Chapter Five
CHAPTER FIVE
It was dawn. Twilight trotted out of her room, humming a cheerful melody as she made her way down the hall to Nyx’s door. She knocked before opening it and sticking her head in. “Good morning, Nyx! Rise and shine, it’s time to get—” Twilight froze. The room was empty!
“Nyx? Nyx! Where are you?” There was no reply. Twilight’s eyes widened. She ran into the room, searching for clues to Nyx’s whereabouts. She was not in the bed, or under the table. Twilight ran a hoof through her mane, mind racing. Had Chrysalis stolen her away, as Princess Celestia predicted? Twilight did not think Chrysalis could penetrate the Castle’s wards—but then, she knew magic Twilight had never heard of. Who knew what she was truly capable of?
Twilight checked the window. It was locked, and did not look as though it had been forced. That meant that no-pony could have come in or out through there. That left one other place to check.
She lifted the bed skirts. To her great relief, Nyx lay under the bed, fast asleep. She was wrapped in her strange blanket, and using Twilight’s old saddlebags as a pillow. Nyx looked so cute like this! Twilight could not suppress a smile. But she also felt a little uneasy. Why wasn’t Nyx sleeping on the bed?
Her eyes crept open. Twilight’s smile broadened. “Good morning! It’s time to wake up!”
Nyx huffed and buried her face in the saddlebag. She moaned irritably.
“Come on, rise and shine!” Twilight pressed. “I need you to come out from under there.”
Nyx reluctantly obeyed. She still wore her silver peytral, as well as her eggplant-colored coat. Twilight looked at them in bewilderment. “You slept in your coat? Weren’t you hot?”
Nyx shrugged. Her eyes looked bleary.
“You don’t need to wear your coat in the castle, it keeps a stable temperature always. Why don’t you go ahead and take it off?”
Nyx wrapped herself tighter in the coat, to Twilight’s bewilderment.
“Do you get cold easily?” she asked. “In that case, why don’t we let some light in here?” Twilight opened the curtains, bathing the room in sunlight. It was a bright, clear winters day. The sun sat just above the horizon, its light reflecting off the snowy grounds. Nyx flinched in the light.
“See? It’s a beautiful day. My mentor, Princess Celestia, is responsible for raising the sun! Isn’t that amazing?”
Nyx looked at the sun, her gaze blurry and unfocused. Her pupils thinned and her eyelids drooped.
“It’s time for breakfast,” Twilight continued. “Spike’s already in the kitchen—he’s making pancakes! Doesn’t that sound good?”
Nyx offered no reply.
“I’ll take you down to the kitchen in a bit. Why don’t you freshen up, and then we’ll go down together. Sound good?”
Silence. Twilight frowned. It was very hard to talk to some-pony who didn’t say anything back. Perhaps Nyx would open up after she tried some of Spike’s pancakes? Twilight hoped this would be the case as she turned and trotted out of the room.
Nyx looked into the sunlight. Opaque membranes slid across her eyes from the side, briefly turning them milky-white before retracting. Her normal eyelids drooped further, and she yawned, fangs gleaming in the light. Nyx proceeded straightway to the underside of the bed.
She froze. A mouse snuffled about on top of her blanket, its tiny nose twitching. It paid her no heed.
Nyx became alert. Her pupils dilated, focusing in on the mouse. She lowered herself to the floor and crept closer to it, eyes gleaming.
The mouse suddenly became aware of her presence. Nyx snarled and lunged at it, but the tiny rodent scurried away. It darted out from under the bed. Nyx poked her head out to pursue, but stopped when she saw the tail of the mouse disappear inside a tiny hole behind the nightstand.
Nyx huffed irritably and threw herself onto the fur blanket.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight re-emerged from her bedroom, holding several books aloft in her magic. She was going back down the hall when a door opened. Starlight Glimmer poked her head out. “Good morning,” she said. Her voice sounded a little husky. “What books do you have today?”
“These? They’re books on child care! After you went to bed, I pulled down as many as I could find!”
Starlight smiled. “Of course. Did you get any sleep last night?”
Twilight chuckled nervously. “I slept…eventually? But I was so excited! I went through several of these books…I want to raise Nyx right.”
“That’s so you, Twilight. What’d you get?”
“Some of the best! I have “The Care and Keeping of Colts and Fillies,” “Rearing Responsible Foals Responsibly,” and “How Little Fillies Become Lovely Ladies.”
“Rarity would love that last one.” Starlight pointed at another book. “What is that one called?”
“This? “Elever des pouliches magiques.” It’s a classic!”
Starlight blinked. “Sorry, what?”
“O, right, you don’t speak Prench. Translated, it means “On Raising Magical Fillies.” It’s a very popular unicorn text…but I think the Equestrian translation loses a lot of the flavor of the original Prench text—”
“I’m sure it does,” Starlight cut in. “But are you sure these books will help with Nyx?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t they?”
Starlight bit her lip. “Well, they were written for normal fillies. But Nyx definitely isn’t normal. Are you sure these books will work with a child like her?”
“They should. I know Nyx is an alicorn, but she’s a normal filly otherwise. Why wouldn’t they work?”
“Nyx isn’t exactly a normal alicorn either.”
“Okay, a normal filly with an unusual birth and exotic eyes,” Twilight admitted. “But that shouldn’t make her too different from any other filly.”
“If you say so.”
Twilight smiled. “We can learn more about her at breakfast! I can’t wait to find out what toppings she likes on her pancakes!”
“That’ll be interesting. Let’s take her down, then.” She took a step forward, and gasped sharply. She turned and glared at her flank.
“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.
“I’ll be fine. Chrysalis threw me pretty hard yesterday. My flank is still sore.”
Twilight glanced at it. She could see a wide purple bruise around the point Starlight’s tail connected with her body. “Do you need to go back to bed?”
Starlight waved her off. “No, no, I’ll be fine. It’s just a sprain, I’ll get over it.” She glanced at the door to Nyx’s room. “Do we teleport in?”
“No, teleportation spooks her. We’ll just have to knock.”
Starlight nodded. She followed Twilight to Nyx’s room, wincing as she trotted. Twilight opened the door and poked her head in.
“I’m back! Ready for breakfast?” She stopped. The room was empty again.
Starlight looked in behind her. “Did she go down already?”
“She doesn’t know the way. I think…” Twilight made her way to the bed and flipped the bed skirts up. As she suspected, Nyx was under the bed again. She had gone back to sleep.
Starlight carefully lowered herself next to Twilight. “Aw, that’s so cute! It’s like she’s in a little den.”
“I just got her up!” Twilight protested. “She was supposed to get ready for breakfast!”
“She’s probably tired. Why don’t we let her sleep in, and feed her when she wakes up?”
“That’s the worst thing we could do!” Twilight snapped open “On Raising Magical Fillies” and turned to a carefully tabbed page. “See? Right here on page two-hundred and thirty-seven.”
“Okay. What am I supposed to be seeing?”
“What? O, right…roughly translated, it says, “…it is important for your little one to keep to a steady rhythm each day. She should rise and set with Celestia’s sun.” See? We need to keep her on a consistent schedule!”
“I get that, but don’t you remember what Thorax said? About Nyx being a night pony?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “O. She’s used to sleeping during the day.” Her left ear twitched. “But that’s not feasible! She needs to adjust to a daytime schedule!”
Starlight nodded. “I agree with you, Twilight. But in the meantime, perhaps we should step back and see what hours she’s used to?”
Twilight felt irritated. “We should have asked the Changelings about her routine.”
“I guess it just slipped our minds. After everything that happened yesterday, I don’t think any-pony can blame us for that.”
Twilight nodded glumly. “Yesterday was pretty stressful,” she conceded. “I guess we can let her sleep in.”
Starlight rose gingerly. “Good idea. We can ask her about her normal routine later.”
Twilight nodded. “And in the meantime, let’s see to that bruise of yours. I think I have just the thing…”
The two mares left the room. Neither of them noticed Nyx crack an eye open.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rainbow Dash was incredulous. “She isn’t up yet? Still?”
Twilight shook her head, seating herself at the table.
“But it’s four in the afternoon! Even I don’t sleep in this long!”
“I know. We’re going to have to work on getting her up earlier.”
Twilight and her friends sat on their thrones surrounding the map table. Above their heads hung a great chandelier of tree roots, magical baubles hanging from them like ornaments—all that remained of the old Golden Oaks library. They were not the only ones in the room. Spike had a throne for himself, and Starlight sat in a wooden chair next to Twilight.
True to their word, every-pony had arrived at the appointed hour for lunch, only to discover that Nyx was still asleep. They waited a full hour before finally conceding defeat and taking lunch without her. Then they gathered in the throne room. Twilight had been going up now and again to check on Nyx, and had just returned from her latest inspection.
