> Seeking Answers
>  by Skye Mist
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Just A Normal Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Deep in a supposed wild and untamed forest, a lone black alicorn flew. She had just returned from her...visit to the Castle of the Two Sisters. Not really a visit, more of a meeting. Not many knew about her, and she intended to keep it that way. Her business with the princess of the night was private, so nopony else knew about their meetings.

She headed out towards the edge of the forest, where a massive cave loomed. She landed right outside the opening and continued into the cave until she was consumed by the darkness. Thankfully, she was used to the dark, and it took only a few seconds for her slitted eyes to adjust. 

To the normal pony, it would seem as if the cave was a gaping oblivion with no light beyond its opening. However, this alicorn was no normal pony. She knew every nook and cranny of the forest, let alone the cave. In fact, it was she who created the forest and its wild state. Though, it was just like any other forest before the darn castle was built in the middle of it. She could control what the forest did and didn't do, so when the Royal Sisters built the castle, she had made the forest grow wild. Alas, her attempt to frighten the ponies failed. She eventually got over it. Sometimes, she even considered calling herself 'Princess of the Everfree'. Everfree. That was what she had heard ponies call her beloved home. She couldn't argue with it though. It was a bit wild and dangerous now.

She continued on her way, a dim light coming from her horn. Her hooves made the cave have a resounding 'clip clop, clip clop'. She didn't mind the cave's dark and somber setting. She knew that the darkness would soon fade and a pleasant sight would be revealed. 

What she didn't notice was two slitted sky-blue eyes watching her every move. The figure silently pursued the black alicorn, drawing closer and closer.

The sound of the alicorn's hooves stopped and the light from her horn faded. It was no longer dark. Before her stood a sleek, midnight-blue castle made of obsidian that gleamed with light. Nopony knew about this place expect her and-

"Attack!" The figure, who looked quite small, yelled as they pounced.

The black alicorn whipped out her left wing in time to catch a little alicorn filly who looked around 6 or 7. The little alicorn's coat was ocean-blue except at the muzzle and hooves; they were a cranberry purple. She giggled at the little alicorn's attempt to free herself from her grasp.

A dusky blue alicorn with a black muzzle and black hooves that looked around 12 or 13 flew down to them. She shot a glare at the little alicorn and then looked at the black alicorn in front of her.

"Sorry, Mother. Skye wanted play 'Battleground' again and she didn't listen to me about not going outside the castle," the dusky blue alicorn said apologetically. The little alicorn in question, Skye, stopped struggling in her mother's embrace and smiled cheekily at her sister with an expression that said 'Who me?'.

"It's quite fine, Night. She is still a filly after all," the black alicorn replied as she nuzzled her younger daughter.

"Yeah, a filly that's 100 years old," Night said grumpily.

"Night Shadow, you know that we alicorns age differently than other ponies. Need I remind you that you yourself are 300 years old?" the black alicorn scolded.

Night sighed and said in defeat, "No, Mother."

Skye blew a raspberry at her sister before her mother turned to her. "And as for you, Skye Mist, what did I say about listening to your sister?"

Skye's triumphant smile turned into a sad pout. She answered dejectedly, "You said to listen to whatever Nighty told me."

The black alicorn addressed her daughters. "I hope you both get over this little mishap. I can't always be around to sort these out."

"Yes, Mother."

"Yes, Mommy."

Two pairs of slitted sky-blue eyes looked apologetically at her. The black alicorn sighed and shooed both of them into the castle. Her mane billowed behind her as she said good night to her daughters. 

She went to her room down the hall and pondered for a bit. Princess Luna's proposal seemed a little too...perfect. There had to be a catch. There always was. In her long 1000 years, she had never come across such a flawless plan. It was simple; she and Luna would become one pony for one night and take complete control of the throne from Luna's sister, Celestia. After that, Luna was convinced that her subjects would adore her and her night. In their agreement, Luna agreed to let her and her daughters roam free in public without somepony mistreating them.

But for tonight, she was content in the castle that was hers and her daughters'. She looked into the vanity mirror beside her bed and saw why ponies cowered in fear of her. She was as tall as Celestia with a solid black coat that made her look intimidating. If that wasn't enough, her eyes were different from other ponies'; they were slitted like dragon eyes. It was a trait that had been passed on to both of her daughters, except theirs were sky-blue and hers were turquoise. Her mane was like that of the Royal Sisters, floating behind her elegantly, except for one fact. While the Royal Sisters' manes simply floated behind them like they were caught in the wind all the time, hers was shapeless and could be used to actually hold objects.

So, yes, she could see why ponies would be afraid of her. She learned quickly that to appear in her natural form would cause panic and fear, so by using her transformation abilities, she went into towns and cities unnoticed. It seemed her daughters had also inherited the ability to transform. When she had found out about it, she was genuinely relieved that her daughters wouldn't be looked upon as monsters.

She lifted a hoof to her mouth to stop a yawn. She realized how tired she really was and climbed into bed. Her last thought before going to sleep? 

'A name that I hate, yet it is mine. Quite fitting to my appearance, but not my demeanor. If only others saw me as more than just Nightmare Moon.'
> Two Sisters Alone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skye opened her eyes and yawned. Although sunlight never reached their castle, she always woke up at the crack of dawn. Her mother and sister woke up even earlier. She leapt out of bed and did her morning routine. Brush teeth, comb hair, etc, etc. 

Skye galloped down the castle's long staircase so fast, she almost fell a third of the way down. Catching herself by flapping her wings, she headed to the kitchen. Her mouth drooled as a pleasant scent coming from it drew her in.

Surprisingly, it was her sister that was behind the stove. "Nighty, where's Mommy? And why are you making breakfast? Mommy always does that. I didn't even know you could make anything!"

Night let out a sigh at her sister's attempt to get under her skin and rolled her eyes. Still, she answered, "Mother said that she had an errand to run and that we shouldn't wait for her to come back. There. Does that answer your question?"

She levitated two plates of pancakes out and sat down at the dining table. Skye followed after her and exclaimed, "Sure! As long as she doesn't take too long to get back. I want to know what the outside's like. You and Mommy have both been into town. Why can't I go too?"

Night sighed once again. "You know that you haven't perfected your transformation abilities yet. And remember the last time we let you out of the cave? You got chased by a Timberwolf! You were lucky that Mother was there or it would've made a meal out of you."

Skye shuddered at the memory of that day. Truthfully, she had been afraid of Timberwolves ever since that day. Still, she whined, "That was then and I'm older now! Why can't I go with you guys the next time?"

Night sighed. She was about to respond with the whole 'you're still too young' lecture until a thought crossed her mind. Her eyes gleamed and a devilish smile crossed her usually soft face. "Okay...you can come with us on our next trip."

Skye's eyes shined and a smile was plastered to her face.

"But" Skye's grin faltered. "You have to finish all of my chores...By noon."

Skye was about to protest, but she considered her options. A smirk appeared on her face and she stuck her hoof out. "Deal."


************


In her mist form, Nightmare Moon sped through the trees. Princess Luna had said that she needed to be there before noon. 'What' s the rush? I just don't understand that mare sometimes. How long have we been working together? About 500 years?'

Suddenly, she felt something knock her down. She quickly transformed back into her natural equine form. Today, she was wearing her silver armor, which to some, might make her look more intimidating and she had to admit, it was rather comfortable.

"Show yourself! I know you are there. Who are you?!"

Nightmare Moon turned her head back and forth, and her eyes scanned the area. However, she could not see the culprit. She growled in frustration.

"Now, now. No need to be so hasty, Moony," a deep chilling voice said from all directions.

Nightmare Moon's eyes grew small. 'No. It couldn't be.'

"Oh yes, Moony. It can be. In fact it is," the voice said as if it could read her mind.

"Coward! Show yourself!"

The voice chuckled. "I don't take orders from you, Moony. I am my own stallion."

By then, Nightmare Moon had seen the shadows inching their way towards her from across the clearing she was in. She fired a beam at them, but to no avail. They scattered when the beam hit, but quickly regrouped and continued towards her.

"So, how have things been, Moony?" the voice said as the shadows wrapped themselves around her legs. She blasted spell after spell, but had no luck. Her attempts to free herself were futile. 

She clenched her teeth in frustration, and said to the shadows around her, "I don't need to answer to you!" Each word was dripping with venom. Yet, the pony the words were targeted at seemed unfazed.

His voice was calm as he said, "Well, if you won't answer about your well-being, how about the foals? Hmm?"

Nightmare flinched.

"Ah. It seems I struck a sore spot. So, would you care to tell me about them?"

Nightmare regained her composure enough to answer, "You have no right to ask about their well-being! You lost that privilege when you sought after power and left us!"

"This coming from the mare who betrayed her foals' father."

"Shut up. I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh, pity. I thought we could have a nice little conversation about our little foals." His voice was full of sarcasm. The shadows continued to move around her legs, making her very uncomfortable.

"What do you want? I know for a fact that you aren't here for a little chat." she said in a voice like steel.

"Oh, how smart of you. I'm here to make an offer to you. Help me escape my prison and I will help you with your little...social problem. You know as well as I that this is not my true form. And I do know you have that little thing with the princess of the night to handle as well. Wouldn't you agree that it seems like a fair deal?"

Nightmare's eyes burned with indignation and rage. "I would rather rot in Tartarus with Cerberus before I make a deal with you! And it is none of your concern about my clients!"

The shadow stallion seemed to sigh before continuing. "You're still as stubborn as before. It seems I must take matters into my own hooves."

"Wha-"

"Nightmares! Come forth!"

Words died on Nightmare's tongue and her eyes widened as she saw the Nightmares come out from behind the trees. She struggled to free herself from the shadows that wrapped around her. She couldn't and before she knew it, the Nightmares attacked. She managed to knock a few down with her magic, but two more always took its place.

Before long, she was swamped by Nightmares. They faded completely a few minutes later. The shadows that held her in one place were released and Nightmare Moon fell on her side. Her breathing was haggard and her eyes were closed.

She was the only thing in the clearing. The shadow stallion and the Nightmares had disappeared. She slowly opened her eyes and if somepony had been there, they would have seen the whites of her eyes turn a light shade of turquoise. She grunted as she got to her feet.

Nightmare Moon turned into her mist form and headed toward the Castle of the Two Sisters.


************


The sun was at its peak.

Skye hummed as she finished washing the dishes. She was certain that doing chores was boring, but now that she was actually doing it, it was a matter of rhythm. She had made lunch, swept the entire castle by herself, and dusted all the shelves.

Night was impressed. In a matter of hours, her little sister had done all of her chores. Skye trudged over to the crystal chair next to her sister's. She panted as the last of her energy dissolved. She slumped in her seat.

Night's voice made her turn her head. "I'll be sure to convince Mother now."

Night winked at Skye and Skye managed a small smile.

Suddenly, the sisters felt something. Their internal clock told them it was nighttime. But, that couldn't be right. It was noon!

They rushed out of the castle and the cave. They looked up to see the sun blotted out by the moon. 

'Something's wrong.' The thought repeated itself in Night's mind. She turned to her younger sister and told her, "Get back inside. There's nothing we can do to stop this. We can wait this out. Mother will be back soon."

Skye nodded as she trotted after her sister. Normally, she would be happy to leave the cave, but for once, she wanted to be cooped up in the castle.

They heard what sounded like a battle raging on. It took all of their wits to keep just inside the cave's entrance. Despite the agonizing sound of battle, Skye's eyelids drooped lower and lower until she fell asleep.


************


"Skye. Wake up. Skye."

Night yawned as shook Skye awake. Unlike her little sister, she had stayed awake the entire time.

When the battle noises had ceased, the moon was lowered and the sun shone bright once again. Night had felt uneasy as she saw the moon after the battle. Before, it was a full moon that was the color white. Now, it had one major difference; the silhouette of a pony was on it. She had no idea why she felt so uneasy, but she was sure it was somehow connected to the fact that her mother hadn't returned yet.

Skye's stirring caused her to focus again. Skye opened her eyes and looked around, bewildered, until the memories came crashing. 'Right. The battle. The moon blotting out the sun.' She peeked outside the cave to see everything back to normal.

"Nighty, where's Mommy?"

Night flinched before she answered. "I-...I don't know, Skye. She isn't back yet."

Skye's eyes widened and tears started to form. she spoke in a soft, quiet voice. "But she never leaves us for this long. Do you think something happened to her?"

"I hope not. Come on." Night said as she headed back towards the castle.

When they stepped through the doorway, Skye asked, "What are you going to do?"

Night went to her room, picked up a cloak and two pearl necklaces. She gave one of the pearl necklaces to her little sister and put the other around her neck. "Wear this and stay here. Mother enchanted them with a spell that allows the two who wear them to be able to speak telepathically. I'll go alone and tell you through it if I have any progress."

"Okay. Good luck, Nighty." Skye said with a look of determination in her eyes.

Night draped the cloak over her shoulders and pulled the hood over her head. She stepped out of the castle and the cave.

'Don't disappear like Mommy, Nighty. Please.' Skye thought to herself as she looked at the pearl necklace in her telekinetic grasp.
> Searching
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as Night stepped out of the cave, she transformed into her shadow form. For some reason that her mother never seemed to want to talk about, she could not turn into mist, only shadow, hence her name. Even little Skye could turn into mist, hence her name. Night had felt a little awkward about it, but after a talk with her mother, she was proud to have a talent so unique in the family.

Focusing her mind on the present, she zipped through the trees, searching for any sign of her dear mother. The Everfree Forest was huge so it would take a while before she could even pick up a trace of her mother. That is, assuming that her mother was even in the forest. She could always be in town.

Nighty, have you found Mommy yet? Skye's voice echoed in her head from their telepathic link.

No, not yet. Be patient, Skye. I just left. She could be anywhere in this forest. Or town for that matter. Actually, I think I'll go to town first. Will you be ok by yourself?

I'm not a baby anymore, Nighty. And this is urgent. There's no time to be overprotective.

Night let out a sigh. Fine. But you better not leave the cave.

Deal. Good luck!


************


Night stopped at the edge of the town at dusk. It'd be weird to see a shadow lurking around the town asking questions, so she would have to change her form. She transformed into a pony, but not her true equine form. A disguise. She was a unicorn. Her mane was now jet-black, her coat was a midnight blue, and her eyes remained their sky-blue color but her pupils changed shape to match a regular pony's.

She trotted into town to see ponies milling around nervously. She didn't understand why. Then it hit her. 'The battle yesterday! How could I have forgotten?'

Night scanned the crowd, searching for a friend she had made while in town. 'Ah-ha, there she is.'

She walked up to the yellow-orange pegasus mare and said, "Hey, Amber Breeze. What'cha doing?"

Amber jumped slightly, startled by Night's sudden appearance. She smiled slightly when she turned to Night. "Hi, Raven Feather." Night winced slightly when Amber used her alias. When she had first come with her mother, she had come up with the name and features of her disguise personally. What she didn't count on was making friends and she felt awful lying to Amber. Amber was very friendly and meant well, but she was a bit jittery at times.

"Didn't you hear? Princess Celestia fought with Princess Luna a few hours ago! Everypony's in a state of panic. We never thought Princess Luna would betray her own sister!" Amber's voice shook as she finished.

Night sucked in a deep breath. Her mother had often spoke of the Two Royal Sisters. If she remembered correctly, their castle was built in their forest. That would explain why the battle noises were so loud where they were. She furrowed her brow, trying to remember something else. Her mother had said something once about Princess Luna, but she had only half-listened as she watched her little sister, who was only a few months at the time, sleep.

Amber noticed this and asked with concern, "Raven, are you alright?"

"Huh...Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about something else."

'Get a grip. I'm sure I'll remember if I think about it long enough. Hmm...Now, what did Mother tell me again?'

Really, Nighty. Can't you figure this out later? We need to find Mommy.

Skye, don't intrude on my thoughts. And I don't know, Skye. I feel like this is connected to Mother's disappearance.

