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Castle of the Royal Sisters
568 RSR (Royal Sisters Reign, 12 years prior to the War of Moon and Sun and 37 years prior to the beginning of Celestia's Reign)
"I FORBID IT!" The shout echoed through the halls and corridors of the castle, reverberating through the very stone itself. Servants and guards stopped what they were doing to stare towards the source of the noise, their mouths agape with wonder and fear. Though they had become used to raised voices, this was something altogether different.
It had been a tense decade. Ever since the fall of the last stronghold of Discord and the end of his chaotic reign over ponykind, ponies everywhere began to hear whispers of discontent and disharmony The celebrations of victory and peace had a dark shadow cast over them regardless of their frivolity. The royal sisters were seen to argue more than agree and it was rare that Princess Luna was seen outside the castle grounds. Some spoke of Princess Celestia becoming more and more tyrannical, enforcing her will through domination and subjugation. Others argued it was Princess Luna who was the cause of the disturbances, her 'black' magic controlling the minds of those around her. Some even suggested that the formation of the Royal Line itself was an error and that the three tribes were better off with disparate rulers as in times of old. Regardless of the rumors, the source of the shouting was clear to any on the castle grounds.
"I do not care what thou forbids or what thou wouldst have flourish!" Though her voice was raised, Luna kept it out of the traditional commanding volume her sister had tried to use on her. She was no pony noble to be brow beaten by sheer volume nor a commoner to be dazzled by her throne. She slammed a hoof into the ground hard, cracking the granite stone beneath her. "Are we not to be equals? What power placed thou over I?"
"The power of being thy elder! You shall do as I command!" Celestia, lit from behind by the power of her sun, sat on her golden and marble monstrosity of a throne. The sun framed her entire body in light and had Luna not been imbued with her power, she would undoubtedly be squinting into it. Despite the fact both sisters had equal throne rooms, most ponies saw Celestia's throne as the seat of power having never had cause to see Luna's. Celestia had become used to being obeyed from her throne and the fact somepony dared to say no, despite all the trappings and pomp, surely irked her. Luna sneered at her sister, anger boiling beyond logic.
"Elder be damned, We are thy equal! I will not bow to you, sister!" In some corner of each alicorn's mind, they knew this was not the proper way to do this. Raised voices and heated words left hurts that took time and understanding to heal. Yet all ponies were prey to emotions and, despite everything, they were both still very much ponies. They stared at each other for a long moment, each unwilling to bend. Luna was the first to break the stare, turning on her hooves towards the grand double doors. "I am leaving until thou anger has cooled enough to cease its boil."
"We did not dismiss thee, sister!" Luna ignored her sister's command, holding her head high as she marched out of the throne room. None of the guards dared approach, they could only watch and shiver in trepidation. Celestia's face broke from anger into confusion. And then fear. "We said to stay! Princess! Luna! Luna! Sister!"
The slamming of the giant double doors signaled Luna's departure from her throne room.
"Oh no, sister! Luna come back!" Celestia scrambled to her hooves, galloping to the doors. With one swift kick she burst them open in time to see the small shape of her sister disappearing quickly in the distance. "Oh Loo-loo, what have We done? We're sorry, Loo-loo. Please, don't leave us."
She sank to the stones beneath her, eyes squeezed tight against the tears that threatened to burst forth. Her voice lowered to a whisper as guards, once struck motionless at the escalating fight, rushed to her side.
"Please don't leave me …"
UNKNOWN LOCATION
UNKNOWN DATE
The mortar shell hit somewhere behind him, making him clutch his helmet instinctively. It was a bad habit, a tiny little voice told him in the back of his head. Sometimes even trained fighters slip up, he replied, though he knew that tiny voice was right. The racket of the team's SAW was drowned out by the explosion, leaving only a vague ringing sound behind. Even the falling chunks of masonry were silent. It was very surreal, the sound of battle suddenly dying. Almost as if he was only watching it instead of experiencing it.
The morning sun had barely peeked above the horizon but already the heat was stifling in his body armor. Other than the light breeze from the shell strike, the air felt cloying, the smell of smoke and spent casings filling it and clinging to his throat. He peeked up over the half-wall he was crouched behind for a moment. The sandy road was strewn with debris, some of it still smoking. A severed arm smoked amid red bricks and the smashed remains of a television. A radio lay nearby, unharmed from the explosion save for a severed cord. The whims of fate against the wills of mice and men.
