//------------------------------// // Act I Chapter IV // Story: After the Sun // by criticalmess //------------------------------// Act I: Creatures of the Night Chapter Four The two ponies glared at each other from across the room. Twilight Sparkle breathed heavily, heart hammering in anticipation. The Princess of the Night, on the other hand, calmly stared into the unicorn's eyes. The bedroom remained silent for a long time before Twilight finally opened her mouth and quietly demanded, "Explain." Nightmare Moon's upper lip twitched slightly but the alicorn showed no other sign of displeasure. "A thousand years ago, I usurped Celestia, forcing her to flee our palace and leaving myself in control of the sky." Nightmare Moon crossed her hooves. "As you know, I began my reign of eternal night that fateful moment, but I knew my power wasn't secure; Celestia was still out there, forming an army to march against me. I also knew that eternal night would ravage the world, as without sunlight and the warmth of the day crops would wither and die." "And then there was the matter of my subjects." Nightmare Moon growled, "Ponies refused to accept my beautiful night, so obsessed were they with their sun. Granted there were those few ponies that were so mad or obsessed that they willingly betrayed Celestia and joined me, the traitors." Nightmare Moon raised her head and looked off at a corner. "But these were only a handful of ponies, and they could not stand against pony nature. I could enchant the plants or draft my own army but this last problem was the most inconvenient." "You're not..." Nightmare Moon glared impatiently at Twilight Sparkle, who closed her mouth immediately. "You see, ponies are Creatures of the Day: they play and revel in the sunlight and sleep during the night. Even my loyal servants were unable to fully accept an end to sunlight. I knew I had to change that." Twilight felt a wave a nausea fall over her at Nightmare Moon's last sentence. "What did you do?" She asked warily. "Nothing too difficult." Nightmare Moon smirked. "I merely chose those few ponies that were loyal to me and exposed them to the full splendor of my magic for an extended period of time. The plan was only in its first phase by the time Celestia finally came back to face me, but the process was already starting to bear fruit." Twilight gritted her teeth and glared at Nightmare Moon. "You turned them into..." Nightmare Moon's laugh interrupted Twilight's accusation. "Twilight, even exposing somepony to my raw magical power wouldn't be enough to change their nature. It would mask it at best, and even then it would chip away rather quickly." Nightmare Moon smirked and pointed a hoof at Twilight Sparkle. "Their children, on the other hand..." Twilight backed up into a bookshelf. "You're saying...?" "You are directly descended from one of the ponies who swore their lives to me, and were subsequently exposed to my magic." Nightmare Moon's smirk widened into a full grin. "Not to mention that your particular inheritance is quite concentrated, relatively untainted by loyalist blood." "So you're saying that this... darkness in me is because I'm descended from traitors?" Nightmare Moon sighed. "Must I spell everything out for you? The darkness isn't in you, it is you. Buried under years of exposure to Celestia's magic is your true self, the real Twilight." Nightmare Moon glanced over Twilight Sparkle, her eyes following some invisible outline around her body. "I can see Celestia's aura slipping away from you, most likely because you're so far away from your precious Princess." Nightmare Moon chuckled merrily. "It won't be long before your true self comes through." "Get it out of me!" Twilight yelled at the black alicorn, eyes wide with fright. Nightmare Moon groaned in frustration and placed her hoof against her forehead. Taking a calming breath, she turned back and explained to Twilight in a voice oddly reminiscent of her teacher's, "Twilight, even if I wished to, I would not be able to. This darkness is yourself, and all this anger you're experiencing right now is just a byproduct of Celestia's disintegrating aura trying to keep control. You have no choice but to accept it: you are a Creature of the Night." "I'm NOT!" Twilight yelled defiantly, slamming her hoof on the ground. "YEAGH!" Spike, finally awakened, jumped out of his bed and landed on the wooden floor. Both Twilight and Nightmare Moon involuntarily stared at the purple dragon, breaking the mounting tension in the room. Spike groaned and rose to his feet, rubbing his head gingerly. "Do you both have to be so..." Spike complained, looking up. He trailed off as he saw both ponies standing still, bodies tensed. Both seemed as though they were going to attack the other. "...loud?" Spike finished, his eyes darting between the two ponies. "What did I miss?" "I