack gasped. “What? Are ya sure?”
“I saw her! I grabbed her after she beat Rainbow Dash, but then her mane went all starry and she burst into flames, and then she was a dragoness!”
“What?” Starlight said. “That can’t be right, Spike, she—”
“She did this to me!” Spike shouted, pointing at his eyes. The scales around them were singed, his green sclera tinted pink. “I saw her! She changed into a dragoness and spat fire into my eyes!”
“Fire?” Applejack asked, frowning. “She did that while transformed? Sounds mighty advanced for a little filly who couldn’t lift up a spoon yesterday!”
“It’s very advanced,” Starlight said. She studied Nyx with a mixture of fascination and bewilderment. “I can’t believe she could do all this! She seemed so weak before!”
“O, how thick can you guys be?” Trixie had gotten up, one hoof pressed over her right eye. She clearly was in a lot of pain, but had enough presence to glare at Nyx with her other eye. “It’s so obvious! She was only pretending to be weak! That way, you’d all underestimate her! Ooh, Trixie’s head…”
Starlight blinked. “That makes sense,” she said slowly. “It explains why her magic appeared so weak for an alicorn.”
“It was a trick,” Applejack growled. “There we were, tryin’ to make her feel at home, and she was sittin’ there deceivin’ us the whole time! Shinin’ Armor was right, we ought to have been watchin’ her closer!”
“But why?” Starlight asked. “That’s what I don’t understand. What does she gain from all of this?”
“Maybe she remembers being Nightmare Moon?” Trixie suggested. She found her hat and placed it onto her head. “She’s probably been planning to make the night last forever! She was just biding her time, waiting to strike!”
“Yeah!” Spike said. “That’s why she killed Rarity!”
Zecora gasped. “What, our friend Rarity is dead? Surely I mishear what you’ve said!”
“No, she’s not dead,” Starlight said quickly. “But she is seriously hurt. Sweetie Belle found her lying on the floor of her boutique, stabbed in the throat with her own scissors.”
Zecora’s eyes widened. “No! Such a wicked blow!”
Starlight continued. “Princess Twilight left Nyx with her to be measured, but she disappeared by the time we found Rarity. So, Twilight asked us to find her. She gave us a map, cast a scrying spell on Nyx’s bags and…well, here we are.”
Zecora shook her head. “That is a terrible deed to have done. I would not think it from such a small one.”
“Princess Twilight didn’t either,” Starlight said. “She—she thought there might have been some sort of accident."
Spike scoffed. “Yeah. Accident. Right.”
Zecora turned away. “I can see that you are in great distress. But first, Rainbow’s wounds do I need to dress.” She pulled out a roll of linin bandages from within her robes and stooped down over Dash. Starlight, concerned, drew closer. Her breath caught. Dash bled profusely from a massive wound in her foreleg. She was awake, but her was face contorted into a terrible grimace from the pain.
“O my Celestia!” Starlight cried. “Dash! Can you hear us?”
“Yeah,” Dash croaked. Her voice was hoarser than usual. “It was Nyx! She bit me and threw me on my head!”
“She bit you?” Applejack asked, coming up behind Starlight and staring, wide-eyed, at Dash’s injuries. “Dash, that there wound looks mighty serious!”
“It hurts so much!” Dash moaned. “I didn’t think a bite could hurt so badly! Her teeth felt really sharp!”
“Sharp?” Starlight asked. She turned to where Nyx lay and, with her magic, pulled her lips back. Nyx’s mouth was filled with very sharp fangs, with canines twice as long as the others. Every-pony stared at them in shocked silence.
Applejack was the first to speak: “How the hay did no-pony notice those?”
“She never opened her mouth,” Starlight replied, dazed. She let Nyx’s lips fall back. “We couldn’t get her to speak, and she never ate anything. Not with us watching, anyway.”
“The stories are true!” Trixie squealed. “She really does eat ponies!”
Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don’ be stupid, that’s jus’ tall tales. Get a hold o’ yourself, girl.”
“No, she’s right!” Dash said, jerking her head up violently. Zecora frowned and pushed her back.
“Do stay still, Rainbow Dash,” she said. “I need to treat that gash.”
“But it’s true!” Dash insisted. “I felt it when she bit me! She—she was drinking my blood! And enjoying it, too!”
“She what?” Applejack asked, stunned. “Are you sure about that?”
“I ain’t lying, I swear!”
“No-pony says it didn’t happen,” Starlight said quickly. “It’s just…well, that’s a lot to take in.”
“I guess you were right, Starlight,” Spike said. “About Nyx. She’s—”
“A vampire!” Trixie shrieked.
“What? No, that’s not—”
“Vampire!” Trixie insisted. “That’s why she attacked Rarity! She got thirsty for blood, and Rarity had a nice, juicy artery!” She pulled her cape tighter around her throat. “She’s not going to drink Trixie’s blood! Trixie doesn’t taste very good!”
Spike rolled his eyes. “No, not a vampire. A carnivore.”
Trixie frowned. “What’s that?”
“It means she eats meat.”
Trixie’s eyes went wide as saucers. “That’s even worse! That’s, like, a vampire-plus! A super vampire! The Great and Powerful Trixie must secure garlic! And wild roses!”
“O, shuddup,” Applejack snapped. She turned to Starlight, apprehension written all over her face. “What’s all this I’m hearin’ ‘bout Nyx eatin’ meat?”
Starlight swallowed. “Well, it’s just an idea I had yesterday. I was telling Princess Twilight about something I noticed on those boar bones in Chrysalis’ fireplace…remember those?”
“I’d been tryin’ to forget. What about ‘em?”
“They had all those bite marks on them…and some of them looked too small to have come from Chrysalis.”
“And you reckon Nyx was the one bitin’ on those things?”
“Yes. But Princess Twilight didn’t believe it. I wasn’t certain myself. But after seeing those fangs, I’m beginning to think I may have been right.”
“But that can’t be!” Applejack protested. “I ain’t never heard of no meat-eatin’ pony before!”
“I’ve never heard of a pony made from a magic ritual before, either,” Starlight countered. “She’s unlike any pony in history.”
Applejack turned away, the wheels in her mind spinning. “I don’t wanna believe that, but it’s the only idea I’ve heard that’s explainin’ things.” She pointed at Trixie. “Well, is she right about why Nyx attacked Rarity? Did she do it because she…was hungry?”
Starlight shrugged. “I can’t say. There’s a lot going on here I don’t understand. It’s clear now that Nyx has been suppressing her magic this whole time. Why?”
“To pretend she was weak, like I just told you,” Trixie said.
“But why was making us underestimate her so important? What’s her goal here?”
“It’s obvious why,” Spike growled. “She does remember being Nightmare Moon. She was waiting for us to lower our guard around her, and then take us out one by one!”
“But Thorax said she didn’t remember nothin’,” Applejack said.
“He must have been wrong.”
“But why come to this forest,” Starlight wondered. “Why attack Rarity and then run in here?”
“I’ll bet she was looking for the Elements,” Spike said. “Recognize this part of the forest? The Castle of the Two Sisters is only a short distance away from here!”
“Hey, you’re right!” Applejack said, looking around. “I reckoned these here woods looked familiar.”
Starlight blinked. She picked up the map and, sure enough, the Castle of the Two Sisters was marked close to their current location. “That…is interesting,” she said.
“Sounds awfully convenient,” Trixie sniffed. “Nightmare Moon runs off to the place that housed the items that beat her. Funny coincidence, that.”
“That tears it!” Applejack said. “Soon as that girl wakes up, we’re sittin’ her down and askin’ her what she knows!”
They were interrupted by a loud moan.
“You need to stay still, Rainbow Dash,” Zecora scolded. “This will be over in a flash.” She was applying a sort of balm to Dash’s wound, but Dash was handling it poorly.
“That stuff stings so much!” she moaned.
