Back amongst the trees of Whitetail Wood, Rainbow was getting impatient for back up to arrive.
"When will they get here?" she asked her dad again who was down the trail a bit to welcome the Shadows when they come.
"They'll get here when they get here, Rainbow," Spectrum said annoyed she kept asking this question. "How are the kids doing? Any change?"
Looking back into the Garden, Rainbow looked at all the cages, and to Scootaloo still in the center of the garden, all still asleep.
"No. And still no Nightmare Moon." she said looking around as good as she could.
Just then a flapping of several wings could be heard, making her turn around to see the other Shadowbolts who could see the Garden.
"What took so long!" Rainbow asked in a loud whisper.
"Rainbow Dash," Spectrum said strongly looking up at the five Pegasi, Starlight, Nightlight, Onyx, Diana, and Moonbeam, and began to tell them the situation, while Rainbow went back to the parting in the trees.
***
In the Garden, Scootaloo was beginning to get her senses.
She couldn't remember anything after finding out she had an uncle, and the window burst open.
Feeling the grass beneath her and the cool night air blow on her, Scootaloo stayed where she was a smile on her lips, that quickly turned to a frown of confusion.
Opening her eyes and getting up on to her haunches, Scootaloo looked around the clearing seeing all the foals asleep in cadges in there with her.
Taking deep breaths to keep herself calm, Scootaloo looked over to the trees seeing a pair of magenta eyes looking in on her. Knowing something was up if Rainbow was hiding, Scootaloo just stayed quiet, and continued to look around slowly going over to the cadges to try and wake up the other kids, but nothing worked.
***
"Dad, Scoots' up!" Rainbow Dash said with cheer after seeing her sister was alright.
Spectrum cutting the explanation of all this short, ran to the parting of trees, and looked into the clearing seeing Scootaloo try to wake up the others.
"This is bad," he said looking all over the Garden again especially in the dark corners. "If Scootaloo is awake, that means Nightmare Moon wants us to go in."
"Well come on then," Rainbow said straight after her father had finished. "Mustn't keep 'Her Highness' waiting now should we?" she said running out into the Garden at full speed straight to Scootaloo hugging her saying 'It's alright' then going to help wake the other children.
Slowly, eyes looking all around the wide open space, ready to attack if necessary, the other Shadowbolts came in too Spectrum welcoming a scared Scootaloo in his arms as they got to the center.
"So where is she Dad?" Rainbow Dash asked away from the others a bit who were pulling the still asleep children out of the cadges.
'Why my dear, I'd of thought by now you would have learnt, I am everywhere.' a voice said on the wind, all around the Garden scaring everyone and making them look around.
"You're not my Dad, Moon-butt!" Rainbow Dash said strongly forming her battle stance the best she could with her wings all bandaged up, getting quiet gasps from the others.
'Still have that spirit, I see.' the voice said still not giving any of them any idea where she was. 'We'll just have to see about that then, won't we?'
Then, at last Nightmare Moon came out in front of them an evil look in her eye, and a smirk on her face as she lit her horn seemingly doing nothing.
"STOP! PLEASE!" Scootaloo screamed clapping her hooves over her ears wincing in the pain she was getting.
While everyone was trying to calm her down to ask what was wrong, Rainbow Dash saw the other children get up looks of ponies in a trance on their faces as they went to stand between them and Nightmare Moon.
"You're going to make us fight children?" Rainbow asked digging her hoof to the ground trying to block out the screams Scootaloo was still giving off.
"Well it's either these children, or that one," Nightmare Moon said. "To stop your sister's pain, you will need to defeat me by tackling me to the ground, but to do that you'll need to get through these Lovely children first. Or you can not harm these children keeping them safe, but that means Scootaloo will be in pain longer, and if you're not going to attack them to get to me... The rest of eternity!"
Rainbow Dash gasped and looked to the screaming Scootaloo and the rest of the team all having shocked looks on their faces all turning to Spectrum looking for guidance. Unfortunately there was none to give.
"MAKE IT STOP!" Scootaloo screamed again tears rolling down her face.
Rainbow didn't know what to do. She wanted to save her sister, but as Nightmare Moon said, to do that she would have to get through the others, who she didn't want to hurt.
"So, it's decision time Rainbow." Nightmare Moon said showing her fangs. "Her, of them." she said pointing to the right place. "One little baby sister, or all the children of strangers who you don't know?"
"Before I make my decision," Rainbow Dash said looking the line up and down, at all the zombie looking foals, picking out Apple Bloom, then looking behind her to Scootaloo still in pain. "Please let me ask just one question."
"What happened between you and Celestia to get this STUPID thing started in the bloody first place!"
"Like you would understand." Nightmare Moon said standing tall.
"Try me!" Rainbow said taking a step forward showing she meant it.
"She never gave me any glory. Alright?" Nightmare Moon said letting her guard down and spells ware down a bit, but feeling that this was what Rainbow wanted, Scoot's kept screaming.
"Oh it was always 'Celestia this' and 'Celestia that' with Mummy and Daddy. But did either of them say 'Luna we are so proud of you and your beautiful nights'? Or 'Oh Luna look how smart you are to remember all those constellations'? No!" Nightmare Moon screamed not realizing she had nearly let all hold on the children go, and Rainbow was even nearer.
"The two ponies, I thought would at least love me and my night's, were just like the others. Always bathing and loving the Day and it's Sun.
"I mean what's the deal with it anyway? Everypony knows you can't look straight at the Sun or you'll hurt your eyes, but you can see the Moon perfectly, but their all asleep in their beds after playing around in it's light all day. And the sky? What is there to look at during the day? Huh? Nothing! At night you can see billions of stars, constellations and even other planets. But no one saw them and how lovely they all were because they were... Yet again... ASLEEP!"
Not knowing how this will turn out, but knowing the children are now safely with the others after Nightmare Moon wrapped up her story, Rainbow said in a tired voice...
"What was that sorry? You were so boring with your life story I must of... Fallen Asleep." she said smirking, before she screamed in feeling a pain so high she never felt before.
Back at the outside wall of the castle in the Everfree, Soarin's ears started twitching as he looked toward Whitetail Wood and where the noise was coming from.
Without a second thought, he ran as fast as he could, toward the sound of his love in pain determined to get her out of it. Somehow.