forgot to mention," Nightmare Moon spoke up, ignoring the purple dragon, "since your familiar is an extension of your own magic, the same applies to him as well." "Don't you dare bring Spike into this." Twilight raised her hoof threateningly. "I warn you." "It's not my fault he's your familiar." The black alicorn said defensively. "I'm merely stating the obvious." The Princess bent over and examined Spike with her piercing glare. "Though I don't suppose it will make much of a difference, seeing as he sleeps all day anyways." "I don't-" Spike started, but found himself lifted off the floor and onto Twilight's back. "Leave. Him. Alone." Twilight stated firmly. Nightmare Moon sighed, her horn glowing softly blue. Spike felt himself hoisted in the air yet again and now hovered next to Nightmare Moon. "Really, Twilight," the back alicorn sighed, "It's far too late to be arguing. I think it's time for bed, what do you think?" YES, a voice inside her screamed, but Twilight shook her head and backed up. "It's sunrise." Twilight stated. "The day's just beginning." Nightmare Moon shook her head. "Creature of the Night, remember?" Twilight spun around, ignoring her Princess. "I'm going to go out today. Play in the sun, enjoy the warmth, hang out with my friends." She stressed this last word far more than needed. Those ponies are crazy, why would I want to play with them? "Shut up!" Twilight said to the empty air in front of her. "I'm a Creature of the Day! I can't wait to enjoy the day. How I love the day!" "Twilight?" Spike questioned nervously, "are you all right?" But Twilight just trotted downstairs and towards the door, eyes fixed on the sun slowly creeping over the horizon. "Sunlight!" She cried. "Beautiful sunlight! Sweet Celestia how I love sunlight!" I sound insane. "Well I'm not the voice inside my head, now am I?" Twilight yelled at a potted plant next to the door. "That's what I thought!" Nightmare Moon groaned and rolled her eyes, following Twilight down into the library. "Whatever you call yourself, even you must realize you haven't slept all night. How do you intend to stay awake?" "Doesn't matter." Twilight stated. "It's daytime, time to be awake." Before Nightmare Moon could say anything else, Twilight threw the door open and marched out into the early morning with nothing but her determination to stay awake. Spike blinked several times before turning to the alicorn still levitating him and asking, "What was that?" "Remember this," Nightmare Moon said regally, walking over and closing the door behind Twilight, "for what you witnessed was the most violent case of denial I have ever seen." - - - - "Thanks again for the help, sugarcube," Applejack called back to Twilight, "it's always helpful to have somepony else bucking apples alongside yah." Twilight smiled brightly, hiding the weariness that was already building around her eyes. "It's nothing, Applejack. After all, what are friends for?" "YEE-HA!" Applejack agreed wholeheartedly and rushed off towards the orchard. Twilight sighed and looked up at the sun. It had only just cleared the horizon and had barely begun its climb in the sky. It's bright glow forced Twilight to rub her eyes and discomfort. Drawing her hoof away, she felt the barest traces of sleep in her eyes. It's too late to be up. I need to sleep. Shut uuuu-uuuup! Twilight replied, singing in her mind, I love the sun, I don't need to sleep. I'll be fine. Why am I helping Applejack with this anyway? I can't buck apples. I'll do anything for a friend. She's not my friend. She's too... energetic. So? She's not bad, but I really think there are other ponies more worth my time. Like that Star Hunter pony, for all his faults- Lies! Twilight groaned and followed Applejack into the orchard. Already the orange earth pony had set up a series of baskets around the nearby trees. Adjusting her Stetson, Applejack looked over at Twilight and frowned. "Twilight, you okay?" Twilight shook her head and looked up at Applejack. "Yes!" She said, smiling widely. "Of course I'm fine. It's a beautiful day isn't it?" "It's just that," Applejack continued, squinting, "well, you've been acting kinda funny. I don't know if this is how all y'all Canterlot ponies act...." "SO," Twilight said, ignoring Applejack's concern, "I've never applebucked before." "It's easy, just line up with the tree and, well, buck it." Applejack explained, worry still on her face, "But yesterday you and that dragon of yours were acting mighty suspicious...." "Like this?" Twilight asked, standing in front of an apple tree. "Yeah," Applejack nodded, "now just go and... kick it." Twilight closed her eyes, rose onto her front hooves, and kicked the tree with all of her might. Her hooves connected with solid wood with a loud thwack. For a moment there was nothing but silence in the orchard. Then pain raced up