I trust you, so...okay. And I won't intrude on your thoughts again.

Don't worry, Skye. I'm sure this will help us in the long run.

She looked at Amber and swallowed nervously. "Uhh...Amber, can I ask you something?"

Amber blinked in confusion. "Sure."

"You didn't happen to see my mother before the battle, did you?"

"Shining Crystal? No, I don't think so. Actually, I know so. With a white coat as bright as that, she would attract everyone's attention...especially the stallions." Amber winked at Night.

Night's only response was to roll her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. Her mother's disguise was a light-blue maned white-coated unicorn mare. It had caught the attention of more than one stallion in town. Her mother would simply shrug them off, but they always came back. 

"Amber, you're starting to act like your mother. Always trying to be a matchmaker. My mother isn't looking for anypony. And that's final."

Amber pressed on. "Oh come on, Raven. Your mom has caught the attention of so many stallions in town. There must be one that is the perfect match for her. And speaking of which, maybe there's somepony for yo-"

"No. How many times do I have to say that? Besides, we're getting off topic. So, you haven't seen my mother?"

Amber shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her since last week."

"Hmm...Thanks, Amber." Night trotted away, leaving a confused Amber in her wake.


************


In her shadow form, Night hurried back to the cave castle. She had been deep in thought about what Amber had said. 

"No, I haven't seen her since last week." The words rang in her ears.

'If Mother wasn't in town for a week, then where was she?'

She changed back into her natural form as she approached the cave.

As soon as she stepped into the cave, she was tackled/hugged to the ground by Skye. "I was worried about you! How come you took so long?"

"Don't worry, Skye. I wasn't gone that long. Only two hours."

"Well, it felt like days! Did you find Mommy?"

Night giggled at her sister's sudden turn of attention. "Well, no. But I managed to find out from Amber Breeze that the battle yesterday was between Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And that Mother hasn't been in town for a week."

"Then, where has she been for the past week, if not in town?"

"That I don't know. But tomorrow, I plan to ask the rest of the citizens of the town."

"Umm...Nighty, I don't know if this is the time to ask, but...can I...come with you?"

Night opened her mouth to say 'no', but she considered how long that the questioning could take, and she would hate to leave her little sister at home for too long. "Okay, but remember to wear the necklace at all times. Hmm...We'll need to work on your disguise and transformation abilities."

"Not to worry, Nighty. I was working on that while you were in town. Watch this." And with that, her little horn was surrounded by a sky-blue aura. The glow spread throughout her body and she began to change shape.

Eventually, the light dimmed and Night gawked at what her sister's disguise was. The only thing that was the same about her was the color of her eyes. Like Night's disguise, her pupils were like a normal pony's, her cutie mark didn't change, and she was a unicorn. That was as far as the similarities went. 

While Night's disguise had a midnight blue coat, Skye's was pure white. Night's disguise had a jet-black mane; Skye's disguise had a light-purple mane with royal-blue streaks.

"Wow. You improved. Last time you tried, you nearly fainted. What's your alias?"

Skye puffed out her chest in pride. "Thanks, Nighty. My alias is gonna be Snow Dusk." She changed back into her true form. Failing at an attempt to say it casually, she asked eagerly, "So...when do we leave tomorrow?"

"Around noon. I want to investigate in the forest as well. If Mother isn't in town, then she must be in the forest. Come on, we need our sleep."

Night lead her sister back to the castle and they went to their respective rooms. As Night took the pearl necklace off, she remembered.


************


"Now, I have an important meeting with one of my clients. Can you guess who, my little shadow?" Nightmare Moon, unarmored, smiled down at her 200 year old daughter, who looked around the age of 10.

"No, Mother. Who?" Night said nonchalantly without looking away from the cradle where her little sister rested.

"Why, Princess Luna, herself, my little shadow! I still can't believe that a princess would strike a deal with me for anything! And she's been my client for around...what? 400 years? Anyways, could you take care of Skye for me for a few hours?"

"Of course, Mother. I'll never let her leave my sight." Night said with much more enthusiasm and alertness.


************


Night sat on her bed. She was processing all she had heard so far, and she was close to piecing it all together. All she needed was to be certain that she was right. 

Though she hoped she wasn't.

She stared at her bedstand, where a magic-made photograph of her, her mother, and Skye was.

Enveloping it in her magic, she made it float in front of her. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered, "Please, Mother. Don't leave us."
> Shattered And Captured
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skye woke up earlier than usual. She figured it was about 2 hours before the sun rose. She flew across her room to her dresser, where she had left her necklace. With a light coming from a dim candle in the corner of the room, she looked at the pearls of the necklace. Each shone with an unnatural gleam in the faint light of the candle. She sighed. 'Don't worry, Mommy. Me and Nighty will find you...no matter how long it takes.'

She left the necklace and went downstairs to the kitchen. It was eerily quiet. She had hoped that, just maybe, Night would've been there as well. 'What'd you expect? To see her waiting for you?'

Sighing, she headed back up to do her morning routine. Except without her usual excitement.


************


"Wow." That was all Skye could say as walked into town in disguise.

Night chuckled. "Quite a sight, isn't it? No dreary dark colors like the castle."

The sun was at its peak when the two alicorns in disguise had reached town.

They had searched the forest since dawn and had only managed to cover about half the ground. Quite obviously, they had not found Nightmare Moon.

Now, as they entered town, Amber caught sight of them. Her eyes widened at the sight of the two sisters. She flew over to them and immediately dragged/pushed them to town square.

Skye's cry of protest as she was dragged along was muffled by her sister's tail, who was being pushed along. Night sent a telepathic message through the necklaces: Be quiet! Town square has a lot of ponies. After whatever is going on, we can ask the residents if they'd seen Mother.

Okay. was Skye's only response.

Turns out, they didn't need to ask the townsponies. Standing in the middle of a crowd of ponies was Princess Celestia herself.

Both sisters gasped. Neither had seen the Princess personally, but their mother had described her many times before.

What is Princess Celestia doing here, Nighty? thought-spoke Skye.

I don't know, Skye. I think we're about to find out, though. Night thought-spoke as the Princess cleared her throat.

"Hello, my little ponies. I am afraid I have somber news to tell you all. Yesterday, most of you may have noticed that the moon eclipsed the sun at noon. That was the work of my sister. She wanted the night to last forever. The figure you see on the moon's surface...is her." She paused to blink away tears.

Some of the ponies took advantage of her pause to ask questions.

"Why did she do it?"

"How did you defeat her?"

"What about the battle we heard?"

Those were the questions they asked the most.

Princess Celestia addressed the crowd once more in a melancholy tone. "Luna wanted the night to last forever so that you, my little ponies, would adore her and her night. She was jealous of the praise and attention I got. As for how I defeated her, I had to use the Elements of Harmony. For those of you who don't know, they are six powerful gems that represent the aspects of the most important magic of all, friendship. I...I had to seal her away in the moon, for it was too late for me to reason with her."

Skye narrowed her eyes at Princess Celestia. She had noticed that the Sun Princess had answered only two of the three questions that were heard clearly. Nopony else seemed to notice. 'Well...Mommy always said to go bold or go home.'

She raised her hoof.

Princess Celestia addressed the disguised filly with a smile. "Yes, young one?"

Skye took no time at all to ask. "What do you mean that it was too late for her to be reasoned with?"

She said it with as much innocence as she could.

Princess Celestia's smile faltered. The crowd of ponies stopped muttering to each other and turned to stare at the filly. One could've heard a pin drop.

Skye wondered for a moment if she had said something wrong. Then, Princess Celestia spoke again, this time in a voice barely above a whisper. Yet, everypony could hear her words loud and clear. Too clear for Skye and Night.

"My sister had transformed into a monster. Her once-midnight blue coat turned black, her teeth became jagged, and her mane was a shapeless mist...But worst of all was her eyes. They were like a dragon's. Sharp, cold, and piercing. She wouldn't even respond to her name. She called herself...Nightmare Moon."

Because the crowd was so enthralled by the Princess's story and the Princess herself was crying her eyes out, nopony noticed two unicorns, one snow-white and the other a midnight-blue, gasping and exchanging glances. 

Skye had tears in her eyes. Nighty, does that mean that Mommy...is on the moon?

Night frowned. Wait a minute, Skye. I'm trying to piece this all together myself. I know for a fact that Princess Luna and Mother are not one and the same. Let's see. Princess Luna was Mother's client...she was jealous of her sister...oh sweet Celestia. She and Mother must've merged!

Merged?

Don't you understand, Skye?! Princess Luna enlisted the help of Mother so that she could overthrow Princess Celestia! Now...they're both up there on the moon.

Both of them?! So...Mommy's not coming home? Tears threatened to overwhelm Skye.

Night shook her head. No, she's not, Skye. I just hope that she'll come back one day. I doubt that Princess Celestia would make the banishment permanent since her sister is up there. I just don't understand why Mother would want to overthrow Celestia. I know Luna was a client but Mother knew her limits.

Night directed her attention from her quivering sister to the Sun Princess. She had stopped crying and retained her regal posture. Sadness was in her eyes.

Yet, all Night could do was feel hate and anger towards her. It took all her will and strength to not lunge at Celestia and demand her mother returned to her and Skye. It was her fault that her sister had turned to their mother for help. Her fault that her sister and their mother was on the moon. And here she was, a mess of a princess, crying as she told her tale.

Skye, on the other hand, had mixed emotions. She was angry at Princess Celestia, of course. But she also pitied her. After all, she had pretty much suffered the same as them. Her sister was up on the moon too.


************


The towns ponies broke up. Princess Celestia and her guards left for the mountainside city of Canterlot, where she would build a new castle for her to reside in, as the Castle of the Two Sisters had crumbled for whatever reason Princess Celestia wanted to keep silent about. (Even though they could all guess.)

Skye and Night were glad for their telepathic link because Amber immediately swarmed them after Princess Celestia left. Mostly, Amber kept looking at Skye and Skye was starting to feel a little uneasy around the curious mare.

"Is this your sister, Raven?! You two look so different! The only way I could even tell was her white coat and both of your eyes. She looks so much like her mother! I can't believe you haven't introduced her to me until now!"

Skye's head was reeling, so she didn't answer. Mostly from the fact that her mother was trapped within the moon, and partly from the barrage of questions that were hurdled at her and Night.

Night was more in control of the situation, obviously knowing what her sister was thinking. "Amber, first off, calm down. Second, yes, she's my sister. And before you say anything, I know we look completely different. No need to repeat. There, done yet?"

"Yep!"

'If I ever meet another pony like Amber...I don't even know.' Skye thought.

"Ni-Raven, can we leave yet?" Skye mentally slapped herself for almost blowing their cover. Luckily, Amber was more interested in the falling leaves around them. 

She visibly shuddered from the chilly weather. She had forgotten that it was almost winter and that it was starting to snow in the more...normal places. The Everfree, or home sweet home depending on who you were, was never on the same schedule as the rest of Equestria. One day, it could be raining floods, and the next, it would be as dry as the desert. No natural cycle whatsoever. 

But it was better than what Discord would do, her mother would sometimes say. Somehow, despite all of the fear and hatred of Discord that she had heard, she was rather intrigued with the mismatched Lord of Chaos. There were a few books' depiction of him. They even went as far as to say that his powers could do anything.

Night's voice broke off her train of thought. "We should be getting home right about now. Bye, Amber! See you soon."

"Okie dokie lokie! Oh, I hope you find your mom!"

The amethyst-maned mare half-hopped half-fluttered away before she saw her words' effects. Both sisters froze. A moment later, they resumed their walk. Not a word was spoken. As the town's highest peak faded from view, they changed into their mist and shadow forms.

Then, they were gone, off into the Everfree.


************


Skye threw herself on her bed and cried. Why can't we be a normal family? Why can't we be normal at all? Why is the world so cruel to us?

Night stood outside, listening to her sister's sobs and thoughts. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Skye didn't raise her head.

Night stroked her sister's mane. She said softly, "You know this won't help, right?"

Skye looked up at her sister through bloodshot eyes. "I-I know, but-" Skye sniffled. "-she's gone, Night. Mother's gone."

Night stopped stroking Skye's hair. She knew something was wrong now. Skye always said 'Nighty' and 'Mommy'. This was the first time she had said 'Night' and 'Mother'. She brushed Skye's tears away and walked back to the door. Before she left, she turned around and locked her gaze with Skye's.

"Skye, you know what Mother would say to you? She'd tell you to never forget and move on. She wouldn't want you to mope around.  Why don't you clean up? Okay?"

Skye nodded wordlessly.

Night closed the door behind her.


************


The moon shown brightly upon the land but nopony was up and about...except for one.

Where is it?! Where is that stupid place?!

As soon as the rather silent dinner had been finished and Skye had gone to bed, Night draped her cloak on her back and set off into the forest. She remained in her pony form instead of her shadow form because who would be awake at this hour? 

She flew around, searching for any traces of her mother's last whereabouts. She refused to believe that her mother would blindly merge with a pony, even if they were a client. Also, she must've known Luna and her stood no chance against Celestia. So that left one question: Why?

Night felt her wings falter. She had been flying for hours. As she stooped to land, she saw her destination: The Castle of the Two Sisters. She veered away from the ground and flew towards the castle. As she suspected, it was abandoned and in ruins.

'Such a waste. There are still preservable things here.'

The old door creaked open and Night trotted into the ruins. The door closed behind her with a thud. There was a pillar with five stones on it in the middle of the hallway. In fact, it was the only distinguishable thing in the hallway; the wild plants of the Everfree had covered everything else with vines and moss. 

'Okay, I take that last comment back.'

The pillar drew Night's attention and she flew towards it. 'What are these?' 

She reached a hoof towards one of the stones, but a gust of wind made her turn her head. The door she had walked through was wide open; it was unnerving. She slowly and cautiously walked to the door and closed it behind her. She let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding. 'It-It was nothing. Just the wind. The weather's always weird. No need to panic.'

Night turned back around to see a foggy black shadow inches from her. Her eyes widened, her pupils shrank, and she let a blood-curling shriek of pure terror. The black shadow recoiled. Seeing her chance for escape, she turned back to the door and tried to throw it open with her magic.

Tried.

It wouldn't budge. To Night, it felt like a trying to levitate an entire city. She tried pounding it with her hooves, but to no avail. She looked around, but there was no place to hide or run away to. All the broken windows were too far away, the doorway leading to another part of the castle was on the other side of the room, and to add to the problem, the shadow seemed to be recovering from her screech.

There was only one option left.

'Skye! Are you there?!'

No answer.

'Skye?!'

Still no answer.

The realization hit her like a beam of magic. Skye wasn't wearing the pearl necklace. She had seen it on Skye's cabinet when she had comforted her sister.

'So, end of the line? I don't think so.'

The shadow recovered fully and charged at Night. Night squeezed her eyes shut.

The shadow grew nearer. Night kept her eyes shut.

It was mere inches away. Then, there was a flash of light and Night disappeared.

Night appeared behind the shadow and ran towards the doorway.

'Come on. Almost there.'

But she had underestimated the shadow.

As soon as she'd teleported, it had whirled around and sped towards her.

Night felt her hind legs seemingly disappear and she shrieked. Unfortunately, it didn't have the same effect as before.

The alicorn was swallowed up in a mass of darkness.

Before she lost consciousness, she looked to the moon. 'I'm sorry, Mother. I've failed you and Skye.'

> The Path I Walk Alone...Or Maybe Not?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skye bolted upright as a scream pierced the night like a blade. 'What was that?!...Prob-Probably just my imagination...Still that sounded awfully real.'

She crept out of bed and walked down the hall to Night's room. She knocked a couple of times. "Night, did you just hear that sound too?"

Silence.

She knocked again. "Night?"

No answer.

Finally, she opened the door. The bed was empty and untouched by wrinkles and crinkles. "Night? This isn't funny...you know?"

