> Nightingale, Neither Snow Nor Hail
>  by TundraStanza
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Ch. 1: Zombie Wolf-bats?  On Pumpkin Cake's Cute-ceañera?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

---
A few months after the wedding between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor...

A loner crawled along, scraping his belly against the dirt road.  The one whom he thought loved him just threw him out of her life.  His supposed parents had done the same.  There were light-colored scrapes against his black chitin.  He was out of luck and out of love, the poor changeling.

"Hey! What are you doing out here on your lonesome?"

He braced for another beating, sure that yet another pony would stomp on him while he was down.  He shivered in place.  He knew this was the end.  Admittedly, he might have been capable of inflicting fang wounds.  But in his currently weakened state, that wouldn't be enough to keep him alive.  So, he laid there in the middle of the road, awaiting the inevitable squish like the bug that he must have looked like.

"P-P-Please..." He wheezed a little. "Get it over with quickly."

Much time passed in absolute silence.  He peeked up with one eye, wondering what was taking so long.  His other eye popped open upon seeing his hoof with holes being lifted by a solid hoof of a similar shade, lifting him up onto his own standing legs.  He blinked uncomprehendingly at the gentle smile of the mare holding his hoof.

"How did a cute guy like you get so scuffed up?" she asked, slowly lowering her hoof, giving him room to stand on all four of his.

"I... I'm not cute." He looked down at the ground.  He bit his lower lip. "I'm a monster... a love-sucking monster." Water started dripping from the edges of his eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She was either brave or foolish to stay near him.  Why couldn't she understand what danger she was in?  He had already caused enough problems with the ponies he once considered family.  He didn't want to create a catastrophe with ponies that he barely knew.

"I just..." He sniffed. "I just... want... to be... loved." The tears dripped even faster. "Why did I have to be a changeling?  I didn't ask to be this... thing." He sniffed again and again, but the tear duct fluid just kept on streaming.

Something else pecked his cheek.  Grunting in a questioning tone, he slowly looked up just in time to see her puckered lips casually removing themselves from his face.  He had no idea what was happening.

"I think you're wrong about something." She turned around and took a couple steps forward.  She turned her head back and said, "You are cute.  Societal definitions of beauty are buffalo crap." With that, she turned her head forward and continued trotting away.

He slowly reached a hoof up to his cheek. "Wha...What just happened?"

---
One week after the restoration of the Tree of Harmony...

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you stallion and mare."  One ring was slid over her horn.  The other was pre-attached to a small chain-link necklace and was placed around his neck.

Rainbow Falls was simply beautiful at this time of day.  Plus, it was quiet.  Only a few friends were needed to witness this special moment.

---
A few years later...

"I've heard of zombie wolves," she commented.

"And I've heard of vampire bats," he added.

"But zombie wolf-bats?!" She wasn't sure whether to be startled or trying to whack some thesis pony over the head.

"This is just ridiculous." He really wanted to face-hoof himself, but settled on pulling out his heavy sword.

The sight before them was just as ridiculous as they had described.  Rotting flesh surrounded them in the form of wolves.  Each wolf had glowing red eyes, claws and fangs, and a pair of bat wings.  Some of those wings were in better shape than others.  Of course when fighting a dangerous enemy, beggars couldn't be choosers.

She shook her head before sliding her katana from its sheath. "Ready to do this, sweetheart?"

"Anytime, dear." He nodded and held his blade high.

The pack of zombie wolf-bats snarled before pouncing upon their prey.  A glowing white katana swung forth and around multiple times.  Its partner sword slammed into the rest of the space with force to spare.  Still, there was little sorrow remaining for the mindless brutes that only desired the meat locked within heads.  But instead of their desired prize, the monsters would soon find themselves all over the ground in a mess of splattered limbs.

What was causing them all to fall apart like this?  Why, it was just the light and dark arcs being made by signature weapons.  Cold spurts of red spilled with each strike.  A few of the luckier beasts managed to scratch something with their paws.  Yet, they too were quickly stripped of their afterlives in the physical plane of existence.

Some of the pack had gathered at the end of the street.  Even his power wouldn't be enough to wipe them all out without letting the rest deal some nasty bruises.  He looked over at his wife hopefully.  A small smile on her face showed that she understood.  Her magical energy filled her katana, making it seem like the very spirit of winter.  Adding to that power, he concentrated some of his internal love.  A green stream of energy from his own heart bolstered her strength.

Instead of charging the remaining pack, she swung her blade in a sideways arc.  The gathered power shot forth faster than the naked eye could track.  All of the zombie wolf-bats that were standing suffered a severe case of frostbite.  Then, they all shattered into frozen shards all over the ground.

The couple took a deep breath, and allowed the energies to even out.  Their glows faded and allowed their weapons to resume their normal colors.

"So, shall we head over to congratulate Pumpkin Cake?" she asked, looking at him.

"Can we really wish her a happy Cute-ceañera without a gift to bring?" he asked her.

"We can always offer her an all-purpose gift card." She patted something inside her saddle pouch.

He gave an uncertain frown. "Giving bits seems a little insensitive for this kind of occasion."

She chuckled. "Unless you have a better idea..."

"I... guess I don't really." He reached up a hoof and scratched the back of his neck sheepishly.

Almost as one, the two swords were shoved into their respective sheathes.

---
Meanwhile...

Sugarcube Corner was full of ponies and full of fun.  Dancers were over here.  Chatter was over there.  Sweets were practically stacked to the ceiling.  Not to mention, the pony of the day Pumpkin Cake was receiving congratulations from all ages and tones.  It was great.

So, it was a little out of place when one turned their eyes upon a lone pegasus filly sitting in the corner.  Her faded blue feathers matched her droopy mood as they rested against the one chair in the entire bakery.  Earlier, she had tried to have fun.  Really, she did.  It was just getting kind of late, and her parents were nowhere to be seen.  They had agreed to come to this party together.

Something punched her shoulder.

"Ow!" Her hoof went up to rub against the new sore spot. "What the...?"

"Come on, Nighty!" exclaimed a sort of endearing yet simultaneously obnoxious colt. "A cute-ceañera is no place to sit down.  You gotta feel that special pounding in your heart with everypony."

Nightingale sighed. "I know, P.C.  It's just... my folks promised that they'd be here to take part in the event with me.  I'm a little worried that they'll get tied up with the monster attack that everypony else is ignoring... again."

"Maybe they should ask Auntie Pinkie Pie to help them out," suggested P.C.  "Her group can defeat Everfree monsters like it's no pony's business."

He then attempted a visual aid through his mix of made-up fight moves.  His 'finisher' smacked right into a filly of the same age.  Nightingale and P.C. opened their eyes wide when they realized what terrible act the colt had committed.  The star of the occasion scampered off, running to her mommy.

"Oh, geez." P.C. sweated as he galloped after her.  "Sis, wait!  I didn't mean to do that!"

Nightingale smiled and shook her head.  She was used to seeing those two siblings get into misunderstood troubles.  Briefly, she turned her head to the display case for the sweet shop's usual items.  At that angle, it also reflected her image.  When she blinked, her eyes altered to a solid blue.
---
"You can hardly even tell that her father is a changeling," said the father.

A couple fast blinks of the baby's eyes proved otherwise.

"Then again, I guess you can see it."
---
The filly's eyes blinked again.  The image reflected back the normal green eyes of a pony.  Additionally, there were a couple of sapphire blue pony eyes right next to hers.  Her surprise turned into an excited smile as she turned around.

"Mama!"

"Hi, Nightingale."

Her mama leaned down and kissed her forehead.  They hugged each other between warm hooves for a bit before the mother set her daughter down.  She turned slightly to see the other set of blue eyes.

"Hello, my little songbird."  He leaned down and nuzzled her.

"You're here, Baba!" She said, nuzzling him back.

"I thought you'd have grown out of that by now," he commented while pulling his head back a little. "When do I get to be called 'Papa'?"

Nightingale rolled her eyes. "When you go, 'Pop!' Duh."

Her mama turned her head and smiled wryly. "You walked right into that one."

"Yeah, I guess I kind of did." He shook his head, but smiled like a good sport.

---

A paw glowed crimson somewhere under the cloud cover of the storm.  It illuminated a gray, yet playful smile.

"I'm almost sad to see this innocence crumble... almost."
> Ch. 2: Mail's Here
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

---
Somewhere in California, June 25th, 20X5, roughly 7:30 AM...

Half-asleep, she wandered through the short hallway.  Even with her Walker impression, she managed to bang into enough walls to lead her to the restroom.  She closed the door, did her business, then looked in the mirror.  She had seen her eyes every day that she came in here.  She had gotten used to the dichromatic eyes: blue for the right, green for the left.  Blinking the stray thoughts away, she washed up and proceeded to shamble back to bed.

It was only a couple minutes later when her alarm began to blare.  Frustratingly, her hand banged around for the clock's buttons to no avail.  The accursed noise kept screeching at her.  After knocking what felt like her keys, cell phone, a half-full bottle of a sports' drink, and wallet to the floor, her fingers finally made contact with the perpetrator's "snooze" button.  All was quiet on the Western front.

"Natalia Tasha Gabriel, wake up!"

Sadly, the battle did nothing to calm down the Winds of the North.  Her hands curled into fists against her temple.  She groaned.  It was her birthday, for crying out loud.  Why couldn't she choose to spend it all in her bed?

Natalia shook her head in defeat.  The tide of blankets was sent to the south.  It was time to flow with the divine winds to wherever they lead her.  She picked up a towel and brought other items toward the morning rain.

The water felt like its usual awkward mix of droplets that were too hot and too cold.  After rinsing out the lather in her hair, she grabbed the soap for the rest of her body.  It was then that she was attacked by confusion.  The culprit had taken the form of a white viper and a black dove, both on her left hip in two dimensions.

As someone that never invested in tattoos, she didn't have any idea where this image had come from.  Neither did she know why it was on that hip in particular.  She tried wiping any blinding water out of her eyes with her arm.  She scrubbed against the skin with the picture thoroughly.  Yet the viper and dove continued to gaze outward, undisturbed by the wearer's efforts.  She squinted as she looked back at the two unlikely paired creatures.

A knock on the door interrupted her staring contest.

"What are you doing?  You're going to waste the water in there," said the voice from outside.

She sighed.  As much as she wanted an explanation, she clearly wasn't going to get it by spending eternity in the shower.  On the bright side, her outfit would be able to hide this intrusive mark for now.

---
Somewhere else in California, about 9:30 AM of the same day...

~Glory to God in the highest...~

On this piano bench, Natalia was in her natural habitat.  While some would say her fingers danced on the keyboard, she felt something different.  Rather than fingers feeling each key, she sensed the notes that wanted to come out.  She kept her head up and let the piano's desires flow into her hands.  That was when the music sounded its best.

This song was coming to a close.  Normally, this was the part when the pastor would come up to the front and begin his sermon.  He'd crack a joke that only about half the members would get.  The other half would nervously laugh alongside the rest.  Then, he'd follow that with a verse and at least five sub-topics that could be drawn from that passage.

However, as the pastor stood up, he looked over at the pianist and stopped.  She was still playing.  It also didn't sound like a closing, more like a transitional chord into a brand new song.  He was certain that this wasn't in the program, but he wasn't one to interrupt a nice melody.  Maybe she just needed one more verse by herself and then she'd stop.

Except, Natalia didn't stop.  Today, the keys called out to her in a slow, looping chorus.  Her eyes stayed open in a trance as her hands gravitated toward the keys to this song.  A rolling harmony of happiness kept going for three measures.  It led into a sorrowful diminuendo.

Chords clapped out as if called out by a choir in Latin.  Then, the piano was lost to her sight as was the rest of the sanctuary.  A glacier rose out of the abyss.  A minor key in her ear gave way to a mountain on the opposite side.  Evergreen trees grew haphazardly as clouds formed in the same fashion.

A white snake slithered in a jagged line until it came around her feet and hissed.  Dark feathers dropped as a fantastical dove flew from the clouds to circle around her head.  She heard a woman singing a wordless tune and felt the air being drawn out of her lungs.  It took her a while before she realized that the voice was coming from herself.

Lost in her singing trance, she watched on as the glacier and mountain each split down the middle.  She sang a reprise of the happiness and sorrow.  At the same time, a silvery sword was flung from the glacier and a broadsword swung out of the breaking mountain.  A clapping chord accentuated the pale katana snapping in two.  Another chord emphasized the broadsword splitting in a similar position.

She couldn't help but sing a long, high note as piercing red and golden eyes stared at her from the abyss.  Whatever owned those eyes was cackling madly.  Then, the image shattered like glass.

Natalia blinked a couple of times.  Her fingers were splayed on a complete minor chord.  Her foot was on the right-most pedal.  For some reason, her mouth felt really dry.  Something wet was on her lip.  She rubbed her hand against it and picked up a smear of red.  Blood.

Her mother was walking as quickly as she could over to her side.  She must have asked if she was okay, because Natalia remembered nodding her head numbly in response.  Her mother shuffled through some pockets before pulling out a new tissue.  She held it against the small blood trickle on Natalia's mouth.  Natalia held the tissue herself as per her mother's alleged suggestion.

What had happened?  Why did it happen?  She had no answer for either question.

To the pastor's credit, he managed to use a hand to push his lower jaw up to close his mouth.

---
Yet somewhere else in California, same day, about 11:45 AM...

Natalia followed her parents out through the hospital door.  A bit of stitch work was done along the corner of her mouth.  It had stopped bleeding shortly after being cleaned.  Her mother and father had asked their own variations on the question if she was okay.  She managed to give affirmations to both, but it was still not quite real to her.

It felt like a fog was weighing on her mind.  She was mostly aware of buildings passing by as the car carried her along.  She could also recall going to a salad and buffet restaurant for her birthday as per her earlier month's request.  But she couldn't recall exactly what the other topics of conversation had been, what the food had tasted like, or even the little number done by the employees for birthday celebrations.  But she smiled a little to assure them that their efforts were not wasted.

"Hey, Night."

A passerby greeted Natalia in the middle of her slowly swallowing some ice cream (that still tasted like nothing to her at the time).  Yet, she wasn't sure she had heard them correctly.  She looked over her shoulder, but whoever it was had somehow vanished from sight.  She blinked and tilted her head.

Her dad asked if she was alright.  She replied that it might have just been her imagination while turning forward.  He apologized for asking a question after what could politely be referred to as a long day.  He also thanked her for the surprise song earlier.  He said that it was a beautiful piece, even if he didn't fully understand it.

She dropped her spoon and covered her eyes with both hands.  She shook in place.  Water threatened to flood the small containment between her lids and her fingers.  It was about then that her parents agreed that it was probably best to take her home and call it a day.

---

The young pegasus filly wondered what was wrong.  Her foal-sitters never stayed over for an entire week at a time.  Where were Mama and Baba?  The two guardians said they didn't know.  She wasn't ungrateful for their company, but she was at the age where simple and vague answers just didn't satisfy her curiosity anymore.

She had to find them.  She had to find her parents.  It wasn't exactly a great plan, but she waited until she could hear the foal-sitters snoring in the bedroom.  Then, she pushed the window open quietly and squeezed out.  Her wings fluttered as evenly as she had been taught before they carried her into the night sky.

If the last word of mouth was anything to go by, her parents' last mission took them along the path of the Everfree Forest.  After so many monsters had been thwarted, scared off, or flat-out crushed, there wasn't much left to scare little ponies away from the few dangers that still existed in the shadows.  She did remember to avoid the fuzzy, blue flowers and flew away to stay on the beaten path.

A slight glint caught her eye through the trees.  Navigating still led her to get leaves stuck in her mane, but she didn't let that stop her from checking things out.  When she touched down to the ground where the twinkle was shining, she picked up the source.  It was Mama's light-weight sword, still in its sheath.  She picked it up in her hooves, questioning why it was left on the ground.  Her mother took greater care of her weapons than this.

