//------------------------------// // Chapter 1:1 - Camaraderie is Sorcery, Part the First // Story: Camaraderie is Sorcery // by FireOfTheNorth //------------------------------// Chapter 1:1 – Camaraderie is Sorcery, Part the First Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, two regal sisters ruled as queens of the united nation and brought peace and harmony to all the land. The eldest sister used her sorcerous powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all different types of ponies united as one. But, as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger sorceress refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart had led her to dark spells, transforming her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed she would shroud the land in night everlasting and the two sorceresses battled for days, but neither could gain an advantage. In the end, the elder sister reluctantly harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her from Equestria, imprisoning her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both… “…sun and moon,” Twilight Sparkle read from the dusty old tome, “and has kept watch over Equestria for generations since.” Twilight raised her head from the book for the first time in hours and let her eyes readjust to the sunlight. Something in that last legend had tugged on a memory in the back of her mind, but in her haste to finish the story she had let it slip away. She took a long look around the Cant’r Laht gardens as she tried to remember what she’d forgotten. At last, it came back to her. “Elements of Harmony,” she mused aloud, “I know I’ve heard of them before, but where?” *** The thought continued to gnaw at Twilight’s mind as she made her way back to Cant’r Laht Castle. There was only one place she could have heard of the Elements of Harmony before. As Celestia’s personal protégé, she spent most of her time in her personal tower of the castle poring through grimoires and other ancient records, and her conversations with other ponies were few and far between. If she had to bet money on it, she’d wager that she had read of the Elements of Harmony in one of the tomes in her room. The Cant’r Laht gardens were technically palace grounds, and as such were restricted to only the castle’s residents. However, the only permanent residents in Cant’r Laht castle were Celestia, the Blueblood family’s one living member, and—for just the past few years—Twilight herself. Long ago the gardens had been opened up—not to everypony in the mountain city—but just to the magical elite: sorceresses and sorcerers that displayed remarkable talent. This meant very few ponies were actually in the gardens at any one time, and Twilight was unlikely to run into anyone. Today did not appear to be her lucky day, however, as she ran into three of her fellow sorceresses on the way to the castle. The one standing on the left had a light blue coat with a mane whose color was split between two different shades of blue. Her robes were midnight blue and white, with a high fringe at the collar and a necklace of teeth from both intelligent races and beasts around her neck. The second unicorn had a creamy white coat and a pink mane styled in an outrageous pattern. The dress she wore was a garish orange with red tassels, and a simple staff of cherry wood was slung across her back. The unicorn on the right edge of the group had a yellow coat, a sea blue mane and tail, and she wore a green robe with yellow highlights with plenty of pockets for holding magic cards. “There you are, Twilight!” the one in the center exclaimed, “Are you coming to Moon Dancer’s gathering in the west castle courtyard?” Twilight realized that all of them were carrying packages wrapped as gifts for a party. In the midst of all her studies, she had completely forgotten about today’s celebration. But she really felt that she was getting close to a major breakthrough; surely Moon Dancer would understand. “Sorry Twinkleshine,” she addressed the leader of the group, “I’m afraid I’m not going to make it today. I have a lot of studies to work on.” Nimbly sidestepping the trio of sorceresses, Twilight continued on her way. As she took off toward the castle, the other ponies turned to watch her go. “Does she ever do anything but study?” Twinkeshine asked with a sigh, “She’s headed down a lonely path if she keeps putting books before friends.” “I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony before,” Twilight said to herself once she was out of earshot. As she galloped to the castle, her purple and silver robes billowed out behind her dramatically. Everypony else she saw could tell that she was in a tremendous hurry and let her pass by undisturbed. Eventually she reached Cant’r Laht Castle’s north tower and ascended the stairs that circled the spire, keeping close to the wall to avoid being thrown off by the ferocious winds that raged at this altitude. Not that it would be a disaster if she did fall; Twilight was a powerful enough sorceress that she could nearly teleport in her sleep. As she reached the top of the tower, she threw the door to her apartments open, launching the baby dragon that had been standing behind them across the room. “Spike! Where are you?” Twilight called for her assistant. A groan from the scaly creature she’d sent skidding across the floor answered her question. “Ah, there you are,” she addressed Spike, oblivious to the fact that she was the cause of his current uncomfortable state, “Quick, I need that old copy of Prophecies and Predictions.” Spike gave Twilight a look as he picked himself up off the floor and dusted his doublet off before removing his tail from the crushed box it had impaled. “What is that supposed to be?” she asked as she got a glimpse of the wrapped parcel. “Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer,” Spike replied as he examined the box, then gave a sigh as bits of glass and sand fell out of the jagged hole. “Oh Spike, you know we don’t have time for that sort of thing,” Twilight berated him, making a mental note to send something to Moon Dancer later to make up for depriving her of two of her guests, “I’m close to a discovery here, I can feel it.” Throwing her saddlebags to the floor, which Spike promptly picked up to put away properly, she dashed over to the bookcases that lined the walls of her study/living area. Books went flying from the shelves as Twilight hastily searched for one tome in particular. Spike gave a long sigh as he watched her undo all the hard work he’d put in that morning. After she finished, it would be up to him to reshelf these books all over again. “Don’t you think you should take a break, Twilight?” he asked as he moved to help her search, “With the summer solstice coming up, most ponies are taking time off from work, not working harder.” Twilight had books spinning around her in her magic now, none of them Prophecies and Predictions. With each incorrect title, she grew more irate. “No, no, no, no. No! No! Confound it! Spike!” “I’ve got it here!” he called back to Twilight from across the room, where he stood atop a ladder used to reach the higher shelves. Having lived with Twilight since he was hatched, he should have known that was a mistake. With a spell, she grabbed the book and pulled it across the room, dragging Spike along for the ride and sending him skidding across the floor for the second time that day. “Ah! There it is!” she exclaimed as she examined the book for herself. Letting all the other