The Story of Twilight Glow

by Jeweled Pen

First published 9th of February, 2016

What if Twilight had been born an earth pony and not a unicorn? No school for gifted unicorns, no burst of magic when she got her cutie mark and, most importantly, no student of Celestia. What fate awaits Equestria?

Twilight was always fated to be the savior of Equestria, along with her friends. But fate can be so easily altered. What happens in one alternate realm when instead of marrying a unicorn, Twilight's mother had instead married an earth pony, resulting in her daughter being hornless? Without her magic, Twilight's future and destiny are far less certain, as is the destiny of all of Equestria.

However, destiny is not so easily set off course. When the princess of the night returns, can one little earth pony hope to be the one to help her damaged heart?

Now with a TV tropes page! Thanks to redandready45.

S1 CH 1. A new beginning

Twilight Velvet groaned, her eyes closed as she struggled to maintain her strength. She was exhausted, though nopony could really blame her. Giving birth to a child wasn't a particularly easy task for anypony. She smiled none the less as the doctors slowly trotted into the room. Followed closely by her nervous husband. Night Light. “Is her head properly supported? Are you sure she's not too small? I've read a number of books that say an earth pony foal should weigh at least--”

“Honey, it's fine,” Velvet said with a smile as her child was gently deposited into her hooves. “Remember Shining? He was a little small too and now he's a wonderful little unicorn colt.”

“Yes, but earth ponies are supposed to be bigger,” the stallion said, trotting around the room nervously as the nurses left. “Are we sure we can trust these ponies? I can't say for certain, but some of these medical degrees don't look in the best condition. What if some of them are fake? What if--”

“Honey, calm down,” Velvet said with another soft chuckle. “This is one of the best hospitals in Canterlot. It'll be fine.” She then looked down at her little baby girl. A purple coat, a streaked purple mane. She was grateful her husband wasn’t that upset that their child had taken the earth pony side from her great grandmother’s side of the family, but he unfortunately seemed even less prepared for an earth pony child than he did a unicorn. “So, what should we name her?” she finally asked, watching the little foal open her eyes and stare up at them with the prettiest purple eyes she'd ever seen.

The walking hooves stopped and she slowly looked up to see her husband staring at her. Then, slowly he moved forward and put his nose to hers. “I can think of only one name sufficient for such a perfect little dear. Twilight's Glow.”

She blushed, quickly looking down. “Oh, you little flirt you.” She did stare at the foal for a few more seconds though. “I... do like that, though. Twilight Glow. It's... perfect.”

------

“Daddy, daddy, come on!” Twilight squeaked in her excited little filly voice, circling around the stallion's hooves as he tried to keep up.

“Now now, calm down. We're almost there.”

“But I wanna be in the front row! I wanna see the princess raise the sun!” the little earth pony filly shrieked.

“You will, I promise,” he said with another soft chuckle as they walked through the streets of Canterlot. Normally he wouldn't dream of being up so early, especially on a holiday like today. But Twilight had been wanting to see this for so, so long. The Summer Sun Celebration was happening in Canterlot this year so there was nothing else to do about it. When she unleashed the filly eyes, there was no possible way he could say no. As their empty cookie jar back home attested.

A weakness that, despite his wishes, he had to his wife as well. Which was why she was back home, curled up in bed and he was walking through Canterlot before the crack of dawn. However, they finally made it to the crowd and he let out a low whistle. Off in the distance he could see the guards and stage. Twilight turned to him. “Daddy...”

He gave a nod. “Go ahead. I'll be right here after the sun is raised. Just be careful, okay?”

She let out a high pitched squeak before racing off. “THANK YOU DADDY!”

He chuckled before turning his attention to the show. He let out a soft gasp of awe as the princess appeared on the stage, making her way ahead. He couldn't blame his little girl for wanting to see the princess up close, she truly was a spectacular mare. Not quite as spectacular as his wife, of course. But then, nopony was perfect.

The sun was slowly raised up and he couldn't help but let out his own gasp of awe as well. As little as he wanted to be up this early, he couldn’t help thinking… it was worth it.

“Daddy daddy daddy!” Twilight shrieked as she ran up and gave him a tight hug. “I was up front and I saw the princess and she saw me and she looked right at me and I looked right at her and then I sneezed but she just smiled and she was so amazing and wonderful and eeeee!”

Night chuckled and put a hoof over his little girl. “Yes, she does have that effect on ponies. She is quite amazing, isn't she?”

“She's so amazing! Daddy, do you ever think one day I can be that amazing? I can do what she does?”

He paused before nodding. “Yes. I don't think you can do exactly what she does.” He sat down and slowly raised the little filly's chin, to make her look him in the eyes as her face started to fall. “But the princess does more than raise the sun and moon. She inspires our nation, unites us. I believe that one day, you'll be just as inspiring to everypony around you. Maybe even more than the princess ever was.”

She blinked and then gasped. “You... you think I could do that?”

“I have no doubt in my mind.”

------

Twilight stared at the blank pages in front of her, a pencil at her side. She couldn't believe it. She was such a failure. A useless, horrible, didn't deserve to have friends or family or anything failure. She'd wanted so hard to do what daddy said, to be an inspiration, a driving force for ponies. To be somepony who could make her feel, if only for a moment, the way the princess had her.

It had finally come to her while she was reading Daring Do. She could still feel her heart skipping a beat, the excitement as the mare dodged spears and fought off horrible bad not nice at all ponies. Then the belief that she could do anything. She'd been so excited that she'd barely even paid attention at the dinner party with the Orange's. She'd had to explain what a rooster was to her daddy. He was just so silly sometimes. Then she'd come straight home, couldn't sleep and decided to start right away.

But now she couldn't start. It was a little after dawn and she'd made no progress. She had ideas. The greatest, most wonderful ideas of all time. But she couldn't start it. She had no idea WHERE to start. The first lines refused to work. She felt like crying, wailing into her hooves. She was a stupid, idiotic, no good horrible pony and she'd been such an idiot to think she could ever--

An explosion outside made her yipe, before she looked up. Streaking across the sky was the most beautiful rainbow she'd ever seen. No, it was more like a rainbow explosion. Her eyes widened as she watched the beautiful... thing streak across the horizon. She'd never seen anything like it. It was amazing. Spectacular. Wonderful. It was...

It was her start. Her beginning. She slowly picked up the pencil and looked at the paper. Her story wouldn't end with a whimper. It would start with a boom. She slowly wrote the first letters that would change her life forever.

------

“Twilight, you simply must release this new story of yours soon!” Printing Press, a light green unicorn and the earth pony's agent, said quickly before pushing the manuscript across the table.

“I... I don't know,” Twilight mumbled. “I mean, I think the Mare in the Moon is such a fascinating little story, I want to make sure my story is one to match it. I want to do a few more alterations first.”

“Oh, come on,” the other mare said. “You've re-written it at least a dozen times. The editors say it's good to go. I have four publishers biting at the bit to try and get it before the Summer Sun Celebration. After your last book, ponies are dying to read it. Now is the time to strike. Besides, the Mare in the Moon story is only a page long. Your story has it crushed into pieces.”

Twilight sighed, looking down at her manuscript. “I... don't think it's ready, though.”

The mare nodded, before smiling. “What if I told you a copy was sent to the princess?”

The earth pony's eyes widened and her mind nearly cracked. “Wait, what?”

“Mmm hmmm.”

“T-there's no way she read it, s-she's the princess,” Twilight said with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

“She has read it. Not only that... she loved it. Officially said it was one of the best stories she'd ever read and, more importantly, a great re-telling of the Mare in the Moon story. She actually requested to speak with you about the story on the morning of the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“W-what?”

“Yes. She wants you to write a second story. About this... 'Moony' from the story. Said she touched her heart with how sweet she was. If a bit foalish at times.”

Twilight gulped, then slowly nudged the papers forward. “You... wouldn't lie to me, right?”

“The appointment is at nine in the morning.”

“G-go ahead. P-publish it,” she squeaked, staring at the papers. The PRINCESS? She could hardly believe it. No, she entirely couldn't believe it. The princess read one of HER works. How did the mare find the time, ruling a kingdom and everything? And she wanted her to write ANOTHER story based on it? She'd just planned on making it a one-off. She didn't even think it was that original. The Mare in the Moon was just an old wife's tale, making her a good pony had only come to her after she'd read about the legend of the two sisters. Really, combining the two had just been a silly idea when she started, but she'd become so enthusiastic that she couldn't help but keep writing. Before she'd known it, she'd had the first edit done.

Then over and over she'd found herself drawn to it, as if some invisible force was pulling her to it. Trying to make her 'Moony' character more likable, to understand why she'd do such things. Taking over the land, all of that. Just such a silly idea. And those Elements were even worse, no more real than any of Daring Do's stories. But the lore had just absorbed her and she'd had so many ideas.

Her favorite part had been making the five 'stars' to aid in her escape. Leaving the ending open like that, on her return to the world she'd been so long banished from, had just been a stroke of genius. She'd found she couldn't think of a sufficient ending. What would happen to the mare? She was practically wiggling in her seat. She hadn't been this excited since her first book was published. Possibly more, because this was all HER story and she hadn't had any help from her mother or the mare's agents.

“Twilight? Honey? You're doing it again?”

“Huh?” the earth pony asked, before gasping. “O-oh! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't, I never, I-I just... I thought... I was... lost in thought. Sorry.”

Printing chuckled. “Oh, it's fine. You artists always have your ways about you. So you're sure you're okay with it? I can go forward?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We'll have the first prints out by the Summer Sun Celebration. They'll sell like hot cakes. Hot cakes covered in whipped cream, syrup and cherries. Served on a royal guard's flank.”

Twilight's cheeks turned bright red. “Printing!” she gasped.

“Oh, come onnnn. You really need to get out more, dear. That can't be the raunchiest joke you've heard. After all, your brother is dating that alicorn mare, right? I'm sure he has a ton of jokes like that.”

She snorted. “Well, my brother, unlike you, is a perfect gentlecolt. He'd never make such jokes about such things.”

“What a shame. I know I wouldn't mind taking a bite out of his flank.”

“PRINTING!”

------

Twilight awoke with a groan and rolled over. She couldn't believe it, she'd been so excited she couldn't sleep. Tomorrow she met the princess! Face to face, to discuss the book. She just wanted to talk with her so bad. And now she'd get her chance. So of course she'd been up almost all night fretting, worrying, panicking and at one point bathing. Okay, three points. SHE COULDN'T MEET THE PRINCESS WITH BODY ODOR! Just the idea was horrifying. Now her body was rebelling against her, waking her back up.

She glanced to the window and sighed. It was still night time, the sun hadn't even risen yet. She glanced at the clock. It would be hours until--

It was eight fifty. In the morning. Her heart almost exploded. She jumped out of bed with a hot flash of adrenaline and ran to the window. She looked out. The stars were in the sky, the moon was out. She then looked at her clock. It had to be off. The sun should have risen hours ago. She ran through her house, looking at all the clocks as she flipped on lights. All of them said eight fifty. Then one said eight fifty-one. She shrieked and ran back up, grabbing her books before running out the door, barely taking a moment to lock it before galloping down the street.

She couldn't begin to imagine why it was still so dark out, perhaps the princess had slept in? Still, she'd imagined somepony would have woken her by now and let her know. None the less, she galloped through the streets. Not many other ponies were out and about, those who were looked just as confused as she did. She'd have to ask the princess when she saw her today what was going on. Perhaps a special event? A celebration? That had to be it.

Oh buck she was so late. She was panting and a little sweaty by the time she arrived, though still riding that adrenaline high. She walked to the gates and smiled to the guard. “Hello I'm Twilight Glow and I have an appointment at nine with the princess I'm so sorry I'm late!”

The guard just waved her through, barely even paying attention to her, his focus instead on talking with another guard. She grinned and galloped through the castle.

The place was packed with guards and servants racing about, they seemed to be in a bit of a panic. She hoped everything was okay, was her lateness really that much of an issue? She was directed to the meeting room by a rather haggard looking servant.

She paused when she stepped into the room. It was small, but cozy. It had a gently glowing fireplace, a table and a few chairs. As well as a clock that read... ohhhh, she was late. Not very late, but late. But she was sure it wouldn't be a problem. It seemed the princess was late today as well. She wiped a little sweat off her brow and sat down on the chair, letting out a low groan. She then spilled the contents of her bags onto the table.

It wasn't much, just a binder filled with a few ideas for a sequel to her book, two copies of her book(one for the princess, one for the princess' student, Moon Dancer. Both signed, of course.) She set them up besides each other, neatly stacked and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

There were a few small pastries on the nearby counter and she had missed breakfast, so she had one.

Then two.

Then five.

She really hoped the princess hadn't rescheduled without telling her. What if the moon being out was all some problem with her magic? There would probably be some sort of panic going on that the princess was dealing with. She then shrugged. Didn't really matter, by now the sun HAD to be up. Since, honestly, how could it not be? Even if the princess had overslept, they couldn't let her do it all day. The sun had to come up eventually. She sat down on the cushions again and leaned against the table. She was sure the princess would be here soon. Any minute now.

She laid her head on the table. She wished she had gotten just a little more sleep last night.

Just had to close her eyes for a second.

------

The princess of the night, Nightmare Moon, flew to her new castle. Canterlot. She remembered the tiny little castle away from home that she and her sis... that she and that mare had once held. It had been nothing more than a retreat, from when they had to leave their real home. Now there was an entire city surrounding it, with hundreds of ponies. Now it would be her new home.

There was a light groan and she glanced back at the six ponies held in a small, blue orb barely the size of a filly. Each of the six had been shrunk down to the size of toys to make them easier to carry. She hadn't killed them, of course. This Moondancer was that mare's precious little protege. It would be fun slowly making her bow to a new ruler. Besides it was another blue orb, which housed the remains of the Elements. Now nothing more than broken stones. Both would be placed in her throne room, a sign to all of what her power was and that there was no way to defeat her. Even Celes... that mare had failed.

She flew down to the castle battlements and grinned as guards rushed forward, spears leveled on her.

“Who are you? Identify yourself!” one of them yelled.

“Oh? Do you not remember your princess of old? Has a thousand years really been so long?” She slowly slid the pony holding orb forward and it opened slightly. Moondancer fell out with a shriek, growing to her full size before she hit the ground. “Tell them who we are, student,” she said with a light chuckle.

The mare slowly looked up, before turning to the gathered, confused soldiers. “She's... she's Nightmare Moon. The mare in the moon. And she has... defeated Celestia and me.” The words came out of the unicorn's mouth, filled with shame. She looked back to the five ponies trapped in the bubble. Her friends. They'd all tried so hard, her, Lyra, Bon Bon, Minuette, Lemonhearts and Twinkleshine. They'd fought off all the threats using a mix of magic and secret agent training, but there hadn't been any success when it finally mattered. They'd had to watch helplessly as the Elements were destroyed under Nightmare Moon's hoof. They'd failed. More importantly, she'd failed. And now she'd never see her teacher again. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes.

A spear bounced off Nightmare Moon's flank, making the alicorn turn back and snort. “Truly?”

Moondancer was tackled aside and the royal guards unleashed on the princess. Magical spells and spears flew through the air, filling the courtyard in dust. The mare gulped and looked back, her mouth falling open as she looked at where the alicorn had stood. Was it possible? Would that be enough to--

Then the mare's cruel laughter filled the air and the dust was brushed aside. “Pathetic. Not even a fraction of the strength that Starswirl the Bearded once held.” Another unicorn raised her horn to attack, but the alicorn's horn glowed. Dark magic flowed around the unicorn.

The mare screamed, holding her head and writhing. After a few seconds she was dropped again, collapsed on the ground.

“Our name is Nightmare Moon, true ruler of Equestria. You will all learn to kneel before us, or suffer the consequences.” She paused and then gave a small smile. “Spread the word. We have defeated your Celestia and her prized pupil. The Elements of Harmony are destroyed. Our moon will now remain in the sky, forever!” she yelled, before laughing loudly. She watched the fear in their eyes, but she could still see the small fragments of hope. Of belief. The thoughts that their princess would save them. She slowly raised a hoof towards the heavens, pointing at the moon. “If you wish to see your princess, look nowhere else but there. For now she has become the mare in the moon.”

“It's... it's true,” Dancer said, the tears slowly going down her face. “Celestia is... Celestia is gone.” Her body shuddered and she let out a soft sob.

“Now then. We will begin the redecorations of my new home,” the alicorn said before stepping past the stunned ponies. Within a week, all in the kingdom would know who she was. Some would follow her willingly, others not so much. But it mattered not. They could not defeat her, no matter how hard they tried. She was the true ruler of Equestria now. She couldn't help but feel a little giddy.

When first they fought, it had taken her sister mere minutes to fight and then banish her to the moon. This time it had taken the princess of the night only a few minutes as well. Without the elements, her sister was weak. Defeating the student had been even easier. Setting the ponies against each other. They cared for each other, but there were gulfs between them she had been able to use. Now the elements were destroyed, no more.

Not bad for one nights work. The next few days would be interesting. Within a month, however, the ponies would adapt. She was sure of it. They would grow to love her, to care about her. To see her as their rightful ruler. She would be the mare that her sister never could be. She would give them all power, respect, love, adoration. And they would love her more than they ever loved her. The nights she created would be the kinds of legends, ponies would stay up just to glimpse them. To bask in her glory.

The thought gave her warm fuzzy feelings as she walked through the castle, changing the pictures, curtains, carpets, pretty much everything she could with her magic. Room by room she went, the ponies frantically moving to get out of her way. A few of the guards tried to block her way, but she removed them within seconds. It was all too easy.

The throne room was her favorite. She remade the throne into a black monolith, placing the two orbs on the back, to overlook her. Then she moved onto the next rooms.

Eventually she opened a door and found a small little purple pony, sleeping on a small cushion with her head on the table. Drooling a little. The first pony not in a panic to see her. She smirked and stepped forward and stomped on the table.

The mare jumped up with a yipe. “Sorry, sorry! I was just... I was just...” Then her eyes looked up at the princess and the alicorn felt pride. Soon the fear would fill her eyes. Soon.

“You look AMAZING!” the unicorn said with a gasp, her eyes glimmering and her hooves pushing together. “I can't believe it! You look just like I envisioned Nightmare Moon to look like!”

Errr, what?

“Well, a bit taller, but wow.” The earth pony jumped to her hooves and moved around the stunned princess and proceeded to, of all things, poke her. “Is this part of Printing's idea? I just knew she was up to something. I haven't seen a costume this good in years!”

The princess just stood there, stunned. Then that probing hoof poked her just below the wing and she let out a soft giggle and quickly dashed ahead, trying to ignore the ticklish poke. “No! Cease!”

The earth pony just stared, a grin on her face. “Such amazing attention to detail! Ohhhh, wait, is that what this was all about? Is Printing trying to get a movie based on this? Well, I think they've, frankly, just outdone themselves on your costume. You do look a bit too scary, though. Nightmare Moon is supposed to be an identifiable figure. Scary, but sad. Even though she does bad things, ponies are supposed to kind of root for her to have her happy ending. If you look like that, ponies are just going to get all scared of her and give foals nightmares. Nopony will like her then.”

Nightmare Moon just stared, her mouth falling open in shock.

Who in the blazes was this mare? Wait, nopony was going to like her? What was going on here? Something just didn't mesh up.

“The wings are a bit much though. Really, the whole thing is just far too frightening. This is supposed to be a sad to uplifting story, for older colts and fillies. This might be a bit much for them to handle, they'll just see Nightmare Moon as some scary villain. It'll completely miss the point,” Twilight said as she walked around. “Hold on one second.”

The alicorn just stared in bafflement. Who was this pony? Why did she proceed to... poke and prod at her in such a manner? If she knew that Nightmare Moon truly stood before her, why did she seem so calm? Were the mare not so obviously an earth pony, she'd have imagined her some great unicorn wizard, perhaps overconfident. She let out a yelp as the mare proceeded to poke at her with a pointer. Where did she get a pointer from?!

Author's Notes:

Another one of those mini-stories I was talking about. This is the two chapter one. The entire premise came about because, well, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if she hadn't been a unicorn. Celestia only met her because of her big burst of magic. But if she was destined for all the greatness she achieved, how would being an earth pony have changed it?

S1 CH 2. Write me a story

Twilight walked around the mare, nodded as she went. She could hardly believe the attention to detail. Why, if she didn't know better she'd think the old mare's tale of Nightmare Moon had somehow come to pass. She snickered at the preposterous idea. “Okay, you really must work on the horn. It's a little too long. She's the younger sister, remember?”

“You... you dare to mock our horn?”

“I do love the voice though. And the 'our' thing. Nice touch.” The alicorn bared her fangs and Twilight gasped, reaching up to grab her lower jaw. “Oh my goodness! How did you get these done? These are PERFECT! It will be a great way to set her apart from a standard pony! I wouldn't flash them too often, they--”

“CEASE!” the mare yelled finally, spreading her wings before her horn glowed and sent the earth pony flying back, pinning her to the wall.

Twilight gasped, cringing as her body ached. “O-ow... why... a-ahhh...” She was suddenly staring eye to eye with the mare.

“You dare to treat your princess in such a manner? The ruler of all of Equestria, mistress of the night and raiser of the moon?”

Twilight gulped, a very bad thought starting to form in her mind. Then the doors burst down. “Nightmare Moon! You're under arrest!” a very familiar unicorn in full armor yelled. Her big brother, Shining Armor. “Twily? What are you doing here? Let her go, you fiend!”

Nightmare Moon paused and then slowly turned back to the stallion, gazing down at him. “Yet another one of you soldiers wishing to perish at our hooves?” she asked, cocking an eye.

The earth pony gulped and let out a little squeak as she was dropped to the ground. “W-what's going on? She's not... she's a--” A barrier appeared around the alicorn and the terror let out a little chuckle.

“Your princess fell before us. You believe you shall do better?” Her horn glowed and a beam shot out, melting through the barrier and then striking Shining. The stallion toppled back, collapsing to the ground with a pained yell.

“Big... big brother...” Twilight said, staring at her unmoving brother's form. “H-how... he...” She then looked to the alicorn. “You're... you're the real... Nightmare... Moon. But you're just an old mare's tale. You aren't real. You can't be real. You're just a... you're just a story!”

The princess chuckled and slowly walked towards the prone form of her brother. “We are far more than just a story, child.”

“NO!” Twilight shrieked, racing forward. “Please... please don't... don't hurt my brother. He's just, he was--”

“Hurt?” the mare chuckled and slowly picked up the prone pony, before he disappeared. “He will learn to serve us as all others will. Until then, he shall live in our dungeons.” She then looked down at Twilight. “You, on the other hoof. You have a lot to answer for. Poking and prodding your ruler as if we are some kind of... thing to be prodded.”

Twilight squeaked, her ears going flat. “I... I thought... I thought you were an actor. F-for my book. I thought you were just... I didn't think you were real. I'm sorry!” She slowly backed up, gesturing wildly at her book with a hoof.

The mare frowned and then slowly closed the door behind herself. Her horn glowed as the book slowly flew through the air to her side. She flipped it open and cringed. “Such... interesting script. We see that there have been some changes in the last thousand years.”

Twilight nodded with a nervous gulp. She was going to be banished. Or imprisoned. Or imprisoned where she was going to be banished. Or executed while imprisoned at where she was banished. “I uhhh... c-can explain... some of the words if you like? Or... read it to you?”

“WE CAN READ!” Nightmare Moon roared, before flipping a page. “We can read very well!” She then pointed at one of the words. “And what does this word mean?”

Twilight moved over, slowly. She then gulped. “That is carriage. As in the--”

“We know what a carriage is! The spelling and letters of this time are... slightly different from our time.”

Twilight nodded rapidly. “Y-yes. Of course. I uhhh... just take your time,” she said softly, gulping nervously as the princess read her book. She wished she hadn't published it now. She never imagined when she had that meeting that one day her very LIFE would depend on it being good. Even worse, it was being read by the main character. Who she occasionally had to explain words to.

No, even worse than worse, after a few hours, she was starting to get a cramp in her leg. Hungry too. “Can... I... g-go down to the kitchen?” she asked softly.

“You wish to flee your princess?!” the mare demanded, glaring at her.

“N-no... I uhhh... I'm just hungry. Y-your highness is... v-very pleasant company.” She was going to die. She knew it. So going to die.

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Very well. We shall go to the kitchen!” she boomed, before getting to her hooves and shoving open the door. “Come, bard.”

Twilight nodded, before pausing. “Wait, bard?”

“Do you not twist words into stories that are most delightful to one's ears?”

“I uhhh... try. I guess bard works. I'll be a bard.”

“Good. Truly thou has spent much time on these words. I do like your... Moony character. She is very well made.”

Twilight nodded and hoped the mare felt that way after she got to the war.

------

Twilight nibbled on the pastries. She never would have imagined the kitchen had so many cakes, donuts and other sweets. She never would have imagined Celestia having such a sweet tooth. Normally she wouldn't have eaten so much, but she figured it would likely be her last meal, so she figured she could splurge a bit. Earth ponies like her normally worked it off anyway.

The room suddenly got colder and the alicorn tensed up. “What... is this...”

“What, errr... i-is what?”

“A WAR?! You slander us and accuse us of raising an army to dethrone our sister?!” the mare yelled so loudly that the forks and spoons on the table toppled to the ground.

“N-no, I was just--”

Nightmare Moon slammed the book onto the table and glared at her. “You were just what?”

“T-there aren't any... r-real records of it. I-it was just thought to be a myth,” Twilight said weakly, staring up at the angry mare. “I uhhhh... kind of... expanded a bit. It's fiction, you understand? I mean, there's a book out right now about Princess Platinum being a vampire hunter. It's just... made up.”

The alicorn balked. “That's preposterous!”

“E-exactly.”

“Princess Platinum would have never hunted vampires!”

“R-right!”

“Chancellor Puddinghead was the resident vampire slayer.”

“O-of cour-- wait, what?”

Nightmare Moon's wings flared out. “Very well then, young earth pony. We will tell you the story. Rather than this... fiction. The story of how we fought our sister!”

Twilight blinked a few times and her mouth fell open. “W-wait, you'll tell me the story? The FULL story?” she asked, before gasping. “Wait here one second!” She then galloped from the room.

Nightmare Moon stared, but after a moment Twilight dashed back in, a pen and paper in her mouth. She skidded to a stop at the table, dropping them on it. “Okay, go!”

The alicorn frowned. “We were... angry. Enraged at how the ponies were ignoring us. We went to our sister again and again, but she ignored us. Made excuses. Pointed out a... few small cases. We tried to argue. But she ignored us each and every time. Finally, we had had enough! We rose up and called on the power of the night! We fought our sister! Intending to trap her, to ensnare her with our very power!”

Twilight gasped.

“Our battle raged for nigh on ten minutes.”

Twilight gaped. “Wait, could you repeat that? Do you mean ten days?”

“No, minutes. Our rage was powerful and our sister did not wish to fight us. We, on the other hoof, wished to strike her down once and for all. Finally, our sister unleashed the Elements of Harmony on us, binding us in the moon.”

The earth pony just stared, looking at the mare. “That's IT?”

The princess blinked. “Why... yes?”

“But that's so... that's so boring!”

“Excuse us?”

“Well, here, look.” Twilight pointed at the page. “The reason I did the war is because that was the most common theory, for the story at least. A battle between sisters, hundreds fighting and killing each other. With no hope of victory, the elder sister turned to the Elements. But just a ten minute fight? That's so... sudden.” She then blinked. “And... you were banished for a thousand years?”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “I dreamed of my vengeance every day since. Before I wanted to kill her, now I--”

“Wait. Wait wait. Were you trying to kill Celestia?”

“Why, yes. Why did you think we said strike her down?”

Twilight's mouth fell open. “You... you killed Princess Celestia?”

The mare blinked and then shook her head. “No. At the time we admit we were quite... rash in our decision. Our desire for vengeance. To be free of her shadow. Death was... not what we wished this time. Instead we trapped her in--” She paused. “Why are you taking notes?”

“This is the first documented rebuttal from Nightmare Moon,” Twilight muttered. “I could make an entire book series on this, probably. I can see how it went now. The pain and damage in your heart made you seek the death of Celestia. She decided she couldn't fight her own sister to the death, so a thousand years banishment to let you cool off was given.” She paused. “A thousand years? That seems a bit... extreme. No offense.”

Nightmare moon glowered. “You wish to write a... book on my ordeal?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. A chance to get your side of it. It--” She blinked a few times and realized what she was doing. She squeaked and shook her head. “N-never mind. Sorry. Inspiration can strike at the... oddest times.”

The alicorn nodded. “Very well. But that IS how it happened. None of this war. We would have never done this to our citizens. We wish only for them to love us. To worship us. To kill them and hurt them in such a manner is just... not an option.” She paused. “To fear us, however. That is to be permitted.”

Twilight nodded. “Uh huh...” She couldn't help herself taking more notes. “You can keep reading.”

Nightmare Moon glowered a bit. She had the oddest impression the mare was... ignoring her at times. In a manner most annoying. But slowly she went back to reading the book.

------

Twilight sighed as she laid in her much tinier bed besides Nightmare Moon's much larger, spikier bed. It had been days(or weeks, or months. The lack of sunlight made time hard to gauge properly) since the new ruler had taken over and things were slowly settling. A little.

The ruler was spending much of her non-book reading time quelling rebellions, though there hadn't been many yet. The defeat of Moondancer and lack of a raising sun had sent most ponies into worried, but cautious states. She had no doubt that dozens of small rebellions were being formed as it was.

Still, the castle was slowly returning to some semblance of order. Moondancer had managed to get most of the staff and guards to return(though Twilight had a sneaking suspicion the latter were here more to protect ponies FROM Nightmare Moon than to guard her).

The writer, unfortunately, hadn't been allowed to leave. Nightmare Moon was still reading the story and was, truth be told, a dreadfully slow reader. The thousand years away had likely not helped her skills. To be honest, Twilight was amazed the mare could read at all. The alicorn was getting better, though. She was also the only mare who tended to be around the ruler at almost all times(namely because most other ponies tended to leave the room the moment she appeared).

She'd managed to get her hooves on a few papers from the outside world, but there wasn't anything about her. Just about the new tyrant holding the world captive. She made sure to hide said papers before the ruler could banish the poor ponies who wrote them.

However, probably the worst thing of all was one tiny little thing.

Nightmare Moon snored like a foghorn. She couldn't take it much longer. She did not write all these books so she could become the tour guide to some time shifted ancient ruler. She needed her own room. Now she just had to find a way to ask for it.

She glanced to the book. There was only a few chapters left. Maybe she could just wait it out. Then she could go home. But the snoring. The horrible, horrible snoring. She didn't think she could take much more.

The princess let out a wheeze that sounded like a tractor gurgling a bucket of nails. She sighed and gave up.

“Princess!” Twilight said firmly.

“Hmmm?” the mare asked, slowly opening an eye.

“I... I ummm... I... I want to go home!”

“... No, bard.”

“Oh, okay then, I just... n-no! This is it!” Twilight snapped, stomping a hoof down. “I need some privacy, my own room and--”

“Very well,” the mare said with a shrug. “You may have your own room.”

“And I-- wait, really?”

The mare nodded. “Of course. I know not why you insisted on sleeping in here, anyway.” She then closed her eyes and drifted back off.

Twilight just stared, her mouth falling open. She just wanted to scream. Technically she hadn't been told she had to sleep here. She just had been too afraid to ask to leave. Could she have really just left at any time?

She face hoofed and got up, trotting out of the room to find a guard. Someplace, anyplace without the snoring was all she wanted.

------

Twilight yelped as the book was slammed shut.

“What happens in the end?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“It's open ended,” the earth pony said softly. “You know, so the reader can imagine how it changes. How it goes.”

“That's stupid,” the mare said, before looking down at the book. Then slowly she looked back up. “We... want to have a happy ending.”

Twilight nodded. “I suppose you can imagine it as--”

“No. You will write us our story.” She pointed towards the notepad the earth pony had been taking notes on. “You are a bard, yes? You will write our story for all to know.”

Twilight blinked a few times before looking down at the notepad. “W-wait, you can't be--”

“You wrote this story with just an old tale, correct? Now you have all of the information you need. You will tell our story. Let ponies know who we are. Why we are here. Why they should... trust us. Love us. Revere us.”

Twilight gulped and looked up at the mare. She felt incredibly small now that the great alicorn was staring down at her. But, slowly, she nodded. “I'll... I'll get started on an outline. I'll need to ask you some questions, okay?”

“Ask us whatever you desire.”

The earth pony nodded and took a deep breath. This was going to be... interesting.

------

Twilight grinned happily as she put the last line in her four page outline... as well as her five-hundred and seventy-six side-report for references. It had taken her two weeks, but she now believed she was ready to start the story properly. It had all the most important information. For one, it had Nightmare Moon's side of the story(as well as a bit of stuff she added to try to make her side more relate-able to the modern pony). However, she'd also put the most important information of all.

What Nightmare Moon had done when she returned and what she planned to do. What happened to all those ponies who opposed her, what they had to fear, what they had to prepare for. What happened to Celestia. She knew that information would make ponies buy and read the book and give them immeasurable comfort to know they weren't in real danger. Or, at least, not too much. It would give them hope.

She just had to get approval from the ruler. She took a deep breath and trotted towards the throne room.

“Please, you've won,” Moondancer said, lowering her head.

Twilight stopped outside the throne room, peering in. Moondancer and Nightmare Moon were alone, the latter on the throne and the former on her knees.

“Let them go. I was the one who fought you, not them. They've suffered enough.”

Nightmare Moon merely chuckled. “Your precious friends will remain our prisoners until we deem otherwise. You are our student now and will learn to accept that.”

“Please! They're innocent, I was just--”

“Begone,” the mare said with a harrumph. “Be thankful we don't have you banished or imprisoned as well.”

“But--”

“WE SAID BEGONE!” the mare roared, sending the unicorn toppling back.

Moondancer gave a little sob, but slowly crawled out. She didn't even look at Twilight as she passed. Slowly the earth pony stepped inside. “Your highness?”

“Ah! Bard! We have been waiting for your return!”

Twilight looked to the two orbs by the princess. One holding the broken remains of the Elements, the other holding Moondancer's friends. She gave a nervous smile. “I uhhh... I finished the outline. It awaits your approval.”

Nightmare Moon smiled and her horn glowed, picking up the papers from Twilight's back. “Finally, bard. I wondered how long...” She trailed off as she went through it. Slowly her eyes narrowed and as she read through it she only seemed to get more annoyed. She finished and then threw the papers down. “NO!”

Twilight blinked and then looked at it. “W-what's wrong?”

“Our jailer! You intend to make her... liked. Benevolent. Kind. Compassionate. She was none of those things! Our sister was a cruel tyrant who ignored us!”

Twilight sighed. “But ponies know her as this. I... know you have a history with her and--”

“You will write her as we say! You will unveil the hateful, cruel monster that she was!”

The earth pony stared at her notes, before shaking her head. “W-what? NO! I will not!”

“You would disobey us?”

“Of course. Nopony will want to read that. You can't just... demonize your sister. I get it, you had troubles with her. But it's not simple. Everything you've told me about just how much went into your decisions. I want to show that. If I just make a... story about how horrible Celestia is, nopony would want to read a thing like that.”

Nightmare Moon stood up at her full height, her wings spread out. “You will write as we say, bard. And they will read it. We will MAKE them read it! We rule now, we will make the laws! Those who ignore our story will be imprisoned!”

Twilight blinked, her mouth falling open and, for the first time in a while, she felt anger. “W-what? No. You can't be--”

“Yes! All will know my story and they will love me! Or they will suffer and--”

“NO!” Twilight screamed, stomping a hoof down. “I am not writing something like... like that! I am not writing something you FORCE ponies to read! Stories are supposed to inspire, give motivation, feeling. Make ponies go through emotions so strong they can barely believe what they're reading is just a book! They are supposed to lift ponies up or bring them to pits of sadness, to awaken in them new feelings. To give them something to believe in, to try to be. To imitate. To love. They are not something that should be... should be FORCED down ponies throats just so you can act superior!”

Nightmare Moon's eyes widened. "YOU DARE? YOU DARE SPEAK TO YOUR QUEEN IN SUCH A MANNER? BOW, GROVEL, FEAR MY WRATH OR YOU WILL BE BANISH--"

"FINE!" Nightmare drew back, surprised by the vehement vitriol in the small mare's voice. Twilight felt herself sliding her front hooves forward, her anger bubbling forth out of control. "Go ahead! Do it! Banish me! Tartarous Gates, why stop there? Why don't you banish my brother? Everypony who stood against you when you first arrived? How about you just banish everyone who doesn't kiss up to you and pretend to love you the way you like? Banish the whole world while your at it! Then nopony can argue with you, stand against you, or speak out in any way! Then nopony around you will talk about your sister ever again! You can rule your kingdom, rule the world, all alone! Forever!"

Silence reigned in the throne room as Nightmare Moon slowly drew her wings back, staring at the fuming, panting earth pony. “We... we merely wish... we merely wish for ponies to show gratitude for all that we've done. We--”

“What have you done?” Twilight asked, still glaring up at the ruler.

“We... we make the night and--”

"Celestia made the night. AND the day. AND she listened to ponies. AND she didn't FORCE them to do things. She LET them make their decisions. Ponies WANTED to listen to her. What have you possibly done to make anypony WANT to be around you?" Twilight asked, stomping her hoof down with every 'and'.

Nightmare Moon stared at the mare, unable to contain the small bit of fear in her stomach at the pony's harsh words. “We... we did much, before. But you ignored us and--”

“We? WE ignored you? None of us were ALIVE a thousand years ago! We never even met you! You get one chance at this, ONE! One chance to make an impression on ponies and try to be an sort of anything to us. And all you want to do is throw your tantrums and force us listen to your hate clop about Celestia? You're a princess, try acting like it. Or not, see if I care. Banish everypony. Because like this, you're never going to have anypony who can really stand you. You'll be nothing more than that monster that ponies tell their foals about at night. The one who they will pray night and... well, night, for Celestia to come and defeat.”

Nightmare Moon stared at the panting mare, before slowly lifting a hoof up to her chest. Slowly, she lifted up the notes again and held them before her eyes. Gingerly, she held them out again. “... … … We... are sorry,” she said weakly. “We... approve of this... story. We will not force ponies to read it. We will... allow them, as they please. Will... you tell our story?”

Twilight blinked and slowly took the pages back, before nodding. “Yes, I will. It won't be only what you like, but I will try to keep it as honest as I can. But I won't ignore one side of the story, either.”

“Of course. You are the bard, we will not interfere.”

Twilight nodded and turned to walk out. She then paused. “Ponies won't like your trophies.”

Nightmare Moon paused. “Our trophies?”

“The Elements are fine. But holding Moondancer's friends hostage. Ponies will find out. That's not something Celestia would do. Or a kind, benevolent ruler.” Nightmare Moon didn't respond, so Twilight walked out of the room and closed the door.

She fell to her knees, her legs weak as jelly. She couldn't believe she just yelled at the princess. Oh buck she was going to be executed for sure. Eventually. She had to look down just to make sure she didn't wet herself. Heck, she'd actually cursed at a princess. Cursed! How was she not in the dungeon already?

------

Twilight gulped as she was escorted to the throne room. She was going to be put in jail. She knew it. She was soooo going to jail. She looked to the guards on either side of her. They looked as nervous as she did. The probably didn't even want to get her, but they had to. It had been a few days since her outburst and now she was here again. The door to the throne room was opened and, to her surprise, Moondancer was waiting there as well, before the throne.

The earth pony gulped and slowly stepped forward, besides the other mare. Well, at least wherever she was going to be imprisoned she'd likely have company. The princess looked down at them.

“Now, Moondancer. I have taken your... request, to heart. Bard, you may take notes.”

Twilight blinked a few times. Wait, she was here as the bard? She eeped, looking around for a pen and paper. Moondancer gave a nervous smile and floated a pair over.

“Now, we are a... merciful ruler. We wish to show compassion to those in our care. Now, we cannot and will not speak of our predecessor. But, so long as you have decided to give your loyalty to us...” Her horn glowed and slowly the orb containing Moondancer's friends was lowered from the throne. “We will release your friends. If you swear your loyalty to us. Your rebellion will be forgiven as the... short sighted mistake it was. But only once.”

The unicorn's eyes widened. “You... will? This isn't a trick?”

“Yes. We came here to rule, not to torment. We would rather you came to love and adore us, not fear and loathe us. As such, mercy must be granted for those who make... foalish decisions. Would you not agree?”

“Yes! Thank you princess! Thank you! I swear myself to you!” The bubble popped and the five ponies within spilled out on the floor, once again pony sized. Moondancer ran forward and hugged them in a pile. “Oh thank goodness!”

Twilight watched, a hoof covering her mouth. She couldn't deny being just the tiniest bit jealous of their friendship. Not that she needed anything like that. Her brother was the only friend she needed and she really needed to visit him in jail soon. She took down a few notes as the mares walked out from the throne room.

She really hoped they didn't try to fight again later.

“Now, there is one more... thing, we desire of you, bard.”

Twilight looked up. “Hm?”

“We have granted a pony the opportunity to design our castle. A... Miss Rarity. She is a common pony, but one apparently of high tastes from a neighboring town. You are to aid her.”

“Aid her? But I know nothing about designing!”

The ruler nodded. “We wish for our castle to show this... ruler that ponies wish to have. That they would love. You will help her create one from your... stories.”

Twilight blinked and then slowly nodded. “I... suppose that can work. I'll do my best, princess. Is uhhh, is that all?”

“Yes. You will find her in the main hall, awaiting your arrival.”

The earth pony nodded before giving a bow, then trotting out.

She hoped she was up to redesigning the castle with this Miss Rarity. Writing a story about that ruler was hard enough, she'd hate to see what would happen if the castle failed to meet her expectations.

Author's Notes:

And so on that note the story is complete! I'm sure most can see where this would eventually go. And so the second story of my three short stories is now done. :D
It's been more popular than I expected(yay!) and considering that, I might come back to add more to it as time goes on. For now though, ending where I wanted, with the seeds of Twilight's new life planted firmly in the ground.
Starting tomorrow, I'll begin the third and final short story.

S1 CH 3. Design our castle

Author's Notes:

And so it begins. I know a lot of people seemed pretty happy about this story, so I decided a while ago to continue it. Now, fair warning. I don't know how often I'll post, namely because, well... it's a side project. But I'm almost done with the Avatar series(expecting to be finished in a few months) and after that I don't have any big stories planned. I still have my own personal books I'll be writing, which will be taking priority, but I do plan to write an outline for this story in the coming week. So while I do plan on writing this story to completion now, I do not expect it to be fast in coming, so please bear with me.

In addition, just as another warning... this story will be long. The entire thing was just supposed to be a short one shot, setting up the premise and ending with her meeting the first of her friends(Rarity.) From there, people were supposed to be able to kind of imagine how the story went.

Now, though? I intend this to be a pretty big story. Her being born an earth pony can affect EVERYTHING, from Nightmare Moon all the way to Tirek and even Discord, possibly Sunset Shimmer. So please make sure to be patient and hope you enjoy it.

So now, without further ado, you requested it and I have problems saying no, the continuation of Twilight Glow!

Twilight took a slow, deep breath before she walked into the main hall. Standing in it was one of the most gorgeous unicorns she'd ever seen. Every aspect of the mare practically reeked of class, authority and elegance. She had a small book held in her magic and was in the midst of comparing the curtains to a small batch of color splotches she was carrying around.

Twilight couldn't help feeling a little plain around a pony like that. She shook her head and trotted forward. “Ah. Hello. Miss Rarity?”

“Hmmm?” She turned around and blinked. “Ah, no worries, dear. I'm merely waiting for the princess' representative. I'm fine as it is.” She looked back to the curtain.

“I am the princess' representative. Kind of.”

Rarity paused, and then looked back. She looked her up and down and for a moment, Twilight felt extremely worried. She felt as if the mare was somehow... measuring her. Examining every facet of her at once. Finally, the unicorn nodded. “I see. Well, dear, you truly must get some better clothes. I assumed you were one of the servants.” Her horn glowed and then a few nearby bags were lifted into the air. “One moment.”

Twilight blinked, then scowled. She wasn't THAT plain. She just never liked dressing up. “Now, Miss Rarity, I--” She let out a yelp before the mare assaulted her! There were scissors, rulers, fabric, tape and at one point a pin cushion. The earth pony never stood a chance as she was swept up into the madness that was the mare, too stunned to even cry out.

Then, as soon as it had started, it was over. A mirror was put in her face and she let out a soft gasp. She was wearing the finest purple saddle, her mane was combed down, flowing around her face. The saddle had delicate gems all around the edges, with one over her chest. She stared at herself, unable to believe it. She had NEVER been able to do with with her hair. Well, aside from when she used enchanted brushes, but they were such a pain to keep recharging, she usually just let her hair do what it wanted. She smiled at herself, feeling just a little pride.

She... looked wondrous. She couldn't believe it. Her eyes wandered to the other mare's bag, how had she managed to store so many things inside it?

“See, darling, you look positively spectacular! If you are to be of such a high position, you really should wear things that show it,” Rarity said with a knowing nod. She then reached out and brushed her hair back. “Besides, you have wonderfully soft features for an earth pony, you should play to them. It doesn't do to just hide them away.”

Twilight nodded slowly, unsure if the mare was trying to help or be insulting. “I... err, I see. Now, ummm, about the redecoration. The princess has asked me to aid you in this endeavor. However, I am afraid I... cannot offer much advice. The princess wants something that will...” She frowned and tapped her chin. What did the princess want?

No, that wasn't right. What the princess wanted was usually not anything like what she needed. “She needs something safe.”

“Safe, dear?”

“To make ponies feel safe. To feel like she'll protect them.”

Rarity just stared. “I'm... afraid I don't quite follow. The princess informed me she wanted something that showed the world her power. How she was--”

“Don't listen to the princess. Well, do listen to the princess, but... ugh, there's this whole... thing with her. You need to know how to read between the lines. What she wants is not necessarily what she needs.”

“Ahhhh, I see,” the designer said sceptically. “I... errr... am not sure I should...”

Twilight blinked, then face hoofed. “Would... you hold on just one teensy, tinsy, itsy bitsy moment?”

“Of course, dear.”

Twilight nodded and then raced back to the throne room. The princess was sitting on her throne and instantly turned a glare on the earth pony. “Ah, bard. You return so quickly?”

“Yes, I do. Did you threaten this designer?”

The princess nodded. “Of course. If she fails in her duties, then we will tear apart her family line. Dishonor and shame will follow them from this day forth, all of their ranks and priv...” The princess paused at the look she was getting. “We... have... mis stepped?”

Twilight face hoofed so hard she actually flipped over. “Ahhh! Ow!”

“Bard, your antics are amusing, but you are a bard, not a jester.”

She slowly got back to her hooves and shook her head. “Right. Okay, princess. The threatening of ponies isn't... good. You want to be loved and adored, right?”

“Of course. We are the rightful ruler of this realm and all shall kneel and revel in us!”

“Then you need to try showing a little compassion.”

“What? We have shown much! You would have us lie down and roll over for our subjects? Humble ourselves before them?”

Twilight licked her lips as she tried to think of the proper way to word this. Finally she nodded and grinned. “Princess, you are the most powerful being around, correct?”

“Indeed. Far beyond in power to our sister or anything else.”

“Good. Mercy isn't a show of weakness, it is a sign of strength.”

The princess stared. “Excuse... us?”

“You are the most powerful being in all of Equestria. So far beyond anything we could ever hope to fight or oppose. You don't need to remind us. You don't need to flaunt it. You're too strong for that. Too powerful. We're... much weaker and smaller than us, that means you need to be gentle, kind. Protective. Not threatening. You wouldn't crush one of your glasses in your magic, would you? No, you need to be gentle so as to keep it from shattering.”

The princess scowled. “But this servant must not fail.”

“If you torment or hurt her for failing, it will do more damage to your appearance than anything she could ever do. Ponies will see that and decide that that's all you'll ever be. Hurt and abuse those of us who try and fail. Even worse when your expectations are too high.”

The princess glared and slowly got to her hooves. “I will not allow this pony to fail me.”

“I'm not asking you to not expect good things from her. Just don't threaten her and her loved ones over it. If you do, you'll just make her and all the other ponies more scared and more likely to try rebelling. They'll end up seeing you as nothing more than a tyrant and... long for Celestia.” That made the alicorn's eyes twitch.

The princess slowly moved over to her and circled. Twilight had the sneaking suspicion that the princess was considering devouring her whole. Ending her life there and now. Finally, the princess turned away and walked back towards her throne. “Very well. But bard, you continue to ask much of us. For now I will... allow your suggestions. But should you think to lead us astray...”

“Of course not, your highness,” Twilight said quickly. “I only wish to serve.” 'And keep as many ponies from having their lives ruined by you as possible,' she mentally added. She paused. “And... I'm going to do everything I can to make this exactly what ponies will need. What they will want. So if there's a failure, it falls on my hooves. Not hers.”

The princess frowned, but slowly nodded. “That is... acceptable. Do not think you will not be punished for failure, however.”

“Of course not, your highness.” She quickly turned and walked out of the room, letting the guards close the door behind her. She gave another shudder. She wasn't sure how long she could keep doing this, she was already on the verge of a breakdown. She forced a smile on her face as she walked back to the main hall. “Ah, miss Rarity?”

The mare glanced back. “Oh, yes?”

“I'm afraid we may have gotten off on the wrong hoof. My name is Twilight Glow, I'll be functioning as Princess Nightmare Moon's representative during these times.” She took a slow, deep breath. “The threats she levied against you are now moot. I apologize for that. The princess is known to get a bit... excited. I only ask that you try your best. If you are unable to meet our expectations, we will find somepony else and you will be allowed to leave. Without your life and future being ruined or destroyed. We swear.”

Rarity nodded nervously. “O-of course. I--” She paused. “Wait, Twilight Glow?”

“Yes.”

“As in... the author?”

The earth pony blinked, before slowly nodding. “Why... yes. You've read my books?”

“Oh, no. I'm afraid not. But my dear friend Fluttershy is a great fan of your work. She's read everything you've ever written.”

Twilight blushed. “O-oh. Well, I'd love to meet her some day. I always love my fans.” She gave a sigh. “Especially now. I imagine I won't have many after this ordeal ends. If it ends...” she muttered softly under her breath.

“Of course. She always said such good things about you, it's hard to believe you're working for... err...”

The earth pony sighed again. “I am working for the princess, yes. Before all of... this happened I was working on a story with Princess Celestia. When Princess Nightmare Moon arrived, I... well... had my options changed quickly. I am now in the midst of trying to create a proper story in order to explain the desires and goals of our new princess. In a manner to help alleviate some of their fears. Most of their fears.” She smiled at the unicorn. “The... princess is not exactly the best at asking. May I ask how you were chosen?”

She sighed. “I was in charge of the decorations for the Summer Sun Celebration. She claimed if I was chosen by Celestia... well...” She shuffled her hooves.

“I see,” Twilight said with a frown. “Well, don't worry. I know exactly what we need to do. I know nothing of actual design work, but... I'm sure you can help me with my actual ideas.”

“Oh, of course. How shall we start?”

Twilight rubbed her chin and looked around. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “Okay. The first thing... we need a sense of familiarity. Colors that make the place seem lighter than it is. I'm pretty doubtful I could convince Nightmare Moon to raise the sun now. Or ever, for that matter. But ponies come in, they'll want something lighter. Something that reminds them that they can feel safe here. Happy. And warm. The place needs to be nice and cozy.”

Rarity nodded. “I... suppose I could keep to lighter shades, but she said she wanted to show power...”

“She already has power. She took over the entire country in less than a few days. Already ponies are quickly submitting to her will. What she needs is the will of the people. She needs ponies to see that she's not all bad, all evil. She's just...” Twilight shook her head. “Anyway, if we can start the court again, give ponies a chance to come here and meet her, then that'll make things easier. It'll help them to understand the pony that's inside. It'll also help her learn how to better... cope with these new times. The way ponies think now and-- wait. Puddinghead. I never got to ask her about the vampires!”

“Ex... cuse me?” Rarity asked, staring at the earth pony.

“What? Oh, nothing. Just... ugh, I need to get that story from her eventually. Later. For now, focus,” she mumbled as she walked around, looking sceptically. “We need to start the court as soon as possible. A night court, I suppose. One where all ponies can meet here. We'll need to... control who can come see her, at first. At least until she can get her anger under control. There will be a lot of unhappy ponies wanting to talk with her.”

Rarity was making wild gestures with her hooves, but Twilight couldn't begin to imagine what they meant.

“They'll probably yell or demand the sun be raised and I'm not sure how she'll handle that. Maybe for now stick with smaller things. The kinds of things that Celestia was going to be dealing with. Oh! We could host a gala! Make up some kind of celebration. Show that she isn't as terrifying as... well, as she is.”

Rarity was doing the oddest little dance now, her eyes wide.

“She's really not so bad, honestly. She's terrifying as buck, but I think once she calms down a bit and develops a bit more empathy, she won't be so bad. I think so long as everypony is careful, we can manage to keep her from trying to kill us all. So, bright colors, but warm. Kind of like... someplace where ponies can be warm, safe and comfortable. Not sterile, though. Kind of like... I don't know, a--”

“You wish for ponies to sleep through their encounters with us?” Nightmare Moon asked, making Twilight jump and quickly turn around, backing away rapidly.

“Y-your highness, I-I wasn't, that's not at all what I was thinking!” Twilight said quickly. “I just thought--”

“We are the ruler of all Equestria!” the mare boomed. “Our ponies should be grateful to be in our presence, not napping through the encounter!”

Twilight squeaked and lowered herself to the ground, gulping. “I-it's just, I thought... p-ponies might respond more... p-positively to it. They'd like you more. T-they'd want to be around you more.”

Nightmare Moon glowered at her. After a few moments, she nodded. “Do go on, bard. But remember, the ice on which you tread is quite thin.”

The earth pony nodded. “T-this is... a very dramatic shift for us. For all ponies. We're used to Celestia, we lo--” She barely caught herself from saying 'love'. She did not think the princess would appreciate that. “We... cared deeply for her. We felt safe. Ponies will be scared with this new change and won't want to come and speak with you otherwise. They--”

“If they do not wish to speak with us, then they need not! We do not require their acceptance!”

The earth pony took a slow, deep breath, before nodding. “I... I guess there's no need for that.” She chewed on her lower lip. “I mean, just because Princess Celestia did it and ponies loved it, doesn't mean they'll like it when you do it.”

There was a pause from the princess and... slowly she looked down at the mare. “They... loved that mare for it?”

“Ponies came from all over Equestria for a chance to meet with the princess. They could bring their grievances or problems before her, ask her for help or advice. Sometimes ponies came just to bask in her presence.”

Doubt started to flutter across the alicorn's features. “Per... haps this is... not such a foalish idea as we thought. This does indeed sound like a... delightful way for our subjects to show their love and adoration for us.”

Twilight nodded. “But it would be a lot of work, your highness. If ponies feel scared when they're here, they won't be able to... properly bask in your presence. They'll want to flee from you and hide.”

The princess nodded. “We... suppose our magnificence is much for ponies to take in at once.”

“Exactly! But you're the princess of the night, right? If we show ponies the joys of the night. The comfort, the security, the warmth. The gentleness of slumber, the pleasure of dreams.”

“You wish for ponies to sleep through my nights?” Nightmare Moon snapped angrily.

“N-no! Of course not! But, err, if we remind them of... what they like about the night. Love. Love about the night, then they'll be happier here. Show them the beauty of it. Such as... shooting stars. The great moon. So many different things that only the night can bring.”

The alicorn stared at her, before slowly nodding. “We... suppose there is logic in what you say. Make it so, bard.”

“O-of course your highness.”

She watched the mare walk away, before letting out a sigh of relief.

“That was amazing!” Rarity said as she moved over. “Dear, how ever did you get her to listen like that? Standing up to her, as well. It... Twilight?”

The earth pony whimpered. Her entire body had locked up in fright. “I-I'll be honest. About ninety percent of it is just trying desperately not to wet myself. The rest of it is being so terrified I can't run even if I thought I could escape,” she said weakly. “C-can you help me up?”

“Oh, of course darling,” Rarity said before moving to gently nudge the mare to her hooves. “However do you do it?”

“Logic. Cold hard logic,” Twilight muttered, before smiling. “She's really... easy once you know how to push the right buttons.” She then shuddered. “Wait, easy is not the right word. Terrifying but barely workable. Yes, that.”

“Do you think we'll be able to do it, dear? I mean... creating a place that makes a pony feel safe, here?”

“I think the harder part will be making her not yell and scream at ponies,” Twilight muttered, before giving a nod. “I think it'll be doable, though. Not easy, but doable.”

Rarity nodded, before looking back towards the retreating princess. “And... of her... I mean... the princess. Celestia. Is there... any... hope?”

Twilight shook her head. “I don't think so. At least... not unless Nightmare Moon releases her. Where ever she is, whatever has been done with her, nopony can tell. But... we'll have to...” She took another deep breath. “So, how about we work out the details a bit more? Light, but reveling in the night. I'm thinking... nebulas and shooting stars. But more a gentle, happy glow.” She blinked. “And we need to make it authentic. Fortunately I do have a minor in astronomy.”

Rarity nodded. “Of course. I'll start designing a few samples immediately.”

“Good, good. Will... you be okay on your own for a little bit? I... really need to go meet with somepony.”

“Oh, of course dear. I'll be in my work space. I... assume the guards will show you the way.”

Twilight nodded before walking off. Before anything else, there was one place she had to go. Somepony in particular she had to see.

Somepony locked in the dungeons who wasn't going to be at all happy.

S1 CH 4. Talk and walk

The earth pony gulped as she slowly walked down the steps into the dungeons. She'd only been down here a few times in the past, but it had always been with her brother and during the day. Now the hallway leading to it was dark and the torches did little to remove the feeling of unease. Even though she knew she was in no danger, she couldn't help practically tip hoofing as she walked.

Then she made it down to the bottom layer and she froze in place. There were dozens of cells. Last time there had only been a few ponies locked away, namely for minor things. Most were just sleeping whatever had put them here off. But now each and every cell was filled to the brim, four or five ponies in each. A few looked up, but barely glanced at her.

“Shiny?” she called out.

“Twiley?” his voice came from down the hall. She galloped forward, soon turning to one of the prisons and gasping, a hoof going up to her mouth.

“Shiny? You're... you're... playing poker?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. Six ponies were in the cell, sitting at one of the tables and dealing cards to each other. They even had little poker hats on. He waved.

“I've been down here for years, Twily. It gets boring.”

“It hasn't even been a month,” she said flatly. “But, okay, boring makes sense. Sorry I haven't come to visit you, I--” Her eyes widened. “Oh mom and dad must be panicking by now.”

He blinked. “Wait, what? You haven't sent them a message? How could you not send them a message!”

“I-I've been busy!” she said defensively, adding it to the list of things she had to do.

He frowned. “Oh, I've heard. What is this about you joining Nightmare Moon? Becoming her bard?”

She sighed and then yelped. She couldn't help but notice almost all the cells had eyes on her. “It's... it's not how it sounds. Really.”

“Celestia will come back and over throw her, Twily. If you've--”

“Maybe, but that's besides the point,” Twilight said quickly. “I am NOT serving her. Well, I am, but... it's a long story. I'm trying to get to the bottom of all of this.”

He got up and moved to the bars. Some of the glares from the guards leveled off, but most were still aimed at her. “Bottom of this?”

“Yes. Exactly who she is and what her intentions are. I've found out so much, Shiny,” she said softly. “But that's not what's important. I'm writing this out.”

He scowled. “You're writing a BOOK about this? This isn't the time, it's--”

“It's the perfect time! Ponies are out there right now, afraid. They don't know what's going on, they don't know where the princess is. They don't know if they're in danger. I'm learning what's going on. Celestia is alive, but... I don't think she'll be coming back. And ponies aren't in danger. Well, they might be imprisoned, but she doesn't want to hurt or kill us. She wants...” She blinked and lowered her gaze. “She wants us to love her. To adore her. It's... kind of sad, really. In a lot of ways she's like a little child throwing a tantrum.” She took a deep breath. “And I can get this information out to ponies. Let them know what's going on. Remove the fear, give them the knowledge. Let them know EXACTLY who she is and what she wants.”

For a moment there was silence. Then she felt something hit her flank. “Ow!” She looked down and saw the remains of a sandwich. “Who--” Then another. Followed by an apple core, and a pillow.

“Get out of here, moon lover!” a voice yelled out.

“Hey, knock it off!” Shining yelled, stomping a hoof, but the others ignored him. Twilight let out a shriek as more things were leveled at her, fortunately nothing too big. She turned and raced out from the cells, being peppered by garbage the whole way. She finally made it up the steps and out of the cells, the refuse falling off her with every step. She could still hear them yelling.

“Get out of here!”

“Traitor!”

“Go back to your false queen!”

Her eyes were filled with tears but she struggled to keep them in, to hold them back. She kept her face low as she walked out through the halls, passing the servants and guards who barely looked at her. Not that there were very many. A lot of ponies still tried to avoid the palace. She made her way towards the garden entrance, taking a deep breath as she stepped outside and felt the cool night air. Of course, it was always cool night air. They couldn't have cool day air anymore.

With that, she felt the dams break. The tears began to flow and she charged forward, running into the garden and away from the castle. Away from those angry ponies. Most importantly, away from the Nightmare. She ran and ran, racing through the mazes and all the plants until she couldn't run anymore.

Then she fell down to her knees and sobbed, covering her face with her hooves and cried like a filly. She wasn't a traitor. She didn't want to serve Nightmare Moon. She wanted to be writing books, talking with fans, working with her editor. She wanted to run away, leave this castle forever and pretend none of this ever happened.

But she couldn't. She... could control Nightmare. Not very well, but she seemed to be able to stop her from doing things that were too bad. Even worse, she didn't know if others could. She had a unique position to give ponies all the information they needed to feel safe, to be safe. To help them understand what was going on. Even if it meant they hated her. The princess listened to her. Who knew? In a few months, she might even be able to convince her to release Celestia. Or years. Or decades. Or...

She sobbed again, so hard it shook her entire body as she laid on the ground, unable to keep the pain in any longer. She wanted to go home. She hated it here. She was just an earth pony, a simple earth pony. She wanted to write her stories, like her mother. That was all. She wasn't supposed to be some kind of bard for the princess.

She was so caught in her pain and suffering she didn't notice until her sobbing stopped that there was a soft, gentle warmth on her side. She slowly looked over and saw a little yellow pegasus with a pink mane standing over her, a wing gently holding her. The mare eeped and pulled back. “I... I'm sorry... you just... you s-sounded so...” She kept speaking, but the words got so quiet and soft that Twilight couldn't even hear them.

“I'm sorry?” Twilight said, smiling at the mare as she wiped her eyes. “I... I'm sorry. I just... I was so...” She took a slow, deep breath. “Stressed. Very, very stressed. Are... you here to see the princess?” She received a soft squeak in response. “I'm sorry? I can't hear you.” She moved a little closer and caught something out of the corner of her eye. She glanced up and froze.

A massive monster towered over them, making her words lock in her throat. It had wings, claws, a massive tail and big teeth. It was... in the midst of singing opera?

It took her a moment to realize it wasn't a beast at all, it was some kind of statue. A weird amalgamation of all kinds of different creatures in one. She shook her head and then looked back to the pony. Though the statue still kept trying to draw her eyes. “I'm sorry, what was your name?”

The mare mumbled. Twilight moved in closer. “I'm sorry?”

“F-Flutter... shy...” she whispered so softly that Twilight could only just make out the words. She gave a comforting smile, though she couldn't help feeling a nagging feeling that she'd heard that name before.

“Ah, hello Miss Fluttershy. My name is Twilight Glow, a pleasure to meet you.”

The mare gasped. “T-Twilight Glow? T-the Twilight Glow?”

The earth pony blinked and nodded. “Err... yes? Are you a fan?”

“Ohhh! I've read all your books on Fuzzles the bunny! They are just so adorable and cute and help me whenever I have a bad night!”

Twilight blinked a few times and cocked her head to the side. “Fuzzles? Wait, the...” She bit her lip. She'd written a few filly and colt stories, the Fuzzle series. They hadn't really been a big hit, but they'd done moderately well. She only really worked on them on the side, though, since they weren't very stressful. “Really? I uhhhh... I'm happy you liked them.” She couldn't help but feel the mare was a little bit older than the target audience. But then, who was she to judge? She wrote the things and a fan was a fan regardless. “Are you here to see the princess?”

“Oh... ummm... n-no. I'm... here with Rainbow. Did... did you escape?”

“Escape? No,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. She then paused and looked around. “Wait. Here with Rainbow? Who's Rainbow? And why are you out here in the middle of the night? Well... I guess it's always night now. But still.”

“We're... ummmm... here to rescue Rarity... sorry...” the pegasus said, shuffling her hooves.

Twilight blinked a few more times. “Rarity isn't being held prisoner here. She's helping to design the new--” She paused. “Wait, rescue? Oh... oh dear. That could--” She shook her head and smiled. As troubling as it was to imagine somepony trying to do a rescue operation right now, if this Rainbow was anything like Fluttershy, there was nothing to worry about.

Of course, mere moments later she heard a loud battle cry(for there was nothing else it could possibly be called), followed by the shattering of glass. Twilight gulped. “Oh. Oh no. That's... not your friend by...”

There was a nod from the mare.

“Oh buck.” She turned and raced towards the castle, already she could hear things breaking and the screams. Buck buck buck!

Author's Notes:

And so begins the meeting of more friends and a bit of foreshadowing. You'll all be happy to know that the rough outline for the series following the first season was finished last night.

It was bucking huge. It's looking like this story will be extremely long so I'm doubtful I'll finish it anytime soon. Buck, the first season alone looks like it'd take 2-3 months of pure dedicated writing just to finish, not even counting breaks. And there's bound to be 6-8 seasons by the time the story is done. And that's with the majority of it from Twilight's viewpoint. But hey, as long as people LIKE the story I see no reason why I'd toss it aside and the premise is fun enough I think it'll be fun to write.

As an aside, this'll probably be the second to last 'short' chapter. I finished these all a while ago and while I'll try to make more short burst chapters, chances are they'll end up being longer since, well... I write longer now. Oops.

S1 CH 5. Rainbow. No. Just no.

Twilight raced through the castle, the sound of fighting echoing through the halls. Or rather, of things breaking. She passed a shattered window, at least a dozen shattered vases, portraits that were knocked aside. The place was a wreck. Off ahead she saw a rainbow blur blow into one of the rooms, only to fly out of it a moment later. A few of the guards were trying to keep up, but failing wildly as they raced after it.

Twilight, fortunately, had a feeling she knew exactly where the blur would end up. After all, there was only one place it could end up to cause the most possible trouble and likely get them all killed. She turned down a hall and raced straight towards the throne room.

She made it just in time for the blur to break in through the side door and race straight at Nightmare Moon.

They were all so bucked.

The blur raced straight at the alicorn and she stared in bewilderment. Right until the moment it slammed into the princess and sent her reeling back, toppling head over hooves.

They were all going to die. The color slowly drained from Twilight's face as she watched. That was all she could do. Watch helplessly as the blur finally slowed down, hovering over them. It was a pegasus, a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane. Odd, she'd always imagined the envoy of her destruction would have been a darker shade. Or maybe red.

“Hey! You! Nightmare! Where's Rarity? I don't care if she's prissy, she's one of us Ponyvillions and there's no way I'm letting you keep her hostage!”

Twilight desperately wanted to cry as she watched it all play out. There was no fixing this. There was nothing she could do. She had to do something, but what? What could she possibly do in the face of THIS?

The princess slowly got to her hooves, her body trembling with barely contained rage. “You... dare to strike us?”

The rainbow maned pony dived down again. Except this time she barely made it two feet before she found herself wrapped in Nightmare Moon's magic. The alicorn plucked the pegasus from the air as easy as one would an apple, drawing her in and bearing her sharp teeth. “You... foalish... pony. You have signed your own death warrant.”

Twilight gulped.

Then heard a shriek from behind her, making her jump.

“Rainbow! What are you doing here?” Rarity yelled as she galloped into the room.

“What? Rarity? Hey, I'm here to rescue you! Err, just a moment,” the pegasus yelled as she tried to break free from the magic. It had no effect.

“Rainbow, I'm not being held captive, I was hired!”

The pegasus blinked and then slowly looked into the face of rage, the furious princess glaring at her. She slowly gulped. “Oh.”

“'Oh'? Is that all you have to say?” the mare asked, her fury almost palpable. “You have attacked your princess, and you say 'oh'?” She closed her eyes, before flicking her head.

Rainbow let out a scream as suddenly she was compacted tightly and thrown down into the ground. Twilight watched in horror, staring at the pegasus as the magic holding her slowly got smaller and smaller, crushing the pegasus. There was the sound of a few bones breaking.

Nightmare was going to kill her. She was actually going to--

“NIGHTMARE MOON! STOP!” Twilight yelled, rushing forward. “Stop! Stop stop stop!” she screamed.

For a moment, the crushing stopped as the alicorn turned to her. “What is it now, bard? Does this not match your story, either? We have been attacked and will not allow this crime to go unpunished!” she yelled, stomping a hoof down.

“Wait, please, you can't just... kill her,” Twilight said softly, looking back at the panting, pained pegasus. “She was just... she...”

The alicorn sighed, closing her eyes. “Perhaps... you are right.”

Relief flooded the earth pony.

“But she must still be punished. But as one of my subjects, what would be fitting?” She lifted the pony up into the air, eliciting another groan from the hurt pegasus. Then her eyes lit up. “Of course.” She slowly turned the pegasus around.

“What are you doing?” Twilight asked. The magic left most of Rainbow, now just gripping her wings and leaving her suspended by them. The pegasus let out a pained whimper.

“We will not kill her. However, as punishment, pegasus... we will take your wings.” The wings were spread out, eliciting another gasp from the mare.

“W-what?” Rainbow said, before letting out a shriek. “N-no! Please, I'm sorry! I'm SORRY!” she screamed, thrashing about as she tried to pull herself free. “Don't, please, please not my wings! Please!” she begged.

Nightmare just grinned, pulling the wings taut. Then, slowly, pulling on them more.

Twilight watched with horror, shaking her head. “No, no no. Stop. STOP!” she cried, but the princess ignored her. She stared at the wings were tugged, slowly pulling on the mare's back. Pegasus wings were durable, but there was no way they could stand against an alicorn's magic for long.

There was nothing else she could do. As scary as it was, she had no choice. She turned around and slapped the princess across the face as hard as she could, the resounding smack seeming to echo through the chamber. It had the desired effect. Rainbow was dropped to the ground and Nightmare Moon took a few stunned steps back, more from shock than from the force of the blow.

The princess stood there for a moment, unmoving. Twilight gulped, looking to Rarity and gesturing quickly towards Rainbow. The unicorn eeped and quickly moved forward, grabbing Rainbow's hoof and dragging the hurt pony away as quickly as she could, using her magic to help support her.

Once they were out, Twilight turned to the alicorn. She still just stood there, stunned. Unmoving. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe--

The doors slammed shut.

Oh buck.

The alicorn's eyes slowly lowered to her. There was a cracking sound, followed by every mirror, window and glass in the room shattering to a thousand pieces.

”YOU DARE TO STRIKE US?!”

Oh. Oh buck. She was going to die. She was going to die. The only reason she didn't wet herself there was she was too afraid to. Every part of her body froze as the princess turned to her, her dark magic swirling around her as her eyes glowed with an evil fury. She turned her head and there was a crash as one of the pillars in the room collapsed, smashed to dust.

What had she done?

Author's Notes:

And so comes chapter 5, the last chapter I actually finished. I will TRY to get chapter 6 done soon so it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, but I was always a bit wary of it, namely because I was worried it didn't portray Nightmare Moon in a way she was supposed to be regarded. But, meh, I think I found a way to make it work. And if I failed, well, I did my best and you all know where to buy pitchforks and torches.

I got seasons 2-3 and EQ girls finished up yesterday, or at least the outline. Oh. My. Gosh. I am over 30 arcs now, and keep in mind every arc can be like... 10-40k words. Anywhere from 3-20 chapters. I've still got three seasons to write out and plan. Fortunately, season 4 SHOULD be easy enough. Rainbow rocks... that'll be a bit more difficult, but I have ideas. Lots of ideas. Season 5 will be the kicker and I'm not sure I can even do season 6 yet, I've got no clue what to do with it. Namely because it's not done. On the up side! Should the story turn out to be a colossal failure, I can just end up quitting at the end of one of the seasons before hiding in some mountain sanctuary from those who will hunt me down... :P

As an aside, I have decided to follow through with my initial plan of having the majority of the story be done through Twilight's views. There are OTHER stories going on at the same time, but the majority of the side stories will likely be brushed over. Namely because if there is to be ANY chance of this story ever being completed, I just won't have time to write all the side stories aside from like... well, maybe side fics. All in all, though, please keep enjoying and thank you for all the support. Honestly, all the loving comments have been very encouraging and really helping to give me the drive to write this.

S1 CH 6. Punishment

”WELL, BARD?! WHAT DOEST THOU SAY?!”

Twilight gulped and stared at the princess. She watched her and whimpered. She couldn't stop herself. She was too scared to move, too scared to run. Too scared to do anything but await death.

”WELL?!”

Finally, she cracked. The tears formed in her eyes and she fell on her flank and began to full on bawl. She didn't care if she looked like a foal, she was going to die and she knew it and she didn't care if she looked horrible in her last moments.

She felt the movement as warmth wrapped around her and she waited for the end. It would only take a moment, she hoped. Probably compressed down to the size of a can. She hoped it would be painless.

Instead, nothing happened. The warmth stayed and, more surprising, it was soft. Wings held her close as the princess gazed down at her. Slowly the tears began to fade as she looked up into the eyes of her ruler. Most surprising of all, the rage was gone from them. The look on the ruler's face was soft, gentle. Almost loving. Motherly. Her wings gently wiped the tears away.

“Be calm, bard,” the princess said soothingly. “There is no need to cry.”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open as she watched. “I... I thought...” she croaked out. “You're... n-not going to... kill me?”

The alicorn sighed and frustration formed on her features as she closed her eyes. She looked torn.

Twilight's eyes widened as a new thought formed in her mind. “Princess... do... do you love us?”

Her eyes opened in shock. “Bard?”

“Us... ponies. Do you love us?”

The princess cocked her head to the side. “Of course we love our subjects. What kind of ruler would we be without the love of those we protect?”

Twilight gulped. “Are... are you going to kill me?”

The princess shook her head. “No. You... are our subject. A foal. But you are ours. You still must be punished, however.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you...”

Nightmare Moon watched her for a moment. “Was... it truly necessary to ask?”

“I'm sorry?”

“To ask if we loved our subjects?”

Twilight gulped. “W-well... you... did almost kill and tear off the wings of that pegasus.”

“She assaulted us!” the alicorn roared. But then paused. “Why did she?”

“She... thought you had her friend held captive. Rarity. She was... trying to free her.”

The alicorn stared, before pulling away. “A thousand years, and yet it all stays the same,” she said bitterly.

“I'm sorry?”

“Would they have ever suspected their other princess of holding a pony captive? Would they have assaulted her?!” Nightmare Moon asked, slamming a hoof down hard enough to crack the stone.

“W-what?”

“Our sister!”

“W-well, no, I suppose they wouldn't. But--”

“Of course not! Even now, when we are all you can see, still we must stay in her shadow! Why must all of you ponies hate our night so?!” she roared, stomping her hooves yet again.

Twilight cringed. “It's... it's not that. Honest! It's just...” She took a deep breath as she watched the princess. A moment ago she'd been so calm and soothing. Now, however, the anger and pain she was so familiar with was returning. “It's because we don't know. Nopony knows. We're afraid of... what's going to happen. We don't know you.”

“Of course you don't know us!” Nightmare Moon yelled. “We are hidden from you! As our sister wanted, she stood revered and loved by all, while we were cast aside, forgotten and banished!”

Twilight cringed. “I-I wouldn't say--”

The princess turned back to her. “Oh? Tell us, bard. How did you know of us?”

The earth pony gulped. “I... I read about you in a book. It was just an old fairy tale and--”

“Oh course it was! Just a tale, something to tell foals before tucking them in!” she roared again, before she stormed to the throne and sat down on it. She then gestured to the floor. “Very well, bard. You who have had so many questions. You have filled your books with what you thought you needed to ask. But now, let us tell you of who we were. Of what our life was before we were banished.”

Twilight blinked, her eyes widening. “W-what? But--”

“You have asked questions. So many questions. You have begun to weave your story. To know of our fall. But this time... we will tell of who we were. Before we even considered rising up to our wicked sister and dethroning her.”

The earth pony nodded. “Can... I ummm, get a scroll and a pen? I'd like to--” A scroll and quill popped into existence before her. “A-ah. Carry on.”

The princess took a slow, deep breath before closing her eyes. “We... were the princess of the night. Alongside our sister, we protected our subjects. Our ponies. We defeated the greatest of evils. Tirek, Sombra, even Discord. We put our lives on the line for so long, did everything we could to protect our subjects.”

Twilight nodded and made a mental note to research those names later.

“But never the praise fell on us,” she said, her tone cold as ice. “Always our sister was the one who received the glory. The one who ponies praised. Revered.” She gave a shudder. “They would hold... banquets in our honor. Raise statues. But they were always of her. Often there was but one statue, just of her. Or ours was to the side, tiny in comparison. Always in her shadow. But... we persevered. We thought... we believed we were unworthy. Perhaps our elder sister was better than us.” She ground a hoof into the ground. “We... thought perhaps if we tried harder, they would love us as well. But we were wrong.”

Twilight nodded as she took down the notes, glancing up at the princess. That anger was growing, she could almost taste it.

“Our sister was crafty. Wise. We... didn't realize what she was doing. We were foals. But we learned. And now we have had our vengeance.”

“Learned what?”

“Her plot of the day. Of the sun,” the princess said coldly. “She lured ponies away, told them of her beauty, of her glimmering light. She dazzled them, drawing their attention to herself. Always to herself. More and more they were lured in by her... false light. By the time I realized what she had done, what she was doing, it was too late. There was... naught we could do.” Her tone shifted suddenly, going soft and sad. “We... tried to draw our ponies back. To... make them see that we could be... beautiful. We could be dazzling. We could be what they wanted. We created such beauty in the sky. Shows that none had ever dreamed of. Meteor showers, great glimmering night lights far more beautiful than any rainbow. But it was too late. They slept through them. They IGNORED us!” Nightmare Moon yelled. “They always ignored us. Always... refused to listen. When we went to meet with them, they forgot about us. Our requests and thoughts were seen as unimportant to them, useless whining. We would receive only a hoofful of the support that our sister had. We heard their whispers. We saw their dreams. None of them wanted us. None of them thought there was even a need for a second princess. A... back up princess.” She closed her eyes and gave a little shake.

“It was too late. With our sister there, there was naught we could do. For they loved her and would listen to whatever she said. But we... were seen as second best. They would have given their lives for her, but for us, they wouldn't even give their time. Not one night. All of you ponies, all of my lovely subjects, drawn into her light. And that is when we decided. There was only one way to show our glory. To show who we truly were. To show... our subjects that we were not just a... second princess. We would be the only princess.”

Twilight nodded. “And then... you turned into...”

“We forsook the name of Luna,” the mare said coldly. “It was soft, weak. The name of a pony who could do naught but stand in her sister's shadow. We became Nightmare Moon.” Her wings spread out, seeming to radiate out from the throne. She then looked down at Twilight. “We have worked again and again to show ourselves to our subjects. And still you view us with such fright. Almost... hatred.”

The earth pony lowered her eyes. “I... I thought... I mean... Rainbow you were... going to cripple her.”

“She struck us! It is well within our right to punish her!”

Twilight cringed and gave a nod, lowering herself slightly and closing her eyes. “Please... m-mercy...”

Nightmare Moon took a slow, deep breath before closing her eyes. “... Perhaps you... are right. You ponies are such... foals. Yet we do care for you. We will not allow these... attacks to go unpunished any longer. Far too many have taken place.” A hoof was brought to her chin. “But we shall not cripple or kill either of you.” Her eyes widened slightly and her lips formed a small smile. “However, there is one punishment that was long abandoned even in our time. Perhaps it is time it makes its return.”

The earth pony looked up, nervously staring at the alicorn.

------

Twilight shook as she rocked back and forth in the wagon. The entire wagon jumped a little with every bump, making her nerves shake with it. She looked across the wagon at Rainbow, who was trying to put on a casual, calm face even as they passed by the crowds walking with fearful eyes.

Punishments like this hadn't taken place in millenia, they were thought to be only used in stories or with more barbaric races. Now the crowds had gathered to watch with a frightened fascination, to see if the act would be repeated. When the wagon came to a stop in the courtyard, two guards came to their sides, gently helping them to their hooves. She kept her head high, trying to keep herself from letting the fear show. After all, as terrified as she was, she knew this was only a fraction of what Nightmare Moon was capable of. They would survive this. Probably. She was slowly guided to the stage and stared at the guard who had been tasked with the deed. Strapped to his side was the whip to be used for the punishment. It looked fresh and new, as if it had never been used. She supposed it likely never had. The guard met her eyes for a moment before his gaze turned away and he looked just as desperate to escape as she did. She was led forward and her hooves were locked into position.

“It's fine,” she said softly. “Just... ten lashes each. You can do this,” she said comfortingly to the guard.

“I'm... I'm so sorry,” he said softly.

“I know. We... all do what we must,” she said, before looking out over the crowd. Most of them couldn't look away, they just stared as another guard announced her punishment for the deeds. She doubted most of them even believed it was going to happen, that at any moment Celestia would appear over the horizon and say it was all a big joke. That Nightmare Moon was just a prank, her in a mask.

But there was no Celestia, not anymore. There was just the nightmare. Twilight closed her eyes and waited until she heard the uncoiling of the whip behind herself.

It was just ten, she could endure. Would endure. It probably wouldn't even hurt that bad. She doubted she'd even--

The crack tore through her ears like lightning and for a moment she just stood there, in shock. Then the pain struck and all of her self-assurances evaporated, replaced by a scream that tore from her throat.

Author's Notes:

This one was a bit harder to write. Namely because I was both trying to show the ferocity of Nightmare Moon, while also showing she did have a merciful side and, after all, she did LOVE her little ponies. Even if she did have anger issues. It took a while to find a fitting punishment that she'd feel was adequate but still merciful enough to not permanently harm her ponies. Here's hoping I succeeded.

Now, onto up side! I finished writing the outline. 52 arcs from here. Probably a few hundred chapters or so(or maybe just 150, I don't know, depends on how long each arc is.) But either way the story will be pretty massive. I've decided to definitely keep the story to just Twilight's view point, if really needed I can write side stories from the other characters or leave it open to interpretation. All in all, though, the story will be pretty big. But it will be a bit before I'm able to get to it. So please be patient and enjoy for now.

S1 CH 7. Recover

Twilight gave a weak whimper as she felt the sting of the cooling cream rubbing on her back. Rarity cringed, but continued gently rubbing it in. “It's going to be okay, dear. In a few days the pain won't even be noticeable. With this ointment, there won't even be any scars after a month.”

Twilight nodded, but couldn't keep the tears from starting to well up in her eyes as the ointment stung her back. She glanced over to Rainbow who was undergoing a similar treatment from Fluttershy. The pegasus had the decency to keep her eyes lowered. “Really, Twilight, I'm sorry. I never meant for--”

“It's fine,” the earth pony said with another groan, followed by a hiss of pain. “You were just trying to protect your friend. It was... really quite noble of you. Rash, ill-considered, thoughtless, hasty, harebrained, but noble.”

“And foal hardy,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “I mean, truly, what would give you the idea I was being foal napped? I left a note!”

Rainbow cringed again. “A note? What note?”

Rarity groaned and shook her head. “On my door. Did you even TRY to look at my place?”

“What? No, I heard about this whole Nightmare butt showing up and then a bunch of guards came and took you away. I came as soon as I could,” Rainbow said proudly, followed by a low moan of pain and quickly burying her head back in her pillow. Her breathing had gotten faster and it was obvious she was doing everything she could to avoid crying, or at least avoid letting them see her do it. After a few moments her head popped up, eyes wet. “Up tight or not, you're still a ponyvillian!”

Rarity shook her head. “And this, darling, is why you should examine the situation more closely before running off and nearly getting yourself and others killed. Just look at poor Twilight's back, what she had to go through for us.”

“I really am sorry,” Rainbow muttered, lowering her head in shame. “I never--”

“It's fine,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “To be honest, I'm relieved.”

“Relieved?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide. “About a whipping?”

“Uh huh,” the earth pony said before lowering her head. “If the worst she does to any pony is a bit of public whipping, we all might have a chance at surviving this.”

“Worst? Darling, a whipping is hardly a small matter.”

“No, it's not. But it's something we can endure. We can SURVIVE this. When I first met her... well, I thought she was going to kill some of us. Or cripple us. I've SEEN how she can be,” Twilight said before tensing up and instantly regretting it, going loose as she could. “How dangerous and deadly. If the mood took her, she could tear us limb from limb. She would, even. She might feel slightly bad about it later, but at the time?” She gave a shudder. “But this? This'll give her an outlet. A punishment we can suffer, but then survive. As horrible as it sounds, this could be the best thing to happen to us.”

A soft sob came from outside the door and every pony froze. Rarity frowned and slowly moved closer to it, her horn glowing and the door swinging open. Dancer stood in the doorway, frozen in shock. She then, meekly, raised a hoof. “H-hi,” she said softly.

“Moon Dancer?”

The unicorn slowly stepped inside, her eyes lowered. “Twilight... I... I just... I...”

Twilight blinked, looking confused. “Yes?”

“I'm so sorry!” she shrieked, looking on the verge of tears. “I'm so, so sorry. I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn't think it COULD happen! It was all just supposed to be, I mean, my friends and I, we were, if we'd succeeded, I... I-I...”

Twilight stared, her mouth agape. She then gave a little giggle and shook her head. “Oh, Dancer... no. None of this is your fault.”

“It's all my fault! Celestia sent me on a mission to find the Elements of Harmony, and I blew it! I failed! I made my way through all of Nightmare Moon's tricks and traps, then at the eleventh hour I ruined EVERYTHING!” Dancer sobbed and wiped her eyes with her hooves. “I just... I just couldn't do it.”

Twilight frowned and eyed her. “What happened? I mean... why didn't they work? What was the plan?”

“I... I don't know,” Dancer said with a whimper. “I didn't even know about Nightmare Moon. Princess Celestia would do that though, often. She'd set me on a task or a duty and... and then I'd figure it out. I'd grow, I'd learn. That's why she was such a great teacher. I... I didn't know why she wanted me to find them, but I knew I had to. And I knew my friends were important for it.” She wiped her eyes again. “Then the time came. I looked Nightmare Moon in the eyes. You know what she did?”

“What?” Twilight asked softly.

“She broke them! She broke the elements! Destroyed them right before me and my friends! Our only hope at destroying her, at locking her away, gone in an instant!”

The earth pony blinked. “Destroy her?”

“I... I don't know,” Dancer said with a shake of her head. “I assume destroy her. I mean... well... it was...” She took a slow, deep breath. “That's why we were there. To begin with. To stop Nightmare Moon. I mean, I didn't know that but Princess Celestia obviously did. She trusted me to defeat her, to wield the elements. But... I couldn't.”

Twilight frowned and cocked her head to the side. “Couldn't? Why?”

“I don't know! I tried everything! We beat her there, we tried touching them, rubbing them, hitting them with our hooves. NOTHING worked. They just kind of... stood there. This is all my fault, I am so sorry Twilight. If I had--”

“It's NOT your fault!” Twilight snapped, glaring at the mare and shocking her into silence. “None of this is any more your fault than it is mine, or Rainbow's, or anyponies. Nightmare Moon came, she saw, and she's doing whatever it is she wants. There's nothing ANY of us can do to stop her, but I'll be bucked if you think I'm going to let some poor pony accept all the blame for all of... this! Do you think if we could just stop her easily, if just one of us could do it, then she'd have us under her hooves? No! We'd have fought her off by now, beaten her back! But we can't.” She paused and lowered her eyes. “I'm not sure what any of us can do at this point. But we can't wallow in our misery, blaming ourselves for things out of our control. Moon Dancer, you were the princess's pupil. Maybe there is something you can find, something that you missed. Maybe. If you can find it, great. If not... well... we'll figure something out. One way or another.”

The other mare nodded, eying her for a moment before sighing. “Can... can you really forgive me?”

“You didn't do this. There's nothing that needs to be forgiven.”

Dancer nodded softly, lowering her eyes and rubbing the tears out. “T-thank you. And... and Twilight... I... I don't know if there's anything I can do, but--”

“Just tell me what you know. Everything you know about the elements. How were they supposed to defeat her?”

“I don't know,” Dancer mumbled. “I thought they'd just... destroy her. As bad as she was.”

Twilight closed her eyes. “That doesn't make any sense, though...”

“Huh?”

“In the story, the Mare in the Moon. Locked away for a thousand years. I mean... I guess... well... if it was that easy to just destroy her, why not do it then? Why lock her up for a thousand years and destroy her now?”

Dancer gave a small shrug. “I... don't know. Maybe she couldn't? Maybe it was just to banish her for another thousand years?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I guess. But that... seems almost crueler. Just locking her away every thousand years? That would drive any pony to insanity. Especially...” She glanced towards the door. “I mean, as bad as she is...”

“What, you aren't actually saying she doesn't DESERVE to be locked up, are you?” Rainbow asked.

“... I won't deny she's...” Twilight rubbed her chin. “Difficult. A complete pain in the flANK!” She shrieked when Rarity hit a nerve with her rubbing.

“Sorry, sorry dear! Please, just keep still!”

“R-right. I mean, she's a pretty... wicked pony. I won't deny that. But, well... a thousand years of being locked away and alone? That would be horrifying. For any pony.” She then paused. “Could any of you really see Celestia submitting a pony to that a second time?”

Silence reigned in the room and the ponies looked between each other.

Twilight sighed and shook her head, cringing when she did it. “Maybe I'm just over thinking things, though. I mean... there's no proof to any of my theories or, well, anything. I just can't help but feel that... there's something else to all this. Maybe it was supposed to strip her of her power. Can that happen to an alicorn?” She laid her head down on the pillow and sighed. “Something just outside my grasp.”

Dancer nodded. “I'm sorry, I wish I could--” She froze and gasped. “I-I'm being summoned. I'll see you soon, Twilight. I hope. I hope the pain subsides!” She then turned and galloped off.

Rarity sighed and slowly dabbed more cream on the earth pony's back. “I think you might be missing the obvious. Celestia... might have just messed up. As horrible as it is to say.”

Twilight nodded. “I suppose. Perhaps she thought a thousand years of solitude would help calm Luna down. I can understand why she didn't want to kill her own sister.”

Silence reigned in the room and the ponies stared at her. Then, in unison. “SISTER?!” Followed by “Ow,” from Rainbow.

Twilight blinked and chuckled. “Ah. Right. Yes. Her sister. She's uhhh... Celestia's sister. It seems. I'm not sure if it's biological or... well, there are still a lot of questions I haven't had answered.” She gave another sigh and buried her head in her pillow.

“What do you mean sister? Nightmare Moon is Princess Celestia's SISTER? But she's evil!” Rainbow said, shaking her head and cringing.

“She's... brutal,” Twilight muttered. “I've spent enough time around her that I'd hesitate to call her straight evil. But she is definitely not nice, or sweet. But there may still be some good in her, some... possible piece of Celestia within her. It's really just a matter of if she'll ever show it to us. If we can use it to maybe fix things.”

“I'll be honest, dear, I'm quite interested in hearing all that it is you've learned,” Rarity said firmly. “I mean, this is simply... I'm not sure if it's good, or horrifying news, to be honest.”

Twilight sighed. “You're right. Ughhhh. Rarity, can you get me my notes from my room? If I'm going to be laid up in bed, I should get back to work. There's... a lot of information I need to get out to ponies.” She closed her eyes. “A lot...”

Rarity paused, eying the mare. She then shook her head. “No. I think now is not the time for that. In fact, I'm sorry we asked.”

“What?” Rainbow asked.

“You're hurt and exhausted, now is not the time for you to worry about explaining these things to us. There will be plenty of time once you're healed. For now, how about a snack?” She pulled out a small bag. “These are from a good friend of ours from Ponyville. Here.”

“I'm not really hun--” Twilight had the small pastry stuffed into her mouth and coughed. She glared at the unicorn. However, after a few moments she chewed and swallowed, staring down at the treat. “That... that has to be the greatest apple... what is it?”

“An apple fritter,” the unicorn said.

“What, Applejack packed us apple fritters?” Rainbow asked. “Sweeeeet. That almost makes the whipping worth it. OW!”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said meekly.

“Applejack?” Twilight asked.

“A... delightfully rugged pony. She works on Sweet Apple Acres down in Ponyville. They make some of the most delectable, if quaint, apple treats. Perhaps if we are able to steal you away from the castle sometime, you can meet her. I believe you two would get along just fabulously.”

“Mmmm, if she cooks like this, I might just have to,” Twilight said with a chuckle, nibbling on her pastry. She hated to admit it, but the mare was right. She was hurt, that meant she needed to rest and recover. The ponies of Equestria would just have to wait a little longer for now. She just hoped nothing too bad would happen before then.

Author's Notes:

And here we are, a new chapter! Hope you guys all enjoy it!

So, uhhh, been a while since posted things and lately I've really, really been in a funk. I don't know why. I just feel like the midas of writers, except everything I touch turns to... well, it's definitely not GOLD, I'll say that. The king, not the mechanic. I've been trying to think of a fun way to interact with all my fans, hoping that'll drive me out of it.

And I figured it out! A contest! I wanna see what you guys can do(if that's okay, if you want. If this is too much, please let me know.)

So, the rules are simple. Fan art contest, draw ANY fan-art from the Twilight Glow verse. It can be ANYTHING. Something from a scene you've read, something you think will happen, something you want to happen, something that probably won't happen but you thought would be a cool picture anyway. Just keep it safe for work. Then post it on imgur, photobucket or deviantart(make sure you post it on your account, please), and either post the link in the comments or send it to me in mail. After around... ohhhh... the end of season 1, we'll hold a big vote and the winner will get the prize!

Now, what's the prize you ask? An interview with me! ... Okay, no, that'd be dumb. The actual prize is a few things. 1st. In the tv series, the harmony treasure took the form of a box. This time, it won't. It'll be something worn(like a necklace, scepter, some kinda accessory/etc.) The winner gets to choose what form it takes! Next, that pony will get their OC in a cameo in the series. This is ANY OC. Even alicorns. But the type of cameo may vary(for example, an alicorn OC would likely be in a book or something.)

And I might add another prize. Is there anything anyone would particularly like from me? I'm a woman of very few talents so not a lot I can do. I'll post a link to the contest blog where all the art will be gathered.

Contest link: Contest clicky click

S1 CH 8. Royalty

Twilight cringed when she slowly put a cloak on her back, letting out a light hiss of pain. It was still better than it had been, at least. She could even sleep on her back, even if it was fairly uncomfortable. While Rarity had to return to Ponyville, a guard and sometimes Dancer had taken over putting the ointment on.

Still, she would have preferred more time off than just one week. But the guard watching her had insisted that she come with him. She slowly moved besides him. “Let's go see her,” she muttered softly. “Are you sure you can't tell me why I'm being summoned?”

He shook his head. “My apologies, Lady Glow. I would if I could, but I was just ordered to come and get you for record keeping purposes. I didn't see what all the excitement was about.”

Twilight sighed and looked around. The place was getting slightly more alive with each day, with more servants being willing to show their faces. Sadly, most of those faces were still frightened. There had been a few more public lashings, but only a hoofful so far. The earth pony hoped that would be it.

Her heart started to sink when she arrived at the doors to the throne room and she saw the guards. Normally they looked so stoic. But today they looked... she swore one of them had been crying. They looked away when she caught their eyes, only reaching out to open the door and then look away.

Then she saw why. Two ponies were standing before the princess. A white unicorn with long blond hair and a very pink alicorn. Prince Blueblood and Princess Cadence. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat and she started to step forward. “Cadence!” she cried, before freezing.

Nightmare Moon merely chuckled from her throne as her eyes fell on the mare. “Ah, bard. We see you have the strength to answer our summons. We do find it quite interesting that you never told us your brother was dating a princess. We imagine such a fact would come up often in conversation. Tell us, are there any other members of royalty dating your family? Perhaps the prince is dating your cousin?” Her voice sounded almost amused, as opposed to the rage the earth pony had expected.

Twilight shook her head, eying the two chained ponies. Both of them had their heads down. She had to give Blueblood credit, she'd always imagined him a bit of a prat from the few times they'd met, but at least he seemed to have a good idea when to keep his head down and mouth shut. Twilight stepped forward besides the throne, opposite Dancer who looked like she was about to throw up. Pen and paper appeared in front of her. All she could do was feel more dread.

“Now that our bard has arrived...” Nightmare Moon said slowly before her eyes scanned over the two and a frown replaced her smirk. “Prince Blueblood and Princess Cadence. The... previous ruler gave you such titles in our absence. We imagine you may have felt power and prestige from these titles. However, neither of you are required anymore. Celestia was weak. We are not so. However, as a... prince and princess, we cannot just let you go. Such... things may lead to rebellion.” The frown on her face darkened. “It would be well within our powers and rights to have you executed. To leave your bloody heads upon the castle gates, so all could know of our power.”

Twilight bit her tongue, feeling the fear rise in her. Blueblood managed to look paler, as if he might fall over at any moment.

“In fact, had we found you weeks prior, that may have been your fate.” Her eyes then fell on Twilight. “However, we are a merciful ruler.” Her wings slowly unfolded. “While it would be simple to destroy you for one such as us, what would be the point? We are strong enough to not fear you. Instead we have decided... to offer you mercy.”

Twilight's heart almost leaped. She looked up at Nightmare Moon, the mare's face in a wide, fanged grin once again.

“We cannot allow you to go free at this time, however. While our power and mercy is great, we have learned that our ponies can be quite... foalish. Were we to release you, they may once again get foalish notions of rebellion.”

Twilight looked between the prince and princess. Neither looked happy or relieved by this news. But she couldn't help feeling giddy. It looked like Nightmare Moon wouldn't be killing them. It was better than she'd hoped.

“As such, instead the two of you will be banished to Tartarus, where you will remain imprisoned for the time being. Your ruler has spoken.” Nightmare Moon's horn glowed and blue fire erupted around the two.

“Wait!” Blueblood said, but in a flash blue fire erupted around them and the two were gone.

Twilight stared, her mouth open in shock. She then looked towards Nightmare Moon. “Your... your highness?”

“You are dismissed,” Nightmare Moon said to the guards before looking down at Twilight. “Yes, bard?”

“They... are they...?”

“They will be fine,” the alicorn said with a shake of her head. “We have... listened to your words, bard. Perhaps you are right. My little ponies are... delicate.” She gazed down at Dancer, who yiped and quickly looked away. “Fragile. Easily broken. Were we to unleash all of our power upon them, surely they would break. But we cannot just allow two who bear royal names to travel freely, now can we?”

“O-of course not!” Twilight said quickly, her eyes wide. “But... they'll be--”

“Released, soon,” the alicorn said with a slow nod. “They are not a threat to us now, but until we are certain that none will try to use them for some... foalish attempt at rebellion, they will remain imprisoned.” She paused. “However, soon there will be no need to keep any of my ponies imprisoned.” The smile returned to her lips. “That is what you desired, is it not, bard? What a... kind ruler would do?”

“What? Yes! Very kind! Good!” she said with a rapid nod, before looking to Dancer and giving her a gesture with her head.

“What? Oh! Right, it's what... errr... i-it'll make ponies happy,” the unicorn said nervously.

“Good. Now, you have seen our deeds, bard. Ensure you remember them when you write your story. Our ponies will need to learn much of our mercy,” Nightmare Moon said with a shake of her head before climbing out of her throne and walking to the door.

Twilight and Dancer shared a look for a few moments. Finally, the earth pony spoke up. “That... that was her, wasn't it? I mean... I didn't just imagine that?”

“That... was her. I'm certain,” the unicorn said softly. “I... I thought for sure that the princess was... well...”

Twilight nodded and felt a small swelling of relief washing through her. “This... this might be it.”

“What?”

“Relief! Maybe she's calming down. Maybe there is a chance this will all work out in the end,” she said with a small chuckle. “Maybe she'll even let Celestia go.”

Dancer frowned and eyed the door. “I... I don't think so.”

“What? Why?”

“I just...” The unicorn shuddered. “I think... there's something else. Something about how... calm she was. How she watched them. How... I don't know. I just... I feel there's something else. Like maybe she has plans.”

“Maybe she wants to make Cadence her co-rul...” Twilight blinked and shook her head. “Okay, no. That's not happening. Maybe like a student princess? Or a... mayor? A general? I mean...” She then blanched. “Oh. Like... she is with you. Moon Dancer, I'm so sorry. I never even thought about how this must be for you. Being her student and all. Are... are you doing okay?”

The unicorn blinked, then shook her head. “No! I mean, yes. I'm fine. I'm...” She glanced to the side. “It's... terrifying, you know? She's... well... always there. She keeps tossing subjects and... tasks at me. Magics I never even imagined. And then she watches me and...” She shuddered. “It's not so bad, though. I mean, if it was Celestia doing this, I'd probably be so happy. But Nightmare Moon... every time I fail...”

“Does she hit you?”

“No. But she doesn't have to. The way she watches me, I'm so afraid that when I fail, she'll take it out on my friends. They're safe now but...” She looked up at her. “But it's what we have to do, isn't it? If we want to keep others safe then... we have to do this.”

Twilight blushed and looked down. “Yes... we do. I... don't envy you, though. Being her student. I'm lucky to just be her bard.”

Dancer chuckled softly. “I don't know. Sometimes I think you have it worse than me.”

The earth pony chuckled. “Me? Why?”

Dancer blinked. “I'm just her student, Twilight. The things I say... the things I do. Most of them she ignores or doesn't put much thought into. But well... she hangs on every word you say. Everything. She probably holds you up to more scrutiny than any pony in Equestria.”

The earth pony paled, her eyes wide. “W-what? But... but I'm just her bard. I'm not a... I'm a...”

“She talks about you all the time. Or rather... your book,” Dancer said softly, looking off to the side. “The first one she read. The one you wrote about... her. She has high expectations of you. I... I thought you knew.”

“I... I knew a little. I thought... I just... But... but I'm just a writer, I can't, I--” Her eyes widened. “O-oh. Oh dear.”

Dancer nodded. “Why do you think you were the first to be whipped? She... didn't want to execute you, Twilight. So she had to think of another way to punish you. There's a reason your little... efforts have been succeeding.”

“But... but I can't... what if I say the wrong thing? I've mostly just been winging it! What if I DO the wrong thing? What if I send her off on a...” She shuddered and closed her eyes. “N-no. Right. This is just what we have to do. I mean... I... I already knew I was trying to help guide her, right? This just means that... it's a bit more effective than I expected. That's all. That's a good thing. Right?”

Dancer nodded. “R-right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel more... pressured. I know you have a lot on your plate as it is and--”

“No. No, don't. It's fine,” Twilight said with a shrug. “I already was kind of her... advisor. This is nothing new. It's just a little shocking to know it's so effective.” She forced a smile. “I actually need to go talk to some ponies though, okay? So I'll see you around.” She quickly turned and trotted away, even though it made her back sting with each step.

She took slow, deep breathes as she walked, gathering up the information she had. Nightmare Moon was obviously focused on her, that was good. However, that just made her work all the more important. One slip of the tongue, one wrong suggestion and the damage she could do to Equestria would be unparalleled. But it also meant she might be able to guide the ruler to kindness and mercy. Already ponies who might have found themselves facing the axe were instead facing whips and maybe a bit of scarring.

She couldn't help feeling the pressure start to build up, though. She knew there was just one place she wanted to be now, more than ever.

One pony who knew above all else what it was like to protect ponies.

------

Twilight sheepishly stepped down the steps, looking around nervously when she came past the bars to the cells. A few of the imprisoned ponies looked to her, but most quickly looked away. They didn't throw anything at her, or yell. Most just played their card games or whatever was available.

“Okay, so I kick the ogre in the face!” a voice called out. “Yeah, a thirteen! Eighteen total.”

“You hit it, roll damage.”

“This is all way too easy. We should go back to playing second,” Shining's annoyed voice made her pause. She then trotted closer, her eyes wide.

“Not a chance, I'm not playing that death trap again. Third edition was way better. Besides, we've only got fifth's book.”

“Everything about third was unbalanced! And I have most of second memorized, we could get it working,” Shining objected. “I can probably get my books, too.”

“Yeah, but you could make anything in third! And you didn't die just from walking down the hall!”

“Are you playing Ogres and oubliettes?” Twilight asked flatly when she came to Shining's cell.

The stallion yiped and looked back. He and three other ponies were sitting around a small table, pencils, paper and a small book by them. Her brother looked sheepish. “Y-yeah. We, err, it's been a boring few days and Steeltips here had the new book in his locker and wanted to DM so we--”

Twilight sighed, before giving a small smile. “At least some things never change.”

“And some things change too often,” Shining said before getting up and walking to the bars. “I heard about what happened. About... you.” He gave a soft sigh. “How's your back?”

“Fine. Mostly. It still tinges a bit but... well, it's healing. How are you doing?”

“Still trapped,” he muttered. “I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you...”

“It's fine. I'm just happy everypony isn't yelling at me now.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I gave them a stern talking to after that.” He paused. “Then Moon Dancer came down, too.” He paused again. “Then after the... whipping, about half the remaining guard forces came down and really tore into most of them. It was quite the sight, you should have been here for it.”

She chuckled softly, though the smile slowly drifted away. “I... I'm sorry to say but... I'm not here for good news. Nightmare Moon... she... she found Princess Cadence.”

She almost swore the room got colder and everything just fell silent. “Wut.”

“She found her.”

“CADENCE! Twily, you need to get me out of here, is she okay? Did that monster--”

“She's fine!” Twilight said, shaking her head. “She's okay, I promise.” She decided to leave out the fact the alicorn was currently in Tartarus. “Nightmare Moon's showing mercy.”

“What?”

“I... I think something I said got to her. After the whipping and... and she's showing mercy. For now, Cadence is just imprisoned. But... she said she'll be releasing her soon. She said she'll be releasing all of you soon. She just wants to finish cementing her power structure first.”

“Cadence is okay?” he asked again, his voice soft and weak.

“She's fine. When I saw her, there wasn't a mark on her. I wouldn't lie about this, Shining.”

The stallion stared down at her and then, slowly, a smile spread on his face. He reached out and ruffled her ears. “Heh. You've got quite the talent, Twily.”

Her cheeks burned. “W-what? I haven't done anything.”

“You've done plenty. If you... got her to not hurt Cadence, you're doing amazing. I wish you'd never been hurt, though. I should be the one out there doing this. It's my job to protect ponies, not yours.”

Twilight nodded, but then slowly reached out and put a hoof on his withers. “I... know. But I'm doing fine. Besides, I learned from the best, right?”

He nodded. “Yeah. You're making us all proud, Twily.”

She chuckled. “Thanks. Besides, it's not so bad. A little whipping is... well, it's horrible. But I'll survive.” She then glanced towards the table, looking between him and it for a bit. “Have room for one more?”

He glanced back and the others nodded. “Sure.”

Twilight smiled. “Great! Fourth edition, right? That was always my favorite. It was just so much fun!”

The room somehow went even quieter than it had earlier. She looked around at everypony. They just glared at her. “What? What I say?”

------

Twilight shrieked as she fled from the prison, pelted by erasers, pillows and empty card boxes. She didn't know why they were reacting so harshly.

Fourth wasn't THAT bad. Still, she couldn't help feeling a little more encouraged. She was protecting ponies and doing a good job of it, just liked she hoped. It wasn't all working quite as well as she'd like, but it was working. Bit by bit. She couldn't wait to get back to the library and get back to work on her book.

When she arrived, however, she was shocked to see Nightmare Moon and Dancer sitting around a table, books spread out across them. She gasped when she saw the frowny face stickers on some of the books. They were from the restricted section.

Large black chunks of metal were on the table. Nine of them, one of which looked like a crown while the others looked like strange hoofacles. She froze in place.

The alicorn glanced back, her eyes narrowed. “Yes, bard?”

“I... I was just going to work on the book some. I'll... I'll do it in my room.”

“Indeed. You do that.”

Twilight gulped and backed away, before quickly walking through the castle. A knot formed in her stomach and she glanced back towards the library. She didn't have any idea what that was about, but she was sure whatever it was would not be good for Equestria. Possibly not for anywhere.

Author's Notes:

Required link to Twilight Glow contest here!
So, after that, I'm sure you are all wondering one thing. Did she REALLY write a chapter just so she could throw in a dnd 4th edition joke?
Yes. Yes she did. :P
In all seriousness, while I don't like it, please don't throw things at people. I still like a bit of it. Besides, if it wasn't for that joke(which was the only thing in this chapter not pre-plotted in the storyline outline), I might have put this off longer! It's also given me the idea to, well, try to put out at least one Twilight Glow chapter a week! ... Hopefully I can keep up to that. It should be fine.
Now, the reason I wanted to make this joke was... because timing! I just finished the player guide to a world I made based on a book series I've been writing and have been running some people through on weekends, so thought I'd post it up on my fimfiction page(Pilalia thing on my main page). I thought about Twilight liking 4th edition and from then on... well, I reallllllly wanted to put the joke in. Considering the meeting with her brother coming up, it just felt right.
Also, I really needed to put a little humor in the story considering how everything is about to get I imagine fairly dark. I wonder how many of my wonderful readers can see where this story is leading? I mean, now that Twilight knows she's having a far bigger impact than she'd initially hoped, everything will work out, right?
... Right?

... I'm sorry for my crazy ramblings. You all have been great and really supportive, each and every one of you have really helped me feel a lot more confident about my abilities at a time where I could really use it, thank you.

S1 CH 9. Exploration

Twilight groaned and slowly closed her book, before leaning back and giving a light yawn and stretching. A small twinge went through her back, but she quickly suppressed it. She glanced towards the door, a frown on her face.

Once again she found her thoughts drawn back to the library. It had been a week since she'd seen whatever that thing was. Whatever it was seemed to be important, as she hadn't been allowed a chance to speak with Dancer since. Every waking moment the unicorn seemed busy working on it, studying spells and the like. The guards had even turned Twilight away when she tried, as the mare was not to be disturbed. Even Nightmare Moon was ignoring her. Not that she minded that.

She took a deep breath and got to her hooves, slowly inching to the door. She popped it open and peered outside. The halls were empty. She let out a soft sigh before slowly walking through the castle.

Her frown deepened when she realized how quiet the castle was now. Even most of the guards seemed to have disappeared. She nervously glanced around. “Hello?” she called out. She received no answer. She was starting to feel a little anxious and started walking to the one place she knew there would be ponies, if there were any here. The kitchen. It was taco tuesday.

When she arrived she let out a sigh of relief. The guards were stationed there, or at least relaxing there. She walked to the kitchen counter and lightly took a lettuce and onion taco, before trotting to one of the tables and sitting down. Plenty of the guards glanced at her, mumbled softly to themselves.

She just sighed and nibbled her taco, nervously glancing around. After a few moments, one of the guards got up and trotted over, sitting across from her. “Err... ummmm... Miss Glow?”

She took a deep breath, before looking up. “Yes?” She could already see it coming. She wondered if they were going to call her a traitor too. Or maybe it was the fourth edition thing. She didn't see what the problem was, it was fun. Everything fit into its nice little position and was easy to manage.

“I uhhh... I just wanted to ask...” He nudged his hooves together. “Your book... ummmm... I heard about it. We heard about it. Are... ummm...” He coughed. “Are you going to tell ponies about us? Too?”

“About you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

He nervously chewed on his lip, before shaking his head. “I'm not... we're not betraying Celestia. We love Celestia. If... if we could... but... we can't. We tried fighting her. Some of us did. Now they're in jail. We just--”

“Stop,” she said with a shake of her head. “I'm aware. I know what you're doing, trying to keep ponies safe. And I think you're doing the best you can, all of you. I'll let ponies know in the book.” She took a slow, deep breath. “I plan to let everypony know everything. So they can... well... not be scared. So I'll of course let them know that you're trying your hardest to help all of them.” She smiled at the nervous looking stallion. “Was that everything?”

He nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “T-thanks. Do uhhh... do you know when it'll be finished?”

“I'm not sure. It's turning out to be more difficult than I expected. But I don't forsee a lot of trouble with finishing it before the year is through.”

“Oh! So it should be done before the gala?”

Twilight blinked. “I... I guess. Hopefully.” She put a hoof to her forehead. “If it even happens. But it should be done before the standard scheduled time of the gala.”

He nodded, before getting up. “Thanks! I just... wanted to know.” He quickly trotted off and started talking with the others. There were many more glances towards her.

The earth pony sighed and nudged her taco before taking another bite. She finished most of it before getting to her hooves and tossing the remnants in the trash. She slowly started trotting through the halls again. She found herself drawn to the throne room and, once again, found guards stationed outside it. She paused and looked to the doors. “Have they had any more... courts held?”

“The night court is on temporary hiatus,” the guard said with a nod.

“Oh. That's... okay I guess. Ummmm... where... I mean... most of the servants seem to be...”

“Many of the servants have taken... personal leave,” the guard said matter of factually. “Did you require something, Lady Glow?”

She sighed and shook her head, trotting back down the hall. The palace was in the midst of being redecorated still, many of the windows having had their curtains completely removed and the walls being painted over or having wallpaper removed. She hoped Rarity would finish her redecorations soon, but she imagined finding ponies willing to do the manual labor was getting more and more difficult. The removal of Cadence and Blueblood hadn't exactly won any love for the Princess of Darkness.

She paused and looked around, confusion on her features for a moment. She mentally back tracked and then realized she was in the east wing. She sighed and face hoofed. “Need to pay attention, Twilight. There's nopony to help you if you get lost.” She looked around, but nopony was nearby at all.

She then paused. “Wait. Nopony to...” Her eyes widened and a grin formed on her lips. She started trotting around again, pushing open a nearby door. Her heart started beating faster as a plan formed in her mind.

Nopony was around to stop her. The guards themselves didn't seem to care much, Nightmare Moon was distracted. She started walking, a little faster. Her heart hammered as she made her way to the north wing.

To where Celestia had lived.

------

Twilight felt a little giddy while she made her way into the wing, looking around nervously. There weren't any guards. Everything looked pristine and clean, none of the remodeling damage seeming to have taken hold here. She wondered if Nightmare Moon ever came here to see her sister's things. She doubted it. She doubted anypony but the cleaners came here now.

She slowly began to nudge open doors and look into them. She frowned as the first room was just a small tea room. She nervously trotted inside, looking through the things that resided in them, but there weren't any records or notes, just a table and an empty tea set. She let out a soft growl of frustration. “Come on, Celestia. You had to leave us something. You had to have something planned, you couldn't just leave us to deal with... this,” she muttered before leaving the room and heading to the next door.

Her eyes widened with delight when she came to the room. A study. A small desk and shelves filled with books lined the room. She trotted inside and started examining the desk, first. There was a light fizzle as she pulled open one of the drawers and she froze, her heart pounding.

But nothing happened. After a few moments she started going through the rest. She saw empty notepads, some mints, basic supplies and a small spiral key with an eight point star on it. Though she couldn't help feeling guilty, she grabbed the key and tucked it into her mane. It was for the good of Equestria, she told herself.

Then came the books. She grinned and moved to the nearest one, plucking it down. She was sure Celestia had to have left them some hint in the study. One by one she pulled the books down, stacking them neatly while she worked. For hours she sat and read, browsing through them all before, finally, she face planted onto the desk.

“How... did she do it?” she asked with a groan. There was nothing there but books on old laws, agriculture, geography and dozens of books of old or vague information. Normally she would have been delighted, even if they weren't all to her taste.

But she needed REAL information, she needed hope. She got to her hooves and trotted out, leaving the room behind. She frowned and looked at her hooves, they were covered in dust. She gave a sigh and moved to the next room, cocking her head to the side when she pushed the door open.

It opened to a stairwell. She gulped nervously and leaned forward. “Hello?” she called down, receiving an echo in response. She looked around nervously, before slowly trotting down. She wasn't sure, but she swore she could feel a light tingle through her hooves while she walked. She also thought she saw a light sparkle from the carpet, but it was gone in a moment.

As she walked, torches along the stairwell alighted, guiding her way until, finally, the floor came into view. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the lower floor and gasped.

It was a massive storage room. There were rows of stacked crates, all unmarked. But there were also small dusty books, little silver figurines of dragons and minotaurs and a great mirror facing her. She stared at it, her eyes wide.

The mirror was completely blue, it didn't show any of the rest of the room. She slowly trotted forward, holding her breath as she stared at it. Her reflection didn't appear. With a nervous gulp, she pushed her hoof forward.

When her hoof touched the mirror, dark purple light shone around her hoof. She slowly pushed her hoof further in and it went through the mirror, into... something. It was warm, almost comforting. She took another step forward and--

“BARD!” the voice rang out with such power it shook the entire castle.

Twilight yanked her hoof back and looked around in terror, looking for some sign of the princess. But she was alone in the room.

“BARD! COME TO THE THRONE ROOM! THOU ART SUMMONED!”

The earth pony stared, her mouth falling open. How long had she been running around in here? What did Nightmare Moon think she was doing? She yelped and ran up the stairs, galloping back through the castle, her heart pounding.

------

Twilight raced into the throne room, her heart pounding and sweat dripping off her form.

“BARD! WHERE ART--” the princess froze in mid sentence and turned her gaze to her. “AH! FINALLY YOU--” She blinked and her horn stopped glowing. “Finally, you show yourself. We have waited long for your arrival!”

“S-sorry, I was... clearing my thoughts,” she said nervously, a forced grin on her lips. The mare was completely insane, she knew it. There was no denying it. She hoped she wasn't in trouble. “You... you called?”

Her eyes then fell to the hoofacles on the ground and her heart started pounding faster. The crown was there, but only six of the hoofacles remained now. Her eyes were drawn up and she quickly noted two strange, silver bands around the princess's front legs. It took her a few more moments to realize they were the very same hoofacles, but heavily decorated.

“Indeed. For you see, bard, the time has come.” She stood up from her throne and glanced back to Dancer. The unicorn had never looked more ashamed. “Our... student still has much to learn, but her talents with magic are quite astounding. For a young foal. She has been... passably useful in our creation of our new tool.”

Twilight shuddered and looked to them. “Are... are you going to make Cadence wear those?”

The alicorn blinked a few times, before her grin grew wider. “Why, bard, why ever would you think that?”

The earth pony blinked a few more times. “I... I just thought... I mean...”

“Oh, young, foalish bard. The alicorn is... an affront to our control and rule. But she is still a pony.” She moved to stand in front of Twilight and gently reached out, a hoof touching her chin and guiding her eyes up. “And all of you ponies are our subjects, are you not? You must be protected and guided. We would never dream of using such tools on one of our subjects.”

Dancer's eyes widened. “W-wait, what? But I thought... but it's... t-then what is it for?”

The princess chuckled. “Oh, you'll learn soon enough. Bard, student, we are going on a journey,” she said before turning around. “You see, the time has come for us to cement our rule. Already the other nations are sending their representatives to... parley with us. We imagine they think us as kind and forgiving as our weak sister.” She paused. “They thought wrong. However, already we can feel the shifting and awakening of my subjects.” Twilight shuddered at the word 'my'. “Our night has finally caught their attention and already the creatures of darkness are on their way.” She picked up the black crown and examined it for a moment. “With my soldiers, none will think to oppose us.” She slid the crown on, the metal glimmering like obsidian, four points pointing high to the air. She then picked up the hoofacles and enveloped them in a small, blue bubble. “But we still have one matter to deal with before then.” She turned to Twilight and her eyes focused on the small earth pony.

“It will do well that you remember this moment, bard. For with this, you will be able to bear first hoof witness to the greatest display of power pony kind has ever known. Power that our sister would think too dangerous. Come,” she said before trotting towards the exit. “And ensure you bring your pen and paper. For you will want to record all you see.”

Twilight gulped and followed after her, Dancer following slightly behind. “Where are we going?” the earth pony asked.

Nightmare Moon stopped outside the door, giving a small chuckle. “Oh? Is it not obvious?” She turned her head around to look at the little mare. “To the place even our sister knew to fear. Tartarus.”

Author's Notes:

Twilight glow art contest!

Soooo, to be honest... I realllllly felt bad for this one. I mean, everyone had such good ideas about what the manacles meant, which... for some reason never dawned on me. Probably because of the reason she mentioned.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it's still going to be horrifying. I mean, absolutely horrifying. Twilight might cry. She'll at least watch with extreme horror, her hoof covering her mouth. Honestly, I kiiiiiind of messed up. There were supposed to be seven, not nine pieces of metal. I typoed and completely missed it when I wrote it out and by the end it was too late to fix because everyone had read my story I'm so sorry. >.<

Though, one good thing came from this. A nice post by Lordlyhour

4 Strange Hoofacles for The Princess of Love,
4 Strange Hoofacles for the Mortal Princeling, doomed to die.
One Crown to rule them all, One crown to find them,
One Crown to take them all and to the Darkness, Bind them
In the Land of Equestria, where Nightmare Moon Lies

It really makes me wish that was the horrifying thing she does. Hopefully what I have planned is far, far worse.

S1 CH 10. Tartarus

Twilight gave a light little squeak when they stood outside the massive black gates of Tartarus, leading into a tunnel. There was a chill in the air, one that had nothing to do with the night sky. Nightmare Moon looked around, a frown on her face. “Where... is he?”

“Who?” the earth pony asked. She looked to Dancer, who looked just as worried as her. Then the ground began to rumble. She looked up and then, on the other side of the gate, she saw it. A massive black dog with three heads racing through the tunnel. It towered over them, its body nearly as big as a building. When it came closer the gate began to open.

“Finally,” Nightmare Moon said, shaking her head. Twilight squeaked, while Dancer just looked relieved.

“We're just here for him?” the unicorn asked with a smile.

“SIT!” Nightmare Moon's voice boomed. The dog stopped short and then, a moment later, plopped down on the ground, its tongues sticking out as it panted excitedly. “You two, come.”

“W-we're not here for Cerberus?” Dancer asked weakly.

“Of course not, don't be foalish,” the alicorn said with a shake of her head. “He's barely even potty trained. Can't have our sister dealing with something like that, oh no. 'He has three heads and looks kind of scary, you take care of him'. We had more important things to do than deal with the bladder of some mutt!”

Nightmare Moon led them forward through the gates. Twilight jumped when they slammed behind her. It didn't look as bad as she expected. It was dark, but there were torches all around. Like some kind of massive cave. However, after a few moments they exited the tunnel and came to a wide, open area. The path didn't match it, merely a stony bridge over an infinite black void below. The path broke off into dozens of little paths, one of which Nightmare Moon walked across while the two followed.

Twilight wanted to be excited, in fact this was one of the places she had promised herself to one day visit. But she'd never thought she'd be coming here with the greatest tyrant Equestria had ever known. Or that she'd be intending to grab one of the creatures. The path slowly turned up into a great staircase that led up to a glowing blue light.

“What are we grabbing here?” Dancer asked softly, her voice only a whisper.

“You will see in a moment,” Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. The metal binds trailed in the air behind her. “Worry not. This... creature is no threat to any of you. In fact... he'll be a loyal servant when we're through with him.”

Twilight gulped nervously, looking around. She peered over the edge of the path and quickly walked further from it, bumping into Dancer. The color had drained from her face and she gave a little shiver. There was nothing over the edge. It wasn't as if there was darkness, it was as if nothing had been there to begin with. As if the area there just ceased to exist. Or perhaps linked to some other dimension that her mind was unable to comprehend.

“You okay?” Dancer asked softly.

“Y-yeah. Just a little... startling,” Twilight mumbled, giving another shiver. The cold here didn't feel normal, either. It wasn't a true cold. It was more as if the heat was afraid to be here. Even when they walked by the torches she didn't feel any heat emanating from them. It was silent, as well. All she could hear was their hoof steps, no sounds echoing from the distance. As if the darkness absorbed all the sounds that dared to appear.

They made it to the top of the stairs and her eyes widened. There was a glowing blue pit, dangling over it was a massive steel cage. Within the cage was a strange creature, unlike anything she'd seen before. It had the upper body of a minotaur, with red arms and a black chest. But the lower body was that of a pony. A centaur. She'd only heard of them in legends. It looked so old and decrepit, the bones almost sticking through its flesh. Slowly it looked up.

“Well well well. If it's not the backup princess,” the creature said with a chuckle. “Come to free me at last? Funny, I'd always imagined it would be Discord who came to release me from this cell.”

Nightmare Moon ignored him, slowly hovering the metal bonds up before her eyes, she then gave a nod. “Tirek, it has been too long. You're in luck, we have use for you.”

He gave another chuckle. “You imagine I'd serve you? Why would I--” The words never finished when suddenly the metal bindings shot out. Four wrapped around his hooves, two around his wrists. He looked confused. “What are you--” Purple light enveloped them a moment later and he froze.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then the screams started. Twilight took a step back, but could not look away as purple magic radiated out from the bindings, surging through his body, illuminating his veins. The creature collapsed on the ground, his hands clawing at the binds, desperately trying to tear them away, but they refused to give. If anything it just made it worse. The smell of burnt fur filled the room as the creature slammed about in its cage, smashing the cuffs into the bars and rolling around in agony, struggling to get them off.

“Stop this!” Twilight yelled, shaking her head and looking to Nightmare Moon.

The alicorn stared into the glow, her body illuminated by the purple light. Her smile wide and wicked, revealing her sharp teeth. She slowly looked down at the earth pony. “Why?”

“Y-you're hurting him!”

“So?”

“You... you can't! He's helpless, he--”

“Is not a pony. He is not one of our children,” Nightmare Moon said with a shrug. “Of what matter is his pain to us?”

Twilight gaped, staring at her, before turning to the creature. “P-please. You... you can't... you...”

The creature collapsed to the ground, the purple magic spreading through his veins, leaving deep glowing marks across his features. “P-please...” he pleaded. “N-Nightmare... Moon... mercy...”

The alicorn smiled at him, one that held none of which he begged for. “We are afraid we reserve that for our subjects. Now do try to suffer with dignity, Tirek.”

“I... I will... d-do as you please... w-whatever... y-you please...”

She laughed, a hoof to her mouth. “Oh, indeed you will.” Her horn glowed and the bindings erupted with a purple flame before the screams grew louder.

------

Twilight couldn't stop shaking as she stepped into the castle, the screams still echoing through her mind. Tirek marched besides them, his body covered in glowing purple lines that seemed to pulsate with each step. He hadn't spoken a word since he'd been drawn from his cage, though Twilight wondered if he even could speak anymore. He tried to walk with dignity, but she could see the occasional limp, the strain in his eyes and clenched fists. A slight fear when he looked to Nightmare Moon.

Dancer looked ashamed, her eyes lowered and head hung. The earth pony couldn't blame her. Like it or not, she had helped to create whatever it was that bound the poor creature. His suffering lay at her hooves. But worst of all was Nightmare Moon. There had been no mercy from her. Even when the creature had screamed, begged and finally cried, she had ignored it.

No, not ignored it. She had reveled in it. She had watched with delight as the creature was torn apart, his body bent to her will and his agony overwhelmed. She'd enjoyed it in much the way a normal pony would have enjoyed a good book.

Twilight gave a shudder and looked away. When a new horror crept on her. “Princess? We're not heading to the throne room?”

“Of course not. Bard, it is time for us to make good on our promise.”

An icy chill went down her spine. “Promise?”

“Yes. It is time for all of those ponies to be returned to their homes. That is what they wish, is it not? To be back with their loved ones, to be free of their cells?”

Twilight's eyes widened. “Y-you're going to let those ponies go? Truly?” She shuddered. “Y-you aren't going to... bind them like you did him, are you?”

“Of course not. They are our ponies. We would never do something like that to them.”

The earth pony nodded, her eyes glancing back to the centaur. He looked angry, though she couldn't blame him. Angry but afraid. The guards quickly parted ways as they made their way to the cells, letting them pass without incident. Though she could see the fearful look that passed over their faces as the four moved past them. A look that was all too common these days.

They traveled down into the cells. She could hear the ponies below, talking to each other. Playing games. The moment Nightmare Moon stepped off the last step the sounds began to die. Most of them stopped immediately, but then one by one the remaining voices went quiet until the last one was snuffed out, like a candle blown out by the breeze. The alicorn looked around at the ponies. “Why so glum looking, children? Today is a happy day. For it is on this day that we have decided mercy will be spared to you and all of the others who so... foalishly attempted to stop us from taking our rightful place on the throne.”

“You're no ruler!” Shining yelled before stepping forward. “Celestia was a kind, noble princess! Cadence would have made a ruler a thousand times better than you!”

Nightmare Moon cocked an eye. “Ah, yes. Shining Armor. Don't think we'd forgotten about you.” She slowly walked forward, the grin on her face widening. “Bard, make sure you capture our magnificence. All ponies will know of this.” She then turned to the unicorn. “Sadly, Celestia is... no longer with us. Nor will she ever be returning.” She reached out and delicately tapped the bars. “And the little... Cadence, was it? You will be happy to know that our mercy will extend to her as well. As a matter of fact, all of you ponies who have made such mistakes will, after today, be returning home.”

“You're... going to let Cadence go?” He looked taken aback.

“Indeed,” she said. Her horn glowed before the bars opened. Shining let out a yelp as he was dragged out. He tried to dig his hooves into the ground, but they refused to hold him and his horn refused to work with the magical bindings on it. She turned to Tirek. “Now, Tirek. A demonstration. If you please.”

Tirek growled and ground his teeth. “As if I have a choice.” The centaur stepped forward, walking in front of the unicorn bound in the alicorn's magic. Twilight watched in horror, her eyes going wide.

“S-stop it...” she said weakly. “STOP IT!”

“Bard, be silent, this won't hurt him,” the alicorn said dismissively.

Twilight shook, watching the centaur approach him. She then let out a growl. “LEAVE MY BROTHER--”

“Stop!” Shining said, shaking his head weakly. “I-it's fine... Twily. Don't.”

The earth pony stopped. “W-what?”

“I... knew what I was getting into. Don't.”

Twilight whimpered but, slowly, took a step back. Tirek moved forward and opened his mouth. Shining let out a gasp as yellow and green magic burst forth from the creature's mouth, then enveloped his horn. Twilight watched in horror as the stallion's body shook and then, finally, his cutie mark faded away. Nightmare Moon's magic released him and he collapsed to the ground, his eyes gray and weak. “What... what have you done?”

“We have tamed this beast. Bent him to our will as all shall soon be,” Nightmare Moon said with a chuckle. Tirek let out a groan as the bindings began to glow. He moaned and then opened his mouth. Purple magic spilled forth, enveloping the alicorn before a grin formed on her lips. “And now, none will challenge our rule.” Her horn glowed before the cage opened once more and the other ponies were drawn out, dragged before Tirek. “Now... let us continue.”

------

Twilight struggled to keep herself from crying as she'd been forced to watch, one by one, while the rebellious guards were drained of their power and cutie marks. With each one, she could see Nightmare Moon growing stronger. Her horn grew slightly longer, her mane became more radiant. Her eyes glowed with a wicked light that made the earth pony want to run shrieking from the room.

But now the worst of all was about to happen. She had been ordered to follow when the tyrant grabbed Shining Armor and carried him in her magic through the castle. Twilight didn't even have to be told where they were going as they walked through the castle. She could tell that this horror story wasn't over yet.

Before long they came to one final room, housing a circle etched into the ground. Nightmare Moon stepped forward and put her hoof to it, moments before it came to life. There was a small flash and then, suddenly, within it two ponies appeared within a great metal cage. Blueblood and Cadence. They looked up in confusion. The former looked scared, while the latter looked defiant at first, but when her eyes fell on Shining, fear covered her face. “You... what are you doing?”

“It is time for us to end this charade,” Nightmare Moon said with a snort before dropping Shining on the ground. “You will be permitted to return to your homes. And your... colt.” She paused. “After we have finished.” Her horn glowed again and the gates opened. Blueblood let out a yelp before he was yanked forward, the gate slamming in Cadence's face.

“What are you doing with him?” Cadence yelled.

The ruler merely snorted and the stallion gulped when he was brought before Tirek. “Err... hello. Can I--” Twilight could only look away when the stallion's words died in his throat. She gave a small shudder and shook her head. After a few moments she heard a thump and looked back to see the prince, collapsed on the ground. His eyes weak and gray.

Nightmare Moon then turned to the pink princess. “Now, you.” The gate opened and Cadence let out a yelp before being dragged forward. She grabbed the bars as she was hauled, but her resistance only lasted a few moments. She was pulled forward before Tirek.

The centaur opened his mouth and Twilight looked away. After a few moments she heard a groan. “I... I cannot,” the centaur said weakly. “I am too weak. I need more power...”

Twilight looked up and, for a moment, there was hope. Cadence stared defiantly at them. “I will never give you my power! I would sooner die!”

Nightmare Moon gave a sigh. “Must we go through this? Truly?”

“You're a monster!”

“We are the rightful ruler of this land. You will yield your power to us.”

“NEVER!”

The ruler stared down at her, before nodding. “Very well. We had hoped it wouldn't come to this.” There was a light moan before Shining was picked up into the air. “Do it, or he dies.”

Cadence froze, her eyes going wide. Twilight gasped. “N-Nightmare Moon, you can't! You promised you--”

“Another alicorn will lead to civil war. It will be more ponies that rise up against us, who want to fight for who they believe should rule. Ponies may die.” The unicorn was brought in front of her. Twilight tried to speak, but her mouth suddenly refused to open. “We do not wish to hurt our ponies, but if one life must be sacrificed... so be it.”

Shining groaned, shaking his head. “D-don't do it... Cadence... if... if she has your power there's... she's already too strong. You can't make her--” His mouth was sealed in green magic.

“Make your decision quickly, child. One way or another... we will have your power. If we have to destroy your... lover, your parents, your friends. To avoid catastrophe, we shall.” She said

Cadence stared at her, chewing on her lower lip. Then, slowly, she turned to Tirek. Closing her eyes with shame, she opened her mouth.

------

Twilight sat in her chair, looking at the notes for her book. How had it come to this? She had thought everything was going to be fine. She'd thought that those ponies would actually be released. Now they were gone, drained of their power.

Worst yet, Tirek was a new tool for Nightmare Moon to use against them. She didn't know who he was, or even what he was. But with power like that, how could they ever hope to stand up against her? All of those ponies had been freed and once again the jails were empty. Nightmare Moon had been right, unfortunately. Who would dare rise up against her now? It was one thing to risk your life, but to fight her now would only make her stronger. Give her more power with which to rule the world. She rested her head on the table and whimpered.

Now Nightmare Moon was on her throne, likely gloating. Dancer was in her room, likely bawling her eyes out or feeling miserable after what she had helped to create. Her brother and Cadence had managed to get to their parents, but Twilight couldn't bear to stay longer than she had to and had retreated back to the castle. Tirek was in the jails, locked up alone until the ruler needed him again.

She paused and slowly looked up. “Tirek... is in the jails.” She glanced to her books. Slowly she pushed out from the desk and grabbed an empty notebook and some pens.

She was right. She didn't know who or what he was. But why couldn't she find out?

------

Twilight slowly walked down the steps to the cells. She couldn't help feeling that she did that far too often these days. However, this time it felt different. There had been no guards stationed at the top. The steps had plenty of fresh scuffs and dirt from the ponies that had walked out or been carried out following having their power drained. No sounds came from below, either. Noponies playing cards, board games or even oubliettes and ogres. There was silence. It was almost as bad as walking through Tartarus had been.

She made it to the bottom steps and took a slow look around, her eyes stopping on the creature off in the biggest cell. He was sitting on the bed, idly playing solitaire. It was such a strange, even normal appearance that she was taken aback and almost fell the last few steps, barely catching herself. He glanced up and cocked an eye. “Ah. The bard. Tell me, have you come to mock me like your ruler? Or perhaps you wish for something else? Perhaps an autograph?”

She shook her head. “No. I wanted to talk with you.”

He gave a light laugh. “Talk with me? Imagine, all I had to do to get a bit of company was wait a thousand years and some.” He snorted derisively. “Not like I have anything better to do.” He looked back to his cards.

She gulped. “Are... are you comfortable?”

“Oh, quite. Nothing like having every ounce of magic in your body tainted by some tyrannical pony to make your day just sunny. Pony, I have suffered enough. If all you wish is to torture me with inane chatter, bother someone else.” There was a light twitch to his hands as he dealt the cards.

She gulped nervously and took a step forward. “No. That's not it.” She dropped her notebook on the ground, flipping it open to the first page. “Tirek... I... I'd like you to tell me your story. All of it.”

Author's Notes:

You know, to be honest, I came SUPER close to calling this story 'Tell me your story'. I'm such a dork. -.-

Anyway! This will likely be the last chapter posted for a while. Sorry. Just... well, irl things are going kinda... bad. There's a lot of drama going on irl, fighting, anger, hurt feelings and just... everything is going bad right now. And I'm caught right in the middle of it and struggling not to fall apart from the stress. I really don't want that leaking into my story, so I think it's better if I just put this one on hold for a little bit until all of this blows over and there's a lot less drama. Please be patient and bear with me, I'm sorry everyone. Thank you.

S1 CH 11. Tell me your story

Tirek stared at the little pony. After a few moments he burst into laughter, covering his face with his hands. After a few more moments the laughter died and he stared. “You’re… serious.”

“Ummm, was I not clear?”

“Why would you wish to know my story? Isn’t that ruler of yours far more interesting?”

She nodded. “She is. But I’ve never seen magic like yours, it has to come from somewhere, right?”

He snorted. “Why not ask her?”

“I will. In fact, I want to find out everything I can about you, for when I write a book about you. Err, if that's okay,” she said with a big smile. “And who better to tell the story than you, the one who lived it? Besides, it’ll be good to know how you viewed the situation.”

He stared at her, before cocking his head to the side. “Pony. Are… you mad? Why would you wish to write a book about me?”

“Because I don’t know you. I’ve never even heard of you and I doubt many ponies have. But… they’ll want to know who you are. What you want. Why you… do what it is you do. Nightmare Moon may be using your powers now, but there’s no telling what the future will hold. And if ponies know who you are, they won’t be as scared.”

“Oh? Is that what you think? Do you think they won’t be scared of me, if they know who I am?”

She nodded. “They’ll be less scared. So… please?”

He just laughed and shook his head. “Very well, silly pony. If you want to know who I am. I am a prince from a far off land. Or, at least, I was, before my brother betrayed me. I was taught magics there and, during my lessons, I learned of you little ponies. It was there I attempted to drain their power. Unfortunately, my plan backfired and my family discovered what I was trying. They imprisoned me in my room. When I grew older, I attempted to come to your land and drain the ponies of their magic. My brother betrayed me to your princesses and I was captured, imprisoned until now. Does that satisfy your curiosity, little pony?”

She frowned and shook her head. “No, it doesn't. Come on, Tirek. There has to be more to it than that. How long have you been sealed away?”

He laughed and smiled at her. “Me? Long before even you princess of the moon was locked away. It took both of them to defeat me. Were I… as strong as I had once been, your Nightmare would have fallen beneath me. But these long years have… weakened me.”

She nodded, taking more notes. “Okay. Can you tell me what you want, then?”

“Is it not obvious? I want power. You little ponies, so full of magic, but you barely even use it. Nowhere near your potential, at least. For you to have it is a waste.”

She nodded, taking a few more notes. “So your goal is power, then?”

“Of course.”

“And then what do you intend to do?”

He blinked a few moments. “What?”

“What do you intend to do?” she asked, looking up at him.

“I intend to drain every ounce of power from all of you ponies. From the weakest to the strongest, even your princesses.”

“Okay. And what do you intend to do with that power?”

“What?”

“You have to have some goal, right?”

“Power is its own goal! I will drain this power and then become the ruler of all the world! I will go to other countries and drain them!”

“Okay? But what then? What do you want to use the power for? There has to be a reason, right? That’s what ponies are going to want to know.”

He stared at the infuriating pony, a frown on his lips. Finally, he nodded. “Ahhhhh. I see. Yes, there is a goal. Once I have drained every last ounce of power, I will rule. I will conquer all of the world, Equestria and beyond. All will kneel before me, from the weakest to the greatest.”

She blinked and gave a nod. “Okay. I see. So… like Nightmare Moon then. Thank you. So what can you tell me about your kingdom?”

He blinked a few times, his mouth falling open. Finally, he frowned. “It is ruled by my father and mother.”

“Are they both centaurs, like you?”

“No, my mother is a gargoyle. As is my brother.”

She gave another nod, taking notes. He didn’t seem to be resisting as much now at least. “Okay. And did they teach you how to drain magic like that?”

“Hm? No. There was a… teacher there. A hermit. He had great power and taught me magic. He was the first I knew, who captured one of you… ponies and tried to drain their power. I betrayed and imprisoned him and tried to drain the power for myself. It backfired and… infuriated my family. I said I wasn’t there, but they didn’t believe me.”

Twilight gave another nod. It was going so much smoother now. He seemed confused and occasionally had a thoughtful look on his face, but he answered her questions. After she’d gathered a large assortment of information, she closed up her notebook and tucked it away. “I think that’s enough for today, I’ll see what I can find in our records and then come back later to ask some more. Is there anything you need?”

He cocked his head slightly to the side. “Need?”

“Yes? Anything you want? Perhaps some books, comics? Even some toys? I imagine being locked away in a cell all day is boring.”

He stared and then burst into laughter. “Stupid pony. You do know one day I will be free. Your princess thinks she can control me. But I will break free of these bonds, one way or another. Then you will all kneel before me, drained of your powers.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. And if that time comes, I’ll be able to give ponies the information they need to not be scared of you. Or… at least, not as scared at they can be be.”

“Is that what you think to do with Nightmare Moon? You think if you tell people who and what she truly is, they won’t be scared? They won’t be terrified? Even as she tears you apart and drains every dissenter who dares to speak?”

Twilight blinked a few times and lowered her eyes. “Yes. There’s… only so much we can do now. So much I can do. But… I know I can do this. I can help ponies. I can stop them from being scared. And… if I can do that… I at least have to try.”

He snorted. “You’re wasting your efforts. She is just as much a monster as I. She will tear your country apart and then you will be left with nothing but terrified masses and helpless ponies.”

She closed her eyes and nodded. “Maybe. Maybe she will. But… maybe there’s still some good in her. Maybe there is still a part of her that… isn’t a monster.” She glanced towards her back. “She hasn’t killed any of us yet. Though I feel she’s wanted to. And… there’s no telling what she’ll do to the others. But… maybe there’s still a chance. Maybe we can learn to adapt. Maybe… maybe we can cope.”

“You can’t cope with creatures like us, pony. You’ll learn that eventually. She’ll destroy you and everything you are trying to protect. And then your other ponies will still know nothing but fear.”

She nodded. “Maybe. But… at this point, I can only hope you’re wrong.” She turned and started trotting up the stairs. “I’ll see if I can find some books or something I think you’ll like, okay? Let me know if there’s anything else you’ll want.”

Tirek snorted before trotting back to his cot. Ponies were such stupid creatures. He looked forward to the day he could escape this prison and drain every last one of them. That earth pony would be one of the first. He wondered if she’d write a story about that. The fall of her world.

------

Twilight took a slow, weak breath while she stood outside the throne room. After a few moments she worked up her courage and pushed the door open, stepping inside.

Nightmare Moon was on her throne, talking with Moondancer. They both paused and looked over to her, the former’s eyes glaring. “What do you require, bard?”

“I… I wanted to talk with you. I wanted to ask you something, your highness. If… that’s okay?”

“We have always allowed you to speak, bard. Even at times you did not deserve it. Tell us what you need.”

She took a nervous step forward. “I wanted to know. If… is...” She chewed on her lower lip. “What you did to the others. Draining them of their power. Is that what… you intend to do with Celestia?”’

The princess stared for a few moments before bursting into laughter. “Oh. Wouldn’t that be ironic?” The mare shook her head. “No.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“It would be redundant at this point, would it not?”

Twilight froze. “I’m… sorry?”

“Our previous throne warmer has already given us her power, in one way or another. Did you not wonder how we returned without any weakness or exhaustion? How we were so strong? Surely you must have though Celestia would have put up some fight, were she to try and stop us?”

Both ponies stared at her, their mouths falling open.

“Oh? You believed the two of us had fought and we had just so overwhelmed her?” Nightmare Moon asked with a laugh. “No. When the time came, when we appeared before our sister, there was no fight. She merely watched us, submitted to us. Said that her ponies would stop us, somehow. We suppose she believed that her faithful student would defeat us,” she said before giving another laugh, drawing shame to Moondancer's face. “She always was an optimist. But no, when we fought we defeated her. And our powers were always similar. Draining them, or at least bending them to our will was… simple. In fact, even now they...” She paused and then frowned. “That is none of your concern. All you need to know is that her power already resides within us. Now, bard, it is time for you to prepare as well.”

“W-what? Why?”

“Soon, visitors from other nations will come to pay tribute to us. And then we will decide how to deal with them. We hear our sister had grown… gentle in her years. Allowing all manner of beasts and creatures within our borders. If they will not accept their new ruler, however, then they will be... removed.”

Twilight gulped and gave a slow nod. She didn’t know who these ponies would be who were coming, but she hoped they were lucky.

Author's Notes:

Guess who's back? So, finished the Val story(where did you come from?), finished my second book of the year, published a new book(available in both purchasable and free version, so please check it out from my page) and so, without further ado... Twilight Glow is back! :D
Hope you're all excited.

S1 CH 12. Representatives

Rainbow blinked and glanced up, cocking her head to the side. It was so late, what had woken her up? Then again, she supposed it was always late now. What with the moon and all. Still, she had been having the best dream ever.

Then a light knocking came from her door. Well, at least now she knew what woke her up. “I’m coming I’m coming!” she called before getting to her hooves. She scratched her side before trotting through her house, making her way to the door.

Outside was pegasus. She couldn’t tell much about him. Aside from the fact he had the most AWESOME uniform on. It was black and purple, with a skull over the cutie mark and lightning bolts separating the colors. He wore yellow goggles and had a dark blue mane. “Hello, mind if I come in?”

“A little, who are you?” she asked, cocking an eye.

“Shadowfang, a pleasure,” he said, bowing his head. “Member of the royal Shadowbolts, Equestria’s new top fliers.” He stood up, flashing her a smile. She couldn’t help but notice his teeth were quite sharp. “You’re Rainbow Dash, correct? I’ve heard you’re one of the greatest fliers of all time.’

She had been concerned at first. A little wary. But that made all of it shut off. “Well, duh! Come on in!” she said, grinning. “Just call me Rainbow. So, Shadowbolts, huh? Never heard of them.”

“We’re new. Nightmare Moon has requested the greatest fliers in the world to become members of it. And after we heard about your stunt… well, punching out her highness, while not the smartest thing, is pretty brave.”

Rainbow chuckled and then glanced to her back. “Yeah… still… wouldn’t do it again. After what happened to me and Twilight...”

“Still, that took gumption.” He looked around her house, scratching his chin with a clawed hoof. “So we’ve been looking for young fliers like you. Fliers who can help motivate ponies and have that awesome attitude, as well as the skills to back it up. We’re trying to get at least one from each major town and city as well. So, Rainbow, what do you say. Think you’d be interested?” He turned towards her and lifted up his goggles, revealing yellow eyes. “Now, I’m not saying you’d be just any flier, either. How does Captain sound?”

“YEAH!” Rainbow said, pumping a hoof into the air before letting out a little sqwee of delight. “Sign me up! What do I have to do?”

“I just need you to fill out some paperwork, that’s all. Captain,” he said with a nod before pulling some papers out of his uniform and placing them on the table. “Happy you came around.”

“Are you kidding? You came to the best flier this side of the Wonderbolts,” she said, trotting towards them and pausing. “Wait. What’s… happening to the Wonderbolts?”

He paused. “Many… of them are joining us as well. Consider it a re-branding.”

“Wait, so I get to be a captain, a professional flier AND I get to fly with members of the Wonderbolts? Sign me up!” She took out the pen and started writing. “This is going to be awesome!”

“Of course it will be, Rainbow. A pleasure to have you with us.”

------

Fluttershy groaned softly, rubbing her forehead. Who could be coming to visit her at this hour? She hoped it wasn't anything too bad. She trotted down stairs, giving a soft yawn as she walked. “Who is it?” she called out.

“Is this Fluttershy's cottage?” a voice asked.

“Yes?”

“I have an animal emergency.”

The pegasus went into full alert. She opened the door, revealing a red bat pony with a black cape. He looked very pale and, clutched in his hooves, was a small little vampire fruit bat. “My little pet has suffered a nasty tummy ache and I heard you were the absolute best at dealing with hurt animals.”

“Oh dear oh dear oh dear,” Fluttershy said, her eyes locked on the poor thing. She trotted towards her kitchen. “Hold on one second and I'll see what I can do. Come in, come in,” she said quickly.

The bat pony grinned, flashing a pair of sharp fangs. “Thank you, Fluttershy. You're far too kind. Come along, Artemis.”

The pegasus paused and glanced back. Strange. All of her pets suddenly darted into their homes and were hiding. She couldn't imagine why. Even Angel was hiding inside with the other bunnies. She'd never seen him frightened before.

Vampire fruit bats weren't that scary, were they?

“Oh, I didn't catch your name?”

“Nightwing. I'm new in town. I just flew in from Trotslvania.”

“Oh? That sounds nice. I've never been there but I hear it's very nice.” She trotted over and deposited a fresh cup of hot apple cider in front of the bat. “Now, tell me what's wrong?”

The bat gently leaned forward and sipped the drink, before looking up at her. “Squeak squeak squeak.”

“Really?”

“Squeak.”

“Oh, you poor, poor dear. Don't you worry one little bit, I'll have you fixed up right as rain.”

------

Rarity sighed before she put on a small red ribbon with a gentle pink dress, the third dress. Three of her ponyquins were now covered, the other three were uncovered. She rubbed her chin, eying it nervously. “But does it really... work?” she asked herself. She shook her head and sighed. “Ugh, what time is it?” she said before looking to the clock and cringing. “Oh dear.” She turned and trotted off. “I do miss the sun. It was so much easier to tell when it was dark. Not to mention a tad less chilly.” She flipped off the switch and glanced back at her seven ponyquins. She then trotted down the hall.

She came back a moment later, her head cocked to the side. She flipped the light back on. Six ponyquins. Definitely six. She flipped it off a moment later. Seven now. Confusion etched on her features before she flipped it on and off, again and again. Still the seventh seemed to appear. “What in the...” She flipped it off again and looked for what could possibly be making that shadow. But there was nothing there. Just a blank wall. She turned it off again.

It was definitely there. Just turned towards her dresses. Waiting there. She frowned and turned it on one more time, then off again. “What in the--”

It moved! She let out a shriek and jumped back. “Who are you? What are you doing there? What do you want?!” She flicked the light on again and it disappeared. She let out a sigh of relief before shaking her head. “No. No, Rarity. No. You're just... you're overworked. That's all. It has been a long night, you're tired, you're just... that's all.” She turned and started towards her room, though she didn't turn the light off this time. She hummed and started performing her nightly rituals, cleaning her face and applying her mask before, finally, sliding into her bed with a gentle sigh. “A nice, refreshing night's sleep. That's what you need. Not like there's any other kind of... time to sleep these days,” she muttered. She switched off the light.

There was a ponyquin across the room, illuminated gently by the moon's glow from the window. She quickly turned her bedside lamp on. It disappeared. She flickered it off and on a few more times, each time the ponyquin appearing and disappearing.

There was a pop and her light went out. She tried flickering it back on, but it refused to move. The ponyquin turned and started walking towards her. She let out a nervous squeak when it came closer. Her horn glowed, casting a little light to the hoof of her bed.

The creature walked closer, not disappearing in the horn's glow. It looked pony... except it wasn't. Its body was a pale gray, as if it was made of smoke. Its eyes were empty and white. There were no facial features. No mouth, no nose. Its pale, white eyes stared at her, before slowly reaching a hoof out towards her.

Rarity screamed.

------

Twilight tried to avoid screaming when light trumpeting filled the room suddenly.

“Bard, there is no need to be so nervous,” Nightmare Moon said, casting her eyes down on the mare. “You are in our court, you are safe.”

“S-sorry, your highness. I just wish...” She squeaked, covering her mouth.

“Wish what?”

“Wish my... friends were here.”

“Oh, do not fret. If your friends are to be trusted, they will be fine.”

The earth pony blinked. “Wait, what?”

“Announcing Sir Gorda of Griffonstone!” a voice yelled.

Her eyes were quickly diverted to the entrance where a finely dressed griffon stood, wearing bright purple garments. He harrumphed when he trotted forward. He didn't bow, however, instead trotting towards Nightmare Moon with impudence. He gave a scowl of disgust. “So you are the one who has usurped Celestia? I must say, I'm hardly impressed. I expected the great tyrant that took over these lands would--” His beak was clamped shut with magic. Nightmare Moon stared down at him.

“You are in the presence of the ruler of Equestria. We will forget your... outbursts once, out of kindness for the treaties the one we replaced created. However, we will not forgive it a second time. Speak to us in such a way again and we will snap your wings like dry twigs.”

The magic disappeared. The griffon stared at her, before ruffling his feathers and pulling himself up to his full height. “L-listen here you over inflated pegasus! I am a representative of Griffonstone and I will NOT be spoken to in such a manner! If you do not cease your tongue, we of Griffonstone will bring war down upon your people and you--” He let out a shriek as he was lifted into the air by his wing.

“We did warn you,” Nightmare Moon said.

Twilight opened her mouth to object, before cringing. “Y-your highness, perhaps--”

“NO!” the ruler snapped. “Bard, cease. This... creature is not of our lands and we owe him no such protections as we do our ponies. Or would you prefer that we send our wrath against the ponies of our land, over this buffoon?”

“Put me down this instant, you... you overstuffed moon bag!”

Twilight stared at the griffon and looked away. Oh no. She heard the sickening crunch a moment later, followed by the scream. Then another crunch, then two more. When she looked back, the griffon's wing had been folded neatly up, the bones snapped in the movement.

Nightmare Moon stared down at the griffon. “If you and your ilk will bring war down on our ponies, then we will destroy you and burn your lands to cinders. If so much as one of your soldiers steps a single misshapen talon in our lands, every last one of your kind will feel our wrath, down to the smallest chick.” She then dropped the sobbing griffon.

“Y-your highness,” Moondancer said, glancing up at her. “About... what we spoke of?”

Nightmare Moon sighed and rolled her eyes. “Very well. If you step talon in our lands again, we will purge you. However, we will, in our infinite mercy and kindness, maintain the trade agreements between our lands for the time being. We would advise your kind to find a new representative. One without so crass a beak. Remove this thing from our sight.”

A few unicorns quickly raced forward, one of them making the griffon drink from a jar. The others delicately held his wing in their magic before hauling the griffon off. She was relieved to see that they were at least trying to keep the griffon's injury from worsening.

After a few moments the doors opened again. “Introducing Representative Tswana of Zebracorn.”

Twilight cringed, before turning to the zebra mare walking inside. Nightmare Moon gazed down at the mare.

“Maiden of the stars, I greet thee,” the zebra said, bowing her head respectfully.

Nightmare Moon chuckled and gave a nod. “Ah, a proper guest. Fret not, zebra. We remember our time a thousand years ago. You and your kind were always friends to our night and we have not forgotten. We have looked over the treaties and trade agreements between our people and they will remain, as well all travel.”

“We thank you for your generosity,” the mare said with another bow of her head. Twilight just sat there, stunned, only barely noticing the sigh of relief from the zebra.

“Is something wrong, bard?” Nightmare Moon asked while the zebra walked away.

“W-what? No! That was just so... quick and, err...”

“Yes?”

“You're... honoring... agreements?”

The mare cocked an eye. “Indeed we are. The griffons...” She rubbed her chin. “Have their uses. There is little to be gained at this point to wiping them out. But if the time comes, we shall do so without regret. The zebras have always been our friends and have done well to know their place. Along with the bat ponies, they were the few of our tribes that listened well to the ruler of these lands. A shame they have sought new pastures outside of our lands, but with that mare ruling these lands, we cannot blame them for making such decisions.”

She blinked. “W-wait, so they were... your friends before you became Nightmare Moon? They listened to you?” Twilight's eyes moved to Moondancer for a moment. She wondered how much of these decisions to honor agreements were thanks to her.

Nightmare Moon blinked and then slowly her eyes lowered. “They were... better than many of the others. But the zebras were never quite as... interested in the world of the other ponies. While they were more loyal than most of our subjects, they were often...”

Twilight cringed. “I... I see,” she muttered, checking that off her list of hope.

“But, be it as it may, zebras are still pony and even if they are no longer part of our kingdom, they will always be our subjects. One day, now that our sister is gone, they will return to the safety of our wing and find us ready.”

Twilight nodded nervously, before glancing towards the doors as more diplomats entered. To her relief, it wasn't a blood bath. In fact, many of them were treated with poise and dignity she didn't expect from the ruler. She made a mental note to send Moondancer a fruit basket for this, she had no doubt the mare was involved. It likely helped that most of the others showed her proper respect. Even the yaks, who she had always heard were foul tempered, were proper guests.

Then the dragon's representative came. When she heard it announced, she'd expected the windows to be opened and just a head to pop out.

Instead, a tiny little purple dragon, only a foot or so tall, came walking down the carpet. He was positively adorable, with little green scales on his forehead. He had a small bag and was covered in dirt.

“Sir... Spike... the baby dragon,” the announcer called.

The dragon gulped and poked his fingers together, staring up at the mare. “I... errr...”

“Yes, dragon?” Nightmare Moon asked, staring down at him. The poor dear was trembling.

“I… I ummmm...”

“Well?” the ruler of the night asked, annoyance begin to form on her features. “Spit it out, lizard.”

“I-I bring a message from the Dragon Lord.”

“Oh? We wonder if We know this one.”

“Lord Torch.”

“No, we’re afraid not. A shame. Well, what does he have to say?”

He gulped and took a slow, deep breath. “His… his lordship… he has decried this usurping of the throne as a sign that Celestia is weak, that Equestria has fallen. My kin will wage war upon your lands if you do not relinquish these territories to us immediately,” the dragon said before pulling a small scroll from his backpack.

Nightmare Moon merely chuckled, gripping the scroll in her magic. She pulled it over and then cocked an eye. “Oh dear. It seems he really, truly does wish to wage war upon us. We were expecting some… minor requests, enough to save face for himself. Alas.” She gave another chuckle before the scroll burst into flame. “We suppose there’s nothing that can be done about it. We’ve always wanted a Dragon Lord’s head hanging over our throne. If this… Torch wishes to die by our hooves, then we shall abide him. If he feared our sister, he will learn there is so much more to fear now.” Her eyes then fell on the dragon. “Tell us, young one. Why were you sent to deliver this message?”

“W-when… when the Dragon Lord speaks, we must obey.”

“Oh? But why you?”

He gulped and lowered his eyes. Twilight could see the fear in his eyes. “Because… because I… am… expendable and… and he believed you would… kill the messenger.”

She nodded. “Oh? Well, he was correct.” Her horn glowed and picked him up. “Unlike those griffons, there’s no need for civilities with war already upon us, now is there?”

Twilight stared, her eyes going narrow as pinpricks. While the dragon had brought an awful message, it hadn’t been his decision. Unlike the griffon, he’d just been tossed aside. He didn’t deserve this. “Wait!” the bard called out.

Nightmare Moon cocked an eye and glanced down. “Yes, bard?” she asked, holding the dragon in her grip as he struggled.

“We… we can...” She tried to think of some excuse, some reason. “He could still be useful! He might have information about the dragon lands!”

The ruler chuckled. “You believe they would send a child into my clutches so simply, while yet giving him information I can use against them?”

“M-maybe?” she said, staring up at the frightened dragon. A new thought clicked into her mind.

Pride.

“But even if they didn’t, there could still be a use for him?”

“Oh? And what use could this creature pose?”

“A pet.”

“What?” Nightmare Moon, Spike and Moondancer all said at once, staring at her as if she was mad.

“He could be your pet! He’s just a young dragon, right? He’s too young and weak to be any kind of threat or use at this point. But he’s still a dragon! You could keep him as a pet, teach him to properly obey you. Imagine what the other countries would think about that!”

Nightmare Moon snorted, looking down at the dragon. “Why would we care about such a creature, pet or no?”

Twilight shuffled her hooves together. She had to do something. “I-I could keep him as a pet?” she asked, her voice getting almost whiny.

The alicorn turned down on her. Now she absolutely stared at her as if she was mad. “You wish to keep this… thing as a pet?”

