The Sixth Alicorn

by ShadeNightingale

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Princess Celestia had a headache. On her right, Luna struggled to keep her eyes open. Both worked to suppress yawns, and both were losing.

Being a ruler was hard. Sure, the admiration and respect of their subjects was wonderful. Living in a grand palace with access to unlimited cake was a consummation devoutly to be wished. But it all came with a lot of tedious busywork. Like judging between petitioners with equally valid complaints. Settling disputes between warring nations.

Sitting in on long, boring tax meetings.

“…As you can see, revenue for the previous quarter has decreased three percentage points in the outlying counties. We suspect this drop is due to trade disputes between several large companies and the town of Neigh-boo…” The bespeckled pony droned on and on, his monotonous voice dryer than sheet rock.

There had been several meetings of this kind over the past few days. While the Changelings held Canterlot for only a brief time, the Princesses’ doppelgängers had issued many orders that needed to be rescinded. In addition, the sudden reversal of centuries of Changeling aggression had thrown the entire kingdom into disarray; the pony economy fluctuated wildly as speculators and stockbrokers wrestled with what this unexpected event signaled for the next quarter. All these questions added up to a lot of meetings, shifting through Equestria’s current circumstances with a fine-tooth comb.

And this was before they heard there was a new princess.

Nyx occupied Celestia’s thoughts a good deal now. While sending her to Twilight was no doubt for the best, Celestia felt disquieted. Nyx had spent nearly two years with Queen Chrysalis—surely something rubbed off? The child had stayed quiet, but Celestia was sure she would have plenty to say soon enough. Any day now, she expected to hear from Twilight that Nyx had thrown a tantrum and demanded more cookies.

Assuming she could eat them. Celestia frowned. She neglected to inform Twilight that Nyx had eaten meat, out of concern that it might put Twilight off from raising her. She assumed Nyx would leave that behind after she tried good, wholesome pony food. But that old draconequus called Doubt whispered to her. Suppose Nyx hated pony food? What if she were so accustomed to flesh that all they could feed her was meat? Could Twilight handle that?

“Your Highness?”

Celestia blinked. “Sorry?”

“I said, were there any comments you wished to make concerning our liquid asset projections within the next quarter?” The tax pony peered up at her, patiently awaiting her reply.

“None immediately leap to my mind. Luna? Anything you wish to add?”

Luna jumped. “Nor I, nor I,” she said quickly. She composed herself. “We thank you, friend Book Keeper, for bringing these matters to our attention.”

“We will consider your proposals, and get back to you on them,” Celestia said. “Thank you for honoring us with your presence today.

“There are other matters that require your Royal notice,” Book Keeper drawled. “I propose a further meeting to discuss the calendar for such dates as needed.”

Luna stared. “You’re proposing a meeting…to schedule further meetings?”

“Of course, your Highness.”

“I have an empty time slot this afternoon,” Celestia said, suppressing a sigh. “We can hold a scheduling meeting then.”

“Excellent. I shall present my recommendations at that time. With your permission, I shall take my leave.”

“Permission granted,” Luna said hastily.

Book Keeper bowed, and, lifting his easel, pointer, and abacus in his magic, departed. Luna sank into her throne. “A meeting for a meeting! Sister, I propose that the next time an evil villain comes to conquer Equestria, we sit them through a full day of these tax meetings.”

Celestia smiled. “Think they’d surrender?”

“Aye! I wager they yield before lunch.”

“Somehow, I doubt one who stoops to conquer is interested in picking up economic policy,” Celestia said wryly. She turned to a white, bespeckled unicorn mare, whose black mane was rolled into a bun. “Raven, do we have any other petitioners?”

Raven Inkwell pulled out a scroll and examined it carefully. “I see no-pony else for the time being,” she said, in a clear, clipped voice. “Your next petitioner isn’t due until after lunch…Spell Nexus has school business to discuss with you. But I do have some paperwork that requires your signatures.”

Luna’s mouth tightened. “We are sick with joy.”

Raven smiled softly. “Perhaps her Highness would like to read her correspondence first?”

“We have mail?” Princess Luna asked, her eyes shining. After her return from the moon, Luna had become fascinated by the Equestrian Postal Service.

“Certainly, your Highness,” Raven said. “I believe you have a number of thank-you notes from foals across the land.”

“Huzzah!” Luna cried, delighted. Part of her duties involved settling the nightmares of foals, many of whom sent her thank-you cards.

Princess Celestia smiled at her sister, and turned to Raven. “What else do we have?”

Raven pulled out another scroll. “More of the usual, your Highness. A few fan letters…several personal invitations from prominent nobles…an application to your school…and a formal request from Queen Novo of Seaquestria to render aid in their struggle against the Storm King.”

“The Storm King,” Celestia murmured. “We’re going to need to keep an eye on him. Anything else?”

“Yes, your Highness. Princess Twilight sent a letter by dragon-mail several hours ago.”

“Ah! I’ve been waiting to hear from Twilight,” Celestia said. “Raven, I should like to see that letter first.”

“As would I,” Luna added. “Though I question why it was delivered without, rather than into our Royal Presence.”

“They come direct when I have no petitioners,” Celestia explained. “Otherwise, it goes straight to the mailbox.” She smiled at Raven. “Go ahead and bring those letters in.”

Raven left the room with a graceful bow. Luna leaned closer to Celestia. “Does Twilight know you are having these meetings? It impresses me strangely that she would send a letter at such an inopportune time.”

“Twilight keeps a copy of my schedule, and mails me when I’m clear,” Celestia answered, frowning. “It must be something urgent.”

“Do you suppose it has anything to do with N—" Luna began, but then she glanced at the guards standing nearby. The Sisters had told no-pony about Nyx yet. Even Raven was ignorant of her existence. “Do you suppose it has to do with her…new charge?”

“Undoubtedly,” Celestia replied. “She must have a problem.”

Luna became grave. “Do you suppose it is serious?”

“It’s hard to say with Twilight. She stresses herself whenever small details don’t work out quite as planned.” Celestia lowered her voice. “Nyx probably threw a fit.”

Luna giggled. “Nothing a little time-out can’t cure!”

Raven came back into the room, a stack of envelopes held aloft in her magic. A sealed scroll sat on the top. “The letters, your Royal Highnesses.”

“Thank you very much, Raven,” Celestia said. “Let me have that letter of Twilight’s.” She took the scroll into her magic, and unsealed it.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. An off-white unicorn with thick moustaches and a red dress jacket ran in, his small spectacles hanging off one ear. “Princess Celestia! Princess Celestia!” he cried.

“Kabitz? Whatever is the matter?” Celestia asked, bewildered. Kabitz was usually more dignified than this; he was the very incarnation of prim and proper.

He stopped at the foot of the throne, panting. “A thousand pardons for this intrusion, but a dreadfully serious matter has been brought to my attention—the Griffon Kingdom and Abyssinia have declared war!”

Luna gasped. “What? On us?”

“Goodness, no! On each other!”

“I don’t understand. What prompted this?” Celestia asked. “The griffons and the Abyssinthians have been allied for ages. I see no reason for them to stoop to war!”

“Nor do I, Your Highness,” Kabitz sighed, his usual stoic demeanor returning. He adjusted his spectacles. “At least, no sensible reason.”

“How have you come to learn of this war?” Luna asked.

“From the ambassadors waiting outside. They have come to request Equestrian aid for their respective nations.”

Celestia leaned closer. “Have they told you why they have declared war?”

Kibitz shut his eyes tightly and sighed. “Because the Changelings have declared peace.”

There was a long pause. “Sorry, what?” Celestia asked.

“Because the Changelings declared peace,” Kabitz repeated. “Since they’ve ceased hostilities, the Griffons and Abssinthians no longer see why they should continue as allies. As your Highness knows, the two kingdoms ended centuries of enmity to unite against Changeling encroachments under their…previous monarch.”

Celestia nodded gravely. Ponies were not the only race to suffer at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis. Every kingdom Equestria had ever contacted had a Chrysalis story. Thorax would have his hooves full reaching out to them.

“I fail to see what any of this has to do with starting a war,” Luna said, arching a brow.

“I am coming to that,” Kabitz said. “Both kingdoms have decreed that since their alliance is no longer needed, they should resume their conflict in respect for tradition.”

Celestia stared. “But they’ve been allies for seven centuries.”

“I am well-aware of this fact, Your Highness. If I may be bold, it would help if Her Royal Highness reminded them of it.”

Celestia sighed irritably and gave Twilight’s letter back to Raven. “You will have to give me this correspondence later, Raven. We have a war to stop.”

“Understood, Your Highness.” Raven bowed and made her way to a small desk in the shadow of the dais. Placing the mail on the side of the desk, she drew forth quill and parchment, to record what would undoubtedly be a historic petition.

Celestia turned to the guards standing at the door. “Kite Shield. Stonewall.” Both guards stood at attention. “You have heard what Kabitz has said. I want you both to accompany him to the ambassadors and escort them in.”

The guards bowed, as did Kabitz. “Very good, Your Highness. I have no doubt your keen judgement will resolve this matter.” He and the guards turned and left the room.

Luna leaned in. “What about Twilight’s letter?”

“This is far more urgent,” Celestia replied. “We’ll see what she has to say later.” She glanced at the scroll. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s under control.”

“O no, no no no!”

Starlight ran to the window. She thrust her head out, scanning the streets below for a glimpse of black, but saw no-pony aside from ordinary townsfolk.