Her eye had caught sight of a letter on her sister's nightstand. She also realized that her sister's black cloak was missing from its hook. Daring herself to read the letter, she tentatively picked it up with her magic and read. Her eyes widened as she read.

Then, as soon as she finished reading it, she was just a blur, leaving a couple of feathers and the letter to float down gently to the ground.

'Dear Skye,
If you are reading this, little sis, then I haven't returned from my search. I can't place my hoof on it, but I know that there's some missing factor to Mother's banis disappearance. I have gone to search at the Castle of the Two Sisters (or what's left of it), for I presume that is where I can find the most clues. Don't worry about me. If nothing turns up, I'll be home before noon.

Your sister,
Night Shadow'


************


'Night, are you there? Night?!' Skye panicked internally at her sister's lack of response.

She had quickly left the castle, but not before grabbing her necklace. She was currently flying high above the forest, trying to pinpoint the location of the castle ruins. 

'Maybe I'm getting worried over nothing, maybe I'm just being paranoid.' Still, she couldn't shake the feeling of wrongness in her, and that scream certainly hadn't helped her nerves. She still wasn't sure if that scream was a fragment of a nightmare or a part of reality. 

'Only one way to find out.' Skye had at last found spotted the spire of a tower in the thickness of the Everfree. She swooped down, but she didn't land. She circled the ruins, trying to find a flash of her sister's electric blue eyes or the sound of a cloak in the growing wind. But alas, her senses picked up not a sight nor sound.

Skye started to angle her wings to land, but a movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her from doing so. With her slitted eyes and enhanced night vision, she caught the sight of a cape, or was it a cloak, flapping in the breeze. She dived towards it, landing in what appeared to be a hallway or a foyer. Her eyes landed on the cloak, caught in a crevice in the high parts of the 'room'.

But no sign of Night.

"Ni-Night, are you here, sis?"

Silence. Skye felt her throat run dry.

"Come on, Night! Don't play around."

Silence. Tears had dampened her cheeks. When did she start crying?

"I-It's not funny, Night!...It's...not...funny."

It was pointless, she knew. Night wasn't coming back, just like her mother. The two most important ponies in her life: gone in a matter of days.

Filled with such mixed and negative emotions of fear, anger, and despair, Skye crumpled to the stone floor, crying softly. 'I had it all. Somepony to call family. Somepony to call friend. Somepony to look up to... Now, it's all gone! Why?! Why me?!'

"Why me?" Skye sobbed quietly.

Caught up in her grief, she never noticed the dark shadows in a corner move and disappear with a quiet chuckle. Nor did she see the wisps of purple smoke emanating from her own eyes as she cried.


************


Harsh sunlight shined on Skye's eyelids, stirring her. "Huh, what? What did I do to end-oh."

Events from the night before replayed in her head. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away. 'No more tears. I've cried enough. Yesterday's mistake is tomorrow's future. I shall not be torn apart again. I shall not allow my emotions to run free again. I shall remain calm and peaceful, showing not a care. I shall not walk down this path of grief anymore. Now-'

A shrill cry interrupted her thoughts. Skye looked up to see a- she blinked. Surely, her eyes were playing tricks on her. She blinked them again. Nope, her eyes were just fine. 

Of all things, she saw a phoenix and a cockatrice having an aerial battle. She would have to see this. She quickly zipped into one of the high pony-sized crevices, but not before grabbing Night's cloak. 'A reminder...of the good times.'

She draped it over herself and watched the scene play out in front of her. From her vantage point, she could see that the cockatrice had the advantage; it showed little signs of injury and was holding its own while the phoenix carried great wounds and was quite obviously tired. Yet, the phoenix kept on battling; its bursts of light would momentarily confuse the cockatrice, leaving it enough time to get a fire attack or two in. No matter how clever the phoenix's tactics were though, its health was deteriorating quickly.

Skye frowned, and a moment later, she smirked. 'Let's even this playing field...Or maybe, a bit more.'

Her horn lit up and she teleported right in front of the cockatrice. She sneered at it right before she fired a beam of magic at point blank. "Surprise! Let's see how you feel to this!"

The cockatrice let out a cluck at her sudden appearance, and it didn't have enough time to try and turn her to stone. It was caught in the beam and was blown back by the sheer force and proximity of it.

Skye didn't see if the cockatrice escaped or not; she focused her attention on the phoenix, whose wings were faltering slightly. She flew over to it, and when it glared at her, she blinked in surprise and extended a hoof towards it. Though its eyes narrowed, it perched on Skye's forehoof.

"So, how about we fix you up? Get you in full health again?"

The phoenix gestured with its wing to the ground. Skye tilted her head in confusion. "You want to go on the ground? Why would a injured phoenix like you want to go on th-"

A chirp cut her off, and it wasn't from the phoenix she held. It came from somewhere below them. She put two and two together. "Oh....so that's why. It's also why you were fighting with that cockatrice in the first place...am I correct?"

The phoenix nodded its head. Skye slowly flapped down to the ground; she took a look around and saw a makeshift nest with three little phoenix chicks in it. They were plain adorable. Two were the normal fiery shades of yellow, orange, and red; the other was two shades of blue, one of the rarer phoenix recolors.

"Aww..." Skye said as the mother phoenix nuzzled the chicks. As she examined them, however, she noticed that they were all very thin and judging by the tacky nest, they were looking for a permanent home.

'I must be crazy to do this. I hope I don't regret this...' She thought.

"Would you all like to live with me? I'd be more than happy to help."

The mother phoenix narrowed her eyes at Skye, as if judging her. Skye stood her ground and stared back at the scrutinizing glare.

...

At last, it gave a single nod of agreement. Skye let out a breath of relief. She moved the makeshift nest onto her back, and slowly lifted off the ground. She was careful to adjust her flying speed and style to keep the nest from falling off her back. It was harder than it seemed.

Netherless, she set her eyes on the thinly concealed cave entrance and headed off with conviction shining in her eyes in the growing dawn.


************


'Bloody Tartarus, that was exhausting!'

Skye's wings were limp at her sides while she walked through her home. She had finally gotten home after noon had long past gone. It was now nearing dusk. After she had patched up the mother phoenix, she had left the family of phoenixes in the foyer with all of the remaining food in the storages. It wasn't a problem; natural-born alicorns really didn't have to eat to survive. The phoenixes needed it more than her. Her only regret was that she and Night hadn't bought any food when they had went into town; as a result, they had less food in the castle.

'Still, it should be enough.'

She stopped outside a door. It was the one room that Skye had never entered in the castle: her mother's study. Her mother had forbidden her and Night from entering it. She had even made them promise not to. Now...she was going to have to break that very promise.

Skye hesitantly opened the door with her magic and stepped inside. It seemed normal; nothing was really out of place. Skye couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. It had a desk with scrolls stacked neatly on it against the back wall, a bookshelf with many ancient tomes was placed to the far left, and the entire right wall was covered with a bulletin board. There was a cushion in front of the desk as well.

Skye carefully noted how only the near left wall was left blank, but she walked over to the bulletin board on the right. Surprisingly, it was a timeline of Equestria. 

Skye backtracked to the far left of the bulletin to see a piece of parchment detailing the founding of Equestria. She rolled her eyes in a playful manner; her mother had always gone on and on about the history of Equestria. Skye hadn't really listened to much of it. Her mother was probably the one who wrote it.

The next piece of parchment was much more interesting. It was about Discord's reign. She skimmed over it; she would have time to carefully examine the room and the timeline another day. To her surprise, during Discord's reign, not a single pony died. In fact, it seemed as if he just wanted attention. It went on to say something about the Royal Sisters standing up to him and turning him to stone. The last part, though, was...different. It was an attached letter. The hoofwriting was different from the rest of the parchment and the previous one as well. 

Skye slowed down her reading. She had a feeling she would want to read this part carefully.

'To my dear friend,
I know now how wrong I am. I know I was wrong in turning the nation into a mess of things. It was fun, but I realize that it solves nothing for me. I'm sorry for doubting you. My apologies aside, I know my reign is drawing to an end. I know my former frie those two alicorns will stop me. They've been strategizing for days on end now. I won't try and stop them. I know I deserve my punishment. As my only friend now, I hope you remember my apologies, Moony. Because I won't. As soon as I send this letter to you, I am erasing my memory of it all. The lust for attention, the sorrow of abandonment, the heartache of loss, and most of all, this letter. All I will remember is ruling over Equestria in chaos with a smile. I will not remember writing this letter, I will not remember why I wrote this letter, I will not remember realizing my mistakes...and I will not remember being your friend. I assure you; it'll be for the best. Take care, my good friend. D.~'


************


Skye stood stone still, mouth agape. Her mother...Discord...were friends?! Discord had apologized for his misdeeds?!

She had information that no other pony had. What else had her mother been hiding?

She would have find out another day, for her internal clock told her that it was already nearing a late hour. She stopped by the foyer to see the phoenix chicks trying to fly with aid from their mother. A soft smile spread across Skye's face as she watched the scene.

The two fiery chicks were up in the air and flying steady, but the blue recolor was still having a hard time getting off the ground. Deciding to help the little one out, Skye came out from her viewing place.

"Need help, little one?"

The chick looked at Skye and nodded its head.

And the flight session began.


************


The mother phoenix chirped at Skye. The phoenix chicks had long since fallen asleep, so it was just them. Skye took it as a 'thank you for helping us', but then, she had an idea. Her horn lit up and surrounded the mother phoenix. It let out a squawk of surprise, but it was quickly shushed by Skye's hoof. She gestured her free hoof towards the nest where the three chicks slept. The three were also surrounded by her magic.

"I'm about to give a wonderful gift to you and your chicks. Don't fret."

The mother phoenix relaxed visibly, patiently waiting for the spell to be completed. After all, this pony had helped them and taken them in; she wouldn't be a threat.

As the aura of magic faded away from the phoenixes and the pony's horn, the mother phoenix felt something around her neck. She looked down to see a pearl necklace. She looked at her chicks to see pearl necklaces around their necks as well.

She turned to the pony, about to chirp a 'thank-you' to her when- "Thank you."

Skye smiled while the phoenix tried to grasp what just happened. "Do you like it?"

The phoenix found her voice. "Y-yes. I-It's a wonderful gift, but h-how did you do it?"

"It's quite simple, technically. I simply enchanted the necklaces with a speaking spell. The hard part was magically manifesting four necklaces. I haven't really practiced my magic as much as I should've. But it's worth it to have company around to speak with."

The phoenix was touched. "Well, I appreciate your gift very much, and I'm sure my girls will love it. Thank you, again."

"It was no problem. And by the way, do you have names? I go by a different name sometimes, but my real name is Skye Mist."

"It's a pleasure to finally know the name of my savior, Miss Mist. And I have to say, us phoenixes really don't have names since we have no use for them."

"Then, would it be alright if I were to name you? Or would you rather choose your own names?"

"I think letting you decide our names is best, Miss Mist. Just a small way of repaying you for helping us through our troubles."

"I'm flattered you think of me as such, hmm...Guinevere? Is that a suitable name?"

"Guinevere is a fine name, Miss Mist." The phoenix beamed at Skye. "And what of my girls?"

"Well, it's getting rather late, so I'll have to think about their names."

"I bid you a good rest, Miss Mist."

"And to you as well, Guinevere." Skye said as she trotted off towards her room.


************


As Skye stirred, she heard three voices. She already had a guess at who they were, too.

"Do you think she's awake yet?"

"She would be sitting up if she was, you dodo!"

"Will you two stop bickering?!"

"I'd appreciate if you'd stop screaming at each other in my room." Skye said as she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

The three phoenix chicks paused, blinked, then hurtled themselves at Skye. They all said in unison, "Thank you!"

Skye recoiled from the sudden hug, but returned it a few moments later. "You're welcome, little ones."

Then one of the two fiery colored chicks piped up. "Mama said that you were going to give us names. Are you?"

Skye smiled. "Of course. And I've come up with names for you three, if you choose to accept them, of course."

The second fiery colored chick perked up. "Are you going to give them to us now?"

Skye giggled softly. "Not right now. Go to your mother and when I come down, I'll give you three your names."

"Okay!" The two fiery chicks said together and raced down the staircase. The blue one was about to fly after them, but turned around and said a quick "Thank you." first.

Skye smiled.


************


"What do you think your name will be?" One of the fiery chicks asked the blue one.

"Honestly, I don't really care." She said nonchalantly.

The fiery chick simply shrugged. Turning to the other fiery chick, she asked, "What about you, sis?" 

"Maybe something fiery like Flare or Scarlett. Or maybe something graceful-sounding like Majesty." And they chattered on and on, enjoying their gift very much and anticipating the moment when they'd get names.

"I see you're very curious to find out your names." Skye said, gliding from the stairs.

"Yep!" The two fiery chicks said enthusiastically. 

Their mother quickly shushed them and apologized to Skye. "I apologize for their lack of respect, Miss Mist. They've been very excited at the prospect of getting names."

"I can see." Skye said, smiling. "Before I start, I have to say that you can always reject the name I give you. I have barely known you for a day, so I do not know what you prefer. You can even come up with your own name."

The three phoenixes lined up in a row as Skye walked up to them, their mother watching from where she perched on the backrest of a chair. Skye walked up to the first fiery phoenix, the one who was constantly asking the others what they thought their name would be. The phoenix chick in question was practically jumping in place, a look of eager was apparent in her eyes. Skye grinned at the hilarious display.

"The name I've chosen for you, little one, is Philomena. It is obvious in the short time I've known you is that, as the eldest of your sisters, you love and care for your family despite your mischievous nature. Do you accept this name...?"

The question just left her lips when she was quickly tackled by a fiery, feathery bundle. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love it!"

Skye used her magic to set the newly named phoenix down and used her wing to pat her gently on the head before moving on to the next chick. This fiery chick was mellower than her older sister, but she too had a eager look in her golden eyes.

"The name I've chosen for you...is Majesty. Though you have an energetic spirit, you also have a fondness for anything that is elegant and graceful. Do you accept this name...?"

The chick walked up to Skye and wrapped its wings around her foreleg, her answer obvious. Skye shot a wink at Guinevere, indicating that she had heard the conversation between Philomena and Majesty.

Unlike Philomena, Majesty simply grinned at Skye before standing next to her elder sister again. Skye repeated her earlier gesture of acknowledgement and moved on to the last phoenix chick. The blue chick looked up at Skye with expectant eyes. Skye realized that she was expecting another sophisticated name for herself; she grinned at the irony of it.

"The name I've chosen for you...is Arctic." Short, simple, no sophistication in it.

The blue phoenix blinked in surprise. She had been expecting a sophisticated name like her elder sisters', but she had gotten what she wanted: a name that was simple. Her beak dropped open and she managed to say, "Thank you, Miss Mist. It's exactly what I wanted."

'That's what I thought, Arctic.' Skye thought as she smiled at the three newly named phoenixes. They were huddled in a group, their excited whispers betraying what they were talking about.

'Almost like having a family again.'


************


One week later...

"Okay, Philomena, you don't have a problem lifting off, but your landing is too sloppy! Majesty, your descent is very controlled and elegant, but you need more power to lift off! And Arctic, you're doing great! Keep it up, girls!"

Skye and the three phoenix chicks were having another flight session in the clearing in front of the cave. Guinevere watched from a tree branch near the clearing. A few minutes passed and the girls took a break.

"Okay, girls, that was good. We can conti-" Snap. A twig snapped. Skye's ears flicked; her eyes widened in fear. 'Please, let it be something else.'

She turned towards the sound. A Timberwolf stood in front of the cave entrance. Skye closed her eyes and forced down her feelings. 'Come on. I vowed I wouldn't let my feelings get the best of me. Besides, it just one Timberwolf. I can deal with it.'

Opening her eyes, she hurtled herself at it. Lighting her horn, she fired a beam of magic at it. The Timberwolf fell apart, but Skye kept firing at its pieces. She had to be sure it would not reanimate itself again.