“And she’s sleeping under the bed?” Rarity asked, for the umpteenth time. “That’s so peculiar! I’ve stayed the night here, and your beds are the most luxurious I’ve ever slept in!”
“I think it sounds adorable!” Fluttershy said. “Would it be alright if I went up to see her? I promise to be extra quiet.”
“No, we don’t want to risk waking her,” Twilight replied. “We’re trying to get a feel for her usual hours.”
Applejack shook her head, irritated. “If you ask me, it was pretty dang irresponsible of Chrysalis to keep that little filly up all night.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Because everything about Chrysalis screams “responsible.””
“But why did she do that?” Dash asked, puzzled. “Has Nyx said anything to you about that?”
Twilight shook her head. “She hasn’t said anything at all.”
“O, that poor dear!” Fluttershy said. “Maybe she’s still scared of talking after living with Chrysalis for so long.”
Pinkie Pie gasped. “Maybe she doesn’t know how to talk!”
“Or perhaps she’s naturally quiet,” Rarity suggested. “She has a very muted hoof-step.”
Twilight pondered. “When Thorax first mentioned her to us, he said that she was able to talk. And she made some audible responses to me this morning. I don’t think she wants to talk.”
“Looks like we got ourselves a bunch a’ questions,” Applejack said. “I reckon we ought to have stayed at that there Hive and asked a few.”
Twilight nodded. “I agree. The next time we see Thorax we should ask him about her. And interview any Changelings who would know about her habits.”
“And find out what kind of cake she likes!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “It’ll help me plan her Welcome-To-Ponyville party!”
“O yeah? How’s that going?” Spike asked.
Pinkie’s face fell. “I’m…kind of stuck. It’s so weird! I’ve been working extra-super-duper hard on it, but every time I sit down to plan in my ultra-top-secret underground party cave that every-pony knows about, I keep drawing a blank!”
“Really?” Twilight asked, surprised. “That’s strange. What’s the problem?”
“I don’t know! I write “Welcome Party for Nyx” down, draw a nice, long line under it…and then zilch!” She suddenly looked thoughtful, or as thoughtful as was possible for a pony like Pinkie Pie to be. “Maybe I’m doing something wrong.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Twilight said. “After all, we have another celebration we need to plan.”
“We do?” Starlight asked, looking between the other girls in bewilderment. “For what?”
The girls grinned at one another. “Well,” Twilight said. “Recently, we were held captive by an evil changeling Queen.”
“But then,” Fluttershy continued, “Some very brave ponies, a draconequus, and a friendly changeling came and saved us!”
“And we’re all so very grateful to them for rescuing us,” Rarity giggled.
“So, we thought we’d thank ‘em by throwing a huge whoop-dee-doo in their honor!” Applejack finished.
Starlight’s cheeks turned deep cerise. “You really don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, we do,” Twilight said. “If it weren’t for you, every-pony would be suffering under the cruel reign of Queen Chrysalis!”
“Yeah! And I don’t wanna think about what she was going to do to us after she took our love!” Dash added, shuddering.
“Me neither,” Fluttershy whispered. “I had bad dreams last night about that room! It was so scary! I can’t imagine how awful it must have been for little Nyx!”
Twilight nodded glumly. The bones in the fireplace loomed ominously in her mind. “We owe you guys a lot,” she said to Starlight. The least we can do is formally thank you for saving us.” Twilight smiled. “I’m very proud of you.” Starlight’s blush deepened.
Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie. “How about it? Does that sound like something you can do?”
Pinkie Pie smiled broadly, clapping her hooves together in excitement. “Planning a “Thank You for Saving All Our Lives” Party? Now that’s something I can definitely do! Easy-peasy!” She tapped her chin, sticking her tongue out in deep concentration. “Now, let’s see. We’ll need a stage to present our heroes, and a place to fit loads and loads of guests!”
“How about the ballroom?” Twilight suggested. “I’ve never used it before.”
“Sounds perfect!” Pinkie Pie squeaked, bouncing on her throne. “It’s brightly lit and extra roomy! We can invite our friends and fancy dignitaries to see it!” A new idea occurred to her. “O! We can invite the Changelings too!”
“Why do you want to invite them?” Dash demanded. “They’re why we needed rescuing in the first place!”
“Now Dash, they were only doing what Chrysalis made them do,” Rarity said. “But now that they have reformed, we can teach them about friendship.” She made a face. “We have a lot to teach them…”
“And we’re going to celebrate Thorax for helping save us!” Pinkie Pie added. “I think they’re going to want to come and see their new king be honored for saving his friends!”
“That’s a great idea,” Fluttershy said. “We can find out more about them now that they’re nice. We could ask them about Nyx, too.”
“Okay, okay, I guess they can come,” Dash relented. “But let’s not invite the ones that didn’t reform. Like Pharynx! And that Mandible creep.”
Spike shuddered. “Yeah, those guys gave me the willies!”
Twilight nodded. “That’s a good call. We don’t want the holdouts causing trouble. And I don’t want to have them near Nyx. They might frighten her.”
Rarity was interested. “You’ll be having Nyx attend, I take it?”
“Certainly! She’ll definitely want to see who helped free her from Chrysalis! She’ll probably want to thank Thorax personally.”
“Okay then!” Pinkie said. “Those are all the things I’ll need to get started on planning this great big party! I’m going to need lots of cake and punch and—O!” She added, a fresh idea occurring to her. “Let’s put out some traditional Changeling dishes!”
“Now there’s an idea,” Rarity said. “Do you know any?”
“Nope! I was hoping we could ask Thorax! He knows how to read now, right?”
“A little,” Twilight replied. “Sunburst was working with him on that. He can read basic passages, but Sunburst said his writing was still shaky.”
“So, asking him before the ceremony is problematic,” Starlight mused. She turned to Spike. “Did he mention anything about Changeling recipes to you?”
Spike shook his head. “Not to me. To be honest, he didn’t like to talk about his life in the Hive. He always seemed a little embarrassed about it.”
Applejack leaned forward. “Do you reckon a lot of their recipes use…meat?” She uttered that last word with great trepidation.
The girls looked at each other, mortified.
“Goodness!” Rarity whispered. “I did not consider that!”
“Cooking with meat?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “That’s the awfullest idea I’ve ever heard of!” She pulled out a notebook from her mane and jotted a few notes down with a pink quill pen. “I’ll just use normal party treats instead. We can ask the Changelings what they like later.”
“That covers refreshments,” Twilight said shakily. She felt nauseous. The fireplace in Chrysalis’s chambers loomed in her mind again. “Is there anything else we may need?”
“Dresses!” Rarity exclaimed. Her eyes were shining. “I have every-pony’s measurements on file, but I shall need to take Nyx’s. I must say, I’ve never worked with a coloring like hers before! With her unique palette I’m sure I can come up with something wonderful!”
“Thanks Rarity, but you don’t need to do all that,” Twilight interrupted. “I would prefer this ceremony be a little more casual.”
Rarity’s face fell. “O? But surely we could make it more formal! After all, we are celebrating our liberation from Chrysalis, as well as the Changeling’s reformation! And this will be Nyx’s debut to society, she’ll want to make an impression!”
“I understand,” Twilight replied sympathetically. “But the Changelings don’t have a tradition of formal wear.”
“So, if we wear stuff like that, they’ll probably feel intimidated,” Starlight added.
Rarity deflated. “I suppose you’re right. Those poor dears! They have been so deprived!” She laid a hoof over her forehead. Every-pony smiled and shook their heads at her theatrics. But then a new idea occurred to the fashionista: “In any case, why don’t you go ahead and bring Nyx along to my boutique tomorrow?”
“I guess I could,” Twilight replied. “How come?”
“Because I want to take her measurements and determine her season. And to make her a present!” she added, batting her eyelashes.
Dash snorted. “You just have to make her something, don’t you? Go on, what’s it gonna be? A dress?”
“A new coat.”
Applejack arched a brow. “Why d’ya want to do that for? She’s got a coat already.”
“I know. Such a repulsive thing! It’s such a crude creation! The only positive thing I can say about it is that the color was a good choice. It complements her mane. At least Chrysalis didn’t give her a black one, that might be too overpowering…although I suppose she could pull it off…”
“Nyx seems fond of it,” Twilight interrupted. “I found her sleeping in it.”
Rarity frowned. “That’s odd. Does she get cold easily?”
“I guess? She’s sleeping in her coat and that fuzzy blanket. She even left her peytral on.”
Dash cocked her head. “Her what?”
“Peytral. It’s that silver neck guard she wears.”
“O, you mean that metal bib thing?”
