Fictionationality - Equestria

by Spirit Guide

Midnight Miracles

The weeks wore on and Spirit and Fang filled their time in Canterlot to the best of their abilities. As well as their daily visits to the castle, the pair spent many hours in the streets of the capital, watching, learning and enjoying Equestrian life.

Princess Celestia continued to tutor Spirit in the ways of Equestria, its magic, society and all things important. While the prophet was holed up with Her Highness, Fang put upon himself to whip the royal guard into shape, mercilessly having at them in combat to toughen them up for whatever was to come. If Celestia was ever called away on a royal duty, Spirit would meet with Shining Armor, with whom he learned and shared experience in the ways of defensive magic and shields.

Their city jaunts provided them with many views of Equestrian life too. From the maintenance ponies to the high-class residents to the casual tourists, Canterlot provided Spirit and Fang with peeks into all branches of life in the magical world of equines. Fang would spend most of his free time away with the cellist Octavia, enjoying the musical pastime of playing with a professional, while Spirit would wander the streets of Canterlot, savoring the many sights, smells and sounds.

At night, Spirit would release his consciousness into the dreamscape and join Princess Luna in her duties. He felt a special connection to the blue alicorn, one of those unexplainable connections that one feels toward others. Combining his knowledge with Luna's abilities, they would guard the realm of dreams night after night, ever on the lookout for more manifestations that might use the subconsciousness doors of sleeping ponies.

Spirit and Fang occasionally saw Silver hanging out with the night guard in the barracks or on the castle ramparts. The amended manfiestation seemed to enjoy the company of the bat ponies as well as their nightly watches. The three of them would come together to discuss arrangements for their eventual return to Ponyville, though Silver always seemed to be holding back and not saying all that was on his mind.

The decisive day was just around the corner and the final hours leading up to it were going to be unforgettable.

*

"And then Fang leapt aboard the Blade ship, riding the Space Unicorn like it was a flying packhorse, and made quick work of The One and everyone on board!"

After two weeks of dream watching and no manifestations, Spirit and Luna had become more relaxed in their nightly duty in the dreamscape. They would take turns each night telling stories from their past; Luna would reminisce of times before her dark transformation and banishment, and Spirit would recount his many adventures with Fang through the dimensions.

Spirit enhanced his retelling of Republic missions by using his magic to illustrate the unique scenes. Luna was always captivated by the detailed recountings and always insisted Spirit tell more but whenever the prophet asked that she then tell a story, the moon princess would go quiet and stare into the starry distance.

"Hearing about all the space travel the Rebpulic really does amazes me," Luna said as the magical imagery faded into the dreamscape sky. "I sometimes wonder when Equestria will reach a space age."

"I don't suppose your own visit to the moon counts for space travel," Spirit guessed.

"Hardly. Most of that millenium was confusion, my form melting and reforming in an endless storm of darkness. But occasionally, I would materialize on the moon's surface, sometimes as Nightmare Moon and sometimes as you see me now. Even more rarely would I materialize as myself, as I was before my corruption."

"What were you like back then, Luna?" the prophet asked eagerly.

Luna turned her head to the side and gazed upwards in thought. "I was taller," she said first. "Not quite as tall as my sister, but just about a head taller than your average mare. My mane flowed with magic, shimmering like an early night sky. I was an impressive figure and my subjects were filled with awe at the sight of me." Luna's gaze fell. "Or, at least, me and my sister both. We really were more connected back then, before my falling out."

"You can be that again. You have another chance, to reconnect and work together."

"It won't be the same, Spirit," Luna confessed. "My body is younger than before. It wouldn't feel right if I were to work beside my sister, who's only grown in the thousand years of my absence."

"Differences are all the more reason to try," Spirit insisted. "It's a new opportunity to try things over and get a different, perhaps better, outcome."

"We keep talking about it, but I really don't think it'll be so easy for me to change."

Spirit sat back on his haunches and sighed. Luna became like this every time the subject of self-improvement was broached and he couldn't understand it. She seemed perfectly comfortable talking about the past but whenever it came to acting for change, she'd avoid it. No matter how much Luna regretted what was done, it didn't make sense to discontinue any attempt for the better.

"What's wrong, Princess? Why do you refuse to take the reigns you once held, to take charge of the moon in the sky, to command that which guides the tides and the lunar months?

"What frightens you?"

At his last question, Luna tensed. Her wings stiffened against her sides and her eyes grew wide and fearful. "H-how did.... did you guess it?"