A growl came from her other side. She whipped around in time to see wooden claws coming at her head. She tried dodging, and although she came out with her head intact, her left ear bled scarlet. Skye didn't have time to worry about that though, for two more Timberwolves were now on her tail. When she fired at one and it fell apart, the other would snap at her before she could blast the first one to smithereens, so it wouldn't reanimate.

Before long, she was panting from the effort. She knew she was at the end of her energy. She wouldn't last that long, but she wouldn't run from these creatures again. One of the Timberwolves pounced; she readied herself to dodge. She didn't have to; a burst of fiery light threw the Timberwolf off course from its target.

Skye looked up to see Guinevere and her three chicks. Guinevere narrowed her eyes at the recovering Timberwolves. "Girls, stay here."

"But-"

"No but's. Miss Mist is in trouble. Stay here. I'll help her."

Guinevere dived towards the Timberwolf that just attacked Skye and shot a fireball at it. It didn't have time to dodge; it instantly burst into flame and fell apart. Guinevere hovered next to Skye and turned to her. "Miss Mist, are you alright?"

Skye opened her mouth to answer and widened her eyes at the sight. "Watch out!"

Guinevere turned around too late; claws struck her across her neck and left wing. Guinevere dropped to the ground and her three chicks rushed down to help her. "Mama!"

Guinevere was gushing blood. Her bright plumage dimmed several shades. "Girls, fly away. You're in danger!"

"We're not leaving without you!" they protested.

"I don't have much time left anyways. Go, girls! Leave!"

"B-but-"

"Leave!" Guinevere insisted. As the fire died from her eyes, she said, "Help Miss Mist and stay safe..."

"Mama...?" The three cried. If phoenixes could shed tears, the three would've done so. 

Arctic was the first to turn away; she turned to her older sisters with a fire in her eyes. "Let's avenge her death and help Miss Mist. Just like Mama's wishes."

They nodded, their colors flaring. They turned to see Skye dodging all of the Timberwolf's attacks. She still couldn't retaliate; the three phoenixes shared a glance at each other before lifting off and flying towards the Timberwolf. 

Arctic nodded at her sisters and they started making a giant fireball. Turning to Skye, she yelled out, "Miss Mist, look out!"

Skye turned towards them, saw them, and moved to the side instantly. Arctic nodded and added her own fire to the giant fireball. 

"Now!"" 

They unleashed the fireball; the Timberwolf realized too late what was happening. It was engulfed by the fireball and it let out a howl of anguish. It received no pity.

"Girls! Thank you!...And I'm sorry for your loss." Skye said as she rushed over to them. "I know what it's like to lose family."

"We'll get over it..." Arctic spoke for all three of them. 

Skye nodded. "I know. I did too..."

Letting out a sigh, she reached a hoof up to her ear, which was still bleeding. 'Let's hope this is all the tragedy that will happen to us...'


************


Skye stared up at the ceiling as she thought over what she was about to do. 'In a matter of a few days, five souls lost some of their loved ones. It only makes sense that they should keep each other company...'

"Arctic, Majesty, Philomena. I'm about to ask a favor of you. I'm not forcing you, I think you should choose of your own will." She addressed the three phoenixes perched around her room as she laid on her bed.

"In a matter of a few days, I've lost my mother and sister. You three lost your mother. And there is another who has lost their sister...Princess Celestia. I'm asking that one of you keep her company."

Silence followed her request. Majesty and Arctic were too comfortable here. But Philomena stepped forward.

"I'd be fine with fulfilling that request."

"Are you sure?" Skye asked.

"Yes, she was an older sibling. I'm an older sibling. I can relate. And I'd be more than happy to help her through these dark times."

Skye gave a faint smile and nodded. "We head for Canterlot tomorrow."

"Of course."

Arctic and Majesty voiced their opinions. "We'll miss you." "Remember to visit us."

"I'll come as much as possible."

Skye interrupted. "You know I'll have to take the pearl necklace, right? I really don't want Celestia finding out about me or the capabilities of my magic. Of course, you'll still get it back when you come to visit."

"I'm fine with not talking. I can manage." Philomena said nonchalantly.


************


Celestia rested in her room; it was the only place she ever stayed in nowadays. She only walked out onto her balcony to raise and lower the sun and moon. A constant reminder of her sister's banishment.

As the time neared, she walked out onto her balcony. What she found waiting for her was a sight that would remain in her memory for years to come. A basket with a baby phoenix inside it was on her balcony. It chirped happily at her and picked up a note from within the basket, holding it out to her.

Celestia took the note with her magic.

'Dear Celestia,
In these recent days, a few have suffered a tragic loss of a loved one. I have lost my mother and sister: the only family I ever had. You have lost your sister. And this phoenix and her two siblings have lost their mother. In these dark times, I wish for us to be able to share the company of others that share our grief. I wish for you to take care of Philomena, and I will do the same for her siblings. Take care Celestia. Know that you are not alone. S.M.~'

Celestia smiled for the first time since her sister's banishment. "I guess you and I can keep each other company, Philomena."
> Flashes Of The Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Well, I'm glad Majesty and Arctic are settling in just fine despite last week's...events.'

Skye walked through the corridors, her left ear bandaged and walking slightly with a limp. She kept cursing herself under her breath for not being able to help Guinevere in any way.

She walked to her mother's study before closing it with a hoof. 'Now, let's examine this place more carefully. Starting with that timeline.'

Limping over to the timeline bulletin, she went past the Discord reign and stopped at the next piece of parchment. 

'Dark Times' was written at the top of it.

Intrigued, Skye read on. The title was indeed correct; it was most definitely a dark time for Equestria. 

Shortly after Discord's reign ended, a centaur by the name of Tirek planned to forcefully take the magic of all ponies. Fortunately, his younger brother, Scorpan, saw the error of his brother's ways when he befriended Star Swirl the Bearded and another. He tried reasoning with his brother, but Tirek was persistent in his goal. Giving up, Scorpan revealed Tirek's intentions to the Royal Sisters. Tirek was imprisoned in Tartarus and Scorpan returned to his home, the Kingdom of Gigantes, never to be seen again.

Skye winced. 'Ouch. That's a bad way to lose your sibling. No wonder he was never to be seen again. I know how it feels to lose your sibling, Scorpan. It's harsh.'

But that wasn't all. When Tirek had first appeared in Equestria and his intentions were made known, many ponies panicked. When Tirek was sealed away, the turmoil had not stopped. The fear of the ponies had drawn in an even greater threat: a trio of sirens. The three sirens, Adagio Dazzle, Sonata Dusk, and Aria Blaze, had been drawn in by the negative feelings and they absorbed all of the negative feelings through the ruby gems in their chests. But it wasn't enough for them. They were starving and since they fed on those negative emotions, they created more strife with their songs. As the land became more violent, the sirens' voices grew stronger, allowing them to spread more animosity between the ponies. They became blinded by their hunger and need for power. But their feasting was cut short by that same Star Swirl the Bearded. Because of the tinkling of the bells he wore, he was immune to their music. Star Swirl banished them to another dimension, one with no magic and therefore, no power for the sirens to feast upon.

Skye cocked an eyebrow. 'You could've magically contained them, but you chose to banish them to a place where they might die of famine? Was that really a good idea, Star Swirl?'

Skye had a feeling that these events were going to be written a little bit differently in the scrolls. But that in itself raised a question that had been nagging at her: Did her mother know these creatures? How else would she know the names of these creatures, and what state of mind they were in at the time?

It certainly seemed likely.

There was one last piece of parchment on the timeline; the rest of it was blank. As she examined this parchment, she noticed something peculiar about it. It was crumbled and torn at some points; it seemed as if somepony had wanted to destroy it, but salvaged it at the last second. What reason did her mother have for wanting to destroy this?

Confused, but still curious, she read.

Peace lasted for a hundred years after the Tirek and Siren incident. A few years after the passing of Star Swirl the Bearded, who was rumored to have given up his immortality, the Crystal Empire was turned into a shadow of its former gleam. Prince Sombra had meddled in the arts of dark magic, and it had corrupted him. His co-ruler, the Changeling Queen Chrysalis, and her subjects, the Changelings, were attacked by Sombra, armed with his creation, the Alicorn Amulet. The attack left Chrysalis both emotionally and physically scarred. Her butterfly-like wings were torn; her horn and hooves now had holes. Her subjects were the same. Inside, she held a deep resentment and hatred for ponies. She swore that she'd never ally with a pony again and flew off with her hive. The Crystal Ponies, however, were made into slaves. They lost their crystal-like gleam, for they had given up on the thought of freedom or salvation once Sombra hid the Crystal Heart away in his castle. He was a tyrant, leading with an iron-hoof. Trade, transportation, and even communication were cut off. It wasn't until half a year later that the Royal Sisters knew of the situation when a pony escaped from the Crystal Empire and sent an anonymous note to the princesses. Combining their powers and with a little help, the Royal Sisters defeated Sombra, turning him to shadow and banishing him to the ice of the Arctic North. But not before he put a curse on the Empire, making it vanish into thin air.

Skye blinked. 'Wow, that was much darker and detailed than the other two...'

Turning to the rest of the timeline, she thought to herself an idea. 'Well, since Mother isn't...here anymore, maybe it's time for me to take up the reins of this timeline. It'll give me time to learn more about this room and I'll have something to do.'

Skye plucked a feather from her wing and levitated some blank parchment and the ink bottle from the desk. 'Let's start with the banishment of Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna.'


************


Skye added the parchment to the timeline with her magic. There were now six major events of Equestrian history on it. 'There.'

She covered up a yawn with her hoof. 'Well, it's time to call it a night.'

She trotted off, making sure the door was firmly shut before doing so.

Nearing her room, she heard two hushed voices. Upon entering, she saw a candle lit on her nightstand and the two phoenix chicks on her bed. She cocked an eyebrow and asked the two phoenixes, "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

Majesty answered self-consciously, "Well, we couldn't really sleep because of...y'know."

Skye's face softened. "I can relate. Do you need a lullaby to go to sleep?"

Arctic blinked. "You can sing, Skye?"

"Yes, I can sing. It's even how I got my cutie mark." Skye said matter-of-factly with a roll of her eyes.

"What does your cutie mark have to do with singing, Miss Mist? I don't mean to be rude, but it's not even a music note." Majesty asked, confused.

"Well, technically, my cutie mark represents balance, harmony, and peace. I earned it when I broke up a fight between my mother and sister...Would you like to hear the story?"

"Alright!" Arctic exclaimed.

Majesty gave her younger sibling a brief glare. "Quite so, Miss Mist."

Skye tapped her chin. "Hmm...well, it was any ordinary day..."


************


"Mother, do you happen to know where my drawings are?" Night asked, knocking on her mother's study door.

"Night, I happen to be very busy at the moment. Ask your sister."

"She slept in again. I can't just go barging into her room!"

The door opened and a cross Nightmare Moon closed the door behind her as she said, "Night, I know you love your drawings, but don't you think you're overreacting over this? You can always draw others."

"Don't you understand, Mother?! Those were my best drawings! I was going to go into town and show them to Amber!"

Nightmare Moon fought to keep calm. "Don't use that tone with me, young mare. I don't have time to search for your little drawings. And as I said before, you can always draw others."

"You just don't understand what it's like to lose something that you treasure! Those drawings took days to perfect and they mean a lot to me!"

That got under her skin. "You think I don't know what it's like to lose something I treasure?! I've lived for a millennium! I've seen and lost more than a few petty little drawings!"

"They aren't petty! And if you actually cared, then you would help me instead of berating me about it!"

"I'm berating you for acting so disrespectful and childish! Not because of some stupid artwork!"

"They're not stupid, you the one the one who's bein-"

Everypony is born to care, it's something we were meant to share. Not to for us force each other apart~
If we make room for something new, doesn't mean there's less room for you. Only means that our circle has grown~
Love knows~, love grows~
Bigger than before!
In your heart, there's always more~
Always more~

Night and Nightmare stood mouths agape at the youngest in the family as she walked down the hall towards them. 

"Well, are you two going to make up or just stare at me all day?" Skye asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't sing that for nothing, y'know?"

Turning to each other, still fazed at what just happened, they apologized for their ruder comments.

Satisfied, Skye smiled at them. Unbeknownst to her, a flash appeared on her flank. However, the other two saw it clear as day.

Night exclaimed with a smile, "You got your cutie mark, Skye!"

Skye twisted around and raised a wing. Indeed she had. A yin yang of the sun and moon was right there. Skye's grin widened by a mile.

"Yay! Finally! I got my cutie mark!" She said as she pranced around the room.

"Are you going to tell us where you learned to sing so beautifully, Skye? I have to say, I didn't take you as the singing type." Nightmare asked questioningly.

"Well, I kinda heard some birds singing before...when I snuck out." Skye smiled sheepishly. "I tried harmonizing at first, and then I just sort of...liked it, I guess. I came up with that piece you heard just a few weeks ago." 

"Well, it seems you're quite the singer, Skye." Night said.


************


"Woah, that's so cool!" Arctic exclaimed then yawned.

"I-" Majesty yawned as well. "-quite agree with Arctic, Miss Mist. That was a rather interesting tale."

"Thank you, girls. And it seems that you're about ready to fall asleep. I say it's time to call it a night."

Arctic tried to object. "No, I'm not! I'm perf-"

Sun goes down and we are here, together.
Fireflies glow like a thousand charms~
Stay with me, and you can dream forever
Right here in my hooves~
Tonight~

Skye finished to hear the gentle breathing of two sleeping phoenix chicks. She smirked slightly. 'Yep, still got it.'

She used her magic to levitate them into their baskets in the corner of her room. 

"Goodnight." She whispered softly before blowing out her nightstand candle.
> Unpleasant Encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in their escape, and they will bring about nighttime eternal..."

"What...what's going on?!" Skye cried out as she stood in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Strangely enough, it wasn't completely in ruins.

"The Mare in the Moon is what they'll call them, but it will be no legend..."

"Wha-" Skye was cut off by a cackle in the night sky.

Silhouetted against the moon was a mare. But not just any mare: Nightmare Moon.

"Mother?!"

But she didn't seem to hear Skye. Instead, she fired a beam of magic at another figure in the sky: Princess Celestia.

"A-Am I seeing...the past?"

"A pony from olden pony myth. Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and banished to the moon..."

"What? Who are you? Are you trying to tell me something?!"

Skye felt herself drifting further away from the battle. 'What did that all mean?'


************


Skye blinked open her eyes. 'What a strange dream...'

Elsewhere, an alicorn stirred from her slumber. Putting a hoof to her head, she whispered to herself, "Was that a prophecy? 'On the longest day of the thousandth year, she will return and bring about nighttime eternal...'"

She called for her scribe. 


************


400 years later...

Over the last near-half millennium, the technology and economy of Equestria had grown considerably. With it, cities like Baltimare and Manehattan had sprung up.

Skye walked silently through the streets of Manehattan with her hood over her head, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at everything around her, as her disguise, Snow Dusk. As a unicorn, though. Skye had long since figured that ponies would notice if a pony remained constantly young and unaging. Her solution: Two disguises. Both were Snow Dusk, but one was a pegasus while the other was a unicorn; they were also different in mane styles, tails, and voices. She switched them out every so often so as to not arouse suspicion.

Skye had gotten curious of these new developments in Equestria and decided to pay a visit to Manehattan, leaving Majesty and Arctic, who were now fully grown, to tend to the castle.

Turns out, city ponies payed a lot of bits to have singers in their clubs and at events, so she was now walking with a bag of bits in her saddlebags. 

She also discovered that the ponies in general were very untrustworthy. She had lost count on how many stallions had tried to seduce her only to have reality buck them in the muzzle, and how many muggers she had to incapacitate.

'I swear, I'm glad I vowed to never be trusting of other ponies after that first stallion tried something.' Skye grinned micheviously for a moment. 'Well, at least he had time to take a nap. I wonder how long he'll be out for...'