“It isn’t a bib, it’s a piece of barding,” Rarity corrected. “Like the ones the Sisters wear.”
“Whatever,” Dash said, rolling her eyes. “They look like bibs to me.”
“It looks kinda valuable,” Applejack mused. “I wonder why Chrysalis gave her somethin’ like that for?”
“I’m not sure,” Twilight replied. “I wonder why Nyx won’t take that stuff off?”
“Maybe they’re special to her,” Starlight suggested. “I mean, I doubt she had anything else to call her own.”
“Exactly!” Rarity exclaimed. “She wasn’t allowed to have many things, so she clings to what little she has! But she’ll toss that ratty old coat away when she sees the one I’ll make!”
“I dunno, her coat looks alright to me,” Applejack said. “Been meanin’ to ask. What’s that there coat made out of, anyway? Sure looks strong.”
Rarity furrowed her brow. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen material quite like that before. It reminds me a little of some plastic fabrics I’ve worked with, but courser.”
“I think I’ve seen something like it,” Twilight said.
“You have? O Darling, you simply must tell me where!”
“I don’t remember. But it looks familiar.”
Rarity sighed. “I suppose we can ask Nyx about it sometime. I’m rather curious to learn more about that fabric. As crude as that coat may be, the material has possibilities.”
“So, no-pony can identify the material that coat is made from?” Starlight asked, puzzled. “In that case, where did Chrysalis find it?”
“She probably stole it,” Rarity suggested. “Stole it off some poor traveler and cast it off on Nyx.”
“You sure?” Applejack asked. “That coat looks like a good fit to me.”
“She must have!” Rarity insisted. “I doubt Chrysalis would have wasted a lot of time on dressing Nyx, she’s such a horrid monster! She—well, look who it is!”
Rarity was looking at the door. Twilight turned and saw Nyx standing over the threshold.
“Well, good afternoon!” Twilight said warmly. “It’s great to see you up and about!”
“Finally,” Spike grumbled. Twilight glanced disapprovingly at him and he looked away, abashed.
“Why don’t you come right on in ‘ere,” Applejack said, smiling.
Nyx crept into the room, her large eyes peering into every corner. She glanced upwards, taking in the wooden chandelier with bewilderment. Twilight noticed she still wore her coat and silver peytral.
“I’m glad to see you found your way around,” Twilight said. “My castle is very large, and it’s easy to get lost in.”
“Isn’t that the truth,” Spike muttered.
Fluttershy left her seat and approached Nyx. “Hello, little one. Are you feeling better?” She spread a wing to lay over Nyx, but Nyx backed away from her. Fluttershy froze. The ponies glanced at each other.
Pinkie Pie recovered first. “Good afternoon, Nyxie!” she squeaked, bouncing off her throne. “We were just talking about you! Do you like cake? Pie? We have lots and lots of questions for you! Aren’t you excited?” Nyx’s eyes widened as Pinkie came nose to nose with her. She looked from Pinkie to the door, as though calculating her chance of escape.
“That’s enough, Pinkie!” Twilight yelled. “You’re scaring her!”
Pinkie wilted. “O. Sorry, Nyxie.” Nyx did not answer. She brought her head down and stared at her hooves.
“Are…would you like something to eat?” Twilight asked awkwardly. “We had lunch earlier, but I think we have some food left over?” She glanced questioningly at Spike, who nodded. “Would you like some?”
Nyx shrugged, which Twilight took as a yes. She stood up. “Then come along with us! We’ll take you to the kitchen, okay?”
Another shrug. Twilight decided that this was a sign of progress—they were communicating at least.
Nyx turned and left the room. She stopped in the hall and sniffed the air.
Spike stepped forward. “If you’ll follow me, the kitchen is down…that way?” He trailed off, confused, as Nyx strode down the hallway he was just about to indicate, her shoulders rising and falling like a counter-balance. Again, Twilight found herself puzzling over Nyx’s odd movements. She found them unnerving, but could not explain why. They were familiar; she felt she had seen some other creature move that same way.
They followed Nyx down the halls, taking many turns as they went. Nyx would stop on occasion and sniff the air, then proceed to walk down the correct corridor. Several times Twilight found herself attempting to correct her navigation, only to realize that Nyx was going down the right way. How could Nyx already be this adept at navigating the castle corridors? Twilight lived here, and she still got lost finding the bathroom!
They reached the kitchen. It was, in fact, the very kitchen Twilight and Spike took breakfast in the day before. How long ago now that seemed!
Twilight pulled a chair close to the fire and offered it to Nyx, who hesitated a moment before leaping onto it. Spike made his way to the stove, where several pots sat on burners. He had left them there after making lunch, for when Nyx woke up. The other ponies gathered around the table, but only Twilight took a seat, sitting opposite Nyx so that they faced each other.
“Spike is a really good cook!” Twilight said. “You’ll like what he whips up.”
Nyx watched Spike as he pulled a paring knife out of a knife block and carefully chopped a clump of parsley. He scrapped if off into the largest pot, and then climbed onto the counter to open a hanging cabinet.
Something small, gray, and furry darted out.
“Whoa!” Spike yelled.
“O, don’t hurt it!” Fluttershy cried. The mouse ran across the counter. Spike pounced, but it darted into a tiny hole behind the toaster.
Spike smacked his fist against the counter. “Again! I can’t even cook without mice running out of the cupboards! Fluttershy, can’t you do anything about them?”
Fluttershy buried her face in her mane. “I’m sorry, I keep asking them to leave, but then they come right back. Don’t be mad at them. It’s so cold outside, and it’s nice and warm in the castle.”
“You need to be firmer,” Spike grumbled, climbing back up the counter and reaching into the cabinet. Inside were glass bottles filled with oils, vinaigrettes, and sauces. Spike pulled down a bottle of red vinaigrette. “We’ve had to toss out a lot of food because of them.” He unstopped the bottle, and spread a small amount of the vinaigrette inside the pot.
“I’ll talk to them again,” Fluttershy promised.
“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. She turned back to Nyx. “I’m sorry about that. The mice are a little annoying, but they won’t hurt you.”
Nyx did not answer. She was staring intently at the mousehole.
Dash waved a hoof in front of her face. “Uh, hello? Any-pony home?”
“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy scolded. “That’s not nice!”
“But she’s not blinking!” Dash protested. It was true. Nyx had not blinked once. Even Dash waving a hoof in front of her face had not prompted a blinking response.
“That’s no reason to wave your hoof in front of her face like that!” Rarity huffed. “Really, I shouldn’t have to explain why that is so rude.”
“Fine. Geez, I’m sorry. But seriously, why won’t she blink?” She turned back to Nyx, only to realize that she was staring at her now. “Seriously kid, that’s kind of creepy.”
Nyx continued staring at Dash, with an odd, calculating gaze. It almost looked as if she were studying her. But then Spike tapped the edge of the pot with a spoon, and Nyx turned her attention back to the dragon.
Twilight was puzzled. Nyx staring for such extended periods of time was strange. But then, Princes Celestia had told her to take note of any unusual characteristics Nyx displayed. She decided to make a note of this—as part of a comprehensive report, of course.
“I hope you got enough rest,” Twilight said, attempting to change the conversation. “Now, why don’t you tell us all about yourself? We’ve wanted to know more about you!” She materialized pen and paper. Nyx arched a brow at them.
“Can you fly?” Dash blurted out.
“Rainbow,” Rarity scolded.
“Hey, I’m just asking!” Dash said. “She’s got wings, I wanna see how good she is with ‘em!” She grinned at Nyx. “Well, come on! Let’s see you hover for us!”
Nyx stared at Dash. For a moment, it seemed to Twilight that her gaze became analytical. But then she extended her wings, without blinking or breaking eye contact. They were scalloped, with a silhouette like that of a bat, but feathered. They were large and strong, yet proportioned to her body.
Rarity was entranced. “O my dear! Your wings are simply stunning!”
“Yeah, they’re pretty cool,” Dash said. “Come on, let’s see you hover a bit!”
Nyx stared at Dash for a moment, and then flapped her wings rapidly. She hovered over her seat for a few seconds, but then promptly plopped down onto her chair again. She seemed fatigued.
Dash frowned and exchanged glances with Twilight.
“It looks like she doesn’t know how to fly yet,” Fluttershy commented. She smiled sympathetically at Nyx.
Dash’s eyes gleamed. “Maybe I can teach her! That’ll be awesome!”
There was loud bang. Spike was squatting in front of a lower cabinet, struggling to pull out a heavy basin. “Ugh. This thing weighs a ton!”
“O, isn’t that the crystal basin Princess Cadance gave you?” Rarity asked Twilight.
“Yes. It was a housewarming gift. We never use it, though.”