"That you were afraid of something?" Spirit shrugged. "Experience, mostly. It comes with the job. I've scrutinized dozens before; reading people becomes easier after that."

The blue alicorn lowered her gaze to the dreamscape 'ground'. "It's true, I am afraid. Afraid of retaking my old duties. Afraid that if I go back to them, I'll start comparing myself to my sister again. Afraid that I might let my jealousy get the better of me again. Afraid that.... I might...." Luna clenched her eyes shut and turned away.

"Afraid that you might become Nightmare Moon. Again."

"I can't do that," Luna whispered desperately, tears starting to come. "Everypony has worked so hard since I first tried to plunge Equestria into an eternal night, I can't risk threatening it all over again. I don't want to go back.... I don't want to lose myself .... I don't want to leave my sister again..."

Spirit was not fond of regretting his decisions but Luna was developing a talent for making him do so. At times like this, the prophet would attempt to act true and turn negative into positive. But how would I do that here? he wondered, eyes wandering the star-spangled faux sky.

Aha.

Luna wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, doing her best to keep a calm tone. "I just don't like thinking of going back. It makes me feel like nothing's changed."

"I understand, Princess," Spirit assured. "I understand and I think I know a way to bypass your fears. You're afraid that if you raise the moon as you did in the past, you will reawaken your past jealousy and relive history. What you need is to practice your old duty in a way that won't bring about a thousand year old envy.

"So why not try raising the dreamscape moon?"

The bright circle in the sky seemed to shimmer dramatically at Spirit's words. The two ponies looked up at the moon, a close replica of the actual orbiting rock in reality. Luna stared up at it for some time, her expression turning from doubtful to thoughtful. "Raise the dreamscape moon? I mean, it could work the same as it does in the physical world and there's no one else but us here, so maybe if I tried...."

Spirit nodded encouragingly. "Yes yes, go on."

"I really haven't done any raising of this sort since I was banished," Luna admitted, examining the bottom of her hoof, "so I don't honestly know my magical limits despite my body becoming youthful..." She clenched her hoof determinedly. "Okay. I'll do it."

The doing took a while, though. Luna wanted to be prepared for anything and took some time organizing precautions and actions with Spirit, to be certain he would be able to handle things should they get out of hoof. But once everything was settled, Luna was as ready as she would ever be. Standing on a bluff extending from a starry mound, her mane blew lightly in a dreamed-up wind from somepony's subconscious. Spirit stood some feet away, magic at the ready, eyes wide and watching the spectacle about to unfold.

"Come on, Luna," he said, not quite loud enough for her to hear. "Take your rightful place in Equestria."

Luna was doing a whole delaying bit, looking herself over and fidgeting around. She looked about the dreamscape, past Spirit and across the endless starry plane. In that moment, she found herself looking back at the past, before the dreaded day. Back when she would raise the moon and gather the stars into constellations, painting the night into a work of art that went unappreciated and led to her banishment. Can I really return to that?

But then more memories flooded in, more recent ones. The new memories showed Luna learning of the new modern Equestria, of the advancements in technology and magic alike. In the memories, she saw many different ponies: some of them studying, some of them writing, and others contemplating under the sky.

Under her night sky

In this new millennium, ponies spent time out at night almost as much as they did during the day. There was so much in the world to discover and they found that the best time to do what they do best was when it was dark out, when the stars shone bright and the moon cast its light over the land. It was a millennium where ponies appreciated the night.

I can do this. I can raise the moon in this new age, for these new generations. I will retake my duties and from this day onward, the ponies of Equestria shall regain their Princess of the Night and the night itself shall be renewed!

Magic burst out of Luna's being, supercharging the nearby vicinity until even Spirit's mane floated weightlessly. The alicorn's eyes glowed white with power and the prophet could almost see the magic reaching out to the dreamscape moon. The magic continued to come, drowning out almost everything else as Luna slowly and gradually began to raise the moon higher into the star-filled expanse above them.

<You're doing it, Luna,> Spirit thought, finding his mouth unmovable in the flood of magic. <Keep it up!>

Whether Luna heard the prophet's thought-speech wasn't clear, but she certainly didn't act further motivated. If anything, she seemed still cautious, squinting up at the slow-rising moon like a child carrying a heavy fragile object. The higher the moon rose, however, the more the hum of magic intensified; something Spirit worried slightly about.

With such an immense amount of magic activated, there's surely going to be some distortion in the dreamscape. For all we know, it could be opening portals into reality, giving free access to the collective subconscious of sentient Equestria. I must be constantly vigilant.

