Ponyville, the day of the Summer Sun Celebration...
Skye walked through the desolate town of Ponyville in her pegasus form as the sun was high in the sky. She rolled her eyes as another pony closed their window when she looked at them. 'Of course...ponies and their superstitions.'
Then, a chariot flew down from the sky. The two armored Royal Guards pulling it skidded to a stop, and a unicorn and a dragon stepped out.
"Thank you, sirs." The unicorn said. The two Royal Guards acknowledged it with a nod of their heads and then took to the sky.
"Woah, where is everypony?" The dragon asked as he looked around.
As if on cue, Pinkie Pie bounced along.
Skye looked on with a blank expression. She leaned against a lamppost. 'This is bound to be interesting.'
"Hey, there's somepony! Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about. Come on, Twilight, just try!" The dragon urged.
"Um...hello?" The unicorn said uncertainly to Pinkie.
Pinkie Pie gasped and jumped over their heads.
The unicorn rolled her eyes. "Well, that was interesting all right."
Skye smirked. This new unicorn was interesting.
The dragon's only response was to sigh. He glanced at the list in his claws. Then, he caught sight of Skye.
He waved. "Hey! Could you point us in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres?"
The unicorn ignored her although she glanced at her briefly. She started to pace back and forth, grumbling under her breath.
Skye trotted over and said bluntly, "Why don't you look for the giant red barn over there?"
She pointed with her hoof in a general direction. The top of a red barn poked over the top of the the houses.
The dragon turned to look. "Thanks! I'm Spike, and that's Twilight. What's your name?"
He turned back to see nothing except an empty clearing. He shrugged. "Huh. Guess she had to go."
Twilight stopped pacing and with a bit of annoyance, asked Spike, "Are you done chatting? We need to make sure these preparations are all checked before I can head to the library to research on Nightmare Moon's return."
"Yep! Sweet Apple Acres is that way." Spike started walking off in the direction of the red barn.
Unbeknownst to the two, a misty form had eavesdropped on their conversation. 'Oh...seems like this Twilight knows as well...'
************
"...and that's the story of my whole entire life! Well, up until today. Do you wanna hear about today?"
Skye picked up on the sound of Spike in her mist form. 'Hmm...wonder how Twilight will react to that little surprise party Pinkie planned.'
Then, she recognized Fluttershy's voice and saw her talking to Spike. "Oh, yes, please!"
Then, Twilight wheeled around and said suddenly, "I am so sorry, how did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep."
Skye would smirk if she had a muzzle in her current form.
"No I don't- whoa!" Spike didn't get to finish his sentence. Skye internally laughed at Twilight's very clear attempt to rid of Fluttershy.
"Aww, wook at dat, he's so sweepy he can't even keep his widdle bawance!" Twilight cooed in a babyish voice. Skye thought to herself, 'Twilight, Twilight, Twilight...if there's one thing you'll learn, it's that nopony will leave you alone that way. Especially not Fluttershy.'
...And Fluttershy proved Skye's thoughts to be correct. "Poor thing, you simply must get into bed..."
She flew into the library as she cradled Spike in her hooves.
Almost immediately, Twilight pushed her outside. "Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, goodnight!"
And slammed the door right in Fluttershy's face.
From her vantage point, Skye saw somepony open the door for Fluttershy as the lights in the library suddenly flicked on at once. 'Well, I guess Pinkie did that party after all...Maybe it's time to join in on the fun.'
She transformed into her pegasus form and glided down. Knocking was out of the question; they would panic and cause chaos everywhere if she did that. So instead, she opened the door with her telekinesis. Her eyes flashed briefly as she cast the spell.
Ponies mingled amongst each other and they didn't seem to notice her. Skye caught sight of Twilight talking with the five she talked to moons ago: Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.
As she neared them, she saw Twilight practically burst into flames from something and dashed upstairs.
"Aww, she's so happy, she's crying!" Pinkie exclaimed.
"Hot sauce." Spike read from a bottle.
"Ooh..." Pinkie poured it onto a cupcake and flipped the cupcake in the air, allowing it to fall into her mouth.
As the others stared at her, Pinkie asked with her mouth still full, "What? It's good."
"I suppose it's also good that you technically broke into a home, Pinkie Pie." Skye said bluntly, making herself known. She had been leaning against the table, yet nopony had paid any mind.
The record scratched off and the murmurs of the ponies stopped all together. All eyes rested on Skye. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Applejack.
...
"Hey, you're that pony from this afternoon!" Spike exclaimed, breaking the silence. "I never did get your name."
Skye opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off by Rainbow Dash. "Get lost, Everfreer!"
"What are ya doing here, Snow Dusk?" Applejack questioned suspiciously.
Skye didn't miss a beat. "Same as any of you."
Rainbow snorted. "As if!"
Spike looked confusedly between Skye and the other five. "Is there something here that I'm missing?"
Rarity turned to Spike. Spike's eyes turned to hearts and he barely paid any mind to the conversation anymore. Skye noticed and rolled her eyes slightly. 'Typical.'
"Well dearie, Snow Dusk here appeared in Ponyville during one of, ahem, somepony's visit. She's an Everfreer, so normally, we would hide until she leaves, with all of the horrid things they do out of everypony's sights."
Skye managed one of those short 'you really don't know anything, do you?' laughs, showing the first sign of any emotion. "Ha!"
She quickly went back to her normal deadpan look. She said in a eerily plain tone, "Oh heavens above. Nopony here likes me. All because of where I live."