A few of the braver insurgents were using the time to run into new cover, one of them still stumbling from the concussion of the blast. It would have been comical any other time. As he was about to shout a warning, something caught his eye. A glint, strange against the bright sky, as the sniper he hadn't seen lined up the shot. He stared at him, struck dumb for the briefest of seconds. As the tiny voice in his mind began to laugh manically there was a sudden brightness . Then a sudden darkness and the tiny voice's laugh ceased.
UNKNOWN LOCATION
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Space combat was always tricky. She knew this from her training in the creche but actually being out in the deep dark was an experience she thought she would never have. The gear required to fight in space was too expensive and her debt never left her the chance. She had focused on ground combat and, without a firm planet below her, she found she could easily spin out of control. Her exo-suit was well made but it didn't completely even things out. Of course, it didn't matter much now.
It had taken her longer than anticipated to make it to the stable zone, the third point of an equilateral triangle made of the planet and its moon. Fighting the exo-suit the entire way had left her sore and exhausted and she had almost missed her chance to settle all her debts. That would have left a great debt for her hatchlings to pay. But now, all was as it should have been.
Gripping her launcher, she lined up her sights on the starboard nacelle of the ship directly in front of her. One soldier could get to where an entire fleet could not, she had been told. And they had been right The enemy's debt would be paid and with it, her own. Her hatchlings would be raised above her lowly station for her sacrifice. This they had promised her and she knew that their debt to her would be paid in full. There was always debt to pay, always oaths to fulfill. This would be her last oath, her last debt.
Silently, the rocket flared to life, flying away from her in a lazy arc toward her target as her exo-suit's jets kicked in to compensate for the sudden shift in momentum. She let them ease her about. A lazy spin as she caught glimpses of the rocket getting nearer and nearer to her target. The ship-killer rocket – very expensive – traced a lazy line of light toward the ship as its target tried to shift course. They had made no concessions for such an action, had given themselves no leeway in their approach. Their folly and her gain.
Now they knew where she was but it didn't matter. The point defense turrets wouldn't be able to destroy the rocket in time. As they spun toward her position instead – some form of misplaced revenge – she gave thanks to her instructors for their time. It always paid to be polite to those you owed so much to. A sudden pain flared along her side as the silent flechettes ripped through her armor, designed as it was to ward against smaller projectiles. The sound of wind graced her ears once before silence returned. Her last thought was to wonder at what her hatchlings even looked like.
UNKNOWN LOCATION
UNKNOWN DATE
The screams of the dying and wounded filled his head as the sounds of gunfire rattled around him. Clutching the tattered banner of his lord and over-father, he leapt atop the embankment and looked down at the mongrels who huddled below. Wet, tired, filthy. From every class, from every Family, from every walk of life they came. A few of the braver ones had propped their guns on the trench walls, firing near-blind at the distant enemy. One of them caught a bullet for his trouble, falling to the mud clutching at the orange blood spraying out of his throat. At the order of their over-father they fought and died. To lead is not to order. To lead is to do and to inspire those behind to do as well.
"Across this scarred wasteland, the traitors squat on stolen lands. They use stolen powderguns, they fight with stolen time and they strike down the honest for their gain. Will they live to steal another day? Would you leave them to their plunder?" A round whistled by his ear, tumbling in its flight. He ignored it, his attention fixed on those who looked up at him with tired and hopeless eyes. "Today, we defend our home from villains. Today we defend our honor from the honorless. Today, we fight. Today we win!"
He did not notice that none came above with him as he turned to charge the enemy. Too focused on victory, on the righteousness of his cause. In his mind, he saw the scoundrels before him scatter at the rising tide of honor. He pictured himself leading, as his over-father had and as his over-father's father had. In his mind, he was a hero to his people,
He barely made it a dozen steps. A single bullet pierced his central circulatory vein, spilling his blood across the green muck at his feet. He stumbled, trying to hold his over-father's banner high against the storm of change and anger. He was righteous. He was brave, despite the growing weakness in his limbs. He faltered. He fell, still clutching the banner of his over-father. One more body in the cold and soggy ground.