Starlight trotted over to Spike, lighting her horn. “Here, let me help you with that.” She pulled the lavender basin out, grimacing as its weight acted against her magic. “Wow! That is heavy!” she said, but she succeeded and set the basin onto the floor. Spike reached inside it and pulled out a stack of smaller bowls. He selected one made of polished wood.
Starlight blinked. “That was it?”
“Yup,” Spike said. He set the bowl on the counter. “I just needed that soup bowl, but the cabinet is too shallow to pull it out from that basin. Here, let me put all that back…”
“No, no, I’ve got it.” Starlight placed the nested bowls back under the cabinet, straining as she did so.
Spike turned off the heat, and poured the steaming stew inside the wooden bowl. He came to the table and set it before Nyx. “Hang on, let me grab some silverware,” he said. Spike darted over to a nearby drawer and pulled out a spoon. He brought it over and lay it next to the soup bowl.
“How about we get you a drink?” Starlight suggested. She pulled a quart of milk from the refrigerator, and poured it into a glass. She set it next to the soup bowl.
“There you are!” Twilight said brightly. “Eat up!”
“Wait!” Rarity cried. “You don’t want to wear your coat while you eat, my dear! You might get it dirty.” She reached out to take the coat, but Nyx wrapped it tighter around herself and shrank back from her.
Rarity frowned. “Or not. Do you prefer to keep your coat on?”
Nyx stared expressionlessly at Rarity. Again, Twilight found herself struggling to understand this child. Why was she so protective of her coat?
“Well, I suppose you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Rarity said. She ran a hoof along the coat. “What a curious texture! I’ve never seen fabric quite like this before…do tell, what is this material?”
Nyx stared at Rarity’s hoof, clearly discomfited. Rarity sensed this and promptly drew back her hoof, flustered. The child stared at her for a moment longer, and then turned to examine her soup. She leaned forward and sniffed it.
“O, I’ve got to get a picture of this!” Pinkie Pie squealed. She pulled a Polaroid camera out from nowhere. “Every-pony, act casual!” She snapped a shot, the camera generating a blinding flash of light.
Nyx’s reaction was instantaneous. She inhaled sharply and flinched, rubbing her eyes with her forehooves.
Pinkie Pie’s ears wilted. “O, I’m so sorry! You don’t like bright flashes, do you?”
Nyx blinked rapidly. It was the first time Twilight had observed her blinking at all.
“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.
Nyx did not reply. She stopped blinking and lowered her head, staring at the bowl.
“Strong sensitivity to bright lights,” Starlight noted. “That’s odd.”
“In that case, we’d better avoid using flash photography with Nyx,” Twilight said. “Okay, Pinkie? Pinkie?”
She caught Pinkie’s face. The Polaroid had printed, and Pinkie was staring at the image in total bewilderment.
“What’s a-matter?” Dash asked. She looked over Pinkie’s shoulder. “Did you get your hoof in the way, or—” She froze, eyes widening, as she saw what was on the photo. Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike came around to look, and each of them gasped when they saw the photo.
“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie did not reply, instead passing the photo over to Twilight. “What the—!” Twilight sputtered. The photo showed herself, her friends, and Nyx gathered around the table. She and her friends looked normal, but Nyx’s eyes glowed bright red! “What is this?”
“Let me see,” Starlight said, taking the photo. She arched a brow. “That’s odd. Is this a reaction to the flash?”
Twilight’s head cleared. “I guess?” She turned to Pinkie. “Could you take another photo? No flash this time.”
“Okay,” Pinkie said. She sounded dazed, but lifted the camera again. “Nyxie, look this way!”
Nyx glared at her as Pinkie took the shot. There was a loud click and a winding sound as the camera processed the image, but there was no flash this time. The Polaroid printed, and Pinkie held it up to the light.
“O, that’s muuuuch better! Nyxie’s eyes aren’t glowing and…ooh, she looks really grumpy.”
Twilight glanced at the picture. Nyx’s eyes no longer glowed red. But she was glaring at the camera. She looked exceedingly fierce for a filly her age. The image reminded Twilight of stills from the great pony filmmaker, Que Brick.
Starlight glanced over Twilight’s shoulder. “Wow, she really doesn’t like flash photography.” She turned to Nyx. “We’re sorry that flash hurt your eyes. We promise we won’t use it again.”
Nyx huffed and turned away. This was the largest display of emotion Nyx had displayed yet, and it was irritation. Twilight exchanged nervous glances with her friends. Any-pony could see this was not going well. She decided to change the subject.
Twilight pushed the spoon to Nyx. “How about you get started on that yummy food Spike made? You know how to pick up a spoon with your magic, right?”
Twilight and her friends closed in eagerly. They were all very curious to see how the alicorn filly handled her magic. Nyx looked around at them all, her gaze inscrutable. But then she shifted her attention to the spoon. Her horn lit up. Indigo magic surrounded the handle.
Indigo? That was an unusual color. Twilight recalled the original Nightmare Moon’s magic color as bright cyan. She also noticed Nyx’s magic sounded quieter. She quickly scribbled a few notes.
Nyx looked as though she were straining. The spoon, despite the magic surrounding the handle, did not budge. After a long moment, the handle rose, but just briefly. The spoon clattered on the wooden table, and Nyx leaned back against the chair, breathing heavily.
Twilight frowned. She thought a simple task like this would have been easy for an alicorn foal; Flurry Heart tossed around heavier objects all the time. Did Nyx not know how to use her own magic? Or had Chrysalis done something to her?
“Are you having trouble with your magic?” Rarity asked. “Poor dear. Spiky, do you have any Earth-pony silverware?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, I think we have a set somewhere. Hold on.” He rummaged through the drawers of the kitchen. No-pony noticed the calculating way Nyx’s eyes darted between the ponies, or the smirk that played briefly across her face.
“Got it.” Spike came back to the table and set an Earth-pony spoon down. In contrast to unicorn silverware, earth-pony silverware featured longer, thicker handles, with elastic straps to wrap around the hoof.
“I remember those,” Starlight said wistfully. “It was such a big deal to graduate to normal silverware. I felt so grown up.”
“Speak for yourself,” Applejack grumbled. “There ain’t no outgrowin’ them when you’re an Earth-pony.”
Starlight wilted. “Sorry.”
Twilight pushed the new spoon to Nyx, who eyed it carefully.
“Do you know how earth-pony spoons work? You wrap the loop around your hoof and eat with it. Like this.” Twilight placed her right hoof through the loop, and then took the spoon off and set it in front of Nyx. “Now you try.”
Nyx stuck her left hoof through the loop. She took it up and gave Twilight a questioning look.
“Well, don’cha want to dig in?” Applejack asked. “That there soup is gonna get cold soon.”
Twilight thought the soup looked—and smelled! —great. In fact, she had pulled the recipe out of “The Care and Keeping of Colts and Fillies.” It was at base a thick, hearty tomato stew. It contained boiled potatoes, celery, onions, red beans, carrots, and rose pedals, and seasoned with pepper, sage, cilantro, red vinaigrette, and ground alfalfa. Any-pony would have dived right in to such a stupendous stew! But Nyx wrinkled her nose at it.
The ponies exchanged uneasy glances. Spike in particular looked distressed. “Is there something wrong with the soup?”
“Of course not, Spiky-wikey!” Rarity said. “Your stews are always exquisite!”
“Then why won’t she eat any of it?”
“Maybe it’s too hot?” Fluttershy suggested.
“Maybe it isn’t hot enough!” Dash offered.
“Or maybe we oughta ask Nyx what’s wrong,” Applejack said, arching a brow. “What’s a-matter, Nyx? D’ya not like that kind of soup?”
Nyx gave no answer.
“Um, Nyxie? Hello-oo?” Pinkie Pie said. “Are you going to say anything? We’re saying lots of things here, and you’re not saying anything at all!”
No reply.
“She did this last night,” Twilight said. “We gave her supper, and she wouldn’t eat it—”
“Until we left the room,” Starlight finished.
Twilight looked around at the herd of ponies stuffed into the small kitchen. “I guess we are a little crowded in here.”
“She must feel shy when she’s eating,” Fluttershy said. “Perhaps she’ll start if we leave her alone for a bit?”
Applejack nodded. “I reckon we can try that.” She glanced out the window. “Matter of fact, I reckon it’s about time I got on home anyways. I need to haul some firewood in.”
“My little animal friends are probably getting worried about me. I should go check on them.”
“And I have a hu-uge party to plan!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “I’m going to need to plan for the cake! And ice sculptures, can’t forget about the ice sculptures!”
“It is starting to get rather late,” Rarity said. “Perhaps it’s best that we just head home for now?”