Her eyes looked around the clearing.  Impaled in another tree was a larger hilt.  She trotted over to the tree and discovered that her father's blade was sticking out the other side.  Something was very wrong.  She tried pulling Baba's sword out of the tree, but its weight and depth were preventing it from going anywhere.

"Awfully late for you to be out and about, little filly."

She gasped and turned on her hoof.  What had just been a dense forest, now looked like a giant ring of fire.  She was surrounded.  Flying straight up would do more harm than good because it would burn her faster in the sky.  Along the edge of the trap, she saw the serpentine tail and a mismatch of limbs shake along.  Swiftly, she pulled her mother's katana out of its sheath.  She figured at this point, anything was better to defend herself than nothing.

"Oh little pony... if you think you can possibly put up a challenge, then you're having a really bad dream."

She slowly pointed the sword around.  Sooner or later, this enemy had to strike.  Her hind legs shivered, even as beads of sweat trickled from her head.  Her eyes looked wildly toward the burning patches of plant-life around her.  That's when her vision locked onto two red lights surrounded by glowing, yellow orbs.

"And you're never waking up." The voice cackled, booming and echoing throughout the land.

The filly's scream was followed by a magic light erasing her body from existence.  The lonely, white sword planted its blade into the ground.

---

Natalia started scratching her mouth, but then stopped when she remembered the stitches.  She sighed as she slowly turned over.  She ended up falling off her bed in the process.  Fortunately, it seemed she had managed to knock the blankets onto the floor during the night.  Her landing wasn't so physically traumatic.

That being said, she still sighed at the principle of the matter.  Falling onto the floor was an embarrassment, regardless of the context.  She jerked herself to sit upright.  Some of her hair flopped down in front of her eyes.  As she lifted her hand to push the hair away, she caught sight of an off-colored strand: a gray hair.

"Great... I really am getting older."

She dragged her feet along the floor.  Her eyes partook in the conflict of staying awake enough to move and closing to go back to sleep.  Hitting her left toe against the restroom door pushed the tide of the skirmish toward "awake enough."  After taking care of business inside the restroom, she paused by the mirror.

Normally, she wouldn't have given much of a second thought toward her bed-ridden face.  But something drew her attention to the reflection besides her gray hair.  As she peered closer, it dawned on her what was wrong.  Both of her irises were blue.

The sleepy young adult rubbed her wrists against her eyelids.  Water from the sink was still running slowly.  After blinking a couple times, she squinted in confusion.  Now, both of the irises in her reflection looked green.  She pinched the bridge of her nose with one hand while turning the faucet off with the other.

Sighing, and deciding she was still too drowsy, she wiped her hands dry.  It took significantly less time to return to her bedroom.  She groaned while she lifted the mess of blankets back onto her mattress.  She sat down, getting ready to shift to a horizontal posture.  But a swirl of thoughts kept her sitting upright.

A bit self-conscious in this half-awake state, she moved a hand down toward her hip.  Pulling down slowly, she exposed skin to the dim vision of early morning.  Once again, her eyes locked with those of the viper and dove mark.  But there was something more.

It seemed as if some of the nearby skin was also conspiring against her.  A large circular patch of skin around the alleged tattoo had turned a tint of blue.  As her fingers ran along the mark, it almost felt like it was covered in an animal's hide.

Finally, Natalia decided she was too tired for this sh-...spirit.  She plopped her head against her pillow and turned.  The side of her body with the mark was pressed against the bed.  Yet she couldn't get the image out of her mind.  She didn't know what was happening to her or why.

---

It was almost noon by the time Natalia decided to wake up completely.  Her parents had gone out to their individual work.  So, she had the house to herself for the majority of Monday.  The sun wasn't as bright as it was yesterday.  Clouds billowed in the sky, but it wasn't going to rain.  It never rained because her home was too low, out of range of the mountains where it regularly poured.

She decided to hurry along with her morning shower.  She tried to clean herself as best as possible without looking down.  The strange mark was still there.  After drying off, it almost felt like the day's outfit got stuck as she dressed herself.  She didn't really understand why.  A quick examination via hand revealed nothing out of the ordinary along her back and sides.  When the clothes slipped on properly this time, she didn't give the strange feeling another thought.

After a quick bite to eat, Natalia was drawn toward the piano in her house.  For a few seconds, she tapped the keys lightly without actually pressing down.  She exhaled at the gray hair that had reminded her it existed.  Accompanied by a hum and a haw, her hands went into autopilot and played a soft melody.

~So much dry weather
When is it going to rain?
Can't be bothered to try again
Gotta keep pushing forward
Despite the hiccups
Why? Just to feel pain?
Things could always be worse, I suppose
At least there's beating in my chest
Asking for more problems won't help
To be closer to being your best~

Natalia wiped her eyes, but they still felt wet.  She blinked a couple times and saw both of her hands on the piano.  She tilted her head.  Both of her hands still felt completely dry.  Glancing to the right, she saw a tint of blue.  It looked like a feathered limb, slightly damp on one spot.

Her left hand reached across and grabbed the wing.  The sensation made her open her eyes wide.  Somehow, she was getting a feeling of a hand grabbing onto her.  It was just as real as her hand sensing the soft feathers between her fingertips.  As she shook in worry, the wing tensed up and wrapped over her shoulder.

Before she could continue to hyperventilate, the slot on the front door jiggled slightly.  A couple letters dropped in and onto the floor.
> Ch. 3: Family Grows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 26th, 20X5, roughly 1:45 PM...

Natalia stood up, releasing the wing from her hand and her thoughts.  She briskly walked over to the mail on the floor.  When she crouched down, she could read the address on the top envelope.  It was at the correct location, yet the intended recipient wasn't specified.  All that was there for a name was the letter "N".  This struck her as odd.  Usually, any mail intended for her had her first and last name spelled out.

She picked up the pile.  She glanced at the junk mail card underneath before returning her attention to the first letter.  She walked over to the dining table and took a seat.  Her fingers were already tearing the envelope's edge.  Unfolding the letter inside, she squinted as she read the handwriting.

Dear Nightingale,

If you are reading this, then I am afraid plans have already moved forward.  Friends and enemies have stumbled upon each other and are clashing as we speak.  There is so much more going on that I simply do not have time to explain.  What I can tell you is this: Changes will happen that nobody can be prepared.  You likely won't even recognize yourself when it's done.

He who took credit for defeating a devil, yet became one himself, will try to oppose you.  But remain steadfast.  You bring hope to our world.  Soon, you will fly higher than our dreams and sing ballads of joy.

And no matter what happens, your father and I will always love you, our little songbird.

Sincerely,

Mama

A droplet fell onto the paper.  The twenty-five-year-old girl voiced confusion and wiped her eyes.  Why was she crying?  She didn't understand.  Nothing about this letter made any sense.  It was vague and it had nothing to do with her.  So why did it feel like somebody had punched her heart in the breasts?

The doorbell rang.  Startled, Natalia jumped and nearly fell out of her chair.  She clasped her hands together while trying to steady her breath.  She slowly walked toward the front door, trying to ignore the feeling of her ears standing up.  For the moment, her wing was actually helping distract her stray thoughts.

When she was right up at the door, she looked through the peephole.  She wasn't quite sure what she was looking at out there.  The face of the visitor kind of reminded her of charcoal.  She was tempted to stay quiet and pretend nobody was home.  Yet, the shaking blue in the visitor's eyes compelled her to answer.

Before she could change her mind, her hand had turned the door knob and pulled.  Without the round distortion of the peephole, she could see the other person more clearly.  Yet, she still wasn't fully comprehending at what she was looking.  The closest approximation was that it was a beast's mask held too long under a blow torch.  But the blue eyes blinked without any electronic whirring.  So, was it a real face?  How could it be?

"Um, hi?" The visitor held up a human hand and waved it. "I'm... Kenneth?" He shook his head. "It's easier to think Crystal is my name."

Natalia blinked twice. "Er, if it's any consolation, you look more like a 'Crystal'." Her wing seemed to shrug by itself. "Can I help you?"

"Maybe." Crystal's fingers idly poked at one of his fangs. "I was going through life as usual yesterday.  But when I woke up this morning, I found my head had been replaced by this monstrous cabeza.  I ran down streets, trying to avoid being seen as much as possible.  Then, I heard a very pretty singing voice and saw through the window that you had a wing.  I was wondering if maybe we were experiencing similar changes?"

Both of her hands were grabbing the door now.  Her wing was doing its best to hold her head. "This is a lot to take in, but... I suppose it's possible.  I kind of hope I'm just dreaming."

"But it feels too real to be a dream, doesn't it?" He massaged his neck with both hands.

She sighed. "I guess it does.  I don't know what I can tell you about these changes that you don't already know.  I have no idea how or why it's happening."

He smiled slightly. "At least we're on the same page then.  Maybe we can work together.  Best case, we figure out how to stop and reverse the changes.  Worst case, well... uh..."

"Then, each of us knows that we're not the only freak of nature in the world?" She held her left arm against her hip.

"Yeah, that." He nodded. "Hey, so... about not being seen too much, may I enter?"

"I guess that's okay.  My parents will be out for most of the day, anyway." She stepped aside to make room.

"Really?" His smile grew. "Thank you, Night!" He hurried on in.

"Night?" She closed the door and looked at him.

"Oh, sorry.  Is that wrong?" He turned around. "That was the first thing that popped into my head when I looked at you."

"Well, my name is Na-" She stared into space for a few seconds. "Natalia?  Why does my name not sound right?"

"That happened to me too!" His eyes opened wide. "I know what my name is.  I've had it all my life.  But the other name sounds more like it belongs."

"This is just... oh my..." She sat down on the living room sofa. "Uh... sit anywhere you'd like.  I need a moment."

"Okay." He walked over to the opposite end of the sofa before sitting down. "Did you know your eyes change color every time you blink?"

"No." She slowly shook her head. "What color are they?"

"Well, they were blue just a second ago." He tilted his head. "Now they're green."

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "My name is Na... My name is Nai... I'm... Nightingale." Realization covered her face. "Wait a minute!"

"Wait, what?" Kenneth/Crystal asked.

She dashed over to the table and grabbed the letter.  She skimmed over the message again.  She then took it with her over to the couch. "Do you know who wrote this?"

He held the letter himself and gave it a read through. "Hmm... no.  But that handwriting looks familiar.  I wonder, why?"

She fell back onto the sofa and took the letter. "Sorry, just a thought.  Maybe I shouldn't have sprang it on you so suddenly."

"Ah, that's okay." He idly played with the top of his gray hoodie. "A lot of weird things have happened in such a short time.  What's one more?"

"Yeah..." She nodded. "I just ate recently.  Do you need any food?"

He shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry. Heck, I haven't been for several hours. Maybe I should be worried, but I'm not."

"You're a really easy-going guy, aren't you?" She glanced over.

"I could describe you in a similar manner." He chuckled. "You haven't pulled out your hair or anything."

"There's still daylight left." She pointed at the light coming through the window. "Maybe I'm saving up my stress."

"Please warn me if you're going to explode."

"If I am, I'll be sure to lock myself in my room before that happens."

They shared a laugh.

---
Roughly 6:00 PM...

Natalia's head jerked up.  When had she fallen asleep?  She looked around the living room.  Nobody was there except... a sleeping man with a beast's head.  So, that part had been real, or at least consistent.

She wasn't sure, but she thought she saw something different about Crystal.  Had he always had a crooked horn above his forehead?  As she crossed her arms, two feathers reached around and rubbed her eyes.  She blinked, looked left and right, and sighed.

It seemed her singular wing had copied itself, flipped one copy around, and pasted it onto her other side.  At least it had been polite enough to leave her shirt intact.  She curled a finger in front of her mouth.  How had the wings avoided ripping holes in her shirt, without going through the shirt's normal openings?

She shook her head.  This was too surreal for a brain that just woke up from a nap.  She stood up and walked into the kitchen.  She got a drink of water and opened the cover of a bread box.  Her mother had made banana bread a couple days ago and it was still good.  Natalia cut herself a slice and started nibbling it.

As she took another sip from her glass of water, she paused.  There was a faint hissing noise.  She hadn't left on any appliance that could make steam.  She was also certain that it wasn't a snake.  Those weren't indigenous to her neighborhood.

Whatever it was, the hissing was getting louder.  There was also a bit of another noise.  It kind of sounded like a growl.  Natalia turned slowly on her heel for a couple seconds.  Right after that, she spun to look in the direction of the noise.  Her visitor was sticking out a long, forked tongue at the exposed banana bread.

"K-Kenneth?! What are you doing?" Setting the parts of her snack on the table, she ran over and shook his shoulder.

The hissing immediately stopped. "Huh? What? Duwah?"

She pulled her hand back and chuckled nervously. "Bro, if you're that hungry, you could have just asked."

"I..." He tapped the side of his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I vaguely recall feeling a little hungry. But when you called me, I was already here."

"A lot of weird things have happened today.  What's one more?" She sliced another piece of the banana bread. "Didn't you say that earlier?  Here."

"That's alright." He waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not hungry now."

"Bull crap." She held the piece toward him. "You've clearly got an animal side of you that needs to eat, even if your stomach doesn't think so.  See if you can't calm it down for a little while."

He chuckled nervously. "Well, okay.  Since you went to the trouble already, thanks."

Crystal took the slice and started nibbling it.  Meanwhile, Nightingale closed the bread box and put the knife into the dishwasher.  Crystal blinked in surprise and swallowed his first bite.

"Did you do something to this bread?  It tastes better than any kind of bread I've ever eaten."

Natalia looked at him weird. "No, my mom made it.  Have you never had banana bread before?"

"All this flavor is just bananas?" He smiled in amusement. "What's her secret ingredient?"

"Uh... yeast?  Baking soda?" She shrugged. "I don't know.  I've had it so many times that I've gotten used to it."

"You lucky girl." He continued to eat the slice.  He mumbled something else, but it was difficult to decipher through the chewing.

She walked back to the table and continued to eat her snack. "What?"

He swallowed. "I said, 'You get to eat good food like this all the time.' "

"I guess you're right." She shrugged.  Both of her wings moved to imitate her shoulders.

"Whoa, since when did you have two wings?" Crystal looked in fascination.

"About the same time you grew a horn." Nightingale pointed her finger at the top of her head.

He blinked twice before reaching up with his hand.  "Huh... that feels... huh."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." She idly pushed her wings away from her face.

"Like, it doesn't feel hard, but it also doesn't feel completely flexible." His fingers felt the uneven ridges along the horn.

She grimaced. "Uh..."

His eyes went wide and he waved his hands in front of himself. "Oh, crud! I wasn't trying to make a double entendre!"

"Okay, good.  You're not oblivious." She sighed in relief.  Soon, however, she was looking off into space.

"Night?  What's wrong?" He walked over and took the seat next to her.

"Trying to think of what to tell my parents." Her gaze moved to the ceiling. "I mean sure, they'll find out just by looking at us.  But, I'd kind of like to text them and let them brace themselves, even if it's not a lot that can be prepared for."

"Oh." He nodded. "Just say what it looks like.  If they reply with a laugh, you can show them that you're not joking when they arrive."

"But I don't know what it looks like." She shook her head. " 'Hey, Mom and Dad. I've turned into an angel and I made a friend with Beelzebub's face. Can he stay for the night?'  Oh, good grief."

"Heh, I'll take that as a compliment." He smiled, showing off his fangs. "That's a way better description than 'hobo'."

She sighed, slapped the table, and then pulled out her phone. "You know what? I'll just keep it vague. Showing is better than telling anyway."

---
Nearly 7:30 PM...

The front door rattled.  The lock above the handle turned.  Two individuals walked in, commenting and laughing about how their arrivals were almost simultaneous.  After closing the door, the man cleared his throat and looked around.

"Natalia?" He called out. "We got your text. Is everything alright?"

"I think so, Dad.  But I wouldn't mind a second opinion."