The door upstairs opened. “That you, Starlight?” Applejack called. “Did’ya get her?” She saw the open window and huffed. “Horse apples! Don’t tell me she went out the window?”

Starlight chuckled nervously. “Okay…I won’t?”

“She won’t get away from me!” A rainbow-colored blur blew past Starlight and out the open window.

“Dash, wait!” Applejack hollered. “Your face—”

But Dash was already halfway across the Ponyville skyline, a rainbow contrail falling behind in her wake. Applejack shook her head. “Dang that girl! We needed her to stay ‘till we figured somethin’ out!”

“That’s Rainbow Dash, she can never keep still,” Starlight said. “At least if Nyx tried flying away, she’ll find her.”

Trixie peeked around the threshold. “Did Nightmare Moon get away?”

“Yeah, she went out the window,” Starlight admitted. “I don’t see her anywhere.”

“Great!” Trixie said, relieved. “The further, the better!”

“No, it ain’t!” Applejack snapped. “We gotta find her, and quick!”

“Do we really need to?” Trixie pleaded. “She can take care of herself just fine, right? How about we just let her run off someplace far away? Far, far away?”

“Not a chance.”

“O, come on!”

“Applejack’s right,” Starlight said. “Nyx is too dangerous to be left alone. We need to find her, now.” She turned back to the window, scanning the streets below for any sign of Nyx.

Applejack and Trixie came up beside her. “Trixie doesn’t see her,” Trixie said. “O well. Princess Twilight will just have to wake up and sort it herself.” She turned away, but Applejack pulled her back.

“Six eyes are better than four,” she growled. “Keep yer eyes peeled—she could be anywhere.”

“Or any-pony,” Starlight added. “She can transform, remember. Keep an eye out for some-pony we don’t know, or one who suddenly has a twin.”

They scanned the streets below. Dash’s sudden departure from the window had startled the towns-ponies below, who stared up at them with bemusement. Starlight waved sheepishly. “Heh, that Rainbow Dash, right? Always in a hurry, you know?”

The towns-ponies shrugged and resumed their business. Starlight studied them carefully, but saw no strangers among them. She noticed a couple of foals playing in the snow, and leaned out the window for a closer look. Was it—? No, those were neighborhood colts. Snips and Snails, if she remembered right.

“Is that her?” Trixie asked suddenly.

“Where? Oof!” Starlight, startled by Trixie’s outburst, stood up and smacked her head against an overhanging gargoyle. “Ow, my head,” Starlight grumbled, rubbing it gingerly. “Stupid statue. Where are you pointing?”

“Over there. See that colt loitering in that alley? That must be her in disguise!”

“Naw, that ain’t her,” Applejack said. “It’s Rumble. Looks like he’s sulkin’ again. I wonder what’s buggin’ him now?”

“That’s not important,” Starlight said. “I don’t see Nyx anywhere! Where could she have gone?”

“Well, it ain’t likely she flew away,” Applejack said, glancing skyward. “I reckon Dash would have found her by now if she tried that.” A familiar rainbow-blur blew by. “Yup, Dash is still lookin.’ She must be hidin’ out in town somewhere.” She paused. “Unless she turned into a bird?”

“No, I don’t think so,” Starlight said. “She’d have tried that already.” She sighed and shook her head. “I guess we’re going to have to look for her. Again.”

“I’ll step out and have a gander,” Applejack said. “Horsefeathers! Bet she’s halfway ‘cross town by now. Do ya still got that map Twi gave us?”

“No, it’s under the rubble,” Starlight answered, her ears wilting.

“Dang. Well, if I see Pinkie Pie, I reckon I’ll have her come help me. She’s usually pretty good ‘bout seein’ through them disguises.”

Starlight nodded. “We’ll go up and check on every-pony, see if we can rouse Princess Twilight, and look for the map. Then we can go and look together.”

“Right,” Applejack said. She turned and charged downstairs.

Starlight and Trixie went up to the second floor. It was an absolute wreck. The fires were extinguished, but the air was heavy with smoke and the smell of burnt wood. Remnants of the Sleeping Smog filled the waiting room; Starlight lit her horn and opened the windows, allowing the Smog and the smoke to slither outside and drift skyward.

“That’ll give us room to breathe,” Starlight said. She turned to Nurse Redheart, who was still cradling the police lieutenant. “How is he?”

“N-Not good,” Nurse Redheart said shakily. She had a blood-soaked handkerchief pressed against the lieutenant’s face. “That strike shattered his glass eye—he needs to be operated on immediately.”

Starlight nodded grimly. “Trixie, go into the ER and see if they can spare a doctor.” Trixie gave a facetious salute and galloped through the double-doors. Starlight turned to check on Twilight, but Nurse Redheart pulled her back.

“Wait! Please, you must tell me—was that N-Nightmare Moon who did all this?”

Starlight hesitated. “Yes.”

“H-How is t-that even possible?” Nurse Redheart stammered. “I thought she was part of Princess Luna?”

“Uh, they split up?” Starlight said, in an attempt at levity. It had no effect, so she gave a straight answer. “Yes. She’s her own pony now.”

“Pony?” Nurse Redheart shrieked. “That wasn’t a pony! What even is she?”

“I don’t know,” Starlight admitted. “I’ve never seen anything like her before. Did she hurt you?”

“No,” Nurse Redheart said. She sounded puzzled. “I b-begged her not to hurt us and she…just passed us by.”

“That’s odd,” Starlight said, frowning. “Why wouldn’t—”

“Found one!” Trixie yelled triumphantly, in a sing-song voice.

Starlight turned to see a cream-caramel unicorn stallion dressed in scrubs, glasses, and a face-mask follow Trixie from the ER. He did a double-take when he saw the destroyed waiting room.

“Doctor Greymare!” Nurse Redheart exclaimed. She raised the lieutenant’s head. “He needs help, stat!”

“What’s his condition?” Dr. Greymare asked.

Nurse Redheart made several motions Starlight recognized as a breathing exercise. Then she cleared her throat and spoke in a brisk voice: “The patient was struck in the head. His left eye was made of glass and has shattered inside the socket. He is bleeding profusely, and there are signs of possible skull fractures. In addition, the patient is expressing symptoms of delirium.”

Dr. Greymare nodded and lifted the handkerchief. Blood seeped from the wound, fragments of splintered glass glistening in the socket. Trixie suddenly looked anxious.

“Um, is he going to be alright?” she asked. “He’ll live, won’t he?”

“Too early to tell,” Dr. Greymare replied. He turned to the ER door. “Orderlies, get in here, stat!”

Two orderlies rushed out, pulling a gurney between them. They quickly scooped up the lieutenant and rushed him into the ER. Dr. Greymare surveyed the unconscious ponies littering the room. “What in thunder happened out here? What’s their condition?”

“There was a fight,” Nurse Redheart explained. “Every-pony you see here was put to sleep by a magical mist called “Slumber Smog.” But Miss Zecora was knocked out by a kick to the head.”

Dr. Greymare knelt next to Zecora and took her pulse. “She’ll be alright. But I want her taken in for observation. Nurse, go upstairs and rouse the other staff members. We’ll need every pony we can spare.” Nurse Redheart nodded, and, her terror pushed to the side, made for the stairs. Dr. Greymare adjusted his glasses and turned to Starlight, looking deeply troubled. “Alright, could some-pony tell me what happened? I heard there was a fight…is the assailant still in the building?”

“No, she got out,” Starlight replied.

“She? You know who did this?”

“We’ll explain later,” Starlight said quickly. “We’re taking care of it. You need to focus on the hurt ponies first. Especially Princess Twilight.”

Dr. Greymare stared at her for a moment, but then nodded gravely. “You’re right, of course. In the meantime, ask a nurse to have a look at your flank. You have some serious bruising there.”

Starlight glanced at her flank and winced. Her bruises were back, the purples and blues interspersed with a nasty shade of yellow-green. The heavy bruising almost entirely obscured her cutie mark. “I’ll be fine. That’s from getting thrown several times by my tail over the last few days.”

“What about your head?”

Starlight reached up with a hoof and found a hard knot. “O, that’s not from the fight. I just hit my head on one of the gargoyles outside, it’s nothing.”

“Gargoyles?”

“Yes, there’s one right outside the stairwell window.”

Dr. Greymare looked confused. “But this is a modern hospital, we don’t have any gargoyles.”

Starlight’s eyes widened. She exchanged shocked glances with Trixie, then both mares turned and galloped back to the stairs. They hurried down the steps and peered out the window, to where the gargoyle had been.

It was gone.

They stared at the empty space for a long moment before either of them could speak.

“That…that was actually really clever,” Starlight said lightly. “I guess this means she can change into inanimate objects as well. That’s interesting.”

“She was right there,” Trixie whispered. “She was sitting above our heads and we didn’t even realize it.”

“It was a neat trick,” Starlight continued. “We were so sure she escaped, it never occurred to us she would hang back. She must be a lot cleverer than we realized!”

“Starlight!” Trixie snapped. “Do you realize what this means?”

“Um…she overheard our plans?”

Trixie laughed hollowly. “No, Starlight. It means she could have killed us before we even knew she was there.” She was smiling, but her body was shaking, her eyes wide and staring.

“Well, yes,” Starlight said. “She could have done that.”

“And that doesn’t freak you out? Like, at all?” She laughed again, her pupils shrinking to tiny pinpricks.