Moondancer’s mouth had fallen open and she just stared.

“Yes! A pet! Me, please?” she asked, gulping nervously. “I-I’ll take good care of him. I’ll keep him out of your way and make sure he doesn’t cause any problems or anything. I promise.”

Nightmare Moon snorted, looking down at the dragon. She then smiled, before dropping the dragon on the ground. After a moment, a black collar formed around his neck, encrusted with a moon symbol. “Very well. Dragon. From now until my bard tires of you, you will serve her. If, at any point, she deems you unsuitable for being a pet… this collar will choke the very life from you. If you leave her side for more than a few minutes, it will do it as well. Have we made ourselves clear?”

The dragon just stared up at her and nodded, before scampering over to behind Twilight. She let out a sigh of relief. Nightmare Moon nodded before looking towards the guards.

“That is the last of the representatives, your highness.”

“Good. Then there are the other matters to attend to. Bring in the nobles we summoned.”

Twilight blinked a few times. Nobles? She urked and looked around, but there was no sign of Tirek. Yet. However, when the ponies entered the room she couldn’t help but notice how nervous they were. One stood forward, a white unicorn with a blue mane.

“Your highness. My name is Fancy Pants, a pleasure to meet you.” He bowed politely.

Nightmare Moon cocked an eye. “Is this truly the best our kingdom has to offer?” she asked with a sigh. “Very well. The reason we have summoned you here is to discuss the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Twilight barely managed to suppress her sigh of relief. After the day’s ordeals, something so simple and mundane was a relief. “Of course, your highness. We, errr, have already purchased our tickets and cannot await the festivities.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Of course. And this gala will be the grandest we have ever held. It will be the largest. Accordingly… the size of the guest allowances has been… doubled.”

There was a low choking from the nobles. “W-we… we see,” Fancy said, before nervously adjusting his monocle. “Why, this is marvelous news! I assume this means additional tickets will be available for purchase?”

“Indeed. As those who have supported the crown for such an extended time, we knew that we should be generous and allow our most loyal subjects the benefit of an early--” The lights in the room flickered. The alicorn smiled, her teeth being shown to them as she turned to gaze towards the door.

In the doorway two ponies stood. The one on the right was like nothing she’d seen before. It looked like a pony, but it was covered in fur, with large glowing yellow eyes, massive fangs and long claws extending from its hooves. The other was a very pale unicorn in a blood red cloak. His eyes were slitted and his mouth was partially open, revealing small fangs.

“Ah, my newest subjects have arrived.” There was that ‘my’ again. It always sent a chill down Twilight’s back. “And that must mean...” Slowly the lights in the room dimmed until a third pony seemed to pop into existence besides them. It had white, hollow eyes and a body that was gray like smoke. It had no nose or mouth.

“We… we don’t believe we have ever… met such creatures,” Fancy said nervously.

“Oh? A shame. Please, introduce yourselves.”

The cloaked pony stepped forward and bowed his head, spreading out a pair of bat wings from under the cloak. “My name is Redfang, your highness. I have come as representative of the vampire ponies, at your behest.”

The furry one stepped forward, scratching behind his ear. He then bowed politely. “I am Kneading Pin, your highness. I have come as representative of the wereponies, at your behest. Oh! And I brought snacks! If, err, it pleases you. From my bakery!”

The last one stepped forward and bowed its head, though no voice came out. “Ah, allow me,” Nightmare Moon said. “That is Cloak, representative of the shades. It is very happy to meet you.”

“T-the… the feeling is mutual,” Fancy said. The nobles quickly stepped aside as the three bowed their head.

Twilight stared, her mouth open. She couldn’t believe it. “V-vampires… vampires are real? Werewolves? SHADES?” she asked.

“Mmmm? Indeed,” Nightmare Moon said, before glancing to them. “We imagine our sister has worked long and tirelessly to hide them from the masses, in order to make ponies believe that such things do not exist.” She got down from her throne and stepped forward. All three bowed to her obediently. “But they have long served our realm and we refuse to make those gifted by our moon hide forever...” She then paused and her eyes turned towards the shade. Twilight couldn’t be sure, but she thought she almost saw… remorse in those eyes. “Or those who… suffer alone in the darkness. We imagine you will wish to tell more stories about such creatures, yes?” she asked, turning towards the bard.

Twilight squeaked, before quickly nodding. “Y-yes!”

“Good. Then ask them whatever questions you like.” She then turned back towards the nobles. “You may leave, if you please. Our business is done here. You may speak with our representatives to discuss any additional tickets you wish to purchase.”

Twilight watched them go, her eyes narrowed. She had no doubt that Nightmare Moon had that planned. Allowing them to see the creatures would have rumors spreading within a few hours. Everypony would KNOW that such creatures existed, or were at least suspected, soon. Before the official release.

And the nobles would have to be careful about it. If it caused a panic or disharmony, it would be laid at their hooves, as they were the only ones that knew.

“So, the tasks I’ve assigned you are complete?” Nightmare Moon asked.

She was brought back to attention when she realized they were talking.

“Of course, your highness,” Redfang said, bowing his head. “They are being monitored as we speak. We live to serve you, as we always had.”

Twilight could feel claws on her back and realized Spike was shaking. She gulped and then. “I-I… err… if I could… I think I might need to turn in my new… pet soon. And I’m feeling quite tired as well. But, err… if I could ask our guests a question?”

“As you wish,” Nightmare Moon offered.

“Where, errr, have you been? I mean, creatures such as yourself… how long...”

“Your highness, if you would allow me?” the vampire asked. The alicorn nodded. “Lady… Glow, was it?” She nodded, a little concerned he knew her name. “We have existed in this realm for the last few thousand years.”

Her heart hammered. “W-what? Impossible!”

“Truly? If you didn’t see us now, would you not think a pony crazy for mentioning us?”

“But… but that’s… ponies would know. How do you exist?” she asked softly. “I-I’ve read books, I’ve--”

“Most of that is… not quite true,” the vampire said with a smile. “Well… some of it is. The original works were fairly accurate. But I still have no idea where the ‘we burst into flames at the sight of the sun’ came into being. While I’ll admit we do get far weaker, it won’t kill us. It merely makes us like normal ponies. And I assure you, there are plenty of vampires who are very religious.”

“And… the blood?”

“Yes, we do require it for sustenance. Or fruit juice, though blood is preferred.”

“But… but that’s bad! What if you hurt or kill somepony?”

He cocked an eye. “Truly? Well, dear bard, we require SOME blood. We are hardly the monsters of legend that drain ponies dry. In fact, many of us gain our sustenance from our family or friends. That’s the thing about blood, for ponies such as yourself, it is not exactly in limited supply. We just have to be careful and, at times, ensure a hospital is nearby.” He then gave a sigh. “Of course, on occasion mistakes will happen. A vampire will go too far. But it is a rare occurrence and our population is quite small.”

“Small? Really?”

“Indeed. In all of Equestria there are likely only a few hundred of us. Maybe just under a thousand.”

Her eyes went wide. “W-what? So few? But that's... you're practically extinct!”

“We are graced with living for many, many years. Far longer than most ponies, so even a few of us could flourish if need be. On top of that, many of us... hesitate when it comes to turning another.”

“Oh?”

“Indeed. There are many who would accept our life, if it meant an eternal life. But... even our eldest is less than a thousand years old.”

She blinked a few times, looking confused. “But... I thought... vampires didn't age?”

“We don't. But there are many, many other ways to die. But there are many ponies who... would likely not do well with a life such as ours. Who would end up...” He rubbed his chin. “To put it... in more simple turns. I am sure you have heard the legends of great vampires that stalked the night?”

“Well, I mean, I've heard some old ones. That's where the Hoofula stories came from.”

“Exactly. And there were also the great... purges,” he said sadly, his eyes glancing to Nightmare Moon. “Those can become a necessity when those who are gifted with our abilities are not worthy of them. Ponies who are selfish and cruel, who want only power and seek out other, like minded individuals to spread this too. Once the princesses allowed us to become hidden members of Equestria, we agreed to work tirelessly to ensure that only those willing and who we believe will use this gift wisely would be given it. Sometimes there are mistakes.”

“What happens then?” Twilight asked.

“They are brought before the princess and she determines their fate. Fortunately, Celestia was a--” He froze and his eyes widened. “An okay ruler, but nothing like our wise and benevolent Nightmare Moon. With her at the throne I imagine we will have a new time of prosperity.” He then glanced back to the werewolf. “Now, I believe it's your turn?”

“Hey,” Kneading said with a wave of his clawed hoof. “Yeah, we've been around a long time, too. Like, forever almost. Don't live as long, but being a werepony is pretty cool. I've been one about six years now? Most of us are pretty chill. Some of us can be jerks though, same as anypony.”

She nodded. “So, errr, you run a bakery?”

“Oh yeah. Best cinnamon rolls in Manehatten! Most of us have to have jobs, getting all fuzzy doesn't pay the bills. Well, for some of us it does, but that's something else entirely.”

“W-what?”

“Nothing. But yeah, sadly, the stories about us are a little more... true. Full moons make us go a bit... wild. The stronger ones of us? They can usually keep us in control. That's why we have packs. Outside the full moon, though, it's pretty awesome. As long as we don't get pissed, then we might transform too. Well, or scared. But any of that, really. Just need to be really careful when going through traffic, you know?”

She nodded a few times, her mouth open slightly. “And... when things go wrong?”

“Got a whole herd of ponies in the royal lines ready to deal with us. For the most part we don't have more incidents than any other ponies. I mean, I don't know if you've noticed but like... well... we can be pretty strong and all but...” He motioned her closer.

She blinked and leaned in. “Yes?”

He shifty eyed and whispered in her ear. “Some of these ponies? They can do magic,” he said, before bursting into laughter.

She stared at him flatly. “You're... kidding.”

“Nah, not at all. We may be big and tough when we transform, but we aren't the smartest thing. One good well trained unicorn can take us down with the right spells. I've heard of some that managed to take down entire packs all by themselves. Far as I know, the vampires don't fare much better.”

Redfang glanced off to the side. “W-while I will acknowledge that. Yes. The magic of the Equestrian Special Forces has managed to deal with quite a few vampires over the years, I believe our own politics and safeguards are enough to keep most issues from ever occurring. And nine out of ten vampires who go rogue we end up capturing on our own.”

The werewolf just snickered. “Oh, don't mind him. Vampires have always been a bit fussy and got sticks up their butts the size of an alicorn's horn.” He chuckled for a few moments before the grin evaporated and he turned towards Nightmare Moon. She looked less than pleased by that remark. “N-not to, e-err, i-imply that her royal highness would... err...” The glare he received made him squirm in place and quickly lower his gaze. “M-my apologies, y-your highness.”

“What about the shades?” Twilight asked quickly, trying to change the subject.

Nightmare Moon turned towards the creature and gave a sigh. “The shades are... a curse. Ponies trapped between our world and a realm of shadows, placed there by the umbrum. They cannot touch our world, only appearing in our shadows. Neither living nor dead, they are trapped. Their memories stripped, their minds broken.”

“If they aren't... I mean, why haven't I ever seen one before?” she asked softly.

“You likely have. The shades are often on the edge of your vision. When a light flickers out, they may be in there, watching you. But they are lost, for now, and we have never been able to free them. Those who do see them are often deemed... mad.”

Twilight shuddered at the thought of these creatures always watching over her. “I... see,” she whispered. “And... you can speak with it?”

“Indeed. They are creatures of the night, unwilling or not. And they are as much our children as any other pony, lost though they may be. And it can understand you. It just cannot speak with you.”

She stared at it. It nodded its head. She shuddered. “I-I see. I errr... I-I think I'm going to go take care of my new pet. I'll, errr, I'll ask more questions later, okay?” She then turned, flipped the started dragon onto her back and galloped out of there. For a moment she felt guilty that she left Moondancer alone with all those... things. She rolled her eyes and then popped her head in again, loathing her guilty conscience. “Err... would it be okay if Moondancer assisted me?”

Nightmare Moon cocked an eye. “If our student wishes to, she may.”

“Yes please!” Moondancer squeaked, teleporting across the room and then darting out the open door. Once they were both outside they bother shared a look.

“So...” Twilight started. “Is it odd that I still don't find Nightmare Moon any scarier?”

“I think I'm about capped out on fear for her,” Moondancer mumbled, before glancing to the dragon.

The earth pony groaned and then glanced back to Spike. “Can you walk?”

“O-of course I can!” the dragon said with a snort before leaping off her and landing roughly, falling over onto his face. “Ow.”

“Are you okay?” she asked, reaching out to touch him. He smacked her hoof away.

“I'm fine!” he said before standing up. “Y-you know, I would have been fine, I didn't need a pony to--”

“Oh don't you even start with that!” Moondancer snapped, thrusting a hoof into the dragon's chest. “Twilight just stuck her neck out for you and if it wasn't for her, yours would be broken right now.”

Twilight squeaked. “M-Moondancer, you don't need to--”

“No. I have had it. Ponies are always talking bad about you behind your back and I'm sick of it,” Moondancer snapped, glaring down at the dragon. “Do you have any idea how much trouble she risked? Do you see those marks on her back? That's from the LAST time she stuck her neck out to help somepony! She risked it AGAIN so she could save your butt. And I am not going to stand by why you act all ungrateful, understand?”

The dragon stared up at her, meekly poking its fingers together. Then, after a few moments, he began to cry.

Neither pony expected that and they shared confused looks. Twilight blinked a few more times before reaching out and pulling him close, letting him cry into her chest. “Shhhhh. Shhhhh. It's okay. It's all okay. Nopony is going to hurt you, I promise. Okay? You're safe now. I'll keep you safe, I promise. Nopony is going to hurt you,” she said and gently pet his scales back.

He sniffled and after a few moments, he nodded. “I-I'm sorry...”

“It's okay. You've had a... very rough day. I know none of this could have been easy for you.” She kept soothingly rubbing his head. “So, what is it that dragons eat, anyway?”

“Ummmm... gemstones really...”

Twilight blinked a few times, mouthing the word a few times, before looking to Moondancer. “Err... do you think you could get me some... like, actual gemstones?”

“Uh huh. Rubies are my favorite.”

She cocked her head to the side. She'd heard tales and stories, but she didn't know they were true. They actually ate them. She'd assumed it was just a myth. “Well... okay then. Ummm, Moondancer, can you see if you can find some gems for him?”

The mare nodded. “I will. Meet you in your room?”

“Please,” Twilight said before gently guiding the dragon towards her room.

“I'm sorry,” Spike said again.

“It's fine. You've had a tough day.” Her chest was still wet, but it didn't burn. At least the stories she'd heard about dragons spitting acid was probably not true. Would tears and snot be acid in that case? She'd need to look into it. She then looked him over and cringed. He had a thin layer of dirt over his body. “Did... errr... did you walk here?”

“A lot of the way. A dragon dropped me off about a day's march from here and then I had to walk the rest of the way,” he mumbled. “B-but I wasn't scared or anything! The dark is fine!”

She nodded, eying him with a cocked eye. “I see. So then, Spike. How about I give you a bath first, then I'll take a shower?”

“I don't need a bath!” he said defiantly.

“Are you sure? I've got bubbles. Lots and lots of bubbles.”

He frowned and eyed her suspiciously. “How... many bubbles?”

“Come on,” she said with a smile, guiding him to her bathroom. She started filling it up with hot water before glancing to him. “So... why were you chosen?”

“I told you. Expendable,” he muttered.

“How... ummm... old are you? Aren't you still just a...” She looked him over. “A baby dragon?”

He blinked and then mumbled softly under his breath.

“What?”

“Yeah, I am, so what?!” he yelled, glowering at her. “Just because I'm a baby doesn't mean I can't do something like this!”

She cringed, giving a nod. “O-of course. But what about your parents?”

“My parents died years before I was hatched,” he muttered. For along moment he was silent, then spoke up again. “They sent me because I'd been here before, too.”

She turned back. “What?”

“My mom, she worked with the princess. So the princess had my egg for a while before she returned it to the dragon lands.” He crossed his claws. “It didn't exactly make me the most popular around. Especially after all this started.”

She blinked a few times before she started adding the bubble bath. “I see. That's... I'm very sorry to hear that.” She gently picked him up in her hooves and then set him in the tub. He yelped.

“It's cold!”

“What?” she asked, touching the water. It felt pretty warm to her.

“It's cold!”

She sighed, before turning on the water to max heat. “How's that?”

“... Better,” he mumbled. After the water warmed up he began to relax and sit in the tub. “Ummmm...”

“Yes?”

“Are you going to give me some privacy?”

“Huh?” Pink flooded her cheeks. “Oh! Right, sorry,” she said before shaking her head and trotting off. She rolled her eyes. Just because he was a baby didn't mean he needed her to help wash himself, she was sure. She stood outside the door. “So... you had no pony back home?”

“Yeah. Wanna keep rubbing it in?”

She cringed. “Sorry.” She tapped the ground nervously, listening to him scrub. “I’m sorry you had to leave home. I’m sorry you… can’t go back. But I’ll do my best to keep you… taken care of, I guess. Here. You just need to be careful, okay?”

He snorted. “Careful? Why?”

“If Nightmare Moon… If you make her mad, then she might do something horrible to you. You’re not a pony, her punishments for you might include death.”

There was silence from the other room for a few moments before there was a light splash. “Yeah? So what. I’m not scared of anything like death! I’m a dragon! We laugh in the face of death! Ha ha ha!”

“Well, I don’t want you to die! I want you to live a long, happy life. With friends and family and ponies who care about you, so just be careful, okay?”

There was another long silence before he spoke up again. “Why do you care?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked. “You’re just a child. There’s… no reason at all you should have been caught up in any of this. There’s no reason any of us should, but… and you were… abandoned, on top of it.”

There was a long silence before he sighed. “You know… the Dragon Lord will come. He will burn these lands to the ground. We’d heard stories of your princess, but if she was really so weak to--”

“Don’t,” Twilight said firmly. “As… much as I hate to say it, if you Dragon Lord even did manage to… destroy Nightmare Moon, which I seriously doubt he could, he’d likely be seen as a hero. But if he feared Celestia, then he has so, so much more to fear now. You have… no idea what she’s capable of. She’s powerful and dangerous. And your Dragon Lord just unleashed her on himself.”

There was another snort. “Bah! The Dragon Lord fears no pony!”

Twilight glanced towards her desk, where her book was laying splayed open. “He’ll learn to… oh, how he’ll learn to.”

Author's Notes:

Bet you all thought I forgot about Spike! Well, here, a second chapter in one day because I'm feeling generous...

That and I'm waiting for energy to come back in FF BE and FF mobius.

... As always, please take a look at my books. Most are available for free, so any feedback on them are appreciated. Tah tah for now! More coming soon.

S1 CH 13. Going home

Twilight slowly inched through the castle, Spike at her side. The fact the little dragon was currently enjoying a crunchy ruby was doing little to calm her nerves. If anything, it was making it so, so much worse.

Preparations for the gala were now in full swing… kind of. While supplies were still in the midst of being procured, there didn’t seem to be anypony willing to PLAN the thing. Or even cater it, for that matter. No band, either. In fact, all of the greatest party planners in Canterlot seemed to be either very ill suddenly, retired or ‘out of town’.

Of course, it was clear to anypony what was going on. Nopony wanted to be the one to incur Nightmare Moon’s wrath if things didn’t go well. And it was very unlikely they’d go well. Especially with the size of the gala suddenly doubling and the tickets selling like hot cakes(though she suspected it was more for fear of what would happen if they DIDN’T sell well.) So now everypony was walking on their tip hooves and hoping to avoid being noticed by the angry mare, in the event something bad happened to them.

So of course Spike had to have the crunchiest, noisiest food imaginable. Despite what had occurred, the dragon seemed to be settling into life here just fine. Moondancer had managed to procure plenty of gemstones for the young dragon to feed on(making her Spike’s favorite pony at the moment). On top of that, while soldiers had been stationed heavily along the griffon and dragon borders, it remained to be seen what would happen. Neither had made any move to attack, though defenses were being readied. Nightmare Moon seemed to be reveling in the idea of the coming war and she had even heard her talking about Tirek a time or two, wondering if he could drain the magic from dragons and griffons. She shuddered to think what newfound power this would bring the alicorn.

Her story was going well, however, and she was still certain she’d have it finished before the gala started. Assuming there was anypony to run it. She was beginning to worry that Nightmare Moon would have to follow through on her ‘jest’ about imprisoning a pony to run it. She pushed open the door to the garden and stepped outside.

It was an oddly warm night. She often wondered about that as she walked through the garden. It had been months by now, at least it felt like it. Yet everything seemed fine. All the plants were growing strong, some nights were cool, some nights were hot. It was as if the sun was still with them, just they couldn’t see it.

She glanced back to Spike. “Do you mind if we walk around a bit? I need to clear my head.”

He shrugged. “What do I care?”

She gave him a little smile before she started trotting into the garden. No, it was a little cooler now, she supposed. Not too much. And sometimes, it got really, really cold, and frost would appear. But it wasn’t so bad that she worried. Yet. She didn’t know what Nightmare Moon was doing to keep it in such a manner, but she was happy she didn’t have to worry about THIS.

Her travels brought her back towards the opera statue and she froze in place, staring at it. The ancient thing was covered in dozens of little cracks, all over. She hadn’t imagined it being that cold, but the poor thing looked horrible. She wondered if she should tell the gardener. Did they even have one now? Maybe she should tell Nightmare Moon. She trotted forward and reached out a hoof towards it.

She then froze, mere inches from touching the statue. Her eyes went wide and any thoughts of the statue were flung from her mind. “Of course! Spike, come on!” She didn’t wait for him to agree, she grabbed him by the back scale in her mouth and flipped him over to land on her. He let out a yelp.

“What? Hey! What are you doing? What’s going on?”

“I’ve got it figured out! I know what I need to do,” she said with a big grin, quickly galloping out of the garden.

“What?”

“I can ask Cadence! I mean, she has to know dozens of party planners! Hundreds! I’m sure she knows at least one who’d be willing to do this, right? If for no other reason than as a favor to me! This is going to work! Everything is going to be okay!”

------

Everything was not going to be okay. Twilight walked through the city streets, slowly and cautiously. The ponies in the street were glaring at her. At first she thought it was her imagination, but there was no doubt about it.

Ponies would cross the street the moment they saw her, or go into buildings. Or just glare at her as she passed. She thought for a moment that maybe it was Spike, but she was sure it wasn’t. She occasionally heard them whisper.

“That’s her, isn’t it? The traitor?”

“Yeah. My cousin said she gave Nightmare Moon all the guard routes and unlocked the castle gates for her.”

“I heard that she cavorts with demons and spirits, that she’s signed a blood oath to gain dark powers.”

“I hear she tricked Celestia into wearing a cursed crown and that’s why she lost to Nightmare Moon.”

She knew there was absolutely no credence to any of these rumors and, fortunately, none of the guards seemed to be looking at her in the same way.

But every single word hurt. They cut into her like a knife, hacking and slashing at her heart mercilessly. She’d almost been ready to cry when a stone glanced off her cutie mark. She let out a yelp and looked back, but nopony said anything. She almost demanded they reveal themselves, but the hostile looks she received told her that it would do no good. None of them would fess up to it. And it would just make her seem worse.

By the time she arrived at her parent’s home, she was nearly in tears. She knocked on the door a few times and, after a moment, it opened.

“Twily!” Shining said, a big grin on his lips.

She lunged forward and hugged him, bursting into tears. His eyes widened but, after a few moments, a hoof reached out and gently wrapped around her. “It’s okay. It’s okay, Twily. You’re okay,” he whispered soothingly.

“Who is it?” she heard her mom call out.

“It’s Twilight!” he called back.

“TWILIGHT?!” her mother’s voice shrieked, the sound of frantic hooves echoed through the halls. Three pairs of them. “NIGHT! CADENCE! It’s Twilight!”

“We heard!” the alicorn and unicorn yelled in unison. A moment later her parents and Cadence were standing at the end of the entranceway, watching her.

Twilight tried to wipe the tears away, but they wouldn’t stop. “H-h-hey,” she said softly. “C-Cadence, y-you’re here too? I… I thought you’d be… off doing… other things by now.”

Cadence sighed. “Times are… difficult right now. Shining and I have been trying to stay close after all that’s happened. After being apart for so long it… the thought of separating again...” Her cheeks turned red. “Besides, my family is… currently in hiding and I did not wish to be home alone.” She stepped forward. “Twilight, why are you crying? Who is your friend?”

“I’m Spike,” the dragon said, crossing his arms.

“Is he one of… hers?” Shining asked, glaring down at the dragon.

“N-no, no. He’s mine. Sorta. Kinda… a pet. Sorta,” Twilight said, sniffling a little. “T-there’s a… a lot has happened since… since everything and… and I just… can… can we talk?”

The others nodded and, slowly, she was guided towards the living room.

------

Twilight sipped her cocoa, holding Spike in her hooves. She hated that she needed it, but the little dragon was very warm and oddly soft, a very comforting presence right now. And she needed one. She’d tried not to worry them, tried to keep everything bottled up inside and away from her family and friends. But she couldn’t now. She couldn’t take it. She’d told them everything, what she was doing, how hard she was trying. About the dragons, the griffons, Spike, the creatures of darkness, the gala.

“I-I just don’t know what’s going to happen anymore,” she said softly. “This isn’t like one of my books, I’m trying so hard to guide her right, but whenever I make some progress, whenever I see some light in her, something bad happens. Like Tirek, or this coming war. I don’t even know if the war is going to happen! The dragons and griffons might make a move at any moment, and then what? Thousands could die because of this! Because of her! Millions maybe!”

Shining nodded, rubbing his chin. “I… wouldn’t worry too much about that, for now.”

“H-huh?” she asked softly.

“I’ve been on border patrols. The griffons, they may talk big games, but they barely even guard their borders. I haven’t even heard of them exerting ANY military might in ages. I imagine it’ll be a while before they could organize any type of assault. Even if they can, they tend to be rather direct. They won’t be able to penetrate our borders with the way they fight. With our magic and pegasi, they won’t be able to launch much of a sneak attack, either. The dragons, on the other hoof… they’re a much larger threat. But they’re slow and calculating. When they attack, it’ll be dangerous. But we’ll likely know months in advance and it may take them years to even finish planning any assault.”

“Wait… really?” Twilight asked, before looking to Spike.

The dragon shrugged. “What? We live thousands of years, why rush things?”

“That... that makes it slightly less terrifying,” she muttered softly, though she kept her eyes low. “I just... I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I'm trying my hardest, but it just seems to make more and more ponies hate me! I don't want them to hate me! I want them to understand! I'm doing this for them, for all of them! Why can't they see it?”

Velvet sat down besides her daughter and gently reached out, putting a hoof around her. “I know, dear. I know. Sometimes ponies can be... small minded. They see something and automatically assume the simplest, worst decision. They don't even consider what could be happening.” She rubbed her back lightly. “But you're doing an amazing job. You're working hard and, other ponies or not, you are making a difference.”

Shining nodded. “It's true. I've been hearing from the other guards as well. As horrible as the... whippings have been they aren't very often since... well, ponies are trying to avoid causing problems. For now. There hasn't been one in a while, even.”

Twilight nodded. “Nopony has... died... have they?”

“Thanks to your efforts so far I'm sure, no,” Cadence said. “I know it's scary and hard. But you're doing your best, Twilight. And so many ponies owe you so much for that.”

She smiled and gave a nod, wiping her eyes. “T-thank you. Sorry. Just... felt so overwhelmed and... err, sorry Spike,” she said with a sheepish smile down at the dragon.

“It's cool,” the dragon said with a shrug, his cheeks red.

“I think it was a very brave thing of you to do,” Cadence said with a nod. “Stepping out to protect Spike like that. He would have been really hurt if not for you. You saved his life.”

Twilight blushed and gave him another squeeze. “Of course. He's just a child. No... matter what Nightmare Moon thinks, he doesn't deserve to die for what his Dragon Lord said, doesn't mean he's to blame.” She frowned. “I thought she... I didn't think she'd actually... do something like that. But she just picked him up and...”

Spike's face turned even redder. “Can we talk about ANYTHING else?”

Cadence chuckled before nodding. “Of course. Now, about your gala issue, have you considered trying outside of Canterlot?”

“What? Of course not! The best party planners in the world live here,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Nightmare Moon wouldn't accept anypony else!”

“Maybe,” Cadence said. “But, she wants something different, right? She's having that mare from Ponyville completely remaking her castle, isn't she?”

“Well, yes. I suppose.”

“Maybe they'll know somepony who can help. If nothing else, getting out of town for a few days might give you a bit of a... a chance to relax. Get away from ponies who know you by sight and... well...”

“Pepper me with rotten apples?” Twilight asked flatly.

“They... haven't done that, have they?”

“Not yet, but they're on the verge!” she snapped with annoyance, before shaking her head. “Sorry. It's all just so... frustrating.”

“Sis, why don't I walk you back to the castle when you go back?” Shining offered.

“No, no, it's fine,” she said with a shake of her head. “I can handle it, anyway.”

“Oh. Okay. Allow me to rephrase. I'm walking you back to the castle when you go back.”

She blinked, before smiling and giving a nod. “Well... I guess if you insist,” she said with a smile. “Whatever makes you happy.”

“Good,” he said flatly, before glancing to Cadence. “See? It's not so hard. All you need to do is take a firm hoof with her and she understands what's going on,” he said with a big grin.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked curtly.

“You're stubborn,” Cadence said with a shrug.

“I hear it's a proper earth pony trait, alas,” Night said with a sigh. “Hopefully you're just more stubborn than that mare on the throne.”

Twilight chuckled and got to her hooves, gently setting Spike down. “I am NOT stubborn.”

“Sis, you've barely told us any of this until you were so beaten up about it you were bursting into tears,” Shining muttered. “You can't bear all this on your own, you need some support.”

She nodded. “I have support. Kinda. They've just been busy lately. I'll visit them when I go to see Ponyville. It'll help me. A lot. I promise,” she said with a big smile. “Speaking of, I should probably go now. I--”

“Oh no you aren't!” Velvet snapped, making her urk.

“W-what?”

“You're staying home and getting a nice, delicious home cooked meal.”

“Well, at least home cooked,” Shining said, earning a scathing glare from his mother.

“My cooking is delicious! Far better than that rich over spiced junk they serve in the castle!”

Twilight smiled none the less before plopping back down in her seat. She needed to remember to do this more often. There was no place like home.

------

Twilight bowed her head respectfully, kneeling before the ruler of the night. She could feel Spike behind her, cowering and lightly shaking. “Your highness?”

The ruler merely cocked an eye, while Moondancer gave the writer a nervous look. “Yes, bard? I assume you must have some reason for coming before our throne without being summoned?”

“Yes! I do!” she said quickly. “It's, err, about... the gala.”

Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed. “Indeed. Do tell.”

“Well, err... this gala is going to be unique. Something never before seen in Equestria, right? Nothing like Cele... like the previous galas?”

“Of course. For it will put all others to shame!”

“Then perhaps we could... think outside the box, as it were?”

The alicorn took a soft, annoyed breath. “Bard, we have often found your council to be well placed and wise. But if you do not get to the point soon, you will be dismissed.”

Twilight gulped. “Perhaps we should look for a party planner outside of Canterlot?”

“You wish for a novice to plan our grand gala?”

Twilight nodded rapidly. “Yes! Well, not a novice, but somepony who is brand new. Somepony who hasn't been preparing parties and the like for Canterlot before, somepony who will bring fresh ideas and new plans and make it something completely unlike every gala before it. Something completely original and, err, fresh.”

The alicorn rubbed her hoof against her chin, eying the mare suspiciously. “And... you believe that this will make our gala better?”

“I believe that this will make your gala unique. It will make it something completely unlike ANY gala ponies have ever seen. Something they'll be talking about for months.” Whether that was a good thing or not, she couldn't say.

Nightmare Moon nodded. “We... suppose there is... some truth to what you say. Very well, we will have the search expanded for novices of... particular skill. Was that all?”

She gulped, here went nothing. “A-actually. I wanted to know if I could be permitted a small leave of absence to, err, go down to Ponyville. Perhaps my friends there might know a pony of sufficient skill. After all, since Rarity is designing the castle and all, maybe she'll know somepony she has worked with in the past who would be... up to the task?”

Nightmare Moon gave her the oddest expression. It was scary, her eyes narrowed slightly. But it was also a little... she couldn't be certain but she thought she saw the alicorn's lip stick out just a tiny bit. She was sure she was imagining it, though. There was no way the terror of the night was pouting. “You wish to go to Ponyville to be with thy friends?”

“Yes? Just for a little bit! That's all. Really.”

The terror's eyes narrowed. “Very... well,” she said through gritted teeth. “We will give you a short time to... perform this task. But hurry back.”

“O-of course your highness. Thank you,” she said before bowing her head again. “May I be dismissed?”

The alicorn merely gestured with a wing.

Twilight turned and made her way out, rapidly. Once she was in the hall she let out a soft sigh of relief before making her way through the castle.

“She seemed kind of mad you were leaving,” Spike said.

“Of course she's mad. She's ALWAYS mad. She's probably upset I won't be able to regale people with stories of how she terrorized some poor orphan or something.”

“Wait, she really does that?”

“No, she doesn't. But I swear sometimes it feels like she would,” Twilight said before shaking her head. “I'd say I don't get paid enough, but I don't really get paid at all. I can't wait to see my friends.”

“Do you think they'll have somepony who can really plan the gala and everything?”

“Yes? No, I don't know. Maybe. Probably. I mean, there have to be a ton of ponies who can plan a gala. I'd do it myself, but I doubt my theme would work very well.”

He shrugged. “I don't know, seems like a lot of work to me...”

“I can't imagine it would be. They'd have access to all of the castle's resources. Cooks, guards, scribes. Invitations can be handled by somepony else, all they need to do is say what they want to have happen, then other ponies will make it happen. It's kind of a whole... thing. Delegation. If I knew what would MAKE a good party, then I would just do it all myself.”

“Not much of a partier?”

“My idea of a good party is curled up in my favorite chair with a good book. Or maybe a pen and notebook.”

“That sounds really boring,” he said with a huff.

“Hence why I don't throw parties. Even when I had to do it, when I was first starting, my agent planned everything. I wonder if I should ask her! She might...” She trailed off and shook her head. “No.”

“What?”

“I've really asked her to do a lot over the years. Throwing a small party for a few really good fans and funders for my books is one thing, but something like this? That's just horrifying. I need a professional. Somepony who wants to do it.” She sighed and pushed open the door to her room.

“Why don't you just run?” Spike asked.

“Run? Why would I run? What would happen then?”

“Who cares? Nopony here really seems to care what you're doing. They treat you like dirt. Nightmare Moon doesn't seem to like you, either.”

“She doesn't really show affection well,” Twilight muttered. “I'm pretty sure if she didn't like me, I'd be dead by now. And I fear to know what would happen to a new bard.”

He sighed and gave a little shrug. “Whatever. Just don't go and get yourself too beat up, okay? Cause like... we're a team and stuff.”

She blinked before smiling to him. “I know. And don't worry, I'm being extra careful. Nightmare Moon is... really, she's not so hard to deal with. You might get hurt in the process, but she's almost...” She eyed her book before closing it and putting it into her saddlebag. “I think she does still care. Not a lot. But somewhat.”

“She has a fun way of showing it.”

Twilight nodded and then tossed a few gems into her bags. “Okay, come along. I've got some snacks and stuff. And my notes. I can get some writing done on the way there. I wonder if I should take the train. Do you think the guards would be okay taking me?”

He shrugged. “Would it give them an excuse to get out of the castle?”

She thought about that for a moment before nodding. “Good point. Let's go.”

Author's Notes:

Here we go, another chapter. Also, forgot to mention this. If it's not obvious, these are more... equestrian vampires and werewolves than straight vampires and werewolves. So like... expect weirdness.

S1 CH 14. Ponyville under watch

Twilight let out a soft sigh of relief when the small town came into view off in the distance. The wind blew through her mane and the cold nipped at her hooves, but finally they were almost there and everything would be better soon.

Two pegasi pulled the chariot, two guards who had been more than happy to give her a lift. She couldn't deny that they also looked a tad sheepish when they offered. She idly wondered if they had been some of the ones who had been mad at her for her apparent betrayal to Celestia. At least most the guards seemed to understand what she was doing finally.

Or, if they didn't, they were at least keeping it to themselves.

The chariot began to lower and then gently came to a rest on the ground in the city's courtyard. She let out a soft sigh of relief before jumping out. “Okay, Spike, let's--” She paused and looked around. “Spike?”

“Ohhhhhhh...” She heard coming from the chariot.

She glanced back and cringed at the sight. The poor dragon was on the ground, clutching his stomach. She trotted closer and gently pulled him close. “Spike? Are you okay?”

“F-fine,” he groaned.

“Have you ever flown before?”

“N-no,” he mumbled.

“But you're a dragon! You have wings and...” She glanced to his back. “Oh. You WILL have wings.”

“I-I'm fine,” he lied, closing his eyes.

She sighed again and gently rocked him. “There there. Let's get you a soda water, okay? The bubbles will calm your stomach.” She then looked to the guards. “Thank you for the ride. You can head back whenever you wish, I'll take the train back.” She paused for a minute. “If you want to stick around for a few hours and take in the sights, you can say I asked you to wait for a bit and then changed my mind after.”

The two guards shared a grin before saluting her. “Of course, Lady Twilight.”

She nodded before, gently, nudging Spike onto her back and trotting to the nearest shop. Soon armed with a bottle of carbonated beverage and less nauseous Spike, the two made their way towards the Carousel Boutique.

She frowned when she came close. Every single light on it seemed to be on. Every room was lit up and she could see lamps through the windows. “Is she having a party? I hope I'm not intruding.”

She gently knocked on the door.

After a few moments the door opened and Rarity lunged out, wielding a bat. The bat shrieked indignantly. Twilight squeaked and recoiled. “It's me! Twilight!”

“Twilight? What? Come in!” the mare yelled, grabbing her hooves and yanking her inside. Twilight let out another shriek before toppling in, the door slamming shut behind her. She laid there in a heap on the floor, bewildered.

“Err... Rarity? Is everything okay?”

“No! Everything is not okay! It's watching, I can feel it. It's here, even with all the lights on! I know it is, I know!”

“Err... Rarity?”

“It's always there! Always somewhere, the moment the lights come out, it comes. But no pony believes me! But you believe me, right Twilight?” Rarity asked. The poor unicorn looked horrendously disheveled. Her normally pristine mane was wild with loose hairs and she had bags under her eyes.

“Err... are you... ummm... what? Have you been sleeping okay?”

“No! Can't sleep! Lights might go out if I sleep! What if it trips a breaker? What if it shuts off the power? No no no no! Have to keep the lights on, all the time, only way!”

Twilight cocked her head to the side before looking to Spike. “She's normally not like this, I swear.”

“WHAT'S THAT?!” Rarity shrieked, pointing the bat at him.

“I'm Spike,” he said with a huff. “A dragon.”

“Dragon? You sure? Right! Dragon, good. Dragons use fire, right? Yes yes!”

Twilight just stared. She couldn't imagine what horror was going on here to drive her friend into such a state. She slowly guided Spike over towards the couch and softly put him on it. “Rarity? How about I make us some tea and we can talk it out, okay? You can tell me everything that's going on!”

“No! No no! Tea makes me sleepy! Can't sleep! Coffee, just, just coffee!”

“I'm going to say tea,” Twilight said before slowly moving to her friend. Gently she nudged the bat out of her grip, who flew up to the rafters and glowered angrily at them both, squeaking indignantly. She then gently guided Rarity down to the couch. “Here. Just sit down. Okay? Relax. I'll be right back.”

“B-but the lights, if they--”

“I'll make sure none of the lights go out. I promise. Okay?”

Rarity nodded and gave a little whimper, lightly rubbing her hooves together anxiously.

Twilight sighed and trotted towards the kitchen, pushing the door open. The smell of coffee grounds filled her nostril and she could see the remains of used beans over filling the trash can, some spilling on the floor. She couldn't imagine how much the mare had drank in the last few days. Or week. There were five lamps in the room as well, all plugged in.

She was tempted to shut a few of them off, but she was afraid to set Rarity off again. Instead she merely tried to clean out the coffee maker, before finally she dumped it out and just trashed the whole thing. It was so burnt she couldn't imagine how foul the coffee had tasted. She then pulled out a pot and some tea bags and began brewing it up.

She just couldn't believe how horrible the place looked. While she waited for the water to boil, she started picking up trash, half eaten meals, broken light bulbs, empty boxes of light bulbs, coffee grounds. By the time she was all finished there were two more bags filled with trash.

She'd never imagined the mare living in such a way. Whatever had done this to her must have been horrible. The tea finally boiled and she quickly filled up a tea pot and put it on the tray, trotting outside.

Spike, meanwhile, was once again finding himself being used as a stuffed animal as Rarity hugged him to her chest, nervously petting his scales. She suspected he was getting used to it by now.

“Okay. Now why don't you tell me exactly what happened?” Twilight asked. She gently put the tea on the coffee table and started pouring a cup. She then held one out to the mare. Rarity took it in her magic and took a soft, gentle sip.

“It... it was horrible. Some kind of... some kind of monster!”

“Where?”

“It was in my house! I didn't think it was here. In fact, I was sure I was just imagining it. That it didn't, that it was just...” she gave another shudder, spilling some of her tea over herself and Spike.

“Hey, watch it!” the dragon objected, before pulling free.

Rarity merely hugged herself and gave a light sniffle. “I just... I... I was just...” She sighed again. “I thought it was one of my ponyquins. Or a trick of the shadows. I turned off my lights and there it was, in my creation room. But then when I turned the lights back on, it was gone. I was so sure it was my imagination, I tried not to think anything of it.” She then shuddered. “Then... then it came into my room. I turned off my light and it was there, in the room. I turned off my light and then back on and... and I burned out the bulb.” She shuddered again. “Then it... it was horrible.” She gave a light sob. “It was so, so horrible. It had a... it had no face! It was some kind of ghost, just... just...”

Twilight blinked, her mouth falling open. “Gray, two empty eyes, no mouth or nose?”

“Exactly!” Rarity said with a nod. “I-I left the house as quick as I could, before it could get me! But it followed me! Nopony else seemed to notice it, though. I brought Rainbow here but she said I was imagining it!” Her breathing was getting faster and her eyes going to little pinpricks. “I-I just, every shadow might be it I-I don't know what it wants, I don't know--”

“Rarity, it's okay. You're okay,” Twilight said, cutting the mare off.

“I'm not crazy! I know it's there! I know it is! I--”

“It's real,” Twilight said quickly.

The unicorn blinked. “You... you believe me?”

“It's called a shade. It's one of Nightmare Moon's creatures.”

Rarity blinked, slowly lowering the cup. “What.”

“It's...” She paused. “Long story short. Vampires and wereponies are real. They, along with these shades, have been hiding amongst us for a very long time and now that Nightmare Moon is back, they're revealing themselves. But they're friendly, they won't do anything to harm us. I don't know what this shade wants, but it won't hurt you, okay?”

Rarity stared at her. “W-what? You mean this... this thing is...”

“As... far as I could tell, it was some kind of cursed pony. Trapped in... well... it's likely more scared of us than we are of it. Now, we need to make contact.”

“M-make contact? With that?!” Rarity shrieked, shaking her head. “W-we can't! There's no telling what--”

“It's okay. It's going to be okay. I promise. I know what these things are and they won't hurt you. I'm pretty sure they CAN'T hurt you.”

Rarity gulped, nervously setting her tea down. She then looked uneasily at Twilight. “And... and you're CERTAIN, absolutely CERTAIN that it won't do anything?”

“I give my word. Now. I need to go find it, okay?”

Rarity nodded nervously. “O-okay. But... leave the light on?”

“Of course. I'll have to turn off the other lights, but I'll leave the ones in here. Spike? Keep an eye on her.”

“Aye aye,” the dragon muttered.

Twilight took another soft sigh before walking to the kitchen. One by one she shut off all the lights and looked around. “Shade? Are you in here?” she called out. There was nothing. She then shrugged and started going, one by one, to all of the rooms in the house. She didn't envy Rarity's next electricity bill.

Finally, she came to the room filled with ponyquins and saw an extra one standing in front of them. She couldn't blame Rarity for feeling so unsettled by the creature. It looked like a statue in the darkness, unmoving. She tapped her hoof on the ground. “Hey, you. Shade.”

It turned and stared at her with empty, hollow eyes.

“Come on, we're having tea. I'm not sure why you're here, but you really freaked Rarity out and you should at least apologize. Come on, I'll shut off the lights so you can come.”

The creature merely nodded. She started walking down the hall, a light chill going down her spine. Even though she couldn't see it with the lights on, she was certain it was still there. Following her. Once she came down to the front room, she started turning off the other lights. Rarity let out a soft, frightened squeak.

“It's okay,” Twilight said quickly. “It won't hurt you. I'm here. I promise.”

Rarity nodded meekly. One by one the lights went off until, finally, only the dimmest one remained. Twilight set it up near them, allowing the shadows to spread across the room.

After a few moments a shadowy figure appeared on the steps. Rarity let out another shriek, but Twilight quickly reached out and pet her back. “Easy, easy. It's okay. See? You're not a danger, right?” she called out to the creature.

It stepped into the room fully and shook its head. There was just enough light to reveal it. Twilight shuddered. She couldn't imagine what it would have been like to be here with that thing watching over her. “So, why are you here?”

The shade merely stared at her.

“Right, shoot. You can't speak,” Twilight said with a sigh. She tried to imagine why the creature would be here of all places. “Are you lost?”

It shook its head.

“So you meant to come to Rarity's?”

It nodded.

She blinked and her eyes narrowed. “Did Nightmare Moon send you?”

Slowly the creature nodded.

Twilight glanced to Rarity. “To watch my friends?”

Another nod.

“Are you planning to hurt her?”

The creature rapidly shook its head, so fast its entire body shook.

“You know you were scaring her, don't you?”

The creature didn't move for a few minutes. Then, slowly, it nodded.

“How long were you supposed to...” She paused. “Were you supposed to watch her much longer?”

It shook its head.

The earth pony cocked her head to the side. “Were you supposed to stop by now?”

There was a long moment and then it nodded. Somehow it managed to look ashamed.

“Were... you supposed to stop before now?”

It then nodded again.

“Then why didn't you?”

It stared at her again, before pointing a hoof up the steps. Twilight blinked and glanced to Rarity. “I think it wants us to follow it?”

“Are... are you absolutely sure it's safe? It can't hurt us?”

“Yes, I'm sure. Nightmare Moon would... likely be furious if anything happened to us. And I don't think it can do anything, anyway. It's really just a pony that's... a bit different looking. I think. Come on.” She started to trot towards the shade. It turned and started walking up the steps. The creature disappeared back into the fabric room and Twilight turned the hallway light on, sending a little bit of light into the room. The creature stood by one of the ponyquins and pointed towards it.

“What?” Twilight asked. “You wanted one of them?”

It shook its head.

Rarity frowned and rubbed her chin. Her eyes went wide. “You... liked them?”

It nodded quickly.

Twilight blinked. “Wait, they can do that? Nightmare Moon said...” She paused. “Well... maybe she just doesn't know everything about them. Okay. So... ummmm...” She looked to Rarity. “Okay, shade. You need to leave. You're scaring my friend and you can't stay here anymore. Understand?”

The shade hung its head before giving a nod. Rarity stared for a moment before sighing. “Wait.”

“Wait?” Twilight asked. “Why?”

“It's... harmless you said, right?” Rarity asked, before slowly stepping forward.

“Err, Rarity, what are you doing?”

“Just... ummm... trying something.” The unicorn moved a little closer, inch by inch. Finally, she reached out and touched the shade's side. The thing didn't move. “It's very... cold.”

“So you can feel it?”

“Kind of. It's not really...” Rarity eeped and pulled back. “I'm sorry, did that bother you?”

The shade shook its head.

“Do you mind me touching you?”

It shook its head again.

She nodded and reached out and touched it again. “If... its harm...” She paused again. “Are you a mare or a stallion?”

It shook its head.

She sighed again. “Are you a mare?”

It shrugged.

“A stallion?”

Another shrug.

“You don't know?”

It nodded.

“Are you okay with us calling you... uhhh... it?”

It nodded.

“Okay. If it's harmless and is just admiring my dresses, I... don't suppose its so bad it coming around here. You can't stay, though,” she said quickly. “But... you may visit. So long as you swear not to sneak up on me or give me any more startles like that, okay?”

It gave a nod. Twilight couldn't be sure, but she thought it looked oddly happy. For something without a face.

She let out another sigh of relief. “Nightmare Moon knows a spell to talk with them,” Twilight said.

“Really? Perhaps I'll look into that, then. Well, if she reveals that information to other ponies at least,” Rarity said before trotting out from the room. “If you don't mind, though, this whole ordeal has left me a little... rattled. I think I need a nice, long bath and a very, very long nap. I don't think I'll be able to look at a cup of coffee for weeks.”

Twilight nodded. “Definitely. I'll see you--” Her eyes went wide. “Rainbow! Fluttershy!”

“Come again?”

“If Nightmare Moon sent something to watch you, she might have sent something to watch them, too!”

Rarity blinked, before giving a nod. “I... suppose. I couldn't imagine why she'd send somepony to spy on Fluttershy, though. But Rainbow, yes. Though I saw her a few days ago, she was going on and on about some Shadowbolts. I'm afraid I couldn't quite grasp what she meant, though. I was still in a bit of a... tizzy.”

Twilight blinked. “So she was okay?”

“Of course. And Fluttershy... well... I haven't seen her in a while. Though I suppose that is my fault. If you see her, do let her know I still intend to make our next spa session, okay? I think I may have missed a few... The last few... well... it has been positively dreadful.” She shook her head and gave a light yawn. “I'm sure they're fine, though. I'm sure Nightmare Moon only sent that to watch me because of the work I've been doing on the castle. There is nothing to worry about.”

Twilight nodded. “Still, I'd feel a lot better if I went and checked on them.” She looked the unicorn up and down. “Get some sleep, okay Rarity? I'll see you later. I need to talk with them about some things anyway.” She trotted down the hall and paused. “I cleaned up the kitchen a bit too. Just get some sleep, okay?”

“I will, darling. Trust me, now that this is... over...” Rarity glanced towards the fabric room again, eying the shade. It was staring at one of her gowns. “I like that one as well. I think it'll be truly fabulous once I'm finished. Perhaps a red ribbon?”

The shade nodded.

Twilight started to head towards the door, before stopping. “Ummm, Rarity?”

“Yes, Twilight darling?”

“Where do Rainbow and Fluttershy live?”

The fashionista gave a soft sigh of exasperation.

------

Twilight trotted through the town towards Rainbow's home. Or, at least, where she suspected Rainbow lived. She'd been told it was a great cloud house and Ponyville wasn't exactly drowning in them. She was already feeling her nerves beginning to calm and rest easy.

It made sense that Rarity was being watched. On top of that, the unicorn had seen Rainbow a little while ago, so everything was likely good. The shade had been a bit intimidating, but it hadn't meant any harm, so whatever was going on with Rainbow was likely fine.

While she didn't have exact directions, she could see three cloud houses from the town. She chose the most over the top one first. It stuck out like a great neon cloud that yelled 'look at me' and she couldn't imagine Rainbow living anywhere else.

She trotted through the town towards it, shaking her head. There was a light on, so she suspected at least somepony was home. However, when she arrived by it, a frown formed on her face as she hit a small conundrum. She rubbed her chin and looked up.

“So... how are we going to get up there?” Spike asked.

“I... haven't thought that far ahead,” she said sheepishly.

He gave a little snort. “Really?”

“S-shut up! I don't see you coming up with any ideas!”

“Going home?”

“Any GOOD ideas.”

She looked around for a few minutes before finally her eyes lit up. “I've got it!” She grabbed a stone, tossed it up and bucked as hard as she could.

It flew up barely ten feet and in the wrong direction. Spike fell over laughing.

Her cheeks burned red. “S-shut up! I-I've never been good at hoofball okay!”

He just laughed, pretending to cover his mouth while shaking his head. She glowered at him.

“What's going on down there?” Rainbow called from above.

“Nothing! I'm fine, don't even--” She paused and blinked, looking up. “Rainbow?”

“Yeah, who else? Twilight, is that you? What are you doing down there?”

“Oh, I needed to talk to you! Can I come up!” She then paused. “Well, actually, can you come down?”

“Yeah, sure.” There was a light flapping of wings then Rainbow shot off the side of the house, drifting down. “What's up?”

“So, I just saw Rarity and--”

“Oh my gosh, is she okay? Like, she was totally flipping out last time I saw her. Kept talking about ghosts and stuff. I tried to get her to go to Applejack's or something, but she kicked me out of her house!”

“Yeah, she's fine. Turns out Nightmare Moon sent a shade to spy on her.”

“A what?”

“A shade. It's... kind of like a ghost. It's fine, though. It was completely harmless and had absolutely no intention of hurting her in any way. She's completely safe and secure now. I need to talk to you, though. Has there been anypony... strange lately? Have you seen anything watching you in the shadows? Ponies that are there when the lights are out, but disappear when they come on?”

“You sound kind of like Rarity now...”

“Listen, have you?”

“No, I haven't seen anything like that! Just what in the world is going on with you two?” Rainbow asked, giving a quizzical look.

She sighed and relaxed. “It's a long story. I'm just happy you're okay. Has anything been going on?”

She frowned and rubbed her chin, before shrugging. “Well, I got invited into the Shadowbolts.”

“The what a what?”

“The Shadowbolts! They're like, a new flying team! Apparently a bunch of the Wonderbolts are making them up! Rebranding with the whole... ummmm... eternal night thing. They were scouting fresh talent and I was their number one pick! They'll be getting back to me about training! It's going to be sooooo coooooool!” She gave a little squeal of delight.

Twilight blinked, cocking her head to the side. “Oh. Err... in that case. Congratulations,” she said with a nod. “So nothing bad has been happening? At all?”

“Nope. Nopony has been spying on me. Met with a few of the others. Shadowbolts. You should see our uniforms! We're looking AWESOME! I still need to train my replacement, though. You know, for the whole... taking care of the weather thing. But other than that, it's super awesome!”

She nodded. “Oh. Okay then. I guess all that's left is Fluttershy.”

“Fluttershy? Why?”

“Well... I thought if she was spying on Rarity, she might be spying on you and Fluttershy too. But if you're not being spied on, I'm sure Fluttershy isn't either. It's probably just me worrying about nothing.”

Rainbow frowned and gave a nod. “Maybe. But, hey. How about I come with you? I mean, even if it's nothing, Fluttershy is still my best bud. Gotta keep an eye out for her and everything.”

She nodded. “If you want.”

“Cool. So. Can't help but notice you got a pet iquana.”

“DRAGON!” Spike yelled.

“Yeah, that. When'd that happen? You have it all along, or that new?”

Twilight sighed and rubbed her forehead. “It's a long story. Spike, this is Rainbow Dash. Rainbow, this is Spike. He's... kind of my pet. Though I like to think of him as more of an assistant.”

There was a long moment of silence. Then Spike spoke up. “You think of me as an assistant?”

“Sure. My number one assistant,” she said with a smile. “Now, come on. There's a lot to tell you. You're never going to believe what I found out this week, working with Nightmare Moon. Vampires, wereponies and shades are all real! So she...”

------

Twilight cringed when they came up the path to Fluttershy's cabin. The lights were all off. “You... you don't think she's sleeping, do you?”

“Maybe. It's kind of hard to know when anypony is sleeping anymore. No sun and all that,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Maybe? She--” The pegasus stopped. “Wait.”

“What?”

“Do you hear that?”

Twilight frowned and listened. “I don't hear anything. It's not even windy.”

“Exactly,” Rainbow said, looking worried. “There's no sounds of animals. No chirping, no meowing, no splashing. Nothing,” she said softly.

Twilight blinked a few more times. “Is that bad?”

“That's horrible!” the pegasus yelled before galloping forward. Twilight galloped after her, though her heart sunk into her hooves when they came closer.

The front door of the house was off its hinges, laying on the ground. Rainbow raced in first, before letting out a shriek of pain. Twilight raced after her and gasped. A little bunny had latched onto the pegasus' face and was beating her senseless with a carrot. Rainbow shook her head, finally flinging it off, fury in her eyes. “Why you little--”

“Wait!” Twilight said, grabbing her hoof. The bunny stood, armed and dangerous, but then it stopped and stared at them. It dropped the carrot and started gesturing wildly with its little paws, hopping around and then holding up two paws over its mouth. The earth pony sighed and then looked around.

The house had been trashed. All manners of little toys and exercise areas for pets had been scattered across the floor, scratching posts had been knocked over, bird cages lay broken on the floor. There were still a few animals in the room, huddled in broken homes and staring out fearfully. Worst of all, though, was the blood. Smeared into the carpet by the coffee table and on the edge. There wasn't a lot of it, but there was enough.

“What... happened here?” The bunny started making gestures wildly again, though she couldn't make heads or tails of it. “We need to go back to town,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “We need to get help, there's no time for--”

“Buck that!” Rainbow yelled. “Fluttershy could need us! Whoever did this might still have her.” Her voice was flooded with panic. “We need to find her, now!”

“Find her how? We don't know where she is! We don't know-- OW!” Twilight let out a shriek when the bunny hopped on her head. He gave her a solid thump before grabbing her ears and steering her outside. “Ow ow ow ow! Stop it! Stop it!” Once she was out, he hopped down and gestured towards the woods.

“She was taken there?” the earth pony asked. The bunny nodded rapidly.

Rainbow nodded. “Then that's where I'm going. If you need to, go get help. But I'm not making Fluttershy wait a moment longer than normal.”

Twilight watched helplessly as the rainbow maned pony started off, then it clicked. “Wait! Rainbow, wait a few seconds.”

“Twilight, time is wasting, Fluttershy--”

“Yes, but we might need help, and I'm going to call for it.” She rummaged in her bags and tore out a piece of paper and pen, quickly writing on it before holding it out to the bunny. “Take this, let them know where we went.” She then looked to Rainbow. “Okay, good to go.”

Rainbow stared at the bunny, watching it hop away. He then nodded. “Never really liked that bunny,” she muttered before galloping off.

Twilight nodded and galloped after her, the two racing into the forest with Spike close behind.

Author's Notes:

Okay guys, I just finished editing a bunch of chapters so I should have a bunch to post this weekend. Hope you like them. Also, don't forget. The contest is still going on and now that I am working on this story full time, chances are season 1 will end within the next month, so if you want to enter, now is the time.

Contest here.

S1 CH 15. Wasn't there

“There she is!” Rainbow yelled, putting on a burst of speed.

Twilight blinked, her mouth falling open. They'd managed to find a trail that, they hoped, would lead them towards the ponynapper. She'd asked why Rainbow didn't just fly after, but the mare said flying in the Everfree Forest was dangerous. She'd made a mental note to come and investigate the myths and legends of it better when she had a chance.

Apparently that time was coming faster than they expected. A light had appeared on the edge of the forest path and, to her amazement, a pony was standing there. The pony was wearing a cloak and seemed to be picking mushrooms. They then looked up, just in time for Rainbow to crash into them.

“Rainbow, wait, you don't know who that pony is!”

“I know exactly who it is!” Rainbow yelled, lifting a hoof up. “You're that necromancer pony, aren't you, the one who lives in the Everfree Forest? Aren't you?”

“Live in the forest I may,” the pony growled, flicking her hood back to reveal a striped face. “But raising of the dead? I say nay!”

“Don't you give me that act! Where's Fluttershy? I--”

“RAINBOW!” Twilight yelled, finally catching up and yanking the pony back by her tail. The pegasus let out a shriek, staring in bewilderment.

“She's the one who took Fluttershy! Just look at her!”

“You have absolutely no proof of that,” Twilight snapped back, before looking back to the mare. “I am so, so sorry. You see, our friend was foalnapped and brought into these woods. My friend is just jumpy and anxious to find her. I hope she didn't hurt you? Miss...?”

The zebra stood up and glowered darkly. “Zecora and of your friend I know not.” She righted her basket and started gathering up the mushrooms that had fallen out. “And I was merely searching for mushrooms to deal with some rot. Had I known such rude visitors would make there way here, I would have avoided the paths, I fear.”

Twilight sighed and shook her head, before glaring back at Rainbow. “Rainbow, apologize.”

“What? No! Look at her! She's all... weird and striped! And she does voodoo! Just look at her, who gathers mushrooms in the dead of night? I bet she's making some kind of witches brew!”

She face hoofed. “She's a zebra, of course she's striped! And it's ALWAYS night, it's not like she can do it during the day anymore!” she snapped angrily. “Besides, potion making is a proud zebra tradition, wild grown plants have far more magical potency compared to naturally grown plants, as well.”

The zebra blinked a few times, eying the earth pony with a new found respect. “Your friend is quite hot headed and quick to rush, but it seems you are one less likely to need to hush. Of the craft of potion making you are aware? I must admit I am shocked, for it is something few ponies can bear.”

Twilight blushed and gave a nod. “W-well, a little. I've only dabbled in it, to be honest. There was a class back in Canterlot. It's such a great skill to learn, since anypony, regardless of innate magical talent, can learn it. Sadly, I only minored in it, so I never got to the point I could do the really special potions. Do the mushrooms here have good properties for it?”

“Much of the life here is filled with the essence of life. Though I admit your friend is partially right, for this forest holds much strife. To live here is to choose a way most dangerously, but if one knows how, they can find it quite favorably.”

Twilight nodded and gave a smile. “I don't see very many zebras out this way, usually they stick to the capital as far as I knew. Especially with... are you fleeing Nightmare Moon?”

There was a long moment of silence, then the zebra shook her head. “The princess of the night gives me very much to fear, but fleeing her is something I dare not do, my dear. For to invoke the pony of the night's wrath, the simplest way is to ignore her which may lead to a blood bath. My reasons for living here are far more benign, for here I live in a home of my own design.”

“She's giving me a headache,” Spike muttered.

“Spike, don't be rude,” Twilight said curtly. “Though I think Rainbow has kind of hit the limit on how rude we can be.”

The pegasus sighed and shuffled her hooves. “Sorry, I just thought you... we need to find Fluttershy.”

Zecora eyed them for a moment before nodding. “If whatever creature whisked your friend away came to this forest, there is one place they are likely to go, if I am to be honest.”

Twilight blinked, her eyes going wide. “Wait, really?”

“Indeed, as there is one place of which a home could be seen, although after so many years it can seem quite lean. The place where two sisters once ruled as one, together they raised the moon and the sun.”

Twilight blinked a few times, then her eyes went wide. “I-I think I know what you mean! The castle of the two sisters, right? I've heard of it, but I've never actually seen it. It's here?”

The zebra nodded. “Indeed it is, though I cannot take you.” She motioned down the path. “But this trail alone should be all you need for a clue. When the path splits in two, go to the right, avoid the left unless you wish for a fright. I give you one last warning to avoid the flowers of blue, but if you should stumble amongst them return to me, for I know what to do.”

Twilight blinked and then gave a nod. “T-thank you! Come on, Rainbow, Spike!” She started galloping down the trail again.

“Are you sure we can trust her?” Rainbow asked, glancing back towards the mare. “You never know with... well, her. I've heard all kinds of stories. She puts curses on ponies and--”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. “I'll admit the rhyming thing is a bit eccentric, but she's HARDLY the strangest zebra I ever met. They just have a completely different culture than we do.”

Rainbow snorted. “That's probably putting it lightly.”

She gave a low sigh. “Rainbow. Relax. She seems like a perfectly fine and nice pony.”

“So, you really studied zebra stuff back in Canterlot?”

“Of course!”

“Why?”

“Why not? There's dozens of different cultures out there, each of them more fascinating than the last. If I could, I'd spend my entire life studying all of them! Besides, it gives me a ton of ideas for my stories. My tale of the wandering coyote was actually inspired by an old buffalo folk tale from--”

------

“And then I spent a three month term studying Saddle Arabia. I've yet to actually meet a jinn, but I really hope to one day. Their powers are--”

“We're here!” Rainbow said.

“Oh thank the stars, I thought this would never end,” Spike said, earning a glare from Twilight. “What? How did you even manage to run and talk, anyway?”

“I am very used to it,” she snapped. “If you'd spent any terms in Canterlot, you'd know how--”

“Oh my gosh she's going off again,” Spike said with a groan. “This isn't fair. This is just cruel!”

The earth pony sighed and shook her head. “Uncultured swine,” she muttered darkly. He just smirked at her.

Rainbow rolled her eyes before pointing up at the castle. “There it is. The... zebra... Zecora was right. All we had to do was follow the path. Are you sure they'll be there?”

“There aren't exactly a lot of places for them to take a pony,” Twilight muttered. “And this is really the best lead we've got. Do you have any other ideas?”

Rainbow looked off to the side sheepishly. “Well... no... not really.”

“Then come on, let's go.” She started trotting forward, giving a nervous glance around. The castle looked very foreboding in the night, towering over them. There were plenty of cracks and breaks in the bricks, as well as rooms that had collapsed on themselves. She knew it was probably her imagination, but she couldn't help but feel that somepony was watching them in the darkness.

Then Rainbow let out a shriek when something dark zoomed past, slamming into her. Twilight turned and saw a bat pony on top of the pegasus. Fortunately, he wasn't on her for long. Rainbow's back hooves shot up and slammed into the bat pony's stomach, sending him flying into the air and then crashing back to the ground. Rainbow was on him in a moment, slamming him back down and twisted his hoof behind his back.

“Who are you?” the pegasus asked.

“Ow ow ow mercy uncle I'm sorry I'm sorry!” the bat pony shrieked, tears welling in his eyes.

“Yeah, no,” Rainbow snapped, twisting a little harder. “Why did you attack me?”

“I-I'm sorry, I-I thought you were coming after t-that mare! I'm sorry I'm sorry!”

Twilight blinked and her eyes narrowed. She then moved forward and grabbed his lips, forcing them up. “Fangs. You're... you're a vampire.”

He eeped and squeaked, going completely still. “P-please don't kill me.”

Twilight frowned. “I'm a representative of Nightmare Moon, her bard. What did you mean by mare?”

He blinked a few times and then the color(what little he had) drained from his face. “R-r-representative of... of Nightmare Moon?”

Rainbow growled and twisted his leg again. “Answer her!”

Tears welled in the vampire's eyes. “I-I'm sorry it was an accident I-I never meant to! I-I was just... I was just going to have a little nibble she was so--”

“WHERE'S FLUTTERSHY?!” Rainbow yelled.

“I-I turned her! I-I didn't mean to but it was, it was an accident a-and she was so nice and--”

“What do you mean turned her?!” Rainbow asked, stomping on his back.

Twilight stepped forward. “Rainbow, stop, you're going to break his leg!”

“He hurt Fluttershy!” Rainbow screamed, twisting it a little harder.

“Then he'll be punished for it! But that's not your job!” She then looked down at him. “Where is she?”

The pony whimpered but, once his leg was loosened, her gasped. “I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to... please. I-if Nightmare Moon finds out, she'll kill me. I-I never meant to... I swear I never meant to. She was just so... I'm so sorry.”

“Where is she?” Twilight asked again.

“Inside,” the stallion said softly. “I... I laid her on the throne. She should awaken soon,” he mumbled softly.

“Awaken?”

“She'll be one of us. I-I swear, I never meant for this to happen. I just... I just wanted a nip but she was so... please. I'm so, so sorry.”

“What happened, exactly?”

He gulped and nervously looked to the side. “I-I was... we were sitting on the couch. She was so kind. She helped my little friend. T-that was how we were supposed to see her, you know. We were told she was sweet and took care of animals. But... but she was so beyond sweet. She's the nicest pony I've ever met. And... and I... I was just... I was overwhelmed. I couldn't stop myself. I took a little bite. Just... just a little but I...” He closed his eyes. “It was an accident. The bunny jumped on me and I-I lashed out and I-I didn't mean to hit her. I didn't mean to... I didn't r-realize I sent her... until it was...”

“What happened...”

“She hit a corner table. Her head and it... it was... there was so much blood. I tried to stop it, I bandaged her, b-but I... I'd taken more than I should have. I-I wasn't trained in first aid! A-and then... then I...” He trembled weakly. “I couldn't just let her die! I-it was my fault a-and I couldn't wait for permission s-so I brought her here and... and I changed her and I'm so sorry I didn't mean for any of this to happen... I'm so, so sorry...”

Rainbow just stood on him, in shock. “You... you killed Fluttershy?”

The vampire flared up, hard, sending the stunned Rainbow off her. He flew up into the air, looking towards the castle and then towards them. Finally he flew away, darting off past the trees. Rainbow growled and flared her wings.

“Rainbow, we need to find Fluttershy!” Twilight snapped.

“But he's going to get away!”

“We can talk with the others later. For now, Fluttershy is more important.”

The pegasus looked back and forth before sighing, her wings going back to her side. “You're right. Come on.” She darted into the castle, shoving the door aside.

The castle was old and derelict, the stones covered in moss and dirt, with the occasional vine managing to snake its way up. Old, forgotten tapestries still hung on the walls in places, heavily damaged and frayed. As they walked, little bugs scattered in all directions, though Twilight struggled to avoid thinking about them.

It was darker, far darker than the moon made outside. She grabbed a stick and held it out to Spike. “Could you?”

He rolled his eyes but, with a single puff, lit it up. Using the new torch, they slowly made their way through the castle. It wasn't long before they came to the wide open throne room.

There was Fluttershy, sitting in the throne. The roof seemed to have partially caved in, allowing a single beam of moonlight to illuminate the mare. She looked breath taking, her eyes closed, body still in the seat. She looked as if she was merely napping, unmoving. Twilight took a step forward, but was shoved aside by Rainbow.

The pegasus flew to her side, reaching out and grabbing Fluttershy's shoulders. “No no no. No please no. Come on, buddy. Come on. This can't be happening. This can't. Come on, Fluttershy, wake up!” she screamed.

“Rainbow,” Twilight started, trotting towards her.

“Don't Rainbow me! This is Fluttershy! She... she's my...” Tears started to form in Rainbow's eyes. “S-she's my best buddy. I-I'm supposed to... I'm supposed t-to keep her safe from things like this. Y-you don't know what... what she's like...”

“Rainbow, it's going to be okay...”

“HOW IS THIS OKAY?!” Rainbow screamed, stomping her hooves down. “She's my buddy and I... and I let this happen to her! I-I was so busy focusing on... on the Shadowbolts I didn't even know she was in trouble! That she needed me! Look at her! LOOK!” she screamed, pointing a hoof at her.

“I-I know,” Twilight said softly. “Oh, I know. She--”

“No, you don't know!” Rainbow screamed again. “T-this... this is Fluttershy. S-she gets scared of her own shadow. I-I've seen her flee f-from a pile of leaves. And... and she's the sweetest p-pony that has ever lived a-and you have no idea how amazing and w-wonderful she is. She never has a b-bad word to say about anypony. She's a-always just so sweet and loving a-and doting to everypony. A-and then she... then she a-always helps them, whenever they need it. W-who ever needs it. Even if t-they're kind of jerks, she's always t-there for them. B-but then... but then she...” The tears welled up in her eyes. “I-I told her not to live by the E-everfree Forest. I-I told her it was dangerous. T-that sometimes... t-that sometimes things come out. And things DID come out. And she befriended them! She made them into pets! I saw her once tame a timber wolf! A-and now she's dead b-because I-I was too busy... too busy having fun and g-gallivanting a-around a-and--”

Twilight slowly moved forward. She reached out and hugged the pegasus. “This isn't your fault. This was a horrible, horrible thing that happened, but you are in no way to blame. We'll get through this. Besides, Fluttershy is... she's strong. I'm sure. In her own little way. And it's not like she's gone. She's still in there. We just need to find out how much of her is... well...”

“W-what are you talking about? I-I've seen the movies! I-if she's a v-vampire, t-that means we need to... w-we have to--”

“No!” Twilight said quickly, shaking her head. “No no no, no. I still don't know everything about vampires or, really, much about them. But I'm pretty sure killing them is not the answer and I know, for a fact, that killing Fluttershy is a hundred percent not the answer. Okay? Okay.”

Rainbow sniffled, wiping her eyes. “R-really? But she's already--”

“Yes, yes she is. But that doesn't mean she's bad! I think. W-well, you saw that pony, right? Did he seem like a heartless, stupid monster?”

Rainbow frowned. “He hurt Fluttershy.”

“Yes, he did, and he was a foal for doing it. But it sounded like it was an accident and... I honestly believe him.” She didn't know if that was true, but she needed Rainbow to calm down before she did something they all regretted. “I couldn't imagine anypony who reacted like that.... I don't think he did it on purpose. I think it all happened so fast and... I honestly believe that Fluttershy, more than any other pony, will get through this. Look at her.” She pointed a hoof to the unmoving mare. “Could you really see her ever trying to hurt anypony? For any reason?”

Rainbow stared and then, slowly, her eyes lowered. “No.”

“Exactly. She's not that kind of pony. I mean, I've only known her a short time, but I... I am certain she's a good pony at heart. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to take her back to her house and clean up. When the others arrive, we're going to send a message back home. I'm going to send one. Then we'll wait. Nightmare Moon can send a vampire here to help us.”

“You really trust her to help us?”

“A... little bit,” Twilight said nervously. “Do we really have any other choice? Would you rather just... leave it like this?”

Rainbow eyed the yellow pegasus and shook her head. “N-no. How long until... she...”

“I don't know. Hours? Days? I haven't exactly studied this. Before a few days ago I didn't even think they were real! Now... well...”

Rainbow nodded and slowly leaned down. “Okay. But... but I'm carrying her.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay. Rainbow... no matter what happens, this isn't your fault. Okay? You know it's not your fault.”

“It's completely my fault,” Rainbow muttered. “Friends look out for each other. I wasn't there when she needed me. I should have been.”

“There's no way you could have been there twenty-four seven. You didn't know this would happen.”

“Let's just go,” she muttered again.

“But Rainbow--”

“We're going!” Rainbow yelled, trotting off as fast as she dared with Fluttershy on her back. Twilight and Spike followed after her, the two sharing a small look.

------

Twilight slowly moved to sit besides Rainbow, looking over to the pegasus. “The uhhh... the letter has been sent. I think we'll hear from the princess soon,” she said softly.

Rainbow nodded, though she didn't take her eyes off Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus was laying in her bed, her eyes closed. She wasn't breathing, though she looked so peaceful. Twilight could barely believe the mare was, for all intents and purposes, dead.

She reached out and lightly brushed the mare's pink mane back. “It's going to be okay,” she whispered, more for herself now than for Rainbow.

“How can this possibly be okay? Fluttershy is... she's... if I'd just...”

“There was nothing you could do.”

Rainbow didn't answer this time. “What'd you tell everypony else?”

“That Fluttershy was hurt, but she'll be fine. Needs her rest. I promised that I'd take her to see the doctor once... well...”

“Once she comes back to life?” Rainbow asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Rainbow...”

“Why did this vampire even come? They aren't even supposed to be real and then... this?”

Twilight opened her mouth, but then paused. If Rainbow knew that the vampire had likely been sent to spy on Fluttershy, then she couldn't imagine her friend would take that lying down. “I don't know. Nightmare Moon has decided to reveal vampires and other such creatures to the public. Maybe he thought with... him self being revealed like that, it was time to come out.”

“She didn't deserve this.”

“Of course she didn't. But she'll be okay. We're all here for her, right?”

“What will it mean?” Rainbow finally asked.

“I don't really know. I think it'll mean she'll be sleeping a lot during the day, at least, if we had a day. But now... I think it'll make her stronger and faster, maybe?”

“That other pony didn't seem very strong. I kicked his flank easy enough,” she said with a small smirk, before sighing. “She will be okay, though? She'll be... her? Did you ever study any of this stuff?”

“Well… I technically have a minor in occult studies, but… that was all theoretical until now. But I think so. I--”

A gasp filled the room. Both ponies went silent and stared at Fluttershy. Her eyes opened and she looked around, confusion etched on her features. “W-what? Where am I?” she asked softly, starting to sit up but quickly falling back. “A-ahhh...”

“Don't move, Fluttershy,” Twilight said. “Do... do you remember anything?”

The young mare blinked, staring at the roof for a minute. “I... t-there was... a young stallion. He had a bat. His bat was sick and then...” She looked confused for a moment. “I-I don't... know. I don't remember anything after that? Did something happen?”

“What? Oh, err, yes. No. Sorta,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Do... ummm...” She trailed off, not sure what to say. How did you tell a pony they were technically dead?

“I... I hate to be a bother but ummmm... could... I get something to drink? I'm dreadfully thirsty. If that's okay?”

Both the other ponies shared nervous looks. Twilight wasn't sure if she could handle Fluttershy asking for blood. “W-what would... you like?”

“Some... ummm... apple juice.”

The two mares shared a look of relief. Twilight quickly trotted off to get a drink. She could feel the animals eying her when she walked through the house. She couldn’t help but notice that bunny that had attacked them, sitting in the corner with his head hanging. Spike was resting on the couch, snoring softly. “It’s okay,” she said with a smile. “Fluttershy is going to be okay.”

The bunny didn’t respond. Equipped with an apple juice box, she trotted upstairs. She took a deep breath before pushing open the door.

Fluttershy glanced up, confusion etched on her features. Rainbow just shook her head. “Twilight? What’s going on? Rainbow won’t tell me...”

Twilight sighed and put the apple juice in her hooves. The pegasus leaned down and bit into it with her new fangs, ignoring the draw entirely and making both her companions jump. Fluttershy didn’t seem to notice.

Once she was finished sucking the container dry, Twilight took a slow, deep breath. “Fluttershy, do you remember… anything? How do you feel?”

“My head kind of hurts and I feel a little dry. Maybe I need some water...”

“Need something thicker than water,” Rainbow grumbled.

“What?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight took another slow, deep breath. She mentally steeled herself. “Fluttershy. That… pony that came to visit you. Did he seem strange at all?”

Fluttershy frowned and rubbed her chin. “A little. He kept… looking around a lot. And none of the animals seemed to want to be near him or his pet. He was also very pale and… a bit cold to the touch. He seemed very concerned about his pet, though. And he kept staring at me.” She gasped. “H-he’s not hurt, is he? Is--”

“HE WAS A VAMPIRE!” Rainbow screamed, shaking her head. “He was a vampire, okay? Vampires are real and he is one and he bit you and he turned you into one!”

Fluttershy blinked a few times and slowly reached up, feeling her neck. “Oh.”

“What do you mean, oh?” Rainbow asked.

“I… I’m not really sure what to say,” the pegasus said softly. “Vampires aren’t real, though, Dashie. I'm most definitely not one. Next thing you'll say something silly, like I'm a tree.”

Twilight coughed. “A-actually, errr… they… kind of are.”

“Trees?”

“Vampires. And you're... kind of one.”

“Oh. I... I see. What… does that mean for me?”

“I’m not sure, honestly,” Twilight said. “I think it means that… technically… you’re dead. But you’re still you!”

“Am… am I going to still be able to take care of all the animals? Who will watch over them during the day? Will I need to hire someone? What if there’s an emergency?”

“Well, for one, there is no day,” Twilight said quickly. “Even if there is, apparently they don’t burst into flame. You just kind of… lose your powers. I think you’ll be able to take care of them just fine.”

“Oh. That’s a relief. They aren’t frightened, are they?”

“I think they’re mostly just worried about you,” Twilight said softly. “If, ummmm… how do you feel?”

“Just tired and thirsty. Oh. Oh dear. Am I going to have to drink blood? I-I don’t know if I can do that,” she said softly, looking a little paler.

“I don’t know, I--” There was a heavy thudding from downstairs. “I… hope that’s who I think it is. Fluttershy, Rainbow, wait here. Don’t move. Don’t panic.” She quickly turned and trotted downstairs again, pulling open the door.

Redfang stood in the doorway, staring at her. “I came as soon as I heard. Nightmare Moon... insisted that I come personally. Where is she?”

“Upstairs. I’ll show you,” she said before trotting back towards the steps. She paused and realized a moment later he wasn’t following her. “Are you coming?”

“I need you to invite me inside.”

“… Really?” she asked flatly. “Why?”

He sighed and face hoofed. “During the great war between vampires and ponies, there were many great slaughters. During the peace talks one of the biggest contributors to the peace was the creation of the bond spells. Each vampire who agreed to the peace accepted these spells and they have since been passed down to all of their generations. A vampire may not enter a house willingly aside from in moments of self preservation or preservation of another, without the express permission of the owner. Now may I PLEASE have permission?”

Twilight’s eyes almost glimmered. “Wait, really? Bond spells? I’ve never even heard of those!”

“Well, of course you haven’t. You’d have to know unicorn magic.”

“I have a major in unicorn magic, though.”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again. Finally he just stared at her. “WHY?”

“Well, you see there’s this whole--”

“Twilight!” Rainbow called down. “Who is it?”

“Oh! Right, err, yes. Fluttershy! Can my guest come in?”

“O-oh. Ummm, that’s fine… I guess...”

“Come on,” Twilight said with a nod.

The vampire sighed and stepped inside. “Anyway. Bond magic is incredibly rare. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it is no longer practiced in any form. Even when the spells were first created it was very rarely, if ever done. It usually passes away within a few generations. The only reason it still works for us vampires is there is a large amount of magical energy that transfers when we create a new vampire.”

She nodded, trotting up the stairs with him behind her. She made mental notes as she walked. She wondered if she could write a thesis on all the new information she’d been gathering. She could write entire books at this point of all the different things she was learning under Nightmare Moon. Many of them horrifying.

“Sooo, how’s our newest vampire of the night?” Redfang asked nervously. He let out a yipe when Rainbow turned her glare down on him.

“This isn’t funny,” the pegasus said.

“O-of course not,” the vampire said nervously before trotting forward. “So, Fluttershy, was it?”

The pegasus nodded.

“I suppose you have some questions. Would you like me to give you the basics first, though?”

“Please,” she whispered softly.

“First things first. You’re… dead. Technically. If anything has happened to your soul or the like, I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Sadly, most religious texts are quite silent on the topic of vampires. That’s one of the biggest questions I get,” he said sheepishly. “Now, that’s the big thing you need to remember. The sunlight won’t kill you, but it will tire you out. It may be a moot point now, but you’ll also notice yourself getting tired around what used to be daylight hours. I’d suggest trying to sleep then.”

“O-okay,” she said softly.

“Now, you’re NOT a monster, bloodthirsty or otherwise. You will requite a diet of blood, though not enough to kill a pony. It is what we need for nutrition. You can, technically, survive without it.”

She perked up. “R-really?”

“Yes. There are a few ponies that subsist on an almost full diet of fruit juice. However, it is extremely uncomfortable and it is the equivalent of a normal pony trying to survive on nothing but chips and other junk food.”

“O-oh.”

“Now, I’m sure you have friends and family who can help. It won’t require so much that you’re going to put any of them at risk and you’ll only need to feed once or twice a week. I’d suggest getting a few ponies willing to help you and then rotating them out on weekends. Now, if you’re unable to find ponies willing to help, we can find those who will. Juices and the like will manage to suppress the cravings, but they won’t go away until you feed.”

“W-what happens if she doesn’t eat? Will she eventually turn into a… a monster?” Rainbow asked.

Redfang turned to her and just stared with a flat expression. “Have you ever been so hungry for a sandwich you turned into a monster?”

The pegasus blushed and shook her head. “N-no, but--”

“At most, you’ll likely get a bit crotchety and uncomfortable. Unless you go too long,” Redfang said. “It’s a hunger, just a different type of hunger than other ponies face. You’ll get used to it. Now, the fun things. You will become stronger and more agile. Sadly, the stories of us bench pressing chariots and leaping over buildings in a single bound are not accurate. The fact of the matter is you’ll just become stronger, but likely no stronger than a skilled and strong member of your species. Possibly less. This is caused due to the magic that helps to animate you.”

“A-animate me?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“Yes. Your own innate magical power is what’s keeping you up now, but you’ll also draw magic from others when you drink their blood. That’s why it’s best to get fresh blood if you can, but frozen will still help.”

“What happens if she doesn’t eat?” Rainbow asked.

The vampire took a slow, deep breath. “Fruit juice would help to maintain her for a while, the magic in Equestrian plants is good. But, were she to not drink any blood or juice, she would die. It would be a slow, painful way to go. As would any method of starvation.”

Fluttershy squeaked and pulled her covers up.

“Now, there are rules. Many religious symbols will… welllll… some will effect you, others won’t. It can be a bit hit and miss and I think it depends on the pony and what they believed. It’s really up to debate how that works and I’d really rather not get into it. However, there are spells in all of us that pass down from vampire to vampire. The big one is our inability to enter a building without permission of the owner. Public buildings are fine, of course. But unless your life or somepony else's is in actual danger, you cannot enter a building.”

“Somepony else's?” Twilight asked.

He nodded. “Indeed. I believe that was actually due to Puddinghead. Her idea as she wanted to create some kind of… elite… vampire fighting unit to save ponies. I don’t think it worked, but the spell remains. Now, an important thing. You can die. Your body will heal… most injuries. But excessive damage, something that would kill a pony outright, will likely kill you as well. We heal far faster, but we don’t heal if we’re dead dead. Understand?”

Fluttershy nodded, gulping.

“Now, stronger, faster… oh, and we can turn into bats! That’s pretty fun!”

“What?” Fluttershy asked, her mouth falling open.

“Bats! We can turn into bats and fly around. It...” He paused. “Oh, right, pegasus. I guess that’s not really quite as nice then. Huh. Sorry. Oh, you can also talk to them now. Bats.”

“I could already do that...”

“… Huh. Well, you really aren’t getting much out of this, are you?”

“Sorry...”

“It’s not your fault. This… really shouldn’t have happened.”

“Yah think?” Rainbow snapped.

“Now, animals will be a bit more frightened of you at first, but pets will normally warm up to you pretty quick. Most are fairly forgiving. Oh! No matter what you do, do NOT turn into a bat near sunrise. If it ever comes back.”

“What? Why?” Fluttershy asked.

A look of horror spread across his face. “You’ll be stuck as a bat. All. Day. Which can be incredibly frustrating. I know far too many vampires who have suffered such a fate. And well… there is no horror quite like having your children find you when you’re tiny, vulnerable and adorable. The tiny top hats are the worst.”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “I… I see. I’d… like to… be alone for a bit. If that’s okay.”

The vampire took a deep breath before shaking his head. “No.”

“W-what?” she said softly.

“I won’t stay. But one of your friends must. This is… going to be a difficult time for you. And you should not be alone, for your own safety.” He looked to the other two. “Don’t let her be alone now. She needs comfort and companionship so she doesn’t do anything to hurt herself.”

Rainbow nodded. “I’ll stay.”

“I-I won't,” Fluttershy said softly. “I-I just, I'm not feeling well and--” She was cut off by Rainbow hugging her.

“Please. Please,” the pegasus begged. “I... I wasn't here when you needed me. I wasn't there to... I wasn't there to save you. Let me do this for you. Please.”

Fluttershy was silent for a long moment before finally nodding. “O-okay,” she said gently, her legs wrapping around her. “If... if you need to.”

“Thank you,” Rainbow said softly. “I... I really do need to.”

Twilight smiled and watched them, wiping her eyes softly. Se then pulled the vampire aside. “She... will be okay, won't she?”

“The first week will be the hardest,” the pony said with a nod. “Just make sure her friends are nearby and she will be fine. I... am more concerned that this happened at all. He shouldn't have--”

“He shouldn't have been here at all,” Twilight said firmly. “Have you managed to track him?”

“Not yet. But we WILL find him. One way or another.”

Twilight nodded before sighing. “I'm going to need to talk with Nightmare Moon about this later,” she muttered. “A long, long talk.”

“She knows.”

She paused for a second. “She... does?”

He blinked and looked off to the side. “I... shouldn't be telling you this but... she... seemed quite upset that this happened at all. She... may have threatened me if anything more happened to your friends. And... to tell you she wishes you to return as soon as possible.”

Twilight blinked, then sighed. “Of course she did, that's all she ever does,” she shook her head. “For a second I thought maybe she was actually concerned about Fluttershy, but no, just wants to make sure I'm back to work. Probably hoping I found some...” She blinked. “I completely forgot why...” She looked to the two mares. “Ummmm... girls?”

“Yes?” Rainbow asked.

“I... actually did come here for an important reason. I know it's kind of weird but... do you know any party planners?”

The two mares shared a look, then stared at her. “You're... kidding, right?” Rainbow asked.

“No? Should I be?”

The pegasus just gave a chuckle. “Oh, you're in for a treat. Go to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Where?”

“The building shaped like a giant cupcake. Ask for Pinkie Pie. Trust me, if you've got a party in mind, she's the pony to throw it. Why do you ask?”

“I need a pony to plan out the Grand Galloping Gala and--”

“You're going to have PINKIE throw it? Oh, this I've GOT to see,” the mare said with a big grin, before eeping and looking to Fluttershy. “B-but not now. You're still... ummm...”

Fluttershy chuckled into her hoof. “It's fine. I... can't deny that I would like to see Pinkie throw it too.”

Twilight just cocked her head to the side, confusion on her features. “Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “Hey, while you're out, can you do me a favor?”

“What?”

“Stop by Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack can supply all the juice we'll need for Fluttershy and, well, tell her we'll get her back later. Or the vampires will. Someone will. Oh, and see if she can toss in some sweet apple cider while she's at it!”

“Okay. And, ummm...”

“Sweet Apple Acres is outside of town, head east. Road goes straight to it and there's signs.”

“Gotcha. I'll uhhh...” She glanced to Fluttershy, another flash of guilt going through her. “And I'll take care of all payments as needed. You two... be well,” she mumbled gently before trotting towards the door, the vampire behind her. She grabbed Spike once downstairs and quickly carried him outside, the dazed and tired dragon yawning. Once there, she stopped and looked to the vampire. “Did Nightmare Moon plan this?”

“W-what?” the vampire asked.

“Fluttershy. Did she plan to do this to her? Did she plan to have her be... killed? Is this all just some... game of hers?”

Redfang's eyes went wide. “I-I assure you she did not! Nightwing had always been a trusted member of our society, were I not... seeing the effects first hand, I wouldn't believe it had even happened!”

Twilight nodded. “Wonderful. At least I don't have to yell at her about that, then...”

“Yell... at her?” he asked softly.

“Err, nothing. I... I'm going to head into town. I'll return when I can.”

The vampire nodded and took a step, before pausing. “Lady Bard?”

“Yes?” she asked, her tone mildly annoyed.

“Do be careful. Her highness... has her eyes on you. I may be a creature of the night, but I am no foal. I comprehend exactly what she is capable of should you push her too far. There is... something about the way she watches you. You may be in more danger than any of us.”

Twilight glanced back to Spike, her eyes resting on the collar. “I know. Trust me. I know,” she muttered before she trotted back towards the town, hearing a soft flutter of wings and, when she turned back, he was gone.

Author's Notes:

.... Please don't kill me for this chapter... *hides behind Flutterbat.* I swear it's been leading up to this for a while.

S1 CH 16. New hires

Twilight frowned and cocked her head to the side, rubbing her chin. “This... appears to be the place, at least.”

“Is it... edible?” Spike asked.

The earth pony looked the giant gingerbread house up and down, before shaking her head. “No, I don't believe so. I hope it's not, at least. I would hate to imagine how... sick such a thing would make a pony. If they live in it, it has likely been here for many years.” Though, she couldn't deny, even if it was a real gingerbread house, it wouldn't be the strangest home she'd ever seen. It might not even be in her top five.

She gently pushed open the door and was greeted by a happy pink face. “Hi Twilight! I was wondering when I'd see you!”

The earth pony reared up and stumbled back, falling on her back with a shriek and sending Spike flying. She stared at the very hyper pink earth pony with the puffy mane, who just grinned from ear to ear at her.

“H-hi? You know my name?” she asked weakly. “Err... Pinkie?”

“Of course I do, silly! Rainbow and the others told me allllll about you! I mean, big purple earth pony mare, dragon in tow, that face of pure confusion, who else could you be? I'd throw you a party but I'm reallllllly busy right now and I know you've got grouchy lunar queen to look out for so I won't take up too much of your time! What can I get for you?” She gave a wink.

Twilight gulped and stared at the pony. It was the strangest thing. The mare wasn't even moving. And yet she still envisioned the mare hopping and jumping around as if she was galloping to and fro. “This uhhhh, this is Spike. I came to ask if you'd--”

“I'll throw it!” Pinkie said excitedly, jumping up into the air as confetti exploded in the background.

The earth pony blinked, her mouth falling open. “W-what? But... but I haven't even asked... what?”

“I've always WANTED to go to the Grand Galloping Gala and this year I get to throw it! It's going to be the BEST! GALA! EVER! And you can tell grouchy groucho that, too! I Pinkie promise!” she said with a nod and making a strange gesture with her hoof.

“W-what? Did I... I didn't... did I?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side. Hadn't she been interrupted? She felt a new headache building. “And... err... I guess... ummm... well, err, thank you. Then. That makes it... easier. I guess. Can, ummm, you give me directions to uhhh... an apple farm? Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Ohhhhh? Getting apples for the party? Sure took your sweet time, didn't you?” Pinkie asked with a light giggle. “Get it, because SWEET apple acres?”

“What? Oh. Right. Quite... amusing?” Twilight asked. She glanced back to the door and saw that Spike was chewing on a cupcake. “When did you...” When she turned back, a cupcake was stuffed in her mouth too. And then she was hugged, tightly, by the pink mare. She tried to choke out a response, but couldn't.

“I know what you're doing,” Pinkie said softly. “I know it's not easy and you're scared you're going to mess up everything. I know it's really, really, really hard and you don't think you're up to it. But you are! My friends told me allll about you and what you did for Rainbow! And everypony else! So don't get all worked up or depressed or anything, okay? I'm rooting for you!”

Twilight finally managed to choke down the cupcake, her eyes wide and staring at the pony. “I... I... thank you?” she said softly, so very confused. “Your words are... very kind. I will endeavor to... live up to them,” she said softly. “Miss... Pie?”

“Just call me Pinkie! You and I are going to be the bestest best friends ever! And after the gala I'll throw you a real big 'nice to meet you' party! Or if you have time while here?"

"... We'll see. But it's unlikely."

"I'd like a party..." Spike mumbled.

"You can throw one for Spike if you want?"

The pink pony looked like she'd explode with excitement. "Yay!” She then just disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

Twilight stared, her face contorted into one of pure confusion. The pony hadn't actually imploded in excitement, had she? She then looked to Spike as he climbed back onto her back. “What... just... happened?”

“You found a pony to throw the gala.”

“I'm not sure that's a good idea.”

“Do you have any other choice?”

She blinked and glanced towards where the other mare had been before sighing. “No. I guess not. Come on,” she said before turning and trotting off. Her head was still spinning when she found the sign pointing off down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres. She frowned and rubbed her chin. “Spike? How are you feeling? I know we've been out for a very long time. I--” She paused when she looked back.

He was laying across her back, lightly snoring.

She gave a soft exasperated sigh. “Note to self. Cupcakes apparently help him sleep. At least he's not toothing,” she muttered. She glanced back towards the giant cupcake in the distance, a low chill going down her back. She didn't know why, but she felt as if she'd awoken some great, powerful force. One possibly to match that of Nightmare Moon.

She then shook her head. That was just silly.

------

Twilight walked nervously, struggling to keep her hooves from shaking with each step. The trees surrounded the path on each side, their great branches reaching out as if they were trying to grab her. She tried to remind herself that there was nothing to fear, they were just trees. There was nothing in the dark she needed to worry about.

Aside from vampires, wereponies and shades. But other than those and whatever other monsters Nightmare Moon had unleashed on the world with the horrible things she'd done, there was nothing to fear. She gave another shudder and glanced back. She was tempted to wake Spike, if for no other reason than the company. But he was still just a baby, all this running around couldn't be good for him. She wished she could have dropped him off at a hotel, but there was no way she could risk the collar choking him.

Though, a part of her wished she could just go back to town and wait for sunrise. If only there was such a thing as sunrise now. At least the moon did a lot to help illuminate the darkness, even if it did create a lot of shadows. She glanced up at the trees as they passed. The trees themselves seemed fine, aside from the occasional grasping branches. She half expected most of them to be in varying states of decay or worse, but instead they were still standing strong, with nice, full leaves. It had been so long since they'd last seen the sun but it looked as if the sun have only gone down for them a few days ago. She reached out and touched one.

The bark was rough against her hoof and there was no sign of wilting from the trees. So strange. She didn't know what Nightmare Moon was doing to help keep the plant from dying in this night, but it must have been working. And here she'd expected the Equestrian diet would have to change.

Still, she wasn't looking forward to this years Winter Wrap-up. It wasn't going to be easy without the help of the sun. But she supposed it was still pretty far away.

Twilight started walking again. Then she heard it. A loud crack, like a lightning bolt. She looked around in confusion before she saw it. She squinted for a moment. There was something big and… hulking in the distance. She squinted and stared, trying to make out whatever it was. It was standing in the shadows of one of the trees and--

There was another loud crack as whatever it was kicked one of the trees. The sound echoed through the fields. Her eyes stared wide with horror.

Spike stood up. “H-huh? Wha?” he asked. “What’s going on?” he called out.

To her additional horror, the creature stopped and turned to them.

She screamed and galloped down the trail.

“Wait!” she heard a voice call out.

But she ignored it. Spike shrieked, holding onto her for dear life.

Twilight wasn’t sure what that thing was, but it was huge. Bigger than any pony she’d ever seen. A truly massive creature. Possibly a werewolf? Or was there something else? Why was it trying to destroy the trees? She raced through the path, shrieking. Finally, she saw the glow from the house and a young yellow filly standing by the door. The mare squinted up at her. “What in tarnat--”

“There’s a monster out here! Run!” Twilight shrieked. “Get help!”

The filly’s eyes went wide and she shrieked, racing inside. “Granny Smith! Big mac! Applejack!” She left the door open and Twilight raced inside after her, slamming the door shut and resting against it.

“What’s going on?” Spike said.

“I-I don’t know! T-there was something out there, it was trying to destroy the trees! I-I don’t know what it did but it was HUGE!”

“I-it was?” Spike asked fearfully.

There was a heavy crash on the door as whatever hit it slammed into it. Or maybe it just hit the door with one of its massive claws. Either way, Twilight was almost sent sprawling. She squeaked and tried holding the door shut, throwing her whole weight against it.

“What in tarnation… Applebloom, let meh in!” the voice boomed from outside.

Twilight held the door closed as best she could. However, after a few moments she heard a new sound. Laughter.

She looked up and saw the filly again. She was on the ground, laughing so hard that she was almost rolling.

“W-what?” Twilight asked.

------

Twilight held her face in her hooves, the red flooding through them and shame flowing through every fiber of her being. She couldn't believe how big a foal of herself she'd been. The four ponies across the table from her seemed to think it was the greatest thing ever. Even the massive red one she had confused for some great monster was giving a quick, hearty chuckle.

“So yah actually thought mah big bro was some kinda monster?” the big orange mare said.

“Just please, let me die and bury me here. I don’t think I can face the world ever again,” Twilight muttered, holding her face.

The mare just laughed, shaking her head. “Nahhhhh, that ain’t gonna be no fun. If we ain’t got a witness, who’s gonna believe it when we tell this story tah others? So, what brings yah down this way, miss…?”

“Twilight. Twilight Glow. I was sent here by--” She blinked and realized a moment later all the laughter had died. She lowered her hooves and realized the others were just staring at her.

“You’re… Twilight Glow?” Applejack asked, softly.

“Y-yes? Is there a problem?”

“What? No! Ah jus’, ah mean, with what the papers were sayin’… ah mean… are yah… that Twilight Glow? The one who… err...”

The earth pony groaned and face tabled. “Yes, I am Nightmare Moon’s personal bard. No, I am not evil. No, I do not intend to hurt anypony. No, I did not, nor would I ever betray Princess Celestia, she is my idol. No, I do not intend to betray anypony. No, even if you did do anything worthy of catching Nightmare Moon’s attention, I wouldn’t TELL her. The mare is one piece of bad news from performing some kind of destructive… destruction… thing,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Anything else?”

“Errr...”

“I’m sorry, I came here at Rainbow’s behest. Something… well… happened. Fluttershy needs pretty much whatever apple juice you can spare. And any sweet apple cider, for Rainbow.”

The mare cocked an eye. “Wait, what? Why she need apple juice for? An' Rainbow knows sweet apple cider ain't in season. Ah swear that girl tries tah get it every chance she can.”

“It’s… a long story and I think it would be best for them to tell you. Since they seem to know you better. Suffice to say, everypony is fine, for now and nopony is hurt.” She gave a light smile. “I’m… truly sorry for ummmm… acting the way I did.” She looked up at the big red pony. She’d never seen a pony so big, even larger than her big brother and he was a pretty big one as they went. The princesses were larger, of course, but they were likely the only ones.

“Nahhhh, we could all use a good laugh here and there,” Applejack said with a grin. “Besides, ah keep tellin’ him tah bring out that lantern when he works. Maybe now he’ll listen. So, was that everythin’?”

Twilight nodded and got to her hooves. “We should get going. Thank you for your--”

“Oh now you hold on jus’ one con-founded minute,” the mare said quickly. “We ain’t even had time tah properly introduce ourselves an’ we ain’t sending nopony away empty hooved and empty stomached!”

“W-what? No, that’s not really necessary. I--”

“Yes it is,” the mare said firmly. “Now, mah name is Applejack, this here is mah big brother Big Mac. This lil slice of apple pie is Applebloom an’ this pony,” she motioned to an older mare who had fallen asleep in her chair. “Is good ol’ Granny Smith. We run this here farm. Now, how about yah properly introduce yourself an’ your friend?”

Twilight blinked and then coughed. “R-right. I am Twilight Glow, ummmm, a novelist and kind of… working for Nightmare Moon. Sort of. This is Spike, my assistant,” she said before motioning to the dragon. “He helps me with minor tasks when I need them.”

The dragon waved.

“Well, it’s nice tah meet yah. Now, ah dun’ know how much of what the papers say is true, but yah seem good enough. If Rainbow an’ them trust yah, ah dun see no reason tah kick yah out. So, whattaya say tah a nice, home cooked meal?”

“E-err, that’s really not necessary, I--”

“Ah ain’t takin’ no for an answer. Yah came all the way out here, the least we can do is make sure your tank is full. Besides, yah look like lil more than skin an’ bones for an earth pony.”

Twilight’s cheeks turned red. “I-I don’t… I’m not… do I?” She looked down at herself. She guessed she had lost a bit of weight. But eating was hardly on her list of priorities with Nightmare Moon on the throne and all. “I guess… one little meal wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Good. Now, how about yah sit down an’ take a load off. Supper’ll be done lickety split.”

Twilight took a seat, giving a weak nod. This ponies were a bit strange. Friendly though, at least. She relaxed in her seat and glanced down to Spike, giving him a small smile. “Hope it’s okay if we stay a bit?”

He merely shrugged. “I don’t care. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Applejack gave a little chuckle. “We don’t really get a lotta guests here from Canterlot. Last one we had was that student of Celestia’s. Moondancer. A shame about what happened tah her. Ah never thought she’d go an’ work for that… well...”

Twilight blinked and then stood up. “Hey! Don’t talk bad about Moondancer! She’s working hard!”

“W-what?” Applejack asked.

“Moondancer is trying her hardest! You don’t have ANY idea what it’s like down there in Canterlot! What’s its like trying to deal with Nightmare Moon,” she snapped. “I’ll admit, it’s a horrible situation. For all of us. Nightmare Moon is wild and erratic and frankly, she’s borderline evil. But we’re trying our hardest to keep ponies safe and stop her from doing all kinds of things to hurt ponies!” She dug her hooves into the table. “Do you think Moondancer WANTS to be her student? No! But she doesn’t have a choice! There’s no telling what will happen to her friends and family if she doesn’t! And at least like this she can try to guide Nightmare Moon away from really hurting ponies! Or getting us into... too many wars!”

Applejack stared at her for a few moments, looking ready to talk back. Then she stopped and gave a nod. “Well… ah guess ah can understand that. Ah’ll be honest, the papers don’t exactly show yah two in the best light.”

“The papers can kiss my flank,” Twilight snapped. “Even before all this they were always talking bad about one thing or another. How Princess Celestia would do something or another and then cause more problems. Now I bet they wish they had her back so things were at least a lot less scary,” the earth pony snapped in anger.

Applejack sighed. “Ah’m sorry. Ah didn’t mean tah upset yah.”

Twilight blinked and shook her head, her cheeks going red. “I’m sorry. I just… Moondancer is working her hardest to make sure everything goes okay. She’s throwing her all into trying to keep Nightmare Moon from doing anything too bad. This entire… the representatives that visited? I was expecting a blood bath. But I know Moondancer was working her hardest behind the scenes to ensure that everything went smoothly and there wasn’t a war. Well, less war than there could have been. None of the other species were banished or imprisoned or… executed. That’s… a lot. And it’s dangerous there. We’re doing out hardest but… we can’t just snap our hooves and everything will be better.”

Applejack nodded before trotting over, patting her on the back with a smile. “Well, ah think you’re doin’ a good job then. Ah’ll admit, the whole… not havin’ a sun thing was awfully terrifyin’ at first. We thought we were gonna lose the whole harvest. But, well...”

“It’s all growing strong. I saw. That… might actually be Nightmare Moon.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. I’m not sure how she’s doing it, but it seems we’re getting by without the sun. Somehow. I’m guessing she thought this out a bit better than we thought.”

Applejack nodded. “It makes gatherin’ ‘em up a bit more difficult, but at least there are plants tah gather. If anythin’, ah think our harvest might have been improvin’. Our apples been some of the juiciest, tastiest batch we ever had. Why, ah made a pie the other day, was like takin’ a nice big ol’ bite of the sun itself, reminded us all of how things used tah be.” The mare stopped. “Yah work close tah Nightmare Moon, right? Yah think there’s any chance that… one day… well...”

Twilight frowned and rubbed her chin. “I… don’t know. Maybe? Right now, though… she has a lot of pain and anger. But once it calms down and she’s no longer as mad, it might be… possible. We might be able to have Celestia back. At least… in… person. I don’t know if Nightmare Moon will ever allow her to rule again, though.”

Applejack nodded. “Ah see. An’… what do yah think… how much danger are we all really in?”

“Very little.”

“Wait, really?” the mare asked. “Ah heard that she went an… well… somehow drained all the ponies an’ stuff.”

“Yes, she did. Those who rebelled and tried to fight her. I don’t think we can fight her, she’s too powerful. Buuuut...” Twilight rubbed a hoof on the table. “I don’t think she wants to kill us ponies. I don’t even think she wants to hurt us, if she can. Those she drained lost their power, but they weren't whipped or anything after. They were just sent home to their families. It was still... frightening to watch, but not as bad as I would have feared.”

“If she likes us, she sure has a funny way of showin' it...”

“... Nightmare Moon is not what you'd call a... pony person,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Honestly, from what I've been able to gather, I can't really blame her for being upset. A thousand years locked away on the moon would make anypony upset. Not to mention the whole...” She waved a hoof into the air. “What led up to it wasn't exactly the... easiest thing.”

“Huh?”

Twilight sighed. “I just... know so little about her right now. She is capable of a lot of horrible things, though.”

“You're telling me,” Spike grumbled.

“But I think there is at least a little good to her. A part of her that won't... kill us all. If we can be careful. We might even be able to find common ground with her in the future, as hard as that may be to believe.”

Applejack gave a shrug. “Well, ah'll jus' have tah take your word for it. All ah can see is the whole... no sun thing.”

Twilight sighed and gave a nod. “I know. A part of me wonders what would have happened if Princess Celestia had just let it all... play out. Rather than sealing her away from the get go. Apparently the whole thing hadn't lasted very long before she was tossed into the moon. Can hardly blame her though, if Nightmare Moon was trying to kill her.”

“The what now?” Applejack asked.

Twilight sighed. “I'll get into it in my book. The whole... everything though. It's all... interesting. I've been trying to find records on what exactly happened back then, too, but there's nothing. It's like she wiped everything out. I'm sure if I can look long enough I'll find some old records, though. Princess Celestia had to leave us SOMETHING. Like that mirror, maybe?” She shook her head. “I don't suppose you have any papers?”

“Papers?”

“Yeah. The news papers. I can't... really get them back home. Nightmare Moon and all. Trust me, just about every pony there is working to make sure she stays as least homicidal as possible.”

The mare nodded. “Of course. Hold on, ah think we got a few in the bin... right...” Applejack frowned and peered over the counter, before motioning to a small white box. “Here yah go. We usually cut 'em up an' use 'em for stuff. Got a bit now, though. Go wild.”

Twilight nodded and walked over, pulling one of the ones on the bottom out. It was from a few days prior and had a picture of Nightmare Moon on the front. She took one look at the article and sighed.

There really wasn't any good news.

------

Twilight groaned, her face buried on the table and her stomach bulging. She'd ate way, way too much. But it was all soooooo good.

“Ughhhh...” she moaned.

“Yah all gonna be okay?” Applejack asked with a grin. “Yah got a nice, healthy appetite for a pen pusher.”

“Bard. I mean, novelist,” Twilight muttered before looking up. “How is it allll soooooo good?”

Applejack snickered. “Well, thank yah kindly for the compliment. Most of us been cookin' since we were lil fillies an' a big ol' colt,” she said with a nod. “Yah should see us when we have a full Apple family reunion. Can cook up some mighty fine snacks then!”

Twilight nodded, staring at the food. She rubbed her chin for a moment. “I... don't suppose you do... catering?”

Applejack blinked. “Come again?”

“The Grand Galloping Gala. Pinkie, err, a mare from the town is going to be running it. How would you feel about catering it? I feel Rarity will probably end up doing the decorations. If you know those two, having a full Ponyville gala could make for an interesting theme this year. Do you think--”

“We'll do it!” Applejack said, a big grin on her face.

Twilight blinked. “W-what? Really?”

“Ah assume there'll be proper financial compensation, right?”

“Of course!”

“Then yup! With bits like that we could repair that saggy ol' roof, replace that saggy ol' plow, maybe replace Granny Smith's saggy ol' hip!”

“Huh? What?” the elder mare asked, before going back to sleep.

“Oh! That's great, then!” Twilight said with a sigh of relief. “Even though it's... well... with Nightmare Moon?”

The mare blinked. “Well, that ain't exactly the best part about it, but we'll make do. With bits like that, well, all kinds of things we can end up doing,” she said with a grin. “So, when yah gonna need everything done?”

“I'm not sure. Pinkie will be making the plans. But I'll have expected guest number sent to you as soon as I can. It'll be a big one, though. So we'll likely need large amounts of food and we'll of course have staff available to assist you. You might need to relocate to Canterlot for a bit, though. Once preparations get fully underway.”

Applejack nodded and gave a salute. “Don't you worry about nothin'. If an Apple can't handle one measly gala, well, then she ain't an Apple!”

She nodded. “And, ummm, you will be able to send all the apple juice needed to Fluttershy and the others?”

“Of course,” she said with a grin, before frowning. “Though...”

“Yes?”

“What exactly yah need so much apple juice for? Ah mean, ah never knew her tah have much of a hankerin' for it. Some of her pets might, but ah ain't seen mucha that, either.”

Twilight sighed. “That... you'll need to talk with her about. But trust me, she needs it,” her eyes lowered and she shook her head. “It's my fault, honestly...”

“Come again?”

“Nothing. Just... yet another...” She got to her hooves. “Anyway, I need to go. I'm going to be getting a room back in town and--”

“What? Now wait jus' one moment. After good news like that, the least we could do is hold yah up here for a few days,” Applejack said with a grin. “We got a best bedroom we--”

“No,” Twilight said firmly, holding up a hoof. “Trust me, that would be a very, very bad idea. I'm on official royal business, more or less. So everything will be dealt with royally. Staying here for an extended period would likely draw the ire of the papers, possibly make Nightmare Moon question what I was doing here, as well as... there are so many things that could just go wrong, it's not a good idea.” She then looked down at her belly. “Besides, if I eat here too often I'll have to be rolled out of here.”

Applejack gave a sigh before nodding. “Well, ah suppose that's all a bit silly, but politics often are in mah experience. Ah wish yah a fine night then, Twilight. An' ah dun care what the papers say about yah. Yah make a right proper guest an' ah may not understand everythin' yah be tryin' tah do, but ah can sure as heck appreciate it.”

Twilight nodded and got to her hooves. “Thank you. It was nice meeting all of you. Come along, Spike.”

“Ughhhhh,” the dragon said before crawling out of his chair and slowly lumbering after her. “Guhhhhhh.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and slowly trotted back towards town, Spike besides her this time. There was no way she felt up to carrying him around. Her cheeks turned red once they got on the path and she remembered her earlier panic after seeing Big Mac. She couldn't believe she'd thought he was a werewolf or some other monsters. She felt like such an idiot.

Author's Notes:

Here, have some funny to go along with the fact someone just died. Sorta died. Kinda... undead are confusing.

*Edit: So, edited and resubmitted the chapter. I normally don't try to do that, but well... Pinkie was, pretty much consistently, badly received. Normally I'd let it slide and ask you guys to trust me, but honestly this was actually something I was nervous and doubtful of even doing, as it wasn't pivotal to the story and it just kind of... well, happened. Especially considering Pinkie's later interactions and something else I have planned for the future. So I've edited and resubmitting.

Sadly, no, she's not a unicorn. I'd probably do that, but I prefer to have it be confusing to Twilight how she does things. If you like, though, can pretend she's hiding a horn under that mane of hers, it is big enough. Or maybe I plan to do that later on in the story and this is all just a bait and switch. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Either way, her being a unicorn would have some story implications that I may or may not use. Isn't having an indecisive story writer fun?

S1 CH 17. Sorry?!!

Twilight gave a soft yawn before crawling away from her desk and stretching. She felt pretty good, all things considered. She'd been in town for a few days and been working to coordinate times for the gala preparations with Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack. She'd sent in a few letters to let Nightmare Moon know that both a party planner and caterer had been found. The crown was hoofing the bill for the hotel room she and Spike were staying in as well.

She'd made excellent progress on the book and was, for the first time in a long while, able to relax. No fears of being tortured or torn apart. She'd even been picking up newspapers each morning and, to her surprise, she wasn't being featured in any of them.

Instead there was a lot of talk about vampires, werewolves and shades. She wasn't too surprised, it was fresh news for everypony. Ponies seemed to be taking it well. For now. Mostly. There had been a few freak outs, but no mass riots. Though she was a bit disturbed by the fact a few ponies were claiming they were fired and the like for their condition. She wondered if there were laws to protect these ponies. Would they count as a disease?

She'd received a few letters from Nightmare Moon as well. They'd seemed... odd. Asking when she would return. How long until her duties would be finished. Twilight had tried to brush them off, but there was something about the letters that nagged at her. Something she felt she was missing. If she didn't know better, she'd think the tyrant missed her.

She hummed and looked to Spike, who was sleeping in his own bed. He seemed to be taking it to heart, being her assistant. It was better than being her pet, at least. He was such a sweet, cute thing. She couldn't imagine anypony wanting to hurt him. Despite his youth he had already made himself practically invaluable to her. She'd even sent him down to the store before realizing how far away it was. But, to her relief, the collar never activated. She wondered if it would only activate when they were near Nightmare Moon. She wouldn't put it past the mare to make something like that.

Fluttershy was doing much better now as well. Though the yellow pegasus wasn't talking much, if at all. They'd managed to fix up her home and make sure she was feeling better. Applejack and Rarity had been furious with Twilight for not telling them immediately what happened, but Rainbow apparently managed to calm them down. She'd managed to have a few meals with all four of them and Pinkie a few times. The pink, bouncy mare had even tried to throw her a party but she'd refused. But she did allow her to throw one for Spike.

That had been interesting. He'd come home at... well, she assumed it was a late hour. Smelling of hot sauce and apple juice. But he'd had fun and that was all that mattered. She trotted to the door and turned off the light, intending to go get something to eat. She'd been working on the book long enough.

However, when she turned the light off, something grabbed her hoof. She let out a scream and tried to pull back, flinging the door open and sending light from the hallway inside. The shade disappeared, though Spike shot up.

“What? Who? What?” the dragon asked, looking around blearily before falling back down and snoring.

Twilight stared, her heart hammering. After a few moments she slowly stepped back into the room and gently closed the door, dimming the room enough for the shade to reappear. It pointed a hoof at her. “Are... you here to attack me?” she asked with a squeak.

It shook its head.

“Do you... is this about Nightmare Moon?”

It nodded.

“... Is this her way of saying she wants me to come home?”

It nodded once again.

“Of course it is. Can't just send me a letter, that'd be too easy. No, instead nearly give me a heart attack. Okay, please let her know I'll be on a train there soon. I--”

It shook its head.

“Err... train won't work? Is she sending somepony to retrieve me?”

It nodded its head before pointing to itself.

“You... are... to... retrieve me? How does that wor--”

The shade lunged out and the next thing she remembered was being sent hurtling through darkness and ice water.

A moment later she appeared in a dark room, her eyes wide with horror and legs clutched to her body. She could feel the cold chill of death, or at least that was what it felt like, wash over her flesh.

“W-what... what was that?” she asked with a squeak. “I-I need... I need S-Spike too, he can't--”

A moment later he was dumped on her. He let out a squeak and held her, his eyes wide with horror. “W-what was that?” he asked, trembling. “I-it felt like... like... being dragged through a grave.”

“I-I don't know,” she said softly, staring at the shade. “My... my books are there as well. I ummm... I need them. My research and... and notes.”

There was a moment before the shade seemed to disappear from existence. After a few more moments the papers appeared at her hooves. “T-thank you...”

The shade appeared a moment later and gave a quick nod, before disappearing once again. Spike looked up. “Let’s never, ever do that again. Okay?”

She looked down at him and nodded. “Agreed.” She gave him a quick hug, shuddering weakly and just holding him for a few minutes. Then, finally, she got to her hooves shakily and slowly started walking towards the doorway. They were inside the castle, one of the many empty rooms. It didn’t take her long to arrive in the throne room. “Y-your highness?” she managed to squeak out.

“Ah! Bard! You’ve returned to me!” Nightmare Moon said, her eyes glimmering. Wait, me? That sent another shudder through her spine.

“Y-yes?”

“We have read your notes! You have managed to procure a skilled and talented party planner for our wonderful gala?”

“I don’t know how skilled and talented she is yet, but she’s willing,” Twilight said nervously.

“I think she’s pretty skilled,” Spike said.

“There you go, a glowing review. Sorta.” She gave a shrug, staring up at the mare, thrown off balance by how chipper the alicorn seemed. A word she never thought she'd use to describe the mare.

“Ah. Well, that will suffice. I’m sure if you have chosen her, she will not disappoint.”

Twilight nodded in confusion. There was an 'I' there. “Okay? Was… that… everything?”

“Hmmm?” Nightmare Moon asked, before glancing down at Moondancer. She looked as shocked as Twilight felt. “You may leave us.”

“Your highness?”

“Did we stutter?”

“Oh! No, err, a-as you wish, my lady,” the mare said before quickly galloping out of the room, giving Twilight an apologetic look.

The earth pony just stared in confusion, cocking her head to the side. Something seemed off. Once the other mare was out of the room, the door slammed shut behind her and Twilight eeped. She turned back and watched it warily. “Your highness? Have I displeased you?”

The mare of the night glanced down. “Perhaps your pet had best leave as well?”

Alarm bells went off in her head. Oh no. Something had definitely gone wrong. She did not want Spike in the middle of it. “Spike, could you go wait outside?”

“W-what? But she--”

“Please, Spike.”

The dragon looked down before slowly nodding. He hobbled off, leaving Twilight alone with that mare. Once he was outside, she heard the door clicked closed. “Your highness?”

The mare moved forward, standing over Twilight imposingly. The earth pony couldn’t help but feel nervous as the mare stared down at her. Finally, with a deep breath, the mare began. “Twilight, our bard. We… I… am so sorry.”

“Eh?” She had no words.

“When you told us of what happened to your friend, we were besides ourselves. We assure you, we had no intention for ANY of this to happen. When we sent our creatures to watch your friends, we merely wished for them to observe for a short while, to… determine how loyal they were to us. If they would be considered a threat or not. We had no idea, nor intention, that such a thing would happen. For this ordeal we offer our most sincere apologies and we do pray you can forgive us for our mistake.”

Twilight blinked, her mouth nearly hitting the floor. She’d gone over this conversation a hundred times in her mind. She’d imagined herself screaming at the mare, telling her off, yelling at her, asking how she could have put her friends in such danger, asking if she even cared.

But here Nightmare Moon was. Asking, nay, begging for forgiveness. Twilight couldn’t figure out how to react. How did a pony react? Should she comfort the mare? Tell her everything would be alright? “You should tell this to Fluttershy,” she finally said.

“What? But--”

“She’s the one who is suffering for this. She’s the one who… died. Not me. Not you. Her. She’s the one who has to pay the consequences for what you did. If there is anypony you owe an apology to, it’s her.”

Nightmare Moon stared down at her and, for a moment, she was afraid she’d misstepped. Had she gone too far? Was telling the mare in the moon to apologize too much? Her back tingled with worry. Finally, the alicorn nodded. “Very well, bard. You are correct. We shall apologize and have her brought here immed--”

“No,” Twilight said, pressing her luck for some reason. “You should go to her.”

“W-what? She is our subject! She should, nay, must come to us!”

“You literally killed her. The LEAST you can do is go and see her while she’s getting better.” There was a sentence she never thought she’d say. She wondered if she could use it in a book sometime. No, too cheesy. Any story that had a line like that she couldn’t imagine would have many readers.

The alicorn glared down at her before finally relenting. She gave a small nod. “Very well. We will… apologize to this mare. Personally. As soon as we are able we shall make the trip down there.”

“Good, thank you. Now, ummmm… about the shades?”

“Yes?”

“Can they all do that teleporting thing?”

“Travel through the shadows? No, we’re afraid not. Only a select few can. Well… only a select few can take others with them.”

“Ah, good. Never do that to me again.”

“We are sorry?”

“That was absolutely horrifying! It felt like I was being dragged through my own grave! I didn’t even think something could feel that way, but you learn something new every day!”

The mare blinked a few times before nodding. “We… we see. As you wish.”

“And I want you to give me your word that, if anything ever does happen to me, you won’t hurt Spike when I’m gone. Even if you can’t send him back home to the dragon lands, you’ll make sure he is at least well fed and taken care of here, perhaps with a new keeper.” She knew she was pushing her luck, but she had to at least try.

“Our word is given.”

Twilight just stared, her mouth falling open. That was easy. That was way, way too easy. She’d expected yelling, howling, rage. Instead she received kindness. She just stared. Who was this pony and what had she done with her Nightmare Moon? And would it be permanent? “T-thank you. Your highness. And… my friends will no longer be spied on?”

There was a long moment of silence but then, finally, the alicorn nodded. “Agreed. Those who… met with them assure us that they are of no threat to you, or the crown.”

“You thought they were a threat to me?” she asked in confusion. “Why?”

“They were close to you. We were worried they may have tried to turn you against us.”

Twilight just stared. “And that’s why… you sent them? Not because you were afraid they'd turn on you, but because you were afraid they'd turn me on you?” She felt something bubbling up within her.

“Indeed, because--”

“YOU DIDN’T TRUST ME?!” Twilight roared. The alicorn was taken aback, her eyes wide. Ah, rage, her old friend.

“W-what? No! We merely--”

“You just said it yourself! You were afraid they’d turn me against you! Do you really think if there was a chance of me rebelling I wouldn’t have by now? You’ve had me WHIPPED! WHIPPED! Do you even understand how painful that was? How much I had to suffer for that? And you think after all of that, I’m going to suddenly decide ‘I need to start a rebellion, let’s go get my friends involved! Yeah, we can all hang together!’”

“W-we wouldn’t--”

“No, of course not, because I’m not stupid! It’s great to know how you really see me, though, Is that what you’re thinking? What you’re hoping? That one day I’ll misstep and then, bang, you’ll have me. Execute the bard! Now she can never tell the world of how I did something or other! When have you ever needed justification for anything you've done? Why don't you just do it?”

The princess took another step back, shaking her head. “No, we merely--”

“Well, rest assured, princess, the only pony who has done ANYTHING to hurt my loyalty is you. Mine and every other pony you’ve ever claimed to care about. No wonder nopony liked your nights! You were probably always threatening to drop the stars on them or some other insane threat!”

The princess actually lowered her eyes, taking another step back. “We… we’re sorry, we--”

“Oh, but don’t worry your pretty little head, Nightmare Moon. I’m not planning to betray you at all. What would be the point? We all know how powerful you are. We aren’t going to beat you in some blast of, I don’t know, rainbows and starlight. No, we’re stuck with you, one way or another. So if you have any more problems and thoughts of mistrust, how about next time you pull up your big mare stockings and come to me, rather than putting my FRIENDS in danger!” she snapped, before turning and storming out. Or rather… trying to. The door refused to budge. She then realized who she’d just screamed at. Again. She’d been doing that too often lately. How was she not dead yet? She still felt pretty good, though. She wondered if she was developing anger problems. Maybe she should see a therapist. Assuming she lived through the next few minutes.

She slowly turned back and saw the princess of the night. Her eyes were downcast and her wings were folded neatly on her back. Rather than looking ready to strike, she just sat there. Completely still. Finally, she lifted her wing and the door lock unclicked. “You… may leave… if you so wish.”

Twilight stared at the mare. She felt the sudden urge to comfort her. She took a slight step forward. “Y-your highness. I never meant--”

“We both know exactly what you meant.” Nightmare Moon shook her head. “We… are aware of how our subjects view us. How they… fear us,” she mumbled softly. “We have seen the papers that all of you so desperately try to hide from us.”

Twilight blinked a few times, her mouth falling open. “You… have?” How was every newspaper stand from here to Manehatten not smoldering ash?

“Indeed. We know of what the ponies say in the shadows, when they think we are not listening. But… you do not.”

“I don’t?”

“No. You… often will tell us to our face. Though there is no doubt in our minds that you fear us, you are the only one who will step forward to… tell us how we have failed or… misstepped. When we have gone too far. Your… council is… We… very much appreciate it. For you to lash out in such a manner means we have misstepped greatly and for that, we apologize. We… will try not to do so again.”

Twilight stared at the mare again, too shocked for words. She tried to think of something, anything to say. But nothing came to mind. “T-thank you, your highness.” She paused and eyed her. “May… I ask a question, your highness?”

“You may ask whatever you please.”

“Did you not want me to leave? When I went to Ponyville?” She thought back to when she had asked permission. Had it been possible the princess had actually been pouting?

Her eyes went wide and Nightmare Moon actually looked away. “I-I do not care where you go! It makes no difference to me so long as I still have your council.”

Twilight just gaped, watching the princess of darkness fidget. Actually fidget. Today was turning out to be the strangest day. As much fun as it was to watch the nightmare squirm, she knew it would be best not to let it linger and quickly moved onto a simpler topic that she'd been curious about. “The land, the plants. They aren’t… dying. But the sun isn’t there. Where… ummm… how?”

The mare blinked and looked confused. “Is it not obvious? We have used our sister’s magic and sent it into the land, allowing it to maintain the nutrients needed to feed our people. Of what point would taking over Equestria be, if all of our ponies then died of starvation?”

Twilight’s mouth fell open. Magical agriculture, she didn’t know how she didn’t think of that. She rubbed her chin for a moment. “Considering the earth pony side of an alicorn and our own innate power to help the land grow, that of an...” Her eyes went wide with shock. “O-oh. Wow. That… wow. I… can’t believe I hadn’t thought of that.”

“During times of drought or famine, we would often send our magic into the land to… expedite the growth of food. We would never, ever allow our ponies to starve.”

“And you didn't use Tirek for this?”

“Again, our sister's power is similar to our own. Of what need of we of his powers for such a thing?” She shook her head. “No. We did not use his powers.” Her eyes looked off to the side. “And... she was... willing to aid us in this endeavor so has resisted little.”

She nodded, though she couldn't help staring. Finally, she turned away before she'd be tempted to test her luck further. “I'd... best return to my duties. I have a book to finish. If there's nothing else? Have there been any more... whippings?”

“Not as of late, no,” the ruler said. “There have been a few... rebellions, but we have dealt with them accordingly. Minor things. Nothing you need write about.”

“Of course,” Twilight said with a low sigh before stepping out of the room.

Spike looked up, his eyes going wide. “You're okay!” He raced forward and gave her a hug. Before irking and quickly turning around, crossing his arms. “I-I mean, I knew you'd be fine. Not like I was worried or anything.”

Twilight blinked a few times more in confusion, before shaking her head. She then reached out and patted him on the head. “I'm sorry to worry my number one assistant,” she said with a chuckle.

“Why do you keep calling me that? I thought I was supposed to be your pet or something?”

She nodded. “You were. But... what's the point of that? You're still a po... you're still a person. Even if you're not a pony. You don't deserve to be just a pet. So... I think assistant works nicely. And I think you're a spectacular assistant. The greatest one I have ever had. Don't you agree?”

His cheeks burned red and he looked off to the side, blushing. “I-I guess... kinda... y-yeah. Just a bit. I-I don't see why you're so like... trying, though. Not like it makes any difference. Assistant or not, it's not like I'm allowed to go anywhere.”

“A-actually I... had a little talk with Nightmare Moon. She's agreed that... if anything happens to me, you'll be well taken care of, if not returned to the dragon lands.” She then paused. “Shoot! I should have just told her to send you back! Ugh, I had her in one of her good moods, too! I'm sorry, Spike.”

He blinked and stared up at her, before shaking his head. “S-so I have to stay here a bit longer? Fine, whatever. Not like I'm in any rush to get home or anything. And I guess chilling out with all of you ponies is kind of... okay. Not the totally worst thing to ever happen to me. I guess. Kinda.”

Twilight stared at him, cocking her head to the side. She was certain it was her imagination, but a small part of her couldn't help but imagine that he, possibly, actually wanted to be here. But that had to be her mind playing tricks on her. She was sure of it. “Come on,” she said finally, trotting off.

“Hmmm? Why? Where we going?”

“I wanna stop by the library and pick up a few things, then head down to the dungeons.”

“Why?”

“Someone I haven't seen in a while. I've received messages that he has been declining what I've sent him.”

------

Twilight gave a light shudder when she made her way down the stairs into the dungeon, her saddlebags filled with all manner of books. Spike was waiting for her at the top, going through an old comic. He didn't seem to be able to fully read yet, but he liked the pictures and she could teach him later.

“Tirek?” she called out once her hooves hit the bottom steps.

“Oh by the stars, my torment begins anew. What do you want?” an annoyed voice asked.

She grinned and trotted over. “Grouchy as ever, I see,” she said with a smile before dumping out the books in front of her. “Now, you've been turning away the stuff I've had sent to you, so I need to ask a few questions.”

“Ugh...”

“First, can you read pony script?”

“... Yes,” he grumbled.

“How well?”

“Well enough. Is this going to take long? I am in the midst of teaching a spider how to harness its dark powers to enslave the other insects of this realm.”

“... Really?”

“No, but it would be more interesting than this conversation.”

“It honestly would. Okay, so you can read. That's good. Now, what kinds of things do you like to read?”

“I don't wish to read anything of yours. Leave me, pony.”

She sighed again. Perhaps a different approach was needed here. “Tirek... how long have you been imprisoned?”

“For far longer than even your Nightmare Moon walked these lands. Of what is it to you?”

“I'm sorry,” she said, looking up at him.

“For bothering me? You should be.”

“No. That you've been locked away for so long. Nopony deserves that.”

There was a long moment of silence as the centaur stared at her. “I'm... sorry?”

“I don't know how you feel. I can't even begin to comprehend how lonely that must have been. I know how upset Nightmare Moon is, having been locked away for a thousand years. I see it in nearly everything she does. And... now you're in the same situation. Locked away and helpless. And I'm sorry. If I could free you, I would.”

The aged centaur stared at her before, slowly, rolling to his hooves. He walked over, towering over her with narrowed eyes. “Do not mock me, pony.”

“I'm not.”

“Were I released, I would drain you in a second. I would suck every ounce of power from your body, leaving you a helpless husk.”

She sighed and gave a nod. “Perhaps. But then you'd be imprisoned again. At least then you'd likely deserve it. And maybe you could be trapped here, where you could have visitors.”

There was another long moment of silence and the centaur stared down at her. Finally, he spoke up. “You truly do not think I deserve my fate?”

“You may have deserved it for a time. But to be trapped alone for so long? No. I don't believe anypony deserves that. I couldn't even begin to imagine what that would do to a pony's mind. Never having anypony? Trapped in that... place? I mean, even most of our prison terms don't last, can't last, that long.”

The centaur stared down at her for a few moments before turning away and shaking his head. “You are a stupid, insignificant pony. I can't imagine why Nightmare Moon tolerates such a creature.” He trotted back towards his bed.

“Honestly, I don't know why she does either,” Twilight muttered. “But... who knows? Maybe one day I can convince her to let you out. At least if you do something bad, you can be sentenced in a way more... fitting, maybe. And who knows? Maybe if you were out a bit more, you'd find something you like more than just power.”

He snorted. “Unlikely.”

The earth pony sighed and started gathering up her books. “I see. I did mean it, though. I don't think... anypony deserves this. I'm sorry for what's happened to you, Tirek.” She worked in silence after that, filling up her bags and then turning away.

“History.”

“Huh?”

“I like history books.”

She stared for a moment, then her eyes glimmered. “Okay! I'll have all the best ones sent down, okay? I know a great selection of them, actually. I majored in history, you know. Well, Equestrian history. I only minored in dragon and griffon and assorted. Though I was--”

“Please stop talking before I regret this decision.”

“Err, right. I'll have some sent down,” she said happily before trotting towards the stairs. Progress! Actual progress! She couldn't help being proud. She made a mental note to send a dictionary down as well, just in case he needed it.

“Your princess isn't in the moon.”

“What?” Twilight asked.

“Celestia. She's not in the moon.”

The earth pony froze in place and turned back. “Wait. You... know where she is?” she asked softly.

“No. Not... exactly. But I can feel her. I know she... is close. Nearby. Perhaps in this very castle. Or at least in this city.”

Twilight gulped and gave a nervous nod. “And... you're sure?”

“Tracking ponies such as you is my... specialty, you could say. I would not be wrong.”

Twilight nodded, before turning away. “Thank you,” she said gently before making her way back up the stairs, her mind spinning. Was he just messing with her? Why would Nightmare Moon keep Celestia here of all places? She'd been all over the castle. Aside from a few restricted sections. She gulped nervously and made a mental note. She'd need to explore even more than she already had been. But first she had to get Spike and have more books sent down to the Centaur. Just because he was a prisoner didn't mean he had to suffer.

------

Twilight smiled down at the dragon who was nestled comfortably in her lap. “And Z is for zipper, a strange garment choice that often pinches,” she said with a nod.

He nodded, giving a little yawn. “That book was stupid...”

“Perhaps. But you need to learn to read and this is how I did it. Don't you think the comics will be a lot more fun if you can understand what they're saying?”

He gave a shrug. “I guess? Maybe?”

She smiled. “Well, I talked to the librarian. You are to have free reign, any of the books there you want to read you can just go and grab, okay?”

“Hmmm? Really?”

She nodded. “Of course. Just try not to grab too many at once, okay? And be careful. Some of them are really old.”

He shrugged. “Okay. Can I go back to my comics?”

“Of course. Here. How about for the next one, I read it to you? Or we can try reading it together?”

He shrugged. “Okay...”

She nodded and smiled at him, though once his back was to her the smile became a frown. She could clobber that dragon lord of his in the face. Spike couldn't even fully read, he could make out most of the letters and a lot of the sounds, but he wasn't at all prepared to read actual books. And yet he'd been sent into a foreign country and expected to just get himself killed. Had the dragon thought that Nightmare Moon would show mercy on the baby dragon? Then he'd been a foal.

She blinked a few times and rubbed her chin. Had he planned for this, perhaps? For somepony else to step in and save him? Ponies did have a bit of a reputation, she was sure. Or did he expect that Nightmare Moon really was like Celestia and would balk at the idea of killing some other creature?

Either way, she wanted to buck that creature straight in the face. A creature like that should not be leading others, let alone an entire species. She sighed and as the next comic was brought over, she slowly began guiding him in the words. “So, the Power Ponies...”

Author's Notes:

Okay, so I did resubmit last chapter to better, well, hopefully do Pinkie Pie. Hope you guys enjoyed it. And here... wellll... I tried to show a bit more. Here's hoping everything was written well. All in all, enjoy, last chapter for a bit until I get a few more written and edited up.

Don't forget, the contest is still going on! The gala is fast approaching and the end of the contest with it, so if you want to enter, best start soon. Thanks!

S1 CH 18. An old friend

Twilight gave a light yawn as she trotted around crystal filled caverns. The sound of construction filled the caverns, making it hard for her to hear anything, but she still tried to focus on Pinkie and Rarity talking.

With the increase in the size of the gala, finding a new location to host it had been difficult. At first. But then after a few weeks Nightmare Moon had informed them of the great crystal caverns hidden under the castle. Construction had begun quickly under the two ponies and now large, beautiful chambers of glimmering crystal were being created.

The best part, though, was the fact it meant Pinkie, Rarity and Applejack had all temporarily relocated to the castle in order to maintain work on the gala. Sometimes they'd had to leave, for tasks, but she got to spend a lot more time with them now. She was even expecting Fluttershy and Rainbow to come by soon, the first time she'd see Fluttershy since she’d left Ponyville. She was looking forward to seeing how the young mare was adapting. The others swore she was doing mostly fine, but she wanted to see it for herself before she got too excited.

She let out a low whistle when they stepped into a massive room filled with towers of crystals. The dance floor, so to speak. Tables of crystals lined the hall, constructed with magic and normal tools. A few lights were already being set up in the room and whenever they were turned on, rainbows of light would flash out from the crystals, turning the entire room into a dazzling light show.

“This gala is definitely going to be unique,” she mumbled, looking around the massive chamber. It was almost three times as large as the ballroom of the castle. “Don’t you think this is a little extreme? I don’t think ballroom dancing needs this much space, even with all the guests we have. I mean, according to my research, each pony only needs about--”

“Your research?” Rarity interrupted.

“Oh, I have a minor in Equestrian dance.”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh, maybe not for ballroom dancing, but we’re not going to be ballroom dancing! We’re just going to have… a ball!” Pinkie said with a giant grin.

Twilight stared at her. “W-what?”

“I got DJ-Pon3 to dj the party! She owes me a favor after the whole duck incident.”

Twilight blinked. “W-what?”

“Oh, well, you see there was this duck and minotaur, well, and a hydra. So the duck--”

“Not the duck incident, nopony cares about the duck incident,” Twilight said quickly, shaking her head. “I mean the no ballroom dancing. It’s the Grand Galloping Gala! You can’t have a Grand Galloping Gala without… well, grand galloping!”

“I… find I have to agree with Twilight on this one,” Rarity said with a nod. “What do you mean, no ballroom dancing?”

“It’’s a party, sillies!” Pinkie said with a nod. “Trust me, I know exactly what I’m doing to make this the BEST! GALA! EVER!”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. She was going to be banished. And imprisoned. Probably in a hydra filled swamp. There was no doubt about it. “You… you mean...”

Pinkie just gave her the biggest grin. “Don’t worry, Twilight. I know exactly what I'm doing. Besides, Nightmare Gloomy wanted something unique, right?”

Twilight stared for a moment and then face hoofed. “You know what? Fine. Just… fine. I’m putting my faith in you, so please don’t let me down.”

“Hey, Twilight!” a voice echoed through the chamber. She blinked and turned back. To her delight, Rainbow was there. At least, she assumed it was Rainbow. The Shadowbolt uniform made her hard to identify, but she didn’t know many ponies with rainbow colored manes. Or who had yellow bat ponies besides them who looked distressingly like Fluttershy.

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. “W-what happened? Fluttershy? Are you okay?” Twilight asked, racing over, her eyes wide. Rarity and Pinkie followed a moment later.

“Y-yeah, uhhhh, funny story,” Rainbow said with a light chuckle. “Turns out the whole… turning into a bat thing? Has some side effects.”

“O-oh… oh dear,” Fluttershy said nervously. “Is it… that noticeable?”

Twilight stared. The mare’s once soft wings were now bat wings. Her mane was a bit wild and ragged. Her fangs could clearly be seen whenever she talked. Her eyes were blood red. “N-no. Not at all. I mean, the wings are a bit obvious, but if I didn’t know you before, I’d have thought you were just another bat pony. Or… or just a very unique looking pegasus. Really.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked, looking to the others.

They all shared looks, before nodding rapidly. “T-though, I must say,” Rarity said quickly. “You MUST let me design your gown for the gala. I know I’ve made dresses for you before, but this… this could be something new! With all your new features, I could create something completely original, like you’ve never worn before!”

Fluttershy’s cheeks went scarlet. “W-what? O-oh, I-I could never ask you to do something like that, I-I--”

“Nonsense, darling. You’re my friend. I consider it my duty to ensure that all of my friends look absolutely as fabulous as possible for this event!” She paused for a moment. “As a matter of fact, how about I design all of our dresses?”

Twilight blinked. “Isn’t that a bit much, Rarity? I mean, you’re already creating all the decorations for the party as it is, isn’t designing dresses on top of it asking for trouble?”

“Of course not, darlings. I’ll merely need your measurements and then I should have them ready before the gala, with ease.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh. I’m actually supposed to go as a Shadowbolt, so you can ignore mine.”

Rarity made a pouty face.

“What? I need to be recognizable! Oh, uhhh, speaking of which...” She gave a nervous grin. “Can you guys all keep an eye on Fluttershy for a week?”

“What?” Twilight asked.

Fluttershy sighed. “I’m fine, Rainbow. I don’t need to be watched all the time...”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Rainbow said firmly. She looked to the others. “I’ve got a Shadowbolt boot camp thing coming up. You know, practice and the like. I need to get to know the others and all. But uhhhh… I really don’t want to leave Fluttershy home all alone. You know? She needs somepony to keep an eye on her, keep her out of trouble. Things like that. Think you guys could handle it?”

“I’m not a child,” Flutershy mumbled.

“I know that. You’re not a child. You’re my best bud,” Rainbow said before wrapping a wing around her. “And I know this is tough for you. If I could, I’d stay by your side the entire time.”

“I’m fine!” Fluttershy finally shrieked, drawing every mare’s eyes to her. She then eeped and covered her mouth, looking off to the side. She then gulped, looking around nervously before sighing. “Rainbow I… appreciate what you’re trying to do. But I’m fine. Truly, I’m fine. It was… scary at first. But I’m over it. It’s really not so bad. If you have to go for a week, I’ll be okay. I promise. And I’ll be right here when you get back.”

The pegasus looked down. “But… what if something… happens again? If I’m not there?”

“Nothing is going to happen,” Fluttershy said with a nod. “It’s going to be okay. I promise. You just need to trust me...”

Twilight gulped and looked to the others, before nudging off to the side. “Let’s uhhh… go make sure the fountain is getting set up right.”

“What?” Pinkie asked. “But I want to wat--” Rarity covered her mouth and dragged her off.

Twilight sighed and let out a sigh of relief when she saw Applejack standing by one of the tables, covering it with rocks. “Applejack, what are you doing?”

She glanced over. “Us Apples don't really believe in light snacks. Ah gotta make sure the tables ain't gonna fall over when ah fill 'em with a buncha our apple treats. A lotta good food has been lost over the years from that.” A look of solemn regret came over her face and she lowered her hat to her chest. “Poor ol' apple brown betties. They never stood a chance. So, what yah all doin'?”

“Fluttershy and Rainbow just got here, but they're... well... having a moment,” Twilight said with a sigh. “We'd best leave them alone for a bit. We were talking with Rarity and... oh. That reminds me. About the dresses? Maybe--”

“Oh! You're absolutely right!” Rarity said with a nod. “Applejack, how about I design your dress as well?”

“Mah dress? What now?”

“For the gala?”

“Ah was jus' plannin' in comin' in mah boots. Yah know, they're pretty fanceh an'--”

“NO!” Rarity said, her voice filled with horror. “I will make your dress for you! Please!” the unicorn begged.

Applejack stared. “Ah... ah guess? If it means that much tah yah. I'm not sure--”

“Well, I AM sure,” Rarity said with a look of horror. “Boots, to the gala? The shame...”

Twilight gave another sigh. “Rarity, are you sure you can do that? I mean, all those dresses seem like a lot of extra work, even without Rainbow’s. Won't you be overworked?”

“Oh, it’ll be fine,” Rarity said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “I’ll make the greatest dresses Canterlot has ever seen! Just you wait.”

“Oh? The greatest dresses in Canterlot?” a voice said. The three ponies turned in time to see Nightmare Moon.

“Hey Black Snootie!” Pinkie said with a happy wave.

The alicorn paused, a look of confusion on her face. She then looked to Twilight, who just shrugged. Finally she gazed down at the pink pony. “Are you mocking me?”

“No, I'm teasing you, silly. There's a biiiiig difference!” Then she booped her nose. “Don't worry, you'll come around eventually, I know.” She hopped back with a big grin. “Wanna try one of the cupcakes for the party?”

Nightmare Moon just stood there, her eyes wide with shock. Before looking back to Twilight who, again, just shrugged. She stared down at the pink pony. “We are not hungry. We merely--” She leaped back suddenly when Pinkie pulled out a pointer. “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?! PUT THAT AWAY!”

The pink mare stared. “What? But I was going to show you where we were going to set up the party cannons!”

The alicorn blinked a few more times, her cheeks going bright red. “A-ah. Party cannons. O-of course. Those will be... party cannons will be more than... fine. Where ever you wish to have them.” She gave another shudder, her eyes never leaving the pointer until it was put away. Then she turned to Rarity, who eeped. “And you.”

“Y-yes, your highness?”

“You believe yourself capable of creating the greatest dresses in all of Canterlot?”

“P-perhaps. I-I mean I--”

“Then you will design ours!”

“Your... your highness?” Rarity asked, her mouth falling open. “Design... yours?”

“Indeed. Design ours. Do you not believe yourself up to the task?”

Rarity gulped nervously, before shaking her head. “I... I believe I could make something... f-for you, your highness. But... but I couldn't guarantee that it would... errr... b-be sufficient for your, ummm, r-radiance. Are you sure--”

“Nonsense!” Nightmare Moon said, shaking her head. “We believe as long as you try your hardest, it will be sufficient. And we will not throw you into the dungeon if you fail.”

“That's... slightly... calming,” Rarity said softly, staring up at the mare.

“Is there something wrong, little one?”

“What? Wrong? No no no, no. Nothing wrong. No.”

The ruler glared down at them.

“Hey, Twilight! Guys! Was wondering where you had--” Rainbow's voice came, but was cut off when she walked up behind them. She stared up at the ruler. “O-oh.”

The alicorn stared down at them before her eyes fell onto Fluttershy. Anger, annoyance and then sorrow flashed across her features before she gave a sigh. She slowly walked forward and then, gently, knelt down to look the pegasus in the eyes. The pegasus gave a frightened squeak.

“Dear... Fluttershy,” Nightmare Moon said softly. “We... have harmed you, greatly.”

“... What?” all of the gathered ponies said at once.

“While we had no intention for such a fate to befall you and for you to become one of the creatures of the night, it was our lax judgment and own... distrust that led to this fate for you. And for that, we are sorry. While we can never make it up to you, do know that if there is ever anything that you require, we will give it gladly.”

Fluttershy stared and then gave a nod. “O-okay? Ummmm... I could use a new bird house for the canaries. The floor in it is starting to give out...”

The alicorn blinked a few times before nodding. “Very well. Thou will have the most glorious of bird houses for thy pets!” Her wings spread out, enveloping the chamber and making the others duck.

Fluttershy squeaked and nodded. “T-thank you.”

Nightmare Moon gave a quick nod and closed her wings up, slowly walking away.

Rainbow stared. “That... that was... interesting. Is that the same mare I met before?”

“She's a lot more friendly when you haven't just bucked her in the face,” Twilight said flatly. “Though... I was hoping she'd go in person to apologize.” She was tempted to tell the alicorn off for ignoring what she'd said, but she suspected now wasn't the best time. Especially not in front of the others.

The pegasus cringed, giving a weak nod. “O-oh yeah. I guess that... heh. My bad.” She rubbed the back of her head. “So, wanna go get some hayburgers?”

“Hayburgers? Truly?” Rarity asked, shaking her head. “We're in the very capital of Equestria, the home of the greatest restaurants the world has ever known. And you want to go. To Hayburger.”

Rainbow glared. “Yeah? So what? It's cheap and they make stuff just as good as the fancy shops around here! A lot cheaper, too.”

“Ah hate tah say it, but ah agree with Rainbow. Every time yah drag us off tah one of them fancy shops yah barely get half a mouthful of grub an' they charge yah four hooffuls of bits,” Applejack said with annoyance.

Rarity gave a sigh and rolled her eyes, before looking to Twilight. “You. You're a well established author of Canterlot, truly you must have better tastes than these... philistines?”

The earth pony gave a meek grin. “A-actually... I uhhhh, I usually need something quick and filling so I've spent a lot of time at Hayburger over the years.”

“UGH! FINE!” Rarity said with a dramatic flourish. “We will eat at your... burger of the hay. But I refuse to be happy about it!”

Rainbow snorted and started trotting off. “Come on then, your uptightedness.”

Twilight snickered and shook her head. “Okay, but let's pick up Spike first. I'd rather not risk leaving the castle without him.”

------

The seven trotted through the city. To Twilight's delight, she was only getting the occasional passing glance. Likely because she was with others now. Or maybe ponies didn't recognize her now that she wasn't alone. Either way, nopony threw anything at her and she didn't have to dive for cover this time.

However, when they turned down a side street, all of a sudden something blew over their heads, scattering all of them and sending them flying to the side. Twilight looked around in confusion, before she realized something. “Rainbow!” she yelled, before looking up. Her eyes went wide when she saw a brown figure turning the corner into an alley, a hint of blue disappearing with her. “Come on!” she yelled before galloping after them.

However, when she and the others turned the corner, they found it completely empty. “Where'd they go? Rainbow!” Twilight yelled, panic rising in her. “Rainbow, where are you? Come out!”

“What was that?” Rarity asked.

“I don't know, I think it was a vampire! Maybe it was--” Her words died and she looked to Fluttershy. “It... it might have been...”

“Wait!” Rainbow's voice echoed out. A moment later the pegasus landed in front of them, shaking her head. “It's cool, it's all cool.”

“W-what? What happened?” Twilight asked, looking confused. “What was that?”

“I'll show you. Hold on. Gilda, come on out, it's cool! They're my friends, they won't do anything!”

There was a moment of silence, then a large, brown figure leaped from the nearby roof and glided down. Twilight's eyes widened when she saw it. A griffon. A full grown griffon. She landed a few feet from them, glaring angrily. “Hey. Sup?”

Twilight took a step forward. “A griffon? Are you an invader? Are you--”

“No! No no!” Rainbow said quickly, stepping forward and shaking her head. “This is Gilda, she's an old buddy of mine from flight school. Trust me, she's awesome. Not quite on par a flier as me, but then who is?”

The griffon snorted. “Oh please, you're like a half drowned duck in the air.”

“I can still out fly you any day of the week,” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Oh ho? Race, then?” Gilda asked with a smirk.

“You're o--”

“Need I remind you two that we are in the middle of the city and drawing a crowd?” Twilight hissed.

They both looked up and then nodded.

“Right. Let's go... somewhere else,” Rainbow muttered. “Away from prying eyes.”

The earth pony nodded. “Follow me. I know a place.”

Gilda snorted. “Really? Getting directions from an earth pony? Come on, Rainbow, let's just get out of here.”

“Come on, Gilda,” Rainbow said with a smile. “If Twilight says she knows a place, she knows a place.”

There was another sigh. “Ugh, fine. Whatever.”

The group, now eight strong, trotted off down the streets with ponies staring. Twilight hoped whatever this griffon wanted would be fast, if Nightmare Moon found out there was no telling what would happen.

------

Twilight looked around nervously, before nodding. “Looks like we're all clear.”

“Really?” Gilda asked, looking around the park. “This is your great hiding place?”

“We're not really trying to hide,” Twilight said. “And this isn't the parks normal hours, all the lights are off after all.” She motioned to the fountain of a royal guard, turned off completely and dry. “So, you're not an advanced invasion force? Or a scout?”

The griffon snorted. “Right, like I'd do anything like that. Listen, grounder, I'm not here for you, I'm here for Dash over there,” she said before looking to the pegasus. “Listen, I've been hearing all kinds of rumors of ponies getting torn up in the streets and executed left and right. I came to get you out of here.”

Rainbow stared, before snickering into her hoof. “Really? Executed? They haven't been...” She paused and looked to Twilight. “Err...?”

“Nopony has been executed,” Twilight said quickly. “Trust me, I'd know. There haven't even been any whippings since I came back to Canterlot.”

“There, see?” Rainbow said with a smile, but then the smile wavered. “How's Griffonstone doing? I heard about... well...”

Gilda sighed and put a talon to her forehead and shook it. “It's been... things have been... well... horrible.”

Rainbow sighed. “Planning for war?”

The griffon laughed. “War? What war? If you ponies invade, you'll slaughter us.”

Twilight blinked, her mouth falling open. “W-what? But... but I've heard of the griffon armies! They--”

“There hasn't been a military since we lost the Idol of Boreas. Buck, the closest we have to leaders are those who scrape together enough bits to buy their way into positions like that diplomat you sent back to us in a cast. Half the griffons are prepping for an invasion, the other half are fleeing for their lives!”

Twilight's mouth fell open. “Lost the Idol of... But that's... that's impossible... there's... w-we've heard the stories. They...”

“They’re nothing that made up myths we tell ponies! What, do you think we’re going to go out and advertise, hey, we’re kind of disorganized and can’t fight any. Come on, invade us, it’ll be fun?” Gilda snapped, before sighing. “No. There’s nothing like that. It’s just been… horrible. We’ve been trying our hardest to prepare but… if we’re invaded?” She shook her head. “That’s why I came here, Rainbow. To get you out of this festering hole. Before you got hurt. Now come on, let’s go.” She grabbed Rainbow’s hoof.

Rainbow yanked back. “Gilda, I’m not going anywhere. Even if things WERE that bad here, which as bad as they are they aren’t that bad, there’s no bucking way I’d leave my friends behind.” Her eyes wandered towards Fluttershy for a moment. “None.”

Gilda growled. “Dang it, come on, Dash! You’re going to end up getting yourself killed, or worse! I don’t want to see you get hurt!”

Rainbow shook her head and glared up at the griffon. “I’m not going to get hurt! I’m handling myself pretty well, here. Besides, I just got in with the Shadowbolts, I don’t know if you’ve heard of us, but we’re pretty much the newest, coolest fliers like, ever. So there’s no way I’m leaving now.” She shook her head.

Gilda glared. “Oh, so that’s how it is. You’ve got a bunch of new flier friends and now you’re just ditching me, huh?”

“What? No! I’m not ditching you! What is wrong with you? You haven’t even been by here in ages! Listen, Gilda, if you need to go, that’s fine. I’m not going to stop you, keep yourself safe. If you need somewhere to hide, I’ll--”

Gilda held up a claw, her eyes narrowing behind them. “What’s that?” she asked.

They turned around, but there was nothing there. “What’s what?” Rainbow asked.

“There was like… a weird pony over there. But they just disappeared and...” She shook her head. “I’m imagining things now. Great,” she muttered.

Twilight stared, then her eyes went wide. “W-wait. Like… a great, shadowy pony? No face? Kinda hard to make out details?”

“Yeah, why? What? Why’s everypony looking at me like that?”

The ponies all shared horrified looks before ghostly figures began to appear throughout the trees. “Oh no...”

------

Twilight stared up at the great ruler of the night. The alicorn stared down at them, her eyes resting firmly on the griffon. “So, your once great kingdom is now little more than broken and battered remains.”

Gilda gulped and gave a nervous nod, her eyes looking over the alicorn and the guards that surrounded the room.

Twilight took a step forward. “I-I don’t… y-your highness, please. She’s just a--”

“She is an invader from their people, at best. A spy, at worst. Hoping to gain what secrets she can of our people.”

Gilda let out an indignant squawk when she was picked up in magic and brought before the alicorn. She then whimpered and stared at the mare, her eyes going wide.

“You heard what we had done to the last griffon to come before us, have you not?”

She gave a weak nod. “Y-yes.”

“And what we would do to those who threatened our people?”

Gilda’s wings tightened against her side and she gave a nod. “Y-yes.”

Nightmare Moon nodded, before glancing to Twilight. “Very well, bard. As you are oft one to talk of these decisions, what would you have us do? This griffon has trespassed onto our lands and their last diplomat has offered nothing but insults and threats.” She reached out and put a hoof on Gilda’s beak. “This creature has neither the mind nor beak of a diplomat, so she cannot speak for her people. So then… what would you have us do?” Her cold eyes focused on the earth pony.

Rainbow gulped and glanced back, giving Twilight pleading eyes. The earth pony struggled to think of something, anything. Finally her eyes lit up. “A-allegiance.”

“Oh?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“She, uhhh, she didn’t come to invade. She came to help a friend. Perhaps, ummm, she could stay? As a… member of Equestria? Griffons becoming citizens of Equestria are rare, but not unheard of. I think it would be the first one you approved, but Cele-- errr… but your predecessor had done it a few times.”

Nightmare Moon eyed the earth pony for a few moments before glancing back to Gilda. “There is… wisdom in what she says. Then, tell us, griffon. Who do you swear allegiance to? Griffonstone or Equestria?”

“W-w-what?” the griffon asked, before letting out another squawk as she was dumped, unceremoniously, on the ground.

“A simple question, griffon,” Nightmare Moon said, her wing moving out so the tip was under Gilda’s beak, forcing her to look up. “You have brought us information and… one way or another you will bring us more. However, our bard has spoken on your behalf and begged for you a most… gracious gift. Will you take it, or will you spit in the face of our servant?”

Gilda gulped and processed her options. Then, slowly, lowered her front knees. “I… I will… swear allegiance to Equestria. Not like I owe those pains back home anything.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “A most wise decision, griffon.” She then turned to Rainbow. “You.”

“Urk!” The mare quickly stood at attention.

“This creature has come to Equestria at your behest, has she not?”

“W-well… s-sorta. She’s my friend and--”

“Then she will be your responsibility, young Shadowbolt. See to it that she doesn’t cause any problems. I will have my soldiers come to you soon, to question you. You’re dismissed.”

Rainbow let out a sigh of relief before quickly trotting to Gilda’s side. “Come on, let’s go before she changes her mind.”

The griffon nodded, before walking up besides her. “I thought she was supposed to be… nuts,” she whispered as she passed by Twilight and the others.

“She is. Trust me. Just don’t buck her in the face.”

“Who’d do something like that?”

“Eh heh heh...”

The others turned to walk with them, but Twilight stopped and looked back. “I’ll catch up with you in a moment,” she said quickly, before looking back towards the ruler. “Your highness, may I speak?”

“Mmm? Indeed?”

Moondancer glanced between the two of them, looking a little nervous.

“What do you intend to do with Griffonstone?”

“Do?”

“I mean, if they’re vulnerable and… I mean...”

The ruler nodded. “You are asking if we intend to go to war?”

“Y-yes.”

“Of what would be the point?”

Twilight blinked. “I-I’m sorry?”

“The point. What would it be? The griffon lands offer us little we cannot gain here. Even without a full military, wiping them out would be a long, arduous task. Their species can be quite… brutal when backed into a corner. Our ponies would likely not enjoy a war.” She then admired her hoof. “Besides. We were already quite… suspicious of how capable the griffons were. While we did not know for certain, this has merely confirmed our suspicions and our soldiers shall investigate to ensure everything they’ve been told is true.”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. “W-wait, you KNEW?”

“We suspected. Our sister did as well. Even in our time, the griffons were rarely organized, little more than barbarians that made their homes out of necessity, rather than any unified goal. This glorious empire of their's was likely nothing more than a myth they concocted in order to seem more powerful than they ever were.” She gave a light snort. “In the end, though, it is little more than the bawing of helpless sheep. However, they are useful sheep. Our ponies do enjoy trading with those that offer themselves to such things. A few have become citizens, as you have said. But there is no need to expend considerable resources exterminating them to the last chick, when for only a fraction of the hoofpower and energy we can monitor them and ensure they don’t try anything foalish. Especially now that our suspicions have been confirmed.” A low grin spread across her lips. “We should thank you, bard. It has proven to be quite difficult to find a griffon in our lands in these past weeks, since that… foul mouthed creature had been removed. And here you bring us one that is so pliable to our door.”

Twilight stared, her mouth open with horror. How much did she know? How closely was she being watched? How closely were they all being watched?

“Ah, we have a gift for you, as well. Or, rather, your pet.”

“Huh?” the earth pony asked, before gasping as a large comic was deposited before her. Power ponies anthology.

“That is what you’ve been reading him, is it not?”