"If you're anything like Zecora, then you're just as bad!" Pinkie interjected.
Skye tapped her hoof on her chin. "Zecora? Haven't even seen her since I first visited this town. Wonder what she's been up to?"
Rainbow scoffed. "Don't play games with us, Everfreer!"
Skye deadpanned. "Really, Rainbow? Why so hostile all the time?"
"Because any threat to my friends has to get through me." She growled through clenched teeth.
"I have to admire your sense of loyalty to your friends, but what threat?" Skye raised an eyebrow.
"Don't try being sly, Everfreer!"
Skye sighed the way a mother would at her foal if they persisted in doing something. "Everfreer? Really? That would the same if I called you a villager or a Cloudsdaler. In other words, they have no effect an- "
That was the last straw. Rainbow lunged at Skye. Applejack reached to grab her tail. Skye only stood there.
Then, everything was still. Everypony was frozen still. Except for one.
Skye's eyes glowed with a sky-blue aura that seemed to wisp past the corners of her eyes. It held everypony in place.
Everypony in her magical grasp, except the five who'd actually seen her do magic before, panicked. Though Fluttershy did squeak and Rarity flinched a bit. Cries of "What's happening?!" and "Sweet Celestia, help us!" came from their muzzles. Then, they weren't there; Skye had teleported them to Town Hall.
Rainbow growled, frozen midair. "Let me go, you coward! Afraid to fight?!"
"Yeah, let us go!" Pinkie agreed, frowning.
Skye ignored them and looked out the window. She grinned.
"Hey, we're talking to you here!" Rainbow snapped.
Skye met Rainbow's gaze and a gleam shined in her eyes. Fluttershy squeaked in her spot.
"Of course, I'll let you go. You wouldn't want to miss the Summer Sun Celebration sun rising, would you? Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."
And with that, everypony was free. As Rainbow gained her momentum back, Skye teleported away.
Rainbow looked to see a flash of sky-blue magic disappear. "Dang it!"
Spike fidgeted his claws, still trying to grapple what just happened. "Um...I'll go get Twilight."
************
Skye stood on the highest spire of the Castle of the Two Sisters, looking up at the moon without her disguise. Her cloak flapped gently in the breeze. 'Please, Mother. Come back.'
The stars disappeared behind the moon and the silhouette on it disappeared as well.
Hope fluttered in Skye's chest and she allowed herself a tiny smile. Eyes darting around, she tried to detect any sign of a black alicorn with turquoise eyes.
After a few seconds, the feeling of hope in her chest vanished like dew in the morning sun, and her face fell, the smile leaving.
'Something's not right.'
She transformed into her mist form and sensed for any traces of her mother's magic. Skye didn't expect to find anything; instead, she sense her mother's magic at Town Hall.
A feeling of unease traveled through Skye. Her mist form swiftly made it to Town Hall. The sun still wasn't up by then; there was definitely something amiss.
She quickly turned into pegasus form and burst through the door of Town Hall. Ponies murmured panickingly to each other and shuffled their hooves as they looked up at a balcony. They paid her no mind.
Skye didn't look at the ponies though; she was looking at the pony on the balcony. It certainly wasn't Celestia; the pony on the balcony was quite the opposite of her.
Jet-black coat, shapeless misty mane, curved and sharp wings, and two turquoise dragon-like eyes. The pony donned a pale-blue helmet and armor.
Nightmare Moon.
Skye felt like somepony had snuffed out a tiny flame in her. 'Mother?!'
What was she doing? Why was she here? She should be at home with Skye, catching up on what she'd missed. Everything was supposed to go back to normal. Everything would be like it used to...
Skye could only stand there by the door, dumbfounded, as Nightmare Moon started to speak. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces."
"What did you do with our Princess?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She launched herself at Nightmare Moon.
Applejack grabbed Rainbow's tail in her mouth to keep her from doing anything rash. She said to Rainbow in a muffled voice, "Whoa there, Nelly."
Nightmare Moon chuckled at Rainbow's question. "Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"
Pinkie Pie then decided to join in. "Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about...Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty-"
Applejack stuffed a pastry in Pinkie's mouth.
Nightmare Moon asked a with a hint of disdain in her voice, "Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"
Skye snapped out of her stupor. The dreams came back to her. Mother or not, she knew that what Nightmare was doing was wrong.
"I did, and I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon: Nightmare Moon!"
She blinked. Wait, did that just echo? Twilight and Skye shared a brief surprised look at each other.
The other ponies in the crowd gasped.
Nightmare Moon said mockingly to the two of them, "Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."
Twilight started before Skye could open her mouth. "You're here to...to..."
She stammered off as more ponies started to look expectantly at her.
Nightmare Moon chuckled darkly.
"You're here to bring eternal night!" Skye finished venomously as her eyes blazed.
Twilight shot her a look that was both relieved and skeptical. She wasn't the only one who shot Skye a dark look. Skye didn't pay attention though.
Nightmare Moon chuckled once more. She said in a tone of authority, "Remember this day, my little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night. Will last. Forever!"
With that proclaimation, Nightmare's wings flared open to emphasize her words, and her shapeless mane turned into a vortex of starry mist, traveling towards the sky. She began to laugh triumphantly. Lightning and thunder accompanied her evil laugh.
Her laugh raked through Skye's heart. Her eyes clouded over, not with tears, but with confusion and sorrow. 'What happened to you, Mother...?'