“Maybe a little,” Starlight admitted. “But she didn’t, and here we are.” She frowned, thinking over what had happened. “Why not, though? We would have been an easy kill.”

Trixie trembled. “Easy…kill?”

“Maybe it was too great a risk?” Starlight continued, absorbed in her own thoughts. “Perhaps she thought it would attract the town’s attention?”

“Why would she care?” Trixie said, her voice growing shriller. “She’s stronger than most ponies—she could just beat every-pony up!”

“No, that would be a waste of energy,” Starlight realized. “She’s trying to flee, not fight. That’s why she left Nurse Redheart and that lieutenant alone—they weren’t a threat to her.”

“Threat?” Trixie repeated in disbelief. “She’s threatened by us?”

“Maybe,” Starlight said. “I mean, she didn’t attack until Lt. Column tried to grab her…and she jumped us only after we’d caught up to her.”

“What about Rarity?”

Starlight frowned. “I don’t know what happened there. Maybe Rarity did something?”

“Sorry, but what could Rarity possibly do to make any-pony feel threatened?” Trixie asked. “No offense, but Rarity is so hoity-toity! Trixie can’t take her seriously!”

“Who knows? That filly’s mind works in ways none of us understand. The only way to find out is to catch her.” She made for the stairs. “You stay here and try to get every-pony up. I’ll go tell Applejack what happened.”

“Are you crazy?” Trixie shrieked. “That kid is a deranged lunatic! She’s dangerous! And she’s got that knife on her now, don’t forget that!”

Starlight cringed. “I…I’ll deal with that when it becomes relevant. But we need to find her before she hurts some-pony else.” She thought of the empty space on the wall outside. “She can’t have gone far.”

Sweetie Belle trudged through the snow, a double-chocolate cookie, nestled in a white wax-paper envelope, held aloft in her magic. Sugarcube Corner’s cookies were regarded as the finest in Ponyville. On any other day, Sweetie Belle would have stuffed herself sick with as many cookies as she could reach. But she barely nibbled on the one Pinkie Pie had given her.

She trailed behind her friends, too absorbed in her own thoughts to care about keeping up. Only Pinkie Pie was slower, walking with her head down and mane straight, her colors decidedly less pink. Sweetie Belle had never seen Pinkie Pie this depressed before; it made her feel even worse.

Their visit to Sugarcube Corner had been brief. Sweetie Belle insisted her place was in that hospital waiting room. She left Rarity once already, and look what happened! She needed to be by her side, not sitting in a bakery eating cookies! So it was that they found themselves trotting back to the hospital. As a means to cheer her up, the whole excursion had been a failure.

That didn’t stop the other Crusaders from trying to comfort her anyway. “Aren’t you gonna eat your cookie?” Scootaloo asked her. “They’re really good!” She was doing her best to sound cheerful, but Sweetie Belle knew better. Neither Scootaloo or Applebloom had eaten much of their cookies either, keeping them stowed away in their pockets.

“I’m not hungry,” Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo’s face fell. “Rarity has really got you worried, doesn’t she?”

“I’ve never seen her get hurt like that before,” Sweetie Belle sniffed. “What if the doctors can’t help her?”

Pinkie Pie looked up. “Don’t say things like that. Those doctors will fix her up, don’t worry.” She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as them.

“See? It’ll be like Pinkie Pie says,” Applebloom said. “But whatever happens, we’ll be there for ya. Crusaders forever!”

“Forever!” Scootaloo repeated.

Sweetie Belle smiled weakly at them. She still felt bad, but hearing her friends say such things made her feel a little better. “Thank you.”

“There is one thing that’s been buggin’ me, though,” Applebloom said, frowning. “That filly you saw leavin’ the Boutique…Who was she?”

“I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle answered. “Why does it matter?”

“Jus’ seems funny to me, is all. Rarity got hurt, and then that filly who was with her ran off instead of gettin’ help?”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed. “Maybe she’s the one that did it!”

Pinkie Pie looked up sharply. “Don’t say things like that. You don’t know what happened.”

“Well, she could of!” Scootaloo insisted. “It’s not like Rarity would have done that to herself, she’s too careful for that!”

Sweetie Belle furrowed her brow. She had thought little of whomever had leaped out the window, aside from telling the funny detective about her. Her thoughts had been preoccupied with whether Rarity would pull through; the idea that the mystery filly had attacked Rarity never crossed her mind. “I should have stopped her.”

“Now don’ go blamin’ yerself,” Appleboom said. “You didn’t know what was goin’ on. Besides, she might a’ just hurt you too.”

“No, she wouldn’t,” Pinkie Pie said. “Do you really think Twilight would bring any-pony to Rarity if she thought she was dangerous?”

Applebloom turned. “D’ya know that filly?”

Pinkie Pie tensed. “O? Um, yeah. She’s Twilight’s new ward.”

“Does Twilight know where she is?” Scootaloo asked.

“No…not exactly. We’re not sure where she went.”

Sweetie Belle was suddenly suspicious. “Why did she run away? Why didn’t she go and get help?”

“We’re not sure. Twilight thinks she was scared after Rarity hurt herself.”

Scootaloo tilted her head. “Princess Twilight thinks Rarity hurt herself? How?”

“Uh…” Pinkie Pie’s nose scrunched up. She seemed just as puzzled as the Crusaders. “Well…”

“Hey! Sweetie Belle!”

Every-pony turned to see Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon galloping towards them. The pair came to a halt in front of Sweetie Belle. “We heard what happened to your sister,” Diamond Tiara said. Her ears wilted. “We’re so sorry.”

“Yeah,” Silver Spoon gasped. She panted heavily, being out of shape. “Real sorry.”

“Um…thanks?” Sweetie Belle replied, feeling a little awkward. She had no idea how to respond. Apparently, neither did they. All of them spent an uncomfortably long moment staring at each other before Diamond Tiara finally spoke.

“Is…Is Miss Rarity going to be alright?”

Sweetie Belle suddenly teared up. “I don’t know! She—She looked awful when I found her. The doctors are trying to save her, but…” She started sniveling.

Diamond Tiara noticed the cookie. “Is that to cheer you up?”

“The police pony she was talkin’ to told Pinkie to go get her one,” Applebloom explained. “It was supposed to cheer her up but…it don’t look like it worked.”

“Cookies didn’t work?” Silver Spoon exclaimed. “Wow, Rarity must be really hurt!”

“Are you headed back to the hospital?” Diamond Tiara asked. “If you are…can we wait with you?”

Sweetie Belle wiped her eyes. “Thank you. I’d like that.”

“Wait!” Scootaloo cried suddenly. “Who’s that?”

Sweetie Belle turned and saw a unicorn filly walking towards them, staying close to the sides of the buildings. She moved very quietly, occasionally stopping to look at the sky. Her coat was the color of warm butter, over which she wore a plain, woolen opal-colored jacket. Her yellow-orange mane was long and straight, with a long bang hanging over one of her vermillion eyes.

“I’ve never seen her before,” Diamond Tiara said, frowning. “Maybe she’s new?”

“New?” Pinkie Pie repeated. “A new pony?” She stared, transfixed, at the approaching filly. Suddenly, she broke out into a huge grin. Her mane poofed back into a mess of curls, and her body’s colors resumed their normal saturation. “A new pony! How exciting! O my gosh, I have another welcome party to plan!” She bounded forward, landing in front of the new filly, almost nose to nose. “Hiya! I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?”

The filly’s eyes widened, and she backed away. She looked from side to side, as though searching for an escape. “¿Mi nombre?” She thought for a bit. “Call me Sunny Daydream.”

“Sunny Daydream? That’s a lovely name! Yes-indeedy!” Pinke Pie clapped her hooves excitedly.

Silver Spoon giggled. “Uh-oh! Looks like Pinkie Pie found another one.”

“Poor kid,” Diamond Tiara said, smiling. “She’s about to get the full Pinkie experience.”

“And look!” Applebloom cried. “She ain’t got her Cutie Mark yet!” Sure enough, the filly’s flank was bare. “Crusaders, we know what we gotta do!”

“We do?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Of course! Help her find her Cutie Mark!”

“What about Rarity?”

Applebloom froze. “O.” She considered for a moment. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to say howdy, right? Least we can do is let ‘er know Pinkie Pie ain’t nothin’ to be scared of.”

Sweetie Belle considered. She was worried sick about Rarity…but helping ponies find their Cutie Marks was part of her special talents. To brush this new filly off was as foreign to her as the Prench language. “Okay,” she said, stashing her cookie in her pocket. “Let’s say hi.”

They approached the little filly while Pinkie Pie asked her questions at a rapid-fire pace: “Do you like cake? Ice cream? Ooh, ice cream cake? What flavor’s your favorite? Do you like sprinkles?” Sunny Daydream said nothing, but stared at her with a mixture of suspicion and bewilderment.

Applebloom went up to Pinkie Pie. “Um, Pinkie Pie? D’ya mind if we cut in? Crusader business and all.”

“Sure!” Pinkie Pie squealed, hopping up and down. “Isn’t this exciting, Sunny? You’ve just gotten into town and you’re already making friends! You must be so happy!”

“¿Que?” Sunny Daydream asked, bemused.

“Howdy!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Good to meet ya!”

Sunny Daydream stared at her. “I do not know you.” She had a pretty voice; Sweetie Belle was reminded of musical glasses.

“We’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Applebloom said. “I’m Applebloom, and this here is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle!”

“Hiya!” Scootaloo greeted.

“Hello,” Sweetie Belle said.