books fall to the ground, she trotted over to a bookstand and threw the heavy tome down. Meanwhile, Spike picked himself up, dusted himself off, and started gathering up books. Pages flew as Twilight flipped through Prophecies and Predictions. Thankfully it was alphabetized, and it didn’t take long for her to find what she wanted. “Elements of Harmony!” she announced excitedly, “See Mare in the Moon?” “Mare in the Moon?” Spike asked, just as confused as Twilight, “Isn’t that just an old ponies’ tale?” “Many legends contain some grain of truth; I think I just might have found this one’s. Let’s see what it says in Prophecies and Predictions,” Twilight said as she leafed to the “M” section of the book, “Mare in the Moon, a myth that emerged in the early Fourth Age after the False Winter. As legend goes, she was a powerful pony who wanted to rule all of Equestria, until she was defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. It is prophesied that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal.” “I don’t know, Twilight,” Spike said as he placed books back in their rightful places, “Maybe some legends are just that. You have to admit that story is pretty crazy; how could it even be possible to imprison somepony in the moon?” “Normally I’d be inclined to agree with you; I’d say that this myth was just a way of explaining those odd patterns on the moon,” Twilight answered as she marked the legend with a velvet bookmark, “But this is different. We have two completely different legends mentioning the same things. I can’t believe that’s a coincidence.” Spike still wasn’t convinced, but once Twilight’s mind latched onto a conclusion there was no persuading her otherwise. Many of the books Twilight had pulled down had come from the upper shelves, so the tiny dragon was forced to climb a ladder to put them away. If only I had wings, he thought, then I could just fly up to reshelf things. The ladder always made him uneasy; apparently whoever had designed it hadn’t had safety in mind, as the ladder was unattached to the shelving and free to swing out from it at any time. It did so as he was putting the last book away, and he was sent flying through the air. Fortunately this time he landed on Twilight’s back instead of the cold, hard ground. “Spike, take down a letter to Celestia,” Twilight said, wasting no time and passing parchment and a quill to him while he was still on her back. “Ready when you are,” Spike replied once his claws were on solid ground again. “My dearest mentor, my continuing studies of magic have led me to conclude that we are on the precipice of disaster,” Twilight dictated. “Hold on,” Spike interrupted, raising a claw, “How do you spell precipice?” “Really, Spike?” Twilight asked, “Haven’t you been working on those books I gave you?” “I have, but High Equestrian is a very hard language to learn, what with all the added accents and rules and all.” “Fine, it’ll lose some of its formality, but you can write any word you don’t know in Low Equestrian. Celestia will understand, I’m sure.” “All right,” Spike said with a flourish of the quill, “Con-tinue.” “For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she is about to return to our world to bring about eternal night. Something must be done to prevent this terrible prophecy from coming true. I await your response. Your faithful apprentice, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight signed her own name in flowing script beneath Spike’s version of her name, and just above Dictated to Spike the Dragon. As he rolled the parchment up and sealed it, Twilight trotted over to the balcony that looked out on the rest of Cant’r Laht Castle. From here she could see across the Plaza of Fountains to the main keep, whose bulk dominated her view. It stretched all the way from the eastern gate, whose drawbridge spanned the slowly flowing stream that meandered through the gardens, to the great hall with its magnificent stained glass windows on the west where it stretched out over the valley below. Celestia’s tower was on the other side of the castle as Twilight’s, but she could easily see the spire from her quarters as it soared above the steepled roof of the keep. “It’s all ready,” Spike announced as he finished the letter’s preparation. “Good, send it immediately,” Twilight commanded. “Are you sure?” Spike asked hesitantly, “Celestia’s busy preparing for the summer solstice. I doubt she’ll have time to read your letter for a few days at least.” “It can’t wait until then,” Twilight said, trying to convey the urgency as she swiveled to face Spike, “The summer solstice is the longest day of the year, and this is the one-thousandth year it’s been celebrated. Nightmare Moon will be returning then, I’m sure of it.” “Still…” “Just send it already,” Twilight ordered, getting impatient, “I’ll take full responsibility.” “Fine,” Spike said resignedly and torched the letter with a blast of green fire, sending the smoke cloud screaming through the air and out a window, “I still say she won’t have time to get back to you though.” “Oh ye of little faith,” Twilight teased, “In all the years I’ve studied under Celestia, she’s never once had reason to doubt me. I don’t see why that would change now.” As the minutes passed, Twilight paced back and forth and Spike set about tidying the room. For a pony obsessed with organizing absolutely everything, Twilight sure caused a lot of messes. After what seemed to Twilight an eternity, but Spike knew to be only a few minutes, a letter arrived through Spike’s flames. He deftly caught it in a claw as he tried to get the taste of burning paper out of his mouth. I’ll probably never become accustomed to that no matter how many letters Twilight gets. “What did I say, Spike? I knew Celestia valued my insight and would recognize that we need to act swiftly. Come now, what does it say?” Twilight said with foallike glee. “My one and only apprentice Twilight Sparkle,” Spike began to read, “You are the most talented young sorceress that I’ve had the pleasure to meet and work with, and you must know that I admire your diligence and trust you completely…” “Of course,” Twilight said, looking quite pleased with herself. “…but I think it’s high time you stopped reading so many dusty old tomes,” Spike finished. Twilight stood dumbfounded at what she’d just heard. *** “My dearest Twilight,” Spike read the letter for the sixth time, “The greatest sorceresses cannot thrive on their own. You need to learn that there is more to life than just books and spells. Therefore, you will be leaving Cant’r Laht immediately and will cease your studies. I am placing you in charge of the preparations for this year’s summer solstice ceremony. The attached letter will prove to anypony with questions that you are my personal emissary and will compel anypony in my territory to assist you. While the preparations for the ceremony are important, I have an even more essential task for you to complete. Mingle with those you meet, take a genuine interest them, and try to find somepony you can call a friend.” Twilight groaned and leaned over the edge of the cart. I sent her vital information on a coming evil, and she tells me I need to make friends? What does Celestia think she’s doing? Unfortunately, Twilight hadn’t had the opportunity to ask her herself, as Celestia was secluded in her chambers until the summer solstice. Twilight had seriously questioned the legitimacy of the letter, until she had seen it for herself and examined the seal