Natalia walked out of her room and up the hall.  Despite her wings being folded, some feathers could still be seen above her shoulders.  Her mother gasped as she approached.  Natalia idly twiddled her thumbs as she walked.  As soon as she was about six feet away, she stopped and parted her arms to either side.

"Yeah, so... um... this is my current predicament." Her wings wiggled in response.

Her dad smiled a little. "Where'd you find the material for these?"

He walked up to her and lightly gripped the wing on her left.  She flinched and the wing shifted upward to try and push the hand away.  He let go and blinked in surprise.

"I think they're from my own flesh and bones." She half-frowned.

"Oh..." He scratched his head. "That's, uh... huh."

"Mm-hmm." She nodded.

Her mother looked back and forth at the two. "How are you both acting so calm right now?!  People don't just randomly sprout wings for no reason!"

"Marga, this is our daughter." He glanced back. "The last thing we should be doing is breaking down in front of her."

"I'm serious, Zake!" The mother shook out her hands for emphasis.

Zake held up an open palm. "So am I."

Marga looked with pain in her eyes at her daughter. "Natalia, please be honest.  What kind of substances have you recently taken?"

"I haven't drugged myself, Mom." Natalia shook her head. "Besides, from what I recall from science classes, steroids only shrink existing muscles, not grow new anatomy.  At least, not to this degree."

"Well, what other explanation is there?!" Marga wiped her hands down along her face.

Zake shrugged. "Maybe she was touched by an angel."

Marga scoffed and crossed her arms. "If we're going that route, it could just as likely have been a demon!"

Natalia took a sharp intake of air. "So, uh... you remember the part of my text where I said I invited a friend inside?"

"Is it the demon that did this to you?!" Marga was in her face.

"N-No!" Natalia backed up a step instinctively. "If anything, he's just as much a victim as I am."

"Is he still here?" Zake held up the back of his hand against Marga's shoulder.

Natalia looked toward the hall. "Kenneth? Could you come on out here, please?"

Both of her parents looked.  The first thing they saw was an old pair of sneakers, some torn pants, and a gray hoodie.  Somebody's hand was holding the actual hood down while he walked closer.  When he got closer, they could see that his face was protruding more than humanly possible.  He sighed and pulled his hood back.

Marga screamed and pulled out an umbrella.  Zake was simply dumbfounded.

"That's probably a better reaction than I could have hoped for." Kenneth slipped over to the couch and sat down. "So, I'm Kenneth.  But Night already said that."

"Out! Out of this house!" Marga pointed the top of the umbrella at the beast-faced man.

Zake gently pressed down with his hand on the umbrella. "Honey, please. You're embarrassing us both." He turned to look at the visitor. "I'm sorry.  She's not usually like this."

"No sweat, Mister." Kenneth waved dismissively. "This is a step up from random guys trying to stab me in the back."

Natalia gasped. "Somebody stabbed you?"

Kenneth chuckled. "Like I said, they tried."

Marga exhaled loudly, let go of the umbrella, and stormed off to her room.  After the slam of a door, it sounded like she was screaming into a pillow.  Zake chuckled nervously as he put the umbrella away.  Natalia sat down on the other side of the couch.  She looked down and her wings reached around to cover her face.

"Hey." Kenneth patted the back of the couch. "It could've been a lot worse."

Natalia sighed. "I don't know what I was expecting."

Zake lowered himself to his knees in front of his daughter. "Hey, look at me."

A few feathers moved to make an opening for her eyes.

"It's going to be okay." Zake smiled. "It'll just take a while."

"Mom sounds really mad," Natalia muttered.

"Sure, but that's just how she copes with stress." Her father gently stroked the nearest feathers. "You know that, right?"

Natalia's wings lowered a little. "If you weren't here, she was going to shove us out of the house."

"She won't do that." Zake shook his head. "I'll talk with her after she's calmed down a little."

Slowly, Natalia nodded. "Okay."

The two of them hugged each other.  A sudden hiss brought both of their attention toward the side of the couch.  Kenneth's forked tongue was sticking out and shaking between his fangs.  There was a bit of a growl and unintelligible noise coming from him.  He quickly slapped his hand over his mouth.

"Sorry." He cleared his throat. "I don't know where that came from."

Zake smiled wryly. "Let me guess: Getting used to your new face?"

"Maybe?" Kenneth shrugged. "While you guys were talking, I thought I smelled something good.  Next thing I knew, my mouth and throat were running on autopilot."

"Hmm." Zake stood up and walked over to a phone. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm getting kind of hungry.  Who's up for pizza?"

"Yes, please." Natalia smiled.

"I'm not really..." Kenneth looked over at Natalia briefly. "You know what? That'd be good."

"Super!" Zake picked up the phone and started dialing.

---
9:15 PM...

Marga was lying down on her bed.  Her husband was in the bathroom.  It sounded like he was brushing his teeth.  Meanwhile, she just couldn't understand what was happening to her family.  Why did her daughter have unnatural limbs?  There was no way that beast-man was completely innocent in this situation.

Her cell phone buzzed on the nightstand.  Normally, she wouldn't have bothered checking messages until she was more awake to do so.  This time, however, she couldn't sleep.  She pulled the phone over and punched in the password to unlock it.  After that, the message app opened up automatically.

Is one or more of your loved ones changing into something that they're not supposed to be?  Growing horns, wings, tails, or something straight out of the devil's scrapbook?  Worry not!  We have just the thing to fix them right up!  Tap the link to learn more!

Marga squeezed he eyes shut before rereading the text. She sighed. "If we're going that route..."

Her finger touched the hyperlink.
---
> Ch. 4: Message Sent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nightingale was exhausted.  Pumpkin Cake's Cute-ceañera was a load of fun.  So much sugar, so many games, so many laughs... all of it had been great.  Best of all, Mama and Baba had been there just like they promised.

The little filly yawned as soon as she entered the door to her home.  The sitters greeted her parents and chatted for a bit.  Nightingale took that moment to excuse herself from the main entrance.  She crept along the floor toward a shared bedroom.  She put her hooves up on the side of the crib bed and smiled.

A baby changeling was snoozing.  She nuzzled its face.

"I'm here, -------," Nightingale whispered.

---
June 27, 20X5, 7:55 AM...

Natalia blinked the remnants of her dream out of her eyes.  Light was entering the room, even with the curtains drawn.  She thought it seemed brighter than it usually was at this hour.  She rubbed her eyes, only realizing after a couple seconds that she was doing so with her wings.  Her hands felt numb.  Maybe she had slept on top of them.

"Did you call for me, Night?"

She looked over the side of her bed. "No, Crystal.  I didn't say anything."

Her father had pulled out a sleeping bag for Kenneth to borrow.  The homeless man was used to sleeping on ground that was completely uneven.  To him, this bedroom floor was a boon.  He yawned, pulling out something to cover his open mouth.  Natalia squinted.

"Um, what's that in your hand?" She tried to point, but her own hand was still asleep.

"Huh?" Kenneth looked at what he thought his hand should be. He blinked. "Heh. Well... that's different."

He turned his wrist slowly, looking over the end of it.  What used to be a hand was almost cylindrical.  It looked like there were holes in a few places that went all the way through.  Yet, he didn't feel any pain.  He could still swivel the end as if it were still a hand.  He just couldn't point with it in five different directions simultaneously.

Afraid to see but still curious, Natalia used her wings to push her blanket down.  She was relieved to see her hands were still intact.  That relief was quickly replaced with disappointment.  Her thigh that had the dove and snake mark had turned a completely faded blue color.  Running her hand over it revealed the extra fuzz was there too.  Her tail flicked once to show her bemusement.

She did a double-take.  No, her eyes and lower back weren't deceiving her.  There was in fact a mass of grayish hair sprouting behind her.  The tail whipped a couple times as her attention was drawn to it.  When she internally groaned, it hung limply over the side of the bed, waiting for her command.

"This is getting worse." Natalia tried to shake some feeling back into her hands.

"Hey, don't be so down." Kenneth laid back with his holey stumps behind his head. "The day's just starting.  Maybe it won't feel so bad later."

"How do you know for sure?" She sat up.

"I don't." He smiled slightly. "I said, 'Maybe'."

At that, Natalia got out of bed.  She gripped the edge of her night gown as she made her way to the bathroom.  After closing the door and turning on the light, she stared at her reflection.  Her one gray hair had become an entire highlight.  The color of her eyes switched between blue and green every time she blinked.

She looked away.  She was certain the changing sight was giving her a headache.  Her new appendages didn't get in the way of her shower, save for the occasional pinching sensation.  She was almost in autopilot as she rinsed and dried herself off.  Until she had finished spitting dust from her feathers into the garbage can, she hadn't suspected anything was different.

She gasped. "Was I... preening?"

She hurried and gargled some mouthwash.

---

11:00 AM...

After taking some time to eat and practice piano, Natalia had wandered into the backyard.  She thought there were a few too many people out front.  The breeze was gentle and warm.  Natalia closed her eyes and breathed deeply.  Her wings spread out to their full length, waving forward and back.

"Careful, you might just fly away."

Natalia's eyes snapped open.  She whirled around on her heel and saw Kenneth in the doorway.  He had his arms crossed until he waved with one of his dark stumps.  She put on an annoyed expression.

"Don't even joke about that." She walked up close.

"At most, it's half a joke, since you have real wings." He pointed out.

As if to retort, her wings immediately folded themselves at her sides. "Can I get back inside?"

He chuckled and moved to the side. "Sure."

"Thank you." She walked back in, sliding the door shut behind her.

He leaned as he looked through some blinds. "Say, does your mom own a blue, electric car?"

"Yeah, how'd you know that?" She blinked.

He pointed at the window. "I'm looking right at it."

Confused, she walked over.  She pressed down on one of the blinds.  When she looked through the opening, she saw her mother's vehicle of choice in the driveway.  Natalia tilted her head.  She thought her mother had work that day.  Why was her car still waiting around home?

Natalia quickly glanced around to the far left and right.  Nobody else was out there at the moment.  She marched over to the front door and pulled it open.  She continued her brisk pace over to the driver's side.  That was definitely her mother inside.  She knocked her knuckles against the window.

Marga jumped a little before rolling down the window. "Hi, Natalia! What are you doing here?"

"Pretty sure you stole my line, Mom." Natalia crossed her arms. "Don't you have to go to work?"

"Uh, no!" Marga smiled brightly. "I... had something I could only do on my... computer! Here!"

Natalia raised her brow. "In your car?"

Marga's eyes darted to the left for a split second. "Yes?"

"Even though your computer is still sitting in the work room in the house?" Natalia inadvertently pointed her left wing toward the house's front door.

"Oh! Is that where that is?" Marga chuckled. "I was wondering why I couldn't find it!"

Natalia put her hands against her hips. "It's been in that room for five years, Mom."

"Well, heh heh... you know how my memory only works long-term.  Give me another ten years, and I'll know it's in the work room."

Natalia wasn't laughing.

"So, uh... how's school going?" Marga adjusted her mirrors.

"It's summer." Natalia's wings crossed like arms in front of herself. "Also, I graduated from college last year.  You hugged me after the class threw their caps."

"Right...Right... of course." Marga bit down on her nails.

"Mom, what's really going on?" Natalia's arms and wings spread out. "I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed that you're dodging the question."

"Nothing's going on! Really!"

Natalia rolled her eyes. "Right, because raising your voice really proves your honesty."

"I'm not raising my voice!" Marga shouted.

Natalia's tail tapped the right side of her body.  She looked up and toward the street.  A pale man in a suit, sunglasses, and frozen stoicism walked briskly toward them.  Natalia gasped and made a run for the front door.  But before she could make it, something grabbed her neck and had her pinned to the ground.

"Don't hurt her!" Marga cautioned while getting out of her car.

The pale man immediately had the woman in a choke hold, slamming her spine against the garage door.  Somehow, the man had a twin and each was restraining one of the residents.  Kenneth ran out and tried to tackle the man that was on top of Natalia.  Yet the man magicked in a triplet and punched Kenneth's face, forcing him to fall to the side.

Natalia struggled fruitlessly. "Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!"

"Marga Gabriel informed the organization of the presence of two rogue elements." The pale man did not even move his lips.  His voice just sort of went out of him. "She does not know what she really harbors in her house.  The less she knows, the better."

"Slow down! What? Augh!" Natalia felt like her arm was getting crushed.

Meanwhile, the pale man near the garage made a damp cloth appear out of thin air.  He pressed it against Marga's face.  The smell of chloroform overpowered her as her eyes closed.  The triplet closer to the front door slammed his wrist against the back of Kenneth's head.  He went limp and the stranger picked him up.

Natalia's scream turned into a quick succession of three high notes.  A couple gray birds flew down and started pecking at the pale stranger nearest to her mother.  He flinched a bit and flailed around his arms.  After a second or two, he pressed his left index finger on the center of his right wrist.  He vanished in a spray of electrical sparks.  Without that target, the gray birds turned their attention toward his two remaining friends.

"Change of plans." The stranger on top of Natalia stated without moving.

"Relocate the targets immediately." The one carrying Kenneth vanished along with his unconscious cargo.

Natalia felt her hairs stand on end.  Electricity covered the pale stranger and herself.  Both vanished from in front of the house.  The sleeping Marga slid down.  Her back was awkwardly positioned against the garage door.  The gray birds chirped around, as if checking on the woman.  Then, the birds flew away to their usual business.

---
???

You have a great singing voice, Night!

Nah, I just copy what I hear from Mama.

Maybe you were at first.  But you've been talking and singing in your own voice a lot more.  I really think you're great.

If you say so... thanks.

Nightingale's head hurt as she opened her eyes.  Her ears were ringing.  She reached up her hands to try and cover them.  However, there was nothing but the skin and hair covering her skull.  Frantically, she patted around wildly along her face and head.  When she finally reached the top, she felt like her ears were being tugged by her fingers.

Her ears were on top of her head, and they were a bit larger and fuzzier than she remembered.  She groaned.  Her tail whacked the ground in frustration.  As she moved to sit up, she realized that this wasn't home or her bed.  This room that she was inside was surrounded by three walls of white mattress, one wall that looked like glass, a floor of dirt, and a ceiling of concrete.

Through the glass wall, she couldn't identify much of anything.  There may have been metal safety railings, but anything else outside was shrouded by darkness.  A dull thud drew her attention to one side.  It was a familiar face trying to repeatedly tackle the glass with little success.

"Why did they waste bulletproof glass if we aren't carrying guns?" He growled.

"Crystal!" Nightingale stood up.

Crystal gasped and spun around. "Night! Crap, are you okay?"

"Aside from being completely lost, I think so." Nightingale held out a hand. "You're bleeding!"

Crystal reached up a hoof to a bandage near his nostrils. "Nah, it's stopped now.  I guess the suits wanted to keep us alive."

"The suits?" Nightingale's eyes opened wide. "You mean the weirdos that attacked us?"

"Well, yeah!" Crystal scoffed. "Who else would I be talking about?  I don't suppose you recognized him."

"No, sorry." She shook her head. "Wait, if we've been kidnapped, why did they let me keep my clothes, but take away your hoodie?"

He shrugged, showing off the blue carapace that had grown around his mid-section. "I don't have a clue.  But is that really what we should be focusing on?"

"Right, right, means of escape... um..."

She looked around, trying to find anything.  It looked like there was a washing basin in one corner, a small hay pile in another corner, and a vent in the ceiling.  Nothing really looked like it would help.  She tried kicking the bulletproof glass wall, but that just resulted in a stinging feeling in her toe.

She exhaled slowly. "I guess that's not going to work."

Crystal nodded. "Yeah, I thought I was loosening it for a while, but then it just sort of bounced back into place."

Nightingale grabbed her arms, shivering.  Her wings curled around and held her shoulders.  She was briefly surprised by her ears flattening against her head, but resumed her staring contest with the dirt.

"Where are we?" Her tail limply hung. "Why did they take us here?"