“It will sting for a little while,” Zecora agreed. “But then you’ll run many a mile.” She applied the rest of the balm to the hoof, while Dash gritted her teeth and hissed. Zecora let the balm set, and turned her attention to Starlight. “What you have said leaves me puzzled and sad—the story I’m sure shall be twisted and bad. But perhaps a question will give up a clue: how does Nightmare feel about her rescue?”
Starlight blinked. “We don’t really know. She hasn’t said anything to us at all. Almost complete silence.”
“We reckoned it was because she traumatized or somethin’,” Applejack added. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”
Zecora shook her head at them. “In your anger you miss what is tragic: how does that filly know Changeling magic?”
There was a long pause. “Uh, because the Changelings taught her?” Trixie offered.
Applejack scrunched her nose. “But Thorax said she spent all her time cooped up with Chrysalis. None of them other Changelings could have shown her anything! None except—”
“Chrysalis,” Starlight finished.
“Wait, you think Queen Chrysalis was teaching Nyx magic?” Spike asked incredulously.
“That’s the only answer that makes any sense,” Starlight said.
“No, it doesn’t! Why would Chrysalis bother teaching her magic?”
“Because she wasn’t a prisoner,” Starlight said. She thought back to the day they took Nyx, and what the Changelings said about her. “They kept calling her the Princess.”
“Well, yeah,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “She’s an alicorn. It means the same thing.”
“Hang on a minute now,” Applejack said, frowning. “They sure didn’t sound like they was meanin’ it that way. Now I think about it, they all seemed to have a whole lot o’ respect for her. Even the Changelings that didn’t reform.”
“Like that Pharynx creep!” Dash shouted, raising her head. “Remember? He kept acting like Nyx was supposed to be in charge!”
“O,” Trixie said. “That sounds like they thought she was their Princess then.”
The entire party became deathly still. Every-pony stared at Trixie, stunned beyond words. Even the Everfree itself seemed to grow silent. Trixie shifted uncomfortably. “What?”
Applejack was the first to find her voice. “Their princess? Is that what this here business is about? Was she trying to get back to them?
“Maybe,” Starlight said, her eyes widening. “I remember. Pharynx was mad at Thorax for getting rid of their Queen and their Princess.”
“Yeah, he did say that!” Applejack cried. “How the hay did we forget?”
“I guess it just slipped by us,” Starlight said. “We were so euphoric, I guess we didn’t really process what Pharynx was saying. Princess Twilight was the one who decided Nyx was a prisoner of Chrysalis.”
“You can’t blame her for thinking that,” Spike said defensively. “This is Chrysalis we’re talking about here. Knowing her, she probably pretended to make Nyx a princess as a joke.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Applejack said. “Chrysalis is a lying, deceitful old nag who enjoys lordin’ over every-pony else. But whether she lied ain’t what we’re talking about here. The question is, did Nyx believe her?”
They glanced at Nyx’s prone form on the ground. Starlight noticed Zecora close her eyes and shake her head sadly, and Starlight had the impression she thought they were missing something. There was a buzzing in the back of Starlight’s head, a sense that she was forgetting a vital detail. Was it something Thorax said? If only she could remember…
“She must have,” Starlight said finally. “That would explain her behavior. Avoiding our gazes, hiding under her bed, refusing to speak or show us her magic—she may have been trying to keep us from seeing how upset she was.”
Applejack sat on her haunches, mortified. “Is that why she’s doing all this? Ya reckon she thinks we foal-napped her, or—?”
“NO!” Spike shouted. Every-pony jumped. Spike’s eyes blazed; his small body shook furiously. Starlight had never seen the little dragon this angry before.
“We haven’t done anything wrong!” he roared. “Don’t forget why we’re in this forest to begin with!” He pointed his trembling claw at Nyx. “We’re here because she attacked Rarity for no reason! She beat us up, and tried to kill Applejack! She doesn’t care about our lives at all! She probably doesn’t even care about us kicking out Chrysalis! She’s just mad because she wanted to be Queen herself!”
“You don’t know that,” Starlight interjected. “You—”
“I don’t care!” Spike snapped. “She hurt Rarity! She’s too dangerous to have around! Princess Celestia needs to send her to Tartarus so she can’t hurt any-pony!”
“Now, hang on a minute there!” Applejack cried. “Spike, ya need to calm down this instant! You ain’t thinkin’ straight right now, and ya—”
“But Rarity!”
“I know about Rarity!” Applejack shouted. “Do ya think no-pony else cares about her? I’m worried about her, too!” Her eyes glistened, and she lowered the brim of her hat. “I saw her when they carried her out—and all that mess in her workshop. I—I ain’t never seen so much blood before…” She swallowed hard, but looked up from under her hat. “Rarity’s more than just my friend. I love her like she was my own kin. I’m scared for her—and I’m also furious she’s hurt right now.”
Spike stared at his feet. His arms were folded and he frowned, but his eyes moistened.
Applejack continued. “I’m just as upset as you about what happened. But ya need to listen to yerself—yer talking about sending a filly into Tartarus!”
“She’s not a normal filly!” Spike protested.
“She’s still a filly. They don’t know what they’re doing half the time—especially when all she had to teach her right from wrong was Chrysalis.” She paused. “Ya gotta ask yourself: would Rarity want her in Tartarus?”
“We don’t know what she’d want!”
“Guess.”
Spike looked down at his feet again. “No,” he whispered.
Applejack nodded. “That’s what I reckon.” She turned to Zecora. “How’s it lookin’ over there?”
Zecora finished wrapping Dash’s hoof. She bit the linin off the spool, secured it, and then turned to Applejack. “You’ll find my healing beyond reproof. But Dash should go easy on that hoof.”
Dash stood up, slowly. She set her injured hoof upon the ground and flinched. “Ow! Yeah, you’re right. I think I’ll stick with hovering for now.” Word became deed, and soon Dash hovered several feet off the snow-covered ground. “There, that’s better! Right, so I guess now we have to figure out what to do with her.” She pointed at Nyx. The filly shuffled a little in her sleep, but otherwise dozed peacefully.
“We gotta take her back, that’s number one,” Applejack said.
“Do we have to?” Trixie asked anxiously. “You know, we could just leave her here. We’ll say we couldn’t find her, or—”
“No,” Applejack said sternly. “We ain’t leavin’ no filly out here in the Everfree with all the monsters. It ain’t safe.”
“For her, or the monsters?” Trixie asked.
Applejack ignored her. “We’re getting’ her back to Twilight,” she said. “But some-pony’s gotta carry her.”
“Don’t look at Trixie!” Trixie shrieked. “She might wake up and do vampire things to me!”
Starlight smiled and shook her head at her friend. “I’m sure you’d find a way to deal with it.” She looked at Applejack. “I can’t carry her, either. I’m so sore, I can barely walk.”
“Worry not for this young child,” Zecora said. She walked over to Nyx and carefully bit her odd coat, lifting her up and setting her on her back. She then slung the saddlebags over her barrel. “I shall bear her from this wild.”
Spike stepped forward. “She’s our responsibility,” he growled. “I’ll carry her.”
Zecora studied him. “If it’s the same to you, I shall carry her through.”
“No, give her to me!” Spike snapped, his voice rising. “She’s too dangerous! I can secure her better.” He cracked his wrists.
Zecora frowned and arched her brow. “Your temper has grown fierce and hot. To carry this foal, I think not!”
“We don’t have time for this!” Spike yelled. “Give her to me!”
“No.”
There was a pause. They waited for the rhyme, but none came this time. Spike’s eyes widened, and he backed away. Zecora huffed. “I think it best we take our leave…you have what you came to retrieve.”
Applejack stared at Zecora like she had never seen her before, but quickly came back to herself. “Right, we should get goin’, I reckon.” She turned to Starlight. “Can ya warp us back?”
“To the square,” Starlight replied. “But we’ll have to walk to the hospital afterward. I don’t know where it is.”
“I can show you!” Dash said brightly. “I’ve ended up there loads of times!”