fixed underneath the message body. It was genuine, with a picture of Celestia flanked by the sun and moon in the center, a few of her titles ringing the edge. Celestia, Matron of Sorceresses in Cant’r Laht, Guardian of Sun and Moon, and Protector of Ponieville. Ponieville; that’s where Twilight was headed now, in the back of a cart pulled and guarded by soldiers Celestia had provided. It was a three day journey from Cant’r Laht following the path carved through the Titan’s Horn and the White Mountains until the road skirted the edge of the Everfree on its way to Ponieville. Having grown up her whole life in a dazzling city perched on the side of a mountain, Twilight wasn’t looking forward to an extended stay in a muddly little hamlet whose denizens couldn’t even spell the town’s name properly. But that’s what you got when peasants with knowledge only of Low Equestrian tried to make their town’s name sound formal: Middling Equestrian, a mongrel language no educated pony would touch with a ten pastern pole. The summer solstice ceremony, when Celestia displayed her power publicly for all to see by raising the sun, was usually held in Cant’r Laht. For centuries, it was only held in Cant’r Laht. That was before Ponieville had sprung up on the edge of the Everfree and claimed allegiance to Celestia. As the tiny settlement grew, more and more peasants made a pilgrimage each year to Cant’r Laht, overcrowding the city and leaving it a mess upon their departure. Eventually Celestia declared that she would hold the ceremony in Ponieville every four years so that her subjects there could witness her power without needing to come to Cant’r Laht. The mages in Cant’r Laht usually accepted it (the practice kept the lower classes out of the city, at least) but they were irate this year, since the thousandth summer solstice ceremony would be held in a backwater instead of Celestia’s seat of power. Nopony complained too loudly; as the most powerful living sorceress, Celestia was not to be questioned. As the cart bounced over a hill, Ponieville itself came into view. The town was almost entirely made up of small homes with thatched roofs; peasant dwellings. A few other buildings stood out, obviously inns, public buildings, or the homes of the wealthy. These were much larger than the cottages, but by Cant’r Laht standards they were still puny. Their real distinguishing feature was that they were more often than not painted in bright colors, or had once been before years of rough weather had stripped or faded the paint. It was hard to determine from this distance which one was her destination. “It won’t be so bad, Twilight,” Spike said, trying to cheer her up, “Celestia arranged to have you live in a mage’s laboratory while you’re here. Doesn’t that make you happy?” “I wouldn’t use the word ‘happy,’” Twilight replied as the cart passed through the northern gate in Ponieville’s wooden palisade, “But yes, it does make our situation a little better. I’m going to complete my official duties for the summer solstice ceremony as quickly as possible; then I can return to searching for a way to stop Nightmare Moon’s return. If the mage who used to live in this laboratory was worth their salt, there ought to be plenty of books on magic there.” “But if you do that, how are you going to ‘find somepony you can call a friend’ like the letter said?” Spike protested. “I’ve been Celestia’s apprentice for years. I think I understand how she thinks,” Twilight said, trying to convince herself more than Spike, “Supervising the summer solstice ceremony is part of her plan to get me away from Cant’r Laht for a while; making friends is just a side note. Besides, the fate of Equestria may rest on me finding out more about Nightmare Moon; it certainly doesn’t rest on me making friends.” As the cart came to a halt, Twilight gathered up her things and hopped out. It had rained the night before, and the town square was all mud. The edge of Twilight’s robes splashed in it as she landed. Perfect she thought with a groan like I have time to find a tailor while I’m here. Not that it was likely anypony with enough expertise to properly adjust the length of a sorceress’s robes resided here, but one could only hope. “Thank you for the escort, but I can take it from here,” Twilight told the soldiers as two of them approached her, “You are relieved of duty until the summer solstice ceremony.” The grateful guards trotted off to the nearest tavern, and their companions pulled the cart away to the laboratory before joining them. Her arrival had caused quite a stir among Ponieville’s residents. All around the town square, ponies in peasant garb stood gawking at the sorceress and her dragon page. None yet seemed brave enough to approach her, for which Twilight was thankful. “You could at least try to be friendly, Twilight,” Spike, who had other ideas, said, “You’re living one of those adventure stories you like, and in those stories the hero never ignores everypony around her.” “Fine, I suppose I could try,” Twilight groaned. The opportunity presented itself almost immediately as one of the peasants trotted right up to her, seemingly unintimidated by her appearance. The mare was pink from her hooves to her muzzle, with a crazily fluffy mane. She was garbed in a faded tunic that appeared to have once been a plethora of colors. “Greetings, my name is Twilight Sparkle-”, she began to introduce herself. She was cut off as the pony before her let out a gasp of shock (or maybe it was joy; it was hard to tell) and took off in the opposite direction. Twilight was left alone with Spike again in the center of the square, standing dumbfounded. “I feel like I’m on an adventure already,” Twilight said sarcastically. *** “Spike, take a note under Improvements,” Twilight told Spike as they made their way down a muddy path outside of Ponieville. “Again,” Spike groaned, “We haven’t even been here an hour and you’ve already had me write down three complaints for Celestia.” “Forgive me if I’m taking my responsibilities as summer solstice ceremony overseer seriously and want to document the inefficiency of the process. Now, if you would take that note: in the future, the caterers for the ceremony should be chosen from within Ponieville to cut down on food transportation and overseer travel.” “You don’t want to walk so much, got it,” Spike grumbled, but he wrote down exactly what Twilight said on her growing list of grievances. She did have a point in this case, though. The overseer’s checklist that Celestia had provided had them trekking not just all over Ponieville, but all over the surrounding area. A local resident of Ponieville usually made the preparations, and for them it was probably a delight to travel around and meet their neighbors, but for Twilight it was a tedious chore. But, perhaps keeping Twilight traveling all over the place and keeping her from her books was Celestia’s intent. Spike would never dare speak these thoughts aloud, though. At last, their destination came into view. The ponies in charge of the food for the summer solstice ceremony’s banquet were a family of farmers known as the Apples, whose farmstead was at the end of the road that stretched east from Ponieville toward the Everfree. A wooden palisade almost as tall as the one surrounding Ponieville circled the farm, but Twilight could see the top of a rickety old barn, wooden shack rooves, and the thatched roof of a farmhouse poking up from behind it. In the orchards surrounding the farmstead, ponies