"If I believed in conspiracies, I would have blamed the feds for scientific experiments." He looked out into the darkness. "But I don't. So, I don't know."  He walked over to the mattress wall opposite of the glass wall.  He turned around and sat against it. "Well, it looks like we could be here a while.  I don't see any food anywhere, so we should try to conserve our energy where possible.  Might as well take a break."

Nightingale dragged her shoes along the dirt before walking over and sitting beside him.  A pinching sensation convinced her to sit up and adjust her tail's posture.  Finally, she managed to sit without hurting it too much.

"I want to panic," she admitted, "yet I can't seem to bring myself to be that terrified."

"Me too." He nodded. "Must be something they're pumping in the air."

"Don't even joke about that, brother." She shook her head.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" He crossed his arms.  He blinked. "Wait... brother?"

"Sorry, I just... that felt like the right thing to say." She tilted her head. "Was it wrong?"

"No, it's fine." He smiled slightly. "Maybe I can call you 'sister' in return?"

She chuckled. "Okay, I deserved that."

---
> Ch. 5: Crawl Before You Run
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Little Crystal grunted and groaned.  His horn glowed a little before it dimmed.  This happened a few more times.  The colt was so close.  He was sure about it.

"Neah!" He cried out.  The horn glowed teal with no interruption.

Nightingale clapped her hooves. "You did it!"

"Oh, wow!" Mama smiled. "That's great."

"You cast your first spell, little guy!" Baba lifted his son and cheered.

Crystal giggled and waved his hooves around.

---

He woke up in the middle of the night.  He knew his sitters were staying longer than usual, but he didn't know why.  Where were his mommy and daddy?  He squirmed around in his bed, but he couldn't get to sleep.  He stayed still for a bit, staring at the ceiling.

Something shuffled to the side.  He glanced and noticed his big sister was moving quietly along the floor.  That was weird.  Where was she going?  As soon as she was out of the bedroom, he moved to descend to the floor.  He followed her all the way out of the house.

When he saw her gallop into the deep forest, he skidded to a halt.  His parents never said much about this place, other than not to go in.  He looked at the figure of his sister getting smaller and smaller.  He took a deep breath, lit up his horn and trotted along the entrance path.

There were too many little noises.  Something was growling.  Another thing was rustling.  Several objects cracked loud enough for him to think they were right on top of him.  Still, he tried to keep his eyes on the distant feathers of his sister's wings.

A wall of fire emerged and blocked his view.  He scrambled backward and backed into a tree.  The sudden impact convinced him to jump and turn around.  It kind of looked like his daddy's special keepsake.  Why was that here?

Crystal heard a scream that sounded like Nightingale's.  He lit his horn up to the point of igniting it.  A flash of green flames struck the trunk of the tree at a diagonal.  It tipped over away from him, leaving his daddy's sword to fall to the wayside.  Crystal grabbed the handle in his mouth and ran toward the wall of fire.

"Now, now... didn't your mother ever teach you not to run with knives?"

He gasped at the sudden voice.  Several dark vines lashed out and ensnared his legs.  They tugged in four different directions.  He had to cry out in pain, dropping Daddy's sword in the process.  A giant fly-trap with eerie yellow and red eyes appeared, laughing at its prey.

"You poor excuse for a changeling." It opened its maw wide. "If your parents and your sister couldn't touch me, what made you think you were ever in control?"

Crystal's eyes bulged. "AHHHHHH!"

Then, his world faded away.

---
???

Crystal sat up and gasped for breath.  He held a hoof against his head while trying to calm down.  Although, was it a hoof?  He didn't think any horse or goat had a leg quite like his, yet the word seemed to fit.  He shook his head.

He tried to recall his dream.  He was sure it had felt so real.  The details, however, were slipping away.  He sighed and looked around.  He was still trapped between mattress walls, a bulletproof window, and a dirt floor.  He paused when he couldn't immediately spot his temporary roommate.

There was another occupant over in the corner.  Was that her?  He tried to walk closer, but stumbled after the first step.  After picking himself up, he could feel that his comfortable stance had turned quadruped.  Looking back, he saw that his legs had gone through a similar change as his arms.  He even had a tail that looked as torn up as his limbs.

A bit slower this time, he stepped with each hoof.  Briefly, he looked at the piles of clothes where he and Nightingale had rested.  Then, his curiosity about the other presence drove him to keep waddling along.  As he got closer, he could hear chewing noises.  He remembered that there was a pile of hay left at one end of the cell.

The first thing he noticed was the occasional wag of a gray tail.  A faded blue wing hung low on either side of the pony.  Her mane was short and spiked.  She didn't appear to notice as he crawled within an arm's length.  Or was that a front leg's length now?

He tapped a hoof against her shoulder. "Night?"

The pegasus jumped back, whinnied, then spit out a few stray pieces of hay.  Her wings spread out as she wildly looked left and right.  She looked down at her front hooves.  Her jaw dropped as her ears shook.  She turned around and looked in shock at Crystal.  When she blinked, her big green eyes turned into the same solid blue plates as Crystal's.  Then, they changed back when she blinked again.

"C-Crystal?  W-What happened to you?  What happened to me?" Nightingale sat down and held her front hooves against the sides of her face. "Sweet Celestia, I can't even!"

Crystal stomped the dirt in front of himself. "Night, calm your tits!  We've already established that panicking won't help us."

"I..." She exhaled loudly. "You're right. Sorry, I just... I wasn't ready to wake up to my body grazing without me."

"You did seem to be in a kind of trance." He nodded. "Other than scared, are you feeling okay?"

She pressed her hooves together just under her muzzle. "I think so. The last part of my dream before waking up fully sounded like a whisper, telling me that I was an animal that should eat like one." She shook her head. "I think it's gone now."

"Let's hope so." He chuckled. "I'd hate to have to explain to a farmer why my sister was sleepwalking, and how she managed to devour his entire crop."

"Can we still really think of each other as siblings?" She looked him over. "I mean, you're a unicorn-changeling and I'm a pegasus."

He tilted his head. "Unicorn-changeling?"

She looked down and scratched her head. "That's strange.  Why did I say that?"

"Hmm, I kind of like that descriptor." He rubbed his chin. "Mind if I steal it?"  He waved his hoof dismissively. "But yes, I still see someone I can call a sister when I look at you."

She nodded.  Her eyes blinked blue. "Yeah, you're my brother.  That feels right to say."

He smiled. "About half the time, you've got the same eyes as I do."

She chuckled. "It wasn't exactly how I expected this change to translate my heterochromia, er... two-colored eyes."

His eyes moved as if to raise a brow. "You had expectations regarding a transformation that defies bodily science?"

"I know. It sounds dumb when I say it out loud." Her wings shrugged to either side. "Seriously, where are we?"

"No idea." He walked over and held a hoof up against the glass wall. "Considering that darkness outside this room hasn't lit up at all, I'd guess either underground or inside a mountain."

She looked up and down at the space beyond the fancy cage. "I hope Mom is okay."

"Wasn't she basically lying to you about why she was still home at the time?" He glanced at her.

She stared in shock at him. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Well, you were huffing, fuming, and deadpanning at her while she was in the car." He flipped what counted as his wrist for emphasis. "It gave off the impression that she wasn't being upfront about her reason."

She blinked twice. "I... wow. You're good." She cleared her throat. "But still, I don't want harm to come to her for that. I'm sure she was just worried about me. That's what mothers do. Right?"

"I wouldn't know." He looked outside. "Aside from my existence, I don't have any evidence that I had a mother. She was gone by the time I was old enough to be aware of my surroundings."

"Oh, crud." Her eyes went wide. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." He shook his head. "You want any more of that hay? There's nothing else to eat in here."

"I think I filled up enough while I was half-asleep." She chuckled nervously. "What about you? I know you don't feel hunger anymore, but..."

He idly patted his abdomen. "Well, I haven't lost any skin off my bones... or my exoskeleton from my squishy insides?  I don't know." He smiled, showing off his fangs. "Tell you what: If I start looking like a pale, thin beast, I give you permission to force-feed me. Deal?"

"I really hope it doesn't come to that, but alright." She held up a hoof, but then faltered when she remembered neither of them had hands.

He took it in stride, reaching up his own hoof to tap hers. "Then, it's settled."

---
???

Relative silence in the cell and anything nearby drove the inmates to find things to do.  After Nightingale tried and failed to put on her shirt, the two decided to just leave the clothes where they were.  Crystal put on his best intimidation face at the window.  After a bit of prodding, he convinced Nightingale to try it out too.  When she managed to successfully hiss with a forked tongue, they both gasped.  She shook her head, and her features seemed to return to their normal pony proportions.

A few minutes of silence passed where they sat against the back mattress wall.  Once Nightingale was ready to speak again, she sang a few verses of songs she knew.  Crystal listened intently.  He smiled calmly and bobbed his head to her rhythm.  At one point, her wings were waving around like an orchestra's conductor.

*Thunk!*

The ears of pegasus and unicorn-changeling swiveled.  The owners' eyes gradually followed suit.  In the middle of the dirt, the ventilation cover was resting.  Both captives looked up.  A pair of orange bulbs lit up the dark space.  Nightingale moved to cover Crystal, glaring in warning at the potential intruder.

A voice echoed in the air vent. "Oh, nice! More changelings!"

Nightingale blinked twice. "Wait, what?"

Something buzzed as a yellow creature with an orange beetle for a back hovered down.  Was it another pony?  The size looked right, but it looked like someone had recently polished it.  Well, there was a bit of dust covering its legs.  Maybe that had come from moving through the ventilation.

Crystal gulped. "Who... What are you supposed to be?"

"If the past twenty-five years meant anything, I'm supposed to be human." The newcomer shrugged. "But I guess magic curses or whatever decided I'm really a changeling.  Name's Krusty."

"Um... I'm Nightingale." She pointed a hoof at herself and then at her brother. "This is Crystal Ward." She shook her head and held up her front hooves. "Wait, hold up! I thought changelings were dark and had holes in their hooves. Why do you look so... illuminated?"

"How about we get out of this crummy place first?" He lifted himself toward the vent with his rapidly moving wings. "I'll tell you all about it once you're free."

"Up there?" She looked at the vent.

"Yeah!" Krusty held his hooves out. "You've got a good pair of wings on you and he can just shape-shift some for a bit. Easy-peasy!"

"Shape-shift?" Crystal looked incredulous. "I can't shape-shift."

"And I just got these wings recently.  I don't know if I can-" Movement from Nightingale's wings and the floor slowly getting further away stopped her train of thought. "Oh."

"Can't shape-shift? The name of our whole game is 'changeling'." Krusty moved his hoof as if to face-palm. He lowered himself to the dirt on all fours. "Alright, I'll give you a freebie this time. Pay attention."

Before either of the siblings could respond, Krusty surrounded himself with a column of blue fire.  One instant, he was a shiny changeling.  The next, there was a small giraffe standing there.  Its head was just below the open vent.  Nightingale and Crystal gawked at what they had just witnessed.  Luckily, she threw up her hooves in surprise and stopped her from colliding her head with the ceiling.

"Climb on up, little guy!" Krusty's voice called from the giraffe's mouth. "My girlfriend's keeping the guards busy.  We shouldn't keep her waiting."

Crystal inhaled deeply before he sighed. "Yeah, okay."

He crawled up the long neck of the giraffe.  He got a hold of the edge inside the vent.  He scrambled to pull himself up, but slipped back a bit.  Nightingale flew over and gave him a last push.  She then crawled in after him.  In a second flash of blue flame, Krusty returned to his yellow changeling self and flew into the vent to lead the way.

---
??? hours; somewhere in the Grand Canyon, Arizona...

Several popping sounds echoed amidst the multi-layered rock.  Perhaps the cover of night was making the noise louder than it actually was.  A few jets of flame appeared every so often.  Closer inspection near the bottom would reveal an army of identical pale men in business attire, sunglasses, and allegedly painted-on faces.  They believed they were detaining an intruder of the scaled variety.

One of the clones got melted by a jet of fire.  The remains of his body basically evaporated before another man stepped in to fill the empty space.  Another stream of fire severely damaged a cluster of pale men on the opposite side of the intruder.  They followed the example of their melted brethren and disintegrated.

The intruder, for her part, was having loads of fun.  She was jumping around, spin-kicking some identical losers and spitting fire on the rest.  She even managed to snag one of the pairs of sunglasses in her claws.  The remaining pale men kept insisting that her resistance was futile.  She just laughed and vaporized some more with her fire.

On her person were a belt and a wristwatch.  This watch beeped a couple times right as she was using one clone to bowl over seven others.  She glanced down at her wrist device before groaning.  She wasn't done having fun yet.  But, she figured the plan could go south if she didn't respond in kind.

So, the scaled intruder pulled out an oval-shaped item from her belt.  She grinned, closed her eyes, and threw the item on the ground.  A bright flash erupted and a severe ringing tore through the pale men's number.  Their bodies vibrated erratically and they all stood in postures that looked uncomfortable.

She flew out of the canyon.  A few seconds later, a gorilla climbed after her.  On this gorilla's shoulders, two little creatures were holding on for dear life.  Nobody said anything until they were at least a mile away from the cliff.  At that point, the intruders and their rescued companions were standing next to a decorated van.

The gorilla set his two passengers inside this van.  It then erupted in a column of blue fire and exited as a yellow changeling.  Krusty crawled inside the van.  His partner hopped in after him and shut the door.

"Let's go, Simon!" Krusty called.

The very human driver shifted gears on his vehicle before speeding away.  Nightingale and Crystal lied down and breathed heavily.

"What's the matter with you, kids?" joked the young dragon.

"How... did it... get so... hot?" Nightingale panted.

The distraction scoffed. "It's pretty normal for around here."

Krusty hugged the dragon. "This here is my special someone, Smolder."

"Since when did I belong to you, KC?" Smolder crossed her arms.

"Ah, right." He rolled his eyes. "I meant I'm her boyfriend."

"And don't you forget it." Smolder kissed Krusty on the forehead.

Crystal was still catching his breath. "Thank you for... saving us..."

"Don't mention it." Krusty smiled. "Go ahead and rest up.  We'll have time to chat tomorrow."

Nightingale and Crystal barely managed to voice affirmation.  Within seconds, the two were fast asleep to the rhythmic engine running and the long road.
---
> Ch. 6: Ignite
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

---
June 30th, 20X5, Somewhere in Arizona...

Nightingale woke up and groaned.  An annoying beam of sunlight had fallen right on her eyes.  She turned over and tried to pull a blanket up.  However, all she found was something hard.  She blinked in confusion, when her hoof was patting the back of a car seat.

She sat upright and tried to stand, only to fall backward.  A couple separate pains reminded her that her tail and left wing still existed.  Something groaned and wiggled underneath her.  When she rolled over, she caught the sight of a familiar black sheen.  She scrambled back and off her brother.

"Sorry, Crystal." Her ears flopped down.

"It's okay." He shifted his legs around to sit up. "I've literally been stepped on before.  Compared to that, this is nothing."

She slowly nodded back before looking around the vehicle they were in. "Did all of that really happen?"

"You mean the Everywhere Man kidnapping us, or Mystique and Sapphira rescuing us?" He tilted his head.

She blinked twice.  Her eyes turned blue and then green. "All I got from that sentence was the X-Men reference."

"Never mind." He waved his hoof dismissively. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Just a bit tired." She yawned.  Her wings swung open once before folding at her sides. "What about-"

The back door of the van opened up abruptly.  When Nightingale and Crystal looked, they saw a curious face.  They were pretty sure it was Smolder that they had briefly met the night before.  But the front of the dragon's mouth seemed a bit brighter red than it was.  Was she wearing lipstick?

"Oh, you're up. Good." Smolder nodded and moved to the side. "There's some food inside the house if you want."

"Sure." Nightingale trotted out.

"I'm not really hun-" Crystal stopped short when Nightingale glanced back at him. "Er, yeah. Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Smolder smiled. "Watch your step."