“I don’t doubt it,” Trixie muttered.
“The square then,” Applejack agreed. She looked at Spike, who was sulking. “Spike? Any chance you could send a message ahead to Twilight? Let her know we got Nyx?”
Spike tensed. “I didn’t bring any parchment.”
“Don’t get fussed, it ain’t a big deal…we’re gonna be headin’ up to that there hospital pretty soon now anyway. We all ready?”
Every-pony nodded and gathered into a tight circle. Starlight made to join them, but then she noticed the dagger gleaming on the frosted forest floor. She stooped to picked it up.
Trixie winced. “You’re taking that?”
“We can’t leave it in the woods, something might step on it,” Starlight replied. “And I think Princess Twilight would like to see it, too.” She found the sheath and slid the dagger inside, and then made her way to Zecora to place it inside the saddlebags. Opening them, she noticed that the furry blanket had been pulled back. Starlight could see other objects wrapped up inside of it: books, picture frames, a second knife, some odd-looking rod—what was all this stuff?
“What’s the holdup?” Trixie demanded. “I, the Great and Powerful Trixie—would like to leave these dark, spooky woods before any monsters notice us.” She eyed the trees surrounding them anxiously, as though expecting one to leap out on cue.
Starlight blinked. “Sorry, I was distracted.” She slipped the dagger into the bags and trotted over to the others, ignoring the biting pain from her flanks. “Every-pony set?”
They nodded.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
She lit her horn. In a flash, they were gone.
Twilight Sparkle sat in the hospital waiting room, too preoccupied with her own thoughts to look through any of the magazines lying across the table. Pinkie Pie was looking through one, but it was clear from her glazed-over expression that she was paying little attention to it. Her poofy-mane had deflated and hung from her face like curtains, while her usual good cheer was gone. Fluttershy sat next to Twilight, staring into space, her eyes red. Angel Bunny patted her hooves encouragingly, but Fluttershy was too distraught to notice.
The ER waiting room was a cheerfully decorated place. Its wooden walls were painted green, the lower section featuring tongue-and-groove wood paneling varnished walnut-brown. The waxed floor boards glistened under the light of the lanterns hanging from the wooden checkerboard ceiling, with further illumination provided by thin windows along the sides. The furniture consisted of navy-colored sofas and small coffee tables.
The only sounds were the ticking of the clock on the wall, and Sweetie Belle crying. The poor filly sat across the room while her mother, Cookie Crumbles, held her close. Her father, Hondo Flanks, sat beside his wife, his hoof lying across Sweetie Belle’s wither. On the other side of Cookie Crumbles sat Applebloom and Scootaloo, who were close to tears themselves. The only other occupant in the room was a kindly-looking but unkempt police lieutenant, who had a dark messy mane and wore a shabby trench-coat. He stood in front of Sweetie Belle and spoke in a warm, if hoarse, voice: “I know this has been a terrible experience for you, but I need you to be brave and tell me what happened. Can you do that?”
Sweetie Belle nodded, tears running down her face. “I-I’ll try.”
“That’s all I can ask for. Now, I understand you went back to your sister’s place to pick up a bubble wand. Do I have that right?”
Sweetie Belle nodded.
“Alright. Are you up to telling me exactly how you found her?”
“I-I went to the door to open it, but it was locked.”
“Was that unusual?”
“Not really. She does that when she has a special client and doesn’t want any-pony interrupting her.”
“So, that locked door would not have been a sign of anything amiss?”
“No.”
“Was Rarity expecting a private client?”
“Yes,” Sweetie Belle said. “She said she was expecting a new filly in town who didn’t have a Cutie Mark.”
The lieutenant raised a brow. “A new filly in town, eh? Did your sister ever mention her name?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head.
“Do you know if she arrived for her appointment?”
“I don’t know.”
“Yeah, she did!” Scootaloo interrupted. “Don’t you remember? Princess Twilight and Spike showed up with a filly and went inside the Boutique!”
“Did she now?” The lieutenant murmured, glancing at Twilight. “That’s very interesting.”
Twilight stared at the floor. She had been careful to avoid mentioning Nyx to any-pony. How Rarity had managed to stab herself was any-pony’s guess, but it must have been very scary for Nyx to see! That must have been why she ran into the Everfree Forest, of all places. She must be so scared, all alone in those frightening woods!
The lieutenant leaned in. “Was any-pony present in the shop after you knocked? Besides your sister?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “There was. After I knocked, I could hear some-pony shuffling around inside. I thought it was Rarity. But then a window opened, and some-pony flew out of it.”
“Did you see who it was?”
“I couldn’t, they were too fast,” Sweetie Belle answered. “They weren’t very big, though. I don’t think they were any bigger than I am.”
“So, they must not have been grown, whomever they were,” the lieutenant mused. “Is it possible they were the same filly Princess Twilight brought to the shop?”
“Maybe?” Sweetie Belle answered. “I couldn’t get a good look! I’m sorry!”
The lieutenant placed a reassuring hoof across her withers. “It’s alright, you don’t have to apologize. Now, you say you saw them fly away. Did you see where they went?”
“It looked like they were going to the Everfree Forest.”
Twilight was baffled. It sounded as though Sweetie Belle had seen Nyx. But the figure she saw flew away, and Twilight knew for a fact that Nyx could barely do more than hover. Yet, Sweetie Belle was an honest filly. She must have seen some-pony leave—but who was it?
The lieutenant smiled sadly. “I appreciate you talking with me, you’re such a brave little girl. But I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to be brave for just a bit longer. I want you to tell me what happened after the unknown party left.”
Sweetie Belle swallowed. “I called for Rarity, but she didn’t answer me. I went to look in the window, but Opal jumped onto the window sill. Opal’s her cat,” she added, seeing the confused look on the lieutenant’s face.
“Ah, I see. And what was so unusual about that?”
“She was really scared,” Sweetie Belle said. “And her paws were all r-red…” She started trembling, and Cookie Crumbles pulled her closer.
“And then?” the lieutenant pressed.
“She jumped off and ran away. I didn’t see Rarity come out, so I l-looked into the w-window.” Sweetie Belle broke off, shaking profusely. Applebloom and Scootaloo lay their hooves over hers, and she swallowed and continued. “I looked inside, and the whole room was a big mess! All her fabrics were lying around, and her pony-kins were all tipped over! And…th-then I l-looked and there was R-Rarity and she was ch-choking on b-bubbles! And there was a big pool of b-blood and she was l-lying in it. And I could see her scissors st-stuck in her th-throat and th-then I…I…”
She started sobbing uncontrollably, and Cookie Crumbles pulled her close. Twilight stared at the floor, close to tears herself. She knew the rest; Sweetie Belle’s screams had roused the entire village. By the time Twilight arrived at the Boutique, the medical ponies were already carrying Rarity out. Twilight shuddered. No filly should have to see that.
The lieutenant sighed and turned to Pinkie Pie. “Begging your pardon, Miss Pie. Do you think you could take Miss Sweetie Belle back to your shop and treat her to a cookie or something?”
Pinkie Pie started. “What? O. I guess. I mean…if it’s all right with Sweetie Belle?”
“I can’t leave!” Sweetie Belle cried, tears running down her face. “Rarity!”
“It’s alright, we’ll be right here,” Cookie Crumbles said gently. She was a pink unicorn, who wore her violet mane tied up in a messy bun, and spoke with a sharp Mane-isoda accent. “If we hear anything about Rarity, we’ll send for you. Just…go with your friends and take your mind off all this. You’ve been very brave.”
“Rarity’s a stubborn mare,” Hondo Flanks said. He was a white unicorn with a thick brown moustache. “Don’t worry, she’ll pull through.”
“We’ll go with you,” Applebloom added.
Cookie Crumbles leaned forward. “Do you feel up to going?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yes. I…I’ll go.” She climbed down from her seat, and went to take her coat off the rack in the corner.