darted around collecting apples from the trees. One of them, an orange earth pony mare in roughspun clothing with a cap upon her head, spotted Twilight and galloped over to meet her. “Welcome madam sorceress,” she said, giving a slight bow, “What brings you out t’ our neck o’ the woods?” Well, at least she knows her manners, Twilight thought, and there are some peasants in Cant’r Laht who speak worse Low Equestrian. “My name is Twilight Sparkle,” she said aloud, “I’m here as an official emissary of Celestia-” She halted in her speech as she found her hoof being rapidly pumped up and down by the pony in front of her, a gesture of introduction in the poorer parts of the world if she remembered correctly. It was quite alarming, considering how courteous this pony had been just moments earlier. Still, this was more in line with what Twilight had expected from the ponies living around Ponieville, which was satisfying in a way. “Greetings Twilight; it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Applejack,” the pony introduced herself as she continued to shake Twilight’s hoof, “The Apples have never counted a sorceress among their friends till now.” “Friends? I think you misunderstand,” Twilight protested, “And my name is Twilight Sparkle, not just Twilight.” “Sorry; guess I got a little carried away,” Applejack said as she finally released Twilight’s hoof, “What did you say your purpose here was?” “I didn’t,” Twilight said, “But I was saying that I’m the official emissary of Celestia, and that I’m here to supervise preparations for this year’s summer solstice ceremony. I’ve been led to believe that your family is in charge of the food for the banquet. Is that correct?” “It sure is. Would you like to sample some o’ the food we’ll be bringin’?” At that moment, Twilight’s stomach chose to remind her that she hadn’t eaten anything that day since breaking her fast with a hard biscuit in the back of the cart. The summer solstice was the following day, and already this day was nearly half over. As much as Twilight wanted to complete her tasks as quickly as possible so she could return to studying legends about Nightmare Moon, she knew that she needed to eat. “I suppose it couldn’t hurt,” she answered, “So long as it doesn’t take too long.” Applejack took the horn hanging at her side and blew three blasts; one long, one short, and one long. The sound carried through the air and called the ponies out in the orchards back to the farmstead. Twilight knew that peasants often raised large families, but there was no way that everypony who came were siblings. There were so many that it surprised her that they could all live together on this one farmstead. Applejack appeared to be the closest thing to the family’s leader, as she began ordering ponies around to prepare food for their guest. As they waited, Applejack and Twilight took a seat on one of the benches under a large canvas tent set up in the muddy farmyard. The farmer had many questions, about Cant’r Laht and about her dragon companion, and Twilight tried to answer them with as much patience as possible. As the minutes passed, she grew increasingly anxious that she wouldn’t have time to learn more about Nightmare Moon before the time of her prophesied coming. “Say, have you ever actually met Celestia?” Applejack asked after she finished a long lecture on how the particular apples her family grew were such a hearty breed. “Sure, I’ve seen her lots of times,” Twilight answered, “I am her personal protégé, after all.” “Wait, you mean you’re friends with Celestia?” Applejack said in awe. “I guess you could say that,” Twilight said, checking the sun’s position again. “If you’ve got Celestia’s ear, maybe you could speak t’ her about the crop taxes…” Applejack said. Here we go, Twilight thought, I also expected this. The peasantry in Celestia’s territory was tame as far as peasantry usually goes, but that didn’t keep them from complaining endlessly about the taxes Cant’r Laht collected to feed its own populace. Not that Celestia would do anything about it. The world’s most powerful sorceress did very little except for raising the sun and moon, and appointing ponies to do her governing for her. The real pony the peasantry should take their taxation grievances up with was Silver Scribe, Celestia’s provisions officer, but they were less likely to do anything about their plight when they thought they had to approach Celestia directly to get anything done. “I think the crop taxes are more than fair,” Twilight said aloud, “Providing food for Cant’r Laht is part of your duty as Celestia’s subjects.” “Of course,” Applejack said, dropping the subject, “Say, I think it’s high time I introduced you to my family.” She proceeded to bring Twilight to meet each and every pony standing around in the yard. As Twilight had suspected, the Apples (aptly named, since each and every member had an apple-related name) were an extended family: cousins to the second, third, fourth, and fifth degree. The only ponies Applejack was closely related to were a bulky red stallion called Big McIntosh and a yellow filly named Apple Bloom. The matron of the family was an exceedingly elderly pony known as Granny Smith, even though she was nopony’s actual grandmother. She didn’t wake up while Twilight was there; instead, she dozed fitfully in a rocking chair nearly as gnarled and old as she was. “The food’s ready,” one of the Apples announced just as Applejack was finished doing introductions. Thank goodness, Twilight thought, I thought I’d be trapped here forever. *** “Our next task is around here somewhere, I’m sure of it,” Spike said as he and Twilight walked through Ponieville’s streets. “Good; hopefully we can make up some time here,” Twilight said. Her first task had taken her far longer than she had anticipated. Not only had she wasted time speaking to Applejack and meeting the Apples, but the meal hadn’t been as quick as she’d hoped. She was well fed, as the farmers placed dish after dish before her to sample, but it had taken far too long to do so. Still, there was no doubt that they were adequately prepared to provide food for the banquet the following day, even if the meal wouldn’t be as cultured as one experienced in Cant’r Laht. “It says here that this year the weather is entrusted to a pegasus named Rainbow Dash,” Spike said, inspecting Celestia’s list. “I know the ceremony isn’t until tomorrow, but I’d feel a lot better knowing for sure the job will be done on time,” Twilight said, looking up at the cloud-filled sky. A pegasus shot overhead, disappearing behind the town’s buildings. Twilight trotted off in the direction she’d been headed, hoping to catch a better glimpse. When she reappeared, Twilight could see that she was a cyan mare wearing the leather armor of a Hunter. What interested her most was that her mane was a spectrum of colors, making her a promising candidate for Rainbow Dash. Some dummies were set up in a practice yard, and the pegasus was swooping down at them from on high for a quick strike with her sword before ascending again. Saying a quick incantation, Twilight teleported herself into the practice yard and in the path of the pegasus. She tried to raise a shield to protect herself, but the other pony was too fast, and she bowled Twilight over, sending her splashing through a particularly large puddle of water and mud. Nimbly, the pegasus launched herself off of Twilight and into the air, staying completely dry. Dripping wet, Twilight emerged from