Twilight nodded sheepishly and took the book, sliding it into her saddle bags. “T-thank you for your generosity. May I be dismissed?”

“Of course. Go, bard. Make more… friends.”

Twilight nodded, her eyes glancing to Moondancer for a moment before she turned and walked out the door. Her eyes glanced suspiciously over the shadows in the halls as she walked.

Just how closely was she being monitored? Had Nightmare Moon just had what she requested from the library brought to her? Or was she being watched at night? Could there be shades in her room right now? She gave another shudder and shook her head, hoping not. She’d have to be more careful if she was going to find any sign of Celestia.

A new chill went down her spine. What if Nightmare Moon knew that she knew the princess of the sun was here?

Author's Notes:

Here we go, the introduction of Gilda! Not really a main girl, but she'll have a few things to say over time. And now you know the state of Griffonstone.

Next chapter should have a doozy, so be prepared for tomorrow. :P And don't forget, the contest is still up! Don't think there's been any entries yet so it's anyone's game.

S1 CH 19. Dresses

Twilight groaned and rested her head on the desk.

Half. Done.

Finally, after more time than she cared to admit, the book was half done. She still had to do a bunch of editing, but it was halfway there and she couldn’t help being a little proud of it. Best of all, she was right on time. She’d spent the last few weeks alone in her room, focusing on the task at hoof.

Her friends had been about, of course, but they all had their own lives to live and with all the work they’d been doing they didn’t have nearly as much time to meet up as she would have liked. Her main concern, though, was whenever they were gone more than a few days she was worried one of them may have crossed Nightmare Moon and ended up in a poor situation.

Fortunately, that hadn’t happened yet. In fact, Nightmare Moon was being quite tolerable as of late. There hadn’t been any rebellions that she had heard of and no new whippings. She’d actually seen Moondancer smiling in the library the other day as she did research on some new spell.

Granted, the reason there likely hadn’t been any new rebellions was because apparently a great red dragon had decided to take up residence in a cave near Ponyville. It was now enjoying life as a squirrel under Fluttershy’s care, thanks to Nightmare Moon’s magic, and there was no telling when or even if it would gain its old form back. A display of magic like that was definitely something most of them had no desire to be on the opposite end of. She was still hoping she could get an interview with the dragon to tell its story, but the whole thing had apparently been quite traumatic for the poor dear and Fluttershy wasn't allowing it any guests yet. It also didn't help that winter was now here and who wanted to throw a big rebellion when there was snow everywhere? She couldn't believe how cold it was getting, though if it was just winter or the fact there was no sun, she couldn't say.

“Soooo, are we going soon?” Spike asked from the bed, rocking back and forth.

“Hmmm?” Twilight asked, glancing to her assistant. The little dragon had been acting very strange lately. Constantly asking to run down and help the others with their work on decorations and the like for the gala. Rarity had told her he’d been an absolute doll as well. She didn’t know where this newfound desire to help was coming from, but she hoped it meant he was warming up to the ponies. “Yes. Do you want to go on ahe--”

“Bye!” Spike said before running out the door.

Twilight just stared and cocked her head to the side, before shrugging.

Twilight shook her head and started trotting towards the door, taking a moment to make sure everything was good before she headed out. She turned off the lights and did another double check just to make sure there weren't any hidden shades in her room. Satisfied, she started trotting down the stairs.

At the foot of the stairs was a guard. He quickly bowed his head. “Your highness, could you come with me?”

“Huh? Of course,” she said, trotting after the guard. “Am I in trouble?”

“You're not the one in trouble,” he muttered.

“What?” she asked, new dread flowing into her. “What's wrong? What happened?”

He sighed. “They managed to finally track down Nightwing.”

“Night--” Her eyes went wide. “Y-you mean the vampire who... oh no.”

He nodded. “Yes. He just arrived and his fate is to be determined momentarily.”

“D-do the others know?”

“Not yet, but they likely will soon.”

Twilight nodded and started walking faster, making the guard struggle to keep up. She felt new panic rising within her. This vampire had gone against whatever its orders had been and turned Fluttershy. There was no telling what horrible and gruesome fate awaited him. She let in a sharp intake of air when she finally made it to the throne room.

To her relief, Nightwing wasn't pinned to the wall on a spear or anything. Though his face was covered in bruises and there were traces of blood across his mouth and nose. He was wrapped entirely in chains and gagged, with two bat ponies on either side of him. She imagined they were likely the same creatures of the night as he.

“Ah, bard,” Nightmare Moon said, giving a nod. “We have waited for you.”

Twilight looked to the vampire, his head lowered in shame. “This... this is him?” she asked softly, her hooves trembling. It had been dark that night so she couldn't be sure, but it looked like him. At least close enough she couldn't tell the difference. Chained and helpless he looked weak and pathetic.

“Do you not remember the one who killed your friend?”

“It was a dark night and it all happened very fast,” she muttered softly.

“Yes, this is he. He has confessed to all that has happened,” Nightmare Moon said with a nod. “And now comes the time of his punishment.” She glanced to the vampire. “And I find it only fitting that you be the one to decide it.”

Alarm bells went off in Twilight's head. “W-what? ME? Why me? I don't know anything about... why me?”

“Was it not your friend who was killed and left abandoned by this creature?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Was it not you who were forced to hunt him down and reclaim her? You are very much attached to this entire ordeal, like it or not, and this creature has insulted you greatly. As such, we will determine its fate through you.”

Twilight nodded and stared at the helpless vampire. She wanted to go get her friends, but not for something like this. She didn't want to have to make a decision like that, but she definitely didn't want to have to make her friends make a decision like this either. She knew he had to be punished, but she couldn't imagine what kind of punishment to give him.

No, actually, it wasn't that complex. All she had to think of was Fluttershy. She'd only met the mare a few times, but she was soft and gentle, somepony who didn't deserve what fate had thrown at her. But even more, she wouldn't want somepony to be hurt too badly for what he'd done. If Rainbow found out, though, she knew there'd be problems down the line. “Imprisonment,” she finally said.

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Is that all?”

Twilight blinked and stared at him. All? How many punishments was she allowed to dole out? Should she have him whipped? She rubbed her chin and stared at him, before shaking her head. “Imprisonment. For... these acts,” she said softly. “That is all.” She couldn't imagine Fluttershy wanting more for him and in the end, she knew it should be her decision.

“Truly, that is all you wish, after what he did to your friend?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod, a new fear sneaking up her spine. Would Nightmare Moon ignore her request and do something more?

The alicorn eyed her for a moment, before nodding her head. “As you wish. Guards! Prepare him. I will take him to Tartarus myself.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “W-what? Tartarus? But I thought--”

“He is a vampire, a creature of the night, with powers to match. A normal prison will not hold him forever,” Nightmare Moon said firmly. “At least, not unless we... modify him first. Would you prefer that?”

She thought back to Tirek's modifications and gave a shudder. “N-no. Tartarus... is fine.”

She heard a frightened whimper from the vampire. “Very well, bard. You are free to leave.”

Twilight nodded and quickly turned tail, fleeing the scene.

------

“Wow, Twilight, you look like you saw a ghost,” Rainbow said with a grin.

“I saw Nightwing,” the earth pony said with a shudder.

“WHAT?!” her friends screamed, making her cringe.

“Where is he? I'll kill him!” Rainbow snapped, sitting up from the table.

“Tartarus,” Twilight muttered softly, her eyes lowered.

“What?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“I'm sorry, Fluttershy,” Twilight said softly. “Nightmare Moon let... me decide his punishment. I said... imprisonment. She chose Tartarus as... as where to send him.”

“Oh... oh dear. That poor thing,” Fluttershy said softly. “Is he going to be okay?”

Every eye fell on her. “What do you mean is he going to be okay?” Rainbow asked, glaring. “He killed you!”

“It wasn't on purpose,” Fluttershy said softly. “And I feel just awful about the whole thing. I'm sure he never meant it.”

“Didn't... mean it?” Rainbow said, before face hoofing. “He should have been... I don't know... tossed into a pit or something! Exiled! Imprisoned! Whipped!”

“Executed?” Spike offered.

The pegasus blinked and then nodded, slowly. “Yes. What he did to Fluttershy is unacceptable. I mean, she's the... you're the nicest pony ever. He never should have hurt you!”

“No, he shouldn't have,” Fluttershy said with a shrug. “But he did and it's over, now. There's nothing that can be done about it.” She gave a nervous look to Twilight. “He will be alright, won't he?”

“He won't be dead,” Twilight muttered, nudging the table. “Alright is kind of... well... up to debate these days. After he's served his time for a while, we could discuss with Nightmare Moon about releasing him. If you want.”

“That'd be nice,” Fluttershy said with a small smile.

Rainbow sighed and grumbled darkly, tapping her hoof on the table. “He deserves whatever he gets.”

“I hate to admit it, but I agree with Rainbow on this,” Rarity said with a nod. “This whole... vampire ordeal is simply dreadful.” She gave a shudder. “I mean, bad enough it turns out all those stories are real. But if they can't be controlled, what's to stop more things like... that happening to other ponies? If they can do it to somepony as sweet and wonderful as Fluttershy, what's to stop them from doing it to all of the rest of us?”

“I don't know, most the vampires I've met are really super nice!” Pinkie said with a grin. “And I mean, now that Fluttershy's one that just makes them even nicer!”

Every eye turned to Pinkie, mouths falling open. “Wait. VampireS?” Twilight asked.

“Well, yeah.”

“How did you... you mean you know OTHER vampires?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, duh silly. I work in a bakery!”

The ponies went silent as they tried to process this information. Twilight was the first to recover. “How does a... baker know... about... vampires? I mean, how are those two things connect?”

“Where else is a vampire going to get their baked goods, silly? Do you know how few places sell stake and coffin themed cakes year around?”

“That doesn't... that's not what I... I just mean... how did... there... what?!”

Pinkie just cocked her head to the side. “That's a lot of really funny noises, Twilight! Can I try some? Grggggl! Rngggk! Awkkrrrrk!”

“How do you know about vampires!” Rainbow snapped, slamming a hoof down on the ground. “And why didn't you tell me?!”

“Of course I told you,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “Remember my prank cheat sheet? I gave you a whole list of people not to use garlic on, silly!”

Rainbow stared, her mouth falling open. “Wait, that was because they were VAMPIRES?! I thought they were allergic!”

“Nope! Well, okay, some of them are. But some of them were vampires, yes,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “What's the big deal? They're really nice, you know. And they absolutely looooove fruit deserts. We probably sell more fruit parfaits to the few vampires in Ponyville than we do the whole rest of the town put together!”

Rarity shook her head. “You mean... all this time I've... we've been... a-around them? Around other vampires? Are there wereponies, too?”

“Of course, silly. They're the most playful ponies ever! It's why I always make sure to have a few bouncy balls hidden around the shop.”

“O-oh, this is absolutely dreadful, we should do something! Start a petition, we can't--”

“Okay, that's gone on far enough!” Applejack snapped, slamming her hoof down on the table and drawing silence from her friends.

Rainbow stared for a few moments, before speaking up again. “What? They're just vampires. Look at what they did to--”

“Look at what ONE of them did tah poor Fluttershy,” Applejack said firmly, shaking her head. “And need ah remind yah, she's one of them, now.”

Rainbow blinked and looked to the yellow pegasus who was sitting meekly in her chair, eyes lowered. “I-I didn't mean, Fluttershy is different, she's good. It's the other ones I think we need to worry about. Not her. She's just--”

“Vampire or not, they're all still jus' ponies. This one plum screwed up, tah put it mildly. But that don't mean they're all bad. Ain't a thing yah can say tah convince meh that Fluttershy would ever do a thing tah hurt anypony an' she certainly doesn't deserve tah get treated like a criminal just cause a few bad apples. An' if we know at least one good vampire, chances are there are a whole herd of 'em out there jus' waitin'.”

Rarity and Rainbow lowered their eyes. The fashionista spoke up after a moment. “Today is the strangest day. I find myself agreeing with our more rugged friend, now. I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I got caught up in the moment, but she's right. Even if a few of them are bad apples, I'm sure there are others who are good and wholesome, like yourself.”

Rainbow nodded. “She's right. Sorry I just get so... I think about what he did to you and I want to just... GAHHHH!” She shook her head.

“I-I know,” Fluttershy said with a soft smile. “It's really not so bad, though! It's a bit... different, I'll admit, but you get used to it. I ummmm...”

Twilight blinked and chewed on her lower lip, glancing to Fluttershy. “So... have you been having any trouble finding blood?”

“Well, ah gotta say yah missed quite the doozy of a hoe down in Ponyville,” Applejack said quickly, interrupting before Fluttershy could answer.. “Mah big brother went an' got himself injured right in the middle of harvest, can yah believe it?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and gave a nod. “Oh, I know, just absolutely dreadful! And dear Applejack was trying to do the fields all on her lonesome, can you imagine?”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, is that why you guys left for a few days? I was wondering where you went. Why didn't you tell me?”

Applejack and Rarity shared a look before bursting into giggles. “We did, darling. Many times.”

“So did I,” Spike said with a light snicker.

“W-what? I think I'd remember that.”

“Yah were in the midst of your fancy book,” Applejack said with a big grin. “Ah think we coulda lit yah on fire and yah wouldn't 'ave noticed unless the pages caught on.”

Twilight's cheeks turned red. “O-oh. I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to--”

“Nah, it's fine,” the farmer said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “Yah seemed tah be havin' fun, so didn't wanna bother yah. Besides, mah brother woulda still been there. Hate tah see yah have another panic attack.”

Twilight's cheeks turned bright red. “T-that was a… o-one time… thing… I-I assure you.”

Rainbow snickered, a hoof over her mouth. “So, you really thought Big Mac was some kind of monster? Mister tall, dark and wouldn’t hurt a mosquito that landed on his hoof?”

Her cheeks turned even redder. “H-he was r-really big and c-can we go onto something else? ANYTHING else? Applejack, what else have you been up to?” she asked, covering her face with her hooves.

“Well, me and a few of the gals went down tah Appleoosa, had tah drop off a lil tree for ‘em. Yah shoulda seen the dunderheads, the lotta them! So, these here buffalo had apparently been running through this open plain for years, it was their stampeding grounds! So what does the town go and do? Grow a whole field of apples in the middle of ‘em! Ah mean, really? They couldn’t ah spent two seconds askin’ the locals about the land first?” She shook her head. “By the time we got there, the whole town and the tribe of buffalo were ready tah go tah war!” She rolled her eyes.

“I sang a song!” Pinkie added with a nod.

“… Yes yah did,” Applejack said with a shudder. “So finally, they’re all fightin’ an’ throwin’ pies at each other, then finally one of them pipes up and goes ‘hey, what if we just moved some of the trees so we could share the land?’”

“You gotta share, you gotta care,” Pinkie sang.

“Exactly. Ah mean, honestly, ah know ah may not always be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even ah woulda figured that out after bein’ there a few days!”

“Then why didn’t you?” Pinkie asked with a grin.

Applejack blinked and then blushed. “Well, ah got drawn up in all their silly lil fightin’, that’s all,” she muttered, rubbing her chin with a light chuckle. “Eh heh heh heh. So, mah lil sister been hangin’ out a lot with Rarity’s lil sis, too. What are they calling themselves now?”

Rarity gave a soft sigh of exasperation. “Cutie mark crusaders. Frankly, it’s absolutely dreadful! Now, I wouldn’t mind so much of they were being more careful, but they are constantly running around and breaking everything within sight, it’s deplorable and so disappointing. I do hope they weren’t too bad when they were staying with you, Fluttershy?”

“Oh, not at all, they were absolute dreams,” Fluttershy said with a smile.

“Yeah, about that,” Applejack said with a frown. “Mah lil sis said somethin’ about a whole heard of cockatrices… cockatrie? Cockatrikes? Cocka… the bird snake things that turn yah tah stone. A whole herd of them bein’ out there an’ yah starin’ ‘em down.”

“Oh no, nothing like that happened!” Fluttershy said with a gasp.

“What ah figured.”

“It was only one and once I stared it down, it was an absolute dear. It actually comes by every so often for tea.”

“Come again?” Applejack asked, all of the ponies staring at her.

“Oh, his name is Andrea and he’s really quite sweet.”

“Leave it to Fluttershy,” Rainbow said with a snicker.

“Oh, ummm, h-how has your training been going, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked, the other ponies still staring at her.

The pegasus glanced back to her wings. “Sore inducing, mostly. Got paired up with Shadowfang while he shows me the ropes. They canceled the young fliers competition, which kind of sucked. I was totally going to do a Sonic Rainboom this year.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked. “You figured it out?”

“Well, errr, n-no, not yet, but I’ve almost got it. I’m sure I’ll have it soon,” Rainbow said with a sheepish grin. “But I’ve been getting in a TON of training with the others. Spitfire is AWESOME. Though… well…”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Some of the fliers are a bit… weird,” the pegasus mumbled. “I think… I think some of them are wereponies.”

Twilight blinked, her eyes narrowed. “Really?”

“Yeah. They keep scratching themselves and I swear they have claws. I brought it up to Shadowfang and he just got kind of jumpy and freaked out a bit, asked if I had a problem with it. Honestly? It doesn’t bother me but I’d kind of like to know if they are. It’s a little… worrying if they are and they keep hiding it from us, you know? I mean, don’t we have a right to know?”

“Ah don’t know,” Applejack muttered. “With the whole vampire thing, wereponies probably ain’t farin’ much better. Ponies all over the place flippin’ out on ‘em an’ causin’ all kinds a scenes. I couldn’t blame ‘em for wanting tah keep it hush hush.”

Rainbow sighed and gave a nod. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Still, wish they’d at least tell us. What happens if they crash into us and accidentally turn us?”

“Oh, oh!” Twilight said, lifting a hoof up. “I can answer that!”

“Hm?”

Twilight grinned wide. “Yes, my studies are relevant! So, it turns out it takes more than a little scratch or bite to turn someone into a werewolf. While many wereponies will show signs of their werepony-ness, such as claws, yellow eyes, being hairier, it doesn’t actually mean they’re werewolves. Some ponies are just… well… pony genetics can be weird, with magic and all. But it takes more than that to turn them. To turn a pony, first a werepony has to be in their werepony state. Oh, and there are more than just wolves ones, as well. There are timberwolves, bears, rabbits, which if you’ve ever met one is the most ADORABLE thing, and all manner of different animals and creatures. The wereponies come in almost as many variations as, well, normal ponies.”

“Uh… huh,” Rainbow said with a nod.

“Now, aside from the full moon, a werepony should have enough control of their mind and functions to avoid accidentally turning anypony. Even in states of aggression they will rarely, if ever, lose control. Granted, this applies to wereponies, not… others.”

“What do you mean, others?”

“Well… there are other types of weres out there. Griffons, dragons, buffalo and… it seems the pony variation manages to avoid most of the… nasty side effects. Hence why most other types of weres have been hunted to, or near, extinction. But our variation of it is relatively tame and safe.”

“Then why was Celestia keeping it hidden for so long?”

“To avoid panic,” Twilight muttered. “And I’m beginning to see why. There have been dozens of rallies against them and vampires since. Fortunately nothing has gotten violent yet, but there are plenty of reports of ponies losing their job after being suspected of being one. Hopefully, once they’ve become more known things will calm down.”

Rainbow shrugged. Fluttershy nodded. “It’s true. A few ponies have… expressed a desire to find new caretakers for their pets after I came out.”

“What? You? But you’re like, the sweetest, kindest pony EVER. How could ANYPONY think something bad about you?” Rainbow asked, staring at the mare. “That’d be like… thinking bad of Celestia! It just doesn’t happen.”

“The newspapers would disagree,” Twilight muttered.

“Well, the newspapers can kiss my flank,” Rainbow snapped. “Ugh, this is all just so… headache inducing.”

“Oh, how’s Gilda doing?” Twilight asked.

“Her? Ugh. She’s been staying at my place and working to clear the skies in Ponyville. She complains a lot and doesn’t get along well with a lot of the ponies there, though.”

Fluttershy nodded. “She can be a bit… curt… at times...”

“She can be a big grouchy butt!” Pinkie said with a nod. “But she’s warming up to us, really!”

“She got really mad at me last time I swung by,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “Accused me of not being as cool as I used to be. Still, she’s at least trying and considering I know she doesn’t want to be here, I’m trying to give her a fair shake.”

“Yeah, but ah think her pranks are even worse than yours, Rainbow,” Applejack said with a shake of her head.

“Don’t worry, she’ll knock them off eventually. Though… she get any good ones?” Rainbow asked with a big grin.

“Scared the dickens out of ol’ Granny Smith, usin’ some fake snake or another. She’d ran a good five, six feet before somepony managed tah let her know what was goin’ on.”

Rainbow snickered, a hoof over her mouth and drawing glares from the farm pony. “W-what? It’s funny! I used to love doing the pretend snake gag.”

“Ugh,” Rarity said with a roll of her eyes. “Those pranks of yours are always so foalish, Rainbow. I really wish you, and your friend, would grow out of them by now.”

“A shame Gilda wasn’t able to join us,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Yeah, she’s not exactly keen on coming any closer here than she has to. You know, with princess anger, rage and murder on the throne,” Rainbow said flatly. “Can’t say I blame her.”

“You literally work for her now,” Twilight said flatly.

“No, I work for the Shadowbolts. Who are awesome. It’s not my fault they work under the throne. The Wonderbolts were hardly Celestia, after all.”

Twilight sighed and shook her head, before Rarity coughed into a hoof. “Now, I know we’ve all been dreadfully busy with our preparations of late, but with the gala fast approaching, there was one more thing I wished to discuss with all of you.”

“Well? Go on, spit it out,” Applejack said with a shrug.

“I’ve managed to finish the dresses, so to speak. I do need a final fitting. There is, ahhhh, one problem though,” Rarity said with a small smile. “They’re here, though.”

“Wait, really? Ohhhh, awesome! I wanna see!” Rainbow said with a grin, drawing more looks from the others. “What? The whole dress thing is kinda cool as long as I don’t have to wear one.”

Twilight sighed and looked back to Rarity. “So, what’s the problem?”

“In what order do I show them? What with… Nightmare Moon expecting a dress...”

“Ah. Right,” Twilight said before rubbing her chin. “Probably best to show Nightmare Moon hers first. If somepony else sees it first and she finds out...”

Rarity gave a sigh of exasperation. “To think, I once dreamed of designing a dress for royalty...”

Rainbow snickered. “Hey, at least your dresses are still pretty awesome.” She wave a light wave of her hoof. “At least, to those who like that kind of thing.”

Twilight nodded, then glanced to Spike. “Is something wrong? You’ve been oddly quiet?”

“W-what? N-nothing!” the dragon said, his cheeks red, still eying Rarity.

She shrugged and dismissed it. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the dragon was developing a crush. But she knew that was preposterous. A dragon crushing on a pony? Bah. Not to mention the first time he’d seen her he’d barely even noticed the fashionista. Though, at the time she had been a bit… out of sorts. “So, how about we order our lunches and then go see about these dresses? I don’t think Nightmare Moon has too much to do today and it might be, well… better to get this over with quickly. Tear the bandaid off, after all.”

The others nodded and they flagged down a waiter.

------

“Err, y-your royal highness,” Rarity said nervously before bowing before the ruler. “Your dress for the gala is complete. I have had that one and all of the others, delivered. I just, err, for the fitting...”

Nightmare Moon cocked an eye, before giving a nod. “Very well. Then we will finish the fitting now. Is there anything on my schedule?”

Moondancer eeped and pulled out a small clipboard before shaking her head. “No! Your highness. Everything is, err, finished. We have time to ummm... now.” Twilight suspected that the clipboard often had space in it. She wondered how the unicorn filled the time.

“Very well. Have the dresses brought in!” she demanded.

Rarity nodded before glancing back to her friends who gave encouraging smiles. Twilight let out a soft sigh, hoping this would all go well. Soon, three large crates were brought into the room and the largest was pried open quickly by Rarity. “Now, here we are.” She pulled the ponyquinn out and displayed it.

Twilight couldn't help but gasp at the dress. It had a long, flowing back end with three separate layers. The bottom layer was a clear purple, with twinkling gems like stars. About halfway up it was a more solid purple, with flowing gems with trails like meteors. And then the top layer, that went over Nightmare Moon's back was white, with diamonds. The breastplate was pure black, with a single crescent moon across it. The boots were purple and long, going over halfway up her legs.

Nightmare Moon slowly put it on and Rarity quickly stepped forward to perform the measurements, before nodding. “I'll, errrr, need to resize it, of course. But ummm... w-what do you... think?”

The mare looked down at herself, before looking to Twilight. “Your opinion, bard?”

Twilight opened her mouth.

“Honest opinion. I will not banish or yell at you for it. Nor your friend.”

Twilight blinked a few times and looked at it again, thoughtfully. The stars on it were a bit out of alignment and the shooting stars were a bit off on proportions. They looked good, but they weren't authentic. She was about to give that response, before pausing.

She thought about some of the stories she'd written over the years, where she'd received feedback like that. She remembered the time she'd played a little fast and loose with the rules for the good of the story, how she technically cheated. How it all didn't perfectly add up every time. For some stories things had to be perfect, every detail had to be right and correct.

But then there were stories where a person was supposed to feel, more than understand. Where things didn't always make sense, but that was okay. In the end, they were happy. And that's what this dress was. Not quite a story, not quite perfect, but as a whole it was beautiful.

“Personally, I like it. I think it looks marvelous on you, your highness.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Very well then, you others may give me whatever praise you wished.”

“Huh? Oh, uhhh, looks awesome,” Rainbow said with a shrug, the others soon following suit. Rarity let out a sigh of relief.

Nightmare Moon looked down at Rarity. “I see you were not giving empty boasts, young unicorn.”

“W-what?”

“Your gown is quite exquisite. To have made something like this with only the first measurements is quite impressive. I look forward to working with you in the future on such designs.”

Rarity blinked. “E-err, of course. Now, I have six other outfits I made. Ummm, if that's okay?”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Of course.”

“Wait, six? I told you, I'm wearing my Shadowbolt uniform!” Rainbow objected.

“Oh, it's not for you,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “Well, seven, actually. But I didn't bring mine. And I didn't make a gown for Spike. Unless he'd like one?”

“WHAT?” Spike asked, his cheeks red. “I'm not wearing a dress!”

“Oh well,” Rarity said. “I did bring an outfit for you though, darling.”

“Wait, if not for Rainbow, who's the last dress for?” Twilight asked.

“Err... w-well... eh... heh heh,” the fashionista said nervously. “I-I realized, ummmm, that I was making one for Nightmare Moon and her bard. I thought making one for her student might be fun as well. I... didn't have your measurements or anything though, dear. And if you already have a dress, I completely understand. But, Moondancer, if you'd like to see it?”

“I uhhh, I would, yes,” Moondancer said, her eyes wide and stunned. “You... actually made me a dress?”

“Yes. I didn't have your measurements though, so I had to use my own. Hopefully we can shape it better.” She opened one of the crates and pulled out three dresses. She placed one by Moondancer, one by Applejack and one by Pinkie.

Moondancer's was a black with dark purples on the skirt, forming little scales across the back. It covered her front hooves and poofed up slightly around the shoulder, with little streaks of red, like her mane, across her back. She even pulled out some sleek, black glasses and put them over Moondancer's eyes. The unicorn gulped when she was all dressed, tapping a dark purple shoe on the ground. “I... errrr... how do I look?” she asked with a little squeak.

“I think you look great,” Twilight said with a nod.

Nightmare Moon nodded, before glancing to Applejack and Pinkie. The two were staring at their dresses quizzically.

Applejack's used heavy greens and browns, with small boots and a saddle, along with a fancy new cowpony hat. Pinkie's was white and many shades of pink, with adorable little pink slippers and ornamental candy all over it.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asked.

“It jus'... ain't what ah pictured,” Applejack mumbled.

“Yeah... I was thinking something more... cupcaky! Oh, and a tutu!” Pinkie said with a grin.

“An' ah figured it could use galoshes. Ah mean, what if there's some kinda mud or somethin'? An' a bigger hat. Ah mean, it is a special occasion.”

Rarity blinked and then nodded. “I... I see. I'm sorry, I'll get to work immediately and--” She yelped as a wing was placed down in front of her. Nightmare Moon was glaring down at them. The two gulped nervously.

“You consider yourselves friends with yon designer pony, do you not?”

“Y-yes?” Applejack said with a little squeak.

“And yet, after she has worked with great determination and skill to create such beautiful dresses, you cease to be happy and demand yet more?”

“W-well, ah didn't mean like that, ah merely meant--”

“Silence! We may not be aware of all of the fashion trends of the modern era, but even we can see these dresses are quite special!”

“Y-your highness, please, t-there's no need to be angry on my behalf,” Rarity said quickly. “If they don't like them, they don't like them. As a designer, it's my duty to make them what they like, not what I like.”

The alicorn scowled down at her, before sighing and pulling her wing back. “Very well. If you will... accept such comments, then I will in no way interfere.”

Applejack looked at her dress before cocking her head to the side. “Ugh, ah hate tah say it, but Nightmare Moon's right. Err, ah mean, err, no offense, your highness.”

“... Offense taken, but carry on.”

“Ah don't know nothin' about fashion or the like. Any dress ah wanted tah make would probably look sillier than a one legged goat ridin' a pogo stick.” She gave the dress a little nudge. “Fashions your thing, Rarity. So ah'm gonna trust your judgment.”

Rarity's cheeks burned red. “Y-you don't have to--”

“Nah, ah mean it. Yah got more fashion sense in your lil hoof than ah do in mah whole body.”

The mare blushed and gave a nod. “W-well, I do appreciate that. Thank you.”

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah... I guess something I'd wear to entertain colts and fillies at a birthday party might not be the same as needed for a gala like this, huh? Well, I'll trust you, too!”

“Very good. Thank you. Now, Spike, Twilight, Fluttershy? Here.” She opened up the last crate and pulled out Spike's first. It was a small tuxedo with a red bowtie, glimmering and sparkling like gemstones. “I thought you'd look absolutely dashing in a tuxedo.”

“Oh, uhhh, t-thank you,” he said sheepishly.

“Now, Twilight, you were a little more difficult, but I found a few old tomes in the library and they gave me such inspiration!” She pulled out a dazzling blue dress. However, sewn across it in silver threads were runes. Twilight's eyes almost glowed and she dashed forward.

“Are these... runes? Actual runic magic runes?”

“W-well, they aren't active, no. But I managed to find some from old books in the library.”

Rainbow snorted. “Let me guess, you have a minor in them?”

“Nope,” Twilight said with a shake of her head.

“Major?”

“Why would I have a major in runic magic as an earth pony?”

Rainbow blinked a few times. “Wait, rea--”

“I have a masters in it! This was part of my first thesis! You see, there are all kinds of different runes. These ones would be ceremonial, they don't actually carry any magic in them. They're so precisely done, how did you manage it?”

“Well, there were plenty of old dress images in the book I mentioned, I merely copied them. They said they were non-dangerous, so I assumed that...” She paused and looked at Nightmare Moon. “Your highness?”

The alicorn was staring at the dress, her eyes slightly misty. Twilight blinked and looked up. “Nightmare Moon?”

The mare didn't respond. Finally Twilight waved a hoof in front of her face and the mare recoiled. “What?”

“Your highness, you seem... disturbed,” the earth pony said softly.

“We... we are fine. I... I shall retire to the library. You may do as you wish,” Nightmare Moon muttered, trotting away from them after removing her dress. She stopped when Moondancer moved to follow her. “I wish to be alone.” The door slammed shut a moment later.

“That was... weird,” Rainbow said. “Not scary weird, either. Just... weird.”

“Well, I for one think this is amazing! I can't even remember the last time a rune dress has been used! It's absolutely stunning, Rarity!” Twilight said with a big grin.

Rarity blushed and gave a nod. “T-thank you. And now, for Fluttershy.” She gave the pegasus a small smile. “Now, I know... with everything that's happened, I wanted to try something new. If that's okay?”

“Ummm... o-okay,” Fluttershy said softly. “I'm sure it's nice?”

Rarity nodded and pulled out the final dress. The front was primarily black as well, with dark netting over the hooves and with a gentle cascading lines across the wings. However, across the back were woven interlocking vines that cascaded down the back and opened up to create a long, green gown decorated with a few flowers. “What, ummm, do you think?”

Fluttershy ran a hoof down it, cocking her head slightly to the side. “I think it's nice. Thank you very much, Rarity. But maybe you could have put a nest in it? For my little friends? I just think...” She paused for a moment and blinked. “No... I guess that wouldn't be very fashionable, would it?”

“A... a nest?” Rarity asked.

“Never mind,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “So, ummm, the fitting?”

“Ah, right, of course!”

It wasn't long before the dresses were properly measured and her friends started to head off to their duties. She trotted after Fluttershy. “Hey, Rainbow had to run off to meet with the Shadowbolts and the others are still prepping for the gala, but I can walk you to the train if you like? I've got nothing pressing to do.”

The pegasus blinked and then blushed. “O-oh, no. I was, ummm, actually planning to go see the gardens again. If... if that's okay?”

Twilight blinked and nodded. “Oh, sure. I'll walk with you. If that's okay?”

“What about Spike?”

“He's...” She looked around. “Gone. Again. Sometimes I wonder about him. Is that okay?”

“Mmmm... okay… if you want...”

Twilight nodded and trotted besides the mare as the two walked out into the cool night. A thin layer of snow had gathered across the garden, making it crunch lightly underhoof with each step. It was, however, still surprisingly warm. At least compared to the snow and how cold the last few days had been. She considered going in to get a cloak, but decided against it. She didn’t expect they’d be out here long.

“Are you cold?” Fluttershy asked.

“What? No, I’m fine. You?”

“I don’t really… get cold much anymore. It’s… weird.”

Twilight nodded, then looked around. “So, uhhh… how are you… well… coping?”

“One day at a time. It’s not as bad as I thought it’d be. I… I’m really happy Rainbow was there those first few days. I… I know I said no but...” She gave a shudder. “It was… it was really bad then.”

“And now?”

“It’s more… mildly aggravating. Some ponies treat me differently but… I don’t feel much different. Except for when I have to… ummm… you know...”

“R-right. Have you, errr, had any trouble with, uhhh… the whole… blood thing?”

The pegasus shuddered again. “A little.”

“Sorry...”

“Ponies are a little too giving about it.”

“… What?”

“Rainbow in particular. Sometimes she’ll chase me around the cottage, going ‘bite me, bite me!’ I don’t want to drain anypony, really, but I swear she acts as if I’m starving myself. Honestly, the first time was pretty bad but after that? You get used to it.”

“Really? So you don’t mind?’

“I mind, but well… I kind of need it? And they insist it doesn’t hurt them that much. How about… ummmm… your stuff?”

“Well, I managed to take a bunch of notes on shades, werewolves and vampires. I gave them to a local publisher, that’s why those new mini-guides have been showing up. At least they’re helping to keep people calm. Slightly calm. Calmer than without them. No riots. Though you’ve seen first hand how some ponies are still reacting. I wish I could have written the books myself, though.”

Fluttershy chuckled and gave a nod, looking around. “It’s not so bad once you’re used to it? The cravings are new and… not feeling… alive is weird. But… I don’t really feel dead, either? So… it’s not so bad. A lot of the times I don’t even mind it. So, ummm, about… well… Nightwing?”

“Yes?”

“Can you… see about helping him?”

“He killed you! Literally!”

Fluttershy lowered her eyes. “I-I know, but… but I think it was an accident. I mean, he seemed really nice and ummmm… he did care about his pet.”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. She really couldn’t imagine anypony else worrying this much about their murderer. Her life had taken the strangest turns lately. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you. It’s really not so bad, though. But I have drunk sooooo much apple juice. It’s true, though. Sweet Apple Acres really does make the best apple juice.”

Twilight snickered and gave a nod. “Applejack okay delivering it?”

“It’s usually Big Mac, actually. He’s just the sweetest thing.”

Fluttershy nodded and then stopped, once again in front of the opera singing statue. Twilight cringed at the sight. A bit of puddy had been smeared over it, but now huge cracks were forming all over it and it was obvious the thing was falling apart. They’d probably have to replace the whole thing. Such a shame, it was such a unique piece. “Have you tried being a bat? Well, more than... once?”

“Oh! Yes! It’s actually really fun! I’ve been able to fly with some of the other bats and they’re just the nicest things. It’s not like flying as a pegasus at all. And the world looks so different and it’s a bit confusing, but the others are really nice and friendly. Though I had to apologize when I ended up in Applejack’s barn and accidentally fell on top of her. She laughed it off but I still think she was kind of annoyed at me.”

Twilight nodded and barely suppressed a snicker at the thought of Fluttershy suddenly falling from the rafters onto Applejack. “That uhhh, m-must of been quite the sight.”

“Oh, it was,” Fluttershy said with a nod. “All the other bats kept laughing, but they were very good natured about it.” She looked up at the statue. “Do… you ever think we’ll see the sun again?”

Twilight blinked and stared up, before shaking her head. “No. I… I hate saying it, but no. Nightmare Moon hasn’t… I don’t think she’ll ever bring it back. It would take something… big for that. Like, really big. I couldn’t imagine anything ever happening that would lead to her doing that. But… hopefully.” She then looked towards Fluttershy. “But… Nightmare Moon has changed since she’s been here.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. She’s a lot more… friendly. Not actually friendly, but more friendly than she has been. We still have regular courts and she does try to listen to ponies. I haven’t seen her actually rage at anypony in a while and others seem to be slowly coming around as well. It’s… distinctly possible that, one day, we might even grow to like her. Or at least not mind her.”

“Really?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes. She’s, well… she does care about us. She really does. I know she doesn’t always show it like… at all. And she’s really, really bad with ponies. But she wants to try and make us happy. She just doesn’t always have any idea what she’s doing. She has the social maturity of a stunted filly,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “But she’s coming around. Getting better at coping with things. It… might even be possible that one day she’ll… let us see Celestia again.”

There was a sharp intake of air. Considering the other mare didn’t breath, it was quite impressive. “R-really?”

“Yes. She’s becoming more… accepting, I think? Calls Celestia her sister a lot more and is more… open about talking about her. I think a part of her even… misses her. If that can be believed.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I know I miss her. Do you really think that’ll happen? She’ll let us have her back?”

“Maybe. Now, it’s not guaranteed. It might even just be wishful thinking on my part. But she’s calming down. A little bit every day. She can have her moments but well… I haven’t even seen any whippings in ages. And now she just looks...” She frowned and thought back to the way she’d looked at the dress. “Like… she did back there. More...” She hummed.

“Sad?”

“Yeah. I honestly… I can see why she was so upset. I think I’d be upset, too. Considering the stuff she told me about how things were when she was… well… living. Well, not living but…. You know what I mean, right? She’s always been living but before this when she was...”

“Was?”

“Luna. When she lived with Celestia. When they were both here. Things… it seems things just weren’t so good then. At least, not for her. But now… she’s getting what she thought she wanted. And I don’t think it’s initially what she wanted. Since NOPONY can ignore her now.”

Fluttershy nodded. “That’s the truth. You seem more comfortable too.”

The writer blinked. “I do? Really?”

“Oh, yes. You were very… fidgety the first time I met you. But now? You seem so happy and smiling all the time. Well, not all the time, but most of the time. You don’t look… scared.”

Twilight chuckled and rubbed her head. “I think mostly I’m just annoyed a lot of the time. And angry. Oh, she makes me really, really angry. But she also… I think I’m getting used to her. As scary as THAT notion is. And as I spend more time writing her story, I just feel more… connected with her.” She shrugged then shuffled her hooves a bit. “And… I think she might be more talk than she lets on. When she gets mad, she threatens all kinds of things, but nine times out of ten Moondancer and I are able to talk her down and it’s not even getting that hard anymore. It’s almost mundane at this point.”

Fluttershy gave a little giggle. “Truly? Nightmare Moon? Mundane?”

“Yes. I swear sometimes she’s like a child. A very big, overgrown child. All you need to do is swat her on the nose and she knocks it off.” She paused. “That’s… that’s a puppy, isn’t it?”

“Actually that’s not a good thing to do with a puppy. Positive enforcement works far better...”

“Oh. Well, my point still stands. She’s… manageable. Once you know how to work her. But until then, well, she’s… err… how to put it...”

“Insane?”

“Something like that. But...”

“What?”

“Honestly? The way she was looking at those dresses. Or rather, my dress. It makes me feel… uneasy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen her act a bit… sad before. But that was… maybe I should check on her. I need to go by the library anyway for Tirek.”

“Tirek?”

“Oh, the magic draining spirit thing. It’s… a long story,” Twilight said with a soft chuckle. “He’s actually… a completely horrible person who I think might be trying to manipulate me into freeing him. I’m halfway tempted to, to be honest. Not that I could, even if I wanted. But it is tempting.”

“W-wait, he was the reason she’s, ummm… draining… ponies?”

“Not the reason, just the means. And yeah. He has his own interesting little story I’ve been learning and I’ll be putting THAT book out soon after I do Nightmare Moon’s. Well, hopefully. There are so many works I need to get done. Really, he’s not so bad. Not good, but not bad. Ill tempered. At least he hasn’t had anypony whipped.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I’ll need to take your word for it?” Fluttershy said with a confused grin. “If you want to go check on her now, you can? I can ummmm, make my own way to the trains...”

“What? No. I said I’ll walk you back and I meant it.”

The pegasus was silent for a few moments before sighing. “Twilight… I just… I kind of want to be alone right now.”

The earth pony blinked. “W-what? Why would… o-oh. Right. Because they caught… Okay.” She leaned forward and gave her a hug. “Be safe, okay? Let me know if you need ANYTHING at all, okay?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Of course, I will. I know the first few days were rough, but I’m doing a lot better now, I swear.”

“Good. You know we all love you, right? We all are here if you need us.”

The pegasus nodded and then pulled away. “I know. I’m fine, really. I swear.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later then, Fluttershy,” Twilight said before turning and trotting towards the castle. Time to get some books. A part of her hoped Nightmare Moon was done by the time she got there.

------

Alarm bells went off in her head when she stepped outside the library. The smell of smoke lingered in the air and she could hear Nightmare Moon yelling at… something. She felt panic in her heart and raced inside, half expecting to see the mare in the midst of trying to fight off some dragon attack.

What she did not expect to see the alicorn with a stack of books in front of her and a pile of ash behind her. Nor her to raise up a book into the air and tossing it behind her as it burned. The librarian was hiding behind the counter, her eyes wide with horror.

But Twilight didn’t see her.

All Twilight saw was red.

Author's Notes:

And so comes one of the most brutal parts of the story. Enjoy, darlings.

S1 CH 20. REVENGE!

For years to come what happened in that library was spoken of in hushed whispers. Some spoke softly about a young librarian cursing the dark Queen out in old Equish after denting her helm with well wielded hardback. Others said that the very books themselves flew off their shelves to batter their attacker, and some whispered that a mighty monster, a fearsome Thesaurus, rose up from the deep archives to do battle with her.

None of these compare, though, with the true fate of Nightmare Moon. The alicorn had only a moment to look up in confusion when a sound eerily similar to the banshees wail of the north echoed through the room, before pain shot through her ear and the ruler of Equestria, eternal ruler of the night, defeater of Celestia, bringer of the darkness and matriarch of the moon was hurtled up against the back wall by her ear.

Pain shot through her and after a moment of dazed confusion, she readied herself again, but was too slow. More pain shot through her ear and she shrieked, only barely stopping herself from vaporizing the pony when she realized who it was.

"OW! OW! RECEASE MINE EAR TRAITOROUS BARD, HOW DARE THEE LAY THY TEEH UPON OUR DIVINE FORM, HOW--" Nightmare paused when Twilight did let go of her ear and the immortal rule who had stared into a mad spirit of destruction’s eyes leaned back, away from the flaming rage she saw in those eyes. Almost literally. She was fairly positive her mane was smoldering.

"YOU! WERE! BURNING! A! REFERENCE BOOK!"

Nightmare's mouth worked, and the ruler was abruptly struck by something she was not used to, an inability to speak properly. "We, it told lies of our, it was, it praised our sister about our imprison, I, we just, we own the contents, and the others, they were, they--"

"WE DON’T BURN BOOKS! EVIL DICTATORS WHO OPPRESS THEIR PEOPLE DO THAT! INSANE MEGALOMANIACS DO THAT! DEPRAVED EVIL TYRANTS BENT ON SEDUCING EVERYTHING IN SIGHT DO THAT! NICE RULERS WHO SEEK THE LOVE OF THEIR PEOPLE AND DON'T WANT THEIR BARD TO SMACK THEM INTO NEXT WEEK DON'T DO THAT! BURNING BOOKS IS BAD!"

Nightmare Moon struggled to find the right words, staring into depths that were far more deep and deadly than Tartarus itself. “But… but they are… o-our books,. W-we own--”

“"NO! THE LEGAL ENTITY OF THE CROWN OWNS THE BOOKS, SUBLEASING THEM TO THE PUBLIC ENTITY OF THE ROYAL LIBRARY VIA A DECADE LONG CONTRACT THAT IS AUTOMATICALLY RENEWED! AND EVEN IF YOU PERSONALLY OWNED THEM, THEY ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE AS A BASTION OF FREE KNOWLEDGE FOR ALL CITIZENRY! NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE THAT AWAY!"” Twilight snapped, taking a step forward.

Nightmare Moon recoiled, backing up against the wall and, with a terrified squeak realized she had nowhere to flee. This was just her bard, she knew she shouldn’t be scared. But there was something primal to the young earth pony’s movements. One that spoke of death and destruction to all who failed to yield before her. For the first time in a while, the alicorn knew true fear. Not of failing, not of her ponies hating her. But for her very life. She knew it was preposterous. There was no way such a small pony could do anything to harm her. Though the pain in her ear and the fury in the mare’s eyes told her otherwise. She gave a pitiful whimper and lowered herself down.

“YOU!” Twilight screamed, turning on the librarian. The mare whimpered.

“Y-yes?”

“DO YOU HAVE THE BOOKS SHE DESTROYED?”

“W-we have a list, w-we can r-regain them. N-nothing of… of true value was lost and--”

“EVERY BOOK HAS VALUE!” Twilight roared, the windows in the library shook and outside, the guards fled for their lives, to echo stories of the final moments of Nightmare Moon’s life.

The alicorn was slowly beginning to regain her confidence when the mare turned back on her, eyes alight with a fire Celestia’s sun could only hope to match. “And you...” she said in a whisper that would have traveled for miles in the silence of the library. Even the books seemed to be shaking now.

Nightmare Moon had thought the yelling was the worst of it. She was wrong. “W-we… we are sorry. We have… mis stepped?”

“MIS STEPPED?!” Oh heavens the fires lit anew, somehow transcending their earlier brilliance. The alicorn let out an indignant squeak as she was grabbed by the ear and dragged out from the library, bodily thrown out. “AND DON’T YOU DARE SHOW YOUR FLANK HERE AGAIN UNTIL YOU LEARN SOME RESPECT FOR BOOKS!” There was a long ,slow breath before the final threat. “Or I swear your ear will be the least of your worries.”

Nightmare Moon stared at the mare. She was at least twenty percent sure she could take her. But a hundred percent sure she did not want to risk it. With no other choice, the alicorn did something she hadn’t done in ages.

She turned tail and fled.

The librarian's stared at the mare as her breathing slowed from seething pant to angry snort and finally settled onto normal after a short jog, but rapid jog.

The fire in her eyes dimmed, and she blinked, looking around. "I… what happened? I think I, wait, did I? Oh." She paused, taking in the scene before her, namely the pile of ash and rather impressive dent in the wall, as her brain slowly processed it's short term memory. "...Oh." Very slowly, she tilted over and curled up, covering her head with her fore hooves. "I am so dead."

Twilight rocked back and forth for a few minutes and, once she realized there weren’t any guards coming to arrest her, she looked up at the librarian. The other mare eeped and ducked down. “I ummm… need some history books...”

“Just take them! Take whatever you want don’t hurt me!”

The earth pony sighed and trotted towards the book cases, giving a sad look to the burnt remains of so many tomes of knowledge.

------

“Hi Tirek!” Twilight said chipperly as she trotted down the steps.

“If it isn't the warden,” the centaur muttered, still reading his book. “What do you want?”

“I brought some new books.”

The centaur gestured towards a stack near the cell door. “You know where the old ones are.” He then glanced to his notebook and pen, humming. “Bring me anything good?”

“Oh, I managed to find an old tome on the ascension of the donkey emperor. I also found a few tomes about centaurs, though not many. Sorry.” She slid the new books in and took out the old. “How are you feeling?”

The centaur sighed and gave a shrug. “As well as can be expected, for living in a cell.” He eyed her suspiciously. “And yourself?”

“I think I threw Nightmare Moon into a wall hard enough to leave a dent and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be executed now. It's a long story.”

Tirek paused and looked over to her, closing his book. “Come again?”

“It's... a long story.”

“I have nowhere to be,” he said, sounding interested.

Twilight sighed and then smiled. At least he seemed interested. She told him everything over the next few minutes before nodding. “And then I got these books and brought them down. So ummm, if you don't see me again, you'll know why. I--” She paused. “Are you laughing?”

He covered his mouth with his hand and shook it, though light guffaws could still be heard. “What? Of course not, stupid pony. Your... heh... little display of... snicker... princess hurtling is hardly something I would care of. I assume you managed to get some nice... hee hee... air?”

“I don't know. Maybe?” she said with a shrug, before glaring at him. “You're not making me feel any better, you know.”

“Oh? Is it my job to make you feel better?”

“Well... I... no. I guess not.”

“Then I fail to see how that's my problem,” he said before looking through his book again, the corner of his mouth still curled in a small grin and the occasional snort breaking through.

She sighed. “Of course. Was there anything you'd like to tell me?”

He paused for a moment. “I did find that parfait you had delivered to me to be quite appetizing. I would not object to those coming more often.”

She blinked, before giving a nod. “Sure! I'll let them know before I... well... disappear.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “If she has not already executed you, I imagine she has no intention to. I imagine the stories of the great warrior bard have already spread throughout the castle as it is. Perhaps next time you could just defeat her with a book?”

“Ugh, no. Have you ever seen the warrior book exhibit? They don't even let you read those books, and they're all dented, too.”

“... Come again?”

“Nothing, don't worry about it,” she said with a shake of her head. “I'll have more sent, okay? I'll, hopefully, see you later.”

“Of course, bard.”

She sighed and trotted up the stairs, giving a soft sigh of annoyance. She wasn't sure who was worse anymore. Him, or Nightmare Moon. He was emotionally exhausting, her physically. She wondered if all despots were that way. Maybe next tyrant she meets will be mentally exhausting. That's what she needed, somepony who was completely crazy and impossible to figure out. She made her way up the stairs and started her way towards the kitchen.

------

Twilight frowned when she walked into the cafeteria. Something was wrong. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but it just felt off. She didn't see anypony else, though she could hear clatters from the kitchen so she knew they were there. Food was still on trays as well. It seemed the whole place had cleared out in a hurry. She wondered if one of the cooks had gone on another rampage.

She trotted to the kitchen. “Hello? I--” She froze at the sight of Nightmare Moon, head buried in a large jug of chocolate ice cream.

The ruler of all Equestria slowly raised her head, the ice cream smeared across her face. “B-bard.”

Twilight squeaked, staring and frozen in fear. She knew she was going to die. Well, suspected she was. But not so soon. “Y-y-your highness.”

“We, err, w-we were just... leaving,” the mare said, quickly turning and making her way towards the back exit. She paused after a moment, though. “We... we are sorry for our... disreputable treatment of the books. It... will not happen again.” She then fled out the door.

Twilight stared, cocking her head to the side. Sorry? She sighed. “Well... she's changing for the better at least. I think. I hope.” She waited a few minutes after the mare left for the staff to arrive and she smiled to one of the cooks. “Can you ensure that more parfaits are sent to Tirek? And other desert items.”

“Of course, Lady Twilight.” She then paused and eyed her. “Is... is it true you threw Nightmare Moon through a book case and then out the main window of the library?”

The earth pony sighed and shook her head. “It's going to be one of those days...” She then turned and trotted out the door. She couldn't help but notice most of the staff was staring at her with looks of mixed fear, awe and respect.

She needed to get out of here.

------

“So she burned a book? In front of YOU?” Shining asked, struggling to hold back his laughter as her parents and Cadence didn't even try to hide theirs.

“It's not funny! It was very traumatic! All that knowledge, gone in an instant! Wasted!”

He shook his head and laughed. “No, no, frankly, I think she got off light. I remember that cadet who always turned his books in soaking wet. He still can't walk by garden stores without breaking into a cold sweat.”

Twilight rolled his eyes. “He was just being over dramatic.”

“I don't know, considering where you--”

“So she's not mad?” Cadence asked, interrupting the stallion.

“I think she's more... upset. I don't think I actually hurt her so much as just surprised her. But she burned them! Books! So many innocent, beautiful, defenseless books. How could she?”

The ponies shrugged. “Still, she didn't kill you for it, or have you whipped. That's a step in the right direction,” her mother said. She then gave a light snort. “So you actually flung her?”

“Gahhh! It's not funny!”

“Oh, I disagree, I think it’s hilarious,” Shining said with a smirk.

Twilight rolled her eyes again. “All of you suck. Every last one of you.”

Cadence snickered. “Oh, you know we’re just kidding. How is your book coming along? Is it going well?”

“Oh, it’s going better than well. I think I’m about half done. It’s actually been getting a lot easier since, well...”

“What?” Shining asked.

“Nightmare Moon is being a lot less demanding lately.”

“Probably because you flung her into a wall.”

“Before that,” she snapped. “She’s been very… mellow, even. Calmer than before. I still come to see her during court and occasionally she’ll call me to monitor some event or another, but for the most part she doesn’t seem to do much. She spends a lot of time with Moondancer, but that seems to be more her just training her.”

Shining frowned. “How is Moondancer holding up? She’s always been a very talented unicorn, I’d hate to imagine how this is affecting her.”

Twilight sighed. “I think she’s doing better? I saw her excited to do her homework the other day. Is that normal?”

“Only for you and her,” the stallion said with a roll of his own eyes. “Only mares I knew who squealed with delight when they realized they forgot to do an assignment.”

“I think it’s adorable,” Cadence said with a smile. “Remember how happy she was when she realized she still had that twenty page paper due? She’d been moping for days because all her other homework was done.”

Twilight buried her face in her hooves. “Ugh, all of you are evil. Every last one of you.”

Velvet nodded, chuckling into her hoof. “Now you two, stop picking on Twilight. So, dear, where’s that little dragon friend of yours? Don’t you usually bring him with you?”

“Oh, he’s back at the castle right now, he--” She blinked a few times. “Oh.” She frowned and did some quick mental calculations. “We’re… from the inn to the shop I sent him was… Canterlot is about… oh dear.”

“Dear?” Velvet asked.

“I-I need to go I’m so sorry I can’t believe I left Spike behind! I’ll come back to visit later I swear!” she shrieked before galloping off, leaving her family behind, stunned.

------

“Here you go, darling,” Rarity said before dropping a box of glimmering jewels in Spike’s claws. “Make sure to hang these up over there. One every few feet. They don’t need to be in alignment, though, they’re supposed to be the stars. So just make sure close, but not too close.”

“Okay!” he said happily. He let out a yipe as suddenly when he was grabbed and pulled into a tight hug by Twilight who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh my gosh Spike I’m so sorry I thought something bad might have happened are you okay how are you feeling any pain anything?”

“What? No,” the dragon said, his cheeks burning red. “What’s wrong? Why would you think I was in trouble?”

“I went into town and I completely forgot I left you behind. Has the collar tightened or...” She blinked a few times and stared at his throat. “Where’s… the collar?”

“What? That old thing?” Rarity asked, giving a shudder. “It was absolutely dreadful, didn’t go with his scales at all. I removed it when he started assisting me. Didn’t he tell you?”

Twilight blinked a few times, her mouth falling open. She didn’t spend much time, or any really, examining his neck. His head had always partially hidden it as well. “So… it’s been gone for days?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Rarity said with a shrug. “I have it around here somewhere. Was it important?”

“What? Yes! Kinda. Nightmare Moon put it on him and… and it didn’t do anything?”

Rarity’s head shot up. “W-what? Nightmare Moon? Spike, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Huh?” the dragon asked, his cheeks going red. “O-oh… you just, ummm, seemed kind of… excited to take it off and… err...”

“Oh dear. Do you think she’s noticed?” Rarity asked worriedly.

“Probably?” Twilight said, still looking down at Spike. “It didn’t… do anything? No magically choking or anything?”

“What? Why would it do that?”

“The magic on it, it was supposed to… well...”

Rarity blinked and cocked her head to the side. “There was no magic whatsoever on that collar, I assure you. I wouldn’t have removed it so simply had there been, that would have been dangerous.”

Twilight just stared at the dragon, then Rarity. Finally she shook her head. “No. Thank you. That’ll… that’ll be fine. How about you two just keep working, I’ll see you around. And umm, Rarity, you can keep the collar. Thanks.”

“Oh, it was nothing, darling. Really. I didn’t even know that it was… well… that. Spike, darling, you should tell me things like that. I’d hate to think I got us in trouble with Nightmare Moon.”

“Eh, she’s fine,” Spike said with a shrug. “So, just hang these up?”

“Oh, yes, make sure to hang them all up. This room needs to sparkle for the dance.”

------

Twilight frowned and stepped into her room, finally collapsing on her bed. Her head was pounding and she felt nothing but confusion.

She’d worked so hard, focused on so many different things. Yet she still felt as if she was no closer to figuring Nightmare Moon out than when she first met her. She put a hoof to her face and groaned.

She should be dead by now, or at least being whipped. But the mare had completely let what happened slide, or at least seemed to be. If anything, Nightmare Moon seemed scared of her. Not just forgiving, but actually scared. She couldn’t imagine why, she had a whole country to force to do her whims now, Twilight was pretty much obsolete.

But yet here she was, her misdeeds being ignored completely. She wished some part, any part, of the mare would make sense. She sighed and looked to the book.

At least she knew enough to write the book, for now. It might not mean much, but it would hopefully be enough.

Author's Notes:

And so more things happen! Wooo!
You know, one day I might have to go back and write a side story detailing Nightmare Moon's thoughts during all this. But I don't wanna spoil too much.... hmmmm...
Special thanks to Duelist925 for helping me with initial scene. Was a fun one.
This'll be last chapter for the week, so enjoy. Gala is coming soon.

S1 CH 21. Trixie

Twilight groaned and felt something gently shaking her. “Go awayyyyy...” she whined.

“Twilight, Twilight!” Spike’s voice came.

She slowly opened an eye. “Nggggggg… what is it?”

“Somepony is challenging Nightmare Moon!”

“Mmmm… okay?” she mumbled, before rolling over.

After a moment her eyes widened. “WHAT?!” she screamed, sitting up and looking to Spike. “What? Who? When? Why?”

“I don’t know, she calls herself the Great and Powerful Trixie and says she’s the greatest magician of all time! We need to go!”

Twilight groaned and slowly rolled over, falling off the bed with a shriek. She was not awake enough for this. “O-okay. Come on, let’s go,” she muttered darkly before stretching and galloping down the hall, the dragon close behind. She didn’t even take time to fix her mane.

------

It wasn’t long before the two made their way to the throne room and found Nightmare Moon staring down at the very frightened blue unicorn. She was wearing a purple cape and hat covered in stars and looked as if she might wet herself at any moment.

Nightmare Moon looked less than amused. “Answer the question, mage.”

“Y-your highness, I-I never meant any disrespect, I merely--”

“You play your little… act, practically outside our castle doors and brag of how you are the greatest magician of all time, even more than this, how did you put it?”

“W-well, I--”

“How did you put it?”

“E-even more than the… f-false queen… N-Nightmare… Moon...”

Twilight cringed. Oh dear, she could see where this was going.

“And you believed that we wouldn’t hear of this?”

“I-I, well, I-I mean, I just thought that--”

“That we wouldn’t care? That you would mock us in our very home and we would stand idly by?”

The unicorn squeaked, giving a nod. “Y-yes? I, err, t-thought you'd be... too busy. I-I mean, I was across town and... and all...”

“Then you are a foal. However we… are not without our mercy. If the other feats you spoke of hold any truth, then you are a talented mage.”

Trixie perked up. “W-why, thank you, your highness.”

“Any unicorn that could best an ursa major must be quite special indeed. A pony that, while not worth our admiration, is most definitely worth our notice.”

The mare squeaked and the color managed to drain even further from her face. “Y-your highness?”

“So then. You will prove this great besting of the ursa major to us and then, once this task is complete, we will take you on as our second student.”

“Y-your… your highness?” Trixie asked again, the color draining even further from her face. “A… a ursa major? B-but surely you don’t mean to… to bring one here? I-I mean, that’d be dangerous, ponies could be hurt. I-I’d be fine, of course, but--”

“Oh, not at all, little pony.” The unicorn let out a sigh of relief. “You will come with us into the Everfree Forest and we will find one there for you to best.”

“W-what?” Trixie asked with a squeak. “Y-you want me to… i-in the Everfree Forest? With you? An ursa major? With you?”

“Indeed. Is there a problem, mage?”

“W-what? No! No no no! No! J-just, err, I-I could go alone? N-n-n-not make you worry yourself? Eh heh. Can… come back with like… some hair or something?”

“Oh, we have the time, fret not, mage. Guards, have our carriage prepared. We will be departing.” She looked around. “Student, bard, you will come with us.”

Twilight nodded nervously, her eyes resting on the horrified unicorn. This would not end well. No matter how powerful the unicorn was, if she had the capability to defeat an ursa major of all things, she couldn't imagine Nightmare Moon just letting her go.

------

The carriage slowly flew through the air. It was large, pulled by half a dozen pegasi and was able to hold Nightmare Moon on one side, Twilight, Moondancer and Trixie on the other. She tried to give the blue unicorn a reassuring smile, but the mare looked like she was going to throw up. When they finally landed, she half expected the mare to try and bolt. She hoped she didn’t. She didn’t imagine it would end well for her.

Finally, there was a light thump and the carriage came to a stop. The door opened after a moment and a bat pony stood outside, bowing his head. “Your highness?”

“Thank you,” Nightmare Moon said before trotting from the carriage, the others following quickly behind her. She then stared at the great forest, the trees seeming to reach up into the dark night. Twilight couldn’t be sure, but somehow they managed to look even scarier than last time. She wondered if it was because Nightmare Moon was with them. Or maybe because Trixie was shaking.

“S-so, all I have to do is… defeat the ursa major and I’m, err--”

“You will become my student, little mage. Is that not adequate compensation?”

“I-it’s plenty,” the mare said with a squeak. “A-are you sure you wish to do this, your highness? You, err, surely you have more important things you could be doing with your time? I mean, you are the ruler of all--”

“This is fine, young mage. Now, shall we go?” Nightmare Moon asked, pointing a wing towards it. “After all, it has been long since we have seen a mage who is of quite so much talent. Truly this will be a sight unlike any other.”

Trixie gulped but slowly started walking forward.

“Don’t worry,” Twilight said with a smile. “You said you beat one before, right?”

“W-what? Yes! I defeated the ursa major with ease! Ah… ha ha ha,” Trixie said with a weak smile.

“Then you’ll be fine. Nightmare Moon is a bit intimidating but she will honor her word,” Twilight said with a nod, before leaning in and whispering to her. “Besides, once you do this, I can probably talk her out of taking you as a student. So don’t worry, okay?”

“Y-yeah. The… Great and… Powerful Trixie isn’t… worried. She can handle an... an ursa major with ease,” she said, her voice getting a little higher.

Twilight nodded, a fake grin on her lips. She hoped she'd be able to talk the alicorn down at least. “So you've really managed to tame an ursa major?”

“O-of course I have,” she said quickly, giving a harrumph. “Why, for one as talented as me it was easy! Oh... ho ho ho... ho...”

“Wow. I hear they can grow up to the size of a castle. How did you manage it?”

“A-a castle?” Trixie asked weakly, more color draining from her face.

“Oh yeah, with fangs as big as three or four ponies! I can't believe you managed to best one. Do you mind if after this I get the story? I'd imagine it would be something everypony would just love to hear.”

“My story? What, are you a reporter? Oh, wait, no, you're a... what was it?”

“Bard. I am the bard of Nightmare Moon. Mostly I just record the events of her life and try to stop her from maiming ponies.”

Trixie gulped again. “I haven't heard of a bard in ages. Isn't that term kind of... outdated?”

“Yes, horribly so. But I'm not going to tell her,” Twilight whispered back.

The unicorn sighed, looking around nervously at the trees. Twilight would have been more nervous, but last time she'd come through here she'd been frantic and it had just been her and Rainbow. Now they had the magic of this mystery mare, Moondancer AND Nightmare Moon. She couldn't imagine even a hydra standing a chance, let alone anything else that'd dare challenge them.

Her thoughts were proven true when suddenly a pack of ferocious timber wolves lunged out from the thicket and were sent whimpering and whining back the way they came only moments later, their tails between their legs. “Ugh, such distasteful beasts,” Nightmare Moon said with a shake of her head. “Bard, do they serve any purpose?”

“Oh, yes, timber wolves are very important to the ecosystem,” Twilight said quickly. “I minored in plant/animal hybrids. You see, timber wolves are often responsible for many of the different kinds of plant life spreading around and their own natural magic combined with some of the strange plants around these areas have led to the creation of all kinds of strange and magical fruits, such as the zap apples and grenade oranges. And while both have seen plenty of combat usage, they are also quite useful in a plethora of recipes.”

“A simple yes would have sufficed,” Nightmare Moon said with a roll of her eyes.

“I-I knew that too,” Moondancer mumbled, glancing down towards the ground.

“Nerds,” Trixie muttered with a roll of her eyes.

“We're almost there,” the alicorn said, her eyes going up.

“Are you sure there's one this way?” Twilight asked. “I don't know if there are any in this local area.”

“Indeed. Did you not see the massive caverns when we landed here?”

“Yes? Wait, we're going to those? Why?” Trixie asked.

“Oh, oh, I know! I know!” Moondancer said quickly, then blushed when everypony turned to her. “W-well, I-I do. It's because ursas will often take up residence in caverns such as that. Due to their large size it can be difficult for them to find a proper home so they will take up residence wherever there's space. A large enough cavern is more often than not home to at least one ursa major.”

Twilight nodded. “Yup! Especially in a forest like this. With their diet of mostly plants and water, a thick vegetation area like this is perfect for them. I never saw any caverns, though.” She guessed she'd just been too nervous.

“Not to mention,” Moondancer added quickly. “The plant life of the area is very, very dense. Ursas tend to have a expansion effect on the area around them due to the fact that, when they move about, magic will often fall from their bodies and be absorbed back into the land. The magic inside them is so solid, in fact, that it gives them the appearance of having stars across their body, hence why they are named after the skies constellation.”

“Or rather, the constellation is named after them,” Twilight corrected.

“What? No, that's wrong. They're named after the constellation. All of my research points to that theory.”

“What? No, my research points to the constellation being named after them.”

“But that doesn't even make sense! It's just a big, magical bear, why would they name the sky after it? And what about scorpio and the others? And the star constellations that don't have animal like creatures here?”

“What else would they name them after? Obviously the inspiration for them, and the name, came from the ursas. Nightmare Moon? You made them, right? Which was it?”

Nightmare Moon blinked a few times and just a hint of red came to her cheeks. “We... must admit that it was many, many, many millenia ago that such stars were made. We... cannot remember.”

Twilight and Moondancer shared a look before letting out sighs of exasperation.

“We're here,” the alicorn said before stopping. They came out to a large, empty clearing in front of a massive cave that towered up into the heavens. There was a little sign in front with a picture of a teddy bear being crossed out and the words 'danger' written under it. “Go now, mage. Awaken the beast and prove your worth.”

Trixie gulped and slowly stepped forward, her hooves shaking. “O-of course. The Great and Powerful Trixie is... is not afraid of some... some minor ursa...” She walked to the mouth of the cave, barely a speck when compared to the size of the gaping void. Then, slowly, she thrust her horn forward. A spark formed at the end and was sent hurtling in.

It soon disappeared from view and then a few moments later there was a pop. Trixie held her breath for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief and turning to them. “Well, I guess this cave is empty, there's no need to waste out time with--”

A roar that would have shaken mountains came from the cave entrance, making the mare's ears wilt. She gave a light squeak and turned back. The ground began to rumble heavily under her, alerting her to whatever the thing that was coming, was big. She gave a scared squeak and looked up.

The ursa was massive, at least the size of a house. Its body was a clear blue, with glimmering stars seeming to be speckled all over its body. A great white star was emblazoned across its forehead.

Trixie squeaked and stared up at the creature, her eyes going wide with horror, her mouth falling open. The ursa gazed down at her and let out a roar so powerful it sent her toppling back with a squeak. The magician laid there for a moment before getting to her hooves. “R-right! Don't... don't think this is over. Y-you might be big but I've faced bigger, I--”

Then the ursa's eyes went wide. A purple glow surrounded them and the bear collapsed to the ground, snoring softly. Trixie stared. “T-that's right! That's right! You have fallen before the Great and Powerful Trixie, now--”

“Enough of your prattling, mage,” Nightmare Moon interrupted. “Get on with it.”

“On with... it?”

“Well, yes, that's just the ursa minor,” Twilight said. “The major is probably still inside the cave. Ohhhh, I can't wait to...” She blinked a few times. “Wait. I thought... you didn't mistake an ursa minor for a major, did you?”

“W-what? NO! Of course not! The... the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't... doesn't make mistakes. She... she always... just... w-wait one moment.” Her horn glowed and she sent out another little orb of light.

This orb didn't go far before it hit the purple body of the ursa major. The creature was already awake, however. And looked less than pleased as it lumbered towards the cavern entrance, every step heavy enough to send Trixie falling to the ground. The unicorn stared up at the massive ursa, unable to stand.

The ursa barely seemed to notice her, its eyes instead falling on its sleeping child. Then it slowly turned its eyes towards Trixie and the mare's blood turned to ice. It let out a roar that sent her skidding along the ground, rolling head over hooves, before lumbering towards her.

“N-no!” Trixie screamed, backing away. “No no no, please, not like this, please! S-stop!”

“What?” Nightmare Moon asked. “But mage, I thought you claimed to have such great powers that even an ursa major could not stand against you?”

“I lied!” the unicorn screamed. “It was all a lie, I'm sorry! I-I'm just a showmare! I do shows! Little fancy magic tricks! That's all I do! I've never even seen an ursa major before today! Not even a minor!”

The ursa lifted a mighty paw, slamming it down at the mare. Trixie screamed. Twilight's eyes went wide and the paw crushed the mare. The earth pony stared with horror, a hoof covered her mouth as dust filled the air and blocked the grisly scene from view.

“S-she's... she's dead,” Twilight said weakly. “She just... she... she didn't even... she...”

“She's fine,” Nightmare Moon said, shaking her head. “Worry not, bard. We are not so merciless as to let this oaf kill herself for her transgressions.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked. The dust cleared and, hovered over the prone form of Trixie, was a great purple shield. A spell her brother had once used. The ursa's paw was on top of it. The ground around the shield had a great crater now, but the young unicorn was completely safe. Although she appeared to have fainted. “You... saved her.”

“Of course. Is she not one of our subjects?” Nightmare Moon asked before stepping forward. The ursa turned to look at her, lifting a paw up to smash the alicorn. “You do not wish to do that,” she warned.

The ursa held its paw aloft, still staring at the alicorn. However, slowly, it lowered itself to all fours and walked towards its child, scooping it up and crawling back into the cave, leaving them alone. Nightmare Moon harrumphed before walking to the bubble around Trixie and making it disappear with a light pop.

Trixie was laying there, her eyes rolled back in her head, mouth hanging open in a silent scream. The alicorn nudged her with a hoof a few times before finally kicking her, hard. The unicorn shrieked and looked around. “W-what happened?”

“You lied to us, foalish mage. And you will suffer for it. Greatly.” Nightmare Moon leaned in, her eyes narrowed. “Daring to mock us with such pitiful magic as your own... pathetic.”

The unicorn squeaked and whimpered, holding her front hooves to her chest in fright.

Twilight gulped, eying them both. Oh dear.

------

Nightmare Moon eyed the terrified mare, a hoof rubbing her chin. “Now... how to deal with you.”

“P-please, your highness. I meant no disrespect. I merely--”

“And yet you gave it,” the ruler said. “You marched through our streets, riled our ponies against us. Claimed that you could perform feats that even your illustrious ruler could not. And then you come and lie to her face about your actual talents. Now, tell us. Are these the actions of a pony who deserves mercy? Who deserves to be treated with kindness and gentleness?”

She slowly lowered her eyes and shook her head. “N-no, your highness.”

“No indeed. Now, we will not have you whipped or imprisoned.” There was a sigh of relief from the mare. “But for your treachery, we will instead take your livelihood.” She looked to the guards. “Bring Tirek here.”

Trixie squeaked. “My... livelihood?”

“Yes. You will be drained of the pathetic magic you so foalishly bragged of. Perhaps a life without your spells will teach you some humility.”

The unicorn stared, her eyes wide with horror. She was unable to speak for a few moments before she threw herself down before the mare. “N-no! You can't!”

“Oh, but we can. It is well within our rights and power. It is the least you deserve. Perhaps living without your magic will teach you proper respect and how to be humble.”

“P-please, I can change, give me another chance, please!”

Twilight took a deep breath, looking down at the mare, before turning to the ruler. “Your highness?”

Nightmare Moon gave an almost exasperated sigh, before turning towards Twilight. “Yes, bard?”

“If I may make a suggestion?”

“Such as? This mare has mocked us, insulted us, lied to us. What adequate punishment would you deem us give her?”

“Perhaps something less… permanent?” Twilight offered with a nervous smile. “Her words were offensive, but maybe just… ummmm...”

Nightmare Moon nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. “Very well. Then we will not make it permanent.” She glanced down to Trixie. “One year. That is the cost of your foalishness.”

“You’re… g-going to put me in prison for one year?”

“No. I am going to take your magic for one year. In the event that I deem you… worthy and properly humbled after a year, you may have it back.” She glanced to Twilight. “Do you have any objections?”

Twilight shook her head. It was a far more merciful, and bearable, punishment at least. Though she felt her mind spinning again now. She eeped when the door opened and Tirek was led inside. His face was forced into a frown. “Ah, so her royal darkness summons us once again.” He glanced down at Trixie. “One pony this time? Or did you intend to include your guards and servants?”

The blue unicorn stared up at the centaur, her eyes wide with fright. “N-no, please. I-I’ll stop performing! I’ll stop doing magic tricks! I’ll be a farmer! I’ll even be a rock farmer! P-please, don’t take my magic! You can’t! You can’t!” the unicorn screamed, before she turned tail and tried to flee, but before she made it a few feet she was picked up in purple magic and drawn back.

“This is your punishment for your crimes,” Nightmare Moon said. “You will bear it, one way or another. Cease your prattling or we will extend it.”

“No no no no,” Trixie whimpered, struggling in the magical binding as the centaur came closer. “Please, please no. I’ll do anything. I’ll--”

Tirek leaned in closer, opening his mouth. Within a few minutes the deed was done and the blue unicorn’s eyes closed and she collapsed in the magical grip, tears flowing down her face. Twilight closed her eyes and couldn’t watch as the power flowed into Nightmare Moon. Once it was done and she heard the clop clop of Tirek’s hooves walking away, she slowly peered at the collapsed mare.

“Guards, take her to be tended to. When she has awoken, send her on her way,” the alicorn said before getting to her hooves. “We will retire for the evening.”

Twilight eyed the alicorn for a moment, watching her leave, then the guards move into position. She waited a few moments before glancing to Moondancer. She then turned and walked off.

------

Twilight took a slow, deep breath before reaching out and gently tapping on the door. For a moment, there was silence, then a groggy voice. “Yes?”

“Nightmare Moon? It’s me, your bard. Can I speak with you?”

There was silence, then the door opened a crack. Twilight stepped inside and saw the great alicorn standing in front of her bed, gazing down on the mare. “What is it, bard? Have you come to make more demands?”

Twilight gulped and then shook her head. “N-no. I ummmm… I wanted to thank you.”

The alicorn looked confused. “Pardon?”

“I wanted to thank you for showing mercy on her. You didn’t have to, but you did. You could have easily just… drained her and tossed her aside. But… you listened to me and I ummmm...” She chewed on her lower lip. “Thank you.”

Nightmare Moon stared down at her. “We have already spoken of this, have we not? We told you that we respect your thoughts and opinions. You are my bard and you have served us well.”

Twilight nodded, looking down. “I… also wanted to say… I’m sorry,” she said softly.

That made the alicorn pause. “Sorry?”

“For the library. What I did… I was angry. Seeing books being destroyed like that… it was the wrong thing to do. It was very, very much the wrong thing to do and I expect better from you. But… you also… could have punished me for it. You might have. But you didn’t. You’ve been merciful and...” She was silent for a long moment. “And thank you… for Spike.”

The alicorn went rigid. “Spike? The dragon?”

“Yes, I know about what you… did.”

“We did nothing!” Nightmare Moon said defensively. “We merely allowed you to keep it as a pet, that is all. A foalish notion, but one we have, grudgingly, allowed.”

She blinked a few times, cocking her head to the side. “What? No, I mean the collar.”

“What about the collar?”

“It… didn’t choke him?”

“What? O-of course it would have. We warned him of it, did we not? We are not one to make idle threats. Especially not to one that threatened our kingdom, messenger or not.”

Twilight blinked a few times, her head cocking to the side. “What? But the collar didn’t activate?” The alicorn wasn’t looking her in the eye anymore, either.

“It was never triggered then, that is all. We would not have let the dragon walk around free, baby or not, after what it said. You are thinking too much on this, bard.”

“But--”

“ENOUGH!” Nightmare Moon snapped, stomping a hoof down. “We will have no more talks of this matter. If you wish to get rid of your dragon pet, that is fine. We have no care for it.”

“What? No! Spike is great, he’s been really useful and I, I ummm… I just wanted to apologize. And thank you. For… being… nice. Now. Nicer. Than before. Less angry. I guess. Sorry.”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “Of course. We have only ever wanted what is best for our ponies, that is all.”

Twilight nodded and then started to go to the door, before pausing. “Your highness? Can you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Return that mare’s power to her? In a year? If she’s… good?”

“Of course we can.”

“Does that mean… the others you drained, you may return their power to them?”

There was a long pause, before the mare nodded. “Should I believe they ever truly swear loyalty to us, yes. But we will not stand by and allow ponies to make constant assaults on our life, just because we have no desire to execute them. Removing their power is merely the simplest means by which to ensure they cease their stupidity. Should they learn… it is possible that one day we may return the power to those who are truly loyal.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. “R-really? All of them?”

“We severely doubt they would all ever prove to become loyal to us.”

“Oh, right. I… ummm… I… thank you, your highness. May… I be excused?”

“Of course.” Twilight almost made it to the door when she heard a soft sigh. “Ummm...”

The earth pony paused and glance back. “Yes, your highness?”

“Thank you. For the apology. We… understand we… had gone too far but...”

“You did… but… so did I. I’m just a little protective of books and I’m sorry.” The other mare didn’t respond and Twilight stepped out from the room, closing it behind herself. She looked towards the door for a moment, before heading down the steps. She didn’t know if it was wise, but a part of her wasn’t feel as scared as she felt she should. She wondered if Nightmare Moon really had meant all that, just how far could she push her? She couldn’t believe she was actually making changes. However, her task was done and she had some new information, which meant she only had one more place to go.

------

Twilight nervously pushed open the medical room’s door and gave a small smile to the blue unicorn laying on the bed. “Heyyyy...”

“The… the pathetic and useless Trixie doesn’t want to talk to you or anypony else,” Trixie muttered. “She merely wants to revel in her misery and consider jumping off the balcony.”

“There’s a lot of guards here, it wouldn’t work,” Twilight said before cringing. “That’s not… I mean… Trixie, right? I ummm… I wanted to see how you are doing.”

“How does it LOOK like I am doing?” the mare snapped, glaring at her. “I’m pathetic! I’m like… like an earth pony! No, worse than that! I don’t even have earth pony magic! My tricks, my illusions, all of them, gone!”

“W-well, it’ll… just be for a year...”

“Bah! As if that mare will ever return my powers to me. After… after this humiliation I...” She lowered her head back down. “Please, just leave me in my misery. Let me suffer alone.”

Twilight frowned and moved over, reaching out and gently patting her back.

“Do not touch me.”

Twilight yanked her hoof back. “E-eep, sorry. So, ummm, is there anypony I can call?”

“Call? Like who, the press? Want this in some tabloid? The Great and Powerful Trixie, ruined?”

“No, like family? Somepony you could… stay with for a while, maybe?”

There was a long moment of silence before she shook her head. “No. There is nopony. Why would there be anypony?”

“Maybe some friends or--”

“NO! Just leave! I will tend to this myself!” the unicorn screamed.

Twilight cringed and backed away. “T-Trixie. It’s just for a year. If… if you can stay out of trouble, I assure you you’ll get your powers back,” she said softly.

“Go! Just go!” Trixie yelled, burying her head in her pillow.

Twilight watched her, before sighing. She turned and made her way to the door.

“Wait,” Trixie’s voice came up, making the mare pause at the door.

“Yes?” Twilight asked, glancing back.

The unicorn sat up, staring at the mare. “Will... will she really... give me my power back?”

“In a year, yes. I can pretty much guarantee it. Nightmare Moon is a bit of a...” She struggled for the right word. A part of her wanted to say something nasty, but the mare was calming down. Slowly. It didn't feel right. She supposed she should just go with the standard. “Difficult mare at times. She's often... not the friendliest or calmest. But she will often keep her word and tries to work with her ponies. I can assure you, in one year's time if you can avoid taunting her, your powers will be returned.” Oh how she hoped that was true.

Trixie sighed and closed her eyes, giving a nod. “G-good. I... I need my... powers. I need my magic. I can't... I won't...” She shuddered.

“I know it's hard,” Twilight said softly before walking over and patting her withers. “But it'll be okay. In a year your life will be back to normal. Is there anypony you can stay with for the time being?”

“What?”

“Friends, family? There has to be somepony, right?”

The mare shook her head. “No. Ugh, this means I'm going to have to get a... a common job like some NORMAL pony, doesn't it?”

Twilight frowned, not sure how she felt about the way she said 'normal' pony. But she did nod. “Yes, I supposed you will. Do you have any special skills or talents that will, ahhh, help?”

“Skills? Talents?” Trixie puffed up her chest. “Why, I am the greatest stage magician alive and the second greatest to have ever lived!” She then collapsed back down. “But now I'm just... just some kind of horned earth pony,” she grumbled darkly.

Twilight sighed and rubbed her chin. “I... might know a place you can work. It likely won't be comfortable, but compared to... well, your complete and utter lack of options, it may be your best bet.”

Trixie hummed and glanced over. “What do you have in mind?”

Twilight grinned weakly at her. “W-well... how do you feel about, ummm... apple bucking?”

------

“Yah gotta be kiddin' me,” Applejack said, glowering at Twilight. “Yah want meh tah hire that mare?” Applejack asked, pointing a hoof emphatically at the door. “Do yah got ANY idea the trouble she went an' caused us down in Ponyville?”

The earth pony gulped and shook her head. “Err, no?”

“Well, let meh tell yah. The lil show she put on here? Yeah, it was jus' the tip of the ice berg. She showed up a few days back, spoutin' off about how anythin' we can do, she can do better. Ended up peevin' half the town!”

Twilight cringed. “And to you?”

“She didn't do anythin' tah me. Ah wasn't around. But apparently she tried tah get Big Mac tah be one of her show stallions, wanted him tah dance on stage!”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. “Please tell me you're joking.” She couldn't avoid getting a little pink in her cheeks.

“Eeyup! Even magiced on some feathery outfit ontah him. If yah send her down tah Ponyville without some warnin' the mare's gonna get lynched! An' considerin' some of the stories I've heard, she might darn well deserve it!”

Twilight cringed and gave a nod. This was not what she wanted to hear. But it wasn't like she had a lot of other options. “You need help on the farm, don't you?”

Applejack frowned, before sighing. “Nah. We could always use an extra hoof, but ah ain't sure some lil unicorn is gonna be much use. Especially one like that.”

“What if, err, the crown was able to partially compensate you for what you spend on her?”

Applejack blinked, frown. “Yah mean basically yah pay her tah work for meh?”

“Yes! Sorta.”

Applejack rubbed her chin, then shook her head. “No. Ah don't like it.”

“W-what? Why? It's perfect! She gets a job, you get a pony working for you, it works in every way!”

“It sounds a bit too much like a hoof out. Ah been runnin' that farm for years an' ah ain't never needed the government tah pay for anythin' of mine. It...” She trailed off, before shaking her head. “She really ain't got nowhere else tah go?”

“She really ain't. Doesn't,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Why can't Nightmare Moon deal with her? This whole mess is her fault!”

“Yes, it is. But I'm not sure if Trixie can last a full year under her eye.”

Applejack groaned and shook her head, before blinking. “Wait, yah want her tah do some kinda government work, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, Ponyville's needed a librarian for a while.”

Twilight tried to process that. “Has... NEEDED one for a while? As in doesn't HAVE one? That's... that doesn't... how can... how has it survived?! How are you ponies living there?”

“It's survived just fine without one of you fancy book pushers,” Applejack said smugly. “But listen. We ain't had one for, well, a bit since before Nightmare Moon came. Now, the place practically runs itself and they've been usin' it more or less as storage an' temporary lodging whenever some fancy hoity toity from Canterlot swings by and needs government lodging. Ah'm sure if yah talk tah Mayor Mare, she'd be more than happy tah set Trixie up there. She'd need tah deal with cleanin' the place up and movin' all the storage an' such. But it'll probably be a lot better than workin' on the farm.”

Twilight blinked, then nodded. “I... I guess that can work. Was she really that bad?”

“Accordin' tah some of the accounts ah've heard, yeah. Ah missed the whole thing or ah mighta hoofed her in the face. Ah mean, what kinda pony goes walkin' inta town braggin' about how they're better than everypony else?”

“A... very confident one?”

Applejack just stared flatly at her.

“... Right. But it's not like she has a lot of options.”

Applejack sighed and gave a nod. “Ah know. Ah'll send a letter back, give everypony a bit of warning. Yah try an' get matters settled diplomatically, okay? See if we can at least tolerate her. How about that mare? How she faring?”

“Trixie? She's... upset. When I told her the idea... she was less than thrilled at the notion of working a farm.”

“... Really. Yah don't say,” Applejack said without a hint of disbelief, making Twilight's cheeks turn red.

“L-listen, I still think if there's no other option it won't be a bad idea. Will you at least consider it?”

Applejack sighed and put a hoof to her face, shaking it. “Fine. Whatever. If yah can't get the library to work, ah'll see what ah can do. But she likely won't be paid much, we ain't exactly rollin' in bits. But we can give her lodgin' and meals if she works hard. Sound good?”

Twilight nodded. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.” She glanced towards the door. “I'd probably best go meet with her again, let her know.”

Applejack nodded. “Well, yah have some luck with that. Ah gotta go get back tah work on the menu.”

“Oh? Is it giving you any trouble?”

“What? Nahhhh. Ah'm workin' on all kinds of fancy dishes from all over the Apple family. This here gonna be a feast unlike any other, jus' yah wait an' see.”

Twilight nodded, licking her lips. “Well, if it's anything like what I've sampled down at your farm, it'll be amazing.”

The earth pony laughed. “Hey, yah go an' get me gigs like this more often, ah'll go ahead an' feed yah whateva yah like when yah come by. Buck, ah'll get yah tah the point we need tah roll yah out!”

Twilight snickered and shook her head. “Thanks, but I'd rather not. I do appreciate it, though. I'm going to go tell her what I'm going to try, okay? Thanks.” She gave one last nod before walking int the room.

“Ugh. So, tell me. Is the Great and Powerful Trixie going to be stuck kicking your little apple trees?”

Twilight frowned. It seemed that with the knowledge her magic would return in the mare's mind, part of her arrogance was returning. “Maybe. We might have something a bit more your speed.”

Trixie blinked, glaring. “You don't believe the Great and Powerful Trixie is smart enough to buck trees? Hmph.”

“We might have you work in a library, if the mayor is okay with it. Down in Ponyville.”

The blue mare sat up. “Wait, as a librarian? That is a far, far more suitable job for one such as me. It would be a waste of my time to tend to these trees, far better to leave it to the common, uncultured--”

“I can and will toss you into a wall if you start insulting my friends,” Twilight snapped. “I've done it to bigger mares than you.”

Trixie opened her mouth to object, but the look in the earth pony's eyes made her slowly close it before she lowered herself back down. “I... see. Very well. A job in this library sounds far more tolerable.” Then she sat up, her eyes going wide. “My wagon? Is it okay?”

Twilight blinked. “Your... wagon? I think it's still in the castle lot. I should probably make sure they don't tow it somewhere. Why?”

“Why? Why not? It has all of my earthly possessions in it,” the mare said with annoyance. “I will require a place to set it up if I am to live in this Ponyville.”

“... I'll see what I can do. But the library might have lodgings already.”

“That will be fine. I do not require much. Food, water, bits, a place to store my wagon, the bare essentials.” Trixie dramatically wiped a hoof across her brow. “This year will be a true challenge, a horrible, awful test of my abilities. But the Great and Powerful Trixie will never kneel down and give up due to the work of some--” The words caught in her throat and she shuddered. She then glanced to the side. “Some misfortune from the ruler.”

Twilight smiled, giving a nod. “Okay. I'll go get everything settled. Try to rest, okay?”

The mare nodded. “Of course.”

The earth pony nodded and turned back, trotting out of the room. She hummed and rubbed her chin, before trotting in the direction of the dungeons. She wanted to pay a visit to a certain centaur before she returned to work. And find out if what Nightmare Moon said was true.

------

“Oh? Come to complain about your ruler?” Tirek asked, glancing up from his book. “Did you perchance fling her out a window this time?”

“Glad to see you, too,” Twilight mumbled as she made her last few steps down the stairs. “Actually, I apologized.”

“Oh? You apologized after she drained that mare? Was it fear, or perchance did you think it would make her relinquish her control?”

“Actually, I felt she was... trying. To be merciful. And after my reaction before, considering she didn't...” Twilight hummed. “Well, things could have gone worse. But they didn't. She's been... rather kind to me, so I wanted to thank her for it and apologize for flinging her. It might have been a bit of an over reaction.”

Tirek chuckled. “You're lucky you weren't flogged, little pony. I'm surprised you apologized to her, however. You know this is how she is, do you not?”

“How she is?”

The centaur glowered at her. “She is a creature of power like I. Do you really believe that one day she will truly grow to care for you? I hear the whispers from above, the things you ponies say about her. She doesn't have your love, affection or respect. She merely has your fear. And she has tasted the sweet temptation of real power. Once she doesn’t get what she desires willingly, she will begin to take it by force. Those who don’t bow to her whims will soon find themselves in the same state as I, enchanted and bound.”

Twilight sighed. “There’d be no point in that and… she sees it.”

“You honestly believe that?”

“What would be the point? She has power. What would she do with more? Nopony cares about how powerful she is, they only care about the things she’s done. And unfortunately, she’s done a lot of horrible things. But she’s learning. Slowly.”

“Power is all that matters, pony. And one day you will learn that. She may be playing nicely, for now, but eventually she will stop. She will decide that you ponies are worth less than what she can just take… then you’ll learn to see things my way.”

Twilight stared at the centaur, before slowly looking off to the side. “I hope that day never comes. Have you been enjoying the desserts I’ve had sent?”

He was silent for a few moments before nodding. “They have proven to be adequate. When I finally manage to free myself from my bonds and take over your little kingdom, perhaps I will have a use for your cooks.”

“Bakers.”

“What?”

“Technically bakers. Well, I guess a baker is a type of cook, but I think they’re actually just bakers. I wonder if that werepony is working for them...”

“… What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Stuff. Just… never mind,” Twilight said before shaking her head. “My life has just gotten weird.”

“Gotten weird?”

“I used to worry if my new book was going to end up getting people offended because I made a villain too villainous or not villainous enough. Or if they’d decide a character who was mostly good was suddenly offensive because they didn’t like some other character. Or… well, things like that. Now I’m afraid if I say the wrong thing, Nightmare Moon may go on a massive purge of all non-pony races. And might succeed. It’s getting a little stressful.”

“Then why not just flee?”

“Flee? No, that’s not--”

“It’s always an option, little pony,” Tirek said with a sigh.

“Nightmare Moon would--”

“Would what? Be upset? Angry? You have flung her against a wall and gotten away unscathed. Do you truly believe she shall hurt you? No. Pony, you’d best leave now.” He smiled coldly to her. “While she is feeling kind. Because if you don’t, you’ll fall deeper into her power. Eventually that option of escape will be lost to you and you’ll have nopony to blame but yourself.”

“But I’m helping ponies now, I’m--”

“So? Allow somepony else to do it.”

“I can’t!”

“Why?”

“I… I have the chance. The ability to. I can’t just--”

“You are a writer, are you not? How is any of this your responsibility? Why should you even care? You have given no oath to protect this lands. So why do it if it frustrates you so?”

She stared, opening her mouth before looking down. “I… I have to. I--”

“No, you don’t,” Tirek said with a soft chuckle. “I’ve already figured out why, though.”

Twilight sighed. “Really? Okay, why do I do it?”

“The same reason I exist, the same thing that Nightmare Moon is reveling in. Power.”

Twilight stared. “W-what? I don’t have power!”

“Oh, but you do, little mare. You have attacked your ruler and remain unscathed. You need merely say the word and she bends to your will. Using nothing but ink and words you have managed to become one of the most powerful ponies in this foalish little kingdom, a true threat to any who would dare turn against you. And you are reveling in it.”

Twilight stared at him, her mouth falling open. “You’re insane. I don’t, why would I want power like that? Why would--”

“Oh, don’t try to fool me, pony. I had been… struggling to understand your motivations for the longest time. To understand why a pony such as you would even wish to be here. To try and be…. considerate of me. But it all makes so much sense now. You, little earth pony, crave power just as anyone else. But unlike me or your ruler, you do not have the strength to take it. Instead you move in close to those who have it. You twist your fancy words to make them slowly bow to your whims.”

“That’s not, I don’t--”

“It’s no insult, pony,” he said with a shake of his head. “In fact, I am most impressed. I had believed myself a master of manipulation, one who could control even the strongest minds. But you, little creature, had almost managed to pull the wool over my eyes.”

“I-I have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re not making any sense.”

“Oh, but I am making perfect sense, little pony,” he said with a laugh. “Or have you even managed to fool yourself?” He put his book down and slowly got up, moving closer. “You’ve said it yourself, you’re protecting ponies. How better to do it than to control your ruler? To manipulate her into properly serving you? And then, when the time is right, replace her?”

Twilight took a step back, shaking her head. “You’re not… making any sense. That’s stupid. That theory doesn’t even make sense...”

“And it makes less sense than some whiny little earth pony who believes her little ruler can be saved? How many hundreds of thousands of your ponies will be drained of their very essence before you will understand?” he asked with a chuckle. “You may not realize what you’re doing, but I can. Eventually you will turn on this mare. Your thirst for power will drive you to it.” He took a step forward, up against the bars. “And then that mare will leave an opening. An opening you will have spent months or even years creating. And then you will take her place. As that is what you’ve been after all along.”

Twilight took a slow, deep breath, before staring flatly at him. “And let me guess, if I aid you, you will give me that power?”

He blinked. “Of course not.”

“The whole imprisoned villain slowly turning the pony from the shadows is an overdone trope.”

“W-what?” he asked, staring at her in shock.

“Tirek. I’m a WRITER. I’ve written dozens of stories where the villains end up trying to turn the heroes against their friends and the like by making up stuff like… that. If you want to try tricking me into aiding your escape or something else silly, you’ll need to try a lot harder.”

He stared at her for a few moments before snorting. “It’s no--”

“It’s no trick, I’m sure,” she said flatly. “I have no want, nor need, for power. I’m merely doing this because I don’t know what Nightmare Moon will do if I stop. And I don’t want to find out I’ve left Equestria in a worse position than before. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, all I know is I’m trying my hardest and hoping and praying that I can get everything right. That I won’t mess it up and cause things to spiral out of control. You don’t have to believe me, if you don’t want to. If you’d rather see me as some power hungry mare, trying to manipulate Nightmare Moon for my own ends, feel free. It’s delusional, but what do I care?”

Tirek blinked and stared at her. He then burst into laughter, shaking his head and trotting back to his bed. “Very well, call me delusional. But the time will come, little pony. She will offer you power, true power. And then you will feel the same taste I and so many others have and then you will become just like me.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I won’t. I only want to help ponies and… this isn’t a power situation. We can’t just blast everything back to normal. Not after all that’s happened. We’d need Celestia for that.”

“Oh? And have you found her?”

The earth pony went silent. She looked away from him before turning and walking towards the stairs, trotting up them with a sigh. She soon heard Tirek’s laughter from below.

Author's Notes:

And so begins Trixie's story! So, over the next few days I will post the remaining chapters of the first season of Twilight Glow. That's right. It's done. Once I finish posting it all, I'll give 2 weeks into the start of december, due to the holidays, to finish up the contest. But the time is coming, so if you want to submit something, now is the time.

Sorry took a bit longer on this one, my mind has been.... everywhere lately. Just... ugh.

S1 CH 22. Finished!

Twilight sighed and collapsed into her bed, drawing a look from Spike. “That bad, huh?” he asked.

“I can’t believe it,” she grumbled.

He nodded. “A little behind schedule, aren’t you? I thought you wanted it done before the gala?”

She sighed and rolled over onto her back. “I did. It was… harder than I though. But… finally...” She glanced to the book on her desk.

Finally, after countless hours, who knew how many weeks or months, it was finished. Her book was done. She’d done her own edits, removed as many errors as she could, made sure everything matched up correctly from beginning to end and, frankly, done her best job to make sure the story was not just entertaining, but informative as well.

She had to have it sent to real editors of course, but that could wait. First there was one other pony she had to have look at it.

“Do you think she’s going to like it?” Spike asked.

“Parts of it? Yes. Other parts I imagine she’ll throw a tantrum. Maybe I should wait until after the gala to give it to her,” Twilight mumbled. “It’s almost time, so it’s not like it’d be a long wait. I’d rather not making her have more stress on top of everything else going on. But if I don’t give it to her now and she finds out, she’ll probably get mad later and just… ugh,” Twilight muttered and shook her head.

“Could just give it to her and let her decide if she wants to read it later? I mean, she is an adult. Probably. I’m sure she can make decisions for herself.”

Twilight blinked and glanced to Spike. “Probably?”

“What? She can be childish at times and I’ve only seen the one alicorn. Maybe that’s the size they are as babies.”

“That doesn’t even… Celestia was thousands of years old. I think Nightmare Moon is, too,” Twilight snapped before face hoofing. “Just… it… no. She’s just a brat, that doesn’t make her a child.” She glanced back to the book. “But, I suppose you’re right. It’s almost time for the gala. I can probably trust Nightmare Moon to decide the proper time to read the book.”

“Are you excited?”

“Honestly? A bit. I always get this awesome little high after I finish a book. All that effort and work tossed into something I created with my own hooves. I mean, sure, I wish it could be for happier reasons and not because ponies out there are scared and terrified they’re all going to die. But it still feels good to know after all my hard work and dedication, it’s done. My book is finally finished.”

Spike nodded. “I guess. Seems like wayyyy too much work in my opinion. Hard enough to read all that weird pony stuff, let alone write it.”

Twilight glanced down to him, eying the comic besides his bed. “Enjoying the power ponies?”

“Yeah, they’re cool, I guess. I don’t like how the one dragon in their group is such a dork, though. They should just remove him. All he does is make things worse.”

“What, no, that’s not what that kind of character is for.”

Spike snorted. “Oh? Then what is he?”

She smiled and reached down, patting his head. “Obviously he’s the heart of the group.”

“Gaaaaag.”

“He’s the one without all the special powers and abilities, the one who’s just normal and messes up a lot, but because of that, it allows the reader to feel better about themselves. They get to realize that, even when they mess up, it doesn’t mean they’re a failure or they don’t deserve to be in the groups they’re in. It just means sometimes they have to work harder. And then when they have their moment in the sun, it’s all the better because they had to work so hard for it.”

Spike snorted. “Really? That seems a bit silly.”

“It also helps ponies to realize that, even when they're not as strong or capable as some other ponies, it doesn't mean they can't still help. After all, just beating a foe into submission rarely works. It's usually far more effective to talk with them and try to understand why it is they do what they do.”

“Like you're doing with Nightmare Moon?” he asked.

She paused, before nodding. “Yes. Kind of. I mean, I understand most of why she does what she does. She's clingy and lonely, fairly anti-social, angry. Well, she was angry. Now... now I'm not so sure.”

Spike shrugged and grabbed his comic. “She seems pretty angry to me.”

“I think stressed is more accurate in this situation,” she muttered. “The gala has... everypony on edge. For good reason. If it goes well, then, well, yay. But if it goes poorly...”

“Return of Nightmare 'whip all who oppose me' Moon?”

The earth pony nodded with a groan. “Exactly. All the tickets are sold, but if somepony was planning to make a big political statement, well, this would be the time. And it might end up ruining months of hard work,” she muttered.

“Won't that just make things worse, though? Would it even accomplish anything?”

“Publicly snubbing Nightmare Moon on her big night? It will be a grand gesture that will make the ponies doing it feel good about themselves, as if they're accomplishing something, but it won't really achieve anything in this situation. There are times for that thing, but this isn't one of them.”

Spike cocked his head to the side. “Really? Then when is the time?”

“When she doesn't have a death grip on the country,” Twilight muttered, before sitting down. “See, the problem is we can't stop her all together. If this was some gesture to rally the troops, so to speak, to help us overthrow her that'd be one thing. But she turned a dragon into a squirrel. Or rabbit or... whatever she turned it into.”

“A squirrel.”

“Exactly. She's powerful, far more powerful than any of us. Even combined. But in the end, she cares. She cares about what we think, what we do, how we feel. She, more or less, wants us to like her. What she needs now, more than anything, is positive reinforcement.”

“You make her sound like a puppy,” he muttered.

“What? It's normal psychology.”

“Let me guess, you have a minor?”

She gave a sheepish smile. “Y-yes. Positive reinforcement is just a good way to make a pony do what you want. Ponies like feeling special and complimented, so it's really the best way to go about it. Whenever we make her feel good about the things she does, the better things may get for us. But if she feels like no matter what happens, she's still going to be ignored and hated...” She gave a light shudder. “Then everything can go wrong. Because if she can't earn our love and respect, why should she even try? Nopony wants to feel like no matter how hard they try they can never win.”

Spike nodded, glancing down to his comic. “Mmmm hm. So is throwing her against the wall positive reinforcement?”

She cringed. “That is what happens when I over react, okay? Sometimes it happens. Sometimes a pony makes the wrong decisions and bad things happen, okay? I messed up, I'm sorry.”

Spike chuckled. “Hey, you don't need to apologize to me. I thought it was hilarious.”

“Anyway, I stand by what I said. We're in a delicate time now, it would be so easy for everything we've worked on to go wrong now. All it will take is one pony deciding 'I'm going to make a difference by spitting in Nightmare Moon's face' for everything to start spiraling back down to where we were.”

Spike nodded. “You think it will go that bad?”

She was silent for a moment before shaking her head. “No. Worst case scenario, we get some high and mighty sort trying to make a grand gesture, they send Nightmare Moon off on a grand... pissed offness. But what's more likely to happen is we get some noble trying to make a grand gesture, she gets mad, we manage to comfort her, this pony loses their lands and deeds or possibly becomes an enemy of the crown and has their power drained. After the whole Trixie incident I'm a little doubtful they'll do that. Publicly shaming her is just not the way to get what they want and they will really lose things in that event.”

“So, what is the way? Codling her?”

“Showing her that ponies actually could like her if she wouldn't cause so many problems,” Twilight grumbled. “Her nights are pretty, anypony can see that! The moon and the stars and sometimes we have the northern lights and the meteor showers. All of those are so pretty and wonderful, but it's not ALL we want to see, all we want to experience. Until she realizes that, not much is going to change and we're going to just be stuck in this horrible cycle of things going from bad to worse. More and more ponies are accepting her though, if for no other reason than they feel they have no choice. But there's always going to be this bitterness as long as she holds the sun and Celestia hostage.”

Spike nodded. “Mmmm. You think you can get her to knock it off?”

“I don't know. Yes? Maybe? Hopefully this book will help,” Twilight muttered before rolling out of bed and trotting over to it. She picked it up and examined it. “Hopefully this will teach ponies and help them understand that, yes, she's here. No, we can't over throw her. But that doesn't mean we have to. Co-existence IS a possibility.”

“You think she's going to like it? The book, I mean?”

“I don't know. I'd... best go and bring it to her,” Twilight muttered before tossing her saddlebag on and flicking the book into it. The all too familiar weight felt somehow far worse this time as she trotted out of the door.

And was nearly trampled by a few ponies hauling a great statue. “Gang way!”

She yelped and dove back in, before glaring at the ponies. It wasn't the first time she'd nearly been trampled and she doubted it would be the last. The gala was fast approaching and the final preparations were now being set. Her room had a noise nullification enchantment cast on it, but once she was outside she could hear the sound of hammers and saws working tirelessly to get everything prepared for the festivities. While the primary reconstructions were occurring down below in the crystal mines, the main castle was still being prepared as the guests would be traveling through it. Great statues of Nightmare Moon and her subjects throughout time were being set up and the main entrance to the castle now had thousands of fake stars flying up above, with a great dome upside down on the roof, signifying the moon.

She trotted through the halls, cringing when she went by the kitchen. “Now yah listen here yah two bit chef, ah don't care if 'Rosemary's guide tah all things cakes' says yah need tah add three tablespoons of sugar. The recipe calls for two tablespoons an' we Apples been workin' on this recipe for generations! Now if yah got some suggestion, fine, but ah want a good reason for it, not jus' cause yah read it in some overpriced cook book!”

Twilight let out a soft chuckle before trotting into the cafeteria. The room was filled with ponies and stacks of food on the table, with unicorns moving about to enchant it to keep it fresh until the gala. She walked to the kitchen door and propped it open just a bit. Applejack was standing besides a plethora of cakes, pies, fritters, as well as salads, muffins and cookies. There was a flurry of activity inside as the ponies raced about, trying to perfect everything as best they could.

“How's it going?” Twilight asked.

Applejack blinked and looked up, before sighing. “It's all goin' well enough. Though, ah'll admit, gettin' all this food prepped is turnin' out tah be a bit more difficult than ah'd initially expected.” She walked out from the room, shaking her head.

“Is everything going okay? Do you need any more help?” Twilight asked.

Applejack sighed before glancing back. “Nah. Honestly? Most of them cooks an' bakers back there are worth their weight in bits.”

“Awwwww,” echoed from the kitchen.

The mare rolled her eyes. “But they all ain't got a proper appreciation from proper apple treats!” she snapped.

There were light chuckles from the kitchen.

“Getting along well enough with them, at least,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Any other problems?”

“Nah, not really. Was havin' a bit of trouble gettin' all the food we needed, were runnin' a bit low on sugar an' flour that we needed. But now we got everythin' back in order.” She then sighed. “The most annoyin' part is, well... the special orders.” She trotted over to a big sparkly binder on one of the nearby tables.

“Special orders?” Twilight asked.

“Oh yeah. Here, stand back,” Applejack said before grabbing a nearby stick in her mouth. With a flourish, she used it to push the binder open. Instantly confetti shot out of it, filling the air. She tossed the stick aside. “Pinkie likes tah go a bit overboard.”

“I... I see,” Twilight said softly. “And...?”

“You ain't seen nothin' yet. Go ahead. Start readin'.”

Twilight hummed and moved forward. Then paused. Her eyes went wide. “This... this is brilliant.”

“Keep readin'.”

“How did she come up with this? This... this is amazing. There are flow charts! Maps! Note cards on every guest! How did she learn all this?”

“That's just Pinkie. Keep goin'.”

“But this is amazing. She even...” She trailed off and stared at the seating arrangements. She started cross referencing it with the notes on guests, her mouth falling open. It was perfect. Not a single guest who hated another guest was near each other. Even the triple Chestnut/Walnut/Pinecone family feud looked as if it had been dealt with correctly and considering how relatively new it was, she couldn't help but be impressed. She didn't think she could have done as good a job. “This is amazing.”

“Keep. Reading.”

“Why? What could-- oh. Oh dear. That... oh dear.”

“There yah go.”

“... Wait. How do you... make an apple pie without...” Twilight face hoofed. “So they want a peach pie, basically?”

“Eeyup. Ah don't know why they couldn't jus' say, 'Hey, ah want a peach pie'. Who in tarnation asks for an apple pie, jus' replace the apples with peaches? An that ain't even the worst of them!”

“I didn't know we were doing requests like that.”

Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Blame Pinkie Pie. She added a 'suggestion/requests' box to the tickets to be submitted as of last week. Sometimes ah don't know what that mare is thinkin'.”

“Will you be able to do it?”

“Hm? Do it? Ah, of course. Ah mean, it ain't really gonna be that hard. Make a few extra pies, make some things without certain ingredients. Lots of lactose intolerance ponies in this city it seems,” Applejack said with a shrug. “It's just a whole bunch of extra work an' it's provin' tah make things difficult.”

She nodded, then glanced around the mostly empty cafeteria. “So, where are ponies eating.”

“Honestly? We jus' been dumpin' whatever we mess up on to the barracks. Ain't had much call for complaints, yet. After all, a cake that leans slightly to the left is, well, still a cake.”

“Wait, you're not just feeding the guards sweets, are you?”

Applejack cocked an eye. “Of course not. This ain't jus' a desert thing. We got all kinds of proper food up an' ready for this here shin dig. But ah still got a ton of work tah do, so if yah ain't got no need for nothin', yah mind beatin' it?”

Twilight blinked, then gasped. “O-oh. Right, I guess you guys are kind of busy, aren’t you?”

“Jus’ a tad. I’d love tah chat an’ hang out, but well… yah know how it is. We need tah get as much of this work done now, right an’ proper, as we can.”

Twilight nodded. “Right, of course. I’ll go ahead and stay out of your mane then. Good luck,” she said before giving a wave and trotting off. She slowly navigated through the halls, coming to the main entrance and pausing when she saw Rarity standing off to the side and motioning towards the curtains.

“Okay, we’ll need to replace those ones as well. We have a an absolutely delightful shooting star grouping we can use that I am sure will be a big hit with all the ponies visiting,” the mare said with a nod. “However, make sure to keep the one with the new royal seal in the middle, I want ponies to still realize where they are and having it over the main entrance will help to remind them of that, without distracting from the feel,” the unicorn said.

“Everything going well?” Twilight asked as she walked up.

“Hmmm?” the unicorn asked before glancing up. “Oh, it’s being absolutely delightful. We should have all of the decorations prepared with plenty of time to spare. The caverns are an absolute dream now, if you get the chance I would heavily recommend you take the time to go see them.”

Twilight nodded and looked around. “Where’s Pinkie?”

“Oh, I have no idea, darling. She could be anywhere. I’ve seen her popping in and out of town all week,” Rarity said with a shake of her head, before cringing. “No, the statue needs to be in front of the door, so ponies go around it, not to the side! Oh dear.”

Twilight nodded, chuckling. “Have you seen Nightmare Moon?”

“Mmmm. Not all morning. Maybe ask some of the other girls?”

“Oh? Do you know where they are?”

“Hmmm. Rainbow is out in the main courtyard practicing with the other Shadowbolts. Might I suggest there? Nightmare Moon might be supervising. Other than that, perhaps try Fluttershy. She’s started tending to the royal pets.”

Twilight blinked. “Royal… pets?”

“Oh, indeed. The gardens apparently have quite a large amount of different critters that abound within. They were apparently a tad timid and shy around her at first, but with the aid of one of the caretakers, they’ve slowly grown to like her.”

Twilight nodded, giving a sigh. “Well, I’ll go find those two first then, thank you.”

She trotted outside and let out a gasp. True to Rarity’s words, there were a number of ponies standing outside and many more in the sky. Despite the fact the night sky overhead was an impossibly black backdrop, the uniforms of the Shadowbolts seemed to glow different colors, leaving streaks of glowing purple in their wake as they flew about, diving and weaving amongst each other. It was like watching a great tapestry being made by a dozen needles all at once. They spun and weaved amongst each other, the colors mixing into vibrant displays.

Twilight joined the onlookers, staring with awe. The ponies swirled around, finally creating an outline of Nightmare Moon before it exploded into dazzling stars above, then dove down. The Shadowbolts panted with exhaustion, their bodies covered in sweat. The crowd cheered at their magnificent display nonetheless, stomping their hooves in appreciation as the ponies merely waved at their fans.

Twilight trotted up. “Rainbow! You here?”

“Hmmm?” one of the Shadowbolts asked, before trotting over. She had a water bottle in her hoof. “Hey, Twilight, what’s up? Did you catch that?”

“Yes, that was amazing! What’s with your uniforms?” She suddenly realized Rainbow’s was glowing a light purple. “Is it okay?”

“It’s part of the show,” Rainbow said proudly. “It’s how we get all the light stuff to show up. We all have different colors and, as much as I hate to admit it… it’s sooooo cooooool. It’s a shame the Wonderbolts didn’t do more night shows before all this happened.” She then frowned and looked around, moving in a little closer. “Though… I still kind of wish they’d be able to do a few more day shows, if you know what I mean.”

Twilight sighed and gave a nod. “I know exactly what you mean. I wish we could all get a few day shows. So practice is going well?”

“Yeah. We’ve got a few more rehearsals to do, but we’re mostly just working the opening. After that, we’ll be mingling with the crowds as representatives. It’s going to be awesome,” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Ah, hello!” a pegasus said, stepping forward before bowing his head. “A pleasure to meet you. You must be this Twilight I’ve heard so much about?”

The earth pony blinked and nodded. “Err… yes? And you’re…?”

“Oh, right. Twilight, meet Shadowfang, my teacher.”

She blinked and looked him up and down. His goggles were up, revealing his yellow eyes. Then she glanced back to his hooves. “Oh! You must be one of the wereponies. A pleasure to meet you,” she said with a smile. “I had heard rumors that some of the Shadowbolts were them, but I didn’t know--” The words caught in her mouth when she saw the look of horror on his face. “Is something wrong?”

Rainbow chuckled and shook her head. “What? Twilight, don’t be ridiculous. He’s not a werepony.”

She blinked. “What? But… the eyes. The claws. The--”

“I think I’d know… if… he...” The pegasus trailed off and stared at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. “Wait...”

The pegasus shuffled in place. “I-it’s not, I mean, R-Rainbow, it’s not like that. I just, err, I-I didn’t want to, I thought--”

“Wait, you ARE?” Rainbow snapped.

Twilight couldn’t help but notice plenty of the other Shadowbolts were giving her dirty looks now.

“I, well, kinda, but I just thought--”

“We’ve been working together for months! Why didn’t you tell me? We’ve crashed into each other like a dozen times! What if I’d been infected?!”

Twilight perked up. “Actually, spreading of the lycanthrope disease doesn’t work like that. Remember what I said--”

“Twilight, not now,” Rainbow snapped. “You and I are supposed to be wingponies, why didn’t you tell me?”

“I-I didn’t, I mean, it’s not like I didn’t want to tell you, I was just waiting for the right time, I know you aren’t comfortable with the whole--”

“What? Finding out my partner has been hiding something like this from me? No, I’m not. We’re supposed to look out for each other!”

He shuffled. “I-I just, I thought you knew, s-since, I mean--”

“Bull feathers!”

He cringed and lowered himself. “I… I just… I didn’t… want you to react like this,” he squeaked.

“Well, hiding something this important from me was definitely the right way to go about it,” she snapped, before turning her back to him. “Twilight, what did you want?”

“Rainbow--” Shadowfang started.

“I don’t want to hear it from you,” she snapped.

Twilight stared. “I… I thought you knew, I never meant to--”

“Of course you thought I did,” Rainbow said coldly. “After all, what kind of WINGPONY would hide this kind of thing from their partner?”

Twilight cringed. “R-Rainbow, I didn’t--”

“Twilight, what did you want? If you don’t mind, I wanna make this quick. I need to go talk with Spitfire about a possible change in my partner,” Rainbow said coldly, drawing a hurt look from the other pegasus.

“I… I just wanted to know if you’d… seen Nightmare Moon.”

“Her? She was down here a bit ago watching us. Haven’t seen her in a while though, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight mumbled. She looked between the two. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’m going to be fine,” Rainbow said before she started trotting off. “I’m getting a drink.”

Shadowfang followed after her. “Rainbow, please, I--”

“Don’t! How am I possibly supposed to trust you if you’re keeping things like this from me? Are you even a pegasus? Not a griffon in disguise? We’re supposed to have each other’s backs!”

“I-I did, I do, I--”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

Twilight stared at the two, watching with worry. She glanced to the other Shadowbolts. “I… I’m sorry, I thought it was pretty obvious.”

“It was,” one of them said with a shake of her head. “We told him months ago he should have told her, but he decided to keep it a secret. Didn’t expect some nosy writer to out him, I guess.”

Twilight cringed at all the glares she was receiving, but slowly they began to dissipate. The other mare walked over. “Listen, it’s fine. It’s his own fault trying to keep something like that from her, he knew what he was doing. It was bound to blow up in his face eventually.”

Twilight nodded, eying the two walking off. “I’m still so sorry. I didn’t mean to out him like that.”

“I’m sure Rainbow will calm down,” the mare said with a shrug. “Probably.”

Twilight nodded. “I… I hope so. I’m going to go check out the gardens. I… I’ll try to see Rainbow later when she’s calmed down. Sorry for… all of this.”

“It’s fine, you couldn’t have known.”

The earth pony nodded and trotted off, though she couldn’t help feeling guilty for the trouble she caused. She hoped the other two would be okay. It didn’t take her long before she arrived at the garden and only a few more minutes to find the gentle yellow pegasus. She was sitting amongst a herd of animals who all stared at her with awe as she gently pet a bunny. “After we finished building the dam, we helped all the little gophers find a brand new home they could sleep in. Now, it wasn’t easy, but we all came together to get the job done. Oh, hi Twilight,” the mare said before giving a wave. This drew the attention of the animals and she noticed them begin to tense. “Oh, no. Don’t worry little friends. Twilight won’t do anything bad. She’s a dear, dear friend of mine. What brings you here?”

“I’m just curious if you know where Nightmare Moon is? Has she been around here?”

“Oh dear, no. I don’t think she’s ever visited the animals. The poor things are just starved for attention. It’s such a shame, really,” she said before gently petting one of the bunnies. “They’re just absolute dears, all of them. Perhaps you can try the castle?”

“I will. So, ummm, how are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m doing fine, can’t complain,” she said with a smile. “Everypony is just working so hard, I’m trying to stay out of their way.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I’ve noticed, it’s a real madhouse in there. Well, I’m going back in. Thanks.”

“It’s no problem. Stay safe.”

“I usually do.” Twilight trotted back towards the castle, going by the front so she could glance up at the flying Shadowbolts when she passed. She really hoped Rainbow would work out the problems with her friend. She trotted into the castle and cringed when she caught sight of a statue of her in the main entrance, besides Nightmare Moon. “Ummm, Rarity, is that necessary?”

“Hmmm? Oh, of course,” Rarity said with a nod, motioning to it. “Nightmare Moon specifically requested that statues of her most loyal student and advisor be put on display. Moondancer’s is already on its way.”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. Her cheeks turned bright red. “I don't know if I want everypony seeing that... I'm already practically getting egged in the streets as it is. This is just going to make matters worse. Besides, I don't transfer to statue very well.”

Rarity blinked and looked up at the statue, before glancing to Twilight. “Darling, you transfer over just fine. Listen, there's no need to be so shy.” She reached out and patted her on the back. “Listen, nopony is going to notice it next to the big statue of Nightmare Moon, so don't worry so much, okay?”

Twilight eyed it for a few more moments before giving an exasperated sigh. “Very well. She wasn't outside, have you seen her anywhere?”

“Nope. Have you tried the throne room? Or perhaps the caverns?”

Twilight shook her head. “I guess I'll try those next. I can't imagine why she'd make herself so scarce right now...” The earth pony started trotting again. While Nightmare Moon wasn't in the throne room, she did see Moondancer sitting down by the throne, a book open. “Moondancer?” the mare called out.

“Hmmm? Oh! Twilight, yes? Is there something I can help you with?” she asked with a smile.

“I'm looking for Nightmare Moon. Have you seen her anywhere?”

The unicorn shook her head. “No. She's been spending a lot of time down below, in the crystal mines. She's probably down there. Have you been well? I haven't seen you in a while.”

“I've just been working to finish the book. I think I've got most the finishing touches done, now I just need to have Nightmare Moon look over it and tell me what she thinks.”

Moondancer nodded and trotted over. “Really? It's finished already? I thought it would take a lot longer. How'd it come out? Do you think she'll like it? All of it?”

“No. But I find most ponies rarely like everything in a story. Especially not a story about them. Hopefully she'll like the majority of it, though,” Twilight said with a sigh before shaking her head. “I think she'll like most of it, though. But mostly I think I was able to explain everything every pony needs to know. About, well, almost everything. It's... been a test.”

“So this means you're done then, right? You're leaving?”

Twilight paused. “What?”

“Well, the book is finished and that was the job as... well, a bard? She'll probably let you go if you want her to.” She couldn't be sure, but she was certain she saw a light quiver to the other mare's lips.

“I don't have any intention of going anywhere,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “As much as I would like my job to be done, there's still plenty I can do. Plenty I NEED to do. And... well...” She looked around for a moment. “I honestly think the two of us have been a good influence on her. I can't help but notice how much more manageable she's become of late. How much did you have to work with her before the diplomatic meetings?”

Moondancer shuddered. “I had to go over every single treaty we'd made in the last century. Then the ones that were still active or up for renewal. I thought she was going to declare war on the donkeys about three times.” She sighed and put a hoof to her forehead and shook her head. “But once I explained everything, how happy most ponies were with the treaties we had, well...”

“She was more than happy to keep them happy?”

She nodded. “Though, the dragons still have me a bit... nerve wracked. That could have gone so badly. Can you imagine what will happen if actual war comes to us with the dragons? They're... well...”

“Huge? Goliathan? Destructive? Deadly?” Twilight offered.

“All that and more. If we actually have to fight them, hundreds, maybe thousands may die. I don't know if they plan to make a move but...”

“What about that dragon that was turned into a squirrel?”

“Hopefully that convinces them to not try for a while,” Moondancer mumbled before glancing back to her book. “But, all in all, it wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be keeping her tolerable during the negotiations. She seemed more than happy to work with everypony. A lot different from when we first met her.”

Twilight nodded and moved over by her. “Is it just me, or does she seem... well... a lot nicer lately? Like... she's actually growing and developing? Becoming nicer? Did she... tell you about what... I... well...?”

“I think she is,” Moondancer said softly. “And yes. Well, not so much told me as... confirmed it. The rumors about you actually flinging her into the wall were... exagerated, right? You just pushed her, didn't you?”

Twilight coughed into her hoof sheepishly. “Well...”

The mare managed to, barely, not snicker. “R-really? You actually did that? How are you not in chains now?”

“I have no idea,” the earth pony said with a groan. “I've been asking myself that for days.” She walked over and sat by her. “I haven't talked with you much of late but... ummm... do you think we're doing the right thing? For the right reasons?”

Moondancer shrugged. “I think we're doing the best we can for everypony. Why?”

“No reason. I just...” Twilight nudged the ground. “You don't think for example we might be... trying to get, well... power?”

The unicorn stared at her, mouth falling open. “You're kidding.”

“I-I just, I mean, I'm not saying we are. I just, well...”

“I think if we were doing this for power there'd be a lot of better ways to go about it,” she said with a shake of her head. “What even made you think that?”

“Nothing. Something. I don't know. Just something Tirek said. I--”

“Don't listen to him,” Moondancer said firmly.

“What?”

“I've found more information on him. In the restricted section.”

“You did? What did you find out?”

“He can't be trusted. When he came here, he came on a mission of peace, but he was only interested in capturing and draining ponies. He's a manipulator, pure and simple. There is absolutely nothing good about him.”

“You... you're sure?”

“He's just as vile as Nightmare Moon,” Moondancer said with a shake of her head. “If he somehow got out, we'd just be in the same situation. Trying to control him and stopping him from doing truly terrible things. Don't get close to him, he'll only betray you in the end.”

Twilight nodded, sighing. “I... know I can't trust him. Don't worry,” she said with a small smile. “I'm being careful. I just don't see any problems with getting to know him. At least a little. Who knows? Maybe he'll turn out to help us in the end.”

“Whatever you feel like,” Moondancer said with a shrug, before pausing. “Looking forward to the gala?”

“Oh, so much!”

“Is it your first one?”

“No. I've been to a few, actually. This is my first time as a guest of honor, though. Usually I was, well, just a normal guest. I'd bought my ticket and usually went with my parents. And even then it was more when I was younger.”

“Well, if your little pink friend is an example of what's to come, this gala is going to end up being like none we've ever seen before. I don't know what she plans to do, but I can guarantee it's going to end up turning quite a few heads.”

“Do you think it'll make Nightmare Moon happy?”

“It should satisfy her desire to have it unique, at the very least. Now, if she'll like it is anyone's guess.”

“Hopefully unique is enough for her,” Twilight muttered. “I'm going to go have a look around the caverns. If you see her, let her know I'm looking for her, okay?”

“Of course. Good luck, Twilight. I look forward to reading it!”

“Thanks,” the earth pony said before trotting off down the hall. Before long she came to the large stone doorway that led to the tunnels under the castle. She looked around nervously as she walked, her hoofsteps echoing through the chamber and reverberating off the many crystals. She could see her reflection in so many of them, distorted and altered.

She entered the main dining chamber, filled with tables and glassware. The roof had hundreds of crystals sticking down from above, allowing the lights to reflect off them in dazzling rainbows of color as well as giving off their own slightly dim glow. Workers were still going about, clearing out any rubble and ensuring there was no chance of any collapse in the tunnels, but for the most part the caverns were ready. She then trotted into the next chamber, one much like the first but almost completely empty, the dance floor. A platform of carved crystal was near the back, where the band would stand.

There were almost a dozen little tunnels in the room as well. Most of them were marked off with ropes and warning tape, while a few were open or just covered with a cloth rope. Those ones connected to tunnels that would be used for storage, in fact one of the tunnels had a short range teleportation circle set up for the waiters to use to bring trays and foods into the hall. There was a second one set up in the dining chamber as well.

Her eyes fell on one tunnel that was covered in ropes, though most of the ropes had been moved and pushed aside. She trotted into it and looked around. “Hello?” she called out.

She didn't receive a response and kept walking. The chamber was dirty with plenty of crystals jutting out from the walls. She didn't know why a pony would go down this way, but she knew it was dangerous. “Hello? Anypony here?” she called out again, making her way through the narrow hall.

She soon heard hoofsteps ahead and quickly picked up her speed, a grin on her lips. She turned a corner. “Are you--” The words caught in her throat.

Nightmare Moon stared down at her, her eyes wide with shock. “What are you doing down here, bard?”

“I was looking for you!”

“And how did you know we were down here?” the alicorn asked.

“I didn't. I saw the ropes were off this tunnel, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. It's dangerous to go down this way. You could get hurt or...” The words trailed off. “Well, a normal pony could get hurt.”

Nightmare Moon snorted. “Indeed, a normal pony could get hurt. We merely wished to see more of these tunnels. The chambers below are... well... quite different from what they were when last we traveled through here.”

“They were here then, as well?”

“Indeed. These lands are filled with crystals and gems. These caverns hold some particularly strong ones. They are incredibly dense and excellent in manipulating magical energies.”

“Really?” Twilight asked. “Manipulating them how?”

“Absorption, containment. For example, a place like here it would be very, very difficult for one to teleport out from. At least, using traditional teleportation magic. You'd need to have strange magic that didn't operate under normal means in order to do such a thing.”

“Even you?” Twilight asked, aghast.

“We could, if we needed. But it would be difficult task even with our now great power. Or rather... it would be easy to get to. But leaving would be quite difficult. We would need to go around the crystals themselves in order to properly move about.”

Twilight nodded, looking around. “I see. And that's why they were harvested?”

“Of course. Crystals like these are excellent for containment spells. In fact, they are the primary component by which I bind Tirek.”

Twilight nodded. “Ohhhh. Is that why you don't want the ponies going too far in?”

“Indeed. If a pony was to traverse through these mines and get lost or hurt, they would likely be unable to get help. Further up, where many of the crystals have been mined or removed it is fine. But the deeper one goes...” She shook her head.

Twilight nodded and glanced back. “So what's down there, then? How far did you go?”

“We wished to see how deep these tunnels went and examine them further. If you wish, we could take you.” There was a small pause. “But you must not travel into them alone.”

“What? Why?”

“You are but an earth pony. If you were to trip and fall, hurt yourself in some way, none could come to save you. If something... bad were to happen to you, it would upset us.”

Twilight blushed and glanced off to the side. “Thank you, your highness. I would like to examine them a bit more if I could be given the chance. If, err, that's okay. Oh! But that's not why I came to speak with you. The book is finished. Whenever you'd like to read it, it's now available for your perusal.” She motioned to the bag on her back.

The mare's eyes widened slightly. “Truly?” Her horn glowed and the bag opened, allowing her to draw the book free. She flipped it open to the first page and gently sighed, gazing through the pages.

Twilight stared in confusion, cocking her head to the side. “Your highness?”

“Hmmm?”

“You're... looking at it quite strangely.”

“We're sorry. It is just...” Nightmare Moon gave another soft sigh. “We are delighted to be able to read something that will not paint us as some monster bent on destroying Equestria and all it holds.”

“Oh, of course not. That doesn't happen until chapter six,” she joked.

“What? Why would thee write such a thing?!” Nightmare Moon asked, glowering at her. Twilight eeped.

“It... it was a joke, your highness,” she said softly, giving a nervous smile. “M-my... my apologies...”

The mare glared down at her. Then gave a light chuckle. “O-oh! A... a joke. We see. Yes. Ah, quite... quite humorous. Yes. Us destroying the kingdom we have for a great time longed to return to is... very... funny.”

Twilight coughed and looked off to the side. “R-right. I err, I guess it was in... poor taste. I'm sorry, your highness.”

“It is... quite alright, young bard. We, err, appreciate your... attempts to make us laugh. It does not have that, correct?”

“Of course not. I gave you the notes, it strictly follows that set storyline as detailed,” she said with a firm nod. “I know you won't like everything about it, but... it's as accurate a story as I could do. I've tried to put in enough so ponies can finally understand who you are and... maybe come to accept you.” She glanced off to the side. “I know it's not always going to be easy, your highness. Not... every pony will want to accept you. But... I know you're trying your hardest and I will do everything in my power to try to get ponies to understand that. Okay?”

The alicorn nodded, glancing over to her. “We... know that now, young bard. And we do appreciate it. Were it not for you...” She trailed off. “We thank you greatly for your assistance in everything. For all the aid you have offered us and... your guidance.” She glanced to the book. “Will... you... still maintain your position as our bard, even though the story is finished?”

Twilight blinked a few times. “That's what Moondancer asked me. I ummm... if I'm not fired, I will of course stay. If you'll allow it. I have no desire to run off now that the job is done. There are still plenty of jobs to do and being your bard isn't so bad. Really. I never thought I would be a bard to royalty,” she said with a smile.

“Our sister would not have appreciated you as we have, would you not agree?” Nightmare Moon asked.

Twilight blinked. “Well... I... I guess not. I mean, she did get me the whole... she was the one who wanted me to write the story to begin with. About you. That seems to be plenty appreciative.”

“Bah!” The alicorn shook her head. “We have done so much more than ask one story of you, though. We have allowed you to aid us in all of our endeavors. To... weave a story of our reign, as it were. Is that not far better than our foalish sister asked of you? Nay, far beyond what that foalish mare ever asked of you?”

Twilight blinked a few times, opening her mouth in confusion. She then gave a slow, weak nod. “I... I suppose? I don't think she wanted me to do anything more, though. She seemed quite content with me just writing this story for her. About you,” she said softly, eying the other mare. “Your highness, is something wrong?”

Nightmare Moon blinked a few times, eying her. “Tell us, bard. Do you still desire her day over our night?”

“Wait, you mean you'll bring back the day?” Twilight asked, excitement filling her voice. She realized almost instantly it was the wrong thing to say as the alicorn's eyes hardened.

“No. The sun shall NEVER return,” Nightmare Moon snapped. “We merely wished to ask of you, your opinion on it. But we see even one of our most loyal subjects STILL longs for our sister's day. Despite all we have done for you,” she grumbled darkly.

“W-wait, your highness, I never meant--”

“We both know of what exactly you meant,” the alicorn snapped, shaking her head. “There is no need, nay, no desire for you to lie. Our night still does not entice you, no matter what it is that we offer with it. And that is how it has always been and likely how it will always be, though we pamper our little ponies so.” She shook her head. “Are our stars not more beautiful than a hundred suns? Our dark tapestry upon which we weave the most beautiful and glorious of sights enough to tempt thee? And yet, still, you long for the touch of our sister's magic. To feel the glow of her sun, as if our moon is but a false imposter that dangles into the sky high above.” She shuddered. “It is no matter. We have told thee, again and again, of what will happen. The sun shall never rise again, no matter how they may beg and plead. And our sister shall NEVER return to usurp us again. For Equestria is ours and it shall be ours FOREVER!” the mare roared before storming off through the chambers.

Twilight watched her go, giving a soft sigh. “Stupid,” she whispered to herself. “So, so stupid. So close. Why did I have to get so excited?” She lightly bonked herself on the head with a hoof. She slowly trotted back out from the chamber, giving one last glance back to the crystal chamber.

“Woo, she was in a nasty mood,” Pinkie said from one of the chairs in the dining chamber, a big binder in front of her. “Hey Twilight! Did you see Moody Moony? She looked maaaaaaad.”

Twilight groaned and lightly thumped her head on the table. “I'm. An. Idiot.”

“Nahhhhhh. You're not an idiot! I mean, sure, the Equestrian school system can have some issues sometimes, but there's absolutely no way you could have gotten all those degrees if you weren't so smart.”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Not what I meant. Pinkie?” she asked, glancing up to her. She trotted over. “I saw your charts. Have you run a party this size before?”

“Nope! But we gotta try something the first time once, right? Otherwise we’d never be able to try anything because we hadn’t done it before!”

Twilight paused before slowly nodding. “I… suppose that’s true. I just want to say, I saw your seating arrangements. They were quite impressive. I would have imagined you’d done dozens of parties like this in the past to have so expertly managed it.”

She giggled and shook her head. “Oh, no, nothing like that, silly. You just need to understand ponies. Some ponies don’t like other ponies for some reason, other ponies don’t like certain things, then other ponies really like some ponies but dislike the things those ponies like and--”

“No, no, I get it,” Twilight said quickly. “I just, err, I wanted to say thank you. For everything. You’ve done a truly spectacular job and I am certain this gala will be amazing accordingly.”

“Well, I sure hope so! It’d have been a waste to try so hard if it wasn’t, now wouldn’t it?” Pinkie asked with a big giggle, smiling to her. “Thanks though! So, what do you plan to do?”

“Me?”

“Well, you’ve got your book all done, right? So what now?”

Twilight sighed. “I… am not really sure. I still have a lot to write but… I think...” She frowned and rubbed her chin. “I think Tirek should be next.”

“Ohhhh, meany giant horse butt? Fun!”

She nodded. “Oh, yes. He’s… definitely a something,” Twilight said with a small smile. “But I figure I can find out a bit more about him and maybe it’ll help ponies to understand just… what he is.” She then paused. “Buck! I forgot to ask him if Nightmare Moon could… ugh. I need to talk to him. AGAIN!”

“Oh? Have fun! Better hurry!”

“Why?”

“Gala’s almost here, silly! And you know what that means?”

“… Drinking?”

“PARTY!” Pinkie yelled, throwing confetti in the air.

Twilight stared before softly sighing and lifting a hoof to her head. “Of course. I’ll see you around, Pinkie.”

“Okie dokie loki!” the mare called, waving.

------

Twilight slowly descended the stairs that she had spent far too much time over the last few months going down. She glanced to the cell and, to her surprise, saw Tirek. He was laying on his back, his arms out over his head and hanging off over the side of the bed. His hooves were occasionally kicking in place, as if he was running upside down.

She stared for a few moments and couldn’t resist. She let out a soft little snort of laughter. A moment later the centaur’s eyes opened. He looked surprised, then glared. “Ah. You.”

“No, no, keep sleeping. You’re oddly adorable when you sleep.”

He glowered darkly at her, rolling to his hooves. “Very humorous. What do you want now, little bird?”

“I want to… wait, what? Bird?”

“Yes, bird.”

“How am I a bird? I don’t even have wings.”

“You are a bard, are you not? You sing for your mistress, doing as she wishes, a prisoner in the cage she has crafted for you. So bird.”

Twilight sighed and applied her hoof to her forehead. “I am starting to hate you.”

“Finally, the feeling is mutual.”

“Wonderful. I need to ask you something.”

He cocked an eye. “Yes?”

“I want to write your story next, is that okay?”

He blinked and looked at her quizzically. “Truly? You haven’t given up on this foalish endeavor?”

“No. Because I’m a foal sometimes, I swear. Is that okay with you?”

“If you wish to tell my tale, I have no objections. Though I do believe it to be a waste. It will be your time to waste, not mine.”

“Good. And I want to ask one more question. Nightmare Moon said she could return the powers she stole. Can she?”

He smiled. “The powers she had me steal from you little ponies? And what if I said she couldn’t? That it was a one way ticket? What would you say?”

She eyed him for a few moments, before sighing. “I’d ask if you were lying.”

He snorted, before nodding. “Yes. Returning the powers is possible. It would be… uncomfortable, to say the least. But it would be something I could do with ease. But you really believe she would?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t she?”

“Oh, true. Why wouldn’t a pony of great magical power long to just toss her magic aside? I believe that is what all tyrants usually do once they have no sufficiently powerful enemies, yes?”

Twilight cringed. “That... might be so. But what's a little bit of power? Besides, it'll make ponies more loyal to her and willing to aid her as she wishes. Less--”

“Do you even hear yourself?” he asked with a cocked eye. “You truly must live in a fantasy world to believe such drivel. She will not, in fact cannot, ever abandon this power she has worked so hard to obtain. She will, when the time comes, turn against you just like I would have were I in the same situation,” he said with a laugh, shaking his head. “You are a foal, nothing more. She will talk of giving away this power, even promise it. But when the time comes, she, like every other tyrant, will make excuses as to why it is currently impossible. You will ask, and she will always find that the time is not right to give up what she has stolen.” He shook his head. “And then, when that time comes, like now, you will just make excuses for her. Try to explain away her behavior, saying that 'oh, normally she'd do this or that'. Return to me, young pony. When it's time for her to give back some of this power. Even the smallest amount. And then tell me of how she gave it back.”

Twilight dug a hoof into the ground, glaring at him. “Fine. And... even if she doesn't, that doesn't mean anything. I mean, I never really... it's not like I trust her.”

He cocked an eye. “Oh? So you don't trust her? Perhaps you are wiser than I first imagined,” he said with a light chuckle. “Granted, that would hardly be difficult.”

Her cheeks turned red and she shook her head. “You're infuriating, you know that?”

He shook his head. “I was... mildly aware.”

She turned around. “Besides, I was only asking if she could, not why she would. What will you do if she does it, then?”

He laughed. “If she does it? She shall not. But if she does... then perhaps it will have meant I was wrong all along. Perhaps, even for one such as me, there will be hope,” he said dryly before putting a hand over his forehead. “Perhaps, in such a situation, I will have been wrong. Nae, dreadfully wrong. A fool all along. And friendship and rainbows will be my true destination.” He leaned back dramatically.

“Did you just pun at me?” Twilight asked.

Tirek glowered, before gesturing with his hand. “Just leave me be, little bard pony. I tire of your presence. If only you were to share the wisdom of your fellow ponies and leave me be.”

“Wait, nopony else visits you?”

“Why would they?”

She looked around, a frown on her face. “Because you're here all alone and...”

“I have no friends nor family in this place. On top of that, I am a weapon your ruler has wielded against your kin. Of what purpose would it serve for them to get to know me?”

“What about the ponies I've been sending down here to deliver the books to you? And food?”

The centaur just glowered at her. “Pony, you misunderstood what I have wished. I desire you to leave. Me. Alone. Go, write your book, you have my permission. But do not bother me further.”

Twilight stared at him before giving a nod. “O-okay. I guess... I'm sorry, Tirek. If you need anything, I--”

“I require, nor desire, anything from you. Now shoo.” He motioned with his hands for her to go away.

She sighed before turning and trotting back up the way she'd come, though occasionally she glanced back with a frown. “I'll see you tomorrow!”

“Ughhhhhh,” he groaned.

She smiled nonetheless. A part of her felt he was right, that maybe there would be no returning that power. But what if Nightmare Moon did? It might only be the first step. If not for Twilight's mistake, would she have considered letting the sun back out into the world? Was the alicorn finally adapting?

She supposed either way, there was still a long way to go and she had to take it one hoof at a time. But the book was done.

Now all that remained was the gala.

Author's Notes:

Almost there. Thanksgiving was... an experience. A mostly good one, a few hiccups, but pretty good. Love all of you, don't forget, contest is almost up!

S1 CH 23. Gala

Twilight couldn't stop her hooves from shaking as she stared into the large mirror Rarity had set up for them. Her heart was hammering and it was all she could do to not try and flee out the door as she stared. “Tonight is going to be horrible,” she mumbled.

“Well, aren't yah jus' a barrel of good wishes?” Applejack asked with a cocked eye. “Ah mean, yah are probably right. But yah can't jus' go out an' say it like that.”

“I can think of a thousand things that can go wrong tonight,” Twilight muttered, shaking her head. “Millions, even.” She cringed as Rarity applied some sort of spray to her mane and brushed it.

“Dear, it can't be any worse than this mane. Do you even brush it?”

“Of course I brush it. Sometimes. Usually. But listen. Nightmare Moon is going to... well... there's no telling WHAT she's going to do!”

“Nope!” Rainbow said as she looked at herself in the mirror, combing her mane back. “But come on, it's a party. She's hardly going to throw everypony out on the streets.”

“Oh, if only that was the worst of it,” she muttered with a roll of her eyes. “What if somepony decides to publicly snub her? Or insults her? Or--”

“Then they deserve whatever they get,” Rainbow said with a shrug, before looking over. “Listen, I get it, you want to keep everypony safe. But someponies need to get smacked upside the head once in a while. We've all had months to learn about her and, more importantly, how to deal with her. If, after all this time, they decide to cause some giant scene, that's THEIR problem and what happens to them is their fault. Besides--” She ruffled her mane a little. “-- it's not like she'd kill them. Probably just send them to the dungeons for a bit or drain their power. They'll live and learn to not be so dumb.”

Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her face. “Easy for you to say. You'll be hanging out with the Shadowbolts all night. I'll be up front. With Moondancer at Nightmare Moon's side, greeting everypony.” She gave the student of the ruler a pitying smile.

“I... I think you'll both do fine,” Fluttershy said softly as Rarity proceeded to tend to her hooves. “Y-you're always so... good at handling her. I think you'll keep anything too bad from happening.”

“But what if--”

“Listen, Twi,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. “It's been months in the makin'. Whatever is gonna happen, is gonna happen. We got food, we got entertainment, we got guests. Ain't a whole lot about it we can do now. Working yourself up into a froth over stuff yah can't fix any more than yah already have isn't gonna do any more than make yah miserable, yah understand?”

Twilight gave a sigh before nodding. “Yeah, I know. I just... I just feel so helpless right now.”

“Well, you may feel helpless but you look absolutely stunning,” Rarity said with a nod, before glancing at her four friends. “And there, all finished. Girls, we are ready for the gala.”

Twilight nodded and sighed, a hoof to her head. “I guess we'd best make sure everything is ready. Is everypony feeling okay? Everything in order? Rainbow, the Shadowbolts have any issues? How about you and Shadowfang?”

Rainbow cringed. “Yeah. Not... yeah. Listen, I'll just avoid him, okay? We're talking now but... I'm still pretty mad about him lying about that.”

“But no drama during the party?”

“I'm not one for drama anytime,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes.

“Except for busting down doors and punching out princesses,” Rarity mumbled. “Right?”

Rainbow's cheeks turned red. “Fine. MOST times.”

Twilight nodded. “Just don't punch anypony else in the face. Pinkie, any problems on the party front?”

“Nope! We've had a few ponies say they won't be able to attend, but we should still have a packed house and I have back ups if things go poorly!”

“Back ups?”

“Yup! DJ Pon-3 is going to be here, so if anything goes bad she's got some ponies who can fill the seats!”

Twilight nodded. “Applejack, food?”

“Ah got more than enough food tah feed a whole army of ponies,” Applejack said with a nod. “With enough backup tah ensure that there isn't any problems if we got any issues. Even got mah big bro tah haul up some extra hooves in case we need it.”

“Okay. And, uhhh... about... Trixie?”

“She won't be showin' up if that's what you're worried about. She's back in Ponyville still workin' the library. Bit of a lazy bones but she's slowly comin' around. Kids love her magic tricks, at least.”

Twilight blinked. “What? Magic tricks?”

“Yeah, she knows a buncha sleight of hoof. Does lil shows for the kids. A lot better than her 'anythin' yah can do ah can do better' act at least.”

“Ah. Well, good. Rarity, designs?”

“Everything is spotless. I have dozens of backup curtains and table cloths. If there's any spills or disasters, it will be fixed immediately.”

The earth pony took one last deep breath and looked to Moondancer. “Nightmare Moon?”

The unicorn's horn glowed and she gave a nod. “Still in her room. We can go get her at any time.”

“And finally, Spike?”

“Hm?” the dragon asked, sitting on one of the desks. “What?”

“If you feel tired will you be able to make your way back to the room without me?”

The dragon blinked and then gave her a glare. “I can take care of myself, ugh.”

Twilight nodded. “I know, I know.” She looked to Fluttershy. “You'll ensure all the animals are taken care of and if anyone goes into the garden there isn't any trouble?”

“Oh, oh dear. They pets are absolute dreams, I couldn't imagine them causing any problems. But of course I will,” she said with a nod. “Just take good care of Nightmare Moon, okay?”

“Yeah, maybe try to...” Rainbow trailed off. “So, I'll see you guys around! Bye!” the mare called back before racing off.

“What? Rainbow! I just got your mane right and... ugh,” Rarity said with a sigh. “I don't know why I try sometimes.”

“Bye bye!” Pinkie said before hopping off.

“We'd best go as well. Twilight?” Moondancer offered, holding out her hoof.

“Right. Good luck, girls. Let's do our best.” Twilight grabbed the mare's hoof and, a moment later, the two disappeared. They appeared outside Nightmare Moon's door a moment later. “That... is way better than when shades do it. Are you sure it's okay?”

“Yes. The protections allow me in and out,” Moondancer said with a nod. “I brought you, so it should be fine.” She trotted forward and tapped on the door.

It swung open and wild winds lashed out around them, making the two recoil. Lightning flashed in the background, illuminating the dark alicorn standing in front of them. “Ah! Our student and bard! We have waited long for you!”

Twilight squeaked and hunched down. “Y-your highness?”

“Yes?” Nightmare Moon asked, the winds still flowing around her.

“Can you turn that down? It's a bit... over dramatic!”

The winds and lightning stopped a moment later. “Truly? But is this not a grand gala for which we should make the largest of entrances?”

“Not... really? It's just a gala. Well, it is grand, but scaring everypony half to death isn't really a great idea.”

The mare blinked a few times before giving a solemn nod. “Very well, as you decree. Now then. Shall we depart to meet with our masses?”

Twilight blinked and then looked the mare over. Now that the winds had died she could see a few things. One, the other mare's tail kept twitching and her hoove's occasionally tapped. She was swaying, gently, from side to side as well.

She could barely believe it. The princess seemed to be very, very excited. She was even grinning. Not a cruel, wicked grin. But a grin of actual mirth. “Your highness? Is… everything okay?” Twilight asked.

“Yes! Everything is quite grand! Shall we?” Twilight half expected the mare to say ‘let’s go let’s go!’

Twilight nodded and then quickly turned, leading the mare towards the stairs and down deeper into the castle. They took up position in front of the massive statue of the ruler. Twilight on her left, Moondancer on her right. She held her breath as the massive doors to the castle were opened, allowing the masses inside.

The earth pony closed her eyes, dreading what was to come. She heard the gasp and her fears were realized. Nopony was showing. They were all going to make a mockery of this and Nightmare Moon, ruining her night and sending her into greater despair. There should have been a great line of guests trying to filter in already, and many who would come to the princess and--

She heard the stampede of hooves and opened her eyes. The crowd outside was just as large as would have been expected of a normal gala. In fact, it could possibly be larger. On top of that, ponies were already making their way forward, kneeling before Nightmare Moon.”

“A pleasure to meet you at last, your highness.”

Twilight blinked, her eyes going wide. Ponies were lining up to meet her. They weren’t snubbing her. But then a new fear assaulted her. Surely one of them was going to PUBLICALLY snub her and attack her verbally. Do something to set the mad ruler off and cause a bunch of problems, possibly causing the entire gala to fall apart.

But they weren’t. Ponies kept coming up, one by one, bowing their heads and talking of how beautiful the night was, or how their dresses were, or mild, safe chit chat that nopony, even the most oversensitive, could find offensive or rude.

“Twilight, you’re gaping,” Moondancer whispered.

Twilight eeped and quickly closed her mouth, glancing up to Nightmare Moon and then back to the crowds. One by one the ponies were coming and, one by one, they were then heading to the main party. Smoothly, without any incidents or troubles. She let out a sigh of relief and wiped her brow.

“R-right. You seem to have this handled. Do you mind if I go check on the rest of the party?” she asked Moondancer.

The unicorn nodded before glancing up at the alicorn. “Yeah. I don’t even think she’s noticing us.”

“Thanks,” Twilight whispered before turning and trotting off. She let out a sigh of relief as she made her way back towards the main chamber of the party.

Her heart stopped when she saw one of the curtains in the hall was torn. It looked like somepony had tripped and accidentally ripped it partially off. It was a--

Then it was wrapped in a glow, deftly unclicked and a fresh, new curtain was put in its place. Twilight blinked and glanced down to Rarity who was in the midst of straightening it, before glancing over. “Oh, Twilight! Are the greetings over already?”

“Huh? No, I ummm, I just wanted to come check on everything. Have there been any issues?”

“Oh, just disaster after disaster,” Rarity said with a sigh. Twilight couldn’t help but feel a little bit of relief. “First Coldtongue accidentally spilled some punch on Lemonburst’s dress, but fortunately I was able to quickly take care of it before it could stain. Then there was this curtain and someone spilled some soup all over one of the statues, but one of my assistants are cleaning it up now. Then there’s just, so many of these dresses are from last season. Can you believe it? The greatest cultural event of the year and half these ponies couldn’t even get something that properly sticks with the times.” She gave a shudder. “I have half a mind to drag them up to where I have the emergency dresses and make them change.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, that’s it? I thought you said disaster after disaster?”

“I did! Doesn’t that all just sound so horrible?”

The earth pony stared, before shaking her head. “Not… really?”

“Hmph. Well, to each their own, I suppose. But there hasn’t been anything that will end this fabulous evening if that’s what you’re worried about. In fact, a few ponies have asked Pinkie if she could host their own parties.”

“That’s wonderful, I guess,” Twilight said softly, scratching her chin. “Really? Nothing else? No major disasters? No floods? Exploding tables? Wild animals?Nothing?”

“Not that I’ve seen, no.”

Twilight nodded. “Well… uhhhh… I guess I’d better go get inside and check on the others, then,” she said softly, before trotting towards the party, a feeling of unease still flowing through her. Something big was going to happen tonight. She could feel it. Something horrible and awful.

The main party seemed nice enough and--

“Well well well, if it’s not the bard.”

Twilight blinked and looked over. She gasped at the sight of the mare before her, dressed in a flowing emerald dress. “Printing? Printing Press? What are you doing here?”

The unicorn brushed her mane back. “You didn’t think I’d miss out on an event like this? Especially when the tickets got so cheap?” she asked before stepping forward and scowling. “It’s been a long time.”

Twilight recoiled slightly, lowering her gaze. “I-I know. I’m sorry, I just--” She let out a gasp as she was pulled into a hug. “W-what? I umm… you’re not mad?”

“Oh, I was furious, for the longest time,” the mare said with a sigh before pulling back. “One of my favorite clients just up and disappearing, joining Nightmare Moon’s side? Abandoning her glorious career to become a bard? Horrible. Such a waste of talent.” She then reached up and patted her head. “Then I talked to your parents.”

Twilight cringed. “That bad?”

“Oh yeah. You’re a complete and utter idiot. I mean, trying to keep an alicorn under control, doing it all on your own? Well, not on your own anymore judging by what your brother said. You really have a pet dragon?”

“More like an assistant. Printing, I--”

“Don’t,” the unicorn said with a sigh, lifting a hoof. “Let me guess. ‘Printing, I’m so sorry I haven’t contacted you in so long. You’re the best agent a mare could ask for, but I didn’t want to draw Nightmare Moon’s attention to you in case anything too bad happened to me. Because I’m an idiot who has to do everything herself or, gasp, the world will stop making sense!’ Something like that, right?”

Twilight lowered her eyes and nodded. “Y-yeah. Something like that. I never meant to ignore you.”

“Twi, it’s fine. You’re one of my best writers. Still are,” she said with a smile before reaching out and flicking her forehead. “But you’ve always been a bit too sacrificing. I’m not even surprised you’re doing this. I’m just annoyed you didn’t tell me. Please tell me you’ve been working on some great work?”

“Well… ummmm… I actually just finished a book about Nightmare Moon. It’ll be… interesting. It should help ponies to finally understand who she is and what she wants. Why she is the way she is and… what she plans to do. I’m hoping it’ll help calm them down and stop anypony from doing anything too rash.”

“Mmmm. Already have a publisher?”

“Nightmare Moon was the commissioner.”

“Heh, so she went straight for the best. She truly is evil. Other than that, anything else?”

“Well, I’ve been working on a book for Tirek. He’s uhhh… the spirit that’s being used to… steal pony’s powers.”

“Oh? I’m sure ponies would love to hear about him, too.”

Twilight smiled. “So… you don’t think… well… I’m ruined?”

“Well, you were for a while. Honestly, when this whole ordeal came around there were all kinds of different stories going about. The appearance of vampires and wereponies and… all manner of other things has made it go a bit more wild since. To be blunt, you’re old news. I’m sure your affiliation with Nightmare Moon will come out eventually, but you’ve always been popular enough that your real fans will still give you a shot. Buck, I know some of your fans who would have still read your works if it came out you WERE Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight snorted, shaking her head. “Really? And who in their right mind would think that?”

“Well, the tabloids were a bit… out there at times.”

Her face fell. “You’re not serious.” She paused a moment. “You’re bucking serious. WHO? Why? What would… that doesn’t… I don’t even have wings! Or a horn! How could I… that’s… nopony actually bought it, right?”

“Eh, some did. There were also a few papers claiming this whole thing was just Celestia being tired of the whole raising the sun and moon thing and is just taking a few days vacation. That… story stopped quickly once a month passed.”

Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her forehead and shook it. “Yeah, I’d imagine so. Did ponies really believe this was… well, that? Some kind of prank?”

“I think it was less believed, more hoped. I’ll be honest, it still kind of seems so… odd. That there was a second princess and… well...”

Twilight nodded. “It’s not that odd. I mean, there have been records of Luna dating back all the way for millenia. It’s just… not something most of us talked about. Most ponies just never cared or worried about it. I… can’t say I blame them. I’m right here in the midst of it and I still never thought this would happen.”

“Really? What about the book you wrote about it?”

Twilight groaned. “It was just that, a story! Stories don’t happen, they’re just… things! Make believe! Fiction is supposed to be just that, fiction. Wild, unbelievable! And yet… yet here we are. With the main character of my book holding Equestria in her grip.”

The mare nodded. “And… Celestia? Have you heard anything about her? I’d heard stories that she had… well...”

“That she what?”

“Some ponies claimed to have seen her. Or rather… felt her. That she is… dead,” the mare said weakly. “That her spirit now haunts Equestria.”

Twilight stared, before shaking her head. “No, I don’t think she is. She’s… being held captive somewhere. I think. I can’t begin to imagine where. Maybe Tartarus? I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure she’s not dead. Nightmare Moon has seemed pretty… interested in keeping her and others alive. I think she’s using her for something.”

“Where could she possibly contain Celestia?”

“I don’t know. Tartarus is the only place I can think where an alicorn could be held. You’d need to be able to suppress and hide magic very well to do it, otherwise ponies would know.” She paused. “Well… I suppose the moon could work as well. It’s so far away...”

Printing gave a sigh. “I see. Well… I guess it’s too much to ask that she be hidden here somewhere. I just wanted to see you though, Twi. I know you’ve been working really hard, but just know I’m still here for you. When you decide that you can’t take being around that… queen anymore, let me know, okay? I’m always looking forward to your next work.”

Twilight nodded and gave a smile. “Of course. Are you going to be here long?”

“Not really. This… isn’t really my kind of thing.” She then paused and looked around. “Did you know you’ve got DJ Pon-3 down there? I can’t believe it!”

Twilight nodded. “I’d heard. I should probably go check on them to make sure it’s all okay.”

“Well, have fun. Call me sometime though, I mean it. You’ve got my number, use it. Don’t disappear on me again.”

The earth pony nodded. “I will. As soon as I figure out this Tirek story, you’ll be the first one I call, okay?”

“Good. Now, if you don't mind there's a cute guard I saw a little bit ago and I think I need to go track him down. Tah tah,” the mare said before trotting off.

Twilight sighed and looked around. It didn't look like a massive disaster. In fact, everything seemed fine. It--

Then she caught sight of Applejack walking towards her. Twilight's eyes widened. The mare looked worried, frantic, scared, upset! Something horrible must have happened. She quickly trotted forward. “Applejack? What's wrong?” she asked once she was close enough.

Applejack blinked and looked up. Then smiled. “Hey, Twilight. Yah enjoying yourself?”

“Kind of. I'm just doing the rounds. Is something wrong? Was there a mistake in the food? Was cheese added to some lactose intolerant meal? Peanuts served to the Brussel's family for whom they're deathly allergic as everypony knows? It turns out all of the eggs had gone bad? A horrible case of food poisoning from the soup?”

Applejack blinked and cocked her head to the side. “Twi? Yah okay?”

“Yes, of course I am. Why?”

“Well, it ain't nothin' wrong with the food. It's the crusaders.”

“The who?”

“Mah lil sister's club. The little scamps got an invite an' they keep runnin' off for one thing or another. Big Mac is supposed to be keepin' an eye on them, but, well, yah know how it can be. Ah'm worried it might be a bit much for him. Ah ain't seen 'em in--” The words trailed off. “Ah ha. Ah shoulda known.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked, looking around frantically. She then caught sight of three little fillies sitting over at the Shadowbolt table. The little pegasus filly being tossed in the air. “That's them?” She then caught sight of the hulking red stallion sitting in one of the chairs that seemed almost comically small for him. “That's them.”

Applejack nodded. “Well, ah guess it's all okay then. If Rainbow is givin' Big Mac a hoof then ain't nothin' ah gotta worry about.” She then glanced to the earth pony. “Yah okay? Your eye is doin' this... twitchy thing that Grandma Smith's does whenever Winona finds her way into the pig pen.”

“What? No! I'm fine! Calm and happy and fine!” Twilight said with a nod. “I'm going to go talk with them and make sure everything is okay. Okay? Okay.”

Applejack gave a shrug and turned to trot back towards the food preparation caverns.

Twilight trotted to the table and listened as the ponies talked. Or rather, Rainbow talked. “So, there I was, racing as fast as I could, cutting through the air like a knife through hot butter, my heart pounding, sweat glistening and then... I did it. A sonic rainboom. BOOM! Rainbows shot out everywhere and I exploded!” she said with a big laugh.

“Wow...” the three little fillies said, staring up at her in awe. A few of the other Shadowbolts at the table turned to Twilight and two of them glared at her, though another two bowed.

“Lady bard,” one of them said.

“Hmmm? Hey, Twilight!” Rainbow said with a grin, raising a hoof. “What brings you over?”

“I just wanted to make sure everything was okay. Wasn't any trouble and--” She was pushed aside as a pony came forward, walking right up to Rainbow.

“Y-you're Rainbow Dash, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” the pegasus said with a grin.

“Can... can I have your autograph?” the mare asked.

“Of course,” Rainbow said with a big grin, signing the paper before the pony moved onto the other Shadowbolts, getting their autographs as well. Once the pony was gone she looked back to Twilight. “Trouble? Why would there be trouble?”