Pinkie Pie stood up. “Alrighty then. I’ll take her to Sugarcube Corner and mix her up something lickety-split.” She smiled, but it was without cheer, and her voice sounded forced. She waited while the Crusaders put their coats on, and then led them to the connecting hallway where the door to the stairs stood. They filed in morosely, as though they were going to a funeral instead of a bakery.
Fluttershy made to stand. “I guess I can go and collect my knitting,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Something to take my mind off…what’s happened. Hmm?” she added, looking down. Angel Bunny was hopping up and down and pointing at himself. “O, will you go and fetch it for me, Angel?” Fluttershy asked. Angel nodded, and Fluttershy smiled softly. “That’s very sweet of you. I left it in the living room by the sofa. It’s the afghan, you know the one.”
Angel nodded and gave a smart salute. He bounded to the stairway door. Bouncing upward to grab the doorknob, he turned it and kicked against the threshold to open the door. Then he dropped to the floor and hopped down the stairs.
The lieutenant smiled. “That’s an eager friend you have there, Miss Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy was startled. “Angel Bunny? O yes, he’s a dear.”
“It’s always good to have friends you can count on,” the lieutenant said cheerfully. “Friends who’ll have your back even when you’re at your lowest. Isn’t that right, Princess Twilight?”
Twilight blinked, caught off-guard by the lieutenant suddenly addressing her. “What? O. Yes, that’s right.”
He beamed. “Good to hear it! I must say, it’s an honor to be in your presence, your Highness. Forgive me if I don’t remember all the honorifics…I’ve never talked to a Princess before.”
Twilight smiled. “That’s quite all right. I’m sorry, I don’t believe I got your name?”
The lieutenant bowed. “Lieutenant Column Bough, at your service. Delighted to be in your presence—huge fan of your work, of course. Such a shame we couldn’t meet under better circumstances.”
“I know. I—none of us were expecting any of this.” Twilight’s eyes moistened.
“O yes. Terrible, absolutely terrible,” Lt. Column agreed. “I’ve been on the force many years, and I’ve never seen a case quite like this one before. This is Ponyville, after all. Things like this just don’t happen here…aside from Timberwolf attacks.”
“That’s what happened to Applejack’s parents,” Cookie Crumbles said softly. “Poor dears.”
“I was there. Sad case, sad case.” Lt. Column shook his head and looked at Twilight. “Were there any-ponies who had a grievance against Rarity?”
Twilight blinked. “No-pony I know of—aside from our villains, maybe. Why? Wasn’t this an accident?”
Lt. Column squinted at her. “You think this was an accident?”
“Well, of course! What else could it have been?”
“If this was an accident, it’s the strangest I’ve ever heard of,” Lt. Column said, frowning. “I’ve spoken with the first responders—they tell me that Rarity wasn’t just stabbed, she was impaled to the floor.”
Twilight gasped. “Impaled? I—I didn’t realize she was hurt that badly!” Fluttershy moaned and sank deeper into her seat. Cookie Crumbles brought her hooves to her face, and Hondo Flanks pulled her close.
“O, her wounds are extremely serious,” Lt. Column said. “Not to be too graphic, but the responders had to pry her free from the floor before they could move her. Now, I’m not much of a physicist, but it seems to me that it would have taken tremendous force for those scissors to pin her to the floor like that. More force than a mere stumble could have done.”
Twilight’s mouth hung open. “Are you saying some-pony came into the shop and attacked Rarity?”
“That’s the only answer that makes any sense to me,” Lt. Column said. “The only question is who. Now, you heard me chatting with Miss Sweetie Belle just now, and she seems to think she saw you and Mister Spike visit Rarity’s shop shortly before the stabbing. Is that correct?”
Twilight tensed. “Yes.”
“Was she expecting you?”
“Yes.”
“Was it a personal visit or an appointment?”
“An appointment.”
“I see. Now, here’s the point I should really like to know: was there any-pony else with you at the time? A filly, perhaps?”
Twilight paused. How much would Princess Celestia allow her to say? “Yes. I have a filly in my care now. Her name is Nyx.”
“O?” Cookie Crumbles said, with a faint smile. “I didn’t know you’d taken in a filly, Princess Twilight. How nice.”
“I’ve only just taken her in,” Twilight added. “She’s only been with me for a few days.”
“Nyx, eh?” Lt. Column asked. “Like those old stories?”
“Yes.”
“I remember those! My mama used to read them to me when I was a colt, rest her. Is Nyx’s coat black, by any chance?”
Twilight hesitated. “Yes.”
“Just like in the stories! Now, where is this filly? I think I should like to chat with her for a bit.”
Twilight shuffled nervously. “I don’t know where she is.”
Lt. Column arched a brow. “You have a child in your care, and you don’t know where she is?” He suddenly looked concerned. “Do I need to put out for a missing foal?”
“She’s run off. We think she was frightened by what happened with Rarity. She was with her when…that happened.”
“She was with Rarity when the stabbing occurred?” Lt. Column repeated, stunned.
“Poor dear,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Is there a reason you haven’t mentioned this before?” Lt. Column asked, his voice suddenly stern. “I’d have thought finding that filly would be pretty important to you.”
Twilight bristled at his tone. “My friends are out looking for her. I gave them an enchanted map to scry her location.”
“Yes, I was just about to ask about your friends. I was surprised to see so few of them here, with Rarity so badly hurt.” He squinted at her. “Is that why they went into the Everfree Forest? To look for Nyx?”
Twilight gaped at him. “How did you—?”
“Never mind about that. Am I correct in my assessment?” His gaze bore into hers. Twilight noticed his right eye stayed in place, and realized it was glass.
“Yes,” Twilight answered. “We think whatever happened spooked her so much she went to hide in the Everfree.”
“Your little ward ran off into the Everfree?” Cookie Crumbles cried. “Goodness, I hope they find her soon!”
“Me too, Mrs. Crumbles. But let’s back up a little, your Highness. You and Mister Spike took Nyx to see Rarity. Why did you leave?”
“Applejack came shortly after we arrived,” Twilight explained. “She was dealing with a frost weevil infestation, so we left to find a book that had information on repelling them. Then we heard about Rarity…” She trailed off, and shook her head.
“So, that’s how Rarity and Nyx ended up alone together?” Lt. Column pressed.
“No, Rainbow Dash was there too.”
“Was she now?” Lt. Column murmured. “Where was she during the stabbing?”
“Gone,” Twilight answered. “Rarity tried getting her to stay and help with the measuring, so Dash left.”
Lt. Column smiled. “She didn’t want to help, I take it. What was she doing there to begin with, if not helping?”
“She wanted to teach Nyx how to fly.”
“Does Nyx have issues flying?”
“She can barely hover.”
“Nyx can’t fly?” Lt. Column asked, puzzled. “Then who was it Sweetie Belle saw fly out of the window?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight replied. “It couldn’t have been Nyx, I know that. We tried persuading her to fly yesterday, but all she could do was hover a bit before getting tired.”
“Is Nyx too young for flying?”
“No, she’s old enough. We’re not sure what the problem is. She looks healthy, but she doesn’t fly, can’t use her magic, and won’t speak.”
“Sounds rough.” Lt. Column said. “Has she—” He froze suddenly. He squinted hard at Twilight, puzzled. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that last bit?”
“What bit?” Twilight asked, confused. But before Lt. Column could offer any clarification, the doors to the ER opened, and a white-coated mare trotted out. She wore scrubs and a white nurse’s cap, and kept her mane rolled up in a neat bun.
“Nurse Redheart,” Hondo Flanks said. “How’s our Rarity?”
“Will she pull through?” Cookie Crumbles asked.
Nurse Redheart hung her head. “It’s not looking too good right now. She’s lost a lot of blood, and is losing more. The doctors are doing everything in their power, but these are some of the worst injuries we’ve ever seen. Frankly, it’s a miracle she survived at all. That much damage is normally lethal.”
“That’s our Rarity,” Hondo Flanks said, forcing a shaky smile. “She always was tough as nails.”