Twilight nodded. “You’re right. I’ll see you to the door.” She turned to Nyx. “My friends are heading home. We’re going to leave you alone for a bit so you can eat. Okay?”
Nyx nodded noncommittedly. Twilight smiled warmly, and then she and her friends filed out of the room.
Nyx sat at the table, her ears twisting. She made no greater movements until the retreating hoof steps became inaudible. Then she scowled and pushed the bowl away. Her horn lit, and she removed the spoon from her hoof with barely any effort. She glanced at the open door, and her gaze suddenly became impish. Nyx picked up the other spoon with her magic, and made them dance around, giggling merrily as she did so.
Nyx quickly became bored by this, and set the silverware down. She leaped from the chair, made her way to the threshold, and peered around it. The ponies were out of sight, but the sound of their voices in the foyer was audible. Nyx nodded to herself, and retreated back inside the kitchen. She strode resolutely past the table and halted before a large cabinet—the one Spike had rifled through earlier.
She opened it. Her gaze fell upon the crystal basin that Spike and Starlight Glimmer had pulled out earlier. Nyx hoisted the basin in the air with her magic. She pulled out the bowls from it with only the slightest fluctuations, and carefully set them back inside the cabinet. She took the basin into her forehooves, and felt the decal work around the front. The interior of the basin was very smooth.
Next, she turned her attention to the hanging cabinet containing the oils. Setting the basin on the floor, Nyx spread her wings and took flight. She flapped her wings quickly but silently, until she hovered in front of the cabinet. She opened it with her magic, rummaging through the glass bottles, until her attention was taken by one containing a thick amber oil. It was stoppered by a wooden cork and sealed in wax. A thick paper label stuck to the side read “Peanut Oil.”
Nyx sniffed it and held it up for inspection, grinning when she noticed tiny tooth marks on the cork. She landed and placed the bottle of oil inside the basin. She lifted the both of them into her magic without any difficulty.
She approached the door and peeked around the threshold again, listening; the voices of the ponies were even further away. Satisfied, Nyx took flight, while still holding the basin in her magic. She soared silently through the corridors like an owl in the night, flying up the stairs and through the corridors, landing at last inside her own room.
Nyx approached the side of the bed, setting the basin down next to it. She picked up the bottle of peanut oil and pulled the cork, easily breaking the wax seal. She poured the oil into the basin, forming a shallow pool. Then she lifted the bed skirts and slid the basin under the bed, close to the foot board, and let the bed skirts fall back. There was a lingering scent of peanuts, but other than that, nothing seemed out of place.
This task completed, Nyx re-corked the bottle and took flight. She soared back through the halls, down the stairs, and back to the kitchen. The ponies were still in the foyer.
Nyx hovered in front of the oil cabinet and set the half-empty bottle of peanut oil back inside of it. This done, she flew back to her seat and landed on it without a sound. She gave the food another disdainful look, but spotted the milk. She took it into her magic and drank it down.
Hoof steps approached. Nyx set the glass back down and quickly licked the residue off her muzzle. She cast a quick spell and closed all of the cabinets back. Then she settled down and went back to staring at the soup bowl.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight saw her friends to the coat room. This chamber stood close to the foyer, empty aside from the many coat racks lining the walls. The ponies pulled their coats on. Rarity turned to Twilight, buttoning her violet-and-white coat as she did so.
“About that new coat for Nyx…do you think you could get her into my boutique to-morrow morning?”
“I can try. Getting her up is a bit tricky—”
“Yeah, we noticed,” Dash interrupted, rolling her eyes.
“—And I have to make sure that no-pony sees her.” That got Twilight a lot of puzzled looks. “Princess Celestia doesn’t want too many ponies knowing about Nyx just yet.”
Applejack frowned. “That’s odd. The Princess say why?”
“Security, mostly. She’s still working out how to formally present Nyx to Equestria. Hopefully, she’ll have that sorted before the ceremony.”
“Letting her come wouldn’t be a problem, surely?” Rarity asked, concerned.
“I don’t think so. I should run it by Princess Celestia, though.”
“Nothin’ ‘gainst the Princess, but I don’t see how hiding her is gonna help,” Applejack said. “Thing ‘bout secrets, they got a funny way of comin’ out when you don’t want them to. Besides that, I reckon that ain’t a good impression to set for that little filly.” She winked at Twilight. “‘Specially since you’re her mama now!”
Twilight blinked. “Her mother? Me? No, she’s my ward. I’m not—”
“But of course you are!” Fluttershy interrupted. “You’re the one taking care of her now.”
“I don’t think I’m cut out for that—”
“But Darling!” Rarity interjected. “You’d be a perfect mother!”
Twilight looked around at her friends, amazed. “Do you really think so?”
“Of course!” Dash said. “You’ll be a totally amazing mom! You’re super smart!”
“And caring!” Fluttershy added.
“And generous!”
“And responsible. Ain’t no-pony more responsible than you.”
“And you’re not Queen Meanie!” Pinkie Pie interjected. “I bet you’ll take wa-aay better care of Nyx than she did!”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Applejack said. “After bein’ kept prisoner by Queen Chrysalis, it’ll be good for her to have a proper family at last.”
Twilight’s mind raced as she and the other ponies made their way to the foyer. One after the other, Twilight’s friends bid her farewell, and trotted out into the wintry evening. Starlight also stepped out, saying she was going to see Trixie to tell her about the ceremony. Spike disappeared; Twilight suspected he went to sulk somewhere. Rarity was the last remaining.
“I’ll try to get her up earlier tomorrow,” Twilight said to her. “Would ten work for you?”
“That would be absolutely marvelous!” Rarity replied. She smiled, placing a hoof over Twilight’s wither. “Think about what we said. That filly needs a mother more than a guardian. And I think you should be splendid at it.”
“Thanks Rarity. I…I’ll give what you guys said some thought.”
Rarity smiled. Twilight waved her goodbye and shut the door behind her. She trotted back to the kitchen, going over the conversation she had just been a part of.
Her, a mother? Twilight had not considered this. When she agreed to take Nyx in, it had been to care for her as a guardian. It had seemed the most logical decision, given that none of the other Princesses could take her in for various reasons. And leaving her with the Changelings certainly was not a good idea. Nyx was likely frightened of them; in any case, Twilight doubted they had the means to care for her properly.
It was down to her now. She was going to be the one to raise Nyx. Then why not formally adopt her? She would know the best way to raise her, after all. The more Twilight thought about this, the more appealing it became. Twilight began to think of the ways she would be a good mother for Nyx.
She would be warm and kind and caring. Nyx would be overjoyed to have such a wonderful mother, and soon all memories of that awful Chrysalis would be forgotten. With Twilight’s wise guidance, Nyx would make all kinds of wonderful friends, learn all about the magic of friendship, and grow up to be a most wonderful princess. Princess Celestia would be very impressed and heap plenty of praises on Twilight for raising such a delightful mare.
She entered the kitchen. Nyx sat exactly how Twilight had left her. The only sign of activity was the empty glass sitting next to the untouched bowl of soup.
Nyx glanced up. Their eyes met, but Nyx turned away quickly. Twilight felt a wave of pity wash over her, as well as a flash of red-hot anger at Chrysalis. What had she done to this child?
“Hey,” Twilight said, using as much warmth as she could muster. “You haven’t touched your soup.”
Nyx gave no response.
“Is there something else you’d like? We have plenty of food here. I’m sure we can ask Spike to whip it up for you.”
She was met again with silence. Twilight frowned, studying Nyx carefully. She had been in Twilight’s care for a full day and had not uttered a single word. Twilight was starting to wonder if she had gone mute. Was the trauma of life with Chrysalis simply that great?
But Twilight was not one to give up easily. “It’s okay to talk to me. It’s…always okay to talk to me.”
Nyx regarded Twilight with an odd, calculating stare. Twilight suddenly felt as though she were being studied, but for what purpose she could not say. Nyx’s face betrayed little emotion. Twilight could not tell what she was thinking; it was like trying to read a cat.
But the moment passed. Nyx looked away, turning her attention to her hooves. Twilight lay a hoof on Nyx’s. The filly tensed.
“It’s going to be alright,” she said soothingly. “Remember what I said last night—this is a secure place. There’s no way that nasty Queen Chrysalis can get in here! We’re perfectly safe!”
Nyx jerked her hooves back and shrank against the chair. She pulled her coat tighter, as though trying to seek shelter within its folds. Twilight mentally berated herself. Why had she mentioned Chrysalis? She should have realized that would upset Nyx.
Any further reflection was diverted when Nyx suddenly leaped off her chair. She moved briskly towards the door, shaking. Twilight called after her.
“Wait! Don’t you want to finish your dinner?”