Twilight's spine, causing her to involuntarily wince. Her legs suddenly turned to jelly, as though all of the bones disintegrated under the force of her kick. The purple unicorn fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, her body feeling oddly and blissfully numb. The tree shook only slightly, no apples falling from its high branches. Sweet Celestia that hurt. Sweet Sagittarius that hurt. If the two voices had faces, they would have been glaring at each other in the unicorn's mind. A shadow fell over Twilight, causing her to look up. Applejack stood over Twilight, worry still etched on her face. The earth pony shook her head pityingly. "Maybe I should handle the applebucking." "Yeah." Twilight agreed. "Maybe you can carry-" "I'll carry the baskets." Twilight finished, standing on jellified legs. She winced but managed to stabilize herself. She staggered out of the way as Applejack stepped up and knocked every single apple off the tree without breaking a sweat. Twilight glanced up at the sky and winced at the bright sun. "Beautiful day..." she muttered. - - - - "I'm telling you, it's no problem Fluttershy," Twilight smiled and followed the yellow pegasus over the hill, "I want to help you take care of the animals." "Oh, okay." Fluttershy muttered. Twilight rubbed her eyes and followed Fluttershy up the flowery hill. She blinked and glanced up at the morning sun. It's been thirteen hours since I last slept, she mused, I really should be in bed. "Lovely day, isn't it?" Twilight remarked, ignoring the voice in her head. Fluttershy glanced back at Twilight with a frown. "Um, not to be a bother, but that's the third time you've said that." "Oh," Twilight chuckled, "well, it is, isn't it?" "Yes." Fluttershy said quietly and continued to trot up the hill. Twilight followed in silence. She looked around at the flowers that dotted the hill, bees busily buzzing about, collecting pollen. In the wooded thicket nearby, birds flew between trees and sang their idyllic summer tunes. The soft rustle of leaves heralded the presence of tiny creatures scampering through the branches. Now imagine it in moonlight. "Lovely da-" "We're here." Fluttershy said quickly, stopping at the edge of the thicket. "It's just a check-up to make sure the critters over here are doing all right. I'll start up here, with the birds." Fluttershy glanced away nervously, "That is, if you're all right with that." "Okey-dokey." Twilight said overenthusiastically, and trotted into the forest. Her next memory was washed in a red-haze of pain and chaos. She lay on the ground, futilely swatting at a blur of fur and fury that scratched at her face. From overhead, Fluttershy besseched, "Now Mr. Raccoon, that's not how we treat guests." When the furry monster was finally pried from her battered form, Twilight shakily rose to her hooves. She groaned and placed a hoof to her face, feeling her tender flesh gingerly. Through squinted eyes Twilight could make out Fluttershy landing in front of her. Her body was whole and unscratched despite having to tear that beast away from Twilight. As Twilight moaned in pain, Fluttershy kicked at the ground. "Um..." she muttered, "... lovely day, isn't it?" - - - - Twilight limped down the dirt road. Go to sleep. Stay Awake. Embrace the night. I love the day. Twilight continued to argue with herself, completely oblivious to the outside world. She stifled a yawn and continued on her trek back towards Ponyville. Waves of exhaustion threatened to overcome her, but through sheer determination, Twilight pushed them away. If only I can do the same for this annoying voice. This annoying voice happens to be a part of my psyche. I refuse. Creature of the Night or not, I'm tired. No I'm not. I can hardly pay attention to where I'm going. Yes I can. There's a rainbow dashing towards me. No there- Twilight found herself suddenly knocked head over hooves, a blur of chromatic light blasting out of nowhere. She wheezed as the light faded away, revealing the cyan pegasus that caused it. I was right, the voice in Twilight's head triumphantly remarked. "Whoops, didn't see you there." Rainbow Dash chuckled, helping Twilight up. The laugher stopped when she spotted the cuts and bruises that covered the purple unicorn's face, "Woah, I didn't think I hit you that badly." Twilight groaned and staggered to her hooves. "Do you ever watch where you're going?" She muttered bitterly. "What was that?" "Nothing." Twilight quickly replied, shaking her head. "Just... nothing." "So," Rainbow said conversationally, dropping to the ground next to the purple unicorn, "you're up early." "I was just helping out Fluttershy." Twilight gestured over her shoulder at the cottage down the path. "Oh, that explains everything." Rainbow nodded knowingly. "So... wanna hang?" "Well...." Twilight said thoughtfully. "It'd be awesome!" Rainbow