As she left the city behind, she turned into her mist form and sped off towards the Everfree. Nearing the darkness of the undergrowth, she reverted back to her pony form, this time as her true alicorn self.

Skye flew high above and scanned the forest below for the peaks of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Finding her target, she dived towards the ruins. She landed gracefully in the middle of a hallway: the same hallway where she had wept in 400 years ago. 

"I still haven't explored this entire place yet." She muttered under her breath. "There must be some secret passages around here that I haven't found."

Then, something caught her attention. The sound of hooves off in the distance and a hushed buzz.

"Hello? Anyone there?" She questioned uncertainly.

SIlence rang out. Not a sound stirred the air.

Walking around the ruins, Skye steadily grew more uneasy. It was too silent. Her ears twitched and strained to find any sound, but it was deathly silent. Other than her breathing, she could hear nothing.

What she didn't notice was that her eyes began to emit wisps of purple smoke. Nor did she notice the hushed buzzing that followed.

"Look at her, Stryker. She's obviously the spawn of that monster!"

"Quiet down, Moth. She'll hear you. We wait for Her Majesty's orders."


************


Skye looked up to the sky to see a star-filled sky. "How long have I been here?"

Her eyes drifted to the moon, where a figure was silhouetted. She was then reminded of a song she'd sung in her time in Manehattan. She closed her eyes.

Constant as the stars above,
Always know that you are loved,
And my love shining~ 
In you
Will help you make your dreams come true
Will help you make your dreams come true~

"Did you feel that, Stryker? All the love!"

"I did feel it and the other emotions as well. And Her Majesty says to move in, so let's, Moth."

"Sheesh, have some fun, Stryker. Just because you're a lieutenant doesn't mean you can shut out your sister!"

"Keep it down. And we're on a mission; I'm supposed to be this way."

Skye flicked her ears. Her eyes closed.

In an instant, dozens of pupil-less eyes shined from the shadows. A message went through all of them. 'Bring her to the hive.'

They erupted from the shadows. Fangs bared, their tattered wings propelled them towards the alicorn.

Skye remained unmoving. They closed in.

"Why are you attacking me?" Skye said, opening her eyes again. That alone caused the forces to stop. Their eyes blinked. Did she just speak Changeish?

"Quite impressive, no? It's amazing what you can find in a book." She said cooly, reverting back to Equestrian. She showed no emotion and stared at the swarm. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to answer my question?"

...

"Wow! That's so cool! I never met a pony that knew our language before!" An purple-eyed changeling exclaimed as she popped up beside Skye. Skye gave the young changeling a disconcerted look.

"Moth, get your carapace over here!" A blue-eyed changeling commanded, clearly irritated. "Our mission wasn't to befriend the pony!"

"Shut your trap, bro! Her Majesty's orders were to bring her to the hive. If she comes willingly, it's better for us!" Moth said defiantly.

Her brother, the blue-eyed changeling, used his magic to move his sister towards himself. He growled at her. "Moth, you are seriously going to be punished by Her Majesty when we come back with the pony." He cast her to the side.

Skye quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry. One, I have a name: Skye Mist. Two, you still haven't answered my question. And three, I'm not going anywhere. Willingly or not."

The blue-eyed changeling simply grinned, his fangs glowing in the pale moonlight. "Then we'll have to do things the hard way. Attack!"

Skye tensed herself and narrowed her eyes. She felt a wave of fear and anger crash down upon her. She began to emit wisps of purple smoke from her eyes. She, however, did not notice. But others did.

"Lieutenant, is that why she is to be captured?" A green-eyed changeling asked as they attacked.

"Indeed." was the response.

Skye fired her magic at the changelings. Some hit their targets, others didn't. They counterattacked with their own magic.

One word to describe it from Skye's perspective: chaotic.
One word to describe it from the changelings' perspective: frustrating.

As the number of changelings able to fight decreased, Skye's magic supply also decreased. Her magical reserve was running low. It brought forth a painful memory: the time the Timberwolves attacked. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to rid her mind of it. Skye could take no more of the haunting memories.

Unbeknownst to her, her magic aura turned a sickly shade of black and blue. As she opened her eyes, a magical barrier of dark magic slammed the rest of the changelings back.

Her eyes blinked back to normal, and she immediately fled. Her heart beated rapidly in her chest. As she soared high above the treetops, her eyes almost immediately found the cave entrance, and she dived as quick as she could. Flaring her wings at the last second, she flew directly into the cave instead of landing. As continued down into the cave's darkness, her horn lit up. But it wasn't for light.

To anyone standing outside the cave, it seemingly disappeared. All that could be seen was an empty clearing, surrounded by trees.
> As Time Draws Closer...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

200 years prior to Nightmare Moon's return...

"Oh, this seems interesting." Skye said as her magic enveloped a book. 

Ever since...that incident, she busied herself by going to the castle's library more often to read as there were few major events that she had needed to put on the timeline. Eventually, she finished reading all of the library books and had switched over to the books of her mother's study.

She never could figure out why the left wall was completely bare. Around 250 years ago, she stopped trying.

As she pulled the book out, a folded piece of parchment floated down from between the books.

'Hmm...what's this?'

With her interest in the book lost, she put the book back in its place and took the parchment in her magical aura. A spell was written on it.

'I wonder what this is for.' Skye thought as she examined the spell. It was very vague and its purpose isn't very clear either. Two things were clear though; it was made by her mother and was also very difficult to perform.

'I'll try my best then.'

Her horn lit up, sparks flying as the spell went on. Eyes narrowed in concentration, she put more magic into the spell.

And suddenly, the room grew brighter. Runes appeared on the entire left wall. They shifted shape and formed a doorway.

'Well, I guess that's why it was left bare. Question is, what's in there?'

The light dimmed somewhat and Skye squinted her eyes as she walked through the blinding doorway with the spell in her magical grasp. As soon as she walked through, the doorway stopped glowing and reverted back to a wall.

'Glad I took this along.' Skye thought as she glanced at the spell in her magic aura. 

The passageway that she was in was very dark. Even her slitted dragon eyes with their enhanced night-vision couldn't see far. Her horn flared up more light and she noticed an unlit torch on the side of the passageway.

She used a fire spell to light the torch and she carried it along with her. As Skye studied the passageway, she noticed that they seemed to be built from stone slabs like those of the Castle of the Two Sisters.

'Interesting...'

Before long, there was a fork in the passage. Skye chose to go through the left one. 'I can always backtrack.'

Skye walked for about a few hours before anything happened. The sound of her hooves echoed continuously, and her head dropped to her forehooves. 

As she continued on, she saw a faint light ahead. Rushing forward, she burst into the light. Blinking her eyes to adjust them, her jaw unhinged as she recognized where she was. Forgetting her tired state, she stared in awe.

'Canterlot Gardens...I'm in the Canterlot Gardens. But how'd Mother build that here without anypony noticing? Oh right, Luna. Probably had her help. But why'd she lead this tunnel here?'

She scanned her surroundings. The tunnel she had just walked out of was covered by vines and shrubbery. Statues dotted the otherwise insignificant garden. What really caught her eye was a statue of a mismatched creature. It was in a position that made it seem like it was either singing or laughing a hearty laugh.

But it was what the creature resembled that truly intrigued her. 

Skye walked up to the base of the statue.

'Equine-like head, lion paw, eagle claw, hoof, two different antlers...Discord?!'

Was this really Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony? If it was, then the power of the Elements of Harmony must be very powerful.

Skye shuddered. 'I should be heading back. I'll explore again later.'

Making sure to conceal the entrance even more with an illusion spell, she cast one final look at the statue as she headed back into the tunnel.


************


100 years prior to Nightmare Moon's return...

The loud squawk of a phoenix broke the eerie silence in a clearing. A moment later, a cave materialized in the clearing. 

Skye, Arctic, and Majesty flew out of the cave and greeted their guest. A pearl necklace was levitated to the phoenix as she was embraced by her two sisters.

"Glad you came to visit again, sis!" Arctic exclaimed happily.

"It's nice to see you again, Sister." Majesty said in agreement.

"It's nice to see you girls again, too." Philomena replied. She then looked at Skye, who was smiling at the phoenix sisters while she hovered beside them. "I have something for Skye. I know you usually reject these, but would you like to go to the Grand Galloping Gala this year?"

In her talons, a golden ticket gleamed.

Skye's smile instantly evaporated and was replaced with a frown. "I'm sorry, Philomena. I'll have to decline."

"I understand." Philomena said as she nodded, undeterred in the slightest.

"Does it have to do with that first time you went? When Celestia first created the Gala?" Arctic asked.

Skye gave her a expressionless look. "You mean my first and last time. And yes. It was downright boring there, and I almost blew my cover in front of Celestia. I don't see why Celestia would even want to host them every year. Especially since she clearly enjoyed that little bit of chaos that happened."

"Okay, I see your point. Seriously, though, Canterlot ponies are such snobs." Arctic said.

"I must concur." Majesty agreed, nodding.

"Yeah, I've lived there for 900 years and it's always been the same. Rich, high-class, stuck-up ponies who think they're royalty." Philomena said disgustedly. "Some of them had the nerve to try and buy me by sweet-talking Celestia! Of course, she saw through their act, but I had my own fun with them." She smirked (at least the closest to a smirk that a phoenix could get) at that last part.

Skye stared blankly at Philomena. "I don't even want to know."

"Well, I do!" Arctic interjected.

Philomena churred mischievously. "Well, it all started..."

Skye rolled her eyes as they flew into the cave.


************


70 years prior to Nightmare Moon's return...

Skye stared at the magic-made picture of her family as she lay on her bed. It now was placed on her nightstand.

An urgent scraping at the door interrupted her thoughts. Majesty's anxious voice carried through the door. "Miss Mist, I think you should see this. Some ponies are settling near the forest."

That jolted her out of her calm state. "Majesty, are they going into the forest?"

"No, Miss. They are staying in the northwest valley."

Skye let out a breath of relief. "Good. I'll go check it out."

Stepping outside the invisible cave, she turned into her mist form and sped towards the location.

Indeed, Majesty's words were true. A town was being built. 'At least they're not too close to the forest. And I won't have to send Majesty or Arctic too far to get food.'

Skye sped away, still in her mist form, before somepony could see her.


************


5 years prior to Nightmare Moon's return...

Skye's eyes narrowed as she exited the cave. She blinked them to adjust them to the light. 'Serves me right for being cooped up in the castle for so long.'

She shifted to her pegasus form and flew up towards the sky. 'Oh sweet Celestia, I forgot how fun it is to fly like this!'

She did twirls and twists around the clouds as she smiled happily.

And then, her eyes picked up a sound coming from below. She stopped midair, trying to hear what it was.

"Away, you vile beast! You shall not make me into your feast!" A accented voice yelled.

Skye could hear the snarls of a Timberwolf. Her blood chilled. 

She instantly berated herself. 'Get a grip on yourself! One Timberwolf! One measly Timberwolf! And somepony's in trouble for Celestia's sake!'

Tucking in her wings, she dived towards the source of the ruckus. At the last second, her wings flared, making her land forcefully on, as luck would have it, the back of the Timberwolf.

'Horse apples...Well, at least it makes it easier for me.'

Skye scowled and immediately reared up. As her hooves land roughly on the Timberwolf's spine, it broke apart. She proceeded to continue breaking and scattering the pieces of it with her hooves.

She almost forgot that she had an audience. 

"My, my, great power and skill of these parts you do show. But are you friend or foe?"

Skye turned to see a zebra with blue eyes and wearing golden earrings and bracelets looking expectantly at her. 

"Neither. The name's Snow Dusk." She replied curtly.

"Zecora is my name. From the distant land of Zebrica is from where I came. I am grateful for your aid, a new friend I seem to have made." Zecora said, smiling.

Skye didn't emote. "Yeah, sure. See you around."

And with that, she flew straight up into the clouds. 

'Guess I have a new neighbor. Oh joy.' Skye thought sarcastically.
> To Be The Unknown Is To Be Feared
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 year before Nightmare Moon's return...

As Skye walked into town disguised in her pegasus form, the streets were bare and not a single door was open. She frowned slightly. 'Huh...that's strange.'

As she walked past Sugarcube Corner, somepony whispered urgently to her, "Hey, get in here before she sees you!"

Skye's face remained neutral as she stopped and stared at the place. She didn't move from the spot though.

"Oh, for pony's sake, get in here!" Another voice whispered. Before Skye could react, a rainbow blur pulled her inside the shop.

"What in the name of Equestria...?!" Skye exclaimed. 

She got a look at the ponies in the shop. There was that Apple farmer from Sweet Apple Acres, the unicorn fashionista from Carousel Boutique, the crazy pink party planning pony that worked for the Cakes, the wanna-be Wonderbolt that worked on the weather team, and the shy yellow pegasus that lived in a cottage near the Everfree. She didn't know any of them and they didn't know her. On her little 'mist trips', she'd explored the town without them noticing, but she never got their names.

"Well, excuse me for savin' your flank back there! And keep your voice down or she'll hear you." The rainbow-maned pony retorted quietly.

Skye raised an eyebrow. She didn't bother lowering her voice. "First off, could you introduce yourselves? Secondly, who are you hiding from? And lastly, why are you hiding from her?.....Actually, no. My last question is why is the pink one smiling at me a mile a minute like she's found the holy Allmother?"

Everypony blinked.

Then, the pink one spoke so quickly that her words merged together. Despite that, Skye's hearing, developed more than the average pony because of her injury and life in the Everfree, could still understand it.

"WelltoansweryourlastquestionI'mPinkiePieandIlovemeetingnewponiesandsinceI'veneverseenyoubeforeyoumustbenew!That'swhyIwassmilingbecauseIliketothrowthese'WelcometoPonyville'partiestoanyponywho'snewintown!"

Skye instantly responded, her face still emotionless. "I'm sorry. I don't like parties all that much so I'll have to decline. And you still haven't told me the others' names, who you're hiding from, and why you're hiding."

The other four slackjawed. Nopony had ever declined a party invitation from Pinkie Pie before.

Pinkie frowned and pouted as the silence stretched.

The unicorn fashionista then cleared her throat and began talking in a sophisticated-sounding Canterlot accent. However, it didn't sound as posh as other Canterlot ponies' accents. "Where are my manners at? I'm Rarity, dear. I run Carousel Boutique, the purple and white building that looks like a tent. I have to say, though, I absolutely adore your manestyle. When she leaves, I'm sure I have a nice dress that would-"

"No, thank you. I'm fine as I am."

Rarity frowned, but she didn't continue.

The Apple farmer and the rainbow-maned ones stepped up next. They exchanged a brief glance (or was it a glare?) before the rainbow-maned one spoke.

"Name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Ponyville. Weather team captain as well. Might've heard of me before." She boasted as she hovered in the air.

'I can see humility is something you need to learn, Rainbow.' Skye thought as the Apple farmer spoke next.

She tipped her Stetson hat and smiled. "Well, howdy partner. The name's Applejack. Ah live with my Granny, little Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh at Sweet Apple Acres. Nice to meet ya'."

Applejack stuck out her hoof to shake.

"Charmed." Skye said curtly, ignoring Applejack's attempt to hoofshake with her. She turned to the yellow pegasus who was hiding behind her mane. "And you are...?"

The pony squeaked, hiding behind Rarity. "I'm Fluttershy."

Skye flicked her left ear. "Nice to meet you too, Fluttershy." Sarcasm was found in the undertone of her voice, but if anypony heard it, they didn't express it.

"Now that we've introduced ourselves, who are you, dear?" Rarity asked.

"Name's Snow Dusk." Skye said.

"Silly, that's not how you introduce yourself!" Pinkie said with a giggle.

"Yeah, I mean like, where do you live? You gotta give us more than your name." Rainbow said.

"Very well." Skye sighed as she rolled her eyes. "I guess you can say I live on the outskirts, so I'll come here once in a while. There. Happy?"

"Eh, better than nothing." Rainbow shrugged.