The filly glanced back and shook her head. Twilight felt bad. She felt she had upset the filly tremendously, but was unsure how.
“I guess we can save it for later,” Twilight said, glancing at the soup bowl. “Is that alright?”
Nyx shrugged and looked away. She started towards the door again.
“Hold on.”
Twilight approached Nyx. The filly’s body tensed once more as Twilight lay a hoof on her withers. She took a deep breath. “I know all of this has been quite an adjustment for you, but don’t worry. I promise to keep you safe and secure.” She smiled warmly. “In fact, you can think of me as your mother! How does that sound?”
Nyx’s reaction was not what Twilight expected. Her large eyes widened, and her pupils thinned to the narrowest of slits. She began trembling even more heavily.
Twilight felt aggrieved at this sight. “O, you poor girl,” she said. She pulled Nyx into a hug.
Nyx’s eyes became large as saucers. She looked at Twilight’s back with something between horror and revulsion, and then her eyes darted frantically around the kitchen, coming to rest at last on the knife block. Nyx’s horn lit. Indigo magic surrounded the handle of the large chef’s knife. It began to rise from the block, its sharp blade gleaming in the light…
Spike entered the room. “What’s going on?”
Twilight released Nyx, who backed away from her. Nyx’s horn was un-lit.
“I was giving Nyx a hug,” Twilight said. “She looked like she needed one. Right, Nyx?” she added, flashing her most winning smile.
Nyx stared at the floor and said nothing. She was still shaking.
“Yeah, I guess she does deserve one,” Spike said, seating himself at the table. For some reason he frowned at the knife block, puzzled. All the knifes sat in their appropriate slots...though the chef’s knife was ajar.
Starlight trotted in. “Hey Twilight, hey Spike.” She smiled awkwardly at Nyx. “Hey, Nyx. How are you doing?”
Nyx made no reply. Instead, she brushed past Starlight and slunk out of the room. Twilight followed her to the threshold, and watched as she climbed up the stairs.
“She gives me the willies.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at Starlight. “Seriously? That little filly gives you the willies?”
Starlight nodded. “Yes. I know it’s silly, but I can’t help it. She creeps me out.” Starlight kicked her hooves bashfully. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t feel that way.”
“Don’t sweat it,” Spike said. He shuddered. “You’re not the only one.”
Twilight was surprised. “Really? I didn’t think she’d bother you.”
Spike looked sheepish. “I can’t help it. I know she’s only a little kid…but she’s still a kid Nightmare Moon. I know we’re supposed to call her “Nyx” now,” he added quickly, before Twilight could interrupt. “But whenever I see her, I can’t help but remember that dimension where Nightmare Moon took over.” He swallowed hard. “And what she threatened to do to me!”
Starlight looked between Twilight and Spike. “Is this from when I tried to mess with your timelines?”
They nodded. Starlight winced, her ears drooping. “You only showed me that wasteland reality. You never told me much about those other realities you visited. Aside from how they got worse every time.”
“They were awful,” Twilight replied. “I was worried you’d freak out if I told you about them.” Twilight took a seat at the table. “One had King Sombra conquer the Crystal Empire and wage war with Equestria. In another, Queen Chrysalis’s invasion of Canterlot succeeded, and the Changelings never reformed.”
Starlight gasped. “That’s terrible!”
“They all were. But the worst was the reality where Nightmare Moon won…” She went on, telling Starlight all about Nightmare Moon’s rule over that Equestria. How she and Spike had stumbled upon her castle in the Everfree and encountered Nightmare Moon there. How she brought Eternal Night and sealed Princess Celestia inside the moon. And how she had threatened Spike unless they told her about time-travel magic.
Starlight listened in horror, only interrupting the story after Twilight mentioned that Rainbow Dash and Rarity served Nightmare Moon. “They collaborated with her? I can’t believe it!”
“It’s true,” Twilight said. “That was the worst part. In all the other realities, our friends did their part to fight against those villains. But Nightmare Moon’s control over Equestria was so complete that they ended up serving her.” She shook her head. “Neither of them looked happy. Rarity acted unbelievably haughty, and Rainbow Dash was fanatically loyal to Nightmare Moon. She was even her Guard Captain!”
“That’s terrible!” Starlight exclaimed. “But I guess that’s kind of…good? I mean, at least she was able to get along with them?”
“Only as long as they did what she wanted,” Spike said, rolling his eyes. “You should have seen their faces when I mentioned Princess Celestia. They were terrified!”
Starlight grimaced. “I can understand that. I remember visiting her statue on Nightmare Night when I was a filly. That was the worst part of the night for me! I had to give up part of my candy to Nightmare Moon, or she’d come and gobble me up!” She shuddered. “The first time I visited her statue, I gave her all of my candy!”
Spike winced. “Ouch.”
“I know. Luckily, my dad went and took some of it back.” She grinned all of a sudden, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “But when I became a teenager, I thought she was the coolest pony ever! Cooler than Princess Celestia! It was a phase,” she added, catching Twilight’s expression. “I was way into grim and creepy! You should have seen my room.”
“I always thought Nightmare Moon was creepy,” Spike said, with a shudder. “Dragon eyes just don’t look right on a pony. Especially when they glow.”
“What about you, Twilight?” Starlight asked.
“Me? O, I was never frightened of her.”
“Never?” Starlight asked, amazed. “Not even when you challenged her?”
“Okay, the real thing was super intimidating,” Twilight admitted. “But I was never afraid of visiting her statue on Nightmare Night. In fact, I thought the whole thing was kind of silly.”
“Really?” Starlight asked. She sounded impressed
“Of course! A pony eating meat is ridiculous! We all know it makes us sick.” Twilight leaned in, dropping her voice and smirking mischievously. “I didn’t even leave any candy at her statue!”
Starlight laughed. “I wish I’d thought of that! It would have saved me a ton of grief as a filly.” She laughed again, but then her expression became more serious. “Seriously, though. The real Nightmare Moon. What was she like?”
Twilight sighed. “She was absolutely terrifying. I had never seen any creature summon the kind of magic she did. If not for my friends and I unlocking the Elements of Harmony, she would have been unstoppable!”
“How powerful was she?”
Spike shuddered. “Really powerful! When she held me hostage in that other reality, she had Twilight lead her through the Everfree Forest to the map. It was crawling with Timber Wolves! But she blew them into sawdust like they were nothing!”
Starlight blinked. “Wow! She must have been ridiculously powerful! I wonder why Nyx doesn’t display magic like that?”
Twilight’s face darkened. “I bet I know.”
“You do? Tell me.”
“I think Chrysalis drained her magic.”
“Drained her—!” Starlight gasped. “Can she do that?”
“Yes. She threatened to do that to me when I encountered her that second time. But she did not succeed!”
“Obviously,” Starlight said, smirking.
“But I think she might have done that to Nyx. That’s why the poor filly can’t even lift a spoon.”
Starlight’s ears wilted. “That’s awful! Do you think she’ll stay powerless?”
“I don’t think so. She’ll need time to rebuild her reserves, but it should come back to her eventually. Then we can teach her how to use it.”
“Teach her?” Starlight repeated. She tapped her chin. “That reminds me. What are your plans for schooling Nyx? Were you going to tutor her yourself?”
Twilight started. She had not thought about that. “I…I haven’t made up my mind. I guess I do want her to go to school with other foals her age, if only to make some friends of her own.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Starlight said. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “When do you want to try that?”
“I’m not sure. She’s obviously not in any condition to go to school just yet. We need to get her acclimated first.”
Starlight grinned. “That would actually be really funny to see! “Attention class, we have a new student today. O Sweet Celestia! It’s Nightmare Moon!””
Spike snorted. Even Twilight smiled. “I guess that would be a little funny,” she said. “Of course, her name is Nyx now.”
Starlight’s face fell. “That’s not what a lot of ponies are going to call her, at least at first.” She thought for a moment. “How are we going to explain Nightmare Night to her?”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “Nightmare Night? I didn’t think about that! You don’t suppose that would hurt her feelings?”
“Maybe?” Starlight replied. “Or maybe not? I’m not very good with foals, but I’m told they can be hard to predict. At any rate, I could see her playmates asking about that story. And some grown ponies too.” She smiled softly. “Did you hear Trixie asking what candy Nyx liked?”
“Is that what that was about? That’s just dumb. Nyx isn’t going to eat any-pony!”
“No, but a lot of ponies might think she would,” Spike said glumly. “They’ve been reciting the Nightmare Night rhyme for centuries.” He suddenly became very anxious. “What does all this mean for Nightmare Night now?”