Everfree Forest/Ponyville
1005 CR
The pegasus filly woke with a yell as her orange eyes popped open. She shoved herself backwards. For a moment, she didn't see what truly was there. Instead, images of … things flashed before them. Wars, battles, pain. And death. So much death. Panting and gasping, she thrashed her forehooves out as if to physically ward off the sights.
"No, no!" Her back hit the rough bark of the shattered trunk she had slept beneath. She closed her eyes tight as the confusing images and the real world fought one another for dominance. They're just dreams, she told herself, willing her stomach to calm from all the carnage. Just dreams. After a moment, her breathing subsided and she opened her eyes once more.
"They're just dreams," she whispered to herself, repeating her thoughts out loud as if to give them more force. "Only dreams." Shakily, she reached out and parted the bush that had hidden her from anything that might have wandered by in the night. It had been dark by the time she had found a place to bed down, a place well enough protected that few things would find her yet open enough that she could still have a chance to escape should it come to that. This was the first time she had truly seen this forest without worrying about being swept into a maelstrom or hoping no night-hunters had picked up her trail. Her eyes went wide at the sight.
Daylight filtered through the thick green foliage above, spilling out in pools and small wavy light-streams. From what she could see of the sky, it appeared to be completely empty of clouds. A bright a glorious blue unmarred from the grey or black of a storm. A light breeze played joyfully in the leaves above while the sounds of song birds began again, interrupted as they were by her yell. It was a cool early morning and, despite the storm of the previous day, there was a distinct lack of mugginess in the air. She blinked away her wonder. She had more immediate needs.
It's a fairly nice day at least. Must have been a compact storm front, there's barely a cloud in the sky. The filly licked her dry and cracked lips, feeling the effects of dehydration. Time to go find some water. I hope.
She looked around hesitatingly before stepping out of her hiding spot and heading out to search of a drink, sniffing the air for both the tell-tale smell of a river or pond as well as the musky scent of a predator. It always paid to be cautious in the wild.
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Twilight groaned as she cracked one tired eye open - only to shut it again with a yell.
"Argh, stupid sun! Er, I mean," she rubbed her now partially blinded eye as she rolled over, carefully opening her other one, "stupid windows being placed in the stupid path of the first rays of the sun, that is. Sorry Princess." She whispered that last bit to herself mostly out of habit. There was never any proof Princess Celestia could hear and see wherever the sun's rays struck but no sense taking unnecessary chances with her mentor.
Looking around her still cluttered room, she hefted a sigh of annoyance. Piles of books surrounded her bed and wax from her desktop candles she had accidentally left lit last night had pooled on a stack of papers she had left out. The light from the windows really picks out the clutter very well, she dryly thought to herself. Other than her books and papers, however, there was little else out of place. She was a meticulously organized young mare. Days like this were days she was glad for that fact.
Glancing around to the foot of her bed, she noted with a raised eyebrow that Spike's basket was both empty and unmade. She sighed and hopped out of bed, her hooves clopping noisily on the wooden floor. At least it smelled like he was cooking breakfast. With a flick of her head and a small glow from her horn she quickly yanked her and Spike's beds into order. Looking around at the mess, she decided to put off organizing those piles. She headed downstairs for breakfast instead, following her nose and her noisy tummy.
"Mornin' Twi." Spike called out from the kitchen as she entered the library proper. She sniffed at the air. Haycakes, her favorite.
"Morning Spike. Haycakes for breakfast? What's the occasion?" Twilight nudged the kitchen door shut behind her and smiled at her assistant. He looked so adorable in that white and pink apron. Ever since he returned from that 'quest' of his, he had taken to wearing it more often for his cooking chores. While his apron and the kitchen were still mostly clean, the young dragon had managed to make quite the mess of the counter tops. Though why he needed two bowls of batter for just the two of them Twilight couldn't immediately imagine. With barely a glance over his shoulder, Spike flipped a haycake over his head, sending it onto an already-prepared plate.
"No reason, just felt like making hayca-" he turned to look at her, his words dying on his lips. The bowl of batter he was pouring tipped back to prevent overfilling the sizzling pan. Even with his silly theatrics, her assistant was mindful of his messes. Twilight blinked at him in response with a half smile. Now what? "Whoa. Nice bed-head Twi."
"Huh?" Twilight put a hoof on her head, feeling the tangled mass of hair. "Oh Celestia, I forgot to brush my mane." She grinned at Spike's back as he went back to his cooking. "I suppose I was too busy making someone's bed that it slipped my mind."