“It’s possible she might pull through,” Nurse Redheart added. “But—I think you should be prepared for the worst.”
“No! Celestia, no!” Fluttershy whispered, putting her hooves over her mouth.
Twilight sat down again, her blood running cold. Be prepared for the worst. One of Twilight’s friends was in the greatest peril of her life, and Twilight could do nothing. She knew many things from years of careful study, but healing magic was something she had little skill in. She could treat small cuts and bruises, like the ones Starlight sustained fighting Chrysalis, but anything more advanced required specialty knowledge she lacked. This had never been a problem before. But now, sitting here uselessly while Rarity languished in another room, it now seemed a tremendous oversight. She wracked her brains for something, or some-pony, that could help. “Princess Celestia is great with healing magic,” she remembered.
Nurse Redheart nodded. “I don’t doubt it, but Princess Celestia isn’t here. Have you contacted her?”
“Spike sent a letter as soon as we heard,” Twilight answered. “But I haven’t heard back from her yet.” She frowned. “I don’t know what’s taking her so long.”
“Why don’t you teleport to her?” Fluttershy suggested.
Twilight blinked. “What?”
“Teleport to Canterlot, and tell Princess Celestia what happened,” Fluttershy explained. She simpered a little under every-pony’s gazes, but continued. “I mean, you can do that, right?”
Twilight sprang to her feet. “Fluttershy, you’re a genius! Why didn’t I think of that? I’ll just pop right over there and—”
“Just a minute,” Lt. Column interrupted. “Sorry, Princess, but I need to ask if I can send out a missing foal alert. For Nyx.”
“O,” Twilight said. “But my friends—”
“—Will appreciate the help, I’m sure,” Lt. Column finished smoothly. “The Everfree Forest is a dangerous place, Your Highness. I’m sure you’ll want some extra hooves on the ground to make sure your little charge is found.”
Twilight smiled. “Thank you, that would be most welcome.”
Lt. Column nodded and turned as if to leave. Suddenly, he spun around with an embarrassed smile, as though he had forgotten something. “Sorry, just one more thing. A little thing, shouldn’t take up too much more of your time. It’s about something you said earlier…you told me Nyx had problems flying?”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, puzzled. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, when you said that, I guessed Nyx was a pegasus foal. But then you said the strangest thing: that Nyx was also having problems with her magic.”
Twilight’s stomach dropped.
Lt. Column’s true eye glittered. “So, before I send out an alert, I think I should like to know what I’m sending out for. What exactly is Nyx? She wouldn’t be an alicorn, would she?”
Twilight stared at him, dumbstruck. Nyx’s existence was supposed to be a secret, and Twilight had unwittingly leaked the whole thing. What would Princess Celestia say? Would she be furious to learn Twilight had managed to lose Nyx and reveal her alicorn nature after less than two days?
Teleporting to Canterlot suddenly seemed less appealing.
“I…I…” Twilight stammered, at a loss for anything else to say.
Lt. Column looked like he was about to speak, when there came a stomping of hooves from the stairwell. The door sprang open, and Zecora walked into the room, followed by Applejack, Starlight, Spike, Dash and Trixie.
“Guys! You’re back!” Twilight exclaimed. “Did you get Nyx?”
“Yeah,” Applejack growled. “We got her.”
“O good,” Twilight said, relieved. “Where is she?”
Zecora stepped forward. “Do not fear for the foal you lack. You’ll find her sleeping on my back.”
Twilight looked and, to her great relief, saw Nyx lying across Zecora’s back, nestled between the saddlebags. She was sound asleep. Poor filly! Being out in those dark, scary woods must have tired her out!
Nurse Redheart gasped. “What the—is that an alicorn filly?” Twilight suddenly realized that Nyx was visible to every-pony else in that waiting room. Rarity’s parents were staring at her with astonishment and reverent curiosity. Nurse Redheart stood on tip-hooves to get a good look at her. And Lt. Column stared with his mouth hanging open, taken aback to see his guess so vividly confirmed.
So much for that secret.
But at least Nyx was safe. “I’m so glad you found her,” Twilight said, turning back to her friends. “Was she scared, or—”
She froze. Now that she could give her friends more attention, she suddenly realized they were in terrible shape. Spike and Trixie sported large bumps upon their heads, Starlight’s bruises were darker and wider, and Dash’s front hoof was wrapped in linin bandages. “O my Celestia! What happened?”
Spike pointed at Nyx with a shaking claw. “She attacked us!”
“What?” Twilight gasped.
“That little girl?” Lt. Column asked. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, we’re sure!” Spike snapped. “We followed her deep into the forest. Just as we were closing in on her, she blinded us with a flash charm!”
“A flash charm?” Twilight asked. “But her magic—”
“Works perfectly fine!” Applejack interrupted. “She blinded us, then went and knocked me out with a magic blast!”
Twilight was stunned. “But that can’t be! There must be some mistake—”
“It’s not a mistake!” Starlight cried. “Her magic is incredibly strong! She’s incredibly strong!” She lifted her face up, and Twilight gasped; her face was covered with purple bruises. “She stomped me on my head, then bit my tail and threw me!”
“Right into Trixie!” Trixie moaned. “Could some-pony go and get Trixie an ice pack?”
“She threw you?” Twilight asked Starlight, ignoring Trixie. “How? That filly barely reaches your knees!”
“I saw her do it!” Dash yelled. “That’s when I tackled her, and—”
“You tackled her? Dash, Nyx is a foal.”
“She’s not a normal foal!” Dash held up her bandaged hoof. “She bit me!”
“She bit—!”
“Then she pile-drivered me into the ground!” Dash finished. “Like, it would have been totally awesome if she wasn’t doing that to me. And then she drank my blood! She’s, like, a vampire or something!”
Twilight frowned. “Dash, you’re exaggerating again. I think the magical energies reverberating in those woods confounded you.”
“That’s what happened!” Dash protested. “I’m not confounded, I swear!”
“No, she isn’t,” Spike said. He pointed at his face. Twilight’s eyes widened—his scales were singed and his eyes looked a little pink. “She did this to me! She turned into a dragoness and breathed fire into my face!”
Twilight’s frown deepened. “Spike, I think I’m going to have to scan all of you for magical contamination. You may have picked up a curse or—”
“We’re telling the truth!” Spike shouted. “Look at us! Do you think we did this to ourselves?”
“Well, no,” Twilight admitted. “But what you’re saying makes no sense. We know her magic barely works. She couldn’t possibly turn into a dragoness, or fire magical blasts.” Her friends exchanged glances, the sort they traded whenever they thought Twilight was being irrational. The sight of it annoyed her, and she stomped her hoof loudly. “She couldn’t!”
Applejack approached Twilight and lay a hoof across her withers. “Twi, do ya really think we’d come back here with Nyx and make all this hullabaloo ‘bout her if we didn’t think it were true?”
Twilight was unable to meet Applejack’s eyes. “No.”
Zecora cleared her throat. “I know this is not what you thought you knew, but every word we say to you is true.”
Twilight turned and started pacing. Applejack and Zecora were the most reliable ponies she knew. But everything they said clashed against the evidence of her own observations. She had seen first-hoof how feeble Nyx’s powers were. Yet her friends were clearly wounded, and every one of them claimed Nyx was responsible. But if Nyx could do all that, why had her magic seemed so feeble earlier? And why would she hurt any-pony to begin with? “I don’t understand,” she murmured.
“Nor do I,” Lt. Column interjected. “Sorry to intrude. Lieutenant Column Bough, Ponyville Police.”
“I remember ya,” Applejack said, suddenly morose. “You were the police-pony who came to tell us ‘bout Ma and Pa after they…well, you know.”
Lt. Column hung his head. “Tragic case, that. A pity we keep meeting under these kinds of circumstances. But I’m curious about a few details from your encounter. For starters, if that little filly did all that to you, then how’d you get her to sleep?”