Twilight thought about that. She recalled the first Nightmare Night after Princess Luna returned from the moon. Every-pony had been terrified of her, thinking she was Nightmare Moon still. Princess Luna herself did a poor job disabusing them of that notion, shouting at every-pony in the Royal Canterlot voice, and speaking in an Early Modern dialect replete with “thees” and “thous.” Luna had felt crushed when the foals ran from her, screaming that she wanted to eat them. She was so upset, she tried to cancel the holiday.
In the end, she was able to adapt herself to modern Equestria. She became more accepting of Nightmare Night, and even took on Nightmare Moon’s appearance as a sort of costume. But Nyx, according to Princess Celestia, was Nightmare Moon. Luna could cease looking like the Bogey Mare on the morrow, but Nyx was always going to resemble her.
“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “We may have to re-think how we conduct Nightmare Night in the future. We don’t want to give Nyx any more grief, after all she’s been through.
Starlight looked thoughtful. “Did Nightmare Moon look just like her statue?”
“For the most part. Why do you ask?”
Starlight bit her lip. “Did Nightmare Moon have…fangs?”
“What? No!”
“Yes!” Spike exclaimed. “Don’t you remember? I got a good look at them when she held me captive!”
“She had them in that other reality,” Twilight conceded. “But when I faced her that first time, she didn’t have any fangs.”
“Then why did she have them in that other reality?”
“For show, I suppose. Maybe she heard about the legend, and transfigured her teeth to look more intimidating.”
“Worked for me,” Spike muttered.
“So, Nyx probably doesn’t have fangs?” Starlight asked.
Twilight blinked. “What? No, of course not! Why do you ask?”
Starlight shifted nervously. “Well, Nyx looks really well-fed for a captive. She has all that muscle tone.”
Twilight frowned. She wondered what Starlight was getting at. “Okay? What about it? That’s from the Hive being such a harsh place, right?”
“Not tone like that!” Spike said, his eyes widening in realization. “You have to eat a lot and exercise hard to gain that kind of conditioning!”
Twilight arched a brow at him. “You seem to know a lot about that.”
Spike grinned. He flexed his small biceps. “Hey, a drake’s gotta have a hobby, right?”
Starlight giggled at him. “I think you need to work out more.”
Spike stuck his tongue out at her. Twilight smiled at this exchange. But the wheels in her mind turned, pondering what Spike had just told her. She tried to remember what had been in Chrysalis’ rooms. “I don’t remember seeing a lot of food in those chambers.”
“But there was,” Starlight said, her smile vanishing. She swallowed hard and shuddered. “There was that boar.”
Twilight gasped. “Starlight! Are you saying Chrysalis fed Nyx…meat?”
Starlight gave a little nervous laugh. “Well…yes?”
“That…that’s absurd!” Twilight sputtered. “Ponies don’t…they can’t…eat meat. Why…why would you even think that?”
Starlight wilted. “Because it makes sense? I mean, there wasn’t any other food in that room. And it explains the tooth marks.”
“The tooth marks?”
“Yes. The toothmarks on those boar bones were different sizes.”
“So that’s why you examined the bones yesterday. You were comparing the toothmarks.”
“Yes,” Starlight replied. “And when I did, I realized the toothmarks were different sizes. Some were thinner and closer together than the others. I don’t think Queen Chrysalis was the only one eating that boar…and the only other occupant in that room was Nyx.”
The room became deathly still. Twilight’s mind reeled. She stood up from the table and began to pace, trying to process this notion. A flesh-eating pony? Who had ever heard of such a thing? She could picture Chrysalis devouring meat—she was certainly cruel enough. But Nyx? The very idea sounded totally absurd.
But the logical part of her mind saw a lot of sense in Starlight’s arguments. It would explain why Nyx seemed reluctant to eat anything they gave her. The toothmarks were an oddity that demanded explanation. Yet the whole idea was so wrong! It went against everything Twilight had ever read about ponies.
And she could not imagine such a quiet, meek little filly doing such a thing.
“No. No, that can’t be right.” Twilight said finally. “Nyx couldn’t have been eating meat. There must be some other explanation.”
Starlight tilted her head, giving Twilight an odd look. “But it makes the most sense.”
“And it explains why she doesn’t like my stew,” Spike added. “Dang. If that’s true, how are we going to feed her?”
“Spike, Nyx is a pony. There is no way she’d be able to process meat. She certainly wouldn’t be able to tolerate the taste.” Twilight shook her head incredulously. “That Nightmare Night story is only that. Nyx wouldn’t do such a thing!”
Starlight cocked her head, eyeing Twilight warily. “If you say so…but are you sure? I mean, I know she doesn’t seem threatening…but we actually don’t know anything about her. In fact, she seems kind of uncomfortable around us. We’ve never even heard her speak. All we do know is that she spent nearly two years living with Queen Chrysalis.”
“That sounds like Shining. You agree with him?”
Starlight simpered. “To an extent. I agree we need to keep a close watch on her. There’s a lot about her behavior so far that doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Twilight turned her attention to Spike. “And you?”
Spike looked uncomfortable. “I agree with Starlight,” he admitted. “I think it’s great you decided to take Nyx in! But…she is kind of weird.” He looked pleadingly at her. “Are you sure taking her to Rarity’s is such a good idea?”
“Yes.” Even Twilight was surprised to hear such firmness in her tone. “I understand that you guys are worried about her. But I want Nyx to feel at home here. And how is that supposed to happen if she’s looked on with suspicion?”
Spike look away, abashed. But Starlight was not finished. “We’ll try, Twilight. But are you sure she isn’t dangerous?”
Twilight sighed. “Nyx can barely use her magic. She has difficulty hovering in the air, and is too afraid to even speak.” She looked between Starlight and Spike.
“How dangerous could she possibly be?”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nyx stormed into her room, kicking the door closed behind her. She marched straight to the bed and crawled under it. Her body was shaking, her glowing eyes blazing in rage.
“How dare she!” Nyx snarled, her voice just above a whisper. “How dare she say such bad things to me!” Her nostrils flared. “¡Que malvado villano!”
She pulled the fur out of her saddlebags and unfolded it. She seized the picture of herself with Chrysalis and held it in her hooves, staring directly at the image of Chrysalis. “You are my mommy! Not that mean old bruha! I do not like her. She made you go away. She broke our home and calls me a dog name.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and her fury shifted to grief. “O, Mommy—where are you?” She sniffled and embraced the frame, holding it close for a long while, tears streaming down her face. But eventually she set the picture down, and picked up the red leather book.
She opened it. Inside, pasted to heavy parchment pages, were dozens of pictures, most of them focused around Nyx. There were pictures of Nyx looking through books, sipping tea, or even playing games with Chrysalis, who appeared infrequently throughout the album. There was a photo of Nyx posing next to a freshly slain boar, beaming triumphantly, a wooden javelin nestled into her left hoof. The end was stained a deep crimson. Another photo depicting her next to a dead bear, its head twisted completely around. Its fur was the same color as Nyx’s blanket.
And there was a picture of an ancient black oak tree, on a small stony island on a dark murky lake. In the center of its trunk was a massive hole.
But the picture Nyx stared at the most was a simple one. It depicted Chrysalis sleeping on her futon. Nestled between her forehooves, snoozing peacefully, was Nyx.
Nyx pawed it. “Mommy, where did you go? I miss you. ¿Vuelve a mí? ¿Por favor?” Fresh tears welled in her eyes… then her gaze fell upon different photo.
This one showed Chrysalis posing with Nyx. Chrysalis wore unusual green barding, making her resemble an armored dragonfly. Her helmet covered her entire head, with round yellow lenses for the eyes, and sharp tusks around the cheeks. Nyx wore barding nearly identical to Chrysalis’, but in cobalt blue, with aquamarine lenses.
Nyx’s expression hardened. She wiped her tears away. “No. I will not cry, Mommy. You would not want me to cry. Crying does not win wars. It is bad in a Changeling Princess.” She brought the book closer to her face. Her eyes were pink from crying, but they burned with a fire that made the flames in Tartarus look like spent coals.
“I will kill them, Mommy. I will kill these villains for making you go away. Muertas a las enemigas! I will break their bones and drink their blood. I will escape their prison. I will find you. Then we shall free our Hive from their evil pony magic! We will kill the traitor Thorax!” She spat the name out with enough venom to kill a cobra. “No. I will kill him! Then I will put you back where you belong.” Nyx suddenly smiled and hugged the book close. “With me! We’ll be together forever and ever and always!”
She brightened, as a new idea occurred to her. “Then, we can boil their blood into pudding! ¡Me gusta pudín!” She clapped her hooves together. “And then we can invite up the little nymphs, so they can have some too! They will like that. Then, we can—”
SPLASH!