“Well, I'd heard about...” Twilight glanced to the kids and motioned.

“What, the crusaders? Nahhhh, they're just fans. And the Shadowbolts always have time for fans. Right?”

“That's right,” another mare said with a knowing nod. “Still telling that sonic rainboom story, huh? You know, you don't have to try and impress us. You're an amazing flier even without it.”

Rainbow's cheeks turned red. “I'm not making it up! I can do it! I just... don't know how I did it the first time. But I'll get it eventually.”

The mare chuckled and shook her head, before glancing to Twilight. “I'm Spitfire, nice to meet you. Did Nightmare Moon send you?”

“What? No. She's still up above, greeting ponies. I just wanted to come and make sure everything was okay. Have there been any issues?”

“Everything is cool, Twilight,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “You worry too much. We're probably gonna go out and put another show on in a bit, if you wanna see come on down. Okay?”

Twilight nodded. “Right. I ummm... I might. Thanks. I'm going to go check on some more things though. Thanks.” She turned and trotted towards the dance chamber.

She froze in the entrance and quickly decided the whole event was worth it just for this. DJ Pon-3 was playing her dance club music while disco balls and colored light filled the room with different colors. However, the main guests of the party were the nobles and upper class who had come in large dresses designed for ballroom dancing, not this.

Many of the nobles were off to the sides, watching the dance floor with a mix of horror and unhindered interest and amusement. Though those on the floor were trying to dance with the beat. A few tried to ballroom dance to the quick music, though they were failing spectacularly. Still others attempted to club dance as if they were in an actual club, though their dresses and outfits made the whole ordeal almost impossible and occasionally they'd knock each other. Twilight was forced to lift a hoof to her mouth to keep her laughter suppressed at the sight.

“Twilight, it's horrible!” Pinkie said suddenly, appearing in front of the mare as if out of thin air.

“Gahhh!” Twilight shrieked, stepping back. “Pinkie, how did you, where did you, what?”

“It's absolutely horrible!”

Twilight perked up. “What? What's wrong? Has something gone bad? Is there a bunch of ponies using this party as a means to get out a decade long feud? Is the DJ sick and going to have to leave early, leaving us without music? Did you run out of chairs meaning some ponies are going to have to sit alone and end up being shamed and causing a rift?”

“None of that!” Pinkie said with a shake of her head. “You're! Not! Dancing!”

The earth pony stared. “What. I'm not... plenty of ponies aren't--” she let out a shriek as she was dragged into the crowd by her hoof, her eyes wide. She was surrounded on all sides by dancing ponies as well as Pinkie. She couldn't imagine how the pony seemed capable of being everywhere at once, in front of her, besides her and all around her. But, after a few moments she realized she had no choice. She began to dance.

Well, she began to lightly bob her knees to the music. “There, happy?” she asked Pinkie with a sigh.

“Come on, Twilight! You need to have some fun! Lighten up, it's a party.”

“Pinkie, I'm not... I don't... I'm not here for the party. I'm just trying to monitor everything, that's all.”

“Just a few minutes, okay?”

Twilight gave a small nod, though she couldn't help looking around nervously. Something was bound to go wrong, this was too important an event for nothing to go wrong. She yelped as there was a sudden scratch in the record. Panic rose in her. The music was going to stop and--

And a new song started playing. The earth pony just stared at the happy pink pony as the two danced. In the crowd she could see that plenty of ponies were smiling and at least seemed to be having fun. She couldn't imagine how everything wasn't crashing around them by now. Though she began to smile and relax a little bit and by the time she managed to make her way out of the dance pit she couldn't deny feeling a tiny bit better.

“There, all good?” Pinkie asked with a grin and followed her up towards the main room.

“Better, at least,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Guess I was just worrying about-- Fluttershy!” The earth pony galloped off towards the little yellow pegasus who had peeped into the dining chamber.

Pinkie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Oh you silly mare.”

Twilight skidded to a stop in front of the pegasus. “Fluttershy? What's wrong? Why are you here? Did a bunch of rats escape and now they're in the castle running about? Or wild bears? Or moose?”

The mare stared at her, mouth open. Then she gave a little gulp. “I... no? I... I just needed... some cabbage... I was going to ask Applejack for some.”

“That's it? No disaster? No problems? No catastrophes?”

“Ummm... no? Should there be?”

Twilight blinked and shook her head. “No. I... I guess not. I just... sorry. Never mind. Have ummm... fun. Fluttershy.” She turned and made her way towards the snack table. She chewed on a cabbage roll and looked around. Most ponies seemed so happy and relaxed. She'd expected ponies to be in a near panic. Sure, it was obvious not everypony was comfortable, but they seemed to be making an effort to not cause a scene. She suspected the angry, touchy alicorn upstairs had something to do with it. She then grumbled and took a slice of cake, nibbling on the edge of it.

Everything was going amazingly well, she honestly probably didn't have to be here. She wondered if Tirek was--

She nearly dropped her cake. Her talks with Tirek, Nightmare Moon and Printing Press ran through her mind. Her heart began to hammer and she turned towards the dance floor.

By the stars. She knew where Celestia was.

Author's Notes:

One chapter to go, and it's going to be a fun one. Hope you're all excited! And yeah, I make a lot of mistakes. sorry! I'm doing my best but self editing isn't perfect sadly. Hope you're all enjoying the story regardless. And yes, as this is only the first season, I fully expect the story to get incredibly long.

S1 CH 24. Celestia (Finale!)

Twilight had taken only a few minutes to run upstairs to get a light and make sure there was a long line still to greet Nightmare Moon before quickly moving back down towards the dance chamber, her head cocked to the side. Could it truly be so obvious? It took her only a few moments to find the cavern she'd found Nightmare Moon in, though it took her a few minutes to navigate to it. She looked around to make sure the alicorn was nowhere in sight, before she lifted up the rope and walked inside, leaving the party behind.

She stepped inside and turned the light on. The hall itself was lined with great crystals that seemed to glimmer with light when her light flashed over them. Within a few minutes the sound of the party disappeared behind her, as if the crystals surrounding her had swallowed the world. She glanced back, but didn't see any sign of the lights from the party. She gave another soft shudder and shook her head.

“Calm down. They're just a bit of caves. Nightmare Moon came down here. If it wasn't safe, she'd... okay, right, alicorn. What's safe for her is not necessarily... ugh, you can do this!” she said firmly.

She came to a split in the path and looked around, blinking. The right led to another long hall of jewels, but the left had cart tracks and a few decaying carts. She nudged one of the carts and let out a shriek as it raced off into the darkness, soon followed by a crashing sound. “Well, buck. Which way do I go?” she asked herself, looking around. “Tracks or path. Okay, the carts aren't new so Nightmare Moon likely isn't using them. But then if she's walking, would she walk on the place with the path or...” The words trailed off and she lowered the light.

True enough, there were hoof steps leading off towards the path without cart tracks. “Well, that certainly makes it easier.” She started following the hoofs. After a few moments they began to become far more dense, as if Nightmare Moon had come through here dozens of times. She nervously chewed on her lower lip, looking around nervously as she walked. “Hello?” she called out softly, but received no response. She sighed softly and continued walking.

More and more crystals began to appear as she walked, the shards sticking out through the walls and ceiling of the great chamber. She reached out and touched one, gently stroking her hoof across it. It didn’t feel magical. But then, she was only an earth pony. She continued walking.

She came to a large room filled with hundreds of crystal clusters, surrounding her on all side and jutting out of the walls, floor and ceiling. Like great blades they seemed to surround on all sides, with four exits in the room. Again she followed the hoof steps, leading her to another tunnel.

Then she heard breathing. Raspy breathing. She froze in place, listening to the sound for a moment. Her heart began to beat faster. She galloped forward, racing through the tunnel, not even noticing when she cut her hoof across one of the crystals. Finally, she stepped out into a great glowing chamber.

Her eyes fell on the prone and chained form of Celestia. The great alicorn laid there, her body wrapped in chains and wearing dark, metallic armor similar to that which Tirek wore, covering her hooves, crown and neck. “Hello, sister,” Celestia mumbled, not even looking up.

“Celestia?” Twilight said softly.

The alicorn turned her head back, her eyes going wide. “W-who… who are you?”

“Ummm, Twilight Glow.”

“Why are you here? What are you doing here? You shouldn’t… how?”

“I… I found you,” she said softly. “Celestia, you have to help us! Nightmare Moon, she… she’s… Celestia?”

The alicorn turned away, her eyes closing. “I… I am sorry, my little pony. I… I have failed you...”

“Failed… me?” she said softly.

“I… I cannot stop her. I tried. Every… plan I had made has been undone. I thought I...”

Twilight took a step forward. “You mean the elements? I know they can’t be used but… there has to be another way.”

The alicorn closed her eyes. “Perhaps this is my punishment. No, dear pony, the elements were… not my only plan.”

Twilight’s eyes went wider. “They… they weren’t?”

“No. But they were… the only one that would work. Sunset has gone into the mirror, gone for good. The dragon lord has… given in to his own greed for our lands. And… and...” Celestia looked down at her bindings. “These bindings… were once meant to contain my sister. To hold her captive and helpless, so… I… wouldn’t...” She shuddered. “So I would never have to… send her away again.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait… you… but, but Tirek. These are used to hold Tirek as well. You… created them?”

The alicorn nodded, shame on her face. “They were never… I only wished to… to hold her captive. To keep her with me, forever. By my side...”

“But she’s crazy! She’s had me whipped, she’s drained ponies, she’s hurt so many others! The sun hasn’t risen in months, we need you!”

“I… I can no longer help you, I am so, so sorry,” Celestia said softly.

“But you have to, we need you! The elements, maybe they can do something?”

“The elements?” the alicorn asked, giving a light chuckle. “They were… they were my final gambit. If I could not contain her, talk with her, control her… then I would send my student to purify her… but when… when the moment came...”

“They were broken and destroyed,” Nightmare Moon’s voice came from behind her. Twilight turned to see the alicorn standing in the entrance.

She took a step back. “Y-your highness, I… I was...”

“Do not try to lie to me, bard. I have heard all that you have done. Begging my sister to save you? Pathetic,” the alicorn said before stepping forward. “She is weak and frail, only a pittance of her former strength yet remains.” She nudged the mare with a hoof, drawing a grunt. “Look upon her. She thought to make me in such a state, bound and helpless. A trophy for her to stand over and laugh.”

“Sister, I never--”

“You bound me away for a thousand years for the audacity of desiring to be seen! To be loved!” the mare roared, making the crystals in the chamber shake. “You tore me from my very kingdom! And then… then when my time was up I find… I find you have removed me from their hearts completely. Made me little more than a bad memory, a dream, a… a nightmare to their hearts.” She growled and took another step forward. “And you believed… you believed I would just stand for this? To allow you to cast me aside yet again and hold me as your prisoner? A token of your power?”

“No, sister. I never wanted any of this. I never wanted to send you away. You were out of control and I--”

“Silence. I have heard these excuses a million times. And I will hear them a million more. I did not come here to speak with you. I came to speak with my bard.” Her eyes whipped around to Twilight.

The earth pony eeped, freezing in place. She was grabbed in dark purple magic and dragged to the mare. “Now, my bard. Do you not see? This is the mare upon which you put your hopes and dreams. A broken mare who has not the strength to rise up against me. A mare who, when the time came, forsake each and every one of you.”

Twilight stared, her eyes wide. “I… I never...”

“I know exactly of what you had done. Did you think me a foal, that I would not place some form of detection in case one came to see my sister?” Her eyes glowed with a dark, angry light. “But I will allow you to remember this. But you will never, ever speak to another of what you saw here...”

Twilight yelped as she was surrounded in magic. She stared up into the purple glowing eyes of the alicorn. “Y-your highness...”

“You will obey.”

Pain shot through Twilight’s body. It lasted only a second, leaving her standing there, stunned, as she gazed up at the mare. “What… what did you do?”

“I have bound your tongue. Try to speak of her. Of our sister. Where is she now?”

“She is--” Pain shot through her tongue, paralyzing it. She whimpered and covered her mouth, staring up with wide, pained eyes. “Mmmfffff!”

“Well?”

She whimpered softly, shaking her head. “I-I can’t,” she said weakly.

“Good. Then for your disobedience, that will be your punishment. You will bear the knowledge of what you’ve seen. Of what your… once great and beloved ruler has become. And then...” she leaned in closer. “You will never be able to tell anypony. You will not be able to talk, write, mime, anything to allow ponies to know. Do you understand?”

Twilight nodded, tears forming in her eyes. “Y-yes… yes your highness.”

Nightmare Moon grabbed the earth pony in her magic, before glancing back. “Goodbye… sister.”

Twilight whimpered as she was hauled back. “Your highness, I--”

“We know exactly what you were doing. You hoped to free our sister, to have her rise up against us. But that will never happen. Our sister is broken, Equestria is ours. All of her plans have failed.”

Twilight nodded, closing her eyes. “Of… of course. Your highness...”

“And we have allowed you too much freedom, bard.”

She cringed.

“For the time being, you are not to leave the castle grounds. If I catch you walking through these chambers again, I will have your dragon flayed. For the first transgression. For… every future transgression...” She paused. “Perhaps your friends.”

Twilight gasped. “Y-your highness, please, Spike is just, my friends, they--” She found herself staring into the eyes of the ruler.

“We have allowed you much, Twilight Glow. But you have gone too far this time. We have no desire to harm thee. But your friends… they have no such protections. Understand?”

Twilight nodded slowly, the tears welling up in her eyes. “Y-yes. Of course… y-your highness.” Gently she was placed back on the floor.

The two walked in silence, their hooves echoing across the stone floor. Finally, they made it back to the dance floor. Twilight kept walking, though, ignoring the sounds of fun and merriment around her. She barely even acknowledged her friends when they called out to her, merely shaking her head and making her way away from them, from all of it.

Finally she was able to collapse onto her bed, closing her eyes and sobbing into her pillow. This was it. There was no hope. No escape. There was only Nightmare Moon, now and forever. She sobbed and cried into her pillow, holding it tightly to her face.

------

Nightmare Moon stared into the mirror, gazing at her own reflection. Finally she let out a loud scream of anger before her horn glowed, shattering the mirror and sending the shards scattering across the ground. She then sat down, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Why… why dear sister… why… can’t I just… win?”

------

Above the throne, in a small orb of magic, small pieces of rock gave a small, gentle spark of light.

Author's Notes:

And so ends season 1! So, contest will be over soon, so please, if you want to enter, now is the time. It'll end on December 15th. All in all, I hope you guys enjoyed season 1 and look forward to season 2! Still so much to have happen... so much work to go... this story is going to be huge...

Contest information

S2 Ch 1. Picnic

“Spike, I THINK I can handle this,” Twilight muttered in annoyance, shaking her head.

The dragon just stared at her, through flat eyes. “Uh huh. Sure you can.”

“I can make a sandwich!” she snapped, tossing a glare over her shoulder as she trotted into the kitchen.

“Sure you can. Like the daffodil one?”

“I toasted it!”

“You TOASTED the DAFFODIL! You toast the bread! I’m not even a pony and I know that!” the dragon snapped.

Twilight’s cheeks turned red before she walked to the massive fridge. “I’ll be fine.” She opened it up and pulled out some ingredients. Then let out a yelp when a red bottle was grabbed from her hooves by Spike.

“What is this for?”

“Well, the more sauces a sandwich has, the better it tastes!” she said proudly. “So, there are ten different sauces here, if I add them all, then the sandwich will be delicious!”

The dragon stared at her. Then face hoofed. “Do you… ever… cook for yourself?” he asked.

Her cheeks turned red. “Err… well… I ummm… err. I technically...” She shuffled her hooves.

“What?”

“I’m not… technically allowed to. But it’s just a sandwich so it should be fine!”

He blinked a few times and stared at her. “What do you mean, not allowed to?”

“W-well, it was an accident. A completely silly, minor, not at all nearly the big deal that they made it out to be accident!”

“… What?”

“W-well, err, last time I tried to make a casserole I accidentally, through absolutely no fault of my own and my teacher really shouldn’t have been so up tight about it. I mean, technically--”

“What did you do?”

“I accidentally disproved Starswirl’s fifteenth law of magical conversion. I got in a lot of trouble for that one.”

Spike stared at her a few moments, blinking. Finally he shook his head, walked over to a chair and pushed it to the counter. “I’m making the sandwiches.”

“But--”

“Just get me a butter knife.”

The earth pony let out a low, frustrated grumble, but slowly nodded. “Fine. It’s just a sandwich.” She walked to the drawers and started pulling some out. “It’s not that hard or anything...”

“Mmmmm hm,” Spike mumbled as he got to work.

She walked to the fridge and peered around, before her face lit up. She pulled out a big, white bowl. “Yes, he did it!”

“Hm?”

“The head cook! I asked if he’d make me up some potato salad for the picnic. He’s the best.”

“That’s nice.”

She nodded, then glanced over. “How… uhhh… are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“I just… you know… I know its been a few weeks since the Gala and--”

He glanced over. “Yeah?”

“I just wanna make sure you’re doing okay,” she mumbled.

He shrugged while he neatly stacked the sandwiches up. “I’m fine.”

“Okay...”

The gala had gone off without a hitch. Twilight had tried to find ways around the spell. Dropping hints, leaving important details out, trying to show something, anything to let people know where Celestia was.

But nothing she did seemed to do anything. The spell on her was incredible, any plan or idea she came up with often resulted in some kind of back fire, usually in a painful way for her, but sometimes more subtle. She hadn’t even been able to hint that she WASN’T telling them everything.

On top of that, her friends had been busy for the last few weeks and she had barely seen them in ages. Her being confined to the castle failed to help any. However, they’d all managed to get the time to finally meet up today for a picnic. Even better, as Nightmare Moon had permitted it.

Other than the spell on her, there had been no other repercussions for her actions. The alicorn hadn’t laid a hoof on Spike, or her friends(at least as far as she knew), and hadn’t said a word about it since. However she had been drawn to the ruler’s side far less often, leaving Dancer alone to deal with the alicorn.

Tirek was being Tirek. The book was going slowly and he was beginning to take pretty much every opportunity to try and corrupt her. It was almost cute, in a way. He got really flustered when he tried some ‘secret corruption technique’ and she listed a number of books that it was used in. Sometimes it even had a name or was even a common cliché. Watching a mega powered spirit of magical might cross his arms and just pout in the corner was definitely not something she expected to see in her life time.

Everything was going back to its own weird version of normal, now. In a way, it was almost boring. Her actions had, unfortunately, burned many of her hard worked bridges with Nightmare Moon, so she was no longer aware of how to continue. She felt another pang of regret at how she’d reacted. She should have been slower, more methodical. But in those moments she’d seen a chance to end this nightmare all at once, to escape their fate and make everything right in a heart beat. In that split second she’d been a filly again and expected the princess to solve all their problems, regardless of the evidence available.

But nothing was ever that simple, was it? At least, not now.

------

“So, is that your real name?” Rarity asked as she relaxed in her chair, glancing over to Redfang.

Fluttershy blinked and put down her tea cup, staring at the vampire, cocking her head to the side when the pony froze in place.

“W-what?” he asked, his eyes going wide. “W-why would you even ask me a question like that?”

“I just mean, it is a little on the nose, isn’t it?” Rarity asked.

“…” The vampire fumed.

“Unless you were born a vampire. Is that a thing? It’s a lot like a pony naming their child Mooney McMoon, and then them becoming a werewolf.”

“...”

“So, is it your real name?”

Redfang put a hoof to his forehead and groaned. “… My pony name is Sundrop Sprinkles.”

Rarity blinked and stared. “Wait, really?”

“Yes! My parents run a tanning salon in upper Canterlot.”

The unicorn stared at him for a long moment. “But… you’re a...”

“YES! The irony is -not- lost on me!”

“… Is it doing well?”

“Yes, it is doing extremely well. With the whole lack of a sun. You would be amazed how many ponies want fake tans during times like this.”

“Hi guys!” Twilight yelled, galloping into the garden with a big grin on her face, a bag of food over her back. Spike trailed behind her, carrying the potato salad. “Sorry I’m late, there was a bit of an issue with… we’re done now, that’s all that matters!”

Rarity glanced over and gave a big grin. “Ah! Twilight, darling! We were just having a talk with Redfang to pass the time,” she said, giving a wave. “The others should be here soon.”

The vampire gave Twilight a look, making her almost trip. She stared into his eyes and felt a chill go down her back. He looked worried. She would have preferred he looked angry or upset. But worry scared her. He then turned away and nodded. “Now that she’s here, I’ll make my exit. Lady Rarity, Lady Fluttershy, I will ensure that you have a proper escort when you leave.” He then took to the air.

Twilight frowned while she watched him fly off. “Did he escort you two here?”

“Indeed,” Rarity said. “I have the sneaking suspicion he was monitoring us. But he was a perfect gentlepony throughout, so I have no objections to his company. And for such a supposed creature of the night, he gets flustered so easily.”

Twilight nodded. “How about your little… err… shade problem? Is… she causing you any problems?”

Rarity blinked a few times, her face falling. “Ah. No. She has startled me a few times, but she seems harmless. I do wish she would be better at not sneaking up on me, however. It is enough to almost make a poor pony’s heart explode, turning off the lights and having her standing there, staring at you from mere inches away..”

Twilight nodded, before glancing to Fluttershy. “How have you been?”

“Me? Oh, I’ve been fine,” the pegasus said with a nod. Twilight waited for her to expand, but the mare just stared at her awkwardly.

“O… kay then. Is Rainbow still coming?”

“Of course,” Rarity said with a nod. “And I do believe Pinkie and Applejack will be making an appearance.”

“Wait, really?” Twilight said, her eyes going wide. “Why?”

“Pinkie because she’s Pinkie,” Rarity said as if that explained everything. To Twilight’s mild amusement, despite only knowing the mare a short while she felt it did. “And I believe Applejack still feels she owes you for the whole gala. I hear her family made quite the windfall from the event, more than sufficient to help them through a few issues their farm had been struggling through. Not to mention they’ve been asked to cater a number of quite high class events since.” A frown formed on the unicorns face. “In fact, I believe Applejack may have begun to attend more of the upper class parties than I have. But only for the last few weeks!”

Twilight nodded. “She doesn’t need to do that. She really helped me just by being willing to cater the event.” She sighed and glanced to the side.

“Twilight? You seem troubled. Is something the matter?” Rarity asked.

The earth pony felt the spell on her tingling already. She shook her head. “No. Just thinking about the gala, is all.”

“It truly was magnificent, was it not?” the unicorn said with a sigh. “While not exactly how I envisioned it to be, it was still a once in a life time experience. Why, ponies are still talking about it with excitement. I can’t imagine how we’re going to possibly trump it next year!”

Twilight felt a knot form in her stomach. “Next year?” She hadn’t even considered it. But it was true, there’d be another gala next year. And the year after that and the year after that and forever, with Luna at the helm and--

“Darling? Darling!” Rarity yelped, jumping to her hooves. Twilight felt magic grip her and shook her head, realizing a moment later she was falling over. The unicorn raced up besides her, propping her up along with her magic. “What in the heavens happened to you? Are you ill?”

“S-sorry. I’m just… not feeling very well,” Twilight mumbled, slowly regaining the strength in her legs. She sat down a second later and sighed. “Do you think they’ll be here soon?”

“Did someone saw AWESOME?!” Rainbow yelled, before she crash/landed on the ground, digging a groove in the grass with her hooves. “Because that’s my middle name!” she said proudly.

“… No. Nopony said awesome,” Rarity snapped. “And just look at what you did to the grass! Rainbow, do try to think of the gardeners who have to clean up after your landing.” Her horn glowed before her magic picked up clumps of torn up turf, putting them back into place to the best of her ability.

The pegasus looked down, then grinned sheepishly. “Oh, right. Heh heh. My bad. But seriously, guys, you missed it. I got all the way from Cloudsdale to here, I knocked a whole minute off my time!” she said proudly, puffing her chest out. “A minute! You should have seen me! I was passing up ponies left and right, they couldn’t even see me.”

“Of course they couldn’t,” Rarity muttered as she tried to decide which two pieces of turf fit best into a particularly deep gouge. “Your uniform is all black and purple.”

Rainbow opened her mouth, then closed it, then looked horrified. “Wait, you mean I was making my best time ever… and no pony SAW? That’s so lame!”

Rarity rolled her eyes before nodding in satisfaction at her mostly repaired grass. She then glanced up. “I’m sure a few ponies saw, Rainbow. And I’m sure they thought it was spectacular.”

“Heh, you’re probably right,” the pegasus said with a cocky grin.

Twilight nodded, giving a weak smile as she finally regained herself. She still couldn’t help dreading the coming of more galas. Especially knowing where Celestia was. Would others find out? Would there be more ponies like her? Perhaps a chance to… no. Even if they could rescue Celestia, by the alicorn’s own admission, there was nothing she could do. Nightmare Moon was here to stay.

Oh well, it wasn’t like things could possibly get any worse.

BOOM!

Her eyes widened and she looked around in confusion, moments before little pieces of rock rained down on them. It took her a few moments to realize it wasn’t rock, it was actually rock candy. “What?” she said in confusion, before looking around in bewilderment.

Whatever it was, it had come from the maze. “Girls, we need to--”

“Already on it!” Rainbow yelled, flying off.

“Let the guards handle it!” Twilight yelled, before rolling her eyes. She slid out from under her bags, then galloped after the other mare, her friends close behind. She swore Rainbow was going to get them all in a lot of trouble one day. And she was pretty certain that day was today.

The girl’s arrived to find Rainbow hovering in front of a massive pedestal the size of a tower, with stairs criss crossing in the front. Six spot lights were in front of it, all trained on a single bipedal creature in a tuxedo holding a cane at the top, its back to them. Twilight stared, her mouth open. It was impossible. She knew. Was it some kind of prank?

Whatever the creature was, it looked quite similar to the statue that had once stood here.

Suddenly music began, as well as light tapping. The creature turned and proceeded to begin… dancing down the stairs.

“D is for the disarray that I’ll cause,” the creature sang, as it swung down the steps, spinning its cane along. “I is for insanity that they all say I am.”

Twilight just stared, the girl’s starring along with her. What WAS this madness?

“S is for selfish desires that I all see in your hearts.” He made it about halfway down already, swinging along as he went. “C is for Canterlot, the first step of my master plan.”

Twilight felt a weird… itching. It felt like it was on her brain, as if it was trying to deny all of… this.

“O is overwhelming that I am, R is for rescue that I’ll do from your boring lives,” he sang as he made the last few steps, stopping in front of them, before reaching out with his cane and tapping the bottom of Twilight’s chin, making her look up.

“And D is for Discord, master of chaos and anarchy. A pleasure to meet you at--” The music suddenly ground to a halt and the creature looked confused. He stared at Twilight for a few moments. The cane and suit disappeared and suddenly he reached out and grabbed Twilight by the face, turning it from side to side, a look of bewilderment on his face. “Shouldn’t you be… hornier?”

Twilight’s cheeks flared and her eyes widened. She tried to think of a response to that, but she wasn’t sure there WAS a response to that.

“HEY!” Rainbow yelled. “Get your hooves off my friend! Or… claws! Or whatever!” The mare flew through the air and crashed through the creature, who seemed to have turned into smoke for a second so the pegasus flew off through him.

“Yes, yes, quite,” Discord said, a frown on his lips as he stared at her. Twilight stared back, then yanked her head back.

“H-hey! Who are you? What are you?”

Discord smirked. “What am I? Why, I am Discord. Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. One could say the opposing force to the--” He blinked a few times. “Elements… of Harmony. Oh my. And where’s dear little sunbutt?” He rubbed his chin and his eyes widened. “Could it be? Is that… Tirek I feel? My my my. I have been gone for a while, haven’t I? And is that--”

“DISCORD!” Nightmare Moon’s voice roared and all heads turned towards the alicorn.

“Ah, Nightmare Moon! Decided to take a walk on the wild side again? How cute,” he said, standing up straight and yanking Twilight up.

The earth pony squeaked, flailing her hooves. “Hey, put me down!”

The alicorn froze. “Unhand my bard, you disgusting abomination,” she growled, landing on the ground and glowering at him. “If you harm one hair on her head, your suffering will be never ending.”

Discord hummed, nodding. “I see.” He glanced around for a moment before picking up Fluttershy in his other hand. “I think it’s time we have a little talk. There’s so much I need to catch up on.” Twilight tried to break free from his grip, but it somehow managed to be simultaneously like steel and water at the same time.

“DISCORD!” Nightmare Moon yelled, dashing forward.

The spirit smirked and then snapped his tail and the spirit and two ponies disappeared.

Author's Notes:

Hey. Guess who's back? I'll give you a hint. She's cuddly, lovely, self-conscious and plays wayyyy too many mobas.

Psst. It's me.

S2 Ch 2. Tea time

Twilight squeaked when she appeared in the air. She looked around in confusion, before dropping from the air and splatting onto the ground a moment later. “Ow.”

Discord appeared a moment later, holding Fluttershy and gently placing her down. “Now,” the creature said, frowning at them. “Something is going on. What is it?” He sat down, a large chair forming behind him. Glasses and a brown suit formed on him. A notebook and pencil dropped into his hands. Two therapist couches formed under the ponies, tossing them in the air and making the two ponies bounce a bit.

Twilight gulped and stared up at the spirit. “W-well. My name is Twilight Glow. This is Fluttershy. I am Nightmare Moon’s personal bard.”

The pegasus squeaked, nodding.

Discord nodded. “I see...” he snapped his fingers and a table formed between them, with little horn shaped cookies, a tea pot and some cups. He poured them each a cup of tea. “Would you like a trumpet crumpet?” He then began to drink the tea pot, before tossing the tea back, crashing through a wall that had appeared. The cookies trumpeted at them.

“… I’m good,” Twilight said. “Err, I ummm… there’s a book. Now. I guess. Err. I-- WAIT! Discord! Nightmare Moon and Tirek both referenced you! You’re one of the great evils Nightmare Moon defended the world from!”

Discord cocked an eye. “I would hardly call myself a great evil. I am merely a spirit who likes to have fun, how does that make me evil?”

Twilight opened her mouth, then blinked. “W-well, I… don’t know.”

“And you’re taking Nightmare Moon’s views on who is evil?”

“… Okay, valid point.”

“You turn a few ponies into accordions and suddenly you’re evil. So unfair.” He shook his head sadly. He then held out his hand and a book appeared in it. Her book. “I’ve never been one for reading, but I suppose I can make an exception...” He started flipping through it.

Twilight blinked. “What? But--”

“Shush. I am reading. Haven’t you ever heard not to interrupt a pony when they’re reading.”

“Oh, right,” she said. Then paused. “Wait. You’re not a pony!”

He snickered. “Nope. Now shush.”

Twilight sighed and looked around. They were in a weird house. She saw a herd of dust bunnies running off, hiding under the cabinet to avoid a hunting vacuum. However, they were suddenly pounced on by a tribe of feather dusters.

Discord sighed and shook his head. “It’s so hard to keep the house presentable sometimes.” He held out his right hand and a few dust bunnies formed in his hands. He lowered them to the ground and let them scamper off, bounding under the chair.

The earth pony sighed. “Are you done?”

“Nope,” Discord said, shaking his head. “Be patient. If you’d like, you can look around the house.”

Twilight nodded before glancing out the window and seeing the nameless void with little pieces of stone and brick floating about. She shook her head. “I think we’ll, err, wait.”

“Suit yourself,” he said with a shrug.

Fluttershy slowly reached out and took her cup of tea, sipping it a little. Her eyes lit up. “Oh my! Is that… cinnamon?”

“Mmmm hm!” Discord said with a grin.

“And… avocado?”

“Why indeed it is! You have quite the tongue,” Discord said with a grin. “A fine purveyor of tea, I take it?”

“Oh, not at all. Rarity and I just have tea when we go on our weekly spa date. She likes to bring all kinds of teas to try.”

Discord nodded. “Mmmm. Indeed.” His tail moved out, nudging the tray of crumpets towards her. “Go ahead, have one Fluttershy.”

“Oh, umm...” Fluttershy gave them a nervous look, then glanced to Twilight. She timidly reached a hoof out, picking one up with the tip of her hoof and starring at it.

He smiled, but it didn’t make a sound. She took a small bite, then blinked. “Oh! It is quite nice! Is that… hmmm… oh, cashews!”

He nodded. “Of course, only the best for my fri-- guest,” Discord said with a hum.

Twilight blinked and gave him a suspicious glance. She rubbed her chin and narrowed her eyes. Something was up. There was something weird going on. She didn’t know what it was, but there was a draconequus shaped hole in this little event and she aimed to fill it. “Discord, you were trapped in that statue before, right?”

“Mmmm hmm,” he mumbled, flipping a page.

“So… why did you take both me and Fluttershy?”

“She seemed like good company. You seemed a bit more...” A low grin formed on his lips. “Of a royal pain.” He gave a snicker.

Twilight frowned. She was sure there was a joke in there somewhere, but she had no idea where. “There aren’t many records of you, could you tell us about yourself? Who you are?”

“I am Discord and Discord is me,” he said with a smirk. “Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, in direct opposition of the Elements of Harmony.” He paused for a moment. “I think I see the point.” He slammed the book closed. “Now, what shall I do?”

She gulped and stared up at him.

“Now, I could go on a giant destructive spree, spreading chaos and anarchy across the land, but then Nightmare Moon would eventually track me down and it would end in a very annoying and mildly painful fight between the two of us. And as much as I hate to admit it, I can’t say for certain I’d be able to defeat her. After all, she was quite a bit stronger than she was last time.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. She has the power of Celestia and Cadence,” she muttered.

“Ah, yes. Three alicorns in one is not quite something I’d enjoy,” he said with a shrug. “I guess I can just annoy her for a bit, cause a bit of chaos,” he mumbled idly, scratching his chin with his tail. “But that isn’t really my style either. Causing a big stir, driving ponies crazy is more to my enjoyment.” He then sighed. “But truly, what is the point?” He tossed the book up and it flew away. “You already have a villain. Where’s the fun in that? ‘Oh, look ponies! Your big, evil tyrant is fighting the big, evil spirit of chaos! Oh well, she won, back to the status quo, good thing we had this hour, hour and a half of something interesting happening! Now, let’s go sell some more mud bricks, or whatever it is we ponies do.’ Oh please, I think I’d rather have tea with Fluttershy,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Are you enjoying the crumpets?”

“Oh, yes. They’re quite good,” Fluttershy said.

Twilight blinked a few times, then her eyes glimmered. “Wait, actually, that could work!”

“Excuse me?” Discord said, cocking an eye.

“That would do wonders for public perception of her. It might even help break her of her more self destructive behavior that she sometimes seems tartarus bent on pursuing.”

The spirit stared at her flatly. “… No.”

“But--”

“Spirit of chaos. Answers no. Now drop it while I make more tea, or I will make you tea.”

The earth pony blinked in confusion. “That doesn’t sound so bad...”

“And then drink you.”

“Wha-- oh. OH!” Twilight sheepishly looked away while the spirit picked up the pot and walked off into the kitchen. She then reached for a crumpet. They trumpeted at her, making her draw her hoof back. She then glanced to Fluttershy. “So… err… what do you think?”

“He seems sweet,” the pegasus said, taking another crumpet. It didn’t blast at her.

“Sweet? He’s a spirit of chaos. Have you ever studied chaos magic? I have, I have a minor in it. There’s no way a spirit of it can be sweet.”

The pegasus lowered her gaze. “Sorry… he seems sweet to me...”

Twilight sighed and pinched her cheek. “Ugh. A part of me swears this is all a trick. But… I don’t know. I’m sure when Nightmare Moon finds me she’s going to kill me. Or him. Whichever she can get her hooves on.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t think so...”

Twilight jumped off the couch and raced to the window. She peered outside and sighed. It was a realm of gravity-less chaos out there. “I think we’re in the realm of chaos. I’m not sure we can even get out of here,” she muttered. “I’ve heard only the bravest of ponies, and mail carriers, dare to travel here. We might be stuck a while...” She wondered if Nightmare Moon would try to rescue them. Before the gala incident she was sure the mare would have. But now?

Fluttershy nodded, taking another crumpet. “You should have one, Twilight. They’re really good.”

Twilight stared at them, then shook her head. “I… think I’m good. Help yourself.”

Discord came back a moment later, the pot piping hot. He poured the steam into his cup, drinking it with a loud slurp, before glancing to the two. “I think I’ve come to a decision.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked.

The spirit grinned. “Oh, indeed. I think I’ll just cut to the end and ignore the whole… going back to stone thing,” he said with a wave of his claw and a wicked smirk.

“What?” the earth pony asked. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

He gave a sigh. “Oh, you little ponies. Need I spell it out for you?” He stood up straight, a gray robe and beard forming on his body. A staff formed in his hand. “I, my little ponies, shall aid you! Fear not, for a spirit of chaos is never early nor late, for he arrives whenever it is most humorous for himself!”

The earth pony just stared for a few moments. “What in the...” Then her eyes lit up. “Oh! You’re referencing Graybeard the Aged from--” Her mouth zipped shut. “Mmmfff!”

He glowered down at her. “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. You ruin the fun if you just SAY who it is,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Think about dear Fluttershy.”

“I um, didn’t get it… sorry,” the pegasus said with a little squeak.

Twilight reached a hoof up and unzipped her mouth, coughing a few times, before glaring. “Either way, what do you mean help us? Why?”

The spirit grinned and laid back, before snapping his fingers and suddenly Celestia stood before them. Except she had the face of Discord. Twilight was sure that image would haunt her nightmares for years. “Why, isn’t it obvious, my dear, precious ponies?” he said in a mockery of the princess’ voice, before appearing as himself. “As much fun as spreading my chaos far and wide may be, it will likely end in a less than beneficial position for me.” That grin slowly got wider. “And I believe it would be far, far more amusing to see how far I can push her royal uptightedness. It’s not a full country, but it should still be quite delightful.” He gave a low snicker before leaning back and crossing his arms.

“Now, my little ponies, tell me. What do YOU intend to do?”

Twilight blinked a few times. “Do?”

He grinned even wider, his face splitting in half. “Of course. Surely a pony such as yourself, formerly bereft of magic, must have SOME plans that she requires magic for. Especially from one as powerful as myself.”

Twilight blinked, then shook her head. “I’m sorry. I mean, I’ve studied magic, in fact I--”

“Have a minor in it?”

“Err, yes. But I’ve never really had much use for it.” For the first time, the spirit actually looked confused. And almost a little sad. “Is something wrong?”

“Hm? Oh, nothing at all,” he said with a shrug, sipping his steam. “Just… ruminating. Fluttershy, would you like some more tea?”

“Oh, no thank you. It was quite good, though,” the pegasus said.

He nodded, before glancing towards her again. “Oh Fluttershy, you always did know how to--” And then his words froze, hanging in the air before slamming to the ground and sending shards of ice scattering along the ground. “Fluttershy, what’s that in your mouth?”

“Huh?” the pegasus asked, reaching up to touch her mouth. “Nothing?”

“That. Your teeth,” Discord said through gritted teeth.

The mare blinked, then gasped. “Oh! I ummm, I’m a vampire. S-sorry. Err, i-is that a problem?”

Discord stared, his eyes narrowed to slits and Twilight swore she could see fire in his eyes. “No,” he said coldly. “No it is not. Now, if there’s nothing else for you two, perhaps it’s time we end this little meeting. I’m sure by now her royal mooniness is probably besides herself with worry.”

“What?” Twilight asked. “But--” With a snap of the spirit’s fingers, the world around them disappeared.

A moment later they appeared in the air, landing on the back of something hard, black and warm. Twilight groaned for a moment, then looked up into the face of Nightmare Moon. Her blood almost turned to ice. “Y-your highness,” she squeaked.

The royal mare’s eyes flashed with a plethora of emotions as she stared at the bard, before she shook her head. “Bard. Other pony. Off,” she ordered.

Twilight squeaked and tried to gracefully jump forward. Instead she fell backwards and landed on the stone tile of the throne room. “Ow,” she said with a groan. She looked around and let out another squeak at the sight before her. Battalions of soldiers in full armor filled the throne room. Nightmare Moon was in her full war armor. Dread flooded through her. “Y-your highness!” she said quickly, getting back to her hooves. “We--”

“Silence, bard,” Nightmare Moon snapped. She then turned towards the soldiers. “All of you. Dismissed. Guard the castle, prepare for an invasion from that… creature.”

There were solemn nods. However, once the room was empty, the ruler turned to face her. Twilight squeaked and stared up at her, trying not to feel too afraid as a hoof reached out, gripping the bottom of her chin. Slowly her face was drawn up. Twilight squeaked and stared.

“Did he harm you?” she asked. The words were kind, but the tone was like venom.

Slowly the earth pony shook her head. “No. He… fed us cookies.”

She nodded. “We see. Cookies.” Her horn flared, enveloping the two in magic. She looked satisfied a moment later. “Good. We can… feel him. He’s trying to lower the moon. But his power is feeble compared to ours now,” she said darkly. “He cannot hope to win.” The alicorn turned and began to walk. “Come, bard. We have… much to discuss. Student, you as well.”

“O-of course,” Moon Dancer said, trotting quickly after the mare. Twilight noticed a second later that the unicorn was wearing full body armor as well.

Twilight stared, cocking her head to the side. She then followed after the mare. “What about Fluttershy?”

The ruler glanced back. “She is unimportant. Mare, if we summon you, come,” she mumbled, giving a dismissive wave with her wing.

“O-okay!”

Twilight gave her a nervous glance, before following after the mare. Oh this would NOT end well.

Author's Notes:

For those curious, the mobas are HotS and LoL.
Also for those curious, I'm super disappointed in you guys. How many of you failed magical kindergarden? Rule 15 is that without the magical power of an alicorn, it is impossible to transform eggs into any other substance while inside their shells, as their innate magical power would make such a process foalhardy.

Honestly, it was less that Twilight broke the law, more that she wiped out two kitchens, a bakery, a small mom and pop store and the principle's new car with the 'experiment'.

S2 Ch 3: Returned

Twilight stepped into the royal chambers and gave a nervous look around. Dancer moved to sit at the end of the bed, starring nervously at the ruler. She then glanced to Nightmare Moon, gulping. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been brought into her private chambers. It did not bode well.

The alicorn glared down at her. “We will not be disturbed here. Discord himself could not break through the enchantments here, not as he is now. So, bard. Tell us. What did he do? What did he say?” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “And tell us. Did you betray us? Did you beg for him to save you from the ‘insane’ Nightmare Moon?”

Twilight shuffled her hooves, lowering her eyes. “No, I… he...” she mumbled, staring at the ground. “He… made us tea and crumpets.”

“And? What did he say?”

“He said that, err, him being a villain would… be a waste. That with you already being the villain, it’d be boring and just, not fun...”

“… And? That’s all? He did not harm you?”

“No. He… actually seemed a little sad.”

“Sad?” Nightmare Moon asked, before snorting. “He’s not sad. He is not capable of such emotions. He is an evil abomination that deserves to be purged from this world. Torn apart from limb to limb. My sis… we sealed him away long ago out of some noble belief that the monster could be saved. But we know that to be impossible. Should we get a chance, we will not allow any of him to remain to taunt us again,” she said with a growl. “He cannot show care for another pony. At all. He is a master of manipulation and trying to control you, just as he always has been.”

Twilight nodded. “Of… of course. I didn’t mean to imply that he was… that he--”

“And if you ever think of trying to betray us to him...” She leaned in, glaring into the earth pony’s eyes. “You know the consequences.”

Twilight squeaked and nodded. “O-of course, your highness. I would never think of… of betraying you like that.”

“Do not take us for a fool, we both know that’s not true. If you believed this creature could ‘save’ you from us, you would do it in a heart beat.”

“Y-your highness,” Dancer said, piping up. “I-I’m certain Twilight wouldn’t betray you in such a manner. She’s as loyal as I am.”

The ruler snorted and a cruel smile formed on her lips. “Oh? So your loyalty only lasts as far as you believe there will be no consequences from it?”

“W-what? No! Of course not, your highness!” Dancer said.

“Truly?” the ruler said with another snort, glancing over. “And if Celestia was before us, what would you do? Would you stay loyal to us, or would you instantly turn on us? Would you beg her to save you?”

Dancer froze, her mouth falling open. “I… well… I… I mean I...”

The alicorn advanced on the mare, making her walk back nervously, until she was backed up against the wall. “Well, student? What would you do? How long until you would turn on us? If you saw a way to escape us, to get out from under our rule, how long until you would beg to be saved? Despite the gifts we have given you, the magic we have taught you, how weak is your loyalty to us?”

Dancer shook. “Your highness, I never, I didn’t...”

“Do you really believe, for even a moment, you are loyal to us? Do you believe anypony is loyal to us? We hold no… beliefs that you, or any of your ilk, care for us. It is only our great power that holds you in sway. At least, for now.” She stood up straight, spreading out her wings. Thunder crashed in the background, making Twilight jump. “And Discord is far, far too weak to oppose us.” She turned her gaze to Twilight. “So I would remember where your loyalties lie, bard.”

The earth pony stared at the ruler, before feebly nodding. She was a foal. Why. Why had she made that mistake? She sighed when the alicorn walked towards her desk, shaking her head. Twilight waited a few moments, but nothing was said so she turned and walked from the room.

“I’m an idiot,” Twilight muttered. She thought back to what happened. Why had she said that? She was an adult. She was smart, wasn’t she? But all she could think about was how it had happened. She had saw Celestia, and suddenly she’d been a little filly again. She’d saw the alicorn and instantly she believed the ruler could make everything better. Realistically she knew the princess couldn’t do anything. But at that moment, she couldn’t see that. All she could do was see the ruler of her world and believe that she was going to make everything better. And set everything she’d done for Nightmare Moon back.

She missed last year. Her stupid mistakes back then only got her hurt. Now they could end up making everything worse. She let out a squeak when suddenly there was a snap behind her. She turned and shrieked when she looked at Nightmare Moon. Who looked annoyed. “We did not dismiss you, bard.”

The earth pony squeaked, paling. “I-I’m sorry, I thought you were… d-done with me.”

“No. We are not. We have something… else we wish to discuss with you.”

Twilight nodded and gulped, following her up to her room. To her horror, she realized Dancer was gone. It was just the two of them.

“I desire to speak to you of this,” the ruler said, her horn glowing before she pulled out the book. Twilight was sure she was imagining it, but was there a small claw mark on one of the corners? If it was, the ruler didn’t notice it.

“Y-yes, your highness?” Twilight asked softly.

“We finished it a… few days ago. We just… did not wish to speak to you.”

Twilight nodded, giving her a nervous grin. “Did, err, did you enjoy it?”

The ruler stared at the book, then glanced back up to her. “We enjoyed parts. Hated others. And some others fed us with so much rage we wished to turned all of the surrounding mountains to rubble.” Twilight gulped nervously. “But, it has served its purpose. It will… tell the ponies who we are. What... I am. We will permit it to be sold.”

Twilight nodded, glancing to the side. “Thank you, your highness.”

Nightmare Moon nodded, turning to walk to the balcony of her room. She stared out over the lands. Twilight wondered if she was dismissed, but didn’t dare walk off until she was sure. After a few moments, the ruler spoke up. “It doesn’t make any difference though, does it?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Our ponies will always want her over us, won’t they?” Nightmare Moon said, the words so soft she could barely hear them. The earth pony didn’t respond, she just stood there and waited. Finally, the alicorn turned back, her eyes cold as ice. “Soon the ponies will know and understand who we are. And they WILL learn to accept us, or they will suffer for it. And… if they will not, then we will wait. Patiently. A hundred years. A thousand. Until our sister is but a myth as we were. Now, about you.”

The earth pony gulped, staring up at her ruler.

“We have heard you have gone to visit Tirek, more often of late.”

She nodded. “Y-yes. It’s about the book I’m working on. I figured if I created a book to explain who you were, well, I-I should write one about him, too. So ponies aren’t as frightened. I might do one about Discord after, too. Err, I--”

She was silenced with a wave of the alicorn’s hoof. “Very well. We… have no objection to this. If you desire to know more of that creature, we will not oppose it. However, we still believe it is a foalish endeavor. Tirek is a monster. But a helpless monster.” She was quiet for a moment longer, staring at her. “We… will also permit you to leave the castle again.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up. “R-really? I can go where I want?”

“No. But you may leave the castle. Do not leave Canterlot, or your punishment will be swift. Do you understand?”

She nodded her head. “Of course, your highness. Thank you.”

The ruler nodded, moving her back to the mare. “You are dismissed.” She was quite for a moment, before whispering under her breath, glancing towards the book. “Why must you, of all ponies, know me so well...”

“Your highness? I didn’t catch that?”

“We said you are dismissed!” the ruler snapped.

Twilight nodded and turned tail, quickly racing from the room. Once she was on the stairs, she sighed. Her book was finally going to be out, ponies were going to finally have a glimpse of just what was going on. Just how much danger they were all in. But also how safe it was, at the same time. She wondered how awful her reputation was by now. She imagined the papers were being less than kind to both of them. She’d probably be seen as someone who was just taking advantage of the whole situation to make bits.

The whole thing left a foul taste in her mouth and she began to wonder what the point was. She could try all she wanted, but things wouldn’t change. Their ruler couldn’t save them. She’d lost any and all progress she’d made with Nightmare Moon. She just wanted to go back to her home and crawl into bed to wait for the world to end. She snorted and wondered if it would be happening soon.

She gave a sigh and made her way through the castle, following the all too familiar path to Tirek’s cell. It’d be a while before the book was ready. She wondered if she’d even have any fans then to read it. She struggled to avoid banging her head on the wall. “Ugh, why are you so stupid?” she muttered to herself.

“Heh, if you’re stupid, what does that make the rest of us ponies?” Rainbow asked when she trotted around the corner, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie and Applejack following a moment later.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Girls? What are you doing here? Oh! Nightmare Moon didn’t try to make you--”

“What, two of our buddies end up getting foalnapped and you think we’re going to just high tail it out of here and wait for things to blow over?” Rainbow asked with a snort. “You should know us better than that by now.”

Twilight nodded and smiled despite herself. She should have. She stepped forward and felt the warm embrace of her friends. Even though she didn’t know all of them very well, it still felt wonderful. She then snickered when she noticed Spike was standing off behind them. “Spike? Do you want to join in the hug, too?”

He snorted, his cheeks turning a little red. “What? No. What makes you think I--” He yelped when he was grabbed in Rarity’s magic and pulled into the hug, his cheeks burning. “F-fine, whatever.”

Twilight sighed when they pulled back. “So, has Fluttershy explained what happened?”

“Yeah. This whole Discord thing seems pretty weird,” Rainbow muttered. “But eh. He’s not joining forces with her royal darkness up there and isn’t causing us grief, so maybe he’s not so bad.”

“He makes very good tea,” Fluttershy said softly.

Applejack gave a shrug. “Honestly, ah ain’t met ‘im yet, but ah get a bad vibe judgin’ by what Fluttershy told us. But… well, if he don’t wanna cause problems, ah ain’t one tah judge a pony who ain’t done nothin’,” she said with a nod.

“Yeah, he seems like he’ll be a bit of a headache,” Twilight said with a shrug. “But nothing really too bad. So it could be a lot worse. Sorry about the picnic.”

“It’s quite alright, darling,” Rarity said with a smile. “Nopony could have expected something like this happening and you can hardly blame yourself.”

Twilight nodded, before grinning. “Well, you’re all here. How about we go down to Canterlot Park and have a real picnic?”

“Canterlot Park?” Rainbow asked. “I thought you weren’t supposed to leave the castle?”

“Nightmare Moon has rescinded that order. I am now allowed to leave the castle,” she said with a nod. “Just… not the city.” She gave another sigh. “Hopefully she doesn’t get mad at me again...”

“What’d she even get mad at you for that time, anyway?” Rainbow asked with a frown. “The party was a success! Still not up to her standards? What, did she want you to turn the whole country into her loyal minions overnight?”

Twilight shook her head, feeling that pressure as the spell started to exert itself. The truth would do her no good here. “It… wasn’t something like that,” she said with a shake of her head, trying to look for a proper lie, her eyes glancing off to the side. “I over stepped some boundaries I really shouldn’t have and I really, really hurt her.”

Rainbow snorted again. “So? She’s a big girl, is she going to throw a tantrum every time you say something she doesn’t like?”

“Probably,” Rarity said with a shrug.

“Totally!” Pinkie added.

“Ah only known her a short time, but ah’m pretty sure that seems tah be the way of things,” Applejack said with a huff.

“Oh yeah, all the time,” Spike said, nodding.

“Well… n-no… okay, yes,” Fluttershy added softly. “Sorry.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yes, she does do that a lot. But this time I really hurt her, a lot more than I meant to. I acted without thinking and it was a foalish thing to do, okay?” she said, shaking her head. “I just would rather not talk about it. So, picnic?”

The others nodded and the seven of them started walking towards the main entrance. As they did, Rarity glanced over. “So, darling. Far be it for me to pry too much… but…”

Twilight glanced over. “Yes?”

“Well… I can’t help but notice that you haven’t been at her highness’ side in ages. It used to be that she had you there for all her meetings. But I’ve seen a number of courts now that you have been nowhere in sight. I didn’t want to say anything, but… this… matter you mentioned...”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “No. Yes. Sorta. Honestly? I… don’t know anymore. I don’t have any more ideas on what to do with her,” she muttered. “I feel like we’ve hit an impasse. I don’t think she’s going to end up destroying the country. But I don’t know how to improve her or make things better for her and everypony else,” she muttered. “I really don’t know how to connect with her anymore.” She mentally berated herself. If she’d just not acted like a school filly running to the princess like that, everything would be so much easier.

Rarity nodded. “I see.” She was quiet for a long moment, before finally speaking up again. “Then… do you believe this is for the best? For Equestria?”

Twilight almost stumbled and she noted the others moving a little faster then as well. They didn’t look back, but she could feel all of them listening intently. The earth pony was quiet for a long, long time before finally speaking up. “Yes. I do. I believe this is the best we can do. The best we can hope for at this time. Maybe… Nightmare Moon isn’t so bad.”

Rarity nodded, silence once again encircling the group.

After a few moments, Applejack coughed to the side. “So… Trixie’s been doin’ okay.”

Twilight perked up. “Really? She is? That’s great!”

“Ehh,” Applejack said with a shrug. “Ah mean, jus’ okay. She still gets into a mope every so often. The other day Cheerilee went down there an’ caught the unicorn burnin’ an oddly Nightmare Moon shaped effigy.”

Twilight gasped. “SHE DID WHAT?!”

“Err, ah think they put it out, nopony saw.”

“SAW?!” Twilight snapped. “She works in a library! A LIBRARY! What if some of the books had been burned?! All that knowledge that could have been lost, the stories, the passion, the emotion, all of it, gone in an instant! I’m going to have to have a long, STERN talk with that mare,” she said huffily.

Rainbow gave a snorted. “Twilight, you egg head. They’re just books. Who cares if-- eep!” She let out a squeak as suddenly the earth pony was in front of her, a hoof pushed to her chest.

“They are not just books. There is no such thing as ‘just books’. Books are passion, they are energy. They are a connection to past lives, to new worlds, to emotions and feelings and thoughts different from our own. Every single page is filled with a small snap shot of a person’s mind! A book is the heart and soul of its writer! To destroy one is unthinkable!”

The pegasus squeaked, giving a small nod. “R-right. Unthinkable. Don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Are you going to throw her into a wall, too?” Spike asked.

Rarity managed to barely suppress a giggle with her hoof, drawing red to Twilight’s cheeks. She stormed back down the hall, her cheeks feeling as if they were on fire. “L-let’s just go. And don’t let her burn any more things in the library, okay?”

The others nodded. Rainbow glanced towards Spike. “Is she always like this?”

“Oh, no,” the dragon said with a shake of his head. “Usually she gets a lot angrier when there’s talk of burning books.”

Rainbow nodded, then… “So, the whole story about her throwing Nightmare Moon into a wall… it was true?”

Spike nodded. “Oh yeah. I didn’t see it, but if you go down to the library and know who to ask, you can see a crude sketch of the whole thing. It’s pretty funny. And I think the dent is still in the wall. I don’t think Nightmare Moon has been there since.”

Rainbow nodded, a grin on her lips. “I’ll need to make sure to see that.”

------

Twilight gave a soft yawn as she trotted down the stairs into the dungeon. She rubbed at her eyes and stretched, grumbling softly. “Sometimes I swear...” she muttered.

Hanging out with her friends had actually been really nice, far nicer than she expected. But Pinkie was exhausting. She was mildly thankful she didn’t live in the same town as her. She was also trying to find out how in the world she counted as Pinkie’s ‘best friend’ when all the others seemed to as well. It didn’t make any sense. How could a pony have multiple best friends? On top of that, they’d only just met each other recently. A part of her wanted to study the mare, but she wasn’t sure she had all the tools, the energy or the time required for such a feat.

So instead she’d focused on just trying to keep up with the mare. Which had involved a lot more running than her, seemingly sedentary, life had left her prepared for. She wasn’t out of shape by any means, but in the end only Applejack and Rainbow weren’t left in a pile of sweat and panting.

But by Nightmare Moon’s over pointed glare, those cup cakes were delicious.

She gave another soft yawn and then glanced towards the cell. She expected Tirek to be there, reading a book. She did not expect him to be sitting on his bed, arms crossed and smirking at her. Life in captivity was fairing well for him, at least better than Tartarus had. He was more muscular and larger, he somehow managed to look younger as well.

“All things considered, you’re looking good,” Twilight said with a smile. “How are you feeling? Chipper?”

“Oh, indeed. I see the Lord of Chaos has escaped his imprisonment as well.”

Twilight’s smile fell. “Oh. You mean Discord. You’re… aware of him, then?”

“Oh, of course I am. I am almost as ancient as he. And magic such as his… well, it fills the air with the most delightful of tingles,” he said with a low chuckle. “I take it her highness is none too thrilled by this development?”

“Can you blame her?” Twilight said.

He laughed again. “So, tell me. Has he laid siege? Do the fields run with the taste of chocolate and marshmallows? Or has he perhaps turned the outside world into a giant bowl of soup?”

The earth pony stared. “What in Equestria are you talking about? He hasn’t done anything.”

That gave the centaur pause. “What? He hasn’t… you expect me to believe that Discord has freed himself and hasn’t sought out vengeance on the one who imprisoned him?”

She shrugged. “If anything, he seems scared of Nightmare Moon.”

He stared and, to her delight, she saw actual bewilderment on his expression. Then disbelief. “You’re lying, pony.”

“Isn’t that my line?” she said with a cocked eye.

“That spirit would not stand idly by after waiting for so long.”

Twilight shrugged. “I never said that. He just said he didn’t want to be a villain if Nightmare Moon already has it covered.”

He gave a low growl, rubbing his chin. “Discord, you crazy abomination… what are you playing at? Is this another one of your insufferable games?” he asked, beginning to pace back and forth. “You were supposed to be my ticket out of here...”

“Your what now?” she asked, cocking an eye.

He glanced back to her and snorted. “Nothing you need concern yourself with, pony,” he said bitterly.

She stared for a few moments, then frowned. A moment later it was replaced with a look of sadness. “Oh. Oh Tirek. I’m so sorry.”

He stared at her. “Sorry? For what?”

She stepped closer to the bars. “You thought Discord would be your way out, that in the chaos, you could escape your prison and be free, didn’t you?”

His eyes narrowed, but he didn’t speak.

“I’m not going to mock you,” she said with a sigh. “I… am just sorry.”

He stared at her, then turned away. “Bah. Do not waste your regrets on me, pony. Were the tables turned, I would do naught but laugh at you in this situation.”

She nodded, but made a mental note to have the cooks bring him an extra large parfait for dessert. She couldn’t imagine how much it must hurt to lose his hope like that. Then, a moment later, she realized she knew exactly how it felt. “I know how you feel.”

He snorted. “Oh? And how could you know that?”

“You feel… abandoned. Weak. Like no matter how hard you try, things just won’t get better. That… there’s no master plan or great gesture you can make to fix things.”

He cocked an eye. “Oh?”

“That those you wish to… to help you, to save you, can’t anymore. That they--”

“So you’ve found Celestia.”

Twilight froze in place, her mouth falling open. She then shook her head. “No!” The spell entwined her, making the words fall out of her mouth before she could stop them.

He snorted, giving a smile as he looked to her. “Magic is my specialty, Twilight. I can feel it working on you.” He then gave a low, booming laugh. “I suspected you’d found her after all. But no, you need not confirm my suspicions. I can already tell.”

“No, I didn’t find her. I don’t--”

“Silence,” he snapped, glowering at her. He then laughed. “But the feelings you had for your ruler do not mix with my own. I viewed Discord as nothing more than a tool. Something I would use to manipulate my way into my freedom. If… that is no longer an option, then I will merely find some other way to gain my freedom. That is all. No more, no less.” He gave another soft snort. “Though your sickening desire to ‘help’ me is noted. Dismissed, but noted.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. She then pulled out her pen and papers. “Of course. Now, would you mind if we continued the story? I believe when last we left off, we were discussing your families vacation to the dragon lands?”

He blinked a few times before sighing. “Very well. It was… hot. There was a lot of fire.”

She nodded, jotting things down as he talked. At least he didn’t fight her as much during their talks anymore.

S2 Ch 4: Calendars

Twilight laid on the ground, her eyes wide as saucers, her heart pounding so hard she was certain it would explode at any moment. Why. Why had it come to this? What had she done to deserve this? There was no point to it. No point to anything. A part of her wondered if she had died. Was that explosion something else and her mind just refused to process it?

Maybe there had been some problems with the court mages. Her room wasn’t too far from their rooms. It was completely understandable that some explosion or another had overtaken them and, as such, had enveloped hers as well. Yes, that had to be what happened. It was the only logical explanation. Because the alternative was…

That a small, pink earth pony had somehow launched herself out of Twilight’s closet drawer, complete with two party cannons, a cupcake(that she could still taste. It was chocolate. Not bad), a dozen balloons and at least two pounds of confetti. All somehow crammed into a drawer that was just barely big enough to hold her pens and spare paper.

Twilight laid on the ground in shock, staring at the roof and struggling to regather herself while the pink pony rambled on about something. She couldn’t process it. Sure, the ringing in her ears from the close up cannons had long since died, but her mind still refused to accept what was going on. What had happened. She caught the odd word here and there. Shining? Birthday? Eight layer cake? What?

Slowly she began to tune herself into the conversation while the pink pony hopped around the room, seemingly unaware of the shock she had put Twilight through. The earth pony couldn’t help but note Spike was sitting on the bed, looking only slightly less confused than her, though mildly amused.

Finally, the writer got to her hooves with great difficulty and stood up, shaking her head. “Pinkie. Pinkie?”

“And then we’ll go get some smores because you don’t have to be camping to have smores you know it’s just marshmallows and--”

“PINKIE!” Twilight yelled, shaking the mare out of her word explosions.

The other earth pony froze and glanced to her. Moments later she burst into giggles. “T-Twilight, y-your mane!”

“What?” Twilight asked, before looking in the mirror. Her ears drooped and she heard Spike let out a guffaw. The shock had managed to make it stand on end. Her cheeks turned red and she galloped to her night stand, yanking out a brush and doing the best she could to at least straighten it a bit. Once she was finished, she took a slow, deep breath and turned to the other mare. “Okay. Pinkie. As I was saying. What are you talking about? Why are you even here? Did Nightmare Moon send you?”

The pink pony giggled and shook her head. “Of course not, silly! Your brother did!”

Twilight blinked a few more times. “You’ve… met my brother?”

“Of course! You didn’t think I’d come all the way up here to see my new best friend all the time and never visit her family, did you?”

Twilight stared for a few more moments. She imagined the pink mare meeting Cadence and Shining. She couldn’t deny that the thought did seem quite humorous to her, making her draw a hoof up and chuckling softly. “I… see. And my brother sent you to me?”

“Well, no. Not per say.”

“Well? Then why are you here?”

“Because it’s almost your birthday, silly! Why didn’t you tell us?” Pinkie said, grinning from ear to ear.

Twilight stared some more, blinking. “What? It’s not my--” She then paused and did some mental calculations. Then shrugged. “Huh. Yeah, I guess it is. So?”

The pink pony’s mane actually deflated. “So?”

“Well, it’s not important,” she said with a shrug. “Age is just a number used to apply set restrictions on the legal privileges a pony is allowed to access. I hit my last important one a while back, so it’s not like there’s any more age limits I’m hitting,” she said with a shrug.

Spike sighed. “Only you could make a birthday seem boring.”

Twilight shrugged. “I’m sorry? But I usually just skip them. Sometimes Shining and I will get dinner in the city, but I don’t-- err, Pinkie?”

The mare looked like she was going to start crying.

“I’m… sorry? What’s wrong?”

“You… don’t have birthday parties?”

“I’m a little old for that, don’t you think?”

“But… but what about Spike?”

Twilight stared for a few moments, moving her mouth as she tried to process the question. Finally, after a few moments of her mind refusing to process it, she skipped straight to the point. “What about Spike?”

“You’re almost his mom, you need to set a proper example for birthdays!” Pinkie said with a nod. Now Spike was full on laughing, holding his stomach as he fell back on the bed.

Twilight stared, her mouth open. There were no words. “Zgrrgz?” she managed to say intelligibly.

“Uh huh!”

Her mind attempted to reboot itself, finally giving up and engaging safe mode. She stood there for a few, long seconds and then uttered words she almost instantly regretted. “F-fine. Just do whatever you want.”

Pinkie squealed with delight, hopping into the air and, somehow, making more balloons fly. “You won’t be disappointed, Twilight! This’ll be the best birthday party EVER!” And then, as quickly as she appeared, the mare was gone. To Twilight’s surprise, when she looked down, all the confetti was gone as well. All that remained to assure her that she didn’t in fact have a psychotic break from too much studying were a few balloons hovering in the air.

Finally, she turned to Spike, glaring. “I’m happy you find this so amusing.”

He snickered, leaning up. “H-hey. She’s doing my birthday, it’s only fair she does yours too.” He paused for a moment, before… “Mom.” He promptly fell back again, laughing uproariously.

She rolled her eyes and stepped towards the door. She had been tired a few moments ago as she had just woken up, but now her heart was pumping like an engine and the adrenaline in her system left her wide awake.

The mare sighed when she took a seat in the dining hall, a hoof rubbing her forehead. She couldn’t imagine what went through that pink pony’s head some days. Balloons? Confetti? Perhaps fire works? Whatever it was, it was insane and she now couldn’t help feeling a little miffed that her friends hadn’t at least warned her when they sent her to that bakery. Her and Pinkie weren’t even that close, she had far more interactions with Rarity, yet the mare didn’t seem the least bit interested in her birthday.

She sighed and gave a shrug, chewing idly on her hay muffin. She couldn’t imagine why anypony would make such a big deal about a birthday. It happened every year, like clock work. Everypony came together, sang a song, gave gifts and then cut the cake. It seemed like a dreadful waste of the day. And what was the point? To make her feel special? Her friends didn’t need to spend a day celebrating her to make her feel special, they already--

The muffin fell from her hoof and she stared across the hall, her eyes wide. She swallowed after a few moments, before jumping to her hooves and galloping out of the hall, leaving her meal behind herself.

That beautiful, wonderful, amazing pink pony who she could never, ever give enough praise to had figured it out!

------

Twilight flipped through the books, frowning more and more as she worked. She’d lay claim to one of the chalk boards in the library and it was now covered in calculations that made sense to nopony but herself. Towers of books surrounded her, like an impenetrable fortress of knowledge.

The librarians whispered amongst themselves, but none dared disturb the tyrant tosser, for fear of her wrath. When the earth pony finally let out an angry cry of defeat and collapsed to the ground, knocking a few of the stacks over, the librarians scattered like frightened flies.

“It’s impossible,” Twilight muttered.

After a few minutes, one of the younger librarians slowly stepped forward and gave a nervous gulp. He would have gladly taken a trip through the magical and sometimes fatal under vaults, where only the most dangerous of tomes were stored, over approaching such a dangerous mare. But he had the least amount of seniority and so the task fell to him. Also, as he was the newest, he’d be the easiest to replace. “Err, miss Glow?” he asked softly. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No,” she muttered with annoyance. “Not unless YOU can tell me what Nightmare Moon’s birthday is.”

“… I’m sorry? Err… is this trivia? From your book?”

“No, no,” she muttered. “Figures. I spend weeks gathering every piece of information, but I don’t remember the important things. ‘When’s your birthday, what kind of cake do you like?’ Go figure, right?” She got to her hooves and stared at the board. “Oh, Celestia’s birthday was easy,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “She only had two hundred and seventy-five different dates for it over the last few millenia. But Nightmare Moon’s? Or Luna’s? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! It doesn’t help that all past records of her tend to, well, be in the past. I swear it feels like it’s just a myth sometimes,” she muttered again. “One we’re all stuck in. No, no. There’s only hundreds of different possibilities of when it could be. On top of that, she’s the little sister. You know how many myths and stories there are on the birth of Celestia and Luna? Dozens! In some they’re born in the coldest day of the coldest year of the coldest blah blah blah. In other ones, they’re found at the birth of time. In still others, they are birthed on the founding of Equestria. None of it is consistent! Then, on top of that, the calenders and how we’ve done the weather have changed so gosh darn many times. Did you know we’ve changed how we register a year fourteen times in the last millenia alone? Six of those were in the last two hundred years!”

The stallion nodded, wondering if she’d possibly be able to find him if he made an escape attempt to the under vaults. Did they have the life lines set up? With a nervous gulp, he slowly tried responding. “Perhaps you could, err, ask her?”

“Oh, right, ask the super emotional, prone to anger princess of the night! That’ll end well!” Twilight said, then put a hoof to her forehead. “Did they even celebrate birthday parties a millenia ago? Ugh, if we had day and night, I’d suggest the winter solstice, but no. I’m honestly amazed anypony is even keeping up with the calender these days. Without a day or night, the whole point is moot. Well, I guess for seasons and… okay, it’s not moot at all I’m just really annoyed, you know?!” she said, before rolling over and hugging a book to her chest as best she could. “How could anypony hope to solve this? How in the world COULD anypony solve this? Starswirl the Bearded couldn’t do this and he had magic at his hooves. I’m just an earth pony. I can’t do this.”

The stallion shuffled from hoof to hoof, beginning to suspect the danger was passing.

“… Well, there’s no other option, then. I’ll have to just do it the good old fashioned way. Dates be darned.”

“Miss?” he asked. “Do what the old fashioned way?”

She glanced towards him with a crazy gleam in her eye. “Why, throw Nightmare Moon a surprise birthday party. What else?”

Author's Notes:

Last chap for a bit, now caught up on my back log. Hope you guys enjoy. :)

S2 Ch 5: Scheming

Twilight was already regretting her decision. Pinkie zoomed around the main dining hall like a unicorn suffering from three casts of Flash Dasher’s amazing super speedy dash spell, without the side effects of excessive hair loss, double vision or orange tongue. While they weren’t setting up the party yet, the pink mare had been all for throwing it once Twilight had told her.

Well, less told her. More the mare had seemingly appeared out of nowhere when she told Spike her plan(who had just given her a look.) The plan had been simple, her, Spike and Dancer would throw Nightmare Moon a surprise party. Now apparently it involved the whole castle and would be using the main dining hall. Twilight wanted to object to the whole notion, but Pinkie had unfortunately discovered her two greatest weaknesses.

Charts and lists.

Despite her expectations of the young pink pony, when it came to parties, the mare had a brilliance that… while it might not exceed Twilight’s, it at least gave it a run for its money. She couldn’t imagine anypony dedicating so much time and effort to such a thing. Even more importantly, there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.

She stared at the seating arrangement, trying to find out WHY or even HOW it worked. Pinkie had spent all of five minutes on it and, as best she could tell, there was no discernible pattern. Some tables had five guests, others had up to eight. Different races were mixed and matches, families were separated, ages mixed and matched. It was chaos.

And yet it was somehow perfect. She looked over the names and, if all these ponies did appear, she saw no reason they would object to sitting with their table mates. She had believed that the gala had been something the mare had dedicated her every fiber of being towards, that it was the most amazing she could do. Now she was beginning to see that that had been the norm for the mare. She didn’t seem to know the meaning of a bad party. “Pinkie, have you ever considered teaching a class?”

“On what?” the mare asked, glancing over.

“Throwing parties.”

The mare just giggled softly. “What? Why would I need to do that? This is all super easy! OHHH! Watermelon!” the mare yelled before running off.

“W-what? Watermelon? Why would-- Pinkie?” she called after her, but was seemingly ignored. She stared at the mare, at a loss, before glancing over to Spike. He was chewing on a bagel. “Where did you get that?”

“I missed breakfast,” he said with a shrug. “So I raided the kitchen.”

“… Do you think this is a bad idea?” she asked.

“Oh, I think it’s a horrible idea,” he said with a shrug.

“Really? You don’t think Nightmare Moon will like it?”

“Well, she’s like a few thousand years old, right? Don’t girls always get mad when you bring up their age?”

Twilight blinked a few times, before face hoofing. She then shook her head and turned back to the pink mare.

“Twilight? Darling? What is going on?” Rarity asked as she trotted into the dining hall. “I heard that Pinkie was here but...” She trailed off as she watched the mare race around. Then eyed the books and charts. “Is there another gala? I can’t deny I admire your initiative, but throwing another gala so soon after the last successful one would be a bit improper. Too much of a good thing, darling.”

Twilight shook her head. “No. We’re planning a birthday party for Nightmare Moon.” She paused. “Well, Pinkie is. I was. Now I’m not anymore, it seems. I don’t know.” She rubbed her head. “I’m getting a headache.”

“Oh dear,” Rarity said, patting her head. “Perhaps you should go and get some rest? I think Pinkie has-- wait. It’s Nightmare Moon’s birthday?!” she asked, her eyes going wide.

Twilight just sighed. “Maybe? I don’t know. Even if it’s not, we’re throwing her one. She’s been on the moon for a thousand years. She could probably use one. And hopefully it’ll help her calm down somehow.”

“Help who to calm down?” a voice said from behind them.

“You know, the--” Twilight froze, her blood almost freezing in her veins when she recognized the voice. She whipped her head around to see the ruler of Equestria. “Y-your highness!”

Nightmare Moon glowered. “Ah. Help us calm down. Tell us, bard. What is it that you are plotting? Perhaps another attempt to usurp our throne? Is there yet another powerful creature you have made contact with?”

“What? No! No no no!” Twilight said, shaking her head wildly. “No no! You see, umm...” She sighed. “It’s a surprise. And I swear it is in absolutely no danger to you, but if I tell you the whole surprise part will be ruined and I promise you will like it.”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes widened as suddenly Pinkie was on her head, making it sink down. “Of course, Moonie Moon! You’ll love it, trust me! I give you the Pinkie Pie guarantee!”

“Do not--” And her words were cut off by a sudden cupcake being stuffed into her mouth. “Mmpphhh!”

Twilight groaned, then did her best to smile to the princess. “It’s a surprise, your highness. One… one I’m certain you’ll love. I promise. If… you’d like you can cast a spell on me, to check I’m not lying?”

Nightmare Moon swallowed the cupcake and whipped around to scowl at Pinkie Pie. But the pink mare was already gone. She then glanced back to Twilight. She looked annoyed for a moment… then sighed. “Of course,” she mumbled. “There is no need.”

Twilight smiled, perhaps some trust had been salvaged--

“Whatever your plan is, will fail. We are no foal. Nor are we weak. The sooner you realize this, the sooner...” Nightmare Moon turned and trotted away, shaking her head.

Twilight watched the other mare leave. “Your… your highness… I...” she mumbled, then lowered her eyes. She watched the ruler of Equestria walk away and she felt nothing but… pity. Finally… She turned towards Rarity. “We need the others.”

“Pardon me?” Rarity asked.

“I want to throw a small, gentle party for her. Something… small. But appreciative. You, Applejack, everypony. And a few dozen nobles.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, darling. I mean, she might not--”

“She’s likely never had a birthday. At the very least, she hasn’t had one for a thousand years. And… even if she is kind of… nasty at times, she is still a pony. She deserves a little bit of affection. Besides, it might do a bunch to help her mental state. I know you ponies. I TRUST you ponies. So… there’s no one else I’d rather ask about this. So, will you help me?”

Rarity stared for a long moment. Then sighed. “Of course. I’ll always help you, darling. The others will too, I’m sure. Pinkie, of course, is happy to. Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack… well… they’ll likely be a bit… they may take some convincing. I’ll invite them to come talk with you. And… we can decide from that. May I have the guest list? I’d like to--” And suddenly it was in her hooves as a pink pony whooshed by. “Thank you.”

Twilight nodded, sighing. “Okay? And just… ask them to come. I’ll deal with the rest. Okay?”

“Okay, darling. Just don’t expect good results...”

------

“Yeah sure, why not?” Rainbow said with a shrug.

“Well… it is her first birthday. So… I mean. I-I don’t know how much help I’ll be. But, um, it’s for a good cause, right?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m in.”

“Ah don’t know how ah feel about all this,” Applejack said with a sigh. “Buuuuuut… ah owe yah after all yah did tah help. All the work for the farm an’ such. So… sure. ‘Sides, ah guess everypony deserves at least one good birthday party. So, when we havin’ this shin dig?”

Twilight blinked and stared. That was… oddly easy. She glanced down at the three inch tall stack of papers in front of her. “A-are you sure? I mean… I-I had a whole lecture planned on all the different ways--”

“Twilight, you’re awesome and all,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “But please, for the sake of my sanity. No more. We said we’d help, so we’re gonna help. So, what do you need us to do? Without the hour long speech.”

Twilight opened her mouth. Then blinked and closed it. She frowned and rubbed her chin. Then she gave a nervous chuckle. “I ummm… I actually… errr… spent… so long planning on how I was going to get you three to agree that… I forgot to… plan it. What we’d do. Pinkie has mostly been--”

“On it!” Pinkie said, suddenly between them, a big smile on her face. “Here’s the chart, everypony can sit here. Now, at the table of honor, Rainbow, could you get the Shadowbolts to come?”

“… For Nightmare Moon’s birthday bash? I’m sure,” she said with a snort. “We do, technically, work for her and all.”

“Good! Applejack, catering?”

“Might take a bit, but we can do it, no problem,” she said firmly. “The Apple’s ain’t never left a pony hungry.”

“Good! Fluttershy, can you get a bunch of song birds together to sing at the party?”

The pegasus blinked a few times. Then cocked her head to the side. “Sing? But… what about a band?”

“This isn’t a gala. It’s a small party, Only a dew dozen ponies!” Pinkie said excitedly.

Rarity coughed and glanced to Twilight. “Actually, I wanted to discuss that with you. Twilight? Are you certain this many ponies should be coming?”

“Huh? Why?” Twilight asked. “Every one of these nobles have--”

“I looked over the list. Do any of them really like Nightmare Moon? Does SHE like them? Does it bring any benefit to her?”

Twilight stared at the list. “I… guess not. But we can’t exclude them, it’d be a scandal. They--”

“It’s her FIRST ever birthday, yes? And after the gala, are they really missing much?” Rarity asked. “I am all for a high class event. But… you know the princess better than anypony. Are you certain this is what she’d like?”

Twilight sighed and glanced at the list. Finally, she nodded.. “You’re right. Small. Very small. How about… just the six of us.” Spike coughed. “Seven. And Moondancer.” She caught Pinkie deflating a little out of the corner of her eye. “With just the eight of us, it’ll be a smaller, but nicer party. We can have more decorations and more times for games. Pinkie, do you know a lot of games that the princess would like?”

The pink pony lit up. “Oh! I can think of a dozen! But… with only a few of us… Dashie, how do you feel about putting on a one pony show?”

The pegasus grinned wide. “Oh yeah. I can show off all my awesome moves. This’ll be easy.”

“And Fluttershy, would your birds be willing to come?”

“Well… with so few guests, I don’t think it’d be an issue.”

“Perfect!” Pinkie said with a wide grin. “We’ll make this amazing! Just you wait!”

Twilight blinked and then smiled. Right. They would do this. They could do this. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

On the nearby stained glass window, the draconequus started to move, a wide grin on his face. “A party?” he said softly, rubbing his chin. “My oh my. And I know just the gift.” He gave a snap of his fingers and was gone, leaving the ponies below to plot and scheme.

Author's Notes:

Guess who's back~ I wanna write! I wanna get back into the habit! It'll take time to get in my full groove so... yay. And thanks. For being patient. But I'm back. Please forgive my lack of talent at the moment as I get back in my groove.

S2 Ch 6: Birthday

Twilight did her final checklist as she trotted around the main dining hall. Dark, moon and star themed curtains hung all throughout the room. A massive banner that said ‘Happy Birthday Nightmare Moon!’ hung across the room over the main table.

On the table rested a plethora of delicious apple treats. Pies, cakes, stews. And oddly spaghetti. Besides it rested the gifts. She counted them. Nine.

She paused. Then shook her head. Pinkie, who else? Rainbow was eating an apple, in full Shadowbolt uniform. Fluttershy was by the window, with a small stand holding almost a dozen beautiful and colorful birds, practicing their songs.

They were ready. Only one thing remained. The ruler of Equestria.

She took a slow, deep breath, before making her way out of the chamber and towards the throne room. The guards opened the doors for her. She stepped forward and looked around the room. Nightmare Moon was sitting at the throne, with Moondancer in front of her. She couldn’t imagine what they were discussing.

However, as the door opened, both pairs of eyes turned to her. Twilight gulped. “E-err, your… your highness? Would you and Moondancer come with me?”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed. “We see. So, is this about your little… plan?” she asked coldly, before getting to her hooves. “Come along, Moondancer. We believe you desire to be a part of this?” she asked. “Of course. Why would just one of you attempt some betrayal?”

“Of course not!” Moondancer said, shaking her head. “I would NEVER bet--”

“Oh do not lie to us. Especially not one so obvious.”

“…. Okay, but this isn’t one.”

“Of course it’s not,” Nightmare Moon muttered, shaking her head. “We will continue this lesson after our bard has finished with this ordeal.”

Twilight sighed, walking down the hall. She glanced back. She doubted Nightmare Moon really believed it was some attempt on her. But she knew the mare didn’t expect whatever it was would be good. She felt herself filling with newfound determination. She wouldn’t let it get her down. This was something special and unique. And somehow, she would find a way to make the mare see. And maybe, just maybe, undo some of the damage she’d done. She stopped outside of the door and took a deep breath. “Okay, your highness. Please close your eyes.”

“No.”

“But--”

“WE WILL NOT!” Nightmare Moon roared, before slamming the door open with her magic. “Enough of these ga--”

“Happy birthday!” five voices yelled in unison.

Nightmare Moon stared into the room. Her eyes slowly drifting up to the banner. Then to the gifts and food. Finally, to the ponies. She then closed her eyes and rested a hoof on her forehead. Then… “Bard… explain? What… in Tartarus?”

“Err… it’s… a birthday party.”

“… What… in Equestria is a birthday party?”

“It’s a celebration of the day you were born. Well… it’s… it’s like a party that’s celebrates that you were born. Kind of like saying… err. A party saying they’re thankful you’re alive. That you were born.”

Nightmare Moon stared, before… “No. That’s stupid. You’re making this up, bard.”

“Oh, I prepared for this!” Twilight said with a grin. “Moondancer?”

“Right,” the unicorn said. Her horn flashed and… a stack of books appeared in front of them. As well as seventeen scrolls.

“… What is this?” Nightmare Moon asked, nudging one of the scrolls over. It had Twilight’s writing on it. “Oh by the stars another report...” she muttered under her breath.

“It’s a report on birthday’s through the ages!” Twilight said proudly. “Including books about famous ones, how to properly share them, and part one of a three part report on their origins. I could only fit the first third,” she said, pointing at the many scrolls.

Nightmare Moon blinked and picked up one of the books, flipping through it. Then… “Why?” she finally asked.

“Well, you see I cross referenced--”

“No. Why would you celebrate this?”

“Because it--”

Moondancer shrieked as she was chucked into the room gracelessly. The door slammed shut and Nightmare Moon turned her gaze on the bard. “The truth. Bard. You despise us. You HATE us. Why. Why would you deem to celebrate us? Why would you deem to suddenly… celebrate our birth?”

Twilight stared for a moment. Then… “Because… I was wrong.”

“Wrong?” Judging by the surprised look on the ruler’s face, that was not an answer she suspected.

“… I panicked. I wanted to get rid of you. Just… just like everypony else. But… that wasn’t fair. I know you. I’ve gotten to know you. I’ve learned so much about you. Your likes. Your dislikes. Your feelings. More importantly, I know how… how much you need us ponies. How much you want us ponies. I know how lonely you’ve been. How abandoned you’ve felt. More than anypony else, I know about you. And in that moment, when I had an opportunity… I used it to hurt you. I abandoned you. Just… like you always had been...” she mumbled. “It’s no wonder you became Nightmare Moon. Why you’re like this. After what you’ve been through… after what you’ve endured… anypony would be.”

The ruler stared at her for a long, long time. And Twilight couldn’t be sure, but she swore she saw moisture in the pony’s eyes. “I… I see. And… you believe this… party will make me forgive you?”

“… I hope. But… if not, I’ll try something else. And then something else. And I’ll keep trying until I find… some way to make up for what I did...”

Nightmare Moon stepped forward and, slowly she lowered her head to look Twilight in the eye. Those fierce, cold eyes seemed to pierce through her.

And then in a moment, she found herself swept up in the wings of the ruler, her hooves around her. Twilight squeaked, but soon relaxed. The ruler didn’t say anything, but… Twilight didn’t feel she needed to. She just let the ruler hug her for a long moment. If nothing else, she was certain she had been forgiven.

Finally, she was released and the mare pulled back. “What… you did to me… it was cruel. It hurt. And… I cannot forget that hurt. I have felt that hurt my… for so many years. I have drowned in it. But...” She stared at the earth pony. “I have… long missed your council. You are correct. Nopony knows me as well as you do. But what you did… I cannot believe you won’t do it again.”

Twilight nodded, she supposed that was fair. She paused for a moment. Wait, there it was again. The ruler had used ‘I’ and ‘me’ again. She was talking in a normal manner. “I understand. And… I do think you’ve been improving, your highness. Even if I haven’t been welcome in your council, I have been watching the things you do. I… think ponies are beginning to.. slightly… warm to you.”

Nightmare Moon snorted. ‘Truly? Do not lie to us, Twilight Glow. As much as we desire it, we know that the light of our moon will never burn as fiercely as the sun of our sister in the hearts of our ponies. But if all we will be given is a mere shadow… then we will grow this shadow and nurture it, until it is all ponies have to remember us by.”

Twilight nodded and, just like that, the door swung open… sending her friends scattering back in a daze.

Nightmare Moon cringed. “My little ponies, you should not have been so close to the door. As you can see, our bard is safe. We wished words with her, nothing more.”

“Err, of course, your highness,” Applejack said as she got to her hooves, only a second after Rainbow. “We jus’, err, were wantin’--”

“Do not try to lie to us, Applejack,” Nightmare Moon said cooly. “We know of why you listened and what you feared. We are not stupid. And empty platitudes will do little but annoy us further. Now… We believe there is a celebration to enjoy?”

Twilight nodded. “R-right! First, the games! Ummm… How about--”

“The pinata!” Pinkie yelled, as suddenly a paper mache silver crescent moon pinata fell from above. Twilight blinked and looked up but, try as she might, she couldn’t find WHERE it attached to the roof.

“How…?” the earth pony asked softly.

“Now, as the birthday girl, how about you swing first?” Pinkie asked as she trotted over, with a stick in her mouth. “You’ll love it, trust me!”

“What… is the purpose of such a thing?” Nightmare Moon asked, eyeing the false moon. “… It is quite shiny. It seems a shame to destroy such a thing.”

“That’s the point! It’s full of candy! And everyone LOVES candy!”

Nightmare Moon blinked. “We… see. And we… are to break it, to free the candy for all involved?” she asked.

“Yes! But first… we have to blindfold you and spin you around three times, to make it hard!” Pinkie held out the blindfold with a smile on her lips.

Nightmare Moon blinked. Then turned to Twilight. “And ponies like this?”

“It’s funner than it sounds, trust me.”

“You have done it?”

“Well… no. But I’ve never really had a birthday like… that. I usually just have dinner or something.” She then yelped as a party cannon went off behind her. “And we didn’t have those, either!”

“You will from now on!” Pinkie said happily.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Please trust us, your highness. I promise it’s no trick.”

The alicorn gave a sigh of exasperation. She took the blindfold and then gripped the stick in her magic. She let herself be spun three times and then… wobbled a bit. Where in the blazes was that pinata? She could use a spell, she supposed, to track it. But that would be cheating. So she took a step forward.

“On your left! On your left, no, your other left!” Voices called out. Truly? Was this part of the game. She did as told, and swung. She hit nothing but air.

“Forward a few, then to your right!” they called out. She growled and did as she was told. On the seventh swing, she felt it.

Behind the blindfold, her eyes narrowed. “FEEL OUR WRATH, MACHE FIEND!” she roared, before pulling the stick back, wrapping it in her magic.

“Oh dear,” Moondancer squeaked.

Then the thunderous boom echoed through the room as her stick connected with the pinata. The ruler of Equestria stood there, panting, before tearing her blindfold off. “Ha, we have… oh...”

Little fragments of pinata floated in the air. The candy was scattered in all direction, lodging into ponies manes, across the room and into the meal… And a single, unfortunate gobstopper had exploded from the impact, leaving a colorful explosion of sugary goodness on the stick.

“Err… we… have...”

“That was AWESOME!” Rainbow said, a wide grin on her face. “You just, BAM! I’ve NEVER been able to hit one like that!” the mare said, before plucking a piece of taffy out of her mane, unwrapping it and tossing it in her mouth. “Way to go out with a bang!” she said with a snicker.

“Ah gotta agree,” Applejack said with a light chuckle. “Ah once saw Big Mac knock one up onta the barn, but ah ain’t never seen one rightly explode like that. Woo-wee, ah can’t wait tah get back to the farm and tell everypony about this. Yah could take that show on the road, princess.”

“And I’ve got a spare! Well, actually twelve spares!” Pinkie said with a grin as another fell from the sky.

Twilight blinked and looked up. How in the world was she doing that? Still, it seemed to have gone well enough and, as Nightmare Moon handed over the stick, she couldn’t help but smile. Though she felt a lot bout of worry as the ruler walked her way.

“You were correct, bard. It is quite… satisfying to destroy that holder of candy. Though… we do believe we may have gone a little over board.”

The earth pony shrugged, just happy the mare was enjoying herself. “Oh, that’s fine. Everypony loves things like that, they’re the stuff that stories are made of.”

“Indeed,” Nightmare Moon said before her horn glowed and a piece of gum rose from Twilight’s hair. She unwrapped it and tossed it into her mouth. “Mmm. Watermelon. Tell us, what is next?”

“Well, first we...” To Twilight’s delight, a long, steady stream of games brought by Pinkie soon had the ruler embroidered in fun and excitement. The alicorn even seemed to love the gentle bird songs brought by Fluttershy. And then, finally came one of the most important moments.

Presents.

Nightmare Moon hummed and slowly picked them up, examining each one. “I am the ruler of Equestria. Do I not already have all I need?” she asked.

“Of course, your highness,” Moondancer said. “But it’s supposed to be something special, a gift. It’s part of the fun.”

“Well… we suppose,” the mare said. She soon opened one wrapped in book wrapper. “Ah. From our bard, I take it? What… is this?” she asked as she stared at a pair of moon and star statues.

“They’re book ends!” Twilight said with a grin. “You use them to hold your books and stop them from falling over.”

Spike snorted. “Of course it is. Open mine, next!” the small dragon said happily.

“The flame wrapped one,” Twilight said quickly.

Nightmare Moon opened the gift wrapped in flame painted paper. She opened it and then stared. “What… is this? A… shield?” she asked, turning it from side to side.

“It’s a lava board. For lava surfing?” Spike said with a roll of his eyes. “Really? You… don’t know about that?”

“Ponies can’t go in lava...” Twilight said with a sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me you were getting her that?”

“Because you said you wanted it to be a surprise!” Spike objected.

“But--”

“W thank you, Spike,” Nightmare Moon said, glancing to the dragon. “It is a… while… unorthodox gift, we are quite certain it is unique. We have nothing in all of our wealth to match it. So thank you.”

Spike blinked and then smirked. “Well, of course. See, Twilight? It is unique and special,” he said with a chuckle.

Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled none the less. It was.

Nightmare Moon glanced to the other gifts and nodded. “I… see. This is quite the… interesting part of the celebrations. Exciting, even. I have no idea what--” When she opened the next one, a weird one with shifting wrapping paper, it erupted into confetti in the mare’s face. She stood there, shocked, confetti leaking from her ears.

“Pinkie!” Twilight hissed.

“It wasn’t me!” Pinkie said. “Mine has a kazoo!”

“Then who--”

Loud, mirth filled laughter filled the room. Nightmare Moon froze, her eyes narrowing. “Discord… show yourself!”

“Right here! No, not there, down here. No… the gift, princess,” Discord said from a small little snow globe, where he was sitting on a swing. The set rocked back and forth around him as he remained perfectly still. “I heard there was a birthday party for my favorite midnight surprise and I just had to come and see.”

The alicorn’s eyes narrowed to pinpricks as she gripped the orb in her magic and lifted it up, prepared to smash it. “Finally you show yourself, now I--”

“Yes, yes, you will crush me, beat me, all of that,” Discord said as he popped into existence behind her. “Drain me of my power. Really, Moonie, you need to come up with some new dialogue. You have a bard, do you not? Speaking of… I have a gift for you.”

“We want no gift from you!” Nightmare Moon roared, turning as magic formed on the tip of her horn… only to fade out as Discord stepped back, using his tail to hold Twilight up between them as a shield. “Untail our bard!”

“Oh, I will. After all, she’s my gift to you.”

“Wait, WHAT?!” everypony(and a dragon) in the room said at once.

Twilight stared at him as if he’d gone mad. Der. “Discord, what in the world are you doing? Let me go!”

“Oh me oh my, but why ever for?” Discord asked with a smile. “After all, this is what you want as well, isn’t it?”

“What?” Twilight asked, staring at the creature who had managed to silence the entire room through the act of pure confusion.

“You do desire to help the new ruler, do you not? And Nightmare Moon, your heart is just burning for someone who sees you and only you, does it not?” And then the grin turned wider and wider. Until it split is face clear in half. He reached out and tapped the young earth pony on the nose. “A ruler so cold she has taken away the sun’s warmth. To you alone she will be more welcoming than any hearth. No matter how much you want and need...” he whispered before leaning in. “You’ll find that only she can break this charm, indeed.”

Twilight shrieked as she was dropped and the spirit disappeared. Her head felt... Odd. Like there was a thick fog enshrouding her. “What… happened?” she asked, shaking her head and looking around. There seemed to be an odd… glow all over everything. Red, almost. She blinked a few times and it began to settle as she looked around the room.

Spike, her pet dragon. Rarity, the decorator. Pinkie Pie, everything that was good about a sugar rush. Nightmare Moon, the center of her universe. Applejack, the… Wait, what?

Her eyes wandered back to Nightmare Moon who had, along with the others, dashed forward to examine her. “Did he harm you? Did--” The mare was caught off guard as Twilight hugged her.

“Of course he didn’t, your highness! I am so, so, soooo sorry I worried you, my precious ruler of the world,” she practically sang as she hugged the alicorn, nuzzling her chest affectionately. “I would never, ever, ever want to worry you. I’m so sorry...”

Nightmare Moon stood there, staring in confusion. “Err… Bard… are you… well?”

“Of course, my queen...” Twilight said as she affectionately nuzzled the ruler of Equestria. Who tried to inch away slightly, only to find the earth pony following her.

“B-bard! We… we believe err… this birthday has ummm...” She tried to pull free from the hug enveloping her, as subtly as possible. “Been… quite pleasant. But… err… we are tired. And wish to retire.”

“I’ll come with you!” Twilight said eagerly, staring up at the ruler with happy, love filled eyes.

“NO!” Nightmare Moon said quickly, making the windows shatter. She cringed, looking around. “We… believe it… err… well… For now, alone. Moondancer, watch over her. I will… look into… whatever it is that Discord has done to her. Bye!” the mare said before disappearing.

“Nooo! Princess, come back,” Twilight said, staring in the empty space the center of her universe had once been…

Rainbow shuddered. “Can’t say I blame her...”

“Err… Twilight?” Moondancer asked softly. “Are you okay?”

“Not really. I’m going to check on Nightma--” To her surprise, Rainbow was blocking her way.

“Yeahhh… I’m gonna say no to that. Even she seemed weirded out by… whatever magic was going off on you. Fluttershy, haven’t you been like… having tea with him or something?”

“W-well, yes. But… but he didn’t tell me anything like this...” the small vampire pony said. “Oh dear...”

Moondancer blinked a few times and then looked to the yellow mare. “Wait. What? You’ve been having tea… with the embodiment of chaos and disharmony?”

“Well.. tea and cookies… he’s really quite sweet...”

There was a long, long moment of silence. “I like him,” Pinkie added.

“He just did… something to our friend,” Applejack said before moving to stand by Rainbow. “And ah don’t know if ah like it. Twilight, yah… feelin’ okay?”

“I feel amazing. But I really should check on Nightmare Moon. I mean, she looked so upset...”

Moondancer nodded. “Hold on, girls. There’s a book on this...” Her horn sparkled and a tome popped into existence at her hooves. “Now, let’s see… potions, poisons, ah, here we go. Charms. Okay… Twilight. Tell me. Who is your favorite pony in the whole wide world.”

“Nightmare Moon! She’s the most wonderful, beautiful, radiant...” Twilight started, getting a dreamy look on on her face. How did she ever NOT realize how amazing that mare was? Her book had meant to give such a view of her. But nothing could compare to her actual magnificence. Her beauty. Her grace. Her style. Everything about her was just so amazing…

“Uh… huh...” Moondancer mumbled as she flipped through the pages. “And what about all the horrible, awful things she’s done? How about the fact she’s had ponies whipped and stole Cele--” The unicorn yelped as she was slapped across the face, stumbling back.

Twilight stared at the mare with a fury. “How DARE you speak of the ruler of the night like that! Nightmare Moon is perfection incarnate! She has never done anything wrong!”

“O-ow...” Moondancer said with a whimper, rubbing her cheek. “I-I think I know the spell, at least. Or at least the category.”

“And it is?” Applejack asked, quickly interposing herself between the angry earth pony and the unicorn.

“Infatuation.” She then groaned. “Of course it is.”

“You can break it, can’t you?” Rainbow asked.

“Err… maybe? One second!” The mare lifted her horn up and a gentle glow radiated over Twilight. “It… it’s not an easy spell but...” The glow began to get brighter and brighter until, finally, it erupted in a dazzling flurry of lights. The unicorn panted with exertion, but smiled. The earth pony blinked a few times. “Err… Twilight? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes...” Twilight said softly. “O-oh my gosh. I hit you. I’m so, so sorry, Moondancer.”

“… It worked? Yes! How do you feel about Nightmare Moon?” Moondancer asked with a giant grin.

“She’s the most beautiful, wonderful...”

Moondancer stared as the flurry of compliments continued. Slowly she looked to the others and gave a weak smile. “I… err… I’ll go back to the library. I’m sure there has to be something there. R-right? Oh dear...” She disappeared in a flash of light.

“Well… great. Now what are we supposed to do with her?” Rainbow asked, motioning to Twilight who was still espousing the glory of Nightmare Moon.

Silence reigned from the others before… “It’s time to cut the cake!”

The resounding sound of many hooves to many faces followed a moment later.

S2 Ch 7: Deserve

Nightmare Moon groaned before her eyes slowly opened. Groggily, she got to her hooves and stretched out her body. Her balcony sprang open and she stepped towards it, looking out over her kingdom.

There had been less nightmares tonight. Perhaps her subjects were calming at least. She truly wished to believe that… but knew it wasn’t true. No. Some nights were just calmer than others. Or maybe she didn’t see them as she once had. It was true she didn’t have the time to delve deep into their thoughts and serve as their guardian as she had millenia past.

She shook her head. No. The ruler of Equestria could not focus on such things. Her kingdom, not its dreams, was what mattered. And one day the nightmares of the terrifying Nightmare Moon would fade. Perhaps they would have the kind, beautiful dreams of her they did of her sister.

Perhaps in a few years, after another birthday. She felt a grin form on her lips when she walked to the door and opened it. Her heart did a little flutter when she saw the fruit basket outside it. She plucked it from the ground in her magic.

It had been almost a week since the events of her birthday. And while it had been a bit shocking at first, she found it oddly enticing now. Twilight treated her with the utmost devotion and care. Giving her gifts, listening intently whenever she spoke. For the first time in Nightmare Moon’s life, she felt as if she had a pony who looked at her in the way they normally only looked at Celestia. Perhaps if just one pony had looked at her in such a way a millenia past, she would have never felt the need to take what she deserved.

While there were times where she found it a bit odd, when Twilight seemed almost insane with her devotion, it felt good to be appreciated for once.

She couldn’t believe she was actually thankful to Discord of all creatures while she chewed idly on an apple and began to make her way down the tower. Moondancer had been searching for a cure ever since, with no success. Nightmare Moon trusted her, though. Once they found the way, her bard would be back to normal. For now, she endeavored to enjoy this. And if there was no cure? She could get used to being loved and adored for once.

She lit up when she saw the young earth pony waiting at the bottom step of her tower. “Your highness!” Twilight said, bowing politely.

“Bard.”

“I had the cooks specially prepare strawberry pancakes for your delight,” the young mare said, not raising her head yet.

“Of course. Thank you, young one,” Nightmare Moon said with a smile, reaching out a wing over the mare, giving her a soft hug. “Please, join me for breakfast.”

“It would be my honor, your highness.”

The ruler of Equestria smiled as she walked, guiding the young mare with her. Yes. She was quite satisfied with this result. Mostly.

------

“Okay, I hate this,” Rainbow snapped, pacing back and forth. “There’s got to be SOMETHING we can do.”

“Ah don’t like it any more than yah do,” Applejack said, before glancing to Moondancer. “But for the time bein’, there ain’t a whole lot we can do.”

“But… gahhh! She’s so BORING!” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “It’s all ‘Nightmare Moon this’ and ‘Nightmare Moon that’ and I swear if I have to listen to another one of her little flurry of kissing her royal pain in the flank’s butt, I’m gonna gag.”

“As much as I am loathe to agree with the crude… examples of our winged friend, I must admit it is quite disconcerting,” Rarity said while she poured the tea. “Twilight was… always quite civil and easy to talk with. She had her moments of… eccentric behavior. But truly, what genius doesn’t?” she asked. “Is there nothing you can do, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. I tried asking Discord but… well, he said he can’t undo it even if he wanted to. Only Nightmare Moon can… I’m sorry...” She took an offered glass of tea and sipped it.

“Maybe if I can set up a four point… combine it with Starswirl the Bearded’s spell on delousing and...” Moondancer mumbled while she flipped through the books.

“Hey! Brainiac, how about sharing it with the rest of the class?” Rainbow called out. “Or maybe finish a sentence.”

“Huh? Oh! Right, sorry! I’m just…. trying to figure out how to break this spell. There has to be…” She sighed and her horn glowed. An image of Twilight appeared in the air, an almost ghostly form. “Now. Here...” A dozen different glowing marks formed across her body. “Is where the spell is seated.”

“Okay, then remove them,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “What’s the big problem?”

“A normal spell like this would have only TWO points,” the mare said with a sigh. “Two in all. Some, the more powerful, have three. THIS? This is incredible. This should be impossible. This! This right here? Is pure chaos. If I wasn’t so incredibly annoyed by all of this, I’d be gushing about how brilliant it is.”

“Why thank you,” Discord’s voice rang out with a small chuckle. “The line between brilliance and insanity is ever so fine, no?”

“And then there’s that,” Moondancer said with a sigh. “He’s always. There. Interrupting my work. Offering ‘suggestions’. I swear, it’s ridiculous. I just… I don’t know what to do.” She then slammed her book closed. “I… can’t do it. I could maybe. MAYBE, knock out four of the points. But all twelve? No. Heck, I doubt she’d even survive having eight broken. I think...” She was quiet, before lowering her eyes. “I think… she’s stuck. I can’t fix this.”

“Ugh, this is ridiculous!” Rainbow snapped. “Where’s Pinkie, anyway? Shouldn’t she be here for this, too?”

“She’s helping out Mrs. Cake,” Applejack said with a sigh. “You know, cause the baby? Due any day now?”

“Right, sorry,” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“Anyway… how much has Nightmare Moon gone an’ helped you with this?” the earth pony asked Moondancer.

“A little. She did a small disenchantment spell, but she keeps making excuses on how overly busy she is, It’s like she LIKES Twilight like this...”

“...” All of the ponies just turned and stared at her.

“Fine, she definitely likes having her fawn over her. And writing all these reports on how wonderful she is… And making her tea… but that doesn’t solve the issue any,” Moondancer said with a sigh. “We need to find out how to break it. Discord, why are you even doing this?!”

“It was her very first birthday, I had to do something special, no?” Discord’s voice rang out, taunting. “You need to have it be memorable. Otherwise, you end up being old and cranky.”

“How in Equestria are you friends with that creature, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked, glancing to her yellow friend with a confused look.

“He’s really not so bad once you get to know him. And he has all the best stories. And he enjoys blood pudding, too,” Fluttershy said sheepishly.

“… Wait, Blood pudding?” Rarity asked. “Err, you don’t mean...”

“There’s no actual blood,” Rainbow cut in quickly. “It’s a pudding made from blud berries. Some kind of weird, vampire delicacy. Tastes like liquid sugar and salt.”

“Pinkie likes it too...” Fluttershy mumbled.

“See?” Rainbow said with a sigh.

“Girls, please, we’re getting distracted,” Rarity said with a shake of her head. “We really must focus. If we can’t disenchant this spell, then we need to have the princess break it. You remember what Discord said, do you not? If only she can do it, then we’ll need her aid.”

“Good luck with that,” Moondancer muttered. “This is pretty much Nightmare Moon’s heart’s desire. A pony is fawning over her like… well…. Like ponies used to fawn over Celestia. Worse, it’s Twilight, one of the most important ponies in the world to her. It wouldn’t be so hard if we just knew WHAT we were supposed to have Nightmare Moon do. We could probably get her to do it, then. But until we know how to break it? She’s likely not going to help much. If she just--”

“Or maybe if you didn’t skulk around the shadows and plot behind her highness’ back!” Twilight’s voice rang out, making the ponies jump. Twilight shoved open the door and stepped into the room, glaring at the gathered ponies. Rarity and Fluttershy looked sheepishly at their tea, Rainbow pretended to be fascinated by the chandelier, Moondancer hid behind her book and Applejack stared at her.

“What? We’re tryin’ tah get this curse undone. Ah ain’t got nothin’ tah hide,” the earth pony said with a shrug.

Twilight sighed. “Listen, I understand, but--”

“No, you REALLY don’t understand, Twilight!” Rainbow snapped angrily. “Can’t you see? All these feelings for Nightmare Moon are--”

“A spell? Yeah. I kind of figured that out on day three.”

There was a long, long moment of silence. Then six pony heads turned to face her. “WHAT?!”

“I have a minor in enchantments and mind alteration magic,” Twilight said.

“Wait, why? Wait, were YOU the one who beat my high score on my final project? They said it was the greatest they’d seen in decades...” Moondancer asked.

“Because it’s fascinating. And yes. Though I have to say your project was absolutely incredible. Mixing those three enchantments with fruit bats to create a force of tree restoring flying bats? Amazing. A shame it didn’t turn out to be feasible for more than a few trees at a time.”

“Why in Equestria wouldn’t you be working to break this spell, then?!” Rainbow yelled, flying down to grip Twilight’s shoulders. “Are you kidding me? Do you LIKE liking Nightmare Moon or something?”

The earth pony blinked a few times, staring at the mare with befuddlement. Finally, she nodded. “Well, duh. I’m… kind of enchanted to? But that’s not why,” she said, trying to push the other mare off. And failing. “Do you mind? A little space.”

Rainbow hmphed before she flew back, landing on the table and scattering the tea. “Fine! But I want an explanation, and it better be a good one!”

“Rainbow, do try not to make such a mess!” Rarity snapped before she struggled to keep the tea from spilling all over the floor. “Though, she does have a point. Twilight, why ever would you want to be under this spell?”

“Because Nightmare Moon needs me to be,” Twilight said firmly. “Listen. I’ve done a lot to… no, EVERYPONY has done a lot to hurt her in the past. Ignored her. Betrayed her. Told her she wasn’t good enough. Basically everything and anything to make her feel like less than the wonderful, radiant, beautiful and powerful pony that she is. The kind of pony who can just… take your breath away. As amazing a ruler as she is a-”

“Twilight!” Rainbow snapped.

“Err, right. Yes. Everypony has hurt her so much and… she’s never had somepony she could trust. Somepony who sees her for how amazing and… err, wonderful she is,” Twilight said after getting a glare from Rainbow. “But now she does. More importantly, she knows she can trust me, because it’s something I am magically inclined to do.”

“Ah don’t like this one bit, Twilight. It ain’t you,” Applejack snapped. “This is all just a whole buncha hogwash, an goin’ through life givin’ fake feelin’s tah somepony ain’t right no matter what the reason. Yah aughta know better than tah try!”

“You’re wasting your breath,” Moondancer said with a sigh while she flipped through the book.

“What? We’re merely trying to help Twilight see the light,” Rarity said firmly. “I would hardly call it a waste of time.”

“The fourth law of compulsionary enchantments,” Moondancer said, placing a book on the table and motioning to the page. “The victim will never attempt to dispel such an enchantment. In the vast majority of cases they won’t even realize it and will disbelieve anypony who says they are under it. However, in some cases, where the victim is of… well… a stronger mind, they will instead realize what it is and their minds will rationalize it. Unfortunately, they will almost never be willing to remove it themselves, no matter how badly they want to or how much better it is for them. It just doesn’t happen very often and is usually the cause of a faulty spell, rather than the will of the enchanted.”

“… WHAT? That’s stupid!” Rainbow snapped. “She can’t just like… believe it and not see that part! Come on, Twilight! That’s just the spell, you’re stronger than that!”

Twilight sighed. “Listen, I understand. But this isn’t the spell. This isn’t me just attempting to rationalize everything. I really, truly believe this is the best option. You ponies don’t know her like I do!”

“I know her plenty well!” Moondancer snapped, slamming a hoof down on the book. “In case you’ve forgotten I’ve had to spend almost EVERY single day with her since this whole ordeal started! Studying with her! Becoming her precious little student! Of course I know her! I probably know her better than you do!” the unicorn yelled, glaring at the earth pony and getting stares from every other pony there.

“Err… something yah wanna get off yer chest, sugar cube?” Applejack asked, blinking.

Red began to slowly form across the unicorn’s cheeks and then grow out. She quickly hid her face behind her book, lifting it up to hide. “I-I mean, I didn’t mean… I just… I’m working hard with her too, y-you know.” She coughed and motioned to the book. “A-as I was saying. This won’t be disrupted or, honestly, nothing we do will make her stop trying. She’s going to believe she wants it, regardless of what we say.” She lifted a hoof when Twilight’s mouth opened. “Even if she DOES truly want the spell to remain, there’s no real way to prove this is your desire, or the spell making it your desire, is there Twilight?”

The earth pony looked uncomfortable for a moment, before shaking her head. “No, no I suppose there isn’t.”

“Which means we’re back to square one. I can’t remove this, you don’t want this removed. The only one who can remove this is Nightmare Moon, and she’s not touching it unless we find the actual way TO remove it. And we don’t even know if she will. I… hate to say it, but I think Twilight is going to be stuck this way for a long while.”

Rarity sighed and gave a nod. “I guess you’re right. And I am sorry, Twilight. We didn’t mean to stalk through the castle, it’s just… for your own good, we’re trying to look out for you.”

“I’m fine,” the earth pony said with a shake of her head. “Now, if you don’t mind, the princess has a meeting with the mayor of… somewhere or other, I forget. The important thing is she’s asked me to help pick out which of her royal garments she’ll wear. Eeeee! I can’t wait!” With a happy squeal the mare ran off.

“That is just depressing,” Rainbow said with a shudder.

“… There is always… one other option…” Rarity said with a sigh. “Discord, you said that you, yourself, can’t break this. Correct?”

“Oh, of course not,” the spirit said with a laugh, before appearing in the painting of a fruit bowl, replacing a pear. “But where would be the fun in that? Games aren’t delightful if you cheat to get to the end,” he said with a laugh.

Rarity sighed and then looked up at the others. “There may be one other. A… well… There’s always Tirek.”

“Who now?” Rainbow asked.

Rarity sighed. “The creature that Nightmare Moon has been using to steal everypony’s magic. He might be able to--”

“He can’t,” Discord said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “He’d need half the magic in Equestria to counter my magic.”

The unicorn sighed. “Truly? Then… I guess we’re doomed. We can hardly make the princess of the darkness herself release Twilight from the spell she so feverishly adores.”

“… Why not?” Rainbow asked.

“Excuse me?” Rarity asked.

“Why CAN’T we make her?”

“Because she has enough magic in her little hoof to wipe out all of Ponyville?” Applejack offered.

“She has the will and wrath to maim anypony who goes against her?” Moondancer added.

“She’s really, really mean?” Fluttershy threw in her opinion.

“I get that. But what if we tricked her?” Rainbow asked with a grin. “She doesn’t trust Discord, right? So what if she thought there were OTHER things in that spell?”

Moondancer opened her mouth… Then stopped. “What… kind of other things?”

“I don't know. Sleep spells? Flatulence? Make her run into walls? You're the unicorn, magic is kinda your thing.”

The unicorn frowned and rubbed her chin. “That… is an idea. That's an actually pretty good idea. I'll look into it. Adding a second spell to the existing spell has risks, but it will be easier… Far easier…” She flipped through her books. “Let's reconvene in a week, I'll work on it until then…” she mumbled. “Maybe even try something… just… In a week, Twilight isn’t back to normal, let’s meet up again...”

------

Moondancer gulped nervously while she walked through the castle, fearful each step would give her away. Not that anypony would likely notice her, she did have a tendency to go through the castle all the time, her heading up to Twilight’s room wasn’t really anything worth noticing. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to freak out and panic. She’d been half tempted to don a black outfit that would help her hide in the shadows, but that felt a bit silly and would surely draw way too much attention. Instead, she had merely used a muffling spell to make her hooves so light on the floor she could barely be heard. After all, she was doing the most dangerous thing she’d done since that royal pain in the butt arrived.

Cursing Twilight. The most important pony in all of Equestria to her highness. Not that she suspected that was a very high bar. A pony who knew almost as much about magic as her without the actual ability to USE it. What was the deal with that? She still didn’t understand. It was a waste, somepony so talented being born a--

She shook her head to clear it. She had a mission to do. The lights were out and it was night now. Well, she supposed it was more night now. It was the night of the night. She shrugged and continued making her way up to Twilight’s room, going as silently as she could.

Her heart almost leaped into her throat when she turned a corner and found Nightmare Moon coming the other way. Their eyes locked for a moment. “Y-your highness,” Moondancer said softly.

“Student? What are you doing here?” the ruler asked, glaring down at her.

“I… I wanted to ask Twilight for some advice on a magical theory of mine. You see if I take an apple and--”

“Enough!” the ruler snapped, her eyes narrowing on the mare. “We have heard quite enough theories for the day!” Her voice boomed so hard the windows rattled.

Moondancer took a step back, her mouth falling open. “I-I’m sorry. I...” Then her eyes looked over the alicorn and she realized the mare was weighed down with a whole slew of books and papers. “Err… are those from...”

“Twilight? Indeed. Ever more papers on how… kind. And generous. And loving. And forgiving we are,” she said, her voice so sharp it could have cut stone. “Why?”

“Err… you just seem… ummmm...”

“Yes?”

“Extra… radiant today?” she tried with a small smile.

Nightmare Moon just glared at the student. “Do not lie. We are tired of empty platitudes.”

“I just--”

“We will not harm you for these views. Tell us the truth.”

Moondancer sighed and took a deep breath. “Promise?”

“… We vow on the moon itself.”

“You seem extra… testy. Right now. I mean, you’re kind of… err...”

“...”

“But I mean, you’re still, err, radiant as always. Just a bit more...”

“Do you think us honest?”

“I’m… sorry?”

“It is a simple question. Do you think us honest?”

“Yeeeeees?” Moondancer offered, staring up with worry. She felt as if she was walking through a minefield while blind folded. She couldn’t begin to imagine what would set the pony off.

Nightmare Moon sighed and then her wings moved out, encircling the other mare. The unicorn was pulled in close, her face inches from the ruler of the night.

It was all Moondancer could do to stop from screaming, backing away as far as the wings allowed and shrinking herself as small as possible, staring up at the alicorn with terror. She didn’t know what the other mare had intended for her, but she knew it couldn’t be good.

However, Nightmare Moon just looked mildly annoyed for a moment, before shaking her head and releasing her. “No. You do not think us truly honest, or any of the other things that...” She sighed and dropped a large collection of papers and books in front of her student, leaving only a small amount on her back.

“What’s this?” Moondancer asked, afraid to move away, lest she draw more attention to herself.

“The reports of our bard. That earth pony is… quite methodical. Or… was...” she said, before sighing again.

“I mean… yeah. She’s probably one of the most methodical ponies I’ve ever met. If she were a unicorn, I couldn’t imagine what discoveries she’d have made,” Moondancer said with a shrug. “She’s fairly unique, in that. Why? If, err… did she make these? I uhhh… have read some of the reports on how amazing you are, your highness. But I can read these too, if you like!”

Nightmare Moon nodded. “She did. But they are not on us. They are on… She...” She took a slow, deep breath. “She tossed them in the trash.”

Moondancer stared, her mouth falling open. She didn’t know what was more shocking. That the Princess of the Night had gone through the trash to rescue them, or that TWILIGHT had thrown them away. Even worse were the BOOKS. Twilight had thrown away BOOKS? “Were they… bad? I mean, she throws away all manner of… when it’s bad, the rough drafts and...” She looked down at all the notes again, eying them more closely. “May I?”

The ruler nodded.

Moondancer picked up a notebook up and began to flip through it. She shook her head. “These…. Are her notes on Tirek. Why would she throw these away? She hasn’t finished the book on him, has she?” Once again her eyes wandered to the book that had been tossed as well. Auntie Graymane’s collection of Ancient Myths and Legends, volume 7.

“… She said they no longer mattered. That she no longer desired to… write of anything aside from us, her muse,” Nightmare Moon said softly. “That the report was a waste and… that the books lacked the most important legend of all… ours...”

The unicorn just stared at the mare. She seemed almost repentant. Saddened. Even distraught. More importantly, this was the opening she needed. “And you want me to tell you that it’s normal. Correct?”

“…” Nightmare Moon didn’t say a word, but she could read the hope on the ruler’s features. The way she jerked, the way her wings tightened. Just the way she stood.

“I can lie, if you like.”

The alicorn sighed and lowered herself just a little, her tension leaking away. “Do not lie to us. Not of this.”

“Then no. This isn’t normal. This is Twilight. You know her. I know her. There’s no way she could just toss all of her notes and work away. DEFINITELY no way she could toss away a book, even a bad book, let alone one like this. Heck, she has still been gathering notes on you since the book finished.”

“She… has?”

“Yes. She wants to know everything about you. Or… she did. But that was who she was. She wouldn’t stop working on this book on her own. She wouldn’t abandon knowledge like this. So...”

Nightmare Night took a long, slow breath before speaking up. “So this is not who she is. This is a…. mockery of her. Is it not? A cruel reflection crafted by that abominable spirit.”

“I’m afraid so, your highness. Now, if you want to keep with it, and--”

“If we wish to abandon our bard, leave her like this, she will forever worship us as the stars and moon in the heavens,” the alicorn said shaking her head. “But no. That would all be fake, wouldn’t it? It wouldn’t be something we earned, something we deserved. It would just be...”

“… It wouldn’t be, no,” Moondancer said softly, staring up at the ruler.

“… How do we fix this, then?” the ruler said, her eyes lowered. “You have studied this, have you not? You must know by now how we may break it.”

“… I have a few ideas, but I think we can. Your highness, how long until you need to go to bed? Would you be willing to help me with a few experiments, on Twilight?”

“… Yes. I would. Let us go.”

Moondancer nodded and began the slow trek up the stairs, the alicorn at her side. She couldn’t help but occasionally glance towards the other mare. No, she wasn’t Celestia. But sometimes, she could definitely understand how they were sisters. She felt a small semblance of relief that she wouldn’t have to curse her friend, though. Twilight definitely didn’t deserve that.

Though she had an odd feeling the earth pony would have valued it as a learning experience. Even she was sometimes boggled at the mare’s thirst for knowledge.

------

Twilight groaned and opened her eyes. Where was she? This wasn’t her be--

She shrieked, jumping to her hooves. She was in the middle of a magic circle, with Nightmare Moon and Moondancer standing outside of it. She tried to gallop out, but slammed face first into an invisible barrier, stumbling back and landing on her flank. She pushed a hoof out against the barrier. “No no. Stop. What are you doing?!”

“We’re going to remove Discord’s spell on you,” Moondancer said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Y-you can’t! Please! Nightmare Moon, you need to stop this. Please!”

“It’s for your own good, my bard. You are… not yourself.”

“So? I am better than I was! I love you!”

Moondancer sighed. “No you don’t. You like her. But this spell makes you believe that she is the--”

“Oh just shut UP!” Twilight screamed. “You’re jealous! That’s all this is! You’re jealous that I’m her favorite! That she loves ME best!”

“No I’m no--”

“Of course you are. Do you think I’m stupid? Do you think I can’t see the way you look whenever she praises me and not you? Oh Moondancer, the perfect little student. But you’re not that any more, are you? No. Now you’re just that reminder of Celestia. You’re just an afterthought. The pony that Nightmare Moon took as a student for no other reason than to show her sister up. And it’s tearing you apart, isn’t it? Knowing you don’t really matter any more. That you’re just a… a side project. That the only reason you’re noticed at all is because of who you were a student for, not because of who you are now.”

“I-I...” Moondancer whispered, her hooves lowering. “I-I don’t...”

“What? Care? Of course you care. And that’s why you’re doing this. Nightmare Moon FINALLY has a pony who admires her. Who actually SEES her as somepony amazing as she is. And that tears you up, because you KNOW you can never be that, don’t you? You know you’ll never be able to truly see her in all her glory. Because all you can ever see in her is the reflection of Celestia. That’s all anypony can see in her. Except for me. I can truly see how magnificent she is. Oh my ruler, please. You can’t do this.”

Nightmare Moon stared at her. “Oh my bard. But this isn’t… you. This isn’t the pony you are.”

“So?” Twilight asked, staring up at her. “If you release me from this bind, I won’t love you any more. I won’t be able to care about you. All I’ll see is that same reflection of the sun that everypony else sees. And that’s not what you deserve. You deserve to be able to stand in the light, at least once. You deserve to have somepony who loves you. Who admires you. Who cares for you. Who doesn’t constantly hold you up to the… to the image of Celestia. Who doesn’t always compare you and require you to be something you’re not. You are my ruler. Mine. And I love you. Please don’t give this away. Please don’t abandon it.”

The alicorn hesitated, shaking her head. “We are sorry. We--”

“Nopony will ever love you like I do if you do this.”

The alicorn froze, staring at the earth pony. “You… are right. Nopony will ever… stop this, Moondancer. She is right. We cannot do this. We will NOT do this. We--”

Moondancer gulped. Her horn glimmered for a moment and silence fell over the circle. Twilight’s lips moved, but no sound came out. “Your highness. With all due respect… no.”

“No?” Nightmare Moon asked, glaring down at her, eyes narrowed. “You dare to speak back to us? And mute our bard? We--”

“You wanted my truth? My honesty?” Moondancer snapped, digging up what courage she could. She had seen Twilight do this. Had watched that mare take the danger on herself in order to stand up to the ruler. For her, Moondancer would do the same. She turned to the alicorn and stepped forward, looking into her eyes. “You want to know the truth? Maybe she’s right. Maybe she’ll never love you like you want. But you know what else? She doesn’t love you now. A SPELL loves you. This isn’t her. This is a charm. A poison. A magical fault that flows through her. No more real than it would be if you enchanted a doll and made it say it loved you.”

“But… she is a pony and she--”

“She’s a slave, now. To a spell she has no power to resist. That nopony but you can break. A toy. An OBJECT. She’s not a pony. She may speak like one. Act like one. Even talk like one. But she’s not Twilight. She’s an object animated by a spell. The real Twilight, the pony inside? The one capable of love, or truly caring about anything? The pony that has again and again tried to understand you and get close to you of her own volition? To help OTHER ponies understand you? She’s trapped. And only you can free her.”

Nightmare Moon stared down at her student and slowly she wilted. Those cold, icy eyes showed the fear hidden within. “But… she is right. She will never see anything but… the reflection of Celestia in us. If we release her, then nopony will--”

“If that is the way you intend to make us love you, then you never deserved our love from the beginning.”

The alicorn’s eyes widened and she leaned back as if she was struck. She stared at her student for the longest moment. Then her eyes narrowed and she rose back to her full height. Moondancer held her breath, staring at the other mare. She’d gone too far, she knew it. She was going to be banished or imprisoned or worse.

“You are correct. If we wished to enchant ponies to love us, then we would have done so. We will be the pony they love, by our own deeds. By our own worth. Not by the spell of some vile spirit that we will destroy later. Let us continue.”

Moondancer let out a sigh of relief. Yay, she got to live! She didn’t know HOW Twilight managed to do that so often. She wanted to run upstairs and hide under her bed. Still, they had a job to do. She glanced to the Twilight inside the circle, pounding on the wall of the barrier and crying. Soon it would all be okay. She hoped.

------

Twilight groaned, slowly opening her eyes. She felt as if her brain had been scrubbed with a wire brush. She was laying on a couch in… the princess’ room. She glanced over to the right and saw Nightmare Moon and Moondancer, staring at her with worried eyes. “Hi,” she said, the words burning a little in her mouth. Her eyes felt puffy, as if she’d been bawling, though she couldn’t imagine why.

“Hey. Huh uhhh… are you feeling?’ Moondancer asked. “How much do you remember of the last day?”

“I uhhh...” And then it all came back in a bolt. She shrieked and jumped to her hooves. “Oh my gosh! My notes! My BOOKS! I TOSSED THEM IN THE TRASH! No no no no no! I’ll need to--” She stopped when her notes appeared in front of her. “H-how?”

“We retrieved them,” Nightmare Moon said coldly, nudging them lightly with her hoof. “We… knew once you were freed of this affliction, you would desire to have them back.”

Twilight stared at them for a few moments before smiling. “Thank you, your highness... for everything.”

Nightmare Moon nodded and turned to head out the door.

“W-wait!” Twilight said quickly, looking between the two of them. “I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. For all that I said. Moondancer, I know you’re not jealous and… I know what I said wasn’t really true.”

The unicorn sighed and glanced away. No, it was incredibly close. That was what made it hurt so much. “Thanks...” Though, she appreciated Twilight lying and saying it wasn’t. Or maybe the earth pony truly believed it. She hoped she did.

“And your highness… I am so, so sorry about what I said to you. What I said was… hurtful and merciless.”

“And yet it rang of the truth, did it not? The love you had for us… it is unlikely any pony will ever feel such devotion to us. At least, not until long after the memory of my elder sister has fully faded from the minds of all. But… it is no matter,” she said with a shake of her head and a stomp of her hoof. “We are Nightmare Moon, ruler of the night. If ponies are too foalish to appreciate our glory? Then we will merely wait. We can afford to be patient, as we have millenia to outlive even the memories of our dear, departed sister,” she said, with just a hint of cruelty to her words. “And we will out live them. Eventually, all ponies will feel for us as you felt.” With those cold words echoing through the room, she trotted towards the door, slamming it behind herself.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “She’s… not taking this well, is she?”

“Can you blame her?” Moondancer mumbled. “She...”

“I know. I know.”

“She almost didn’t let you go. If I hadn’t… pushed her. Hadn’t nudged her that last little bit?” Moondancer mumbled, shaking her head. “She cares about you a lot, Twilight.”

The earth pony nodded. “I know. And yet… I’m the one who’s hurt her the most. I just wish I could… make up for it. For everything I did...” she whispered.

“What’d you do?”

“I said some things I’d rather not have said, and they hurt her. A lot,” Twilight said, shaking her head.

“I understand. I won’t ask any more. How are you feeling?”

“Icky… so very, very icky,” Twilight said with a shudder. “Like I wanna wash my brain with soap and water. Having Discord rummage around and mess with it like that… I don’t recommend.”

“Well… if nothing else, at least everything can go back to normal, now. Well. As normal as things… were.”

Twilight nodded. “Yeah. Thank heavens...”

------

Nightmare Moon stared at her reflection in the mirror. She’d finally had what she wanted for so, so long. Something she’d never have again no matter how hard she tried. No matter how hard she worked for it. Ponies would never look at her like that. Like the way they had looked at her sister. With love. Adoration. Belief that she was the most beautiful thing in their world. Glorious and wonderful and…

She felt the tears begin to form in her eyes, though she tried to stifle them. She’d given it all up. Why? Even if it had been all fake, it had FELT real. It had felt so, so incredibly real. She wanted it back so bad. She’d have given anything to have it back. Slowly, a hoof reached out and touched the mirror.

“We… I will destroy you, Discord...” she whispered. “I will tear you apart. I will laugh as you scream for mercy. And I will have none. You will learn that this game you play with us ponies has dangers beyond any you imagined...” she said, gritting her teeth. “And ponies will LEARN to love me, as they loved my sister. Even if it takes a thousand millenia.” She stood up straight, her mane billowing in the candle light. “We have tasted the sweet nector of their love and adoration. We will not let it slip through our hooves again. And you will learn to truly fear us…” she whispered, shaking her head. “We will not be toyed with. Will not be made foals of. We are the rulers of all, the ruler of this world. And we...” She felt the tears rising up in her eyes, which she quickly wiped away with a hoof. “We will show the world why they must follow us… why they must learn to love us… Why it is… what we deserve.”

Author's Notes:

Guess who's back? It's me! Jeweled Pen! And guess what? There should be NO more hiatuses! I've been given an INCREDIBLE opportunity and I can, for the time being, pursue my writing career. That means a LOT more writing and, more importantly, no more big stops! At least, not in the middle of seasons, like I did this time. Which should also mean less opportunities for me to mess everything up by forgetting little, minor things! I'm only human, sorry!

I am now well on my way to clearing up this 'season' of Twilight Glow(well, okay, not really, but the arcs have all been plotted out, and at my writing pace it shouldn't take much more than a month to finish it.) So, please, expect frequent updates and, pending any IRL issues, a long and exciting future of Twilight Glow!

And on the more 'Author' side of things, I will be starting up a discord soon, as well as a youtube channel. I'm getting an amazing opportunity and I don't plan to waste it, thank you everyone for supporting me and continuing to read my works!

S2 Ch 8: Artificial sun

“Oh wakey wakey eggs and bakey,” a voice said into Twilight’s ear. The mare groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Only to shriek when she realized it was DISCORD whispering to her. Worse, he had turned into her pillow. She flailed and then rolled out of the bed, hitting the ground with an oof.

“O-ow. Was that REALLY necessary?” she snapped at the spirit, who reformed into his true form a moment later.

“Can you two keep it down, I’m trying to sleep,” Spike muttered. “And good morning, Discord...”

“Yes yes. All very exciting. But do you know what today is?” he asked with a big, happy grin.

“… Another day in paradise?” Twilight asked, shaking her head and slowly trotting towards her mirror. She picked up her brush and started working on her mane. To her annoyance, Discord’s face appeared on the back of the brush.

“Nope. Today is another day of fun and excitement!” he said gleefully.

Twilight sighed, then blinked a few times. She put the brush down. “Discord? What are you up to? You didn’t just come here to annoy me and torment Nightmare Moon, did you?”

“Well, of course I did. Why else would I be here? I--”

“Perfect! If you have no other pressing affairs, I need to ask you a favor.”

“… A favor? Of me?” he asked, disappearing and reappearing as Spike sized, bouncing on her pillow a few times. “I am touched, truly. Whatever could I do for you, oh glorious Princess of Books?” he asked in a mocking tone, a small scepter of gold, with her face on the end, appearing in his hand.

“… What? PLEASE don’t call me that. Ever. The last thing I need is Nightmare Moon hearing that and thinking I’m planning some… Coup or something,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Fine, fine,” Discord said with a laugh, tossing the scepter away. “You did need something though, yes? So what is it you wish of me, the glorious ruler of all things chaotic?”

“Your life story.”

Discord stared at her for a few moments. He then sighed, before shaking his head. “Truly? The greatest powers of all Equestria at your disposal. Chaos incarnate itself, at your beck and call. Magics beyond anything you ever thought possible… And you want my story? That’s it?”

“Of course,” Twilight said with a nod. “I’ve already started Tirek’s. If I had yours, it could help--”

“Foster good will and help all the cute little squeaky ponies be oh so not afraid of the big, scary Discord!” the spirit said in a mocking sing song voice. He shook his head. “How have you managed to be even more annoying without a horn?”

“What?”

“Very well. Shall we--” Discord froze, his entire body going still.

Low, haunting, icy cold laughter filled the room. Slowly, the door opened and Nightmare Moon stood in the frame, her horn glowing. “We admit, Discord. You are quite… slippery. But we have been waiting for this moment,” the alicorn said with a wicked grin, her grin growing, revealing her fangs. “The moment when we can finally get our hooves on you. Even you are struggling in the grip of this spell, aren’t you?”

Twilight stared at him. “Your… your highness? What happened to him? What did you do?”

The ruler glanced to Twilight and laughed. “Why, we have merely applied a binding spell to him. Holding him captive, bound to our will. Our power. Entrapped… oh. Do not worry. He is very aware of what is going on around him. But he cannot move, cannot speak, cannot cast any of his foul magics.”

The earth pony nodded. “And… what… will you do to him?”

“Is it not obvious? We will take all of his magic for ourselves. We will bind him and trap him, and use his magic to--”

“Guhhhh!” Discord said, his entire body twitching, before he popped like a balloon. The spirit of chaos appeared in a nearby portrait, shaking his head. “You’ve gotten better, your highness. You were oh so close. Alas, there’s no prize for second place.”

“Discord!” Nightmare Moon yelled. She turned to the spirit, her horn glowing with a dark purple light. However, the spirit was already gone. She let out a growl. “Next time you show your face around here, you’re ours. Do you hear us? WE WILL TEAR YOU APART!” she yelled, stomping a hoof. “WE WILL MAKE YOU BEG FOR MERCY! WE WILL--” A loud crash filled the room when the window shattered from the voice, making the alicorn pause and stare. She then glanced back at Twilight.

The earth pony was in the corner of the room, sitting and holding Spike protectively to her chest. Both staring wide eyed at the ruler of the night. Finally, the mare coughed and turned. “We apologize for this disturbance. Please, continue on your matters.”

Twilight nodded, though she didn’t move from her corner until after the mare had left the room. Once the other mare was gone, she let out a sigh of relief and gently placed the dragon down. “How do you feel?”

“I have a massive headache,” Spike muttered. “Other than that, fine. I don’t think I need to sleep any more, though. Like, ever.”

“Me either,” Twilight whispered. She sighed and walked to the bed, sitting on it. “She’s… huh?” When she sat, she heard a light crunch. She reached under the blanket and pulled out a tie dyed letter. She stared at it, her mouth open while she read. “That...”

“Huh? What is it?” Spike asked.

“It’s a-- EEK!” She shrieked, tossing the letter away moments before it exploded in a puff of confetti, dousing the two of them in the colored pieces of paper. She gave a sigh. “A letter from Discord. He won’t be coming here any more, it seems. Though...”

“What?”

“He… mentioned Applejack got hurt, at the end. And that I should check on her. Then that the letter would explode. He’s kind of rude. But...”

“But?”

Twilight sighed. “This means I have to go and get permission to go back down to Ponyville. Come on, let’s go.” The earth pony took a long, slow breath. She could do this. Spike trailed along behind her while she walked.

“It’ll be fine,” he said with a smile. “She adores you. Also, she probably still feels a bit guilty over the whole… Discord thing.” He paused and shook his head. “Do you think Discord is telling the truth?”

“I don’t know. I hope not. But with him, there’s no way to know until I investigate myself. He might be lying just to screw with me, or he might be telling the truth and hoping I’ll ignore him and NOT check on my friend. Or any number of a thousand other things. That’s the problem with dealing with a spirit of chaos, he doesn’t have to have a reason for anything he does other than to annoy me. It’s like having a toddler with too much magic. But, well… hopefully Nightmare Moon will be okay with this. Even if she likes me a lot, it... still doesn’t make it any less nerve wracking when I speak with her. She’s a bit...” Twilight shook her head. “I used to take classes for magical chemistry, things were far less stressful and explosive there. And most of those components reacted to everything. Including air.”

“… Magical chemistry? Why would… wait. Let me guess. You have a minor in it?” he said with a low chuckle.

Twilight sighed. “Of course. It’s really fascinating. Chemistry is wonderful and has created so many different applications that help all of pony kind. But magical chemistry operates on a whole different--”

“Nope nope nope. Too early for a lecture. La la la la!” Spike cut her off.

The earth pony snickered at the dragon’s antics, giving him a fond smile. “Fine. Let’s talk about another topic. What would YOU like to talk about?”

“I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “What do you think happened to Applejack?”

“I’m not sure. Whatever it was, it must have been recent or the other girls would have likely sent me a message. That, or very minor and Discord is just trying to get me riled up. Ugh. Probably the latter. Either way, I’m hopeful that--” She yelped and stumbled back when Nightmare Moon came storming down the hall, a crystal orb held in her magic. She paused and glanced down at the pair.

“Where are you two heading in such a hurry? Has Discord shown his deceitful face again?” she asked, baring her fangs.

“N-no,” Twilight said nervously, backing up a bit from the royal’s rage. The alicorn didn’t seem to notice, however. “I was actually looking for you.”

That, however, softened the ruler’s gaze. “Yes, bard?”

“We uhhh… I’d like permission to head down to Ponyville,” she said quickly, gulping nervously when the gaze on the Alicorn’s face only hardened.

“To Ponyville. And why is that?”

“I think one of my friends was hurt and I want to check on them. I received a letter. Err… If that’s not--”

Nightmare Moon sighed, before glancing down the hall. Finally, she nodded. “Yes. But you will go with an escort of a few of my guards. Is there any objections?”

Twilight shook her head quickly. “Nope! I shouldn’t be gone too long, and guards sound fine.”

“Perfect. We will dispatch them as soon as we have settled this matter with Discord. He thought he could escape… oh, but he was wrong.” The alicorn then continued on, heading up to Twilight’s room.

“… She looks… happy,” Spike mumbled. “Still, we can go, at least.”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly, and with just a small escort, it’ll be fine. We shouldn’t be there more than a few hours, so it’ll hardly be noticeable.”

------

Twilight tried to stop herself from face hoofing. Instead, she relented by staring up at the moon with a mix of annoyance and embarrassment. The ‘small escort’ was a borderline platoon. A dozen lunar guard, two of which were pulling the chariot. And two shades who were sitting at the back of the rather large vessel. She was fairly certain it was Nightmare Moon’s chariot, as it was far, far bigger than she herself needed. She could have housed all of her friends and still had space for a few board games.

Her only consolation was that it was night time, and therefore their darkened convoy was likely all but invisible in the night sky. However, when she came closer to Ponyville and, more importantly, Sweet Apple Acres, her heart skipped a beat.

A quarter of the fields had been wiped out. The remains of the trees still glowed a light red, the embers not fully out. Torches illuminated the area as ponies were working to salvage what they could. Still, the earth pony couldn’t help but stare in horror at the destruction. “Take me down, there,” she said softly. The ponies quickly diverted themselves, flying down to the ground and skidding to a stop.

In the air, at least, they hadn’t drawn much attention. But now that they landed? She couldn’t help but feel almost every eye was on her.

“Cutie mark crusaders diplomats!” an all too familiar voice called out.

Twilight glanced over and saw the three little fillies from the gala racing towards her. She quickly went over their names. Applebloom, Applejack’s little sister. And the other two… now that she thought about it, she didn’t know if she ever HAD gotten their names. She knew one of them was Rarity’s little sister, though. And it wasn’t hard to guess which one.

“Yer highness, we can… Twilight?” Applebloom said, skidding to a stop in front of the chariot. “What are yah doin’ here?”

“I heard Applejack got hurt, but… I hadn’t heard anything about this...” she whispered, looking around. “What… happened?”

Applebloom sighed, shaking her head. “Oh. Well… oh! Right! Ah ain’t introduced yah all! This here is Twilight Glow! Twilight, these here are mah best friends. Scootaloo an’ Sweetie Belle. Together, we’re the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

The earth pony nodded, unable to stop a small smile from sprouting on her lips. “A pleasure to meet you three. I’ve heard a bit about your antics, I’m happy to finally meet you all.”

“Hey… so ummm… is it true that...” Scootaloo started, staring at her with nervous, yet excited, anticipation.

The earth pony sighed and felt her joy begin to crash. She readied herself to explain that no, she was NOT in fact evil for working for Nightmare Moon, nor was she planning to terrorize anypony, either.

“You thought Big Mac was a monster and locked him out of the house?”

Twilight froze, slowly her cheeks turned a bright scarlet. “I-I mean, technically that’s--”

“Ah told yah. Hidin’ like a filly. Yah shoulda seen how pale she gone an’ got. Yah’d think he was the boogie mare.”

The earth pony could hear her entourage snickering behind her, though she tried to tune it out. “Yes, yes. It was all quite humorous. Applebloom, the matter at hoof. What happened here?”

The filly gulped and nodded. “Yah best come with meh. You an’ Spike would be fine but... Errr...”

Twilight nodded and glanced towards her escort. “I hate to ask, but would you all be willing to help while we do this? I won’t be going any further than the house.”

One of the guards nodded and they scattered. Twilight let out a sigh of relief, unable to keep a small smile off her lips. All of them had to serve this new ruler. But in the end, they were all ponies and acted as such. Of course, with all the torch light she couldn’t see the shades, but she suspected they were still following her. She couldn’t deny that while the creatures were unsettling, they did make a useful and subtle entourage when needed. “Okay then. So, what happened?” she asked again. “And is Applejack okay?”

“Well… mostly. She’ll be fine, though,” Applebloom said with a shake of her head. “It was really cool, she was up on the stage durin’ it all.”

“The stage? What?”

“Yeah, she was right up there when all the fire works started,” Scootaloo said with a nod. “It was super cool! I still can’t believe she bucked it into the lake in one buck!”

“Eeyup, that’s mah big sister for yah. Those Flim Flam brothers ain’t gonna wanna show their faces around here for a loooong time,” Applebloom said with a laugh.

“Who?” Spike asked.

“Oh, buncha scammers,” the earth pony said with a roll of her eyes. “Good thing they didn’t come here a few weeks back. Probably woulda made the town hall even worse.”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “What happened to the town hall? Did it burn down, too? Or…?”

“Nah. Jus’ got a bit wrecked due to some issues we been havin’. Big sis was gonna try an’ get the money tah repair it by winnin’ at the Equestria Rodeo. Unfortunately, it gone an’ got itself canceled due tah all the stuff goin’ on with… well. Yah know. But a whole herd of them uhhh… were ponies came by. Took care of it. Made themselves mighty useful, real good of them. We even got to insert a window!” Applebloom said with a nod.

“Cutie mark crusaders construction workers!” the three fillies said in unison, giving hoof bumps, before sighing.

“Though none of us got our cutie marks for it,” Applebloom said, dejectedly.

“You’ll all get your cutie marks in time, don’t worry,” the earth pony said with a smile. “There’s no need to rush it.”

“Easy for yah tah say once yah got it,” the filly said, before stopping outside the house and shoving open the door. “Big sis!” she called out.

“What is it, sugar cube?” Applejack called back from another room.

“Twilight came on by with Spike! Mind if ah send ‘em in?”

There was an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, fine.”

Twilight glanced to Applebloom. “Ummm… why the…?”

“Oh, everypony been tryin’ tah come see ‘er since she gone an’ saved the town an’ all. After Pinkie’s visit, she tol’ us not tah let anypony in. She don’t like bein’ all fretted over,” she said with a light snicker. “Go on, have fun!” she said, before giving the earth pony a nudge.

Twilight nodded and stepped into the house, the door closing behind her. There was a scent in the air of lotion. “In here!” Applejack’s voice came from the other room. “Now, before yah get worried, ah’m fine. Doctor already looked at me, an it looks worse than it is.”

The earth pony nodded. “Of course, we--” She stopped when she made it to the front room and her eyes fell on Applejack, who was laying on the couch.

“Are you okay?!” Spike asked, his eyes wide with horror.

“Ah’m fine!” Applejack said with a shake of her head. The mare was on her stomach, her back legs out straight, entirely bandaged. Her trademark hat was on the stand besides the couch, the edges blackened. However, the most shocking thing of all was her back side, what wasn’t bandaged. Her tail and mane were half burned off, the ends blackened, and her flank was bare of most of its hair, covered in a heavy dosage of lotion.

“How can you call this fine? What happened?” Twilight asked, walking forward. “Oh my gosh… I… do you need a doctor? Do you--”

“Ah told yah, ah’m fine,” the earth pony said with a roll of her eyes. “Didn’t Applebloom tell yah what happened?”

“Nope. She got side tracked. A lot.”

Applejack groaned. “Well. Yah promise not tah go off an’ write some story about it? Ah didn’t do nothin’ fancy, really.”

“I promise,” Twilight said with a smile. “Just… please?”

“Ugh. Fine. Couple ah charlatans by the name of Flim an’ Flam came on by. Brought somethin’ they called an ‘artificial sun’. Buncha idjits. Ah of course thought it was all hog wash, but ponies wanted tah see it all. An’, at first, it actually seemed tah work. Ponies were overjoyed tah be gettin’ all sunny an’ warm an’ stuff. Were talkin’ about installin’ ‘em all over Ponyville. But… wellll… Only place with enough room for a proper demonstration was out by our fields...”

“… Oh dear...”

“Yup. It caught fire. Darn thing nearly exploded, worked too much. Not only that, it was catchin’ EVERYTHIN’ on fire. It was horrible. Ah had tah gallop up on stage an’ buck it as hard as ah could. Right inta the lake,” she said with a shake of her head. “Burned mahself doin’ it, ‘course. Doctor says mah hooves were half melted jus’ from the impact. Our fields caught on fire as well. Ah told ‘em it was a waste of time. It ain’t the sun.”

“Where are they now? Flim and Flam?”

“High tailed it out of here while everypony was workin’ tah put the fires out. But well… ah’ll give ‘em this. When those two make a fire, they make a good one,” she said bitterly. “Ah ain’t ever seen anythin’ like it. Buncha healthy trees, fwoosh,” she said with a sigh. “If ah ever get mah hooves on them...”

“If Nightmare Moon ever gets her hooves on them, there might not be enough left for you TO get,” Spike said with a shake of his head. “An artificial sun? Do you really think she’d be okay with you installing them all over town.”

“Ah know, right?” Applejack said with a roll of her eyes. “The whole thing was basically a glorified heatin’ lamp! Ain’t no way it was safe, an’ yet, well...”

“Ponies miss the sun,” Twilight added.

“Eeyup...”

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Pain? Only with every single breath.”

“Anything I can get you?”

“Not really. Jus’… yah saw the damage out there, right? Ah think ponies are tryin’ tah stiffle it for meh, but ah need the truth. Jus’ how bad is it?”

“… You’ve lost almost an entire… a quarter of the trees, I think.”

Applejack growled. “By Celestia’s right hoof, ah swear… it’s goin’ tah take us ages tah recover from this. An’ we jus’ got so much of our stuff sorted, if we jus’… gahhhh. Those idjits!” the mare snapped, her hoof lashing out and crashing against the couch hard enough it almost cracked.

“I know. I’m sorry. I’m really, truly sorry,” Twilight said gently. “It--”

“Is a disaster,” a voice came out that chilled both of the ponies to their bones. They turned to the kitchen, where Nightmare Moon stood in her full regal stance. The CMC were by her hooves, the three fillies looking as pale as shades. “Of your own making.”

“Y-yer highness,” Applejack said quickly, starting to get to her hooves.

“Don’t stand, or bow, or… whatever it is you are trying to do,” Nightmare Moon said quickly, motioning the mare to remain laying. “Bard. The most interesting report just arrived. Once we realized what it was of, we knew we had to come and see for ourselves.” Her eyes then turned to Applejack, who gulped. “We hear this entire… incident was caused by something ponies call an… artificial sun. Correct?”

“Y-yes, yer highness,” the earth pony said nervously.

“And… it was your invention… correct?” The rage was beginning to make itself known. The way her eyes narrowed, the way she ground her hooves into the ground. The way her wings opened, just a smidge, enough to make herself look larger.

“What? Ah ain’t never made nothin’ like that! It was the Flim Flam brothers. Buncha scam artists came moseyin’ on into our town, talkin’ up their glorified heat lamp as if it was some great invention.”

“We see. And you allowed them to use your fields to… test it?”

“Err… w-well, ah mean. They needed a clearin’ an’ half the town wanted--”

“Did you, or did you not?”

“… Ah did,” Applejack said softly, giving a nervous gulp.

“We see… and the damage has obviously been quite extensive. You are aware that such an invention borders on treason, are you not?”

“… No… ah… wasn’t...”

“An artificial sun?” Nightmare Moon asked, cocking an eye. “You wish to forcefully do away with our precious night, and you believe it is NOT treason?”

“W-well, ah mean. I-it was just a doo-dad. Not anythin’ of--”

“You wish to banish our night. To banish US. And yet, you think it’s a toy?!” Nightmare Moon asked, her wings going out to her full width.

“I-it wasn’t her idea!” Applebloom snapped, quickly moving in front of the ruler. “She didn’t--”

“Applebloom, shush!” Applejack cut her off, shaking her head.

“No,” Nightmare Moon said, her eyes focusing on the little filly. “Let her finish. How wasn’t it her idea, little one?”

The filly gulped, quickly realizing she had the ruler of the night’s full and undivided attention. And how terrifying that was. Scootaloo and Sweetie quickly moved to either side of her. “W-well, ah mean… err… it wasn’t her idea. She didn’t want tah have it here at all. But… everypony in the town wanted tah see it. An’ once they gave a small demonstration, they were demandin’ it… We didn’t want it, but, err, we knew if we didn’t, ponies would go an’ get mad an’… err...”

“I see,” Nightmare Moon said, shaking her head. “So an entire town of treasonous ponies.”

“Y-your highness...” Twilight said softly. “They aren’t… nopony wanted to--”

“Nopony wished what? To banish our night? To bring back the sun, even an artificial, weak one?” she asked, giving a low growl. “Of course they did. It is quite obvious, quite apparently what all of you ponies want,” she said coldly. “To return us back to the moon and bring back the mare you idolize. To betray us. Even a couple of… ponies of falsehood, who bring nothing but destruction and lies, so easily captivate all of you. We see clearly what happened here. You fell for their lies, so desperate you were to escape our hooves. And we will treat it as such.”

Twilight gulped, staring at the ruler. She wanted to reason with her, but she doubted her words would be noticed now. The feelings of betrayal were too strong, too fresh. And this was just another sign of how much ponies valued her sister over her.

“For this, our judgment is clear. Or… would be,” the ruler said, before shaking her head. “Except it seems punishment has already been given. You have been burned. Your fields torn asunder. We will not add to this punishment, though you have brought it down on your own heads and surely deserve more.”

Applebloom opened her mouth to speak up, only to have Spike race forward and yank her back, covering her mouth with his claw and shaking his head.

“Instead, our punishment is simple. The royal coffers will not aid you in your relief. You will face this disaster you have brought on yourselves, by your own hooves. And may the sting of this destruction ever remind you of who your true ruler is. And why there will never, ever be another sun to replace our glory.” She gave a low, calming breath.

“As for this Flim and Flam… when we get our hooves on them… all will hear of their plight. They will suffer for this deed.” With those words, she turned and stormed from the home.

Applejack let out a sigh of relief. “Welp. That… went better than ah thought it would.”

Applebloom finally shook Spike off her. “Giddof! Big sis, yah can’t let her talk tah yah like that! It ain’t our fault that--”

“No, it ain’t. But somepony’s gonna have tah suffer for it. An’ as long as this counts as the punishment, ah’m fine with that,” Applejack said with a shake of her head.

Twilight sighed. “I can talk to her once she’s calmed down. It--”

“Nah, don’t. It’ll be fine. Lots of ponies realized… well, how terrible things have gone. An’ as much as ah hate tah accept it, ah know the town will be more than happy tah help out a bit. Us ponies, we know how tah stick tagether. So… it’ll be fine, somehow.”

The earth pony nodded, though she couldn’t help staring at her friend and feeling this well of guilt within her. “Is… there anything I can do?”

“… Jus’… try an’ keep yer energy up. If she gets her hooves on Flim and Flam? Well… ah don’t wanna imagine what she’ll do tah them.”

The earth pony cringed, giving a nod. “Right. I… guess that’s going to require some maneuvering. A lot of maneuvering.”

“Mmmm hmm. Yup,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Either way, though. Ah’m really kinda pooped after all that’s happened. An’… well. The royal visit. Yah mind if ah go an’ get some shut eye?”

“Oh! Right, yes, of course,” Twilight said with a sheepish smile, nodding. “I’ll leave you to it. And thank you for seeing me.”

“Anytime, Twilight. Yah know, while yer here, yah might wanna go an’ check on Trixie.”

“Trixie?” she asked, then her eyes widened. “OH! Right, yes! I should. I haven’t seen her since… right. If you need anything, anything at all, send me a message. Okay?”

“Ah will,” Applejack said with a nod.

Twilight walked outside and shook her head. “Well… that went pretty good, all things considered,” Spike said with a smile.

“It really didn’t.”

“What?” he asked. “Nopony is going to get punished and the trees--”

“A lot of trees were destroyed. That means the harvest for the next few years, at least. On average, a standard apple tree takes about six to ten years to grow. That’s in ideal circumstances. Without the sun? It may take even longer. That’s six to ten years operating at only seventy-five percent capacity. Maybe, if they’re lucky, they can replace some of the trees sooner. But this damage is pretty severe.”

“O-oh...”

“And the town will help for a bit. But before you know it, there will be other issues. On top of that, they’re a bit… too prideful to accept hoof outs, I expect,” she said with a shake of her head. “While I doubt they’ll lose the farm, the damage is...”

“Yeah...” Spike mumbled gently.

“And Nightmare Moon knew it. So did Applejack. Her punishment is almost as severe, normally for an event like this, there would be some aid offered. I’m not sure how the Apples will deal with this. How they’ll...”

“They’ll recover,” he said with a shrug. “They seem tough. For ponies.”

“Heh, I hope so.”

The two walked in silence, soon being greeted by their escort. Twilight informed them of the trip to the library and, to her delight, they offered to meet her back at the farm once she finished. Occasionally she’d see the two shades that trailed her, appearing in the shadows and disappearing in the torch light. So while she wasn’t alone, she was at least being given some privacy. They were halfway to the library when the small dragon spoke up again.

“Is… that what happens to ponies?”

“Huh?”

“When you’re burned. Is that what happens?”

“… Yes. You’ve never… oh dear. You’ve never seen a burn before, have you?”

“Not on a living creature, no,” Spike mumbled. “We aren’t exactly flamable.”

“Yes. That’s what it looks like. If you’d like, I could show you some medical books about burns, they are quite--”

“Nope!” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I just… when the Dragon Lord invades...”

“If he invades. The last dragon to show their face here was turned into a squirrel. Hopefully, they won’t try anything else.”

“Yeah, but that’s just one dragon. If there’s a whole army of them…” he mumbled softly.

She nodded. “There will be a lot of burnings, then. We’re… hoping it never comes to that, though. Maybe.” She glanced over to him. “You’re worried, aren’t you?”

“… Kinda… yeah. I mean. You’re just ponies. But… as ponies go… you’re pretty okay.”

“All of us?”

“Most of you,” he said grudgingly.

Twilight couldn’t help but smile, giving a small nod. “Well… I hope we never have to go to the point of war. I have only met one dragon, but you’ve definitely helped me become quite fond of the species. The last thing I want is for Nightmare Moon to go on a rampage and try to eliminate all of you.”

He gave a shudder. “Yeah. I think that’s the last thing any of us want.”

The earth pony nodded, before stopping outside a large tree with the words ‘Ponyville Library’ emblazoned on a sign. She gulped and gave a knock. Nothing happened. “Ummm...”

“… Don’t ponies normally just walk into libraries?” he asked, cocking an eye.

“O-oh! Right. It just looks so… homey. I guess. Right.” She opened the door and stepped inside.

And almost face hoofed upon seeing the blue unicorn sleeping on a couch. She trotted over and gave a very loud cough. “Ahem.”

“Mrgl… go away… the Great and Powerful Trixie is sleeping...” the mare grumbled, rolling so her back was to the annoyed mare.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the librarian?”

There was an exasperated sigh. “If you want a book, just grab it and--” The unicorn had turned to see who it was talking to her and almost instantly froze. She gave a nervous gulp. “Errr… You’re… Miss Twilight… Glow!”

Twilight nodded. “We’ve met, yes. I just wanted to make sure you were doing we--”

“Absolutely perfect!” the unicorn said, a fake, hollow grin forming on her face before hopping to her hooves. “The gre-- Trixie is more than happy to help you in any way you need! I merely--”

“Nightmare Moon isn’t with me, nor will she be hearing about this visit. You don’t need to worry.”

“Oh,” Trixie said, all her fake cheer disappearing. “In that case, what do you want? Listen, if you need a book, just write down your name and then take it. I’ve got more important things to do than monitor your reading habits.”

Twilight sighed. “You’re the librarian. Your job is LITERALLY to monitor reading habits and predict--”

“Oh give me a break,” Trixie said with a roll of her hooves, before trotting off to a small stage that now stood opposite the door. “I get about three, maybe four, checkouts a week,” she said flatly. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s not a whole lot of reading going on here. Ponies in this are are hardly what you’d call well-read,” she said with a shake of her head. “Now, if you have anything important to discuss, the Great and Powerful Trixie is preparing for her next show!” the mare said dramatically.

Twilight blinked a few times, her mouth falling open. “Show? What… kind of show?”

“Why, a magic show, of course,” the unicorn said with a smirk. “I’ll admit it has gotten quite a bit… trickier, since I’ve lost my actual magic. However, a TRUE show pony never sweats the small stuff.”

“What kind of magic can you do?” Spike asked.

“Hmmmm? Ah, of course, the little dragon. Card tricks, rope tricks, why, the Great and Powerful Trixie does them all!” the unicorn said with a flourish, gripping her cape and hat off the side of the couch and tossing them on with a single movement.

Twilight nodded. “I see. But that still doesn’t fix the issue of nopony actually… getting books. A proper town should be--”

Trixie rolled her eyes again. “Is she always like this?”

“You have no idea,” Spike said with a shrug.

“Listen, Sunset.”

“Twilight,” the earth pony corrected her. She felt a little crop of annoyance flood in. That HAD to be on purpose.

“Right, Starlight. Before I came here, they didn’t even HAVE a librarian. Aside from a bit of dusting, there’s nothing really to do here. The selection is small and Canterlot is less than a day away. Most ponies who want books just get them from there, since the selection is better,” the unicorn said with a shrug. “Probably. I don’t know, I haven’t really been paying much attention,” she said dismissively.

“You can’t turn the library into a… a stage show! Library’s are supposed to be quiet and--”

“Boring?” Trixie said with a shrug. “Fine, I’ll tell you what. If you have so many great ideas, have at them.” She then motioned over to the counter by the door. “All the records and… thingies are over there. If you come up with some amazing way to spread the, gag, joy of reading, go ahead. In the mean time, I have a show to prepare for.”

“I don’t… I wasn’t… I… guh!” Twilight said, turning and storming out of the library. She couldn’t BELIEVE that mare. Using the library as a showcase for her magic tricks! She slammed the door behind herself so hard she almost hit Spike with it.

“Careful!” he yelled at her.

“Sorry. I just… guh. I can’t believe her. A librarian, slacking off? She can’t just--” She barely stopped in time to avoid running into another earth pony with an amber coat and a very light streaked mane. “Oh! Mayor Mare! Its been a while! Err...” She glanced to Spike. “Ummm. This is Spike, my assistant. Spike, this is Mayor Mare. She’s the mayor.”

“… Wait, your name is Mayor Mare?” Spike asked the earth pony.

“Yes,” the mare said.

“… Did you change your name after you got the job?”

“The fact I am the mayor is a total coincidence. My sister, bless her heart, is Princess Mare. And don’t even get me started on my younger brother, Corporal Stallion.”

The dragon blinked. “What… do they do? Royal guards?”