Zecora held up a corked glass bottle, filled with a thick purple fluid. “My Slumber Smog sent her into a snooze, or else their very lives your friends would lose.”
“Lose?” Twilight asked.
Starlight rummaged in the saddlebags, and came out again holding a long, curved sheath. She pulled on the handle, and out came the wickedest dagger Twilight had ever seen. “Zecora says Nyx had this pressed against her throat. We think…we think Nyx was about to kill her.”
“You can’t be serious!” Twilight protested. She looked to Zecora, expecting her to shake her head and explain how Starlight had misunderstood. But Zecora nodded, and Twilight felt her blood run cold.
Lt. Column suddenly looked ill. “So, what you’re saying,” he said slowly. “Is that this little filly—this child—possesses great strength, and a familiarity with bladed weapons?”
Starlight nodded. “Yes.”
Fluttershy gasped. “No! Then that must mean…” She covered her mouth with her hooves, too frightened to finish the sentence.
Hondo Flanks stepped forward, shaking. “Are you saying that she’s why my Rarity’s fighting for her life?” he demanded, his voice shaking with rage. “Because she attacked her?”
“No!” Twilight cried. “She couldn’t have!”
“O, for crying out loud, Twilight!” Spike snapped. “Of course she did! She’s been deceiving us from the very start! It’s the only answer that makes sense, and you know it!”
“No, it doesn’t!” Twilight shouted. She and Spike were almost nose to nose. “We saved her from Chrysalis! Why would she want to hurt us?”
“Perhaps you should ask her when she comes around?” Applejack said, lowering her voice and placing herself between Twilight and Spike while looking anxiously between the two of them. “We can make her explain everythin’ then.”
“You won’t have to wait very long to ask,” Lt. Column said. He was studying Nyx carefully, his brow furrowed.
“Why?” Twilight asked. “Is she coming around?”
“She’s already awake.” Lt. Column replied. “In fact, I think she’s been pretending to be asleep for some time.”
Twilight looked and, sure enough, Nyx breathed faster than a sleeping filly should, her eyes shut much too tightly. Twilight’s mouth thinned. She still doubted Nyx did any of the things her friends claimed—yet there she was, playing a trick on them. “We know you’re awake,” Twilight said sternly. “Stop pretending and get up.”
Nyx opened her eyes at once. She lifted her head up and stared at Twilight with her serpentine eyes, her gaze focused and unwavering.
“Nightmare Moon!” Nurse Redheart shrieked.
“Good grief!” Lt. Column said, backing away.
Zecora turned to look at Nyx, startled. “That smog knocked her out like a light! She’s meant to sleep into the night!”
“She recovers quickly?” Starlight guessed.
Twilight scooped Nyx up with her magic and set her down in front of her. She looked at her for a long moment. “Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Is she hurt?” Dash sputtered.
Nyx gave no answer. She stared at the floor and said nothing.
“Givin’ us the silent treatment again, are we?” Applejack growled. “No more o’ that, ya hear? Yer in big trouble, little missy!”
“Applejack, please,” Twilight said firmly. Applejack huffed, but stepped back, and Twilight turned back to Nyx. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you don’t have to be afraid. Please, just tell us what happened.”
Nyx continued staring at the floor, making no sign she had even heard Twilight.
Nurse Redheart looked concerned. “She can talk, can’t she?”
“We think so,” Starlight said. “But she’s never spoken to any-pony since we got her. We thought it was because she was traumatized.”
“Traumatized, huh?” Lt. Column snorted. “You sure about that? I’ve got another theory for you: she can speak, she’s just refusing to!”
Nyx looked up and stared at Lt. Column with her strong gaze. She held her head high, her expression hard but neutral, almost defiant. There was a sense of the regal in the way she held herself. Yet, there was also a cold fierceness in her gaze that seemed almost predatory. She gazed at Lt. Column as though she were a great bird-of-prey looking down upon a hapless mouse.
Dash snorted angrily. “Refusing, huh? Well, she better stop refusing this instant and tell us what we need to know!” She spun on Nyx. “Why’d ya do it? What’s your evil plan? Come on, Nightmare, spill it!”
Nyx glanced at Dash and then, to Twilight’s amazement, huffed and rolled her eyes, as though the grown adult before her was an annoying pest. Dash’s eyes narrowed. “Why you—!”
“That’s enough,” Twilight said to Dash. “Let me talk to Nyx, okay?” She put firm stress on Nyx’s name. Dash grumbled to herself, but hung back. Twilight turned her attention back to her charge. “Nyx, just tell me the truth. Did you…were you the one who hurt Rarity? And my friends? You can shake your head if you like. Please, look me in the eyes and tell me you didn’t do this.”
Their eyes met. For a moment, Twilight hoped that Nyx would look away and shake her head, or that she would finally speak and tearfully proclaim her innocence. But instead, Nyx’s eyes narrowed, and she glared at Twilight with an icy fury that caught her entirely off-guard.
“You…you did,” Twilight said slowly. “You…you were the one who hurt her.” For a moment, all she could do was stare at Nyx in complete shock. And then a wave of anger over took her, and she snapped. “Why would you do that?” she shouted. “Rarity was being nice to you, and that’s how you repay her? What’s wrong with you?”
But Nyx said nothing. She seemed entirely unfazed by Twilight’s yelling, and her expression became disdainful.
“Stop it with that mute act!” Dash yelled. “We’re not falling for it anymore! Talk!”
“You’d best start answering our questions,” Lt. Column said sternly. “You’re in an unbelievable amount of trouble, young lady, and we’ll have the truth from you!”
Nyx arched a brow at him but said nothing. She seemed nonplussed by Lt. Column; in fact, she looked as though she were studying him. Her attention was most focused on his glass eye.
Twilight stamped her hoof. “Answer us this instant!”
Nyx’s ears twitched, but she gave no other sign she had heard.
Lt. Column stepped closer. “I’m not going to stand here all day and wait for you to talk. If you’re not going to say anything, I’ll drag you down to the station! We’ll make you talk soon enough!”
Nyx tensed. Her slit-pupil eyes thinned.
“Still nothing? That’s fine, you’ll come along with me then!” He raised a hoof for her.
What happened next was so fast as to seem unreal. Nyx reared up and struck Lt. Column in the right eye with the flat of her hoof. There was a thick “crunch” sound, and Lt. Column screamed while blood and shards of broken glass fell from his eye socket. Nyx turned and bucked Lt. Column in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. She followed up with a sweep, bringing him to the ground with tremendous force. He lay where he fell, bleeding and wheezing, hooves pressed to his bleeding face.
Every-pony gasped and stepped back, stunned by this sudden display of extreme violence. But before any-pony could respond, Nyx turned and hissed at them. It was feral, that hiss; there was bass in it.
“What?” Twilight asked blankly. She took several steps forward, more transfixed than frightened. Nyx’s coat stood on end, and she snarled at her. It was a terrifying sound. It sat deep and resonant, like the rumble of distant thunder. And then Twilight saw the fangs. “What?” Twilight asked again, her pupils shrinking to tiny pinpricks. “W-What even are you?”
Nyx scowled at her. “¡Ustedes ponis malvados lastimaron a mi mami y esclavizaron a nuestros súbditos!” she shrieked. “¡Voy a encontraría y luego marcharemos a Equestria! ¡Ponte en mi camino y te mataré!”
“She’s, like, speaking Moon-speak!” Trixie cried.
“Huh? What are you saying?” Twilight asked, bewildered.
Nyx’s answer was to fire an indigo magic-blast straight at Twilight’s face. Twilight gasped and brought up a shield, and the spell smashed against it. The shield held, but the sheer power of the blast forced Twilight back a step. “Stop it!” Twilight cried. “Why are you doing this?”
Nyx growled, and began pacing in front of the shield, her withers rising and falling like a dynamo. Twilight was suddenly reminded of the tigers in the Canterlot Zoo, pacing their enclosures in search of an opening for escape.