Their hooves clip-clopped upon impact with the brick-laid driveway.  Nightingale looked around, speechless at the size of the house.  Maybe it was because she had lost some height.  Either way, she walked along until she heard a high-pitched, squelching noise.  She looked down and yelped at a scorpion scuttling right in front of her.

"Oh, one sec." Smolder walked up and spat at the poison-tailed arachnid.  It erupted in a plume of fire before it screamed to death.  She smirked. "There we go."

"What the hay?" Nightingale's feathers shook.

"I didn't think scorpions could get that big," commented Crystal as he walked up.

"Actually, that was one of the smaller ones." Smolder shrugged. "Just keep an eye out for them and you won't have to worry."

As Smolder opened the door, Nightingale scrambled to get inside as quickly as possible.  Crystal walked briskly to follow.  Smolder looked amused before stepping inside and shutting the door behind her.

---
9:00 AM...

It was sort of beautiful in a grotesque way.  One minute, Nightingale's plate was piled with bacon, eggs, and grapes.  The next, the plate was empty.  Stray pieces of food were covering the table and her face.  Without a word, Crystal pushed his half-finished plate toward her.  Nightingale devoured that portion as well.

Krusty simply chuckled. "You get enough?"

Nightingale brushed her face against a napkin. "Yes, thank you."

Smolder walked over to the table, munching on a bacon slice in her grasp. "Good, isn't it?"

"Now that we've got a moment to breathe, how about the open we floor to questions?" Krusty made single sweeping motion with his hoof. "I'm sure we've all got a few for each other."

Crystal nodded. "You gave us names, but we don't really know each other that well. Who are you guys?"

Smolder swallowed and smirked. "Officially, we're not really anybody. There's a bunch of rag-tag teams of Equestrian creatures searching for any more of us that happen to be lost or captured.  I'm Smolder the interference."

Krusty puffed up his chest. "And I'm Krusty the recon. We're the Equestrian And Rescue Squad, because we've got the E.A.R.S. on land, waters, and the sky."

Nightingale blinked twice. "You're called 'ears'?"

Crystal shrugged. "Eh, I've heard of worse acronym names."

Krusty faked a gasp. "Ah! You find it lacking? Smolder, my darling catch me. I think I might faint!" He proceeded to land, back upon the floor.

"That's fair, kids." Smolder waved dismissively. "I'm not completely satisfied with our group name either.  But since we look awesome, we might as well douse ourselves with cheese every now and again."

Krusty quickly pulled himself back to his seat. "Our turn! What can you tell us about yourselves?"

Crystal set a hoof on the table as if to hold his head. "I was homeless for several years."

Nightingale twiddled her feathers. "I like singing and playing the piano. Well, I used to play the piano."

Smolder's eyes practically twinkled. "Really? That's awesome! Did you ever play Moonlight Sonata?"

Nightingale chuckled nervously. "Once for a recital, but I wasn't happy with the couple mistakes I made."

Smolder exhaled and looked up. "Aw, man. I wish I had been there to hear it."

Crystal looked at the dragon's boyfriend. "When you found us, you called us both changelings. What did you mean by that? Night's a pegasus."

Krusty held out a front limb, hoof-side up. "Last I checked, pegasi can't change their contact lenses just by blinking. Also, your sister has fangs."

Nightingale gasped and felt the inside of her mouth.  Her tongue ran past where she thought her canines were.  They seemed... bigger than they once were. "I mean, I guess I kind of do."

"Hey, welcome to the club." Smolder grinned. "Fangs are badass."

Crystal looked down in thought. "Huh. I can't argue with that." He shook his head. "But wait, how'd you turn into a giraffe?"

Smolder glanced at Krusty. "And here I thought showing off was my part of the rescue ops."

Krusty waved dismissively. "It wasn't like that. Our friend here didn't know how to make himself fly. So, I gave him a pass."

"Seriously?" She raised her brow at the unicorn-changeling.

"Well, I don't know much about my innate power set." Crystal shrugged. "I haven't had this complete body for more than a few days."

"That simply won't do." Krusty stood up. "Even if you don't need your powers right away, it's good to understand what you're capable of. Come on."

Krusty walked around toward the back door.  Crystal and Nightingale looked at each other with uncertainty.  After a scratch and a shrug, they got up and followed the yellow changeling.  Smolder tossed the paper plates in the trash before casually walking behind them.

Nightingale briefly glanced back. "Where did your driver go? Uh... Simon, was it?"

"He's still sleeping." Smolder shook her head. "Driving all of last night really screwed up his internal clock. He'll be fine."

"Alright, if you're sure." Nightingale scampered to catch up with the others.

---

They stood apart a few paces in the backyard.  A large tarp was set up to provide shade.  Smolder had grabbed a large recliner chair and lied back.  Nightingale stood by, watching the other two.

"Now, contrary to popular fiction, shape-shifting magic isn't about thinking really hard." Krusty tapped his head. "Otherwise, changelings would be changing forms every tenth word in a conversation."

"Okay..." Crystal slowly nodded. "Then, how does it work?"

"It basically boils down to desire." Krusty lowered his hoof to chest-level. "If you really want to hide in plain sight in a desert, become a rock." The yellow changeling disappeared in blue fire.  A red block of sandstone took up his spot. "You want to distract some stallions with their own hormones?" Blue fires changed the rock into a unicorn mare with long eyelashes and a thick mane. "Or maybe you just want to give them a good scare." One more burst of blue brought forth a screaming, animatronic fox with a hook for a paw.

"Chitin!" Crystal lifted his front hooves in a panic.  After a few seconds, he looked carefully at himself.  He was still black and full of holes. "Um, why didn't I turn into a rock?"

"Aye, ya didn't desire hiding." The robot pirate deadpanned with his one visible eye. "Fearing something ain't the same as wanting it." He shifted back to his default changeling self. "Let's start with something about the same size as you.  Say those soulless suits tried to kidnap your sister again.  Make yourself look like her to distract them and lead them away from the real one."

"Turn into Night?" Crystal glanced over at her. "Hmm, alright.  I'll try."

He looked up and breathed deeply.  He tried to still his mind to anything that wasn't his sister.  He wanted to hear her sing again.  He wanted to protect her like she did for him.  He... saw green fire flash all over his field of view.  As quickly as it appeared, it stopped.

He blinked twice.  There was something tickling his shoulders.  He reached up a hoof to brush it away.  He gasped when it felt like he had lightly tapped his arm.  When he turned to look, a familiar set of feathers fluttered.  He laughed when he flapped the two wings by himself.

Nightingale tilted her head and squinted. "Is that really what my mane looks like from the back? I should let it grow longer."

Her doppelganger looked over. "Oh, sorry!" Crystal returned to himself, but forgot about his current elevation.  The ground quickly reminded his face. "Ow..."

A small dog quickly ran up and licked Crystal's face.

Smolder lifted her head a bit. "Honey, when did you get a dog?"

"I didn't." Krusty shook his head.

Crystal stood up and wiped the new spot on his face. "Night? Is that you?"

The dog's eyes widened.  She sat up and covered her muzzle with both front paws.  Then, a green flame replaced the dog with a familiar pegasus filly. "I was just worried that you had hurt yourself. I wanted to make you feel better and I wasn't even thinking about how to do it. Next thing I know-"

"I knew you had some changeling in you." Krusty smirked. "You just need the right motivation." He nodded. "Keep practicing. You both did great for your first day."

"Eh heh heh." Nightingale idly scratched the back of her head.

"Thank you, Krusty." Crystal smiled a little.

"No problem, Kin." Krusty shook his hoof dismissively.

---
11:30 AM...

Nightingale wanted to contact her parents.  Unfortunately, she couldn't quite remember what any of the phone numbers were.  They were all saved on her cell phone back where she left it.  Why would she have ever needed to manually recall them?  She sighed as she rested her head against the armrest of a couch.

"I'm sure they're alright," insisted Crystal, sitting next to her.

"But they're going to be worried." Nightingale's ears flopped. "Mom was knocked out before those men took us away. Dad was at work, so he doesn't know what happened."

"We'll find a way for you to see them again." He held out a front hoof along the top of the couch.

She turned herself around and hugged him.  He gently patted her on the back.  At some point, Simon had wandered into the room and plopped himself into a nearby chair.  He sipped on a can of energy drink.  He then used a phone app to flip through channels on his TV.  There was a blurb about an unusually high flu outbreak in a small town in Colorado.  With a flick, that was quickly changed to an over-the-top argument on a "Reality" show.

"Want to see if their freezer has any ice cream?" Crystal smiled.

Nightingale hopped down. "I'll go ask."

Crystal lowered himself to the floor to follow her.

"Bottom of the fridge.  Pull out the top drawer after you open the outer one."

Nightingale nearly jumped at the guy's voice. "Oh! Uh... thank you, Simon. Also, thank you for the rescue."

Crystal nodded at him. "We appreciate it. I hope we can repay the favor."

Simon shook his head. "If you find a way back to your magical birthplace, send me a souvenir. Otherwise, don't worry about it."

He resumed his channel surfing.  Meanwhile, the two quadrupeds resumed their quest for frozen sweets.
---
> Ch. 7: Hotspot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

???

Trapped.  She could not move, hear, or see.  The only upside was that she could not discern any restroom urges.  Any attempts to voice her feelings died before they could leave her mouth.  She was... trapped.

Lost.  His ears, eyes, and nerves refused to respond.  All that surrounded him was darkness.  His limbs felt weighed down by the void itself.  All he could do was wait in an unobserved space.  He was... lost.

Unbeknownst to either, two windigoes swirled around the prisoners at all times.  It was the new master's will.

---
July 1st, 20X5, Somewhere in Arizona...

A dragon that looked identical to Smolder exhaled loudly.  The real Smolder was trying to contain her laughter.  Somehow, Krusty managed to keep a straight face while watching.  The lookalike managed to make steam out of her ears, but that wasn't intentional.  She tried pressing her claws against her chest, spitting, and massaging her neck.  With each failed attempt, she was getting more frustrated.

The original Smolder managed to slip a few words between laughs. "You... ha ha... can't... heh... breathe fire.  Ha ha ha!"

"I can see that. Why?!" Her lookalike held out her arms in exasperation.

"Because shape-shifting involves changing the physical outlook, not the abilities of the user." Krusty held up a hoof.  An identical yellow changeling zipped up behind him and lip-synced to his explanation. "Changelings have the power to copy appearance, speak, and act like their chosen targets.  But we can't run as fast as a peak performance athlete or use magic as strong as the oldest wizard.  We're best suited for illusions and subterfuge."

"Ugh, now you tell me." Green fire replaced the dragon lookalike with Crystal the unicorn-changeling.

Krusty turned around to see a giggling mirror of himself. "Heh, a perfect example."

Nightingale shifted back to herself. "Hee hee, I couldn't resist."

"I'm not mad, young lady." Krusty smiled. "I'm impressed."

Smolder nodded. "You two looked so hesitant yesterday.  Now it's like you're shape-shifting pros."

"It's kind of fun," Crystal admitted.

Krusty thought for a second, then shuffled his hoof around. "How would you like to put your powers to a field test?"

"Huh?" Nightingale tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Smolder looked at her other half like he was crazy. "Crust, no. They're not ready for a rescue ops."

"No, not a full on breakout mission." Krusty shook his head. "I was thinking of something smaller scale."

---
10:37 AM...

The sun beat down heavily on the land.  Many distant objects looked like they were wiggling.  There was a dirt road out this way.  Hardly any cars used it.  Several feet in the sky, three vultures flew along the road's length.

After another mile, the road went through a few old buildings.  A wooden board collapsed.  Some tumbleweed rolled along the dirt.  There were remnants of names painted over the doorways, but the sun had long-since made the colors fade.  The vultures perched on one building that was more stone and clay than wood.

"Take a look around, kids," said Vulture 1. "What can you discern about our surroundings?"

Vulture 2 craned their head. "This town was abandoned several years ago."

Vulture 3 nodded. "Maybe it was disease or maybe the water ran out."

Vulture 1 did a double-take. "Are you asking me or telling me?"

Vulture 3 flapped their wings a couple times. "I don't know.  I wasn't here that long ago."

While their argument devolved into an exchange of squawks, Vulture 2 stared off into space.  They weren't sure, but they thought they heard... singing?  Yet, it wasn't a person's voice.  They waved their wings around to hover beyond roof level.

"Huh?  Hey, wait!" Vulture 3 hopped off the roof and followed.

"Where are you going?" Vulture 1 called after them before taking off too.

After following the sound of a song into a broken store, Nightingale shed the vulture disguise for her own pony self.  One of the front windows was already shattered, and had left shards of glass in the frame.  Wood creaked underneath each step she took.  Grime and dust covered what little was left in the store, all except for one item.

Next to a mirror with several cobwebs at the top, a curved sword rested.  It was pale and glistened like freshly fallen snow.  Nightingale picked it up by the handle, holding it with one hoof.  She thought she recalled that the last time she had seen this sword, she had needed both of her front hooves to even lift it.  With her free hoof, she held her head as a dizzy spell hit her.

---

"If you think you can possibly put up a challenge, then you're having a really bad dream."

Fire surrounded her, leaving the filly hot and anxious.  Two red pupils in yellow eyes pierced her with their gaze.

"And you're never waking up.  Mwa ha ha ha ha!"

---

"Nightingale!"

She gasped as reality solidified in her vision.  She turned around.  Crystal was galloping toward her, but he screeched to a halt.  He narrowly missed the point of the blade.

"Whoa!" Krusty called out. "Careful with the sharp objects, young lady."

Crystal immediately ducked down to look up. "Is that... Mom's sword?"

Krusty blinked twice. "Who the what now?"

Nightingale turned it sideways and stared at it intensely. "Yeah... it is."

Krusty shook his hoof about. "Back the chitin up. Your mother's a samurai? Wait, before that, how did a Japanese sword end up in an Old Western pawn shop?"

"It isn't from Japan." Crystal stood up slowly.

Nightingale nodded. "It's from Equestria."

Krusty sputtered and sarcastically replied, "Well, that explains everything!" He shook his head. "That still doesn't explain why it's here."

Crystal looked around and spotted something else that was in like-new condition.  He trotted over behind the mirror stand.  Moving backwards, he pulled out a sheath and a rope belt.  Working together, Nightingale and Crystal put the sword safely away and tied it to the pegasus pony's waist.  Krusty looked between the two siblings, still visibly confused.

Nightingale looked at herself in the mirror and her ears flattened. "This looks better on Mama."

She idly held up a hoof to her reflection.  When it didn't stop at the glass and kept going down, she gasped.  She quickly pulled her hoof away and stepped back.  The mirror rippled, as if it were water instead of glass.

"What the hay was that?" Crystal's eyes were wide open now.

Nightingale shook her head, also staring in shock. "I don't know.  It just... went through."

Krusty let his wings flutter and hovered to look around the back of the mirror.  He tried tapping the back, but was met with solid frame.  Crystal tapped his chin and tried stepping closer.

"Careful, Brother.  We don't know what it'll do." Nightingale pointed with her wing.

"Your hoof's not hurt, right?" Crystal glanced back. "How about if I do this?"

He lowered his horn to touch the mirror.  It caused a similar ripple effect as before.  Krusty flew around and watched as Crystal's horn glowed green.  Crystal felt something rush into his head and took a step back.  The ripples in the mirror sort of hummed a low note.

"I heard... Dad's voice." Crystal's horn dimmed.

"What do you mean?" Nightingale looked at him.

"Well, maybe it wasn't his throat voice." He scratched his head. "It was more like a...a hive mind. I heard him thinking about his hope that you and I were safe."

Nightingale looked at the mirror more intently. "Then, that means our mom and dad are inside of there?"

Krusty waved his front hooves about. "Whoa, whoa, hey! Let's take a step back here for a second. We know nothing about this mirror! For all we know, Crystal's just hearing random voices in his head."

Crystal sighed. "Maybe you're right. It could be a trap. In that case, you should wait out here. I don't want to face Smolder's wrath if anything happens to you."