Sunny Daydream nodded at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. “Who are they?”

“They’re friends of ours,” Applebloom explained. “That there is Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.”

Sunny Daydream stared at them for an uncomfortable length of time. “What do you have to do with me? I know nothing of you.” Her speech was a formal yet smoothly delivered lilt, and she sustained certain vowels longer than usual. It was a voice that caught the ear. Yet, the quaver in it suggested a very young filly; she sounded closer to Dinky in age.

“We help ponies find their special talents and earn ‘em their Cutie Marks!” Applebloom said excitedly. “And we couldn’t help but notice you ain’t got yers yet!”

Sunny Daydream turned to look at her flank. “No, I do not have one. Only ponies get those. No querría uno de todos modos.”

Applebloom tilted her head. “Do what now?”

“Ooh, you speak Maredrish?” Pinkie Pie squealed. “How exciting! I love Maredrish! ¿Te gustaría una piñata en tu fiesta de bienvenida?”

Diamond Tiara was stunned. “I didn’t know you spoke Maredrish!”

“Well, duh, of course I speak Maredrish!” Pinkie Pie said, laughing. “It’s the language of piñatas! ¡Carnavales! ¡Fiestas! It’s, like, the language of parties! I’d be crazy not to know it!”

“Well, I reckon that’s pretty neat,” Applebloom said, turning back to Sunny Daydream. “Maybe learnin’ languages is your special talent! Ya know any other languages?”

“Yes,” Sunny Daydream said. “I can talk in Prench, too.”

“Prench?” Diamond Tiara said, impressed. “That’s what all the posh ponies speak!”

“Rarity knows Prench,” Sweetie Belle murmured. Sunny Daydream shot her an appraising look.

“Wow!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “Where’d you learn all that from?”

Sunny Daydream brightened. “From my Mommy!”

“Your Mommy?” Pinkie Pie asked. She bounced with excitement. “That’s two ponies I need to make a welcome party for!” She leaned in eagerly. “What’s her name?”

“Mommy.”

The fillies giggled, even Sweetie Belle. Pinkie Pie chuckled too. “Okay, should have seen that one coming. I meant, what is your Mommy’s name? Like, what does your Daddy call her?”

The little filly suddenly looked stricken. “I don’t have a Daddy.”

“O,” Pinkie Pie said, her ears wilting. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“I know just how ya feel,” Applebloom said morosely. “My folks ain’t around no more neither. They…they got rushed by some Timberwolves…” She sniffed. “Didja lose yer Daddy like that too?”

“No, I never had one. It has always been me and my Mommy. Nuestros solamente.”

Every-pony looked at each other uneasily. Poor filly! She must be too young to know better.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Pinkie Pie said softly. “I hope I didn’t hurt your feelings. But where is your Mommy? I’d love to talk to her.”

Little Sunny’s eyes watered. “I do not know where Mommy went. I lost her!”

Applebloom gasped. “Ya lost her? How did that happen?”

“We were separated,” Sunny said. Tears streamed down her face. “Now I must go and find her, but I do not know where to look. I may never see Mommy again!”

“O, you poor thing,” Silver Spoon said. “We’ve got to do something!”

“Silver Spoon’s right,” Applebloom said, suddenly business-like. “We gotta help Sunny find her mama!”

“You do not have to do that,” Sunny said quickly. She backed away, eyeing them warily. “I can find Mommy all by myself! I am a big girl now. Mommy said so.”

Applebloom chuckled. “I reckon you could, but it’ll be so much faster if we look together!”

“But you do not know me,” Sunny protested. She sounded confused. “Why do you want to help me? There is nothing in it for you. Nada.”

“Because it’s the right thing to do, silly!” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. “When ponies have problems, we all come together and help! That’s what being helpful is all about!”

“Yes. Ponies help other ponies,” Sunny said. “My mistake. I had forgotten.” Her tone was strange. Sweetie Belle thought it sounded bitter, but she quickly dismissed that as her imagination.

If Pinkie Pie noticed her odd tone, she said nothing about it. “Yup-er-doo! We’ll find her, don’t you worry! Detective Pinkie is on the case!” She suddenly wore a grey deerstalker cap and inverness cape. “What does your Mommy look like?” she asked, blowing bubbles out of a pipe.

Sunny stepped back from Pinkie Pie. “She is very tall,” she said, staring at Pinkie Pie’s new attire with utter bafflement. The Crusaders glanced at each other. It had become clear to them that Pinkie Pie’s…Pinkie-ness was intimidating Sunny. While Pinkie Pie’s personality endeared her to many of Ponyville’s foals, occasionally there would be one or two who found her overwhelming. Sunny seemed to fit into this latter category.

“Tall, huh? That’s a start,” Pinkie Pie murmured, oblivious to Sunny’s discomfort. “How tall is she? As tall as a Saddle Arabian?” She blew pony-shaped bubbles out of the pipe, tall and stout like the ponies of Middle Eastern Equus.

Sunny was confused. “¿Quien? How tall are those?”

“Real tall!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Uh, sí?” Sunny said. She backed another step away.

Applebloom stepped forward. “Uh, Pinkie Pie? I reckon we can help Sunny find her mama just fine. Why don’t ya go back to the hospital and let ‘em know where we went?”

“But I’m really good at finding ponies!” Pinkie Pie said, beaming. “Just give me a good description and I can find them easy-peasy!”

“Maybe, but I reckon Sweetie Belle’s parents are gonna wonder why we’re takin’ so long to get back,” Applebloom said, suddenly sounding thoughtful.

“And we offered Sunny help first,” Scootaloo added. “It’s kind of a Crusader mission now.”

Pinkie Pie deflated a little, but she kept her smile. “Alright, if you’ve got this, I guess I can go back to the hospital. But let me know everything you find out about Sunny’s mommy! I can’t wait to throw her a welcome party, I know she’ll love it!”

“Mommy doesn’t like parties,” Sunny said.

“What?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “That’s awful! Why not?”

“Because she says they are silly,” Sunny replied. “They are loud and wasteful. Our resources are too small to spend on celebrating days just because something happened a long time ago. Surviving to the next day is all that matters.”

Pinkie Pie’s mouth hung open. The Crusaders exchanged uneasy glances with Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. Sunny sounded as though she had a very stern mother.

“Does that mean you don’t celebrate anything at all?” Pinkie Pie asked shakily. “Not even your birthday?”

“What’s a birthday?”

Every-pony gasped. “It’s the day you were born,” Applebloom said, stunned. “Don’t ya keep track of how old yer gettin’?”

Sunny tilted her head, in a strange, stilted motion. “Why is that important? Do you ponies celebrate not dying for a full year?”

“Well, no,” Pinkie Pie said. “It’s because we’re happy you’re with us, and we want to celebrate that you’re here!” She smiled warmly. “You know when you were born, right?”

“No.”

Pinkie Pie’s face blanched in astonishment. “No? But…how do you not know? Didn’t your Mommy tell you?”

“No. She doesn’t pay attention to dates,” Sunny replied.

“But what about yer age?” Applebloom asked.

“Why does that matter?” Sunny demanded.

“So…everybody knows how old you are?” Scootaloo said.

Sunny once more appeared puzzled. “How old am I? Do you mean how many winters I have?”

“Uh, I guess?” Scootaloo said, hesitantly.

Sunny considered. “This is my second winter.”

“Two?” Pinkie Pie asked incredulously. “Um, are you sure about that?”

Sunny pursed her lips. “You asked a question and I gave you an answer. Is my word not enough for you? ¿Crees que soy un meniroso?” She spoke fiercely, but with a sense of command. It sounded entirely wrong coming from a filly who looked like she should be in magical kindergarten.

Pinkie Pie stepped away. “O, no no no! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

Sunny glared at her. “Then what did you mean?”

“I just…don’t understand,” Pinkie Pie mumbled. She lowered her head. “Maybe I should just go back to the hospital. I’ll let every-pony know where you kids went. Good luck finding her mommy.” She set off for the hospital, looking dejected.

Applebloom frowned at Sunny. “Ya didn’t need to treat Pinkie Pie like that, she was jus’ tryin’ to help.”

“I do not like her,” Sunny replied. “She smiles too widely and shows all her teeth.” She tossed her head, so that her prominent bang landed behind her horn. “What is a hospital?”

“It’s that building over there,” Silver Spoon said, pointing at the hospital looming several blocks away. Sunny’s eyes flickered with recognition.

“O, that place. What do they do there?”

“It’s a place where they help sick and injured ponies feel better,” Silver Spoon answered.

Sunny looked puzzled. “Why do they do that?”

“Because helping ponies feel better is good?” Sweetie Belle said, arching a brow at her. “You mean you’ve never heard of a hospital? Then where were you born?”

“In the bushes,” Sunny said. “They were mean to me.”

The fillies looked at each other, baffled. What sort of upbringing did this kid have?”

“Well, a hospital has a lot of doctors,” Applebloom explained. “Don’t ya go see the doctor when ya get sick?”

“No, Mommy takes care of me. She knows all about healing.” Sunny perked up, her former aloofness gone. “She knows lots of things!”

“That’s nice,” Diamond Tiara said, carefully. “Does she use her magic, then?”

“¡Sí! And she makes potions, too.” She nodded towards Pinkie Pie’s retreating figure. “Who is she going to see in this hospital place?”

“My sister,” Sweetie Belle said softly. “She was hurt really bad this morning.”