Starlight tossed the dagger aside and stepped next to Twilight, raising a shield of her own. “Every-pony, get behind us! Down the hall, hurry!” The others did as she asked, though Nurse Redheart was quick to grab Lt. Column and pull him behind the shields.
But Fluttershy stormed towards Nyx. “Stop this at once!” she shouted. She looked angrier than Twilight had ever seen her. “Stop hurting my friends! We’re only trying to help you!”
Nyx snarled, unabashed. Fluttershy gasped, but then closed her eyes, steeling herself. Suddenly, she snapped her eyes wide-open and fixed Nyx with a fierce glare. There was a power to her gaze, magically enhanced beyond just glowering. This was The Stare, a unique ability Fluttershy used to tame unruly creatures. Dragons the size of mountains trembled beneath this fearsome gaze; cockatrices looked away in horror at it. Now, Fluttershy brought the full extent of this power to bear against Nyx.
“I said, settle down,” Fluttershy said sternly. “You won’t hurt my friends anymore!”
Nyx stared back at her. Then, without a word, she struck Fluttershy across the face with the back of her hoof. “O!” Fluttershy squeaked. She sailed across the room and crashed into the wood-paneled wall.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight yelled.
Dash’s eyes flashed. “That does it!”.
“Ya varmint!” Applejack growled, stamping her hoof and snorting smoke.
“Wait!” Starlight cried.
But neither pony paid heed to Starlight. They charged around the shields, Applejack on the ground, and Dash by air. Nyx hissed, and her horn glowed. Light glowed around Dash and Applejack as Nyx attempted to catch them in her magic—and succeeded.
“Whoa nelly!” Applejack cried, finding herself floating in midair.
“Put us down!” Dash demanded.
Twilight was taken aback. The amount of magic needed to lift a pony was immense—and here was Nyx, hoisting two adult ponies in the air! This took some effort; Nyx strained to hold both ponies up, and she started sweating profusely from the effort. Twilight expected her to drop them before she overclocked her magic. But then something strange happened—her violet mane started waving by its own volition. Nyx let out a fierce yell, and then there was a powerful magical surge. Dash and Applejack went flying into the walls. Nyx’s mane settled down, and she panted heavily, drained from such an intense use of power.
“No!” Twilight cried. She spun furiously on Nyx. “That does it! How dare you hurt my friends! I’m ending this now!”
“About time,” Spike said, smiling.
Twilight dropped her shield and lit her horn. Nyx was much more dangerous than she had expected. Drastic action was needed. But first, she needed to deliver a scathing friendship speech: “My friends are a part of me, all of them! You hurt them, you hurt me as well! Together, we have prevailed against many foes! That spirit of love and friendship allowed us to defeat evil villains like Queen Chrysalis! And now, I’ll show you—”
But Twilight never got to show Nyx anything, because as soon as she had mentioned Chrysalis, Nyx let out a loud cry and charged Twilight, jabbing her between the chest and throat with her horn. The blow knocked the air out of Twilight, staggering her. Nyx followed through, rearing up and hoisting Twilight up with her front hooves and slamming her headfirst into the opposite wall. Twilight collapsed to the floor, stunned. She heaved and coughed, her head spinning. She had no time to think about anything else, for Nyx immediately pounced on top of Twilight’s chest, and started punching her repeatedly in the face.
“Bruja!” she shrieked. “Villana! Puta!”
“Get away from her!” Spike shouted. He ran forward, and Nyx, hissing, bucked him down the hall. She seemed to remember that she had other enemies, and left Twilight alone to focus on them.
Twilight moaned. This was the worst beating she had ever received; the pain was overwhelming. Her face felt numb; her right eye refused to open, and she could feel blood running from her nose. She lay there, overwhelmed by pain, and very much confused. What had made Nyx go berserk like that? Twilight had never seen any-pony commit this kind of extreme violence before, and she had no idea how to react to it. Nyx’s strength was terrifying; every blow had felt like they came from a steel hammer.
She lifted her head. Along the opposite wall, Zecora crouched, the vial of purple liquid in her hooves. Their eyes met, and Zecora nodded at her. Twilight understood; if they could keep Nyx distracted, Zecora could apply the Slumber Smog and knock her out again. Trembling, Twilight stood up, searching for a spot to use the Smog. She noticed an alcove nearby. If she could back Nyx into that, Zecora could use the Smog without it affecting any of her friends. Twilight glanced at Zecora, to the alcove, and back again. Zecora nodded, and placed herself into position as Twilight advanced further. Starlight picked up on the plan as well, widening her shield to keep Nyx from running past her.
Twilight summoned a shield and approached Nyx. “That’s enough of that!”
Nyx snarled at her. Twilight froze, taken aback once again by the unnatural sounds Nyx produced. But she remembered herself, and advanced on Nyx with the shield. “Don’t take that tone with me, young lady!”
Nyx growled and hit the shield with another magic-blast. The shockwaves staggered Twilight—Nyx’s magic was powerful! But Twilight held firm, and took several more steps forward with her shield up, and Nyx, hissing, took several steps back. Zecora stood ready, the cork sealing the bottle clenched between her teeth. Nyx noticed Zecora, then turned and saw the alcove. She seemed to understand the trap almost at once, and suddenly looked concerned.
“You can give up now,” Twilight said. “Stand down, and we won’t have to hurt you.”
Nyx hissed in response, and shot a third magic-blast at her. Twilight sighed. It looked as though they would have to do this the hard way. She continued to push Nyx back. She was almost into the alcove now, just a few more steps. But then Nyx did something very strange—she smirked at her. There was an impertinence about it that annoyed Twilight, like she thought all this was some sort of game. Nyx charged her horn again, and Twilight resisted the urge to roll her eyes at it.
She realized too late that the magic was icy-blue instead of indigo.
Nyx fired this spell, but instead of firing it at Twilight’s shield, she shot it onto the floor directly in front of Twilight’s path, forming a sheet of ice over the waxed floorboards. Twilight only registered this fact after she had already taken another step. She slipped and fell, sliding along the ice headfirst towards Nyx. Nyx leaped gracefully in the air and glided over Twilight, while Twilight slid headfirst into the wall of the alcove.
“She can fly!” Dash shouted angrily. “She was faking that too!”
Nyx landed on the floor in front of Zecora. Before she could react, Nyx leaped up and bucked Zecora under the jaw, knocking her into the wall. The cork pulled out of the vial, and it went flying, purple Smog spewing out of the top. Nyx grabbed it in her magic and, holding her breath, hurled the vial into the alcove with Twilight.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Spike yelled “No!” and ran to intercept the vial. But it was too high, too fast, too late. Twilight turned in time to see the vial smash open in front of her. Purple fog rose from the shattered vial, enveloping Twilight. At once a sense of irresistible drowsiness overtook her; she could scarcely keep her eyes open. Spike fell to the floor, and Twilight sank down next to him.
Twilight looked up to see Nyx surround herself with a transparent indigo barrier. The last thing Twilight saw before succumbing to the darkness was Nyx smirking at her.
“Twilight!” Starlight yelled. “Twilight!” But it was too late. The Smog felled Princess Twilight, taking Spike down with her.
“We’ve got to help them!” Dash cried. She made to fly over the shield, but she was pulled back by Applejack. “Hey, what gives?”
“You, if you don’t keep back here!” Applejack said. “That there smog will knock you right out!”
Nyx turned to face them, an indigo barrier shielding herself from the smog. She was smirking, her stoic mask dropped entirely.
“You saw that trap coming,” Starlight said slowly. “We thought we were backing you into that alcove, but you were leading Twilight in instead. You know, that is rather clever! I’m actually impressed!”
“No, bad Starlight!” Trixie yelled. “You’re not supposed to praise the psycho vampire-pony! Bad!”