the puddle to face her. “What was that about?” the Hunter asked, irate as she retrieved her sword from where she’d thrown it to avoid skewering Twilight in her descent. “I was trying to get your attention,” Twilight said as she tried to get the mud off that was now splattered all over herself and her sorceress robes. “Here, let me help you,” the pegasus said with a groan. Fetching a nearby cloud, she unleased a downpour on Twilight. “Thanks; as if I wasn’t wet enough already,” Twilight grumbled. Without warning, she was caught up in a whirlwind as the pegasus circled her, drying her coat and robes in seconds, though it also turned her mane and tail into frazzled messes. Spike chuckled when he saw her new look, and though the pegasus didn’t laugh out loud, Twilight could see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “My apologies,” she tried to say with a straight face, “Speed-drying isn’t really an exact science.” “You wouldn’t happen to be Rainbow Dash by any chance, would you?” Twilight asked, unamused. “The very same,” the pegasus answered proudly, “I’ve never seen you around before. I’m impressed a sorceress who’s not from around here has heard of me.” “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve been sent by Celestia to supervise the preparations for the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight announced, “I’ve been led to believe that you’re in charge of clearing up the weather.” “Right; that,” Rainbow said with disdain, “I’ll get to it as soon as I’m finished training.” “The ceremony’s tomorrow at dawn,” Twilight reminded her firmly, “With the skies this overcast, shouldn’t you be working on clearing them now?” “Listen, Twilight was it?” “Twilight Sparkle, actually,” she said indignantly. “Right; I’m a Hunter, and I can clear these skies in a breeze. So, what’s the point of clearing the skies up now when they’ll just get overcast again before the ceremony? My time is better spent honing my skills so I can get into the Wonderbolts.” “You want to get into the Wonderbolts, the most elite group of Hunters in all of Equestria?” Twilight asked, “How are you going to convince the Wonderbolts you deserve to join them if you can’t even do the simple task of clearing the sky?” “Fine,” Dash said, removing her sword harness and slinging it over a battered dummy, “I’ll show you.” With that, she launched herself into the air, her powerful wings propelling her faster than Twilight had ever seen a pegasus move before. From pouches attached to her uniform, she pulled compact bombs and threw them up into the clouds. Flashes of light and crackling lightning accompanied the explosions as the clouds were torn to bits. Dash darted around, becoming a blur as she took out the remaining patches of cloud. In what couldn’t have been more than ten seconds, she’d cleared the sky. Twilight stood awestruck. In Cant’r Laht it would take a whole team of ponies the entire day to change the weather, but they weren’t Hunters. “Bet you’ve never seen anything like that before,” Dash said smugly, landing next to Twilight, who was still shocked by what she’d just seen, “I’m going to get back to practice now, but I hope to see you around, Twilight Sparkle.” “Twilight?” Spike asked with concern as he waved a claw in front of her face to snap her out of her daze. *** “The ceremony is to be held here?” Twilight asked incredulously as she trotted through the Mayoral Keep. In the years that the summer solstice ceremony was held in Cant’r Laht, the location rotated between Cant’r Laht Castle, Cant’r Laht Cathedral, and the Cant’r Laht Commons, all spectacular and glorious locales. Ponieville’s Mayoral Keep was anything but spectacular and glorious. The rough stone structure had been built when Ponieville pledged its fealty to Cant’r Laht two centuries earlier as a place for Celestia’s appointed mayor to live and a fort that the town’s residents could retreat to if they were attacked. The great hall Twilight was standing in must have seemed massive to Ponieville’s citizens, but even at its greatest length it was smaller than the width of Cant’r Laht Cathedral. The room was dark and dreary, with the only light provided by thin windows placed high in the walls and torches down below. At the eastern end of the hall a large set of heavy shutters acted as a wall, but they would no doubt be pulled open during the ceremony to let those attending see the sunrise. “It’s not that bad, Twilight,” Spike tried to reassure her, “The decorations are impressive.” That was true. Whoever had prepared the great hall for the ceremony clearly had good taste. Elaborate tapestries honoring and praising Celestia hung from the walls, bright banners in the royal colors of white, red, and gold strung between them. It wasn’t impressive by Cant’r Laht standards, but it certainly passed in Ponieville. It looked like Twilight’s job here would be quick and easy; all she had to do now was congratulate the pony responsible on a job well done. She spotted her as she trotted out of a side door of the hall, carrying a basket filled with banners. The pony was a white-coated unicorn with a meticulously styled purple mane wearing an expertly tailored red and white dress suitable for the occasion. She wasn’t a fellow sorceress, that was for sure, yet there was something about her that set her apart from the other ponies in this town. “Excuse me, I’m Twilight Sparkle-”, she started to introduce herself. “Just a moment,” the other unicorn interrupted her, “I mustn’t be disturbed until I’ve completed this section of the décor.” She didn’t even turn around to face Twilight as she set about hanging more banners. Here Twilight thought she’d found a pony of class, and she was being snubbed again. This town just could not give her a break. Twilight was about to confront the decorator, when one of the tapestries caught her attention. Just like the others, it featured Celestia, but this one also contained another pony who wasn’t one of her happy subjects. That part of the tapestry was mostly obscured in shadow, but Twilight could make out a dark black alicorn being vanquished by Celestia. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Nightmare Moon, but what was this tapestry doing here? “Where did you get this tapestry?” Twilight asked the decorator with urgency. “One moment; done,” she said as she finished her decorating before turning to answer Twilight’s question, “These tapestries were originally created in the first century of the Fourth Era for a count in-Ahh! What happened to your coiffure?” “It’s a long story,” Twilight admitted, just now remembering that her mane was still a mess, “I’ll see to it just as soon as I’ve finished checking over the preparations for the summer sun ceremony.” “Oh no, no, no, no, no!” the decorator exclaimed, “That simply won’t do! Come with Rarity; I’ll have you fixed up in an instant.” Before Twilight knew what was happening, she found herself being dragged out of the Mayoral Keep by Rarity, unable to resist. *** How did I end up here? Twilight mused to herself as Rarity helped her try on different outfits, I’m wasting valuable time that could better be spent researching Nightmare Moon. After she brought Twilight back to her home—a larger than normal cottage with a shop on the first floor and a forge out back—she saw the state of Twilight’s robes and insisted on washing them. Now Twilight’s hair was back to normal, but her robes were still being washed, so Rarity was trying to find something else for