Nyx’s ears perked up. She set the book down and approached the crystal basin she had placed under the bed earlier. Inside, soaked to the skins in canola oil, squirmed four little mice. The rodents were trying to climb out, but the oil made the smooth crystal too slippery, so the mice kept sliding back in.
They paused and looked up at the filly standing over the basin. A pony? O well. Game over. At least for a while. There was an expected rhythm to this: the pony would dump them out in a field or forest—preferably after a nice bath--and then they would make their way back. The usual routine.
But then Nyx grinned predatorily, displaying her sharp teeth. Her pupils expanded, focusing on the mice. She licked her lips, her mouth awash with saliva. She unbuttoned her coat, folded it, and laid it carefully onto her fur blanket.
Nyx grabbed a mouse with her magic. It barely had time to squeak before it was dropped inside Nyx’s waiting maw. There was a wet, sickening crunch.
Nyx’s eyes lit up. “Mmm!” she squeaked. Nyx swallowed and turned her attention back to the basin. The mice stared transfixed in horror. It was only after her magic had wrapped around another mouse that they resumed their frantic bid to escape. They tried desperately to run up the basin, but it was of no use.
The second mouse struggled more than the first, but its resistance proved futile. It shrieked shrilly as Nyx plopped it inside her mouth, but Nyx silenced it with a quick bite. She paused, her ears twitching in the direction of the door. Hearing nothing, she chewed her prey and swallowed.
Now only two mice remained. They embraced each other, trembling as they stared wide-eyed at the creature that loomed over them in the darkness. Nyx licked her lips and enveloped her magic around a third mouse. The mice squeaked desperately and clung tightly to each other, the last trying to hold the third back with all of its feeble strength.
Nyx huffed impatiently. She applied more magic and pried her prey away. The two mice squeaked frantically at each other, but Nyx paid little attention to this and bit into the mouse’s hind quarters. It shrieked, but then Nyx pulled it further into her mouth and bit down again. The mouse’s face froze as the second bite connected with a crisp crunch. Its mouth hung open; its eyes stared at nothing. Blood raced down the side of Nyx’s muzzle and into the basin. Nyx pulled the rest of the mouse into her jaws and swallowed it down.
And then there was one. It was covered in blood and shaking, staring at the red liquid cupped in its paw with dumbfounded bewilderment, as though not quite believing it was there. And then the mouse was enveloped in magic. Up it went, Nyx’s mouth open and ready like a cave of death. Her tongue was red and her fangs were stained pink. She bit down, but did not chew the mouse up immediately. With its bottom half hanging from her mouth, she began to suck, more blood running down the side of her muzzle. After several long draughts, Nyx pulled the rest of the mouse in and swallowed it.
Nyx licked her muzzle, getting off as much blood as she could with her long, rough tongue. When she was as clean as possible, she crawled out from under the bed and made her way to the door. She opened it and poked her head outside. Distant voices were audible; the ponies were in the kitchen still.
She closed the door and made her way to the center of the room and crouched close to the ground. She kicked up her hind legs and raised herself, balancing on her forehooves. She inhaled before slowly bending her forelegs until her muzzle was a breadth away from the floor. Nyx held this position for a moment, and then slowly straightened her forelegs to raise herself back up. She repeated the movement, counting down every repetition softly:
“Uno…dos…tres…”
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Nyx really hates Twilight and Thorax. She even curses them in Spanish, imagine her cursing the Wonderbolts as Rainbow Dash couldn't understand her. Also I can imagine Nyx traumatizing Angel Bunny
10562452
Gossip travels faster than light.
Really good story, in my opinion much better then the past sins.
This is giving me "Vikings" flashbacks.
I can imagine Nightmare grabbing the cake knife to murder Thorax at the party, and if successful, ordering the changelings back home to wait for Chrysalis' return
Ahio! I pony non si accorgono che lei non è un pony e ama sua madre?
10598863
Oblivious, aren't they? In fairness to the ponies, Nyx hasn't been in a real hurry to volunteer any information about herself or her relationship with Chrysalis.
10597515
this sounds hilarious, I wouldn't mind if that happened lol, just the chaos and confusion
Oooooooooooh I love this concept. I have to admit I think I this a little better then the original ‘Past Sins’. Plz tell me the chapters are ready to be posted, I can’t wait to see how this pans out. Is spell nexus coming into the story as a bad guy or is it all chrysalis for this story?
Keep up the great work
10740971
Well, they haven’t caught Nexus yet, or even understand how the Cult works. They’re definitely out there, and I have plans for them. At the very least, I’ll need to explain why Nyx is the way she is in this story. You’ve probably picked it up by now, but Nyx is a lot different than her Past Sins self, in ways that clearly have little to do with her calling a different mare “Mommy.” Nexus will know why.
And yes, we’ll be seeing Chrysalis again. As for chapters, I’m still working on them. I’m a bit deliberate when it comes to them, as the dates on my Chapter updates can attest.
10741290
Cool as long Chrysie is still involved and doesn’t disappear for most of the story, like in most of mlp series. I do hope that by the end Nyx and Chrysalis do not end their relationship as mother and daughter, but I don’t see anyway you could do that unless this is a redemption arc for the queen. The scenarios I am running through my head on what you might be doing with the story as a whole kind points toward that, or chrysalis nobly giving her life keeping Nexus away from Nyx.
But this is using what I have read of ‘ the Sixth Alicorn’ and the original ‘Past Sins’ as a base for my surmising. I am probably wrong but can’t wait to find out why I am.
. Oh glad Luna has more of an active role in this version of the story. I felt that Luna was barely mentioned in ‘Past Sins’ which I thought odd as she and Nyx were essentially mirror images of each other’s psyche. Luna was relegated to background character , granted it was more a Twilight, CMC, Nyx story, but leaving Luna out of what essentially is her clones story didn’t make sense. Anyway, for this reason I hope Luna continues to try to relate to Nyx in the new chapters as well.
Love the work, the story made it to my favorites list
Please update this story im curious
10820013
I still have some revisions and editing to work through on Chapter Six. My blog has more details.
I’m working on it!
ok sorry again the inconvenience I don't want to rush you with the next chapters. but please could you tell me what your blog is called if you are not too bothered.
😅😅😅
10823420
No problem, it’s just the one on the site. Go to my homepage and hit the blog section. It should be there.
Thank you
good evening I hope not to disturb you at this kra but I just wanted to ask you my curiosity about the character of nyx in this story.
of the nyx type could discover the cult and unbeknownst to everyone exploit it to become more powerful and betray it to steal the documents of the ritual that created it and then go in search of his mother chrysalis and exploit them to then create a new army for new hive ?
do you know if they used the pieces of the old armor of nightmare moon and the blood of twalight I wondered why not using this time the blood of a trusted warrior like thorax's brother and shreds of warrior armor to then create an army could be possible? . I am saying this only out of curiosity, not to discuss your ideas for chapter six and seven which, however, I am waiting with, let's say enough patience.
10828882
Not likely. The armor of Nightmare Moon had her essence as a part of it, which was then used in the ritual to create Nyx. Plain armor itself wouldn’t do anything. If you like, check out Pen Strokes story “Winter Bells”. Spell Nexus explains the process in more detail there. Nyx is essentially one and done.
Also, the Cult’s smart enough to not leave something like that written down.
thanks for the reply and thanks for the link of the explanation I will look at it sensaltra. sorry again for the inconvenience and thanks again for the reply
😄😄😄
good afternoon I just wanted to write to you to know how the last strokes go to the new chapters. because I am no longer in the skin to read them and I am also curious to read how this story will continue. but for now I can only wait and wish you a good weekend bye.
👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
10838503
Still in progress. I’m working on improving the prose, then polish. Bear with me a little longer.
No problems 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
when the next chapter will come out. because I am like some of my friends, at the same time curious to see how this story will continue which, as has also been said in another, comment is much more interesting than " past sins" ?????
10868834
Almost there. I just have to read through it a couple more times.
As much as I love pones, Queen Chrysalis wasn't entirely wrong when talking about how pony-centric they are. This chapter presents numerous examples.
And I want to smack Twilight so hard, she's so absolutely convinced she's the big hero and that she can do no wrong. Does she actually want to try being Nyx's guardian or is she doing it for her own praise? Starlight isn't saying put Nyx in a cage, she's saying to "observe" her like Twilight said they were going to do in the first place??? And a researcher like Twilight should know that getting in the face of your subject can massively skew the data and that you need to fit the theory to the facts not the facts to the theory.
I'll say it again Princess Celestia's keeping all sorts of secrets from everyone on account of not wanting to hurt the poor babies feewings doesn't help at all. At this rate, in a couple generations her subjects will probably have to have Celestia tie their horseshoes for them.
At this point I almost look forward to seeing the look on their faces when the truth is revealed.
spy tf2