"Do tell, where exactly do you live, dear?" Rarity asked.

"The Everfree." Skye said blatantly.

Five pairs of eyes widened.

"Ya' kidding, right?" Applejack asked uncertainly.

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Skye said.

The silent answer was 'no'.

"So, um, have you...met somepony named Zecora by any chance...?" Rainbow asked nervously.

"Hmm, Zecora, Zecora...Oh yeah, sometime ago arou-" 

Skye felt a magical aura grip around her and fling her into the streets. Her eyes flashed with a sky-blue magical aura before she hit the ground, teleporting her onto four hooves.

"Whew, close one. That could've been nasty. But what the hay was that about?!" Skye muttered to herself. She looked back at Sugarcube Corner, frowning.

Then, she walked towards Town Hall. She continued for about a minute before stopping. Her ears pricked up as she heard the sound of hooves digging into the ground. She turned to see a figure wearing a brown hooded cloak. 

"Um, excuse me. I have to ask. Do you know why nopony's around?" Skye asked.

The figure removed their hood, revealing a familar zebra face. Zecora smiled as she recognized her. "Ah, I did not expect to see you in Ponyville! As you can see, things are not run of the mill. This is what happens when I come; stores are locked, others more than some. Since no open store is to be found, I try to find the herbs I seek in the ground."

"Well, that explains it. But why are they afraid of you?" Skye asked Zecora.

"That I do not know, but they are all gone when I show."

Skye lifted into the air. "Well, thanks for that infomation, Zecora."

And with that, she flew away towards the Everfree.


************


5 minutes ago, Sugarcube Corner...

"Whew, close one. That could've been nasty. But what the hay was that about?!" They heard her mumble.

Then she walked off.

"You guys saw that, right?" Rainbow questioned.

"Ya mean how she was this close," Applejack put her hooves an inch apart from each other for emphasis. "To-"

"To making the worst kind of faceplant, but teleported at the last minute?" Pinkie interjected quickly.

"Yes, that was quite peculiar. But if she's as bad as Zecora, I'd rather not try to find out how." Rarity said. 

"But the point is that a pegasus teleported. Doesn't that mean anything to you guys? What if it's some sort of forbidden magical ability that could endanger Ponyville?!" Rainbow nearly yelled.

"Quiet down, Dashie. Zecora might hear you and put a curse on you! Or worse, try and make you into stew!" Pinkie hushed.

"Pinkie, dear, I don't think Zecora will eat any of us. That would be cannibalism, and most gruesome." Rarity said disgustedly.

Then, they realized that there was one pony not in on the conversation. Fluttershy was hiding behind one of the few tables in the shop as she shivered with fright.

"Oh dear...Fluttershy dear, whatever is the matter?" Rarity asked, walking over to the cowering pegasus.

"Y-You know h-how I c-can s-sometimes 'sense' h-how an animal is feeling or s-saying?" Fluttershy asked shakily.

"Sugarcube, what does that have to do with anythin' 'bout that strange Snow Dusk pegasus?" Applejack asked questioningly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, AJ's right. What's that got to do with anything?" Rainbow agreed.

"If anything, that pony was downright rude." Pinkie proclaimed.

"Though I share their opinion, yes dear, you have mentioned to us from time to time that ability of yours." Rarity confirmed.

By then, Fluttershy had stopped shaking and stood up. "Well, um, you see, I can do that because it conveys its emotions through its eyes and expression. It, um, sort of works for ponies too, but I'm better with animals."

Fluttershy hesitated and closed her eyes. She shuddered slightly.

"Well, dear?" Rarity urged.

Fluttershy opened her eyes. "This pony, Snow Dusk, well, um, she's...different from other ponies. I can usually look into a pony's eyes or examine their behavior to figure out what they're like." She started shaking slightly again. "Her? She was like a blank slate. When she looked at me, her eyes were ice-cold and you all saw how cold and unfeeling she was. I've never seen somepony who was so emotionless before. The way she keeps herself from showing emotion, even in the slightest way? It scares me."

...

Pinkie broke the awkward silence that followed. "Maybe she's Zecora's spy and can't reveal anything! Or maybe she was cursed by Zecora to not be able to feel anything! Or, or! She's secretly another pony who lives in the Everfree alone and she's also an enchantress that's against Zecora, so they're trying to gain control of everypony in Ponyville to prove who's better!"

Fluttershy squeaked and hid her face behind her hooves.

With exception of Pinkie Pie, who was beginning to list off more bizarre ideas about Snow Dusk, everypony was silent, each thinking of the strange new pegasus, Snow Dusk. One question burned in each of them.

'Who is she?'


************


2 moons prior to Nightmare Moon's return...

"On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in their escape, and they will bring about nighttime eternal..."

"Not this again..." Skye whispered.

Her eyes shot open. Her breath came in short pants. Her blood iced as she recalled what this meant. She steadied her breathing and closed her eyes.

'After all these years...'
> Return Of The Nightmare: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville, the day of the Summer Sun Celebration...

Skye walked through the desolate town of Ponyville in her pegasus form as the sun was high in the sky. She rolled her eyes as another pony closed their window when she looked at them. 'Of course...ponies and their superstitions.'

Then, a chariot flew down from the sky. The two armored Royal Guards pulling it skidded to a stop, and a unicorn and a dragon stepped out.

"Thank you, sirs." The unicorn said. The two Royal Guards acknowledged it with a nod of their heads and then took to the sky.

"Woah, where is everypony?" The dragon asked as he looked around.

As if on cue, Pinkie Pie bounced along. 

Skye looked on with a blank expression. She leaned against a lamppost. 'This is bound to be interesting.'

"Hey, there's somepony! Maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about. Come on, Twilight, just try!" The dragon urged.

"Um...hello?" The unicorn said uncertainly to Pinkie.

Pinkie Pie gasped and jumped over their heads.

The unicorn rolled her eyes. "Well, that was interesting all right." 

Skye smirked. This new unicorn was interesting.

The dragon's only response was to sigh. He glanced at the list in his claws. Then, he caught sight of Skye. 

He waved. "Hey! Could you point us in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres?"

The unicorn ignored her although she glanced at her briefly. She started to pace back and forth, grumbling under her breath.

Skye trotted over and said bluntly, "Why don't you look for the giant red barn over there?"

She pointed with her hoof in a general direction. The top of a red barn poked over the top of the the houses.

The dragon turned to look. "Thanks! I'm Spike, and that's Twilight. What's your name?"

He turned back to see nothing except an empty clearing. He shrugged. "Huh. Guess she had to go."

Twilight stopped pacing and with a bit of annoyance, asked Spike, "Are you done chatting? We need to make sure these preparations are all checked before I can head to the library to research on Nightmare Moon's return."

"Yep! Sweet Apple Acres is that way." Spike started walking off in the direction of the red barn.

Unbeknownst to the two, a misty form had eavesdropped on their conversation. 'Oh...seems like this Twilight knows as well...'


************


"...and that's the story of my whole entire life! Well, up until today. Do you wanna hear about today?"

Skye picked up on the sound of Spike in her mist form. 'Hmm...wonder how Twilight will react to that little surprise party Pinkie planned.'

Then, she recognized Fluttershy's voice and saw her talking to Spike. "Oh, yes, please!"

Then, Twilight wheeled around and said suddenly, "I am so sorry, how did we get here so fast? This is where I'm staying while in Ponyville and my poor baby dragon needs his sleep."

Skye would smirk if she had a muzzle in her current form.

"No I don't- whoa!" Spike didn't get to finish his sentence. Skye internally laughed at Twilight's very clear attempt to rid of Fluttershy.

"Aww, wook at dat, he's so sweepy he can't even keep his widdle bawance!" Twilight cooed in a babyish voice. Skye thought to herself, 'Twilight, Twilight, Twilight...if there's one thing you'll learn, it's that nopony will leave you alone that way. Especially not Fluttershy.'

...And Fluttershy proved Skye's thoughts to be correct. "Poor thing, you simply must get into bed..."

She flew into the library as she cradled Spike in her hooves.

Almost immediately, Twilight pushed her outside. "Yes, yes, we'll get right on that. Well, goodnight!"

And slammed the door right in Fluttershy's face. 

From her vantage point, Skye saw somepony open the door for Fluttershy as the lights in the library suddenly flicked on at once. 'Well, I guess Pinkie did that party after all...Maybe it's time to join in on the fun.'

She transformed into her pegasus form and glided down. Knocking was out of the question; they would panic and cause chaos everywhere if she did that. So instead, she opened the door with her telekinesis. Her eyes flashed briefly as she cast the spell.

Ponies mingled amongst each other and they didn't seem to notice her. Skye caught sight of Twilight talking with the five she talked to moons ago: Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

As she neared them, she saw Twilight practically burst into flames from something and dashed upstairs.

"Aww, she's so happy, she's crying!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Hot sauce." Spike read from a bottle. 

"Ooh..." Pinkie poured it onto a cupcake and flipped the cupcake in the air, allowing it to fall into her mouth.

As the others stared at her, Pinkie asked with her mouth still full, "What? It's good."

"I suppose it's also good that you technically broke into a home, Pinkie Pie." Skye said bluntly, making herself known. She had been leaning against the table, yet nopony had paid any mind.

The record scratched off and the murmurs of the ponies stopped all together. All eyes rested on Skye. Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Applejack.

...

"Hey, you're that pony from this afternoon!" Spike exclaimed, breaking the silence. "I never did get your name."

Skye opened her mouth to answer, but she was cut off by Rainbow Dash. "Get lost, Everfreer!"

"What are ya doing here, Snow Dusk?" Applejack questioned suspiciously.

Skye didn't miss a beat. "Same as any of you."

Rainbow snorted. "As if!"

Spike looked confusedly between Skye and the other five. "Is there something here that I'm missing?"

Rarity turned to Spike. Spike's eyes turned to hearts and he barely paid any mind to the conversation anymore. Skye noticed and rolled her eyes slightly. 'Typical.'

"Well dearie, Snow Dusk here appeared in Ponyville during one of, ahem, somepony's visit. She's an Everfreer, so normally, we would hide until she leaves, with all of the horrid things they do out of everypony's sights."

Skye managed one of those short 'you really don't know anything, do you?' laughs, showing the first sign of any emotion. "Ha!"

She quickly went back to her normal deadpan look. She said in a eerily plain tone, "Oh heavens above. Nopony here likes me. All because of where I live."

"If you're anything like Zecora, then you're just as bad!" Pinkie interjected.

Skye tapped her hoof on her chin. "Zecora? Haven't even seen her since I first visited this town. Wonder what she's been up to?"

Rainbow scoffed. "Don't play games with us, Everfreer!"

Skye deadpanned. "Really, Rainbow? Why so hostile all the time?"

"Because any threat to my friends has to get through me." She growled through clenched teeth.

"I have to admire your sense of loyalty to your friends, but what threat?" Skye raised an eyebrow.

"Don't try being sly, Everfreer!"

Skye sighed the way a mother would at her foal if they persisted in doing something. "Everfreer? Really? That would the same if I called you a villager or a Cloudsdaler. In other words, they have no effect an- "

That was the last straw. Rainbow lunged at Skye. Applejack reached to grab her tail. Skye only stood there.

Then, everything was still. Everypony was frozen still. Except for one.

Skye's eyes glowed with a sky-blue aura that seemed to wisp past the corners of her eyes. It held everypony in place.

Everypony in her magical grasp, except the five who'd actually seen her do magic before, panicked. Though Fluttershy did squeak and Rarity flinched a bit. Cries of "What's happening?!" and "Sweet Celestia, help us!" came from their muzzles. Then, they weren't there; Skye had teleported them to Town Hall.

Rainbow growled, frozen midair. "Let me go, you coward! Afraid to fight?!"

"Yeah, let us go!" Pinkie agreed, frowning.

Skye ignored them and looked out the window. She grinned.

"Hey, we're talking to you here!" Rainbow snapped.

Skye met Rainbow's gaze and a gleam shined in her eyes. Fluttershy squeaked in her spot.

"Of course, I'll let you go. You wouldn't want to miss the Summer Sun Celebration sun rising, would you? Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to."

And with that, everypony was free. As Rainbow gained her momentum back, Skye teleported away.

Rainbow looked to see a flash of sky-blue magic disappear. "Dang it!"

Spike fidgeted his claws, still trying to grapple what just happened. "Um...I'll go get Twilight."


************


Skye stood on the highest spire of the Castle of the Two Sisters, looking up at the moon without her disguise. Her cloak flapped gently in the breeze. 'Please, Mother. Come back.'

The stars disappeared behind the moon and the silhouette on it disappeared as well.

Hope fluttered in Skye's chest and she allowed herself a tiny smile. Eyes darting around, she tried to detect any sign of a black alicorn with turquoise eyes.

After a few seconds, the feeling of hope in her chest vanished like dew in the morning sun, and her face fell, the smile leaving. 

'Something's not right.'

She transformed into her mist form and sensed for any traces of her mother's magic. Skye didn't expect to find anything; instead, she sense her mother's magic at Town Hall.

A feeling of unease traveled through Skye. Her mist form swiftly made it to Town Hall. The sun still wasn't up by then; there was definitely something amiss.

She quickly turned into pegasus form and burst through the door of Town Hall. Ponies murmured panickingly to each other and shuffled their hooves as they looked up at a balcony. They paid her no mind.

Skye didn't look at the ponies though; she was looking at the pony on the balcony. It certainly wasn't Celestia; the pony on the balcony was quite the opposite of her. 

Jet-black coat, shapeless misty mane, curved and sharp wings, and two turquoise dragon-like eyes. The pony donned a pale-blue helmet and armor.

Nightmare Moon.

Skye felt like somepony had snuffed out a tiny flame in her. 'Mother?!'

What was she doing? Why was she here? She should be at home with Skye, catching up on what she'd missed. Everything was supposed to go back to normal. Everything would be like it used to...

Skye could only stand there by the door, dumbfounded, as Nightmare Moon started to speak. "Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little  sun-loving faces."

"What did you do with our Princess?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She launched herself at Nightmare Moon.

Applejack grabbed Rainbow's tail in her mouth to keep her from doing anything rash. She said to Rainbow in a muffled voice, "Whoa there, Nelly."

Nightmare Moon chuckled at Rainbow's question. "Why? Am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?"

Pinkie Pie then decided to join in. "Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about...Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty-" 

Applejack stuffed a pastry in Pinkie's mouth.

Nightmare Moon asked a with a hint of disdain in her voice, "Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years? Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?"

Skye snapped out of her stupor. The dreams came back to her. Mother or not, she knew that what Nightmare was doing was wrong.

"I did, and I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon: Nightmare Moon!"

She blinked. Wait, did that just echo? Twilight and Skye shared a brief surprised look at each other.

The other ponies in the crowd gasped.

Nightmare Moon said mockingly to the two of them, "Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here."

Twilight started before Skye could open her mouth. "You're here to...to..."

She stammered off as more ponies started to look expectantly at her.

Nightmare Moon chuckled darkly.

"You're here to bring eternal night!" Skye finished venomously as her eyes blazed.

Twilight shot her a look that was both relieved and skeptical. She wasn't the only one who shot Skye a dark look. Skye didn't pay attention though.

Nightmare Moon chuckled once more. She said in a  tone of authority, "Remember this day, my little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night. Will last. Forever!"

With that proclaimation, Nightmare's wings flared open to emphasize her words, and her shapeless mane turned into a vortex of starry mist, traveling towards the sky. She began to laugh triumphantly. Lightning and thunder accompanied her evil laugh.

Her laugh raked through Skye's heart. Her eyes clouded over, not with tears, but with confusion and sorrow. 'What happened to you, Mother...?'
> Return Of The Nightmare: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!"

Three Royal Guard pegasi flew towards Nightmare Moon. 

Nightmare's eyes flashed a brilliant white. "Stand back, you foals!"

She began to laugh insanely. A bolt of lightning knocked all three guards out of the sky; they crashed to the ground very ungraciously a few feet away from Skye.