“No, she’s a plumber and he’s a dentist. Now, Twilight! I’m absolutely overjoyed to see you here. I saw you land earlier and I’ve been just dying to speak with you for a moment.”

“Is this about Trixie? Don’t worry, I’m already on it. I know she’s doing an--”

“Amazing job? I know! I could hardly believe it myself. But you were right, having her work the library has been wonderful!”

Twilight stared at her. “I’m… sorry? It has?”

“Of course! Why, since she’s come here, our reading program has almost tripled,” she said proudly, giving a small nod. “And I’ve seen ponies who’ve never even touched a book coming home from her shows with small stacks. She’s doing wonders!”

“She… is? But she’s… just using it for shows and...”

“Oh, I know! I was shocked at first, but you can’t argue with results,” the mayor said with a nod. “You were absolutely right. Putting her there was the perfect location for her to be! I’ve been trying for years to find a way to make reading fun and exciting for ponies, to imagine she put all my works to shame in her first month here! I’ve never seen our little library so full as when she’s performing. She’s truly a blessing of Celestia.”

“But… but...” Twilight said, having to sit down and stare at her. “She’s… a blessing?”

“Err… yes. She is. Are you alright, dear? You look a little… pale.”

“But… but...” Twilight mumbled.

“Don’t mind her, she’s just having a meltdown at the idea of ponies being at a library for reasons other than the books,” Spike said with a shake of his head. “So, what did you want to talk with her about?”

“Oh, right! I wanted to talk about YOUR newest book!”

“Huh?” the earth pony mumbled. “Who…?”

“Your book. Dear, are you sure you’re okay? You’re really pale. Almost as pale as your escort,” the mayor said, motioning to the two shades who were standing off in the shadows. “Well, okay, not THAT pale but...”

“Huh? I’m fine. What about my book? It… errr… it hasn’t been causing any issues, has it?”

“Oh, no, quite the opposite!” the mayor said with a nod. “I’ll be honest, I was a little… concerned when it first came out. I was afraid it’d be a whole propaganda work. But it has been doing marvelous to keep ponies happy and stop them from getting… well. TOO anxious about all of the going ons right now,” she said with a small smile. “Is… it all true?”

“Of course!” Twilight said firmly, puffing her chest out a bit. “I gathered all the information I could and would never allow something full of lies and… and slander to get out with my name on it,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. “But… its really been helping?”

“Of course. And… that’s actually what I wanted to speak with you about. I… don’t suppose there will be a follow up, will there?” the mare asked, unable to keep a look of hope on her face.

“A follow up?”

“Indeed. As one of the many ponies who are, ahhhh, navigating the current political landscape, I must say it has proven to be an invaluable tool. Not just for your information on our new… esteemed ruler, but all of your information on the vampire ponies, the wereponies and the shades. We’ve actually had quite a few move into town and I was terrified it’d end up causing an incident! But your book has really helped to relieve quite a bit of… the unknown, if you will. I think nearly every pony in town now has a copy.”

“It has? They do?”

“Okay, Miss Glow. Can I get you some water or something? You look like you’re going to fall over.”

“She’s fine,” Spike said with a wave of his claw. “She’s just amazed that she did some good with her book.”

“Amazed? Why would she be amazed? It’s incredibly well written.”

“It’s a weird writer thing, I think,” Spike said with a shrug. “I wouldn’t worry about it, she’ll come out of shock… eventually.”

The earth pony nodded. “Well, if you’re sure. Either way, I should get going. It has been a delight speaking with you though, Twilight! Perhaps we can speak again, okay? Oh… and that reminds me… in the event you do write a follow up? I don’t suppose you could find it in your heart to give me an advanced copy?” The mayor gave her innocent smile, grinning up at her.

Twilight stared at the pony. “Uhhhh… I’ll… see what I can do?” she offered, nodding to the mare. Was all of this really just to get an early copy of her next book?

“Wonderful! Well, have a wonderful day, Miss Glow,” the earth pony said, trotting away with her head held high.

“You know, she was right though. You are incredibly pale,” Spike said with a shake of his head. “Maybe you should go lay down for a bit,” he said with a frown.

“I just… but ponies LIKE it. It’s HELPING ponies!”

“Well, duh. That’s the whole reason you wrote it.”

“But… I didn’t think it’d actually work! I mean, I thought it would get the information out there. And work in that way. But I didn’t think ponies would really… listen. I just thought they’d think I was a sellout or a traitor or… But they like it? They’re really trusting it? I only thought a hoofful would but… but...”

“So? Ponies are reading your book. Isn’t that what they’re supposed to do? Can we go back, now? I wanna pester the cook for some more gems.”

Twilight nodded. “Right. Yeah. Let’s go get some,” she said, turning back towards the farm. Her heart felt lifted, though.

She’d hoped they’d listen. She’d hoped so much that ponies would read it. That the information would get out there. She expected her reputation to have been shattered, or at least if she’d had any reputation left it would have.

Instead ponies were taking the information. They were learning about the new world they were in. It was helping ponies. She felt her heart swelling, new hope flooding her. She really was helping ponies. She really COULD help ponies from her position. Not just by helping to calm their new ruler. But by giving them the information they so desperately needed. She could make things better. Improve things. She felt small tears rising in her eyes and quickly had to wipe them away.

“Twilight? Are… you okay?”

“I’m fine. Sorry. It’s just… it’s… a bit emotional whenever you hear one of your works is doing well. Y-you know?”

“… Man. You writers are weird,” Spike said with a shrug. “Are all ponies like you?”

“I don’t know. I doubt it,” she said with a shrug. “I’d hope most writers were a bit more confident about their works. And less worried about making enemies of the entirety of Equestria over it.”

“Fair,” the dragon said with a shrug. “… You know, I’ve heard ponies talking about it, a few times. Some of the guards. They… seem really happy with it too. So I wouldn’t worry too much. Ponies like it. And you’re helping.”

She nodded, before sighing. “I think I’ll work on my next Fuzzles book. Something… light. And easy to read. Maybe something about accepting all kinds of ponies, even if they’re different,” she said before glancing back at the shades trailing behind her. “Very, very different.”

“What about Tirek?”

“Heh. I can work on both books. Besides, maybe I’ll lend him one about sharing. I’m sure he’d love that,” she said with a snicker. “He might do with the whole collection.”

------

Tirek suddenly jerked up, a chill cold as ice going down his spine. What in Equestria?

Author's Notes:

And another chapter out! I uhhh... imagine a lot of authors can get that feeling. Whenever we write something and people seem to like it.

I definitely didn't tear up from all the ponies who read my new chapter yesterday. And all the excited comments I read. Definitely didn't get that warm glow or anything in my heart. Nope. I-I'm not crying, you're crying. Shush you... Thank you for reading and enjoying my stories. Really, from the bottom of my heart.

S2 Ch 9: Holiwhat?

Nightmare Moon paced back and forth through her empty throne room. She couldn’t understand it. It didn’t make any sense. It had started as just a few, but now? There were dozens. The longer it went on, the more and more ponies seemed to be… afflicted by such dreams.

Romance seemed to be in the air, and it wasn’t a small amount of it. It had started with many dreams and nightmares about love and rejection, but over time it had only gotten worse and worse. Pony after pony seemed to be succumbing to fit-filled nightmares about their crushes tossing them aside or worse, while others enjoyed pleasant dreams of love and companionship.

Were it just a few, she wouldn’t have even noticed. Such dreams occurred all the time. But the fact it was most dreams had her concerned and worried. Perhaps some kind of romantic disease? She’d seen kingdoms once affected by supplies tainted with love poisons, she couldn’t imagine what a full outbreak would do to her kingdom. Perhaps it was Discord’s doing. That vile spirit manipulating her ponies again… She wouldn’t put it past him.

She’d need to deal with this immediately and, as such, had called her two most trusted ponies to her side. They would be here soon and, together, she was certain they could put this to rest. She froze and listened, before she disappeared in a flash of magic, only to appear sitting on her throne when the door began to open. She sat tall and strong, her wings folded to her back and making herself as imposing a sight as she could.

The guards motioned them inside before closing the door, leaving the three alone. Twilight and Moondancer slowly advanced, bowing their heads respectfully to her.

“Good, our ever… faithful bard and student. We have grave news. It seems there is a grave threat invading our kingdom. Were it just a few minor incidents, we would assume it was coincidence. But it has occurred far too often for it to be anything but an attack on our kingdom.”

“Your highness?” Moondancer asked softly, standing rigid and nervous. “What kind of threat?”

“Tell us. Are you two familiar with love poisons?” she asked softly.

“O-oh no. I-I took a class on it,” Twilight whispered softly. “During potion making. They’re incredibly dangerous and have led to the complete destruction of kingdoms. What happened?”

Moondancer gulped. “If there’s a love potion epidemic, that could be a disaster. Especially now, of all times.”

The mare nodded. “We believe it to be so. Lately, the ponies of our kingdom have had their dreams plagued by all manner of… of such things. Dreams of love. It is a sheer focus unlike any we have seen in ages past. So many dreams focused entirely on attaining ones… ‘special somepony’. It can only be caused by an epidemic of… what?” she asked.

Twilight and Moondancer just stared at her, aghast. Finally, the two stared at each other and couldn’t stop themselves. They burst into laughter.

Nightmare Moon stared at her subjects, aghast. How could they not be taking such an issue seriously?

------

“Oh dear. She didn’t know about Hearts and Hooves day at all?” Rarity asked. “But it’s less than a month away! Oh, the poor thing. Now hold still.”

Twilight nodded, before going perfectly still while her friend took a few more measurements. “Yep. It was… well. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe she hasn’t noticed.”

“Well, how often does she leave the castle?”

“Point.”

“And it’s not as if anypony is going to risk decorating the place without her say so.”

“Double point.”

“And, as cruel as it feels to say, it’s not like anypony desires to be her… special somepony.”

“Ouch. But triple point. No, I suppose it’s not something that would come up. And now...”

“And now we’re going to do a ball in celebration of this… romantic event,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Frankly, I don’t see the point.”

The unicorn gave a sigh. “Truly? Don’t you have a special somepony you’d want to spend the day with?”

“No?”

“… Err… darling. Forgive me if this is too personal, but… have you ever gone on a date on Hearts and Hooves day?”

“…”

“… Oh dear, darling. Have you ever actually… gone on a date?” the mare asked, staring.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’ve always been a bit too busy for that. Besides--”

“Oh darling, no! Everypony deserves a little romance in their lives, it--”

“Isn’t something that interests me in the slightest.”

“But your books! I’ve read quite a few of them now, darling. And you’ve had more than a few passionate… moments within them. How could you write of such things and NOT have experienced some yourself?”

The earth pony rolled her eyes again. “It’s fantasy. Make believe. I also write about a talking rabbit that has a magical wrist watch, but that’s hardly realistic,” she said flatly. “While I may not have experienced it myself, I’ve done enough studies on romance to understand the basic principle behind it. And I’m really not looking towards any myself. Were it up to me? I’d spend this Hearts and Hooves day up in my room and reading a good book. Or finishing up the outline on Tirek’s. I’ve almost got it ready to begin, I think I’ve gathered all the information I need to give ponies a good, clear view of who he is.”

Rarity sighed, shaking her head. “But darling, it’s Hearts and Hooves day, everypony--”

“Sometimes a pony just doesn’t want it, or need it,” Twilight said with a shrug. “If I ever find a pony who means that much to me? I’ll worry about it then. Until then, I’ll be spending this event trying to keep the princess from murdering… whoever comes to this event. We don’t even have a theme yet,” she said with exasperation. “We don’t even know what KIND of event it’s going to be! We just know we have to do something and her highness doesn’t want to be shown up by Celestia.”

“Did Celestia ever even host a Hearts and Hooves celebration?”

“Not that I can recall. All the more reason for Nightmare Moon to demand it be spectacular. Also, I think she was kind of embarrassed that she didn’t know about it, so she’s trying to over compensate,” the earth pony said with a shake of her head. “If she wasn’t so...”

“Herself?”

“Yes, it would have been really funny. I still can’t believe we laughed at her. It was just… I mean… it was so silly! You should have seen her,” Twilight said with a snicker, covering her mouth. She let out a shriek when suddenly she had garments tossed over her and they began to be fiddled with.

“Mmmm, quite. I can imagine.”

“I mean, she thought this was a plague. Some kind of dark magic set on destroying Equestria. She just looked so serious and… well. I’ve since promised to alert her to any and all holidays coming up. Last year it wasn’t such a big deal, since with everything going on, everypony had more important things to worry about than the major holidays. But… normalcy is slowly returning. I am not looking forward to Nightmare Night. I don’t know how to break that one to her.”

“Oh dear… I don’t… imagine it will be quite as celebrated anymore..”

“When the nightmare is real? No, I imagine not.” Twilight shook her head and sighed. “I don’t think anypony even mentioned it last year, but I doubt that’ll keep happening. I’m still hopeful we can avoid an incident when they happen… It’s… not going to go over well.”

“No, I imagine not. Have you come up with any ideas for this event?”

“Nothing,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Maybe we could do some kind of… something?” she offered, before sighing. “Nothing. I can’t think of anything. It doesn’t help that most of our… well...”

“Most of our most romantic stories and tales involve the sun, no? Two ponies bathed in the light of Celestia’s Glory, their hearts warming and--”

“Yes, yes,” the earth pony said, rolling her eyes again. “Or when the sun sets, or rises. And that’s fine, or would be, if Nightmare Moon would just let us do something to the moon to-- That’s it! I know EXACTLY how to make this celebration something everypony remembers!” she said firmly, her eyes glimmering.

“Perfect. Oh, right, and what you said as well,” Rarity offered, before the garments lifted off her. “This dress will be ready with plenty of time for adjustments. Now then, when you see Moondancer, please tell her to come see me as well? I take it you have a new plan?”

“Of course! And yes! I’m going to go talk to her highness. I know EXACTLY what she can do to warm everypony’s hearts.”

------

Twilight cringed back, recoiling from the ruler. The stained glass windows across the room had shattered, casting shards of glass across the ground. Why did she think this would be a good idea?

“YOU WISH US TO RAISE THE SUN?!!” Nightmare Moon roared, her voice making the stones of the hall rumble.

“I-I didn’t mean the sun, I merely thought, f-for a special event, if you were to--”

“THE SUN IS NOTHING SPECIAL! WE WILL MAKE OUR MOON THE CENTER OF THIS EVENT! THE SUN WILL NEVER RISE AGAIN! WE WILL SOONER DESTROY OURSELVES!” Nightmare Moon yelled, her magic gripping the earth pony and tugging her forward.

“Y-your high--” Twilight’s words were cut off by the magic gripping her, tightening and cutting off her throat. Her eyes widened with shock and terror.

The ruler stared at her with burning, hate filled eyes. “You are a foal to ask such a thing. Did you really believe we would do such a thing? That we would allow ANYPONY to convince us the sun was a good thing?”

“N-not the sun, just the--”

“No! We have heard enough. Perhaps the first whipping was not enough.” Twilight’s eyes widened and her blood turned cold. “We will not be--”

“YOUR HIGHNESS!” Moondancer’s voice echoed through the room. A small ball of light hovered over her throat, quickly dissipating once the two turned to her. “Twilight was NOT talking about the sun, she was merely using it as an example,” she said firmly. “She wouldn’t dream of asking for the sun.”

Nightmare Moon dropped the earth pony, roughly. The annoyance and anger were clear on her face, however. “Very well. Speak, bard. And I wouldn’t be so sure, student. We are able to see all of your dreams. And we know how many of you dream for the sun.”

Twilight groaned from her position on the ground, shaking her head. The threat from her ruler still lingered in the air and she couldn’t help feeling tension on her back. Still, she tried to keep herself calm when she spoke. “Ahem, as I was saying. The moon has been there for ages now. But it doesn’t move. To celebrate this occasion, perhaps you should set a cycle for it. Like… err. Like days of old...”

“Like the sun and moon? We would not--”

“It doesn’t need to be the same. But it’s just… there. Full moon all the time. It doesn’t move. Ponies appreciate the notion of it sailing across the sky. The midnight meeting when the moon is at its highest and you can almost see clearly. The crescent moon, with its gently, beautiful sliver of light. The ceaseless full moon is… nice. But it’s unchanging. It would be useful for ponies, both as a way to keep ponies happy, to help return some normalcy to their lives and--”

“You wish for us to hide and… shift the moon back as it once was?” she asked with a snort. “To only show parts of its glory at a time?”

“Yes,” Twilight said firmly. “You don’t need to bring the sun out, but having the moon fly across the sky again? It would do wonders for ponies to see. And it would be an incredible morale booster for this event.”

Nightmare Moon growled, before shaking her head. “We will not. Our moon has been hidden for far, far too long, and we will NOT allow it to be lost again. The moon stays where it is.”

Twilight gave a sigh, before nodding. “Very well. I’m sorry for angering you, your highness.”

The ruler hmphed before looking to Moondancer. “And you. I see you have managed to learn the Royal Canterlot Voice spell.”

“O-of course, your highness. That book was quite useful. Thank you.”

“Hmph. And what suggestion do you have?”

Moondancer gulped and gave a nervous glance to Twilight. She then nodded. “A dessert competition.”

“… What?”

“A dessert competition. Hearts and Hooves day is filled with ponies getting all kinds of sweets and treats for each other. Host a banquet a few days before, at which have a great tasting of different treats from across Equestria. Afterwards, make the winner the ‘Royal choice of Equestria’ or some other title. It’ll boost their sales tremendously and, on top of that, it’ll be a good publicity stunt. And by having it a few days before hoof, you avoid the issue of making ponies give up any of their own hearts and hooves day plans, and avoid any unnecessary hurt feelings.”

The alicorn stared for a few moments, before nodding. “And… is there enough time? For such a grand event?”

“If we move quickly, there will be,” Moondancer said firmly. “With your approval, I can get the announcements out to all corners of Equestria by tomorrow. Within a week or so, it’ll be the talk of the country.”

The ruler nodded, eying the two. Then she gave a wave of her wing. “Perfect. You have served us well, student. Make it so. Bard! Aid her in whichever way she is required. You are both dismissed.”

The two bowed their heads, before turning and heading out of the throne room. Twilight sighed once the door closed behind her. “She’s not ever going to be willing to raise the sun, is she?”

“Nope,” Moondancer mumbled. “It was a good attempt to slowly warm her to the idea, though. Sorry it went over poorly.”

“It was a silly idea. Even if I got her to agree to raise and lower the moon, well...”

“Exactly. But we’re not going to stop, are we?” the unicorn asked, smiling to the other mare.

“Nope. Never,” Twilight said with a matching smile. “What kind of party will it be?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Likely something more formal than the gala. I wanted to talk with Rarity about some ideas. She seems the type to enjoy those kinds of parties.”

“Of course. She wanted to see you as soon as possible, anyway. She wants to start work on your dress as soon as possible.”

Moondancer nodded, staring ahead. Finally, she gave a soft sigh. “You know I’m not… really jealous. I just...”

“I know… you miss Celestia… right?”

“Yes. She was busy, but… she really was an incredible mare. So warm and loving. I wish… I’d give so much just to see her again. Just another second...” Moondancer mumbled softly.

Twilight nodded, glancing off to the side. Wishing so desperately she could tell her friend where the ruler was.

“On the up side, you should get a break, now,” the unicorn offered with a smile.

“A break?”

“Yes. I should have all of this well in hoof. I’ll talk with ponies, get everything going. You can deal with your Tirek book and nothing else for a bit.”

The earth pony almost stumbled. “W-what? But I’m--”

“Overworked. We’re all overworked these days. But just focus on one thing, okay? The castle won’t burn down if you take a weeks off and let me handle all of this.”

Twilight nodded and then sighed again. “Fine. I should be able to get Tirek’s book out...” she mumbled. “Well… the short version.”

Moondancer snorted. “Knowing you, the ‘short’ version will put many encyclopedia’s to shame. Just relax, okay? I’ve got this. And if I need you… well. I’ll come bother you. But for now? I’ll handle everything.”

“Okay. Good luck,” the earth pony said, before turning and trotting down a different hall.

The unicorn watched the other mare go, before giving a soft sigh. Well, she had a lot of work to get done, now. She just had to hope that nothing went wrong. She felt a small glowing warmth inside her.

This was her time to shine. To really show what she could do.

Author's Notes:

And, for the final posting this week... We have... HEARTS AND HOOVES DAY! WOO! So, the next arc is actually going to be NOT Twilight focused, as she works on the book. Instead, we're going to have some of the stories of the other members of the cast! Hope you're excited to see a bit more about what the world is like, now!

Also, the discord is now up, as posted in my blog. Please feel free to join if you'd like to chat with us over here. In the the mean time, please enjoy and look forward to more upcoming works.

S2 Ch 10: Talk of Canterlot

Rarity hummed happily, dashing around her little, second boutique. Now, she wasn’t sure that she NEEDED this second boutique yet, especially not in the heart of Canterlot. But it was turning out to be quite a delgihtful investment. Especially considering the amount of bits she was bringing in whenever she worked on a dress for one of the nobles or her highness for events such as these. Being able to do all the work and have all her available tools at hoof without having to go home was nice.

It also helped that her new tenant was able to quickly move things from boutique to boutique and, if it really came to it, could help her teleport from boutique to boutique.

Though she’d only used THAT particular feature once. She much preferred the train, it didn’t feel quite so like death. And she could work while on the train, so the extra time spent was worth it to not feel like THAT.

She glanced to the three dresses she’d been working on. Nightmare Moon’s, Twilight Glow’s and Moondancer’s. Reds were the color theme this time, beautiful crimsons, with the ruler bearing the dark reds while her student and bard wore lighter colors. Now, while the two weren’t technically her highest ranking officials, almost everypony knew how close the three were and that they had the ear of her highness. It only made sense that they would dress in a similar manner. Her royal highness would, of course, have symbols of the moon across her, while the other two would bear marks of stars. Beautiful, graceful and refined. She would--

A light jingle from the main entrance made her glance back. Two unicorns trotted in, a stallion with a gray coat and dark gray mane, and a mare with a yellow coat and white and pink streaked mane. The two looked around before their eyes focused on Rarity. “Ah. Are you the owner of this establishment?” the stallion asked. “THE Rarity?”

The fashionista grinned and nodded, stepping forward and nodding her head. She could easily recognize that, whoever these ponies were, they were important and refined. The very kind of ponies she was hoping her works would one day be the talk of the town of. “Yes, and welcome to my Canterlot Boutique. How can I help you today?”

The stallion looked down on her with a look of petty annoyance. “I am Jet Set and this is my wife, Upper Crust.”

“Charmed,” the mare said with a tone that said anything but.

“We hear that YOU are the mare to speak to about having the perfect outfits for the upcoming Hearts and Hooves Ball,” he said. “We want the very best you have to offer.”

“Of course!” she said with a nod. “Now, here at the Canterlot Boutique I only make the finest outfits, ones you can be proud to call your own.”

“Mmm, quite,” he said, glancing around the boutique. “I can see you are quite talented. I particularly like that hat, I...” He trailed off when his eyes fell onto the dresses she was making for Nightmare Moon and her entourage. “Ah. So the rumors are true.”

“Rumors?”

“That you are the personal designer for… Nightmare Moon.”

“Yes,” Rarity said firmly, grinding a hoof into the ground. “Is that a problem?”

“Of course not,” he said with a shake of his head. “I would like our outfits to be unique, of course. Not just… knockoffs of whatever you put her in.”

Rarity chuckled and shook her head. Oh, that she understood. “Worry not. I have absolutely NO intention of ever making knock offs or duplicates or anything like that. A Rarity original is just that. Original and unique. Designed to make a pony feel truly special.” She couldn’t help but shudder at the idea of just making knock offs. Sure, she could understand the reason for it, why a pony would make copies of their original works, mass produce them. Designing and creating was a long, arduous process and, at the end of the day, a pony needed bits to KEEP doing the work they loved.

Fortunately, she was lucky enough to not be in the position where she NEEDED to do that, where she depended on sacrificing her creativeness for extra bits, so she could always flex her mental muscles to create something new and unique. “Now. If you two will step onto this platform and I will take your measurements?”

Upper went first, gingerly stepping onto the platform and posing, her eyes closed. Rarity gripped her measuring tape in her magic and began her work. “Though, I can’t imagine how you can stomach making dresses for those… other two,” the mare said smoothly.

“Other two?” Rarity asked, jotting down the measurements in her notebook.

“Indeed. That… bard and student of hers. Dusk and Moonglow,” Upper said with a shudder.

“Twilight and Moondancer,” Rarity corrected, a mild look of annoyance on her face. “And why ever not? They are very close to her highness.”

Jet snorted, sharing a look with his wife. He answered in her place. “I suppose. But they’re both so… common. And despicable. Imagine being such a… passable author and then being so greedy as to betray your fellow pony kind for a hoofful of bits.”

“W-what?” Rarity asked, almost dropping the measuring tape.

“Oh, you haven’t heard?” he asked with a snort. “Everypony who reads her book can just tell you, how greedy and self serving she is. Imagine using the loss of our… once great ruler as a means to further your career. She was a barely recognized name and now, by tricking our new Ruler of the Night into giving her a role as… ugh… bard, she’s become quite a household name.”

Rarity felt anger growing inside her, the measuring tape shaking in her grip. “Twilight was hardly a ‘passable’ author, her books were--”

“And then, on top of it, that ‘student’ of hers. Betraying Celestia the very moment she’s gone? It’s obvious the mare is only interested in power and prestige she can gain by being close to a princess.”

“Now, I don’t think either of them--”

Upper shook her head and interrupted her. “Frankly, they’re both disgraces to pony kinds everywhere. Selfish and self serving. Why, if Celestia herself were here, she’d likely have banished the pair of them just for all the harm they’ve done to our fair and beautiful kingdom.” The unicorn glanced around the boutique. “Getting themselves close to the ruler and manipulating her for their own gain? Imagine how much better it would be for all of us if a proper pony was in their place.”

Rarity couldn’t stop herself from letting out a low growl in the back of her throat. These ponies thought they could walk into her boutique and insult HER friends?

“And not to mention that absolutely tacky dragon. I mean, dragons ARE such filthy creatures, but to abandon his--”

“ENOUGH!” Rarity roared, the measuring tape snapping in her magic.

“Oh?” Jet asked. “Are you finish measuring already? Do you need mine, next?”

“NO!” she snapped, stomping a hoof down and glaring at him. “Both of you are hereby BANISHED from the Canterlot Boutique!”

“W-what?” he asked, staring at her. “But we--”

“You know literally NOTHING about what Twilight OR Moondancer are going through. On top of that, you seem to have no issue with bad mouthing or… dragging their names through the mud. And I will NOT have that in MY shop,” she snapped. “Not to mention Spike. He is an absolutely DELIGHTFUL dragon and I will NOT stand for such words of my friends!”

The stallion’s eyes bulged. “I-I didn’t mean that--”

“Oh, I think you know EXACTLY what you meant. Both of you, OUT! Before I call the guard and have you escorted from my establishment! I wouldn’t design a tea cozy for you, let alone garments worthy of this ball! Now get! OUT!”

The stallion stared at her while his wife trotted to his side. “I… see. Hmph. I suppose you did seem a bit--”

“Finish that sentence and you will regret it,” Rarity said dangerously, her eyes narrowed to slits. “Get. Out.”

The stallion gulped and turned, his wife following besides him. “Ugh, these creative types. So… common,” he muttered.

“Indeed. I guess we’ll have to go to a proper dress maker for our ballroom attire,” Upper said with a shake of her head.

Rarity sighed once the door closed, sitting down. Her horn glowed for a moment and a few of the lights turned off. Standing across the room, out of the way, was the shade. The creature had gotten far better at not terrifying her. Her pulse was high and she felt nothing but anger, now. She glanced to the three dresses she needed to finish, before sighing. She needed something to calm down with, and she had lots of time. “You know… perhaps it’s time that I take a little break and work on my other project,” she said, giving the creature a small smile.

She didn’t know how aware it truly was of its surroundings, but she knew it seemed to enjoy being around her and, more importantly, around her garments. Her horn glowed before she locked the door with her magic and three ponyquins floated out from the back room, each wearing thin, whispy garments that seemed to mold and flicker in the very limited lighting.

The shade-inspired dresses were especially unique, she knew. Inspired by the creature that now… haunted her boutique, for lack of a better term. Crafted in the dim light, they were made only for dark events, swirling around the pony in a way similar to how the darkness seemed to swirl around the shades. In a way, it was beautiful. A haunting, sorrowful design, full of longing and hope to escape ones shackles.

Rarity glanced back to her houseguest and sighed. She didn’t know who that pony was, or what they had done to deserve such a fate. But she truly hoped that, one day, she could get to truly meet the pony behind those empty eyes and show them what they had inspired. Ask how they truly felt about it. She had a feeling they’d like that.

Though, with a sad ache in her heart, she wondered if the pony would ever be able to enjoy it. From what she had read about them in Twilight’s book, she found it unlikely.

Author's Notes:

And so, a bit of a glimpse into Rarity's time. I'm curious, how many of you would wear a dress that was designed to only be worn in the dark?

Also, I'm actually quite a bit ahead, now. I mayyyy be a bit of a workaholic, since I was SUPPOSED to take the weekend off and instead ended up writing a bunch extra. So I think I'll be able to get a chapter out every day this week. Woo! Though, I should warn. I likely won't get any chapters out next week, as I'll be out of town doing some things. I'll be writing, but won't be really able to do much other than talk on discord due to not having full access to everything.

But here, a small glimmer into Rarity's time away from the others, and some of her projects. Maybe it's time Rarity gives her shade a name. What would you call them?

Also, I'd just like to say. You're all right. There are a TON of reasons why the cycles of the moon are important. Sadly, Twilight didn't really get much chance to explain them... at this time. But in the future? Well... who knows?

As always, I hope you all enjoy and I hope I can bring another bit of happiness into your lives!

S2 Ch 11: Lead pony

Rainbow opened her locker and gave a soft sigh. Of course. More apology letters. She glanced at them for a moment before picking them up and tossing them straight into the trash. Shadowfang was a great pony, an excellent wingpony, for sure.

And if he hadn’t betrayed her? Hadn’t spent all that time lying to her? Tricking her? Making her feel like an idiot? She was sure she’d have been happy to have him as a wingpony again. She just couldn’t trust him. Not after that. Who knew what other important things he’d leave out when she needed to know them?

She ignored the dirty looks she was given,. Bah, they didn’t understand. She didn’t CARE if they were wereponies. What hurt was that she was lied to. That betrayal cut like a knife and she couldn’t stand for it, not from somepony who was supposed to always have her back. Not somepony she needed to trust. Needed to know she could depend on. She hung her uniform up, closed her locker and let out a yelp when Spitfire seemed to almost appear from behind it.

“Just the mare I wanted to see,” she said firmly. “I got a job for you.”

“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” Rainbow said quickly, standing at attention.

“You and Shadowfang are going to be--”

Rainbow felt an icy feeling of dread flow through her and cut the mare off. “Ma’am, we talked about this. I can’t work with Shadowfang. He--”

“You are a Shadowbolt!” the mare snapped, glaring at her and making her wilt a bit. “Now, we may not be the Wonderbolts anymore, but that does NOT mean anything is changing. Are. We. Clear? You need to be able and willing to work with anypony here. Whether they’re pegasus OR werepony. Do you understand?” she snapped, stomping a hoof down.

Rainbow sighed, closing her eyes. Then, slowly, she nodded. “Okay… But I don’t like it. He’s not a--”

“Leave your opinions at the door. You’re a Shadowbolt, deal with it. That means more than just being a performer, that means being able to do what other ponies just can’t. And that means working together if you need to, understand?”

“… Ma’am, yes ma’am!” The pegasus gave a swift nod.

“Good. Now, I’ve allowed this little feud to go on long enough, but now there’s work we need BOTH of you for. You’ll both be heading east, near the border of Equestria.” Spitfire motioned to the map they had hanging on the back wall of the locker room, pointing towards the eastern border.

“What’s so special about it?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eye.

“It’s a weird place. You see these caverns?” Spitfire asked, tapping on a section a bit east of the border. “Near them, magic doesn’t work. Occasionally weird things are spotted coming out of it, but for the most part we try to avoid going there. Ponies that have gone in, haven’t come back. Now...” She trailed a hoof down. “A few miles north of it is this town. Primarily composed of earth ponies and pegasi. Since the sun went down, its been struggling. They were completely out of contact with everypony for a few months, but communication was restored.”

“Okay?” Rainbow said with a cocked eye. “And…?”

“There have been dragons spotted nearby. If they’re plotting to make an attack, this is one of our weakest sectors. You two will be escorting a small group up there, through this canyon.” She pointed towards a long canyon below the town. “It’s about a day’s flight, two or so on hoof.”

Rainbow cocked an eye. “That… sounds kind of like… escort duty. Royal guard stuff. Why do you need us to--”

“The weather around there is erratic. Tornadoes, hurricanes, thunder storms. All of that can pop up in a second. They need some of the best fliers around to help with this,” she said firmly, shaking her head. “This isn’t just ‘royal guard’ good. They need the best. And that’s us. And, as much as I am loathe to admit it… you ARE one of our best fliers, even if you are new. And you have weather management experience.”

“Then why--”

“And Shadowfang is one of our most experienced ponies and has done this kind of work before. Not to mention, you two have worked together plenty of times. He’ll be able to follow your lead well. I know you’re upset about him lying to you, but I did not make this choice lightly.”

The blue pegasus sighed, before shrugging. “Fine. Whatever. We-- Wait. My lead?”

“Yes. For this? You’ll be lead pony.”

Rainbow’s grin widened and she quickly nodded. “Okay then! I’m ready, let’s get this show on the road!” she said enthusiastically.

“I thought you’d say that,” the mare said with a snort, before pointing back to the map. “You’ll meet up here, where the unicorns are waiting. Once you get to them, it’s only about two days away from the town. Don’t think it’ll be easy, though. It’s going to be about two days through some of the most erratic weather and conditions you two have ever seen. So don’t take this lightly. Got it?”

“Yes ma’am!” Rainbow nodded.

“Good! Shadowfang is getting supplies, reconvene with him and head out. If you need a rest after practice, that’s fine. Otherwise, get to it.”

Rainbow nodded and dashed back to her locker, tossing her uniform on and dashing out the door. Wait? How could she possibly wait? She was lead pony! This was going to be AWESOME!

------

Maybe she’d been a bit too quick with that ‘awesome’ idea. Rainbow and Shadowfang flew through the air, their dark uniforms making them almost invisible in the night sky. It had been a few hours since they had left Shadowbolt HQ and not a word had been said.

She couldn’t help but admire him, though. Just a little bit. After all, he could keep up with HER. Even amongst the Shadowbolts that had been rare. His endurance and speed were… almost a match for her own. She wondered if that was because he was a werepony. “Ugh...” she let out despite herself.

She frowned and glanced back out of the corner of her eyes. How had she been so blind? She knew a few of the Shadowbolts had been wereponies. Why hadn’t she seen the obvious answer? The small fangs, the tiny claws, the fact he was a lot stronger and more agile than most ponies she knew. So… why?

She felt the frustration begin to grow and, mixed with her slowly growing exhaustion from the long flight, she signaled for them to land. It took only a few moments to find an adequate cloud for them to park themselves on. Despite the cold night, steam rose off their bodies from the long, rapid flight. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a water bottle, taking a single, small drink. Guzzling the water would only make her feel worse, she had to be careful. “How you feeling?”

“Fine...” the stallion said softly, not meeting her gaze. Even illuminated by the moonlight, she could easily make out the details that revealed what he was.

But for this, he was also her partner. No, she was lead pony. He was her responsibility. She gave a soft sigh. “Relax, we’re on a mission. I’m not going to bite you.”

He cringed. “Neither would I… I wouldn’t ever--”

“Well, duh. Why would you bite me?” she asked with a shrug.

He sighed and took out his own water, slowly drinking it down. After a few moments he glanced back to her, finally meeting her eyes. “I… ummm… I noticed you threw the letters away… again.”

“And I’m going to keep doing it,” she said flatly.

“Listen, Rainbow, I’m really sorry. But I swear, I would never have hurt you! I don’t know what you heard about wereponies but--”

“What? Most of that stuff is just made up fear mongering,” the multi-colored pony said with a roll of her eyes, though he couldn’t see them behind the yellow eye covers. “What makes you think I’d give a hoot about that?”

“I mean… I just… I know me being a werepony really upset you, I just--”

“I don’t care that you’re a werepony! Seriously, how can you not get it?!” she snapped, taking another drink of her water. “Are you an idiot? If I cared about somepony being a werepony I’d be like… I don’t know. A ponyist? Whatever. And that’s definitely not cool. What I’m mad about is you LIED to me!”

“I… I didn’t lie, I just--”

“You lied every time. I’m… I was your partner. And you know what? This was a big thing. And you didn’t TRUST me enough to tell me about it. How can I trust you with anything? What else aren’t you telling me?”

“I… I… there isn’t anything else. I mean, there are things about me but they’re not really… important. I just know a lot of ponies don’t really like my kind and I didn’t want you to...” He trailed off.

“To what? Know the truth?”

“I didn’t want you to leave!” he finally said. “You were one of the best fliers I’ve EVER seen! I mean, as a filly you even did the sonic rainboom!”

Rainbow groaned. “Of course I did. Not that any of you believe me,” she said with just a hint of bitterness. “It’s not like--”

“I saw it.”

“… What?” she asked softly, staring at him.

“You want to know the truth, everything? All my little secrets? Fine! I saw you that day. I was a colt, too. I wasn’t exactly the most… memorable pony. I tried to keep out of the lime light when I could. But I was a few years your senior, and I saw… well. A bunch of little foals doing a race. I was bored, thought it’d be fun. And I saw the Sonic Rainboom. I saw YOU perform it. I saw you finish. I… I tried to speak to you then, but well… I… you were popular, I wasn’t. Not to mention I was older than you so I doubt you even noticed me there. Lots of ponies were staring and fawning over you then. But… I just...” He shook his head again. “I’d all but forgotten it. Until the Shadowbolts came about. The best fliers in Equestria, you came to mind. I didn’t really know HOW to find you, of course… and then you attacked Nightmare Moon and suddenly EVERYPONY knew who you were.”

“Heh. Yeah. I was pretty awesome. Stupid. But awesome.”

“They didn’t really believe me about the sonic rainboom either. But I was able to get them to give you a shot. And from there, you’ve only impressed ponies more and more, proving that you’re the amazing pony that I knew you were. But… I… I was scared. Okay? I mean. I saw the way you looked at some of the other wereponies. How suspicious you were...”

“Yeah. Because I was trying to figure out if they were or not. I mean, if I’m going to be flying with them I think I have the right to know that. MOST of them actually told us all after a few weeks. Notice how I DIDN’T get mad at any of them?” she snapped angrily. “And yet, now all of them think I’m some kind of anti-werepony protester or something. Which, frankly, is dumb. It’s not your fault you are what you are.”

“Not everypony feels that way… some of them--”

“Aren’t me. Most ponies aren’t me. What annoys me, is you never gave me the chance. You just assumed that I’d be that way. We were partners. And you couldn’t trust me,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s not what partners do, Shadowfang. How can I trust you to have my back, if you won’t trust me to have yours? Come on, let’s go.”

Shadowfang sighed, staring at the other mare. He’d… really bucked it all up. He took to the air, flying after her. However, to his surprise she slowed down a bit to fly by him, signaling for him to keep pace by her side, not behind her.

“So… you’ve always been a werepony. Even as a colt?”

“Yes,” he said softly.

“What?”

“Yes!” he said louder.

“So were you like… born one?”

“Yes. It happens from time to time. Most are turned, but if one of your parents are one, you can be too.”

“Okay then,” she mumbled. “So like… what kind?”

“What kind?”

“Well, wereponies come in all types, right? Timber wolves, bunnies, those kinds of things?”

The stallion blinked and gave a sigh. “Promise not to laugh?”

“Nope.”

“...”

“Fiiiiine. I promise I won’t laugh.”

“Raccoon.”

Rainbow snickered.

“You promised you wouldn’t laugh!”

“I’m snickering, not laughing.”

“It’s close enough...”

“Right, fine, fine, sorry,” she said with a shake of her head. “So, born that way. Right? What’s it been like?”

“Oh, you know. Parents were freaked out. It was on my mom’s side. While dad knew, he didn’t think I’d be one, too. Spent a lot of time moving. Celestia put in a lot of effort to… well. Keep us hidden might be the wrong word. But out of the public’s eye. There were opportunities, you could say.”

“That sounds rough… how long were you in Cloudsdale?”

“When I saw the sonic rainboom? About six months. We moved a year later, actually. Though, that was the… fourth time we’d come there.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. When I say we moved a lot, I mean a lot. That… sucked. But Cloudsdale was always a good place. Lots of pegasi, easy to hide and avoid too much notice,” he said with a shrug.

“How’d you become a shadowbolt?”

“Lots of practice, mostly. I mean, we’re a bit stronger and faster than other ponies. But… not like… massively. I mean, you could fly circles around me if you wanted,” he said with a shake of his head. “But… I worked hard, dedicated myself. Managed to get in through the academy, kept my head low. I was good enough, though. A lot of ponies ended up under my wing, so to speak, apparently my style was good for helping the newbies learn in a safe way.”

Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. You were pretty good when I started. Really did a good job of helping me learn to… dial it back, when needed.”

“Yeah. Well. You were special,” he mumbled. “I’ve never had a student who could out race me RIGHT when they entered. Seriously. How does a weather pony from Ponyville get THAT fast?”

“Oh, was all in my contract,” she said with a snicker.

“… In your contract?”

“Payment for work done, not hours worked. In summarization, I got paid regardless of how many hours I worked, so long as the job got done. It went from almost ten hours when I started, to eventually the point I could do almost a whole day’s work in like... Fifteen minutes on calm days. Then I’d have all day to rest and practice,” she said with a laugh. “Ponies got their weather perfected, way faster than anypony else could do it, and I got to rest and enjoy myself a lot. Everypony was happy.”

Shadowfang blinked a few times and snickered. “I see. You made the job an art form, huh? No wonder. Fifteen minutes, really?”

“On slow days, yeah. Heck, on the super slow days I could get everything cleared in a few seconds, but that was only a few times a year. I’d race myself all the time, was fun.”

“Huh. That’s pretty cool.”

“So… if you don’t mind me asking. Where does the whole ‘were’ come from? I mean...”

The stallion faltered. “It’s… not… that. So much as… it’s a mistake. OR rather, a play on…” He trailed off and sighed. “Okay, so it comes back from long, long, long ago. When the first wereponies came about. They sent a letter and, while it’s not… entirely… well. Keep in mind this is what I was told, okay?”

“Yeah yeah, get on with it,” Rainbow said, gesturing him to keep going.

“One of the first wereponies sent out a letter, an open letter to ponies. In it, they continuously say ‘we’re ponies’. However, things were shifted and… well… Eventually, it was used as ‘bewere ponies’ as a play on beware. Finally, it just became wereponies. The ‘were’ ended up sticking and we classified most of those kinds of afflictions as ‘were’s. In general, the community seems to like it, namely because it’s our own way of saying ‘we’re ponies’, still. Because that’s what we are. We may have an affliction, but we’re still the same as everypony else. In a way.”

“Okay, fine. That… okay. I see why you didn’t wanna talk about that.”

“Yeah. It’s… kinda sucks. A lot of ponies like it, but I’m not exactly… fond of it.”

“Yup. But… hey. I never thought you weren’t a pony.”

“Well, th--”

“A liar, sure. But always a pony.”

“… Ouch. I probably deserved that.”

“Definitely. So… how have all of you been hiding so well?”

“Wellll… it’s usually deemed a medical condition. Some of us look fine. Others just have a medical condition, on paper, that makes us look a bit different. Fortunately there are plenty of ponies out there who look outside the norm, even without anything like this, that we passed for years. It’s a lot more difficult, now. And more than a few ponies who aren’t even weres have… run into these issues when they’re accused of being one of us.”

“Oh...”

“Yeah...”

“So… you’ve run into a lot of that stuff?”

“Enough. Most don’t say anything. But you get weird looks, ponies stare, then you get the prissy ones who just stare at you like you’re going to suddenly turn and maul them. Those are the worst. I mean, I just came into the market to get some orange juice! I’m not going to assault you or anything!”

Rainbow gave a sigh, shaking her head. She glanced to the drifting clouds they passed, before giving an exasperated sigh. “Fine. Whatever, it’s cool. You didn’t want to like… wait.” She glanced up at the full moon. “It’s ALWAYS a full moon. How are you NOT turning into like a… giant fuzzy adorable ferret?” she teased.

“I am not adorable when I transform!” he snapped back, his cheeks red.

“Awwww, does somepony not like being adorable?” she asked with a snicker. “I bet you’re the fuzziest wuzziest little ferret,” she mocked.

“I am not!”

“Are tooooo.”

“Ugh,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You know, saying stuff like that is incredibly offensive.”

“Wait, really? I’m sor--”

“I’m a Shadowbolt! Imagine if ponies thought I was adorable? All of my rep, shattered!” he said, before giving a light snicker.

Rainbow paused for a moment, before smirking. “You had me going there! You know, I can still knock you out of the sky if I want.”

He snickered, shaking his head. “But nah, nopony cares about that. Well, I guess some do. I don’t know. I don’t care. Well. Unless like… you out us. To ponies. Like your friend did.”

“To be fair it was kind of obvious. I just wasn’t paying attention.”

“And to answer your question, well… it’s not the FULL full moon,” he said, taking a moment to gesture towards it. “Her highness didn’t really want us shifting random willy nilly out of nowhere. But if we want, we can shift with just a bit of effort. It’s good to get it out, sometimes.”

“Huh? Really. Cool. So like… no more big secrets then, okay? I mean. If I have a wingpony, I need to know they have my back, and I have theirs. Got it?”

“… Sure. I guess there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, feeling a small burst of anxiety.

“I’m pregnant,” he joked.

“Welp, that explains the extra weight you’ve been putting on,” she snapped back.

“HEY!”

Author's Notes:

And another chapter done! Like a boss! :D Hope you guys are enjoying it! Woo! Gosh I really missed this. And I hope you're all excited for what's coming.

S2 Ch 12: Tea time

Fluttershy gave a soft little hum, flying around her cabin and feeding all the little animals. She gave a light giggle when a squirrel raced across her back to jump off her flank, into a small net. “Oh, that was marvelous, Almond. Ponies will be absolutely thrilled to see your performance,” she said happily.

Now, she wasn’t entirely sure about the idea of Trixie having her friends used as ‘extras’ in her performances, but she’d always had such trouble saying no. And lots of ponies seemed so excited by them, as did some of the animals. How could she deny them such a pleasure?

She glanced to the clock before humming and heading outside. She glanced around for a moment before flying up to the roof and landing quietly, slowly inching over to the small ‘bat cave’ she’d had installed. Inside were a dozen or so vampire bats sleeping soundly, as well as a few vampire fruit bats. She let out a soft, content sigh before sliding in a small platter of assorted fruits and closing it up.

While it was true she’d lost a few clients since she came out as a vampire, she’d become pretty much the number one choice for any vampire with a pet. She did wonder why so many of them seemed to have vampire fruit bats as pets, it oddly felt a little cliched.

The vampire pony flew back down to the ground and turned, trotting into her cabin and walking towards a small table. With practiced ease, she set up the tea, small pastries along with the sugar cubes. She poured two cups before glancing at the clock. It was a bit early, so three, two, one annnnnnd--

With a light poof, Discord appeared across the table from her, sitting in one of the chairs. “Oh, Fluttershy, you always are so impeccable at setting up these little get togethers.”

“Oh, it’s really no trouble at all. I’ve been looking forward to your next visit. I’ve made some new treats I’d love to share with you.”

The spirit gave a light laugh, before reaching out and gripping his tea in his hands. A very small, red dressed wrestler made of sugar appeared and pile drove into the tea. “Mmm, I always do enjoy a bit of sugar Kane in my tea. Now then, you mentioned new treats? If you’ve made them I’m sure they must be spectacular.”

“Oh, I do hope so,” she said, before placing three plates on the table. One had crusts, a second had small sandwiches(without crust) and the third had small, pink orbs. “They’re called blud balls. They’re made with a mix of blud berries and flour. Now, I know they’re a bit mundane but--”

“Mundane? Nonsense!” he said, before picking one up in his claws. Simple pastries? He supposed they WERE mundane and simple for a lord of chaos. But--

And then Fluttershy smiled and picked one up. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw her sink her fangs into them, sucking out the sweet core from the small holes. “Ah. I see you’re still a vampire pony… hm? Now, who was it again who turned you?” he asked in his sweetest voice before his hand turned into a vampire fruit bat as well, biting into and sucking the confectionery into an empty husk.

“Now Discord, you know I can’t tell you that,” she said in a soft, scolding tone. “It was an accident, these things happen.”

“I’d hardly call killing a pony an accident,” he grumbled. “And I would know, I’m the spirit of accidents. Speaking of--” He snapped his fingers.

------

Nightmare Moon blinked, cocking her head to the side and staring at her quill. The tip had snapped off in the middle of her writing a royal decree. Why did this keep happening?!

------

“I know. But they’re very, very sorry about what happened and I’ve long since forgiven them. Being a vampire pony isn’t so bad.”

“Well, yes, because the sun is sleeping,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “But what happens if the sun DOES come out, hmmmm? All of a sudden it’s night night Fluttershy!”

“I’ll hardly burst into flames in that event,” she said with a light snicker. “You know that. Besides, I don’t need the sun. As long as I have my friends, I’m more than happy to be a vampire.”

He gave a sigh, then shrugged. “I do suppose at least this will allow you to live forever. I guess we’ll be buddies eternally then, hmmmm?” he asked with a light laugh before picking up one of the crusts, tying it into a knot and then tossing it into his mouth. Within a few moments he had the knot undone and then swallowed. “This at least solves that conundrum.”

“… Oh. Huh. I hadn’t really thought much about that.”

“Oh? You’ll love it, Fluttershy. Trust me. I’ll be able to show you everything! Wonders even the princess hasn’t seen. Why--” He snapped his fingers and the two appeared overlooking a strange planet that seemed to be made of fur. “For example, the universe’s biggest furball. Or--” They disappeared and appeared on top of a strange, warm surface surrounded by tall, black trees that towered into the heavens. “The universe’s biggest cat. I call her Mittens.”

“Ummm, Discord...” Fluttershy said softly.

“Or--” The two disappeared again. They appeared high in the air, overlooking a massive dragon that seemed to be waging war on a lot of strange, flying creatures that looked oddly like furless diamond dogs with wings and lots of armor. “Why does anything I show you have to actually exist? Or--”

The two appeared on a planet that, as far as Fluttershy could tell, was made of socks. “Where all those lost socks end up. Or even--”

“Discord!” Fluttershy said, staring at him, her entire body shaking.

“Oh, right.” He snapped his fingers and the two reappeared in her cabin.

The vampire pony let out a sigh of relief, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. “I… I appreciate it. Truly, I do. But… could… we please do baby steps? I mean, I never thought I’d… be…”

“Immortal? Oh, yes, it’s quite fascinating. There’s only a hoofful of us who can and we...” He trailed off, looking at the mare. His frown only deepened. “Although… that does open up a conundrum.”

“Huh?” she asked, staring up at him.

“Why, all of us other immortals have great and incredible powers. Nightmare Moon has her moodiness, Tirek can absorb magic. I, of course, am the one and only spirit of chaos. Now what about you? A vampire IS impressive, but it’s hardly the embodiment of disharmony.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m really happy the way I am.”

“But you could be so much happier. I know!” He snapped his fingers and a plastic horn appeared on her head. “How about Princess Fluttershy? I could--”

“No,” Fluttershy said, reaching up and knocking the horn off. “I’m fine. Besides, being able to turn into a bat is plenty.”

“But--”

“Discord, I’m happy. Really,” she said, giving him a soft smile. “I don’t need power or anything like that. I have everything I need already. My home, my friends,” she said, before reaching out and petting Angel on the head. The small bunny just glared at Discord. “Food, shelter, companionship. The most important things for any pony, vampire or not. So… I’m happy. But thank you for your concern.”

Discord let out a low growl, before sighing. “Fine, fine. I do wish you would let me do something to help you, though. It really is quite-- I know! Perhaps I could give you some blood? You vampire ponies do like it so, yes? And I imagine mine must be incredible.”

Fluttershy just stared at him, going pale. “I’ll… pass.”

“Are you sure? This is a once in a--”

“I’ll be honest. I don’t… like blood. I’m used to it, but… I still don’t...” She gave a light shudder. “Blood isn’t very… nice. It’s… to get it you have to hurt a pony...” she mumbled, lowering her eyes. “And I hate that. I try not to do it when I can, but… even if I get it from a blood bank, somepony still had to suffer for it. And I--”

Discord laughed, shaking his head. “Nonsense! I’m the spirit of chaos, no? Do you think something like a bite or blood could hurt me?” he asked, before popping off his right hand, fireworks flying from the end. “Oops, wrong one.” He then popped the hand back on, then popped off the left and glanced inside. A small flea circus was performing and Fluttershy could hear the music from across the table. “Huh. I was wondering where that went. Oh, my favorite part, the flame eater.”

“Err, Discord...” Fluttershy said softly.

“Right, right. Maybe if I was to--”

“I don’t want your blood. I don’t want ANYPONY’S blood,” the pegasus said firmly, before shaking her head. “Listen. I appreciate the offer but--”

“Oh, very well. What if I was to make it so you never needed blood again? I could make you NOT a vampire again, would you like that?” he asked, a small grin forming on his lips. “It wouldn’t be… too hard for me,” he lied. “No major side effects.”

Fluttershy stared at her tea for a long, long time. Finally, she shook her head. “No.”

“No? But--”

“No. Discord, I appreciate it. I really do. And… maybe in the future I’ll accept it. But...”

“But what? What possible reason could you have for wanting to--”

“How would you do it? Make it so I never needed blood again?”

“Why, that’s simple. I’d merely infuse a bit of my magic into--”

“No.”

“But--”

Fluttershy sighed and shook her head again. “No. I appreciate it. I really, truly do. But this isn’t really… bad. You know, there are a lot of advantages of being a vampire.”

“Like, what, free meals delivered in the form of vampire hunters?” he asked, before snapping his fingers and one of the small sandwiches scuttled up his arm and into his mouth.

“Oh, hardly. That’s only happened three times so far and they were absolute pleasures to talk with once they put the stakes away.”

“Err, come again?”

“For example, I feel a lot stronger and faster than I’ve ever been. I’ve been able to get at this really, really bad knot in Harry’s back that I just wasn’t strong enough before to do,” she said with a shake of her head. “And I’m able to get all my chores done in half the time. I’ve actually been able to extend the number of pets I can manage at once because of it. On top of that, flying as a bat is pretty delightful. It’s… different than doing it as a pegasus. Finally… well...”

“Well?”

“Ponies depend on me. They need me, in a way.”

“They… need you?” he asked, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“There have been more vampires. More ponies, now. Those who have a lot of doubts, and fears. Ponies who...” She trailed off and shook her head. “Media hasn’t always been very nice to vampires. A lot of ponies are scared they’ll be evil, that they are evil. And...”

“And?”

“And I’ve done a lot of good like this. That’s why I haven’t been trying to hide what I am. I… don’t like being well known but… a lot of ponies have come to me. To ask me for advice, or what it means, or what it’s like. They come to me because I’m like this, because they don’t know and… I guess… because I’m not very scary,” she mumbled gently. “For example, those vampire hunters.”

“Yes, about those...” he asked. “Who were they again?”

“Oh, just a few fillies and colts who were scared,” she said with a small smile. “They had all these preconceptions I had to help them understand. The truth was, they were just upset mostly at themselves and were projecting it onto vampires. One of them had a sister who was a vampire, another had an uncle. The last it turned out her mother had been turned, the poor thing. But in the end, we’re no different from anypony else. And… I don’t want to undo that. I may not have asked to be this, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, or wrong. I’m a vampire now, and there’s nothing wrong with me for being it. It just means I’m different. And I think you, of all… spirits, can appreciate that.”

Discord stared at her before sighing. He rolled his head on the table, making it land in front of her. “Fine, fine, you win. I won’t turn you back. It’s probably for the best, anyway. At least this way the two of us can have these tea parties forever.”

Fluttershy gave a small nod. “Of course. And while I’m not sure how I feel about living forever… well… As long as I have a friend by my side it won’t be bad, I’m sure.”

The spirit laughed, his head disappearing and reappearing on his shoulders. “No, no, I suppose not. Though, are you sure you wouldn’t like a small nibble? It--”

“I’d really rather not. Imagine what it could do to me.”

The spirit hummed and rubbed his chin, stretching it out like taffy. The he urked, his hair standing on end and shooting out, embedding in the walls. “Oh dear. Oh, oh dear. Perhaps you are right. Well then, in that case, how about we just enjoy our tea, yes?” he asked with a smile.

“I’d like that,” she said happily, sipping a bit more of her tea.

Author's Notes:

I'll be honest, I thought a lot about it. And if Fluttershy would, given the option, magically fix the issue. And frankly, I don't think she would. She's pretty strong in a lot of ways. And I imagine she'd do a lot of good like this. That and deals with Discord always have... unintended side effects. Friend or no.

On an unrelated note, today I intend to do my first real stream! So if you like watching passable writers get their flank kicked in dead cells, please feel free to come view it later.

Also, sorry I haven't been responding as much to comments! I just want you all to know I AM reading all of them, and they mean the world to me! I've just been kind of... well. Burning the candle at both ends, so to speak. But do know they mean so much to me and give me a lot of strength to write this story.

S2 Ch 13: Organization

Moondancer sighed, her horn glowing and she adjusted the seating chart again. Okay, so it wasn’t THAT bad. She glanced back at the list of attending ponies as well as the competitors. She could barely believe it. Even a griffon would be attending! As well as a donkey! There were going to be at least a dozen different entries, at least.

And, of course, tickets to the event had already been sold out. The judges would be the ruler of the night herself, with a pre-screening performed by three well known critics. The event was going to be spectacular, she could tell. It would truly make this Hearts and Hooves day something to remember. She’d even perfected the seating chart! It was perfect, wonderful!

And yet, something was missing. She sighed and glanced back to the head table. Herself, Twilight and Nightmare Moon. She felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. It used to be Celestia’s spot. Twilight thought she was jealous but… no. That wasn’t fully it. It was a bit, she supposed. A large bit. But having it flung in her face had forced her to re-examine what it was she really wanted. And she’d finally realized.

There was more to it than that. Celestia hadn’t just been her mentor. She wiped her eyes and shook her head. The de-throned princess had been like her mother. Always there. Always encouraging her. Pushing her to make new friends, giving her useful advice and helping her to learn. She’d had plenty of teachers through the years who would tell her the answer. But Celestia was special. She’d give her just enough to figure it out on her own, to make it something she earned, rather than was given. A pony who always encouraged her to fly higher, and yet was always there to catch her when she fell. With that mare, it wasn’t important that she didn’t fall. It was that she learned something when she did.

She didn’t know why the princess chose her, after Sunset Shimmer was removed from her position and disappeared. But she suspected it had to have been because the ruler had hope that she would become a pony worthy of this role one day. A pony who would stop Nightmare Moon. She’d made so, so many mistakes over the years, but her teacher never lost hope in her.

She gave a light giggle as she remembered the time she’d accidentally cast a spell that switched her and her teacher’s manes for a day. While she suspected the ruler could have dispelled it with ease, she instead let Moondancer figure it out on her own, spending countless hours reversing the spell and understanding where her mistake had occurred. So, so many mistakes. So many errors.

And yet, her teacher was always willing to listen to her. She could send a letter, and a new one would arrive in mere minutes, a response from the most powerful pony in Equestria. The alicorn was always so busy, and yet she always made time to respond to her ever faithful student.

And now here she was. Serving under Nightmare Moon. Jealous of the lack of attention, the lack of praise. She missed it, she truly did. But more than anything, she missed the warmth. The kindness. The knowledge that, if she failed, then she would be fine. She would pick herself up and try even harder, again and again, as many times as it took. The knowledge that, even if she accidentally turned the entire throne room into custard again, her ruler wouldn’t be mad at her, and would just offer the advice she needed.

She wished with all her part she could have learned more. Could have been a proper reflection of that brilliant alicorn. Though she knew it unlikely, she couldn’t help feeling that if she could just SHOW Nightmare Moon what it meant, what it all truly meant. Why they had loved the Princess of the Sun, that maybe she could see her best friend again. Her precious caretaker.

Moondancer couldn’t stop the tears anymore. Her horn glowed, locking the door of her room before she leaned forward, her hooves up on the table and her face resting on them. She cried, tears flowing down her face, her entire body shaking.

“Celestia… please… come back. If only for a second. Please… I can’t… I miss you so, so much...” she whispered gently. “I-I don’t know what to do without you. I don’t know how to fix this. How to repair any of this. W-we’re trying so, so hard to keep Equestria together but… but I want you back… please...” she whispered, though she knew it was meaningless. She knew her ruler couldn’t hear her. Knew Celestia would never come back. Knew there was nothing she could do anymore but try and be brave and strong, to help keep all the ponies safe.

Worst of all, she knew it was her fault. For every time she walked to the throne room, she could see the cause of all this grief and misery. The Elements of Harmony, imprisoned above the ruler’s head. Their world had fallen. Not by her hooves, but by hooves only she could stop.

And now she was planning a stupid dessert party in celebration.

------

“Are you sure about this?” Moondancer asked, watching Rarity move around the ballroom and directing the staff where to hangup the decorations.

“Mmmm? Do you not like them?” the fashionista asked, glancing back. “Reds and whites are quite traditional.”

“I know, but it just seems a bit… bright,” the student mumbled, glancing around. She then shook her head. “No, you’re right. Sorry, I’m just nervous.”

“Oh dear. I can’t say I’m surprised. Twilight was the same way right before the gala. But, it went wonderfully and this will too. How have your studies been going?”

“My… oh. Well, ahem,” Moondancer said, giving a light cough. “It’s been an experience. An interesting one. We’ve actually been looking into a bunch of old magics. Some of Starswirl the Bearded’s old spells, even. He didn’t complete all of them, though.”

“Who?”

“… Starswirl the Bearded? Only the most… nevermind. He’s a really amazing pony, though. His magic was revolutionary. I’ve been doing a bit of work into the more dangerous magics as well. Ones that… well. I’d probably better not speak much about them. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, darling. Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay? You’re an amazing unicorn, there’s no need to work yourself to the bone.” Rarity stopped at a table, unfolding and refolding a napkin. “Are you excited?”

“Excited? Yes. Terrified? Double yes. It’s only a few days away...” she muttered. “If everything doesn’t go well...”

“Everything will be fine. Are the preparations ready?”

Moondancer nodded. “Yes. A train has already been reserved, it will gather all of the contestants and their desserts from the corners of Equestria. They’ll arrive around noon. The party will start there, where the treats, and their creators, will walk them out of the train and into Canterlot proper, with an escort of guards to help them carry it. I’ve managed to get a few performers for the parade, as well. A real Hearts and Hooves pre-celebration. From there, they’ll bring them here, to the castle, at which point the judges will sample each one. Finally, the main event, where Nightmare Moon will sample each of the winners of the pre-screening and crown one of them the ‘Crowned Dessert of Equestria’. After that, the desserts will be tried by the many other ponies, a good host of who are party planners and other clientelle who would benefit from samples such as these, the crowned dessert gets great publicity, lots of other creators get lots of orders for their amazing work, everypony gets lots of bits and good feelings all around. And Nightmare Moon gets the props of being the pony who all this was done under, and is seen as a visionary. All’s well that ends well and such.”

“… Don’t take this the wrong way, dear. But if something DOES go wrong… it won’t be the end of Equestria. It--”

“Will just infuriate Nightmare Moon. No. This is a first. The first event of this sort, the first of its kind. If it goes poorly, it’ll reflect on her highness. And she would not take that well. So… it HAS to be perfect. It will be perfect.”

Rarity sighed and gave a nod. “Of course, darling. It’ll be fine, I’m sure.”

“I wish I could go with the train,” Moondancer muttered. “Make sure all of that goes well, but...”

“You need to be here at her highness’ side, yes?” Rarity said. “Not to mention you need to deal with all of the… possibly occurrences, yes?”

“Yes. Twilight can’t go either. I could ask one of my friends but… well...”

“What’s wrong, dear?”

“… They’ve kind of… distanced themselves from me. No. That’s not fair. I’ve distanced myself from them, as well.”

“That doesn’t… why ever for?”

“Because Nightmare Moon...” she muttered. She felt another soft pang in her heart and felt fresh tears forming in her eyes. How she wished she could run to them and discuss things. “We were supposed to be the Elements of Harmony, to wield them against her. Nightmare Moon… if she thought we were close again, if she thought I was bonding with them, there’s no telling what she might do.”

“Have… you told them about this?”

“No. But I suspect they know. Bon Bon is smart, she’s always been really good about… that kind of stuff. She probably explained it to the other girls. I… s-still sometimes get letters from them,” she said, choking on the words and quickly wiping her eyes. “B-Bon Bon would h-have been perfect for this. S-she was one of the most… the most t-talented p-ponies I know and she...” She choked on the words again. “T-then there was… was M-Minuette who… who was a-always so energetic a-and excited, she’d light up a room, she’d know what to d-do to make sure that… that everypony felt happy here and… and Lyra was just… just so--”

Her words were cut off by Rarity stepping forward and giving her a tight hug. “There there, darling,” she whispered, gently patting her on the back. “I understand. I know. Let it out...”

“I-I just… I want things to be back to normal, so bad. I want m-my friends back. I-I want my teacher back. I-I want… I want the sun back. I just…”

“I know… I know...” the unicorn whispered, softly rubbing the other mare’s back. “You’ve been very strong. This can’t be easy for you...”

“I-I don’t feel strong… I feel weak and scared and like… like it’s all going to come crashing down and I’m going to end up getting e-everypony destroyed. S-she kept my friends captive! All of them! If it wasn’t for Twilight, if she hadn’t talked the princess down...”

“I know. No wonder you’ve distanced yourself from them. But… you don’t have to be alone. I understand why you can’t go back to them, why you can’t be seen with them. But you’re still one of my friends. And I know Twilight sees you as a friend. So does Spike, dragon or not he is an absolute doll. Then there’s--”

“SPIKE!” Moondancer said, a grin forming on her lips. “That’s the answer!”

“Spike?” Rarity asked.

“I’ll ask him. HE could be a royal escort for the train! And keep an eye on things!”

“Err… that’s… a bit of a uhhh… big responsibility for such a small dragon, isn’t it?”

“He did walk all the way here from the dragon lands, he’s a lot tougher than he looks.”

“Truly? Oh… I suppose. You… wouldn’t have him do anything… too much, would you? I mean, he’s such a good natured, kind dragon.”

“Of course not. I promise, I wouldn’t put him in ANY danger, ever,” Moondancer said firmly. “Though, I’ll need to get Twilight’s permission. And he’ll have to agree to it.”

Rarity sighed. “I doubt she’ll notice. Last I saw, she was working on her book and I don’t think the sun rising could have distracted her.”

“Okay, fair. I’ll ask Spike, then. I don’t suppose you’d know where he is?”

The mare hummed. “Around now? He’d likely either be in the library reading a comic, begging the cooks for more gems or on his way here.”

“Why would he be on his way here?”

“Oh, he’s an absolute dear, he’s always coming by when I’m working and offering to help. Why, he even made his way all the way to my boutique a few times.”

Moondancer stared at the mare for a long moment. Finally, she shook her head. “I see… so I guess if I keep working with you, he’s bound to show up?”

“Eventually, yes.”

“Hi Miss Rarity!” a voice called out, Spike popping from around the corner. “Hi Moondancer!”

Moondancer narrowed her eyes and watched him for a moment. He looked a bit embarrassed, inching around the corner rather than walking in casually. She wondered how long he’d been listening in on their conversation. She then rolled her eyes at how paranoid she was. There was no way SPIKE was a spy for Nightmare Moon, he was probably just being polite and didn’t want to interrupt their talk. She mentally kicked herself for being so suspicious.

“Ah, Spike, just the dragon I was looking for,” Moondancer said, trotting over with a smile. “Would you be willing to do a job for me?”

“Oh, sure. Ummmm, what kind of job?”

“Organizing and managing a bunch of desserts, making sure the cooks don’t kill each other, that kind of thing. Contact me if anything goes wrong. I’ll enchant a pair of mirrors, okay?”

“Yes! I can do that!” the dragon said, giving a nod.

Moondancer nodded and then glanced to Rarity. “Do you mind if I steal Spike for a little bit?”

“Oh, of course darling. Though, Spike, if when you’re done you’d be willing to help me with a bit of digging? I’ve got this idea for the garden and I think you’d be perfect for making the tunnel.”

“Of course, Rarity,” the dragon said with a dream smile.

Moondancer rolled her eyes and trotted off, dragging him besides her with her magic. She then snickered. “So. How long were you watching us?”

His cheeks went red. “I-I wasn’t spying, you two were just having a--”

“A conversation and you felt bad about interrupting and then you got nervous because you didn’t want us to think you were eaves dropping? Especially when you saw me crying?” she asked.

“… Err. Yeah. That obvious? Sorry, I mean… nopony wants others to know when you’re crying,” he said sheepishly.

“Yes. I don’t think Rarity knew, or cared, though. It’s fine, I understand, and I appreciate you not barging in. But do feel free to announce yourself, even if interrupting. Okay? The last thing I’d want is somepony who doesn’t know you thinking you were spying on them. Ponies are suspicious enough as it is.”

The dragon nodded. “Okay. So, what all do I really have to do?”

“Just organize things. I’ll have a couple guards with you, so if anything goes wrong you’ll have backup. But… honestly? I just want somepony I can trust and I KNOW wants this to go well to be there.”

“You trust me?” he asked softly.

Moondancer paused and glanced over at him. “Of course I trust you. You’re Twilight’s assistant. And I trust her more than anypony in this castle… even if she does sometimes annoy me. And I know she trusts you.”

“Oh...”

“That, and I’ve seen the way you act, your behavior, everything about you. You’re a wonderful example of dragon kind. I can barely believe you are like many of the other dragons. But… well… I suppose I’ve never actually met many of the other dragons. I’ve always heard they were big bullies and, err… no offense.”

“Nope, that sounds about right,” Spike said with a shrug. “Lots of dragons are the toughest, meanest thing around and are jerks. I’m just special, I guess.”

Moondancer nodded, glancing down at the small dragon. He was small and adorable, though she felt she was beginning to understand why he was sent here. He was disposable. Small and weaker, likely bullied a lot. She startled at the sudden rush of protectiveness that flowed through her, her cheeks burning when she realized how badly she wanted to throttle the Dragon Lord for sending him here and allowing his abuse to continue.

“Well, I’m happy you’re not like them, then,” she said firmly. “You’re one of the nicest dragons I’ve ever met. And if you were a pony, you’d be one of the nicest there, as well. And I’ve heard nothing but praise from Twilight on how great an assistant you are.”

“… Wait, really?” he asked, standing up a little straighter.

“Indeed. Why, I’m a little jealous. If she didn’t already have you as her assistant, I’d have begged you to become mine.”

Spike chuckled and shook his head, his cheeks burning. “I-I don’t really do much.”

“Really? Okay then, how does Twilight put it… how many of her quills have you sharpened and ink pots have you refilled just today?”

“W-well, I mean, she was in writer mode so--”

“And have you brought her breakfast?”

“If I don’t make her eat she won’t, so--”

“And blank paper, how much have you restocked?”

“Well, I just--”

“And last night, how did you get her to go to bed?”

“I threatened to light her papers on fire if she didn’t stop, it was late and I was tired. But I don’t--”

“How many small things, picking up trash, organizing, all of that, do you do each day to ensure she has a nice, clean room?” she asked.

“I didn’t think she noticed,” the dragon said, his cheeks burning.

“Of course she notices, she’s a good pony. You’re an amazing assistant, Spike, and anypony would be happy to have you in their life.”

Spike blinked and glanced back towards the dining hall. “Any… pony?” he asked dreamily.

“Anypony. Now then. This will require you to leave the day before the event, okay?”

“Huh? Oh. Right. Yeah,” the dragon said, shaken from his thoughts.

“You can sleep on the train, but basically you’ll be keeping an eye on ponies, deal with any issues that come up. In theory, there won’t be much for you to do except keep me informed of the going ons. Got it?”

“Seems easy enough,” he said with a shrug.

“And of course, I’ll pay you.”

“… Huh?”

“This is an official job for the kingdom, you’ll be given compensation.”

“… What? Like…”

“Like actual bits, to buy whatever you like with.”

“Oh...” he whispered. “I’ve… never been able to do that, before...”

She nodded. “Of course. So… I’d just think about something you truly want for yourself. In fact… here,” she said before a small pouch popped into existence besides her. “One of the standard.” She then tossed the bag to him, the coins jingling inside it. He eyed it for a long time. “Just think long and hard about what you want to buy. It can be a bit exciting the first time.”

The dragon nodded. “Of course...” he whispered, gently weighing the bag in his hands.

Author's Notes:

You know, I didn't really think about it much until I wrote this chapter, but Celestia was a pretty good teacher. Just imagine how busy she was, and yet how quickly she would respond to Twilight's letters. Sure, sometimes it took a bit, but for the most part, she really seemed to put a lot of effort into helping Twilight.

Also, I may have teared up a few times writing this chapter. Just a little bit. Maybe I'm just weird. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Celestia as a teacher, especially compared to your own.

S2 Ch 14: Ambush

“RAINBOW DUCK!” Shadowfang yelled.

The blue mare ducked down, the black insect-like pony narrowly missing her head. Her back hooves kicked out, bucking the creature in the face. “Ugh, what ARE these things?” she snapped, before dashing up and narrowly avoiding a green beam of magic from another of its kind.

“I don’t know!” the stallion yelled, before gripping one by their hooves, turning in a tight circle and flinging it down into the ground, making it bounce a few times.

The last one readied itself for a dive at Rainbow, before stopping and backing away. It finally turned tail and fled. She prepared to race after it.

“Rainbow, stop, our job!”

The pegasus froze in mid motion, before sighing. “Right, right,” she muttered, lowering herself to the ground. “So, Poindexter, you good?”

“It’s POINT Sculpture. And yes, I am fine,” a purple-coated unicorn with a red mane said, adjusting his glasses. “Please, just call me Point. It’s absolutely fascinating, these creatures...”

“Yeah, hardly seems fascinating to me,” Rainbow muttered.

“That’s because you lack the necessary mental--”

“Don’t insult my partner,” Shadowfang snapped, grinding a hoof into the ground.

“Ugh. Fine. Either way, creatures like these are unheard of in our lands. I would love to take the time to study one. They don’t seem to be capable of speech,” he said, inching towards one of the downed ones.

“No, they don’t,” Rainbow muttered. “And, as such, please don’t touch them. We need to keep going. If the town is in any--” Her eyes widened. “STORM!” she called.

“Huh? But the skies are clear, why would--” The unicorn was cut off by the sound of lightning, turning to see the flashes illuminating the night sky, the cloud cover quickly making its way towards them. “Curse this canyon and its strange weather!”

Rainbow shrugged. “I’ll disperse it in a minute. Wait--”

“With all do respect, Rainbow,” Shadowfang said softly. “You’re the lead pony, right? I should be the one dispersing it. If they come back--”

“I’m lead pony,” she said with a shrug. “I decide who does what. I’m faster at this. You just keep our scientist friend safe. Got it?” she said before taking off to the sky, flying at the clouds.

Her frustration was growing. She didn’t know WHAT those insect ponies were, but they’d been pestering them for the last few hours. Only three or four at a time, but it was disconcerting. The strange weather on top of it only made things worse.

The most terrible thing of all? There’d been a huge bout of food poisoning at the fort they’d picked up the professor in. The only reason Point had avoided getting sick was he had been so engrossed in a book that he’d forgotten to eat dinner. Most of the guards at the fort had been completely knocked out, leaving just her and Shadowfang to keep him safe. Which, if all they had to do was disperse the weather, would have been fine. As it was, she was getting more and more frustrated. All the attacks from the darkness were getting on her nerves, even worse since the creatures seemed to pop out of nowhere. They were so loud, with their buzzing wings, yet it was almost like they popped out of the ground somehow.

The mare zipped through the cloud, bucking and kicking as she went. She got the occasional zap, but nothing too strong. Before long, the storm was gone entirely and she dove back down towards the others.

In time to see Shadowfang get struck by a massive bolt of green light, slamming him into a wall of the canyon. Unfortunately for the attacker, though, the green light had illuminated the creature easily, while Rainbow was almost invisible in her Shadowbolt outfit. This bug was far larger than the others, almost the size of Nightmare Moon. Anypony would have paused at the sight of it.

Rainbow wasn’t anypony. She slammed into it, her hooves out and driving down into its chest, landing on top of it and riding it across the ground, leaving gouges in the dirt before it crashed into a rock, cracking the stone.

The creature let out an almost pony like groan, staring up at her, only to get two quick hoof blows to the face. The pegasus then darted back, leaving the unmoving creature behind. “Shadowfang! Are you okay?!” she yelled.

“O-only my pride hurts… a-and my wing,” he said with a light chuckle. He tried to spread it out, only to let out a hiss of pain.

Rainbow moved to his side and let out a low groan. It was bent in a way that wings were definitely NOT supposed to bend. She stared at it for a long, long moment, before shaking her head. “It’s broken.”

“W-what?!” he asked, his entire body jerking before he tried to straighten it, only drawing out another cry of pain.

“Idiot, don’t move it!” she snapped. “It’s broken. That’s it, we’re going to get this braced and then we’re going back to the fort.”

“But those ponies, they--”

“Need us? Maybe. But we’re not going to make it like this,” she said firmly, shaking her head. “We need a bigger escort. More importantly, you need medical attention. It’s about a day away from here by hoof. You’re in no state to fight, I can’t keep fighting AND dealing with the weather. More importantly, whatever these things are ponies need to know about. If they’re some… early assault from the dragons, they-- POINDEXTER!”

The unicorn yelped, stepping back from the large one. “I-I was merely examining it!”

“Don’t! Touch! It!”

“But it’s truly fascinating. Look at the holes across its body, it’s definitely pony-like. And they have magic, though it seems to be of a different type than ours. Why, the strange growth on its head is almost like a crown. Perhaps this one is the matriarch of its hive?”

“Its hive?” Rainbow asked with a sigh.

“Perhaps. Maybe we have ventured into their territory and it’s their ‘queen’?” he offered. “They definitely appear to be more insect in nature, even with heavily pony forms. Perhaps--”

“Yes, yes, study them more when they’re NOT attacking us,” Rainbow said. “Come on, we gotta go.”

Shadowfang growled and shook his head. “No.”

“No?” she asked.

“No. We need to keep going. With these things here, that whole village is in trouble. We can’t just abandon them! We--”

Rainbow cut him off. “NO! We GO back! We do NOT rush forward and get ourselves killed!” she snapped. “Listen, I’m all for brave, exciting adventures! And if it was just me? Fine. I’d do it. But I am NOT getting anypony ELSE hurt by MY actions! My command. My decision. We’re going. Back. Now. That’s an order.”

“But--”

“This is not a discussion. Poindexter, come on!”

“It’s Point! Sculpture!”

“Words do not explain how little I care right now,” she said flatly, the frustration only growing inside her, making her struggle to resist lashing out. “Shadowfang. Come here and let’s get that wing set as best we can. Move it, now. Double time.” She tossed off her pack and started going through it, searching for the wing brace.

The stallion growled, but slowly began to trot towards her.

------

“You were right,” Shadowfang muttered, shaking his head. “I’m sorry for disobeying.”

“I know,” Rainbow said back, not looking at him. Instead, her focus was ahead, where Point was walking and examining every little thing they passed. There hadn’t been any attacks in a few hours, so she was hoping whatever those bugs were, they had decided to let them leave in peace. She really hoped it was just an issue of them going near their territory.

“I was being reckless. I felt bad since… well. I got hurt and it’s why we had to turn back. I didn’t--”

“We should have turned back after the third attack,” Rainbow muttered.

“I’m sorry?”

“They kept coming. The weather was terrible. If I’d been smart, we’d have turned back. Instead, I kept pushing us forward. I was reckless and it got you hurt.”

“This isn’t your fault...”

“But it is,” she said with a shrug. “I decided to keep going, regardless of the dangers. I didn’t examine everything and make the smart choice. Instead, I got you hurt.” She felt a light tingle down her back, the almost invisible scars on her back itching. “I’ve done that a few times. But this is the right choice, I’m sure of it. I… hate leaving the village like that but...”

“It’s better we get help so ponies know, rather than we get ourselves killed and others as well, trying to find out what happened to us.”

Rainbow nodded. She then glared. “Point! Stay away from the edge!” she snapped.

The unicorn snorted. “Oh, so you DO know my name,” he said, before stepping away from it.

The pegasus rolled her eyes. She HATED this part of the trip. The canyon they’d had to travel through was fine, if rocky. But to get into it they’d had to travel down a long, narrow, winding path. If she fell, she’d be fine. She could fly. But now both Shadowfang AND Point were grounded. Right on cue, she felt that light shift in the winds around them, as well as the pressure shift. She glanced up.

“Tornado is brewing,” she whispered.

“What? It’s not even raining yet or--” He was cut off as a mix of rain and hail began to fall around them, pelting the ponies.

“It’s going to start. I’m going to nip it before it gets bad,” Rainbow muttered. If they were caught in a tornado now, everything would go bad. She had to stop it before--

She heard the hisses and saw the green beams of light ahead of them, narrowly leaping to the left and avoiding the magic. Six ahead of them. Behind her, she could hear more. An ambush. She glanced back and could see the glows of their magic illuminating more of them. Worse, she could see that really big one again. This wasn’t just an ambush, it was a full on assault.

“Buck.”

Rainbow started to step forward, only to have Shadowfang block her way. “You need to deal with the tornado.”

“W-what?” she asked.

“I’ll hold them off. But if that hits us now, we’re toast. You know that!” he said, moving in front of Point, who was backed against the canyon wall. “I can fight, even grounded. And my wing isn’t going to get much worse. So move it!”

Rainbow stared at him for a moment, her heart pounding. She had to make a choice, and neither of them were good options. Worse, she felt the guilt rise up. Everything could have been avoided if she hadn’t been so stubborn. “Fine! Just a few minutes! I’ll take care of this!” she snapped, before taking off as quick as she could, rising into the air.

For now, the clouds were just swirling, though already she could feel the shift. It wouldn’t take long for everything to fall down. She could already see the bottom of the cloud beginning to slowly lower itself, like a giant, spinning finger reaching towards the ground. Towards the ponies she was keeping safe.

She made it to the tip within three seconds, a new personal best. She began to spin around it, opposite its direction, her wings flapping as hard as they could while she cut through the air and cloud. She’d LOVE to have said it was easy, but it was probably one of the most dangerous things she’d ever done.

This was the fastest way to stop a tornado, but it was incredibly dangerous and was only ever supposed to be attempted by teams of pegasi. One could do it, but there was just as much chance of her being caught in the winds and killed, as there was her getting enough force to stop it. No, a much higher chance of the former, at least for a normal pony.

Already she could feel the winds trying to pull her back. The resistance pushing against her hooves, as if she was trying to fly through hardening cement. All it would take was one mistake. One flaw. One missed movement and she’d be sucked in and never be able to stop herself.

She couldn’t do this. She could feel herself slowing. She could still break free, though. Still escape. The winds were powerful, but she could escape. She couldn’t stop this.

And it would hit Shadowfang and Point. There was no way they could get out of it in time. They had no cover, no protection. They’d be torn apart.

He was her partner.

He was her responsibility.

She growled and pushed harder, her hooves slicing through the air. “I AM RAINBOW DASH!” she yelled, though there was nopony in the winds to hear her. “I AM THE GREATEST FLIER TO EVER FLY! AND I WILL NOT! LOSE! TO A STUPID! BUNDLE! OF AIR!” She felt the resistance only getting stronger, but she shoved through it. “I AM A SHADOWBOLT!” Her hooves pierced the barrier, though it felt like now going through solid rock. “I! WILL! WIN!”

Her world shattered. But in the best possible way. It was as if all the resistance was gone, the winds town apart by her hooves. And suddenly, there was light. A rainbow colored explosion that seemed to originate from her. No, swirled around her. While she moved, the winds scattered in all directions, the clouds dispersing while a wave of rainbow light flew off her in all directions.

The tornado was gone, but there was still one more threat. She dove, the rainbow light trailing behind her. She hit the ground, digging her hooves into the ground and skidding, deep gouges torn into it. The rainbow light seemed to be radiating off her. “Does anypony ELSE want some?!” she yelled, looking around. The rainbow light seemed to be dimming, though it illuminated the area. The insect creatures had been in the midst of a scuffle with Shadowfang, though it seemed everypony had frozen at her entrance.

Her words shook them free, however. The creatures scattered to the winds, grabbing their downed brethren and fleeing.

Rainbow watched them leave, before letting out a sigh of relief. The light was almost gone now, but she couldn’t see anything in the dark. After a moment, Point’s horn lit up, illuminating the quickly darkening area.

“That… that was… what WAS that?!” Point asked.

“That, my dear professor, was the sonic rainboom. Only one living pony can do that,” Shadowfang said with a low whistle. “Nopony is going to believe it.”

“I don’t know if I believe it,” Rainbow said, stretching out. After that, she felt she should be exhausted. But she didn’t. She felt like she had enough energy to race all the Shadowbolts in succession. “But it was AWESOME!”

“Y-yes, it was. Though, err… you’re going to need a new uniform.”

“A new uniform? W--” Rainbow was cut off, her eyes staring down at herself. Her uniform had been torn to pieces, almost entirely shredded. The winds and the magical burst had just been too much for it. “Well… Spitfire is going to kill me.”

“Not when we tell her how it happened.”

“Heh. Yeah. I was pretty awesome. Err, right! We need to go, though. Now, come on,” Rainbow said quickly, beginning her trot and putting on her most serious face.. Once she was ahead of them, though, she couldn’t help the wide grin from forming on her lips. “Eeeeeeee...” she whispered to herself.

------

“Are you sure we should let them go, your highness?” one of the insect ponies asked, watching the three ponies make their way away.

“Yes,” the largest one said, staring at the blue pegasus in particular. “It seems we underestimated these ponies. Our invasion will need to take a less… direct route. Do not worry. Soon, there will be enough to feed us all...”

Author's Notes:

And boom, final chapter of the week! I have good news, though. The next chapter, which should come out either wednesday or thursday, depending on how exhausted I am when I get home, will be the Hearts and Hooves celebration! The culmination of all of Moondancer's hard work! I hope you're all as excited as I am! I guarantee you, it'll be something to remember.

S2 Ch 15: Hearts and Hooves

Moondancer paced back and forth, her head held low, trying, and failing, to stop the panic from enveloping her. She glanced back at the mirror. Where WAS he?! WHERE WAS HE?!

It had been hours since Spike had last given her an update, she’d been certain that there would be some kind of message by now. But nothing. The most they had gotten was a message from one of the guards, that they were experiencing some technical difficulties but would be arriving on time. Spike wouldn’t answer her messages, though. No matter how many times she tried to contact him, there was no response. Not even an attempt to call her back.

She stared out, over the station. Nightmare Moon, Twilight Glow and herself waited, their eyes on the approaching train housing the confectionery delights from the far reaches of the kingdom. She gave a soft prayer that, whatever the technical difficulties were, they would NOT be causing any damage to Spike. If something happened to him, Twilight would never forgive her. If something happened to him, she’d NEVER forgive herself. It was her idea. She was the one who’d asked him to do this for her. He had to be okay.

Already there were dozens of ponies waiting and watching, excited to find out what treats would be brought out for this massive celebration. Giddy to make the parade through the city and show off these delicious wonders to the world.

Moondancer’s eyes widened when the train came ever closer. “It’s… not slowing down...” she whispered. It should have begun to slow its pace. But it wasn’t.

“What?” Nightmare Moon asked, eying it. “Is… this not a standard speed for it?”

“No! It’s not stopping, why isn’t it--”

Moondancer’s worries about it ‘stopping’ were halted a second later when a massive dragon with purple scales and green spines burst through the roof of one of the compartments, its claws digging deep into the ground and sending the train OFF the rails. Fortunately, it didn’t go very far as the mass of the dragon seemed to be weighing it down, making it quickly slow down and then just stop.

However, the compartment it was in was utterly wrecked and the rest of the train wasn’t doing much better, parts of the track having been torn out with the movement. The massive dragon let out a mighty roar, shattering the metal holding it prisoner and then lumbering towards them.

“W-what?” Moondancer said. Then, the most horrifying thought of all hit her, her eyes locking onto a small, metal mirror around the creature’s neck. Its body was smeared in chocolate and other sugary coatings, as well. It couldn’t be. There was no way that was… could it? Was it possible? “SPIKE?!”

“Wait, that’s SPIKE?!” Twilight asked, her mouth falling open. “But, there’s no way, he--”

“Is a threat,” Nightmare Moon said, stepping forward. Her horn glowed and a moment later a big, domed barrier appeared around the crowd, the dragon slamming into it with a crunch. Fortunately, the barrier held even as it tried to break through it, smashing claws into the magic. “PONIES! ALL OF YOU, RETREAT TO YOUR HOMES! WE WILL DEAL WITH THE THREAT THAT DARES TO MAR OUR GLORIOUS CELEBRATION!” the mare announced in her Royal Canterlot Voice.

The ponies didn’t need to be asked twice while the dragon was busy pounding on the shield protecting them. Within what felt like moments, only the three remained. The ruler growled. “You two, leave as well.”

“I-I...” Moondancer said, staring. “I-I can’t. I think that’s Spike! That’s the mirror I gave him!”

“He’s a threat to Equestria, now. He will be disposed of,” Nightmare Moon growled, stomping her hoof. The dome shattered. “We will--”

“NO!” Twilight yelled, moving to block the ruler’s way, the dragon beginning its charge towards them. “If that’s Spike, you can’t!”

“Bard! Cease this! He is a threat, nothing more! If you so desire an assistant we will find you a new one! Stand aside!”

“NO! I… I can’t! He’s my-- EEK!” Twilight let out a shriek when suddenly she was grabbed in the dragon’s tail and yanked into the air.

“Twilight!” Nightmare Moon yelled, narrowly flying out of the way when a massive claw tried to flatten her. “LET HER GO, FOUL BEAST!” the ruler roared, her horn glowing a dark, vicious purple.

“SPIKE!” Moondancer yelled, using the Canterlot Royal Voice spell to amplify her voice to match the rulers. To her joy, the dragon paused. “STOP THIS! I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED, BUT STOP THIS! PLEASE! YOU’RE GOING TO GET HURT!”

“ENOUGH!” Nightmare Moon roared. Her horn blazed and then orbs of black light flew from it like meteors. They slammed into the chest of the dragon, sending it flying back. Twilight flew from the creature’s grasp, only to be caught in the ruler’s magic and gently placed on the ground.

Moondancer tried to race forward, but a dome of magic enveloped her, stopping her in place. She tried to teleport out, but her magic merely fizzled. With horror, she could only watch helplessly as their ruler passed judgment.

Spike groaned, already beginning to slowly get up. However, the alicorn flew up and over him, her fangs bared. “You have trampled on our celebration. You have endangered not just our ponies, but our bard. You have even deemed to attack us...” Though the Canterlot voice wasn’t used, every word was filled with such anger that there was no mistaking the words. “For this, there is but one penalty. Death.”

Twilight groaned, slowly lifting her head. She watched while spikes of darkness formed around the ruler, leveled at the dragon. Her heart almost stopped. “N-no. Please no...” she whispered, trying to get to her hooves. “P-please. Please please please… NIGHTMARE MOON! STOP!” she begged.

But the ruler didn’t, the spikes flew through the air. Moondancer’s horn glowed, but there was nothing she could do to even slow them, not trapped in the bubble.

The earth pony stared, tears forming in her eyes. Spike was going to die. There was nothing he could do to stop this. Nothing she could do. But… maybe.

“D-Discord! Please! Help us!”

There was a low, ominous laughter in the air. Twilight let out a shriek when suddenly she founds herself lifted into the air, then disappeared. Only to reappear with the spikes flying STRAIGHT at her! She let out a second shriek and closed her eyes, only for the perforation to never happen. She slowly opened her eyes to see the ruler of the night staring down at her, her face a mask of fury. But the deathly assault had stopped, inches from her.

“H-holy...” Moondancer whispered, staring. Twilight was at least twenty feet tall, now. Not as large as the dragon that Discord was using the earth pony as a shield to guard, but she was still quite impressive.

“Discord… you foul, treacherous spirit… release our bard from your spell!”

“Oh, but she asked for this. Didn’t you hear her? Isn’t it just the most magical sound of all?” he asked in a soft, sing song voice.

“D-Discord! Please! Help us!” Twilight’s voice echoed through the platform, like a recording. “D-Discord! Please! Help us!”

“Isn’t this a fun twist of fate?” he asked, before snapping his fingers, the earth pony turning back to normal size. The spirit then pulled out a small needle and POPPED Spike, sending green and purple fragments of rubber everywhere. In the center of the blast sat Spike, the Spike they knew, dazed and confused. “In their darkest hour, when all hope seems lost. It’s not the great and powerful Nightmare Moon she turns to. It’s not even Celestia. No, no...” he said, a cruel smile on his lips.

“When all hope seems lost, she turned to me. The Spirit of Disharmony. Isn’t it oh so interesting that I, of all creatures, have become the hero? I do wonder what that says about you, my little Walking Nightmare,” he said, before glancing to Twilight and snorting. “Now. I do hope you don’t expect this treatment all the time. As much fun as it is being a Deus Ex Draconequus, I really can’t save you every time you’re in trouble. Now. Tah tah, and good luck,” he said with a laugh before snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Twilight gulped, before glancing to the ruler. The rage that had been on her face had evaporated. Now all that remained was a cold, empty state. Void of any emotion the mare could read. Even the dome that had held Moondancer was gone.

Twilight slowly inched back, moving to pick up Spike in her hooves, holding him close, protectively. “Are you okay?”

“Ugh… I feel like I went through a whirlpool on a gorge board...” Spike mumbled. “What… happened?”

“That’s what we’d like to ask you,” Moondancer whispered, trotting forward. Her eyes brought back to the ruler. “We need to… I don’t know. I don’t know what we need to do. But...” She sighed and glanced to Twilight. “Take Spike back to the castle. I’ll check the train, make sure nopony was too hurt. And I’ll try and calm Nightmare Moon. Just… get him out of sight. We’ll talk back at the castle, okay?”

Twilight nodded, quickly moving Spike onto her back, turning towards the castle. Her eyes occasionally glancing towards the ruler, who hadn’t moved since Discord’s words had gone through the night.

------

Moondancer slowly knocked on Twilight’s door, waiting patiently for it to open. It didn’t take long. The earth pony soon stood before her and, across the room, she could see Spike sleeping in his little bed. “How’s he doing?”

“He’s got a tummy ache, but… all things considered, how about the train?”

“Nopony was seriously injured. Lots of minor concussions. So… did you get any information out of him? About what caused this?”

“Yes. You? And… her highness?”

“She… disappeared soon after you did. And I have a bit of information. So, as near as I can tell, it turns out some of the contestants were… well, they got it into their heads that he was going to be a judge,” Moondancer muttered. “And they started bribing him. Not officially, of course. But lots of samples, things like that. And, according to their records, he kept getting bigger and bigger and… the guards tried to stop him, but they didn’t stand a chance. He destroyed all the cakes and then… well, burst through the compartment, destroying it. It’s safe to say this entire celebration has been canceled. I don’t think it could have gone much worse.”

Twilight nodded. “Indeed,” she whispered. “He told me about that. They started giving him things and he says he began to just… want more. And more. And he was soon taking it and it all got out of control. He’s very apologetic about it but… he’s...” She trailed off. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. Nightmare Moon, she… she almost killed him. I-I couldn’t stop her. T-there was nothing I could do. I-I tried, but there wasn’t anything.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I-I was hopeless. W-what happens next time? Or the time after that? Or the time after that? We can’t control her! We can’t stop her! W-we can’t do anything against her! We’re helpless! We’re completely and… and utterly...” She felt the tears begin to fall. “She was going to kill him. I couldn’t… stop her...”

A moment later Moondancer hugged her and, to her surprise, she could feel the warmth of the other mare’s tears against her back. “I-I know. I know. Oh, how I know. We can’t… we can’t stop her.”

“I-I can’t live like this. I can’t keep… oh by the stars. Nightmare Night is in a few months. W-what then? H-how can we stop this? We can’t… we can’t s-stop it no matter h-how hard we try and I just… I just want to go home. I want to go home and p-pretend none of this ever h-happened and j-just be a writer. I’m not t-trained for this. I’m not READY for this. I-I’m just a… just a pony. I can’t do anything to stop her. To calm her...” she whispered, her entire body shaking. “I can’t do this anymore, Moondancer. I-I know ponies need me, but… I can’t. She was going to kill him. I had to reach out to DISCORD of all ponies. DISCORD! He’s just… and he DID it. What kind of world is this?”

“I know… I know. I can’t...”

“She’s a monster. She’s cruel and merciless and as long as she gets what she wants she just doesn’t care! I-I couldn’t… I couldn’t do anything. H-he was going to die and I was… I just...”

“I know. I’m sorry… and I know...”

------

Nightmare Moon stood just a little down the stairs, her own heart hammering, listening to the sound of her bard’s sobbing.

A monster. Was she truly a monster? Spike was a threat to all of her ponies. To all she cared about.

But Discord’s words echoed through her head. What if he was right? What if… She glanced to her hooves. She had been so sure that killing the dragon was the right move. Perhaps she had been wrong, then. Perhaps this was what she needed. Slowly, she got to her hooves and turned, beginning to walk down the steps. He had threatened all of her ponies. He’d deserved to die. She had half a mind to finish him, now. But… what if they were right?

She could never trust her sister again, not after what had been done. Not after a thousand years locked away, alone. But maybe she didn’t have to be alone. Maybe she truly did need somepony else to help temper her. To help… stop her from going too far. Not Discord, no.

But she was not a monster. She never would be. Refused to be. Her horn glowed and she disappeared, only to reappear in the forbidden section of the library. She glanced around before her horn began to a glow again.

An invisible tome appeared moments later on one of the shelves, flying before her. Across the cover of the ancient tome was the symbol of the alicorn, a pony with wings and horn. She stared at it.

No. She wouldn’t be a monster. Even if it meant she had to give up some control and power.

Author's Notes:

Woooo! And another one down! also, I got it out on wednesday! Like I said I would! Barely! I mean, it's still wednesday here! So woooo!

Oh my gosh it is like 100 degrees and I am sweltering and sweaty and tired and exhausted BUT OH MY GOSH I GOT WRITING DOOOOONE! On that happy(albeit exhausted) note, IIIIIII... Am very ahead, chapter wise. And have actually gotten to the point where I am in the final arc of this season. So YES! This season WILL BE FINISHED!

Yayyyy! No more leaving you guys in the middle of a season! So thanks for your patience and support and all that. I'm, meanwhile, exhausted and feel like I have been in a car for days. So I am going to go sleep. Nighty night. *splat*

Also, as an aside... Even I kind of want to hug them all during this chapter. It was a rough shock to everyone involved, I feel.

Also, woo! I got my FIRST patron! Eeeeeee! I totally did a giddy dance. Which was more me splatting on the ground but WOOOO!

S2 Ch 16: Field trip!

Twilight stared, her mouth open, unable to process what was going on. It just… how did… why?! The words played over and over in her mind. This was terrifying! Horrifying! Mind boggling!

“It’s… it’s… NEVER? Not even ONCE?!”

“Dragons don’t exactly have museums,” Spike said, giving her a flat look. “What’s the big deal? A bunch of old stuff that ponies gawk at. Sounds boring.”

“Museums are NOT boring!” Twilight and Moondancer said in unison, glaring at the dragon.

“Okay, that’s it,” the earth pony said, before getting to her hooves. “We’re going to the Canterlot Museum. Now.”

“Ughhhhhh,” the dragon said with a roll of his eyes. “All I was asking about was where that big, fancy tapestry had gone!”

“To get restored. And now we’re going to restore your excitement for learning,” Moondancer said firmly, picking the dragon up in her magic and depositing him on Twilight’s back. He merely groaned in annoyance. “Did you know, the Canterlot Museum is the second largest holder of ancient pony historical artifacts, second only to the castle itself?”

“I did!” Twilight said excitedly. “Did you see the display on Mistmane?”

“Oh my gosh, yes. It was incredible, hard to believe an old legend like that has had such an impact, isn’t it?”

Twilight snickered and trotted out the door, ignoring his complaining while she gushed over the past exhibits with Moondancer. Things had begun to calm down in the few weeks since the Hearts and Hooves fiasco. Nightmare Moon had been keeping a low profile, not even bothering Moondancer aside from the occasional lessons.

Fortunately, while the event had been the talk of the newspapers, a lot of the facts had been distorted and confused. Most ponies seemed to believe it was an attack from the dragons themselves and, for once, Nightmare Moon was being hailed as a hero who protected them from the assault. There seemed to be only a hoofful of ponies who were making any connection to the dragon that assaulted the train and the small, baby dragon on her back.

Then again, she had seen Spike be turned back to a baby and even SHE could barely believe he could be such a creature. So she wasn’t too surprised other ponies doubted. She had no intention of correcting ponies, either. As much as she hated to do it, this was one piece of knowledge she didn’t think should ever be spread.

Spike let out another groan. “The museum… with a bunch of nerds. I can’t imagine anypony is having a worse day than this...”

------

Applejack let out a soft, low hiss while she walked, slowly moving outside the house. “Ah feel fine, sugarcube,” she said, glancing back down at Applebloom, who was staring at her with worry.

“Yah don’t sound fine.”

“Ah’m fine. Ah ache, but ah’m fine,” she said with a shake of her head. “A few days of runnin’ about an’ ah’ll be good as new. Ah feel like ah could go an’ buck a--”

“Not a chance!” Applebloom said firmly, shaking her head. “We have strict instructions. Girls!”

Scootaloo and Sweetie dashed out from the house, the former carrying a first aid kit on her back, the latter carrying a small backpack bursting with food. “Cutie mark crusaders physical rehabilitators!” the three called out in unison, hopping into the air.

The earth pony rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. “Of course. Ah don’t know what in tarnation convinced Big Mac tah go along with this.”

“Cause yer an Apple an’ yah don’t know how tah take a rest?” Applebloom offered.

“Because he already caught you trying to buck trees twice?” Scootaloo added.

“Because the only thing stopping you from trying to gallop outside and get to work is the fact that you’ll be a bad example for our impressionable young minds?” Sweetie offered, drawing stares from the other two. “What? Rarity told me to say that.”

Applejack groaned and rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine. Come on, then. Buncha lil guilt trippers... Let’s go walk around the field. An’ yah know, yah didn’t need tah bring a packed lunch. We ain’t gonna be THAT long,” she said, glancing to them. “Or a first aid kit. Ah ain’t gonna crack a hoof walkin’ about like this.”

“We’re prepared for any situation!” Applebloom said with a nod. “Now come on, let’s get this show on the road!”

The mare rolled her eyes again and started walking. Her whole body felt stiff, each movement drawing light, soft pains through her. As much as she wanted to buck the trees again, she doubted she could get enough force out of them right now to knock over a fence post in the mud, let alone knock all the apples out in a single move. It’d probably take two or three. Maybe five. Off in the distance she could hear the steady thump of her big brother working.

It brought another sad sigh to her. She was injured and she loathed it. She wanted to be out there, working. Not trapped here, foalsitting her sister and her friends. She snorted at the thought of Big Mac’s ‘idea’. She suspected he just wanted them out of underhoof while they all worked.

There was still so much work to be done, how could she just laze about? Before even considering the trees they had to buck, they still had to plant all the trees that their family across Equestria had sent to help in their recovery. The Apples were a big family and when one of them got hurt, well, they all felt it. It wouldn’t make up for the damage they’d suffered, but it’d at least lighten the load a smidge.

She hated herself for this. How could she just be lazy and heal, when everypony else was working so hard to make everything right?

------

“Ah, Twilight, Moondancer!” a dark yellow coated mare with a pink mane said when they walked in. Spike found his eyes drawn to the blue diamonds that were connected to her hair, licking his lips. “Why, the Gladiators of Equestria Exhibit was spectacular, did you know that there were a few dozen different types of bows alone used back then? My uncle, Precise Strike, did a few demonstrations with them, ever since he was at the games he’s been adoring putting his skills on display. He even considered trying jousting for a while, but his wife quickly put a stop to that. Oh, what was I talking about? Oh, right, I haven’t seen you two since the Gladiators of Equestria Exhibit, its been so long!”

Twilight nodded, giving the mare a smile. “Ah! Spike, Meet Nuclear Blossom, she was one of my old teachers.”

Spike sighed. “Oh? And what did she teach you?”

“Oh, when I was getting my minor in archeology she was one of my favorite teachers. We’ll have to talk later, okay?” she told the mare.

Nuclear merely nodded, giving them a smile and motioning them inside.

“I didn’t know she taught that,” Moondancer said, cocking her head to the side.

“Oh, yes. We actually bonded a lot when I found out she was a writer as well. She goes under Glacial Veil. I’ve had her sign a few of her works, even,” the earth pony said proudly.

Spike made gagging noises.

The two ponies rolled their eyes. Moondancer shook her head. “Come on, let’s go. I think I know exactly what we should show you first. I think you’ll like it a lot.”

“Oh? I doubt that. It--” His words caught in his throat when he saw the display. “W-wait. REALLY?”

“Yes, really,” the unicorn said with a grin. “Museums are about learning. Not JUST old, ancient stuff.”

“Oh my gosh!” Spike yelled, racing forward.

The two mares shared a smile, before racing after him.

------

“Oh mah gosh!” Applebloom yelled and the three fillies raced forward, drawing a frustrated growl from Applejack.

“Don’t touch hi… her? Them. Sorry!” she yelled out. “Yah okay? Don’t try an’ move ‘em, yah three!”

“Awwwwww,” the three said in unison, drawing a roll of the eyes from the older mare while she trotted forward.

She didn’t know WHY that orange coated, green maned pegasus had crashed into one of their trees, but the pony had left a rather sizeable imprint on the tree before bouncing off it to land in their path. Applejack cocked an eye when she came closer and could make out a bit more detail. Bat wings, blood red eyes, wild mane. Vampire pony. Possibly concussed judging by the way he was wobbling.

“S-sorry...” the pony said, looking up at her and giving a weak smile. “I kinda was trying a new move and… well… o-ow.”

“Mmmm hmmm. Yah gonna need a doctor? If yah like, ah can--”

“No! No no! I’m fine, really, I still have a bunch of work to do, anyway. I--”

“Are you a vampire pony?!” Scootaloo asked.

Applejack sighed and shook her head. “Ah’m sorry, they aren’t the most tactful at that age,” she said quickly.

The stallion nodded slowly. “Err… yes. I… I am. I’m sorry. Is… that a problem? I’m not going to try and bite you or anything. I just--”

“Oh, don’t even start with that apologizin’ when yah ain’t done nothin’ wrong. Yah ain’t the first vampire pony ah met. Heck, Fluttershy is one of yah all now, an’ she’s one of the nicest ponies ah know. So don’t get so jittery.”

The stallion perked up. “You know Fluttershy?”

“One of mah best friends, both ‘fore an’ after. So, if yah gone an’ got yerself hurt with that stunt of yours… what exactly WERE yah doin’, anyway?”

“Oh! Right! I’m Crimsonwing!” He spread out his wings and then paused. “Oh. Um. Now that they’re bat wings, they aren’t really… crimson anymore.”

“Bit confusin’, ain’t it?” Applebloom asked.

“Yeah, it kind of is,” he said, his eyes lowering.

“Applebloom!” Applejack hissed, glaring at her. “So, Crimsonwing, why were yah crashin’ into our trees?”

“Oh! Right! I’m your new weather pony! I’m taking care of the weather around here since, well...”

“Rainbow gone an’ got a new job? Well, that’s good. Ah was wonderin’ when we were gonna get a replacement.”

He nodded. “Yup! Well, its been great meeting you. I really have a lot of work to get to.”

“Wait! Are yah sure yah ain’t hurt? If yah are, yah best at least have the doctor look at yah. Ah can--”

“No. I’m fine, really,” he said with a smile, then paused. “Though… it really means a lot that you seem to care. So… ummm, thanks, but I’m fine! See you around!” he said, before flying up and into the air.

“Huh...” Sweetie said, staring at him. “He didn’t look like a rat at all...”

Applejack’s mouth fell open and she turned to the filly. “I-I’m sorry, what?”

“Well, some of the ponies back at Ponyville said that the new weather pony was a flying rat. I was really excited, too! But he was just a regular ol’ pegasus.”

Applejack just stared at the filly, before shaking her head. “Wow. Of all the talks ah thought ah’d be havin’ today… okay then, yah three. Those… ponies, callin’ him a rat? That’s like when those kids called yah a blank flank. It’s meant tah be an insult,” she muttered. “A very derogatory one. Or like… oh boy. This is gonna be a fun talk...” she said, sitting down. Thankfully, her flank didn’t hurt too much when she did that.

------

Spike let out a squeal as he stared at the life sized statues of the power ponies. “How does a stuffy museum have something like THIS?!” he asked, staring up. A claw reached out, only to quickly pull it back.

Twilight smiled, satisfied he knew to look, not touch. “It’s an exhibit on comics through the ages. You know, entertainment has a lot of different forms. Comics, books, games. And over the centuries, they’ve changed drastically.”

He snorted. “Well, yeah, everypony knows books and games existed like, forever. But--”

“Trotjan’s column,” Moondancer interrupted, pointing over towards a small stand filled with replica’s of different pony images on stone.

“What’s that?”

“One of the earliest forms of using pictures in place of words to show a story,” the unicorn continued. “In this case, a carving on a tower. It depicts an earth pony victory over a hydra and is considered one of the precursors of what eventually became modern day comics. And, it is well over a millennia old.”

“Wow...” Spike whispered, staring at the models. “That’s kind of cool...”

“And, while it’s true that modern comics are a, well, modern invention,” Twilight said, trotting besides him. “The same could be said of modern day books and games. It wasn’t that the concepts weren’t there, it was that the ability to mass produce them was missing. While comics, books and games are far more accessible in the modern era, in the past, before inventions such as the printing press, they were far, far more difficult for a pony to have access to. It’s because of the great leaps of technology that we’re able to have comics and books like we do now, in such an affordable and accessible format.”

“Huh… OH MY GOSH!” Spike said, rushing off and staring at a display. Encased, was a single comic, still in its sleeve. “Is that a Claw the Destruktor, issue one?”

Twilight trotted over and cocked an eye. On the cover was a weird dragon/pony hybrid. White coated, with thin, purple scales/mane mix. “I think so.”

“Ohhhh, I wanna read iiiiit!” Spike said, giving a little squeal.

“While you can’t touch the ACTUAL book...” the earth pony mumbled. “They usually have a… here!” She pushed a hoof out against a small symbol on the side of the case. A crystal screen appeared, with the image of the cover on it. “There. Just swipe left to turn the page and don‘t use your actual claws! Use your palm,” she added quickly, barely stopping the dragon in time from slashing the screen. She then stepped back, letting him read. She grinned to Moondancer. “I think this has been an excellent lesson for him.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” the unicorn said, smiling back. “It’s always so much fun to teach ponies all kinds of things like this.”

“Mmmm hmm.”

------

Applejack trotted along the field, shaking her head. She was exhausted, and not just from the walk. Explaining the concept of racism to a bunch of little fillies was not exactly how she wanted to have to spend her afternoon.

Even worse when Applebloom had pointed out a question that was just a bit too hard for her to answer.

‘So, kinda like how everypony treats Zecora?’

That was different. Zecora was scary and likely put curses on ponies. Especially now. Although, since the coming of wereponies and vampires, the ‘zebra’ had been added to the list of things that were becoming more common knowledge. And as far as she knew, she hadn’t actually cursed anypony. And lots of other ponies were not quite as scared of her anymore. She’d even supposedly talked with Trixie a time or two. And--

But she still got a bad vibe off that mare! There was just this unsettling… feeling from her. She hadn’t had the bravery to talk with her face to face herself. Maybe it was time she did. Was it possible that SHE was being one of those ponies. Sure, the striped mare was a bit odd by the standards back in the day, but now? Stripes were a lot less scary when you considered ponies that seemed to be trapped in some shadowy… thing and disappeared in the light, ponies who turned into monsters and other ponies who drank blood and turned into bats. Why, she was borderline normal!

And now that she thought about it, she’d been in Ponyville plenty of times before when the mare had been around. Everypony had hid and just stared, so she’d assumed that pony was to blame. But what if Zecora WASN’T the reason? What if all of them were just treating her badly because she was different?

The idea made her wanna bash her head on the wall. She couldn’t believe she, of all ponies, was one of those. She was an Apple, a pony from a long line of ponies who were supposed to make newcomers feel welcome and at home. And what did she do? She turned her back on a pony just because they had stripes and a couple of rumors. She hated to say it… but she was a bigot.

Buck it. The moment she was fully healed, she was going to find this mare herself. Even if she had to go through the Everfree Forest. And she was going to bring her an apology pie.

Satisfied, the earth pony sat down, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Ah think this took a bunch more outa me than ah thought. Let’s go back.”

“Well, that’s good!” Applebloom said, grinning. “Cause we passed the end of the field like… five minutes ago. Yah weren’t listenin’ tah what we said. What were yah thinkin’ about so intensely?”

Applejack blinked and glanced back at the fields of apple trees. Her cheeks turned red and she shook her head. “Nothin’ important. Let’s take a little break an’ then head back.”

Sweetie nodded before darting forward, her head turning back to grip the edge of her backpack. “I knew it was a good idea to bring lunch!” She tore it open, spilling the contents across the floor.

The earth pony picked up one of the sandwiches and stared. Well, she was certain Sweetie wouldn’t be getting a cutie mark in cooking. Who in the world TOASTED a daffodil in a daffodil sandwich?

------

Twilight sneezed, shaking her head. “Ugh, too much dust,” the mare said with a sigh.

“There isn’t any dust,” Moondancer said, her horn glowing. A tissue appeared in front of the earth pony and she took it, wiping off her nose.

“Allergies, then. Pollen? I don’t know,” the mare said with a shrug, before glancing back. Spike was laying across her back, lightly snoring. “I think he had a good day today.”

“Oh, he had the best day. This was a great idea,” the unicorn said with a snicker. “So… how’ve you been feeling?”

“Since… everything? Better. I’ve been feeling better,” she said firmly. “I was really… upset. And angry. But I can kind of understand what happened. Why… Nightmare Moon reacted the way she did. But I’d do it again, if I had to. I CAN’T let her hurt ponies like that. And even if Spike isn’t technically a pony, he’s… at least an honorary one. And… and I won’t stop doing what I’m doing. I know I can only do so much, but I won’t stop. No matter what. I promise,” she said with a grin. “Besides. It’s not like she could throw any more curve balls at us. I think, by now, we have a VERY firm idea of-- What in the buck happened to the castle?” Twilight asked, her mouth falling open.

“… Oh dear...” Moondancer said, before galloping off, the earth pony right behind her.

The castle was covered in cobwebs, with spiders racing about making more. Vampire ponies and fruit bats were hanging from the roofs. The lights were all incredibly dim, allowing shades to be seen flashing in and out of existence as they passed. Purple and black decorations lined the doorways.

Twilight felt dread fill her heart. With all this darkness, with the cobwebs and the decorations, something terrible must have happened. The ruler had to be furious. Had to be--

The pair burst into the throne room and all thoughts ceased.

Nightmare Moon was sitting on the throne, wearing a big, black cape with a high collar.

“Ah, we were wondering where you two had wandered off to. Tell us...” She raised a hoof, her cape flowing behind her. “We know it is quite early… but are you prepared for the true horrors… of our Nightmare Night? Mwa ha ha ha ha ha!” she said, baring her fangs. “For it shall be the GREATEST Nightmare Night any of you ponies have ever seen!”

Moondancer and Twilight stared at her, their mouths falling open. They then stared at each other, confusion on their faces.

“Mnnngg?” Spike asked groggily, slowly raising his head. “What’s with all the racket?”

Author's Notes:

Here you go, something a little softer and lighter for everyone. Also, woo, I finally put in the cameo for the art contest! Yessss! :D Meet Nuclear Blossom!

I also tossed in some cameos from my other stories! See if you can catch them all! Okay, not really. There's just actually one. But it counts! I think. Maybe?

S2 Ch 17: Chocolate Moose

“Well, I’m happy at least one of us finds this amusing,” Twilight said flatly, glaring at Tirek. The centaur was laughing heartily, lounging on his cot.

“Oh, you cannot see the irony? Your ‘great and powerful’ ruler making a fool of herself in such a manner? Truly you ponies lack proper appreciation,” he said with a shake of his head. “Tell me, what other insanity has she sprung?”

“A whole month of Nightmare Night? Not much. Thankfully she’s only doing it in the castle, but… well...”

“Like lemmings...”

“Yep. Now all over Equestria ponies are trying to make THEIR city the grandest of all. I hear Manehatten has created a haunted house that takes up an entire sky scraper. It’s madness. And her highness is… well...”

“Reveling in it?”

“I don’t get it! I had this WHOLE speech I was preparing! How even though they were scared of her, that was part of the fun! That it was all PRETEND fear, like reading a scary book or--”

“Please, cease. I do not need your speech. And apparently, neither does she.”

“UGH! But I have been fretting over it! For weeks! It’s just… ever since that train incident! It’s all… guh.”

“Train incident?” Tirek asked, his voice filled with amusement.

“Oh, right. Dragon… attack. Was all over the papers. The way Nightmare Moon stopped it and protected all of her ponies. It was, well. Probably the biggest positive article on her I’ve seen! And ponies are eating it up. Suddenly she’s not as scary. And all of this, just… she’s doing WELL! Ponies are warming up to her. It’s so, it just, they are like...” She flailed her hooves around. “GAH!”

“And you weren’t the cause?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… it feels… weird. You know? I can’t believe she’s okay with this. I know her. It… it almost feels like she’s a fake. Or a clone. You know?” she asked, shaking her head. “But she’s not. But I just… I don’t know. It’s weird. She went from almost killing Spike to becoming this playful, fun and almost light hearted ruler.”

“… Playful?”

“Okay, fine. But she’s less… angry, all the time. She’s doing amazing, all things considered. It feels… good.”

“Of course ponies are warming up to her.”

“Oh?”

“She is true power, in the most literal sense. The most powerful pony in existence, at this time. Ponies would, of course, find that attractive. Power always, eventually, lures ponies in.”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes. “Is this going to be another ‘join me and become the darkness’ level of speeches? Because I have a list of the different ones you could try. Have you tried the ‘Join me, and your loved ones would be safe’ approach? I hear its quite effective. I have a whole notebook based on ‘but then who will keep them safe from me?’ responses.”

He scowled at her. “You are but an earth pony, you have never tasted true power. If you had, if you were to feel even a fraction of the power that your ruler feels, if you were one of these ‘alicorns’, you would never be able to resist the draw. Power is all that truly matters, and the rest of your kingdom now understands that.”

“Ugh. No. For one, I’ll never taste that kind of power. Alicorns aren’t just made. And two, even if I did, I wouldn’t want it. What could I do with anything like that?”

“Stop Nightmare Moon?” he asked with a wicked smile.

Twilight snorted. “Please. The elements couldn’t stop her, and they are the most powerful relic we have. What could I possibly do to stop her?” she asked, shaking her head. “No. Power doesn’t have to corrupt. But it often falls into the hooves of those who are corrupt. That distinction is important.”

He snorted. “Oh? Do you believe if YOU were to have such power, you would never become like her? Like I? Like Discord?”

“… No. I think I would. I think, eventually, I would become just as corrupt and terrible as either of you.”

The centaur’s smile vanished. “You do?”

“Of course. I’m hardly the epitome of good pony kind. I’m a bit greedy. Also, my ego is huge. Every time I release a new book, I spend days reading over every review like, a dozen times. I’ve been selfish plenty of times. I get distracted easily, fall too far into my work, I--”

“Enough! I do not need your lecture on your failings as well. But you can add ‘blabbermouth’ to that list,” he said with a snort.

“My point is, I don’t want that kind of power because I don’t want to be that kind of pony. I have plenty of flaws. And they’re big enough I can see them. If I had that power, they would be on display for everypony to see. Worse, they would likely affect other ponies, not just me. And I don’t want that. Though, this is a moot point.”

Tirek laughed. “True enough. You’ll never have such power. If you did, you’d sing a different note.”

“I’m scared I would,” she said with a sigh. “Though, that does bring another issue to mind.” She reached into her bag, pulling out a small stack of paper neatly bound together. “Here is the first rough draft. I’d like you to look over it, and tell me if there’s anything in it you hate, want me to add or remove.” She held it out to him.

Tirek took it, staring at the cover. A grin formed on his lips and he gripped it firmly in both hands and--

“And here’s a second for when you decide to tear that one in half to prove how much more important you are.”

The smile vanished and Tirek’s second hand let the book go.

“And a third for when you tear apart the second to try and prove a point that you do not truly care.”

Tirek frowned and tossed the book onto his cot besides him. “Very well, little pony. You’ve made your point.”

“Are you sure? Because Moondancer said she’ll make as many copies as I need to--”

“I will read your silly book. Though I do not care, nor do I see why you would.”

“Of course I care. This is a way for ponies to understand you. To get to know you.”

“And you think this will make them, heh, be less afraid of me?”

“Perhaps. And maybe, one day, you’ll understand who we are and we can be more than just captor and captive. Or, at least, have more visitors than just me.”

The centaur merely sighed. “You dream fanciful, but useless, dreams, little pony. I tire of this conversation.”

Twilight nodded, before turning and trotting away. She stopped halfway up the steps and shook her head. “Sometimes, Tirek… dreams are all we have left.”

------

“Peak-a-boo!” Pinkie said, before flipping on the lights, making the shade disappear.

Two little foals sat in their crib, staring in wonderment.

“Where’d the shade go? Where’s the shade?” And then she turned the light off and the shade reappeared. “There’s the shade!”

The foals squealed in delight at the sight of the strange creature again.

“Ummm… Pinkie? Are you sure that won’t give them nightmares?” Mr. Cake asked, eying the shadowy creature.

“Nonsense!” Pinkie said heartily, grinning at the Shade. “Besides, it’s Rarity’s friend. They’d NEVER do anything to hurt them, would you?”

The Shade didn’t move, it just stared back.

“See?”

“Uh huh… either way. The cupcakes are ready,” Mr. Cake said. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked.

“Of course. What could be better than the scariest cupcakes delivered personally by a shade? Besides, it gives them that nice taste of darkness!” Pinkie said happily, before motioning for the shade to follow her. The creature did. “Thanks a lot for helping us with this, I know Rarity has a lot of work for you to do, it’s really nice of you to help us with this, too.”

The creature didn’t make a sound, merely following her, flickering in and out of existence whenever it passed through the light.

“But I can just tell that you’re a great pony behind all that doom and gloom! I can’t imagine why ponies find you so scary,” the earth pony said before stopping in front of a dozen huge boxes. Inside each box were a few dozen of the BEST cupcakes in the theme of Nightmare Night. She licked her lips, before shaking her head and flipping off the light so the shade would appear. “Okay, so each one has the address on it. These two are going to Manehatten, address is on them. These three are going to Canterlot. And this one is going to Appleoosa! This is the most important one. It has buffalo shapes on it! Thanks! You got all that?”

The shade didn’t say a word, merely stepping forward and gripping the stack in its hooves, only to disappear with it a moment later. Once it was gone, the light flipped on and Mrs. Cake stared at her. “I don’t know HOW you can be so… close with that thing. They creep the bejeebus out of me,” she said with a shudder.

“Who? The shade? Ehhhhh. You get used to them. They’re just really hard to get to laugh. I’ve been trying my hardest with that one, but I can’t even get it to form a smile!”

“It… doesn’t… have a mouth?” Mrs. Cake said, staring.

“It can smile with its eyes! Probably,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “Either way, I will get a smile!”

“Of… course? Oh, about your Nightmare Night party. Are you sure it’s a good idea? I looked over the plan and… well...”

“Yes?” she asked.

“Are you sure hosting it at the library is such a good idea? That’s a lot of ponies and… well...”

“I mean, where else would I host it? Besides, Trixie said it was fine. In fact, she’s SUPER excited to host everypony in Ponyville! So long as I do the decorations. And take care of the food. And she doesn’t have to really do anything but put on one of her shows. But other than that, she’s giddy about the whole thing!”

“… I see,” Mrs. Cake said flatly, staring at the mare with a cocked eye. “I mean… it just seems like...”

“It’ll be fine, I promise. Besides, I’ve never hosted a party with wereponies AND vampire ponies AND Trixie, all at the same time! It’ll be a blast!”

------

Trixie paced around the library. “Blast blast blast!” she said angrily, glancing over to her stage. That stupid pink pony of… of PINKIE-NESS! Trixie hadn’t put more than two seconds of thought into having a party here, what did she care? It was a public space. Ponies walked in all the time and caused all kinds of havoc. Sometimes they broke things. But it wasn’t HER problem.

But now she was going to be putting on a show for the WHOLE TOWN. Many of who didn’t even like her! AND SHE DIDN’T HAVE HER MAGIC ANYMORE! How was she going to do this? How could she POSSIBLY do this? Distracting fillies and colts? Easy.

But these were grown ponies! How was she going to put on a magic show WITHOUT magic? One to take away the breathes of others! One to amaze! One that truly showed how Great and Amazing she was? And no, she definitely was NOT panicking. Or worried. Or scared. Or anything silly like that. “GAHHHH!” she screamed, banging her head on her desk. “Stupid… stupid… there has to be SOME kind of magic… amazing magic...” she muttered, before taking off her hat and staring at it. “I, the Great and Powerful Trixie cannot allow herself to be shown up. EVER! There has to be at least some… way I can...” Slowly, her eyes glanced over to a small tome with an image of a blue flower on the cover. She chuckled gently, picking it up.

“Hmmmm. There… is, I suppose, one type of magic I can still perform… and I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, know just the assistant...”

------

Spike stared into the shop, his eyes glancing down at the small bag of bits he carried. Slowly, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. The unicorn behind the counter glanced up from her magazine and put on her best service smile. “Hello! Welcome to Daisy’s Confectioneries! Is there anything...” The mare trailed off and stared at him. “Wait… aren’t you that dragon who...”

The small dragon tensed up.

“I think Nightmare Moon’s like… pet or something? Or her assistant’s pet?”

“Err… yeah. Something like that,” he said with a light chuckle.

“Cool. Why isn’t she with you?”

“Oh, this is a personal visit,” he said quickly. “I uhhh… wanna buy some gifts for some friends,” he mumbled, walking forward and putting the bag on the counter. He’d wanted to purchase himself something nice but his mind kept going back to how big he’d gotten. How selfish and greedy he’d felt. It was just the start, but what if it happened again?

Besides. The thought of seeing them happy meant a lot more to him than any fancy jewel ever could.

The mare nodded. “Mmm hmmm...” she said before counting the bits out. “So… all of these bits? Or…?”

“Yes, all of them. I really don’t want any change back. Really.”

“Oh, okay,” the mare said, before nodding. “I have just the thing. One second!” she said, turning and trotting back to the back room. Her voice came out a moment later. “I have to say, I didn’t expect to see a dragon in my shop today! Granted, I never expect to see a dragon, any day. Were you here for that dragon attack on Hearts and Hooves day?”

“Err… y-yeah,” Spike said, coughing. “It was… something else.”

“I’ll say. My cousin’s coltfriend’s brother was there. According to him, Nightmare Moon just ran up and held the dragon back all by herself while everypony escaped, before vanquishing it with a wave of her hoof. Incredible, isn’t she?”

“Huh? Oh… yeah. She’s… pretty amazing?”

“Yup. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I miss Celestia dearly. But I haven’t EVER seen Celestia take on a fully grown dragon. Why, it’s like a thing out of a book! It sure makes me feel better knowing our ruler is that kind of pony. I never really liked the dragons, to be honest. Always thought they were a bit troublesome. Why, my aunt’s fiance’s uncle’s best friend lived in a village out north a few years back. A dragon came and blocked out the sky with its smoky breath for weeks before they managed to get it to leave. It’s good to know that Nightmare Moon won’t just stand by and watch that happen, that she takes a more direct approach to dealing with things that cause all of us grief,” she said happily. “Err, no offense.”

“No, a lot of dragons are jerks,” Spike said with a shrug. “It’s fine.”

“Ah, here we go!” the mare said, trotting back out, a baker’s dozen packages in her magic. “Will this be enough?” she asked, giving a big grin.

“Err… that’s plenty. What are they?”

“Chocolate Moose,” she said, before plopping one down and opening it. Inside, was a sculpture of a moose. To his amazement, it started to walk across the counter, doing a few quick laps before she herded it back into its box. “Enchanted with a simple movement charm, as well as a simple cleanliness charm and anti-melting charm. As long as you give them within the month, they’ll be fine,” she said happily. “Would you like them delivered?”

He blinked and opened his mouth, before stopping. He wanted to give them to his friends, but now that he thought about it, what if they tried to give him something in return? What if it started another cycle of greed and selfishness. But… there were a few ponies he wanted to give them to. He gave a nod. “Deliver them, please.”

The mare nodded and then pulled out a notebook. “Okay, please put the addresses and names right here, and any notes you want to give them, okay?”

He nodded, before stopping. “I’ll, uhhh, deliver three on my own.”

“That’s fine, dear.”

He nodded, staring. He supposed those seven ponies were his friends. That left six more. He perked up and decided to send an extra to Fluttershy, one marked for ‘D’. After all, he supposed he did owe the spirit his life. He could send two to Twilight’s family.

Which still left three more. He supposed he could have one. Two more… He chewed on the end of the pen before perking up, an idea jumping to his mind. “Actually, I’ll be taking five with me. Here!”

The mare nodded, then frowned when she looked over the list. “Well, there’s seven names and addresses here. What about the last one?”

“Oh, it’s for you, thanks for helping me select a gift!”

The mare stopped, staring at the dragon. She was so stunned she could only stammer out a small good bye when he raced out the door with his haul. She finally sighed. “What a wonderful creature… maybe the dragons aren’t as bad as I thought...” she mumbled, staring at the remaining boxes.

------

“Oh Spikey-Wikey… you didn’t need to do this,” Rarity said, smiling at the small package.

“Spike, those bits were for you, not for you to get us something,” Moondancer said, shaking her head.

Twilight couldn’t say anything, all she could do was smile in spite of herself. After the incident on the train, she was worried he wouldn’t be the dragon she’d come to know. So caring and kind, so helpful. But she slowly picked up the package in both her hooves. “Thank you, Spike. This is incredibly generous. I… really don’t know what to say,” she finally said.

“You don’t need to say anything. It’s a gift, right? So… I just wanted to get you all something. For everything. And because you’re my friends. So just… accept them. Okay?”

The three shared looks, before giving nods.

He let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks! Bye!” he said, before running off. He felt a soft, warm glow in his heart though. The smiles on their faces. And more importantly, he’d seen pride in the eyes of Twilight. She was proud of him, and he knew it even without her saying it. He’d done a good thing. A great thing. And he wanted to do even more. He carried the last one through the castle, a happy grin on his face. He soon nodded to the guards, making his way deep down, into the dungeons.

When he neared the bottom, he heard a groan. “Ugh. Have you come again to torment me, bard?” Tirek’s voice echoed through the dungeons.

“Not her!” Spike called.

The centaur glanced over, confusion soon replaced with amusement. “Ah. Did she send you? Too busy to come herself? I can… hm?” he asked, eying the package.

Spike walked forward, sliding the package between the bars. “Here. It’s a gift.”

“… A gift? Why? What do you want in return?”

“Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “I wanted to give you a gift, as thanks for helping Twilight.”

“Helping her? Please. I’ve merely been amusing her. It was--”

“She enjoyed it. She likes that kind of stuff, learning, listening. It’s kind of boring, but it makes her happy. So thanks for humoring her,” Spike interrupted, cutting the centaur off. He then turned and made his way back towards the stairs. “I won’t keep bothering you. I just wanted to say thanks! So bye!”

Tirek stared at the dragon, watching him go up the stairs. He then, slowly, reached out and grabbed the gift, opening it to reveal the chocolate moose inside. He gave a light snort. The day a dragon, of all things, would give a gift. He never thought he’d see such an oddity. He sighed, watching the small confectionery trot around his cell.

Then, slowly, he reached out to grab the book Twilight had left. He was bored, anyway. He might as well amuse himself.

------

Spike sat on Twilight’s bed, licking his lips and slowly beginning to unwrap the last moose. He’d given a lot of gifts today, it was time for him to earn his reward. This whole gift giving thing was pretty nice, maybe he should try and get more bits so he could give more bits. And the occasional gift for himself.

There was a light knock on the door, making him pause. He gave a light growl of frustration, but got to his claws and walked to the door, pulling it open. “Twilight’s not here, she’s--” The words caught in his throat and he stared at the pony, no, ALICORN outside the door.

The ruler stared down at him and he barely resisted the urge to pee himself. Those cold, cruel eyes glaring down at him. Finally, she spoke. “Hello… dragon. I see you are still… here.”

“Y-yes?” he said softly, wishing he was anywhere but here.

“Even after the ordeal with the train, she hasn’t moved you somewhere less… close. A shame.”

Spike gulped. Was he going to die? He felt like he was going to die. “T-Twilight is with, umm, R-Rarity and Moondancer. S-she should be b-back soon.”

The ruler nodded, glaring at him. “I see. Very well. I will procure her assistance then. Good… day.”

Spike didn’t know WHY he said what he said next. It just came out. “Err, what do you need help with? Maybe I can help?”

The alicorn paused in mid turn, before glancing back to him. “What aid could you possibly give me, dragon?”

“I don’t know. I’m told I’m pretty smart and a really good pony. If I was one.”

Nightmare Moon just stared, trying to wrap her head around that statement. Finally, she spoke up again. “You are not a pony.”

“But I am a pony assistant,” he added quickly.

“An assistant to a pony, that does not...” She trailed off before sighing. “Oh, very well. It is not as if you could do any worse. May we come in?”

“Sure,” he said, moving aside so the alicorn could come inside. Once her back was to him, he reached up and nervously chewed on the tips of his claws. Nightmare Moon WAS IN THEIR ROOM! Where was Twilight when he needed her?! Why did he offer to HELP her of all ponies? GO AWAY!

Instead, he walked to the bed and hopped on it, standing so he could look her in the eye. “Soooo… err. What’s wrong? It must be pretty important if you’re here, right?”

“Yes. No. We are just… unsure. This celebration. It...” The ruler trailed off. “Nightmare Night. It is… ponies are to be… frightened. Yes? That is the goal?”

“Yep. Well, and to wear silly costumes and get free candy. I’m looking forward to that part.”

“Yes. That is… understandable. But… why? Is not one’s goal to not be frightened?”

“Errr… I guess...”

“So why do ponies wish to be frightened? Why must we pretend to… enjoy these games?”

“Uhhhhhh...” Spike trailed off. To be honest, he didn’t know. Finally he came up with what he felt was a logical conclusion. “Because it’s not real?”

“Not real?”

“Yeah. Like the boogy mare. Or the scale shiverer. It’s a made up story to scare ponies. But none of it’s real. It’s all supposed to like, give adults a way to scare foals into doing what they want. You know?”

The ruler nodded. “And so… the goal is to… scare the foals into submission?”

“Yeah!” Spike said with a nod.

“We… see. Yes. We suppose that makes sense. But why the candy, then?”

“Ummm… so the foals know it’s not really serious and get something out of it?”

“… Yes. Yes, of course. That all makes sense,” the ruler said, relaxing a little. “So they are not truly scared of us. Just of the… pretend monsters.”

“Exactly!” Spike said with a nod. He then eyed the alicorn. She did still seem a bit upset. Nervous.

Then his eyes drifted down. Slowly, he bent down and picked up the last box, holding it out. “Here. I think you could use this more than me.”

“… What?” the alicorn asked. She took it in her magic, opening it slowly. She stared in bewilderment at the moose within. “It’s… a toy?”

“It’s a candy.”

“… Why would we desire candy?”

He shrugged. “It’s a gift, take it or leave it.”

The alicorn stared at it for the longest time. Finally, she turned to Spike. “We tried to kill you. If not for… our bard and Discord, we would have. Why would you give us a gift?”

“… I don’t know. It feels good to make other ponies feel happy? Do you want it or not?”

The alicorn stared at him, then back at the chocolate. For a long moment there was silence and the dragon began to worry he might have overstepped his bounds. Finally, she shook her head and turned, heading towards the exit. “We… would like it. Thank you, Spike. For this gift.”

“Err, yeah, anytime,” he said, watching her go and sighing. He plopped down onto his butt and eyed where his treat had been. He thought he’d feel bad, losing his last one. But he really didn’t. It felt good to give like that. And even if she was a terrible, scary, mean, nasty pony, he really felt she needed it then. Even more than he did. Though he still wished he’d kept one more for himself.

“Spike!” Twilight shouted, galloping into the room, her gift balanced on her back. Her worry quickly turned to relief when she saw him sitting on the bed. “Oh, thank heavens, you’re okay.” She trotted over, lightly tossing the package on the bed.

“Err… yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I saw Nightmare Moon coming down from my room, I thought she’d… I mean...”

“Oh, no, she was just asking for some advice. She didn’t do anything to me.”

“Oh… oh thank goodness,” the earth pony said, hopping onto the bed and sitting next to him. “Done giving out all your gifts?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It felt nice.”

She gave a light chuckle. “That was a really nice thing you did, Spike. Using your first bits on other ponies.”

“Eh, it wasn’t a big deal,” he said with a shrug. “If I want anything, I can usually just get it from the kitchen. You ponies put too much value on stuff, anyway.”

The earth pony chuckled, before glancing to her gift, reaching out a hoof to begin unwrapping it. “You’re an amazing dragon, Spike. And a wonderful assistant. And you know what? I think you’ve learned a lot about ponies since coming here.” She finished opening it, revealing the moose within. “But I think there’s one important pony tradition you’ve yet to have experienced.”

Spike eyed the moose hungrily, before shaking his head and turning back up to her. “Huh? What’s that?”

“Gifted chocolate is delicious, but there’s one thing even better.”

“Oh?”

“Chocolate shared with a friend,” she said, catching the moose in her hooves and snapping off one of the horns. Instantly, the movement charm ended and the chocolate treat went still.

Spike took the chocolate and smiled up at her. “I think I’ll like this tradition.”

“I thought you might.”

Author's Notes:

And here it is, the last post of the week! Whew, I almsot wasn't able to get this one done. But eeee, I have! :D I hope you're all enjoying it...

>.>

To be honest, I think Spikey-wikey is sweeter than any chocolate.

S2 Ch 18. Radiance

Trixie paced back and forth, occasionally glancing at the boiling pot. She couldn’t believe how nervous she was. She felt like she was going to have a full on panic attack. Imagine, her, the Great and Powerful Trixie, having a panic attack! So mundane, it was pathetic! But her performance had to be PERFECT!

She trotted out into the main area and took a look around. All the books had been moved to the back area, where they’d be safe and sound (not that she cared, but she had a feeling that that earth pony, Starbutt or whatever her name was, would show up and the LAST thing she needed was a pony having an aneurism over that.) Pinkie had setup all manners of decorations and treats on the shelves themselves, to be brought out when the time came.

She eyed a cupcake and reached out with her magic to snag it… only to remember with a sad sigh that she didn’t HAVE magic. Well, her year was almost up. She grabbed one of them off the platter and rolled the idea inside her head. Soon she could be a REAL performer again. She then glanced to her stage and let out a soft, gentle sigh.

The mayor’s idea. She’d had some craftponies come and extend it. While before it had been a bit rinky dinky, having been a quick setup one she’d used for her street shows, this new stage was almost twice the size and took up the whole back wall, with full curtains and everything. This place was beginning to feel less like a library and more like a full, proper bastion of entertainment. A place truly worthy of her brilliance.

Not that she, the Great and Powerful Trixie could ever be satisfied in such a small and tiny town. Why, she was born to travel, to perform only the greatest shows of all time! To tour Canterlot to Manehatten as Equestria’s, no, the WORLD’S greatest performer. But, she supposed this place was okay. For now.

The door opened and a small, brown colt walked in. “Heyyy, Trixie?” the colt asked.

The unicorn glanced over. “Hmmm? Leverpull, right?” she asked.

“Buttonmash,” he said quickly. “Did you get that book I ordered?”

“Oh, right. One second,” she said, trotting into the back room. She glanced around before settling on a small stack of items to be picked up, grabbing his small magazine and eyeing it for a moment. Video game tips and tricks. She rolled her eyes before gripping another book. She shrugged and walked back, tossing it to him.

“Yay!” the stallion said happily. “Thanks! You’re the best! Huh? What’s this?”

She shrugged. “You’re always getting those books on video games. That’s some book about some mare who gets stuck in virtual reality or… something. I don’t know. You’ll probably like it, though. Just make sure you come to my show tonight. Don’t forget about it with your new book,” she warned.

“Never! You always put on the best shows,” the colt said, looking over the book she’d picked out for him.

“Of course I do! For I am the--”

“Great and Powerful Trixie, the greatest performer in Equestria!” he cut her off, before trotting off.

The unicorn couldn’t help but grin. It seemed that the colts and fillies of this small town WERE learning to treat her with the respect deserved by one of her grand talents. Now if only a certain OTHER pony could remember to treat her as such.

A knock on the door made her dash over, quickly opening it. Her grin only grew when she saw the cloaked pony, their features hidden. “Yessssss. This is going to be the BEST performance of my life!” she said, motioning for them to come in.

------

This was all going to go terrible. There was no avoiding it. There was absolutely no possible way this couldn’t end disastrously. “Y-your highness, I just mean that, err, your presence might be a bit… grand for most ponies.”

“Nonsense,” Nightmare Moon said, shaking her head. “You and Moondancer have been speaking of this event for days. It has been a while since we have made a grand entrance into the village of Ponyville.”

Twilight gave Moondancer a pleading look. “Err… but your highness. There’s going to be a performance and uhhh… it’ll hardly be worthy of your presence.”

The ruler hummed, eying herself in the mirror. She did tower over the other ponies. On top of that, for once she did not wish to draw all of the attention to herself. She desired to see how the ponies would react, WITHOUT her being there.

“Perhaps you are right.”

The two ponies let out a sigh of relief.

“We will need a disguise. A simple illusion spell should do it.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asked.

A moment later and the ruler was enveloped in a bright light. Then, in her place, stood a much smaller Nightmare Moon. Rather that a star filled mane, however, it was long and purple, with little white sparkles. “There. This should confound all who would believe us more than a normal pony, no?”

Twilight stared, her mouth open. No no no. She looked to her comrade, trying to find SOME way to get around this.

The unicorn just shrugged, a look of bafflement on her face. “But, err, hiding your grandiose presence, isn’t that a bit--”

“Nonsense. We will, for this night alone, be just a normal pony. This shall be quite fun.” She then coughed and cleared her throat. “I will have a lot of fun. Now then. Shall we? I am quite looking forward to taking the train. I have never taken it as a normal pony before. We shall, I mean, I shall enjoy looking upon my kingdom from this form.” With those words, the mare trotted out the door.

“We’re so doomed, aren’t we?” Twilight asked.

“Oh buck we are,” Moondancer said, shaking her head. “Oh, by the way. Your Starswirl the Bearded costume is amazing. You did such a good job, so historically accurate.”

“Thank you! I spent weeks on it. Your Mistmane is breath taking, I love how you got your mane to flow like that.”

“Thank you, it was a simple wind blowing enchantment, very popular in movies these days.”

“If you two are both done complimenting each other’s costumes, we should get this train wreck going,” Spike said, crossing his arms.

Twilight snickered, moving to pick up the dragon, who was DRESSED as a dragon, and toss him onto her back. “Fine, fine. Don’t worry, you’ll still get candy, either way. Assuming we all survive tonight.”

------

Moondancer couldn’t help feeling like it was a large cosmic joke the universe was throwing at them. They’d managed to make it all the way to Ponyville without a single bad comment. In fact, their ruler was having fun. She was at least the eighth pony tonight they’d seen in a ‘Nightmare Moon’ costume. She’d even been complimented on it a hoofful of times.

She’d expected drama, issues, somepony screaming. Or somepony telling them how the costume was in poor taste. Or literally any of a thousand things that could go wrong. Would go wrong. SHOULD have gone wrong.

But nothing was. Nightmare Moon’s ‘costume’ was fine, nopony was freaked out, worried or even the slightest bit concerned as their current ruler walked the streets amongst them, the same as any other pony. She was finding herself able to actually relax, without any large kerfluffles. Of course, she still couldn’t stop the spike of anxiety when they trotted towards the library.

Somehow, the powerful, strong tree that made up the library managed to look old and decrepit, the branches covered in webbing and she swore she saw… things scattering along the branches. She focused on them and rolled her eyes when she realized it was a couple of squirrels running about, making the leaves rustle while wearing cute little dark costumes to make them difficult to see. A clever trick, at least. A crowd had gathered outside, waiting for the show to start, even a few foals cutting back on their trick or treat time for the show. Correction. A LOT of colts and fillies. She couldn’t help being a little surprised at just how many were here, she’d have expected them all to be still getting free candy. Trixie’s show must have been quite the crowd drawer.

The small group walked to the tree and she let out a soft gasp. It didn’t look anything LIKE a library on the inside. The majority of the floor was taken up by rows and rows of chairs and, in the back, there was a massive stage. She couldn’t believe they managed to fit all of it in, but there didn’t seem to be much room for anything else. No wonder everypony was outside. The shelves that were built into the walls were covered in decorations of all horrific sorts, drawing another gasp from the mare.

“Hey, Moondancer! Twilight!” a voice called out, making the three ponies and dragon turn heads. Rainbow trotted towards them, in a wonderbolt costume. “Having fun?” she asked, a wicked grin on her lips. “Who’s your friend?” she asked, glancing towards Nightmare Moon.

“She’s--” Moondancer started.

“Radiance,” Nightmare Moon cut her off, drawing a look from her escorts. “A pleasure.”

“Hey, Radiance. Great costume you got there, look almost like her. Heh.”

“She’s a… fan,” Twilight said, giving her ruler an odd look. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Been enjoying the Shadowbolts?”

“Oh yeah. Been doing some things. Top secret, though. Can’t give any details. But it was awwwwwwesome!” Rainbow said with a snicker, then frowned. “Huh. I wonder if telling you it was top secret is bad? Eh. Whatever. I did a sonic rainboom, though. It was totally awesome. I’ll show you later, okay? The Shadowbolts almost dropped their jaws when they saw me do it.”

“Wait, an ACTUAL sonic rainboom? You can do that? But… they’re impossible!” Moondancer said, staring.

“I mean, theoretically, they’re possible,” Twilight said, frowning. “But in my classes on pegasus flight say it would require not just amazing--”

Rainbow groaned and motioned with her hoof, quickly cutting off the impending lecture. “Twilight. Guess what?”

The earth pony cocked her head to the side. “Wh--”

A terrifying crash echoed behind the group, making them leap into the air in fright, before crashing down.

“W-w-what?!” Nightmare Moon roared, her horn glowing.

Shadowfang towered over them, on top of a small thunder cloud. He wore a matching wonderbolt uniform. He snorted into his hoof while Rainbow roared with laughter. “Gotcha,” he said with a laugh.

“Oh, very funny!” Moondancer snapped, nervously glancing towards the hidden alicorn. However, the anger slowly faded from her face.

“I… see. This is a prank, yes?” the mare asked.

“’This is a prank’?” Rainbow asked in a teasing tone. “Heck yeah! It’s Nightmare Night! Best night for pranks! Oh, right. I’m Rainbow Dash, I’m sure you’ve heard of me.”

“… Your reputation proceeds you,” Nightmare Moon said, her voice cold.

“And this is my friend, Ferret,” she said, motioning to the other pegasus, who stopped chuckling immediately.

“It’s RACCOON! I mean, Shadowfang! And I’m not a, ugh!” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Oh! Your were-form is of a ferret?” Twilight asked, her eyes glimmering. “That’s amazing! I didn’t know--”

“It’s of a raccoon. And--”

“And oh my gosh he let me see it. And he is adorable,” Rainbow said, teasing him relentlessly.

“I am not adorable! I only showed it to you so you’d STOP saying how adorable it was! Which it is not! I am a big, scary were-raccoon when I turn!”

“Fluttershy literally had you eating berries out of her hoof.”

“That’s not fair! Fluttershy has… weird… things about her. Even before being a vampire!”

“Speaking of, where IS Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow sighed. “Ugh. She HATES Nightmare Night. She locked herself up in her cabin. Such a scaredy cat. Bat? Scaredy bat. Either way, you won’t see her tonight. It’s just us tonight. Applejack might be back later, but Sweet Apple Acres usually does some Nightmare Night thingies to scare ponies, so I wouldn’t count on it. Might swing by there after the show, it’ll be awesome. Pinkie is… well. She’ll be here later. Once the show starts, I’m sure. And Rarity got invited to some silly masked event. Some fancy, hoity toity thing. I don’t know.”

“Oh...” Twilight said softly. “Interesting...”

“We almost didn’t come, either,” Shadowfang said, lounging on his cloud. “But Rainbow beggggged.”

The other pegasus rolled her eyes. “No. I told you that Pinkie threw the best. Parties. EVER. And any show SHE helped setup HAD to be worth it. And I said you could come if you wanted. But ONLY if you helped me prank some ponies. Speaking of, let’s go get the mayor,” she said, before trotting off, the stallion dragging the cloud after her.

“… That was… an experience,” Twilight said softly.

“Radiance?” Moondancer asked.

“It would hardly be a… fitting disguise if you two gave it away, no?” Nightmare Moon asked. “We must keep ourselves hidden. Besides. This… Radiance may prove useful in the future. There is no telling when we will need to hide ourselves and move amongst the common ponies.”

Twilight nodded, another sense of dread washing over her. She could already feel the disaster looming.

Spike, meanwhile, just shrugged. “Kind of an egotistical name, if you ask me. Ponies might figure it out.”

Nightmare Moon paused, glaring at the dragon. For a few moments, the bard and student feared that he had stepped too forward, but then the ruler sighed. “No. You are right. We should have prepared such a name before arriving here. Perhaps when next we need a name for such an occasion, we will prepare it sooner.”

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “So… shall we go and mingle?”

Moondancer nodded. However, her eyes were drawn back to the tree. “Your… highness.”

“Yes?”

“The year is almost up.”

“Year? What year?”

“Trixie’s punishment. Perhaps… it would be a good idea to return her magic tonight. If she is… I mean. You did say a year. And she hasn’t caused any more troubles as far as I’ve heard.”

“Apparently she’s brought up attendance at the library,” Twilight grumbled with annoyance. “And the turn over rate on the books.”

“See?” Moondancer offered. “So… maybe it’s a good time to return her magic?”

The ruler sighed and closed her eyes. Finally, she nodded. “Very well. If this show goes… well. We see no reason to not release her from her punishment. If she has learned her lesson, there is no need for us to punish her further.”

“Ponies of the night, please focus on me all of your sight,” a voice called out. From the doorway, a flash of smoke flowed out. Stepping from the cloud, a cloaked pony stood. “On this evening of great fright, you have all traveled here upon your own might...” the mare’s voice echoed through the crowd ominously, everypony going still and listening to the words. “You come here without error, to fill your hearts with terror. So without further ado, I merely ask a simple thing from all of you. Proceed within and fill the tree so tight that there would be no room even for a pixie… and prepare your applause for the Great and Powerful Trixie.” With those final words, there was a second flash of smoke and then the pony was gone.

Twilight stared for the longest moment, her mouth falling open. “Was… that...”

“Come on, let’s go!” Rainbow said, darting past with Shadowfang close behind.

The show was about to begin.

Author's Notes:

And so Nightmare Night begins. I hope you're all ready for the show... Mwa ha ha ha ha.

Also, as an aside, I have now begun the FINAL chapter of this season(chapter 27). If my pace continues, posting one chapter a day, monday-friday, that means... Next friday should be the FINAL chapter for this season! After which, I'll be taking a short break, either to work on the next and final book of Avatar, or to work on an original work. Either way, this means the story will be taking a break of about a month or two. I WILL, however, be returning, pending some like... disaster/thing that stops me from writing.

For those worried I'll disappear for another two years or so... well... ummmm... if it comes to the point I am unable to finish this story, I'll be posting a full log of the 'notes' for how the story was supposed to proceed. There are still about 2 seasons left and almost 30 sections left in my notes, so like... in theory, it hopefully won't hit that point again. I hope. Especially since each 'season' is about a month of work.

If you'd like to keep up to date fully on the situation as things change, please feel free to come to my discord! I'll be trying to keep everything up to date and going well there. As always, thanks for reading and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.

S2 Ch 19: A show to remember

Trixie gulped, staring through the curtain at the crowd of ponies. Oh, this was going to be an experience, alright. She glanced over at her assistant and let out a small smile. “While… normally we would not ever need the assistance of another… without our magic, we do admit that you have proven quite invaluable.”

Zecora merely snorted. “We accept your attempts at gratitude, though please do not mistake our reasoning. It is merely that we have heard ponies speak of your shows and we desired to merely add our own seasoning.”

“… You have the most interesting way of speaking. Have you ever considered a life in show business? If you’d like to become my assistant again, the Great and Powerful Trixie could always be generous enough to allow you a full time position.”

The zebra merely shook her head and laughed, before stepping back towards a cooking cauldron. She then gestured towards five small, different colored potions in vials. “The first half of your act is prepared chemically, just remember do not drink, only coat with the remedy.”

“Yes, yes,” the unicorn said, before trotting over to them and sliding the five vials into her hat. “I’m a professional, I assure you. Now, would you mind?”

Zecora nodded and reached over, gripping the rope of the curtain and giving it a great tug.

Trixie threw down some smoke pellets, which exploded while the curtain opened, allowing her to step forward into the spotlight. The crowd stared at her and she felt the thrill begin to course through her. The excitement. The wonder. It was time to trick all of these ponies. To make them believe that yes, magic was real.

Well, of course magic was real. But that HER magic was real. Even if it was gone, that didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of great acts to make them cheer. To make their blood freeze. To make them jump up and shriek with excitement. She was the greatest performer in Equestria and she would NOT let something as trivial as not having her magic stop her from blowing all of them away. “Fillies and gentle colts! I hope you are all ready to be wondered and amazed at the magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Tonight, before your very eyes I will put on a show like none other!” She then flipped her hat off in one hoof, popping a bottle off one of the vials. Dark, purple smoke began to flow freely out. “For tonight, I will show you the greatest frights and terrors you have ever seen. The beasties that lie in wait, preparing to snatch up little ponies who travel too closely to their homes...”

The lights, on cue, began to dim. The smoke above began to swirl. She reached a hoof out, moving it through the smoke as she had learned from Zecora. She made a mental note to add the zebra as at least a foot note when she made her memoirs. Maybe a few sentences in a chapter. Possibly.

Glowing red eyes seemed to form from the smoke, before shaping into a cold, wicked looking dark, purple pony that flowed across the room, swirling over the heads of the crowd. “Creatures such as the Windigo, the great spirits that feed off the hatred and violence of ponies everywhere. Creatures that chill the bones of even the bravest pony...”

------

Twilight let out a soft gasp, her eyes wide with wonder. “I can’t believe it. Trixie knows how to make a shifting draught,” she whispered.

“A what?” Spike and Nightmare Moon asked.

“Oh, it’s a potion designed, originally, for making cloud letters,” Moondancer started, letting out a gasp when the ‘windigo’ galloped by. “Created by the pegasi about five hundred years ago. It’s very difficult to make, but very useful for modern weather shaping. As a matter of fact, the biggest display of it was made five years ago during the--”

Nightmare Moon and Spike rolled their eyes and gave each other a look. “Eggheads,” they said in unison.

“We’re not eggheads!” Moondancer and Twilight said in unison, before sharing a look and blushing.

“I wrote a report on it when I was going for my minor in weather patterns...” Twilight mumbled softly.

“And I was there at the display and studied up on it, then,” Moondancer added.

Spike let out a low whistle when the Windigo disappeared. “Ohhhh, what’s she doing now?”

“Now, my little ponies,” Trixie said, a dark mist swirling around the unicorn. “I am sure you’ve all come to accept the night. And you’ve learned of things such as wereponies, vampires and shades. Some of you, foalish ponies, even believe they are worth fearing. Worth truly being frightened of… well. Of that, you are wrong.” She reached back into her hat and popped open another vial. Dark, red vapor flowed from her hat, spilling out across the stage and enveloping the crowd.

“For there are far, far more terrifying things that go bounce in the night. Monsters that your pony minds could barely comprehend. For example… the terrifying hoof snatchers.” The unicorn let out a low, wicked laugh that seemed to echo through the room.

Twilight rolled her eyes. Why would there-- “EEEEEEK!” she shrieked when something raced across her hooves. Something small and red in the dark, swirling mist. Judging by the reaction of other ponies, she wasn’t the only one who had such an experience.

Moondancer’s horn glowed and she caught one… revealing a small squirrel in a tiny red cape. She quickly let it go, letting out a low chuckle. “I have to say, she does have a way of putting on a show. I don’t know how she got squirrels to help her...” She trailed off when she realized the answer. Fluttershy. It had to be.

The earth pony nodded, relaxing and staring up at the display. She was beginning to understand why so many ponies were coming to these shows to view the Great and Powerful Trixie. As boastful as the mare was, she did have a flare for the grand.

------

Trixie grinned happily, small beads of sweat forming on her brow from the long performance. All five potions in her hat, along with half a dozen other tricks of hers, had now been performed and the ponies were on the edge of their seats, staring with wonder, excitement and, best of all, fear. This was probably the greatest show she had ever put on.

And it sent a small jolt through her heart when she realized she KNEW half these ponies and half of them knew her. Recognized her. And yet stared at her with such awe. Now? Now it was time for the grand finale. She gave another quick look over the crowd. Good. Nightmare Moon herself wasn’t here. She could perform her next act without fear of repercussions.

“Now then, my little ponies...” she said softly, stepping into the center of the stage. She glanced back at Zecora, who was stirring her pot. The zebra sniffed the brew, before nodding. She tossed a green vial into the pot and a thick, inky black smoke began to rise up. “It’s time for you to see the true terror of this night. However, this is not for the faint of heart. For this is a monster you all know quite well. One that makes even the bravest pony curl up with fear and tremble.” She gave a loud, wicked laugh. “Ah ha ha ha! Do you have the courage? The bravery? Do you have the will to face the most terrifying creature of all? Those who are afraid, please. Depart. Nopony will think less of you. Nopony will mock you. For this, my dear ponies… is where true terror begins.”

Nopony moved. They all just stared with rapt attention as the smoke rose above, billowing and swirling. “Very well. The greatest, most terrifying creature of all. A monster that none can stand against.” She made the signal for Zecora. Dark, purple clouds enveloped her.

------

Twilight’s eyes widened when the smoke began to clear. No no no. Oh no. Please no. But it was. It could be nothing else.

“Nightmare Moon.”

On the stage, Trixie was standing. Except she had been transformed. Her mane glimmered. Wings(likely fake but heavily masked by the smoke) stood out by her side. She towered over the ponies(though her hooves were hidden by the darkness and smoke as well, Twilight suspected she was on stilts.) She had great, gnashing teeth. “Our ruler of the night, a creature that none can hope to stand against!”

Ponies in the front row screamed and toppled back in their chairs when the pony moved forward. Trixie disappeared and a dark, pony shaped mist flowed through the crowd, drawing more screams of fright when its damp coldness washed over them.

Until, eventually, it too faded. The lights came back on and Trixie stood on the stage, completely back to normal, lightly panting but standing firm and strong. The dark clouds were quickly beginning to evaporate. The crowd was a mess, some ponies having even fled the library entirely. Many others had fallen over and scrambled to their hooves. But the reaction was obvious.

Ponies began to cheer wildly, stomping their hooves at her performance.

Trixie stared for a moment, before bowing her head. “Thank you, thank you. You have all been an audience worthy of the Great and Powerful Trixie. And please, keep pounding your hooves for my Spectacular and Delightful assistant, Zecora!” the mare called, motioning for the zebra to trot on stage.

Zecora, albeit nervously, stepped forward and bowed her head. There were a few shocked gasps, but the pounding continued.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t as bad as she’d expected. It had obviously just been an act. Maybe it--

Her thoughts were stopped when she looked over to Nightmare Moon and found the mare wasn’t there at all. Her eyes caught Moondancer’s and the two shared looks of terror.

Oh no.