Vwwwwwwwwwsh

As he had told himself, Spirit reacted instantly to the purple trapezoid that suddenly dissolved into view. But he wasn't ready to see one black pony topple from the darkness within the dimensional quadrilateral, shaking his smoky mane out of his face and blinking his bright grey eyes.

"Silver!"

The manifestation pony looked up at Spirit, then at Princess Luna still focused on the moon, and finally at their magic-infused surroundings. "What's going on here?" he asked, having failed to put it all together.

"I'll tell you, but what happened out there?" Spirit countered. "How did you get into the dreamscape? Wouldn't you be with the bat ponies of the night guard right now?

"I was. Up on the wall standing watch, in fact. Summer and Overcast are probably panicking." When he noticed the prophet's blank look, Silver tried again. "It wasn't me, though! I was just looking down the mountain when, all of a sudden, I was pulled backwards and the next thing I knew I was here."

"Through the portal," Spirit added. His gaze flew to Luna, the moon appearing to almost touch her. "This isn't good."

"Aside from the bat ponies worrying about me, how else?" Silver asked.

"If you managed to get into the dreamscape, against your will, undoubtedly drawn by Princess Luna's magic, try to imagine how easy it would be for someone who wanted to get in."

The manifestation's slit pupils narrowed further. "Oh, heck."

Spirit directed his thoughts back to the alricorn. <Luna, stop!>

She heard him then, but it was too late. Luna flinched slightly and looked down toward Spirit, but the moon continued to move until it was right behind her. A burning purple aura ringed the silvery moon and darkness spread across its surface: the inky blackness of the shadows. A great writhing sound spilled out of the black purple-ringed moon, like one might imagine coming from under their bed at night.

<Luna, flee!"

Telepathy turned to verbal speech and the blue alicorn dove off the cliff, mere moments before a cloud of red-tinged darkness funneled out of the moon and spilled across the dreamscape surface like a desert flood. Individual manifestations popped out of the mass, red eyes glinting evilly. The essence of sin spread like oil, vanishing the starry 'ground' beneath a living blanket of pitch.

Spirit and Silver rushed over to where Luna had landed from her leap. "Princess, are you okay?" Silver asked, his eyes flashing with fear.

"Yes, I am all right." Luna glanced over at the endlessly oncoming manifestations. "We must stop them before they spread to the rest of the dreamscape."

"I got this." Spirit stepped forward, spread his legs and called on his magic. A steady stream of energy spouted from his horn, rising high overhead until it began to spread like an umbrella. The nearly-transparent sheet of magic careened outwards and downwards. Dozens of red-eyed manifestations peered up at it and picked up the pace of their flooding, desperate to avoid being trapped. Spirit's barrier touched down just in time and the manifestations on the run collided with it, splattering across it like paint. Spirit, Luna, Silver and the manifestations were now all under one roof, cut off from the rest of the dreamscape.

Silver whistled, blowing off some of his lower lip. "Cool trick."

"A little something I picked up from Shining Armor," Spirit said, steadying himself from the slight drain on his stamina. "Large-scale barrier spell; works surprisingly well for the amount of magic that goes into it."

"It's amazing," Luna whispered in awe.

The compliments were short lived as the manifestations, now with no where else to go, turned their attention to the three ponies within the barrier. They swirled upwards and surrounded the prophet, the princess and the reformed manifestation in a wall of smokey black vaguely-shaped beings.

Spirit drew his staff and held it at its full length. "Stay back," he warned, his tone calm but with an edge to it.

Several manifestations stopped in front of the staff and stepped away from the masses. One of them reached out and gingerly touched the head of the staff, only to be blasted back by a flash of light, knocking itself and its companions back into the churning storm of evil.

"What do you want with us?" Luna demanded, calling upon her own magic for trigger response.

You? What do we want with you? Nothing, to be sure, but you've barred our way so we need a new goal.

One particularly dark manifestation separated itself from the mass. It was in the shape of a large bulky unicorn, its flowing tattered mane streaked with as varying shades of black and grey can get and its eyes seemed particularly bright. Silver shrunk back at the sight of him, attempting to squeeze his being into a smaller size.

"You expect anything less? You come to sow fear and despair in the personal havens of ponykind. We could not allow that."

Even at the risk of your own lives? the manifestation rumbled, its mouth unneeded in its speech. After the darkness some of you have known and felt? His red eyes blinked laser dots on Luna's chest and Silver's nose. The reformed manifestation looked absolutely terrified, surrounded by his old kin and literally targeted by them.

"Leave them alone," Spirit demanded, pointing his staff at the unicorn's chest. "Your battle is, has and always will be with me alone."