“Your sister?” Sunny asked. She sniffed in Sweetie Belle’s direction, and her eyes narrowed. “What is her name?”

“Rarity,” Sweetie Belle replied. “She’s the bearer of the Element of Generosity.”

“Rarity is your sister?” Sunny cried. She stepped back, looking between the Crusaders with an odd, calculating gaze. “Are all of you related to the Bearers?”

“I am!” Applebloom said proudly. “Applejack is my big sis!”

“And I’m Rainbow Dash’s biggest fan!” Scootaloo squealed.

“That ain’t the same thing, Scoots.”

“It’s close enough!” Scootaloo said defensively. “Rainbow Dash lets me hang out with her! She’s so cool! She’s super-fast and can make a Sonic Rainboom! And she’s in the Wonderbolts!”

“Yeah, we know,” Diamond Tiara said, rolling her eyes.

Sunny turned to her. “What of you? How do you know them?”

“We…don’t know them very well,” Diamond Tiara admitted, her ears wilting. “My Daddy does business with the Apples, but that’s between Granny Smith and him.”

Sunny licked her lips and looked between the Crusaders and the street, as though she were calculating how fast she could run down it. Sweetie Belle was puzzled. When other foals discovered she was related to an Element Bearer, they became super excited and asked a lot of questions, thrilled to meet some-pony connected to Equestria’s heroines. But Sunny seemed anxious instead. “I can find Mommy on my own. Why don’t you go with Pinkamina and see your sister? Puedo hacerlo bien por mi cuenta.”

“It ain’t no big deal, we’ll help ya find her,” Applebloom said. She hesitated. “Though if Sweetie Belle wants to go back to the hospital, me and Scoots can go on ahead?”

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. She did want to go back to the hospital. But Sweetie Belle also knew Rarity would be upset to learn that she had refused to help a little filly in trouble. “No, I’ll help.”

“Thanks, Sweetie. Good on ya.” Applebloom turned back to Sunny, smiling. “See, we’ll help ya find yer mama! You don’t have to be afraid.”

Sunny scowled. “How dare you! I am no coward! I fear no-pony!”

Applebloom backed away, aghast. “I ain’t sayin’ nothin’ like that! I just thought ya looked worried!”

“You don’t need to get so upset, we’re only trying to help you,” Diamond Tiara said, baffled.

Sunny relaxed. “Muy bien, I see you mean nothing by it. El error fue mio.”

“I’m sorry I made ya feel bad, I just wanted to help,” Applebloom said, sharing uneasy glances with her friends.

Sunny leaned closer to Applebloom. “Helping me find my Mommy—do you insist on this thing?”

“Um…yeah?” Applebloom replied, bemused.

Sunny stared at them. Her gaze made Sweetie Belle feel as though she and her friends were being studied. “I might find Mommy at the end of this street,” Sunny said carefully. She pointed at one of the roads leading towards the end of town.

“Alright then,” Applebloom said. “I reckon we can start down that way.”

Sunny nodded and set off down the street at a brisk pace. The other fillies fell back a few paces and whispered among themselves.

“She’s weird,” Diamond Tiara said bluntly.

“That ain’t a nice thing to say,” Applebloom replied.

“It’s true!” Diamond Tiara insisted. “There’s something off about her. She acts like she’s never talked to ponies before!”

“Yeah!” Silver Spoon agreed. “And did you see how mad she got when you told her not to be scared? What’s that about?”

“She’s got a temper somethin’ fierce,” Applebloom admitted. “But she’s little, so maybe she don’t know no better?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, little foals get mad for no reason, right? Dinky did that while we were talking to her, remember?”

“Maybe she and her mom lived out in some faraway place where there isn’t any-pony else,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “That’s probably why she doesn’t know how to talk to other ponies.”

“Or maybe her mom is like mine,” Diamond Tiara said, her ears wilting. “She sounds harsher than her. At least my mom remembers my birthday.”

The other fillies nodded glumly. What sort of mother forgot her own child’s birthday?

“We’ll just have to find out,” Applebloom said. “Pinkie Pie wanted to meet Sunny’s mama, too. Maybe she can get Princess Twilight to give ‘em friendship lessons?”

“If we find her,” Scootaloo interjected. “I don’t see any new ponies down this way, do you?”

Sweetie Belle looked around. There were few ponies about, townsfolk Sweetie Belle knew at least in passing. The street they were going down was a new development. Cottages were wrapping up construction, including an extra-large one built for a Saddle Arabian family. Sweetie Belle briefly pondered if Sunny was the daughter of that same family, but Sunny trotted right by the large cottage without a flicker of recognition. There was little else of interest here; the road led out of town, towards the Everfree Forest.

Applebloom caught up to Sunny. “I don’t see no-pony else ‘round here,” she said. “D’ya wanna try a diff’ernt street?”

“This street is good,” Sunny replied. “Just a little further.”

“But it don’t look like she’s here,” Applebloom pressed. “Maybe she went to the market in the center of town?”

Sunny glanced at her. “What is a market?”

“It’s a place where ponies sell things,” Diamond Tiara answered. “Like jam and vegetables.”

“Sell? ¿Qué es eso?”

Diamond Tiara blinked. “Uh, you know? Buying things? With money?”

Sunny’s expression became dismissive. “O, money. Mommy told me about that. It’s what ponies barter with. Estúpida.”

“Huh?” Applebloom asked. “Ya mean ya don’t know nothin’ ‘bout money neither? How d’ya get stuff ya want then?”

“We take it.”

“What d’ya mean by that?”

Sunny was about to answer, when her belly suddenly growled. Applebloom smiled. “Uh-oh! Sounds like some-pony’s hungry.”

“Sí,” Sunny agreed, massaging her belly. “It is hungry in there. It wants me to eat some food now. I have had not eaten for a while.” She gave them an odd, searching look; she seemed to be sizing them up now, her eyes hungry and calculating. Sweetie Belle felt an unexplainable chill; something in Sunny’s gaze raised her hackles. It was a very similar feeling to the tension she felt in the moments just before she found Rarity. There was no reason to feel that way, yet her intuition kept insisting it was in their best interest to feed Sunny. Now.

She slipped her cookie out of her pocket and offered it to Sunny. “If you’re hungry, how about a cookie? I don’t really want this one.”

Sunny brightened. “Cookies? I know those! Mommy made them for me sometimes! ¡Muy deliciosa!” She jumped up and down excitedly.

Sweetie Belle smiled. “There you are, then. Is your magic strong enough to hold it?”

Sunny nodded. She took the cookie into her own indigo-colored magic and pulled it out of the wax-paper envelope. Her nose scrunched up. “Why is it so dark? Did this one burn?” She drew it closer and sniffed deeply. “No, it does not have the burn smell. But it has a weird scent. What is this?”

“It’s chocolate,” Sweetie Belle explained. “Double chocolate. The cookie is chocolate, and there’s chocolate chips in it, too.”

“I have never heard of chocky-let before.”

Scootaloo gasped. “What, never? Just how far away did you guys live?”

Sunny became morose. “Very far. Very, very far.”

“Well, chocolate is really good!” Applebloom said eagerly. “Try it! You’ll like it, trust us.”

Sunny squinted suspiciously at the cookie, turning it over in her magic. But then her belly growled again, so she took a bite from it. She made a face.

Silver Spoon frowned. “What’s a matter? Don’t you like it?”

“No! I do not like this kind of cookie. It is too sweet.”

Every-pony’s mouth hung open. “Too sweet?” Sweetie Belle repeated, dumbfounded. “But…it’s a cookie! They’re supposed to be sweet!”

“Sweet enough for you,” Sunny replied, giving the cookie back to Sweetie Belle. “But it is too sweet for me.”

“But what did yer mama put in her cookies, then?” Applebloom asked.

“Honey.”

“O, that sounds good, actually,” Silver Spoon said, smiling. “What else did your mom put into them?”

Sunny’s eyes shined. “Mommy put lots of yummy things in her cookies! Honey, nuts, dried fruit…”

“That sound awesome!” Scootaloo interjected.

“…And lots of bugs!”

Sweetie Belle blinked. “Wait, what? Bugs?”

Sunny nodded happily. “Yeah huh! She put beetles and crickets and caterpillars in them! ¡Muy deliciosa!”

“Eew!” the fillies cried.

“That’s gross!” Applebloom said, turning a little green. “Ya can’t put bugs in cookies!”

“You can too!” Sunny pouted. “Mommy says they add new-tree-ants so the cookies can be a travel snack. So there!” She stuck her tongue out at them.

Applebloom shook her head in disbelief. “What kind o’ pony is yer mama anyhow?”

“Applebloom!”

Every-pony turned to see Applejack galloping towards them. “Where in the hay have y’all been?” Applejack demanded. “I didn’t see y’all at the hospital. What’re y’all doing out here?”

“Pinkie Pie took us out to give Sweetie Belle a cookie, then we decided to help Sunny here find her mama,” Applebloom explained. She arched a brow at her sister. “Never mind us, where’ve you been? And what happened to yer face?”

“That ain’t important right now,” Applejack snapped. “I been out lookin’ for some-pony. Any of y’all seen a new pony around? One y’all ain’t seen before? Like—” She broke off, suddenly noticing Sunny. “Hang on now, who’s this?”

“I was just tellin’ ya, this is our new friend, Sunny Daydream!” Applebloom exclaimed.

“Sunny…Daydream,” Applejack repeated in disbelief. She shot Sunny a stern glare. “That’s the name yer going with? Seriously?”