------

Trixie let out a soft, exhausted sigh when she trotted off the stage and to the backroom, the crowd still stomping their hooves. She’d performed a spectacular show and now it was time to enjoy the fruits of her labors, namely the curtain was down and she was going to get some rest. And dream about her show. One worthy of her name. One even worthy of how SHE saw her name. And the crowd had gobbled it up. It was--

“Quite an interesting performance,” a voice said, a voice that sent a chill down her spine. One Trixie had heard in her nightmares more times than she could count. Slowly, the unicorn’s gaze was drawn up to the ruler of Equestria, who stood on the platform high above the rest of the room, that held her bed.

“Y-your highness. E-err… you saw it? I uhhh… didn’t… see you in the crowd.” She gave a nervous gulp. Funny, she’d imagined the mare might be a little annoyed by the display, but she’d had a thousand excuses. Now they all felt insufficient when she stared into the eyes of that great, powerful mare. “What, errr, d-did you think?”

“It was incredible, we will not deny,” the alicorn said, her lips in a cruel, wicked smile that revealed her sharp, narrow fangs. “Even without your magic, it seems you have more than a few tricks up your sleeves.”

“W-well, I try, your highness. So… you enjoyed it?” Trixie felt relief begin to flow through her. Maybe the ruler wasn’t so mad at her little joke.

“Oh, we did. Most of it… at least...” With a flash of dark magic, the alicorn disappeared and reappeared in front of the unicorn. “So… WE are the greatest monster in Equestria, then?”

“Y-yes, I mean, no, I mean, i-it’s just a show. You know, Nightmare Night, r-right? Leave out candy f-for Nightmare Moon, hope she doesn’t g-gobble you up, a-all that. Your highness? It’s all make believe a-and pretend and--”

“We were wrong about you, Trixie,” the alicorn hissed, stepping forward and towering over the unicorn. “We believed that, perhaps, you would learn your lesson. That you would… that you COULD learn to respect your ruler. To treat her the way she deserves… it seems we were wrong.”

Trixie whimpered. “Y-your highness. I-I meant no disrespect. I-I was merely performing a--”

“A mockery of us? Yet again. Did you think that performing it away from our city would spare you? That we would ignore a SECOND mistake? We will not be so merciful this time, pony...” she growled. “For your deeds against the crown, Trixie. We hereby banish you from Equestria!” Trixie felt her entire world begin to crumble around her. “You shall be sent away, where nopony will ever hear of your treacherous--”

The door banged open and a swarm of colts and fillies came bounding in. “Trixie, Trixie! That was amazing!” the ponies shrieked. Only to pause at the sight of the true Nightmare Moon.

The alicorn gave pause, staring at her smallest subjects. Trixie merely gulped, her entire body shaking.

Finally, a voice spoke out. “Oh my gosh! Is that the real Nightmare Moon?!” Button cried, galloping forward.

The alicorn let out a startled cry when she was suddenly swarmed by the little ponies, her eyes widening when they poked and prodded at her. “Can you show us your fangs? Can you really turn into shadows? Do you actually eat ponies?”

The ruler just stared in bafflement, trying to spit out answers in response, but struggling under the deluge of foalish curiosity. “W-why are you not frightened of us?” she asked in bafflement, not getting a response from the excited ponies, only more questions.

------

Nightmare Moon stared in wonder, the last of the foals leaving out the door. Finally, she turned to Trixie, her eyes narrowed. “Explain, mare. They were terrified of us in there. Why were they not, now?”

The unicorn gulped. “Because the lights are on in here? Because you’re not supposed to be scary, now? Because it was all entertainment and, at the end of the day, they know the REAL Nightmare Moon is their ruler and protects them, doesn’t eat them?” she offered, all those excuses flowing back into her mind. She gave a mental thanks to all those ponies who had given her a chance to prepare.

“W-what?”

“It’s Nightmare Night. Ponies WANT to be scared. That’s why I play it up,” the mare said. “The ‘eating foals’ thing, stuff like that? It’s all made up to scare ponies. And they know that none of it’s true. In the darkness, it makes sense. But when you’re just here, in the light?” Trixie motioned to the lights around the room. “You’re… well, just a pony. And kind of their ruler. They… suspect you won’t hurt them. It’s why making you the ‘scariest thing’ is so effective. Ponies believe you won’t really hurt them, so they can let go and pretend you’re a big, terrifying monster. If you ran outside and crept in the shadows, they’d be just as scared. Because they WANT to be scared tonight.”

The ruler stared at the doorway, then back to the unicorn. “They… aren’t… truly frightened of us, then?”

“Well, I mean… not… as much as they probably should be...” Trixie mumbled softly.

The alicorn stared at her for the longest moment. Then she began to, lightly, chuckle.

“Y-your highness?”

“We were wrong, little pony. And we are sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“Your performance was magnificent. And we were quite entertained. Though… we suspect we had miss understood the finale.”

“O-oh, err, well, thank you, your highness. Does… that mean… I won’t be banished?” Trixie asked, her voice filled with hope.

“No, you shall not.”

Trixie let out a sigh of relief.

“However. There is still the matter of your-”

“Y-your highness!” Twilight said, bursting into the room, Moondancer right behind her. The earth pony’s heart was hammering, she couldn’t believe Zecora had refused to let them in until all the foals had left. “O-oh thank heavens. Your highness, w-we heard that you--”

“Yes. We are here. We were discussing things with our subject.”

“Y-your highness, before you do anything, I-I think I need to explain some things about Nightmare Night. You see, the fear is--”

“Pretend? Yes, we are aware.”

“O-oh. When Trixie, err, she wasn’t mocking you, she--”

“We know.”

“…. Really? But… I have a whole lecture available, and a report. It--”

“Is unnecessary,” Nightmare Moon said with a shake of her head. “But, as always, your dedication is… sizeable.”

“But… I… I...”

Moondancer sighed and patted Twilight on the back. “It’s okay, I’ll listen to your lecture, after. Okay?”

“R-really?”

“Really. You’ll be going into the detailed history of Nightmare Night, right? We could make a thesis out of it!”

“Ohhhh, that sounds delightful!”

Trixie just stared at the two ponies, a look of confusion on her face. These were the two ponies who were closest to the ruler of the night? Why would anypony subject themselves to that kind of dorkiness?

“AHEM!” Nightmare Moon said, silencing everypony. “As we were saying. Trixie. As it seems you HAVE learned your lesson. We hearby release your from your punishment.”

The unicorn froze, staring up at her. Nervously, she gulped and dared to hope. “You… do you mean...”

“Yes.” The ruler’s horn glowed, a beam of purple magic flowing down and connecting with the unicorn’s horn. “We hereby return that which was taken from you.”

Trixie was lifted into the air by the magic swirling around her. Eventually, her flank began to glow and, once again, her cutie mark appeared. Then, gently, she was lowered to the ground. The unicorn slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Her horn glowed a moment later and the lights turned off, then on. She let out a squeal of delight, running to the light switch. “It works! MY MAGIC! IT WORKS!” she shrieked, flipping the light off and on again. “Oh thank you, thank you your highness! Oh thank you! I-I’m a unicorn again! I’m a performer again! I’m WHOLE again!” she shrieked, hopping up and down with excitement.

Twilight chuckled, smiling while she watched the happy mare. She then glanced to Nightmare Moon, who was offering a smile of her own. The ruler gave a nod, before turning to her student and bard. “The night is still young and I believe… there is still more scaring to be done. Is there not?”

Moondancer gave a smile and nodded. “Might I suggest talking with Rainbow Dash? I’m sure she’d love to have you help her with some of her pranks.”

The ruler frowned, but then nodded. “I suppose… that may be exactly what we shall do. Thank you, my student.” With those last words, the mare disappeared in a flash of dark magic.

Twilight stared, then looked to Moondancer. “It… worked. Didn’t it? It really… everything worked out?”

“It did.”

“What… now?”

“I’m not sure. I… suppose we go an enjoy the party? I think there are still ponies trick or treating, too.” Moondancer glanced to Trixie, who was gleefully juggling a few bouncy balls. “Or how about we go see the farm? Either way, I think… we should give her some time.”

Twilight nodded, eying the other unicorn and nodding. “Of course. Bye Trixie!”

“Yeah yeah, bye Twilight, Moondancer. Oh my gosh, I can SHUFFLE CARDS AGAIN! EEEEEEE!”

Author's Notes:

Well, based on probability, at least ONE holiday was BOUND to go right. Right? Right.

Also, as funds are getting a bit tighter here than I thought they would be, I have decided that I will be opening up commissions again! This time, I'll be doing things a bit differently. Namely, since I've been growing a lot as an author since last time I tried. Please feel free to contact me if you're interested and check out my blogs, please. Commissions!

S2 Ch 20: Night court

Twilight stared, her mouth open. No. No no no. How could ANYPONY be so stupid. How could ANYPONY think this was a good idea? Were they TRYING to send Nightmare Moon on a bloody rampage, to see just how much they could cause, destruction wise? She stared at the minotaur who was glaring at the ruler of Equestria. “Rule number one of Ironwill’s assertiveness training! Don’t be shy, look them in the eye!” the minotaur yelled. “Rule number seven of Ironwill’s fixing Equestria plan. If your ruler won’t abdicate, show them the gate!” he said, pointing towards the door.

Fortunately, Nightmare Moon looked more amused than angry. “Oh, we see. And you, Ironwill, have been spreading this message across Equestria, I take it?” she asked, giving the softest of chuckles under her breath.

“Ironwill is one hundred percent certain that he will teach these ponies that a tyrant can be deposed by a simple--” He never got a chance to finish the sentence, because a gag formed on his mouth.

The alicorn rolled her eyes. “Throw him in the dungeons.” She glanced towards the captain of the lunar guard, while a few of the other guards struggled to drag the minotaur out. “How well was the response to these… seminars?”

“As far as we can tell, your highness, they weren’t very effective. Once ponies realized what he was saying, most left. Those who remained seemed more intimidated by him and his goats, than they were interested in his message.”

“We see. Very well, then we see no need to worry. We may begin the night court,” she said, gesturing with her hoof.

Twilight glanced to Moondancer and the two shared a relieved look. The minotaur was an idiot, but at least he seemed to be an ineffective idiot. She couldn’t imagine WHAT inspired such thinking in his mind. A seminar to help them throw off Nightmare Moon? He was even trying to profit off it! How could anypony be so simple?

Still, their leader had handled it with grace and poise. She couldn’t believe it. She’d barely even gotten mad at the foolhardy minotaur.

The court slowly went by without incident. It had been well over a year, now. Ponies had warmed to the mare. The kingdom was stabilizing. Animals were adapting to a more nocturnal cycle, the trees and plant life were surviving just fine. Equestria was doing well. And so ponies weren’t as frightened as they had been.

Unfortunately, such things often meant that there were idiots who would come forth. She let out a sigh of frustration when two ponies stepped forward. “Hello, your highness. I am Jet Set and this is my wife Upper Crust. We represent the organization, Equestria for a Brighter Tomorrow,” he said, before clearing his voice. He pulled out a large scroll. “Now. I have here a signed petition for the sun to be--”

“No,” Nightmare Moon said with a sigh.

“But… but we have a petition! Now, we know that you are against the sun, but we have formed a committee that--”

“No,” the ruler said again, shaking her head. “The sun will not rise for an hour, a minute or even a second.”

“But… but we have signatures!” he said, holding the scroll up.

Nightmare Moon sighed and yanked the scroll away with her magic, eyeing it. Finally, she tore it to pieces. “The sun. Shall not. Rise. Have these two escorted from the castle. Do not return,” she warned them.

“But, hey! Let us go!” Jet yelled, struggling while the lunar guard hauled him off.

The ruler let out a soft sigh of exasperation. “A committee. Truly? Well, bard, what do you have to say to that?” she asked, glancing towards Twilight.

“I’d call those two foals, but foals at least have common sense,” she said bluntly. “They’re idiots. You handled it wonderfully though, your highness. You’ve improved a lot, err, if I may say so.”

“You may. And you, student?”

“You seem to be in a good mood, your highness.”

“Do I? Well, I suppose I have been feeling quite… well.” She motioned for the next pony to enter, another unicorn.

Twilight couldn’t stop herself from smiling. Their ruler had been doing better, seemed happier. Ever since the Nightmare Night incident. Ponies had been frightened of her, yes. But it had all been in fun. They had enjoyed themselves. The foals had warmed up to the princess, likely faster than any of the adults ever would. Then again, she supposed they’d had less time to grow used to Celestia’s warmth. For some of them, they could barely remember the glow of their once sunny ruler.

The doors burst open and a pegasus barged in, cutting off the prior speaker. Were they not in a tattered lunar guard uniform, they might have been stopped. However, they were panting and looked exhausted. “Y-your highness. Y-you must come, there’s, it, it’s--”

“I-I say!” the unicorn requestor said. “I was in the midst of my req--”

“Silence!” Nightmare Moon yelled. “Guard, what is the meaning of this?”

“T-the dragons. They’ve amassed for an attack. We don’t know how long until they will strike, I may already be too late. W-we require you to the east.”

The ruler’s eyes widened and she gave a nod. “This court is adjourned. Leave your request in writing and we will attend to it the moment we return,” she told the requester, who was quickly escorted out. She then got to her hooves. “Student, come. We make way to the east immediately.”

“Of… of course, your highness,” Moondancer said, giving a worried look to Twilight. “Stay safe,” she said, before galloping after the alicorn.

Twilight nodded. “You too,” she whispered.

She couldn’t believe it. War was finally coming to Equestria. What would they, what could they, do now? Only hope that their ruler would keep them all safe. Why now of all times, when everything was going so well?

------

Twilight paced through the castle, a look of frustration and annoyance on her face. She’d been receiving plenty of letters about the situation to the east. While dragons seemed to be amassing, the force seemed far too small.

Well, the amount was large. But the DRAGONS were small. There weren’t any dragons even the size of Nightmare Moon. The entire gathered force seemed to be nothing more than the children. It was a very, very strange display and unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. When dragons engaged in combat, it was often with their biggest and strongest leading the charge, and usually only a hoofful. This was entirely unlike them and it was beginning to seem that there wouldn’t be an attack at all.

Then again, it had been centuries since the last dragon attack on any kingdom, it was possible that their tactics had changed. Unlikely, but possible. Still, as it was, the ruler was reinforcing the enchantments on their eastern border as well as monitoring the situation, but was likely to return within a few days unless something else happened. All the fear and tension about an impending assault had begun to leak away.

And yet, Twilight felt there was something off. Even Spike seemed confused by such an act. The closest he could conceive such an act as being was a display of power amongst the children of his lands. Possibly light attacks, or tests of bravery and might. But even he felt it was odd and reckless, even for his kind, to do it so near pony lands. Despite the fact his kind looked down on the ponies of Equestria, they usually knew better than to wage an attack on their own. The magic of Equestria made the ponies incredibly dangerous.

So why? It gnawed at Twilight. All this had managed to do was make the ponies more wary of the dragons, and draw the ruler of the night down on their heads. In terms of war planning, it was, frankly, stupid. If the dragons weren’t dragons, she’d have considered it a method of testing their responses, but that was against everything the dragons did. Especially with Dragon Lord Torch, who was still the confirmed ruler, in charge. He was slow, but fierce. He’d launch a powerful assault when the time came. Not poke and prod at their defenses to test them. It didn’t make any sense and it was ENDLESSLY frustrating.

“Twilight!” a voice called out, making her jump. She turned back and saw her brother.

She let out a gasp, then frowned. Why would he be here? “Shining? What are you doing here? It’s--”

She was cut off by a hoof to her mouth. “There’s not much time,” he whispered. “I’ve come here in secret, nopony can know I was here,” his voice was soft and low. “Nightmare Moon isn’t here, is she?” He pulled his hoof back.

“No, she’s not. But why are you--”

“Twilight, shhhh. Is there somewhere you and I won’t be disturbed? Somewhere where nopony would notice us?”

The mare frowned, tapping her chin. “Somewhere we’d be undisturbed. Well… I know of one place. But...”

“What? Where is it?”

“The north wing. Nopony goes there anymore. I haven’t been there in a while. There’s a study and...”

He nodded. “Lead the way. I’ll follow you, carefully. Remember. Don’t tell anypony I’m here,” he said firmly.

“I don’t think the guards will mind if--”

“Just trust me. It’s of grave importance that nopony sees me...”

The serious look in his eyes gave her pause. Slowly, she nodded. “Nopony will know. Come on, lets go...” she whispered. Whatever it was, it had to be important. She’d never seen her brother act like this. In fact, he was even walking odd, it felt wird.

------

Twilight sighed when she stepped into the north wing. It was worse than she’d expected. The hall was even more covered with dust than before. Had ponies really been avoiding this place so much? Once her brother was inside, she closed the door behind her and, to her surprise, his horn glowed and locked it. “Are you certain nopony will come here? Will hear us? Will spy on us?” he asked carefully.

“Nopony comes here, ever,” Twilight whispered, glancing around the hall. “There’s a door on the opposite end, but it--” She heard a click when he locked that one as well. She doubted anypony had come here since she last had. She made a mental note to speak with Rarity about cleaning the area up. Even if the ruler of the sun wasn’t here, it felt… terrible to just abandon her old wing. She reached up and stroked a hoof along her mane, her mind brought back to the key she’d found so long ago. What was that key for? Why had it been important? What if it wasn’t important? It didn’t seem to match any lock she’d ever seen. She felt the frustration begin to grow. Why was it all she ever seemed to find were more questions?

“Come on. We can use her study.” She trotted to the rooms, stepping into the long abandoned study. She eyed where the drawer once had held the key. What if the key wasn’t important? What if it was just a… something. What if it opened some long abandoned piece of the castle? Or maybe something from the old castle? What if it was just kept around for sentimental reasons? What if it--

She shook her head before turning to her brother. “Right. What’s this about? Is it about Nightmare Moon? The dragons?”

He was silent for a moment, glancing towards the large, glass window. His horn glowed and the curtain fell across it, blocking them out from the outside world. She couldn’t believe how paranoid he was being. Then again, she supposed there could be spies anywhere. His horn glimmered and the candles in the room dimmed, revealing them to be alone, not even a shade in the room. Satisfied, he gave a nod. “It’s about you.”

“Me?” she asked. “What about me?”

“Your book, to be precise. You know more about Nightmare Moon than anypony. You’re closer than anypony else to her. To be honest, with the dragons to the east, I was a little worried she’d bring you with her. But you are her bard, so I guess she wanted to keep you safe.”

Twilight nodded. “I suppose so. What does that have to do with anything? What about me? My book?”

“You know, it’s almost impossible to spy on this place now. There are so many enchantments. So many protections. Anypony who tried to peer inside the castle walls now would likely be snagged and trapped.”

“Ugh, I know. I think that’s Discord’s fault. Nightmare Moon has been incredibly protective about making sure he can’t come near her. To be honest, I’m not sure how much good it’s doing, though. At least when she’s not here. Why?”

The unicorn nodded, before smiling to her. It wasn’t a smile she recognized. “She loves you more than anypony else, you know.”

“I… what?”

“The ruler. Her love for you, it is strong. Stronger than she feels even for her little ponies. Powerful. Distilled. A weakness.”

“I’m… sorry? I don’t… w-what? Brother? You’re… why are you looking at me like that? You’re s-scaring me...” Twilight whispered, backing away.

The stallion chuckled, his horn glowing. “Oh, little, little pony. How much we trust the ones we love,” he said, moments before green fire enveloped him. A moment later a massive, black pony appeared. Though her form was unlike any pony Twilight had ever seen. With holes throughout her body, a black crown on her head, insect like wings and a mane that seemed to almost be made of green-blue ichor, rather than hair.

The earth pony froze, her mouth falling open. “H-how… you can’t… how are you… w-what are you?”

“My name is Queen Chrysalis, ruler of the changelings,” she said with a laugh, advancing on her. “And you, my little… pony. Are just the ticket I need to destroy Nightmare Moon.”

“D-destroy… I-I won’t help you!” Twilight said quickly, backing up and hitting the wall. She yelped and looked back, before turning back to the imposing figure blocking her way.

“Oh, but you will,” the creature said, moments before she was enveloped in a green light again. A moment later Chrysalis was no more. Instead, the earth pony might as well have been staring at a mirror. “You are my connection, dear little pony. And through you, I will suck your ruler dry of all her power and take over your little kingdom. My subjects will feed forever,” she said with a laugh. “Your books have told me much, and now it’s only a matter of time before my plan is ready.”

The earth pony nodded, gulping. She then darted, dashing past the mare. The fake Twilight rolled her eyes and turned to run after her.

The real earth pony slammed into the exit door of the wing, bouncing off it. “No no no no!” she shrieked, pounding on the door, though it barely made the lightest thump. A sound dampening spell. She turned around and saw her doppleganger standing in the frame of the study.

“Do you see now the total helplessness?” she asked. “There’s nowhere for you to run, nowhere for you to flee.”

Twilight whimpered, digging her hooves into the ground while the other pony advanced. There had to be a way to escape. Had to be somewhere she could go. Some way to get help. “D-discord?” she tried, but received no response.

The changeling merely laughed, moving closer until her face was inches from the earth pony’s. “Do not fret, little one. There is nothing I will do to your kingdom that will be worse than-- GAHHH! YOU LITTLE MOSS WEASEL!” the changeling yelled when Twilight slammed a hoof right into her face, the hoof covered in dust and rubbed in the mare’s eye. She then shoved past her and ran, galloping away from the mare and choosing a door at random, running into it and shoving it open.

To her horror, she was met with stairs. She shrieked and toppled down them, about five steps down before she managed to catch herself, dazed and confused, her body aching.

“When I get my hooves on you you’re going to WISH I killed you!” Chrysalis roared and she could hear the hoof steps coming closer. “Maybe I’ll start by tearing out that stupid TONGUE of yours! By the stars themselves you GOT IT IN MY EYE!”

Twilight gulped and got up quickly, dashing down the stairs and away from impending doom. She made it to the bottom of the stairs when she heard the door slam behind her. She had only a moment to look around the room before the enchanted candles around the storage room went out. She let out a mental curse, turning back. She could see the low, green glow from the changeling, slowly making its descent down the stairs.

“There’s nowhere to run now, little pony,” the creature said. “Nowhere to flee. Nowhere to hide. Give up, do not incur even more of my wrath.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. She’d incurred Nightmare Moon’s wrath a dozen times over by now, some overgrown bug’s wrath didn’t scare her. Wait. No. It terrified her. She looked around the darkness, but there wasn’t anything she could make out aside from…

The mirror. The great mirror that had held her attention for so long the last time she had been here. It had been so long she had actually forgotten about it. Slowly, she trotted forward. While it didn’t glow, it did seem more illuminated by the green light slowly coming closer. She stared at it, her eyes widened.

“Oh pony… I can hear your heart beating… I can hear the fear. Soon, it will all be… well. Over for you. But beginning for me...”

Twilight stared, before galloping forward. She didn’t know what was there. What resided on the opposite side.

But she had to take this chance. She had to hope, whatever it was, it was better than here. She leaped into the air and flowed, not slammed, into the mirror. Once again that warmth enveloped her and the world shifted melted away.

------

Chrysalis smirked, making her way to the bottom of the steps, once again in her full, regal form. The lights of the room came on again and she snorted. A bunch of trinkets and toys. All these crates. There was nowhere for the mare to hide, now. No other exits than the one she sealed off. She snickered and her horn glowed, tearing apart the nearest crate.

“Come out, come out where ever you are, my little pony...”

Author's Notes:

Some ponies just... wow. Nightmare Moon is getting better, at least. But, either way... here we go. The beginning of the final arc in the second season of Twilight Glow. I hope you're all excited!

Also, commissions are still open, so feel free to take a peek. I'm ready to tell YOUR story!

S2 Ch 21: Glow? Sparkle?

Twilight groaned, collapsing forward. The ground under her… hurt. Cement? It dug into her hooves and knees. It was dark, but brighter than back home. She glanced up and froze.

There were houses all over, with streets lined with lamps. She looked up and she could see the moon. Half full. She couldn’t even make out the stars, though.

She tried to stand and fell over with a small shriek, before looking down.

She screamed, staring at her hooves. Or rather, hands and arms where her hooves SHOULD have been. Like Tirek or Discord! She flailed them about and, to her horror, they were definitely hers. She stared down at her lower hooves and, new icy cold terror gripped her heart, realized they were just as bad. She let out another scream, flailing about!

“Twilight, what in the world are you doing?!” an angry voice snapped. Twilight looked up and saw a strange girl, a small… furless minotaur? A kind of monkey? In the strangest clothes. She was wearing a plaid purple skirt, with a white top and purple vest. She also had small, dark blue shoes and long, purple socks. “Are you TRYING to get us busted?”

“U-uhhh...”

“I KNEW bringing the teacher’s pet was a bad idea,” the girl snapped. “Come on, we just finished. Did you you tee-pee the gym like we said?”

“Uhhhh… y-yes?”

“Good. At least you’re not totally useless,” the girl muttered. It was then that Twilight realized she was wearing the exact same clothing. Wait, SHE was a furless minotaur! Or… something. The appearance was oddly familiar. Had she read about it in a book before? She sure she-- Her thoughts were cut off and she let out a squeak when the other girl grabbed her hoo-- hand and dragged her up.

Twilight was shaky, but she at least tried to mimic the other girl’s movements and stay standing. “Where are--”

“The others are waiting for us. If I hadn’t heard your screaming… ugh. I thought someone from Canterlot High had busted you. Come on, let’s head back before Principal Cinch realizes we’re gone.” She dragged the confused girl to a strange vehicle that she couldn’t identify. She let out another yelp when she was tossed into the back seat. “Buckle up,” the girl said.

“What took you so long, Sour?” one of the other creatures asked.

“Ugh. The teacher’s pet was having a freak out in front of the statue. I told you bringing her was a bad idea.”

“Doesn’t matter. We got them good. Crystal Prep rules, Canterlot High drools!” the creature said. A boy, Twilight thought.

“I swear, buckle up!” Sour snapped, sitting next to the very confused girl, before grabbing a pair of strange metal squares attached to strips of material.

Twilight quickly mimicked the movement, before letting out a startled shriek when the vehicle they were in took off. What in Equestria was going on?! How did these ponies know her?!

------

Twilight gulped, stepping out from the, now thoroughly covered in toilet paper, gym. It had actually been oddly exhilarating, finding the ideal angle to toss the toilet paper and cover the highest surface area. “Okay, everyone. I’m… finished?” she said, staring in shock when she saw the car taking off down the road. “W-what? H-hey!”

Ugh. Not again! She sighed and started making her way towards the bus stop.

------

Twilight stared at the long halls and the lines of lockers. The others, her… friends? Had run off to their rooms, leaving her behind. She had managed to gather a bit of information, however. Apparently, she was ‘Twilight’ here, as well. Or rather, there was a Twilight here, who she looked like. This appeared to be an alternate dimension. Apparently, this version of herself went to this school, Crystal Prep.

She had to admire whoever she was, here. As this school was obviously a very well respected establishment, judging by how clean and sparkly everything seemed to be. The trophies, too. Though she wondered what it meant to tee-pee a gym. Perhaps it was some kind of volunteer project? Well, whatever it was, she couldn’t wait to learn more about this place. It seemed absolutely fascinating! But first, she had to find a source of information. Somepo… somebody who could explain what all this was.

She’d been making mental notes of everything the species she seemed to be had going for it, and finally she could only come to one conclusion. She was a ‘human’. Absolutely fascinating. She’d heard of them, in her Ancient Myths of Equestria class. But she’d NEVER thought they could be real. They were nothing more than old stories, now!

She wondered if the original myths were inspired by this dimension. Was it possible that, thousands of years ago, a link was formed between their two dimensions? Maybe, at one point, ponies and humans traded and mixed their society. It was entirely possible that she was the first ‘pony’ they had met in millenia. She then held up her fingers, spreading them slowly, then scrunching them up into a fist. Though she wasn’t a pony, now.

She wondered if they had ancient myths like--

“Twilight Sparkle!” a harsh, icy voice called. Twilight shrieked and jumped, turning around to see a very, very annoyed woman, glaring at her through half-circle glasses. Her hair was swirly and bouncy, in different streaks of purple. She quickly glanced around, but there was nobody else here. She resisted correcting the woman. But what kind fo silly name was ‘Sparkle’ for a earth pony?

“U-uhhh… m-ma’am?” she asked, staring up at her. “I-I was just… errr...” Lost? Was she, really, if she didn’t know where she was going to get lost from? No. Lost suited her, perfectly. “Lost, I--”

The woman’s gaze softened and the frown turned into a smile. “Oh, my protege, you know you can call me Principle Cinch,” the woman said, shaking her head and reaching out to put a gentle arm around her shoulder. “You should know better than to be out so late, even if tomorrow you only have weekend classes. A mind like yours needs rest. Tell me, what project were you working on tonight?”

Twilight stared at the woman. A… project? She tried to scramble for an excuse, before speaking up. “The stars. The moon. I was studying the moon for, ummmm...”

The woman chuckled, shaking her head. “Oh? Planning to pay a visit there?” she joked. “Either way, it is late and you need your sleep. You have classes tomorrow and I fully expect you to not be sleeping through them. What example would that set for the other students?”

Twilight nodded, letting the other woman guide her through the school. Eventually, they came to a door and the woman waited. “Well?”

“Err...”

“Did you forget your key again?”

“K-kinda?” Twilight said sheepishly.

The woman merely shook her head and laughed. “Oh, you genius sorts.” She then pulled out her own key and unlocked the door, motioning her inside.

Twilight quickly went inside, the woman flicking on the light and closing the door.

The young woman just stared, her mouth falling open. It… looked like her old room from school. Very little clutter, an assortment of scientific tools and devices. A bed, a desk. A… okay, that was new. She never had a small dog bed. With a dog inside it. A small purple and green dog. That was staring at her. And, slowly, beginning to growl.

She squeaked, staring at the dog. “N-nice doggy. I… I’m Twilight.” The dog only seemed to growl louder. “Not the Twilight Sparkle you know. I’m a different Twilight. Twilight Glow. I’m--” The dog slowly got up and began to advance on her, giving the lightest growl, its eyes narrowed.

She tried to think of a name, what could it be? If this was her universe, what would she name the dog? Winona? Wait, no, that was Applejack’s dog. What did Rarity name her cat? Owlicious? Wait, no, that was if she ever got a pet owl! Or an assistant owl. It would be a--

Her eyes flickered to the dog once more. “S-Spike?” she tried.

The dog stopped and stared at her, now more curious than angry.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. “Oh Spike… You’re a dog here? Well… it’s good to know that-- EEK!” The door behind her opened and shoved her, sending her stumbling forward. She tripped, landing on her knees and turning around.

And saw herself. Her mouth fell open. As did her mirrored persona. The two stared for the longest time. Finally, Twilight spoke up. “Twilight… Sparkle?”

Slowly, the other girl nodded and stepped inside, closing the door slowly. “Y-yes. That explains why Principle Cinch was so annoyed. How… do you look so much like...”

“I’m you. Well, not YOU you. I’m you from another dimension, Twilight Glow,” Twilight said quickly. “It’s a long story and--” Her eyes widened. Wait. How did she know this WAS Twilight Sparkle? How did she know this wasn’t a fake, like Chrysalis had--

Spike raced passed her, barking happily. The other girl picked him up and gently pet him. “Easy, Spike. It’s okay. From another dimension? How did you end up here?”

Twilight stared at the dragon and smiled. Well, leave it to Spike to put her mind at ease. He truly was her number one assistant, in all dimensions. “Okay. This is going to be very hard to believe. And… I don’t really have a firm lock on how things work in this dimension. But-- Nightmare Moon!” she said, her eyes going wide. “Oh no. Oh no no no. Queen Chrysalis is going to, how did I forget?! Everypony is going to be in grave danger if I don’t… I have to get back. But… no. She’s going to be waiting there. Can I wait her out? How long until she drains her highness? Moondancer is in trouble, too! All of my friends. Oh no. Spike. What if he’s able to figure it out? He’ll be in big trouble… Oh Spike...”

------

Chrysalis rolled her eyes, glancing at the baby dragon. To imagine he had actually been suspicious of her. A quick gift of rubies and all thoughts that anything was wrong was shaken from his mind. Dragons were so simple.

------

“I think you’re going to have to start from the beginning. Do you mind if I take notes?” the other Twilight asked.

“I’d prefer it if you did,” Twilight said, before sitting down. “Okay, so I’m you, so… from another dimension. An earth pony, and… errr. Okay. If I call you Twilight, and me Twilight, this is going to get confusing. While I’m here, ummm… How about you just… Call me Glow. Okay?”

“Glow?”

“My name is Twilight Glow. Remember?”

“Oh. That’s… Interesting. I wonder why our names are different if you’re named that. Do you have any family?”

“Yes. My big brother Shining Armor, my--”

“I have a big brother named Shining Armor!”

“Big brother best friend forever?”

“And ever!” the other girl said. “Okay. Then I’ll go by Sparkle, you go by Glow. Though I do wonder what this’ll mean if I was to cross over into your dimension...”

Glow hummed. “Well, according to the seventh law of Dimensional Travel, you would likely become a copy of me. However, if you were to cross over into a different dimension, you’d transform into a copy of whatever Twilight is there. It could be Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Glow, Twilight Flight, heck. In some universes I’d likely be a stallion, so… Dusk Shine or something,” she said with a wave of her hand. “A lot of commonalities would likely remain. Such as Spike. However, if YOU do have a Spike that likely means he is a common element to my life which… is actually quite interesting. I always thought he was just a happenstance. This opens up a lot of questions about why I’m supposed to have a dragon. He must be closely tied to my life...” She rubbed her chin, lost in thought for a moment.

“You studied dimensional travel in your dimension?”

“I have a minor in it.”

“You can get a minor in it there?! Your dimension sounds amazing!”

“It’s not as much as you’d think. We haven’t traveled through dimensions in ages. Aside from a few select ones. Some spirits, like I believe Discord, can travel through different ones at will. But most of us cannot and the magic to do so was incredibly powerful and dangerous, much like time alteration.”

“Time alteration? You can… do that?”

“I can’t, but an incredibly powerful unicorn could. Or an alicorn. Either way, we’re getting off track!”

“Right, right… so, tell me about your home.”

Glow nodded, sighing. It was going to be a long, long night.

Author's Notes:

And another chapter bites the dust! Glow meets Sparkle and I... make so many typos. It is REALLY hard to remember to call someone by a nickname when they've been TWILIGHT the entire book. Oh my gosh... Still, here continues all the fun.

Commissions are still up, please take a look if you'd like me to write your own very special story! For now, please enjoy!

S2 Ch 22: Portal

It was late into the morning by the time Glow had explained everything. Stacks of notes were now laying on the desk and the two were exhausted, dark bags under their eyes. Sparkle gave a light yawn and laid back, staring at the roof. “So… you’re an author? Like mom?”

“Yes. Well, I was. I mean… I guess I haven’t written as many books in ages. Oh dear...” Glow mumbled, closing her eyes.

“What?”

“When all this started I was halfway through a new book. I hope I’m able to get back to it. It was my first exploration into science fiction. After writing up the story on the mare in the moon, I wanted to do something involving space. You know, things like going to the moon itself. I’d made up this whole story about really tall ponies who came through a dimensional rift and tried to enslave ponies, then a second race who came and tried to stop them, and there was this whole giant war thing. Oh dear. You know, things like going to the moon itself. Exploring different dimensions and worlds. Things like that.”

“A lunar landing? You ponies haven’t been to the moon?”

“Well… I haven’t. There are spells to do it, but I mean more like… enchanted carriages and such. To allow anypony to get there.”

Sparkle stared at her. “Remind me to get a book for you on the lunar landing. I think you’d find the space shuttle absolutely fascinating.”

“Space shuttle?”

“Right, never mind. I need to get to class. Luckily, the weekend classes start later.”

“What? It’s barely...” Glow stopped and stared out the window, her mouth falling open. She stepped towards it and slowly pulled the curtain back, revealing the clear, blue sky overhead. And the dazzling orb of light high above that hurt to even look near.

“What? Is… oh. You haven’t seen the sun in...”

“Over a year...” Glow whispered. She felt tears forming in her eyes and it was all she could do to stop from shaking. How had she not notice it rise? Had she really allowed herself to get so distracted with her stories that she’d failed to notice the warmth of the sun? She looked away, her eyes burning from its radiance. She moved to the bed and sat down, struggling to hold her tears back. “I-I can’t… I can’t believe it. The sun, it’s… it’s...”

“Yes?”

“S-so beautiful. I-I never thought I’d see… see it again. But it’s right here. It’s… r-right...” Glow sat down on the bed, covering her eyes with both hands. “I-I thought it was...”

Sparkle slowly inched over and reached out, patting her on the back. “T-there there. It’s… going to be okay.”

“It’s not going to be okay. Nothing is ever going to be okay again. It’s… there’s just so much… everything there is WRONG. We’re ruled by a tyrant. I’m trying to stop a… another tyrant from deposing the current tyrant because it goes from bad, to worse! Nothing about this is good. Or right. How can I… how am I supposed to do this? She’s not...”

“You said before that she’s getting better, right? That she’s not as violent as… she was?”

“Yes. But that’s only because she’s learning how we operate. She’s just… over reacting less. She’s still the stubborn, selfish alicorn she was when I met her. I get it. She’s been alone for a thousand years. But… but she’s… she’s...”

Sparkle slowly reached out and hugged the other girl, giving a sigh. “If you want to… stay here. I understand. We can find an excuse. I know my brother would like you. And you could… find a home here. If you’re half as smart as you seem, the world could be yours. And I bet your books would do wonderfully.”

Glow relaxed into the hug, thinking on it for a moment. Finally, she shook her head. “No...” she whispered. “The world needs me. My friends need me. You heard all about them, right? Moondancer, Rarity, all of them. If I don’t go back… they’ll be in danger. I have to go back. And… and somehow, fix this.”

“How? Do you have any way of fighting her?”

“No. But… Nightmare Moon will be returning, soon. If I… If I can alert her, she can deal with this. End this threat, once and for all. She’s powerful. She’s stronger than anypony I’ve ever met.”

“And what about Celestia? Maybe you can try contacting her again? If Nightmare Moon isn’t there, maybe there will be a way for her to escape.”

“No, she’s helpless. Even if I wanted to, the spell won’t let me--” She stopped, her eyes going wide. “Her… magic isn’t working here.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I told you about Celestia!” Glow said, standing up and almost falling back down. “Do… do you know what this means?”

“Nooo?”

“It means that magic isn’t the same here! It means, if I can trick Chrysalis into coming here, I might be able to stop her! I might even be able to beat her! I have a plan B! If Nightmare Moon isn’t there, if I can’t get to her. I can lure Chrysalis away. I can trick her into coming through the mirror. And if she’s here, I’ll be able to win!”

Sparkle nodded, smiling. “Well… you’re right. Magic, at least in the way you know it, doesn’t seem to exist. I’ve managed to study small traces and fragments of what I think might be magic, though I’d really like to study this portal you came through. But the magic of your world doesn’t seem to exist here.”

“Which may mean that… it means that there’s hope. There’s a plan. A way. I… I may be able to deal with her. And...” Glow lifted a hand to her chin. “… Even if Celestia can’t help us now. In the future, if the opportunity comes, I now have a way to let others know about her.”

“Just be careful, okay? Remember what happened last time you rushed off to her.”

Glow nodded. “Yes. I’ll be careful. She can’t stop Nightmare Moon on her own. But… there… may be a way, in the future. There’s hope, at least. Maybe.” She then gave a soft, gentle yawn. “Though… We’ve been up all night.”

Sparkle nodded. “Uh huh. Get some sleep. I need to get to class. For real, this time. I’m already late...”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

“Of course. It’s not the first time I’ve stayed up all night. In fact, I was working on a project involving mold spores last term and… I...” Sparkle trailed off when she realized Glow was already asleep, laying with her legs dangling over the side of the bed. She chuckled and shook her head. “That’s how Shining reacted, too,” she joked before grabbing her bag.

------

Glow groaned, slowly opening her eyes. How long had she been out? She glanced out the window and sighed. The moon was high in the sky.

She couldn’t help but admire its beauty. It was just half a moon, but knowing it was traveling across the heavens, showing the passage of time. It had a beauty that their unmoving one lacked. Their world just… wasn’t changing, now. It wasn’t growing. Developing. There had been a huge, world shattering cataclysm. And now?

Now they were stuck in an endless, moon filled sky. A world that refused to change no matter what. No matter how they wanted it. Nightmare Moon was changing, but not enough. It wasn’t that she became less harsh, it was that the ponies changed, bending to her will. Submitting to her rule. But she refused to alter who she was. To bend on her full desires. Sometimes she could be convinced, but the basis of who she was was as unchanging as their sky.

It felt almost hopeless. The ruler would have killed Spike. It was only through Discord that she’d been stopped and he’d been saved. She had, however, returned Trixie’s powers. Her reactions were less harsh than before. But her decrees were immutable, impossible to escape. To avoid. She was more willing to accept the way ponies were… but she was unwilling to be the ruler they truly needed. Unwilling to change who she was. Even if she over reacted less, was that truly so much better if she wouldn’t truly bend to make their kingdom what it truly needed to be? And what if their ruler relapsed? What if she found yet another reason to be ‘angry’ and struck back against the ponies?

A soft snore brought her attention back to the bed. Sparkle was laying on it, curled up at the foot. She wondered how long the other girl had been asleep. How much time had they lost. Was Nightmare Moon back? Could she get in contact with her?

She let out a frustrated growl, shaking her head. There was so much she had to do. So much she needed to do. And she couldn’t do it here. Equestria needed her. Even if the moon refused to move, she and Moondancer could at least direct what fell against it and protect them. If she refused to bend, then they could bend the world to suit the rulers needs. Or at least, how she interpreted it. And for that, she had to be home. She reached out a hand and lightly gripped Sparkle’s shoulder, giving the other girl a shake. “Sparkle? It’s time for me to go home...” she whispered.

The other girl glanced up, a small bit of drool coming out of her mouth. “Huh? AHHH!” Sparkle yelped, looking away and wiping her mouth quickly. “R-right. Let’s go. Are… do you know what you’re going to do?”

“Not yet. But… maybe. Let’s go check out the portal, now. If we can study it… maybe we can find something out. A way to use it against Chrysalis. Or give me a weapon to drag her in. Something. At least make sure my theory is correct. If I drag her here and her power remains, I’d be putting all of you in danger. So, how do we get there?”

Sparkle smiled. “Easy. My brother’s car.”

“… Car?”

“The four wheeled vehicles on the road. Err, I think you saw one yesterday.”

“… Yes, I did.”

“Perfect! We’ll just need to grab some things for my tests, but this will work perfectly. Trust me. I’m sure he’ll drive us and, well, if he can’t, I’m sure I can.”

------

Glow was going to die. She stared at the road with wide eyed terror. She was going to die, there was nothing else about it.

She very much doubted that Shining was aware they were borrowing his car and, were they in less of a rush, she’d have questioned her alter-dimensional self about it. As it was, she was too terrified to think of anything but MAYBE surviving the trip there. She let out another shriek when, once again, they hopped up onto the curb, only to hop off a second later.

“S-sorry!” Sparkle said, for the thousandth time, the car swerving to the left, then the right.

Glow whimpered, afraid to keep looking ahead but even more terrified to look away. The car swerved erratically through the night, picking up speed only to come to a screeching halt. Finally, after what felt like forever, the car hopped up on the curb outside of Canterlot high and stopped. “Err, one second, I’ll fix the parking--”

“NO! It’s fine!” Glow said quickly, her hands locked onto the handle of her door with a death grip. She was alive. She’d survived the trip here. She had been certain they were going to die at least a dozen times. She didn’t even want to imagine what those occasional ‘crunches’ she’d heard had been. “W-when you said you were borrowing Shining’s car… had… had you ever...”

“Well, originally I intended for him to drive us. But he was out on a date with Cadence, so I… well, it was an emergency. I figured it was best.”

Glow nodded, giving a nervous gulp. Slowly she undid her seat belt and gave a silent thanks to it for keeping her alive. She then opened the door and slowly stepped out. Okay. She was okay. She just had to make it to the statue and hope everything was okay. Hope Nightmare Moon was back. Find out what they could about the magic, if they could harness it in some way. Maybe even--

“And what do you two think YOU’RE doing?” a voice called out. Glow looked over to the statue and saw a shadowy figure standing there in the darkness.

“Errr… We’re… just… passing through,” Glow said nervously.

“And almost took out half the block while doing it. Crystal prep students, I take it? I’d recognize your uniforms anywhere. Your prank wasn’t very funny. And coming back the day after wasn’t very smart,” the girl said, stepping out from the shadows. She was wearing a leather jacket, high purple boots, a multi colored short skirt and a purple shirt with a fiery logo on the front. Her hair was a red and yellow mix. Most of all, though, she looked furious.

“I had a feeling you’d come back, though. You’d--” The words cut off when Sparkle got out of the car. Her eyes glanced from Glow and then Sparkle. “You’d both better beat it. A lot of the students are furious about your little prank and aren’t going to be happy if they find you here.” She crossed her arms and glared at them.

Glow shook her head. “We… can’t. We… have business, here. And… we’re...” She trailed off, glancing to the girl. She then looked past her, to the portal. The girl wasn’t trying to intimidate them. She was blocking them. “Sparkle, were there classes today?”

“Well, yes. I had a few.”

“I mean, normally.”

“… I have classes every saturday.”

“I mean, do most schools do that?”

“Well… no. I suppose not. But I’m in an advanced--”

“So why were you here, miss…?”

“Sunset Shimmer,” the girl said, glaring at her. “And I came to get something from my locker.”

“On a weekend,” Glow said firmly. “And if everyone here was so mad about the… wait, you pranked a SCHOOL?” she asked, glancing back at Sparkle.

The other girl urked and looked down sheepishly. “I-It was a very minor prank. A-and I didn’t want to, but...”

Glow shook her head. “If they were mad, why were you the only one here? And why were you standing by the statue? Waiting?”

“Err...”

Glow took a step forward, her eyes narrowing. “And the way you looked at the two of us when we got out of the car. You know, don’t you? You know who I am. You know about...”

The girl sighed and shook her head. “About the portal? Yes, I do. And I know why you’re here.”

“… I very much guarantee that you don’t,” Glow said flatly. “You’re from Equestria too, aren’t you? Or, at the very least, you’ve been there.”

Sunset growled, but nodded. “Yeah. I was wondering how long until… someone came through it,” she said, her voice filled with annoyance. “Its only supposed to be on for a few days every month. But now its been active for over a year. I’m not dumb, though. I’ve been waiting. You didn’t think I wouldn’t be ready, did you? Preparing for when Celestia finally decided to send someone after me?”

“After… you? What? No. Celestia is… she’s gone. Nightmare Moon imprisoned her over a year ago. And… oh,” she whispered softly. “When she left the moon unchanging...”

“Huh?”

“The mirror. It must be tied to the moon. And since the moon hasn’t gone down in over a year… the portals been open all this time,” Glow whispered, rubbing her chin.

“Come again? Who’s Nightmare Moon? What do you mean, Celestia’s gone? She can’t be gone. She’s the ruler of Equestria.”

“… Canterlot High’s Principal?” Sparkle asked in confusion.

“Alternate dimension her,” the two said in unison.

“Okay, listen,” Glow said, shaking her head. “Nightmare Moon is… well, she was Princess Luna.”

“… The vice principal?” Sunset asked. “Celestia’s little sister? I thought she was just like… a quirk of this dimension. She’s in Equestria?”

“Yes. She’s real. And she’s angry,” Glow said quickly. “I still get twinges on my back from her rulership.”

“… Twinges on your--”

“She had me whipped.”

“… Wait. Really? Like in the--”

“Yes. She’s brought back a few old, abolished punishments.”

“… But nobody has been whipped in… in millennia. That was one of the first… but...” The girl looked shaken, her eyes widened. “And… Celestia… she...”

“Nightmare Moon defeated her. Crushed her, even. She’s now trapped, locked away deep in the bowels of the castle, in a cave that makes it near impossible to escape. More importantly, there’s a whole… a group calling themselves Changelings. They’re ruled by a Queen Chrysalis, who intends to drain Nightmare Moon and take over Equestria, enslaving it to her will.”

“H-huh. That’s… a lot to take in,” Sunset said, staring at the other girl. “She’s… so… Equestria really is falling… apart. Isn’t it?” She looked stunned, as if Glow had just told her… well, everything she just told her.

“Yes. And… if you’re from there, then I’ll need your help. We--”

Sunset let out a laugh. “Why in the world would I help?” she asked.

Glow stared. “W-what? But...”

“Oh, you don’t know who I am, do you?” she asked. “No, I imagine not. I was Celestia’s ‘precious student’,” she said in a mocking tone. “One of the greatest minds the world had ever known and all that baloney.”

“Baloney?”

“Human turn of phrase. Either way, why would I care?” Sunset asked, a cruel smirk on her face. “I WAS her student. And you know what happened? I came here. I am better. Smarter. More able than ANY of them have EVER been. Especially that over inflated balloon on the throne. And I can, and will, bend this world around me. And if Equestria collapses? Well, good for it. Celestia should have thought of that before she--”

Glow cut her off by slapping her across her cheek so hard the connection echoed through the courtyard. The fiery girl stared, her mouth open, an imprint of the girl’s hand across her cheek. Slowly, her hand reached up. “Y-you--”

“What is WRONG with you? I REFUSE to believe you were ever Celestia’s student!” Glow snapped.

“W-what? Well, I’m sorry, princess, but I--”

“No. You’re nothing more than a spoiled, ignorant CHILD. Do you know who her student is, now?” Glow asked, her eyes narrowed. “Moondancer. And you know who she is? No, I doubt you do. You’re probably too high up on your pedestal to notice the other ponies around you. But do you know what Moondancer has done? What she has SACRIFICED in order to keep Equestria safe?”

“If Celestia taught her, probably her educa--”

“Everything. She’s dedicated her life to saving as much of Equestria as she can. She’s given up her friends. Her family. Her reputation. Do you have any IDEA what they say about her? What they say about Celestia’s now ‘prized student’? She’s become Nightmare Moon’s SERVANT because it’s the only way to save as many ponies as she can.”

“Why would I care if--”

Glow took a step forward, the other girl backing away quickly, instinctively. Why did she feel a chill down her spine?

“Moondancer has been one of the bravest ponies I know,” Glow said, glaring at the other girl. “She’s kind. And compassionate. And has dedicated herself to the task of keeping Equestria safe, no matter how much it hurts her. No, she’s not perfect, but she TRIES her hardest. And you… I REFUSE to believe that you could have EVER been Celestia’s student. Because I refuse to believe that anypony who has even a fraction of the training that Moondancer did, who shared a role of hers, could have POSSIBLY grown up to be so… so selfish and uncaring.”

“Well, princess, I’m not--”

“I’m not finished,” Glow said, coldly, advancing again. Sunset stepped back and found herself up against the edge of the statue. Trapped. Her own heart pounding. “How dare you speak ill of any of them. How dare you act as if you have no concern for them. Can you even begin to imagine the things ponies have been through over there? The way all of our lives have been turned upside down? The things we’ve had to endure? Fluttershy is DEAD! She’s a VAMPIRE pony now! Spike almost died, he’s lost his home! Celestia is trapped, helpless! Ponies are SUFFERING and miserable and hurting and trying their hardest to just survive, fighting with all their might to not let this beat them. And you have the NERVE to just… say that? To act like they don’t MATTER? To LAUGH at them?!”

“W-well, I mean… I’m not...” Sunset stared. The other girl was her height and yet somehow felt a foot or two taller than her.

“You’re a selfish, uncaring and spoiled FOAL. And I have had it. If you won’t help me, then fine. But stay OUT of my way. I have a world to try and save and, even if I DIE doing it… I WON’T just stand by and do nothing.” Glow gripped the other girl by the shoulder and shoved her aside.

Sunset fell, landing on her butt and staring up at the other girl.

Glow matched her gaze, determination on her face. “Equestria needs me. And I won’t stand idly by while it suffers. I’d have hoped if you were truly Celestia’s student, that would have been one lesson you’d always have known.” With those words, she turned and walked into the portal.

And crashed against solid stone. She stumbled backwards, her hands reaching up to grip her face, staring. “T-the portal… it’s… it’s gone?” she said softly. “But… but it’s… it was right here! Did it move? CAN it move?”

Sparkle frowned and began opening her duffle bag, pulling out a few small, electronic devices. “No… there is definitely something here. It’s very faint, though. But there is something.”

Sunset snorted and slowly got to her feet, shaking her head. “W-whatever. If you wanna walk back into certain doom, then just go. Idiot. I can see Celestia still inspires brainless obedience,” she snapped.

“Just go away,” Glow snapped, turning back to her. “You don’t want to help. I get that. But we don’t need you. Equestria doesn’t need you. You’ve abandoned it… so just go.”

The fiery girl stared up at her, before hmphing and turning away, shaking her head. “Idiots. The portal likely needs to recharge. Didn’t you ever take teleportation 101? Its been on for ages, but only been used once. You probably shorted it out when you came through.”

“Huh?” Glow said softly. “What do you mean? Wait… no… I remember… Clover’s sixth rule of portal transportation. That means...”

“That’s right. I’m saying, come back in a few days, pony. It’ll probably work fine, then. Then you can just go home, save everypony, do that whole throwing yourself to the wolves without any real reward thing that Celestia wants her ponies to do oh so much,” Sunset said bitterly. “Good luck, you’ll need it.”

Glow sighed, before looking to Sparkle. “Have you managed to get anything useful?”

“I… think so. I’ll want to run a lot of tests but… well… I think she might be right. It might be charging. Or it might not be? It’s not… exactly a science we’re very familiar with, here. I don’t really know how it’s supposed to react to things. But...” Sparkle reached out and touched the stone. “It definitely reacts to this. There’s definitely something here. So the portal is likely still working, if it’s here. It’s just not… powered? Maybe?”

“I see. But this information...”

“It gives me a good idea what we’re working with. Lets head back to the school. If… I can find a way to manipulate it, well… maybe you’ll have a weapon you can use to save your home. Or… or something.”

Glow nodded. It was a better plan than anything else they had. She then glanced towards the car. Or… maybe… not. “Maybe… we should call Shining and have him come get us.”

“We have his car.”

“… I know.”

“It’s fine, I can drive us back, no one will even know we were gone.”

“W-whimper...”

Author's Notes:

And so ends the Story of Twilight Glow, tune in next week for the beginnings of Twilight Glow and Sparkle, a Netflix original! Okay, no, not really.

Here we finally get to meet Sunset shimmer and, well... Twilight has a LOT of respect for Moondancer, now. And their deposed ruler. Don't you talk bad about either of them. Grrrr.

Final update of the week! Woo! :D Next week, tune in for the stunning conclusion of this season of Twilight Glow!

As before, feel free to drop by my discord and don't forget, I now have a patreon and am open for commissions. So if you want me to do one of your stories, please let me know!

S2 Ch 23: BBBFF

“MY BABY!” Shining shrieked, hugging his car tightly once it came to a complete stop, partway on the curb outside Crystal Prep, before turning to look at the inside of the car. He then turned his gaze to the two people inside the vehicle. “TWILIGHT! We’re going to have a… big… talk. Twilight?” he asked.

“I thought you said he was out on a date?” Glow asked, giving a nervous grin and weak wave.

“I-I didn’t think he’d be back so soon,” Sparkle said softly. “Oh dear… There’s Cadence. If Principal Cinch is with them...”

Glow nodded. Fortunately, there only seemed to be two people. A man with white and blue hair, tall, regal. Even if he hadn’t reacted the way he had to the car, she would have known him for who he was. Her big brother. Despite the fact he was obviously mad at them, she couldn’t help but fill her with a strange sense of calm. A feeling that everything was going to be okay. And if he was there, that meant the girl who was staring at them, her arms crossed and looking very disappointed, was Cadence. She couldn’t help but smile, seeing her old foalsitter’s familiar pink and multi-colored locks. Slowly, the two Twilights climbed out of the car.

“I can explain,” Sparkle said nervously. “Y-you see, I was, err, conducting an experiment with my, err, new friend, who’s from out of town and--”

Glow shook her head. “Don’t. Shining Armor, my name is Twilight Glow. I’m from another dimension that connects with yours. I’m, well, the Twilight Sparkle of that dimension.”

Sparkle cringed. “Glow, I thought you didn’t want--”

“He’s our big brother. If we can’t trust him, we can’t trust anypony. And Cadence is the best foalsitter in the world, she’d never betray us.”

Shining just stared, the anger turning to confusion. Finally, he spoke up. “What?”

“I’m from another dimension and, well. I ended up here, on accident. Sparkle has been helping me, trying to help me get back to my world so… I can save it, I guess.”

“What?” Cadence asked, moving to stand by Shining. Finally, both of them looked to Sparkle.

“What did you do?” Shining asked. “Did you clone yourself? You didn’t ACTUALLY summon someone from another dimension, did you?”

Sparkle shook her head. “No! I’m not responsible for it! Honest!”

“This is the lava lamp incident all over again,” Shining said, shaking his head.

Glow just stared at her alter ego, before sighing. “Just what kind of mischief have I been up to in this dimension?”

“T-the lava lamp incident doesn’t count! It was only a small, very small, temporal shift and it just, never mind,” she said, her cheeks burning. “I’m sorry we borrowed your car, but it’s very important! I swear! I would have never taken it if it wasn’t an emergency!”

Shining sighed and then, slowly, he reached out and patted her on the head, smiling. “I know, Twily. Just next time, call me. Okay? If it’s an emergency, you know I’ll help. I was worried about you.”

“Does… Principal Cinch know?” Sparkle asked.

“No. We covered for you,” Cadence said, shaking her head. “Though we were within inches of calling the police. I think all four of us have a LOT to talk about. Now… Twilight… Glow?”

“Err, yes. You can just call me Glow, though. Otherwise it’ll get very confusing.”

“As if it isn’t already,” Cadence muttered. “I think Shining and I are going to need the full story.”

Glow nodded. “Of course. But… we should do it inside. And, err… you may want to… fix your car. I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to park.”

------

Shining and Cadence just stared at Glow, their mouths open. Finally, Shining spoke up. “So… I’m… I mean, the me there, is...”

“Yeah. It’s kind of--”

“I got you even in another dimension, baby!” Shining said, before high fiving Cadence.

“Best trans-dimensional couple ever!” Cadence said happily.

Glow blinked and stared at them. She then face palmed. “My… our brother is a dork. And you’re an enabler, Cadence.”

“In all seriousness, though,” Cadence said firmly. “This all seems very… odd. And magical. How in the world is this working like… there’s no magic here. How could it work here, if it doesn’t exist?”

“Oh, that’s due to the fourth law of Starswirl the Bearded’s dimensional travel.”

“Huh?” Shining asked.

“Basically, while some energies, in this case, magic, may not exist in a dimension, they can be brought over TO a different dimension. In which case, they will often try to find a way to mingle WITH the laws and settings of that universe. However, as the portal is connecting our two worlds, the magical energy would all come from Equestria, which is likely why the portal is set based on Equestria’s environment, NOT based on this world’s. To summarize, in sizeable quantities magic COULD be brought over to this world, and even operate. But it would likely operate in a different manner than it does in our world. On top of that, it would seek out those with connections TO my world and, over time, likely find its way back to where I’m from.”

“So then… this whole eternal night thing. Would… it affect our world?” Cadence asked.

Glow shook her head. “Unlikely. As your world seems to have a set cycle, regardless of who wants the sun and moon to be raised, which is VERY strange by the way, it is unlikely that ours will have any effect on yours. At most, you might get some animals that exhibit a few unnatural tendencies. While our dimensions are linked, they are still separate and don’t directly touch each other to the point that damage to one will necessarily affect the other.”

“If they’re not so linked, then… how come there’s a Shining Armor in your world? What are the odds that I’d even exist?”

“Oh, incredibly small,” Glow said with a shake of her head. “But you have to consider that there are, in theory, infinite dimensions. Every choice you make can, in theory, create a new dimension. It would literally be impossible to connect with all of them. Even for the most powerful creatures in existence, there are just too many, most of which are different in extreme manners. On top of that, trying to connect to one, any one, requires a huge amount of power and that the dimension in question be… similar. Very similar. In this case, it seems that our worlds are very, very closely connected. Mind sets and goals are likely very similar, despite our different bodies and lack of magic. In a lot of ways, it would not surprise me to find out all of you are very ‘pony’ without actually being ponies.”

Cadence nodded. “I see… and so, because of that...”

“It make sense that there are a lot of connections across all of us. Now, someponies might not exist in this dimension, or in my dimension, but I’d be willing to bet the majority would. On top of that, there are certain elements and facets of us that would remain. For example, in my world Spike is a dragon, but he is still closely tied to me.”

“… You have a dragon? That’s AWESOME!” Shining said, pumping a fist into the air.

“Only you, Twilight,” Cadence said, shaking her head. “So does this mean you’re a genius across all dimensions?”

“W-well, I’d hardly call myself a genius,” Glow said sheepishly. “I just like to learn, that’s all. But yes, it is likely that that thirst for knowledge is the same across many different dimensions, no matter where I am. Actually, there’s a huge theory in the pony world that there are some ponies who, across multiple dimensions, all hold the same destiny and, as such, many of the dimensions alter and shift themselves around the destiny itself, rather than the ponies themselves being altered. Granted, this theory assumes that the pony is so pivotal that, if they WEREN’T to fulfill their destiny, that the entire reality would have to be shaken and mixed around to ensure that things could get back on track.”

“How would that work?” Shining asked.

“Well.. for example. If Starswirl the Bearded had been born a pegasus, either Clover would have been the one to make all his discoveries or, according to many top believers in the theory, he would have made the same advancements but in different types of magic, likely weather or even potion making. In the end, the advancements would have existed and they’d have stood as a basis, but the core result, who he was, would have been the same.” She then paused. “Of course, there are others that believe that, were it to happen, those developments would have never happened. Instead, the dimension would begin to fall to decay as the destiny remained unfulfilled and, eventually, either collapse on itself or fell entirely to ruin. That to alter such an important, key pony would have destroyed everything.”

“Wow… that’s heavy. What do you think?”

Glow frowned and tapped her chin. Finally, she smiled. “I think if you altered somepony who had some great destiny like that, they’d either fulfill it or somepony else would. We’re stubborn like that. And I don’t really think the world depends on so few ponies. Sure, one pony might get the credit, but Starswirl the Bearded had a lot of help. He had assistants, friends, partners. He wasn’t alone, and removing one pony can’t truly alter the world to that extent. It may change things, but it won’t spell the end of the world. And, eventually, things will right themselves.”

“On that note, how do we plan to right your world?” Shining asked, crossing his arms and staring at her. “You’ve got a doozy of a problem with that Chrysalis running about.”

Glow nodded, before glancing to Sparkle. “That’s… why I need to work with myself. I guess. Is that the right term? Either way. Sparkle, how’s it going?”

“Terribly,” Sparkle muttered. “I can… I can kiiiind of measure it? I think? Maybe? But it’ll take me weeks to understand it well enough to do anything with it. Magic like this doesn’t exist. There’s not a lot of work to base off of.”

Glow sighed, nodding. She’d suspected that answer, though. As much as she’d have loved to be able to help, the science here was so much different from her world. She could understand it, but none of it accounted for magic, or even the possibility of magic. She thought, as an earth pony, she knew how to operate WITHOUT using magic.

But this was so much different. Magic didn’t EXIST here. She had no idea how to tap into her world’s magic without the tools and materials that ONLY existed in her world. The fact that Sparkle could measure it at all was a miracle in and of itself.

“We don’t have weeks, though,” Glow mumbled. “I’ll have to try, then. Do you think you’ll be able to tell me when the portal is ready?”

“Maybe,” Sparkle mumbled. “Now that I’ve run into it, I’ve been able to get a better idea of what it is I’m tracking. This should help, a lot. But...”

“But what?”

“What are you going to do, then?” she asked, turning to Glow. “She has magic, you don’t. And she’s the queen, right? There are probably other changelings. And we can’t exactly make a weapon to give you an edge.”

“And if changelings in your world are anything like the stories in ours, well,” Shining said, giving a shudder. “They could be anybody.”

Glow sighed and turned towards the window, staring at the night sky. It felt hopeless. How could she fight? If she could alert Nightmare Moon, she could save everypony. But what if she couldn’t? What if she just walked right into that queen’s hooves? Death could be a mercy, at that point. She could stay here. She had family, even if an alternate version of them. She could probably find her friends. There was even a Celestia. She could stay here. Leave Equestria behind. Stay in a world where the sun and moon moved in harmony.

Logically, it was the correct choice. The consequences for failure were incredible. There was almost no chance of success. Finally, she shook her heard. “I’m going to try. I have to. The ponies in my home need me and… even if I can’t do it, I’ll never be able to live with myself if I don’t at least try.”

Cadence and Shining shared a look, before leaning in and whispering to each other. Finally, Shining turned back to her. “We’re coming with you.”

“W-what?” Glow asked, taken aback. “W-why would you even, n-no! That’s dangerous!”

“You said in your world, I’m an alicorn, right?” Cadence asked.

“And I’m part of the royal guard, correct?” Shining asked.

“W-well, yes, but--”

“And if we came to that world, we’d become versions of who we were there, with our powers in tact? Or well… theirs?” Cadence asked, smiling.

“I-I mean, yes. But you wouldn’t know how to USE them,” Glow said. “No matter how strong you are, magically, you don’t know HOW to use magic. It’d be suicide! You’d be sitting ducks!”

“Then teach us,” Shining said with a shrug.

“W-what?”

“You know how magic works, right? So teach us. Give us lessons. It doesn’t need to be enough to do anything fancy. All we need to do is get Nightmare Moon’s attention. Right? We can buy you a bit of time.”

Glow stared at the two of them and felt tears in her eyes. Her fists clenched and she couldn’t help but tremble. “B-but… but why? You can’t… put yourself in danger like that. T-this is my world. M-my problem. You’re not--”

And then she was embraced, Cadence and Shining standing and pulling her into a hug.

“You’re my little sister, no matter where you’re from,” Shining said firmly. “And I would NEVER let my little sister walk into danger like this alone. We’re the best hope you’ve got.”

“Besides, a whole world is in danger,” Cadence added. “None of us can just stand by and let it suffer, when we can help. And I know you’d feel the same way.” She paused, and glanced to Sparkle. “I know you DO feel the same way.”

Glow stared at the pair, her entire body shaking while tears flowed down her cheeks. She wanted to tell them no. To stop. That it was too dangerous.

Instead, she choked out a few, soft words. “T-thank… thank you...”

She knew it wouldn’t be easy.

But she knew she wouldn’t be alone.

Author's Notes:

And so enters her big brother... heh. I teared up a bit during this one. Have I been doing that a lot? Sometimes all you really need is just... family. Nothing like a big sibling who will watch out for you.

Just a reminder, commissions are still open. Please feel free to swing by and let me know what you'd like me to write for you!

S2 Ch 24: Magic kindergarten!

Glow stared at the two humans, a frown on her lips.

She was not sure this was going to work, at all. She knew all about magical spells and how they operated. She could, in theory, teach a class on unicorn magic. She could probably teach a pony how to use it, even. If they had some basic understanding of how magic worked.

But neither of them had ever USED magic. Magic was something that was developed over a life time of practice and hard work. It was a muscle that needed to be trained and harnessed, developed. Would they even be able to use magic? Would the bodies they’d have be able to? And what if they could, but it was only weak magic, what if they didn’t HAVE the abilities of their Equestrian counterparts? She didn’t know anypony who had tested the transfer in the other direction. For all she knew they only got the body, not the magic, of their counterparts.

Even worse, what if they didn’t even get that? Equestria was incredibly magical. This world wasn’t. What if the ‘transformation’ only occurred BECAUSE of the magic inside her? What if they STAYED human? What if they did succeed, and had all the power needed, and could use it, but then Nightmare Moon decided to take it? There were so many things that could go wrong. And if any of them did, then she’d be dooming these two generous humans who offered to aid her. For the thousandth time, she pushed those thoughts away. There was no time to focus on what could go wrong now. She had to focus on doing what had to be done to save everypony.

“Okay. Now, I want you to close your eyes, and imagine a kind of… energy, flowing through your body. It starts at the feet, and flows up, through your entire being, all the way to your hor-- forehead.”

The two nodded, closing their eyes and focusing.

She’d have given anything to have the two with horns, so they could fully practice. But there was no way to do that here. They’d have to keep practicing.

“Now, imagine all this energy bursting out of you, like a magical spray of water, blasting through. Throwing your energy itself, in a direct form, at whatever you desire. While the beam, itself, will be straight, the target will be whatever you focus it on. Direct it at. It will be difficult at first, but… well, if you were going to be there for long, it’d be second nature within a few days.”

Once again, the two tried. Though she had no idea if they would be able to do it. She tried to focus on the basics. ‘Blasting’. The most simple spell a combat pony could do. What she wouldn’t give to have Moondancer with her. That mare could probably have taken on Chrysalis herself. Or Rainbow, that mare was tough. She’d have probably flown up and then crashed into the giant bug, crushing her. Or Applejack. Now there was a mare she doubted would lose to some giant changeling.

“Imagine the energy flowing out, through your entire body. Slowly gather it, and push. Magic is a complex science, but the basic principles are simple. Just push, from your ho-- forehead.”

She was just a writer. Being an earth pony wasn’t so bad, if she had trained for combat. Maybe joined the guard. But she hadn’t. She spent most of her days writing new books and stories. Well, and keeping Nightmare Moon under control. Ish. As best she could. She wasn’t a fighter. Her only real weapon was her brain. She was stronger and had more stamina than a lot of unicorns and pegasi, but not enough to actually fight.

“Now. Focus on forming a kind of… dome, from the magic you’d be gathering. Envision it as a small, thin wall made of a very powerful material.”

“Like steel?” Shining asked.

“Exactly. Just imagine it like that...”

For days she trained them, and with each one she felt more and more dread. They’d go to their classes, then come back to practice and try to learn, to envision something they had no basis for. She admired their dedication, their strength. They didn’t complain. Didn’t object. They had no way of knowing if what they were doing would even mean anything, but they still tried their hardest and didn’t give up. How could she not admire them for it?

And they were doing it for her. For her people. She could see so much of her brother and his old friend in them. The kindness. The generosity. The ponies she depended on. And she prayed to the stars above it wouldn’t be in vain.

She tried so hard to block it out until the moment came. Sparkle’s device sprang to life, alerting them it was time. That it was finally time. They all had classes…

But when night fell, they would step in and head across the portal. And, if they were lucky, save Nightmare Moon.

------

The drive was much, much, MUCH smoother with Shining behind the wheel. However, the moment they arrived, Glow instantly felt a small burst of dread. There was that girl again, Sunset. Her arms were crossed and she was standing outside the portal.

Glow got out of the car first, making her way towards the girl and readying herself for a fight. She’d be bucked if she was going to allow some brat stop her from saving her home.

“I’m sorry,” Sunset said, making her pause and almost stumble over.

“W-what?”

“I said, I’m sorry. You were right. I was wrong.” She pointed a thumb at the portal. “I’ve been testing it every day. I knew now that it was active, you’d come back. So… I just… I wanted you to know I was sorry.”

Glow blinked a few times, staring. Finally, she spoke up. “You… are? Really? Does that mean you’ll help?”

“Yeah. I’m coming with you,” Sunset said, giving a small smile. “It’s the least I can do. After all… its my home, too. And we’re all friends here, right?” she asked.

Glow felt a small warmth spread through her heart. She couldn’t believe it. This girl really WAS Celestia’s student. She could finally see just a bit of Moondancer in her. “Yes, we are. Okay everypo-- body! Are you ready?”

Cadence and Shining nodded. “As ready as we’ll ever be. We--”

“Wait, ready? What are all of… your entourage doing?” Sunset asked, her voice clouded with suspicion.

Glow smiled. “They’re coming with us, to try and--”

“Oh HECK no!” Sunset snapped, shaking her head.

“E-excuse me?” Cadence said. “We’re here to help, we--”

“And how are you going to help?” Sunset asked, glaring.

Shining spoke up. “Well, our alter-egos had magic, so it is likely--”

“No,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “Dear heavens, what did you almost do?” she asked, glaring at Glow. “They can’t go through.”

Glow gulped. “But they--”

“Are not ponies. They don’t know the first thing about being a pony. They’d have to spend the first few minutes learning how to walk! Let alone doing magic. They could have gotten killed.”

“B-but they--”

“I’m coming with you, not them. I’m sorry, but this is for your own good.”

“The two of us can’t just--”

“Did you forget? I was Celestia’s prized student. More importantly, I WAS a pony. I have experience. I can get you to Nightmare Moon, and help you alert everypony. But I can’t do it AND keep all of them safe at the same time.”

Shining flushed. “I-I don’t need someone to protect me. I can--”

“You really can’t,” Sunset said, shaking her head. “Listen, I get it. She comes here, makes those sad eyes, apparently lectures people and has a mean right hook, you want to help her. To be the hero, that’s fine. But this is just going to get her and you all killed, or worse. I have experience. More importantly, I have the power you need. You know how good I had to have been back there, Glow. And I won’t go if they go.”

Glow stared at the other girl. Sunset, or her two friends? She glanced to Sparkle, who looked just as confused and worried. Finally, she turned to Shining and Cadence. “I… I’m sorry to ask this, especially after all you have done for me, but...”

“No, she’s the better choice,” Cadence said with a sigh. “And she’s right. We’d likely just get in the way.”

“What? But we were going to be awesome!” Shining objected, before Cadence elbowed him in the side. “Ow! I mean, yeah, you’re probably right. Just… stay safe. Okay, Twily?”

Glow nodded and took a deep breath. She then turned to face Sunset, giving a weak smile. “I’m ready, I think.”

“Okay. And your plan?”

“Alert Nightmare Moon. Its been a few days, she’d have to be back by now. And… once I do… hope she’s not been drained enough Chrysalis can stop her.”

Sunset nodded, before reaching out her hand. “Come on, then, lets go.”

Glow nodded and took the hand before the two stepped into the portal together.

Author's Notes:

And so, Sunset steps up to the plate and agrees to help. And, alas, it looks like Cadence and Shining won't get their chance to try out their magic. Oh well. I'm sure there will definitely never be any opportunity for them to do that and the entire premise of them learning was just a waste of time to fill time. Yup. Definitely.

Y-you all believe me, right? I'm totally just a hack who has no idea how to write a story right.

Also, psst. Commissions are still open, so please feel free to drop me a request if you're looking to have your story told!

S2 Ch 25: Desperation

Twilight shrieked, tumbling through the mirror and landing on the ground in a pile. A few moments later, Sunset did as well, landing on the earth pony. “Owwwww...” the two said in unison.

Twilight looked up at the points of spears. Three lunar guards were standing over her, their weapons aimed at her face. She squeaked. “W-wait! It’s not what it, its me, Twilight Glow!” she said quickly, getting to her hooves and shoving Sunset off her. “We’re here! We need to see Nightmare Moon, immediately! She’s in grave danger!”

“Oh, we know,” one of the guards said, stepping towards her, the spear pushed a little closer to her throat. “We didn’t think we’d ever manage to find you again, bard. She’ll be ecstatic to hear how you escaped and so pleased to know you fell right into our clutches.”

The earth pony gulped. “Y-you’re… a changling… Nightmare Moon… she’s...”

“In her throne room, of course. But you won’t be going there.”

Sunset groaned and slowly got up, standing on her back hooves and taking a step forward. Or rather, trying. She flailed her hooves out, trying to maintain her balance. “W-whoa! A-ahhhh!” she squeaked, stumbling about. The changelings took a step back, their spears still raised threateningly. Finally, she got her balance. “Huh. The castle looks… dirtier,” she said, her front legs at her side. She then glanced towards the guards and Twilight, her cheeks going red. “O-oh. Right.” She lowered herself down to all fours. “That feels weird after all this time...”

“… O… kay then,” the guard said. “You two are coming with us, we--”

“Oh, please. We’re not--” Sunset said, her horn sparking. She blinked a few times and then, slowly, she glanced up. “O-oh dear...”

Twilight blinked and glanced to the other mare. “W-what? What’s wrong?”

“… I… can’t… do my magic,” she said with a little squeak.

The three guards shared a look, before grinning to each other. The spears moved in front of them. “Okay, you three. MOVE IT! We’re taking you somewhere nopony will ever see you again.”

Twilight had no choice. Slowly, she was led up the stairs, Sunset besides her. At the top of the stairs, two more guards joined them and, finally, when they left the north wing and took a side door out of the castle, a final three guards joined them. Ten, now.

She felt like an idiot. She couldn’t believe she’d thought this would work. Of course Chrysalis had guards on the mirror. She’d only just arrived and ALREADY she’d failed terribly. Both she and Sunset were going to be imprisoned and there was nothing they could do about it. At least Shining and Cadence were safe. If Sunset hadn’t convinced her to leave them behind, then--

“Oh my gosh, I’m an idiot,” Sunset said with a light giggle.

“I think I’m the idiot, here,” Twilight mumbled, her eyes lowered.

“Oh, no. Duck.”

Twilight blinked and then shrieked, ducking down moments before a red, fiery orb of magic erupted over the unicorn’s head, forming a ring of fire outwards that sent the changelings flying through the air and crashing to the ground, groaning. Her horn lit up a second later, zapping them with red beams of light and the changelings started snoring.

The earth pony stared, her mouth open. “Y-you… you can do your magic?”

“Its been a while, okay? I haven’t done a spell in years!” she said quickly, her cheeks burning. “I just forgot. But, we need to go. Now. That spell won’t keep them out for long,” Sunset said, before turning back to the castle. “Throne room, come on. You lead, I’ll follow.”

Twilight blinked and then nodded. “R-right! Of course!” she said, before turning back towards the castle and galloping off. Nightmare moon was still here, she knew it. The changelings had given just a little too much information. If she could make it through to the throne room, this nightmare would be over.

And another one would continue, but foal steps!

------

“Is EVERYPONY here a changeling?!” Sunset asked, her horn glowing before she sent another beam of red magic back at the pair of changelings chasing them. Their own magic was used against her, green light sprouting from their horns to block her spell.

“I-I don’t think so! I hope not! B-but they have to know where we’re going!” Twilight said, skidding to a stop when a guard burst out from a doorway, horn glowing with a green light. The earth pony turned and bucked as hard as she could, catching the guard in the face and sending them sprawling. “We can’t let them stop us!”

“Well, yes, but I can only stop so many of them! I’m good but I’m not THAT good!” Sunset snapped, catching a pair of thrown spears in her magic and snapping them. “Are we almost there?!”

“Yes!” Twilight yelled, her eyes on the door ahead. “Its just down this hall! If we--” She turned the corner and pain enveloped her. It felt like red hot pokers through her side. She looked down and her eyes focused on the spear lodged deep into her side, possibly piercing a rib. Sunset’s magic gripped the changeling and flung them, before she turned to the mare.

“I… I can’t take it out. You’ll bleed all over the place. It--”

“L-leave it,” Twilight hissed with pain, running as fast as she could. She knew that the moment the adrenaline stopped, she was going to be in agony. Though, how it could hurt more than it already did, she didn’t know. The door to the throne room was in sight. She could hear more changelings galloping after them and three now blocked their way, spears raised. “W-we’re almost there!”

Sunset nodded, her horn glowing a fiery red. “Go! I’ll stop them! Just get out of here!” she said, before a ball of fire formed over her horn. She flung the ball at the changelings, forcing them to scatter to avoid it. Twilight galloped through the still sizzling embers, her hooves burning. Her vision was cloudy and her entire body ached, her lungs burning from exertion. But she made it. She stood on her hooves and shoved out as hard as she could, slamming the door open. She charged in, kicking the door closed on one of the guards who had tried to stop her. She’d done it.

She’d made it.

------

Sunset sighed, watching the mare disappear. She then glanced to their pursuing ponies. “Finally, ditched her. Now, if all of you don’t mind...” A small, black orb formed over her head. Rapid bursts of magic shot out, zapping the changelings and making them drop like flies. She then hmphed, walking over the way they’d come. “I swear, should have ditched lil miss goody earth pony at the beginning. I really am too nice for my own good sometimes,” she said with a snicker, before turning down one of the halls.

“Still, I should thank her. As friends go… well. she’s been just the ideal distraction. I really hope the other you is just as gullible.” She reached out and tried to turn a door knob, frowning before rolling her eyes. Her horn glowed yet again. “I miss having hands...”

------

Twilight shook her head, trying to make her vision stop spinning. Slowly, she walked down the carpet, leaving a trail of blood with each step. Every movement made the spear hurt all the more. But she could see Nightmare Moon on the throne. Alone. There was nopony else left to get in her way. “Y-your highness.”

“Oh, my bard,” the ruler said. “Whatever happened to you?”

“T-there’s no time. C-changelings. T-they’ve come. They’re here. We… we have to...” She whimpered, stopping and falling to her knees. She felt so tired. How much blood had she lost? But still. She was finally before the throne. She’d made it. She didn’t even have to yell to make her ruler hear her. “T-they… one of them took my form. T-they’re trying to use you, to--”

“Oh, I already know all of that,” the ruler said, before she was enveloped in green flames. Chrysalis chuckled, watching the hope drain from Twilight’s face. “I must say. You came ever so close.”

“But… but… they said… that Nightmare Moon was in the throne room… that she… that…”

“And you believed them. After all… ‘They have me captive, why would they lie?’” the changeling asked in a mocking tone, before getting to her hooves. “You ponies really are just so gullible. Do you think us foals? We are changelings, deceptions upon deceptions. Did you really think we would give you any information of use, when there was even the SLIGHTEST chance you could escape?” Slowly, she began to walk towards her. “But… now there is none. You have lost. And your ruler? Your precious Nightmare Moon? She is up in her room, resting. Completely unaware that the ‘bard’ she so highly treasures is about to die.”

Twilight whimpered, staring at the other mare. Everything was wrong. She’d failed. She’d already lost so much blood, even if she could escape, she doubted she could make the trip up to the ruler’s chamber. Sunset was buying her time and might be able to, but she doubted she could walk back to the end of the throne room, let alone do it while fleeing Chrysalis. She looked around for something, anything. “I-I won’t… g-give up. I’m not a… I...” With no other weapon at hoof, she reached back with her mouth and gripped the end of the spear, tearing it out of herself. Pain coursed through her body, erupting and making her see stars. However, she leveled it at the changeling.

Chrysalis snickered, eying the bloody tip. “Oh dear. You can barely keep the tip level. Are you truly going to fight me with it? How desperate you’ve become. You--” She was cut off when the earth pony flung it with all her might. The changeling cocked an eye when it sailed far over her head, missing entirely. She rolled her eyes and watched it hit the magically trapped elements, bouncing off the shield and clattered to the floor. “You ponies are dedicated, I’ll give you that. Pathetic, though. Did you really think you could stop me?” she asked, trotting forward and towering over the wounded mare. “Especially with a small, tiny spear?”

Twilight struggled to breath, trying to focus on the creature, the fresh pain making it hard to think, let alone talk back.

“It’s a shame that you and your ruler aren’t in a true relationship. If you were, I would have been able to drain her far faster. Still. In a month’s time… I will drain her entirely. And you, my little earth pony? Well… you’ve proven to be far, far more dangerous than I expected. I’m afraid I can’t let you live. It’s oddly fitting, however. Bleeding out from one of the spears of Nightmare Moon’s personal guard. You are a story weaver, no? Truly you can see the irony in that.”

Her hole covered hoof reached out, gripping Twilight by the chin and forcing her to look up. “Tell me, bard. How does it feel to know you will be the tool by which I take over this kingdom. To know that your last, feeble attempt to save your kingdom was a pathetic, useless miss? A great story teller must have some fitting last words, no?” she asked with an amused chuckle. “Tell me, what are they?”

Twilight chuckled softly, though it hurt to talk. “Just… three… I… didn’t… miss.”

“Huh?” Chrysalis asked. And became all too aware of the shadow that was now looming over them. The shadow of a great winged and horned pony. Her ears went flat against her skull and she turned, slowly, to see Nightmare Moon standing on her throne. Fear gripped the queen. “O-oh. Your… your highness. I… it’s… it’s not what it looks li--” Her words were cut off by a magical grip around her throat, dark magic squeezing it tightly. She was driven to her knees, her head pinned to the ground with enough force to almost crack the stone. The ruler never took her eyes off her bard, however, motioning forward with a wing.

Moondancer rushed forward from behind the ruler, moving to Twilight’s side. Her horn glowed, pressure being applied to the wound. “Twilight? TWILIGHT! Speak to me. Are you okay?”

The earth pony chuckled, staring up at her friend. She could barely make the pony out, darkness slowly overtaking her. “I… think I’m...”

She never finished the sentence, collapsing when the last of her consciousness slipped away. The last thing she heard were the words of her ruler. “Pray she lives, creature… as your fate is now tied with hers.”

Author's Notes:

You ever just get that feeling that... everything you've done has just gone horribly, terribly, apocalyptically wrong?

That's how Chrysalis feels right now.

Only two more chapters to go to finish this season. Hope you're excited! <3 Hope you're all enjoying this. Tomorrow... oh. Tomorrow is a biggie.

Also, don't forget that I'm currently taking commissions. Also, I have a patreon but that's a bit less important.

S2 Ch 26: Empty sky

Twilight groaned, her eyes slowly opening. She felt like half her ribs were shattered and each breath sent a light, piercing jab through her lungs. Somepony towered over her. “Gnggg… Nightmare… Moon?” she asked.

“Wow, little sis,” Shining said with a chuckle. “I must have gotten taller.” Slowly her vision cleared and she saw her big brother standing over her, Cadence near the foot of the bed and watching her nervously. “How are you feeling?” Her real big brother.

“Hurt. Really, really, really hurt...” Twilight whispered. “How are… how are things with you?”

“Not too bad. I… have some news. Good news. When… you feel better.”

Twilight shook her head. “I could use some good news right now.”

“This is kind of ‘jumping up and down’ good news,” he said with a smile. “So… I’m gonna wait.”

“That’s not fair!” Twilight whined, eyeing him. Slowly, she tried to formulate a list of things he could mean. Jumping up and down and--

“Oh my gosh, you’re going to give her an aneurysm,” Spike said, hopping onto the foot of the bed and rolling his eyes. “These two are getting married.”

“SPIKE!” Shining snapped.

“What? You can’t just do that to her. It’s Twilight, she’ll over analyze everything. She needs to rest and relax,” the dragon said with a shrug.

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. Finally… “Cadence?! You’re going to marry HIM?” she said, feeling excitement flow through her. Rejuvenating her.

“Yeah,” she said with a small chuckle. “I’ve been, you know. We’ve been considering it for a while. But with Nightmare Moon and everything it finally just… it kept getting delayed. And so we finally decided after all of this, well… its for the best. No more delays. Buck it, lets just get married,” she said, giving him an affectionate smile. “Especially after… we almost lost you. We… wanted you to wake up to good news this time.”

The earth pony nodded. “I see. You… do know you can do better, right?” she teased.

Shining scowled, but Cadence only snickered. “Maybe, but that’d be a lot of work. Besides, I’m never as happy as when I’m with him, so I figure it’s worth the sacrifice.”

“Hey!” the unicorn said with a shake of his head. “I’ll have you know I’m pretty awesome.”

“Oh?” Cadence asked.

“Yes. I got you, didn’t I? I must have something pretty cool about me,” he said with a snicker.

Twilight gave a giggle, smiling up at the two. “So… uhhh… the changelings. Chrysalis, what… happened with…?”

“As far as we know, well… we won,” Shining said, his face changing from happy smirk to serious. “More and more changelings have been coming forward. On top of that, more than a few ponies were captured by them, it seems. We’ve been getting them back. There… was an expedition into their territory. It seems they had some weird… anti-magical throne thing. It’s broken now and… a lot of changelings are captured. It seems that with their queen taken, they’re a lot less eager to fight and hide. And apparently they seemed to grab a bit of ire from the dragons. Seemed there were a bunch shifting into dragons to try and distract us and keep us focused on an attack from outside, not from inside, the kingdom. Most are locked away in Tartarus...”

“An expedition? How… how long was I out?” she asked softly.

The two shared a look, concern in their eyes. Finally, Cadence spoke up. “We… didn’t think you were going to make it. You had an infection, and your ribs were... and… you’ve been out for a while, Twilight.”

“O-oh…” the earth pony whispered. Her eyes widened. “S-Spike? Have you been okay? If I wasn’t--”

“I’ve been staying with Moondancer,” he interrupted her, lifting a claw. “Been working as her assistant. Heh. She might be disappointed now that you’ve woken up. She’ll have to go back to managing her own quills and paperwork,” he teased, shaking his head. “And if you’re worried about what Chrysalis did when she was you, well… I was with her a lot of the time. Something about you seemed off but… I’m sorry. I didn’t realize just how off it was...” he mumbled, sinking a little bit.

Twilight felt a small surge of warmth for the baby dragon, before reaching for him. Unfortunately, this sent fresh bursts of pain through her body. “O-ow!”

“Are you okay?!” Spike asked, leaping to his claws and dashing over.

She chuckled and, now that he was in range, she wrapped her hooves around him. “I’m fine. I just… missed you. Is all.”

“Where were you?” Spike asked.

“It’s… a long story. Oh my gosh! Sunset Shimmer! Has anypony seen her? Orange unicorn, red and yellow mane? Oh no, if Nightmare Moon finds her, she might be in incredible danger.”

“Who?” Spike asked, staring at her.

“The unicorn who helped me get to the throne room. She was… well, she was from here. But, err… I mean….”

“Wait, Sunset Shimmer?” Cadence asked. “Celestia’s old pupil?”

“Yes! She helped me and… what?”

The alicorn shook her head. “She wasn’t here, as far as I know. I’ve heard rumors about them looking for a unicorn, but as far as I know, they’re still looking.”

Twilight blinked a few times, before letting out a sigh of relief. She must have gotten back through the mirror, then. She couldn’t imagine why she’d have stayed here, after all. Not with the way things were going. She wished she could see her just one more time, though. Let her know that everything was okay, now. “T-thanks. Sorry. I just...”

“Where were you?” Cadence asked. “If she came with you, there has to be a big story here. As far as I know, she’s… well. She disappeared years ago. When you were just a filly. Nopony has seen her since. Where did you find her?”

Twilight sighed. “Its… a long story. Its...” She frowned and closed her eyes, thinking about that other world. What would Nightmare Moon do if she thought about it? A world opposite their own? She found her eyes drawn to the window outside, the moon high in the sky. Finally, she shook her head. “Is… it okay if I just… keep it to myself, for now? It’s… it’s better that way for now, I think. It may be better that nopony else knows.”

Shining and Cadence shared a look. Finally, they shook their heads.

“Not a chance,” the unicorn said.

“Don’t make us tickle you,” Cadence warned. “You have enough on your shoulders, without something like that.”

Spike nodded. “Besides, if you can’t trust family, who can you trust?”

Twilight blinked a few times, before smiling. “No. I guess regardless of dimensions, I can always depend on you three. Fine, you win.”

“Dimensions?” Shining asked.

“It’s a long story. It all started when I decided to explore the castle and found this old, ancient mirror. It...”

------

“That’s… wow...” Spike said, staring at her. “I was a dog? Like, a barking, yipping dog?”

“You didn’t yip, but yes,” Twilight said.

“So… I was pretty cool though, right?” Shining asked.

“Oh, you were the coolest,” she said quickly, giving a light laugh. “Though, I don’t know how well you were learning what I was teaching. We never got a chance to test it. But...”

“… What was it like?” Cadence asked softly.

“Huh?”

“The sun and moon. Having… it back. What was it like?”

Twilight frowned, closing her eyes. She played it over again in her mind. The way the sun had risen. The beautiful trail of the moon across the night sky. She felt small tears forming in her eyes. “It was… incredible. I miss it already...” she whispered. “How could Nightmare Moon not see how...” Once again she found her eyes brought to the moon. An unchanging sign of the ruler’s dominion. Of her power. Never changing. Never altering. Never yielding.

A voice crackled through the room. “Twilight? Its Moondancer. The messenger just arrived that you’re okay. Nightmare Moon will know in a minute or so and then we’ll be on our way, okay? Just a warning.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Moondancer and you probably can’t hear me anyway,” she said with a sigh. “Ummm… Cadence, Shining?”

The unicorn nodded. “I know. You want us out of here, in case she decides to throw another fit, right?”

“Yeah. She won’t do anything to me, but...”

“But I’m an alicorn, he’s a unicorn who fought against her,” Cadence offered.

“Exactly. Can you go let mom and dad know I’m okay?”

“Of course,” Shining said, before giving a little smile. His hoof reached out and gently booped her on the nose. “Just be careful, okay? No more going into alternate dimensions without your big brother there to keep you safe.”

Twilight snickered. “Of course not. Besides, you were there this time. Just… not you. Now go, before she gets here. I don’t want you two in danger.” She then glanced to Spike. “Actually… Spike, can you go with them?”

The dragon looked shocked, before frowning. “Hey. I’m not scared of Nightmare Moon. If she has anything to yell at you about she can--”

“I just don’t want to take any chances. And I really don’t want anything nearby I really care about that she might… break. I don’t imagine what I’m going to tell her is going to make her happy. I can’t let her know about Sunset and everything and… this is going to be fun...” she muttered/

“… Oh,” Spike said softly. “Fair...”

“Come on, Spike,” Cadence said with a smile, motioning the dragon to follow. “Mrs. Velvet makes the best cupcakes and has been in a huge cooking mood lately. I bet you’ll be able to get a few.”

The dragon perked up at the sound of the treat, following them outside. Now it was just a waiting game. Twilight glanced around the room. Get well cards, balloons, a few books. Some of the balloons had been here so long they had lost almost all their air and were drifting closer to the ground.

Suddenly, with a burst of dark magic, Nightmare Moon and Moondancer appeared at the foot of her bed. Twilight yelped and stared at the pair, her eyes going wide. “H-hi?” she said softly.

“Bard,” Nightmare Moon said softly, her hooves digging into the ground. “We see you are safe and sound. I… worried you wouldn’t recover.” Twilight’s eyes widened softly. There was that ‘I’ again. “The dangers you put yourself through were… not necessary.”

“Oh, they very much were,” the earth pony said with a small, nervous smile. “If I hadn’t, there’s not telling what would have happened to Equestria.”

“You nearly died.”

“Many more may have died if I hadn’t.”

“… We see. Bard, you have gone far and above your duties as our adviser. We were correct in choosing you for this role. Your willingness to sacrifice for your country, for your home, is duly noted. As such, we have come to make you an offer.”

Twilight blinked and stared at the mare. “Your highness?” She glanced to Moondancer, who looked just as confused as her.

“We have long considered this. Our rule will be long, eternal. And there is nopony to walk besides us. And you have… been by our sides through it all. However, you are both weak and delicate. This ordeal only makes it more noticeable. How easy it is to break you. To harm you. You cannot forever stand by our side, if you fall to your wounds.”

“Y-your… your highness?” Moondancer asked. “W-what are you saying?”

Nightmare Moon glanced to her student, before turning back to her bard. “We have come to offer you something very, very few ponies have ever been allowed. An opportunity beyond any measure. A life eternal. Power unimaginable. You have proven to be a pony we can trust in most manners and, as such… we offer you this. The life of an alicorn.”

“W-what?!” Twilight asked before shaking her head. “T-that can’t, you can’t just MAKE an alicorn!”

“Yes, we can,” Nightmare Moon said calmly. “We have the power beyond any and the ritual to make a pony into an alicorn is far within our grasp. It has been a long time since this magic has been used. However, we can think of no other pony we would rather have by our side.”

Moondancer cringed, closing her eyes for a moment.

“You would have magic and power. You would stand by our side, no longer as just a mere subject. But as a ruler. A pony who could do as she pleased. Who could help us… help me to rule my ponies the way they need to be.”

Twilight stared at her ruler, her mouth open. She couldn’t believe it. The life of an alicorn. Magic. Strength. Power. Authority. Her mind wandered to all the good things she could do. The lives she could save. Could make better. How many ponies would be rescued by her hooves? How much pain and suffering could she end? She could--

Her eyes wandered to the moon outside. Slowly, she closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.”

Nightmare Moon froze. Slowly, she spoke up again. “No? You would… deny this gift?”

“Yes. I would.”

“But… but why? We offer you power! We offer you authority. We offer you--”

“To be like you,” Twilight said harshly, cutting her off. “I… I won’t.”

“What is wrong with us?!”

“Everything!” Twilight snapped, waving a hoof and then cringing. “What were you like BEFORE Nightmare Moon? Were you good? Were you kind? I find it hard to believe you weren’t. You ruled besides Celestia and--”

“She betrayed--”

“I’M NOT DONE!” the earth pony yelled, though it hurt her lungs to do so. The ruler was stunned into silence. She knew it wasn’t wise, but she just couldn’t. She’d almost died, almost been torn apart. And now she had THIS thrown on her? “You ruled besides her. And if she was anything like she is in our time… then I have to believe that you were, too. I can see the way you love us. Cherish us. But I can also see how that has become twisted in you. I can see that its darkened you to a point where… where you’re this. You’re not Luna. You haven’t been Luna since you became this. And I won’t change from Twilight Glow into… Dusk Falls or some other over the top, silly evil name. If I took this power, if I… if I let myself become like you. What’s to stop me from becoming the same?”

“We wouldn’t allow you to--”

“You would just make it worse. You refuse to change. I would be entirely in your shadow. I would spend an eternity beneath you. How long until I begin to get jealous? Or selfish? Or just… just so many things that are terrible and cruel?”

Nightmare Moon stared at her bard, her mouth falling open. “But… we love our ponies. We--”

“You may love us. But you won’t do what you need to do.” She motioned to the moon. “Look at the moon.”

The ruler glanced to it, frowning. “Yes, all see its glory. Of what importance is it, now?”

“None. The moon has no importance.”

Moondancer’s eyes widened with horror, shaking her head quickly from behind Nightmare Moon.

“The stars are meaningless. The moon is empty.”

Nightmare Moon’s mouth fell open, staring at her bard. “You dare to speak of--”

“I do. And anypony who isn’t scared of you will say the same. There’s no change. Nothing. It used to be that the moon would travel across the heavens. Ponies told stories of it, of its beauty. The way it changed, the significance of the cycles. It was an eternally changing tapestry, forever shifting. The moon, the stars. They were something of beautify and glory. Something ponies would stay up to see. Meteor showers, new stars, the way they would sometimes shift and move. It was beautiful. An eternal cycle of rebirth. It was gentle, every night they would watch over us as we slept. And now? Now its a painting. Dots. A big circle. Never changing. Just a reminder that we’re under your hoof and there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s not scary. It’s not beautiful. It’s boring.”

Nightmare Moon gasped, her eyes widening.

“And while you may have compared the sun to the moon when I told you of this before. The sun was the one that never changed. We couldn’t even look at it without hurting our eyes. We played in it, frolicked in it. Because it was bright and let us see the world. It let us live in the world. But… the moon? The moon was something different. It changed. It shifted. The night sky was something we stared at with wonder. It made us look up, not down. It had a warmth all its own. It made ponies feel safe to sleep. Now it’s just another sign of who you became, not who you were, Nightmare Moon. And I do not want that to become me. I don’t want to turn into something like… that.”

The alicorn stared and then, she sighed. “We… see. Very well. This spell cannot be forced on a pony, so if you do not desire our power… we can not force it on you. We… wish you only to recover and return to our services, bard. We will find another, more worthy,” she said, before turning her back to the bard and disappearing, leaving Moondancer behind.

“By Celestia’s cutie mark,” the unicorn whispered. “Even I feel a little bad for her. You couldn’t even taper that down a little bit?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I’d have loved to but… she needed to hear it. I didn’t want her thinking that I’d… that I was going to change my mind. That, eventually, I’d yield. I just… I’m terrified what would happen if I did. What I might become.”

Moondancer nodded, eyeing where the ruler had been. Finally, she sighed. “Twilight? For… what it’s worth?”

“Yes?”

“I don’t think you’d ever become like her. You’re not that kind of pony. You’re… different than she is.”

“I doubt I’m that much different than she was. I--”

“You’re a lot more amazing than you give yourself credit for. Trust me. I’ve been around you long enough to know,” Moondancer said with a smile. “And… I’m happy that you’re not like her.”

Twilight stared and then, slowly, gave a smile. “Thank you.” She sighed and laid back. “Hey… my family is going to be coming by. Wanna meet my mom?”

“The Twilight Velvet? Oh, yes. Mom used to read me her books when I was a filly. I… don’t suppose she’d give me her autograph?”

Twilight snickered, giving a small chuckle. Maybe she could…

Moondancer gasped, staring out the window. The earth pony’s eyes followed and she stared, her own mouth falling as well. “O-oh no...” The stars, the moon, all of it. Was gone.

------

Nightmare Moon appeared on the roof of her tower, collapsing on it with a huff. How DARE her bard speak to her like this. How dare she… treat her in such a manner. Her sky. HER tapestry was BORING?! She rolled onto her back and stared at it. The beauty of the moon and stars were perfect. If they couldn’t accept it. If they couldn’t REVEL in it, then they didn’t deserve it. If they found it ‘empty’, then they would get their wish. Her horn glowed and she wiped it clean in an instant. The stars disappeared, the moon sank beneath the horizon. She hmphed and stared at the black, empty void above.

“If this is what they wish, then very well. I will show you… all of...” However, she couldn’t take her eyes off the empty sky. So void. The darkness that surrounded the world. Piercing through them.

It wasn’t her sky. No. It hadn’t been her sky for millenia. Now that she thought about it, it hadn’t been her sky even when she returned. It had been Celestia’s sky, her night. All that she had done was move the moon, risen it higher. But she hadn’t set the stars. She had just been so busy. So… set in her ways. She had refused to change even a single thing, to give away even a moment of the night.

And yet…

She glanced to her cutie mark and felt a powerful sadness wash over her.

“Celestia, oh once dear sister… could it be she is right? Is it possible that we… have become boring?” She thought back to those many, many nights. The way she would spend hours creating each design. The beauty she had crafted. The nights she had woven for them. She would spend weeks deciding on each constellation. When she had started, there had been but a few stars. But by the time she finished, the heavens were a breath taking tapestry for the night. A world she had created. A world of breathtaking beauty.

And they had ignored it. Once again, she felt that icy chill. They had all ignored it. Cast her hard work aside. Cast HER aside. She was the ‘backup princess’. What did it matter how hard she worked? They never cared. They never…

Slowly, her hooves reached up and a few stars appeared in the sky. Some of them were important. Her north star. It had become so important. She couldn’t truly let it disappear. Then a constellation or two. It was so… silent, now. Empty. Void.

One by one, new stars appeared in the sky again, glowing with a gentle, dim glow. The empty void turning to a beautiful, breath taking tapestry. Tears formed in the ruler’s eyes while she made each new star appear and the warm excitement she had once become so fueled by returned.

For just a moment, she could pretend. Pretend her ponies had always lover her. Pretend her sister was there by her side, not in front of her. Not hiding her. But her ally. A pony she could depend on.

She could pretend that ponies idolized her sky. Gazed on it. Reveled in it. That she hadn’t become old and bitter and hated their separation from it.

Piece by piece the sky came anew. A beauty all its own. Something that was truly unique and special. Something that all of Equestria could share. And then, slowly, the moon began to rise. No longer a full, massive orb of light to rival the sun.

But a small, delicate crescent. The moon rose quickly, assuming its place in the sky where it belonged. Where it would continue its journey across the heavens, slowly, throughout the night.

The ruler got to her hooves and wiped her eyes. She could change. She would change. She was Nightmare Moon. But… she loved her ponies. And she would be Luna for them as well. And she would show them the true skies she had longed for them to see. Had longed for--

The thought stilled when her eyes fell over her city. Over Canterlot. The city itself was a small tapestry of its own. Lights flickering and glowing. Like little stars on the world. She’d never seen the city like this before. Or had she, but just never noticed? Had she truly allowed herself to become so blind? She stared out, over her Equestria and felt a warmth in her heart.

Her stars above. Truly, her sky. But on the ground, smaller stars, the cities, the ponies, street lamps and windows. All shining together to create a beauty unmatched.

Her entire body quivered and she made a vow to herself. “I will… never forget the true beauty of my night again,” she whispered. “No matter how much I hurt. I will show all ponies what I have created for them...”

------

“It’s… beautiful...” Moondancer whispered, her eyes on the night sky above. It was so different than she’d ever seen. While some of the stars were the same, so many of them were different. Moved. Altered. And the moon, in its dim glow, gently moving across the sky, only made it more breath taking.

Twilight nodded, unable to take her eyes off the sky as well. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe her ruler could change.

Maybe, one day, Nightmare Moon would be the ruler they all needed her to be.

------

Applejack stared at the night sky, her mouth open. She’d only come down to Ponyville to make a delivery to Filthy Rich, when the sky shifted, it had drawn every eye to it. Now?

Now it was unlike anything she’d ever seen before. Maybe it was because it had been so long, but the sky just seemed so… glorious. So beautiful. She stared up at it with awe, before smiling. “Ah guess even Nightmare Moon can change ‘er mind, eh?” she mumbled to herself. A frown came on her face, before she sighed.

“Anypony can. But can they admit to it?” she muttered.

“I’m sorry?” the shopkeeper asked. “Everything’s good, though. Thanks for dropping these off. How… ahhh… are things at the farm?”

“Rough, but we’ll get by. Ah don’t suppose yah know if Zecora is still stickin’ around the library?”

“Who? Oh! The zebra, Trixie’s assistant?”

That made the earth pony pause, but slowly nod. “Eeyup.”

“She’s there fairly regularly. I think she’s been telling stories to the foals and colts.”

That gave the mare even more pause. “Tellin’… stories?”

“Yup. She’s been telling ponies all about all kinds of myths and legends. I heard a pair of fillies talking about it the other day.”

Applejack nodded, before sighing. “Thanks.” She stepped out from the store. “Tell Filthy Hh said hi!”

“Will do!”

The mare then turned towards the library and began trotting, frustration growing in her. She knew this was the right thing to do, but she didn’t want to. She’d been in the wrong and she owed the mare an apology. It still didn’t make it any less embarrassing.

But she couldn’t put it off forever. And if Nightmare Moon of all ponies could pull their temper out of their flank and make that, she could stop being stubborn and actually entertain the notion of being the kind of pony her family had taught her to be.

She shoved open the door and froze. Sitting in front of the stage was Zecora, talking with a ring of colts and fillies. There was a chalk board in front of her zebra, which she was using to draw examples of the things she spoke of. Applejack sighed and glanced around, deciding she’d wait until after the story was finished. Trixie was putting away a small stack of books while a small colt talked the unicorn’s ear off.

“It was so cool!” Button said. “They fought a dragon!”

“You don’t say,” Trixie said dismissively, flipping two of the books around and sliding them into position on the self.

“And she wasn’t trapped there, she was ESCAPING to the game!”

“Yeah, I hear a lot of ponies do that,” the unicorn mumbled, obviously barely listening while she pulled a damaged book off the self. She scowled, before tossing it into a small box marked ‘repair’ by the front desk.

“And then whenever they got into the physical world, it was really sad because he couldn’t move at all! But then in the game she was super awesome!” Button said.

Trixie blinked a few times and struggled to process that sentence. Finally, she shrugged. “I see. That’s… nice?” A vein was starting to form in the unicorn’s forehead and Applejack decided to take pity on the mare and step in.

“Howdy, Trixie,” she said, trotting over. “Hey Button. Yah mind if ah borrow our librarian for a bit?”

“Huh? Oh! Right! Yeah, I’m gonna give those other books a look! Thanks, Trixie!” he said before galloping off, snagging a small book filled bag on the way out.

“Ugh,” the unicorn said with a roll of her eyes. “Had I known he’d react like that I NEVER would have recommended it.”

“Oh? You weren’t a fan of the book?”

“Me? The Great and Powerful Trixie, a fan of such things? No,” she said flatly. “I just merely know he is interested in video games and that book was recommended in the library newsletter. It’s how I’ve done most of my recommendations.”

“Ah see,” Applejack said with a knowing grin. “Ah heard ya were gettin’ ready tah pack up an’ go take Equestria by storm. Wagon still givin’ ya trouble?”

“Ugh, yes. Had I KNOWN how much trouble it’d be just… leaving it out there for a year, I’d have made sure to keep it in use, hmph,” the unicorn snapped with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll get to it, eventually.”

“Ah’m sure ya will… ya know. If ya want, Ah could have a look at it. Ah--”

“Hmph. The Great and Powerful Trixie can handle her OWN wagon, thank you very much,” Trixie said with a hmph and turning her snout up.

Applejack only nodded and smiled. She’d heard all about the ‘wagon’ issues. Apparently the wagon had been a bit dirty and some things had broken, not to mention the stage having been removed to be used in the library at one point. More than a few ponies had offered to help her fix it, but she’d declined it with one excuse or another. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. “How ya been likin’ yer new stage? Ah hear from Applebloom that ya really blew them all away with yer last show.”

The unicorn snickered. “Why, now that I have magic, it is foal’s play to perform shows like that. It’s only natural that my… hmmm...” She frowned, tugging off another damaged book from the shelf. “Do the ponies of this town truly not maintain their tomes at all?” she asked, tossing it into the ‘repair’ bin.

“What exactly are ya doin’?” Applejack asked.

“Ugh, busy work,” the mare said with a roll of her eyes. “I received a book from a mare that had pages falling out and apparently it was like that when she got it. And it's not the only one, either. I swear whoever came here before me had no idea how to maintain this place.”

“Well, we didn’t really have a librarian before. It’s nice tah see ya--”

“I’m hardly a librarian,” Trixie said with a snort. “I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! I just do not like having the venue of my performances filled with such… shoddy disarray,” she said. “Oh, which reminds me.” Her horn glowed and she pulled out a small book with a small, swirling spiral on the cover. “You’re Applebloom’s sister, right?”

“Mmmm hmm. Why?”

“This came in. I think she’ll enjoy it.”

Applejack took the book, eyeing it. “Cutie marks?”

“Yes. Those three fillies are constantly coming here and looking for new ways to create their cutie mark. Please, as if it can be discovered in such a way,” she said with a sigh.

“Uh huh… So. Ya enjoyin’ workin’ here?”

“Mmmm. I suppose it works, for now. I barely have to do anything,” Trixie said, tossing another book into the repair bin. “And I will admit, you ponies at least treat me with the proper respect worthy of somepony of my talents. So this is not a… terrible arrangement.”

Applejack rolled her eyes, keeping a smile on her face. “Ah see. Well, it’s awful kind of ya tah keep puttin’ on yer shows. Ah know a lot of ponies have been enjoyin’ ‘em.”

Trixie perked up. “Oh? So you’ve been hearing about them, even on the farm? It’s good to hear that my reputation is finally spreading as far as it deserves.

The earth pony barely avoided snickering, merely nodding along with the mare. “Mmmm hmm. Speakin’ of reputation...” she said, glancing towards the dispersing foals. “It was nice talkin’ tah ya, but ah gotta go talk to yer assistant.”

“Hmmm? Oh. Enjoy yourself, I suppose. I… What in the blazes?” Trixie said, pulling out a book on simple magic tricks. “The bindings on this are almost completely destroyed! Bah… I would have sworn this book was fine when I got here. How many ponies have been checking this out? Wait, is this… jam? Amateurs… Does the Great and Powerful Trixie need to start a class?”

Applejack gave a light snicker before making her way towards the zebra. Zecora was directing a few of the ponies towards different books, before moving back towards the stage. “Miss Zecora?” she asked.

The zebra paused and glanced over, looking her up and down. “Ah, an earth pony with an apple mark and presence to fill a room. You must be Applejack, elder sister of Applebloom,” she said calmly.

The earth pony snickered, giving a nod. “Yeah. Ahhhh… guessin’ yer familiar with mah lil sister?”

“Indeed I am familiar with a pursuers of their marks, I managed to convince little Sweetie Belle that she could not find it amongst sharks. Those with hearts as pure as theirs are quite rare… but I do often wish they would more often beware.”

Applejack gave a light snort. “Yeah, sounds like mah sister and her friends alright. And-- wait, sharks? Thanks for convincin’ them that wasn’t a good idea. Ah don’t know where they get ideas like that.”

“Who can completely understand the mind of a filly?” Zecora asked with a shrug. “I myself find it oft’ quite silly.”

“Yeah, ponies get… all kinds of silly ideas in their heads. An’… sometimes it ain’t jus’ fillies, either. Ya got a second tah chat?”

Zecora cocked her head to the side. “If a chat you need I will try to assist. Though I was not aware I could aid you unless there is a thing I missed?”

“No, it ain’t about that. Ah don’t need your help. Ah… owe ya an apology.”

The zebra paused for a few seconds, looking even more confused. “Apologize to me? I am not aware of any misdeed you have performed that I can see.”

“Yeah… that’s kinda the issue. Ya see… ah ain’t been treatin’ yah right. Now please, let me finish,” she said, before the zebra could interrupt. “Ya were new to town. Well, ya were livin’ in the Everfree Forest, but that was more or less in town. Ya came to town, an’ ah treated ya… well, Ah didn’t treat ya right. Ah let a coupla rumors get to me an’ Ah assumed ya weren’t right because ya weren’t like everypony else. An’ that wasn’t right, no siree. A bit of stripes an’ a coupla rumors made meh treat ya like ya were somethin’ terrible an’ to be feared. An’ Ah’m sorry. An’ Ah know Ah don’t deserve it, but Ah hope yah can find it in yer heart tah forgive meh an’ give meh another chance.”

The mare stared for the longest time, before finally she gave a small smile. “Ah, I see of what you mean, to have made such a leap. Fret not, Applejack, for a grudge I feel no need to keep. It is true amongst you ponies I am quite strange, but I appreciate that your view of me you are willing to change. For one who has never seen such as I it is but ignorance, to have judged me based on a first glance. Such ignorance can be be removed and for that I have but one suggestion. To learn more of my people is but to ask many a question.”

Applejack stared at the zebra, trying to process the sentence. Finally, she smiled and gave a nod. “Well… if ya don’t mind if Ah ask a few things, Ah’d actually like tah know more about you. An’ thanks, Zecora. Really.” The earth pony felt a small burden come off her chest. Sure, she didn’t know much about zebras now, but she supposed she now had the perfect way to learn. Straight from the horses… well, zebra’s mouth.

Author's Notes:

And so, finally! The moon has once again begun its travels across the sky, with a beautiful star filled night to glimmer with it. Applejack works up the courage to apologize to Zecora and, for those who were curious, you get to see just what Trixie has been up to! One chapter to go before the season ends! Hope you're all excited! And yes, Sunset escaped, unseen by most ponies. This will SURELY have no effect on anything. Ever. Right? R-right? Definitely. *coughs innocently.*

For those who are curious, the book that Button read was based on my first book, Landasy Reality. I always considered writing a MLP version of it, but seemed a bit too... egotistical. What do you guys think?

S2 Ch 27: Tirek (Finale)

Twilight slowly trotted down the stairs, taking her time. Each step stretched out sore muscles, but she didn’t mind too much. It felt good to be moving again. To feel like she was okay. Or, at least, better. The spear and the infection had done a nasty bit of work on her, she was just thankful she COULD still move.

She made it to the bottom of the steps and her eyes fell on Tirek. Then, slowly, they moved to the right where Queen Chrysalis was sleeping on her bed, bound in thick, metal chains and a collar. To her surprise, she didn’t see Iron Will. She wondered if he wasn’t considered a big enough threat for these cells? She gulped and looked back to the centaur. “So… errr… Hello, Tirek. How have you been?”

“Good, for the most part. I do wish you had moved that wind bag somewhere else, however. She will not cease her endless prattling when she is awake.”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I’m sure--”

“That you’ll ask her HER life story as well? Perhaps you can supply her with your famous lists of ‘tropes’? I’m sure she has oh so many methods of corruption she would enjoy to try on you,” Tirek said with a roll of his eyes. “But do be careful. She really won’t cease her prattling.”

Twilight nodded, eyeing him for a few more moments. Finally she sighed. “Tirek...”

“Yes?”

“… Nightmare Moon made me that offer you’d been hinting at.”

“Oh?” he asked. “I hint at a lot of things. You’ll need to be more specific.”

“… She offered to make me an alicorn.”

The centaur snickered, his eyes moving towards her side. “Oh? I see. And when does the ceremony begin? Shall I be required to bring a gift?” he mocked. “I’m afraid I don’t have much to offer you. Perhaps one of my trained spiders?”

“… I turned her down.”

“… Pardon me?”

“I turned her down. I just… I couldn’t. There were so many reasons, but… I just...”

“What?”

“I’m scared she won’t take no for an answer. And so. I...” She sat down and lowered her head. “I just...”

Tirek cocked his head to the side, eyeing her for the longest time. Finally, he sighed. “I… see. Perhaps I was wrong about you, after all. It seems not all ponies welcome power. Some are just fools,” he said with a shake of his head.

Twilight snorted. “Yeah, sometimes I feel that way.”

“So, why did you come here?”

“… I don’t know, honestly. I just… felt bad, I guess. I know you’ve been trapped here and… I almost died. And… I just… sometimes wonder if its worth it.”

“The moon has begun its voyage across the sky, no?” Tirek asked, reaching out to grip the book he had been given by her. “I take it that you had no small part in that.”

“… I mean… you’ve heard of that?”

“Quite. It has been the talk of the castle. Since my arrival here, I have seen quite a few things I… did not expect.”

Twilight blinked a few times, her eyes moving to the book he now held. “So… did you read it?”

“Yes, I did. It is… fair enough, I suppose. A bit more flowery than I expected,” he said flatly, before holding it out to her. She nodded, taking it back. “But I have no objections.”

She nodded, smiling and holding the book. “Thank you.”

He snorted for a moment, before he eyed her. Finally, he spoke up. “Do all of you ponies fear being strong so much?”

“Oh, gosh no,” she said with a laugh, shaking her head. “There are a ton of ponies who would have jumped at the idea of being an alicorn. If things were different? I might have, as well. But… well...”

“But?”

“I’ve seen what power can do to a pony. I’ve seen what its done to Luna. And then what happens? I would like to believe I would only use such great power for good. That I would be able to resist the temptation to pursue my own, selfish goals. But I don’t. What good is it to have power, if I use it to hurt others?”

“With great power you can rule,” he said with a laugh. “You could stop Nightmare Moon, you could--”

“Why would I want to rule?”

He blinked. “Why… would you not?”

“Look at Nightmare Moon. Just… look at her. Why would I want to rule like that? What benefit is there to ruling?”

Tirek frowned. “You can do as you please, without fear of any repercussions.”

“Really?” she asked, flatly. “Do you think Nightmare Moon doesn’t fear the repercussions? If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have me as an adviser. She’s powerful. Incredibly powerful. And there’s nothing we can do about it. And so, so many ponies HATE her. She has all the power she could ever want, and yet… look at her. Half the time she’s furious. Somepony says the wrong word. All she feels is repercussions for the things she does and it makes her live on the knife’s edge. Eventually she snaps and then… then she does terrible things. And then she gets a fallout from that and and she tries again and its just an endless cycle...”

He snorted. “Yes, because she cares. It’s useless.”

“And what would you do?” Twilight asked.

“If I was to rule, why I would do whatever I desired.”

“And what was it you could do as a ruler, that you couldn’t do before you attacked ponies?” she asked.

“Excuse me?”

“What was it you couldn’t do? What was it you needed to absorb magic for? Was there a great spell?”

“… No...”

“Then what? What purpose was there to having all that ‘power’?”

Tirek frowned. “Then nothing could stand in my way.”

“What was in your way? WHAT was controlling you? What did you NEED that power for? To overthrow your father? Then what?” she asked, glaring at him. “Were you going to protect others? Take over kingdoms? Why? Or is that it? Did you want to rule, solely for the fact that you could say ‘I rule these areas’? To have power for nothing more than the sake of saying ‘I have power’? Why?”

Tirek’s mouth fell open. Finally, his gaze shifted. To her surprise, he was looking away from her, towards her book. “… Yes. And as much as I am… loathe to admit it. Perhaps… I was wrong.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? Really?”

“Yes. I have watched… and you are right. There is power in your ruler. There is power in your kingdom. And yet, Nightmare Moon is not happy. She rules all before her and… and she is miserable. She places rules on herself, forces others to kneel before her. But it doesn’t bring her what she desires, does it?”

The earth pony stared at him, her eyes wide. “No, it doesn’t. I… you… understand?”

“I am not blind,” he said flatly. “I admit, I desire power. To destroy and rule. But… I… can acknowledge that there is little I can gain from it. I was a prince in my homeland… and… were it not for my ambition… perhaps I would have enjoyed my life there, eventually. Instead, I longed to rule. To overthrow my father. To have a kingdom of my own, glorious and powerful. But...” His gaze shifted towards a small box, a few scant crumbs of chocolate inside. “I’ve seen different things, here. Things you cannot see when you are powerful. When you rule. When you force everything to bend to your will… regardless of the consequences.”

Twilight stared, a hoof moving to her mouth. “Oh, Tirek...” she whispered.

The centaur was quiet for a long, long time, staring at the box. Finally, he closed his eyes. “And though it pains me to say… Though you are obnoxious, annoying and, frankly, the most mentally damaged creature I have ever met, I… was… quite saddened to hear you had gotten hurt. And… I am… quite pleased that you are better.”

The earth pony snickered, before sighing. “I… believe you.”

“Oh? Are you sure? I could be trying to manipulate you and twist you again. Perhaps this is just another means for me to gain your trust and turn you to my side.”

“Maybe. But… you know what? Sometimes you just have to trust your friends,” she said, smiling up at him. “Besides… you’ve been locked away for a long time. Far too long. And I… I really do wish I could free you...” she mumbled.

Tirek sighed and closed his eyes. “… And I wish I could free you,” he mumbled. He then slowly reached up to his neck, taking a small, golden triangle amulet off it. He stared at it for the longest time, before turning to her and offering it. “Here.”

“What? What’s this?” she asked, reaching a hoof and taking the golden amulet. “It’s… beautiful.”

“… It’s a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. It was something that held no value to me, once… but...” He sighed and closed his eyes. “It used to belong to someone who… I think he would have liked you. And I think I’m beginning to understand why.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile, slowly sliding the amulet up and around her neck. “Thank you. I’ll treasure it, always.”

“Just don’t let your ruler see it,” he said flatly.

“… Fair. She might try to destroy it. Thank you, Tirek.”

“Now go. I, like my… unwanted guest, need my rest. Welcome back to the castle, young pony.”

She nodded and turned, trotting up the steps. He watched her go and then, slowly, began to grin once she was out of sight. “Oh ponies… you really are so easily manipulated, aren’t you?” he asked, before laying down on his cot. “As if one ever needs more than power...”

Author's Notes:

And here we go. The season finale. I hope you guys enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next season. It'll be a little bit off, but... its on its way. Thanks for listening and reading my stories and, as always, enjoying my works. I can't say how much it means to me, knowing I can craft stories that make all of you look over. A part of me hopes I never have to stop writing Twilight Glow, because I know how much people look forward to each chapter.

And actually, ON that note... A few people mentioned how the throne was kind of a quick thing. One of the biggest issues so far I've had with Twilight Glow is that there are a THOUSAND different stories I want to write in it. Just off the top of my head i can think of three different groups I'd LOVE to play parts in. The destruction of the changeling throne? That alone could be an entire series, as well as the characters it'd be focusing on. That's not even counting the fact a big part of me wants to toss in alt-universe versions of Drifting Petal from 'No spell for that' and alt-universe versions of Val, Claw and Silverbelle from 'Where did you come from?' Then there's the Badland Mooners(who I'd have likely based the book on the 'destruction of the throne' around). Then there's even the vampire and werepony things going on, I could write entire series on that. A much more in depth series on the Shadowbolts. Things going on in Equestria Girls. All of Moondancers friends. What's going on in the dragon lands. Then all the thousands of little, tiny side characters and minor storylines going on in the back ground that I wanna write stories for...

And, as much as I'd love to do that, I just can't right now. Twilight Glow is, at the end, a very 'NMM/TG focused' story. While the world is a lot of fun to explore and give details on, there are so, so, so many little facets I would love to explore but that would end up expanding things by just... incredible amounts. Heck, I was even tossing around the idea of making up the ACTUAL books Twilight had written in the past, as well as her biographies(Addicted to writing? Me? Nooooo). After all, while Twilight being Twilight Glow IS the big focal point of the 'changes' in this world, there are a LOT of other ones, smaller ones, and this world has actually become its own little verse over time, I could probably write a thousand books on just the different lore and characters and things that are going on.

And, maybe, eventually, I will. Once I finish Twilight Glow, if the demand is there, I'd love to go back and write stories about all the little things I had to brush over. All the little world building things that came to mind. I actually have a pretty big idea on how the whole 'Destruction of the throne' played out. Hint, it wasn't as easy as they likely think. And there will likely be references. But, ironically, its destruction was less a story about Twilight or even Nightmare, and more about a different group of ponies. Now, how she got the information about its existence... That... will definitely be a Nightmare focused story. And a part of season 3. Oh, how it'll be a part of season three. The adventure will likely be referenced in the future, but I do need to focus and, in this case, the throne was definitely something that Nightmare would not have allowed to exist and would have had to be dealt with... But the consequences of it fell on somepony else.

I mean, a throne that nullifies magic and had the capability to make Nightmare Moon powerless... I could fill books on just the implications and goals and machinations of that alone. And if I can, I do hope to explore that in the future. A lot. If I'm able to write Twilight Glow side stories once the main story is finished, well... Don't worry. There is a LOT of ammunition in my holster for it.

Now, as this is the last chapter for a bit(as I'll be working on an original work for a bit and trying to get the eighth, and final, book in the MLP/Avatar crossover out), I feel I should remind everyone about my patreon, commissions and discord. Feel free to swing by and say hi! I'll always be happy to have you. And please, feel free to check out my other stories. I should be starting the third season in a few months!

S3 CH 1. Changelings

Twilight lightly hummed when she trotted down the steps into the dungeon, a small smile on her lips and weighed down with pens and paper. Once she trotted off the last step, she took a quick look around. “Ah, you’re awake,” she said happily.

Chrysalis, the ruler of the changelings glanced over, her eyes narrowing. “Ah. You. The annoying little bard. What do I owe for this visit? Have you come to gloat?” she asked.

The earth pony shook her head. She glanced over to the nearby cell, where Tirek was sleeping. She then glanced back to the changeling. “No. I thought you might use some company.”

The queen snorted, rolling her eyes. “Right. Company. Gloat it is, then.”

“… No? I well… okay. I want more than just company.”

“Here it is...”

“I’d like to ask you some things.”

“… Wouldn’t your ruler be far better at it?” Chrysalis asked bitterly.

Twilight sighed and move in front of the cell. Almost instantly the queen tried to lunge, though it was an effort in futility. With the chains on the changeling, she didn’t even make it off her cot without falling to the ground, having to crawl back into it once she realized there was no way she could reach the bard with any kind of speed. Once the changeling was nestled back on her cot, Twilight spoke up. “Not really, no. The fact of the matter is, we know next to nothing about you changelings.”

There was another soft snort.

“What you want, what you do. Your desires. Hopes, dreams. You’re a borderline entire empire. A whole world of different, well, ponies than us.”

“We’re not ponies.”

“You’re living, breathing creatures. Frankly, we need to learn about you.”

Chrysalis snorted again, shaking her head. “You are wasting my time, pony. I have no desire to speak to any of you. Let alone the object of my demise. Why would you think for a moment I desire to speak with you?”

“Because I want to help you.”

The ruler paused, her look of anger shifting to one of complete disbelief. “Ex… cuse me?”

“I want. To help you,” Twilight repeated, slower this time. “I see no reason why ponies and changelings can’t exist together. I mean, we have wereponies, vampire ponies, shades, zebras, donkeys… I mean, there are so many different species and creatures out here, so many that are just… different from us. But over time, we can learn and grow.” She smiled up at the ruler.

Chrysalis stared at her for a long, long time. Finally, she spoke again. “You are a fool. Nothing more. Nothing less. Do you truly think we would believe such… tripe? That we would believe you to be… trustworthy?”

“Maybe not, but--”

“No, little pony,” the ruler said, rising to her full height, despite the chains. “We will tell you nothing, willingly. Do you think yourself trustworth? After what your ruler has done, after what we have seen her do?” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “You speak of helping us. Of accepting us. But I have seen how your kind truly deal with threats. Your ruler.”

Twilight froze, staring up at the changeling. Slowly, she gulped. “… What… do you mean?”

“Your ruler… your queen. Nightmare Moon. Do you think I relented easily? Do you think I sold out my subjects to her? That I gave away the secret of my throne? My greatest weapon against her?” she asked, barring her fangs. “Can you even begin to imagine what Nightmare Moon did to me? Did to my subjects? To my changelings?”

The earth pony stared, a new horror creeping inside her. Slowly, she gulped. “What… what did she do?”

“Oh, you wish to know… You wish to find out what happened to my subjects? What she did to me? To us?” the ruler asked, a cruel, wicked smile forming on her lips. “Her power is quite… intense, little pony. The pain she inflicted...” She slowly lifted a hoof up, staring through one of the holes. “The pain I suffered… the pain my changelings suffered...” she whispered, her eyes slowly closed. “No. I didn’t give her that information. But my subjects are loyal. She used me as bait. They heed the words of their queen. At the sounds of my screams, they came to me. They tried to aid me. They fell to her. And they were not nearly so strong as I. She took from them information I never would have given. Our weapons. Our plans. And now… now they are trapped. They were foals, they should have abandoned me. Left me to die. Left me to my fate. But my hive is now destroyed. All that I have worked for, in tatters. Because of you.”

Twilight stared, her mouth falling open. “M-me?”

“Yes, you. Had you not returned, little pony. I would have dethroned your ruler. I would have laid claim to these lands. I would have created a new home, not just for myself, but for my hive. Instead, now, I live here. In chains. Bound, unable to do something as simple as alter my form. My subjects? Destroyed. Likely torn apart or--”

“In Tartarus,” Twilight said softly.

“Excuse me?”

“The changelings are now in Tartarus. They have been locked away, there.”

Chrysalis snorted. “I see. It is no matter, then. I imagine some of them have escaped. But in the end, there is no hope for them. Without me, without their queen, they will perish.”

“They don’t have to,” Twilight whispered. “You invaded us. And you failed. But that doesn’t have to be the end. The story doesn’t have to end here. It’s still possible we can work together. Ponies and changelings don’t have to be enemies, we can--”

“Pathetic,” the ruler said, rolling her eyes. “You truly are as obnoxious as Tirek has said. I have no desire for your aid. I have no desire to speak to you or--”

“I’m the only hope your people have,” Twilight interrupted.

“… Excuse me?”

“I am the only hope your people have. You said it yourself. You have no more weapons to use against her, do you? Is there a way to overpower her, to defeat her? Especially as you are now?” she asked, motioning a hoof towards the chains and eliciting another glare from the creature. “And nopony else is going to help you. Because they don’t know you. They’re SCARED of you. The only thing they know about changelings is that you tried to capture and kill some of us. That many ponies were kidnapped and replaced. That some of you are STILL out there, somewhere. Could be anywhere. Ponies don’t know who to trust as much now because of the fear that YOU put into their hearts.”

“Good, it--”

“It is a vengeance of a sorts. But it also means that nopony else will likely be coming to your aid. Even if they could, Nightmare Moon is unlikely to allow them. I, however, am offering you help. I WANT to help you. I don’t want your secrets of magic, how to fight, your weapons, any of that. What I want is to know who you are. WHAT you are. I want to know your story. I want to be able to tell ponies what it truly is you are. To help ponies understand. And maybe, eventually, we can find a middle ground where we can all stand side by side.”

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes on her, before turning away from her. “I will not speak with you. I desire nothing to do with you, or your lies.”

Twilight sighed, shaking her head. “They’re not lies. I just want to ask you some questions, to get to know what the changelings are. What you want. Why you’re here.”

The changeling didn’t answer.

“Chrysalis?”

“...”

“… Fine. We’ll talk again soon. I’ll find out what I can, but I WILL be back to talk with you,” she said, before turning to leave. She saw Tirek, sitting up in his bed and eyeing her, a look of amusement on his face. “Oh, did I wake you? I’m sorry.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I just find all of this… humorous. You are quite the persistent one, Twilight.”

She nodded and trotted over, grinning up at him. “It’s an earth pony trait. Unicorns get magic, pegasi get flight. Us earth ponies? We get hard headedness,” she joked. “Is everything good? Well… as good as it can be?”

“It is fine. Tell me, little pony. How did you get that prattling windbag to shut up? You seem quite talented at it.”

“I just asked her about herself...” Twilight mumbled.

The centaur snickered. “Truly you are fortunate, then. It is not often one sticks their hand… hoof into the mouth of a manticore and gets to pull it back.”

The earth pony rolled her eyes. “I’m sure she’s not that bad.” She heard the changeling give a short hmph.

“You know not of what you speak,” he warned with a light chuckle. “Although, changeling. You have no idea of what forces you have brought on. It is far, far easier to just answer her questions. For this little earth pony will not relent until you yield.” There was another hmph from the other cell. “I expect this will all be a tale of great amusement to me in the end...” Then, slowly, he lowered his head and closed his eyes.

Twilight chuckled and gave a shrug. “You make me sound far more impressive than I am, Tirek. All I do is ask questions and want to know more. Anypony could do that.”

The centaur merely chuckled, waving her off. “If you so please, I require more rest, little pony. I fully expect I will be given quite the show when you return. Do feel free to wake me when you do, proper entertainment can be so rare these days. You should prepare.”

The earth pony blinked, then her eyes widened. “Oh! Of course!” she said, before turning and galloping off, up the stairs. “I should go and see if I can find anything in the library!”

Tirek opened an eye to watch her go, before rolling it. Oh, foalish changeling. The queen had no idea of what forces she had brought on herself. You could only push back against an unstoppable object for so long before it would wear on you through sheer persistence.

Far better to put that object to use for you, without it ever knowing.

------

Slowly, inch by inch, the librarian made his way towards the great Tyrant Tosser, Dragon Destroyer and Changeling Crusher. As others knew her, Twilight Glow. A pony who had not only flung the great Nightmare Moon, but also was pivotal in stopping the dragon assault on the trains and was rumored to have defeated both the changeling queen and her army, with nothing more than determination and a spear. Truly, she was a pony to be feared.

Most ponies thought she was just a mere writer, another earth pony. But the librarians knew. They whispered in hushed tones of her power. Of how she had tamed a baby dragon. How she alone could face the great Nightmare Moon. How even Tirek himself had yielded to her, surrendered to her.

Most of all, she was humble. They had all read her books, they never even mentioned her own great feats of power. Of might. Of bravery. Were it not for those who had witnessed it, who spread the word, even they would have fallen into the foalish belief that she was just a ‘mere’ earth pony. While few did know, words had passed amongst the librarians of her deeds.

But he knew better. To incur her wrath was foalish. But to serve a pony of such nobility? Of such courage? Truly, it was an honor. He gulped and slowly moved the reports in front of the legendary mare. “H-here you go, miss,” he said, his voice filled with awe.

“Oh, thank you,” Twilight said with a small smile. She then blinked a few times, staring at him in confusion when he dashed off. She hoped she didn’t offend him. She then pulled over the reports, humming and flipping them open. “Now, let’s see...” she mumbled.

The small stack of reports was all the information they had on the changelings lands, the reports filed by the group that had infiltrated and destroyed the throne of Chrysalis. She flipped open the report and started reading the names out loud to herself.

“Captain Lavender Petal, Lieutenant Smooth Tongue, Private Red Heart, Private Bouncing Breeze, Private Coldstone, Private Gilda. So, you six have--”

The words locked in her throat and she quickly glanced back up at the last name again.

“Gilda?!” Twilight had to go over the reports again and again to be sure, but there was no doubt about it. That was the Gilda she knew. What in the WORLD was she doing going on missions for Equestria? More importantly, why didn’t she know?

Okay, she supposed Gilda WAS Rainbow’s friend. And she hadn’t really talked much about her in a while. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested.

Then again, she supposed it was Gilda’s business, not hers. But she’d still have liked to have known that this was going on. The reports, unfortunately, were distressingly brief. It talked about a few encounters with monsters, a fight with a hydra (which she was certain was exaggerated. She very much doubted that a pegasus had ridden a hydra of all things into a cliff. It was a HYDRA), and a few other bits and pieces. But most of it was just so vague.

The only report that was fully useful to her was Lavender’s, but all it had was very methodical, precise information on what they encountered and ran into. None of the reports seemed to have ANY information on what the changelings were like. What they did. Why they did it. It was all about the journey, but not what they were like. Ugh. She couldn’t help feeling more and more frustrated the longer she spent reading them.

She needed to speak to them directly. Which, unfortunately, brought yet ANOTHER hitch to her plan. Apparently the whole lot of them were stationed out in the Badlands. How was she possibly going to get there to ask them? She supposed she could request them to come to Canterlot. But she imagined Gilda wouldn’t be too keen on that idea.

But she also needed information on the changelings. These ponies and griffon had been closest to them. She needed to talk with them. Somehow. It wasn’t as if there were any other changelings she could talk to.

She got to her hooves and started trotting away, holding her head high. She’d talk to Nightmare Moon. Convince her, somehow, to let her go there. Alone. It was just the Badlands, how hard could it be?

------

“You’re an idiot. And I say that, knowing you’re one of the smartest ponies I know,” Moondancer said flatly.

“B-but, I mean, if I just… I’m sure I can convince her to--”

“It’s the BADLANDS,” Moondancer said firmly. “Well, on the edge of it. It’s one of the most dangerous places in Equestria. It’s the place the dragons will most likely invade from, when they do,” she said, stomping a hoof down. “Why do you even want to GO there?”

“Err… well… there’s a group down there. One of the… err...”

“Yes?”

“On one of the border towns. A group run by Captain Lavender Pearl?”

Moondancer blinked a few times. “Wait, the group that went to destroy the throne? Why do you want to speak with them? I’m not sure you’ll get much from them. They never even came back to Canterlot after the mission, they went back on duty. Whatever happened, they probably aren’t going to talk much about it aside from what’s in their reports.”

“I need information on the changelings. They’ve been the closest to them. I thought they’d be my best bet. It’s there or Tartarus to speak to a changeling directly. And ummmmm...”

The unicorn sighed. “Yeah. There’s absolutely no way you’d be able to get there without Nightmare Moon by your side. And she would never...” She gave a sigh and rubbed her forehead. Finally, she shook her head. “Are you sure you can’t just… get Chrysalis to talk?”

“If I could, I would. But I know nothing about them. These ponies have been there, though. If anypony can give me information on them...”

“… And you really think it’s for the best?”

“I… don’t know. M-maybe?” Twilight said with a shrug. “I mean… they’re a fairly unique species. Their magic is...”

“Different than ours, I know,” Moondancer mumbled. “I… can’t deny, I’m curious too. They can do magic that ponies just can’t.”

The earth pony nodded. “Their transformation magic is beyond what even the most powerful pony could do. We could learn so, so much from them. But...”

“But you want to save them too, right?” Moondancer asked, flatly. “I swear. See, this is why you get put into comas.”

“One time. It happened once. And I was hardly trying to save anypony. I was just trying to stop Chrysalis.”

“You are always trying to save everypony,” the unicorn said, before shaking her head. She tapped on the floor for a moment, closing her eyes. Finally, she opened them. “Okay, then. Here’s what we’re going to do.”

“You… mean you’ll help?”

“Yes, unfortunately. Despite my better judgment. We’re going to have to lie, though. About why we’re going. It’ll require a bit of finagling. A bit of… trickery. But...”

“Wait, we?”

“You don’t really think I’m letting you do this alone, do you?” she asked with a cocked eye.

“But… you’ll be in a lot of danger if you come, you’ll be--”

“We’re friends,” Moondancer said before giving the other mare a light bump of her hip. “Now, where are those ponies stationed at?”

“Honeymooner’s Creek.”

“… You’re kidding.”

“No…?”

“Well, buck. Fine. We’re going to have to perform one of the greatest feats of manipulation we’ve ever done.”

“… What?”

“We’re going to have to make a place like a place near the Badlands sound boring and safe, while finding something only it is known for. And make sure Nightmare Moon DOESN’T want to come to a place called Honeymooner’s with us. Come on. We have a presentation to make.”

------

Nightmare Moon stared at images projected on the wall by Moondancer’s horn. She thought she had known torture. Boredom. Torment. A thousand years on the moon. And yet, somehow this felt worse. She didn’t truly understand what a ‘magic point’ presentation was, but she felt she should outlaw them after what had been… two hours? No, three. Maybe ten. Days? Either way, time seemed to slow to a crawl while Twilight droned on.

“Now, as shown on image forty-nine,” Twilight said, moments before Moondancer’s horn flickered and a new image appeared. “The golden dust slug is possibly useful due to a--”

“ENOUGH!” Nightmare Moon roared, her horn glowing before the lights of the chamber flickered on. Moondancer’s horn turned, mercifully, off.

“But I still have seventy-six images to--”

“Dear heavens seventy-six?!”

“Of course. I haven’t even gotten to the uses of the slug’s slime in ice cream--”

“CEASE!” the alicorn said, raising a hoof quickly. “If it is this… deeply… important to you two, you may go. You have one week, after which, we will expect you to return to our side. Are we clear?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. If you’d like, we could write a detailed report on our--”

“No! No. That is quite alright. No,” the ruler said emphatically, shaking her head. “Moondancer, we trust you will take all necessary precautions.”

“Of course, your highness. If we manage to find out enough, perhaps we could take you to--”

“You are dismissed!” the ruler said quickly, before vanishing in a flash of magic.

Twilight blinked a few times, cocking her head to the side. “Wow… you were right.”

Moondancer nodded, then paused. “Of course. It’s a very effective tactic. Granted...”

“What?”

“I kinda wanna go through the rest of the presentation. The golden dust slug is really quite fascinating, and it was so much fun to make...”

“I know, right? Wanna finish it up before we leave?” Twilight asked excitedly.

“Yay!” Moondancer’s horn flashed and once again the lights went out, before she projected the small image back on the wall.

“Now, it is possibly useful due to...”

Author's Notes:

I hope you all didn't think I'd ACTUALLY forgotten about Gilda, did you? Oh no, I have plans.

Also, dear heavens. Using a power point presentation. I feel I should up the rating of this story just for that alone. I'm sorry for everyone for that... graphic... depiction of violence. Please forgive me.

Though, Twilight and Moondancer are such nerds. I swear... I'd never get excited while making a presentation... a-a second time... probably... >.>

Now, you may be curious WHY there's a chapter here. If you have been paying attention to my blog or my discord channel, you'd know! But, for those who just want the quick and easy of it...

I've decided to move away from the 'feast or famine' approach I've been doing on my stories. Normally I work fully on a story and update frequently. Then stop while I work on ANOTHER story. Repeat, etc etc. What ends up happening is there are months of no content in a story and it's just... guh. So, I've decided to work on a weekly approach. So, for now and as long as I can, I'll be posting a chapter every week for Twilight Glow, on friday. Yay! It'll mean less bursts of content, but will also mean less 'WE HAVE TO WAIT HOW LONG TO LEARN MORE?! GAHHHHH!'

Now, onto less direct things. I have republished my first book, Landasy Reality: Angel's Escape. If you missed it the first time, the second edition is now available and it's a great way to support my writing, if you're interested. Additionally, I am still taking commissions and my patreon is available. I'll also be offering my services as a DM soon, information on my user page.

As always, thanks for reading my work and I hope this season is as good as you all hope it will be.

S3 CH 2: Smoooooth...

Twilight stared, her mouth open. She couldn’t believe it. She’d read up a little on it, but this was just…

“Why would anypony want to come here?” she whispered.

Despite the sun had long since gone down, the place still LOOKED as if it was sweltering. The ground was little more than sand and patches of dirt, the town itself was comprised of only a dozen or small buildings, as well as the large, walled off fort that housed the lunar guard out here. The sign ‘Honeymooner’s Creek’ had broken in half, removing the ‘s Creek’ entirely. The word ‘Honey’ had faded out almost entirely and been scraped out, leaving just barely the word ‘mooner’ legible.

Apparently the place had, a few decades back, been a special exclusive resort. There had been a beautiful river that had flowed out from the badlands. The outpost had been built then and, for a while, the town boomed as a special ‘Exotic and dangerous resort’. Ponies would come here to see the Badlands without actually being in danger FROM the Badlands.

When the river had shifted away, due to a Tatzlwurm migration altering the terrain and changing its course entirely, the town had as well. It was now no more than a simple, small town on the edge of the Badlands.

“Some ponies grew up here,” Moondancer said with a shrug. “That and, well, the fort means they’ll have a constant stream of customers. Decent business, I imagine. Ponies grow attached to each other, don’t want to leave. The fort’s here to stay, so they do, too. Besides, it’s less than an hour from the other villages, so there’s probably a lot of trips and communication between them.”

Twilight nodded, though she couldn’t help staring at the desolate place. It felt so empty and hollow. Lonely. She glanced back to Spike, who was sleeping on the seat besides her. It had been a long, long trip. First by train, then by carriage. Slowly, they came to a halt and she nudged the dragon. He didn’t move, just snored lightly. She sighed and motioned to Moondancer.

The mare nodded and got up, her horn glowing before she scooped up the dragon and gently rested him on her back. “You know, he is kind of adorable when he sleeps.”

Twilight nodded. “He really is the best assistant. Err, you haven’t minded that he’s been helping me, have you? I know he was--”

“No, it’s fine. He’s great, but I know he likes helping you more,” Moondancer said with a laugh. “Besides, he still swings by and helps when he can.”

The earth pony chuckled, giving him a fond look. He really was the best assistant. She didn’t know how he managed to run around all the time, helping her, Rarity and now Moondancer. She was truly thankful that he’d been put into her life. If he was a facet of her life that remained true across all dimensions, she knew he was one of the positive ones.

She then trotted out of the carriage before she glanced around the area and sighed. She didn’t know why anypony would want to--

“Well, aren’t YOU just the sight for sore eyes?” a voice called, making her stop and turn around. There was a blue coated pegasus with a white mane, grinning at her. The mare was, sort-of, in the uniform of the lunar guard. Except she wasn’t wearing the helmet and the chest piece was… modified. With stickers. Lots of lightning bolt stickers. Judging by the appearance of the mare wearing the armor, all of the enchantments had been removed. She didn’t think she’d EVER seen a guard with MESSY hair.

The earth pony just stared, her mouth falling open. Moondancer joined her, staring at the mare, though she managed to keep her mouth closed. Finally, Twilight spoke up. “Your… uniform. It’s… it’s very...”

“You like it? The lightning bolts make me go faster,” she said, before she turned and started trotting towards the fort. “Come on, now. You all have a nice trip?”

“U-uh… yes,” Twilight said, following after the mare. “You’re… Lieutenant… Smooth Tongue, I take it?”

“Mmmmm hm. Yes ma’am. I’d ask who you were, but it’s not like anypony else would come down here. Usually ponies are on their way out, not the other way around,” she said with a light chuckle. “So, I hear you’re here for a bunch of snails, right?”

“Err, slugs, but yes,” Twilight said softly, staring at the mare. She’d expected someone a lot more… military. Had this pony REALLY been one of the ones who had marched deep into the heart of the changeling hive? She looked like a goofball.

“I’ll be honest, not sure why you’d come here for that. Here at Mooner, we’ve got three things. Sand, dirt and rashes. I don’t think slugs are generally the biggest draw. So...” She then whipped around, suddenly in front of Twilight, face inches from her. “Dish. What’s the REAL reason you’re here?”

“W-what?” Twilight asked.

“Come on. I’m not stupid. The personal student of Nightmare Moon? The personal bard? There’s got to be SOME big reason you’re here. Come on. Just between us mares, what’s the real reason? It’s not Glimmer, is it? Cause I can tell you now, you can do better.”

“What? Who? What? Ummm… well… the real reason is, err...” she mumbled, taking a small step back from the inquisitive mare. “I actually wanted to speak with you and your captain, as well as a few others. You see, err, it’s about the mission to the changeling lands.”

Instantly she saw the mare shift back, just a little bit. She saw this small glimmer of worry in her eyes. “Huh? What? Everything was in our reports,” she said before quickly turning around and starting to trot again. “We got in, did the job and then we came back.”

Twilight frowned. “Yes, you came back. Quickly, I might add. You all earned a nice rest after that, but you never even stopped by Canterlot. I’d actually like to know why you got that duty to begin with. This outpost is fairly far from… well...”

“You could say we got voluntold, more or less,” the mare said with a snicker. “It was the captain’s decision, though. Duty of Equestria, all that. Should have heard her, it was a thing of glory.”

“Oh? She give a speech?” Twilight asked.

“Truly the most magnificent of speeches. She stood on top of the wall, called out for all of her soldiers that, on this fine day there will be--”

“Oh for the love… Smooth, are you bucking with the newbies again?” a voice called out.

Twilight glanced up and her mouth fell open. On top of the wall, lounging, was a blue and red coated zebra. She looked annoyed, staring at the three of them.

“You’re… a zebra,” Moondancer finally said.

“And you’re a unicorn,” she said back. “But I won’t hold it against you.”

Smooth shook her head before calling out. “Oy, stripe butt! Open the gate, we’ve got visitors. Special ones, from Nightmare Moon herself.”

Twilight and Moondancer turned to stare at the mare. “You… can’t call her that,” the earth pony finally said. After a few moments, the wooden door swung open.

“Here you go, frog tongue!” a voice called back from inside.

“That’s Corporal Nadra. She’s cool. Oh. AND SHE LOVES TALKING IN RIDDLES AND RHYMES!”

“SMOOTH I WILL END YOU!”

“See? She loves it,” the pegasus said before trotting in.

“She’s a… a member of the lunar guard?” Twilight finally asked. How could ANY of these ponies be guards. She’d never seen such… Her brother would have thrown a fit. The inside of the fort, at least, seemed simple enough. A few wooden buildings and half a dozen rather large tents.

“Yup. She’s pretty cool, too. Not a lot of zebras in the forces.”

“How’d she end up here?” Moondancer asked.

“Punched out some noble pony. She really, really hates the whole rhyme thing.”

Once again, Twilight and Moondancer shared looks. Finally, the earth pony spoke up. “I… s-see. That’s… wow. How did you… end up here?”

“Retirement,” the pegasus said quickly. “Nopony wants the Badland jobs. It’s dangerous, miserable and the only ponies we ever get are ponies like me or who pissed off somepony above our pay grade,” she said with a snicker. “So we rack up bonuses and incentives like you wouldn’t believe. The time we’re here, sucks. But other than that, it’s pretty cool. And hey, most the ponies who can’t handle it, either get kicked out, killed or go AWOL.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “W-what?! I… I had no idea it was so dangerous… wait. Are you messing with us… again?”

“Heh heh heh.”

“… How much of what you say can we actually believe?”

“Ehhhhh. I’d say forty to sixty percent. Come on, you wanted to meet the captain, right?”

Twilight nodded. Slowly they traveled to the back, to one of the larger tents. The pegasus reached out and stepped inside, not even knocking. The earth pony braced herself. Time for her to meet Captain Lavender. She couldn’t imagine what kind of strange pony would be in charge of this place. Slowly, they stepped inside.

She froze, staring around the small tent. There was a cot near the back, a small, makeshift desk. Lots of paperwork, a few chairs. Everything was perfectly organized. All of the paperwork neatly stacked, pens in order. The unicorn behind the desk was in full, polished uniform. She could have easily been in Canterlot on guard duty. She lacked the enchantments as well, though. Her coat was black, her mane purple and white striped. She didn’t even bat an eye when they entered. After a few moments of awkward silence, however, she glanced up from her work and narrowed her eyes on Twilight, with a look that made her instantly stand at attention. She couldn’t help noticing that Moondancer did the same.

“Twilight Glow, I take it? And you must be Moondancer.” It wasn’t a question, it was almost a command. Her eyes then flickered to Smooth. “You’re out of uniform.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“...”

“Eh heh...”

“...”

“I’ll, err, g-go get into uniform.”

“You do that.” Once they were alone, she looked to Twilight. “Now then. You wished to… examine… slugs. Correct?”

“Well, err, yes. I actually, however, wanted to ask some questions, as well.”

“… Questions.”

“Y-yes ma’am,” Twilight said softly. She couldn’t help it. Something about this mare reminded her of the old drill sergeants her brother used to complain about.

“… About?”

“Oh! Right! Your mission to the changeling lands. Also, err, there’s a… griffon in your team, I believe. Gilda? I was hoping to speak with her.”

The mare just stared at her, eyes narrowing just a hint. “Gilda is a fine soldier. We couldn’t have done the mission without her.”

“Oh, I’m sure. The reports were quite detailed. But, uhhh...” She gulped. What was it? There was something off. Something just not quite right about the mare.

“We’d like to know more about the changelings. As you ponies were the primary ones to come into contact with them, we’d like whatever information we could get on them,” Moondancer offered.

“I see. Well then, that should be simple enough,” the mare said, her eyes lowering.

Just like that, the effect was gone. That uneasy feeling, that worry. It was gone. Twilight stared, slowly relaxing.

“I will have all of the soldiers present for that mission meet with us tomorrow after breakfast. In the meantime, please enjoy yourselves. I have had quarters prepared for you. Smooth will escort you.”

“T-thank you, ma’am,” Twilight said and, taking a nod from the mare as dismissal, she quickly stepped outside the tent.

“Whew,” Moondancer whispered once they were outside. “I didn’t expect to find a shadow weaver here.”

“A what?” Twilight asked, glancing over.

“A shadow weaver. You know, the--” The unicorn froze in place. Slowly, her eyes narrowed on Twilight. “Oh… oh my gosh. Do… do you not know?”

“… Err… should I?”

“I mean, no. But I mean, you don’t know? Really? Really?”

Spike groggily opened his eyes. “Nggg…?” he asked, before giving a yawn. “What’s going on?”

“Twilight doesn’t know something!” Moondancer said with an almost giddy squeal.

The dragon yelped and fell off her back. “W-what? WHAT? She doesn’t?! I mean, what is it?”

“Shadow magic! A shadow weaver!” Moondancer said excitedly.

“And she doesn’t have a major in it? Or a minor? Anything?” Spike asked.

“Well, technically it doesn’t HAVE a minor yet, it’s fairly new. I mean--”

“AHEM!” Twilight said, glaring at the two with annoyance. “Do you mind explaining?”

“Err, right. Yes. Okay. So, you are familiar with the Shadowbolts, correct? How they took over for the Wonderbolts? A shadow weaver is similar to that. Namely, they are select ponies that Nightmare Moon has selected to learn special magic that, err, until recently was considered… I wouldn’t quite say forbidden. But, primarily, they have access to the dark arts.”

Twilight sighed. “There are well over a dozen different ‘dark arts’. I’d need you to be a bit more specific.”

“You know… THOSE dark arts. The kind of dark arts like… the umbrum. You know… the shades? THAT kind of dark art.”

The earth pony blinked a few times. Then glanced back towards the tent. “W-wait, Nightmare Moon is… letting ponies use those magics? But…. But they’re...”

“Exactly. Now, most ponies can’t learn them. They have to be not only good with shadow magic, but willing to...” She trailed off. “Aaaaaanyway. I know a little of it myself, but they’re usually kept closer to the princess. There’s a whole team of them trying to find a way to break the spell over the shades. That glare we felt? When she was looking at us? THAT was that magic. It changes a pony. It taps into the powers of the umbrum themselves… I can’t imagine why she’d be out here. These ponies can get a lot, there’s no reason for her to be near the Badlands.”

“Oh, that’s easy. She chose to be,” a voice said, making the two jump. They whipped around and saw Smooth staring at them, with a grin on her face. She was still out of uniform.

“Didn’t she tell you to get into uniform?” Twilight asked flatly.

“Ehhhh, she says a lot of things. But if you’re realllllly curious about why she’s here? That’s aaaaaaactually something we’d like to know. We have a running tally. If anypony could find out why, I’m sure it’s you two. There have to be some documents that you two have access to?” she asked with an innocent smile.

Moondancer sighed, shaking her head. “Point taken. Frankly, why she wants to be here is anyone’s guess. Not our business.”

“What, come on! You’ve got to be wondering, right?” Smooth asked, making a pouty face. “She’s got that whole shadow magic thing going on, right? I bet she has some deep, dark history. Like she killed somepony or something.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, covering her mouth with a hoof. “W-wait, you can’t be serious.”

“Incredibly unlikely,” Moondancer said firmly. “Were she a known murderer, I would have heard of it. There are not a lot of shadow weavers, it would have passed like wildfire.”

Smooth rolled her eyes. “Come ooooon. Let me just have this one, please? Ugh. Fine, fine. She probably got caught peaking into the showers or something. Maybe she flirted with Nightmare Moon. I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “Can’t blame a girl for wanting to lighten things up a bit here with a little excitement. So, you are all going to be here for a bit, right? I’m supposed to escort you to your tents and all that.”

Twilight nodded, motioning for the other mare to lead them. “If you don’t mind, could you answer a few questions about your mission into the changeling lands?”

“Err, I can try. I’ll be honest, it was a bit ago. I can’t remember everything in perfect detail. What do you want to know?”

“So, it was just the six of you, right?” she asked.

“Of course.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to ask about. There’s only eleven ponies stationed out here, correct? Why did you six go? Was it really okay to leave five ponies here alone? On top of that, weren’t you the second highest ranked, if anypony was going to stay behind, shouldn’t it have been you?”

Smooth gave a nervous chuckle. “W-well, you see, you know how it is. This fort is pretty easy to keep going, six ponies is more than enough to keep it working. Besides, I had, we had a good team here.”

“… Wait, six ponies?”

Smooth blinked and shook her head. “Well. I mean, five plus Legendary’s ego,” she joked.

“Oh… okay, then. What was the mission like, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“… Rough. It was very rough.”

“What about the changeling lands? What would you say they were like? You’re one of the few ponies to have ever seen them first hoof, after all.”

“I, err, can honestly say I have no way to describe them. Hee hee. They’re really something else, though, let me tell you.”

“Okay then...” Twilight mumbled, eyeing the mare. “So, the captain has agreed to gather everypony who was there to talk with us. You’ll be coming as well, I take it?”

“Of course. I’ll be there. Just try to keep me away. Well, here you go!” she said, motioning to one of the large tents. “Guest quarters. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. Bye!” she said before quickly turning and galloping away.

Twilight eyed the mare, before glancing to Moondancer. “Something is definitely going on here, right?”

“Definitely,” the unicorn said quickly.

“Even I can tell, and I’m a dragon,” Spike said quickly.

Twilight nodded and trotted into the tent. Hopefully, after speaking with Gilda, things would become a lot clearer.

Author's Notes:

And so begins the beginning of the short Badland Mooners arc. Gilda will be making her appearance next chapter, hope you're all excited... Also, it is so, so, SO tempting to have a big action sequence tossed in and show the kind of threats that exist in the badlands. I could so write an entire ponyfinder campaign based just on a group stationed by the Badlands, it's such a interesting place you can do so much with.

Granted, all of which pale in comparison to the dual TwiDancer power hoof presentation... *Shiver.*

S3 CH 3: Gilda

Twilight screamed.

Gilda shrieked, jumping back.

Moondancer rolled to her hooves, her horn alight and forming a glowing, white barrier of magic around the griffon.

Spike glanced up. “Keep it down!” he yelled, before laying his head back down.

Twilight stared at the griffon towering over her, now imprisoned in magic. She gulped and then motioned to Moondancer. “It’s okay, it’s Gilda. You scared me half to death. Why were you standing over me like that?”

“I was waking you up, pony!” the griffon snapped. “What in the world are you doing here? When I heard there was some representative of HER coming here, I didn’t realize it’d be you. And why isn’t Rainbow here with you?”

“Because she has her own work. Um, Moondancer, you can take the spell down.”

“Huh? Oh. Right. Yes...” the unicorn mumbled, before giving a yawn. “I’m gonna go get some breakfast, mkay? I don’t think I could rest after that,” she mumbled, before glancing to Spike. “Wanna come?”

“No… sleepin’...” he mumbled.

“Suit yourself...” the unicorn muttered, before getting to her hooves. “I’ll be in the mess tent...”

Twilight nodded, before glancing to Gilda and pausing while she waited for her heart to stop pounding. “I need to ask you some questions. Are you going to be at the meeting?”

“Yes, but what could be so important you had to come here? Write a letter next time,” Gilda snapped, ignoring Moondancer when she trotted out. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?”

“Because last time I was anywhere near you, all those… things started popping up. And then Nightmare Moon got involved. The last thing any of us need here is Nightmare Moon.”

Twilight blinked a few times before, slowly, her eyes narrowed. “What’s going on here, anyway?”

Gilda sighed, reaching a talon up and covering her face with it. “Listen, pony. I like you.”

“Really?”

“No. I honestly don’t. But RAINBOW likes you. And she’s cool. So I’m TRYING to keep you out of trouble. More importantly, you’re aiming to bring a whole lot of hurt down on all of our heads. So just get what you need and get out. For your own good and ours.”

Twilight frowned, her eyes narrowing. Finally, she shook her head. “Fine. What I need, though, is information.”