Nightmare turned into mist and zipped out of Town Hall.

Skye immediately launched herself out of Town Hall and spread her wings to take off. 

Applejack finally lost her grip on Rainbow and the rainbow pony zoomed outside. "Come back here!"

She paused as she lost sign of Nightmare. "Nighttime? Forever?" 

Then she noticed two ponies moving away from Town Hall: Twilight Sparkle and Skye. Twilight was running towards the library; Skye was about lift off towards the Everfree.

"Where are they going?" Rainbow asked to herself, her eyes locked on Snow.

She dived, knocking the mare off balance. "And where do you think you're going, Everfreer? You're not going anywhere until you and Twilight give us answers."

"Rainbow dear, what are you doing to Snow Dusk?" Rarity said as the four caught up to Rainbow.

"She and that Twilight pony were the only ones who knew that crazy alicorn was! I'm not taking the risk that they might be spies! Especially this Everfreer."

Everypony else frowned, including Skye. Skye wanted to protest the idea of her mother being crazy, but that would make things even less in her favor.

"Don't try any funny business." Rainbow said as she glared at Skye.

'Don't worry. I won't. I'm still trying to piece together the mystery too.' Skye thought as she glared back.


************


"Elements, elements, elements... Ugh! How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight said as she trashed the Golden Oak Library.

"And just what are the Elements of Harmony? And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy like that Everfreer?" Rainbow zoomed up to her face.

"Whoa!" Rainbow got pulled back by Applejack.

"Simmer down, Sally. Ah don't think she's a spy. But she sure knows what's going on. Don't you, Twilight?"

Twilight sighed. "I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!"

"'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide.'" Pinkie read.

"How'd you find that?" Twilight gaped at Pinkie.

"It was under 'E'!" Pinkie said, bouncing around.

"Oh."

Before Twilight could reach the shelf though, a sky-blue aura surrounded the book. It was levitated out of her reach.

Twilight yelled, "Hey! Who's doing that?!"

Everyone looked at Rarity. "What? It's not me."

"Ahem... Forgetting somepony?" Skye said, making six heads turn. Her eyes had the misty sky-blue aura around them again.

"Oh my Celestia! You're a pegasus! But you can use magic! You've got to tell me how you do that!" Twilight squealed excitedly.

"Perhaps another time, but we have more important matters to discuss at the moment." Skye answered calmly.

Twilight cleared her throat and cast her eyes downward, clearly embarrassed. "Oh yes, sorry."

"Hey, what gives, Everfreer?" Rainbow frowned.

Skye raised an eyebrow. "You are aware that there's no need to waste time with this," Skye's magic shook the book. "right?"

"Why?" Twilight asked.

"Because I know all about it already." She said bluntly. "The Elements of Harmony are Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and an unknown sixth one. They're found in the abandoned castle ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters now. Which is in the Everfree."

"Likely story." Rainbow scrunched up her nose.

"Here then. Waste your time with the book." Skye threw the book with her magic.

Twilight used her own magic to grab it.

"I'll take my leave then." Skye said. Her eyes glowed with more intensity and she teleported away.

Rainbow growled, but didn't act.

Twilight set the book on the stand in the room and flipped through it with her magic.

"There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now-


************


-the Everfree Forest!"

"Huh, guess that pony knew what she was talking about after all." Twilight mused.

Rainbow scoffed. "I still don't trust her."

"Whee! Let's go!" Pinkie said she started to walk forward.

Twilight stopped her. "Not so fast. Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own."

Applejack quipped, "No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone." Twilight made an uncomfortable face. "We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple."

Everypony voiced their agreement, though Fluttershy was a bit hesitant.

Pinkie Pie then added, "Especially if there's candy apples in there." 

Everypony stared at her. "What? Those things are good."

Twilight sighed and started to follow them.


************


Twilight asked nervously, "So, none of you have been in here before?"

Rarity answered, "Ugh, heavens no! Just look at it; it's dreadful."

"And it ain't natural. Folks say it don't work the same as Equestria." Applejack added.

Twilight questioned with a quaver, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rainbow Dash said in spooky voice, "Nopony knows."

Applejack frowned. "Rainbow, quit it."

Rainbow Dash ignored her and crept a hoof at a time with each of her words towards the others. "You know why?...'Cause everypony who's ever come in. Has. Never. Come. Out!"

Then, the ledge gave away underneath them with a crash.

Rainbow and Fluttershy caught themselves by using their wings, but the others slid at a dangerous speed down the steep slope, screaming.

Rainbow made a dash for Rarity. She called to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy! Quick!"

Fluttershy dived. "Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness."

As they made a break for Rarity and Pinkie, Twilight and Applejack still slid. 

Applejack had a slower decent, though, and she managed to stop by grabbing the root of a tree that jutted out of the rocky slope with her teeth. Twilight was less fortunate; her back hooves dangled over the side of the cliff.

Applejack saw Twilight's predicament, and she released the root, sliding slowly towards Twilight.

"Hold on! I'm a-comin'!"

Applejack caught Twilight's hooves. Twilight panicked. "Applejack! What do I do?"

Applejack glanced up, trying to see if Rainbow and Fluttershy had finished helping Rarity and Pinkie. She blinked in surprise and said to Twilight, "Let go."

Twilight frowned at her. "Are you crazy?!"

Applejack looked Twilight in the eye. "No, I ain't. I promise you'll be safe."

"That's not true!" Twilight objected.

"Now listen here. What I'm sayin' to you is the honest truth. Let go. And you'll be safe."

Twilight's pupils widened, and she let go.

The unicorn fell through the the air, screaming. Then, the sensation of falling stopped. Twilight opened her eyes.

"Looks like you could use some help."

Twilight exclaimed, "It's you again! Thanks, er, I never got your name."

"It's Snow Dusk." Skye then smirked slightly. "Well, any moment now."

"What?" Twilight asked confusedly.

Skye lifted a hoof to signal 'wait a minute'. Then, on cue, Rainbow and Fluttershy flew up to them.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Rainbow said.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Skye fired back, crossing her hooves.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that I live in this forest and you look like you needed help catching Twilight. And I'm also the only pony who can actually survive in the forest and has a chance of finding the Castle of the Two Sisters."

"Whatever." Rainbow grumbled.


************


"I'm very grateful for that rescue, Snow."

"It was no big deal. I deal with worse. Cockatrices, cragadiles, timberwolves-"

Twilight gasped. "Manticore!"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

A manticore roared as it landed in front of them.

"Oh, nevermind." Skye said as she rolled her eyes.

"We've gotta get past him!" Twilight exclaimed.

Rarity, being ever-so lady-like, kicked it in the face. "Take that, you ruffian!"

The manticore, in return, roared at her, messing up her mane. Rarity cried, "My hair!" Then she realized how close she was to the manticore. "Woop."

"Wait." Fluttershy said quietly as Rarity ran past with the manticore on her tail. Nopony heard her, except for one.

The manticore stopped and growled as Applejack rode on it. "YEE-HAW! Git along, little dogie."

Fluttershy tried again. "Wait."

The manticore bucked Applejack off its back. Applejack sailed into the air, saying to Rainbow, "Whoa! All yours, partner."

"I'm on it." Rainbow saluted.

Fluttershy tried in vain once again. "Wait!"

Rainbow whirled around the manticore, enveloping it in a rainbow tornado. The manticore lifted its scorpion tail and brought in down, hitting Rainbow off-course. Rainbow Dash screamed and landed in front of them ungraciously.

Twilight exclaimed, "Rainbow!"

The manticore pawed at the ground and growled. Twilight, in turn, snorted, ready to charge. Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow followed suit.

'I've had enough of this charade.'

"WAIT!" A wave of sky-blue magic freezed all five as they charged. 

Fluttershy, the one who had screamed 'Wait!', walked up to the manticore. It responded by growling and raising its paw, ready to strike the shy, innocent pony. The five that were frozen gasped in fright.

Fluttershy showing no fear, instead nuzzled the manticore's other paw gently. "Shhh... It's okay." 

The manticore, surprised by the act of kindness, showed a thorn embedded deep within its paw.

"Oh, you poor, poor little baby." Fluttershy said in sympathy.

Rainbow Dash, still frozen, exclaimed, "Little?!"

"Shut up!" Skye hissed, eyes still aglow. Rainbow found her mouth unable to open. She shot a glare at Skye, who glared back.

Fluttershy ignored them, her eyes still focused on the manticore. "Now this might hurt for just a second."

She plucked out the thorn. The manticore roared in pain at her, looking about ready to devour her.

The five that were frozen, with the exception of Rainbow who still had her mouth magically shut, yelled fearfully, "Fluttershy!"

They were surprised, however, when the manticore purred and licked Fluttershy in thanks. The five found themselves able to move again. They walked around the manticore and Fluttershy.

Fluttershy giggled. "Aw, you're just a little ol' baby kitty, aren't you? Yes, you are. Yes you are."

When the manticore left, Twilight asked Fluttershy, "How did you know about the thorn?"

Fluttershy answered, "I didn't. Sometimes, we all just need to be shown a little kindness."

They walked on ahead, leaving only one pony there: Skye.

She looked at the thorn, eyes narrowed, before Rainbow called her. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be the guide here? Stop lollygagging and move it!"

Skye rolled her eyes and cast one last glance at the thorn as she unfurled her wings to catch up to the others.


************


"My eyes need a rest from all this icky muck." Rarity complained. Then, as luck would have it, they walked into a dark part of the forest. "Well, I didn't mean that literally."

Slight worry crept into Twilight's tone. "That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn't even know it. Snow, do you know where we are?"

"Yeah, this should be the Blind Growth part of the forest. It should get lighter if we keep on going."

Applejack exclaimed from the side, "Oh wait, I think I stepped in somethin'."

Fluttershy screamed.

"It's just mud." Applejack said, shaking the mud off. She looked behind her as the tree seemingly growled. A hideous 'monster' stared back. She jumped back. "Gah!"

With the exception of Skye and Pinkie, everypony screamed. They turn this way and that, only to see another 'monster' tree. They grouped together, screaming at the 'monsters'. They stopped as they heard Pinkie laughing. "Huh?"

Pinkie Pie laughed and made faces at the trees. "Bleh. Ooo!" The stream of strange sounds continued.

Twilight, flabbergasted, yelled to her, "Pinkie, what are you doing?! Run!"

Pinkie said to them, "Oh girls, don't you see?"

'Oh no...'

"When I was a little filly and the sun was going down~"

Twilight said in dismal, "Tell me she's not-"

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown~"

Rarity replied to Twilight, "She is."

Skye facehoofed.

"I'd hide under my pillow
From what I thought I saw
But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way
To deal with fears at all"

Since the mood, now much lighter, changed, Rainbow questioned, "Then what is?"

"She said, 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fears
You'll see that they can't hurt you
Just laugh to make them disappear~'"

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" She laughed at one of the 'monster' trees.

The hideous face of the 'monster' tree disappeared. The others, excluding Skye, who merely rose an eyebrow, gasped.

"Sooo~
Giggle at the ghostly
Guffaw at the grossly
Crack up at the creepy
Whoop it up with the weepy
Chortle at the kooky
Snortle at the spooky
And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha... heh...
Laugh~"

Pinkie, along with everypony, sans Skye, fell on their backs and guffawed away. Skye looked on with a blank face.


************


"How are we gonna cross this?" Pinkie asked as they came to an abrupt halt at a wildly churning river.

Skye commented, "Huh, strange. It's usually very calm. I wonder wha- Does anypony else hear that?"

A distant crying could be heard. They headed in that direction. They found a purple sea serpent weeping, his tail making the water churn wildly.

"What a world, what a world!"

Twilight opened her mouth, but Skye stepped in. "Hey Steven! What's wrong? You're normally not so...gloomy."

The serpent, apparently named Steven, answered, "Well hello, Snow Dusk. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, when this tacky little cloud of purple smoke just whisked past me and tore half of my beloved mustache clean off, and now, I look simply horrid."

'Cloud of purple smoke? Could it be...?'

Steven dramically threw his arms out and fell back into the water, splashing the ponies, except for Skye, who put up a barrier around herself.

Rainbow Dash grumbled, "Oh, give me a break."

Applejack asked irritably, "That's what all the fuss is about?"

Rarity gasped. "Why, of course it is. How can you be so insensitive? Oh, just look at him. Such lovely luminescent scales."

Steven sniffed. "I know."

Rarity went on. "And your expertly coiffed mane."

Steven combed his fingers through his mane. "Oh, I know, I know."

'Oh good Allmother, Rarity. He's already a drama queen; don't give him an ego too.'

Rarity droned on. "Your fabulous manicure."

Steven gasped. "It's so true!"

And then, Rarity dropped the anvil on him. "All ruined without your beautiful mustache."

Steven burst into tears once again. "It's true; I'm hideous!"

Rarity frowned and said with determination, "I simply cannot let such a crime against fabulosity go uncorrected."

She then proceeded to pluck a scale from Steven's side. He yelped in pain. "What did you do that for?"

Twilight asked, "Rarity, what are you-"

Rarity swung the sharp end of the scale downward. Steven moaned, falling to the bank. Skye rolled her eyes. 'Such a drama queen.'

Rarity picked up her cut-off tail and using her magic, made it into the missing half of Steven's mustache. Steven said gleefully, "Oh-hohohoho! My mustache. How wonderful."

"You look smashing." Rarity complimented.

Twilight exclaimed, "Oh, Rarity, your beautiful tail."

Rarity waved it off. "Oh. It's fine, dear. Short tails are in this season. Besides, it'll grow back."

Rainbow murmured, "So would the mustache."

Applejack snickered. Skye smirked.

Twilight gasped, "We can cross now. Let's go." 

"Ah!" She exclaimed as Steven's scales came out from under her hooves when she waded through the river.

Steven bowed. "Allow me."

He dived into the water, letting the ponies jump across the river on his scales.


************


They saw ruins in the distance as the fog parted slightly.

"There it is. The Castle of the Two Sisters where the Elements of Harmony are." Skye announced to the group.

Twilight galloped forward. "We made it!"

Applejack yelled out, "Twilight, wait for us!"

Twilight looked back and exclaimed, "We're almost there. Whoa!" Her front hooves slid over a cliff and she tried to backtrack. Rainbow pulled her back.

She asked Twilight, "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?"

Pinkie sighed, "Now what?"

"Duh, wings." Rainbow and Skye said at the same time. 

"Oh yeah." Pinkie said. Rainbow and Skye exchanged a short glance before Skye nodded to Rainbow. The latter lifted off and flew towards the other side.

"Um, shouldn't you go with her?" Twilight asked.

"She can tie a bridge by herself." Skye said curtly, eyes calmly staring straight ahead.

A few minutes passed.

Twilight called out. "Rainbow, what's taking so long?"

Then, they saw three pegasi speaking to her. Twilight said quietly, "Oh no."

She yelled to Rainbow, "Rainbow! Don't listen to them!"

The last part was slightly muted due to the fog moving in over the gulch quickly. 'That magic signature...'

"I'm going." Skye said with finality.

As she spread her wings, Rainbow came back, clearing the fog in the process. The bridge was tied, and the three pegasi were nowhere to be found. With the exception of Skye, the others cheered for her.

"See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'." Rainbow said, her eyes sweeping over the five cheering ponies. 

Skye shattered the cheerful moment. "Are we getting the Elements or are you going to stand there cheering for Rainbow?"

With that, they went across the bridge in silence.


************


Applejack breathed, "Whoa."

Twilight stopped at the door. Applejack urged her on. "Come on, Twilight. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?"

Twilight opened the door. Skye gazed around the room, remembering it from 1000 years before and on the frequent visits she took. Twilight's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "The Elements of Harmony, we've found them!"

Fluttershy and Rainbow flew up to the pedestal that had the five stones, and brought them down, one by one.

"Careful...careful!" Twilight instructed.