said, leaping into the air and spinning over Twilight's head. "I've got a bunch of tricks you could help me out with. I've been really anxious to try out this new move I call the Super-Sonic Solar Spiral! I just need somepony to light the dynamite." "The what?" Rainbow waved a hoof in dismissal, "It's perfectly safe! I've finally got it down after the last two tries. I guarantee you won't get a scratch on you." Rainbow started flying upside-down. "A few singes maybe, but definitely no scratches." Twilight stared at the perfectly-serious pegasus. The aches and pains won earlier that day returned with a passionate intensity. Her body screamed at her, begging to be spared any more torture. "I would love to," Twilight said, smiling more than necessary, "really, but I have this... thing I need to do." Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and landed in front of the purple pony. "Is that so? What is it?" Twilight's eyes darted around, looking for an escape. "I have to... meet...." - - - - "Oh dear Twilight, I'm so glad you were able to join me for brunch today." Twilight smiled politely from the other side of the table and sipped her tea. Around the two unicorns the sound of cheerful ponies digging into their morning brunch filled the restaurant. Twilight leaned back on her soft, plush cushion and savored the peace. "But you simply must accompany me to the spa tomorrow," Rarity said with concern, seeping her teabag into her cup, "to be frank your mane looks absoutely atrocious." Twilight frowned and looked at her reflection in the polished silverware that lay on the table. When she ran into Rarity the white unicorn had been remarkably helpful, combing out the various twigs and leaves that had become tangled in her hair and hiding the scars gained from that morning's animal adventure under copious amounts of makeup. To the passerby, Twilight looked perfectly normal, without any sign of her fight. "You did a marvelous job, Rarity." Twilight smiled back at Rarity and chuckled. "Yes for just somepony," Rarity insisted, "I mean, I simply didn't have enough time to be more thorough. Not to mention you desperately need to relax. Why," Rarity leaned in scrutinizing Twilight's eyes, "you look like you haven't slept at all." Twilight glanced away, "Yes, well..." "I can't believe somepony could live in a tree like that, even if it's a library." Rarity continued, ignoring her compatriot's explanation, "I can understand Fluttershy, given her own job, but not a sophisticated Canterlot pony like yourself." "I..." "Speaking of which, you still haven't told me about Canterlot. Oh, how glamorous it must be. And living with the Princess as well! You must go to all of the balls. Tell me, have to met Mr. Fancypants?" "I-" "Of course you have, who hasn't met him. Well, I haven't but then again I haven't been to Canterlot before. One day I shall, mark my words Twilight Sparkle, mark my words." "Rar-" "Has there been any major changes in Canterlot fashion? I've been reading all of the Canterlot fashion magazines, do you? I don't think so, no. But Fashion Monthly says turquoise is in this year and I'm not so sure. Is turquoise in?" "Rarity." "And what is living with the Princess like? Do you have any-oh! No, I shant gossip. Especially about the Princess, good heavens. But seriously, anything? Maybe just a little tiny Canterlot rumor?" "Rarity." "Any pepper?" "Enough!" The unicorn waiter stalled next to the two ponies, peppershaker hovering in the air and a garden salad now sitting in front of each pony. He looked between the ticked-off purple pony and shocked white pony before placing it back in its slot in his apron and backed away, muttering, "Enjoy your meal." "Rarity," Twilight pleaded, calming herself down, "You're right, I have been a little stressed lately. I haven't been sleeping much lately-" I've been keeping myself up and I know it. "-and right now," she pressed through more firmly than before, "all I really want to do, more than anything, is to just relax. Can you just let me do that?" Rarity blinked and stared at Twilight for a few moments before replying, "Of course Twilight, I'm so sorry about that it's just I'm so excited to have a real Canterlot pony moving into town. It's so new, so exciting! Of course I might have been a little bit too nosey, but don't worry, I understand perfectly. But maybe if you could just...?" Unable to hold her annoyance back any longer, Twilight groaned and fell forward into her salad. - - - - Twilight was startled from her sleep by the whining blast of a noisemaker. The purple unicorn flailed miserably in the air for a few moments before toppling off of her stool and onto the floor below. Groaning through pain and weariness, Twilight rubbed her head and stared up into the annoyingly cheerful face of particular pink pony. "How did I get here?" Twilight