“On what?”

“Changelings.”

The griffon froze, her entire body going still. “… Why would I know anything about changelings? What have you heard?”

“You were on the mission to destroy the throne. I need information on what the changelings were like.”

Gilda blinked a few more times, staring at her. Finally, she spoke up. “Wait. That’s all? Why would you need that?”

“It’s a long story, you see I--” Twilight started.

“Very long. She won’t shut up about it,” Spike cut her off before rolling over and yanking a pillow over his head.

The earth pony sighed. “Come on, let’s go somewhere else,” she muttered, before trotting towards the exit, the griffon behind her. “I’m trying to work with their ruler, Chrysalis. I want to know what it is they all had planned, why, all of that.”

Gilda snorted. “Why? You ponies already won. Trying to rack up a high score?”

“… What?”

“Nothing.”

“And no, I want to find out who and what they are because it’s possible we can help them. The only changeling I have access to right now is Chrysalis, though. She’s refusing to talk to me. I’ve tried looking in the library, but the only information I can find on changelings at all was in the reports we filed. As it is, the six of you are the foremost experts on changelings in Equestria right now, as hard as that may be to believe.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Not quite as hard to believe as you’d think...” she mumbled.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Here,” she said, before trotting into another large tent. “Red, you here?”

Twilight froze when she walked into the tent. It seemed to be a mix of a medical tent and an apothecary. There was a red coated earth pony with a golden mane stirring a massive cauldron, occasionally tossing in ingredients. Opposite the cauldron was a cot with a pony laying on it, covered from head to tail in bandages and wiggling about furiously. Standing over the bandaged pony was another red pony, this one a pegasus with red and white striped mane. That pony glanced over and gave a small smile.

“Gilda? What seems to be the problem?” the mare asked, smiling to her.

Twilight stared at the bound up pony. “Ummmm… are… they okay?”

“Legendary? Oh, he’s fine,” the mare said dismissively. “He just needs to rest off one of Ash’s brews,” she said, before motioning towards the pony stirring the cauldron. “On top of a very, very nasty burn from a shock scorpion.”

“Hey,” Ash said without even looking up, instead trotting to a small vial filled with a red substance and then dumping it out into the cauldron. Red steam started to rise off it, making the mare give a giddy giggle before she raced to it and started stirring it in reverse.

Gilda blinked. “Wait. He didn’t drink one, did he?”

“Not willingly,” Red offered. “Don’t worry, I checked before hoof. Now then, what can I do for you two? You must be… Twilight, correct? The captain mentioned we’d be meeting this afternoon. Are you hurt?”

“Uhhh...” Twilight said, unsure how to respond. She glanced back towards the bound up, thrashing pony. “I’m… fine.”

“She wanted to know more about the changelings, that’s all. I thought you’d be the best pony to talk to about that,” Gilda offered, pushing the earth pony closer to the pegasus.

“I figured that’d be you. But Red has certainly studied them enough,” Ash muttered dismissively before tossing a few seeds into the pot.

“Oh! Yes! They’re positively amazing creatures. Quite friendly!” Red said before moving back to her patient.

“Nggggggg!” the bound pony thrashed.

“Now, stop being so bothersome, Legendary. You should try to rest and relax for your own good, okay? Doctor’s orders. Now then, what did you want to know, Twilight?” Red asked.

“Huh? Oh. Right. Err… are you sure he’s okay?” Twilight asked.

“It’ll wear off soon. Probably,” Ash mumbled. “Delusion potions can always be a bit finicky...”

“He’ll be fine. Mostly,” Red said with a shrug. “He’s just a tad annoyed. He’ll be right as rain in a few days. Possibly sooner if he’ll calm down. Now then, your questions?”

“Oh, err. Right. Wait, delusion potion? Err… why would you make a delusion potion?”

“Was supposed to help clear up indigestion,” the earth pony mumbled before grinding up some small bugs and tossing them into the pot. “Had to wing it. Was close enough...”

“… We ran out of our standard and well… it turns out Legendary had a bit of a reaction to the cactus surprise that Smooth made the other night. With his burns, I trusted Ash to help. It didn’t have the standard effects some of her… other brews did, and it did seem to help. Just the… side effects are a bit strong. He’ll be fine. I’m sure once the effects have worn off, he’ll be right as rain,” Red assured her.

Twilight nodded, thankful they’d come in so late and not actually had any of that particular cooking. She’d have hated to end up digesting whatever… She paused when she watched the earth pony toss in some golden dust into the pot. She had absolutely no idea WHAT potion making procedures the mare was taking, or what she could be brewing. She’d been making a mental tally of what ingredients she could identify going in and she was certain that it didn’t follow any recipe she knew. “I’d like to know about the changelings themselves. I’m trying to work with Chrysalis and I need as much information as I can gather on them as possible.”

“Oh dear. I’m afraid you won’t get much information from us. We barely even encountered any while we were there,” the pegasus said. “And all of our information on them was put into our reports. Well, except the one we met was quite sweet. Others… not so much. I’m really sorry to say that I think you’ve wasted your time coming here.”

Twilight sighed. “I… know it might sound odd, but I really have to gather what information I can on the changelings. Find out something, anything, I can use to get their ruler to listen to me. Can you remember anything about their culture? How they acted? The things they said? Even things they liked to eat?”

“Thorax really likes cinnamon rolls,” Ash suddenly said, before gripping another bottle and trotting it over to the cauldron. She tossed the entire bottle in and then paused. “Wait, was this supposed to be a cleaning detergent or a medical paste?”

“… You told me it was to help with Glimmer’s helmet rash,” Red said quickly, turning to gaze at the cauldron with concern.

Ash stared at the bubbling cauldron, blinking a few times. “Oh… eh. It’ll be fine,” she said before pulling out the wooden spoon from the cauldron. Or, at least, what remained of the heavily burned, charred wood.

Twilight stared at them, her eyes locked on the steam rising from the cauldron. Gilda leaned down. “Psst. If Ash gives you anything to drink or rub on yourself? Don’t. Just trust me. Don’t touch it unless Red has given the okay. Some of her stuff is great. Other stuff… not so much.”

“Uhhh… right,” the earth pony said, still staring at the sizzling mass. She then blinked. “Wait. Who’s Thorax?”

Red and Gilda both tensed up. Ash, however, didn’t look up from her cauldron. “He’s the--”

“Nickname for Legendary!” Gilda said quickly. “Cause he’s kind of a pain in the, err, you know. And he likes to fight with a big, clunky battle axe. So we called him old sore axe.”

“NGGHHHGRRRRRR!” the bandaged pony yelled.

“… And… he likes… cinnamon rolls,” Twilight said softly.

“Yes,” Red said quickly. “Loves them. Now, on the matters of changelings, I’m afraid we don’t--”

BOOM!

Twilight’s eyes widened when everything went still. A moment later, an anger filled roar filled the air. “What was THAT?” she asked.

“Sounds like the sand crab and tatzlwurm are at it again,” Gilda said with a sigh. “Hey. Twilight. Come see this, you’ll love it. Trust me.”

“Huh? But I need to--”

“Come on!” Gilda said quickly, gripping her hoof and dragging her out of the tent.

The earth pony stumbled after the griffin. SOMETHING was going on here and, somehow, she’d have to figure it out. She just hoped Moondancer was having a more successful morning than she was.

------

Moondancer stepped out of the tent, rolling her eyes when Gilda and Twilight talked. She couldn’t imagine WHY the griffon would think towering over one of them first thing in the morning like that was a good idea. Even if it wasn’t technically morning since the sun never actually rose. Judging by the position of the moon, at least, it was still really early. It felt so, so good to have a shifting sky again, even if it was dark. She trotted towards the mess tent, pausing only a moment to glance up at the wall. “Morning,” she called out to the pony up top.

“Err, hello, ma’am!” the pegasus up top said, giving a small wave. “Have a great day!”

She nodded to him. He reminded her a little of the guards back home. White coated. His mane was gray speckled, though. He, at least, was in full uniform at least. A proper guard. She made her way into the mess tent and paused.

Smooth was there, sitting at one of the tables speaking to a unicorn and a pair of pegasi, none of which were in uniform. She shook her head and kept trotting, pouring herself a cup of coffee. It was too early in the morning. Because she would swear that one of the pegasi was an exact copy of the pony she saw on the wall. She took another glance back and rolled her eyes. Way too early in the morning, they looked nothing alike.

One of the pegasi were red with a red and white striped mane, while the other was light green with a light blue mane. The unicorn had a dark blue coat with a dark green mane. She gave another light yawn. “Good morning,” she mumbled. “Early risers?” she asked.

“When you’re in the military, you kind of have to be,” Smooth said with a laugh. “Though, not sure it really counts with the sun not really being a morning now. But sun or not, the captain has strict guidelines for anypony who sleeps in too long.”

“Oh?” Moondancer asked.

“Yup. She lets me deal with them!”

The unicorn blinked at the shudder the red pegasus gave. It was way, way too early. She took another sip of her coffee.

“So, looking forward to a day of snail catching?” Smooth asked.

“Slugs,” she corrected. She glanced at the smattering of breakfast, mostly vegetables. She gripped a plate in her magic and tossed a few pieces of broccoli on it, before walking over to them. “Mind if I sit here?”

“Go right ahead,” Smooth said. “Let me introduce you, since we’ll all be chatting later anyway. Private Red Heart,” she said, motioning to the red pegasus. “She’s our medic.”

“A pleasure, ma’am,” the mare said with a nervous smile.

“Private Bouncing Breeze and Private Coldstone, they’re our resident emergency ipecac.”

The pegasus blinked and then hmphed. “I’m Bouncing, nice to meet you,” the mare said, before reaching out and taking Moondancer’s hoof, shaking it. “I was so, so, SO happy to hear you were coming!”

“You were?” Moondancer asked, staring bleary eyed at the other mare. “Have… we met?”

“Oh, no no no no! But we’ve heard so much about you! Well, a bit about you. Sometimes. Things! Moondancer, personal student of Celestia AND Nightmare Moon?” Those words cut through her like a knife. “You must be incredibly talented! I’d love to ask you all about it!”

“Err… okay? I just--”

“What’s your favorite spell? Can you do enchanting? How were you selected? Can you do ice magic? Have you met my husband, Coldstone? He’s the best ice mage in all of Equestria. Have you ever teleported? Can you turn into different things? What’s it like to be able to like… magically refresh yourself in the morning? Can you make potions?”

Moondancer just stared at the mare. There were absolutely no words. She didn’t even know how to respond. She felt like she was being ran over by the pony, but with words. “… I take it you’re a morning pony?”

“Yup! I loooove mornings. Well, they’re not as nice, now that the sun isn’t up. But they’re still pretty wonderful. It was a great morning today, though. Normally I have morning wall duty, which is sooooo boring. But it’s not always too bad. It means I get to have the perfect view when honey bun climbs out of his tent,” she said with a content sigh, glancing over to the unicorn.

He just merely smiled back, a little hint of red to his cheeks. “What can I say? Seeing my beautiful little pegasus is worth waking up for every morning...”

Bouncing leaned into the stallion, who gently wrapped his hooves around her. “I love you...” she whispered, staring up at him. “Have I told you that?”

“You have, but say it again...” he whispered back.

“I love you… my brave, strong, protective, loving...”

“Huh. I think she made it almost a whole conversation without devolving into… that,” Smooth said with a roll of her eyes. “As I said, emergency ipecac.”

“I take it they took the name honeymooner’s seriously?” Moondancer asked flatly, glancing to Smooth with a cocked eye. It was way, way too early for her to even get annoyed at such silly displays.

“More or less.”

“Should try going on a mission with them,” Red muttered, shaking her head. “Even I wanted to start throwing rocks at them.”

Smooth snickered, shaking her head. “Hey, I’ve been working with those two like a year, think of it as a proper initiation. Besides, I thought you liked that kind of stuff?”

“I wish I could turn into a parasite so I could burrow into your skin and be even closer to you, my wonderful guardian...” Bouncing said softly.

“If you were, I’d never get deloused, my little flying fairy...” he said back, gently stroking her mane.

“Riiiiight,” Smooth said, getting to her hooves. “Welp, I think I’m going to try and not go and throw up. Care to join me, Moondancer?”

Moondancer gave the pair another look, before getting to her hooves as well, following the mare. “I’ll come with you.” The two quickly made their way out of the tent. “Those two were on the mission for the throne, right? How did they get selected?”

“Oh, them? They’re really good fighters. A bit uhhh… off about it, when they do it. But good. And when you add Gilda to the mix? Oh boy...” Smooth said with a light chuckle. “Apparently they were going to have a hydra riding competition until Bouncing accidentally made it run into a cliff side.”

Moondancer paused. “Apparently? Weren’t you there?”

“Errr… yes. But I was scouting at the time, so I missed all the fun. A shame, too. I would have definitely won the hydra riding competition!”

“… Really?” Moondancer asked, looking the pegasus up and down.

“Buck no! I’m not insane!” she said with a laugh.

Moondancer snickered, shaking her head. “I see. So, have you served here long?”

“About a year, now. So, where’s Twilight? I figure we got a bit of time until the little meeting. I could show you all the slugs. I’m sure the two of you would love to get out of here and see the sights. We have some real quality sand out there, you know. And hey, if you’re lucky, maybe you’ll even see a--”

BOOM!

Moondancer jumped nearly three feet in the air, before whipping around. “What in the buck was THAT?!”

“Sand crab,” Smooth said quickly.

“… How in the BUCK is that a sand crab?” A roar pierced the air a moment later. “That’s a--”

“Tatzlwurm. Don’t worry, it’s fine. Those two go at it all the time. Now, about those slugs--”

“No, nope, what? Tatzlwurm? Sand crab? WHAT? How is a tiny little sand crab making, what?!”

Smooth blinked a few times, then a mischievous grin formed on her lips. “Tiny little sand crab? Oh, you are from the city. You wanna come see? Come on. It’ll be fun!” She flew up into the air, heading towards the western wall, the one facing the Badlands.

Moondancer raced after her, a frown on her lips.

------

“… Holy buck,” Moondancer whispered, her eyes narrowed on the sight ahead of them. She just stared, it was all she could do.

Twilight stared with a look of pure glee. “Oh my gosh. I have never SEEN a sand crab that was so massive! I wish I could get a sample!”

Smooth chuckled, eyeing the two and giving a small sigh of relief. Off in the distance two massive behemoths fought. The sand crab, nearly as big as the fort, its sandy body covered in gashes and cuts, dripping sand in all directions. The tatzlwurm, a massive plant-like sand worm and one of the few things in the desert that could challenge such a behemoth. The two were slowly moving from side to side, eyeing each other, snapping threateningly but not making any moves towards each other yet. The sand crab leaped into the air, creating yet another boom that rocked the fort when it landed.

“Yeahhhhhh. Welcome to the Badlands,” Smooth said with a light chuckle.

“Err… are we in any actual danger?” Twilight asked, glancing back to the pegasus.

“Gosh no, they’ve learned their lesson after the last time they came too close.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“Gilda and Bouncing. Then Coldstone rammed an icicle right up its… aaaaaanyway. She’s a bad influence on her, you know.”

The earth pony blinked a few times. “Which… one?”

“Yes,” Smooth offered, eyeing the beast. “I wouldn’t worry. Those two go at it all the time, you get used to it. Take a picture if you like, it makes a great postcard.”

Twilight nodded, eyeing the creatures again. The crab jammed a claw forward, only for the tatzlwurm to weave under it. Just watching the two beasts move felt strange. “… Wait. Those things are on the edges of the Badlands? What does that… what’s actually in them, then?”

Smooth shrugged. “Eh. Stuff. But if the dragons DO decide to try and come through them, I don’t envy their chances,” she said with a snicker.

“You aren’t actually scared of those over sized grubs, are you?” Gilda asked with a snicker, glancing down at the pair of ponies. “Seriously? Nightmare Moon is way scarier than anything those two could do.”

“I don’t know about that...” Twilight mumbled. She cringed when the tatzlwurm managed to coil around and crush one of the massive crab’s pinchers, making it crumble to sand. The crab stepped back, only to have a new, smaller pincher begin to form from the sand. “How did you even end up here, Gilda? Last I heard you were with Rainbow, hanging at her place.”

Gilda groaned. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I spent forever just sitting on my rump. Didn’t have any idea what I was going to do. Meanwhile I’ve got lil miss Shadowbolt coming back once every week or so, gushing about some super awesome thing she’s done. I finally had it once she told me how she’d gone out east on some secret mission. I told her I was going out for a few weeks, had to do some griffon things, decided to go on my OWN adventures.” The griffon smirked. “Fought a few hydras, tamed a manticore. You know, easy stuff,” she said with a smirk.

“And you ended up here?”

“Nah. Ended up in the dragon lands, with half my feathers singed off,” she said with a laugh.

Twilight froze, her mouth falling open. “Wait, WHAT?!”

“Yeahhhhh. Turns out that the dragons aren’t too keen on you flying near them. Especially now. Ended up crash landing. If not for Thorax I’d have bitten it there. We--”

“Wait, Thorax? Legendary?” Twilight asked.

The griffon blinked and then coughed. “Y-yeah. He kind of saved my butt. Was grounded for a while, but you know. We got out of there, had to sneak out of the lands, wasn’t easy. Ended up in the forbidden jungle, ended up crossing it, then the Badlands. Ended up finding our way here. Well, Red and… Red found us. Was only like, eh, I don’t know. Not long. Doubt anypony even noticed I was gone. Then everything with those changelings came up and, well, we agreed to help since they needed it. Asking ponies to do that kind of stuff? Just asking for trouble.”

“We?” Twilight asked, her eyes narrowing. “You and Legendary?”

“Yes!” Smooth said quickly. “Legendary agreed to stay here and help out, while Gilda went with them to--”

“Them?” the earth pony asked, turning to Smooth. There was a loud crashing sound behind her from the crab slamming into the ground, tripped by the tatzlwurm. “Okay, that’s it. SOMETHING is going on here,” she snapped. “What are you ponies hiding? Because you’re all TERRIBLE at it!”

Smooth chuckled. “H-hey, it’s not like that. We’re not hiding anything. We’re all just… nervous. That’s all.”

“Nervous. Why?” she asked coldly.

“Because, I don’t know, a representative of Nightmare Moon, the scariest thing in all of Equestria is here, in our little outpost? Sorry, make that two? Trust me, we have nothing at all to hide. Everything is fine.”

Moondancer opened her mouth to speak, then stopped. Her eyes narrowed and she stared past the mare. “Nothing to hide?”

“Nothing at all.”

“You sure about that?”

“Y-yes?”

“You can really see the whole camp, up here on this wall,” Moondancer said, motioning deeper into the camp.

“Oh bucking...” Gilda said, before face taloning.

Twilight and Smooth looked into the camp. Red had just walked out of the dining tent.

However, on the opposite side of the outpost, Red was also coming out of the medical tent, carrying, very carefully, a small bucket.

Twilight and Moondancer glanced to Smooth, then to Gilda. The griffon sighed. “I told you this wasn’t going to work… Listen. Twilight. You’re Rainbow’s friend, right? So… just be cool. Okay? It’s cool. Everything is cool. But no freaking out. Got it?”

The earth pony slowly nodded. “Agreed...”

“Good. Thorax! Get your flank up here!” she yelled. As if on queue, a shriek of pain tore through the night when the crab finally managed to pinch the tatzlwurm, sending it scurrying underground.

The Red coming out from the mess tent turned. Slowly, she hung her head and spread her wings, flying up and landing next to them. Behind them, the sand crab performed its victory dance, moving from side to side.

“So… like. Remember to just be cool. Okay? Stay cool.” Gilda reached a hand down and patted Red on the back. “Meet Thorax. Go on, show them.”

The pegasus sighed before her body erupted in green flame. A moment later, a pony didn’t stand in front of them at all. Instead, a small changeling. “H-hi...” he said softly.

“Don’t freak out, he’s cool! Really!” Gilda said quickly.

Moondancer stared, her mouth almost hitting the floor.

Twilight just stared, before letting out a giddy squeal and clapping her hooves together. “Oh my gosh, this is PERFECT! I have so many questions!”

Author's Notes:

Was anyone really surprised? XD Seriously, I love my readers. You all saw the hints, sqwee! <3 Also, it turns out I suck at geography. For some reason I thought the changeling and dragon lands were to the north, turns out they're to the east. Doh. Fixed!

Still. Here they are. The changeling. The legend. Thorax, the one and only. Tune in next week for the stunning conclusion of Twilight Glow Z! I mean, err, where Gilda and Thorax came from!

(In all seriousness, Twilight Glow and Moondancer vs Frieza. Best. Fight. Ever.)

S3 CH 4: Their journey

Twilight let out a small squeal, checking her paper and quills, before looking across the table at Gilda and Thorax. Sitting between them was the captain, Lavender. The unicorn looked annoyed but was, mercifully, keeping her gaze down on a book she was reading. Apparently she was here to ensure things didn’t get ‘out of hoof’.

Outside the tent, she could hear the majority of the rest of the camp, trying (and failing spectacularly) to keep quiet. She couldn’t help but be impressed at their loyalty to each other. No sooner had Thorax revealed himself that half the outpost seemed to have stirred itself, racing forward to vouch for his character. It wasn’t until after she and Moondancer had spent almost an hour assuring them that they had absolutely NO intention of turning the changeling in that they finally relented in letting her take notes while asking the changeling questions.

Thorax, to his credit, hadn’t tried to flee. He’d nervously shifted forms at least a dozen times, but he hadn’t run. To her amazement, Gilda also seemed to have developed a warm spot for the changeling and had made sure to never leave his side.

Satisfied that her preparations were all in order, she gave Moondancer a small smile, before turning to the two. “Okay, then. I’d like to begin with, well, how did you two meet?”

Gilda sighed. “Yeah. When I got hurt? It wasn’t Legendary I ran into. It was Thorax, here. And less I ran into him, more he ran into me.”

Twilight nodded and then glanced to Thorax. “Okay, then. Would you mind explaining everything, from the beginning?”

He sighed, before nodding. “R-right. Um, you see...”

“From the very, very beginning. Changelings, what are you, what do you need? Want? So on and so forth.”

He paused, staring at her. “You… don’t know?”

“No. We have very little information. I’ll… admit, it’s because we were kind of invaded by you. But we haven’t had very many opportunities. Most are locked up in Tartarus, but… we haven’t had any opportunity to speak with them.”

He sighed, closing his eyes. Finally, he spoke up. “We feed off of… well… love.”

She paused. “Wait, love? I mean… Chrysalis mentioned that she was feeding off the love of… that’s… like, the actual feelings?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “We feed off of love. We need it to sustain ourselves. Without it, we… well… we… we die.” He opened his eyes and stared, sadly, at her chin, unable to meet her gaze.

Twilight stopped, her mouth falling open. “O-oh. Then… when you invaded...”

“Our hive had been operating under a… heavily rationed supply for a long time. We would send out scouts to bring back food, piece meal. But it wasn’t… enough. The weaker amongst us had already passed away. And… when I left, well...”

“You left your hive?”

“Yes. I… amongst the changelings I was… always a bit different,” he muttered, his eyes lowered. “I’m sorry. I just… all I’d wanted from the moment I hatched was a friend.”

Moondancer snorted. “So, a meal?”

“NO! I mean, yes, but...” he stopped talking, giving another soft sigh. “Not just… for that. We need love. But we don’t… love is edible, for us. But that doesn’t mean we can’t… want more. Friends. Companionship. It’s… nice. Yes, it sustains me, now. All of the kindness and friends I made. Its been wonderful. Equestria had always just been this… beacon of love. We could feel it. Taste it. It was so, so close. But we never attacked it. We picked at the edges, taking some ponies, but never… a full invasion. The queen had been planning one, but it just… it was going to be our final hope. Until about… two years ago. When the moon rose and refused to move? It just… changed. All that love that had glimmered so bright, a beacon to all of us, was gone. Dimmed. The queen had been planning for so long to invade, to harvest that energy. It was going to sustain us. To give us strength. To make the hive reborn. And when… when it fell...”

Twilight stared, a hoof covering her mouth.

“Many of us fell with it. The last two years… Within a year, our numbers were cut down to a fragment of what they had been. Less than a quarter of what we had been. The great… the great love feast that we had held on for? It was gone. And… and with it, so many of us gave up hope.”

“Oh no...”

He nodded. “We’re almost extinct. It… it happened not… not too long ago, I think. A hydra invaded our domain. Many of us fell and… and we...” Tears welled up in his eyes. “Our hive was growing more and more desperate. When the queen left on some secret mission, I left as well. I couldn’t… I fled while she was gone. I flew and I flew and… I went to the dragon lands. If I was going to die of starvation, I was going to do it alone. I couldn’t watch my hive fall apart around me. Even if we never...”

Gilda frowned and slowly reached a wing out, draping it over the changeling, making soft shushing noises. “I’ll carry on from here, okay Thorax?”

The little changeling gave a nod, sniffling while he tried to stop the tears, nestled in the griffon’s wings.

“From there, he met me. I’d never heard of a changeling. Heck, I doubt any of you had,” she said flatly. “All I knew was I was hurt, and this weird little… bug guy came out of the sky and scared off this dragon that was about to roast me.”

“… Wait, you scared off a dragon?” Twilight asked, staring at Thorax. She couldn’t imagine this tiny creature having scared off a squirrel, let alone a dragon.

“Well… it was a bit of luck,” he mumbled softly. “I uhhh… I had watched the dragons for a while. There were… things even they didn’t want to mess with. Like a cockatrice. I turned into one of those and, well...”

“Scared me half to death,” Gilda muttered. “I thought I was going to be turned to stone. Next thing I know, the dragon’s running off, I’m hurt and there’s this carapace covered pain in the rear laying in front of me. I couldn’t just leave him there, you know?” she said with a shrug. “I couldn’t fly. He was so exhausted he could barely stand. From there, well, we just kind of… helped each other, I guess. Crossing back to pony lands wasn’t easy, let me tell you. Especially with my wounds. Crossing the Celestia sea, then going through the forbidden jungle? Heck, you’d probably write a whole book or two on it, if you’re as big an egg head as Rainbow says.”

“I’d actually love to. But… this brings together an interesting, well… issue. How did you end up here?”

“I can answer that,” Lavender finally spoke up. Her eyes lifted and instinctively they all quickly stood at attention. “The fault for that lies with Red and Legendary.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked.

“Indeed. The two of them, despite direct orders, had traversed deeper into the Badlands while on a patrol. There had been… issues, due to strange behavior from a nearby tatzlwurm colony. Legendary was certain that there were dragons preparing for an attack and wanted to investigate. I told him no. Red went with him to ensure he behaved and didn’t go beyond his patrol.” It was then that Lavender sighed. “If it had just been Legendary, he would have returned. Instead, Red found… traces of our friends here. When she returned, she made a… convincing argument on why we should investigate and rescue whatever foal had gotten themselves lost in the Badlands.”

Twilight gulped. “And… you gave into her, ma’am?”

“Under most circumstances, I wouldn’t have. However, in matters such as intelligent creatures, even non-pony creatures, being in danger, we have a saying here in the Badlands. Rule number seven.”

“What’s that?”

“Don’t mess with the medic,” Lavender, Gilda and Thorax said in unison.

The earth pony paused, before nodding. “Okay, good rule. So you found them?”

“Yes. It… wasn’t easy, mind you,” Lavender said with a shake of her head. “When we did find them, they were half dead and--”

“I was not!” Gilda said. “I was just on the brink of--” the unicorn turned her gaze on the griffon and she quickly shifted back to attention. “Err, right, ma’am.”

“As I was saying. We found the two of them, there, in the midst of being cooked. They were lucky to have been caught by predators that didn’t prefer to eat their food raw. Rescuing them was… easy enough. Though nursing them back to health took time. Neither was in a proper state. We didn’t know what a changeling was then, either. To us, it just looked like a weird pony. We assumed it was another one of Nightmare Moon’s creatures.”

Gilda sighed. “And well, once we were okay? We hit another hiccup. Namely, while I’m a citizen of Equestria now, I’d kind of disappeared for a while. And if I came back with a changeling? I don’t want to imagine what your Nightmare Moon would have done to him. He couldn’t go off on his own, either.”

The changeling nodded. “I’d been getting fed by the friendship from Gilda.”

“Ugh, you don’t have to say it like that. I barely tolerate you, bug boy.”

The changeling chuckled and gave a small nod. “I needed to be near her. We stayed around here for a little bit. It seems most ponies don’t want to come down here, so it was perfect. And the ponies here were really nice. They’re used to seeing weird things, so I wasn’t that bad!”

“And you were really helpful!” a voice called from outside the tent.

“And sweet!”

“A better cook than half of us!”

“And you helped with watch duty!”

Lavender sighed and placed a hoof to her face. “From there, it was merely paperwork. Gilda became an official member of our unit, receiving on the job training. Thorax, however...”

“Doesn’t exist?” Twilight offered.

The unicorn nodded. “Especially since we heard about… well...”

“The attack. Thorax. Did you know about the attack?”

Thorax shook his head. “No. I knew Queen Chrysalis was planning something back before the moon rising, but I wasn’t aware of any new plan. I’d assumed once the beacon of love was gone, any plans of invasion had gone with it. I don’t know what her plan was… but...”

“But you and your kind were dying. No. Are dying,” Twilight muttered, staring down at the notes she had gathered. She was silent, going through them. Finally, she spoke up. “Desperation. If she was that desperate then that means… We’re… facing the extinction of the changelings, aren’t we?”

Thorax nodded. “Yes. I… don’t know how much longer we have. But our… hive is dying. Bit by bit. I… wouldn’t be surprised to know they had already...” He closed his eyes, the tears from before finally falling.

“One last question. The throne. You helped destroy it, didn’t you?”

The changeling shrunk a little bit in his seat. Literally.

“… The… throne is destroyed… isn’t it?”

“The throne is in pieces,” Lavender offered. “It was my decision. As we had the only changeling in Equestria who was on our side, who we knew wouldn’t betray us, I made him assist us on the expedition. He took the place of Smooth while she watched the outpost.”

“So that’s why Smooth was acting so odd...” Twilight mumbled.

“Smooth is good at getting what she wants and a terrific negotiator. But she is a terrible liar,” the unicorn said. Her gaze shifted back to the pair. “However, you now know far more about this unit than anypony else. I had… hoped that your visit here would have been smoother. However, if you told any of this to anypony--”

“I saw nothing,” Twilight said firmly. “No changelings, not even a hint of them. Moondancer?”

The unicorn paused, before glancing back to Thorax. “You didn’t know about this attack? You swear?”

“I-I swear on my life. If I had, I… I couldn’t put my friends in danger. Not after all they’ve done for me...”

“… Twilight almost died in this attack. So if I find out you’re lying...”

“Thorax isn’t a liar,” Gilda snapped, her wing pulling the changeling closer.

“He’s a changeling, that’s effectively the same thing,” Moondancer snapped back.

“He only transforms when ponies who don’t understand swing by!” The griffon stood up, puffing out her feathers in warning. “Listen here, pony. He’s not just my buddy, I owe him my life. We never could have wrecked that throne if not for him! You have no idea the stuff we ran into trying to get to it! So don’t you dare give him any grief, changeling or not!”

The unicorn hmphed, before sighing. “Fine. FINE! I won’t say a word. There aren’t any changelings anywhere. Okay? Happy?”

Twilight sighed. “Well then, now that I know the how and why, the big question is how.”

“How?” Thorax asked softly.

“How do we save your hive? Or, at least, what remains of it.”

“… I… what? Err… you can do that?”

“I need information. As much as possible,” Twilight said firmly, glancing back to the notes she’d taken. “The big thing right now is that your species is only seen as invaders. As scared as ponies are of Nightmare Moon, they know nothing about you aside from you attacked us. Ponies need to know WHAT you are, why you do what you do. What you NEED. Because, otherwise? You’re all going to die. You’re going to starve. I don’t want that. You don’t deserve that. Invaders or not, you were desperate and dying. There are better ways we can go about this. I just need your queen’s help. I need to know how to get through to her.”

He nodded, keeping his head low. “I’ll try. It… might be hard.”

“Definitely. But I’ll break through to her, one way or another.”

“Trust me, if she can get Nightmare Moon and Tirek to listen to her, your queen is doomed...” Moondancer mumbled.

“I hope so. Well… I guess I should explain how it works. We’re sustained by love. But… there are different kinds of love. For example, there’s romantic love, like Bouncing and Coldstone. That love is the strongest and tastiest. It’s what most changelings prefer to feed on. But it’s not needed. Then there’s the love of a friend...” he mumbled, before glancing to Gilda. “It’s… different. It’s weaker. But it’s enough to sustain a changeling. Then there’s sexual love, which is kind of like… it’s kiiiiind of stronger than romantic love, but it’s more like a quick burst of food, rather than sustained. It fills quickly, but in the end it usually fades just as quickly.” Twilight felt her cheeks burning, but kept her mouth shut. She saw Moondancer avert her eyes as well. Lavender didn’t look the slightest bit phased, just reading her book. “But… there’s a new love I learned of since coming here. Companionship.”

“Like friendship?” the earth pony offered.

“No. Like… sorta. I guess… it’s...” He put a hoof to his head. “What I get from everypony here. It’s… not quite friendship. It is, but it’s… different? I guess? These ponies… they trust me. And help me. And want to see me succeed. It’s… weaker than what I get from Gilda. But there’s so much more of it that it just kind of...”

“Ahhhhh. I think I get it. It’s like… friendship from them, but best friendship from Gilda.”

The griffon snorted. “He’s just imagining things. I’m totally NOT his best friend.”

Twilight chuckled, before glancing over at the changeling held protectively under the griffon’s wing. Well, if Pinkie could have a thousand best friends, she didn’t see why Gilda couldn’t have two. She froze. “Do different ponies taste different?”

“Huh? I mean… I guess? Sorta?”

“And Chrysalis mentioned draining the magic of Nightmare Moon… how did that work?”

Thorax froze. He closed his eyes for a moment before sighing. “It’s… we can drain energy, magic, all of that from a pony. While the love is what gives us strength, we can take more if the pony is more open to us. If they… care more about us. The queen can even drag it out of an unwilling pony, if needed. But that’s not subtle at all.”

“I see. And changelings can’t feed off each other?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have to steal love, correct? So… can you not love each other?”

Thorax paused and shook his head. “Oh, no. It’s… changelings don’t… feel love. We take it, but we don’t have any to give.”

The earth pony paused. “What?”

“We can’t give it. Changelings aren’t… we aren’t the nicest creatures around. We… don’t have friends or anything like that. It’s why Gilda is so special to me. Ponies can be our friends, but we can’t really feel the same way.”

“But you’re literally a friend right now,” Twilight said flatly. “You obviously care about her.”

“Well, yes, because she’s… err...”

“A meal?” Gilda offered.

“...” The changeling hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry, we can’t--”

“Oh buck that,” Moondancer said flatly. “You were in tears over your hive. You obviously care about them. And if you can care about them, you can definitely care about Gilda and the ponies here who are protecting you. And they ARE protecting you, because if Nightmare Moon ever found out about you, that’d be a one way ticket to Tartarus for everypony here.”

Thorax’s eyes went wide. “W-what?! It would? B-but they’re not--”

“And now you’re worried about them. And I’m sure--”

There was a shriek from outside the tent. A moment later, a large, golden coated earth pony with a dazzling silver mane, wielding a massive battle axe that Twilight was CERTAIN had to have been made for a minotaur came barging into the room. Smooth was latched onto his side, trying to hold him back. The stallion leveled his gaze on Twilight and Moondancer.

“Listen here, you vile minions of the false princess!” the pony yelled. “If you think for one moment that I’ll allow you to lay a hoof on this noble changeling, you don’t know who I am! I challenge you both to honorary combat! I’ll take both of you on at once!”

Smooth gulped and looked up, giving a friendly smile. “H-heyyyy. Err, Twilight, Moondancer. Allow me to introduce you two to Corporal Legendary Destiny. Born under a sign and raised by an ancient tribe of legendary monks in order to free the world of a great, evil darkness that threatened to destroy the world...”

Twilight nodded nervously. “O-oh?” She stared at that dangerous axe.

“Only to have it turn out that the signs were wrong and it was his ten year old niece, not him, who defeated the monster. He uhhh… he’s really not that bad once you get to know him. Really. He just gets excited...”

“Ah...” She eyed the torn bandages that had remained trapped in his mane and tail. “Well… Legendary. I’m happy to say that we have no intention of hurting Thorax or revealing him to anypony.”

“Lies!” he said. “I will not be tricked so--”

“LEGENDARY!” Lavender’s voice BOOMED through the tent, making them all stand at attention. “You will cease.”

“But captain--”

“You. Will. Cease. You will. Return. To. Your tent. And you will not. Come out. Until. I. Say. Are. We. Clear,” her tone made it very clear that it wasn’t a question.

The stallion gulped, before slowly nodding. “Y-yes ma’am...” Slowly, he took a few steps back and left the tent, not seeming to notice that Smooth was still attached to him.

“Apologies. Legendary is a fine soldier and warrior, but he is not the… most subtle of my troops. I would appreciate it if his comment on… false princess or not was ignored,” Lavender said. “Now, please continue.”

“Of course, we didn’t hear anything like it. But, well… I think my point stands,” Moondancer said firmly. “Ponies incapable of love don’t breed that kind of devotion and protection.”

“… Changelings are very good at tricking others...”

The unicorn just stared at him. “So you’re telling me that you TRICKED them into liking you.”

“… Y-yes...”

“Okay, and how?”

“Ummm… being nice, I guess. Helping them. Protecting them when I can, though I’m really not a fighter. Oh, and talking with them, listening to them, ummm...”

“… So by being a friend. They do that for you too, right?”

“Well… yes. Though I don’t know why...” he said gently.

Moondancer sighed and face hoofed. “I’m guessing changelings aren’t exactly… smart, are they?”

His cheeks burned bright red and he shook his head. “N-no...”

“That’s not ‘tricking’ a pony into liking you. That’s being a pony that ponies like! You’re being a friend! You’re doing things for them, showing the way you care. And, in return, they like you back!”

“Yeah, but I’m a changeling...”

“So?!”

“We can’t love. We feed off it.”

“I eat flowers but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a pretty field,” she said flatly. “Having one thing doesn’t preclude you from enjoying others. I...” She paused and glanced to Twilight. “Err, sorry. This is usually your thing.”

“What? No no no no no. You’ve got it handled, keep going,” the earth pony said encouragingly.

“Right. Listen, just because they like you, doesn’t mean they were tricked. Are you lying to them? Pretending to be something you’re not?” she asked.

Thorax shifted in place. “Not intentionally… But sometimes I do transform and--”

“Do you use it to trick them or betray them?” He quickly shook his head. “What do you feel when you imagine one of them getting hurt? What do you feel whenever any of them DO get hurt.”

“W-what?”

“Imagine Gilda got hurt. Imagine she got burned up again, or worse. How does that make you feel?”

The changeling squirmed, glancing up at the griffon. “I...”

“Thorax, if you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to,” Gilda said protectively.

“I… I just… my stomach feels like it’s twisting and turning into knots and...” His eyes lowered. “B-but that’s only because I need her for food. Not because I--”

“Nope. Nope nope nope. You don’t need her, do you? You have the others here feeding you as well, right? It’s enough to sustain you, isn’t it?” Moondancer asked.

“Well… I mean, I-I suppose, but--”

“But what?”

“I just...”

“You don’t need Gilda. But the idea of losing her, it hurts, doesn’t it?”

“… Yes...”

“That’s what friendship is...” Moondancer mumbled, her eyes drifting to the earth pony next to her, writing away. “Friendship is caring about somepony else. Worrying about them. And seeing them get hurt? Knowing there’s nothing you can do to help? Almost having them die in front of you? That’s one of the worst, most painful things a friend can experience. You can feel that. That means you care about them. About your friends. It may not be easy, and you may still be learning. But you’re capable. And if you are, that likely means the other changelings are, too.”

Thorax nodded, glancing up at the griffon. “I’d… never… really thought about it.”

“Friendship is created by the bonds we form. It may not always make sense. It can come from all kinds of things. For example, facing a shared threat, like the dragon lands. Or it can be forged by smaller things, like cooking somepony dinner. But it has obviously been formed here. You all care about each other. THEY care about you. If something happens to any of you, you worry or get scared or any number of things. Because you’re friends. You all share a bond, you depend on each other, lean on each other. Most importantly, you trust each other to have each other’s back. So yes, Thorax, you definitely can feel love and care about them.”

The changeling nodded, giving a small, weak smile. “You… really think so?”

“I know so. Frankly, you’re kind of a dunder head for not realizing it before now,” she said frankly.

“Heh. Bug brain,” Gilda said, giving the changeling a little nudge. “I’ve told him that a thousand times, but he always gets so whiny about it.”

The changeling flushed, but smiled.

“Though, I do have to worry about one thing,” Twilight mumbled. “If he’s here… Nightmare Moon may find out, eventually. Even if none of you ponies out him, the shades pop all over the country. It was how they found out about Gilda. What if they check on you and discover him?”

Lavender glanced over. “They can’t, without us knowing.”

“They can’t?” Twilight asked. “Why?”

“Oh, oh! Let me!” Moondancer said giddily. She urked when Lavender turned her gaze on her. “Err, ma’am. Please.”

“… Go ahead.”

“Right!” the unicorn said once the captain lowered her eyes back to her book. “Okay, remember what I said earlier about her being a shadow weaver? That magic taps into the umbrum. The umbrum is the same thing that caused the whole shade thing to begin with. If any shade came within ten miles of here, she’d feel it in a second. Well, any umbrum type magic, but shades especially.”

“Wait, so you can… do things that shades can do? Can… you teleport like they can?” Twilight asked softly, remembering the feeling of being teleported by a shade and shuddering. To her surprise, Gilda shuddered too.

“I… can. But it is an unpleasant experience. I try only to do it during emergencies. But shades cannot come near without me noticing. On top of that, due to defenses I have placed, they cannot teleport into the camp very quickly. Ample time to hide Thorax. As of this time, there have been seven visits from the shades since his arrival, one coming right before your appearance.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s… useful...” she mumbled gently. “So you can protect him...”

“Of course. He is one of my unit, even if it is not official. I won’t allow him to be punished for something that is not his fault.” She flipped a page of her book.

The earth pony blinked and stared at the captain. “… Wait… what if we’d been willing to tell on Thorax? On all of you?”

“The world is filled with what if’s, Twilight,” Lavender said firmly. “I prefer to focus on the what is. Please, continue your work on the changelings.”

The earth pony stared at the unicorn, shivering for a reason she suspected had nothing to do with the mare’s magic. “R-right. Okay. So, moving on, I need to know about...”

------

Twilight smiled, watching the fort disappear off in the distance behind them. She’d managed to gain more information than she thought she would have in the short week she was here.

She’d also managed to finish a full report on the golden dust slug alongside Moondancer. She was sure it would garner a lot of attention towards that small but rare mollusk. They’d deliver it to the ruler first thing upon arrival, though she doubted the alicorn would read it.

“So, what do you think?” she asked finally, glancing to Moondancer.

“About?”

“The changelings. Do you think...”

The unicorn sighed and tapped a hoof on her chin. Finally, she shook her head. “I think you have a long, winding path ahead of you. It’s not going to be easy. Convincing the changelings to try and share love? To just be friends? Even worse, getting ponies to let themselves be fed on? You’ll need a pony who’s very, very good at making friends.”

The earth pony nodded. “I know just the pony. But I more meant… well...”

“… Yes?”

“You didn’t trust them when we arrived. You kind of… you seemed very...”

“… I didn’t. I still… don’t...” the unicorn mumbled. “But… I guess… some of them can be okay. But...”

“But?”

“You almost died, Twilight. And it wasn’t just their ruler who did it. One of them stabbed you. A lot of them would have stabbed you. Hurt you. You have any idea how it felt to be there and not able to help?” she mumbled. “How it felt to just… watch you… lose consciousness. To never know if you’ll wake up?” Tears welled up in the unicorn’s eyes. “You always… put yourself in so much danger. And changelings were one of the first to succeed. So yes, I think they’ll do okay. I even kind of like Thorax. But the species, as a whole? No. I doubt I’ll ever fully trust them or even like them. Because most of the species we know of? They were the ones actively trying to kill you. They almost succeeded.”

Twilight stared at the mare, her mouth falling open. “I-I don’t… I didn’t… I just… I didn’t mean to scare you like that. I was just trying my best to--”

“Twilight, you always try your best, no matter how much it hurts you. Do you have any idea how hard it is to watch sometimes?”

“It’s brutal...” Spike muttered, finally speaking up from his seat.

The earth pony stared at the two, lifting a hoof to her mouth. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t realize… I mean, I’m not… trying to do that much. I’m just one pony who--”

“You’re not just one pony,” Moondancer mumbled. “You’re Twilight Glow. You’re one of the bravest ponies I know. You march headfirst into the jaws of death with… well. Frankly, NO training. You’re just like your brother! Reckless and stubborn! Without magic or, again, training! You’re WORSE than your brother!”

Twilight flushed. “I’m not THAT bad.”

“You would have gone out into the Badlands to get a sample of that sand crab if Bouncing and Gilda hadn’t volunteered to. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have.”

The earth pony flushed. “I-I was just… I mean, I’m not… trying to do anything major. I’m just another earth pony. I’m just in the right places at the right time.”

“Buck that,” Moondancer muttered. “You’re no more just ‘another earth pony’ than Spike is ‘just another dragon’,” she said, making the dragon’s chest swell with pride. “Most ponies can’t do what you do, Twilight. Earth pony or not, you have a magic all your own. And I think the only pony who can’t see that is you. I wish you’d just… stop… endangering yourself all the time. That’s all. You are so, so much more important than you realize. If we lost you... Just… please. For a little bit. Take it easy.”

Twilight sighed before giving a nod. “I guess. I just… I’m just trying to do the best I can. The same as everypony else...”

Moondancer sighed and shook her head. “Sometimes I really worry about you. I am thankful for one thing, though. At least you aren’t a unicorn.”

“Oh? Why?” Twilight asked.

“You’d probably be insane. You? With real magic? You’d have probably ended up as Celestia’s student and like. Challenged Nightmare Moon to a magic duel by now.”

The earth pony snorted. “Oh please, I’d never be that foalish.”

“… Or maybe you would have gotten the elements to work from the get go...” Moondancer mumbled gently.

“Moondancer...” Twilight mumbled gently. “That’s not your fault...”

“Maybe. But she broke them right in front of me. Maybe if somepony else had been there, she--” The unicorn was cut off by the earth pony’s sudden hug.

“Moondancer. You are one of the greatest ponies I’ve ever met. You are hard working, dedicated and giving your all to try and make things as good as they can be. What is happening here is not your fault. None of this is.”

The unicorn sighed. “But if I had just--”

“No,” Twilight mumbled, before pulling back. “The elements were broken. That’s all there is to it. There’s no need for ‘what if’s and ‘if only’s. Nightmare Moon rules now. And that’s NOT your fault. You did your best, but you were given a task that nopony had any right to expect you to deal with. Celestia herself couldn’t handle Nightmare Moon, how could she have ever expected you of all ponies to?”

Moondancer flushed. “I bet if you’d been her student, you’d have figured out a way. Probably have like… slapped her or something. I bet the first time you met her you weren’t even scared...”

The earth pony flushed and slowly lowered her gaze. “I was… once… I realized that she wasn’t a… pony in a costume...”

The unicorn paused, staring at her. “Wait… what?”

“… Yeah… err… so I kind of… you see… I mayyyy have ummmm… there was a pointer and, err...”

Spike snickered. “Oh, this I’ve GOT to hear. How DID you meet Nightmare Moon, Twilight? I assumed it was the same as everypony else...”

The earth pony sighed. Oh boy…

------

“Oh please by the heavens, you win...” Chrysalis said weakly, giving a soft whimper from her bed.

Twilight hummed, motioning for Moondancer to stop the magic point presentation. “Are you sure? I still have sixty-four slides left. I haven’t even gotten into the whole--”

“Please. Please,” Chrysalis pleaded, burying her head into her pillow. “I take it back. I take it all back. I thought Nightmare Moon was the true horror that resided behind the crown, but I was mistaken. Had I known of what torment awaited me, I never would have raised a hoof against you, oh fiendish one.”

Twilight frowned. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.”

Tirek, meanwhile, snickered from his cell and continued to read his book. “I did warn you, changeling. The forces you contend with are beyond you.”

“Yes, yes, centaur. Ugh...” Chrysalis stared at the two ponies, her eyes narrowed. “You have won, pony. Enjoy your victory. Now, tell me. What is it you desire to know?”

Twilight nodded, before motioning to Moondancer. “If you’d like to get back to your studies, I understand.”

“Thanks. If you need any more help, just let me know. My horn is at your disposal,” Moondancer said with a polite bow.

“Thanks! Now, Chrysalis… I have some questions for you. You won’t give me the silent treatment again, right?” Twilight asked with a smile.

“On my honor. What little I have. So long as you promise to not subject me to… that… again. How can you look so giddy while you torture me so?” Chrysalis asked, glaring at the mare.

“What? But magic point presentations are fun!”

“… Dear heavens is this what ponies are like?” the changeling muttered.

Twilight shrugged. “I think? I’m really not anypony special. Now then...” She readied her pen. “Shall we begin this interview?”

Author's Notes:

Yeah, if Twilight had been a unicorn, that would have been weird... And so ends the current arc of Badland Mooners, Gilda and Thorax! Don't worry, I intend for them to return!

Next week? Interview with a Changeling Queen! Woooo! But yeah. Everything that happened to the changelings really got thrown off the rails with the whole Nightmare Moon thing. Oops. Now to see if Twilight can help them out...

Also, man, the whole 'Tricked them into liking you' thing. I swear I've said that about myself way too often. I really imagine it's one of those lines that will radiate with a lot of people.

Now, onto good news! I got my first commission! Woooo! So yay, that's pretty awesome! I only finished the two(of three) chapters, but it was very well received. <3 I've been totally having an ego trip since. So don't mind me if I'm too giddy lately. :P

S3 CH 5: Chrysalis

“Now then. Shall we start from the beginning?” Twilight asked.

“The invasion plans?” Chrysalis asked, sighing.

“No, before that. Namely, who ARE the changelings?”

“… I’m sorry?”

“Where do you come from? I mean, do you know? Not all--”

“I was the first,” Chrysalis said with a sigh. “Long, long ago. I was the first changeling.”

The earth pony froze, her mouth falling open slightly. “You… were? How long ago was...”

“Older even than many of you ponies could believe. Back, in ages past, when your princesses were young,” Chrysalis whispered. “I was the first. The queen, who ruled. We were born of a corrupted, foul tree in a magical spring.”

Twilight froze, her eyes narrowing. “You’re… bucking with me. Aren’t you? That’d make you… well over a thousand years old.”

“Your princesses are of that age, are they not?”

“Well, yes, but--”

“As am I. I have led my creatures for over a thousand years, surviving. Fighting. Reveling. We have--”

“Wait wait wait. Your birth. This spring, what happened to it? What do you mean you were born from it? Can you please go into more detail?”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “Very well, if you so insist. Far to the east, there was a magical spring. From it, sprang a great, carnivorous plant. It devoured all it could. Insect. Animals. Other plants. However, one day it was damaged, cut by something. I… do believe it was a pony, but that was so, so long ago that I cannot be certain. I believe it may have even been the… Starswirl the Bearded, but I cannot say for certain that it was him. It may just be that that was one of the few ponies of the time who’s life coincided with my birth, and now I just believe it is him. Of no matter. When the tree was damaged, I was born, as were many of the first of my hive.”

“Wow… are any of them still around?”

The queen sighed and shook her head. “No. I, like your princesses, do not seem to age or die of such things. My subjects, however, can and often do fade. It’s quite...”

“Saddening?” Twilight offered.

“Bothersome,” Chrysalis corrected. “I’d only just get to know a changeling and then bam, they’d die off. After a point, I just stopped caring. Individually, my hive is pathetic and weak.” She made a gesture towards the cell. “I mean, look at this situation. I was imprisoned and captured. They should have hidden, found or made a new queen. Or at least tried. There are three off the top of my head who would have been possibly able. Instead, they came barreling forth, to be imprisoned. They told of our one weapon to defeat you ponies and allowed it to be destroyed. They are disposable foals.”

The earth pony blinked, eyeing the creature. Slowly, she nodded. “… I see. If your hive died off, could you survive?”

The ruler snorted. “Of course. I am the strongest of us. I have survived a thousand years, I have--”

“Has your hive died off before?” Twilight interrupted her.

The queen froze, her eyes wide. “E-ex… excuse me?”

“Your hive. The entirety of your hive. Has it died off before?”

“… I do not wish to answer that question.”

“I can get Moondancer back down here to start the next slide--”

“YES!” the ruler yelled, standing up fully on her cot. “Yes, you vile pony! It has! The entirety of my hive has died three times! THREE TIMES! Are you HAPPY?! But I have risen again, my hive has risen again, born anew! You believe you have won? This is only a delay. One day, I will be free and my hive will begin again. This time, I won’t allow any of you ponies to… I will escape. Mark my words. I will escape and I will have my vengeance. My fifth hive will be stronger than you ever imagined!” she yelled.

Twilight stared at the ruler. Finally, she gave a small nod. “I think I’m beginning to understand...”

Chrysalis snorted. “Understand what?”

“You’ve lost your hive three times. You’re on the verge of losing it a fourth time. To be blunt… everypony you’ve ever known, ever cared for, has died. You care about your hive though, don’t you? It hurts knowing they’re all going to die if you don’t do anything, but you’re helpless right now, aren’t you?”

The changeling snorted. “I care not if they die.”

“Yes you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t think they should just abandon you. You’d be more mad that they failed. But you call them your changelings, your subjects. Your hive as a whole means a lot to you. You call them bothersome and that you stopped caring. But the hive is important to you, isn’t it?” the earth pony mumbled, slowly writing in her notes. “I’m sorry. I’m not surprised you feel this way.”

The ruler snorted. “Oh? And how--”

“Easy. You’re over a thousand years old, correct? You’ve lived a very, very long time. Individual changelings, even if they live a hundred years, would only live a fraction of that time. While to them, you’d be an unmoving beacon, something that is eternal. To you? They probably felt almost like… pets, I guess might be a close word. Not quite right, but close. But the hive? The hive is something else entirely. You seem far more protective of that. Which I suppose makes sense. How many hundreds of years would a hive live? How long had your first?”

Chrysalis was silent for a long, long moment.

“… I can get--”

“I do not know. It was… not long, however. The first died off, as I was inexperienced. I did not know how to properly feed us. I could feed myself but… the hive? No. The second… I made a mistake. The third, I… I just... However, this hive...”

Twilight glanced up, her breath stopping. She didn’t know if the queen truly was sad, or faking. For all she knew, all of this was just made up. Pretend. But she had to keep pushing. She knew she was being a bit harsher than she liked. Perhaps even a bit too rough. But an entire species hung in the balance.

“This hive has… existed… for centuries. Most of my life. It was… I learned. I learned so much from my first mistakes. The first starved to death. The second was destroyed due to my arrogance. The third from my weakness. But the fourth? We took love. We managed to grow strong. For centuries, we thrived.” She lightly tapped the ground. “Do you know how many creatures have fallen beneath my hoof? How many of you ponies? We were careful, of course. I learned. We tricked ponies, betrayed them. Made them believe we were something other than we were. Then, once we were in control? We drained all of their love. Drop by drop. We fed on them.”

“Then what happened?” Twilight asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your hive was starving and desperate, correct? So what happened to bring them to this point?”

“We… ran out of food, we--”

“No, there’s more to it than that. You were invading and taking ponies, weren’t you? But you couldn’t any more, could you? Something changed.”

Chrysalis sighed. “Your ruler. Not this one, your past one. Celestia. We… fought, in ages past. A century? Two? When we were trying to take from you ponies again. She...” The changeling lifted her hooves. “These holes? She did them. She nearly killed me. From then, well… all changelings have been born with them. The wounds she created in me have not healed. Will not heal. Were we to face her wrath again, we would be eliminated.”

“… But you were planning to, weren’t you?” Twilight asked softly.

The changeling queen glanced away, once again annoyance flashing on her features.

“Because you were desperate. Equestria stood out as a beacon of love, food. And your hive was dying around you. You were going to risk it, in order to stop this hive from dying.”

“It was an all you could eat buffet. What else--”

“And then what?”

“… What?”

“Your methods were not sustainable,” Twilight said firmly. “Your hive, it was once big. Correct? But whenever you devoured areas, cities… anything else. What happened?”

“We moved on, what else?” Chrysalis offered with a roll of her eyes.

“And it wasn’t sustainable, was it? You basically burned the land as you traveled, devouring and destroying everything you could. Eventually, you were bound to hit this point.”

The changeling snorted. “Oh? And what point was that?”

“Either there was nothing left for you to eat, or the things you could eat were going to be too strong for you to eat. What about after Equestria? Assuming you succeeded. Assuming you managed to eat ALL of the love in Equestria. What then?”

The ruler sighed. “Equestria would have fed us for a hundred, perhaps hundreds, of years. When we required sustenance again, something new would have come up.”

Twilight sighed. “Do you know how Equestria’s population has increased over the last thousand years? How rapidly?”

The changeling shrugged. “Why would I know, or care?”

“Re-usable resources, basically. Agriculture, for one. We’ve managed to create more and more food out of the same spot, allowing more ponies to be fed. Equestria, itself, hasn’t grown in… well, ages. But the population has, incredibly. We depend on these resources to survive. It’s why we’re careful with the ground we use. Why we manage the weather the way we do. Why everything we do is so careful with the limited space we have. The same land and resources are used repeatedly, again and again. And--”

“Yes, yes. This is basic. What does this have to do with ANYTHING?” Chrysalis asked, rolling her eyes. “I didn’t know you were going to BORE me to death.”

“My point is, love isn’t finite. You don’t HAVE to drain all of us. You don’t have to drain any of us! You’re gorging, destroying everything in your path. But when you do that, there’s nothing for later. Rather than plucking a dozen apples out of a tree, you destroy the tree entirely for the same dozen apples! How many changelings are there now? A few dozen? You could live here. Thrive here. You could--”

The changeling gave a soft, mirth filled laugh. “Ah, I see, now. This is what you meant by ‘save us’, isn’t it? Helping us? Oh, yes. Let’s take the hand out from the ponies. Pathetic,” the queen said with a light snicker. “Let me guess. YOU are willing to share your love to feed my subjects?”

“Oh, buck no.”

That startled the queen, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Then… why would you...”

“But I know a pony who can. I know the absolute BEST pony for the job. I just require Nightmare Moon to sign off on this little test. More importantly… well… I need details.”

“Details.”

“And your help.”

“Why would I help?”

“Because the hive is your responsibility. If you don’t want it to die off, you have to help.” Twilight sighed and closed her eyes. “The fact is… they’re dying. Your subjects? All of them are dying. They’re starving again. Just like your first hive. You can pretend you don’t care, but I can see you do. Maybe you’re right. Maybe you will escape. Maybe you’ll be able to run off and form a fifth hive. But it won’t be like them, will it? It won’t be the fourth. The one you held for… who knows how long. Every memory, every thought. Every good and bad memory will be in the past. Because they’ll all be gone. This is your only chance. I am your only chance. But I need your help. I cannot do this on my own.”

Chrysalis stared at her for a long while. Then, finally, she burst into laughter. “Oh, you silly, silly pony.”

“Huh?”

“You really have woven this entire narrative into your mind, haven’t you? ‘Oh, poor Queen Chrysalis, lost her hive and now she’s going to lose another. Boo hoo hoo. If I reach out and talk to her, surely she’ll be super nice and helpful and we’ll all eat cupcakes and be bestest best friends!’ Blech,” the ruler said with a shake of her head. “I do not care. If they die? It’s hardly my problem. The only thing I care about is the loss of my power.”

“But--”

“That’s it. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“But--”

“I’ll eventually escape and I’ll make the fifth hive. I don’t care about your little plans to, what, save us? You don’t actually believe that dribble, do you? As if I could care about them? My hive was dying when we first came here, so--”

“Then why did you come here?” Twilight asked softly.

“Equestria is a bastion of love and--”

“No. It was. But it’s not now, is it?” the earth pony asked.

Chrysalis stared at her. Finally, she shook her head. “Of course it is. Why else would--”

“When Nightmare Moon came here, that love? It died. So much of it just… disappeared. It stopped all of your plans, didn’t it?”

The changeling shook her head. “N-no. I don’t know--”

“Don’t lie to me, Chrysalis. You came here. You didn’t have to. You put yourself, personally, at risk. You tried to trick Nightmare Moon. You had to know how dangerous this was. If all you cared about was yourself, you could have let the hive die off. You could have done this all, personally. Fed yourself. Found a new way to gain love. Eventually started again. This? This was a move of desperation. You were trying to save what little you had left. Because you care.” Twilight glanced down at her notes. “And you’re scared if we know that, that we’ll use it against you, aren’t you? That we’ll hurt your changelings, we’ll hurt you, even more than we already have. Right?”

The ruler didn’t respond, her eyes turned to the side.

“… I want to help you. Please. Chrysalis. Let me help you. Let me help your changelings. It… it can be done.”

“… Who told you?”

“Told me?”

“About the love. About… all of that. Did your ruler tear it out from my subjects?”

Twilight sighed, glancing around. Finally she spoke up. “I can promise you. Changelings CAN live with ponies. They can survive, without destroying or attacking us. We can live in peace, as friends. But I need your help. I need you to get them to help me. Ponies need to know who and what you are. What you need, what you want. You can keep trying to be nasty, cruel, pretend you don’t care. Pretend you’ll just wait all this out. But your hive will die. And you might, as well.”

“I don’t--”

“Don’t tell me you don’t care,” Twilight snapped, her eyes narrowing. “Your hive. Your changelings. Your responsibility. I’m not stupid. I’m not easily fooled.” She heard Tirek snort, but she ignored it. “If you won’t help them, then they will die. And it won’t be my fault, or Nightmare Moon’s. It’ll be yours. Because you were too stubborn to risk accepting help from a pony. Because you were scared of what Nightmare Moon would do to you. Because you let the only chance slip between your hooves.”

Chrysalis glowered at the mare, her body quivering with anger. Finally she rolled her eyes. “Very well, little pony. I do not care. BUT! If it will make you cease your endless prattling, I will continue on with your experiment. I will tell my subjects to assist you in this endeavor. Will that be enough?”

Twilight nodded. “That’s all I ask. Past that, leave it to me.” She then paused, before sighing. “… Could you really feed your hive on the amount of love here, for centuries? How much could you feed after the moon came?”

“...”

“I’ll try my best, your highness. I promise. I’ll do everything I can to help your people. You may have attacked us… but you were desperate. I still have a lot to learn about how you operate, but--”

“You had seven slides based on our mathematical love intake. How did you even calculate that? What more could you need to learn?”

Twilight was silent for a moment before shaking her head. “… Good guess? Was it accurate?”

“I don’t know. Well, listen here… earth pony. I have agreed to help you. I will hold you to your word. You want friendship? You want us to live in peace? I do not believe it is possible. But perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps you, little pony, will succeed.” Her eyes narrowed. “Now, leave me. I wish to rest.”

The earth pony nodded and turned, starting to make her way up the stairs. However, she paused a few steps up when she heard them talking behind her.

“Is she always so… that?” Chrysalis asked.

“… Yes. You get used to it,” Tirek said in resignation.

“I thought Twilight of the Ten Thousand Speeches was a joke when I first heard it.”

“I’ve heard her speeches to Nightmare Moon are legendary. One was even written down and now hangs in their library, or so they say.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and continued her walking. Really? The library? Why would anypony record any of her rants? Most of the time she was just yelling at Nightmare Moon in a mixture of anger, frustration and fear. They weren’t anything worth remembering.

Speaking of speeches, she wondered if she should try and prep one before she spoke with the ruler about gathering a few of the changelings for this experiment.

------

“Err, your highness?” Twilight gulped and lightly tapped on the door to Nightmare Moon’s room. It had taken her hours to prepare and fill everything out, but she was ready. For something like this, she suspected delivering it to the ruler’s room, rather than in front of others, was the safest bet. However, at the sound of her hooves on the door she heard a light shriek from inside, followed by clattering.

After a moment, there was a light cough. “C-come in, bard.”

The earth pony paused, but slowly opened the door. Inside she found Nightmare Moon standing in front of her bed. She couldn’t be certain, but she was sure she could hear something rummaging about under the bed. Did she smell a hint of chocolate in the air as well? “Err, your highness… is this a bad time?”

“Of course not,” the ruler said defensively, rising to her full height. “Whatever it is that has summoned you to us at such an hour must be of grave importance. Make it quick.”

Twilight eyed the alicorn suspiciously. She wasn’t sure, but she swore that the mare seemed embarrassed. She glanced around the room and caught sight of some wrapping paper on the desk. Nightmare Moon followed her gaze and, with a cough, her magic gripped the paper and threw it into a dresser drawer. “If there is nothing you wish to speak of, bard, we would like to return to our work. We are quite busy, you see. We are in the midst of dealing with a situation in Ponyville.”

The earth pony paused, her mouth falling open. “Wait, Ponyville?” she asked softly.

“Yes. Ponyville.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?” the earth pony asked, her heart beating faster. What if her friends were in danger?

“It is nothing of great import. There is nothing you can--” There was a light clatter from under the bed and Nightmare Moon froze, her cheeks almost turning red. “As a matter of fact, we believe you would be perfect in assisting them for this! Join with Moondancer immediately, she will be heading to aid the ponies within the hour!” the ruler said quickly.

Twilight’s eyed the ruler. Something definitely had the ruler embarrassed. What in Equestria would make the mare so nervous? There was another clatter and now she was certain she saw the ruler’s cheeks turn red. “Of… course. I will depart immediately. But, before I go, I do need to speak with you about the changelings.” Her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw the ruler push her back left hoof back, pushing something deeper under the bed. There was that clatter again.

“What? Changelings? Yes. Do whatever you wish of them,” the ruler said quickly. “Is that all?”

“Err, I’d need you to permit me to take some of them from Tartarus, but--”

“Of course, of course, do as you wish! Deal with them as you will,” Nightmare Moon said quicker.

“… I think… ten would do...”

“Yes. Have the request delivered to me and I will--”

“I actually have it right here!” Twilight said proudly, sliding out a small piece of paper from her saddlebag. “I only need your signature and--”

A pen flew across the room, signing the paper in a moment. “Is that all, bard?”

“… Yes, your highness… thank you. I’ll get Spike and we’ll join with Moondancer immediately,” Twilight said, bowing her head and quickly backing away, before walking out the door. She shook her head and glanced back. She didn’t want to imagine what dark and horrifying things Nightmare Moon was doing in her room. Probably summoning monsters or preparing for some great apocalypse.

------

Nightmare Moon sighed with relief once her bard had left. She quickly locked the door before lifting up the covers of the bed, revealing the small, chocolate moose that was trying, and failing, to walk while laying on its side, bumping around the place. She gripped it in her magic before pulling it out, letting it rest on the bed.

The spells that protected it from dirt and gave it life would have long since faded, if she hadn’t renewed them. But, as it was, the gift she had received from Spike had become just a simple amusing toy. She was too old for toys. Rulers of Equestria didn’t have such things. She was a mature, responsible pony who had to maintain the dignity of her office at all times. Who had to maintain her rule without the slightest hint of weakness.

She should have destroyed or eaten the moose, it was the logical thing to do.

She stared down at the chocolate treat, watching it bumble around her bed. She should show her sister, Tia would love--

She froze in place. How could she allow such a thought in her mind? She focused and snuffed the desire out a moment later. She then picked up the moose, eyeing it while considering its fate. After a few seconds, the wrapping paper flew out from the drawer, enveloping the moose once again and making it go still.

She was ruler of Equestria. She didn’t require gifts or toys. Still, it didn’t mean she couldn’t, sometimes, allow herself to appreciate them. A ruler had to show proper respect at all times to the treasures given by her subjects. The neatly wrapped toy was slid back into the dresser drawers, hidden under her regalia.

Author's Notes:

Chrysalis isn't the only one in denial...

Surely you've all heard of the tale of a thousand and one nights? Well, Twilight has a thousand and one speeches for any occasion...

That she totally comes up with on the spot. Just because she says them doesn't mean she's not screaming internally the whole time.

Also, woooo. Today is going to be fun. Today... I work on query letters to send to literary agents! Wish me luck!

Oh gosh I am totally in a blind panic GAHHHHH! *flail.*

S3 CH 6: Tradition

Twilight hummed, looking over the charts and shaking her head. “Really? This… this is the issue?”

“Yep,” Moondancer mumbled, glancing out the window. There were a few shadows, but nothing very detailed. “Not sure why Nightmare Moon is sending me, though...”

“… I’m with you. How bad was it last year?”

The unicorn glanced over. “Well… considering their Winter Wrap Up was supposed to be done ages ago… Last year I think they were… a month past due?”

Twilight nodded. It hadn’t even been that cold a winter, though. How bad could it b--

“Holy BUCK!” Spike said, his mouth falling open when the town came into view of the train. Twilight glanced out and froze.

“H-holy buck...” she whispered.

“Yeah, that’s about right...” Moondancer mumbled, unable to take her eyes off the scene.

The town was blanketed entirely in snow. She could see ponies running around, shoveling it up, fixing what they could. But it was an obvious disaster.

“How?” Twilight asked.

“Finish reading the report,” Moondancer offered, giving another shake of her head.

The earth pony read through it, humming softly. Then froze, her mouth falling open. “You’ve got to be kidding me...” she muttered. “How could they be so… so...”

“I know, right?!” Moondancer said with a shake of her head.

Canterlot, in the last week of winter, had held a great blizzard. Lots of school days off, an enjoyable period of relaxation. Apparently a lot of the run off had filtered down and ended up hitting Ponyville. By the time that Ponyville was able to send in a request to stop it, it was too late. The town had been covered from gate to gate in thick layers of snow. It covered EVERYTHING. Even the train tracks were surrounded by heaps of snow when they came closer.

“This all needs to be melted...” Twilight muttered, staring out at it. They needed the sun for something THIS extreme. She then paused and looked back through the notes one more time, before face hoofing. Of course. The village had a tradition of no magic. At all. Apparently the fact it was an EARTH pony village was a point of pride for them. She let out a light growl. “They need magic. We just… ugh.” The train came to a stop and she got to her hooves, walking towards the exit.

She’d expected to meet the mayor at the exit of the train. She did not, however, expect to meet Trixie with her.

“Ugh, FINALLY! A pony who has reason. Twilight, will you tell this overpaid bureaucrat that I’m right?” the unicorn asked, motioning to the mayor.

“Twilight, will you tell this over paid and under qualified librarian that we have a rich and noble history that cannot, will not, be tarnished over something like this?” the mayor asked, shaking her head.

Twilight stared at the pair, her mouth falling open and unable to process how to continue. Unfortunately, within a few moments the two started yelling over each other, trying to get their opinion heard over the other’s. She just stared, struggling to process what was going on.

“QUIET!” Moondancer finally yelled. “Now then, one at a time.” Unsurprisingly, they both started talking at once. “NO!” she snapped, silencing them both. “I’ll speak, then. I swear. You’re both grown mares and you’re acting like foals. Ahem. We are aware of the situation. Ponyville has too much snow, not enough hooves to deal with it. Earth pony village, won’t use magic. Now then, this mess is just--”

“The most delightful of snafus,” a voice called over her, making all of them freeze. They slowly looked up at the hanging sign with an outline of a train carved into it. Inside the ‘train’ was Discord, leaning out of a window of the carved train. “No, no, don’t mind me. I’m just enjoying the show.”

Twilight let out a groan. “Please tell me he’s not making things worse.”

“Me? Make things worse? Of course not. Why, I even offered to snap my fingers and get rid of all this snow. But--”

“NO!” the mayor yelled, lifting a hoof. “Don’t. Just… come on. Come to my office, please. We can discuss everything. Discord, please, go talk with Fluttershy or something. DON’T use your magic!”

The spirit merely chuckled, before disappearing.

Twilight shook her head, following after the mare. If Discord was here, she wondered just how much of an ‘accident’ the snow had been in the first place. Still, she didn’t understand why ponies were so against using a bit of magic. It was understandable in a normal situation. But this was a disaster. There was snow everywhere.

She gave a soft sigh when they walked down the streets. Bonfires and torches were lined up and down the streets, trying to help melt some of the snow. It wasn’t doing much good, though. It looked like they’d be heating things up for months at this point.

However, most startling of all were the dirty looks they were getting. Ponies working their hooves off kept glaring at them and the hostility was so thick she could almost taste it. Once they were inside the mayor’s office, she gulped. “So… ummm… everypony seems...”

“Ready to murder you guys?” Spike offered.

“Yeah...”

Trixie shrugged. “I didn’t notice.”

“You wouldn’t,” the mayor muttered, rolling her eyes. “This has devolved far, far worse than I’d believed it could,” she said flatly, trotting to a map of Ponyville. She pointed to it. “The fact is, we’re over burdened and--”

“There’s no way we can do this without magic,” Trixie snapped, shaking her head. “It’s too much snow! You’re lucky I was here at all, if not for me you’d have been in twice as much danger!”

Twilight blinked a few times, glancing back to the mare. “Err… come again?”

The blue mare grinned her showpony grin. “Why, you haven’t heard the story? Allow me to recount you the tale of how I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, saved the harvest fields!” she said proudly, puffing out her chest.

The mayor rolled her eyes. “Her, Zecora and Crimsonwing.”

“Who?” Twilight asked.

“My assistant and the weatherpony,” Trixie answered, cutting off the mayor before she could speak. “Now, when the first snow began to fall, it didn’t seem to be too much of a bother. However, it soon turned into a raging blizzard! Ponies were in a panic and, worst of all? Their fields which they must grow food in were becoming covered! Crimsonwing was trying to clear the skies, but alas, he was but one pegasus. I immediately moved into action,” Trixie said proudly. “With my great magics, and a smidgen of help from my assistant--”

“Zecora made a special powder that Trixie and Crimsonwing spread on the clouds,” the mayor said with a roll of her eyes. “It wasn’t fast, but they managed to stop the fields from getting too covered. We started there the moment the disaster was over, managed to get them actually ready before Winter Wrap-up,” the mare said before shaking her head. “We had been planning to start earlier this year anyway. But with this snow storm coming in on us like it did, we’re buried under it. It’ll be the middle of summer before we finally get it all cleared!” she said, the panic evident in her voice.

“Oh, that’d incredibly unlikely. Likely by the end of spring at the latest,” Twilight offered. “Once the heat from spring starts, even here the heat will rise enough that the remaining snow will melt. Your primary issue will be that...” She trailed off. “This happened last year, too, didn’t it?”

“Not to this… level, but yes. We’d kept a low snow winter this year. But...” Once again the mare shook her head.

“That’s why I’m telling you, we need magic for this,” Trixie snapped. “Nopony had any issue preventing it with magic. Why not fix it with magic?”

“It’s not that easy!” Mayor snapped, stomping her hoof down. “The tradition--”

“Is out dated!” Trixie yeleld back. “You didn’t used to have pegasi, either! But you still let them handle the skies!”

“Yes! Because even during the founding, the skies were managed by Canterlot pegasi! Many of who ended up moving here and becoming official Ponyville citizens! But we’ve NEVER used magic before! Do you have ANY idea what that will do to morale if we do?” the mayor asked, resting a hoof on her forehead.

Twilight glanced towards the window. Outside, she could see all the snow and the ponies working their hardest to clear it. It was just too much. They’d never be able to clear it like this. Finally, she sighed. “What would happen?”

The mayor closed her eyes. “The last few years have not been easy at all, Twilight. There’s more than a little anti-Nightmare Moon sentiment here. But ponies have made do. Last year? We did manage it on our own. It wasn’t easy, but we got through it. Somehow.”

“It was a disaster...” Trixie muttered.

“Yes, but it was OUR disaster! This, though? This is something we’ve always done. It’s a point of pride for our home. Ponies are blaming Canterlot for this. Not just Nightmare Moon, but Canterlot itself. The ponies up there. There’s been talk of… ponies have been talking about… the town defecting.”

Twilight paused, her mouth falling open. “Defecting?” she asked softly.

“How would that even work?” Spike asked. “She’d tear all of you apart.”

The mayor nodded. “I imagine so. I’ve been trying to keep it down. I was hoping by sending in a request for pony aid, NON-unicorn pony aid, Canterlot would send in some pegasi or earth ponies to help. I did NOT expect them to send a unicorn. Err, no offense, Miss Moondancer.”

The unicorn sighed and shook her head. She already felt pretty offended by a lot of this, what was one more?

“Things are riling up here, Twilight. If we’re forced to break this tradition? There’s bound to be a riot.”

“Ponies can’t actually think that’ll be a good idea,” Twilight muttered. “If there’s a riot, Nightmare Moon might...” She glanced out the window again.

“Here lies the crater formerly known as Ponyville?” Spike offered.

The earth pony nodded. It wasn’t right or fair. Ponies were upset. But if the traditions of the town caused them to hate the ruler, then she wouldn’t put it past the alicorn to destroy the town itself and force the ponies in it to relocate. The entire thing would be a disaster. How many ponies would lose their homes, everything they’d worked their whole lives for?

She walked to the window and stared out it, eyeing the ponies working. They looked exhausted, but proud.

“I think we should use magic,” Trixie said with a shake of her head. “Even if it’s not tradition, there are a few unicorns in town. If we all pooled our magic, we could get rid of the worst of it. At least then WE’D be doing it. That’s still something we could take pride in.”

Twilight blinked a few times, glancing back towards Trixie. We? She eyed the unicorn. The magician really had found a home here. In her own way, she was even trying to protect it. She finally gave a sigh. “Moondancer, Spike? Any ideas?”

The unicorn shook her head. “We’d need the sun for that. Lots and lots of sun,” she muttered. “The only other way would be with magic. Even that would take ages, though.”

Spike shrugged. “A big fire? I don’t know. It might burn the town down, then.”

Twilight sighed, before pausing. She whipped around and leveled her eyes on the mayor. “So magic isn’t allowed, right?”

“Of course not. If it was, we’d have a riot on our hands.”

“But… the sun is okay. Correct?”

“… Yessssss?” Mayor Mare asked, cocking her head to the side. “But I don’t think Nightmare Moon is going to be willing to raise it for this.”

“Of course not...” Twilight mumbled, tapping her chin. “But… what about an artificial sun?” she asked.

“An artificial sun? What in Equestria are you--” The mayor stopped mid sentence, before glancing to Trixie, the two sharing a wide eyed look.

“Ohhhhh...” the two said in unison.

“I… do suppose that could work,” the mayor said before turning to look Twilight in the eye. “I mean… even if it was powered by magic, the sun has always been pivotal in our methods. There’s nothing wrong with that. But the artificial sun of the Flim Flam brothers was destroyed.”

Twilight nodded. “But maybe we could reverse engineer it. It would require a lot of work, though. I might be able to do it. No...” She glanced to Moondancer and Spike. “I know we can do it. I’ve got two of the best minds here with me to help.” She turned back to the mayor. “Would letting the unicorns of the city power that, work?”

The mayor nodded. “I… think so. But… I don’t know if our unicorns can--”

“We can!” Trixie said proudly, giving a disgruntled hmph. “Don’t think for a moment we’ll allow ourselves to be upstaged. If you can make it, then the Great and Powerful Trixie will power it herself if she has to!”

The mayor chuckled, relief coating her features for the first time since Twilight had arrived. “Then, yes. I think we can do it. But the big issue is, how do we stop Nightmare Moon from finding out?”

“Miniature sun,” Twilight said firmly. “We’ll just have to distract her. Moondancer. You know some of the magic, right? Shadow weaving?”

“Err, yes?”

“Can you stop the shades from being here? Stop them from spying?”

Moondancer blinked, before giving a nod. “I… think I can. I can at least give ponies a big warning.”

“Good,” Twilight said, lightly tapping her hoof while she thought. It wouldn’t be easy at all. But if they could pull this off, they could give Ponyville exactly what it wanted, without using any ‘magic’. However, that still left one important issue.

Even if they could stop the shades from coming by, how would they stop Nightmare Moon from noticing with it right under her nose?

Author's Notes:

Gotta love traditions, right? But, sometimes they can help bring a feeling of unity and connection to a town... But other times, they can cause terrible issues. Especially if disaster strikes. Though, I think the unicorns have a right to feel pride, too.

Gotta say I'm proud of Trixie in this, she's really growing.

NOW! Onto other issues. For those who read my blog/these comments, you may know I'm trying to become a professional writer. It's kiiiiind of my passion, you know? Accordingly, a new story came to mind, one I am incredibly passionate about and will be dedicating the majority of my resources too. That means, primarily, time. As such, Twilight Glow and Avatar have been pushed back to every other week for the time being. I really want to get this story done and haven't felt this passionate about an original work in a while(I've seriously been running around the house because all that excitement energy is overwhelming. I woke up in the middle of the night and HAD to start it because I was too excited. I just can't let this moment slide, I especially don't want to risk like, starting a new job and losing this passion before I get it out.)

As such, please bear with me while I kind of let my passion rule for a bit. Thank you!

S3 Ch 7. Leadership

Moondancer hummed, lightly picking up a wrench and using it to unscrew and pluck out a half-melted fire ruby from the waterlogged device they’d managed to fish out of the lake. She hated to admit it, but the device WAS genius.

Through a mixture of gemstones, magical runes, some standard metals and a lot of magic, this ‘artificial sun’ had enough power in it to dwarf any standard heat lamp, by a wide margin. Of course, there were at least a dozen different safety violations that she could see within it.

Had it been refined a bit more, it would have been a true masterpiece. She then glanced to Twilight, who was writing down notes of her own while she took apart the power array. She couldn’t help but feel admiration for the earth pony. That and grateful. It had been obvious Moondancer wasn’t wanted here, that none of the ponies wanted them around. She’d seen the dirty looks.

Even worse, the mayor had kept talking over her, as if she wasn’t here at all. As if she hadn’t mattered. A small part of her wondered if that was true. Maybe she didn’t.

But Twilight hadn’t. Twilight had come up with a solution that needed both of them, a solution that not only satisfied the ponies of the town, but also involved the unicorns, in a roundabout way. While there had been some resistance, nopony could deny that the sun WAS the result of magic. They had so many tales of unicorn magic being used to raise it before Celestia that it could be nothing less. So having unicorn magic to ‘cheat’ sunlight out when there was none was an acceptable solution.

In the few days they’d been here, the reaction she got from the villagers had shifted from glares to joy and acceptance. She felt welcomed here, now. Truly wanted. It felt nice.

“Cocoa?” Spike asked when he walked over, holding up one of the two mugs he held.

She nodded, taking it in her magic before he walked off to give a mug to Twilight. Having Canterlot’s number one assistant to help them was nice as well. He wasn’t nearly as smart as the two of them, but his assistance had been irreplaceable. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit a small part of her was sad to see him go back to serving Twilight. She’d loved having his assistance while the earth pony was laid up. Still, she’d happily give up having an assistant any day, if it meant Twilight could keep helping her cope with Nightmare Moon.

She glanced back to the earth pony and gave a soft sigh. Twilight just didn’t know how to take it easy no matter what she did, did she? Within a few hours of arriving she’d already managed to come up with the perfect solution to this issue, without causing a riot. On top of that, she was able to find a position for all of them, that helped them be utilized to their full potential.

She lightly chuckled when she remembered Twilight going over the organization charts for the teams. They’d been a disaster. Well, most of them had been a disaster. Two teams, in particular, had stood out.

Trixie’s and Cheerilee’s. Apparently the magician mare had quite a strange knack for organizing ponies (that or something she’d learned from organizing books and the ponies who came for her new magic trick lessons). Cheerilee had spent years organizing the foals, so managing grown ponies was only slightly harder for her. Apparently the two had created a small bit of a bond, as well, due to the latter helping the former setup her magic trick classes. Now the two were the key ponies organizing everypony to ensure that they were all keeping to a timely schedule. It was a thing of beauty. Without Trixie and Mayor Mare fighting, the latter mare was more than happy to focus on other duties of her office.

Moondancer was certain that Twilight would have done it all herself, if Trixie’s team hadn’t finally fished the fake sun out of the lake. Still, she suspected it was better this way. Trixie and Cheerilee knew this town and the ponies who lived in it, they’d know best how to organize it. Trixie had even managed to convince Zecora to come out of the woods to aid them, where she was serving alongside the other ponies in the first aid group. Her potions were just the kind of relief they needed for ponies who overworked themselves or froze.

The unicorn gave another soft sigh before slowly sipping her cocoa. Twilight was the kind of pony who would burn herself to ash before she’d let anything else come to harm. Ponies rallied around her, focused on her. Saw her for how amazing she really was. She just wished Twilight could see how valuable she was and how much they all needed her. She wasn’t ‘just a writer’ to any of them.

“Moondancer, do you think if we splice a fire ruby with a moon sapphire it would help deal with the overload issue?” Twilight asked, holding up a partially melted red gemstone. “Because I think that’s where the fault was. If we can better reinforce the fire rubies, we can prevent the whole system from erupting like into… well, a fire.”

The unicorn shook her head. “No. Moon sapphire’s are normally good for cooling them down, but I think it may dampen them too much. We’d need nearly twice as much as the prototype had, but it’d likely draw too much attention from Nightmare Moon. At that point half the ponies in Canterlot would be able to see it.”

The earth pony hummed, before giving a nod and continuing her dismantling of the device. Moondancer couldn’t help but smile, watching the other mare. She understood why Nightmare Moon was so infatuated by the earth pony. She truly was unique.

“What in Equestria?” Twilight asked. “Moondancer, do you know what this is?”

“Hmmm?” the unicorn asked before getting to her hooves and trotting over. She looked over the pieces her friend had opened, revealing the core and power source of the device.

A large golden ring, nearly a foot in diameter. There didn’t seem to be any markings on it, however. No runes or gemstones. “That’s… weird. One second.” Her horn glowed and she quickly performed a quick magical scan. She let out a light gasp, stepping back quickly. “O-oh.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked. “I… thought it was the primary power director, but--”

“Nope, that’s definitely it,” Moondancer said before lifting the ring up and looking at it closely. “There’s a lot of magic in this. Old magic. Possibly even sun magic. Where in the world did Flim and Flam get this from?” she asked. “There’s no way those two made this. It’s way too old for that.=”

Twilight nodded, eyeing it as well. “Do you think we could use it, then?”

“Yes...” Moondancer said, staring at the ring. Whatever it was, it felt like Celestia’s magic was all over it. She then picked up one of the melted fire rubies. “So that means they were sending their magic into this and were just using the rubies as the focus, if we could create a better connection system...”

“Quartz?”

“Possibly, but that’s not very stable. Wait, what about topaz?”

“No, too delicate. What about green emeralds?”

“That might work. With obsidian coating?”

“YES! That’s perfect, and if we set them up in a four point binding?”

Moondancer’s eyes widened. “A-a four point? But what about the feedback issue?”

“If we use a diamond connector, it should be enough to stabilize the connection. Then if we--”

“Used a golden wavey setting!” the two ponies said in unison, their eyes glimmering with delight.

Moondancer nodded. “That’s perfect! That should work!”

Twilight frowned. “Though, there’s still one problem. Even if it won’t be as bright as the sun, the magic that it unleashes might… well.”

“It’ll be more concentrated,” the unicorn said. “It’ll let Trixie and her team get the job done safer and faster. But require more power, too. It’ll draw Nightmare Moon like a moth to the flame, as well. There’s no way she wouldn’t notice something like this if she’s keeping an eye out for anything resembling Celestia’s magic. This will be the closest thing to the real sun we have. But fortunately, I have a plan.”

Twilight stared, her eyes lighting up. “You do? What?”

“It’ll be dangerous for both of us. But… if we can disrupt Nightmare Moon’s magic, we can do this. I know just the place, too. We’ll need to lure her out, though.”

“Lure her out? Where? Disrupting her magic seems...”

“Well, not quite disrupt her magic. More… stop her from noticing things that are too far away. Somewhere the magic is… weird. But...” Dread flowed slowly into the unicorn’s heart. “… We’d have to go into the Everfree Forest. Magic doesn’t work quite right there. If she’s in there, she might not notice at all. Especially if we’re distracting her. It… would be our best bet.”

Twilight frowned, tapping a hoof on her chin. “We’d need to keep her in there for hours, though. Practically a whole day. That wouldn’t be easy.”

Moondancer nodded. As much as she hated to think it, there was only one place, one way she could see them dragging the mare there and keeping her there all day. “We’d… need to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters.” Just saying it sent chills down her spine.

“Moondancer? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked, moving in a little closer.

“Nothing.”

“I can tell something is,” the earth pony said before reaching out and putting a hoof on the other mare’s withers. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

Moondancer stared Twilight before sighing. If there was anypony who’d understand, it was her. “That’s where I… where I confronted Nightmare Moon. It’s where she destroyed the Elements of Harmony. It’s… where I failed.”

The earth pony stared at her for a few moments before stepping in once more, hugging her tightly. “It’s okay. I can go alone with her, I--”

“Not a chance. It’s fine. Really. We’ll… we’ll do this together. We can draw her there, say it’s for research. Say it’s to get information about how the castle once was. Or something. For us? It’ll be easy to spend an entire day there. And with her to explain things to us, well… having an escort FROM that time period is the perfect excuse. Right?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes! You’re brilliant, Moondancer. I always knew Celestia made the right choice with you as her student.”

The unicorn blinked a few times when her friend pulled back from the hug and she stared at the earth pony dismantling the few remaining pieces of the device.

What if Moondancer had been the wrong choice all along? She’d failed to stop any of this. The idea of going to the location of her ultimate defeat made her feel sick to her stomach. Going with Nightmare Moon as well only made it worse.

But if Twilight was there, if they did this together? She didn’t doubt they could do this. Just like they could create this false sun. As a team.

Maybe if Twilight had been there from the beginning, she never would have failed at all.

------

“That’s it?” Trixie asked, eyeing the small, black device. “It looks like a big stage light,” she said before picking it up in her magic. The device itself was round and black, not much bigger than a picnic basket. A golden rod pointed out from the back, though the front had a clear, diamond lens with four red gems inside. The internal network of gems seemed to be connected with smaller green gems, obsidian and a gold setting. She couldn’t make heads or tails of what any of it meant.

“It IS a stage light,” Twilight said firmly. “A very, very, very powerful one. Effectively.”

“In order to power it, you’ll need to direct the unicorn’s to focus their power into the golden rod and DON’T!” Moondancer shrieked, her own horn glowing before she yanked the device out of Trixie’s magic. “Careful with this! Do NOT use it inside!”

The performer rolled her eyes. “I was just going to test it. The Great and Powerful Trixie KNOWS what she’s doing. It’s so… small, though. Are you certain this will work? Flim and Flam’s device was at least four times the size of this tiny thing.”

“It won’t be as bright,” Moondancer said, slowly lowering the device back down. “But it WILL cover a much wider area. Do NOT operate it with less than five unicorns.”

“Hmph! I, the Great and Powerful Trixie could do it on her own if need be, I--”

“Won’t need to,” Mayor Mare said with a shake of her head. “You have a full team for a reason, Trixie. It’d hardly be fair if you were doing all of that on your own, now would it?” she asked. “Besides, we need you for supervising still. If you’re focusing on this, who will be watching over all your teams?”

The unicorn paused before giving a soft sigh. “You’re right, I suppose. The Brilliant and Well Organized Trixie must ensure all goes as planned. Now gimme,” Trixie muttered, taking the device back from Moondancer. “Are you sure this will work?”

“Yes. The drain on it is incredible, however. I’ve already tested it myself and… well, while it does work...” Moondancer trailed off, her cheeks red.

“It knocked her on her flank in about a second,” Spike said with a shrug.

“Spike!” Twilight said, glancing over to the dragon.

“What? You ponies always beat around the bush. I’m just telling it like it is.”

“He is right, though,” Moondancer said quickly. “It has a lot of kick. I wouldn’t have less than five ponies power it at once. It could hurt their horns if there are less. So you’ll need to make sure that you keep them working in shifts, okay? Spike will be staying behind to help you, as well. Don’t use it until we say, either. If you do, there’s a good chance Nightmare Moon will sense it. Wait until we have gone into the forest for about thirty minutes before turning it on.”

“I think I can handle that,” Trixie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Is there anything else? Perhaps a safety manual? Want me to wear a helmet? Safety goggles? No? Then trust me, the Great and Powerful Trixie, to know how to handle a light.” She turned around and stuck up her nose, trotting out the door. “The nerve of some ponies. As if I don’t know how to organize my team or handle some overgrown flashlight.”

The three remaining ponies and dragon shared a look before rolling their eyes. “As much as I hate to say it, she IS really good at her job,” Mayor Mare said with a sigh. “Even if she is a pain in the flank some days...”

“I heard that!” Trixie yelled back at them.

------

Nightmare Moon cocked an eye, reading through the letter. She didn’t have time for such silliness. She was ruling an entire kingdom. Her kingdom.

But Twilight was specifically requesting HER to show them. To explain things to them. Even if Moondancer was there. However, she was beginning to dislike the notion of being around the two at the same time. If ever there were a pair of ponies who could drive her to the brink of brain melting with their lectures, it was those two. How could ANYPONY perform a magic point presentation as a means to get information from their captives? Even she would never be so cruel.

Besides, she’d barely made it through the first page of their prior report on slugs. She’d finally given up on reading it and turned it over to one of the librarians. Once she’d said who it was made by, she would have sworn she heard the pony mumble something about ‘adding it to the shrine’. But she was certain she misheard. Why would anypony care about a report on slugs that much?

On the other hoof, as Twilight said, she was the only living witness of such an old place. Her old home. There were things about it only she knew. Discussing her past with the mare would be far more interesting than any slugs. It might even help the earth pony to better understand her. To see who she was. To reconsider her earlier denial of an eternity besides her.

Maybe.

Her horn glowed and she began to write a letter back to her bard. She would be at her side tomorrow. Taking one day off couldn’t cause any problems, she was sure.

Author's Notes:

And here we go! Another chapter, woo! And so... Moondancer must face the place where she and her friends fell. Her greatest defeat...

Hopefully she can be strong enough. Also I find Moondancer and Twilight's friendship as adorable OMG I want to hug and squeeze them soooo much. <3

Also, on the note of my book I'm working on: Woo! I ended up finishing it VERY fast and am on the second draft now. I booked it through there. Still working on a lot of things, but will hopefully get things settled soon. In mean time, keeping up with every other week of story, so yay!

S3 CH 8: Our journey

Nightmare Moon slowly let her eyes linger over the gathered ponies. The snow that they had so fretted about still covered the town, leaving it buried beneath a coating of white.

She didn’t understand why they wished her to not just wipe it away with her magic. Such a silly tradition. But if they truly desired to do it all by hoof, it was no concern of hers. Her shades had been examining the town regularly over the last few days, ever since Twilight and Moondancer had arrived. As far as she knew, they were all doing everything by hoof, with no danger or threats.

Such a waste of time she could never begin to comprehend. She lowered her eyes to her bard and student, the pair staring up at her and wrapped in thick scarfs. “I see that the… wrap up is going… well,” she said slowly, her eyes wandering over the pair.

They both seemed nervous, though she couldn’t imagine why. They had asked her to come and explain these things to them, why would they be frightened?

“Oh, yes,” Twilight said quickly. “We’re actually expecting to make a lot of headway today while we’re gone. We’ve made all the preparations and everything is ready. It’s actually why we asked you to come here now, since we’re not necessary at the moment.”

Nightmare Moon nodded, glancing over the crowds. Headway. She found that doubtful. Her eyes narrowed slightly whenever they cringed, lowered their gaze or even hid behind a wall. Were her subjects still so frightened of her? She had given them a night sky to rival that of any before it! And they treat her like a horror.

She ground a hoof into the ground, before turning her gaze towards the forest. The place was so strange, it had been a place of horrors even before she had been sealed away. A part of her was tempted to try and cut the forest down to a small smattering. Another part of her was tempted to make it grow, to bind all the creatures within to her will.

One final part of her, however, worried about what was hidden in that forest. Her power was great, but there was something strange about those woods, something different from even her power. There was one tree in particular that even she knew better than to underestimate.

The ruler paused for a moment, closing her eyes.

She remembered the first steps they’d taken into those woods.

------

“Sister, please...” Luna whispered, shaking her head. “You can’t do this.” The younger princess could barely move, the bruises across her body aching terribly. All she wanted to do was rest.

“I can. I must. I will,” Celestia said, slowly getting to her hooves. Discord had won this battle, playing with the two as if they were mere toys.

“You can’t fight him again,” Luna said, before slowly getting to her hooves and cringing. The fight had been pathetic. Try as the two may, there was too much chaos and power in such a creature. How could one fight something that could replace its form with anything it desired in a moment? Who could shift the very rules of the world? How could anypony hope to fight a creature who, with a flick of his wrist, had banished them from their own kingdom? She glanced over the sorry state of their lands. Cotton candy clouds. Upside down homes. The ponies who were now trapped in torment that only the two had been spared.

Spared only so Discord could have the audience he so desired. She hated to admit it, but they were honestly outmatched. For all of their sake, she couldn’t lie to herself about this.

“I cannot… we cannot just standby and watch,” Celestia whispered, her own head hanging in shame. “We are the rulers. This is our kingdom. Our home. They are our ponies.”

Luna nodded and then slowly stepped towards her sister. She put a hoof on her withers. “We cannot. We will not. But… we cannot rush in and hope to overwhelm him with our own power. We need more than just that. If we face him like this, we will only fail again. This helps nopony.”

Celestia nodded and then turned towards the forest. The place where their friends had long ago disappeared. “I see… you are correct, dear sister. We need more than just us. We need… the pillars.”

------

“Your highness?” Twilight’s voice called, piercing through Nightmare Moon’s thoughts.

“W-what?” she asked, shaking her head.

“We’re ready. Are you okay?”

“What? Of course. We are ready,” she said, before beginning to walk into the forest. It had been so, so long since she’d thought of that time. A time when she and her sister had stood side by side.

A soft, gentle ache flowed through her heart. She tried to push it aside with each step. Her sister had betrayed her, in the end. For all of the dangers they had faced together, her sister had turned on her in the end.

She owed the sun nothing.

“Your highness? What was the Everfree Forest like in the past?”

“It… was...” Nightmare Moon mumbled, shaking her head. Old memories slowly began to rise to the surface, pushed on by the soft aches.

------

“No no no no! Please, no!” the zebra had screamed.

It had only taken a moment for the two to react. The timber wolves were nearly on the small, striped creature. But before it could touch the zebra, Celestia’s magic had sent them scattering to the winds, broken sticks crumbling to the ground.

The poor, frightened, lost creature had been trapped. They had no time, they had to keep searching. Yet Celestia refused to abandon the poor zebra. Had told Luna to go on ahead.

But even though Luna knew that time could not be wasted, she did waste it for her sister. Because she would never abandon the one who meant the most to her.

“Your generosity will be the death of us, Celestia,” Luna said with a light laugh when they’d walked away, leaving the zebras, a new ally, behind.

“Perhaps,” Celestia said with a shrug. “But we can hardly protect Equestria if we can’t protect those in front of us, can we?”

“No, we cannot.”

------

“Your highness?” Twilight asked, her voice filled with concern. “Are you okay? Did you hear me?”

“What?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“What was the forest like, then?”

“It was… different...”

Twilight waited for the ruler to expand on the thought, but received nothing but silence. After a few moments she sighed and gave up, shaking her head.

------

They had been so frightened. So scared. The trees seemed to reach out at them through the darkness, tearing at their coats, at their manes. The sounds of monsters flapping through the trees.

They were weak. Too weak. How long had it been since they had left Equestria? How long had they wandered through these horrifying, evil woods? All hope had been lost.

Now they would perish. Luna glanced back at her sister and, despite herself, she couldn’t stop it. She laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Celestia asked, staring at her younger sister.

“Y-your mane is a mess,” Luna responded.

“What? Sister, be serious, you--”

“Bwa ha ha ha! Your mane looks like Madam Goldennuggets at the last gala!”

Celestia just stared at her younger sister with confusion. However, after a few moments she began to smile. Then, slowly, she began to laugh. “Well YOUR’S look like something Lord Dupre’s mustache!”

“Well your’s look like the after effect of the sour rainbow incident!”

“Well your’s looks like...” And before the two knew it, they were giggling and coming up with more and more preposterous and silly examples of how their manes looked. Letting the joy of each other’s company drive away the darkness in their hearts. In those moments, all the fear pressing in on them seemed so much weaker, so far away. Together, even these terrifying woods weren’t so bad.

------

“Your highness?” Moondancer asked. “Are… are you crying?”

“No… be silent… we are fine...” Nightmare Moon whispered, ignoring the concerned look the two were giving her. So many long lost, abandoned memories flooded to the surface, rising up around her.

------

“Leave them to rue over their folly,” Luna snapped, her eyes narrowed on the griffins that now cowered before their magic. They had thought to beat them, to steal from them. Now they begged for mercy.

Celestia shook her head and stepped forward. Such a foalish endeavor. She’d offered them aid. Healed them. Fed them. They had been hungry. Weak. Frightened.

So her sister had offered them all she could. Giving of herself. Though it cost them valuable supplies, her sister had given freely. That was who the ruler of the sun was, a pony who only gave of herself, even if it meant she herself would have to go hungry.

Luna promised that, no matter what, she would always help her sister and not allow that kindness to destroy her. Better they both go hungry than allow her sister to suffer alone.

------

Twilight stared at the princess, her own heart beating faster. This all seemed odd to her. They’d been in the Everfree Forest before, last time it was besides Trixie.

But this time, things seemed different. Nightmare Moon was barely speaking. When she did, she only gave curt, simple answers. She seemed almost lost to the world entirely. Her eyes dull and slightly glazed over, as if she didn’t see the world around them.

------

“I won’t leave you! I WON’T!” Luna screamed.

“GO!” Celestia yelled, bound as she was in the ice of the windigo, she couldn’t move. “P-please, sister. Leave me. We can’t… we can’t fail. Equestria needs you.”

“Equestria may need me but I need you!” Luna yelled back, grabbing her big sister’s hooves and pulling with all her might. Despite her best efforts, however, the ice refused to let her go. The howls of the windigo came ever closer, signaling their doom.

“GO! Now! Escape, before they find you. PLEASE! Equestria needs a ruler.” Celestia gripped her sister’s withers and stared into her eyes. “And you will make a fine one.”

Luna stared back into her big sister’s eyes. Then, slowly, she nodded. “You’re right. Equestria does need a ruler. Thank you.” She pulled away from the ruler of the sun, noting the relief in her eyes. If her sister only knew what she had planned. “Listen here, you old nightmares of the past!” she yelled.

“I am Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night! And I will NEVER let ANYPONY take my sister from me!” Her horn glowed with a dark and powerful light, her eyes glowing black. “One of you, ten of you, a thousand of you! I don’t care!”

“LUNA!”

But the Princess of the Night paid no heed to her sister’s cries. She charged forward into the spirits of cold. Through the pain and agony, she pushed on.

Because that chill was nothing compared to that which enveloped her heart at the thought of losing the pony most important to her.

------

“What’s wrong with her?” Moondancer whispered, nudging up besides Twilight.

The bard shrugged before giving a soft sigh. “I have no idea. She’s… I haven’t seen her like this before.”

The ruler of the night kept drifting off, her focus seeming entirely torn. Fortunately, nothing in the forest seemed willing to disturb the great ruler of Equestria. Though there had been the occasional movement of something moving through the woods, aside from the occasional howl of a timber wolf, nothing seemed willing to attack them.

The outline of the castle could now be seen. Back at Ponyville, they’d likely begin shortly.

------

“The Tree of Harmony...” Luna said as the pair walked up to the massive tree. In the center of it--

Her cutie mark. Above it, her sisters.

But above it, that which held the sixth and final element.

Hidden behind the cutie mark of her bard.

------

“Your highness? We’re here. Is something wrong? Why are you staring at me like that?” Twilight asked.

Nightmare Moon had turned to the earth pony, her eyes wide. The way she stared at the earth pony was strange, yet oddly terrifying. A strange mix of sadness and hate flooded the alicorn’s face, as if she couldn’t decide if she should start screaming, killing or crying.

Twilight was suddenly jerked towards the princess, caught in her magic. She was brought to the Alicorn and her heart nearly turned to ice.

“You… you were the one… weren’t you? It was you all along...” the ruler whispered, her eyes narrowed with murderous intent. Her sharp, jagged teeth bared.

“W-what?” Twilight asked. “Y-your highness, I-I can’t breath….”

“You were the one who… who was...” Nightmare Moon stopped, staring at her. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the ruler dropped her. “No. No no. This… must be something else.”

“Something else?” Twilight asked nervously, quickly backing away. “I-I’m sorry, your highness. If I have angered you in some way, I never meant--”

“Angered us?” Nightmare Moon asked. “No. You have not angered us. We merely...” She then paused before, starting softly but only growing in volume until it echoed through the courtyard of the castle, she laughed.

Moondancer and Twilight shared confused looks before shrugging.

“This… only means we were correct, our little bard.”

“Correct?”

With one final light chuckle, Nightmare Moon walked into the castle, her heart lighter than she believed possible. “You will, one day, rule by our side forever. We just need to be patient. That is all.”

Author's Notes:

I've been mega busy lately. Getting this book done, working on my blog, working on next book, setting up DND games, gahhhh! Sorry for delay! But I am keeping up, at least.

And here we are. Nightmare Moon is starting to remember a few more things, seeing old memories. Remembering what life was like... For good or ill.

Also, she remembered a certain cutie mark she'd seen before. I'm sure this won't have any negative issues on our favorite bard. Heh heh... heh.... eep.

S3 CH 9: Our Separation

“Yah all sure this is a good idea?” Applejack asked, eyeing the over sized stage light with concern. “Last time we used this thing, Nightmare Moon nearly ended us herself. Doin’ it again seems a might bit reckless.”

“It’s fine,” Trixie said with a dismissive wave of her hoof before glancing back at her team. “We won’t be going anywhere near the orchard, for one,” she said. The gathered unicorns looked nervous, but determined. “For another, you have me running this operation. You could not be in safer hooves.”

“Besides, Twilight AND Moondancer made this!” Spike said encouragingly. “There’s no way it could fail with those two working on it.”

Applejack sighed before nodding her head. “Well… ah guess that’s true. We’re all countin’ on yah, Trixie.”

The show mare merely laughed. “Oh, please. As if there was any chance I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, could fail. Now then!” she called, before pointing a hoof to the mare in front of the gathered unicorns. “Rarity! Aim. Team, get ready to power it on!” she yelled.

Rarity had been in charge of making the nests for the birds, but when all of the unicorns had been gathered for this task, Trixie had known that that mare was exactly what they needed to direct the heated beam of light. A mare known for her precision and control, if anypony could ensure that things didn’t go too far and cause another fire, it would be her. If there was one thing Trixie knew, it was how to recognize a proper light pony. She glanced at a small, red jewel she had on her hoof, which she had retrieved soon after the ruler had disappeared into the woods. A temporary enchanted item from Moondancer, it would glow the moment any shades came within a few miles of the town. With a few of the other tricks the Canterlot mare had left, there was no chance the shades would sneak up on them.

Trixie trotted back behind the crowd and watched the streets quickly empty. “Okay, everypony, begin! Turn it on!”

A soft, gentle hum filled the air. Moments later, a dim light came out from the end of the light. Trixie frowned, though. The light was not the bright yellow she’d expected. Instead, it was a dim, red light. The beam was wide and powerful, however, going all the way to the end of the block.

But it was so dim, she wondered if the two had failed to--

“Look, it’s melting!” Spike yelled excitedly.

The unicorn glanced down the road and, sure enough, the water was quickly melting under the heat of the lamp, turning to slush and water. A wide grin formed on her lips. “Okay, everypony! Get ready! Team A, keep following Rarity’s directions!” she yelled. “Team B, get ready to take over for team A when they get tired! Team P!” she yelled, glancing up at the sky and the gathered pegasi. “Get to work turning that water into clouds and get it out of the way! Today, we’re melting the snow!”

Discord chuckled while he watched from one of the snowponies, an amused grin on his face. He then glanced to the forest before shrugging. “I do suppose it’s true. While the Nightmare is away, the ponies will play.” He snapped his fingers and disappeared, the snowpony crumbling to flakes.

------

The main hall. Nightmare Moon stared, her eyes intent on the tapestries that dangled over the hall. Her’s and her sister’s. She could barely believe they were still here. How had they survived a thousand years and not fallen to ruin? She gripped them in her magic and, slowly, brought them down to the ground.

They felt faintly of magic, though any protective charms had long since lost the majority of their power. Had they been here when she’d first arrived so long ago, to destroy the elements?

------

“Look, look!” Luna said, excitement filling her voice when she ran into the castle. Finally, after so much time, it was complete. It hadn’t been easy. It had taken a mix of magic, time, effort and a bit of help to get it to this stage. Ponies from all over Equestria had set aside all manner of gifts for them to decorate as well.

A light chuckle made her glance back. Celestia stood in the threshold, her eyes on the banners hanging over main hall. “It’s amazing. The Castle of the Two Sisters. I couldn’t imagine anywhere I would rather be,” she said.

“Why would we ever be anywhere else?” Luna asked with a light chuckle. “It’d hardly be the TWO sisters if we weren’t here, would it?”

“No, I suppose not.” Celestia walked to the walls and tapped them, before lightly chuckling and galloping off. “Starswirl said there’s a secret slide! I bet I can find it first!”

“You’re on!” Luna yelled before galloping off.

------

“I wonder if they could be restored,” Moondancer said, eyeing the worn tapestry. “They’re very unique. Different from the ones in Canterlot.”

Nightmare Moon froze, staring at the pair of tapestries. She then gripped them tightly in her magic, intent on tearing them apart. “We have no need of such trivial...” she trailed off, staring at the pair.

Luna and Celestia. Both were gone, now. She was no longer Luna. She would never be Luna again, she knew. She let the tapestries fall to the ground. “Do with them as you please.”

“Your highness?” Twilight asked. “Could you tell me more about the trap doors? I hear there are some all over the castle! According to my research, they--”

Nightmare Moon snickered. “Trap doors? Oh, there are many. This castle is filled with all manner of tricks and traps we...” She paused and then galloped off, turning the corner and galloping off into one of the hallways.

“Your highness? Your highness!” Twilight yelled, before she and Moondancer raced after her. However, when they turned the corner, the mare was gone. “W-what? Where’d she go?”

------

“Luna? Luna, where are you?” Celestia yelled, worry evident on her face. She glanced back and gave a nervous smile back at the red coated, pink maned unicorn behind her. “Mayor Redapple is waiting for us! I am so, so sorry. I don’t know where she wandered off to.”

“It’s quite alright,” Redapple said with a shake of her head. “If you would prefer, we could have the meeting without her.”

Luna paused from her hiding spot, preparing to jump out and scare Redapple. However, instead she listened.

“Without her? She’s one of the princesses as well,” Celestia said, eyeing the unicorn.

Redapple sighed. “Yes, of course. She is… one of the rulers. Of that, there is no doubt. But it must be incredibly difficult foal sitting her while hosting such important meetings, no?”

“Foal sitting?”

“Indeed. Apparently last time Goldencups was here, she put extra hot chili peppers in the cupcakes?”

Celestia snickered, before giving a nod. “Yes, my sister has always had a flare for her little pranks. But I assure you, she is quite important to our rule. Discord would have never been defeated without her by my side.”

“Of course. I just question how much she is needed for such discussions,” Redapple said. “Your sister obviously doesn’t want to be a part of them, considering all of her pranks and the way she fidgets. Last time she fell asleep in the middle of my presentation. Perhaps this time it would be best if we just had the discussion without her. Allow her to focus on other tasks.”

“She’s up all night, so she just gets tired sometimes. But… I supposed you’re right. If she’s hiding, maybe it’s best if I handle this one and give her a break.” Celestia gave a sigh, before looking around. “Luna? Luna, are you there?”

The Princess of the Night grinned from her hiding place. She couldn’t believe Redapple of all ponies was saying such a thing. This was AWESOME! Not having to do another big, stuffy meeting where they droned on and on? Besides, Celestia was the one who liked those things. Luna always found them so boring and bland. After being up all night, it was only thanks to the amusement she found in her pranks that she could stay awake for any of them. She snickered gleefully when the ponies trotted off.

Besides, whatever Celestia decided was certain to be the right choice. Her big sister was amazing.

------

Trixie hummed happily.

“Err… miss Trixie?” a voice said and she glanced over to the source. Crimsonwing, the town’s weatherpony.

“What is it?” she asked, eyeing him for a few moments.

“Err… well, it’s about the light. Ummmm...”

“Yes?” she asked, waving her hoof. “Get on with it, we’re on a time crunch.”

“We need you to slow it down. The snow is melting too fast, we can’t keep up with it. At this pace, we’re not going to be able to turn enough of the water into clouds and move it. I’m sorry!” he said, bowing his head politely. We’re doing the best we can, but it’s all melting so fast and there’s mud everywhere now and we just need a bit more time.”

“Really?” Trixie asked. “What about teams Q and R?”

“Cheerilee has P and Q working to make the clouds, but we need R to keep getting them out of the way. They won’t just move on their own, after all. Otherwise we’ll get a build up and then they’ll start raining and it’ll get just back to where we were.”

She paused a few moments before face hoofing. “Wonderful. We can’t just...” She trailed off, her eyes glancing to the dragon who was following behind her. “What if you didn’t have to move it? If R helps make the clouds?”

“They’ll just gather up and start raining. It’ll be right back where we started.””

Trixie grinned wide. “Oh, don’t worry. I have just the idea. And even better, it’s not REALLY magic. Oh Spike, I have a job for you!”

------

“Nightmare Moon!” Twilight yelled, racing through the castle, her heart filled with panic. Was it possible the ruler had sensed the false sun they had created? Was she on her way now, to put an end to it? Why had she been so foalish? Why--

“BOO!” Nightmare Moon yelled, suddenly leaped out from a hidden door behind one of the statues, making Twilight and Moondancer jump and scream. The ruler merely stared at the two, before erupting into a fit of laughter. She covered her mouth with her hoof, struggling to stifle it. “We see that our bard and student have not studied the secrets of this castle, have they?”

Twilight shook her head. “N-no. I mean, I’ve heard a little about it, but I’ve never had a chance to fully explore. Ponies haven’t come here in centuries,” she said sheepishly.

“We see. And what of you, student? This is where you came to face us.”

Moondancer shook her head. “There was very little information on it. Nopony has been here for nearly eight hundred years. I’d never been here. I’m sorry, your highness.”

The alicorn nodded before turning to trot down the hall. “Then please. Follow us. We will show you our throne room.”

The pair nodded and trotted quickly after her.

------

“Sister?” Luna asked, giving a light yawn when she walked into the throne room. As much as she did enjoy her nights, she couldn’t deny she was feeling a little lonely after having spent so many of them alone. Dipping into and out of dreams didn’t do much to relieve the feeling.

Worse, she had started talking to herself, just so she could have a voice to talk to.

Celestia glanced up from her throne, a list in front of her and a cup of tea hanging in her magic. “Yes?” she asked.

“I uhhh, I wanted to speak with you about… something. I, ummm...” the princess gave another yawn before shaking her head.

“Luna, I’m really busy. I have half a dozen meetings today, not to mention I need to go and talk with Clover about some strange sights in the Everfree Forest.”

“O-oh, right. Of course. I just… wanted to join you today.”

That made Celestia freeze and stare. “What?”

“The meetings. All of that. I know it’s been a while since I came but, I wanted to join you and--”

“Sister, I wish you wouldn’t spring these on me.”

Luna cringed. “I… I know, I’m sorry. I just…”

“Just not today, okay? How about we schedule a meeting for later.”

“Of course. When would--”

“I really have to go,” Celestia said before getting to her hooves and finishing off her tea. “We’ll talk when I return, okay?”

“Okay...” Luna said softly, watching the throne door slam shut. She’d been overjoyed to not have to stay up all day for all those boring, silly meetings.

But that didn’t mean she wanted to be completely locked out. She’d enjoyed the last few months of relaxation, of being allowed to come back to her room after a full night’s work and then collapse.

But she missed her sister. She missed her ponies.

------

“These were the thrones from which we ruled,” Nightmare Moon said softly, motioning across the long hall to the twin thrones. Over which dangled their tapestries.

“Your highness, if you don’t mind me asking, what were the night courts like back then?” Twilight asked.

“They were… non-existent,” Nightmare Moon muttered, closing her eyes.

------

Luna felt so gleeful when she woke up. It was all so obvious, she didn’t know why it had taken her months to finally figure it out. She’d left a small note on her sister’s bed stand telling her the full truth about what she wanted.

The two never seemed to meet anymore. By the time Luna rose the moon, her sister was already asleep, as were most of the other ponies. When morning came, Luna was so tired and Celestia was so busy, they couldn’t speak then either. Leaving a note was the obvious solution. Only a hoofful of the castle guards remained awake and most of them were so focused they couldn’t really talk with her.

She wished there were more night ponies around. The vampires or wereponies. She understood why her sister thought they needed to be hidden after all of the disasters and misunderstandings that had happened over the years, but she longed for somepony to talk to.

But soon, she knew her wish would come true. There’d be plenty of ponies to meet with her. It was so obvious in retrospect. If they just held a few of the meetings during the night, when she was working, then she’d be able to attend them with ease. It would lighten her sister’s load as well. She made her way down to the throne room and, to her delight, a letter was waiting on her throne. With her name written on the front in her sister’s writing.

She tore it open and read through it, her heart pounding with excitement.

Which quickly turned to disappointment. She read over the letter two more times just to be sure. But her request had been denied. She was told, if it meant that much to her, to just stay awake. That ponies didn’t desire to stay up that long.

Luna took a slow, deep breath, trying to push the disappointment aside.

Fine then. If she had to stay awake, then she would. She wrote a letter back, letting her sister know she’d soon be coming for more of the meetings. It would be a lot harder than she’d have preferred, but if her sister felt that way, then she knew she could trust her judgment. She’d come tomorrow, even.

------

“Were these your first thrones?” Twilight asked.

Nightmare Moon shook her head and turned, beginning to walk away from the throne. “Come with us. There is something I think that will answer all of your questions.”

“All of them?”

“We had a secret room. It may still be there.” She felt the memories of a life, so long ago that they might as well have belonged to another pony, clawing and biting at her heart despite her attempts to bury them down. Despite her great power, all she felt now was exhausted. Even with her precious bard so close, a loneliness she thought she had shoved away seemed to envelop her.

Twilight gasped and shared an excited look with Moondancer, the two following quickly after the alicorn. “You know...” the earth pony whispered. “Even if this is just a distraction, it’s really amazing.”

“I know,” Moondancer whispered back. “All this history that was lost. We should write a report on it when we return. Maybe you could release it as your next book. How’s Tirek’s going?”

“Decently. I’m hoping it’ll help calm some more nerves,” Twilight whispered back. She paused when they passed a great dining hall, glancing inside. “Your highness? Is this where you had your meals?”

Nightmare Moon stared at the hall, her eyes leveled on that long table. “Indeed. We… had many meals there. With visitors. Many… precious visitors.”

------

Luna blinked blearily, awoken by a sharp jab into her side. “Sister? You fell asleep again,” Celestia whispered.

“Huh? Oh. Right, sorry,” Luna whispered back, sitting up. She wiped a piece of hay bacon off her cheek. “Where were we?”

One of the meeting ponies stared at her, mayor something or other. She was too tired to care. “Err, if your highness is tired, perhaps you should rest? Your sister can--”

“Nonsense! We are a princess as well! We, too, care for our subjects. We just...” She gave a light yawn. “Had a long night.”

“Err, well, as I was saying. This year the fiscal--”

His boring, bland voice threatened to make her fall asleep yet again. How did they have meetings like this EVERY day? How many times had she fallen asleep in them, now? She just wanted to go to bed.

A trolley came into the room and she let out a sigh of relief. Cupcakes. Just what she needed. They were put in front of them, one by one. There was even one with a little moon on the top. She gave her sister a grateful smile before biting into it.

Her mouth was on fire. She let out a shriek, tossing the cupcake away and grabbing the pitcher of juice from the table, spilling it desperately into her mouth and face, coating herself in the juice.

“Too hot?” Celestia asked, her eyes wide with shock.

“W-what?!” Luna roared, her fury rising. She looked to the cupcake and, amongst its remains stood a single bright red pepper.

“Gotcha,” Celestia said, giving her a weak, shaky smile.

“Oh, how absolutely delightful, your highness!” the mayor said, before the gathered ponies began to laugh at her.

Luna stared at Celestia, her heart hurting. Tears formed in her eyes. “W-what?! How could you?!”

“It was a prank, I thought--”

“A PRANK?!” Luna roared, her wings flaring out and flipping the table through the air, slamming it to the wall and making the gathered ponies cower and scream.

“Sister! Calm down!”

“You find humiliating me AMUSING?” Luna asked, her eyes turning dark.

“You’re over reacting! Calm down!”

“I will not calm down, I--” Her words were cut off when she found herself grabbed in her sister’s telekinesis and slid out of the room, her sister following a moment later and slamming the door behind herself.

“What is wrong with you?” Celestia snapped.

Luna glared up at her, juice dripping from her mane. “You deemed to humiliate me and--”

“It was a harmless prank! You’ve done that one dozens of times! Besides, I thought it would help you stay awake for once!”

“Stay awake? I--”

“Am acting like a child!”

“I have been up all night! I am sorry it’s hard for me to ENDURE such boring tedium all day! But unlike you, I have a duty to uphold BEYOND just smiling and nodding alongthrough these tedious social gatherings!”

Celestia took a deep breath, before sighing. “Very well.” She spread her wings. “Luna, as you cannot contain your anger. I’ll take care of these meetings.”

Luna blinked a few times, before shaking her head. “What? I have every right to--”

“Right? No. You have LOST that privilege. Your assistance with the ‘boring’ meetings is no longer required. Nor is it desired. If you cannot contain yourself from frightening our ponies over something so petty, then you can rest in your room, where you won’t do any more damage.”

Luna blinked a few times, staring at her big sister. Slowly, she shook her head. “Sister, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to--”

“You should have thought of that before you flipped the table. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go clean up your mess. Now go get some sleep or… something. I don’t care.” Celestia stormed into the castle, slamming the door behind herself and in Luna’s face.

The princess of the night stared, her mouth falling open.

------

“… They enjoyed laughing at us. With us,” Nightmare Moon muttered, shaking her head.

“Did you have fun then?” Twilight asked.

“We did not.” The ruler shoved open a door, revealing the library, still lined with ancient tomes. “Hmph. It seems our sister did not care as much for books as our bard, did she?”

“All these tomes were here?!” the earth pony asked, her mouth open in horror. “Moondancer, can you--”

“Already on it,” the unicorn said quickly, trotting forward and, very slowly, beginning to pull the books off the shelves.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes, before glancing at the chairs in the middle of the room. Her horn glowed and one of the chairs tipped back, causing a pair of book cases to slide aside to reveal a small, tiny room.

Twilight let out a gasp, stepping into the room. Resting on a pedestal was a single book. She read over the cover. “The Journal of the Two Sisters. Wait, is this--”

“Our journal? Yes. Read it if you desire. It… holds no meaning for us now...” the mare muttered, looking around the room. “Perhaps… you’ll find it more interesting that we did...”

Luna held the pillow over her face, sobbing into it. How could anypony say that?

Sure, it had been almost a decade since she’d been banished from the meetings her sister ran, but she at least tried to interact with ponies during the day. On occasion. Not that any of them wanted to.

She’d had a few more outbursts, her anger getting the best of her. She never meant to hurt or scare anypony. She just wasn’t as sociable as her sister was. Every day it felt as if she was drifting further and further away from her ponies, as if they cared less and less that she even existed.

‘Backup princess’ they called her. ‘All she does is play around while her sister does the hard work’, ‘Nothing more than a spoiled child’.

How could they have said such harsh words. When she’d heard they were readying a Princess Appreciation Day, she’d been so excited. She’d been touched. She’d been staying up later each morning, sneaking around the castle and listening to all of the preparations. She’d heard the excited way they talked.

But then she’d spied on some of the cooks and they wondered why she was even going to be a part of the celebration. She wasn’t just a backup. She was a princess. Her duties just took place in the dream realm. That was all.

She’d lost her temper again, threw a fit. The anger had bubbled up within her so strong. She hadn’t meant to scare them, to wreck everything. Just in that moment, it had all bubbled up and she hadn’t been able to contain it.

She cringed when she heard the secret passageway open. “There you are,” Celestia said, her voice cold and angry. “I was wondering where you were hiding. Do you want to tell me WHY you nearly destroyed our kitchen and ruined weeks of hard work?” she snapped.

Luna slowly raised her head. She wanted to come up with some excuse, some reason, but the thought of lying to her sister made her feel ill. “I… I was hurt.”

“Hurt? What could hurt you?”

“Emotionally. I was… they… I heard them talking.”

“About?”

“Me. Us,” Luna mumbled, looking away. “Sister, I… this celebration.”

“Yes? What about it?”

“It’s… I heard them talking,” she finally said. “They don’t think I deserve to be a part of it! They think I am just the backup! As if I don’t matter, as if I do nothing!”

Celestia blinked a few times and then sighed. “Is that all?”

“… All? I am a princess as well!”

“You certainly don’t act like it,” the sun princess snapped, scolding her.

“W-what?”

“You don’t see me throwing a temper tantrum whenever I’m annoyed, do you? Or when somepony is rude. No, because I maintain control and the dignity that I THOUGHT you would have learned by now. You cannot allow words to upset you in such a manner.”

“I--”

“Nopony thinks you do nothing. But now they think you’re a danger and threat to all of them and I have to clean up your mess. Again.”

“But they do! I work all night and--”

“Yes, yes. You flit around through pretty little dreams and make everything nice and cozy,” Celestia said with a roll of her eyes. “That must be oh so hard.”

“I work just as hard as you, sister!” Luna yelled, standing up and wiping the tears from her eyes.

“Of course you do,” Celestia said with a shake of her head, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Luna, stay away from the kitchens. Keep your anger under control. They’ve already started calling you a real nightmare. If you can’t, then just stay in your tower away from our ponies!”

“But--”

“No buts. If you can’t control your temper, you’re just going to make my job that much harder!” Celestia yelled before turning and storming off. “I swear, Luna. It’s hard enough running the kingdom without having to foalsit you as well. Try to at least ACT as if you’re a proper princess.”

Luna stared at the entrance, the tears still filling her eyes.

------

“Your highness?” Twilight asked.

“What?”

“Err… did you hear what I said?”

“Yes. Of course. Do as you please,” Nightmare Moon said, before her gaze fell on Moondancer. The mare had stacked every book in the library on the table in the main library. “When did you...”

“For the librarians to retrieve. There’s no way I could take all of these home on my own,” Moondancer said with a light chuckle. “They’ll need a full escort.”

“… Right. Yes. Of course. We… should go. You’ve… got--”

“Which room is your favorite?” Twilight asked.

“Favorite?”

“Yes? Did you have a favorite?”

“We enjoyed… many of the rooms. But...” She trailed off and began to walk. “We enjoyed this room.”

“Then why not--”

“Enjoyed. In the past. No longer. Our favorite room is in our home. Our castle. This place is naught but a relic of the past. Is there anything else you’d like to see?”

“All of it,” Moondancer offered.

“Of course you do,” the alicorn muttered, her voice filled with sarcasm and annoyance. She trotted away, down the hall. “Then come along, little ones. Let me show you all.”

Twilight shared a concerned look with Moondancer, before picking up the journal and trotting after the ruler, trying to skim through it as they walked. The unicorn snickered and her horn glowed, giving the earth pony light to read by while they walked.

------

Luna slowly knocked the small red gem from hoof to hoof. “Equestria only has room for one princess, doesn’t it?” she asked the small element. “No, you can’t answer me, can you? You may be part of harmony but… I don’t feel very harmonious right now.”

“Sister? What are you doing?” Celestia’s voice rang out through the throne room, making the smaller princess cringe.

For a moment, Luna almost told her. She glanced up to her big sister. Celestia looked tall, regal, powerful. Beautiful. The one who’s light they all basked in. While she drowned in the shadow the princess cast. Telling the truth did nothing, all it did was make it worse. Her elder sister held no more loyalty to her. All her sister did was laugh with them at her. “I’m… examining the elements.” She held up the gem. Once it had glowed with a light that was so beautiful. Now it only gave a dim glow.

Perhaps it, like the rest of their kingdom, had decided to abandon her as well.

“Whatever for?” Celestia asked. “There aren’t anymore threats.”

“Perhaps then we should take them back to the tree. Where they came from.”

“Maybe,” the elder alicorn said before her horn glowed and she pulled the gem to her hoof. It radiated a soft, purple light. “But isn’t it best if they stay nearby? If any more dangers came, we’d need them nearby.”

“Perhaps,” Luna said before getting to her hooves and staring at the beautiful gem. It dazzled more in her sister’s hooves than it had in hers. A part of her wanted to believe that it didn’t dazzle nearly as much as it once had, however. But she was certain it was her imagination. She started to trot away. “Sister, we--”

“I need you to raise the moon later tomorrow.”

“… Why?”

“I need to keep the sun out, it’s a special request for a sun festival. The--”

“Of course it is,” Luna said bitterly. That note of anger welled up in her stomach. “We will do as you wish, sister. After all, we wouldn’t w ant ponies to have to miss a moment of your glorious sun.”

“Thank you. You should get some sleep, too. Who knows? Maybe you can come to the festival if you feel up to it,” Celestia said before depositing the gem on the platform with the others.

There was only room for one princess in Equestria.

And Luna wasn’t it.

Author's Notes:

And so NMM gets to relive so many, many more of her memories. So many thoughts and ideas that, for so long, had been buried deep, deep down...

Still, there is a little more to come to mind. More thoughts that have come by stirring the pot. One more chapter to go for her visit to the castle to be complete. Hope you're having fun.

Also, on the note of something unrelated to this, I've been burning myself at both ends this last month. I managed to get my newest book out! It's currently free on amazon, the special ends this sunday morning, though. So get it while you can!

S3 CH 10: Our Loss

Nightmare Moon slowly reached a hoof out, touching where the Elements of Harmony had once stood. To imagine, they had been one of her most prized possessions. The sign of what ponies were. Powerful. But kind. Together they had kept ponies safe.

She had once wielded them, used them to keep everypony safe. Now she was the one who destroyed them. Broke them. Shattered them. She glanced back at her bard and student, the former dead to the world while she flipped through the childish journal, the latter staring at the device that the elements had rested on with a look she couldn’t identify. Was it disgust? Disgrace? Humiliation? Was she reliving that night all over again, much how Nightmare Moon had been reliving so many forgotten memories since she’d come into these woods?

For the first time since she’d taken the mare as her student, she felt something new. Pity. Though her cause had been foalish, blinded as she was by Celestia’s light, she had tried so hard. Only to fail in the end. It had been easy for Nightmare Moon, of course. Breaking the six apart had been almost foals play. They had never been as close as she and her sister had been. How Celestia ever believed this pony could wield them was beyond her.

She’d often heard the words ponies whispered about Moondancer. For so long she had reveled in it, watching the ponies turn on the last remnant of her sister’s rule. She’d, on occasion, even peered on the mare’s nightmares and drank deeply of the pain.

But now she wondered if perhaps she was wrong. This mare was talented, of that there was no doubt. Perhaps one of the greatest magic users the alicorn had ever witnessed. With the right guidance, she could even become a new Starswirl the Bearded. Besides that, it was hardly the unicorn’s fault that her sister had tricked yet another pony into doing her dirty work. If it hadn’t been Moondancer, it would have been somepony else. But, besides that, there was one thing that she had always tried to ignore, but at this moment she could not.

“How did you get your cutie mark?” Nightmare Moon asked.

Neither of them responded and she let out a soft, annoyed sigh. The two were so alike, in many ways. She wondered how things would have been had Twilight been born a unicorn. Perhaps they both would have stood against her. No. Unlikely. Her sister was far too prideful to take anything but the best as her student. She probably would have laid claim to the better of the two and left the second aside unless she was needed.

“Moondancer!” Nightmare Moon snapped.

The unicorn cringed and pulled back as if she was slapped, her eyes wide for a moment. “W-what? I’m sorry, I didn’t, I wasn’t--”

“Did you hear our question?” the alicorn asked, cutting her off.

“Uhhh… no. Sorry. I was… thinking.”

“About the first time we met, face to face?” Nightmare Moon asked, gazing down on the mare.

“N-no. I was--”

“No. We suppose it was the second time, was it not? You were the only pony who knew who we were once we revealed our name. Had our sister told you of us?”

“No. I… I read it in a book, your highness.”

“But you were thinking of this place, were you not? This room?” she asked, before glancing to the stand. “The place where you attempted to wield the Elements of Harmony.”

Moondancer’s eyes lowered but, slowly, she nodded. “Y-yes, your highness. My… apologies. I didn’t mean--”

“How did you get your cutie mark?”

“W-what?”

“Your cutie mark. What is its story? All ponies have one, do they not?” Nightmare Moon asked, eyeing the mare. To her surprise, she could identify the emotion that covered the unicorn’s face at those words. Shame. Hurt. A face she had seen far too often in the mirror. “After all, a cutie mark is the core of who a pony is, is it not?” the ruler asked before stepping forward and towering over her.

“It’s… not important, your highness. It was a mistake, that’s all,” Moondancer mumbled, taking a step back.

The alicorn felt a swelling of wicked glee at the sight of the tears forming in the mare’s eyes. To watch her sister’s protege suffer so was a delight. However, she quickly stuffed those thoughts back down and took a step forward. “Tell us. How?”

Moondancer kept backing away, though the alicorn refused to stop, eventually causing the mare to step into a wall and cower. She gave a pleading glance towards Twilight, who was lost in the book, still reading by the small ball of light that the unicorn had made. She snuffed it out, only for Nightmare Moon to quickly make a new ball a moment later to keep her bard distracted.

Twilight was completely lost to the world. A useful weakness of the mare, if often annoying. “Well? We asked you a question. How did you get it? We find it… odd. That our sister of the sun would take a student such as you. One with a moon on her flank. So tell us… how did you get such a mark?”

“Your highness, please. It’s not important. I-it was stupid. It didn’t matter, it was just--”

“But it does to us. Now tell us, student. Why do you fight so? Is a cutie mark not something to take pride in?”

Moondancer shrunk down to the ground and shook her head. “N-not mine. Mine was… was a mistake...” she whispered. “I-I… I...” The tears in forming in the unicorn’s eyes only made the ruler’s frustration grow.

“Tell us!” Nightmare Moon snapped, baring her fangs when her frustration grew. Must her ponies fight her at every single turn?

“It was a dance, okay? It was a… a dance.” Moondancer whispered, the tears flowing freely down her face. “I-I made this stupid dance and it was horrible and everypony hated it and I got my cutie mark for being a useless failure, there, are you happy now?” her voice was barely above a whisper, but the pathetic words were filled with such sadness and grief that even the alicorn was forced to take a step back.

The way she cowered, the way she hung her head. The words filled with such self loathing. How could one’s cutie mark cause such a terrible impact? New, fresh guilt began to take hold of the alicorn. “We… do not understand. A dance? You… made it? What dance?”

“No, not a...” She covered her face with her hooves. “I messed up, okay? I was a failure and just… it was stupid...”

“What does it have to do with the moon? It does emblazon your mark, does it not?”

“It’s not important! It’s not--”

“But it is, student.” Nightmare Moon reached a hoof out, gripping the unicorn’s chin and forcing it up. The tears cascaded down the mare’s eyes in a waterfall, the pain evident in them. How could a cutie mark cause such agony to a pony? What had happened to the mare to cause such aches? “Student, you will--” She stopped herself.

Moondancer wasn’t her sister’s student any longer. No. Now she was hers. She was a student of the night. Her student. No, more than that. She wasn’t just a reminder of what her sister had taken from her. She was one of her ponies. Talented. Strong. Capable. A pony who, if she had been around a thousand years ago, Luna would have struggled to protect and calm.

How many nightmares had she allowed to dwell in this pony’s dreams? How many had she created? How long would she torment this pony for the act of trusting her sister? How much pain, how much suffering had entered her own heart thanks to such foalish trust. Must she toss it onto this other mare as well? Was that the ruler she truly wanted to be?

“My student...” Nightmare Moon whispered, staring into those frightened, tear clouded eyes.

“Your highness, why are all these pages torn out?”

Nightmare Moon froze and glanced back to Twilight, who was staring into the book. “What did thou say, bard?” She let Moondancer go, allowing the unicorn to quickly retreat.

“Errr, before the last dozen or so pages, they’re all torn out. I was wondering--”

Nightmare Moon yanked the journal from the earth pony’s hooves, illuminating it with her horn. Many of the pages before the last dozen or so had been torn out. She eyed it suspiciously, the last entry before the tear was from her.

She felt a little sick reading it, talking about how smart her big sister was, dealing with an issue between two mayors of neighboring towns. The last entry she’d made. After that, she’d started to feel uncomfortable writing in it. As if her entries held less value than her sister’s. What a foal she had been, to believe the treatment she’d received was what she deserved. To believe she had held less value.

But she’d thought her sister would havestopped too. Far too important for such minor things like a journal. She moved on to the last pages.

‘Today Luna went mad with… something. I can’t be sure. I had to stop her with the elements. I’m sure she’ll be back in a week and then we’ll talk everything out. She’s always so over dramatic.’

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. Foal. While she was certain to the ruler of the sun a thousand years only felt like a week, for her it had felt like an eternity of loneliness. She continued to read these new entries, her curiosity piqued. She felt a giddy glee at the prospect of her sister’s gloating words, knowing in the end the princess of the sun would b e crushed.

‘Its been a month. I thought that she’d be back by now. How long does it take for her to calm down?’

As if she would ever calm down after what her sister had done to her.

‘Its been three months now. I thought she’d be home by now. I’ve started looking into it myself. I had ponies checking, but I think I’m starting to understand how Luna felt. I knew that there were some issues with how they treated Luna, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. The Princess of the Night is gone and sometimes it feels like I’m the only pony who cares.’

Nightmare Moon bared her fangs, growling. “Your highness?” Twilight asked.

“Silence, bard,” the ruler snapped.

‘Forever trapped. Oh by the stars, what have I done?’

The alicorn froze in place.

‘I thought I’d locked her away for a day, a month, maybe a year. But forever? I never wanted this. I was trying to protect everypony. I didn’t mean to lose my sister forever! This wasn’t what I wanted. This wasn’t what Luna deserved.’ From there, the tone of the words shifted dramatically.

Nightmare Moon read over the pages, her body trembling. Anger. Sadness. Grief. Her elder sister’s words tore through the page, at times the ink so smeared it could barely be read.

‘I couldn’t take it anymore. I ripped out the pages before now. All the terrible things I said about my sister. Why? She wasn’t lazy. She wasn’t useless. Why did I let myself feel so petty? So selfish? I’ve gone over it again and again in my head. Everything. I just can’t believe I did this. Why did I wait until she was overcome with grief to finally care?’

‘I know this is my fault. I knew she was upset. I knew she was feeling unappreciated. Why did I ignore it? Why didn’t I say something? So many opportunities, lost now. Forever. How could I fail to realize how bad it had gotten? I’ll never see my sister again. I’ve tried every spell I can think of, all I’ve done is managed to turn the elements to stone. They won’t respond to me anymore. I can’t blame them, though. After what I’ve done, how could I ever deserve them?’

Nightmare Moon felt tears well in her eyes.

‘Ten years have passed since I last wrote here. Ponies don’t even talk about her anymore. Whenever I mention her name, half of them ask who. Who? How could she be so quickly forgotten? She was my sister. She was my only sister. What is wrong with them? Her throne stands besides me at all times. Eternally empty. A sign of my greatest failure. A reminder of all I have lost. And they ask who?’

‘Oh Luna, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I miss you. I want you back. I’d give anything to have you back. I’ve filled out so many tomes with all our memories, our lives together. Every little thing I could remember, lest time take even my memories from me.’

‘I thought I could fill the void left behind, but I can’t. You were my sister. In all the world, there was nopony else like you. Every adventure, every challenge. Every secret we shared. Everything. Now it’s all gone, because of me. If I had just spent a fraction of the time that I wasted basking in my own selfish glory to give you the attention you deserved, I’d still have you.’

‘I know it must be so, so much worse for you. I can at least pretend to be happy, pretend to have ponies here who I can be close to. But you are alone. What kind of big sister am I? Why was it that when you needed me most, I ignored your pain? I was supposed to protect you. To guide you. To help you. Instead I shoved you aside so I could feel superior. There were so many things I could have done. But I enjoyed the praise. The adoration. I enjoyed the admiration everypony felt for me. I was selfish and greedy. Why couldn’t I share it with you? Why was I such a child?’

‘Loyalty. Honesty. Laughter. Those were yours elements. How could I take away those aspects from you? You were all of those and so much more. Yet I took it for granted. Why is it I was able to show kindness to everypony but you?’

The tears began to flow down Nightmare Moon’s face, no longer able to contain them.

‘I’ve written a lullaby. I know it’s silly, but my sister was the one who dealt with dreams. Perhaps if I sing it every night, it will reach her. Just a small bit. Something to let her know that, no matter how much time passes, she will never be forgotten.’

‘Oh Luna, I miss you. I miss you so much. You and I were never meant to be apart like this.’

The ruler could barely read through her tears, slowly mouthing the words to the lullaby. For some reason, they felt almost familiar, though she was certain they couldn’t be. After the lullaby, there was only one last page with three entries.

‘Hope. So many ponies thought I should have given up, but I knew there had to be a way. I’ve found a spell that will release her, though it won’t fully trigger for a thousand years after she was bound.At least, if my calculations are correct, it will. I’ve cast the spell, now all I have to do is wait for everything to align. This will be my one and only chance to bring her back. I have only eight hundred or so years until then, but I swear. I will find somepony who can save her, even if I can’t. I’ve developed a spell that will turn them into an alicorn like us. Once I find a pony who can bear the elements better than we ever did, I will train them myself. They’ll rescue my sister. They’ll return her to me. They’ll bring my Luna back to me.’

‘I’ve started a new school for gifted unicorns. One of them will have to have the magic needed to save her. One day. I am even making a new castle near it, up in Canterlot. I’ll have all of my journals moved up there as well. All but this one. As much as I want to take it from here, I cannot. This was our journal. I won’t remove it from where we last shared it. Even if I can no longer stand to be near the source of all of these painful memories. Perhaps when she returns, we can rule together once more, separated from all the pain I caused her.’

‘I promise, Luna. I’ll save you. I’ll be the sister you deserved. I’ll never hurt you again. Just please, please. Come back to me. I can’t bear to be alone anymore.’

“Your highness?” Twilight asked.

“These… these are lies,” Nightmare Moon whispered, closing her eyes. “She thinks… thinks us a foal?”

“Err, your highness? I hadn’t gotten to that part ye--” Twilight cringed when the book was thrown into the air.

“It does not matter! It’s nothing but l-lies!” she roared, before turning and storming away.

“W-wait! Where are you going?” Moondancer yelled, her horn glowing before she caught the book in her magic.

“Back! This excursion is over! Student, bard! Come along!”

Twilight and Moondancer shared worried looks. It hadn’t been nearly long enough, yet. “Moondancer, we need to-- wait, are you crying?”

“N-no, it’s not imp-- EEK!” The two let out startled shrieks when they were grabbed in the alicorn’s magic and pulled after her. “Y-your highness, what about the--”

“Another time, student!”

------

Trixie watched with mild amusement, a smirk on her lips. They were making incredible time. Already over three fourths of the town was free of snow. Removing the clouds had been easy enough, now that they had a dragon to ‘remove’ them once they’d been made. It wasn’t technically magic, after all. At least by the time anypony could make an objection, the job would all be done. The town was damp and humid, but their plan was working. Within an hour, it’d all be over. It had all gone remarkably well.

“Mmmmphhh!”

Trixie ignored the muffled sounds, her eyes on the unicorns. “Okay, team A, take over for team B!” she yelled.

The light was moved over to the other team, but they didn’t take it. Instead they stared at Trixie. The unicorn frowned when she realized more ponies were turning to her. She glanced down at the gem, but it wasn’t glowing. “Well? What are you waiting for?”

“Yes, what are you waiting for?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Hurry up, we only have a...” Trixie’s voice trailed off and the color drained from her face. Slowly she turned around.

Nightmare Moon towered over the unicorn, only a few feet behind her. Hovering in the air besides her were Moondancer and Twilight, their mouth’s bound in darkness.

“Mmmmmfff!”

“Team A and B, was it?” the ruler asked. Her horn glowed and she effortlessly pulled the light from the ponies, dragging it to herself. She looked it up and down. “An… interesting device. Another artificial sun, I take it? I heard a similar device had met its end near here. I wouldn’t have thought you ponies foalish enough to try for a second attempt.”

Trixie gulped and stared at the alicorn, sitting down as she was unable to stand anymore. Nightmare Moon had found them out. They were doomed.

“Tell me. Which pony amongst you made this device? I believe they deserve a reward,” the alicorn said coldly.

“Mmmmmfffff!” Twilight and Moondancer yelled, struggling against the shadows on their mouth.

Trixie gulped, staring at the ruler. Slowly, she glanced back at the other ponies. The village was going to be razed at this rate. Probably demolished. Destroyed. She’d seen how fierce the ruler of the night could be when angered.

“Well?”

Trixie’s eyes fell back on Twilight and Moondancer. It was the only way. After all, THEY were the ones who came up with this stupid idea. She raised her hoof.

“We see...” Nightmare Moon said, cocking an eye. “You may speak.”

“Artificial sun? Hardly! It is nothing more than an amplified stage light of mine. I altered it myself!” Trixie said smoothly. “Who else, but the Great and Powerful Trixie could create such a device to help deal with this conundrum? Do you believe any other pony could have the showponyship, the talent, the skill, the flare to create such a tool?” She barely managed to keep the fear out of her voice, standing up and throwing down a few of her flares, making them go off behind her to illuminate her grand form. “It was but a mere second of planning to put my genius to work, hardly worth a reward, but if you insist, I will take it gladly.” She put on her best showpony smile, hoping that the alicorn couldn’t see the icy terror gripping her heart.

“Do you truly expect us to buy such… drivel?” Nightmare Moon glanced down at the device, before looking back up at her the mare. “So after we finally deemed to show you mercy for your failure, you decide to, once again, challenge us?”

Trixie gulped, feeling a cold sweat break out under her jacket, though she did her best to keep calm. “Challenge you? Why of course not! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! Stagemare extraordinaire! I would hardly allow a little thing like snow to stop me!”

“We see. A heating lamp,” Nightmare Moon said, glaring down at the device. “Then tell us, performer. Why does it radiate with magic of the sun?”

“Preposterous! It is but a very powerful heating lamp! Why, turn it on and you will see! It has not a single thing in common with the sun!” Trixie managed to keep the terrified stutter out of her voice, a performance worthy of the greats in her mind.

Nightmare Moon stared at the unicorn. Slowly, she turned it on, flowing her magic into it. “We can feel the power of the sun inside it. You dare--”

“Perhaps you are mistaken!” Trixie cut her off, unable to keep the fearful whine out of her voice that time. “M-maybe? It’s just a h-heating lamp. We would never oppose you in such an obvious manner, y-your highness,” she said, slowly sinking lower to the ground, her nerves finally snapping under the pressure of the alicorn’s gaze. “I never thought to--” The light went out and a moment later the device was chucked at her, hitting her in the face and knocking her onto her back, clutching the device to her chest. “O-ow...”

“Perhaps we are mistaken,” Nightmare Moon muttered with a roll of her eyes before glaring down at the unicorn. “We would not wish to… unjustly punish one of our subjects. Just be sure to not create such objects in the future. We will allow it this once. Carry on with your… heating lamp.”

“O-ow… of… of course, y-your highness. T-thank you,” Trixie whispered, in a daze. She watched the towering alicorn turn and walk away, leaving Twilight and Moondancer to drop to the floor.

“Bard. Student. Return to the castle on the next train. We have matters to attend to,” Nightmare Moon said before darkness enveloped her and she disappeared.

Twilight and Moondancer galloped to Trixie the moment the ruler was gone. “A-are you okay? Why did you do that? I made--”

“WE made that. It was both of our fault,” Moondancer cut her off. “Trixie, are you okay?”

“The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie is fine!” the unicorn said, gripping the device in her magic. “Team A, you’re up, take over and finish the rest of this!” she yelled before flying the device to them and then getting to her hooves, wiping the dirt off herself. With the alicorn gone from sight, she felt her confidence quickly returning.

“Why did you do that?” Twilight asked again.

“Why? Is it not obvious?” Trixie asked with a hmph. “You two are absolutely terrible liars. You’d have likely told her the truth, what that thing was. But I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am quite adept at thinking on my hooves. Coming up with an excuse to satisfy that alicorn is easy for one such as I,” she said firmly, before giving a light hmph. She pulled off her hat and dusted it off. “Why, I had her practically eating out of my hooves.”

“Then why’d you look like you were going to wet yourself?” Spike asked when he walked up to join them.

Trixie ignored him. “Besides, if she had known that we were knowingly using something like that, why, she likely would have razed the entire village. AND my carriage. I could not allow such a thing, hmph. You three should probably go, though. I have this handled. The last thing anypony needs is for her highness to get in a foul mood because you two didn’t get home fast enough.” She turned and trotted after the other workers, leaving the two behind. “Though, I must say. Sometimes I even amaze myself. I truly am the most spectacular showmare that Equestria has ever seen. Even Nightmare Moon cannot stand against my quick thinking.”

------

“Sister? Sister, wake up,” Celestia said with a chuckle, nudging Luna.

“Just ten more minutes… make it fifteen...” Luna mumbled, moving her wing over her head. “Tired...”

“Are you going to laze around in the sun all day?” the elder sister asked with a roll of her eyes.

“… Yes. Yes I shall. Wait. No. I will move into the shade.”

Celestia snickered before reaching out and gently poking her sister’s hip, eliciting a giggle from the mare.

“No! Stop! I’m ticklish!”

A wicked grin formed on Celestia’s mouth. “Oh? Truly? Then you’ll dislike it if I do this!” the mare said before nudging her hoof forward and tickling the other alicorn.

Luna shrieked, jumping to her hooves and trying to escape, only to be tackled and tickled by her elder sister. “Cease! CEASE! You win! Sister, no, eeee hee hee hee!” she said between helpless laughter, flapping her wings. “I am sorry! I will stop at once! I will!”

Celestia snickered and then plopped down, lounging on her sister. “You know, perhaps you were correct, dear sister. Maybe we have earned a break.”

“Get off… me...”

“Mmmmm, nope. I am going to laze around in the sun all day,” she said in a teasing manner. “A beautiful day to nap on the moon.”

Luna glared up at her sister before, slowly, her glare broke into a small smile and she began to giggle helplessly. “Truly, I believe my elder sister has partaken of far, far too many celebratory cupcakes, for I cannot move her.”

The Princess of the Sun jumped to her hooves, her cheeks burning red. “I-I have not! And if I have, it is merely because I deserved it! It is hardly my fault if they keep throwing delicious cakes and pastries at us for defeating Discord. It would be rude to turn them down.”

Luna merely snickered before closing her eyes and relaxing, spreading out her wings. “Oh sister. Relax. I merely jest. Why, you are just as filled with girth now as you were before we embarked on our journey for the elements.”

“Thank y-- HEY!” Celestia said, glaring at her younger, snickering sister. “Why are you even out here, anyway?”

“It is a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and this grass feels so soft,” Luna said gently, giving a soft yawn.

“You have a bed.”

“Mmmm. But my bed doesn’t have your sun.”

Celestia blinked and then, slowly, she laid down besides her sister and rested her head against her. “No. No it does not.” Her wing spread out, moving over the smaller alicorn. “You should be careful, I don’t want you to get a sunburn. What kind of big sister would I be if I let you get hurt like that?”

“Oh sister,” Luna said with a smile. “You’d never hurt me.”

------

A heating lamp? Did those ponies really think her so foalish? Did they really believe she would believe such a half baked lie, especially after Twilight and Moondancer had obviously struggled so hard to keep her distracted.

Nightmare Moon walked through the cave of crystal, shaking her head at the foalishness of her ponies sometimes. For a moment, she’d considered banishing the unicorn to the dragon lands. See how ‘great and powerful’ she felt after that.

Banish her for a thousand years. Make her stay alone for all that time. Make her endure the loneliness, the pain, the shame. The fear of never returning home. Never to feel the warmth of her sister’s embrace.

In that moment, she had wanted to. But her bard and student had both been there. More importantly, such rashness did not behoove a ruler, a proper ruler. Perhaps her bard had been right. She desired to have the earth pony stand at her side, to take the place that she had once held by Celestia’s side. But better. One where the younger wasn’t ignored. She could not just let her temper run free from her any longer.

“You liar,” Nightmare Moon said when she found her goal.

Celestia glanced up in her bindings and stared at the ruler. “Sister?”

Nightmare stared down at her sister. She would have to remain calm. Remain careful. She would not allow herself to show weakness. Allow her emotions to take hold again. She would be dignified and controlled.

“YOU LIAR!” Nightmare Moon screamed, the tears beginning to fall down her face. “You LIAR LIAR LIAR!”

Celestia’s eyes widened and she stared. “W-what?”

“Our diary! OUR JOURNAL! I saw all you wrote! Miss me? YOU MISSED ME?!” she screamed, stomping her hooves. “You think a thousand years here, being idolized? Adored? You believe it could begin to compare to a thousand years, locked away on the moon? You believe you could even begin to comprehend the… the loneliness? The betrayal?” Nightmare Moon asked, storming forward, her wings out fully. She stared into the eyes of her sister, her body quivering with barely contained rage. “Do you believe that… that for a moment we could forgive what you’ve done to us? That you--”

“No,” Celestia said softly.

“… No?” Nightmare Moon asked, her body locking up and her wings slowly closing against her body. “Then why...”

“Yes?” The elder alicorn looked up at her sister.

“Why couldn’t you… why couldn’t you see until after it was too late?” Nightmare Moon asked, slowly sinking to the ground and laying her head against her sister’s head. “Why couldn’t you...”

“Because I was young. I was foalish. I… I allowed the spotlight to be all I cared about. But oh, little sister. It’s not too late, dear sister. As long as we are together, it’s never too late...” Celestia whispered, rubbing her head gently against the other’s.

“No. Yes. Yes it is. It’s… too late for you. It’s too late for me. It’s too late for… for us. I’ve done… I’ve done things. I’ve… you’ve… I won’t stand in your shadow ever again,” The ruler said, quickly backing away and wiping the tears from her eyes. “I’ve found a pony. I’ve found one who will replace you. One who… one who will make a better sister than you ever were. And I… I won’t...” She gave a soft whimper. “I won’t do to her what you did to me. I will show her why what I offer is ideal. I will make her see. And I will not let anypony hurt her, ever.”

“The mare who found me, Twilight?” Celestia asked. “Or Moondancer?”

Nightmare Moon cringed. “Twilight. Moondancer is… not suitable. But Twilight will… be everything you could not. I--”

“You cannot force her to love you, dear sister,” the elder mare whispered with a shake of her head. “But you are right. I have made so, so many mistakes. Perhaps this is my punishment. Perhaps… perhaps this Twilight will make a better sister for you than I ever was.”

“I do not need your approval!”

“Yet you do have it. I hope that, one day, you will be able to speak with me again, little sister. Like we once did. I missed you for a thousand years. I still do.”

Nightmare Moon froze in place, closing her eyes. Finally, she gently whispered. “No you didn’t. Nopony missed me. Nopony knew who I was. All they ever saw, Celestia, was your glory...” She turned away and began to storm off.

“I never forgot you...” Celestia whispered, before gently she began to sing.

The dark alicorn rolled her eyes, ignoring the soft words from her sister. As if now was a time for there to be a--

Nightmare Moon froze in place, the tears in her eyes beginning to once again flow.

The lullaby that echoed so softly in her head for so, so long. Those soft, gentle words. Grief. Sadness. Loneliness. An apology for a thousand years of imprisonment. An apology for years of ignorance. Of selfishness. Of missed opportunities. The ruler slowly raised a hoof to stare at it, the tears flowing so quickly she could barely see.

Nightmare Moon turned to her sister. Then, slowly, she galloped forward, racing to her sister. Her hooves enveloping her and holding her tightly. “S-sister… I… I can’t… I...”

“Luna you’re loved so much more than you know...” Celestia whispered, her wings enveloping the other alicorn.

“I can’t forgive you. I’ll never forgive you. You know this!” Luna yelled, trembling in her sister’s embrace. “Cease this… There is no going back… We cannot… I cannot go back. Even if I desired to.”

Celestia nodded, staring into her sister’s eyes, tears flowing to match her sister’s. “I know. I don’t know if things can change. I don’t know if they can get better. But I love you. I miss you. I will forever wait for you.”

“You can’t change the way I feel...” Luna whispered.

“The time where I could has long passed, my dear sister. But… there are others who can. One of whom is you. And I will wait our entire lifetime if need be...”

“Tia...” Luna whispered, turning her head away. She then pulled free and shook her head. “No. No! I won’t… I won’t fall for these lies again.”

Nightmare Moon glared down at her. “Sing all you wish. My… our heart will… will not be yours. Never again. We… we won’t fall for these tricks again. We… we have somepony better now. We will be somepony better. Better than you ever were. Somepony… somepony worthy of the love and adoration you denied us for so long. We will show them. We will shine far… far more than you ever did...” She turned and fled, doing her best to ignore that soft, gentle song that seemed to chase her through the caves.

“Why couldn’t you see until after I was gone?” Luna whispered once she exited the cavern. “It’s too late now, sister. We… can never return to as we once were.”

Nightmare Moon walked away from the cavern, ignoring the throbbing pain burning in her heart. She would not allow herself to fall back once more, not after everything that had happened. A thousand years of suffering. Of anger. Of pain. It would not be undone. She would be better than her sister had ever been. Everything she had endured was for this. Everything she had done was so she could one day truly rule. If she gave in to her own emotions, over such sentiment, it would be for nothing.

But she would not allow herself to make the same mistakes her sister had made, either. The first servant she saw, she motioned to do her bidding. Whatever scars Moondancer’s cutie mark had left, it was time she dealt with them. After all, Moondancer was her student.

------

Celestia walked into her office, slowly letting the painful smile melt from her face and trying to ignore the throbbing pain between her ears. Another day, another dozen meetings. Besides her, the much smaller Moondancer walked, bags under her eyes.

The alicorn spared the young unicorn a true, but weak, smile. “You should have gone to bed hours ago, student of mine,” she said with a firm, but gentle tone.

Moondancer flushed and shook her head. “W-what? I’m fine, I--” Her words were cut off by a soft yawn and a ruby tint to her cheeks.

“You also shouldn’t lie to your teacher,” Celestia teased, before she reached out and lightly ruffled the mare’s mane. “You’re a growing unicorn, you need your rest.”

Moondancer stared at her for a moment. Celestia could see the look in her eyes. The desire to say something back. Possibly scolding her mentor right back for her own late night.

Alas, it was her duty to Equestria. She needed to deal with all these matters on her own. It was her own fault, anyway. Still, a small part of her hoped that Moondancer would find her voice and stick up to her.

Instead, as always, Moondancer relented. “You’re right, princess. If I may take my leave?”

“Of course. Sleep well, student of mine. You have another long day ahead of yourself.” Celestia watched the unicorn trot away and felt a fresh surge of guilt in her heart.

Her young student had such a huge destiny ahead of her, she just hoped she’d readied her for it. Moondancer had been so young when she’d taken notice of the talented unicorn. Dedicated. Smart. A star protege in her school, possibly one of the greatest students she’d ever had. Even her cutie mark bore the moon. It had all seemed so perfect after Sunset had left.

But there had always been one rather large issue. Her confidence. Her belief in herself. Undermined again and again since she’d been a young filly. Wrecked by one powerful force.

Moondancer’s family. Moondancer’s mother mostly, but the rest weren’t much better. If ever there was a mare that Celestia wished she could have banished to the moon in place of her sister, it was her. No matter how talented or skilled Moondancer was, that doubt always seemed to linger in the forefront of the mare’s mind for obvious reasons.

Celestia walked to the window of her office and glanced out at the moon, staring upon the face, feeling tears start to form. She quickly looked away, her horn glowing before the door locked with a click.

Her student was talented, but she was not sure that she was ready for the task ahead. Sunset had been so different from Moondancer. While Sunset was confident, Moondancer was meek. Sunset was powerful, while Moondancer had such finesse. Sunset craved glory over all, Moondancer sought the appreciation and adoration from those closest to her. Sunset had been a morning pony, while Moondancer, despite her objections, had always been a night mare. Sunset was often vocal and loud about her desires while Moondancer would bottle them up until, finally, she just cracked under the pressure. One was a fire that burned red hot until it melted all that opposed it, the other a jewel that endured all the pressure pressed on it until, finally, it shattered into a hundred pieces.