"You are not going in there alone!" Nightingale stepped up beside him.

"I'm still not convinced you should go in there at all!" Krusty looked at each of them in turn.  He sighed. "But I can smell your stubborn determination.  Tell you what?  Wait here while I rush back and let Smolder know what's going on.  We'll bring supplies you might be able to use in this mirror dimension."

The yellow changeling trotted outside the store proper.  He then shifted into the shape of Vulture 1 before flying away.

---
11:45 AM...

The siblings had gone through a cycle of sitting down, getting back up, and pacing.  Occasionally, they gathered so much dust from the inside of the store that they had to shake it off.  Nightingale waved her wings at her face.

She asked, "Is it just me, or is it getting warmer in here?"

"It is kind of hot," admitted Crystal while patting some dust out of his hoof's holes.

"Hope you didn't have too much fun without me!" Smolder's voice called out.

Both of the siblings looked.  Smolder and Krusty briskly walked inside with a duffel bag.  Smolder was wearing her belt-sash from her previous mission.  Krusty put his bag down and pulled out some bars and water bottles.

"We don't know how long we'll have before our next meal." He smiled lightly. "Better stock up on energy now."

"Thank you." Nightingale took a bar and a bottle.

"It's appreciated." Crystal did the same.

While they all took a moment to eat, Smolder glanced at Nightingale. "Nice sword you got there."

"It belongs to my mom." Nightingale looked over her shoulder at the sheath.

"May I take a closer look?" Smolder pointed at it with her claw.

Nightingale considered that for a moment. "Hmm... okay, just be careful with it."

The dragon walked over and pulled out the katana.  She walked over to one end of the store and gave it a couple practice swings.  On a third swing, she tried to hit a wooden shelf.  To her surprise, it bounced off the wood, barely leaving more than a scratch.

"Might want to get this thing to a whetstone as soon as possible." Smolder handed the sword back.

Nightingale shook her head as she sheathed the weapon. "Its physical sharpness doesn't matter.  Mama's the only one who can bring out its potential."

"There is a magic tied to its true wielder," added Crystal.

Krusty tilted his head. "That's weird."

---
Noon, Forgotten Castle...

Stone bricks still managed to hold up, despite the years.  Dragonic gargoyles lined the outer walls.  Torn banners flapped on uncontrolled winds.  Crows sometimes flew around while spiders and snakes crawled through crevices.  Inside the castle, down in a room with barely any light, a reflective surface glowed and rippled.  A pony, two changelings, and a dragon stepped out.

All four of the newcomers held their heads.  Images that felt familiar passed through their minds.  But the mental pictures rushed faster than one or two recollections.  The creatures weren't whole yet, but they felt... almost there.

"Whoa... any-creature have a severe case of deja flashbacks?" Smolder grunted.

"That's not what it's called, but yes." Crystal nodded.

"Oh, boy... that's just... wow." Krusty slowly shook his head. "It is weird to get all of that old memory for the first time."

"Hold on, if this is Equestria, which part of the world is this?" Nightingale tried to look around.  Every time she blinked, she could identify the room and its interior decorations.  But every other time she blinked, the colors faded to shadowy shapes.

"Maybe we should try to get outside first." Crystal lit up his horn and trotted toward the room's door. "Then, we can get our bearings."

"Yeah, good idea." Nightingale carefully stepped around some rusty inkwells and followed her brother.

Smolder breathed a fireball into her right claw and held it out.  She and her special some-changeling walked side-by-side.  Crystal pushed open the door and it creaked.  As the party of four stepped out into a hallway, they could see old portraits on the walls and some ripped up banners.  One of them looked like it was meant to have half a sun and half a moon stitched together.

"This isn't Canterlot, is it?" Krusty whipped around on his hind legs.

"I don't think so." Smolder shook her head while holding her fireball up. "Not enough gold metals lining the ceiling for that."

As they looked around, the equines' ears perked up.  A hissing noise echoed in the hallway that didn't belong to any of them.  After a bit of carefully scanning, the group spotted the source crawling ever closer.  It was a forest serpent, taking up the middle of the floor to the left of the room they had just exited.

"I guess we're not going that way," muttered Crystal.

"I got it!" Smolder pulled back her arm and her fireball.

"Wait!" Nightingale held up a hoof. "Save your light source. I'll handle this." She trotted toward the snake.

"Sis, wait!" Crystal held up a hoof with a bit of trepidation.

Nightingale's eyes switched to solid blue.  She bared her fangs and made a few different hissing noises.  There was almost a rhythm to how often she changed her tone.  After a few seconds where the other three watched with confusion, the snake bobbed its head up and down.  It turned around and slithered up the hallway.

"What in Torch's name was that?" Smolder held both of her hands, palm-side up.

Nightingale blinked her eyes back to a pony's green. "She said she'll lead us to the castle entrance."

Krusty tilted his head. "Wait, you can speak Parseltongue?"

"Well, kind of. Snake whispering is one of my cutie mark talents." Nightingale lifted her wings, showing them the image of a white snake coiled under a black dove. "I figured I'd oil the rust off that knowledge."

"That's incredible." Crystal chuckled. "I only caught like two words of what you said in the snake's language."

Nightingale smiled and folded her wings. "We should probably follow her while we can still see her tail."

Twelve hooves and two feet briskly walked along the floor.  The sounds of their steps echoed.  The walls they passed were painted in Crystal's green light and Smolder's reddish light, before returning to their dark selves.  The leading serpent occasionally stopped in place to coil back up.  Then, it uncoiled to slither further along the hall or around a corner.

After a while, the serpent lead them to a wide open room.  There was a large set of double doors just beyond the entrance lobby.  At the back of the room were a couple thrones.

Krusty briefly looked at the thrones. "Hmm, they kind of look like some-creature was trying to restore them before they were abandoned again. See? The metal on one throne has more rust than the other."

Meanwhile, the serpent crawled under an impossibly small opening at the bottom of the front doors.  Perhaps it left because it had finished the request that Nightingale asked.  In any case, the entrance was right there.  The four visitors could just walk up to it.  After crushing her fireball out between her claws, Smolder got to pushing the door.  Upon walking out, they looked around at the castle and the surrounding land in full.

Crystal canceled his light spell. "This is... the original Castle of the Two Sisters."

"Meaning, we're in the middle of the Everfree forest." Nightingale's wings tensed up at her sides.

"There should be a direct route to Ponyville from here." Krusty held his hoof above his eyes before looking away from the castle.

"Uh, is there some special occasion when Equestria's sun and moon are up at the same time?" Smolder pointed a claw upward.

The other three turned their gazes and followed her indication.  Nightingale gasped.  The sky looked at odds with itself, unable to decide if it was bright blue around the sun or dark blue surrounding the moon.  The celestial bodies looked like they were bobbing slightly up and down.

"Well, that's flipping ominous," Crystal commented.

"A side effect of Discord's betrayal, no doubt." Nightingale exhaled. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are probably still stuck on Earth somewhere."

"Does that mean we need to go back and find them?" Krusty motioned back toward the castle.

Nightingale shook her head. "If recent history taught us anything, it's that the Element Bearers can usually find a way to overcome world conquerors and threats.  Destiny will undoubtedly guide them to face Discord one more time.  But I just want to find my parents." She looked at the others. "What are you going to do?"

"They're also my parents, so I'm coming with you." Crystal gestured with his hoof.

Krusty looked down and thought. "Hmm, Simon drove me back to the desert town when I told him we were off on a mission.  He's used to waiting several hours." He chuckled. "And I can't exactly in good conscience leave you kids alone."

"Still calling us kids?" Nightingale raised her brow. "I'm technically thirty-seven if we count the years of both of my lives."

"Oh, sorry." Krusty cleared his throat. "I meant I can't leave you teens alone."

Nightingale rolled her eyes.

Smolder laughed. "And I won't go back with my tail between my legs when Krusty's out in no man's land."

Crystal tilted his head. "Is it really no man's land if this world isn't dominated by humans?"

Smolder put her claw against her hip. "Well, yeah.  There is 'no man' here, right?"

Crystal face-hoofed. "Fair point."

Nightingale smiled and nodded. "Thanks, every-creature.  Let's start looking for leads in Ponyville."

The party of four walked along the path.  But before they got far, a singular figure stood in their way.  It almost seemed transparent, but it was shaped like an equine.  Its mouth was holding a large object by a handle.  Nightingale and Crystal had to double-take to be sure.

This shade was holding their father's broadsword.
---
> Ch. 8: Pass the Torch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Circa 1042 After Nightmare's Banishment (A.N.B.), Hour and Day Unknown; Castle of the Two Sisters...

The shade carrying the broadsword sank into the ground.  It popped up right in front of Crystal.  Nightingale pulled out her mother's katana to try and block an attack.  However, the shade made no swing.  It dropped the broadsword at the unicorn-changeling's hooves.  It also produced a belt and a sheath from inside of itself.

Crystal blinked at the gifts. "Who are you?"

A whisper echoed, everywhere and nowhere. "This one has neither name nor life.  It acts upon the last will of the blade's owner.  If the owner were to be captured by the enemy, this one was to deliver the weapon to his second-born foal.  The first one was like it, and was to carry the spouse's weapon to their first-born.  But the shades are not meant to leave this world, forcing the first one to cease to be upon leaving."

Nightingale gasped while glancing at the katana. "That's why it was lying down outside the mirror on the other side!"

"Where are the owners of these swords now, Shade?" Crystal picked up the items in a levitation and went about properly equipping them.

"That knowledge is beyond this one.  The message and weapon have been delivered."

The shadowy figure seemed to be carried away by wind.  It broke into smaller and smaller pieces before vanishing entirely.  Crystal sighed and his gaze turned to his sister.  Nightingale sheathed the katana and nodded.

Smolder put her clawed hands into a make-shift 'T'.  "Whoa, whoa, what the flame was that?  Why did you act like a creepy dark creature was no big deal when it handed you a sword?"

"That does seem like the kind of story where the forces of darkness have a catch to their power deal." Krusty stared expectantly at the siblings.

"Well, I've seen Dad use them before for smaller things." Crystal shrugged. "They made for a fun distraction in the backyard for us when a plumber had to work inside the house."

"I asked Mama about Papa's powers." Nightingale fiddled with her wings in front of herself. "Some time after they met each other, Papa got called into an expedition of sorts. On that expedition, he kind of died, but not really. So, one of the side effects of that was having a little more in-touch with death magic, summoning dark familiars, and even a portal to a specified individual through time and space, provided he already met said creature."

Krusty scratched his head. "This is a lot to just take in."

"If he can make a portal, why couldn't he just come find you guys?" Smolder crossed her arms.

"That shade mentioned that Papa had been captured, by a necro-lich." Nightingale gently patted one wing against the other. "Their death magic field might be interfering with his own power.  Papa can send things, but not summon them back."

Crystal nodded. "And they've clearly got enough magic to keep Mom and Dad in separate places, else she'd be able to free him with one hoof tied behind her back."

There was a howl in the background of the forest.  The siblings were pretty sure the culprit of the noise was a timberwolf.

"We should probably continue this conversation some place with less wild animals." Nightingale shook her wings to about half their full span.

"Please, I could just incinerate a pack of timberwolves." Smolder grinned.

Krusty held up a hoof. "Actually, I recall that they can regenerate, even from ashes."

Smolder hunched over in disbelief. "Oh, that is buffalo crap!"

Nightingale sighed and spread her wings. "Welcome to the Everfree Forest."

Crystal shape-shifted into a copy of Nightingale.  After that, the four took flight along the path that lead out of the forest.  With the sky unable to fully commit to day or night, it was difficult to tell how long the trip took.  They passed a rushing river, a bunch of dead trees, and a cliff face.  Finally, after seeing several patches of ferns, mushrooms, and blue flowers, they found themselves outside the edge of the forest.  They slowly landed to walk.

Nightingale wasn't sure what she expected.  Old stories of Discord after his first release from stone said that he discombobulated the town beyond recognition.  Colors and patterns were supposed to be randomly swapped around.  Objects were supposed to breathe and animals were supposed to swim through materials in which such an action was impossible.  Gravity and sound were meant to be all mixed up under the reign of chaos.  None of those descriptors quite matched up with what she laid her eyes.

Ponyville was still recognizable as a town.  But there were patches of moss and mold overgrowing the rooftops.  Several windows were broken, and wooden boards were falling off.  Light posts were toppled and barrel fires were standing.  In other words, it was a classic version of age destroying an abandoned village.

'Normal' didn't fit the picture of Discord taking over.

Crystal shifted back to his default form. "This is somehow more unsettling than what I expected."

Nightingale nodded. "I guess we can start at our house.  They're not there, but it's better to make sure right away."

"Lead on, little pony." Smolder looked at her expectantly.

---
Hour Unknown; Ponyville...

The pegasus filly was happy to see that her house was still standing.  She was a bit disheartened that it had the same neglect as the rest of the town.  Those feelings were put on pause when she saw the front door.  It was bent inward and the upper hinge was completely ripped out of the doorway.  She motioned for the others to be quiet as she slowly approached the entrance.

When she peeked around the door into the inside of the house, Nightingale saw some vertically slit eyes.  A diamond dog jumped out of the darkness toward her.  Nightingale yelped as she was pinned to the ground.  Claws dug into her sides.  She tried to kick the mutt off, but her hooves couldn't connect.

Crystal ran forth and lit up his horn.  A curved, green barrier shot forward.  This spell knocked the diamond dog away, eliciting a high-pitched whine.  Crystal rushed to his sister's side to help her up.  But some growls revealed three more diamond dogs leaving the house.  At the same time, the first one recovered itself to join its pack.

It was about then that the siblings noticed something unusual about the bipedal canines.  Parts of their heads were ripped open, showing off their gray matter.  They were also foaming at the mouth.  Faster than they could say "zombies", the cursed dogs were leaping at them all at once.  Crystal put up his barrier spell.

A yellow hoof roundhouse kicked one dog in the head.  An orange tail smacked another dog across the chest.  Nightingale and Crystal perked up as they watched Krusty and Smolder kick some keister.  In a flash of blue, there were two Smolders slashing with their claws.  The original spat out a couple fireballs, blowing off a couple undead heads.  Her copy whipped around before slicing a couple necks.

Crystal lowered his barrier and sighed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm a bit sore." Nightingale's wings held firm against her shoulders. "Did they break skin?"

Crystal looked her over. "No bite marks, but you're bleeding."

Smolder adjusted her harness. "Honey, get her some bandages. I'm going to make sure the rest of the house is clear. If you see fire or hear an explosion, that'll be my signal that there's trouble."

"But... alright." Krusty rummaged through the duffel bag on the ground. "Just come back to me."

"I always do." Smolder smirked before charging inside.

Krusty pulled out and opened a med-kit.  He pulled out a couple of small, white packages, cotton, and a tiny vial of rubbing alcohol. "This is going to sting a little, but I need you to hold still."

Nightingale slowly nodded. "Okay."

As Krusty went about cleaning the cuts, Nightingale grit her teeth.  Her wing hugged Crystal with enough force for him to stare forward without blinking.  Meanwhile, Krusty had already moved to putting band-aids over the red gashes.  When Nightingale opened her eyes to look, the job was done.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome." Krusty smiled at her.

"Could you let me have some air back?" Crystal wheezed.

Nightingale released him. "Sorry! Sorry."

A window on the side of the house slid open.  Smolder hopped out and flew around front again.  She nonchalantly tossed a grenade up and down before putting it back on her pouch.

"Aside from some broken furniture, the place is empty." She crossed her arms. "It's a shame too.  I was half hoping for an excuse to blind some fools."

Krusty shrugged. "Well, never look a gift pony in the mouth.  Now, we can set up temporary base here."

Smolder glanced over. "As long as that's alright with the residents."

Nightingale blinked. "Oh, uh... yeah.  I guess that's okay."