The manifestation laughed. You forget, 613, that we exist only to motivate further sin and spread greater darkness. In truth, we have nothing for you. His eyes continued to bore holes into Luna and Silver. Not you, but those who have a darkness which can be recalled, they are worthy targets.

The manifestations swarmed upwards, turning their ring into a dome and blocking out the light. Spirit and Luna lit their horns, but found nothing but darkness beyond their cast auras. Worse than a herd of zebras, it was impossible to tell what was dark and what was manifestation.

"Cowards," Spirit hissed. "They won't confront us directly."

"What did they mean by that?" Silver asked, floating himself between the two blue ponies. "'Darkness which could be recalled.'"

Luna probed the impenetrable darkness, but with each look her light weakened. She'd understood what the manifestation had been referring to. At least, in her case. Could this sentient essence of evil really transform her again into what she feared to become? Would she be unable to stop herself as she once had?

I must be careful, she told herself, not to let negative emotions get the better of me. Jealousy fueled Nightmare before, but the manifestations may be able to recall her with any adverse feeling.

The trio continued to watch, waiting for the manifestations to make their move. While Luna focused on keeping calm and collected, Spirit had to be careful to maintain the barrier beyond the darkness. I can't let them escape and invade the rest of the dreamscape, otherwise all of Equestria would be at risk and will be powerless to stop them. The prophet stared hard at the manifestations all around them. Maybe if I released my magic at once, I could disperse them all and crumble the barrier with their essence.

The idea he had in mind was a risky one; Spirit only resorted to using it when there was much at stake, such as multiple worlds being threatened, as it would leave him drained of all power, rendering him incapable of further defending anyone. It's the only way I can prevent them from getting to Luna and Silver. I'm gonna have to—

"Aaaagh!"

Spirit bent his neck back as far as it would go and fired a bolt of magic, forcing a scream from the ring of writhing darkness, but he'd missed his target. One bold stupid manifestation had launched itself at the ponies, narrowly avoided Spirit's attack and slammed Luna in the shoulder, whereupon it dissolved into nothing. For one crucial distracted moment, Spirit turned himself to face Luna and check her condition, but then a multitude of manifestations jumped on the bandwagon and threw themselves at the moon princess, fading against her with each hit.

No! They're trying to invoke Nightmare Moon from the inside!

Spirit cast barrier after barrier, trying to separate Luna from the oncoming darkness and hopefully end their attempt, but the manifestations wouldn't let up and shattered every one, filling Luna's being with their essence. With his power sustaining the main barrier around them all, Spirit couldn't muster enough magic to strengthen the smaller ones and save Luna.

I can't let out what magic I have left, Spirit realized with sorrow. The barrier would break apart and I've already used too much to disperse them. I can't do it.

When the tables suddenly turned against them, Silver Shade found himself feeling something he couldn't remember ever feeling before or after his reformation: anger. Who were the manifestations, what he had once been a part of, attempting to force a being like Princess Luna to become a monster and terrorize the land she only recently had come back to? His mind overcome with rage, Silver roared and expanded himself, spreading around the blue alicorn and blocking the manifestations from reaching her. When they tried to creep around him from behind Luna, Silver spread himself further and protected that side as well.

Silver's head rolled to the top of his personal protection dome. "You will not touch Princess Luna," he said, voice reverberating within the manifested blackness. His eyes flashed brightly and a cloud of darkness began to fill the dome he'd wrought, hiding Luna from view.

"What are you doing?" Spirit called over the noise of the swooping evil.

The reformed manifestation turned his glowing eyes on the prophet. "I'm going to draw the manifestations out of Princess Luna. I'll draw every speck of evil they pumped into her and take it into myself, as well as anything left over from her time spent as Nightmare Moon. This way, even if they tried again, they will never be able to turn Luna back."

"But what about you?" Spirit protested. "You are the only manifestation of your kind. The Republic needs you. The universes need you!"

Silver smiled. "You do this all the time, don't you? Risk yourself for the good of all? If I'm really on your side, I'll have to show that I can do it too. I'll start, and finish, by saving Equestria from eternal night."

"Silver, wait!"

That was all the prophet managed to get out before his senses were overloaded by a huge flash, hammering his ears while weightlessness took over. The feeling of suspension lasted for what felt like mere seconds and Spirit came to lying on the floor, the dreamscape within his barrier seemingly filled with ash. The storm of manifestations was nowhere in sight, but Luna was on her feet, shaking like grass in a breeze.