Pinkie counted. "One, two, three, four... There's only five!"

"Where's the sixth?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight answered, "The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed."

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked, perplexed.

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back. I don't know what will happen." Twilight said as she lit her horn and closed her eyes.

Applejack said, "Come on now, y'all. She needs to concentrate."

They all went outside, waiting for Twilight. A minute or two passed before they heard her exclaim in surprise, "Gah!"

Five of them yelled, "Twilight!"

They burst in to see nopony. Twilight wasn't there. Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie started talking over each other.

Then, Skye felt it. The magic signature. Her eye caught sight of a flash in the East Tower. She glanced back at the others to see that they were not looking.

She transformed into her mist form and zipped out the window quickly. As she zipped out, she heard Rarity exclaim, "Look!"

She panicked internally. 'I hope she didn't mean me. I hope she meant that flash of light where Twilight is.'
> Conclusion Of The Nightmare: Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Skye neared the tower, she heard voices: Twilight's and Nightmare's.

She heard Twilight gasp, "But...where's the sixth Element?!"

Nightmare laughed and hissed at Twilight scornfully, "You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!"

Skye peeked in through the windows. Nightmare's starry mane was a tornado of the night sky and lightning crackled from it. Shards of stone lay at her hooves. 'No...the Elements.'

Then, she heard voices coming from the staircase behind Twilight. 'They finally came for Twilight.'

Twilight gasped and turning to Nightmare as the others appeared beside her, she said confidently, "You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here."

The stone shards began to levitate and glow with different colored auras. Nightmare Moon exclaimed in surprise, "What? No!"

She shot a beam of magic at the six. Their pupils shrank as they realized their mistake of being unprepared for such attacks and they squeezed their eyes shut, awaiting their impending doom. Twilight's horn tried to fire up a barrier, but in her panic and fear, the spell wouldn't activate.

...But the blast never hit them.

"What?! Impossible!" Nightmare screamed. The six mares opened their eyes to see a cloaked figure in front of them, canceling Nightmare's blast with their own. 

"Twilight! Go on; finish what you started! I'll hold her off."

The familiar voice made them blink; it was Snow Dusk.

Twilight blinked and nodded determinedly. "Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of...honesty!"

Orange-aura shards surrounded the farm pony.

Twilight continued. "Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of...kindness!"

Pink-aura shards surrounded the shy pegasus.

"Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of...laughter!"

Blue-aura shards surrounded the grinning pink pony.

"Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of...generosity!"

Purple-aura shards surrounded the unicorn fashionista.

"And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of...loyalty!"

Red-aura shards surrounded the rainbow-maned pegasus.

"The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us." Twilight said to Nightmare Moon, who had stopped her attack; Skye also paused.

She said disbelievingly, "You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work!"

Twilight objected, "But it did! A different kind of spark." She turned to her companions. "I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all...are my friends!"

A bright flash of light appeared above Twilight, revealing a stone: the sixth Element. Nightmare Moon covered her eyes from the blinding light with her wing. Skye did the same.

"You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the...the spark, that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of...magic!"

The stone shards then did something peculiar. They shifted into necklaces. The stone above Twilight's head turned into a crown. The six were lifted off the ground, and a rainbow beam looped and dove towards Nightmare Moon.

Skye and Nightmare both snapped out of the stupors they had been in. Nightmare tried to fire a beam of magic at the rainbow, but it had no effect. Her pupils shrank as it came down upon her.

"No! Noooo!" Nightmare Moon struggled vainly against the rainbow tornado that surrounded her.

Skye's ears lay flat against her head and her eyes closed tight. She could not bear this.

In a few moments, everything was silent.

Skye opened her eyes slowly. The element bearers were unconscious in a group, and there were two other unconscious beings. One was her mother; the other was, who Skye assumed to be, Princess Luna. She was mildly, if at all, surprised of the separation of the two.

Skye gritted her teeth.

She debated with herself whether or not to destroy the latter. After all, it was her fault that her mother was trapped on the moon for 1000 years. Her fault Skye was an orphan for a millennium. She even didn't blame Celestia for that; Celestia didn't know. But Luna did.

Skye's eyes drifted to her mother. On the more logical hand, she had her mother back now, no longer influenced by the negative emotions of Luna. Then again, her mother had willingly merged with Luna. And merging with Luna didn't change the fact that she was still conscious of her choices. They were only just shared with Luna.

And so, the logic versus emotion battle of choosing raged on; Skye's eyes flickered back and forth between the two unconscious alicorns.

And ultimately, lighting her horn, she made her decision:...She chose neither.


************


"Ugh, my head." Rainbow groaned as she stirred.

"Everypony okay?" Applejack asked.

Rarity exclaimed, "Oh, thank goodness."

Fluttershy complimented, "Why Rarity, it's so lovely."

Rarity hugged her tail. "I know! I'll never part with it again."

Fluttershy clarified. "No. Your necklace. It looks just like your cutie mark."

Rarity noticed it for the first time. She examined it and looked at Fluttershy. "What? Ooh. So does yours."

Fluttershy gasped in awe at hers. Pinkie bounced over. "Look at mine! Look at mine!"

Rainbow looked at hers. "Aw yeah."

Applejack said to Twilight, "Gee, Twilight. I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship."

A voice said, "Indeed you do."

The sun rose above the horizon and a great, pure white alicorn appeared before them. Everypony except Twilight bowed. She gasped, "Princess Celestia!"

She cantered over to her mentor and they shared a friendly nuzzle.

"Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I knew you could do it." Celestia said.

Twilight said confusedly, "But...you told me it was all an old pony's tale."

"I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart. Now if only another will as well. Princess Luna!"

Everypony's attention was brought to that of a light blue alicorn on the other side of the room. The alicorn in question gasped, terrified, as Celestia walked over to her. The light-blue armor of Nightmare Moon lay shattered and destroyed near her. 

"It has been a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister."

They all asked disbelievingly at the same time, "Sister?"

Princess Celestia payed them no mind and continued on. "Will you accept my friendship?"

Everypony leaned forward, silently encouraging Luna to accept. Pinkie leaned so much that she fell over.

Princess Luna looked down for a moment and then embraced her sister. "I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!"

Princess Celestia cried. She said through tears, "I've missed you, too."

Everypony smiled, and some even had tears in their eyes, but Pinkie took the cake. Pinkie sniffed and sobbed a well of tears. Then she perked up almost immediately and said excitingly, "Hey, you know what this calls for? A par-"

"If I may interrupt Miss Pie," Celestia said.

"Aw, I was gonna do a scene change." Pinkie pouted. Everypony blinked in confusion, but Celestia resumed. 

"It seems we are not the only ones here." Princess Celestia pointed a hoof towards an unconscious figure.

The six bearers blinked. "Snow Dusk?"


************


Skye blinked open her eyes to realize that she wasn't in the Castle of the Two Sisters anymore. She was lying on a bed, and the walls were wooden. Animals scurried around, and the room was not very capacious.

She put a hoof to her head as she sat up. 'Oh, my head...Serves me right for casting that consciousness transfer spell right after counter-blowing an alicorn attack. What is this place?'

"Oh, you're awake."

Skye looked up to see Fluttershy standing in the doorway, not meeting her gaze.

"We were all so worried about you. Thank you, um, for helping us back there. Um, would you like anything right now?"

Skye responded curtly, "You're welcome. And thank you for your help and concern, but I'm fine. I should be heading back home right now."

"Oh, are you sure? We were um, hoping you'd stay longer so that we could all thank you properly."

"We?" Skye raised an eyebrow.

Fluttershy nodded, her eyes still angled at the floor. "Oh yes. The others and even Princess Celestia wanted to thank you for helping us. But the Princess went back to Canterlot already, so it's just the six of us."

Skye waved a hoof dismissively as she got off the bed. "It was really nothing. So, are we going to go and say 'hello' to everypony else or what?"

"Um, well, they said to meet at the library when you woke up, so we can go now...um, if you want."

Skye shrugged. "Sure."

"Oh, okay then." Fluttershy trotted downstairs. 

Skye blinked, quite aware that Fluttershy did not meet her gaze even once. 'Weird. No wonder she's the shy one.'


************


Confetti. Lots and lots of confetti.

Skye blew a piece away from her hair as she leaned against the staircase and watched the others 'partying'.

Two hours. She had been here for two hours. To be fair though, the first hour was used up by Twilight to make a formal 'thank-you' speech. The other thank-you's were quicker, though Skye noticed that Rainbow was a bit hesitant. 'Probably still doesn't completely trust me. Element of Loyalty alright.'

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Pinkie jumped up in her face. "Come on, Snowy! Stop being a wallflower and have some fun!"

Skye scrunched up her muzzle. "Snowy?"

"Yeah, because Snow just sounds too boring, and Dusk sounds too serious, and Snow Dusk is a mouthful so...Snowy!"

Skye raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And I should be heading back home by now."

And then she realized that everypony was staring at her.

"Aww, you're leaving already?" Pinkie pulled a sad face.

"Yes." Skye said curtly.

Applejack smiled. "Well, 'fore ya' go, remember to come back, ya' hear? We'll spread good word to the town 'bout 'cha."

"We will?" Rainbow asked.

Applejack glared at her.

Rainbow chuckled nervously. "Oh right, we are."

"Uh-huh. Sure." Skye's eyes started to emit blue mist as she prepared to teleport. "And I have a quick question before I leave: Was there anypony else?"

They all blinked. Twilight coughed. "Um, what exactly do you mean?"

Skye rolled her eyes and sighed. "I mean, in the ruins, when you woke up. Was there anypony else besides Princess Luna, you all, and me?"

They all shook their heads simultaneously. "Uh uh."

"Well then, I bid you adieu." Skye said, the magical energy around her growing stronger.

Twilight then did a double take and blinked. "Wait a minute, how'd you-"

But Skye was already gone.

"-know about Princess Luna." Twilight finished blandly with a sigh.
> Conclusion Of The Nightmare: Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skye walked the expanse of the tunnel, her disguise falling away like autumn leaves. Lost in her thoughts, the alicorn occasionally muttered a word or two under her breath. The only other sound was that of her hooves made a faint echoing 'clip-clop'. Eyes cast downward, Skye hardly noticed when the castle came into view. 

She only looked up when a frantic Majesty flew down to her, speaking very quickly. She must've been very disturbed by something if she didn't call her, 'Miss Mist'.

"Skye, thank the Allmother you're back! We were worried and then this weird thing happened and now something's happened and I don't know what to do and-"

Her words were so jumbled up beyond that point that Skye had to magically shut her beak and ask her calmly, "What's wrong, Majesty?"

Skye released her magical grasp and continued calmly on towards the castle, certain that Majesty was bound to follow her.

Majesty took a deep breath and fell into step, or flight, with Skye. "Somepony found the cave."

Skye blinked, processing what she just heard. She shook her head in exasperation. Couldn't have today been normal? Her mind was already scrambled enough.

But she continued on towards the castle, muttering something sounding non-Equestrian. Majesty tipped her head in confusion, but continued as she flew beside Skye.

"She came just a few hours ago after the sun rose a little late...By the way, do you happen to know why that happened in the first place? Sorry, off topic. Ahem, anyways, Arctic and me questioned her but all she said was that she had something for you...and that she had to ask you a few questions. We couldn't stop her from entering. Right now, she's in that room that you never want me or Arctic to go into. Said something of importance was kept there."

Hovering, Majesty now looked back at Skye quizzically. Skye had locked up, her hooves not making another step and her eyes vacant.

Somepony had managed to find her home. That somepony was in her home that second. That somepony was in her mother's study, the room she kept a secure lockdown spell on at all times. Most importantly, that somepony knew about her, the real her, or else they wouldn't have had come here in the first place.

Majesty opened her beak to say more, but Skye sped towards the castle, wings propelling madly.

She burst through the doorway and immediately veered towards the hall the study was on, her wings not stopping.

Skidding to a stop, Skye panted and steeled herself. She could hear Majesty trying to call to her, but she blocked it out. She turned back into her pegasus disguise. Then, in a burst of magic so that neither phoenix could follow, the study door was promptly opened and closed in a hasty manner as Skye slipped through. She cast a silence charm so that the two, or more specifically Arctic, couldn't eavesdrop.

"I was wondering when you'd come back home. I have to say, I'm rather glad you kept the place up with the modern world." 

Skye immediately whipped around to face her trespasser, but alas the pony was not seen, only heard. The pony sat behind the desk in the swivel chair; the back of the seat faced Skye, not allowing her to see who her trespasser was.

Skye narrowed her eyes. She spoke in a quiet, icy voice. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The pony chuckled lightly. "Oh, how you've grown. You used to be so carefree and happy. What ever made you turn into this emotionless and tight-lipped pony?"

Skye said icily, "I'm the one asking questions here. Now that you've finished your little bit of humor, care to explain why you're in my home?"

The pony turned the chair around, letting Skye see exactly who had trespassed on her home. A middle-aged unicorn mare with a pure white coat, light blue mane, and turquoise eyes sat in the chair. They locked eyes for a moment. The pony seemed to study Skye for a moment, then the pony smirked. "The name's Shining Crystal, dear. I presume you must be Skye Mist?"

Skye flinched a bit. Somehow, she knew that this mare knew more than she was letting on. Averting her gaze from Shining Crystal's eyes for a fraction of a second, she told a half-truth. "I don't know who you're talking about. My name is Snow Dusk, not Skye Mist."

She didn't sound convinced. "Oh, I'm sorry then. If you wouldn't mind, could you pass on a message to her then?"

"Depends on what the message is." Skye said warily.

"Tell her:...her mother wants to see her again."

"Wha-" Skye's breathing slowed, her eyes widened in shock, and her heart stilled. All of her pent-up emotions flooded through her.

Pain. Sorrow. Grief. Sadness. Loss.

But she couldn't let any of it show. And she didn't.

All her life, she dreamed of it. All her life, she wanted it to be true. All her life, she wanted to believe. 

And this pony was offering a chance for her to see her mother again. All the pieces were coming together. 

The sudden disappearance of her mother after her separation from Luna. The uncanny followup of this mare finding Skye's home. The odd little questions and comments the mare had been asking and saying.

Skye asked, her voice a bit shaken, "Wh-who are you? Who are you truly?" 

And right before her eyes, Shining Crystal's coat started to change.  Skye's breath stopped, her eyes blinked in an attempt to clear away her disbelief, and she stepped backwards to fall onto her rump. Even though she had guessed, she could never have had thought she was correct. The pony who sat in front of her...was her mother.

.............

"M-Mother?" She finally croaked out.

Nightmare smiled softly at her disguised daughter with tears in her eyes. She whispered, "It's me, Skye."

Skye dropped her disguise. She flung herself at her mother and enveloped her in a hug. Tears threatened escape her eyes.

"I missed you." The words came out as a whisper.

"I missed you too." Nightmare hugged back.


************


"Why, Mother?" Skye asked quietly.

Nightmare didn't need to ask what she meant. "Just before...it happened, I was blindsided by...a foe from my past. Eventually, I was beaten and I'm sure that he used some of his magic to influence my mind's decisions. My mind was jumbled so greatly that I couldn't think straight, and then...that happened. Me and Luna."

"Well, I'm glad you're here now."

There was a moment of silence in which both prayed that there would be nothing else separating them.

"What happened to Night?" Nightmare asked her daughter.

The question, although seemingly harmless, reopened an invisible wound in Skye's partially mended heart.

In a low and quiet voice, Skye blurted all about that fateful day. The day Night went to the Castle of the Two Sisters. The day there was a loud shriek in the night. The day Night disappeared without a trace.

Skye's eyes watered. She raised her hoof to wipe them away before they would leak out, but a pitch black wing wiped them away before her hoof could.

Nightmare put a wing around Skye, pulling her into a hug. Skye, in response, nestled into it.

Mother and daughter sat in stone silence, each silently wishing for the day when their family would be together again.

But at that moment, things were... perfect.