Crystal nodded. "Yeah.  Let's take a few minutes to rest inside."

---

Nightingale went for a short trot through her childhood home.  A flashback let her see a casual bubble bath.  The little filly splashed her father in his eyes.  He yelled out as he hurried to find a towel and wipe the soap out.  Her concerned cooing brought him back, to absolve her guilt.  At the end of the memory, she saw the current mold lines and the broken porcelain.

A stop by her bedroom sparked another memory.  It was a Hearth's Warming Day.  She and her little brother had gotten a plush doll each, one puppy and one kitty.  They held their toys up to each other and hugged it out.  Present Nightingale sighed when she lightly patted the headless cat.  Its stuffing had been scattered by scavengers some time ago.

Passing by the door to the basement, there wasn't so much a flashback so much as her ear flicking.  Her mother often went down with two band mates.  One would play drums and one would play keyboard while her mother sang.  Nightingale pulled the metal chain near the stairs.  She was surprised when the basement's lights turned on like normal.

She lowered her hooves one step at a time until something creaked on the fourth stair.  She opted to glide the rest of the way down.  The drum set and the keyboard stand were right where her mother's band had left them.  They were both covered with tarps.  She turned to stand with her tail facing the instruments.  In her head, she counted imaginary beats while steadily waving one of her feathers.

~Every trial a mountain, every mistake a trench
Why oh why do we try? Might as well take the bench
It's called giving it all up, because it's so easy to do
But that's the devil's doubt, there's so much more to life for you~

She could see it so vividly now.  Her mother was on stage in front of a standing microphone.  The colt drummer was nodding his head as he tapped out a supporting rhythm.  The mare at the keyboard was practically dancing with just her front hooves.  Several unicorns in an audience were lighting up horns to glow in the night.

~There... is one who is power
There... is one who is King
His name is Wonderful Counselor
His is The Way, The Truth, The Life
He's my
Friend~

She was sitting with her brother and her father in the front row.  All three were smiling as they watched.

~There are times we go hungry, there are times that we hurt
Thrown some place that's so different, lose sight of what we're worth
Darkness keeps on calling us, 'cause the storm is marching here
Don't give your demons an inch. There is still somebody near~

Nightingale opened her wings to their full span.  A wind brushed past her and her mane.  Her cutie mark flickered.  Translucent phantoms of a white snake and a black dove appeared.  The snake slithered in a circle around her hooves while the dove hovered above her head.

~There... is one who is power
There... is one who is King
His name is Wonderful Counselor
He is the Way, The Truth, The Life
He's my
Friend~

---

Smolder looked out the window and up at the sky. "Uh, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Krusty tilted his head while looking out. "If you mean the clear blue sky and the choreographed pegasus ponies, then yes."

Crystal ran over to the basement's door. "Hey, Night! You've got to come see this!"

Nightingale blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. "Huh?" She flew above the stairs to the first floor. "What happened?"

There was a loud boom that rattled the windows.  Some of them even broke out of the frames and fell to pieces on the ground.  Nightingale and Crystal ran over to look up and outside.  A huge semi-circle of colors rushed through the sky.  There was a collective utterance of awe.

"There's no mistaking what that means, right?" Krusty smiled wryly.

"Rainbow Dash is back in Equestria." Nightingale waved her wing around for emphasis. "Possibly all of them are coming back."

"The last battle with Discord is about to start." Smolder chuckled. "What say we get going too?"

"Where do we go?" Crystal raised a brow-less spot above his eye.

The dragon cracked her knuckles. "Maybe we can beat some answers out of him as soon as the Element Ponies take him down a peg."

Krusty tapped her on the shoulder. "I love your enthusiasm, Smoldy, but he's a master of chaos. He'd probably use the opening to make you start hitting yourself."

"Do you have a better idea?" Smolder held a hand to her hip.

At that point, several ponies and a few other creatures galloped by.  Somehow, their united force made the grass look greener and the streets cleaner.  The air felt lighter yet also fuller than it had a moment ago.

"The ponies and their magic!" Nightingale curled up one wing and hit it against her other, open wing. "It's dispelling some of the death magic!  This could be our chance, Crystal!"

"Our what?" Crystal looked at her weird before opening his eyes fully. "Oh! That! Wow, it has been literal ages since we've done that."

Krusty turned away from the window. "What's on your mind, teens?"

Nightingale and Crystal held each other's hoof.  They gently pressed their foreheads together while Crystal's horn pulsated a bluish light.  In a sort of aether space, the siblings floated through a wide tunnel.  They forged ahead to the other end and pinged.

Dad! Can you hear us?

---
???

There can't be any pony else here.  It's just me.  I don't have a family or friends anymore.  They're all gone.

There was only void surrounding him.  Whispers filled his ears with nothing but crippling emptiness.  There wasn't a single living thing left that would care to free him from this prison.  Yet... the illusions of hope still kept tapping.  He had already lost his sanity, right?  What else did he have to lose by answering?

The windigo, guarding the chained up changeling, coughed profusely.

Dad! It's me, Crystal! Where are you right now?

Crystal? The corners of his mouth twitched in his sleep. My little colt, how've you been? Are you okay? I don't remember who was supposed to foal-sit you tonight.

Papa, we can talk about sitters later! Please, just tell us where you are!

Night? His ears swiveled. Is that you? You sound different. Did you catch a cold?

This is our little hive mind and it's been a few years, Papa. Can you describe your surroundings?

I... huh... that's weird... His hoof shook against something. It's too dark for me to see anything. Normally, I don't have that kind of trouble.

Try opening your eyes.

My eyes? After a few seconds of fighting heaviness, he managed to move his lids to where his eyes could see through small openings.  Then, they snapped open. "What the chitin?"

The changeling took stock of his surroundings.  It was a large, chamber room.  The rocky floor, walls, and ceiling were all covered in ice.  His front hooves were strapped up against one of these frozen walls with dark magic chains.  That was right!  He started to remember... the rotten necro-lich that struck a deal with Discord and trapped him here!

Close to the ceiling, a windigo was making some mixed noises.  It sounded like a cross between a whinny and a cough.  The changeling remembered the old pony's tale.  Windigoes were attracted to hatred, disagreements, and cold hearts.  But the warmth of love suffocated them.  So...

Hey, kids! You up for a field trip? He smiled and pictured the face of his daughter.

A portal appeared soundlessly, perpendicular to the floor.  Before the windigo could make another sound, a pegasus filly, a unicorn-changeling colt, a shiny yellow changeling, and a young orange dragon all jumped into the chamber.  Love and care practically radiated from the newcomers.  The windigo let out one last neigh before getting driven to lifeless particles.

"Papa!" Nightingale called out and flew up.

"Night?" Her father stared widely. "Wow, you weren't kidding about the years.  You grew up so fast."

"Hang on, happy father!" Smolder flew up to about their current height. "Let's get you out of those."

Before he could ask, the dragon was breathing a stream of orange fire at the chains.  After a few seconds of concentration, the links melted apart.  Nightingale and Smolder caught him just as he started falling.  He tried moving his wings, but they were whipping kind of slowly.  They brought him down to the floor, currently covered in a lukewarm puddle of water.

"What's aching, old-timer?" Krusty shuffled through his duffel bag. "I think we've still got a few painkillers in here."

"I'm sorry, have we met before?" He tilted his head.

"Ah, where are my manners?" Krusty chuckled. "My name's Krusty. This is Smolder. We met your children in the other world."

Slowly, he nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm called Zephyr Ward." He gasped. "What am I doing?  Night!" He hugged tightly to his daughter. "Holy cow, you've really grown up!"

Nightingale used her wings to hug him back. Her hooves were a little constricted at that moment. "Glad to see you safe again, Papa."

He blinked twice. "Didn't you say I hadn't popped yet to get that title?"

"Well, reality kind of popped around us all." Nightingale sighed happily. "I think you've earned it."

"Hey, Dad." Crystal levitated the sheathed sword over his shoulder. "I think this looks better on you."

"My son." Zephyr reached over and pulled his other child into the hug. "Oh... did that mean old draconequus hurt you?"

"Eh, I just had to spend a few years on the streets after high school." Crystal smiled and shrugged. "No big deal."

Zephyr tilted his head. "High school?"

"Long story." Crystal shook his head. "We'll have plenty of time for those later."

Nightingale managed to eventually pull out of the hug and straighten out her limbs. "Papa, do you know where the lich took Mama?"

Zephyr took his sword and equipped it. "I know a quick way we can find out." He held out his hooves, but wheezed abruptly. "Oh, crap... didn't think I was drained that much."

"Hey, don't sweat it, pal." Smolder waved her hand dismissively. "Opening one portal like that is pretty impressive, considering you should logically be a vegetable right about now."

"Even more impressive since you can somehow use that magic without a horn." Krusty nodded.

Zephyr scratched his head. "Well, it is and it isn't magic.  Augh... wish the guy who taught me that technique was here.  He'd be able to explain it better."

Krusty shrugged. "As long as you have some idea of what you're doing, that's good enough." He eyed him over. "You know, aside from a missing horn, you seem identical to the old model. Would it be possible to get your strength back by feeding on love?"

Zephyr shook his head. "The last time my wife fed me, it felt like it should have been enough to last for the rest of my lifetime, plus a portion to feed my foals until they were older.  I sort of swore off feeding on love ever again."

"And yet you feel drained?" Smolder crossed her arms. "Sounds like this necro-whatever's power is no joke.  You sure you can't eat just enough love to get back to a decent strength level?"

Zephyr actually looked a little angry. "Unless you're suggesting I force-feed off my own children, there's no pony here that would be able to provide that love."

Krusty and Smolder took that moment to kiss each other deeply.

Zephyr's anger was instantly replaced by a blink surprise. "You?"

The two held each other, hoof in arm.  Krusty grinned. "We've got love to spare."

He scrunched his face in uncertainty. "I don't know..."

Smolder whipped her tail to the left. "Hey, I can punch you to stop if you're worried about taking too much.  How's that for an insurance policy?"

"Hmm..." Zephyr looked down in thought. "Alright, I guess this qualifies as a reasonable emergency.  Are you ready?  I can't really gauge what you'll feel once I start."

Krusty nodded. "Go for it, Z.W!"

The pegasus-changeling took a few steady breaths.  His eyes stared off into space as his tongue flicked out.  A small stream of pink flowed from both the dragon and the yellow changeling.  As the stream flowed into Zephyr's throat, there was a faint white aura around his whole body.  About three seconds after the stream had started, it cut off.

He exhaled as his aura dimmed. "That was... delicious."

Smolder shivered a bit. "Ew, I've got goosebumps."

"Felt kind of tingly." Krusty chuckled nervously. "Hey, you still 'like me', like me?"

"Is my fire breath hot?" Smolder snorted out a puff of smoke.

Krusty lightly tapped the dragon on her chest. "Oh, you."

Smolder pretended to chew on Krusty's ear.

"Ah ha ha! Sweetheart, not in front of the kids!" Krusty laughed loudly.

Nightingale and Crystal had already put up one hoof each to cover their eyes.  Zephyr trotted around the puddle to stand next to his children.

Zephyr cleared his throat. "So, uh... ready to see your mother again?"

"Right after I drown myself in this millimeter deep water." Crystal shook his head. "No, but seriously."

"Yeah, I've got something to return to her." Nightingale tapped her wing against the curved sheath.

Smolder and Krusty managed to compose themselves.  Zephyr mentally focused on an image of his wife.  Upon doing so, a new round opening in space appeared inside the rocky chamber.  Nightingale and Crystal hopped through it first.  Smolder and Krusty flew into it after them.  Zephyr hopped into the window just before dispelling it behind himself.  The portal closed, leaving an empty chamber.

---
> Ch. 9: Say "Uncle"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Circa 1042 A.N.B., 3:00 PM; Thunderstorm Plateau

Lightning flashed between clouds above the giant, flat rock.  No pegasi were here to guide it, so the bolts were at completely random intervals.  Frigid winds flowed over this place.  A windigo breathed it in and galloped in circles in the air.  It was leaving its prey rather hot and dry in comparison.  Said prey was chained up to a jagged boulder by some dark magic chains.

A broadsword slashed through the ghastly neck of the windigo.  It shrieked in pain before fading into a mist.  The sword spun around a full circle before sliding into a sheath.  Its wielder sighed as he trotted up to the chained up victim.

"My love, I'm here now." Zephyr reached up a hoof.

"Wait, how did you get over there so fast?" Krusty wondered. "You were the last one to come through your portal."

"Yeah, that was the first question on my mind." Smolder nodded.

Nightingale held out a hoof. "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first."

The couple tilted their heads.  Smolder crossed her arms. "You say that like it explains everything, but it really-"

Crystal and Nightingale were already scampering toward their parents.  Smolder sighed and walked after them.  Krusty trotted beside her.  A stray lightning bolt zapped the position that they had all arrived.  This convinced the dragon and changeling to step faster.

"Mother!" Nightingale called out.

"Mom! Wake up!" Crystal shouted.

Their mother stirred, but her head still hung.  Her eyes remained shut.  Zephyr flew up and performed a few diagonal slashes with his sword.  Pebbles flung off the boulder as well as some of the chain links.  After putting his sword away again, Zephyr caught his wife with his front hooves and held her close.  He flew down to gently bring her to the ground.

"Is she going to be okay?" Nightingale stepped up and looked at the sleeping pony.

Crystal sniffed the air. "Something's wrong.  Normally, there's a constant scent of love surrounding her.  But right now, it's almost gone."

"Is she... leaving this life?" Smolder stared in concern.

"It must be similar to Zephyr Ward's imprisonment." Krusty waved his front hooves around for emphasis. "You know how he was completely drained after summoning that portal to bring us to him?  Well, this mare must have lost a lot of strength too.  Maybe we can bring her back to normal in the same way."

"Mom's not a changeling." Crystal tilted his head. "She can't absorb love magic the same way we can."

"I mean, Papa managed to feed it to her before." Nightingale turned over her wing toward her brother.

Crystal looked at her funny. "Huh?"

"Well, kind of." Zephyr scrunched his face. "She was pregnant with Crystal at the time.  I think she was only able to taste it because he was feeding on the love I gave through her." He tapped underneath his muzzle. "Maybe I can still try it."

He took a deep breath.  He opened his mouth and exhaled a mist of blue.  It flowed down toward the mare.  The mist covered her body briefly, but immediately dissipated.  Her body still looked worn down.  However, she did manage to open her eyes a bit.

A whisper escaped her lips. "Z...Zephy?"

He smiled lightly. "I'm here, my love."

"Mom! / Mom!" Nightingale and Crystal crowded her at the same time.

"Kids?" She coughed. "Great stars, you're... growing up so fast."

"Can you stand?" Zephyr asked.

"I...I think so." She slowly moved her limbs.  But they weren't lifting more than an inch. "Why am I so tired this morning?"

"It's more like the middle of the day." Smolder looked up. "Well, it would look like it, if this storm weren't here."

The mare's eyelashes fluttered. "I'm sorry. Do I know you?"

"Name's Smolder." The dragon pointed at herself, then at her significant other. "This is Krusty.  We met your children on the other world.  And you are...?"

She took a moment to really breathe. "White Snow." Then, she did a double-take. "What other world?"

Zephyr helped lift her up to hang onto his shoulder. "Let's get you clear of this storm first.  Find a safe rest area and talk as much as we want."

"You're not going anywhere, Abomination!"

A giant lightning bolt struck down in the middle of the group.  There was a collection of yelps and cries as the force knocked them all closer to the edge of the plateau.  The electrical stream lasted long enough for a caped figure to trot out from the middle of it.  There were black and white stripes along the hooves.  The right, front limb stood apart as a crimson monkey's paw, stitched in place of a hoof.  Red irises glowed in the figure's eyes.

"A zebra?" Krusty wiped off a patch of dust from himself.

"They can control thunder now?!" Smolder gripped her shoulder and rolled it.