her to wear in the meantime. Some of the outfits were even quite good, but Twilight had no time for this. “Now, darling, where did you say you were from?” Rarity asked, finally giving Twilight a moment to get a word in. “I’ve been sent from Cant’r Laht by Celestia-” Twilight started to say before she was interrupted by Rarity for the second time that day. “Oh, I’ve always dreamed of living in Cant’r Laht!” Rarity exclaimed, “Well, that or Manehattan, but unicorns aren’t terribly popular out there. You simply must tell me all about it. I feel we could be great friends.” “Heh heh,” Twilight laughed uncomfortably, “Well, I’ve got places to go and ponies to see. Thanks for helping with my mane, but I really must leave now.” “But your robes are still wet,” Rarity protested. “Caen’r nof ill’r majia’i acca Ye’r accael,” Twilight incanted, and her robes dried in an instant. Twilight pulled her robe on, grabbed Spike, and dashed out of the shop before Rarity could react. It was rude, she knew, but she had more important things to do than try on clothes. She was running out of daylight, and she still had one more pony to meet with before she could finally get back to researching Nightmare Moon. *** “Why would a musician live so far outside of town?” Twilight asked Spike as they trudged down a muddy trail that branched off to the south from the one they’d followed earlier to visit the Apples. “Well, it does say here that she’s also a druidess,” Spike answered as he examined Celestia’s letter. Of course she would be. It seemed to Twilight that the ponies selected to help with the summer solstice ceremony had all been chosen less for talent than to please the various factions that resided in the area. The peasant farmers, the Hunters, and Ponieville’s non-magical unicorn population were satisfied, so now it was time to pander to the druids. This druidess musician had better be something special to force Twilight to venture back out into the countryside. Even with the sun starting to dry off the trail, it didn’t take long before Twilight’s robes were once again stained with mud. When the path passed through the copses that dotted the landscape, it narrowed and her robes became caught on branches and brambles. The closer she got to the Everfree Forest, the more numerous the thickets became, and the more frustrated Twilight got. “Look Twilight! That’s got to be her!” Spike called out, pointing, as they emerged from a particularly nasty patch of briers. Ahead of them, the path curved around a grassy hill that rose up above the surrounding fields. At its crown was a gnarled old tree completely devoid of leaves, its branches splayed out a good twenty pasterns in all directions. A hanging tree, Twilight thought as she noticed frayed old bits of rope still clinging to some of the branches. Perched in the tree were hundreds, if not thousands of birds, and their chirping, tweeting, and cawing had a strangely musical rhythm to it. After a bit, she realized that she was hearing a rendition of Raise the Sun, Celestia’s anthem. Standing at the base of the tree was a yellow pegasus in a druidess’s plain robes, her pink mane flowing freely over her back. As the birds finished their song, she glided up from the ground. “Much better this time; just a few more improvements and we’ll be ready,” she said to the birds, just loud enough that Twilight could still hear her, “Crows, you need to tone it down. Nightingales, you’re coming in two beats late for the chorus. Now, one more time…” “Hello there!” Twilight called up to the druidess, trying to get her attention before she began the song again. Unexpectedly, the pegasus gave an “eep”, her wings locked up, and she fell out of the air. Squawking in panic, the birds in the tree scattered in all directions. Spike pulled Twilight to the ground as several birds nearly collided with her. “Are you all right?” Twilight asked, rushing over to the pegasus once the bird swarm cleared. The druidess picked herself up off the ground, stretched her wings to make sure nothing was broken or sprained, looked Twilight in the eye, and gave a tiny nod. “I’m here to check on the preparations for the summer solstice ceremony,” Twilight announced after the pegasus was silent for an uncomfortable length of time, “I see you have the music well under control.” When the pegasus still didn’t speak, she added, “I’m Twilight Sparkle.” Still the druidess didn’t seem to want to speak. Had she taken a vow of silence or something? That couldn’t be; she was just speaking to her animals, unless the druids didn’t consider that vow breaking? In an attempt to break the ice, Twilight extended her hoof just as Applejack had to her earlier. Tentatively, the druidess raised her own hoof to shake. “I-I’m…” she whispered, her voice trailing off so that Twilight couldn’t hear the name she gave. “My apologies. I couldn’t quite understand you. What did you say your name was?” “I-I-I’m F-Flutter…” she said only a smidge louder this time, her voice trailing off again. “Still didn’t get that,” Twilight said, getting a bit impatient. The druidess released Twilight’s hoof and averted her eyes, giving out a shy little squeak. It looked like she wouldn’t be getting anything else from this pony. She should have been pleased, since this was the first time today that something had actually taken the time it was supposed to, yet Twilight was irrationally upset that this pony wouldn’t talk to her. With a sigh, she resigned herself to the fact and turned away, trotting back to Spike at the base of the hill. “Keep up the good work,” she called back over her shoulder to the pegasus before addressing Spike, “Is that the last task on the list?” An audible gasp came from behind Twilight, and she turned just in time to see the druidess streak past her. “A baby dragon!” she exclaimed, “I’ve seen all kinds of creatures, but I’ve never seen a baby dragon before! What’s his name?” Was this the same pony? Twilight couldn’t get a single word out of her, and now she couldn’t seem to get her words out fast enough. Twilight was a little hurt by the conclusion she came to, but it only made sense that a druidess would care more about an exotic creature than a sorceress. “I’m Spike,” Twilight’s page introduced himself, “And yes, Twilight, that’s the last task. We can head back to the laboratory now.” “Perfect. Well, it was nice meeting you,” Twilight said to the pegasus, even if they had only sort of met since she still didn’t know the druidess’s name, “I’m afraid we’re terribly busy and have to run.” Pulling a startled Spike up onto her back, the sorceress trotted back down the trail to Ponieville. “Wait!” the pegasus called from behind her, rushing to catch up, “I’m Fluttershy. I’ve never met a talking dragon before, Spike. What kind of dragon secrets do you know?” “Um, not really any, except about myself,” Spike said, oblivious to the fact that Twilight was irked that Fluttershy was still basically ignoring her, “Do you want to hear about my life?” “Oh, that would be wonderful!” Fluttershy squealed with delight. “Well, it all began when I was hatched from a purple and green egg…” Spike began his story. Twilight groaned. It was going to be a long trip back to Ponieville. *** “…and that’s the story of my whole entire life,” Spike finished as the sun went down, “Well, except for today, that is.” Twilight was so tired and tuned out, she almost didn’t realize they had reached their destination. Golden Oak’s laboratory was nothing like what she had