"Princess!" Spirit hurried to the alicorn's side. She seemed unharmed on the outside. "Are you okay?"

Luna didn't answer at once. Her eyes were trained past the prophet at something else. "Silver."

Dreading what he would find, Spirit turned and beheld a heartbreaking sight. Standing alone to the side of his barrier was a tall black pony, a mane of pure darkness swirling around its head. Two huge sharply-cut wings stood against its sides and right below each one, splayed on either flank, was the cutie mark: a wide, slit-pupil, malevolent red eye.

<Silver.>

The pony turned, his main eyes reflecting his blood-colored cutie mark. "This is how fate would have it," he said, sounding simultaneously bitter and prideful. "I saved the world, and now I am to destroy it. But first, I will have to get through you."

Darkness seeped from the dreamscape itself, drawn to the creature that was once one-of-a-kind. The leftover essence of the manifestations swirled around the black pony like the tilted rings of a planet. The eyes of manifestations occasionally bubbled up inside the gathered maelstrom, eerie voices calling out from within. Without so much as a twitch from the dark pony, a beam of darkness shot out of the ring and zapped towards Spirit and Luna.

"I won't give up on you, Silver!" Spirit swung his staff at the beam like a baseball bat and deflected it toward the barrier. The black attack evaporated against the magic shield. "You're too important to me!"

"You should have Sealed me away back in the Everfree forest."

A vicious hail of light and darkness exploded within the prophet's barrier. Silver let loose a torrent of never-ending black beams, leaving Spirit little time to block them and simultaneously attack back. Black and blue darted back and forth in a deadly fireworks display.

During all of this, Luna was hidden behind Spirit's valiant defense, taking it all in and trying to come up with a plan. Since her return, she had hidden herself away behind the castle walls, the rooms inside it, her sister Celestia and now her midnight companion. At first, she had welcomed the uselessness to avoid facing the present, her future, but watching Spirit fight and protect her made Luna feel terrible about her choice.

All this time, hiding behind other ponies, and what do I have to show for it? I could have been working to better this new modern Equestria. I might have even been able to stop the manifestations from ever coming! And now here I am, cowering behind my friend as he fights for the world within the dimension linking all of Equestria; the realm I'm supposed to be protecting.

The Princess of the Night stood up, eyes narrowed determinedly. No more hiding. It's time I returned to Equestria, to my rightful place besides my sister as a ruler of our kingdom. Her eyes shone white and Luna leapt into the air, calling upon her alicorn magic. Neither Silver nor Spirit noticed the night princess until she was hovering ten feet overhead, drawing Silver's blood-red gaze upwards.

"What—"

"Silver Shade," Luna called, her voice magnified several times. "From the beginning of your existence, you have been confused as to your role in life. When the prophet found you and offered a choice, you accepted upon yourself good over evil. Since then, you have experienced and learned many things, even combating your original kin.

Silver blinked once, then unleashed a barrage of darkness toward Luna. With a rapid beating of her wings, the night princess brushed the black beams aside like paper, much to both the empowered manifestation and Spirit's surprise. Now you have been taken back by evil, sacrificed yourself, but you did so to save another; one of the highest of selfless acts. In doing so, you have reminded me of the great responsability that I have, to serve the ponies of Equestria.

"As the Princess of the Night."

Luna's magic once again filled the area like a flood, drowning Silver and Spirit in energy. Upon contact with the prophet's barrier, the magic sealed any cracks that had formed and reinforced it with a shining blue aura. The surge of magic tore off shreds of darkness from Silver's black halo, tossing aside the many manifestation like wet rags. Silver himself was forced onto his knees by the magical gale, any attack he made whipped away by pure energy.

"What. Is. This?!" he spluttered, squinting his eyes as he tried to focus on Luna.

The alicorn princess hovered without the use of her wings. Her hooves were spread out and her mane flowed like a cape behind her. Magic flowed from her horn in great blue sheets, enveloping Luna in a shining cocoon. The prophet and the manifestation gazed up in awe, everything else forgotten in the wake of Luna's accomplishment. A crack appeared in the magic plating and a second later, the whole thing split apart in a radiant explosion.

<Luna?> Spirit called out. <Luna, are you okay?>

<We are.>

The glare died down and Spirit dared to raise his eyes. Hovering overhead was a pony he was sure he had seen before. She was tall, not as much as Celestia but bigger than the average mare. She wore a shiny black chestplate marked with a crescent moon, silvery shoes and a small black tiara perched behind her horn. Her blue mane floated on its own, airborne by magic, and was enchantingly transparent on the edge. The new alicorn bore the same cutie mark as Luna: a crescent moon on a black background.