"Yeah, yeah. I was going to do it after breakfast." With another deft flip, a second haycake plopped onto a second plate This one glittered in the early morning light, red and blue crystals poking out from the flat surface. Twilight giggled. That explained the two bowls of batter she noticed. Always with his gems.
"I'm going to go fix my mane, ok Spike? Be down in a half minute." She turned to go back upstairs, stopping only to give his back a flat look. "Don't burn down the library."
"Sure thing, Ms. Morning." Twilight rolled her eyes as she left.
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The river was a glad sight to the tired, sore and oh-so-very thirsty filly. She trotted as quickly as she could to the river's edge as her head swiveled back and forth on a scan for danger. Testing the water with a hoof, she found it cool but not cold. That told her strange volumes. It was likely mid to late summer and not spring. She could see mountains close by that had very small snow caps but fresh snow melt would be colder unless the river passed through a volcanic area or came from a bog. The bog idea was almost out as the water smelled clean and did not feel slimy. Of course, it could be a distant bog or marshlands that let the foulness sink or pool at the edges further upstream but that would still leave an unpleasantness about the water that this river lacked.
Finding this river is the best thing that has happened so far, she thought as she smelled at the air. Rivers meant clean water for drinking and bathing, fish for, well, she didn't eat meat so that was out. But above all, if you followed a river downstream, it was almost guaranteed that you'd find some form of civilization. If there is a civilization to find, she mentally remarked, looking down at her hooves. For some reason, she couldn't conceive of any civilization growing from a hooved species.
Dipping her head, she tried lapping up the water with her tongue before rolling her eyes at her own foolishness and sucking at the water. Somehow neither felt quite right but at least she was getting fluids. After she drank her fill, she gingerly tested the water further in. Feeling her way along the bottom cautiously, she walked out until the water just touched her underbelly. Her scraps and cuts still stung but it was a sharp pain. Dull and throbbing would mean infection and that would be difficult to handle without antibiotics and …
"Alright, that's enough," she whispered. These thoughts and memories, these strange images. Those dreams. There were still so many unanswered questions. I don't have the time for this mental-inventory right now.
Dipping herself into the steady flow of the river, she rubbed at her short pelt with her hooves, trying to keep at least three on the riverbed at all times. She paid close attention to her … knees, she supposed. The skin had been scraped bloody yesterday and while it stung, she wanted as much of the dirt out of her wounds as she could manage. As she washed, she began to unintentionally filter through her mind, calling up random bits of information. Ambush patterns, suppress-and-maneuver, deck breaching, pincer attack. Most of it was very violent, though now that she was awake the images didn't disturb as much as before. Strange though. Most of it was of war …
A sudden growl from her abdomen reminded her she still had a few things to deal with before any deeply insightful conversations with herself. "I said I don't have the time to wonder at you, head. It's time for breakfast."
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"Yes, Spike, you make the best haycakes." Twilight giggled at the puffed-up dragon as he stood proudly in the center of the library. With barely a thought, she floated her saddlebags onto her flanks and began to fill them with some of the various books she and Spike had carried down from her bedroom. She frowned slightly at how few she was taking and at how little ponykind really knew about the world outside their borders. With a smile, she turned back to Spike. "Now quit preening. I have to go see if I can find Rainbow Dash. Are you going to be ok here all by yourself?"
"Really Twilight?" Spike raised an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms in that strange dragon way. "Who took care of Fluttershy's little beasts when you and the girls went running off after that dragon? I still don't know why you couldn't take me that time."
Twilight sighed and patted Spike's head, much to his annoyance. She drew back her hoof as he swatted at the air around him.
"We didn't know if it was going to be dangerous, Spike, and I couldn't stand the thought of you getting hurt. You are still just a baby dragon, after all." Shifting her weight underneath her bags, she smiled at her young assistant. He grumbled under his breath and Twilight giggled at his slight discomfort before walking out the library door. "Be careful Spike. I'll be back in a few hours!"
Twilight headed down the road leading out of Ponyville. Rainbow's cloud house was situated a distance away, just inside the town's borders. It would be some time until Twilight arrived but it was a marvelous day and Twilight didn't mind the walk. She happily hummed as she trotted on her way, enjoying the warm sun and the cool breeze. It was going to be an amazing day, she could just feel it.