“Do you have a problem with that?” Sunny asked calmly.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Can talk now, can you?”

“Of course she can talk!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “She even knows Maredrish! Isn’t that amazing?”

“Amazin.’ Girls, I need ya to step away from her right now.”

“Huh?” Applebloom said. “Why?”

“Never mind why!” Applejack snapped. “Just do as I say!”

Applebloom frowned. “We ain’t doing nothin’ like that ‘till you tell us what’s going on!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo agreed. “Sunny’s our friend! We’re trying to help her find her mom!”

Sunny looked surprised. “We are friends now?”

“Of course!” Scootaloo exclaimed. “We’re happy to have you with us! Even if you are a bit weird.”

“Like puttin’ bugs in cookies!” Applebloom said, making a face. “But Granny says that they eat funny stuff off in for’n parts, so I guess that’s jus’ normal.”

“Bugs in cookies?” Applejack repeated. “What in tar…never mind, it don’t matter. Jus’ do as I say and get away from her! She’s dangerous!”

The fillies looked at the little lost foal beside them, and then stared back at Applejack as if she had grown antlers. “How?” Diamond Tiara asked. “She’s a little kid who’s gotten lost, how can she be dangerous?”

“Yeah!” Silver Spoon agreed. “What’s she gonna do, act cute at us?”

“Y’all don’t understand, she’s a little hellion!” Applejack snapped. “Now do as I say and move aside!”

No!” Applebloom yelled. She stormed towards her sister. “I don’ know what’s gotten into you, but ya can’t jus’ go around scarin’ off some-pony jus’ cause she’s new in town! I can’t believe you, Granny is goin’ to be so mad when I tell her!”

Applejack was taken aback. “Applebloom, it ain’t like that, she—”

“Applejack!”

Starlight Glimmer galloped up to them. Applejack cocked her head, confused. “Starlight? What’cha doin’ here? I thought you was off helpin’ Twilight?”

“I was, but then I realized Nyx was closer than we thought,” Starlight explained. “I came to tell you before she got too far.”

Applejack’s expression soured. “Yup, I know. I found her.”

“You did? Where is—” Starlight spotted Sunny, and her eyes widened. “O.”

“Nyx?” Applebloom asked. “Who’s that?”

Starlight hesitated. “Well, um, that’s what we call her.” She pointed at Sunny.

Sunny scowled. “That is not my name.”

“No, it sure ain’t,” Applebloom said. “Her name is Sunny Daydream, not Nyx.”

“Sunny Daydream?” Starlight repeated. She rolled her eyes and smiled. “Seriously? You couldn’t have thought up a better name than that?”

Sunny glowered at her. “Are you making fun of me, Bruja?”

Starlight faltered. “What? No, of course not! I just…” She stopped, and stared at Sunny in bewilderment. “Wait, you’re talking to us now?”

“No. Some-pony else is speaking. I cannot speak at all.” Sunny giggled, amused by her own wit.

“Ok, I set myself up for that one,” Starlight huffed. Her face hardened. “You’re in serious trouble, young filly! You better give up and come quietly!”

Applebloom snorted angrily and slammed her hoof down. “Sunny ain’t goin’ nowhere! What the hay’s gotten into you two? First, ya don’t show up at the hospital when Rarity got hurt, now yer runnin’ around town yellin’ at little foals? The hay is wrong with y’all?”

Applejack’s face flushed. “Ya wanna know? Fine, I’ll tell ya!” She pointed furiously at Sunny. “That new “friend” of yers is Nightmare Moon in disguise!”

There was a long silence.

“Um, Miss Applejack?” Diamond Tiara said carefully. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Never better,” Applejack snapped. “Y’all move along, too.”

“Sis, maybe you should go home,” Applebloom said, her tone now caring and sympathetic. “I love ya, but you ain’t all right. Maybe you should go to bed?”

“I’m perfectly fine!” Applejack yelled. “Why in the hay wouldn’t I be?”

“‘Cause Nightmare Moon is gone, remember?” Scootaloo said. “You were there, you helped beat her.”

“And supposin’ she were Nightmare Moon, what would she be doin’ walkin’ ‘round town pretendin’ to be a little filly?” Applebloom asked. “That don’t make no sense.

“We’ll explain later,” Starlight said. “Please move aside.”

“No!” Applebloom yelled. “Yer both talkin’ crazy!”

“We’re tryin’ to keep ya safe!” Applejack yelled. She pointed at Sunny. “She’s the one who hurt Rarity!”

Another shocked silence greeted this pronouncement. Then, Sunny started sobbing. Hard. It was a pitiful sight, tears streaming down her face while her body shook in the cold. “Why is every-pony being mean to me?” she wailed.

Applebloom spun on her sister. “Well, Sis? You happy now?”

Applejack was taken aback. “I didn’t mean for…that is, I didn’t say…”

Starlight cut in. “Look, you need to listen to us, she’s—”

“I just want to find my Mommy!” Sunny howled. “I cannot find her, and now you bad ponies hate me!” She sobbed even harder.

Applejack blustered. “We ain’t bad ponies! You’re the one who—”

“You’re right, I’m sorry, we made a terrible mistake,” Starlight interrupted, her eyes darting around quickly. Sweetie Belle looked around and realized that a small herd of ponies was forming around the scene. Many of them were glaring at Applejack and Starlight, whispering angrily among themselves and shaking their heads. “We were looking for some-pony else, but it seems there’s been some mistake—”

“We ain’t makin’ no mistake!” Applejack shouted. “That’s—”

“For which we are deeply sorry,” Starlight finished. “Excuse us a minute, we need to talk.” She dragged a protesting Applejack away in her magic.

Sweetie Belle shook her head at them, upset that they made Sunny cry. But then, Applejack always needed to do things when she was upset, and Starlight Glimmer was…odd. Perhaps this was just their way of trying to deal with Rarity’s accident?

Sunny was still crying. Poor little filly! Sweetie Belle moved closer to console her. She decided right then that she was going to give Sunny a hug, and then help her find her mom.

It’s what Rarity would want.

“Let go o’ me! Let go, right now!”

Starlight ignored Applejack’s protests as she pulled her across the street, releasing her only when they were out of ear shot.

“What’s the big idea?” Applejack demanded. “That’s her, can’t ya tell?”

“Of course I can!” Starlight said irritably. “It’s so obvious! But, none of those other ponies know about Nyx, remember? They think we sound crazy!”

Applejack blew her lips. “Dang it, I told Twilight keepin’ this a secret was a bad idea. Now Nyx is running amuck and no-pony believes us!”

They watched the scene unfold before them. “Sunny” was still crying, the other fillies and even a few of the adults trying to console her. Applejack’s stern gaze wavered. “We did get it right, didn’t we? Because if we’re wrong, I got no idea how I’m gonna face Granny when she hears I yelled at a child.”

“It has to be,” Starlight answered. “It’s too big a coincidence. I mean, “Sunny Daydream?” That’s not even trying!” The filly gave another loud sob and Starlight hesitated. “Then again, that crying does seem genuine…”

Across the street, Sweetie Belle leaned forward and gave the crying filly a hug. “There, there!”

“T-Thank you,” the little filly sniffed. She looked over Sweetie Belle’s withers, to where Applejack and Starlight stood, and smirked impertinently at them.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “That’s her. Dang little sneak, she’s doin’ what Chrysalis did back at the weddin’!”

Starlight was confused. “Wedding?”

“Cadance and Shinin’ Armor’s weddin’,” Applejack clarified. “Twi figured there was somethin’ funny about “Princess Cadance” during the preparations. Turns out she was Chrysalis in disguise. But when Twi called her out, she turned on the waterworks and got us all sided against her. Made us think Twi was jealous or somethin’.”

Starlight tapped her chin. “So, she’s using one of Chrysalis’ tricks? That’s very interesting. Did she teach her that?”

“Who cares? Right now, we gotta figure out how to get her away from Applebloom and all those other ponies.”

“Hi guys!”

Starlight jumped. Pinkie Pie was suddenly standing next to her.

“Pinkie Pie, what’re ya doing here?” Applejack asked. “And what the hay are you wearin’?”

Starlight suddenly realized Pinkie Pie was wearing a string of purplish-white bulbs around her neck. “Is that garlic?”

“Yup!” Pinkie Pie said proudly.

“And yer wearin’ that why?” Applejack asked, annoyed.

Pinkie Pie spoke quickly. “We-ell, I went back to the hospital and saw what a big mess Moony made after she threw her tantrum and ran away, so I decided to help you find her! I didn’t catch all the details, but Trixie says Moony is actually a vampire, so I got some garlic so she won’t bite my neck! Want some?” She held up two more strings of garlic.

Applejack face-hoofed. “No, Pinkie. Nyx ain’t no vampire.”

“Yeah, but do we know? We haven’t seen her look in a mirror yet, have we?” Pinkie Pie nodded knowingly, as though she had made a profound point. “So? Any luck finding her yet?”

“We found her,” Applejack said dryly.

“Really? Where is she?”

Applejack pointed across the street. Pinkie Pie frowned. “Where? There are all those ponies gathered around Sunny…o no! Who made Sunny cry?”

“That’s her,” Applejack growled.

Pinkie Pie looked puzzled. “Huh? No, that’s Sunny Daydream. She’s new in town. She’s missing her mommy, but the Cutie Mark Crusaders are helping her out.”

Applejack shut her eyes, as if to block out the headache that was beginning to form. “No, that’s Nyx! She’s in disguise!”