"Be silent, dragon!" The figure glared at her. "My business is with the forbidden twosome and their spawn."

Smolder tried to retort.  However, a black chain had magically appeared.  It squeezed her mouth shut.  She grunted, scratched her claws at the chain, and attempted to cough up fire.  None of these efforts did a thing.

"Hey!" Krusty stomped the ground. "You leave my girlfriend alone!"

"Girlfriend? Don't be ridiculous." Red eyes glowed as the zebra waved his monkey paw. "You are incompatible."

"Whoa!" Krusty fell forward.  More dark chains had appeared and tied up all of his legs.

"Now, where were-" His eyes stared at what should have been another occupied space.

Zephyr had moved around and pulled out his sword.  He had already sawed through Smolder's chains.  Now, he was working on cutting Krusty free.  Smolder chucked a grenade at the zebra.  Then, she spat out a burst of flame in the same direction.

"How naive." The zebra snapped two fingers on his paw.  The burst of fire was blown out by an unseen force.  However, the grenade was still approaching fast. "What? But that should have been countered."

After bouncing off the ground once, the grenade exploded just under the zebra.  His head and limbs spread out several feet from where he was standing.  His eyes were wide open and unblinking.

"Heh!" Smolder snorted. "Your dark magic didn't account for man-made tools, huh?" She turned to look at her group. "Well, that was easy."

The stray monkey's paw twitched.  It started "walking" on two of its fingers.  It grabbed the zebra's body parts, one at a time, and threw them into a pile.  Negative bolts of electricity flowed through the body parts, causing them all to shake about violently.

"Th-That's impossible!" Crystal took a step back.

"Guys, we need to go now!" Nightingale grabbed her mother's other side and lifted.

"Right! Moving!" Zephyr lifted as well and they flew along.

Krusty and Smolder moved their respective wings to follow.  Crystal shape-shifted into a vulture and flew with them.  Meanwhile, the body parts on the plateau were glowing red and shifting around.  In another bolt of lightning, the caped zebra was standing on all fours.  He appeared more angry than physically harmed.

The necro-lich's next move was to reach out his paw to the sky.  He fired lightning directly out of his fingertips.  The vulture squawked and flew down.  The bolt zipped over his head and passed the dragon and changeling.  Zephyr turned his head back just in time for the jolt to hit him dead-center.  He lost altitude rapidly.

Without her father lifting, Nightingale had no balance to keep White in the air.  They too tumbled down.  The three family members crashed through some tree branches before landing in the middle of nowhere.  The rest of the group swooped overhead before landing to check on them.

"Aw, chitin..." Crystal shifted back to default and galloped over to his sister's side. "Is anything broken?!"

Nightingale grunted while standing up. "I don't think so." She shook herself about. "Really, that somehow hurt a lot less than zombie-dog claws." She looked around. "What about Mom and Papa?"

"Well, Mom's right there." Crystal pointed. "And... Dad's a few trots that way."

Smolder and Krusty touched down near Zephyr's landing spot.  Krusty lifted the pegasus-changeling's head a bit. "Hey, can you hear me?"

Zephyr twitched a bit before opening his eyes. "That didn't feel good at all."

"Well, no crap!" Smolder threw up her claws before letting them dangle on either side. "You just got electrocuted! I'd be more worried if you thought it was enjoyable."

Another lightning bolt crashed into the middle of the clearing.  The revived zebra stepped out with an unreadable expression.  Smolder pulled out another grenade, but held it steady, pin still inside.  The zebra waggled his monkey paw's index finger.

"You may be able to surprise me, dragon.  But you cannot truly defeat Zab the necro-lich."

"So what if you can pull yourself back together?" She whacked her tail against the ground, making the dirt crack. "There are six of us and only one of you!  You can't win either!"

"So naive." Zab snapped his fingers.

Several spots in the dirt parted.  Out of those new holes, zebra bodies pulled themselves out.  Each had solid, purple eyes and lumbered about with a limp.  There were at least twenty zombie zebras now in the clearing.

"I am never far from my family." He smirked.

"Aw, chitin... / Aw, chitin..." Nightingale and Crystal muttered at the same time.

"How dare you, Zab?" Zephyr shook while standing up and reaching for his sword. "You've robbed your family the ability to rest in peace."

"On the contrary, Abomination." Zab basked in the attention. "I have ascended beyond necromancy. I have created new life!"

There was still a bit of electric shock randomly going through Zephyr's nerves.  He grunted as his back left leg bent involuntarily.  His right front hoof felt like it was burning.  Krusty tried to hold him steady.

Nightingale reached over and shook White's shoulder. "Mom...Mom, get up.  Please!"

A couple zombies clambered close to them.  Crystal put up his barrier spell and pushed the two undead back.  But two more stumbled closer.  He was already worn out from what was essentially a whole day of events.  His barrier waned as he kept stepping back and magically pushing out.

Krusty and Smolder fought against the zombies crawling toward them.  He kicked them in the head while she blew some fire.  When the numbers of the undead looked like they were dwindling, Zab snapped his paw.  The zombie zebras immediately replenished in number and continued their advance.

"Die to them or die to me." Zab snorted. "Your choices don't matter."

Nightingale took off her mother's sword and set the sheathed weapon down.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  Her phantom dove and phantom snake tucked themselves close to her.

~Storms may rise up
Flooding lands out
Yet we stand upon this rock
Pour out your cup
A joyful shout
You lead the strays to the flock~

White's ears swiveled.  She rolled her head and her eyes opened slightly.

~There's no one like you
There's only one you
Don't let us give up on you!
In the brightest day
On the darkest day
There's hope to be found today~

A zebra zombie broke away from the main horde.  Crystal's barrier sputtered out and he fell down.  He could only watch as the zombie slammed into his sister.  Her voice went silent.  Yet, her spirit animals remained.  In fact, they both were on the move.  The dove immediately appeared above her father.  The white serpent coiled around her mother, and it hissed at the nearby zombies.

Zab shot some lightning from his paw at the struggling sword wielders.  Zephyr's hoof drove his broadsword into the ground.  White's hoof immediately took hold of her katana and slammed it into the dirt.  The approaching lightning stopped at both of the blades and was nullified.

White's eyes glowed white.  Soundlessly, she was standing on three hooves while the fourth raised her blade.  Her onyx wings spread wide.  At the same time, the phantom dove loosed black feathers to dance around Zephyr.  His pain was relieved and he lifted up his sword.

"What?  But I drained you both!  You shouldn't even be standing!"

Zephyr seemed to focus, and his sword glowed with green at the tip.  He slashed out, sending out magic in a wave.  The zombies all paused in their actions.  Krusty and Smolder blinked in surprise.  When the magical wave reached White, it seemed to funnel right into her sword.  Wisps of white and blue light swirled around the katana as she moved it to the side.

White swung her blade, mirroring Zephyr's original slash.  This time, the wave took the form of an icy saw.  It hit all of the zombies, freezing them in place.  Zab barely had time to cry out as his body joined his alleged family in frozen statues.  The ice cracked right through, rending the undead bodies to unrecognizable pieces.

The crimson paw fell last, freezing up and cracking into pale dust.

...

"Holy..." Smolder was wide-eyed.

"... crap," finished Krusty.

White and Zephyr sheathed their respective weapons.  The mare's eyes went back to their usual, bright sapphire color.  She blinked and trotted over to the unconscious filly.  Zephyr's wings buzzed as he hurried over to Nightingale's side.  Crystal crawled up to his sister and turned her over.

"Sis? Come on." He shook her slightly. "Mom and Dad won! It's okay to wake up now."

As if to respond, Nightingale's chest rose and fell in a steady beat.  Her three close family members sighed in relief.

"It's good to hear you sing again, Nightingale." White nuzzled her daughter.
---
> Ch. 10: After the Finale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

---
Circa 1042 A.N.B., on a Wednesday...

"So, tell me again. How is there an alicorn pony that isn't a princess?"

"She says she's a winged unicorn, with no earth pony sense in her.  I still don't fully understand.  But at this point, I've learned to stop asking."

Nightingale grunted.  The voices were intruding on her sleep.  Who was talking about Mama this early?  Her pillow felt a bit differently than she thought it should have.  Maybe it was time for her to find out what the fuss was about.  She lifted her head and patted down a hoof against the blanket.

"Oh. Good morning, Nightingale." Krusty waved a hoof.

"Night!" Zephyr was immediately over next to her bed.  He nuzzled her. "Are you alright?  Do you ache anywhere?  Do you need a snack?  I'm so glad you're safe."

"Papa, I'm fine. Really!" Nightingale lightly patted him on the neck. "You're going to smother me."

"Sorry, I just haven't seen you in forever!" Zephyr took a step back. "Can I help it if I want to make up loving you for that lost time?"

"Oh, alright." Nightingale yawned. "Maybe a little extra care is warranted."

"Thanks." He kissed her on the forehead.  Then, he channeled some love energy to feed her.

She stuck out her forked tongue and lapped it up.  After swallowing, she said, "You know, Crystal likes the taste of that more than I do."

"Oh, I know.  I fed him earlier this morning." Zephyr smiled.

Nightingale nodded, then looked over his shoulder. "Hey, Krusty? I'm happy to see you again, but what are you doing here?"

"Just visiting some familiar places." The yellow changeling chuckled. "We've got a lot of things we want to do before we settle into a new permanent residence."

Nightingale blinked twice. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Smolder and I want to move into our own place somewhere.  It'd be nice if we brought as many of our friends up to speed as we can." Krusty glanced at the bedroom door.  He lifted a hoof to hide his mouth from a side view. "Believe it or not, Smolder's against having fancy jewelry and expensive clothes.  So, we're probably going to elope.  If any creature asks, you didn't hear this from me."

"Hear what from you?" Nightingale tilted her head, batted her eyes, and grinned with fangs showing.

Zephyr faked a shock. "Young filly, I did not teach you that!"

All three occupants laughed.

Krusty stood up and stretched his limbs. "Yeah, I guess I'd better get going.  Say hi to your wife and son.  Hope to see you again soon."

"Alright." Zephyr shook hooves with him. "Safe travels."

"Bye-bye." Nightingale waved from her bed as Krusty trotted out.  At this point, the filly started pulling herself out of bed. "Where are Mama and Crystal?"

"They left for the market earlier," said Zephyr. "Element of Harmony magic's good at repairing land damage, but not for restocking a larder."

"Okay." She wiggled some individual feathers around. "I feel like going out to meet them halfway."

"Aren't you tired?" He looked back at her. "If what Krusty and Smolder told me was true, you went through at least two life-threatening situations in a short time.  That sounds exhausting."

"Papa, the most dangerous thing we have on a typically bad day in Ponyville Square is a nest of rabbits." She chuckled. "Besides, I'm feeling really good today." She jogged in place for a couple of seconds. "Like, I've gotten a second wind early and it's adding to my first breath."

"I'd feel bad, forcing you to stay cooped up all day." He mulled it over. "Alright, let's go find your mother and brother."

"Yes!" Nightingale beamed before scampering out of the bedroom.

Zephyr trotted after her.  He quietly shut the door behind them.  By the time he made it outside, Nightingale was flying around in a big circle.  He trotted along the road at a steady pace.  She came down and landed with a run.

Some pegasi further up were working on clearing clouds.  A few other ponies were scrubbing rooftops.  One pony was hammering a new sign into the ground.  The village was healing.

After a few minutes of walking, Nightingale and Zephyr spotted the rest of their household.  White Snow was levitating three full bags while Crystal held one.  Nightingale couldn't contain herself.  She ran straight up to her mother and hugged around her neck.

"Whoa! Nightingale, careful!" White's magical hold on the bags slipped.

"I got it!" Crystal ignited his horn more brightly. Two barriers appeared like bowls to catch the falling bags. The third bag managed to slip past and hit the ground, spilling a few fruits. "I don't got it."

Zephyr scooped the loose fruit back into the bag before picking it up. "That's alright. We'll just have to wash them more thoroughly."

"Sorry." Nightingale chuckled nervously. "I just haven't seen you in forever."

"I guess that's fair." White nuzzled her daughter.  She also took magical hold of the two bags in Crystal's barriers.

Once he was sure the bags were safely transferred, Crystal dispelled his impromptu bowls. "Glad to see you're okay, Sis."

"Same to you." Nightingale dropped down and hugged her brother with a little less force.

...

---
???

She looked down in the darkness.  A right hand faced its palm toward her.  She could feel the fingers curl into a fist before opening back up again.  That was right.  Her name was Natalia.

The young lady turned around.  She saw what looked like a pegasus pony flapping its wings, flying in place.  The filly turned turned her head and opened her solid blue eyes wide.  One blink turned the eyes to distinguishable green irises.

"Nightingale?" Natalia asked. "I... thought we were one and the same."

Nightingale looked down at her right, front hoof. "I think so too.  Any idea where we are?"

Both of them looked right and left.  Nothing but blank space surrounded them.  It was just empty.

"Did I... did you... die?" Natalia held out a hand in the pony's direction.

"I don't think so." Nightingale shook her head. "You'd either be standing at the pearly gates or in the burning lake if I had."

"That's true." Natalia scratched her head. "Is this a dream?  It feels too real to be."

"Well, you vaguely remember one of my dreams, right?" Nightingale tapped her head just below her ear. "Those also felt pretty real."

Natalia stopped and pointed. "You mean the one where Mama and Papa's swords broke...?"

"And I was singing a high note in the middle of it all, yes." Nightingale nodded.

"So, what does this dream mean?" Natalia crossed her arms. "Is my psyche splitting up?"

Nightingale moved closer and patted her other self's shoulder. "I don't know for sure.  But I get the feeling you really want to take care of something before I continue normal life."

Natalia looked questioningly at the pony.  She turned around and saw a couple standing figures.  She blinked twice, and the figures came into focus.  These were her parents, the ones that raised her for twenty-five years.

"I never got the chance to say goodbye." Natalia held her hands together over her chest.

"I feel your pain, Night." Nightingale had her head down. "Let your voice be heard."

"Huh?  But you're Night-"

She looked around, but her pony self was no longer next to her.  She looked down at the hands against her chest.  They were faded blue hooves.  The flapping wings were behind her own shoulders.  She breathed in deeply.  The surrounding darkness started to white out.
---
On a Saturday evening...

"This goes out to Zake and Marga Gabriel." Nightingale stood with a microphone right in front of a mirror portal. "Know that your little girl lives on through me."

The keyboardist played a gentle intro to start things off.  The drummer tapped out an accompanying beat.  White vocalized some backup notes.  After a couple measures, Nightingale breathed in and opened her mouth.

"~Alleluia, Hallelujah
Alleluia, Hallelujah~"

Some ponies passing by stopped and listened.  A couple birds flew overhead and tweeted.  One pony nearly jumped.  There was a snake swaying its head back and forth to the beat.

"~We moved so often and I felt lost
So many times, I lost my friends
But for the needs of work, I understood ya
We laughed and cried and argued lots
I felt defeated in means and ends
I'd be despairing without a Hallelujah...~"

Winds on Earth moved in a multitude of spiraling paths.  A faded blue feather acted as if it was drawing a picture on these winds.  It passed by a few houses, and managed to turn on a few radios.  The dials moved all the way to the end, particularly in the cars of two distraught adults.

"~Alleluia, Hallelujah
Alleluia, Hallelujah~"

"Natalia? / Natalia?!" Zake and Marga stared wide-eyed at their respective radios.

"~You raised me with just enough tough love
I couldn't always get things just right
There was quite the trial in California
But intervention came from above
And gave me strength to keep up the fight
It brings my heart to shout an Alleluia...~"

Back in Equestria, the keyboardist had a bit of an improvisation.  The drummer had placed more emphasis on the cymbal beats.  White had pulled out a guitar and popped a wild solo.

"~Alleluia, Hallelujah
Alleluia, Hallelujah~"

The entire band had slowed their notes to cool down the outro.

"Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad. Love... Natalia." Nightingale pushed the microphone away and exhaled.
---