asked, puzzled at her predicament. "Wow, you really are tired silly filly." Pinkie Pie smiled and shook her head. "Maybe you should take a nap." "What am I doing here?" Twilight blinked and looked around the room in confusion. Judging by the cabinets, utensils, and ingredients that lined the walls, she assumed she was in some sort of kitchen. "I'm so-so-so happy you stopped by." Pinkie cheered, turning away. "I really needed a second set of hooves around here, and you were the pony for the job! I've never worked with a unicorn before, you were so-so-so helpful!" "What?" Twilight muttered and pulled herself back onto the stool. She stared as the pink pony practically bounced around the room, putting ingredients and utensils away. "I mean, a hundred cookies in record time! For baking, not eating. That record is still unbroken. That is, as far as I know." Pinkie turned to face Twilight while sliding a baking sheet into the sink. "Have you eaten a hundred cookies in less than eleven seconds?" "No?" "Goodie! Rainbow Dash claims she can do it in ten, but I haven't seen her do it yet. I think she's just bluffing. I mean, a hundred cookies in ten seconds? Puh-leaze! Oh, and here's the cupcakes. They turned out fantastic!" Twilight jolted as a tray was set down in front of her, the enticing aroma of chocolate cupcakes wafting off of it. Twilight blinked and rubbed her eyes. When the unicorn's eyes finally focused on the tray in front of her, she froze. Sitting there was a batch of freshly-baked chocolate cupcakes which she apparently had made while sleep-baking. Oh no. What? They look delicious. The cupcakes were decorated by sweeping folds of dark blue frosting, twisting to form little spires atop their delicious confections. Decorating them were plain white star-shaped sprinkles, breaking up the dark expanse of frosting. In her sleep-deprived state, Twilight could have sworn they were twinkling, like their real-life companions in the night sky. "Go ahead, try one!" Pinkie plucked one of the cupcakes out of the tray and thrust it into Twilight's open mouth. The purple unicorn choked briefly before finally chewing up the sugary treat and swallowing it. See, delicious. Not the problem. "Uh." Twilight said blankly, still staring at the cupcaked before her. "I knew it!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves together excitedly. "Speechless!" The pinked pony zipped away for a second before returning with a box. Scooping up the remaining cupcakes, she dumped them inside and sealed them up. "Uh." Twilight repeated, taking the box as it was thrust into her hooves. "No need to thank me, you helped, it's the least I could do." Pinkie giggled and pulled Twilight from the stool. "Uh." Twilight said again before being dragged from the kitchen and lead outside. "Now go home and get some sleep, you shouldn't be so frumpy on a day like this." Pinkie said brightly and waved at the purple unicorn. "Have a good day, Twilight!" With that she slammed the door shut. Twilight stood there for several uncertain moments. Outside, ponies were going about their daily activities, oblivious to the cupcake-bearing unicorn that had arrived on their pleasant street. Finally Twilight's silence was broken by one word escaping her mouth, "Frumpy?" At that moment, both voices were in agreement. I'm going home. - - - - Twilight burst through the door of the library, grinning brightly. Her mane was ruffled, her eyes were red, and her every muscle screamed in agony, but she was smiling. "I win!" Spike looked up from his position on top of a ladder and stared at Twilight. "Uhhh...." "She said I wasn't a Creature of the Day, but she was WRONG!" Twilight muttered madly. "I showed her. I stayed up all day, all day, and I loved it. I loved every minute of it! Sure it was long, and by Celestia my eyes won't stop twitching, but I'm going to spend all night sleeping my cares away!" "Twi," Spike said slowly, "It's only noon." Twilight turned around and looked out the still-open front door. Sure enough the sun was still high in the sky, and ponies were still laughing and playing in the afternoon sun. The day was still young, and there were so many other things to do, so many other ponies to meet. So many.... I give up. About time. With that Twilight finally keeled over and fainted. - - - - Hours later Twilight slowly regained consciousness. Groaning, Twilight lifted her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She tried to rise, only to feel something holding her body down. Blinking, she raised her head and saw that she had been brought upstairs and tucked into bed. "Twilight?" A familiar dragon's head poked into the bedroom, letting in a sliver of light from the library outside. "Are you up?" "Yeah, Spike." Twilight pulled the covers off of her with her magic and rose to her hooves. She glanced over at the