“Sorry, you’re right,” Starlight mumbled. She turned her attention back to the battle, taking stock of the situation. Too much Smog had been used, and it poured out from the alcove and into the hall. Twilight and Spike were now sound asleep, while Zecora had been knocked out. Nurse Redheart hid in an alcove with the police-pony, struggling to catharize his wounds. Rarity’s parents quavered in a corner of the waiting room, hoping no-pony noticed them. And Fluttershy lay crumpled up on the floor, moaning. That just left herself, Trixie, Applejack, and Dash, but Applejack and Dash were worn from their fights with Nyx. All they could do now was keep Nyx from escaping. The windows in the waiting room were too thin for her to fit through, so the only possible exit were the stairs down the hall, which Starlight’s shield blocked off. Perhaps they could delay her long enough for the princesses to show up. “There’s no place for you to go now!” Starlight declared, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. “We’ve got the only exit closed off, and you can’t drop your shield without the Slumber Smog knocking you out! So…just give up already!”
Nyx grinned broadly at them. It was an awful thing, extending wider than a normal pony’s should, with her fangs prominently displayed; yet, her eyes remained as calculating as ever. Starlight lacked Pinkie Pie’s smile expertise, but she could tell the purpose of this one was to intimidate. “E-Every-pony, remain calm!” Starlight said, her voice shriller than usual. “She’s just trying to freak us out!”
“It’s working!” Trixie moaned. “Trixie is very freaked out right now! Very, very freaked!”
“Well, we’re gonna put a stop to her freakiness right now!” Dash thundered. She scowled at Starlight. “What’s the matter? She’s right there! Why don’t you use your magic and grab her already!”
“I’d have to drop the barrier first,” Starlight replied. “And that would leave us vulnerable to the smog!”
Dash grinned. “Smog? Leave that to me!”
“Wait!”
But it was too late. Dash rose into the air and rapidly flapped her wings, driving the Smog out of the hall—
Right into the waiting room.
Rarity’s parents cried out, before yawning loudly and slumping over. Fluttershy, meanwhile, had gotten to her hooves. “Ow, my head” she said, dazed. “What just happ—” But then the Smog overcame her, and with a little yawn she fell back down again, sound asleep.
“Fluttershy!” Starlight cried.
“O no,” Dash said, mortified.
“Dang it, Dash!” Applejack snapped. “Next time you get an idea, run it by us first!”
Nyx giggled, amused by Dash’s idiotic ploy. Dash scowled at her. “You think that’s funny, do you?” Nyx giggled more. Her voice was surprisingly sweet, something like musical glasses.
“Well, that was a dumb move, Dash,” Starlight admitted. She turned to Nyx. “Alright, the Smog is gone now. But my shield is up, and there’s no way you can get past it!”
Trixie chuckled. “You’re stuck, you creepy weirdo! There’s nothing you can do now!”
Nyx arched a brow, and dropped her barrier. For one blissful moment, Starlight thought she was going to surrender—until she saw that Nyx’s horn was lit. Her mane started waving again, and suddenly collapsed into a misty starfield. Indigo flames burst out from beneath her hooves and ran up her body, enveloping her, and then dissipating above her head.
In her place stood a young midnight-colored dragoness.
“Spike was right!” Applejack cried. “She really can transform!”
“Like a changeling,” Starlight whispered.
“That’s awesome!” Dash exclaimed. Then she remembered herself. “I mean, no! Not awesome! Or, you know, it would be awesome if you weren’t running around hurting every-pony. You know?”
“Yeah, we get it,” Trixie said, rolling her eyes. She turned to Nyx. “Okay, you’re a dragon now. Whoopty-doo. There’s still no way you can get past that shield! Whatcha gonna do, breathe fire on it?”
Dragon-Nyx snorted smoke from her nostrils, clearly thinking something along those lines. She inhaled, and then exhaled indigo flames…at the rafters above them.
Starlight gasped as a hanging lamp and flaming wooden-tiles fell on top of her. Instinctively, she pulled the shield closer around herself, leaving behind several feet of headroom. Dragon-Nyx leaped for it, gliding through the headspace and landing with surprising grace on the other side of the shield.
Trixie squeaked and stepped back. “Uh, Trixie was just kidding about the “creepy weirdo” bit! It’s just one of Trixie’s little jokes! Heh-heh!”
“Get her, quick!” Applejack shouted. She made to grab her, but Dragon-Nyx was ready. She swung her tail and smacked Applejack’s face, knocking her off-balance and dropping her to the floor.
“You brat!” Dash shrieked. She lunged for Nyx’s chest. However, being a dragoness meant Nyx had some extra weapons besides her flame-breath: her claws. With an air of nonchalance, she slashed Dash across her muzzle with her left claw. Dash screamed and fell to the ground, grabbing uselessly at her face.
Trixie came up behind Dragon-Nyx. “Fear not! The Great and Powerful Trixie shall…” Trixie froze as Dragon-Nyx turned to glare at her. She held up her left claw, fresh blood running down it. Without breaking eye-contact with Trixie, she started sucking the blood off her fingers. Trixie’s eyes shrank to tiny pinpricks. “…Trixie is just going to back away and pretend she isn’t here right now,” she squeaked, backing into the alcove opposite the one Nurse Redheart and her patient were hiding in.
Starlight charged her horn. “Alright, that does it! I—” But before Starlight could do anything, Dragon-Nyx turned and unleashed more flames upon her. Starlight yelped and raised her shield. The flames blew around it, so Nyx changed course and spread the flames at Starlight’s feet, setting the floor alight. Then she exhaled a steady stream of fire at the ceiling above Starlight’s head. More burning tiles crashed around Starlight, and then burning timbers caved in on top of her. It took all of Starlight’s concentration to shield herself from the burning wood. She was finding it hard to breathe now, the air around her consumed by the inferno.
“She’s setting the entire hospital on fire!” Nurse Redheart shrieked.
“No, she can’t do that…” Lt. Column mumbled. “That’s arson, that’s against the rules…”
Dragon-Nyx noticed them. She growled, her dragoness form amplifying its already substantial depths. Nurse Redheart wept, her pupils shrunk in terror while she cradled Lt. Column, shielding his body with her own. “Please, don’t kill me!” she begged. “Please, no! I have to save him, he’s hurt!” She shivered. “I don’t want him to die! Please!”
Dragon-Nyx studied her. For a moment, something in her fierce gaze lightened. Then, without a word, she slid past the alcove without giving them a second glance. Flames ran up from her hooves, and Nyx resumed her normal form. She stooped down and picked up the curved dagger from where Starlight had tossed it. She sheathed it, and tucked it away inside her coat. Then she galloped for the stairs.
Starlight quickly expanded her shield, knocking back the flaming debris. “Stop her!” she yelled, before succumbing to a coughing fit from the smoke. “Don’t let her reach the stairs!” She teleported to the stair door, but it was too late—she arrived in time to see it slam shut.
“I’ll go after her,” Dash snarled, blood oozing from three cuts spread across her muzzle.
Starlight shook her head. “No. You guys stay here and guard the door. I’ll head her off at the exit!”
Nurse Redheart poked her head out from behind the alcove. “Wait, about those stairs—”
“No time!” Starlight yelled. “Trixie, put out those fires!”
Starlight teleported, materializing downstairs in front of the stairwell exit. She glared at the door and charged her horn. When Nyx emerged, Starlight would hit her full force with a magic-blast. It was extreme, but it was the only way Starlight could think of to subdue her. It was unlikely the blast would keep Nyx down for very long, but hopefully it would be enough for Starlight to rouse Twilight. Then they could decide what to do with her.
She waited. And waited. Nyx was taking a long time to go down a single flight of stairs. What was keeping her? Starlight suddenly felt uneasy. Determined as she was to head Nyx off, Starlight had neglected to consider whether there were any other exits in that stairwell. Or had Nyx guessed her trick, and waited in the stairwell in ambush?
The only way to know was to check. Cautiously, she opened the door and peered inside. What she saw made her heart skip a beat.
The stairwell was split by a landing, and on that landing was a large window.
That window was open.