expected. She’d never heard of the mage, but he must’ve specialized in plant magic based on what his home looked like. The entire building was grown out of a tree that had obviously been manipulated with powerful spells to give it a door and perfectly circular windows. Twilight wouldn’t have believed this is where she’d be staying if it weren’t for the empty wagon she’d rode in on that morning sitting out front. “What happened today?” Fluttershy asked, the last straw for Twilight. “Well, it was a pleasure to meet you,” Twilight said, trying to act sincere even though it had been more an annoyance than a pleasure, “But, I’m afraid Spike needs his sleep if he’s going to be any use at the summer solstice ceremony tomorrow.” “But, Twilight, you keep me up all night all the ti-” Spike protested until he was bucked off. “I’m sure you have to prepare for the ceremony as well, so I’ll let you get back home. Goodbye,” Twilight said to Fluttershy as she grabbed Spike and retreated into the laboratory. “What’s gotten into you, Twilight?” Spike asked once they were alone in the dark, “That was rude even for you.” “I know,” Twilight sighed, “But the day’s already over, and Nightmare Moon is supposed to return tomorrow. I just can’t spare the time for anything other than studying legends on her return. Now, there’s got to be a lantern around her somewhere.” “Surprise!” a cacophony of voices shouted out as Spike found and lit the lantern by the door. Twilight spun around, an attack spell prepared, when she stopped. The main room of the laboratory was filled with all the ponies the sorceress had seen earlier while walking through the town. They didn’t seem threatening, but why were they here? “Welcome to Ponieville!” the pink pony Twilight had met earlier announced, separating herself from the crowd, “My name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, and I’m the one who organized this party for you! Are you surprised?” “Am I surprised?” Twilight asked, trying to keep her annoyance from showing through, “Of course I’m surprised. What are all these ponies doing here? I thought this was a mage’s laboratory.” “Oh, it was. Professor Oak lived here until he died in the plague thirteen years ago. Nopony wanted to buy the place, not even Filthy Rich, so it became property of Ponieville,” Pinkie rambled on, “Mayor Mare didn’t want all Golden Oak’s books to go to waste, so she proclaimed anypony who could read could come here and borrow them. We also use it as a town meeting place. Of course, it’s not big enough for the summer solstice ceremony, but it’s just the right size to throw you a welcome-to-Ponieville party!” When she paused to greedily suck in air, Twilight tried to escape through the crowd. This proved a difficult task, as nopony wanted to get out of her way without shaking Twilight’s hoof and introducing themselves. Everypony wanted to meet the new sorceress in town, but the last thing Twilight wanted to do was shake hooves with a bunch of peasants when she was in a hurry to prevent the prophesied end of days. She didn’t make it very far before Pinkamena caught up to her and started talking again. “See, when I saw you arrive before, I knew you had to be new to Ponieville because I know absolutely everypony who lives around here. But it occurred to me that if you were new, it meant you hadn’t met anypony here yet, and that meant you didn’t know anypony and didn’t have any friends here. Nopony should be lonely, especially not on the summer solstice, so I gathered up everypony in Ponieville and brought you so now you can meet them and everypony in Ponieville can be your friend!” Somehow, Twilight found herself face to face with all the ponies she’d met on her errands that day. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were standing together, and even Fluttershy had somehow let herself back in to join them. They looked at Twilight expectantly as Pinkamena finished her spiel. “Well, ready t’ party all night, Twi’?” Applejack asked, shortening her name to an even more inappropriate length. “Twilight, darling, is there anything you’d like to say to your guests?” Rarity asked with a smile. “In fact there is,” Twilight said coldly, but only Spike seemed to comprehend that the sorceress was about to snap. The crowd parted to let Twilight reach the small balcony overlooking the main room. “Citizens of Ponieville,” Twilight addressed the assembled crowd, “Thank you all for showing up unannounced. Now, goodnight.” Without another word, Twilight retreated into the bedroom behind her and slammed the door closed. *** Twilight let out a long sigh as she tossed and turned on the lumpy straw mattress. Did a mage really sleep on something so uncomfortable? Of course, this probably wasn’t Golden Oak’s bed she was lying on. After he’d died in the plague, the bed had most likely either been burnt or claimed by Ponieville’s mayor. The bed she was trying to sleep in now had probably just been brought in once word arrived that Twilight would be staying here. Not that she’d have been able to sleep even if it was the featherbed that Twilight was accustomed to. Golden Oak had to have been a powerful mage to have grown his home out of a tree, but when it came to architectural design, he was an idiot. The walls were far too thin, and Twilight could hear everything going on in the other room as the party carried on through the night. At some point, some ponies had brought a keg of hard cider in, and now the sound of sober partiers was mixed with the sound of drunken revelry. Now that she’d had some time to cool down, Twilight regretted her actions, but every time she tried to work up the nerve to go out and apologize, she was reminded by the noise just how annoyed she was. Who did this Pinkamena think she was, inviting ponies into a laboratory reserved for Celestia’s personal protégé to party? How in Equus was she supposed to study the legends about Nightmare Moon when the bookshelves were blocked by celebrating peasants? Twilight had searched the books in this part of the laboratory, but there was nothing useful and she didn’t dare venture out into the main room to look for more. Maybe I could get Spike to do it for me… “Hey Twilight, are you going to come join the party?” her dragon page asked as he let himself into the room uninvited. “No, and what are those peasants even still doing here?” Twilight replied venomously. “They have to stay up and party all night so they can see the sunrise,” Spike answered, a little cautious in case Twilight exploded at him again. It hadn’t occurred to Twilight that her welcome-to-Ponieville party was also an all-night celebration before the summer solstice ceremony. As a well-respected sorceress, Twilight had attended many such parties in Cant’r Laht, but those were formal affairs were Celestia hosted a fancy dinner party for the city’s nobles, and the most prominent sorceresses showed off what they’d been working on the past year. This party was extremely rough and uncultured by comparison. “You really should join the party, Twilight,” Spike said, “Celestia didn’t send you out here to be a social recluse.” Twilight grumbled irritably as Spike left the room. He was right, though. Twilight had tried to convince herself that Celestia hadn’t really meant the portion of her letter about finding somepony to call a friend, but she knew deep down that she was wrong. Twilight’s friends in Cant’r Laht were all fellow sorceresses, and they acted more like colleagues than friends. Celestia had