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The filly lightly sniffed at the grass and eyed it from different angles. It seemed like normal, everyday grass ... except she didn't even know what that was really like. She had memories, true, but they didn't seem like hers. And none of them showed the consumption of grass. But when she had started to pass this grassy grove in the dense forest, the smell … oh that smell. She vaguely thought that grass should smell sharp and bitter but here it smelled sweet. So sweet. Her mouth was watering just thinking about it.
With a look of determination, the filly bent down and that taste! It tasted sweet, yes, but it was also tart. It almost seemed like citrus but it was a different tart. Like qualplagh only not so rancid or meaty. It was …
"Delicious." If every field was a feast like this one, she never need worry about food again. She fought the urge to stuff herself silly, eating slowly and cautiously. If this grass did not sit right with her, she would hate to have to vomit an entire stomach full up. In fact, she should probably sta-
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of something approaching. Something big and heavy. As she lifted her head in surprise, a loud crash split the peace of the forest. She cursed her own hunger for clouding her mind. The birds has been silent for enough time she should have noticed. What's worse, she was upwind of whatever it was and it sounded like it was approaching fast.
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Twilight stared up at Rainbow Dash's house, a large neoclassical structure made entirely out of clouds, and stomped her hoof with an irritated grunt. How could she forget something so mind-numbingly obvious? Rainbow Dash lived in a house made of clouds. A house only pegasi could get to. How was she supposed to get up there? Her cloud walk spell wasn't useful to get to the clouds and she didn't want to try to give herself wings. That had drained her dry when she had tried it on her unicorn friend Rarity.
"Rainbow! RAINBOW! Rainbow Dash, wake up!" Twilight shouted, stamping her hooves in frustration. "Rainbow! Uagh.
"Well buck." She sat with a huff. She knew it wasn't Rainbow's fault. She should have brought her hot air balloon or something but had forgotten it in her rush to get here. Still, it helped sometimes to just yell.
"Let's think things through, Twilight. I need to get up to Rainbow Dash's house," she motioned up at the now-imposing cloud building with one hoof, "but I can't fly. So I need to find SOMEONE who can fly but that I can get to. Someone like ..." Twilight's face lit up and she smacked her head with a hoof.
"Of course! Fluttershy!" With another irritated look at Rainbow's hard-to-reach house, Twilight turned tail and began to canter towards Fluttershy's cottage.
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The filly crouched low – hidden as she was under a bush – and shivered. She had skirted the grove and positioned herself downwind of the fearsome beast only to have it burst from the forest dangerously close to where she had hastily hidden herself. Luckily, its entrance was loud enough to cover her scramble to her current hiding spot. She thanked whatever beings might exist in this world for small favors and then turned her attention to the prowling beast now stalking the grassy field she had been so happy to find. The filly had to fight a sudden urge to panic and flee at the sight.
An eight foot tall cat-predator with bat wings and a massive barbed tail stood in the middle of the grove sniffing where she had been but moments earlier. A lion of sorts some distant part of her mind recalled, drawing up a few images of lions in various situations. Most of them rather bloody. Not helping, she chided herself, willing away the thoughts and trying to turn a more sane eye to the situation.
Fangs longer than her hooves, claws to catch and tear, powerful forelegs with surprisingly weak-looking hind legs. She assumed it was an ambush predator but assuming anything about a creature that was hunting you was a terrible idea. Especially with the loud entrance it had made For now it seemed intent on the ground but it was only a matter of time before it picked up her scent trail. She needed to move.
Slowly and carefully, the filly eased herself back towards the forest. She had circled carefully, trying to keep the river at her back. She had wished to use the running waters to mask her scent trail. She could only hope that such a plan would work. If not, she might still put enough distance between her and the creature to find some sort of weapon to defend herse–
Snap.
An errant twig caused the filly to stop all movement. With the noise, the beast's head shot up towards her, a snarl growing on it's face. It was looking right at her, it was looking right at her, it was looking right at her.
All thought, all logic, all sense left her mind as instinct took over. No thoughts of switch backs, no thoughts of cover, no thoughts of fire-hardened spears of even basic clubs filled her mind. Only one thought. The thought to flee. Turning on her hooves, the filly bolted towards the river, a high pitched scream following her. The crash of the beast following was depressingly close.