“Huh? Are you sure? Sunny doesn’t look anything like her!”

Starlight cut in. “Okay, Pinkie? What color is Nyx’s coat?”

“Black,” Pinkie Pie answered.

“And what color is Sunny’s?”

“It’s white, silly!” Pinkie Pie said, giggling. “Which is, like, the exact opposite of black! And her mane is yellow-orange, which is the exact opposite of violet! And her name is Sunny Daydream, which is the exact opposite of Night—” She froze. She turned and looked back at “Sunny,” comprehension dawning. “O.”

““O,” she says,” Applejack huffed. “Seriously, Pinkie? Yer Pinkie Sense couldn’t tell ya she was in disguise?”

“It doesn’t always work,” Pinkie Pie admitted. “Like, I’ve noticed that I can’t ever spot Changelings when they’re in disguise…wait!” She gasped. “Guys! I think Moony knows Changeling magic!”

“Ya don’t say,” Applejack deadpanned. “Thanks fer tellin’ us, we’d never ‘ave guessed.”

“Never mind that,” Starlight said quickly. “We need to think about how to get her away from those fillies!”

“Ooh! Maybe we just wait her out?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “I mean, the Cutie Mark Crusaders are friends with her. What’s the worst she could do?”

“Oof! Not so tight, not so tight!”

They turned quickly. Applebloom was being squeezed by Nyx in a crushing hug, to the point she was choking.

“Whoops,” Sunny said. She loosened her grip.

“Golly!” Applebloom exclaimed. “Yer strong, girl!”

“I am sorry,” Nyx said. She looked over Applebloom’s wither, to where Applejack, Starlight, and Pinkie Pie stood. “I would not wish to cause you any unnecessary harm.”

A chill went through Starlight’s blood. The threat had gone over Applebloom’s head, but Starlight understood it well enough.

“No!” Applejack whispered, her eyes widening in horror. “Not my Sis! She wouldn’t!”

Pinkie Pie trembled. “She can’t be that much of a meanie, can she?”

“We can’t put anything past her,” Starlight said shakily. “Look what happened to Rarity.”

Pinkie Pie suddenly looked ill. “You mean that was her? O no…”

“We gotta get her away from them,” Applejack said, pounding her hoof. “But dang it, how? She’s got ‘em all wrapped around her hoof, and not one of ‘em will let us near her while she’s playin’ “little lost foal.””

Starlight considered. “Perhaps we’re thinking about this the wrong way? What if instead of getting Nyx away from them, we get them away from Nyx?”

“Huh?” Applejack said. “Ain’t that the same thing?”

“No. I mean, we get them to leave Nyx alone.”

“And how the hay you gonna do that?”

Starlight smiled. “I think I’ve got an idea. Pinky, does every-pony in town know how Rarity got hurt?”

Pinkie Pie looked puzzled. “No? All any-pony else knows is that she got hurt in some kind of accident.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” Applejack demanded.

Starlight’s smile widened. “Just follow my lead.”

“Are ya feelin’ better, Sunny?”

Sunny sniffed. “I guess so. Why were those big ponies so mean to me?”

“I dunno,” Applebloom replied. She glanced across the street. Her sister, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight were talking urgently among themselves, occasionally throwing furtive glances towards Sunny. “Maybe Rarity gettin’ hurt has got ‘em all too wrung up to think straight.”

“They are very scary,” Sunny said, wiping her eyes with her hoof. “Y también muy malvadas.”

“O, you poor thing!” a nearby mare said. Sweetie Belle looked up and saw that it was none other than Miss Muffins, Dinky clinging close to her side. “I’m so sorry they spooked you! They’re usually a lot nicer, I promise!”

Sunny looked at her curiously. “You have funny eyes.”

The Crusaders tensed. Diamond Tiara face-hoofed, while Silver Spoon suddenly looked as though she wanted to be anywhere else. And Dinky, who had been watching with sympathetic eyes, suddenly looked furious. But Miss Muffins smiled kindly at her. “I know, they look funny, don’t they?”

“How are you able to see with your eyes all cross-y like that, Señora?”

“Just fine!” Miss Muffins said. Her smile faltered. “Well, mostly.”

“Can you see in two places at once, like the chameleon?”

“I—” Miss Muffins started, but Dinky interrupted her.

“Stop picking on my Mommy!” she shrieked. “She is a good Mommy! Stop being mean to her!”

Sunny slowly turned her head towards Dinky, without blinking. “How can it be mean to ask about what we can all see? That does not make sense. No comprende.”

“Because bad ponies tease my Mommy all the time!” Dinky started crying. “They say mean things to her and laugh at her and make fun of me because she is my Mommy!”

Sunny’s eyes narrowed. “How dare they! Who are these bad ponies? I will punish them for saying those things!”

Dinky looked confused. “Punish?”

“Of course! When ponies say bad things about my Mommy, I pummel them! Like that!” She slammed her hoof on the ground beneath her.

Dinky’s eyes became very wide. “Pummel them? You mean, beat them up?”

“Of course!” Sunny answered. She tapped her side. “That spot is where the liver is! Kick right there, and your enemies will fall! Then you can stomp their heads in until they’re dead!”

Every-pony gasped. Dinky backed away and hugged her mother’s leg. Silver Spoon’s mouth hung open. Many of the adults looked at each other in shock; Miss Muffins shook her head in disbelief. “That’s a horrible thing to say, little one,” she said. “Where did you hear stuff like that?”

“From my Mommy,” Sunny replied brightly. She seemed entirely non-plussed.

“Yer mama taught ya that?” Applebloom asked. “Why the hay she teach ya somethin’ like that for?”

“To slay our enemies!” Sunny replied. “We have to fight to survive, or else we die.”

“Where have you guys been living?” Diamond Tiara asked, stunned.

“A far place, with lots of danger,” Sunny replied.

“Well, I can see why you decided to move,” Miss Muffins said. “But Ponyville is a nice, safe place to live, so there’s no need for fighting. Where’s your mommy, little one? I think I’d like to speak with her.”

Sunny faltered. “I do not know. I lost her.”

“You lost your mommy?” Dinky asked. She sounded mortified.

“Poor dear,” Miss Muffins said.

“We was tryin’ to help her find her mama, before she got her feelin’s hurt,” Applebloom explained. She shot a glare behind Sweetie Belle. “You comin’ to say sorry, Sis?”

Sweetie Belle turned to see Applejack approaching, Starlight and Pinkie Pie in tow. Applejack looked affronted. “What d’ya mean—”

“Yes!” Starlight interrupted. “Look, we’re sorry we made you cry, Sunny. We thought you were some-pony else. I hope you can forgive us, okay?” Her eyes darted to Applejack. “Right?”

“Um, yeah?” Applejack said. She looked very uncomfortable. “Sorry I was yellin’ at ya,” she said, though Sweetie Belle noticed she was looking at Applebloom instead of Sunny.

“I’m sorry, too,” Pinkie Pie said. “Even though, like, I didn’t make you cry, I’m totally sorry all this is happening.” She smiled nervously. There was a wariness to her that was not there before; she was also wearing a string of garlic bulbs for some reason.

“See?” Starlight said. “We’re all very sorry. Okay?” She smiled again, which made Sweetie Belle feel uneasy. She never knew how to feel about Starlight Glimmer. It was known that she was Princess Twilight’s personal student, but Starlight always rubbed Sweetie Belle the wrong way. She never felt genuine. It was as though Starlight acted out how she thought ponies were supposed to behave, but had no real understanding of their feelings.

Sunny seemed to feel the same way. “No, you are not!” she snapped. “You are trying to trick me. You are telling lies.”

“No! We’re in earnest!” Starlight said, with false cheer. “We—”

“You do not fool me,” Sunny growled. “You are lying to me.” She nodded knowingly, tapping her nose. “I can smell it.”

Starlight’s smile faltered. “You can smell when ponies lie to you?”

“I can smell their fear.”

“O!” Starlight exclaimed. She was suddenly anxious, and this time it was genuine emotion, rather than the unconvincing performance of friendliness she had given prior. “That’s…really interesting.”

“You can’t be for real,” Applejack said in disbelief. “D’ya even realize how freaky that is?”

“Applejack!” Applebloom scolded. “I can’t believe you! Still bein’ mean to Sunny, and after ya said you was sorry too!”

Miss Muffins frowned at Applejack. “I thought you were better than that.”

Some of the other ponies whispered to each other, their tone expressing agreement with Miss Muffins. Applejack’s ears wilted. “But—”

“Let’s focus on the problem at hoof,” Starlight interrupted. “You said you were helping Ny—uh, Sunny with a problem? Maybe we can help!”

“We were helping her find her mom,” Sweetie Belle said, cautiously. “She lost her.”

“O, her mom,” Starlight said, rolling her eyes and smiling. “Right. Why don’t we help, too?” She leaned closer to Sunny, studying her intently. “Why don’t you tell us what your, uh, mother looks like?”

Sunny met her gaze defiantly. “She is tall.”

Starlight’s smile faltered. “Tall? How tall is she?”

“Taller than you, bruja.”

Starlight suddenly looked uncomfortable. “And what color is her coat?”

“She is black,” Sunny answered. “And her mane is teal.” She gave the adults a hard gaze.

Starlight’s eyes widened. She exchanged quick glances with Applejack and Pinkie Pie, who both looked equally uncomfortable.