never steered her wrong before, and the odds were favorable that she was right about this too. Maybe she should go down and talk to the ponies at the party. No, she rejected her previous thoughts, the future of Equestria may depend on me finding a way to stop Nightmare Moon; it certainly doesn’t depend on me making friends! She pulled out one of the books she’d brought along with her from Cant’r Laht and turned to the legend of the Mare in the Moon. “It is prophesied that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal,” Twilight read as she looked out the window. Was it just her imagination, or did the sky not look quite right? She could have sworn she’d never seen those four stars near the moon before. But there was no way that could be possible. The stars had been constant for thousands of years, otherwise ponies would never have been able to chart them. “I hope Celestia is right,” Twilight said to herself, “I hope the tale of Nightmare Moon is just a legend.” “It’s time for the summer solstice ceremony,” Spike announced as he once more let himself into the room, “Let’s go, Twilight.” “Coming, Spike,” she said as she pulled on her robes and hesitantly turned her back on the moon. *** The great hall of the Mayoral Keep was dark and crowded when Twilight and Spike arrived. Peasants from all over Celestia’s domain had come to witness the sorceress’s glory, and they were packed tightly into the room. The musty stench of unwashed bodies overpowered the sweet, sugary smells of the food provided by the Apples. As official emissary of Celestia, Twilight was easily able to push her way through the crowd until she had a good view of the eastern wall. The shutters were still closed, but very soon they would open to reveal Celestia’s spectacular sunrise. Excitement filled the air as all the peasants talked eagerly about catching a glimpse of their ruler. Celestia was grand, to be sure, but Twilight had spent so much time around her that it almost seemed an everyday occurrence to see her. Still, watching the world’s most powerful living sorceress raise the sun would be a treat even for her apprentice. Celestia was here already, that much was certain based on the guards standing at attention along the walls of the great hall. There wasn’t much that could hurt the centuries-old sorceress, but it never hurt to be prepared, and it would only take one misstep to grant her enemies’ wishes. Twilight wondered if she’d flown here or arrived by portal. Twilight could do neither yet: the former because she had no wings, and the latter because she didn’t know how. Only the most powerful sorceresses in history had been able to travel through portals, and it always impressed Twilight that her mentor was able to open a door to anywhere in the world she could imagine and step through seemingly without effort. She dreamed of the day she too would be able to pull off such extraordinary feats. Twilight’s thoughts were interrupted as Fluttershy’s birds began to sing. Everypony in the hall who knew the words joined in singing Raise the Sun. Spike was among them, and he sang loud and proud right into Twilight’s ear. When the song came to an end, an earth pony mare in an elaborate gown and ridiculously pointed hat trotted up to stand in front of the eastern shutters. “Welcome, all of Celestia’s subjects!” the mayor said, earning her some cheers from the peasantry, “It is my great honor to announce the beginning of the summer solstice ceremony, where we will witness the magic of the sunrise on this, the longest day of the year! And now, I give you the Lady of the Mountain, the Keeper of the Day, the Guardian of Sun and Moon, and the Protector of Ponieville, the greatest sorceress of all time, Celestia!” Ponies cheered as the shutters slowly began to roll back, opening the great hall to the outside air. The cheering quieted as there was nothing to see. When the shutters slammed open there was no Celestia standing on the balcony and it was still night. “Oh no,” Twilight said breathlessly when she noticed the moon’s familiar pattern of a unicorn head had vanished. “Now, now, there’s no need to panic,” the mayor said nervously, “I’m sure there’s an explanation.” No sooner had she finished her assurances than a crackling filled the air. On the balcony where Celestia was expected to be, something was appearing. At first glance, it appeared very similar to the effect when a sorceress was teleporting somewhere, but a teleportation didn’t last so long. Also, teleportations usually emitted a slight glow; this one had a darkness to it and radiated lightning in all directions. Eventually the pseudo-teleportation came to an end, and the caster made herself known. Standing in Celestia’s place was another alicorn, this one with a pitch-black coat. Her mane flowed in an ethereal wind like Celestia’s, but instead of a spectrum of colors, hers looked like a starry sky from the darkest night. Her appearance was monstrous, with slits for pupils and a row of fangs in her mouth. The black alicorn wore exquisite silvery blue armor that looked impenetrable to any weapon. Twilight looked from her to the tapestry where Celestia was smiting Nightmare Moon. There was no doubt that it was the same pony. “Oh, my beloved subjects,” the alicorn cackled, her voice booming across the hall, “It’s been so long since I last looked upon your precious, sun-loving faces.” “What have you done with Celestia?” Rainbow Dash demanded, launching into the air and drawing a sword. As Nightmare Moon fixed her with a stare, she was thrown across the room and became pinned against the wall. “Am I no longer royal enough for you now that I have been imprisoned in the moon for one thousand years?” Nightmare bellowed angrily, “As soon as I was gone, you all rushed to that wretched usurper, did you not?” “What’re you going on about?” Applejack asked, and was rewarded with a stare from Nightmare Moon that pinned her to the ground. Twilight looked back and forth between Rainbow and Applejack. If Nightmare Moon was able to keep two separate ponies immobilized using only her gaze, she was in possession of some seriously powerful magic. “Have you truly forgotten me?” the alicorn demanded, “Do you not remember the legend? Did none of you see the signs?” “I saw the signs,” Twilight said, wondering why she was speaking up, “I know who you are.” “Well then, pray tell these ignorant foals who I am!” Nightmare Moon commanded as she swiveled her gaze over to Twilight. She flinched, but when she wasn’t flattened or thrown against the wall she figured she had pleased the dark alicorn. So long as she continued to keep her happy, things would be all right. “You’re Nightmare Moon,” Twilight answered, “Also known as the Mare in the Moon.” “Very good,” Nightmare Moon purred, “You know who I am, so you must also know why I have come. Enlighten your fellow ponies.” “You’ve come to-” Twilight said but stopped before finishing. Nighttime eternal: it was too terrible to say aloud. “It’s clear you know my purpose, and now all shall know it as well,” Nightmare Moon said with an evil grin, “Remember this day well, my little ponies, for it shall be your last. From this moment on, the night shall last forever!” The dark alicorn cackled evilly and her nighttime mane and tail swirled around her and up into the air, filling the great hall with darkness. This can’t be real, Twilight thought as she watched what she’d feared come to pass. Then, as reality sank in, This is how the world ends. To be continued…