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"… and of course, Spike didn't want me to shake the dust out of my mane for some ca-razy reason, heh." Twilight levitated the cup of tea to her lips, blowing slightly before taking a sip. It wasn't hot, of course, but she didn't want to take any chances. She smiled across the table at her hostess.
"Oh, oh, uhm, yes. Yes, I'm sure he had his reasons." Fluttershy, the meek and caring butter-yellow pegasus – and one of Twilight's close friends – toyed slightly with her own tea cup. "But, well, I still don't see how I can help. I only get called in to help with some of the less, uhm, scary weather jobs and, uhm, that storm was just so frightening." The pegasus shivered at the thought of such violence and chaos, hugging herself for comfort. The lightening, the thunder. While she loved her cottage home and how close it was to her animal friends' homes in the Everfree, every so often something would happen to remind her of how dangerously near the wild forest really was. Twilight's giggle brought her out of her thoughts.
"Oh no, Fluttershy, I know you're not a weather pony. I was going to ask Dash but I, uhm," Twilight grinned sheepishly, "I kinda forgot my hot air balloon and, well, Dash's house is a cloud home …"
"Oh! Oh, yes, I can get her for you! I'm sorry, Twilight. Here I am wasting your time with tea." Twilight reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hoof.
"No, Fluttershy. There's nothing to be sorry for. You know I love spending time with all my friends and I can take a bit of time off from study to –" A sudden piercing scream echoed from the Everfree causing both mares to jump. For a moment, they simply stared at the monolithic wall of trees that separated the orderly and natural Equestria from the chaotic and unnatural forest. Another scream and the following roar brought them both back to their senses and sank their hearts at the same time.
"That was a filly!"
"And a manticore!"
With hardly a glance at each other, both mares leapt to their feet and galloped into the forest.
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Branches snapped, tore through fur and flesh. Leaves whipped passed her face. She had stopped screaming, her breath too short for noise. She gasped at the air, gulping it down like a creature finding water after days in the desert. Her sight was blinded by tears of fear and hurt. No thought but the thought to run, to escape. She couldn't even think of what was behind her, what was chasing her. What was getting slowly closer.
She leapt a log, stumbling slightly on her landing before continuing on. She felt a wind at her back, like some massive thing had swiped passed her side. It missed but her stumble had cost her dearly in distance. There was a light, bright and blinding. The forest was ending. She was almost free.
Pain.
A sharp, ripping pain along her flank. She gasped and floundered. Something wet and warm was pouring out of her side and every step she hobbled hurt. It burned. Another stab, the other flank. This time, she pitched onto her side and slid across the forest floor with a scream, much sharper and more filled with pain than those she had let loose before. She tried to scramble to her hooves but another smack sent her careening into the trunk of a tree. She distinctly felt ribs breaking as she bounced off the rough surface.
She landed heavily, rolling onto her stomach. She almost retched as her bones ground against one another. Panting and sobbing, she looked up into the eyes of the beast that was poised to kill her, backing away as best she could on her two unwounded hooves. Her eyes dilated in absolute terror. She screamed again, for the last time that day. The beast roared in response and charged.
Authors note: So a few people seemed interested. Let's see where this takes me. I have no real set plans, though I do have a vague sort of idea where things will eventually end up. I'm hoping my lack of foresight won't come back to bite me in any sensitive area. I also apologize to any English majors who may read this fic, I know I'm not using Middle English correctly but I can't see the point in doing too much research when getting it close suffices. Sorry.
Also, author's notes on both ends of the chapters is a little much so I'm going to be only doing one, kind of an 'after-chapter wrap-up' thing, I guess. Where to start … well, the split-view of Filly-Twilight might be going away slightly. There's a reason it's not going to go away entirely, though, if I can get it to work. Maybe. Still trying to figure that part out. And the pre-present Luna/Celestia thing is going to wrap up soon as well, though that might just end up morphing into a present Celestia/Luna thing. It ties in, it's not just window dressing. Character tags/story tags might change as well. And someone mentioned this seemed like a retake on Past Sins. And looking at the title and how it starts, ffffffffffffffffffffffffff
I did not mean to be like that. Damn, now I wish I had come up with a better name. I was really scratching my head at what to call this and that seemed like the best one I had gotten. Argh. Spoilers: The filly is NOT Nightmare Moon.