“Huh,” Applebloom said, tapping her hoof against her chin. “I don’t reckon I’ve seen any-pony in town lookin’ like that. What color are her eyes?”

“They are green.”

“And is she a unicorn, like you?” Scootaloo asked.

“She has a very long horn,” Sunny answered.

Starlight was aghast. “Wait, are you saying that she’s—erm, that’s what your mommy looks like?”

“Yes!” Sunny said. She was shaking with passionate excitement. “She is the better-est mommy in the history of everything! She teaches me and tells me stories and knows all about magic!”

“Aw!” Silver Spoon said. She must really love her mom!”

“Of course I do!” Sunny declared. She tossed her head back and looked Starlight dead in the eye. “I love Mommy more than life itself! And if any-pony hurts her, I kill them!”

Every-pony gasped. “Goodness, little one!” Miss Muffins exclaimed. “Where in the world have you heard such talk?”

“I think I can guess,” Starlight whispered, backing away.

Sunny seemed puzzled. “What have I said that was wrong? Would you not do the same to some-pony who was mean to your mommy?”

“No!” Applejack exclaimed. “That there’s a bunch o’ crazy talk!”

Sunny glanced at her. “Then you are a bad daughter.”

Applejack looked stricken. But before she could respond, Miss Muffins piped up. “I’m glad you love your mommy, little one. But some-pony being mean to her is no reason to harm them!”

“It is too!” Sunny snapped. “When some-pony is mean to my Mommy, that makes them an enemy! And when some-pony is an enemy, I kill them! Like that!” She stomped her hoof onto the ground, the snow making a loud crunch under-hoof.

“Stop!” Sweetie Belle cried. Every-pony turned to look at her. “Please, stop talking about killing! I can’t bear it anymore.” She was on the verge of tears.

Starlight put a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s wither. “You’re really upset about Rarity, right?”

Sweetie Belle nodded.

“O yes, I heard she was in the hospital,” Miss Muffins said. “No-pony will explain what happened. Did she fall?”

“Well—” Sweetie Belle began.

“O, yes! She fell,” Starlight said quickly. “Broke her leg. Terrible accident.”

“Huh?” Sweetie Belle said. “That’s not what happened!”

“You are saying lies again,” Sunny said, scowling. “Rarity did not fall and break her leg. She was stabbed.”

The ponies around her gasped. “Stabbed?” Miss Muffins cried. “Sweet Celestia! I didn’t know she was hurt so badly!”

“You wouldn’t, the police haven’t released that information yet,” Starlight said. She smiled at Sunny. “So, how is it that you know about it, then?”

Sunny froze. The Crusaders turned slowly and stared at her. “Yeah, Sunny?” Applebloom asked, suddenly wary. “How do you know about that?”

“Did not one of you tell me?” Sunny asked. She backed up, her eyes darting between them and the road to the Everfree.

“We never said how Rarity got hurt,” Scootaloo said, squinting at her.

Sweetie Belle moved closer. “Do you know something?”

Sunny’s expression suddenly became unreadable, like she had put on a mask. But her eyes were now cold and calculating. “It is not important,” she said firmly. “I need to find my Mommy. Eso es todo lo que me importa.”

“We’ll help you look for her after you tell us about Rarity,” Sweetie Belle said, narrowing her eyes. “What do you know?”

“Help me find my Mommy, and perhaps I shall tell you.”

“Why not tell us now?” Starlight said, sweetly. There was a gleam of triumph in her eyes.

“Yeah, why don’t you?” Silver Spoon agreed.

“It is unimportant,” Sunny growled.

“It’s important to me!” Sweetie Belle snapped, her voice rising. She was nose-to-nose now with Sunny.

Sunny’s eyes narrowed. “I think we should talk about other things. It would be bad for you otherwise.”

“Are you threatenin’ us?” Applebloom asked, surprised.

“I am warning you,” Sunny replied. Her voice sounded incredibly calm, yet hinted at a deeper menace, like the frozen surface of a pond full of piranhas. “I think I like you fillies. I have no quarrel with you.”

“What’re you talking about?” Sweetie Belle demanded. “We just want you to tell us what you know!”

Sunny studied them for a moment. “You are not going to help me. I will have to find Mommy on my own. Goodbye.” She turned away.

“Hold up, you stay right here and answer us first!” Applebloom yelled, laying her hoof across Sunny’s wither to stop her from leaving.

“Wait!” Applejack cried. “Don’ touch her, don’ touch her! She’ll—”

But it was too late. Sunny crouched, hoisted Applebloom over her back, and tossed her out into the street. The ponies surrounding them gasped in astonishment. “Applebloom!” Applejack cried. She ran to her sister’s side, panicked.

Sweetie Belle spun on Sunny. “Why did you do that? We only wanted to know—” She froze.

Sunny Daydream crouched as though she were preparing to pounce. Her eyes changed color to glowing cyan, while her pupils thinned into sharp slits. She growled at them, a deep, un-ponylike snarl that made every-pony’s fur stand on end.

“Sunny?” Sweetie Belle asked, stepping back. “W-What’s wrong with your eyes?”

Sunny gave no reply. Instead, indigo flames shot down from her horn and ran over her body. They dissipated quickly, and in Sunny’s place stood a black-coated filly with a violet mane and a jacket made of a strange material. A silver peytral hung around her neck, and a pair of serrated wings spread from her back. And her teeth had lengthened into razor-sharp fangs.

Sweetie Belle recognized her at once. “You!” she exclaimed. “You’re the one who—”

But Sweetie Belle never finished her sentence, for with a loud snarl, Nightmare Moon pounced.

Author's Note:

Thanks for bearing with me every-pony! Aside from the writing itself, I had a number of personal setbacks to deal with, sudden unemployment being first of all in order of magnitude. But, I finally got the chapter up! 12,287 words--a lot, but less than the 13,809 words the initial typed manuscript ran. As you can see, we are getting to learn more about Nightmare's abilities, as well as the way she interacts with other ponies. As you can see, there were some holes in Chryssy's education...

Comments

[Cyana Flame]

woo!

[Raziel80]

Great as always, although I am grumbling under my breath a cliff hanger ending to the chapter. hope everything jobwise works out for you and that creative muse never losses it fervor.

[Nismo Rose]

Yay! Another chapter I love this story!

[Death Moon]

Accidenti che situazione!
La nostra Nightmare Moon alias Nyx si sta muovendo.
La vediamo agire con la sua magia colpendo i nemici e non asciando niente al caso.
Poi incontra le Cutie Marck Cruseider e li inizia ad aprirsi e poi parla di sua madre!
Ora non so che accadrà!

[ShadeNightingale]

11736204
Thanks so much!
11736640
Thanks so much!

11736234
Thanks! Yeah, I write like Dickens or "The Hardy Boys." Keeps up the interest while I spend ages getting the next chapter up.

11736801
Nightmare doesn't like to chat with her enemies, and doesn't want to reveal any information to them. But she's in disguise as "Sunny", and barely made it two blocks from the hospital before getting "welcomed" by Pinkie Pie. Staying mute would likely arouse Pinkie Pie's suspicions, so it's better for her cover if she talks. Unfortunately for her, she doesn't really understand pony cues due to spending her entire life with Changelings, so she ends up giving away a lot more than she intends.

[GamePlayer64]

It looks like Nyx shows sympathy to anyone who loves their mother. That might be her kind point

[Wooden Wheel]

I love this alternate universe story. I can understand that a character speaks a foreign language in a broken way... But I have to recommend to get help with the spanish of Moon. Even if we are ment to belive her spanish is a broken one, some parts need corrections.

For example, here:

“O, money. Mommy told me about that. It’s what ponies barter with. Estúpida.”

That should be "Estúpido", by using the feminine form of the word, it creates the impression that she is calling her mother, Diamond Tiara, or herself "stupid", when in reality her intention, or what I believe is her intention, is to call the concept of money stupid.

But my biggest gripe it has to be that

"Nuestros solamente"

That should be "Nosotras solas" if your intention was to say "us alone", or "Solo nosotras" if your intention was to say "only us".

[ShadeNightingale]

11756005

Hm. That first point is something I was already aware of. I’ve been back and forth on it, but ultimately I decided to use the feminine forms over the masculine ones since this is Spanish by way of horses . Horses tend to follow the lead of the eldest mare, and the society in Equestria seems to think along the same lines. Most of the authority figures on the show are, with some exceptions, all females. On top of that, the ruler is a mare with the ability to manipulate the very heavens above them. So, I’m working with the assumption that gendered languages like Spanish would assume the feminine over the masculine. So, Nightmare using the feminine suffix to represent a general concept is correct for Equestria but wrong for our world. Though as I said, I’m somewhat uncertain about keeping that one up. My understanding of the language is still somewhat basic.

As for the other mistake…blame google translate? That might come from being an English speaker trying to render that in Spanish. Or we could say Chrysalis isn’t as good with teaching languages as she thinks she is.

I hope that answers some of your questions. I’m glad to hear you do like the story at least.

[WindigogoGadget]

Sunny glanced at her. “Then you are a bad daughter.”

Right for the throat holy shit

[ShadeNightingale]

11841975
Nightmare doesn’t mince words, does she? Thanks for reading!

[WindigogoGadget]

No she does not, and I love it!

Next chapter...?

[ShadeNightingale]

11842559
Still in progress. I have it written out in longhand and am in the process of typing it up. Then it goes through several stages of editing. But it is written out at least, and I have most of Chapter 11 planned out. I post updates on my blog.