<Luna.>

The alicorn opened her eyes: intense cyan eyes full of shining life. When she spoke, her voice thundered like an echo in a deep cave. "NOW THAT WE ARE RETURNED TO OUR TRUE FORM, YOU, MANIFESTATION OF DARKNESS AND SIN, SHALL BE THE FIRST TO FEEL THE ULTIMATE POWER OF NIGHT."

Magic coiled around Princess Luna, gathering before her in a barely contained mass. Silver's pupils shrank and multiple manifestations formed from his mane, all of them with the same expression of shock. A few even tried to pull away from Silver, sensing imminent danger, but couldn't disconnect themselves from the empowered manifestation.

"THE LIGHT OF THE MOON!"

A beam of pure shining energy blasted out from before Luna. It struck Silver full on, forcing him to his knees and keeping him down as the light continued to burst against him. The intense light severed dozens of manifestations from him and they floated around in the lunar glare, helpless in the encompassing light. Through a visor of magic that protected his eyes, Spirit watched and concocted a plan.

I need to catch those manifestations before they reorient themselves and attack. I need Seals, but what do I have left? I've used almost half of the emblems and objects I can think of on a whim: Pocket, Wizarding, Feudal, Digital, Olympian, Foovian, Feuda..... Right then, Spirit realized something. Something of great importance.

I used the Shikon Seal to trap the manifestation that went into the Everfree forest after Apple Bloom. But then I used it again, no, another one to capture the hex manifestation in the museum. That means I should be able to replicate all those Seals as many times as I like!

So Spirit raised his staff and called upon his arcane equine power. Magic flowed around him, swirling in huge waves of mist-like substance. Nopony paid him any attention; Luna was too focused on keeping a steady flow of blinding light going; Silver was too overloaded with light to look anywhere else; and the rest of the manifestations were too groggy from being separated from their newly-designated nexus.

Here they come.

Points of light twinkled in the hook of the prophet's staff, growing brighter and larger and more defined, each one turning into a Seal. They were all copies of the ones Spirit had used already, but he had come to realized that it didn't matter, because that's all they were: copies. Still, they did the job.

Swinging his staff like a butterfly net, Spirit loosened the collection of Seals as he ran through the haze of frozen manifestations, the seals reacting to the contact with the dark beings. As they were activated, the Seals dropped from the staff and dragged the manifestation down into it, leaving room for more Seals to form and more stunned manifestations to take their place.

By then, Luna's mighty blast of moonlight was dying down, now coming out as a thin beam of light, but still she kept trickling power into the attack. Silver could not look away, the pupils in his burning red eyes reduced to thin slits. Each second of exposure to Luna's light released more manifestations from him, which were quickly caught by Spirit and his lot of Seals.

Within minutes, there were no manifestations left. Spirit came to a stop, Seals hovering around him in a magical grasp like giant dust motes. There were close to a hundred in all, one of the biggest number he'd ever caught at once.

All that's left is Silver. Spirit looked to his once friend. Silver seemed completely drained of life, completely still except for his barely moving eyes. His previously flowing mane hung lank, devoid of manifestation power to fuel its properties. His inky black coat and been bleached a dusty grayish-white from exposure to the intense light.

Luna's eyes stopped glowing and she slowly lowered herself gracefully to the non-ground. She approached Silver; he didn't react. "How the mighty have fallen," she said with a shred of bitterness, looking purposefully at the many Seals hanging around Spirit. "Tis only unfortunate that this victory came at a cost."

Spirit gathered the Seals into a large pile, set them down and stood by Luna's side. "Princess, you've regained your power," he said, barely containing his delight for her. "Your grown form, it's more than I expected and as great as you'd described."

"Hm." Luna smiled a little vainly and ran a hoof through her floating mane. "It does feel good to be back. I had forgotten what it was like to be at the height of one's power."

"Everyone will be overjoyed to hear of your return, your sister especially."

"I am in no hurry to reintroduce myself to our fair land," Luna said quickly, the shy demeanor Spirit had seen of her coming back. "We have been gone for one thousand years, a thousand years in which many have forgotten us. It will take a while before we are quite ready to reveal our renewed presence."

"As you wish," Spirit said with a polite little bow.

"Besides, there is a more pressing matter we must attend to at present."

Luna turned to look at Silver. The bleached manifestation still didn't move. "Silver Shade, you have been born, befriended, tricked and drained all in a short span of time. You have experienced more than most ponies, or even your own kin, would be expected to in that time. Despite everything, in the end, you were treated merely as a vessel for evil, through no fault of your own. Despite being born into it, you chose to embrace the bright side of the darkness. At the end of the day, you saved me.

