//------------------------------// // 1: Prologue // Story: The Night Mare: Risen // by InkCrescent //------------------------------// A dark cornflower blue pony narrowed her brilliant cyan eyes as she gazed around the Everfree Forest. She quickly draped a night-black cloak over her body and started toward her destination: The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters. It was in ruins now, from when Nightmare Moon attacked Celestia over a thousand years ago. The pony stared around the ruins, blinking in shock. The ruins looked like as though they had been fixed up a bit. The pony shrugged and continued into the castle, walking catiously. There may be someone else in here, she told herself. It was a crazy idea. Who in the world would venture into these dark ruins in the middle of the night? "Ow!" A sharp call sounded from the library-where the pony was heading. She turned the corner and caught sight of a white coat. She scowled, knowing someone else was there. "Just focus on finding the Journal, Selene," she told herself. Selene stared around the library. The book she was looking for was a special one that contained spells of pure and dark magic that not even Star Swirl the Bearded knew. She knew it was somewhere in this library and she had to find it-and fast, especially if that other pony was looking for the same book. She snorted at this. The only ones who knew of the book were Princess Luna and herself. "Hello?" the same voice called. "Is somepony there?" Selene flinched. What she needed was to stay unseen as she searched for the Journal of Empress Lucena. Selene had travelled all the way from Canterlot on hoof to reach the Everfree, just to find this book. She had promised Luna she would return before the third sunrise after she left. She didn't dare fly back to Canterlot; not when no pony except for the three princesses knew of her wings that made her an alicorn. She had been born that way, her mother Midnight Ink being a unicorn from Trottingham and her father Silent Moon being a pegasus from Los Pegasus. Selene had spent her first few years in Trottingham before her parents took her to Canterlot Academy. She stayed there for years, rooming with Lemony Gems and Princess Cadance. A few years later, she presented herself to Princess Celestia and the newly reformed Princess Luna. Both were shocked by her appearance -- she could've been Nightmare Moon's smaller twin, for pony's sake! She had the eyes, the wings, the horn, the eye color, coat color, mane color plus surrounding aura. She even had the same magic aura. Selene was taken under Luna's wing. On her twentieth birthday, they realized she had a gift -- the gift of the Siren's Song. Only the Sirens had been able to sing it perfectly and on-key. But for some reason, it seemed, Selene was able to do it. It wasn't until one night when she was helping Luna raise the moon and the stars, all whilst humming to herself, when she earned her Cutie Mark: a crescent moon with a treble clef in it. Most ponies earn their Cutie Marks at a young age. At Canterlot Academy, she had been teased about her blank flank, but now she was one the most powerful "unicorns" anyone had ever seen. Selene ducked her head as she heard hoof steps nearby. Please, she willed silently, don't notice me. I'm not here. I'm merely a shadow. The pony passed by her, covered in a night-black cloak, oblivious to the pony that was pressed against the wall only a few feet from her. Selene let out a silent sigh of relief and raised her head a bit, trying to get a better look at the other pony. Instead, a podium caught her eye. On this podium was the Journal of Empress Lucena. Selene gasped and instantly started quietly toward it. As she neared, her horn lit a brilliant cyan and she raised the book, drawing back part of her own cloak to reveal a saddle bag with a treble clef latch on it. "Hey!" a voice called. Selene whipped her head around, glaring daggers at the other pony, who had her eyes narrowed. "That's my book!" Biting back a retort, Selene tucked the book into her saddle bags and made a run for it. The entrance was so close -- The other pony bowled into her and Selene could hear the thud of saddle bags as the other pony's bag skidded across the castle library's floor. Rubbing her head and blinking the dizzyness away, Selene turned to face her enemy and simply gasped. The pony's wings were unfurled and her horn was lit a pale pink. "Oh, no!" The pony let out a groan and quickly folded her wings, picking up her saddle bags with her magic and turning to face Selene. "So -- Nightmare Moon?" There was a note of shock in the pony's voice. Too late, Selene realized the hood of her cloak had fallen off. "No!" she snapped. "Why in all of Equestria would you think that I'm Nightmare Moon? I don't even have wings!" At this, Selene shuffled her wings uncomfortably. They ached from not being used in so long. "B-but you look so -- so much like her!" the pony stuttered. "I'm Ink Crescent," Selene said. She wasn't lying. Selene was the name given to her by Luna, as a kind of nickname, but her real name was Ink Crescent, given to her by Midnight Ink and Silent Moon. "And you are" -- she paused, looking the white pony over -- "an alicorn?" She sounded skeptical. "What?" The pony scoffed. "No! I'm Bright Sky. As far as you know, I'm a normal unicorn." "Uh-huh," Selene muttered, skeptically. "How do you expect to hide your wings when I have the book, huh? Not so smart now, are you, princess?" Bright Sky groaned. "I'm not a princess! I don't even come from Equestria!" "Ah," Selene mused, sitting up, "an outsider." "Exactly. So, you understand why I need the book!" Bright Sky let out a sigh of relief and held out her hoof, as though expecting Selene to just put the book into her possession. "Oh!" Selene feigned surprise. "Oh. Yeah, no. I need this book more than you do, missy, so I'm going to keep it. I need it for reasons that aren't your business," she added, sharply, when Bright Sky opened her mouth to say more. She laughed, pulling her hood back over her head. "If I were you, alicorn, I'd forget you even met me. I'd be a dangerous enemy to have, Sky." "It's Bright Sky!" Bright Sky snapped, her voice threateningly low. Selene only stood up and smirked. "Right. Of course it is." Her horn lit a brilliant cyan once more and she teleported outside the castle, glancing up to see Bright Sky rush to the balcony's edge. "Have a good night!" she called over her shoulder. "Ha!" Selene turned and began to gallop into the night, calling one last hate-filled word over her shoulder. "Princess."