still-blockaded window in her room. "How long have I...?" "It's ten now," Spike explained, "You slept through the rest of the day." Twilight moaned and buried her face in her hooves. "What in the hoof was I thinking? Even if she's wrong, I shouldn't have been trying to stay awake all day without any rest." I've been saying that the whole time. Well I'm not listening to you so, nyeh. "Oh," Spike continued, "and Nightmare Moon wanted to thank you for the cupcakes. Well, she didn't really say it like that, but it's the thought that counts." I'm just pleased she's happy. "Shut up." Twilight groaned into her hooves. "Not you, Spike," she quickly added, lifting her head to look at her assistant, "It's just... I've got this...." Twilight trailed off and fell over into the bed again. Spike stood in the doorway for a few moments, nervously tapping his claws on the wood. He sighed and slowly entered, closing the door behind him and sealing the two in darkness. "I, uh, talked to Nightmare Moon about why you went all... you know...." Twilight sighed and stepped towards her assistant. "And?" "And..." Spike nervously shook his head and kicked at the ground. "And, well, I don't think it really... matters." Twilight blinked. "Come again?" "I mean think about it Twilight, what's changing?" Twilight furrowed her brows, "My sleep schedule, my feelings about the night, my night vision, apparently," Twilight shook her hoof at Spike, "I can still see you and it's pitch-black. I'm turning into a completely different pony!" "Well I can't see it." "Of course not, you probably...." "No, I mean, you still look like Twilight to me." Spike stepped up to Twilight and smiled, "You sound just like Twilight. You're acting just like Twilight." Twilight leaned her head back and groaned. Spike raised a claw excitedly, "You see? That's totally you, Twilight." Twilight looked away thoughtfully while Spike continued, "Twilight, no matter what happens, you're still going to be you. Deep down, you're always going to be the same Twilight that hatched me from that egg years ago. I mean, sure you're going to be staying up late, seeing in the dark..." "Helping Nightmare Moon rule over nighttime eternal?" Spike stopped. The two looked at each other for a long time. "Well," the dragon stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "That is... um..." "Spike, being a Creature of the Night isn't just being a bit more excited about the night, it's being a part of Nightmare Moon's magic. Creatures of the Night are bound to her soul." Twilight advanced, pushing the purple dragon back. "You're right, I'm still Twilight now, but if she's right then soon enough I'm going to be no worse than the ponies who rebelled against Celestia with her a thousand years ago, and I'll never betray the Princess. Never." She repeated, preemptively stopping the voice in her head. "She kinda left out that part...."Spike rubbed his claws together sadly. Twilight sighed and trotted by the dragon. "I'm not a Creature of the Night as long as I remain faithful to the Princess. But as long as she thinks I can be turned she'll keep me close. I just need to keep waiting for an opening to contact the Princess, and in the meantime prevent her from getting anypony else involved." Twilight turned back to Spike. "It shouldn't be too hard. After all, it's not like she can just waltz outside and start recruiting." Spike's eyes widened and he began to wring his wrists together with more anxiety. Sweat started dripping from his brow. "Um, Twilight...?" Spike muttered. Twilight's smile dropped, "She really didn't, did she?" "No, but..." Spike grinned nervously, "...you see, somepony showed up a couple minutes ago." Twilight's eyes twitched in disbelief. "Who?" - - - - Twilight slammed open the door and nearly fell down the stairs into the basement. Regaining her footing, the unicorn stared down at Nightmare Moon. The alicorn was sitting on her throne of books, staring up at Twilight and her sudden intrusion. "Ah, good night, Twilight." Nightmare Moon said cheerfully, a sparkle of humor in her eyes. "Did you enjoy your sleep?" "Who's...?" Twilight gasped, but trailed off when she spied the dark pony standing across from the black alicorn. Surprisingly, the pegasus smiled and waved a hoof at the dumbfounded unicorn. Nightmare Moon turned to face the pegasus with a smirk on her face. "Twilight, I would like to introduce you to my new loyal subject...." "Don't worry, we've already met." Star Hunter said brightly, beaming up at Twilight. - - - - Author's Note: This took, FAR too long to get done. Don't worry, the next chapter shouldn't take so long... hopefully. Still, I'm back now and there's nothing that can stop me now short of EMP strike, world-ending catastrophe, or death. Stay tuned, and be sure to read and review. Critiques and suggestions are always welcome.