"For that, I give you this gift."

The Night Princess strode over to the frozen manifestation and touched her horn to his white forehead. Silver's body began to glow with Luna's blue aura, his limbs twitching on their own accord. His red eyes jammed shut and his body curled up, hiding any recognizable equine features as he was engulfed in magic. Spirit shielded his eyes from the magical glare and watched, entranced.

<What are you doing, Princess?> he asked with his thoughts.

A familiar voice called into Spirit's head <Welcoming him.>

The magic surge faded and the light died down. Before them lay a male pegasus with a coat of dark-grey azure. His mane was as dark a blue as Spirit could imagine, with a single brighter stripe down the middle. Upon closer inspection, the prophet noted the leathery wings at the pony's side, as well as the furry tufts of his ears . The pony's flank was bare.

"Is this Silver?" Spirit asked.

"You will have to ask him that yourself," Princess Luna replied, gesturing to the grey form.

The grey pony opened his eyes and blinked, silvery slit-pupiled eyes adapting to the light of the dreamscape. "How am I still here?" he wondered aloud. The voice sounded like Silver's, but the prophet could not be sure. Reformed as he had been, Silver was still a manifestation and had an aura of one: a creeping sense of darkness. This pony's inner energy was all its own.

"Silver?" the prophet asked by name.

The response came without hesitation. "Yeah?"

"It is you!"

"Of course it's me," Silver said, standing up. "Who else would it be?"

"You just look.... different now. Again."

"Huh?" Silver checked out his hooves, then turned to look at the rest of himself. "How do I have a solid form? Even before, I only ever tweaked my shape, never actually becoming solid."

"That is because you now are substantial," Luna explained, approaching Silver. "Because of your brave act, we were spared from being overtaken by the manifestations and being turned into Nightmare Moon. For that, we owe you a great debt and have therefore decided to grant you this gift. You are now a true pony."

Silver was silent as he took it all in. "True?" he finally said. "Existing for real, not as a shadow of darkness? I never would've imagined it could happen."

"This changes so much," Spirit exclaimed excitedly. "If manifestations can be turned from their sinful path, we could spare Equestria from their classic evils!"

"No, Spirit Guide," Princess Luna cut him off. "This transformation is being gifted only to Silver. It will not be used merely to make the elimination of the manifestations' threat easy."

The prophet sighed in defeat. "You're right. But it really is amazing," he added, circling around Silver. "What you did here is amazing. How do you feel, Silver?"

"Honestly? Incomplete." He glanced sideways at his bare flank. "Even as a ponified manifestation, I still had a cutie mark. Over the time I've spent with you, Twilight and the others, I've come to realize just how important a cutie mark is. I feel bad without one."

"I noticed that too. It is strange." Spirit looked to the princess of the night. "Do you know, Princess?"

"The transformation will have stripped away Silver's previous talent and destiny, which would explain his lacking a cutie mark. As to how or whether he will get a new mark, I do not know."

The three ponies stood in silence, all of them thinking the same thoughts and sharing the same concerns. "Cutie mark aside, I'm a bat pony now," Silver declared with relish, breaking the silence.

"Yes, you certainly are," Luna said with a smile. "It gives me great pleasure seeing how happy you are with the form we have given you. We have always loved the bat ponies like our children, and they have been loyal to us for as long as we can remember. To have you among them is a great honor."

"Among them..." Spirit looked up at the barrier he had erected, and then at the pile of Seals. With a quick wave of his horn, he dispelled the giant dome of magic and built a smaller one around the pile. "Silver, what do you plan to do now?"

"Do? What do you mean? You and Fang will be going back to Ponyville soon; I'll come back with you."

"You want to stay with us?"

"What else would I do?" the manifestation asked. "Being with you, the prophet, that's what felt right when I realized the truth. If I could, I would stay by your side to fight for you."

Spirit smiled appreciatively. "That's great. More than that, really, but..."

"But what?"

"I think you should stay here, in Canterlot, with Luna and her guards."

The ex-manifestation gasped over-dramatically. "Do you mean you.... you don't..."

"Not at all," Spirit said quickly. "I enjoy your company and appreciate your loyalty too, but I believe you would do better here, being with those with whom you can relate to while protecting that which you have already protected."

