//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four: Servant of the Night 
// Story: Equestria's Fate 
// by Silver Shine 
//------------------------------//

Glacier's half was looking around for clues of where the flash came from.  "You think Nightmare Moon was freed?  I sure hope not." Rainbow Strike said.  "Now THAT would be bad." Golden replied.  "There's just nothing around here, as if nothing happened." Glacier said.  "Perhaps returning to the center would be the best option?  I mean, it's not like we've found an-"

"Found something!" Rarity shouted.  "But...I have no idea what this is."

"The cloak from when Fluttershy and I had the key taken.  Since the only other who can touch it is that Silver Shoe or whatever, that must mean she has all three keys."

"Which means that the flash was the keys..."

Meanwhile, Twilight and friends were searching the other half of the area.  Pinko was bouncing around, but she stopped when she noticed something.  She grabbed the odd key and bounced over to Twilight.  "Is this one of those keys?"

"Yeah...They were positioned..."

Fluttershy came over.  "Should we return to the center then?"  Twilight nodded.  The ten ponies soon met up where they started, one group with the cloak and the other had the key.  "What's the cloak?" Asked Twilight.  "It's the cloak of that Silver Shin whatever pony.  She brought back Nightmare Moon." Strike replied.  "And the key, sis?"

"This is the key you had.  We just have to find Silver Shine and Nightmare Moon."

Twilight looked up.  "I...I can hear something, but I don't know what.  Two ponies talking...But who..."  She signaled for everypony to remain silent and she listened.

"Excellent job, and it was earlier than planned as well."

"B-But if I waited, those six ponies an their new friends would've stopped me.  I c-couldn't let anypony trap you."

"Well, perhaps you will make a good family member and as you agreed, a good servant."

"Yep!  Anything for you, Nightmare Moon."

Twilight gasped.  "We have to get out.  Nightmare Moon is here.  Magic won't work, but maybe I can distract her."

"No way are we lettin' you leave just so we can return home.  I think you should just have some other way for us to get out." Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash quickly replied, "We can't get out with magic, so we should just have one or two of us stay behind and hope to make it out.  Me and Twilight can handle it."

"Rainbow Dash, we can't lose anypony more than we need to."

"Twilight, if you do it alone, we'll all be captured."

Applejack stomped her front left hoof.  "We make a break for the exit and save whoever we can.  Sound good?"

"Sounds superduperamazingincredivlystupebdous!"  Pinkie replied.

"I guess it'll have to do."  Rarity replied.

So, in total agreement, or at least mostly agreement, they sprinted upstairs and towards the exit.  Nightmare Moon slammed the door shut and Silver Shine quickly ran over and grabbed Rainbow Dash and Twilght before they could fly away.  "Not so fast!"  Nightmare Moon also grabbed Fluttershy with full force, not realizing RS could fly, or that Golden was an Alicorn.  Golden quickly grabbed everypony but Rainbow Strike and Pinkie, and took off before reactions could be made.  Rainbow Strike grabbed Pinkie and did the same, just in time.

A few minutes passed before they were halfway back and landed near Zecora's hut.  "Everypony, we should walk back.  We may need to fly."

Zecora noticed them from a short distance and walked to them.  "The sun is setting, and you won't be home in time.  Care to stay at my place, at least for the night?" She asked.  "Wouldn't hurt to be inside and resting soon."  Golden said.

The next morning, the group was well-rested, and quickly headed home after thanking Zecora for the stay.

Meanwhile, in the castle dungeon, the three were pushed into different cells by Silver Shine.  "You can't stop Nightmare Moon.  Besides, if you just help her like I do, I'm sure she'd be nice like she is to me!"  She smiled and ran upstairs to hopefully be able to continue to fulfill her promise.  "So they're separated?"

"Yep."

"And you told them about their chance?"

"That's the most important."

"Then they know their choices.  Go have fun, Silver Shine.  You deserve it after today.  Capturing two flying ponies yourself is a new record for you."

"If you want me to."  Silver Shine hugged Nightmare Moon, and it was returned before she flew away into Ponyville with her cloak on.

She soon arrived and saw Golden Sky.  Around Nightmare Moon, Silver may seem like a talkative pony, but she was actually more like Fluttershy.  "E-Excuse me." She said in a soft voice, tapping Golden.  Golden Sky turned around and replied, "Yeah?"

"I th-think you dropped this."  She handed the yellow Alicorn a key.  "The key looks beautiful.  Is it for Ponyville's fashion designer's place or something?"

"Nope.  It's just a regular key."  Golden took the key with magic and put it in her saddlebag.  "So what's your name?  I'm Golden Sky!"

"My name...it's..."  She suddenly began trying to stray from the topic.  "So, are you some kind of Princess?"

"Nope.  Just an Alicorn."

Silver Shine turned around.  "I have some shopping to do, so maybe I'll s-see you around sometime."  She walked off towards the market area.

"That was oddly...Familiar.  That cloak...But if that were Silver Shine, she wouldn't be like Fluttershy, right?  So, what was up with that?"  She began thinking as she walked to the library to meet up with the others.