"The prophet is right, Silver," Princess Luna said. "You are certainly not bound to it, but your being among the night guard would be a welcome addition to the ranks. You are already popular with the bat ponies and I hold you in the highest regard. We, no, I wish you would consider staying in Canterlot."

Silver sunk into silent thought as he weighed the options in his head. Luna and Spirit took a few steps back to give him space to consider without distraction. <Will you really take him in if he chooses to stay?> Spirit asked the princess in closed thought speech.

<We would welcome him as one of our own, which he now is. The only question is whether or not he would choose the life of a night guard, watching ever-vigilant over the capital of Equestria, over returning to a quiet lifestyle with you,> Luna replied in her mind.

<Hardly quiet. Manifestations never give me a break; not even on my day of rest.>

"Okay, I'll stay."

The princess and the prophet spun around at the answer. "Really?" Luna asked, a tone of joy not going unnoticed. "You will stay in Canterlot with us?"

"It's all I could think about as of late, to be honest," Silver admitted. "Hanging with the night guard filled my mind with only them, and by extension the thought of protecting the castle. And you."

Princess Luna smiled and the dreamscape stars twinkled high above. "We appreciate your decision."

"I'll miss you," Spirit said, putting a hoof on Silver's shoulder. "Fang will probably flood a bucket when he hears the news. But if you feel that this is the best choice for you, I'll back you up."

"It only makes sense," Silver explained. "I was born into an existence of destruction, so now I'm doing a one-eighty and working hard to protect it."

As he spoke those last words, a glow appeared on Silver's flank, drawing everyone's attention to it. A vague shape began to draw itself upon his side and then the glow faded, leaving behind a blue shield with a slit-pupiled silvery eye nestled in the center of it. Silver gaped at the symbol on his flank, mouthing several times before finally speaking.

"I got my cutie mark."

"A symbol of watching and protecting," Spirit noted. "It followed in with your new role."

"An appropriate mark for an exceptional pony," Princess Luna announced, her wings spreading majestically to match her proud, confident voice. "Your cutie mark reflects your vision in the decisions you have made, as well as the length you've gone to go to defend those you care about. Congratulations, Silver Shade."

All at once, Silver's body vaporized into black smoke, still keeping the general shape of the bat pony he had become. Spirit and Luna leapt back, magic flaring at their horns, but a moment later Silver's body reformed and the last wisps of smoke hardened back into hair. "Sorry," he said with a sigh. "I guess even Princess Luna's magic isn't enough to completley turn me from my past."

"No, I don't think that's it." Spirit drew his staff and gently touched it to Silver's chest. Using the staff's hook, Spirit teased away a few strands of Silver's grey mane, and charged the staff with his magic. The hair, still attached, turned to black smoke.

"Looks like you can revert to your manifestation form at will," Spirit declared, pulling back his staff, causing Silver's hair to turn back. "That could be useful in a chase that leads through brick walls."

Luna and Silver laughed, and Spirit found himself joining in. "Yes, so it would seem," the princess agreed, wiping away a tear of mirth. "So certainly not a shade, then how about.... Silver Sentinel?"

The manifestation-turned-bat pony seemed to glow at Luna's words, the energy of the dreamscape complying with the positivity and bending the light around him to shine. "Yes. A sentinel, I will become."

Princess Luna walked over to Silver's side and draped a wing over him. "I will enjoy having you on the night guard, Silver Sentinel," she said brightly. "I'm sure you will be a great asset to the throne, and my sister will be sure to agree."

"I sure hope so," Spirit said, already starting to plan the following day. The developments of that night had pushed his plans forward ahead of schedule, duly bringing both the positives and negatives. "Now that we've concluded the main event, I feel that we should continue our program of keeping the dreams of ponykind safeguarded."

"Though maybe not from manifestations anymore," Princess Luna said, waving a hoof at the barred pile of Seals. "I cannot sense a shred of their presence nearby."

"They might not all have gathered when these ones all swarmed us; we should make sure all the same and not take any chances," Spirit insisted, pulling his saddlebags into the dream realm and stowing the Seals impossibly into them. "Especially with tomorrow coming."

"Why? What's going on tomorrow? Did I miss something?" Silver asked.

"No, and don't worry. You'll find out." Spirit Guide, Princess Luna and Silver Shade departed from the temporary bluff setting, the fateful location where miracles had occurred, and began a determined midnight stroll to seek out and entrap any remaining darkness. "Also," Spirit continued, turning to the princess of the night, "Can you help me with something, Luna?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"There is a specific pony's subconscious that I need to contact. One I feel you will have no trouble leading me to."

Author's Note:

Another one of those chapters planned mostly in advance