She knew that Moondancer looked to her as more than just a ruler. Despite her attempts to get to know the mare, to serve as a confidant, the unicorn saw her as more of a mother. Somepony to guide her, to train her. Somepony she sought the admiration and adoration from more than anypony. Moondancer would have walked through fire on her knees if she thought it would make Celestia happy.

It made her an excellent student. But it also meant that Celestia had to be even more guarded around her than anypony else. The slightest hint of displeasure, the slightest look of annoyance would send the poor unicorn into a pit of depression, undermining the slight amount of confidence she had managed to build.

She couldn’t imagine how a pony who was so talented, skilled, driven and just amazing could be treated so poorly by the ponies who were supposed to care for her the most.

Or rather, she understood it all too well. Another flood of guilt filled her stomach before she sat at her desk.

She wondered if she should tell the mare all her plans. Every backup she had in place. Let her know of the great destiny ahead. Of the threat. But no.

Moondancer’s friendship with those girls was already such a delicate thing. It had taken so much work to form those bonds between the six of them, but even now they were so delicate. So many weaknesses in them.

Moondancer appreciated them, even enjoyed their company at times. But Celestia wasn’t quite sure they were truly all a part of the same ‘group’ so to speak. Moondancer was more just the pony who was there. She sought their praise, their admiration. But she never truly connected with them. There was always this wall that she put up to protect herself, as if she was afraid of being hurt. No. Because she was afraid of being hurt. Of allowing somepony in. Of allowing herself to believe that she truly had enough value to be worth befriending.

Celestia wished there was somepony, anypony, who she could get the unicorn to fully connect with. If her protege would just find somepony she could truly be vulnerable with. Somepony who would help her find that voice she needed to stand up for herself.

The alicorn sighed and felt the tears well up in her eyes. Perhaps she was wrong, though. Perhaps Moondancer was truly capable and she was the one at fault. In so many ways, Moondancer reminded her of her little sister, another innocent pony trapped due to the ‘perfect rulers’ mistakes. If anypony could reminds Luna of who she was, if anypony could connect with her, it would be Moondancer.

Perhaps, together, they would be able to heal all the damage that their loved ones had created. Luna would need a friend more than ever once she returned. She hoped that Moondancer would be that friend.

She slowly rubbed her cheek. A thousand years of searching for that ideal pony to wield the elements, all coming to an end soon. All of her plans and efforts, everything she had waited for. Yet all she could feel was as if she had failed, again. Failed Luna. Failed Moondancer. Failed Sunset.

She had once been so prideful. So sure of her own perfection, awash in the adoration and praise of her subjects.

But a thousand years of isolation had changed that. An isolation that she, herself, had created. She’d failed to realize just how valuable her sister was until she was gone.

For while she had so many ponies who admired and adored her, there were no equals. None who would truly see her as a friend. Always a mother. Teacher. Ruler. Even a god. She had been seen as all of these things. But none seemed to look at her and realize just how flawed she was. None were willing to call her out on her mistakes. Even Cadence, despite having become an alicorn years prior and one of the few who could be her equal, treated her more as a parent than anything else.

After all, she was ‘Celestia’, the alicorn princess. The raiser of the sun and the moon. None would dare to ignore her, to scold her, to snipe back at her, to do anything that wasn’t of perfect, proper decorum. At least, not intentionally. She couldn’t so much as spill a glass of tea without ponies panicking and worrying that they had somehow caused fault in the eyes of their ruler.

It was her duty to all of them to be the strong pillar, the head that held the crown and gave them hope for a future. But somedays, that crown felt as if it bore the full weight of the entire country and it was all she could do to not break down and cry. To beg for a day off.

Perhaps once her sister was back. If anypony could understand what it felt like to be surrounded by ponies, yet still alone, it was her.

Celestia pulled out a small key from her desk, before getting back to her hooves and shifting one of the bookshelves aside to reveal a small vault. Inside were dozens of small, stacked books, many of which were nearly as old as her. She pulled out a small one from the front, flipping it open and beginning to write in it. There wasn’t much to write about, sadly, but she did hope her sister might still find it mildly amusing that Mayor Berrybuckle was worried about a hydra, so far from any known habitats. Especially once it turned out the entire ordeal had originated from nothing more than a few colts playing a game. Moondancer’s suggestion on how to deal with the mayor had been wonderful, as always. If only the mare could see how strong and wise she could truly be when she needed to be.

Her thoughts were torn aside by a light knocking on the door. She gave a sigh and formed her smile, quickly putting the book away and re-locking her safe before hiding it once again. She glanced to the door and with a simple twist of her magic, unlocked it. “Come in!” she called before taking her seat.

“Your highness?” a voice called. A moment later one of her guards stepped into the room.

She took appraisal of him instantly and barely contained a sigh. He was tense. Nervous. Almost scared. When he looked on her, she could see it in his eyes. The adoration. The praise. He didn’t see a pony. He saw the great Ruler of Equestria, flawless and perfect.

He stared up at her expectantly.

“You may speak,” she said calmly, keeping the frustration out of her voice. She invited him in, after all, she’d assume the ability to speak was implied. Still, she dare not let her frustration show, no matter how badly her headache was growing. She had so many more headaches these days, her mind focusing on what she knew was to come.

Only a few more days. She’d host a celebration. Or a festival. SOMETHING. She’d give her sister a festival that lasted all day. No. A week! Something so grand that nopony would ever forget her little sister again.

Especially not her.

“This was delivered earlier this evening, an early release,” he said, before sliding a small book onto her desk.

She nodded and placed a hoof on the cover. “I see. Thank you, you may leave.”

“Thank you, your highness,” he said, before turning and walking out from the room. He closed it and she quickly locked it back up.

She glanced over the cover and sighed. Another book, delightful. She received so many early copies that there was a borderline library just for them. She didn’t have time to read them all, though it was her duty to at least give them a token look. She glanced at the clock before shrugging.

When you had so few hours of sleep already, what was losing one or two more? She’d just read the first chapter, write up a quick opinion and then go to bed. She flipped the book over and read over the small blurb.

Her heart froze and fresh tears began to form.

A combining of the tale of the Mare in the Moon and the Legend of the Two Sisters? Her tiredness seemed to evaporate and she quickly pulled the book open to the first page.

By the time she finished the first chapter, she had so many tears flowing down her eyes that she couldn’t even read anymore. She pushed the book away and turned towards the moon once more.

How long had it been since she’d last had the strength to sing that lullaby to her sister? A week? Two? It always hurt so much to repeat. But, just this once, it didn’t.

Just this once, she let herself feel a bit of hope with those words. Hope that her sister would return to her. That they would be the sisters yet again. Hope that, somehow, all of their mistakes would be undone.

Hope that once again, they would rule side by side. She swore, this time, she wouldn’t make another mistake. She would ensure all would know her sister. Would know Luna. And love her.

------

“Do you… think she’s noticed?” Twilight asked, staring over the throne with a look of horror.

“The castle is still standing, isn’t it?” Moondancer asked, the color gone from her face.

“Should we try running?” Spike asked.

“I don’t think we could get far enough. It’s… not that noticeable, is it?” Twilight asked. She was greeted by silence. “Yeah, that’s what I thought...”

“We’re all going to die...” Spike whispered. “You don’t think she’s going to think we had anything to do with it, do you? I mean...”

“We did take her into the Everfree Forest. She likely will,” Twilight mumbled.

The orb of dark magic still hovered over the throne of Nightmare Moon. However, rather than the shattered pieces of the Elements of Harmony, instead a Discord plushy was resting inside.

“What has all of your attention drawn so tightly?” a voice asked, making the ponies and dragon whip around to see their ruler towering over them. “Does the splendor of our great throne draw you so--” She paused when her eyes fell on the orb. “We… see. We leave for a few hours and… this happens. This is fine. We are fine. Everything is fine. Discord has merely… played another one of his pathetic. Stupid. Childish pranks. That is all. He could not wield them. Nor could he hope to defeat us as he is now. We are fine. We are not angry. We...” She stared at the sphere, her stare enough to nearly melt the wall.

------

“DISCORD!” the word echoed through the city of Canterlot, a wave of dark magic expanding out, shattering every window in the city from the force.

------

“Well, we’re still alive, at least,” Spike muttered after walking into Twilight’s room. He walked to his small bed and collapsed on it, face first. “Though I don’t think I’ll be able to get that ringing out of my ears, ever.”

“I can’t imagine what Discord is thinking,” Twilight said, before glancing back towards Moondancer. “You don’t think any of the books they had at that library went more in depth into who Discord was, do you? There were some notes in the journal, but not many.”

“I have no idea,” Moondancer said before shaking her head. “Either way, she’s going to want his head more than she already does. We’re lucky she didn’t take our heads for it.”

“Do you think she’ll be able to use them to track Discord down?” Spike asked.

“I doubt it,” Moondancer said with a shake of her head. “Maybe if he was stupid or tried to use them, sure. But at this moment they are just rocks. Unless somepony activates them, I doubt they’ll be trackable. This is going to just make things worse, though. She’ll never leave the castle now...”

Twilight gave a nod. “Exactly. I just wish I had some idea what he planned to--” It was at that time she had collapsed onto her bed, only to head a loud crunching sound. She froze in place.

“… What was that?” Spike asked, every eye in the room turning towards the earth pony.

The mare whimpered and slowly got to her hooves, pulling the covers back.

Revealing the scattered fragments of the Elements of Harmony.

“Ah. So we’re betting our lives on her not being able to track them, then?” Spike asked, before falling onto his bed and giving a little whimper.

Twilight and Moondancer shared looks, their faces pale. Both mentally filling dictionaries with the large slew of words they wished to scream at Discord.

Author's Notes:

And now you all know what Discord exactly 'meant' by 'play'. Oh dear...

This chapter was a bit rough to write, actually. Very emotional. As a little sister myself, I can kind of understand a lot of these feelings. Also the feeling of having accidentally gone too far and not realizing the consequences and... yeah. A lot of those words really hit hard. So um, hope you enjoy!

On the up side, this is a good pausing point, since that little memory trip is now over. Granted, there's still a LOT more to come, but that brings me to my next comment.

I'll be taking a hiatus for a bit. Life is getting really busy, I'm struggling to get all of my work done, I've been sick a bit at times and just... I'm kind of a bit overwhelmed, focusing my writing on one project for the time being. I'll return to this when I can. Thank you everyone for your patience.

S3 CH 11. Her silence

Twilight paced back and forth through her room, trying to imagine what they could do with the troublesome artifacts. Spike, helpful dragon that he was, was gathering all of the pieces up and putting them on the floor while Moondancer organized them. Before long, five little shattered piles were laying on the ground.

“Are you absolutely certain these are them?” Twilight asked, glancing to the piles.

“Yep. I don’t think I’d forget the single thing that was supposed to save all of Equestria from… this,” Moondancer mumbled, staring at them. “They’ve kind of been burned into my memory, if I can can be completely honest. There’s nothing here, though. No power, no magic. Nothing. Even if there was, I don’t even know if they’d work now. She’s--”

“Oh no, no no no no,” Twilight said firmly. “We’re not doing that. Even if they do work, the last thing we need is to banish her for another thousand years. Look at the fine mess we’re in now. We can’t just pass the buck onto whatever poor sap exists a thousand years from now,” she said firmly.

Moondancer sighed. “You’re right about that. But… what can we do? We could… give them over to her? I mean, it’s one of Discords pranks, she’d… well...”

“I’ll do it,” Twilight said firmly. “I’ll say Discord gave them to me and--”

“Oh buck no!” Moondancer said, her eyes narrowing. “Even if you are her favorite pony, she’ll tear you apart! Remember when you asked for Discord’s help? She’s STILL furious about that.”

“Well, I’m certainly not having YOU give them to her. If she thought you had anything to do with the elements, then she’d… I don’t know WHAT she’d do to you!” Twilight snapped. “You were supposed to use them the first time, if she thought you were trying again, she--”

“We can’t hide them forever! Even if they do just look like pieces of rock, they’re dangerous. Deadly! Well, not them, but if Nightmare Moon finds them, we’re so utterly bucked,” Moondancer snapped back. “We could put them someplace else. Maybe have her find them.” She nudged one of the piles. “If she finds them like this they… they...” She trailed off, her eyes focused on one of the piles. “That. That one. The blue one. Is… is it glowing?”

“Yes it is,” Spike whispered. “Is that good or bad?”

“Are any of the others?” Twilight asked, her nervousness only growing. They quickly looked over the piles but none of the others had even a flicker of light. “Well… okay then. What does it mean? Which one is blue?”

“I don’t know,” Moondancer muttered. “But never mind about hiding them. That means magic. Nightmare Moon is going to find out. We are so bu--”

The elements then rose into the air, swirling around in a tight circle. A brilliant light enveloped the room, blinding the three gathered. When the light dimmed and they could once again see, the elements were no more.

Instead a thick but narrow golden ring had formed, with five gems inside it. A light purple, orange, red, pink and, of course, a glowing blue one. Spike stared at them. “Well.. that’s… useful?”

“Do we give it to Nightmare Moon now?” Moondancer asked, nudging the small ring. She then frowned. “Wait. Is this a TAIL ring? What in Equestria? Why is it a tail ring? Why are they suddenly the elements of fancy jewelry?”

“Is it not supposed to do this?” Twilight asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe? I mean, they were just a bunch of stone orbs when I found them. You were reading the journal, did it mention much about them?”

“Not really. Just that there were six of them and they’d been turned to stone,” the earth pony said before walking forward and picking it up. “So… this is a good thing, right?”

“I don’t know,” Moondancer said before sitting down. “I wish I could ask Celestia about this. If anypony would know, she would.”

“Well, there’s always one other option,” Spike offered.

“We are not asking Nightmare Moon. She’d kill us,” Twilight said with a shudder.

“Not her. Discord. He brought them here, didn’t he? Or maybe Tirek? They were around during their time, right? If anyone would know, he might.”

The two unicorns stared at him, their mouths falling open. Moondancer was the first to speak up. “Spike. I say this, without any exaggeration. You are a genius.”

Spike blushed and shook his head. “Awe shucks, it wasn’t nothin’.”

“No, she’s right. Discord is perfect! But… err, how do we contact him?” Twilight asked, tapping her chin.

“Wait until it is the worst possible time for him to appear, then bam, there he is?” Spike said with a small hint of amusement.

The earth pony snickered. “We’ll call that plan B. We’ll need to see if we can get him to… pop up. Or maybe we can go to Fluttershy. I know she meets with him regularly.”

“I still think that’s the weirdest thing,” Moondancer said softly. “The two of them are just so different. How can they be friends like that?”

Twilight shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just Fluttershy, I guess. Sometimes friends are just really different.”

“I mean, I’m friends with you two. And I’m a dragon,” Spike said with a shrug.

“Fair enough,” Moondancer said with a sigh. “You’re way nicer to be around, for the record.”

“We could try calling for him, once we’re outside the castle.”

Twilight sighed, lifting a hoof to her forehead. “Yes. Maybe he’ll even answer. We could--”

The door flung open and Nightmare Moon stood in the frame, her eyes narrowed on the three of them.

Twilight was the first to recover, her eyes locking onto the mare. “Y-your highness, about the ring, we can explain, it just, we were just, it, err...” she said softly, slowly withering under the mare’s gaze.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes wandered to the tail ring for a second before she shrugged. “It is very nice. A trinket from Ponyville, we take it?” she asked, her voice barely controlled. “Congratulations on your new accessory. Between the two of you, you have read every book in the library, correct?”

“T-there are thousands of books there,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Your point?” the ruler asked, her voice dry and unamused.

“I mean, it’d be impossible. Ish. I mean, sure, we’ve probably read most of them,” Moondancer said nervously.

“Are you looking for suggestions?” Twilight asked. “What subjects? Or if you’re looking for some light reading I’ve always found Shookenlance’s works to be delightful. I think you’d really like Summer’s Myth.”

Moondancer snickered. “Denied Leaf exits stage left, pursued by parasprites?” she asked, before breaking down into a fit of giggles, holding her hoof over her mouth.

Twilight couldn’t help herself, she had to cover her mouth and try to hold it back as well. “I-it is a classic for a reason.”

Nightmare Moon stared at the pair of giggling mares before looking to Spike, who merely shrugged and mouthed the word ‘nerds’ to her. She gave him an agreeing nod. “Moving along, no. We do not desire such things. Our journal mentioned other journals, written by Celestia. We wish to see them. Where are they stored?”

That made the last remains of laughter disappear. Twilight nervously glanced to Moondancer. “Err… I’ve never seen any. Have you?”

“Journals? No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Aside from yours, I’ve never seen any.”

Nightmare Moon sighed. “Truly? Student, I imagine you of all ponies would have read them.”

Moondancer cringed, her gaze lowering. “I-I’m sorry, your highness. But there’s none in the library. I’d have looked at them, if there were.”

The alicorn rolled her eyes. “So she didn’t even trust you with them? Very well. Perhaps they do not even exist at all. Just another lie from our sister.”

Moondancer gave a small, nervous nod. Well, if nothing else she was certain that the ruler couldn’t detect the elements. If she could, she was pretty sure the wall of the room would have been gone. As would the three of them. She gave a mental thanks to them that they changed to a new form BEFORE the alicorn made her appearance. “If you don’t mind me asking, err, your highness, why do you desire to know?”

“We were merely curious. We have decided that, for the time being, until we can locate and rid this world of Discord, we had best focus our energies on other matters.”

Twilight nodded. “You seem to be doing much better now, your highness. Taking it in stride. It’s quite impressive.”

The alicorn stared at her for a long, long moment, taking a slow, deep breath. “We were… furious, to say the least.”

------

Nightmare Moon had stormed through the halls, her fury burning off her like a fire of dark magic. She would tear him apart, limb from limb. Piece by piece. Turn him to stone, just to chip away at him, then turn him back. An eternity of torment, one to make his years as a statue seem like a simple day at the beach!

How did he even get them out without her noticing? It had to be that Everfree Forest. The way it disrupted her magic.

The only reason she was there was because those two had dragged her there. Moondancer, it had to be. Obviously her sister’s little student had construed a plan to give Discord the chance, tricking both her and her bard into going down there to--

No. No no no. She stopped herself and took a slow, deep breath. Moondancer was HER student. Discord was a master of trickery and deceit. He’d likely been planning this for weeks. Moondancer had failed to use the elements against her once, she would not be foalish enough to try again. Her bard wouldn’t, either. This had to be a plot of the spirit’s own making.

But he could not use them against her. A creature such as him was too chaotic for harmony to exist in him. So why?

To anger her, she supposed. They were unusable by him, so why else but to cause chaos in her mind? To show he could. To make her second guess her own decisions. To send her into a chaotic rage.

She’d show him. She’d maintain control, not allow him to throw her off again. She’d beaten the elements once already, she would do it again if they came near. They were useless now. There was no one who could possibly wield them. Besides, they were just shattered pebbles now.

She would be calm. Collected. In control.

GAHHHHHH HIS SUFFERING WOULD BE ETERNAL!

------

“But a ruler must maintain their composure at all times. We merely spent some time calming ourselves and then knew the path we must take,” Nightmare Moon said firmly, gazing down at the pair.

“I-I see. So you’re… not mad at us?” Moondancer asked, barely managing to avoid looking towards the elements.

“Of course not. You have done nothing wrong,” the alicorn said with a forced smile. She wanted to yell at the unicorn, though she knew to control herself. To maintain dignity and calm. As much as a part of her enjoyed watching Moondancer sweat, she reminded herself that the unicorn was HER student now. Not her sister’s. “Discord is a fool, nothing more. He may have his fun, but the elements cannot oppose us. We have nothing to fear from such acts. While we are aware that Discord struck the moment we were away aiding you, we are also aware that the spirit of disharmony is a tricky, twisted beast. He has likely been planning this for months and, had it not been for you, some other manner would have eventually caused him to act. In the end, these petty attempts at sabotage are inconsequential.” She’d begin by taking away all of his power. Then turning him into something entirely benign and normal. Something where he COULDN’T enact any chaos. Maybe a hamster, make him run in a straight line on a wheel for a thousand years. Yes. That would be an excellent start. In a room painted perfectly off white, nothing at all different to distract him from eternal tedium.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Moondancer said quickly, bowing her head. She couldn’t believe their luck. They were going to live!

Nightmare Moon eyed the student for a long moment, before sighing. “So then. You truly don’t know about any other journals?”

“No,” Moondancer said, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t hide them from you, your highness.”

“We see. Very well then.”

Twilight coughed, staring at the ruler. She mentally weighed her choices, before raising her hoof. “Err, your highness? About the tail ring?” she asked.

“Ah, you desire a grander review? Very well.” The alicorn glanced to the ring, a small surge of delight in her chest at knowing her bard wanted her advice over such an item. “It is quite… extravagant, bard. Though we do not believe it would suit you. It is a bit too sparkly, while you often are more suited to simple, elegant designs. Perhaps show it to Rarity, shiny things seem far more her style. Now then, if there is nothing else you require of us, we have things to deal with. Please, continue as you were.” She then turned and left the room before the other two can object.

Spike stared at the doorway, letting the silence sink in. After a few minutes he finally spoke up. “Seems, err, that the gamble paid off. Nice.”

Moondancer let out a soft groan. “What was that even about?”

“Obviously she wants those journals. Probably to burn them,” Spike said with a shrug. He cringed when Twilight went still. “Err, or maybe she wants to read them? Maybe she’s just curious?”

Twilight nodded. “Hopefully. But Moondancer, you should be careful. Lying to Nightmare Moon is dangerous. If she finds out you hid them from her--”

“Wait, what? I’m not hiding them from her. I don’t know where they are!” Moondancer said defensively, her cheeks turning red. “Why would I?”

“Err… because you’re her student?” Spike offered. “I mean, if she was going to tell anyone, then she’d tell you. Right?”

Moondancer opened her mouth, but, slowly, she closed it. She sat down on the floor and gave a soft sigh. “She never told me about any journals. I don’t know about them. Maybe she stopped keeping them. Maybe she just forgot. Maybe she didn’t trust me with them,” she said gently before shaking her head. “We have more important things to worry about, right? Let’s just decide what we’ll do with this ring. Then tomorrow we can see about contacting Discord and finding out what we can.”

Spike picked the ring up and eyed it. “Why not just toss it in a drawer?”

“It’s a priceless, ancient and incredibly powerful magical artifact,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes.

“That none of you know how to use,” the dragon said with a sigh. “So it’s basically a paperweight. So...” He walked over to Twilight desk and pulled out the bottom drawer, before dropping it inside. “There, dealt with.”

“That’s not, it doesn’t… ugh,” Twilight muttered, shaking her head. “I guess it’ll do for now, until we can talk to Discord.” She then collapsed back onto her bed, half expecting there to be some other fresh horror. Fortunately, all the bed now held was bedding. And rock dust. She sighed. “I’m going to need to remake my bed. There’s… rock… dust, all over it,” she grumbled.

Moondancer nodded. “Here, I’ll help. It’s the least I could do. Between the two of us, I’m sure it’ll go faster.”

------

Nightmare Moon stared at Moondancer’s room with a look of annoyance. How did anypony live like this?

There were nothing BUT books in the room. Books and homework. No, worse than that. Most of the books and homework were ones Nightmare Moon had assigned. The few that weren’t seemed to be books written by Twilight. Aside from her furniture and clothing, there was nothing else.

No pictures of loved ones. No letters from friends. No trinkets or odds and ends. The entire room was impeccable. Spotless. Perfect. She could have substituted Moondancer for literally any other pony in the world and there wouldn’t be a need to toss out anything but her clothes. She nudged the bed and shook her head. How could anypony live like this?

She’d searched through the room, used every spell she could to try and find some secret. But there was nothing. It was all perfect. No hint of the journals that her student had to be hiding.

Hoofsteps in the hall made her freeze in place. Her horn glowed and with a flash, everything she’d touched was placed back in its right position. She turned to shadows once more mere moments before the door opened and Moondancer stepped into the room.

The unicorn gave a light yawn before walking to her desk, a book held in her magic. The journal. Nightmare Moon felt a flash of anger. How dare her student steal her private journal that she had told them she could read. The rage died down quickly when she ran that thought through her mind once more. She rolled her eyes at her student. The mare had been running around all day, she had to be exhausted. So why would she be studying now?

Then again, this was the ideal opportunity. Perhaps Moondancer would try to connect this journal with the others. Moondancer sat up suddenly, her horn glowing. Nightmare Moon froze in place moments before a flash went through the room. She realized a moment later the mare was performing a quick scanning spell, checking for anything or anypony, in the room. Fortunately, she was more than capable of concealing herself from the spell, though she doubted her shades would have been so lucky.

She eyed her student suspiciously. A moment later, a small pink light flowed over the doorway. A silencing spell?

Was her student truly so paranoid as to believe that somepony would spy on her room in such a manner? Nightmare Moon hadn’t had the shades spy on her in we… oh. She supposed her student wasn’t truly being paranoid after all. Still, she couldn’t suppress the giddy glee when she watched her student do everything she could to hide what she was planning. Little did she know that her ruler saw all. Whatever traitorous deceptions she was up to, it would soon be--

Moondancer began to cry.

Nightmare Moon froze in place, her shadowy form almost flickering.

The unicorn sobbed, covering her face with both hooves and resting her head on the desk. “I’m an idiot. A stupid, stupid idiot. W-why did I ever think I could do this? Of course it’s her. Of course it’s Twilight. It has to be, doesn’t it? Why did I ever let myself believe I had value? That I had worth? Why did I e-ever let myself believe that I-I was important?” She picked up the journal in her hooves and then shook her head. “No wonder s-she never told me about this. About a-any of it. I’m useless. She had to know. W-why did you ever a-ask me to do any of this if you j-just knew I’d fail?” she asked the book as if she expected it to answer, before tossing it down onto the desk.

The ruler stared at the unicorn, unable to move. The silence spells. Scanning to make sure nopony was here. Collapsing the moment she was behind closed doors. No, this was something she knew far too well. Something she had done herself, so long ago. A lifetime ago. A thousand years ago. Could her eyes form tears like this, they would have. Instead, all she could do was watch.

“Why now?” Moondancer whispered. “Why NOW? I finally thought… I was… I thought m-maybe I was… maybe I could help. Maybe I could make things better. Why does it all have to happen now? It’s not fair. Why did i-it all have to start working when she touched it? Why is she so special?”

She didn’t know what Twilight had done, what had made her student feel so over--

She jerked when she realized she did. How often had she shoved Moondancer aside in order to make space for Twilight? How many times had she made the mare feel small and useless? How many times had she pushed the unicorn into the shadow of the bard?

How many times had Luna hidden in her room and cried tears that she hid from the world, trying to ignore the pain that the love and adoration they had for her sister caused? How many times had she questioned her own value, her own worth? How many times had she believed, just once, that somepony else had appreciated her, only for it to turn out that the appreciation was for her sister?

The words the unicorn sobbed were no longer legible. The alicorn let out a soft sigh before she slowly slid out from the room, under the door. Once she reformed outside of it, she listened.

Not a single sound escaped the room. Had she not been in there, she wouldn’t have heard any of it. Moondancer would have suffered alone. She took a slow, deep breath. She should leave the mare be, let her suffer in silence. Just as Luna had. It was what she wanted at that time. She glanced down at her dark hooves, the hooves of the now ruler of all Equestria.

Slowly, she turned and knocked on the door, heavily. No sound came out. She rolled her eyes and then with a quick movement, dispelled the silence spell.

She could hear the sobs from the other side, but they quickly stopped. A moment later, she knocked again.

“O-one moment! Sorry! I’m just doing an experiment!” Moondancer yelled. It took a few minutes, but the door opened.

Nightmare Moon glanced to the desk, which was now covered in the homework, rather than the neat and clean it had been moments ago. She then glanced to Moondancer, who’s eyes were only a little red and puffy. Had she not known the mare had been crying, she would have never guessed.

How many times had Moondancer done this? How many times had she broken down in her room, hidden from everypony else?

Yet now she didn’t look sad. She looked frightened. “Y-your highness, Is there something wrong? I--”

“You are fine, student. We’ve come to talk with you. May we come in?”

“O-of course,” Moondancer said, stepping aside.

Nightmare Moon moved by the mare and stared down at the trembling unicorn. Why was she so frightened? Was this how the unicorn reacted around her sister? Like a quivering, useless foal who-- NO! She shook her head and tried to knock such thoughts away. Instead, she gently reached out and put a hoof on Moondancer’s shoulder. For once in a very, very long time, she felt she knew what to do. She knew the right thing to do. Even if a part of her loathed it.

She’d have to apologize.

“Student… Moondancer. We have come to apologize.”

“Apologize? You haven’t done any--”

“We both know that we have done many, many things wrong since our arrival here. Our bard has made quite the effort to show us, has she not?” the ruler asked. “As have you, at times.”

“I-I mean, err, that’s--”

“But most of all, we have been unfair to you.”

“To me?”

“To you. We took you as our student. We taught you much of our magic. But we never truly saw you as ours. We saw merely the reflection of our sister on you. We punished you for it. We used it to hurt you. We were unfair.”

“O-oh...” Moondancer said, eyeing her, the suspicion obvious in her gaze.

Nightmare Moon nodded before speaking up once more. “We will endeavor to be a teacher that you can trust in the future. A teacher who will support you and help you grow. Much as our sister did.”

That made Moondancer cringe and quickly wipe her eyes.

“Student?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. Thank you, your highness. Err, I really appreciate it. But, uhhh, I really need to finish this experiment before I go to bed. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Nightmare Moon stared at the unicorn, before shaking her head. “No. That is all. We… wish you the best of luck in your… experiment,” she said before she turned and trotted out the door. It closed a moment later and she paused. After a few seconds, that silencing spell went up again.

Why did her student refuse to open up to her so vehemently? Surely the unicorn could see that it was what was best for her. Bah. There was still one way she could find out what her student needed.

She shoved down the frustration, trying to ignore it. Bad enough that Discord stole HER elements right under her nose, but to now have her own student hiding things from her. Especially after she finally decided to start treating her like a student.

She would NOT let this stand! She’d have the mare whipped if that was what it came to! Make her confess all of her--

Nightmare Moon froze in place, slowly glancing back towards the door. Perhaps it would be better if she, too, got some sleep before she made any rash decisions.

Moondancer was her student now. Her true student. Tearing her open would not be the way to proceed. No matter how she longed to.

Worse of all, however, was the distressing fact that she really knew almost nothing about the mare. Despite being her student, she didn’t even know how Moondancer had gotten her cutie mark. She would need to rectify that. She turned and started to walk away from the room. Perhaps it was also time for her student to have a night of good dreams for once.

Author's Notes:

And so begins the next small arc... this one will, if not obvious, focus on a bit of Moondancer's past as well as begin to give information on the changelings! With a few... extra things I think people will like. <3

For those curious where I've been, well. Working on a few books, will hopefully have two out soon. And, well, I'm an american. So things have been kind of terrifying and horrific here. Lots of corruption and horribleness coming to light and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. I've been fortunate and somewhat shielded from a lot of the worst of it, but it is still terrifying many days and we're trying to get out if we can. For all the people who haven't been as fortunate as me, I truly wish you the best and I hope you'll be okay despite all of... this.

S3 CH 12: Mailcall!

Moondancer softly hummed to herself while she worked, slowly going through her mail. She felt decent, for once. She’d been sleeping really good the last few nights, no nightmares except the one she worked for.

Unfortunately, her mind began to wander to the topic of trying to get a hold of Discord. Who would have thought trying to get a hold of a spirit of chaos would make him hide away? Perhaps they should have been looking for him all along. Nightmare Moon seemed to have no idea about the elements, at least. It wasn’t like the ruler could get mad at them, they had tried to tell her.

As if that would matter. She wished she could throttle that annoying spirit. She stopped and felt an all too familiar pain in her heart. No, there was something else there as well. Try as she might, she couldn’t help but have her mind drawn to the fact that, in the end, the elements had responded to TWILIGHT’S touch. Not hers. Twilight’s. Of course it was Twilight’s. It was always Twilight, wasn’t it? The greatest earth pony for a generation or something or other. Probably the greatest earth pony to have ever lived. No, greatest pony. Truly she was the chosen one, the one who could befriend a demon alicorn, a monstrous spirit of chaos, a windigo and probably three griffons and a pack of dragons. Then she’d have tea right before the princesses from all the neighboring countries came out to crown her royal monarch of awesomeness. Then she’d start a school where everypony could learn about just how wonderful, smart and talented she was.

Moondancer shook her head. “Jealousy does not become you, Moondancer. Think on the positive. If she’s so… special. It’s good. It’s good,” she repeated to herself, hoping she could get herself to believe it. If Twilight could get the elements to work, that only meant it was good for everypony. At least she wouldn’t fail. Then everypony could be happy. It’d be better that way.

She gave a depressed sigh and went to the next letter. She paused when she saw who it was from. Nightmare Moon’s Academy for Incredibly Talented Unicorns. She rolled her eyes at that. It had originally been Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. But there was no way the ruler would allow that. It had taken a lot of effort to get Nightmare Moon to okay them staying open. Even more to get the principal to accept the rebranding. Old idiot. He was lucky the place hadn’t been burned down. Still, she couldn’t imagine why they’d be contacting her. She peeled open the letter and braced herself.

She read it once and then let out a soft, unhappy groan and closed her eyes for a few moments. She read it a second and third time just to be sure. Well, buck. Perhaps he’d like the moon while he was at it? She wadded up the letter into a ball and tossed it into the trash, before pulling out a pen and paper with her magic.

“’Dear you over-pampered wind bag...’” she trailed off before tossing that response into the trash. No, she supposed that wasn’t fair. Despite her annoyance at the principal, she knew they had once gotten along rather well. Back when she was Celestia’s prized student. Now that she was Nightmare Moon’s, well, he had made his displeasure quite well known.

“’Dear Principal Higher, I understand your concerns. However, as you are well aware, the Equestria Equal Education act, or EEE, prohibits denying any pony a place in any Equestrian school, so long as they meet the necessary requirements. As a unicorn werepony is still a unicorn, they meet all such requirements,’” She took a deep breath before continuing on. She didn’t know why he was so upset, anyway. She’d made sure to keep tabs on the school ever since this entire ordeal started and they had lost almost half their student body overnight. They were recovering, of course, but even now they were not seen as even a fraction as prestigious as they once had. He should be grateful to have ANY students now. “’Additionally, a vampire unicorn is still a unicorn. As such, you cannot deny the board’s decision to place them in a teaching position. Please refrain from terming them as bloodsucking leaches, the proper term is vampire pony.’” She took a deep breath, struggling to keep her annoyance out of the letter. How had she never noticed the principal was THAT kind of pony? At least he wasn’t as bad as Chancellor Neighsay had been, now there was a pony who would not have handled any of this new business well. “’Finally, your request of boarding some of the more troubling cases at the castle will be considered. Please have a formal request sent through the proper channels, along with all information on said students.’” That left a foul taste in her mouth.

There was no way he would have EVER made such a request to Celestia of all ponies. Or to her when she was Celestia’s student. But now that Nightmare Moon was in charge it seemed he was fine making excessive demands of the throne.

After a quick look over the letter she sent it away before going through the rest of her mail. Nothing of import for the moment. She gave a soft sigh before getting to her hooves. She supposed she should stop stalling and go get ready for whatever tasks her royal highness had planned for her. Hopefully they wouldn’t be too horrifying.

She pulled open the door to her room and lightly trotted out, letting her mind drift. And, as it had so many other times, it found itself drawn to the idea of Celestia’s journals. Did they exist? Had they ever? Whatever was in them must be important. But why hadn’t Celestia ever shown them to her? Was she in them? Had the ruler eventually given up on them entirely, tossing them away? Or had it been another thing that Moondancer couldn’t be trusted with?

The unicorn’s mood continued to turn south, the tears barely suppressed when she walked. If Twilight had been a unicorn, would she have been the divine ruler’s student? Would Twilight have had access to these fabled journals? The elements had reacted to the earth pony, of that there was no doubt. Twilight was the one. Was that really all Moondancer was? A stepping stone on the way? Had the entire purpose of her existence been to ruin everything just so Twilight could come by later and fix it all? Would there one day be stories of the great Twilight Glow and the unicorn mare who messed everything up, what’s her name?

She closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to stop the tears before they could fully form, her earlier chipper mood now entirely shattered. She supposed it all made sense, though. Twilight WAS the premier student of Equestria. An earth pony who likely knew more about magic than even she knew. A pony who had managed to, while not quite tame, at least properly direct the energy of the new ruler. Given enough time, she was certain that Twilight would be able to save all of them.

Moondancer gave a small nod when she passed a pair of lunar guards in the hallway. The two of them stared at her for a moment before saluting.

She wondered what would happen to her then. She’d had such hopes that, somehow, she might be the one to defeat Nightmare Moon. She might be the one to free Celestia. But now more than ever she found herself assured of her own insignificance. Maybe if, somehow, they managed to get through all of this, she could do some great deed. They could lay down all of the blame for what went wrong at her hooves, let her become a great sacrifice for the ponies of Equestria. Bah, no.

Twilight was Twilight. She’d probably manage to save the day without a single pony being upset, making everything perfect and hugs and sunshine. Why, she bet even the ruler of the dragons would come over and offer the earth pony a title of honorary dragon. All hail Twilight Glow, the world’s greatest--

Moondancer froze in place. Slowly she turned towards a window, staring out over the city below. She slowly trotted forward and watched.

“What’s wrong with me?” she whispered. It hurt, she knew. Knowing that the elements had reacted to Twilight and not her.

But Twilight was her friend. No, more than that. Twilight was her BEST friend. There was nopony else she could trust more. Why shouldn’t she be happy for her? Why couldn’t she be? If Moondancer’s mistakes could finally be undone, then wasn’t that for the best? So why did it hurt so much? Why couldn’t she--

“Student!” a voice called out, making her jump. She glanced down the hall and tried to avoid giving a soft whimper at the sight of the approaching alicorn.

Nightmare Moon was holding a letter in her magic which appeared to be singed. “Err, yes, your highness?” she asked, standing up straight and bracing herself for whatever would be demanded of her.

“We have a matter we need to discuss with you,” the ruler said, holding up the letter. “This just arrived.”

“From the dragon lands?”

“No. We sent a letter to your parents and--”

“WHAT?!” Moondancer asked, her eyes going wide and fresh panic flooding her veins.

The alicorn looked shocked, her mouth falling open. After a moment she narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Or, rather, we thought we had. The address on file--”

“Why in the world would you contact my parents?” Moondancer asked, unable to keep her anger from pouring out. Fire erupted from her horn and flashed out, enveloping the letter and turning it to ash in an instant. “If you NEED something from me, just ASK ME!” she yelled, stomping her hooves down. “Don’t EVER contact them! What’s wrong with you?!”

The alicorn took another step back from the unicorn, her mouth falling open. “Student, we attempted to, but you refused to--”

“You CAN’T talk to them, okay? They’re not, they don’t, they won’t, UGH!” Moondancer screamed at the top of her lungs. She had no choice, if she stayed she knew she’d do something she regret. With another frustrated yell, she turned and ran away from the ruler.

------

Nightmare Moon stared at the retreating form of her student before her eyes were drawn down to the ash on the ground. A small part of her felt a swelling of glee at the sight of her student so obviously distressed. But a slightly larger part of her felt pity for the small pony. Something was going on, she just didn’t understand what, yet.

But she would. A hoof moved to her chin and she set her mind to the task. After a few minutes, a grin formed on her lips. She knew exactly how to learn what she needed. She’d just need to take a personal day. She glanced to the pile of ash and scattered it with a simple spell. Who would have thought a unicorn would be so much trouble? She wondered if Twilight would have been such a troublesome student if she were a unicorn.

Doubtful. Her bard would have likely been the ideal unicorn.

------

Twilight read over the letter before nodding. “Perfect! Spike, you’re the perfect assistant, as always,” she said with a grin.

“It’s all thanks to having opposable thumbs. I don’t know how you ponies live without them,” Spike said proudly, before picking up the fourth, and final, letter and sending it flying with a burst of flame.

“Eh, you get used to it,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Although, according to my studies into ancient arcanology, ponies were once believed to have a ‘magic’ thumb. It was believed to be what let us pick things up with our hooves.”

“Mmm hmm,” Spike mumbled, barely listening to her. “Another minor, right?” he asked before picking up the letters they’d received. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Err, yes. I mean, all four of them are trusted ponies. While it is a bit shocking that--”

“Not that,” Spike said with a shake of his head. He then pointed at one of the larger letters. “Aren’t you a bit busy right now to go back to night school?”

Twilight’s cheeks turned scarlet. “B-but I really should learn shadow weaving. It’s just a few classes a we--”

“Then why does it say you’re going to be attending… how many hours is ten credits?”

“Well, technically a credit is often an hour per credit before homework, but there is plenty of variance and--”

“And one class is ten hours a week?”

“W-well, err, there were a… few… other classes that looked interesting and, uhhh, then… I mean, technically that’s just… I was thinking that, err--”

“How many after classes?”

“Errrrrr...”

“And you want to become a teacher’s aid?”

“You can help make the magic point presentations...” Twilight whispered in a soft, hushed tone.

The dragon just stared at her, a look of unamused annoyance on his face.

“I’ll, err, tell them to delay my registration for now.”

Spike rolled his eyes and glanced back down at the letter. “I swear. Why would an earth pony even need to know how shadow magic works? It’s not like you’ll ever be able to use it.”

“It’s the theory, Spike. It’s just so fascinating! Actually, though… now that I think about it, perhaps you should be registered for some classes. You are still a-- h-hey! Spike! SPIKE! Come back here!”

“You’ll never take me alive, nerd!” he yelled back before fleeing down the hall from the perilous poindexter.

“It’s a basic education, Spike! All subjects of Equestria are entitled to it! Spike! SPIKE!” she yelled before racing after him.

Author's Notes:

Run Spike, run! Before you know it, you'll be educated! D:
Sorry if the chapters are a bit short and slow to come out, working on books and stuff and doing this as a side project again. But I am making progress, so... hopefully that helps!

S3 CH 13. Private affair

Twilight stared at the creatures before her, trying to keep her nerves from showing. She’d gathered every pony who had volunteered to take one in, as well as a few volunteers to help keep an eye out, but it was still not going to be easy.

Moondancer glared at the gathered four, her eyes narrowed skeptically. She severely doubted that any of this would work. “Any ideas?” she asked Rarity.

“About this? No. But… if it’s one of Twilight’s ideas, well… I’m sure it’ll be just fine. Though, I must ask. Is the cage truly necessary?” Rarity asked, glancing up at the top of the large cage where Rainbow and Shadowfang were sitting.

“Hey, you wanted them, we got them. Tartarus isn’t exactly an in and out resort, you know!” Rainbow said with a roll of her head, her eyes hidden behind the shadowbolt costume. The mare glanced towards the four who would be the ‘keepers’. “You four sure this is a good idea? Still room to chicken out.”

Applejack shook her head. “Nah. We can always use a bit more help on the farm. Yah all sure those… collars of yours will work?” she asked, eyeing the caged creatures.

“Moondancer made them, I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Pinkie said, moving to the bars and giving a wide grin. “Don’t worry, we’re going to have the best time! Just you wait!”

“Ummm… y-yay?” Fluttershy offered, sheepishly hiding behind a wing.

“And if anypony deserves an assistant, it is I, the Great and Powerful Trixie!” the unicorn said with a flourish of her hat.

Twilight couldn’t imagine what led to this strange situation, but it had all come together. She stared at the four collared changelings in the cage, the group huddled up into a small pile in the center, looking around at their captors. They were the first batch, of course. If things went well, she could increase the number up to ten without bothering the ruler again.

Her plan had been simple enough. She’d started with Pinkie, asking if she’d be willing to watch a changeling, to test how well they could be brought into pony society. If anypony could befriend and feed them, it was that mare.

What she hadn’t expected was for Pinkie to ask others. Applejack had worked out well in their favor, since the grant they could give for aiding the throne in this manner could help make up for some of the damages done to their farm by the false sun incident. Trixie wanted some assistance at the library, which would be a good controlled environment for ponies to meet a changeling without there being any fear. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, had nearly floored her. She suspected Discord was involved. Still, four volunteers would make an okay sample size. Moondancer had even enchanted some collars that would prevent them from shifting or attacking anypony.

The biggest issue was trying to get them to not panic. She gave a sigh and motioned Moondancer forward. “Okay, no funny business,” the unicorn snapped before slowly unlocking the cage with her magic. “Come on out.”

Twilight sighed and glanced to Spike, the dragon looking nearly as tense as she felt. He gave a small nod, though. She cleared her throat. “Yes. We’re going to go meet Queen Chrysalis.”

“The dark one won’t be there, will she?” one of them asked, their voice filled with fear.

“Dark o-- no,” Twilight said quickly. “Nightmare Moon won’t be here. In fact, she is scheduled to not return until this evening due to an important royal affair.”

“Yeah, like that doesn’t send chills down my spine,” Rainbow said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“It’s best we don’t think about it,” Moondancer said quickly. “Come on, let’s go talk to your queen,” she said before she turned and trotted away.

Twilight watched them and then gave a soft sigh. She really hoped this worked. The future of the changelings depended on it. She gave Rainbow a small smile when the pegasus flew down from the cage. “Thanks for this, Rainbow. I know it can’t have been easy getting them here on time.”

“Nah. They didn’t give us too much trouble, guards gave us a tougher time. Besides, I got to take a bit of a detour and go check on Gilda.”

Twilight blinked a few times. “A bit of a… Rainbow, how BIG was this detour?”

Rainbow just grinned. “Come on, I got here in time, didn’t I?”

“And you let her?” Twilight asked Shadowfang.

“Awfully cocky of you to assume anyone ‘lets’ Rainbow Dash do anything,” Shadowfang said with a look of exasperation. “They don’t pay me enough.”

“Heh. He loves it. Come on, ferret, let’s go meet queen other flank.”

“It’s a raccoon!” Shadowfang said, stomping a hoof down, though he still had a smile on his face. “Do you see what I have to put up with?”

Twilight gave a light snicker into her hoof. “You could try asking for a transfer?”

“Buck no. That little side trip of hers was a blast. A shame we had to leave. She could only take so much of Bouncing Breeze and Coldstone before she started gagging and we had to go,” he said with a light laugh. “I thought it was cute. We got to watch them fight a giant crab too.”

“It! Was! Awesome!” Rainbow said with a squeal. “I’m almost jealous of her, down there in the Badlands, having all these adventures. Almost. The Shadowbolts would be lost without me, though.”

“If you’d like to put in for some leave, you could,” Shadowfang said with a teasing tone before he picked up the pace to walk besides her, giving her flank a bump with his. “Just tell Spitfire the high flying life is just too much for you right now, you need some safe, quiet time to do something relaxing. Like pissing off dragons.”

Twilight snorted, shaking her head while watching the two bicker. Times like this it really felt like all of this would work out just fine. Still, she found her mind wandering to Nightmare Moon. She wondered what this ‘duty’ of hers could have been. More importantly, why it didn’t involve her, Moondancer or any of the guards. She just hoped it wouldn’t spark another international incident. Or get anypony killed. Whatever it was, it had to be very important if nopony else was involved.

------

“Radiance, you say?” the unicorn asked, looking her up and down. “Where did you say you were from again?”

Nightmare Moon grinned to the strange unicorn. She didn’t know why she hadn’t thought of this before. The ‘Radiance’ persona was so easy and simple. The perfect way to get information out of a pony without them knowing they were actually talking to their ruler. She’d even come up with a fake occupation to make her questioning not suspicious. “New Moon Monthly. We’re, well, new. And I’d love to ask you some questions if you don’t mind, miss… Sundancer?”

The unicorn froze before giving a snort. “Oh, aren’t you just the sweetest thing? I can see why you’d think that. A life of dancing, well, it keeps you young. But Sundancer is my daughter. I’m Firedancer.” She pushed the door of the studio open and motioned her inside. “Come in, come in, we’re actually preparing for our next show.”

“Thank you,” Nightmare Moon said, walking in after the mare.

So this was the fabled Firedancer? She looked the unicorn up and down. A simple white coat with a flowing, golden mane. The mare was so perfectly done up she looked more like she could have been Rarity’s mother, rather than her often frazzled and perplexed student’s. On top of that, she couldn’t help but be surprised that the ‘home’ listed hadn’t been a home at all, it had been a rather large dance studio. “So, I take it you’re here to ask questions about the upcoming show? Well, I can’t give you too much information, but I can tell you it will be spectacular. Sundancer has been training her heart out for months and we’ve got quite the show to put on. She’s drawn inspiration from my own ‘Flight of the Torrential Storm’ and Clouddancer’s ‘Tornado’s rest’. It’s going to be absolutely breathtaking.”

“No, but I do hope to see it. My questions are of a more personal nature,” Nightmare Moon said, still eyeing the mare. Everything about her was so different from what she expected. How could Moondancer have come from… that? This mare walked with poise, grace, dignity. Moondancer could barely take five steps without nearly falling over her own hooves. They were nothing alike. “Family history, actually.”

“Family history?” Firedancer asked, glancing back to her. “I think our family’s reputation speaks for itself. Not a single bad mark across our family name, we’ve performed across Equestria, even for the true princess.”

Nightmare Moon opened her mouth, but found the words locked in her throat. It took her a few moments to clear it. “True… princess?”

“Celestia, obviously. Here, would you like a small preview?” Firedancer walked through a pair of double doors, revealing the main auditorium. The soft, classical music could be heard echoing through the room while a dozen or so pegasi danced on stage, a hoofful of unicorns dancing as well.

Nightmare Moon could only barely suppress her fury enough to maintain her disguise. “We… see. So you have never performed for Nightmare Moon?”

“Pfft. Why would anypony want to perform for that tyrant? She’s foul. Despicable. Anypony who can stand being in her presence for more than a few moments would either become physically ill or already were mentally. Hmph.”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed while she imagined the glee she would take in dealing with Moondancer later. No wonder the unicorn was so annoying to her. “We see. But that wasn’t the history I meant. We wished to discuss your other daughter.”

Firedancer froze in midstep, her hoof raised. The alicorn wasn’t sure, but she swore she felt the room get colder. “I don’t have another daughter.”

That statement gave the ruler pause. Was it possible that she had come to the wrong place? “I’m talking about Moondancer, the--”

“Moondancer IS NOT my DAUGHTER!” Firedancer practically screamed, her voice echoing through the auditorium. The music went silent and the dancers stopped, every eye now focused on them. “Moondancer is no longer a part of the Dancer family and I would thank you to ignore whatever nonsense made you think we’d want anything to do with that… that… traitor!”

Nightmare Moon stared, her eyes wide. “Traitor? No longer a part of… then you are her mother? But--”

“Very well, you’re one of THOSE kinds of reporters. Allow me to make it perfectly clear. Moondancer is a traitor to all of us good, honest ponies. She has been officially and legally disowned from our name. I will have no more talk about that… that creature in my presence!”

Nightmare Moon stared, her mouth falling open in shock. The tone the unicorn used when discussing her had been dismissive, angry and a bit rude. But the tone Firedancer used when talking about Moondancer was outright disgust. How could a pony speak like that about their own daughter? “But, but she’s your own filly, isn’t she?”

“A disgrace. A disappointment. A despicable, dangerous, damaging deceiver. The fact I brought her into this world is something I regret every day of my life. Even more so now that her true colors have been put onto display for the world. We’re done here. Go. Now.”

Nightmare Moon stared at the mare in shock before glancing at the stage. To her surprise, the faces staring back at her looked just as hostile and angry as Moondancer’s mother. The ruler turned tail and fled, leaving them all behind. She was a few steps out the doors of the main building before she stopped and realized there was no reason for her to flee.

She was the ruler of Equestria. The most powerful pony in the world. She wouldn’t allow herself to be intimidated by such a simple, vile creature, even if she WAS Moondancer’s mother.

She was halfway back towards the door when her eyes widened.

She was Moondancer’s mother. Had Moondancer truly been disowned? There was no way that was possible, it had to be a ruse. A clever trick to do… to do... Something. She didn’t know what. But she’d figure it out. If Moondancer’s family wouldn’t give her any information, then she would just ask around town. Radiance hadn’t got her non-existent journalism degree by ignoring an important story when it was dropped into her lap like this.

Besides, she still needed to learn what it was about Moondancer’s cutie mark that hurt the mare so badly. Nightmare Moon couldn’t shake the feeling that, now more than ever, she owed her student to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Author's Notes:

And another chapter done! Two more to edit, then post. Sorry for delay, just... life has, at times, been literally on fire. Got another book out, though! And a few more on the way. Times have been interesting lately, though. In all the worst ways. :x Here's hoping it gets better soon.

S3 CH 14. Undercover

Chrysalis stared at the gathered subjects before her. Four of her changelings, bound in collars that made them unable to shift. Then their ‘captors’. A blowhard magician, a hyperactive pink pony, a pony who she was pretty sure had legs that could buck over a mountain and a pony who was so timid she was actually hiding BEHIND one of the changelings.

Her hive was doomed.

“These are the best you could select?” the queen asked, her lack of confidence in the selection leaking from her voice.

Twilight coughed into her hoof. “Err, I assure you. All four of them are quite capable and talented individuals. Additionally, they all DID volunteer to help.”

Chrysalis shook her head. This was doomed to failure, she didn’t know why she believed, even for a moment, that this earth pony would or could aid them. She then glanced to her subjects once more. Fang. Chitin. Sap. Chuck. They stared at her as if she was a goddess. No, to them, she more or less was. The embodiment of the hive made flesh.

This would likely be the last time she saw any of her hive alive. Her eyes narrowed. Perhaps one final burst, one final rebellion. The way Nightmare Moon felt for Twilight was a love of sorts. If the earth pony was taken captive, then…

Of course, there were two more problems with that thought. At the foot of the stairs were two other ponies she recognized, pegasi who she had fought once and failed against. On top of that, Moondancer was here and she was distressingly aware of how powerful that little unicorn could be.

No. She’d play along. For now. Perhaps a better opportunity would appear eventually. “Ahem. Very well. Subjects, hear the words of your queen and obey,” she said firmly, her voice nearly booming through the room and making the changelings stand at attention. “Know that the four of you have a very important, special duty. One that the hive depends on for success. You are to serve these ponies and see if you can gain love. Willingly, without harming them.”

The changelings nodded and she gave another soft sigh. This whole thing was nothing more than a waste of time. But perhaps when this failed she could find some way to maneuver it into getting more of her subjects freed and a second chance at rebellion. The four would at least be willing sacrifices. She glanced to Tirek, who seemed almost amused while he watched her. Smug centaur. “If you can live in harmony with these ponies, as unlikely as it sounds, there may be a future for our hive here afterall.”

“We won’t let you down!” they said in unison. Four perfect duplicates of each other. The ponies would never learn to love them. How could they? She watched them turn to leave, knowing they’d follow her orders. They’d obey the ponies until, finally, the died of starvation. Then that stupid earth pony would come down with another plan, likely another presentation, and then more of her hive would be sent off to die. Maybe, somehow, a new opportunity would present itself.

The queen walked to her bed and collapsed onto it, closing her eyes. She just felt so tired all of a sudden. Dealing with ponies was exhausting, how did they do it?

Tirek asked her something, but she ignored him. She was tired. She just wanted to sleep and not think about the stupid earth pony who talked as if she knew everything. Twilight didn’t know anything. What difference could one little earth pony make?

------

“Moondancer? Ah, right. Was that the name of that dance they put on after Nightmare Moon appeared?” the bartender pony asked while he cleaned a glass with a rag.

Radiance shook her head before downing her apple juice with a hint of spicy cinnamon in a single gulp, then slammed the glass down. “No. Moondancer. Firedancer’s OTHER daughter, the younger sister.”

“Ohhhhh. Her. I’m sorry, missy. I haven’t heard anything about her since she went off to Canterlot a few years back. Last I heard she was teaching Princess Celestia to dance.”

Radiance choked on her drink, or would have if she had any left, her head shooting up. “Teaching dance? Preposterous!”

“I’m just telling you what I heard.”

“I see… and what if I was to...” Radiance slowly reached a hoof into her over sized trenchcoat (that she had purchased all on her own after leaving the studio) and pulled out a few bits. “Perhaps… leave a sizeable tip?”

“I’d… say… thank you?” the stallion said, staring at her with a confused look.

“...”

“...”

Radiance sighed and tossed the bits on the counter before turning and walking out of the bar, lowering the fedora over her head. She’d find somepony who--

“Are you Radiance?” a voice asked from behind her. She turned back to see a pegasus staring at her. No, wait. It wasn’t just any pegasus. She could make out the slight sharpness to the teeth, the small hints of claws. This pony was a werepony. Even the way their slightly brown coat glistened and the bright white of their mane told her that this pony was likely one who turned into a leporine of some sort.

“Yes?” she asked. “How do you know my name?”

“I heard somepony cosplaying as a poorly done Shadow Shade was going around asking about Moondancer. My name is Dancinghoof, I’m--”

“A werebunny?”

“An old friend of Moondancers,” the mare said, her eyes narrowing. “Can you not say that so loudly? How did you even know? You’re not one, are you? Is it that obvious that I am?” the mare asked, the panic starting to rise in her voice while she looked left and right. Fortunately, nopony seemed to be listening.

“What? No. I am just incredibly keen and aware of the--”

“Just keep your gob shut, okay? Listen, you’re not going to find what you’re looking for here. You should just go, before you end up causing trouble.”

“No, I cannot! I shall not leave until I have turned over every stone, every rock, every tree, every hedge in my pursuit of the story of where Moondancer got her cutie mark! I will stay up all day and all night if I must in order to gain the answer!”

“It’s always night,” Dancinghoof said with a roll of her eyes. “But really? Moondancer’s cutie mark? That’s all you’re here for?”

“Yessss?”

“Fine. If I tell you the story, will you get out of town before you ruffle any more feathers? The fire you started with Firedancer already sounds like it might turn into a lynching at this rate.”

“Hmph. I haven’t even started a fire yet, though!”

“Come again?”

“Err, we mean, indeed! If you tell me the story of her cutie mark, I will leave immediately,” Radiance said with a firm nod. Though she found herself considering the pleasure she’d receive burning a certain dance studio to the ground, that could wait until after. Show that unicorn what she felt about the ‘true princess’.

“Fine. Just come with me. Luna give me strength,” the mare muttered before turning to walk down the street.

“Happily!” Radiance trotted besides the other pony. “So, my disguise isn’t that obvious, is it?”

“Honey, you couldn’t be more obvious if you were three times as tall and had a great neon sign over your head.”

“I find that unlikely. Rarity told me this outfit is exactly the kind of thing a reporter would wear while investigating a case.”

“Well, your friend Rarity sounds like she reads too many books.”

------

Rarity stared at the small stack of bits on her counter. Was it really okay to accept them? She glanced to the shade who was lingering in the corner of the room. “It… was okay to give her that advice, right? I mean, it’s not like she’d need to know what reporters wore during an investigation for bad reasons… right?”

It was a few seconds before she realized that it wasn’t actually the shade, but rather one of the ponyquins that had been left in the dark. That was odd. Where had her shade gone? Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen the creature since yesterday.

“Right. I’m probably overthinking it,” she muttered, before returning back to staring at the bits. “I hope...”

Author's Notes:

And another chapter bites the dust, boom boom... Only one more to go and this little arc is finished. And definitely won't end on a stunning reveal that Moondancer is secretly Celestia's daughter. That's not for another 4-5 seasons, at least.

All in all, enjoy, please keep reading and sorry for all the delays. Real life and all that, it can be a slobber knocker.

S3 CH 15. New guests

“Okay, Fang,” Applejack said while she trotted down the road, pulling the wagon behind herself. She glanced towards the changeling who was walking just a little to the side and behind her, his gaze lowered to the ground. “Ah know yah all up an’ volunteered for this, but yer still gonna be helpin’ around the farm an’ that makes yah not just a guest, but an Apple Worker. So if yah need anythin’ at all, yah jus’ tell us an’ we’ll see what we can do to accommodate yah. Now, it’s a bit late so we’ll be gettin’ supper first thing, then ah’ll show yah around yer new home. Okay?”

The changeling gave a small nod before he reached up and rubbed the collar on his throat. “I, uhhh, I’ve never worked on a farm before. Is it hard?”

“It can be. But don’t yah worry none. We’ll have yah doin’ the light work for a while. You’ll get room, board, a coupla bits tah play with. Standard procedure for any of our workers.”

Fang nodded again before looking towards the house in the distance. He wanted, desperately, to go hide. None of the hive were here, he was all alone. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been alone. There was no comforting buzzing of the hive to make him feel safe. There was no love dispensed by the earth pony, either. He would starve here.

He paused suddenly, sniffing the air. “What’s that?” he asked. He didn’t know what it was, but it smelled like… well, he didn’t know WHAT it smelled like.

“Mmmm hm. That’d be a nice big batch of spaghetti. You’re in for good eatin’ tanight!” Applejack said with a laugh. “Err, can yah all eat that?”

“We can,” Fang said with a small nod. It wouldn’t help, though. He wondered if she could tell, or would care, that he needed real love to survive. At least if nothing else it smelled incredible. He lightly licked his lips despite himself before perking up. Even if he didn’t get nutrition out of the food, he could still enjoy the taste. In fact, he might even--

He let out a shriek when a sudden small, yellow blur dashed out of the house and ran straight at them! He quickly dove under the wagon for safety, fearfully awaiting the undignified cries of agony from Applejack when she met her foul, horrible end. Instead, he heard laughter.

“Yah all okay, Fang?” Applejack asked through her laughter.

Slowly he stuck his head out and managed to see the blur, now stopped and with its hooves around the larger one. “Howdy,” the small filly said.

“Err, h-howdy,” Fang said sheepishly before stepping out.

“Applebloom, this here is Fang,” Applejack said before glancing to him again. “Fang, this is mah lil sister, Applebloom. Fang is that changelin’ we all mentioned who’ll be-- APPLEBLOOM!”

To Fang’s surprise, the small pony had let her big sister go and then hugged HIM! More importantly, the little pony gave freely of her love, leaving the changeling shocked and frozen, unsure of what to do.

“Applebloom, what did ah tell yah before ah left?”

The little pony sighed and let go, pulling back. “Awwww, but he don’t look scary or nothin’. Besides, he’s a worker, ain’t he? If he likes workin’ with apples then there ain’t no way he can be bad.”

“Yah still ain’t supposed tah go all… touchin’ ‘im. We don’t know how any of his… anythin’, works,” Applejack said, waving her hoof for emphasis.

“Sorry,” Fang said quickly, backing up from the two and managing to shake the smaller pony’s grip. “I-I didn’t mean anything!” He wondered if he was supposed to have reacted differently. He really hoped that Applejack couldn’t tell that he’d taken just a small nibble out of that offered love.

“What? Oh, err, no. It ain’t you, Fang,” Applejack said before shaking her head. “Jus’, yah are still a, err...”

“Invading force?” Fang said nervously.

“Yeah, that. So, err, Applebloom, go inside an’ set the table. We’ll be right behind yah.”

“Awwww,” Applebloom whined, before trotting inside. “Nice tah meetcha, Fang!”

The changeling nodded, still a little dazed by what had been given. Love. He’d been given fresh love by the little pony. They’d only just met. Were all ponies like that? He glanced to Applejack. No, he supposed not. Applejack certainly didn’t seem to have any love to spare him. Instead, the mare just sighed and shook her head. The emotions he tasted off her with a strange flurry, but love was most definitely not among them.

“Listen, ah wanna help yah out. Ah really do. Ah owe Twilight for all this as it is. So if it all goes well, then that’s for the best. But jus’ remember.Ah’ll be watchin’ yah. Keep yer nose clean, work hard an’ don’t cause any ruckus an’ we’ll be fine. Okay?”

He could definitely taste the distrust on her. Slowly he gave a nod. “Of course, ma’am.” Still, when he glanced to the house he couldn’t help but feel a few small blossoming bits of hope. Perhaps he wouldn’t starve to death after all. A little nibble here and there wouldn’t be noticed, he was sure.

------

Pinkie giggled, lightly poking the groaning changeling’s stomach. “Wow,” she whispered. “I don’t think I’ve EVER seen somepony eat so many cupcakes before. You might explode!”

Chitin groaned and didn’t open her eyes. The cupcake had been the most delicious thing she had ever eaten. It was both sweet and filled with love. It had been incredible. Yes, the love may not have been the best love she’d ever had, but it had been so long since she’d had a proper meal that it had been intoxicating. Then the pink pony had said she could have as many as she desired, she hadn’t been able to control herself!

Which was why she was now collapsed on one of the tables, clutching her stomach and giving soft groans while Pinkie and the other two earth ponies stared.

“Err, is she going to be okay?” the blue one, Mrs. Cake, asked.

“Oh, she’ll be fine. She was just really hungry, I think,” Pinkie said with a giggle.

On top of that, the pink pony practically RADIATED love. She was pretty sure the pony could have fed half the hive for months just from her love alone. Then these sweet treats on top of it. “This… is this place paradise?” Chitin asked, slowly opening her eyes again to stare at the three. “Is this my reward for being a good changeling?” Her nose was promptly booped and she was unable to suppress a giggle. Yes. Paradise. What else could it be?

“No, silly. This is Sugarcube Corner. But I can see why you got the confusion! If you want, I can show you around once you digest a bit. Oh, and I can teach you to bake!” Pinkie said with a happy grin.

“Yes… Pinkie pony. I will do as you say. I’ll follow you back to the gates of Tartarus themselves if you desire,” the drowsy changeling said before closing her eyes. She wondered if it would be rude to hibernate now.

“Oh, silly. We’ll just use some cream of tartar, no need for Tartarus! Just take a little nap and then we’ll get to work! You’ll love it here, trust me.”

“Yesssss. Pink pony is wise. Very smart. I will like it here,” Chitin repeated before giving a soft yawn and then, quickly, losing consciousness. Falling asleep on a full stomach was MUCH better than falling asleep on an empty one.

------

Sap cowered behind the yellow pegasus, trying desperately to avoid being noticed by the rather annoyed looking embodiment of chaos that was glaring at him. He had been unsure about any of this. Now he was one hundred percent sure that he would die while in this pegasus’ care.

“I don’t like him,” Discord said firmly. “You should NOT be living alone with this creature.”

“Oh, I won’t be alone,” Fluttershy said softly. “Besides, he’ll be staying in the guest room. Sap wouldn’t hurt a fly either.”

Sap glanced out the window and shuddered at the sight of the crocodile in the pond. The very last thing he wanted to do was risk earning the ire of this pony. How could she tame such powerful beasts? Even worse, she appeared to be one of the softest, weakest, gentlest of all the ponies. If this was what this one could do, what were the strong ones like?

Wait, no. Apparently that Twilight one had defeated the queen. Despite lacking both magic and flight. The rainbow pegasus had caused an explosion that had shaken them all to their core and that other unicorn had burned them with such powerful blasts of magic. Ponies were scary. But truly, taming a spirit of chaos was something beyond even his imagining. Yet it seemed this little yellow pony had done it. Fighting them truly had been a foolhardy endeavor.

“I could turn him into a fly,” Discord said before holding up his right hand and getting ready to snap his fingers.

“No!” Fluttershy said quickly before flying up and putting her hooves on his claw. “No. Discord, we’ve talked about this.”

“Having visiting vampires from time to time is one thing, but this is far too much,” Discord said, before motioning back to Sap. “It simply will not do. Nope, not at all. ThereHAS to be an alternative.”

“Well… I suppose if you wanted to let him stay with you,” Fluttershy said.

“That’s a marve--”

“But you’d be responsible for him.”

Discord gave a low, ominous chuckle. “Oh, I’ll take good ca--”

“And if there’s any problems or changes, it’ll come down on me,” Fluttershy said quickly and the smile literally fell off the spirit’s face, shattering on the ground.

The spirit used his tail as a dustbin before scooping the smile back up and reapplying it, upside down. “Fine. He can stay. But I do not like it at all. Just remember, bug, if you step one leg out of line, I’ll swat you in an instant.”

Sap nodded quickly, sinking down even lower and wishing he could melt into the floor. He wished he was back in Tartarus, it was so much safer there.

“Also, you know Twilight has been looking for you, don’t you?” Fluttershy asked before fluttering up, her hooves resting on her hips.

“Oh, indeed,” Discord said with a light laugh. “Worry not.” He snapped his finger and a fluffy pink bathrobe, traffic cone hat, longer beard and staff made of licorice appeared on him. “For a spirit of chaos is never late, they arrive exactly when it causes the most emotional damage to the ruling officials. Besides, it’s funnier to watch her try and figure it out alone.”

Fluttershy shook her head before lowering herself back to the ground. “You do know what she wants, then? Well, I won’t ask. I’m sure it’s very--”

“I’ll tell you what it is if you want,” Discord said with a wide grin.

The vampire pony shook her head. “I feel it might be better if I didn’t.”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” he said before the outfit disappeared and he turned his attention back to the changeling. “And you. Just remember, I’ll be watching. If anything happens to Fluttershy, I’ll be back with an industrial size can of bug spray. If she gets so much as a bent hair, I’ll know.” He then pulled out a needle and poked himself, disappearing with a loud pop.

Fluttershy shook her head and gave the changeling a soft, gentle smile. “Oh, don’t mind him. He’s just been very tense lately. I think Nightmare Moon has been getting closer to tracking his home down. He’s usually much nicer.”

Sap found that hard to believe, but he merely nodded. It was strange, though. He could definitely feel a type of love from Discord directed at the yellow pegasi. But it wasn’t friendship, or romantic, or sexual or like any love he’d ever seen. It was just weird. Oddly filling, even nipping at the outer reaches of, but also made him feel a little nauseous. He still wasn’t sure which was scarier of the two, though. Fluttershy SEEMED nice, but he knew all too well how one could hide their true nature. He suspected hers was hidden well under that kind, overly sweet facade. He’d have to be extra careful around her lest he risk causing her true power to be unleashed on him. That thought made him shiver.

“Now, umm, follow me if that’s okay,” Fluttershy said sheepishly. “Do you like kittens?”

Sap gave a quick nod. Of course he loved kittens. What kind of monster didn’t love kittens? He followed the pegasus once more out of her house. So long as Discord didn’t come by here too often, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. If the pony wanted to pretend to be kind and gentle, he was more than willing to pretend he believed it.

But there was something else that kept gnawing at him as well. One of the bunnies kept giving him almost menacing looks. As if daring him to cross some terrible line that would unleash the bunny’s wrath.

And that if he did, it would be the last mistake he ever made. He hoped it was just his imagination. Ponies truly were terrifying creatures.

------

“It figures,” Trixie muttered, shaking her head at the sight of the changeling, and failing, to organize the books. “Chuck! E’s go over there, before F but after D.”

The changeling blinked and stared at the book for a good long moment before nodding. After a few more moments she came back. “Which one is E again?”

Trixie gave a sigh and snatched the book from the changeling, before walking back to the bookshelves and sliding it in. “Right. Note to self. The changeling education system leaves much to be desired.”

“I like the ones with pictures,” Chuck said, making the unicorn roll her eyes.

“Of course you do. One moment, where is it… ah ha!” Trixie said proudly before pulling out a book from the ‘Education is magic’ section. “Learning your letters. Here,” she said, holding the book out to the changeling.

The changeling took it in hoof, before staring at the unicorn. “It… goes where?”

Trixie gave another sigh of exasperation before face hoofing. She didn’t know WHY she agreed to this. Twilight had BETTER appreciate all the suffering she went through for that earth pony. Bah. “It’s a magic book. Go sit in the quiet section and go through it. It should, at the very least, help you learn your letters.”

The changeling gave a small nod before flying up to the small, windowed nook. After a few moments Trixie heard the book. “A is for Apple, which are quite delicious and nutritious!”

The performer rolled her eyes before she walked back towards the box of new arrivals, pulling them out. As always, she set a few aside for the ponies she knew would love them. She was halfway through when she heard the jingle of the door and glanced up.

A strange, brown pony with a gray striped mane was standing there. She had the silliest giant red glasses, a purple cape and a small blue hat with a white ribbon on it. Trixie gave the mare a quick look over before returning to her task.

“E is for emerald, which dragons like a lot!” the book’s words echoed through the library.

“Err, hello,” the new mare asked, trotting forward. “Are you, by any chance, the Great and Powerful Trixie?”

The unicorn paused and glanced up at this mare. Why, she didn’t know how she had missed her! Obviously this mare was a pony of great refinement and tastes. “Why yes, yes I am!” Trixie said proudly, puffing out her chest and flinging back her cape so it billowed in the wind. “I take it you are one of my fans? Miss…?”

“Yearling.”

“Oh, like the author? What a coincidence. Now, I know exactly why you are here! And you’ll be happy to know that I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, will be going on tour once more in the next couple of months!” Trixie said proudly. “Once I have finished training my new assistant and convinced Zecora to watch the library for a little bit. And finished cataloging the repair books. And write a rather scathing report to that foal who runs the board of librarians. Also get my wagon fixed. A year at the latest,” she said proudly. “I also perform regular shows here.”

“Err, that’s nice. But I’m actually here about an invention of yours. A giant… heating lamp, or so I’ve heard?”

That made Trixie give a sigh and her wind stop its billowing, before going limp against her back. “Oh. You heard about that, then?” She took a deep breath. “It is just a great lamp that--”

“Yes, a big lamp. But that’s not the important part. It’s made from the remains of… something from a couple of con ponies, Flim and Flam, correct?” the pony asked, her voice sounding a little panicked.

Trixie went completely still before, slowly, her eyes narrowed. Not a fan after all it seemed. A troublemaker. It figured. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Miss Yearling. I think it would be best if you l--”

“Listen. Trixie. You don’t know what you have. Those two really pulled the hood over Dr. Caballeron’s eyes for the moment, but he’s bound to figure out that you have the ring. Once he does, you--”

“Yes, yes, Dr. Camel-leered-on can make an appointment if he desires to talk about my invention as well. But it has NOTHING to do with anything made by those two hucksters. It’s merely a giant heating lamp designed to help melt the snow. No ifs, ands or buts.” Trixie quickly started to push the mare towards the door. “We’re about to close so I think you’d best leave. We’re all very loyal, good followers of Nightmare Moon here and have and want nothing at all to do with the sun.”

“Wait, no, you don’t understand I--” But before the mare could fully object, she was pushed out and the door was slammed shut behind her before clicking locked.

Trixie sighed and shook her head, ignoring the mare’s pounding on the door. “I swear, ponies should know better than to poke around things like that. Do they want Nightmare Moon coming after them, too?”

“L is for librarians, who secretly rule the world.”

Trixie snorted and rolled her eyes. If only that were true.

“M is for magicians, who often get paid in exposure.”

The unicorn almost fell over, before turning to glare at the book. She wondered just how flammable magic books were.

------

‘Radiance’ gave a light sniff of the drink before picking it up in her magic and giving a light sip. Carrot juice. Not her favorite, but what could you expect when drinking with a werebunny? She lowered the cup after a moment before glancing back to her ‘host’.

Dancinghoof gave a soft sigh, sipping her own drink. “So, first thing’s first. The whole werepony thing, I’d appreciate it if you kept that between us. Ponies here aren’t exactly… keen on my type.”

Radiance hmphed. “That’s foalish. The law clearly states that--”

“Laws only go so far, miss. I don’t know what it’s like back where you’re from, but ponies don’t like things like that here. Lots of ponies associate wereponies with Nightmare Moon as well and, well, I imagine you can understand why THAT would cause trouble.”

The ruler of the night paused, her gaze lowering on her carrot juice. “We don’t understand. Why would that be an issue? Nightmare Moon is loved and revered back in Canterlot.”

Dancinghoof gave a snort. “Oh, you can knock that off right now. Listen, I get it. We’re all scared she’ll come out at some point and try to rain meteors down on our head, but she’s never once shown her face here and I can’t imagine she’ll start today. Probably for the best, too. After the whole thing with Moondancer I don’t imagine she’d feel very welcome. The last thing any of us would want is to make her angry if half of what we heard about her is true, but they certainly won’t make her feel wanted.”

Radiance tried to keep a lid on the slowly boiling rage of hers. “We see. So she is not well respected in these parts, despite being your liege? We imagined you, a werepony of all things, would appreciate her return.”

“Oh yeah, just what all us wereponies wanted. To finally be let out into the light, right when a fresh new tyrant makes their appearance. Truly it was every mare’s dream,” Dancinghoof said in a deadpan tone. “Princess of Subtlety she is not. But listen, we’re getting off topic.”

“We’re fine with this topic,” Radiance said through grit teeth.

“I’m not. I’d rather not tempt fate by talking about her, the last thing we need is some comment a pony made here getting back to her and starting a grand crusade on our heads.”

“Very well,” Radiance said. She could take a little solace in the fact her disguise seemed to be working perfectly. “What does Moondancer have to do with this, though?”

“Oh, we’ve all heard the stories,” Dancinghoof said with a wave of her hoof. “How the moment Celestia was defeated, Moondancer was practically dancing and begging the new tyrant to let her serve her. Brought quite a bit of shame on the town, let me tell you. Firedancer tried to get her to leave the city, but once it was clear… well. She ended up being entirely disowned as far as I can tell. I’ll be honest, though,” the mare said with a soft sigh. “That doesn’t sound much like Moondancer at all. You were asking about her, right? How close are you two?”

“Close? Us? Why would--”

“You come here asking about her cutie mark, I can only imagine you wanna know a lot about her if you’re going that deep. Curious if you’re a friend of hers or is this just a more in-depth piece?”

Radiance shook her head. “It’s… we’re not very close, but I know her well enough. Though these days it seems to be in name only.”

“So is it true? I mean, I’ve seen what the papers have to say about Moondancer, but I’ve never had a chance to talk with her since all of… this.”

Radiance snorted, shaking her head. “No, it’s nothing more than lies. Moondancer never wanted to be Nightmare Moon’s student. We fo-- the ruler of the night forced her, with threats of destroying her friends if she disobeyed. Moondancer had no say in the matter. She still does not and, if she had the opportunity, I am certain she would flee as if her tail were aflame.”

Dancinghoof gave a soft sigh before taking another drink of her carrot juice. She then sat the now empty cup on the table. “That’s good. I’ll be honest, that story never really sat well with me. I know Moondancer left a long time ago, but I just couldn’t see her being so self serving like that. Just wasn’t her.”

“It seems you are now the one getting distracted,” Radiance said with just a hint of haughtiness to her tone. “The story? How did Moondancer get her cutie mark?”

“Oh, right, right. Well, as I’m sure you know, the Dancer family has had a long history of dances. Why, there were ponies who said Firedancer’s dances were a rival for Celestia’s own. Moondancer, welllll...” The mare trailed off, seeming to struggle coming up with a proper word.

“Is clumsy? Unbalanced? Stumbles over her own hooves?” Radiance asked.

“Is more of a thinker than a doer,” Dancinghoof said with a roll of her eyes. “I guess you weren’t lying about not really being close to her, huh? Anyway, it didn’t help that her big sister, Sundancer, could dance so beautifully that you’d think she was the sunbeams themselves. I’ve been one of her backgrounds enough times, let me tell you, she’s every bit as good as they say. I’ve seen her--”

“I’m here about Moondancer, not Sundancer,” Radiance said, barely controlling her temper once more. Must this pony constantly get distracted? Why is it when she wanted to know about Moondancer, everyone talked about her sister instead? That thought sent a spike of irritation through to her core and made her once more consider how flammable the town itself could be. She barely suppressed her irritation as the other mare refilled her drink and picked it up.

“Right. Well, while Moondancer didn’t have the talent for it, she knew the theory. Sundancer and her used to be thick as thieves, too. Moondancer would come up with some new dance and then Sundancer would make it a reality. They were quite a duo.”

“Oh? I imagine Moondancer hated being left in her big sister’s shadow,” Radiance said, her voice filled with bitterness. She was quickly beginning to think she wasn’t going to like the results of this story.

“If she did, I never saw it. Her mother, on the other hoof. Well...” Dancinghoof glanced away. “Let’s just say she has… high expectations of everypony around her. Especially her children. Moondancer and Sundancer weren’t any exception and from what I saw, she didn’t let her displeasure stay a secret.” A troubled look formed on the werepony’s face and she softly swirled her cup, as if the drink could wash away the notion. “Well, there’s a lot more to it in the end, but from what I saw? Moondancer ended up making some weird dance, called it the Rise of the Sun and Moon. Was supposed to be a big hit. Moondancer got her cutie mark after she finished.”

Radiance nodded. “I see. Then what?”

“No idea. The dance never got performed as far as I can tell. She spent weeks planning it, then it was finally done. She got her cutie mark. But before anypony saw it, she was heading off to Canterlot.”

“Wait, what?”

“Mmm hmm. Sorry, I know it’s not much of a story.”

“What do you mean that’s it? How can that be it? She got her cutie mark for making a DANCE?” Radiance asked before getting to her hooves, holding onto her anger with only a single thread of control. “There has to be more to it than that!”

“If there is, I don’t know it.”

“GAHHH! You’re all useless!” Radiance snapped before turning towards the door and stomping away, not even caring that Dancinghoof was staring. She finally thought she would get some answers, instead she just had more questions. She remembered the look her student had given her. How her cutie mark was a sign of a mistake. Yet she got it from making a dance? There had to be more to this story. Very well, she knew exactly where she’d go. She turned her head towards the school and found an amusing thought flashing through her head.

Perhaps burning it to the ground would work as a proper incentive after all. Nightmare Moon had never made an appearance here, perhaps it was time. It had been--

A sudden alarm made her freeze in place for a moment before she whipped her head around, searching for the source. It took her a moment to realize it was directly in her head. Who would contact her now of all times? She quickly moved off the main street and focused on the alarm.

She felt a chill go down her spine when she realized where the alarm was coming from.

A dragon assault on the Badlands.

Nightmare Moon let out a small curse before drawing the darkness to her. She reached out to call on the shades. This required immediate response, not just from her, but from her personal military force. They--

She was greeted with silence. The shades didn’t answer. No. It was worse than that. It was as if they didn’t exist at all. When she reached through the darkness there was nothing at all. She reached out once more with her magic, calling her shadow weavers. But she couldn’t touch them, either. What in Equestria was going on?

Where were they? Why weren’t they--

Like a great, hungry beast, the darkness enveloped her entirely, drawing her within before she had time to properly grasp that something was dreadfully wrong.

Author's Notes:

And so ends another small arc... and goes right into the next one. Alas, no burning down of a certain dance studio... yet. All in all, I hope you enjoy. Coming up soon: A dragon skirmish... amongst some other things. >:3c

Also, psst, my newest book is out. Another Her True Name. Hoping to have a few others out soon.

S3 CH 16. Missing Ruler

“I think this is the dumbest idea we’ve ever had,” Gilda said before glancing back at Private Bouncing Breeze. The pegasus just flashed her a grin. “And for us, that’s saying something.”

“Awwww, what’s wrong, Gilda? You aren’t scared, are you? It’s going to be awesome! Nothing wakes me up in the morning like dragon jumping!” Bouncing said happily, her glaive held tightly in her hooves and her wings flapping slowly to keep pace with the griffon. “If you’re worried, you can always go back and help them evacuate everypony.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Not bad because the dragon. But having to go on another mission with you and Coldstone. I don’t want to lose my breakfast already!” she said before flapping her wings a bit faster and taking off ahead. She glanced down towards the sand below. Private Coldstone and Corporal Legendary Destiny were just a little ahead of them. HOW the latter could run that fast with that massive battle axe on his back was anyone’s guess. She was certain she could have gone past him if she wanted, but he was technically the one in charge.

Negotiate with a dragon. Of all the half brained, daft ideas she’d ever heard, that one took the cake. It was just so pony! How did you NEGOTIATE with a dragon? They were multiple story tall beasts of destruction!

She flew up just a little, allowing her to see over the dunes ahead and suppressed the urge to turn around and fly away. If ever there was a reason to go AWOL she was looking at it. That was DEFINITELY a dragon. Walking on all fours, it still towered over any of them by multiple measures of magnitude. Even in the moonlight its scales seemed to glimmer a dark red. Each step made its razor sharp claws dig into the sand. What kind of brain dead scheme was this? Why had she volunteered for this? Why was SHE so brain dead? Ugh. She should have just let Thorax do this. The daft changeling was already well on his way to volunteering, she knew it. If she was smart, next time she’d let him. Instead she was out here in some kind of ‘delay’ squad until they could get everypony out of that stupid town or Ash could finish brewing whatever stupid potion she was making to help get the captain back in order and hold off a dragon until help arrived. Or they all died. Likely the last option. She watched Legendary crest the hill first and barely suppressed the urge to face claw once he started talking. She drifted down, landing besides Bouncing and Coldstone, who were standing behind the earth pony. She wondered if they looked like a nice row of snacks like this to the dragon.

“Listen well, great reptilian behemoth! I am Corporal Legendary Destiny of the Badland Mooners!” he yelled, his voice booming through the air.

The dragon paused for a moment, his eyes looking to the left and then the right. Finally, he spoke up. “Who is there? Reveal yourself.”

“I… I am right here. No. Up. Up here. On the dune. No, not that one. Here. HERE! Directly in your path!” Legendary yelled. “YES! Right here!” he yelled. “You can--”

The dragon began to laugh, shaking his head. “Oh. Little pony. I barely saw you there.” Flames began to form in his mouth, slowly billowing up along his lips. “Go away, little pony. You are not what I fear.”

Legendary gave a loud scoff before bucking his hips up, sending his axe into the air, the blade embedding into the sand besides him, the handle by his mouth. “I will not move! You shall not pass, oh creature of fire and steel! For we are noble ponies, and griffon, of Mooner! We will NOT allow any threat to enter these lands so long as we draw breath! If you wish to enter our territory, you shall have no choice but to do it over our bodies!”

Gilda let out a groan, watching the dragon laugh even harder. Let Legendary do the talking, how could it go wrong? Then the dragon reared his head back and let out a stream of fire, the flames turning the sand to glass while it steadily went up the dune towards the group. She and Bouncing flew up into the air, while Coldstone galloped to the right, his horn glowing and forming spikes of ice in the air around him. Legendary stared at the dragon in bafflement for a moment. “Very well! Then you have chosen defeat, ignoble beast!” He then lunged forward, taking the axe in his mouth and running down the dune towards it, leaping to the left of the flames to avoid them.

The flames died down and the dragon just continued to laugh while the pony charged him. Gilda continued to rise up into the air, glancing towards Bouncing who gave her a nod. At least this was going to be fun. Incredibly stupid, ridiculous and suicidal. But also fun. If there was one thing that Gilda had learned in her time here, it was that ponies were not nearly as harmless as they appeared. That and if something was impossible they would do it anyway regardless of what common sense, reasoning or survival instinct told them. Because that was just what ponies did apparently, because why let a little thing like reality slow you down? It was almost endearing, when it didn’t get her killed. When the golden colored pony leaped into the air, the dragon only watched in mild amusement when the axe swung at his forelegs.

The amusement disappeared when the axe connected and, while it didn’t cut through the scales, there was a resounding clang through the air and the leg was knocked to the side, sending the dragon toppling forward with a startled and undignified yelp. The pony didn’t stop, though, instead racing under the stumbling dragon and bringing the axe against his hind legs next, causing the dragon to fully topple over onto his side and struggle to get back up, flapping its wings and banging his tail wildly.

“STUPID PONY!” the dragon yelled before righting himself. That was her queue. She gave Bouncing a nod before she dove down, the pegasus a few seconds behind her.

The dragon’s wings spread out and his mouth opened, the beginning of flames forming in the back of his throat while he searched wildly for the earth pony. It took him a few seconds to see Legendary running back around, intending to come up for another swing.

Gilda smirked besides herself when she slammed all four of her talons down on the top of the dragon’s mouth, slamming his mouth shut and causing smoke and flame to leak out from his nostrils. “Hey, the only one who gets to burn him is US!” she yelled, flapping her wings and tugging her metal covered talons out of the beast’s maw. Sadly, she only managed to dent the scales, not fully cut, but judging by the shrieks of pain the dragon had not enjoyed the sudden jaw snap. She flew back up, narrowly avoiding his claws that reached up to hold his snout.

The dragon flapped his wings once, likely intending to fly up into the air. Unfortunately for him, stopping that was Bouncing’s job. The pegasus’ glaive came down from the sky in a piercing streak, cutting a large tear down the entirety of the right wing. Without the balance of his wings, his lift off became more of an unwieldy leap, making him crash to the ground with an earth shaking thump. Bouncing drove the butt of her glaive into the side of the dragon when she passed, pole vaulting herself back and up into the air and away from the flailing beast.

“Think we made him mad enough?” Gilda asked.

“Have at you, foul invading beast!” Legendary yelled before charging at the dragon, bringing the axe down on one of his paws and managing to actually chip away a few scales, as well as make him roar with a furious rage.

“Well, if not, I’m sure Legendary will find out how!” Bouncing yelled before she pulled her wings in and dove down at the dragon, the blade of her glaive out. “Geronimo!”

Gilda rolled her eyes before diving after the pegasus. The glaive dug into the shoulder of the dragon, only for the pegasus to use it to propel herself up and over the dragon’s head, hitting him in the snout when she passed over. The griffon streaked down the arm itself, digging her talons into the scales as firmly as she could, trying to cut away some of the scales. To her delight, she finally DID manage to tear away a chunk of them, before she shoved off, flying back up into the air.

The dragon’s mouth was suddenly besides her and she could see the flames forming. “B-buck!” she shrieked, pulling her wings in and spinning, barely dropping out of the way in time to avoid a burst of fire. Sudden shards of ice flew past her, striking twice into the mouth and once on the nose, making the dragon rear his head back with a pained, furious roar, his front paws reaching up to hold his nose.

The icicles didn’t just stop where they hit, though, quickly spreading out and coating the snout in ice. A shame the first two didn’t make it past the fire. A moment later five more icicles shot out, striking the dragon’s paws and freezing them to his face. Gilda spread out her wings, catching herself before flapping hard, sending herself out of the way of the rampaging beast. Legendary was on the ground, slashing and cutting at the dragon’s legs to keep him off balance, while Bouncing kept pole vaulting off the dragon, her glaive digging in with each blow only for her to leverage it into another leap.

She almost felt bad for the dragon. Almost. Even with the shards of ice striking the dragon’s body, it didn’t actually seem to be doing much, if any, damage. They may have been managing to hurt it a little, but this beasty wasn’t going to be going down anytime soon.

She hoped whatever Ash was brewing up with be finished soon, otherwise there wouldn’t be any of them left by the time help arrived.

------

“What do you mean, gone?” Moondancer asked. “The most powerful pony in all of Equestria can’t just be GONE!” she yelled, trying to avoid screaming at the top of her lungs at the poor guard pony who brought her the news.

“She’s not responding to any messages,” the guard pony said softly. “I’m sorry, we’ve tried a dozen times, but--”

“Is there any sign of her royal highness?!” A pegasus stallion in the royal armor asked before he barged into the room, a report held bundled in his hooves.

Moondancer didn’t even answer, instead tearing the report from his hooves. “Not yet. What is it-- oh buck,” she muttered. She felt as if she was sinking. And it only got worse when two more guards came running in with even more reports.

Why would Nightmare Moon choose NOW to go missing? A pair of dragons making a move on the Badlands, a strange crystal castle appearing in the north, a quarter of the shadow weavers had flat out disappeared and those who remained were claiming their magic was acting weird, either not responding or fighting them. On top of that, all of the shades seemed to have disappeared. Other methods of teleportation and long range communication were acting strange as well. Now was NOT the time for Nightmare Moon to go on a vacation.

Worst of all, now all four ponies were staring at her. Did they expect HER to make decisions? The last thing she needed was for Nightmare Moon to come back to her running things. She’d be lucky to just be banished. If the alicorn thought for a moment that she was trying to usurp the throne there would be no end to the consequences.

But if she DIDN’T do something, then Equestria would stall. Everything could, would go wrong. They needed to act. But their ruler wasn’t here. No no no no no. She couldn’t do this alone. She felt like she was lost in a storm. She had to do something but what could she do? She felt as if the panic was starting to drown her, drawing every gasp of air out of her lungs. Everything was going to go wrong and it was all her fault. Nopony BUT her could handle this. Yet she couldn’t. She needed help. Oh by Celestia she needed--

“I just heard about the dragons!” Twilight yelled, galloping into the room. “Where’s Nightmare Moon?” she asked before looking around.

“I wish you could tell me,” Moondancer said, barely managing to choke the words out. Something had to be done. Why was it her responsibility to do it? She wasn’t a ruler. She was a student, at best. This was too much for her. But everypony was staring at her. No. Not just her. Her AND Twilight.

She wasn’t alone.

Moondancer glanced to the earth pony. She wasn’t alone. She had a friend who was besides her. As if suddenly there was a small island in the middle of this storm, everything felt just a little calmer. She had to get preparations going. The choking panic slowly began to pull back. “Okay. First thing’s first,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel. “Ready the Equestrian Defensive Forces. They leave towards the Badlands in an hour. Have every outposts nearby ready to reinforce the area. Whatever Shadowbolts can be spared are to depart ahead of the main force immediately, they’re the most mobile. Well? Get on it!” she snapped.

The first pony nodded, bowing her head before turning to run. She then turned her attention to the second. “Ponies are to monitor the castle for the time being, do not engage. Defensive measures. I want hourly reports sent. Wait, no, every half hour.” The second pony bowed his head and turned.

She turned to the last two. “Alert all shadow weavers to avoid using that type of magic for the time being, partner with another unicorn and assist them. See if we can get our systems back in working order. Now is not the time for communication issues. Continue to search for the shades, but for the moment, that is the last priority. Go. NOW!” she ordered, throwing in a bit of the Canterlot Royal Voice with that order. Once the door slammed shut behind the last of the soldiers, she gave a sigh and nearly dropped.

“That was impressive,” Twilight whispered.

“It really wasn’t,” Moondancer said with a shake of her head. “All I did was buy a bit of time. If Nightmare Moon gets back then--”

“Then she’ll take over and find everything was already done and so she just has to give the orders to continue,” Twilight said, cutting her off. “And that you and I worked together to ensure that everything worked smoothly, so if she gets mad she’ll yell at both of us.”

Moondancer couldn’t keep the smile from creeping up the corners of her mouth. Even if Twilight really was the one who would replace her entirely and become some great savior of ponykind, she couldn’t deny there was nopony else she’d rather have by her side. Who knew? Maybe she could be a useful side note to the mare’s journey.

“So, what’s the situation?” Twilight asked. “I thought Nightmare Moon would be here by now.”

“Grim,” Moondancer said, the smile fading from her mouth. “We’ve sent alarms to Nightmare Moon, but she hasn’t responded. For all I know, she’s already there and hasn’t found the time to alert us. Or they’re not even arriving. Messages are dropping a lot right now. On top of that, well...” She motioned to the reports. “I’ll be leaving with our forces in an hour to--”

“We will be,” Twilight corrected her.

“Twilight, this is dangerous, you don’t need to come. I can--”

“It’s dangerous, there’s no way I’m letting you go in alone. Besides, if the Shadowbolts are going, that means Rainbow will likely be there too. If I stay here I’ll be nothing but a ball of worry.” The earth pony walked towards her and took the top report off the pile. “Shadow weavers are having trouble, too? Do you think it’s why Nightmare Moon hasn’t joined us?”

“Probably,” Moondancer said with a soft sigh. “She chose a heck of a time to do it, though. First the dragons, then this crystal castle popping up, and--” She stopped in mid sentence. “Actually, Twilight, I think coming with me to the Badlands would be a bad idea.”

The earth pony glared at her. “I told you I won’t--”

“No, it’s not because I want you to wait here,” Moondancer said quickly. “This.” Her horn glowed when she moved the reports around, shuffling the one on the crystal castle to the top of the list. “A strange castle, seemingly made of crystal, has appeared in the Frozen North. They have ponies, but they’re strange. The Badlands are on the south side of the country, I can’t deal with both. But we need information on what is going on, who these ponies are. I can’t think of any pony better to make first diplomatic contact with them.”

Twilight stared at her, her mouth falling open. “Wait, me? Why? I’m not a diplomat. I don’t know the--”

“You’re smarter than probably everypony in this city, you know Nightmare Moon better than anypony, you know how to keep the angriest alicorn in existence, Nightmare Moon, calm during her fits and, frankly, you’re well known as one of Nightmare Moon’s most trusted advisors. Did I mention enough connections to Nightmare Moon? Because I’ve got quite a few more. If anypony can stall things until we can tend to this dragon issue, you can.”

“Tend to it?” Twilight asked. “It’s… how many dragons are there? I heard there were at least three.”

“Two, as far as we know,” Moondancer said with a small shudder. “Good to know the rumor mill is already working to make it seem like more. Luckily, I don’t think they’re actually working together, judging by the reports. Or, at least, not fully. One of them seems to be hanging back while the other has triggered a lot of alarms. Hopefully we’ll be able to get a sizeable force out there before they actually make it to any of our outposts. Or, at least, until Nightmare Moon comes back. Could really use some excessive alicorn firepower right about now,” Moondancer said firmly.

Twilight nodded before glancing back towards the report. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m not going to be putting myself into any real danger,” Moondancer said firmly. “All I’ll be doing is supervising until Nightmare Moon returns to take over. I’m not a warrior, so I’ll be fine. I’ll expect the same from you. All I want you to do is find out what you can, but do not engage or try and form any alliances right away. For now, just stall. Please.”

Twilight nodded once more. “I can do that. Just make sure to be careful. Please. Dragons aren’t… well…”

“They’re dangerous, deadly and destructive. But they also tend to spend more time fighting each other than they do us. All we have to do is drive them off. If we’re lucky, Nightmare Moon will be back before we even get there.”

“Right. I… guess I’ll go get packed and ready to go. I hope Nightmare Moon does show, though. If ever we could use her...”

“I’m sure whatever she’s doing is important. I can’t imagine anything stopping her for long, especially at a time when we really need her.”

------

Nightmare Moon let out a giddy, malevolent laugh before forming another row of shadowy blades, slashing into and through the gathered darkness that opposed her. To imagine something so pathetic and weak had thought to challenge her. If it wasn’t so rude, it would have been laughable.

No, it was still pretty laughable. She’d teach this darkness who truly ruled the night. As if her claim could ever be challenged.

Once more she cut through the shadows, causing a pained, agonized scream to emit through the air from the ‘thing’, but she ignored it. She had become even mightier than she had initially thought, she would have imagined the Umbrum putting up a much more difficult fight.

She tore into it, her power stripping away its defenses with wanton glee. How could it ever hope to challenge her? They’d only been fighting a few seconds and already it was losing so easily. She couldn’t imagine why it hadn’t decided to flee yet.

Author's Notes:

Oh man has it been a loooong time... Thank you so, so much for being patient, those who still want to read it. This arc is 4 chapters and will be distributed over the next few days. Its been a bit of a wild ride. Got a few more books out, trying to get the writing career going, covid, irl other issues I won't get into. But I finally got these four done and another arc finished! Now if I can find the time to write them all out, woo! Hope you all enjoy.

These chapters will be heavily focused on Gilda and the badland mooners, hope you all like them.

S3 CH 17. Mystery Brew

Gilda flapped as hard as she could, trying desperately to ignore the turbulent winds caused by the dragon beneath her. Even if he couldn’t fly with a slashed wing, he was still more than capable of disrupting the air with every flap of his powerful wings. Once she was high enough she once again dove, slashing her talons against the back of the dragon, forcing him to whip around and slash a massive paw at her, which she only barely managed to avoid by pulling her wings in tight to dive.

She was caked in sweat and sand, though, and had already lost more than a few feathers from swipes that had gotten far, far too close. How long until she moved just a little too slow and got hit?

A quick glance told her that her comrades weren’t doing much better. The shards of freezing ice were coming much slower, the dragon able to tear them away before too many could form. Even Legendary was spending more time running around and avoiding getting crushed than actually swinging that oversized axe of his. The only one she couldn’t tell the state of was Bouncing and that was primarily because the pegasus kept going from leap to leap, narrowly avoiding claw and fang from the dragon like some kind of bladed pixie stick.

Where the buck was their backup? Hadn’t they evacuated the town yet? How long did it take to brew up a potion? When were--

She dove to the right as hard as she could, the dragon’s tail coming right at her. However, she was a little too slow this time and the blow hit her high into the air, spinning wildly. She let out a loud, angry shriek, flailing her wings wildly and trying desperately to right herself. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw the dragon stop for a moment before lunging at her.

Oh buck that. She pulled in her wings and legs as tight as she could and fell out of the air. The dragon leaped past her, his wings just lightly clipping her when they passed. She was still alive, at least. Though a moment later she landed on a sand dune and rolled down it with a groan, closing her eyes. “I-I hate dragons,” she whispered.

“Private Gilda, are you okay?” Legendary asked, the stallion standing over her. Up close she could see just how exhausted he was, his body covered in sweat and chest moving rapidly with every ragged breath.

“Yeah. I’m fine, I could keep this up all day,” Gilda lied before shaking her head, trying to keep the fog out of it.

“Bouncing!” Coldstone yelled. Gilda looked up in time to see the dragon smack Bouncing out of the air and slam her into the ground below. The dragon then reared his head back, fire spurting from his lips, before whipping it down to envelop the pony in flames.

Or, would have, if Coldstone hadn’t leaped over his fallen lover, a dome of ice forming over the pair a moment later. The flames parted around the ice, turning the sand around it to glass, but for the moment the ice held.

Gilda didn’t suspect it would last for long. The dragon’s breath continued to ravage the ice, sending steam into the air while it slowly chewed through the protections. She gave her head another shake before taking to the sky. Unsurprising, Legendary was already galloping towards the dragon and driving his axe down on the beast’s armored claws. It didn’t seem to be having much effect, though.

Where in tartarus was their backup? THEY NEEDED HELP NOW! She tore off at the dragon full pelt. She didn’t know what she could do, though. Her talons could only chip at the scales of the dragon, how was she supposed to get its attention? Fly into its eyes? If it was that easy she’d have done it already. Tear feebly at the scales? Useless, wouldn’t be fast enough. Slamming the jaw shut in the middle of a fire blast wouldn’t be very effective. Coldstone wouldn’t be able to keep that barrier up for long.

She had covered half the distance when she realized what she had to do. As grim and stupid as it was, she knew it was her best choice. But oh, how she loathed it already. “Hey! Lizard breath! BREATH THIS!” she yelled.

Gilda flew forward, ramming both her talons straight into the nostril’s of the dragon. For a moment, time seemed to stop. She stared into the dragon’s eyes, which had gone wider than she’d ever seen. The flame coming from its mouth seemed to have stopped as well, judging by the heat below coming to a stop.

Then the loudest, most agonized howl she ever heard came from the dragon’s mouth and it began to shake its head wildly from side to side. Gilda let out a shriek she she was thrown off, this time hitting the sand and tumbling for a few seconds. She laid there for a moment, trying to do a mental inventory to check if anything was broken.

Nope, nothing felt broken. But oh that was a lot of blood on her talons. She wondered if it was hers or the dragons. It--

She had only a moment to think that before the dragon’s paw came down at her. She let out a scream and tried to move, but her body felt sluggish and off. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as her demise fell towards her.

Buck it. Buck. Of all the ways to go out, killed because she rammed her talons up a dragon’s nose. Her tombstone had better read something way, way more awesome than that. Like she flipped Nightmare Moon off or something. Maybe--

Then the claw was gone when something massive and shimmering slammed into the dragon, sending it toppling back. She stared up for a moment, her mouth opening wide. It was the sand crab. What the buck was the sand crab doing here? Why would it-- wait, no. It was as big as the sand crab, but longer. And it had a long tail that went up and over its body. On top of that, its body seemed to be glimmering like the night sky itself, with stars throughout it.

A scorpio major? Or was it a minor? The buck were one of THOSE doing here? Still, it was at least the dragon’s size, so that was nice. The dragon lunged forward, unleashing his fire breath on the massive scorpion, only for the shadowy pieces of its body to melt away and then reform a moment later.

She then realized it wasn’t a scorpio at all, it was some kind of shadowy construct. Which meant Captain Lavender! She looked around for a few moments before her eyes fell on an earth pony galloping towards her. Corporal Ash?

The earth pony came to a skidding halt, sending sand up into the air. “Gilda, drink this,” the mare said before tossing a red vial out of her bag and then galloping off before Gilda could get a word out.

“What? Huh?” Gilda asked before holding up the vial and staring at it. In the dim light of the moon it seemed to almost glow. Wait, no. She could see the light on her talon. It as definitely glowing red. What kind of potion WAS this?

The ground shook when the dragon slammed into the massive scorpion, drawing her eyes back towards it. While it was reforming, it didn’t seem quite as big as before. She could also make out a strange, cloaked pony riding on its back. The captain. Ash was already racing to Legendary, Bouncing and Coldstone, tossing potions to them.

Gilda sighed and popped the cork on the vial before shuddering. It smelled like brimstone. Was this REALLY safe to drink? Oh, who was she kidding. It was one of Ash’s brews. Of course it wasn’t. But neither was going to fight a dragon with four ponies and a griffon. What was the worst that could happen?

With an ominous chill going down her spine she tossed her head back and downed the potion in an instant. It tasted like farts, ugh. How could it possibly help in--

OH BUCK ON A HAMSTER WHEEL!

------

Something was wrong. Something was so, so, so wrong. Thorax paced back and forth across the wall, his form disguised as Smooth.

He could feel it in the air. Something felt off. He didn’t know why, but it buzzed in his mind. A third sense that told him there was danger to the hive. Something they didn’t know was there but was definitely coming. A powerful sense that lingered so heavily in the air he could taste it.

He glanced back towards the dunes. Was Gilda okay? What if she needed him?

“It’s fine,” Private Glimmer said, making the changeling jump before looking back. The small pegasus was lightly hopping up the stairs to climb up besides him. “You should be resting, not pacing.”

“Sorry, Private Glimmer, sir,” Thorax said nervously, standing at attention.

The pegasus froze and then flushed. “Hey, no need to do that. I’m just a private, remember?”

“Oh, right, of course,” Thorax said, slowly relaxing. Corporal, private, lieutenant, captain. He still didn’t understand how the ranks fully worked for the ponies. It didn’t help that half the time he swore that half of the unit didn’t even CARE about who outranked who. It didn’t really help that he wasn’t really a soldier here either. “Are you sure they’ll be okay?”

“They’re all together, they’ll be fine,” Gimmer said with a shake of his head. “Captain Lavender and Corporal Ash are on the way, too, and they won’t get pushed around by a dragon. Knowing Bouncing and Gilda, they’re probably trying to ride the poor thing.”

“We should have heard something by now,” Thorax said with a soft sigh. “Somepony should have sent a message or reinforcements. Something. Anything. Why haven’t we?”

Glimmer paused and then glanced away. “I’m sure help is on the way.”

“We already evacuated the town. If everything is going to be okay, why did everypony have to run away?” Thorax asked, his eyes locked in the distance. Something was wrong. He could feel it all the way to his core. “Why’d they send Private Red Heart away? If somepony comes back hurt, she’ll need to be here to help them.”

“I’m sure the captain was just being cautious. You know how she is. Besides, Corporal Ash could make a healing potion in a flash.”

“The captain’s magic wasn’t working right, either. Until she downed that potion of Ash’s. She should be here, I should be out there. What if they need us but can’t tell us? What if--”

“Captain always says the world’s full of what if’s. Focus on what is,” Corporal Nadra’s voice called out, cutting off his thoughts. He glanced back to see the zebra making her way up the steps of the wall now. “Why’s everypony gathered up here?”

Glimmer quickly stood at attention. “Err, Corporal Nadra, ma’am, I was just--”

“At ease,” she said with a roll of her eyes before looking out over the dunes. “Still no sign of them?”

“None,” Thorax muttered.

“It’s just a dragon,” Nadra said with a shake of her head. “You saw them go up against a hydra not too long ago, I figure you’d be the last one likely to worry about them.”

“That was different,” Thorax said sheepishly. “Hydras aren’t as… deadly. That and it didn’t feel like this.”

“Like what?” Nadra asked.

“Like… this! Can’t you feel it? It’s like… it...” Thorax ground his hoof into the ground. “It… it’s like… I can feel it. Or… taste… it? I can… I...”

“What?” Nadra asked again, her eyes narrowing on him.

“I… don’t know. I...” Thorax paced back and forth even more. He felt it. Tasted it. Ever since the dragon came close enough to taste he could feel it. An unease. It was oddly familiar, though. Something terrible and horrible and just on the tip of his mind. WHERE had he felt this before, though?

His eyes widened when he finally realized what it was. “O-oh by… no. No no no no,” he whispered. He darted to the edge of the wall, closing his eyes and leaning forward. Tasting the emotions on the air. Praying that he was wrong and feeling the dread even worse when he realized he wasn’t.

“Thorax? Thorax, what’s wrong?” Nadra asked.

Thorax whimpered and slowly pulled back before looking to them. It was just like the hive, back when they were running. Fleeing. Dying. That spiciness that dragons had made it a little different, but it was definitely the same. “I can feel it. What I tasted. Oh no. Oh no no no no.”

“THORAX! WHAT IS IT?!” Nadra yelled, gripping the changeling by his shoulders.

“The dragon. It’s not running AT us. It’s afraid. It’s running AWAY towards us!”

------

Moondancer looked over the reports as she walked, trying desperately to keep herself from panicking. She glanced back to Twilight. “You’ll be okay, won’t you? You won’t do anything reckless? Well. Too reckless?” she asked. Even if it WAS her idea, she was already beginning to regret her suggestion to have Twilight go and talk to these glimmering ponies. What if it turned out they were hostile? Well, she supposed they couldn’t be much more hostile than a pair of angry dragons.

“I’ll be fine. I won’t do anything too reckless, I promise. You need to be careful yourself. YOU’RE the one going after dragons,” Twilight said before shaking her head. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?”

“Can’t we all be careful?” Spike asked, the small dragon struggling to keep up.

Moondancer sighed and gave a nod. “We will. You’ll make sure she doesn’t do anything too reckless, right?” she asked, glancing back to the small dragon.

“Like what, throw Nightmare Moon into a wall? Or maybe try to become best friend of the queen of a bunch of shapeshifting bugs? Or maybe--”

“I get it,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. “I’ll be careful. Spike will be with me, too. I’m sure between the two of us we can at least stall until Nightmare Moon returns. I’m a lot more worried about you. Dragons aren’t--”

“Dragons aren’t invincible,” Moondancer said, cutting her off moments before the two stepped into the main courtyard of the castle. Her escort was there, nearly three dozen fully armored pegasi, two of which were attached to a chariot. “The main force is already on their way, the Shadowbolts should be arriving there ahead of us within a few hours as well.” Her horn glimmered for a moment before dark purple armor appeared across her body. She stopped and turned to the pair. “You two have a train to catch as well. Listen. Twilight, you have as much authority as… well, anypony here can with Nightmare Moon missing. But please. The most important thing is you. If you get so much as a scratch, she’ll burn that… whatever that place is to the ground. So please. Be careful.”

Twilight gave a small nod, stopping to stare at her friend for a few moments.

Moondancer couldn’t blame her. She suspected Twilight had seen ponies in armor for most of her life, especially with her brother. But that didn’t compare to this. Guard ponies wore armor because they were guards.

The armor these soldiers were wearing now was made for a coming battle against an incredibly dangerous threat. Depending on how many dragons there were, there was a good chance that many of these ponies wouldn’t be coming back. If she wasn’t careful enough there was a decent chance that she wouldn’t be. The armor they wore was designed less to look impressive, more to face an almost impossibly deadly threat.

“Just please,” Twilight said. “Be careful. We need you. If you get hurt, then Nightmare Moon--”

“Will get a new student and probably laugh at my misfortune,” Moondancer said with a shake of her head, though she hoped she didn’t have to test that theory. “I’ll be fine, though. I promise. I’m not planning on taking any risks I don’t have to. Defense only.” The unicorn stared at the earth pony for a long moment before finally dashing forward and giving her one last tight hug. “I promise, okay? We really, really need you.”

Twilight stood still for a moment before slowly hugging the other mare back. “I know. I will. Besides, Spike will be there the whole time to keep an eye on me. Nothing bad will happen.”

Moondancer nodded before pulling away and walking towards the chariot. She paused besides it for a moment, giving one last look to her friends, before leaping up and into it. It took only a moment before the pegasi began to rise into the air and fly off towards the Badlands.

She tried to focus on the task at hoof, but found she couldn’t. Something was definitely wrong, the magic they depended on was acting strange. Messages were getting harder and harder to send. The Badlands were getting blocked by something entirely now, she couldn’t imagine what. She needed to focus on preparing for what they’d encounter when they got there, on helping the ponies there get out before things got too bad.

Yet instead she found her mind drifting back to Twilight and Nightmare Moon. Everything felt so wrong. They had the Elements of Harmony now. Then, almost as soon as they found them, Nightmare Moon just disappeared? What was the business that had drawn her away, why was she still gone? Was the alicorn ruler in danger? She couldn’t imagine any threat that could truly harm the ruler.

But if there was, was it also responsible for the castle to the north? The attack of the dragons? What if she was sending Twilight off to her death?

Moondancer felt a small surge of guilt at that thought. What if her decision ended up costing her her friend? Worse, what if she WANTED it to? At the time it had seemed like such a smart idea. Getting Twilight away from the dragons, dealing with both issues at once. But now? What if she had subconsciously seen the danger of this strange castle and sent Twilight off to get her out of the way? She knew she was upset about the elements reacting to Twilight, but would she really be trying to remove the competition like that? Was she really so callous and greedy? So desperate to be the hero that she’d doom all of them?

She tried to shove those feelings down, but they refused to be ignored.

Moondancer glanced back towards the city, now just a glow in the distance. Twilight was probably on the train by now as well. It wasn’t like she could just go back and catch up, she’d need to call the train back. Over a feeling? Right, because that would do anypony any good. She should be focusing on what they’d do when they arrived, not worrying about an earth pony who had, frankly, shown herself to be far more competent than she could ever hope to be. If Twilight was here, she was certain the earth pony would be talking about all kinds of plans and ideas, looking over maps to see what the best course of action to hold the dragons back would be. Heck, she’d likely even be considering using the heavy cloud cover to their advantage to trick the dragons.

That last thought gave Moondancer pause and she glanced around. There was a lot of cloud cover tonight. Had the weather been scheduled for a heavy rain? She couldn’t remember anything like that. So why were--

A scream tore through the air, making her jerk her head to the right. She narrowed her eyes and tried to find the source, but she didn’t see anything.

Then dark, shadowy ponies seemed to materialize out from the shadows of the clouds, lunging from below to strike the escort. What in Equestria? Why were the shades attacking her?

------

Twilight gave a small smile to the guards escorting her towards the train, occasionally glancing back at Spike. “She will be fine though, won’t she?” she asked.

“Of course she will, ma’am,” the guard said with a small smile. “She’s going to have half the Equestrian Forces keeping an eye on her to make sure nothing bad happens. If things get too dangerous, they’ll haul her out whether she likes it or not.”

Twilight nodded, though she couldn’t help shaking the feeling of unease. She shook her head. If anything, she should be worrying about these crystal ponies. If Moondancer was here, she was certain she’d be coming up with a dozen different ideas on how to stall, not worrying about if she was safe. Besides, she was one of the most talented unicorns she knew, if anypony would be safe, she would.

“Why’s it so big?” Spike asked. “How many of us are going up there?”

“Not too many,” Twilight said before looking up and down the many train cars. There were more than she would have expected, but she suspected it was more an issue of what was available and prepped to go. “Just us and our guards.”

“Geez, how many guards do we need?”

Twilight just snickered and shook her head. It wasn’t just for her, though she suspected a good chunk of them would be keeping an eye on her. They didn’t know anything about these crystal ponies, so it was only natural they’d be sending a few dozen extra guards up to help reinforce the area.

Her escort just gave her a small smile and led her into a car lined with seats. “I’m sorry that accommodations will be a bit lacking for the time being, but we did manage to scrounge up a proper meal for you two. Complete with gems and all,” he said.

Twilight suppressed the urge to snicker when she saw Spike perk up at the mention of their upcoming meal. “Thank you. Please, don’t put yourself out on my behalf.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am. It’s going to be a long trip, there’s not much else for us to do until we get there,” he said with a light chuckle. “So please, just relax and enjoy yourself. If you need anything, feel free to let us know. Patrols will be going in and out from time to time, but for the most part you two will have as much privacy as you need.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said before walking towards one of the seats and glancing out the window. “I don’t suppose there’s any information about these crystal ponies I could have access to?”

The stallion sighed and shook his head. “Not that we’ve been able to locate. A team of royal librarians have already begun a search, but we’ve yet to have received any information. We--” He stopped suddenly when the train began to lightly rumble, before moving. “They’ll forward us anything if they discover it. If they can. In the meantime, is there anything you need?”

“No, we should be fine,” Twilight said before motioning him off with her hoof. “Thank you.” Of course, once he was gone the smile fell from her lips.

“You’re not fine, are you?” Spike asked.

“Just anxious is all,” Twilight said before glancing out the window again. She hoped Moondancer would be okay. It didn’t look like a good night for flying at all.

Oh, where was Nightmare Moon when they needed her most?

------

Nightmare Moon let out another giddy cry when she tore into the shadows that dared to assault her. Whatever this thing was, did it truly think it could defeat her in her own realm? She was the ruler of the night, of the dark, yet it dared to oppose her? Why it hadn’t given up yet she couldn’t imagine. Instead, it decided to suffer and endure, be torn into again and again, overwhelmed by her perfect strength. Pathetic.

Still, it had been so long since she had been given a worthy foe.

And it seemed it would be a while yet until she encountered one.

------

Gilda wondered if this was what it like to be a pony. So filled with energy she was beginning to doubt she’d ever be able to stop flying. Even the aches and pains seemed a distant memory now. She moved like a brown blur, zipping in and out of the dragon’s reach with such precision and speed that the dragon might as well have been trying to catch the rain in his claws as catch her. She almost felt bad for him.

Almost.

She slammed both her front talons into the top of his head, making him emit another roar which was quickly silenced by a blast of ice washing over his mouth, sealing it shut. The others seemed to be every bit as energized as she was, the potion awakening every ounce of energy they had and multiplying it. Gilda couldn’t wait to add ‘kicked a dragon’s butt’ to her resume, Rainbow was going to be so jealous. A shadow fell over her and she dashed to the right, narrowly avoiding one of the dragon’s claws. However, the momentary focus on her was enough to leave the dragon open and exposed.

Allowing the shadowy creation of the captain’s to slam into the dragon, coil its tail around his throat and then bodily throw him over it, slamming him into the sand with enough force make the ground shake and leave a crater in the sand.

For a few moments Gilda actually believed it was finally over, they’d defeated a dragon. But, grudgingly, the dragon began to sit up. “What does it take to keep one of these things down?” she yelled.

As if the universe suddenly decided her opinion mattered, the dragon finally collapsed, sprawling out over the sand and not moving aside from giving soft, pained groans. Gilda waited for him to start moving again, but the dragon just laid there. She dove down to land by the ponies, her heart still pounding, though she wasn’t sure if it was because of the adrenaline or whatever it was that Ash had fed them. “Is it over?” Gilda asked.

“I hope so,” Legendary said.

Gilda froze and looked at Legendary. Of all the ponies she expected to hope the battle was over, he wasn’t one of them. Before she could think on it too long, the dragon began to laugh.

“You… foolish… ponies…” the dragon said, before letting out soft coughing. “You’ve doomed yourselves.”

Legendary stood up a little straighter and Gilda half expected him to start going on some battle cry or even break into warsong. Instead his head whipped up when… something went over them. The stars above seemed to flicker out and become consumed by a terrible darkness overhead. Then the sky was clear once more and some great darkness descended on the dragon, enveloping it.

The dragon tried to breath flames on it, but it seemed to have no effect. Gilda couldn’t move, all she could do was stare at what appeared to be another dragon, albeit one made entirely of shadows. The flames seemed to go right through it, as if where the light touched the creature disappeared.

But the flames weren’t strong or bright enough and the rest of the body remained. Claws dug into the other dragon, though he tried to fight. Rather than drawing blood, instead wounds of darkness appeared across his scales, like an infection spreading across his body. Tainting it inch by inch. The rage filled roars soon turned to frightened, even terrified whines as the dragon tried to fend off the darkness enveloping him, but it wasn’t enough.

Within what felt like moments, two shadowy dragons arose. Bodies enveloped in gray darkness and eyes a hollow white.

“Aren’t… aren’t those shades?” Bouncing asked. “Aren’t the shades supposed to be on our side?”

“Retreat!” Lavender yelled. “Those aren’t our shades, pull back!”

Gilda couldn’t help but stare, though. The shades moved to let out a roar, but there was no sound. A silent roar of rage, pain and who knew what else.

It was somehow worse than if there had been sound.

Author's Notes:

And here we go, two more chapters to go! Happy you all are enjoying them. Can you believe I ended up re-writing this chapter like 8 times before I finally settled on how I wanted it to play out? ... Yeah that's kind of one of the reasons it took so long.

S3 CH 18. Shadow Weavers

Twilight took a slow, deep breath, trying to keep her nerves from getting too out of control while she watched the mountains fly by through the train’s window. She hoped Moondancer would be okay. She hoped Rainbow would be okay. She hoped they’d all be okay. Buck, she hoped SHE would be okay. It really did feel that there was never enough ‘okay’ to go around anymore. She even hoped Nightmare Moon was okay. Whatever she was doing was probably incredibly important to draw her off like this, but she really hoped she finished before it was too late.

A loud crunch brought her back to the present and she glanced over at Spike, who was munching on a handful of gems. She cocked an eye.

“What?” Spike asked.

“I don’t know how you can eat at a time like this,” Twilight said with a small smile.

“I wouldn’t want these snacks to go to waste,” Spike said before motioning towards her own lunch, the tray of roasted vegetables beginning to cool. “You should eat too. It’s not going to look great if the ‘diplomat’ from ponies passes out from hunger in the middle of the discussions.”

Twilight gave another sigh, but she couldn’t deny he was right. Bundle of nerves or not, sustenance was important. Halfheartedly she pulled her tray over and tossed a few pieces of roasted broccoli into her mouth. It was so quiet, she half expected something to have gone wrong by now. But there was no sign of trouble, no alarms. She and Spike had the entire train car to themselves and every so often a guard would come in to check on her and see if she needed anything, but she never did. They still had yet to receive any news on the crystal ponies.

Twilight turned back to look out the window and almost screamed when a dark, gray face stared back at her. Eyes white and hollow, watching her. She jumped to her hooves so quickly she sent her tray flying, making it crash to the ground with a loud clatter.

“Whad? Whad id id?” Spike asked, jumping up and looking around, brandishing his own tray like a weapon, his mouth filled with gems.

“I thought I saw a shade,” Twilight said, her heart pounding. Even staring out the window, though, there was nothing there. “My imagination,” she said. It had to be, why would a shade be outside the train? Besides, the shades were missing. There was no reason for one to be here.

Spike swallowed with a bit of difficulty before sighing. “Shades? Really? You got spooked by one of--” The words died in his throat when the lights in the car flickered a few times, revealing half a dozen shades in the car, staring at them. When the lights came back on, the shades were gone. Or at least, they seemed to be. But Twilight found that to be unlikely. “Didn’t you say the shades had disappeared?”

“According to the reports, yes,” Twilight said. “Even if they hadn’t, I don’t know why they’d be here. Come on, let’s go find out what’s going on. This might mean that Nightmare Moon is back.” She started walking towards the front of the train, trying to get her heart to stop pounding.

Something didn’t feel right. The shades were supposed to be on their side, right? They were just normal, everyday shades. So why was it she felt so scared when they looked at her? Why was it that she felt that chill going down her spine telling her that something was wrong?

Why was it that when her tray clattered to the ground, nopony had come to check and ensure everything was okay?

------

Smooth paced back and forth, occasionally glancing out over the badlands. She couldn’t believe the captain had done this to her. If anypony was supposed to be doing reckless, borderline suicidal acts that were poorly thought out it was HER. It wasn’t fair for the captain to step on her hooves like that. Not that she was worried about them or anything. She just didn’t like being left out of the action. All of their best fighters being dragged off to fight a dragon, it just sounded like a terrible idea. She couldn’t believe they still hadn’t gotten any messages about reinforcements by now. There had to be SOMETHING she could do.

As if to answer her thoughts, Glimmer came galloping up the steps of the wall, a panicked look on his face. Smooth let out a light snicker and shook her head. “Wow, Glimmer. You look like you just got invited to be the princess’ newest consort. Wanna tell me what’s wrong?”

“Thorax,” Glimmer said once he caught his breath and stood at attention.

Smooth rolled her eyes. “At ease. Also, stop doing that. Okay, so what’d Thorax do now? Someone let him find the cinnamon roll locker? I did tell the captain we needed to hide them better.”

“He flew off after the others,” Glimmer said. Smooth had to give him credit, as panicked as he was he almost managed to raise his voice to a yell, there. Almost.

Of course, once those words locked in, any good humor left the pegasus. Smooth stared for a long, long moment, struggling to process that. Finally, she spoke up. “Flew off after the others. And by others you mean…?”

“The captain and corporal,” Glimmer said.

Smooth nodded. “I see. And you tried to stop him?”

“Yes ma’am,” Glimmer said.

“But failed?” Smooth asked.

“Err…”

“I’m kidding, Glimmer,” Smooth said with a small chuckle. “You couldn’t stop a foal chasing butterflies, let alone Thorax. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” Glimmer asked. “What about when help arrives? There’s--”

“When help arrives there’s going to be a lot of chaos,” Smooth said with a shrug. “Thorax isn’t dumb, he’ll get out of the way and let the professionals deal with it. I think we’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

“Like?” Glimmer asked.

“What we’re going to do when the captain gets back. Once reinforcements arrive we’re gonna have dozens of officers looking in our barracks. If we give the captain a bad reputation, she’ll have our hides.”

“Is that why you haven’t cleaned your tent in the last two weeks?” Glimmer asked.

Smooth opened her mouth to object, before freezing. Her eyes narrowed moments before a wicked grin formed on her lips. “Not at all, Glimmer. Because now, soldier, I AM the highest ranking member of the mooners. As such, I’ve got a job for-- hey! Get back here!” she yelled after the retreating pegasus, but didn’t make a move to follow. She then turned her gaze back towards the badlands.

Whatever Thorax had planned, she hoped it wouldn’t bite them all in the flank. The captain was going to be furious when she found out he ran off on his own. Probably even madder at her for ‘letting’ it happen.

Oh well. If she didn’t annoy her superior officers, she wouldn’t be here.

Seriously, where were their reinforcements? She swore if she found out they decided to take their sweet time getting here, picking flowers off of mountains, she might have to do something rash. Like tell the captain on them.

------

“Gather to me!” Moondancer yelled as loud as she could, her throat now sore from how often she’d yelled it. Still, in the chaos she couldn’t risk some of them being unable to find her. Her horn glowed brilliantly, an orb of dazzling light shining overhead and causing any shades that came nearby to disappear.

Unfortunately, the sky was filled with clouds, with ever more seeming to come from everywhere. She suspected the shades were responsible, but she couldn’t imagine why. They shouldn’t be attacking them, but they were. She wondered if Nightmare Moon was behind this for a moment, but quickly shoved that thought aside. For all the tyrants cruelty, if she truly wanted to remove Moondancer there would have been far more effective methods to go about it. Methods that wouldn’t make it look like she had lost control of her shades. Besides, these shades were acting strange. If only she could clear the skies. The pegasus and bat pony guards who were within the light were desperately flapping their wings, trying to keep the clouds at bay while other unicorns joined their magic with hers.

But the thick clouds kept washing over them despite their efforts, occasionally swallowing up a member of their defensive forces and, while sometimes they managed to escape, others disappeared into the darkness or were sent falling from the sky, only to force other ponies to break off to try and rescue their fallen brethren before they could dash across the ground below. Worse, she couldn’t even tell if the others had managed to rescue their brethren as thick clouds had been gathered beneath them, forcing any who tried to rescue the others to disappear into them.

“Everypony, to me!” Moondancer yelled again, ignoring the burning in her throat. This was a losing battle, though. They weren’t weather ponies, they were warriors. You couldn’t cut or buck clouds and there were too many of them to drive off. This was all her fault, if she had just considered that the night looked oddly extra cloudy this evening maybe she would have been prepared. She knew the weather forecasts, she should have known this wasn’t normal. But she’d ignored it. How could she be so foalish?

“There’s more of them coming from the north!” a voice rang out.

Moondancer cursed and turned to face the new threat. She couldn’t make them out well, but almost a whole platoon of shadowy ponies dashing through the sky were heading right towards them, parting the clouds in their wake. She wondered what new torment awaited them now. Were these new shades, ones that could go through the light? Or were the shades just a delaying tactic for whatever else was coming? Why hadn’t she--

Wait.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment. Those ‘shadowy ponies’ weren’t quite as shadowy as she initially thought. In fact, she wasn’t certain, but she was pretty sure she recognized at least one of them.

Her heart jumped when she realized they weren’t shades. They were shadowbolts. “Everypony, gather towards the north! Gather towards the parting clouds!” Moondancer yelled. “Gather to the shadowbolts!”

One of the shadowbolts broke off from the rest of their unit, flying up and out of sight. For a few moments she wondered why.

Then a few moments later the world exploded in a tidal wave of winds, rainbows and light, the clouds being torn to pieces and scattering in all directions, the shades disappearing now that their cover was quickly being torn apart. The rest of the shadowbolts dispersed, tearing through the remaining clouds and diving to catch the ponies recently freed from the shade’s grips.

A moment later one of the shadowbolts, leaving a rainbow trail behind herself, came streaking by her. “Hey Moondancer sorry can’t talk being AWESOME!”

Moondancer blinked a few times. Wait, Rainbow Dash? As grateful as she was for the rescue from the shadowbolts, weren’t they supposed to be gone already? Also, was that a SONIC RAINBOOM? Wait, no, be impressed later. Deal with disaster now.

------

Gilda felt so tired even her feathers wanted to take a nap. As useful as Ash’s potions were turning out to be, the after effects were rough. She was going to sleep for a month once this was all over. Well, assuming they survived this.

Lavender was behind them, the once massive scorpion of shadows she had controlled now only the size of a small wagon and trying, desperately, to hold back one of the shadowy dragons. The other was ahead of them and proving to be a nasty opponent.

Down on the ground Legendary was slashing wildly at one of the dragon’s legs with his axe, but it didn’t seem to be doing much. Or rather what it was doing didn’t seem to be sticking. The axe cut through the leg, only for the leg to reform a moment later and the monster seeming to not even notice. Coldstone continued to send shards of ice at the dragon, but each flurry of shards he sent was smaller than the last.

Ash occasionally tossed small vials their way, small pick-me-ups, but even Gilda knew that was just a short term solution. They didn’t last long enough and even if they were powerful, they couldn’t get any damage they did to stick. As far as she could tell from her vantage point, the only one who had managed to do any actual damage to the monsters was the captain and even she looked so tired that she could barely stand, her cloak soaked through with so much sweat it was sticking to her form. The shade dragons were closing them in and every second things were looking more bleak.

A sudden shriek brought Gilda’s attention back towards the last member of their resistance force. Bouncing. The pegasus was on top of the dragon’s head, her polearm lodged deep into its skull.

No, not lodged. Sinking into it. Darkness was snaking up the polearm, sucking it into the darkness of the dragon itself, much like it had the other dragon. For a moment she wondered why Bouncing didn’t just abandon her glaive and get out of there.

Then she felt a moment of dread when she realized the pegasus couldn’t. Her back hoof was grabbed by that darkness and she was desperately trying to use her glaive to get herself free. Gilda pulled in her wings and dove at her. She swore by the time this fight was over, Bouncing was going to owe her her life a dozen times over. Silly reckless ponies.

One of the dragon’s claws suddenly reached out, nearly snatching her from the air and she had to turn, hard, to avoid it. She flapped wildly, getting back into the air and trying to reposition for another attempt. But the shadows were climbing up Bouncing’s leg like a growing fungus, inch by inch, drawing her in. Try as she might, Gilda realized the dragon’s focus was on her now. There wasn’t any way for her to get in grab the pegasus and get out, it was impossible.

Gilda couldn’t believe it. She felt helpless. She couldn’t do anything. There wasn’t some fancy move or quick movement she could make to get in and out. All she could do was watch as the darkness started to absorb Bouncing.

“Gah!” Legendary yelled. “Unhand me, vile tainted being!”

Gilda turned to look towards the ground and saw Legendary’s axe undergoing a similar treatment. The warrior’s hoof trapped as well. However, a moment later ice formed between him and the shadows before expanding, tossing Legendary free of the shadows before he could be absorbed into them. His axe, on the other hand, was quickly being absorbed.

“Gilda!” Ash’s voice rang out, making her turn towards the earth pony. She held a golden vial in her hoof before tossing it into the air and then turning to give it a mighty buck, sending the vial sending up towards her. “Dragon’s breath!” she yelled.

Gilda snagged the vial out of the air and couldn’t help grinning. Right. Best thing about ponies. Even if it was impossible they always bucking found a way. She dove straight at the pegasus, the hand reaching up to grab her. She popped off the cork in the vile and downed the golden liquid in a single gulp.

A moment later her feathers erupted into bright, white light. While it did burn and kind of hurt, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as she thought it would. She dove through the claw, the shadows fading from the light, and straight at Bouncing. She was covered almost to the cutie mark in the darkness, her glaive almost entirely gone. When Gilda came closer, the shadows retracted from the light and her arm lashed out, wrapping around the pegasus’ chest and pulling her free before diving out and away. A moment later the bright light from her feathers disappeared, leaving her slightly singed and tingling all over.

“You okay?” Gilda asked.

“By Celestia’s mane,” Bouncing said before breaking into coughs, her hooves covering her face.

“What’s wrong?” Gilda asked.

“Your breath. I’ve smelled landfills that smelled better,” Bouncing said. “But I’m fine. You?”

The griffon snickered and rolled her eyes. “It’s called dragon’s breath. I-- hold on!” She pulled in her wings and narrowly missed a swipe of the dragon’s claw. However, while she avoided the darkness of the assault, she was far too close to the ground and the movement caused the pair of them to crash into the sand, skidding and separating them before they rolled to a stop.

“Bouncing!” Coldstone yelled, the unicorn galloping over to check on them, ignoring the downed griffon.

“Oh my precious little frosty boo,” Bouncing said, smiling up at him. “I lost my stick.”

“Oh my little bouncing butterfly, I’ll get you a new one, no, a dozen new ones,” he said, gently rubbing his nose against hers. “Are you hurt?”

“Only everywhere, but seeing your breathtaking face makes me forget about all that,” Bouncing said with a happy, content sigh.

“I’m fine, by the way,” Gilda said before, with more difficulty than she cared to admit, she got back to a standing position. Despite the duo’s flirting, she suspected they weren’t doing much better. Especially considering Bouncing hadn’t gotten to her hooves yet and Coldstone, despite his adoring words, hadn’t picked her up. Legendary and Ash weren’t looking much better, the former collapsed on the sand a few feet away and the latter desperately rummaging through her saddle as if she hoped she’d magically find something that would get them out of this predicament.

Then, just to make matters worse, Lavender came backing up to them, the tip of her horn lightly sputtering before the shadowy scorpion flickered out of existence. The captain collapsed to her knees, panting with exertion, as the second shadowy dragon began to advance on them.

Gilda stretched out her wings and let out a light hiss of pain. “Any more bright ideas?” she asked. “Ash?”

“I’ve only got one of these potions left,” Ash said before pulling out a small, red vial. “Other than that, unless you all have been poisoned or need to change colors, I’ve got nothing.”

“If… we die on this day…” Legendary said before slowly climbing to his hooves, only to collapse a moment later. “I am glad… I died amidst… fellow noble warriors like yourselves…”

“What?” Gilda asked. “Die? You’re--”

“Nopony dies,” Lavender said through gritted teeth. “Ash, is that what I think it is? Give me it.”

Ash shook her head rapidly. “Captain, that’s not advised. You’ve already had two, a third could kill you.”

Gilda looked between the pair, cocking her head to the side. “Isn’t that the stuff you gave us?”

Ash nodded, but before she could object, the vial was lifted up in an aura of telekinetic magic and flew to Coldstone. “With all due respect, captain, if anypony is going to be doing a last hurrah, it should be me. My magic isn’t being affected by--”

“Private Coldstone,” Lavender said before getting to her hooves. “Give me that potion, that is an order.”

“Ma’am, I can’t--” Coldstone started, only to be cut off by the captain.

“Can’t teleport ponies? No, you can’t. But I can,” Lavender said. “Don’t make my final order be court marshaling you for disobeying a superior officer’s orders.”

Everypony went silent then, every eye on the captain. Finally, Bouncing slowly climbed to her hooves. “Captain, you can’t mean to--”

“One of us or all of us, private,” Lavender said. “Coldstone, we don’t have time.”

“But what if--” Coldstone tried to speak up, but was cut off again.

“The world is filled with what if’s. Focus on what is. And this is our only option now,” Lavender said. “Tell Smooth to get everypony out of here and keep retreating until reinforcements arrive. Don’t engage. Whatever these are, we need more than us to face them. Those are my final orders. They--”

“GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!” an all too familiar voice screamed out before rings of bright, purple light washed over them and the approaching dragons.

------

Thorax flapped his wings as quickly as he could, struggling desperately to find them. But he couldn’t. The last thing he had felt was that strange, draconic fear. But now it was gone and he could just catch little tastes of them. He knew they had to be this way, but he didn’t know how far he was.

If only he had been a better flier. A better tracker. If only he had gone himself to help. Why hadn’t he at least offered to go with them? Why was it so hard to find two dragons in this sand covered wasteland?

He paused for a moment when he caught a taste of something else that was far, far stronger. Just for a moment. Love. He quickly took off towards it. Thank you emergency ipecac. They weren’t that far off, either. He wondered why he couldn’t hear them. He’d always known dragons to be pretty loud, but now it was so quiet.

He almost stopped when he caught a taste of something else now. Fear. Despair. Determination. Sadness. Exhaustion. And then something else, something he couldn’t place. As if there were two other things there, except they were devoid of emotion. Or just echoing them, rather than having any themselves. Just strange echoes of feelings, fears, pain, sadness. Echoes of the dragon’s own fear.

The others were in trouble. Even if he couldn’t see it, he could taste it. They needed him, they--

What?

Thorax began to slow down, staring off ahead. They needed help, certainly. They were doomed. But what could he possibly do? He was just one changeling. Alone, no hive, nothing. Why had he even run off to begin with? They were just food. They gave him care, he did favors for them. They were a transaction at best, a packaged meal to go. He shouldn’t be here, he should be back with the others. Waiting to retreat if need be. He started to turn, except he couldn’t.

Try as he might, he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. He couldn’t help them, there was nothing he could to to make things better. If they were going to meet their end, what did he care? He still had the others, he could feed off them. He didn’t need Gilda. He didn’t need any of them. They certainly didn’t need him, he couldn’t face a dragon or whatever it was that had defeated a dragon. So why even try? Why rush headfirst into an impossible situation, knowing he’d die for it?

Thorax tried to turn away again but he couldn’t. He had to keep going. They weren’t part of the hive, they weren’t important to his survival, they weren’t needed. He was fine. He couldn’t help them. So why go to his death? Why try?

He loved them.

Stupid as it was, insane as it was, Thorax couldn’t deny it. He loved them. They were his friends. Like brothers or sisters. Like members of the hive. No, better than members of the hive. They chose to be his friends and, in many cases, he chose to be theirs. They were a family. Together. He was a changeling, he couldn’t love someone. He could only manipulate them into loving him. Yet he loved them. The idea of never seeing them again made him hurt in a way that the gnawing pain of starvation couldn’t even come close to. They weren’t just food, they were his friends. They were his family. And they needed him.

He needed them. Not for their food. Not for their love. Not for their protection. But for them.

Flapping his wings as quickly as he could, Thorax felt something inside himself begin to warm. Overheating, maybe? Was he going too fast? Pushing himself too hard?

He didn’t care.

They needed him.

What if the two dragons were still there? No changeling could fight a dragon.

They needed him.

What if all he did was buy them a few seconds, could it be worth it?

They needed him.

Finally he saw them. Little bits of color amidst the dark sands. Two massive, dark creatures penning them in. Ponies and griffon standing together against the encroaching darkness, a fruitless effort. Even from here he could see that they were hurt, exhausted. He couldn’t help.

But they needed him and he would NOT let them down.

Thorax put one last burst of speed on, dashing forward as quickly as he could. “GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS!” he yelled before gathering his magic into his horn. Except, rather than coming out in a beam of green magic, instead his horn erupted in a strange wave of purple. A cocoon of his magic enveloped him suddenly before waves of purple magic erupted out. What in the world was happening to him? What was going on? That warmth in his chest was only getting stronger, burning him out from the inside. It didn’t hurt, though. It was nice.

The cocoon around him exploded out and he felt stronger, faster, more powerful than he’d ever felt in his life. Powerful enough to make a difference. Powerful enough to help.

Powerful enough to save his friends.

Also he was bright green, he had two extra horns on his head, he was definitely taller and his wings were just absolutely fabulous. He didn’t know what any of it meant or why it happened, but he couldn’t give up this chance. He gathered his power in between his new horns and unleashed it on the shadow dragons. Purple light washed over them and, to his amazement, it worked. The creatures seemed to melt away from it, fading and pulling back from his friends. Giving them space.

But he could still taste them and, unfortunately, he didn’t feel pain. He felt a little fear, but only a hint. While he had bought them time, his new powers didn’t seem to be enough to defeat these monsters on their own. Still, he could help. He dove down towards the others, his heart pounding be he skidded to a stop in front of Captain Lavender, quickly giving her a salute. “Private Thorax reporting for duty, sir! I mean, ma’am!”

Lavender stared at him for a few moments before sighing. “First of all, you’re not a private. Second of all, you’re not even recruited, there’s no need to salute. Third, what, no, who are you even supposed to be right now?”

“I was drafted, ma’am!” Thorax said, not lowering the salute. “And I’m not sure, it just kind of happened!”

Lavender cocked an eye. “Drafted? Oh? Who by?”

“Myself,” Thorax said firmly.

“Heh,” Lavender said, a smile forming on her lips. “At ease then, soldier.”

“Oh dear, Smooth is going to be furious,” Bouncing said softly.

“What? Why?” Thorax asked before lowering his leg.

“You got a laugh out of the captain,” Bouncing said. “We weren’t sure that shadow weavers even could laugh. I just made twenty bits.”

“We can laugh at things that are amusing,” Lavender said.

“Smooth has been trying for ages,” Bouncing said with a light giggle.

“I said things that are amusing,” Lavender said before turning back towards the shifting masses of shadows. “A drafted changeling that doesn’t even know the ranks, what is Equestria coming to?” she asked before shaking her head. “Thorax, is that your doing?”

“My doing? What?” Thorax asked.

“I feel… well, a bit better. Can stand now,” Gilda said before stretching out her wings. “Don’t get me wrong, every part of me hurts, but I can at least walk now. Good job, Thorax.”

The changeling’s cheeks went red. They did look better, at least. Hurt, tired, beaten. But they were rising up. “I don’t know, maybe? I just… I ummm… well, I guess what they said before was…”

“They?” Lavender asked.

“Uhhh, the visitors from the capital. Errr… the pale, yellow one,” Thorax said.

“Moondancer,” Lavender said. The smile vanished from her lips and she turned towards the dragons. Her horn glimmered a moment later and the vial held by Coldstone was yanked from his grip and brought to her.

“Ma’am!” Coldstone said, taking a step back but stopped when she raised her hoof.

“Very well, Thorax,” Lavender said. “You want to fight for Equestria? Become one of our soldiers? Are you willing to risk life and limb? Face even the most dangerous of creatures, be they hydra, dragon or even the spirit of chaos himself?”

“Yes,” Thorax said before turning towards the dragons. He wondered how long they had until they next assault happened. Could he drive them off again? Maybe.

“Are you willing to face even her royal highness, the ruler of the night herself?” Lavender asked.

“Ma’am?” Thorax asked.

“Are you?” Lavender asked.

“If I have to,” Thorax said. “I’d rather not, though.”

“There’s a lot of things we do that we’d rather not, Thorax,” Lavender said before glancing to the vial and sighing. “My orders stand. Everypony else, except Thorax, retreat.” She popped the cork off the vial.

“You can’t be serious,” Gilda said. “You can’t just teleport us--”

“I’m not going to,” Lavender said before lifting the hood over her head once more. “Focus on what is, not what if, Private Gilda. And what is, now, an opportunity. A chance. Thorax, as one of our newest recruits, this new ability of yours allows an opportunity I, frankly, didn’t think we’d have.”

“Ma’am?” Thorax asked.

“It’s not a good chance, a high chance or even a smart chance. But it is our only chance,” Lavender said. “I won’t order you, because I don’t know if this will work. You have every right to go running with everypony else and I won’t think less of you for it. As for you, the rest of you? Get going.”

Gilda stared at the unicorn before speaking up. “We should all get going. When those things get coming they--”

“Are fast,” Lavender said. “We’re exhausted. But I think we can get reinforcements. But Thorax, I’ll need your help to do it. It’s your choice, I won’t make you.” She then downed the vial before letting out a harsh, pained sound. Even though her face couldn’t be seen under the hood, Thorax could taste the pain radiating off her now. As well as the desperation. But he could also taste the hope.

“I’ll do it,” Thorax said.

“No you won’t!” Gilda said, her feathers bristling. “Thorax, you’re not putting your life on the line for some stupid plan you don’t even know!”

“You have your orders,” Lavender said through gritted teeth. “All of you. Go. Thorax, with me.” With struggling steps, the unicorn began to walk towards the dragons.

“I’ll be fine,” Thorax said with a smile he hoped was believable. “You gotta follow orders, right? I’ll see you back at the base. Besides, once I officially start someone will have to do the whole like… teasing thing you all do with the rookies, right?”

“Initiation?” Gilda asked, staring at him.

“Yeah! You can put cinnamon rolls in my socks or something,” Thorax said.

“It’s itching powder in your socks,” Bouncing said with a snicker.

“Toothpaste on the cinnamon rolls,” Coldstone added, giving a small smile of his own.

“Can you do the cinnamon rolls in my socks, please? Those sound nicer,” Thorax said.

“THORAX! MOVE YOUR FLANK!” Lavender’s voice boomed.

“Right, coming! I’ll be back soon, Gilda! I promise!” Thorax said before he turned and ran off, happy to have an excuse to not look at his friend anymore. He could taste it, though. She didn’t believe him.

Not that he blamed her. He didn’t believe himself, either. But he had to try. He galloped after Lavender, the unicorn picking up speed as he ran besides him. “So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

“We’re going to go say hi to the umbrum,” Lavender said.

“Wait, what?”

“I did say it wasn’t a good plan,” Lavender said. “But I felt it before, there’s somepony we could really, really use right about now with them.”

“Who?” Thorax asked.

“Nightmare Moon,” Lavender said before her horn lit up with dark magic. A dark, swirling vortex appeared on the front of the nearer dragon and the two leaped into them, disappearing into the shadows.

Thorax really, really, really, really didn’t like this plan.

------

Twilight was feeling more and more nervous with every car she walked through. Every so often the lights would flicker out and there would be shades there, watching her. As if they were waiting for her. None of them tried to approach her, though.

“Do you think it means Nightmare Moon is back?” Spike asked softly.

“Maybe,” Twilight said. “I don’t know why she’d send them to watch me like this, though.”

“Yeah, can’t imagine why she’d send a borderline army to watch over her precious little bard,” Spike said in a teasing tone.

“There are royal guards here as well,” Twilight said. “At least, there should be. Spike, why don’t you ride on my back for a little bit? It’s pretty late and you seem tired.”

Spike, surprisingly, didn’t object in the slightest. When she knelt down he quickly climbed on and held on. She couldn’t help feeling grateful to the small dragon, he was likely as nervous as she was. If she had to start running then the last thing she wanted to have happen was him struggle to keep up with her or, worse, them getting caught because she had to pause to grab him. She pushed open the door to the next train car and walked through.

The dining car. If ever there was a place that should have at least one pony working, it was here. For a moment she didn’t see anypony and her fears were only amplified.

However, after a moment she caught a glimpse of a pony sitting with their back to her across the cart, their black mane waving behind them. They weren’t in uniform, but frankly at this point she didn’t care. She was just so thankful to see somepony.

The lights flickered and, to her surprise, no shades appeared. She let out another sigh of relief and started to trot towards the pony. “Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see you.”

The pony seemed to pause and she heard a light clatter as they put down whatever it was they were working on.

“Err, do you know where all the other guards are? It’s very quiet now. Is there an issue?” Twilight asked. “Do you know how long until we’ll be arriving at the sparkly ponies?”

There was a low, cold laugh now from the pony, making her freeze in place. “Uhhhhh…” Spike said softly. “That’s… creepy. He’s kind of creepy, you know that?”

The laughter only got louder and the pony’s head rose. He then lifted a hoof into the air, a hoof wearing a layer of dark, metal armor. She heard it thump down on the table before dragging along it, the sound of metal biting into wood filling the car.

Moments before the things that were on the table were sent to the ground and she now knew, to her horror, what he was working on.

Bits and pieces of damaged armor from the royal guard. The pony then stood up and she could make him out entirely. A dark, black mane. A violently red and gray horn. A spiked crown. Glowing green and red eyes. A red cape with white hem. But, most frighteningly of all were the fangs in his mouth.

Wait, fangs in his mouth?

“Err, a vampire pony?” Twilight asked before she started to step backwards and away. “You’re not one of Nightmare Moon’s soldiers, are you?”

The pony started to walk towards her, a wicked grin on his lips.

“Err, no, I didn’t think so. You know, I think I’ll just go and check the other cars, okay? I think that would be BEST!” Twilight yelled before she turned and ran. However, she only made it a few feet before in a burst of dark green magic, the rather massive and brooding pony was standing in front of her, blocking her way and readying to lunge.

Fortunately for her, she had a dragon on her back. Before he could make a move a salt shaker was thrown in his face from her passenger, the lid popping off and dousing him in salt. The dragon then grabbed onto his mane as tightly as he could. “Twilight, RUN!” he yelled.

The massive pony coughed and sputtered, shaking desperately to try and get the salt off his face. Twilight quickly turned and fled from him, heading towards the front of the train. There had to be somepony, anypony, still here who could help them. She’d get the conductor themselves if she had to.

Unfortunately, the next cart was entirely empty, until the lights went out. Revealing a dozen shades staring at her, their white, blank eyes unmoving. Blocking her way.

------

Thorax was right. He REALLY didn’t like this plan. The darkness was strange and tasted weird. Everything here tasted weird, the only thing that didn’t was Lavender, who was clutching on his side and trying, desperately, to stop the darkness around them from crushing them.

Unfortunately, what he could taste from Lavender was the pain and exhaustion she felt while she struggled to move them through the darkness. Whatever the potion was that she had downed, the negative effects seemed to quickly be outpacing the positives. The only light in this place was coming from her horn as well, though now the tip of it had taken a gray, ashy appearance.

Worst, or possibly best, of all was that Lavender was right. Nightmare Moon did seem to be here. Of all the things he had ever felt, that was something he never thought he’d be able to forget. The most terrifying creature to ever exist. Why she was here, he didn’t know. But he could taste her.

There wasn’t pain or fear from her, though. There was delight. There was revelry. There was giddy glee. Most terrifying of all was the sadistic, cruel happiness in making something else suffer. A part of him wondered if this was some response to the threat this darkness posed her ponies, but he didn’t taste any concern or worry. Just the delight.

Yet, still, Lavender pushed on towards her. Thorax couldn’t begin to understand it. Despite the monster that they were heading towards, Lavender seemed relieved. As if she was going towards something safe and secure, not some horrific monster. Couldn’t the unicorn see what they were going to would only destroy them?

“Help… her feel,” Lavender said softly, struggling to get the words out. Her horn flickered for a moment, almost going out, before she managed to get the barrier up again.

“What?” Thorax asked.

“You… made us feel…” Lavender said, her voice rasping now, each word a struggle. “What you… felt… make… her feel… what I… feel…”

Thorax stared at the unicorn for a moment. That was what her plan was? The desperate gamble? Did she really believe that anything he could make the alicorn feel would help? Buck, did she really believe he even could do that? How did a changeling MAKE a pony feel anything? He didn’t even know if he could.

But Captain Lavender Petal was his commanding officer and, more importantly, one of his friends. He didn’t know if he could do it. But he knew he couldn’t not at least try.

------

Nightmare Moon tore at the umbrum, gleefully tearing apart her once ‘feared’ foe. She wondered if, perhaps, it couldn’t flee at all. Even she would have hidden after such an abuse, before such a mighty foe as her. So why had it not? Perhaps, finally, it would understand it couldn’t stand against her.

At the very least it was an enjoyable affair. Tearing apart another annoying headache that dared to challenge her. She could even pretend it was Discord, that obnoxious spirit of being a pain in her flank. Or Moondancer’s mother, oh, that was quite the pleasant thought. Maybe even--

She stopped when she felt something strange. Something odd. Pain? Was that the umbrum crying out in pain? Was it finally begging for mercy? Ha! As if she had any for it! It should have thought of mercy before it dared to challenge her, the great Nightmare Moon.

The alicorn sent another torrent of her power into the darkness, through it, obliterating all in her path. None would stand agai--

There it was again. Something odd. Pain? Not cries of mercy. Calls for aid? Protection? What WAS this? Why was the umbrum using such a thing against her? Another attempt at opposing her? She tore into it once more, this time wary and preparing herself for whatever assault may come.

It didn’t take long before she felt it once more. This time, however, she was ready. It took her but a moment to find the source and what she felt infuriated her beyond measure. Of all the things the umbrum could do, to attempt to use her own power against her was beyond forgiveness. She turned all of her focus on this imitation, her magic reaching out to envelop it.

Her magic enveloped the imitation and, for a moment, she felt relief from it.

Before she tore into it like the pathetic fake it was. To dare to imitate her own power, her majesty. The umbrum may be the ruler of the shadows, but she ruled the night. The darkness. She felt it once more, the shock, the alarm. The fear. The confusion. Hmph, how dare it--

So clear it was as if Nightmare Moon herself was feeling it, she felt the betrayal. She felt the confusion as to why she was attacking. She felt the pleas for mercy. But, beyond all that, she felt the trust. Not for the sun, oh, that she was familiar with. She felt the faith in the moon. The faith in the night. The trust that it would keep them safe. The confusion at why that faith was being trampled on.

Safety. Security. Protection. Things that the night offered to those who couldn’t go out into the light. Things offered to those who were afraid. For so many in her home often felt the night was something to be feared, ignored. As it was where the unknown resided. Where monsters snatched up little ponies.

But for some? Those who lived with secrets? Those who had to hide away, due to shame? Mockery? Because of those who would hurt them? The darkness offered safety and security. When the world closed in on a pony on all side, when it told a pony they no longer had a place to reside, when a pony felt that they had nothing else. For the vampire ponies, the wereponies, the shades. Those who the light had abandoned.

The wings of the moon would take them. Comfort them. Keep them safe, even if the rest of the world refused to acknowledge them. For those who were weak, who were frightened, who didn’t yet have the strength to oppose those who would hurt them, the night could protect them. As much as it could be a weapon of the wicked, it could be a sanctuary for those who needed it most.

Those feelings were what led to her shadow weavers, what allowed them to harness the magic of the night in a way most ponies couldn’t begin to imagine. Despite all the rumors of dark deals, violent ends, tragic lives of wicked deeds, the truth was? Her shadow weavers were hers because they, in more cases than not, needed protection. They had little strength themselves and understood the importance of obfuscation. Of hiding their weaknesses. Of feigning power.

They needed somepony to watch over them and tell them that it was okay. To keep them safe until the day came where they could step out from hiding. On a grander scale, like her wereponies and vampires. On a smaller scale, ponies who had been hurt by family, by friends, by things beyond their control.

The umbrum couldn’t feel this, couldn’t understand this. How could it? Even she, often, didn’t fully understand it. But being the ruler of the night did not always mean understanding every problem and struggle, big or small, a pony went through.

It often just meant being there for them and telling them it would be okay when they needed it most. Telling them it was okay to be afraid. It was okay to be hurt. It was okay to hide. It was okay to need help.

By her stars, what had she done? How could she turn her own power on one of her own in such a manner? How could she hurt them?

The umbrum began to shift, began to close in on her ponies.

Nightmare Moon let out a low, angry growl. The umbrum had met Nightmare Moon as an annoyed foe, the ruler of the darkness, the tyrant of the darkness.

Now it would meet Nightmare Moon, protector of her ponies.

Author's Notes:

And here we come to the crux of the reason I ended up rewriting the chapters so much. I'll be honest, having such a pivotal thing brought up through the Badland Mooners seemed a bit too... I don't know. I felt I really should have shown more of them if I was going to use it to explain some aspects of the shadow weavers and have them be a part of what alerted NMM.

Alternatively, I just finally did it. It's the story I wrote, darn it, and it must be somewhat good if people keep enjoying it. So here you all go, enjoy.

Also, sorry for delay on this chapter. Today has been a 'clean the apartment' day so I've been doing a lot less 'writing' and a lot more 'breaking down boxes, wiping everything down, etc' kind of stuff. I almost forgot to post this at all. :x Tune in tomorrow for the stunning conclusion of this arc!

S3 CH 19. The Calm

Moondancer paced back and forth, trying to keep what few non-frazzled nerves she had left from frazzling. Not that it did much good at this point.

The skies were clear and the forces they had were now on the ground, trying to tend to the wounded, find out how many of them were actually missing and awaiting reinforcements from Canterlot before continuing the journey to deal with the dragon.

The shades were gone now, at least. Driven off by the spells of light and seemingly giving up for the time being. But the damage had been done, reinforcements had been delayed and their efforts were sent into chaos. She doubted Discord himself could have done as good a job if he tried.

Moondancer paused and glanced around. Funny, she half expected that thought to make him appear.

She felt utterly useless now, though. Everypony was following her orders and things were going smoothly, if slowly. She was maintaining the orb of light above their temporary ‘base’, just in case the shades returned. But unless another attack happened there really wasn’t a lot she could do. Then she caught sight of an all too familiar shadowbolt with a rainbow tail talking with one of the others.

“Rainbow,” Moondancer called out, making the pegasus jump and turn around.

“Hey, Moondancer,” Rainbow said before turning to give her a grin. “Sorry for the late arrival, we would have been here sooner, but wellll…”

“I sent you all off ahead,” Moondancer said. She suppressed the urge to berate herself for that mistake, there would be time for self hatred once this was over. “Not to say I don’t appreciate your timely arrival, but I’d like to know why.”

“Wellllll, err, about that…” Rainbow said, a hoof reaching up to rub the back of her head. “I know, technically, we’re supposed to follow orders and all that…”

Moondancer gave a soft sigh and shook her head. “Rainbow, please. I’m not going to get mad. I just need some information. The rest of the shadowbolts are still on their way, correct?”

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Rainbow said. “Spitfire only let a few of us come back, just in case.”

“In case?” Moondancer asked. “In case what?”

“Well, this,” Rainbow said.

“You knew we were going to be ambushed? How? When?” Moondancer asked.

“Oh, no, not like this!” Rainbow said quickly and, while the mask of her uniform did hide her eyes there was something odd about the pegasus’ movements. If Moondancer didn’t know better she’d think the pony was embarrassed. “And uhhh… it wasn’t… me…”

“Wasn’t you who what?” Moondancer asked.

“Figured it out,” Rainbow said. “So, I used to work as a weatherpony. I know all about the clouds and that stuff. Frankly? The weather just seemed too odd. Nopony calling for heavy storms, anything like that for weeks. They were way too thick for what we should have had. I mentioned it to my wingpony.”

“Oh, don’t listen to her,” another voice said and Moondancer glanced over to see Shadowfang trotting over to them. “She figured it all out.”

“Not really,” Rainbow said. “I was just making a joke. I didn’t actually think anypony would do it. Dragons certainly couldn’t.”

Moondancer sighed. Of all the times for Rainbow to be embarrassed by things, this was definitely not one of them. “Right. So, Rainbow, you saw the clouds were thicker and made a joke about it?”

“Kind of,” Rainbow said sheepishly. “I mean, I just said that as thick as they were, you’d think the paparazzi were planning to ambush you and Twilight once you left the castle. It’s what they do sometimes to us shadowbolts, hide in the clouds and when we come to clear them, they jump us with a thousand questions. Shadowfang was the one who realized that it might actually happen. The ambush, not the paparazzi.”

“I never thought I’d see Rainbow being humble about something,” Shadowfang said with a teasing tone. “None of us would have noticed if not for her, at least not in the dark like that. Once we mentioned it to Spitfire she sent us and a few back to ensure nothing happened to the main forces while they went on ahead. It could have been a real disaster, without Nightmare Moon being around, losing you could send everything into a panic.”

Moondancer nodded, though she had another wave of unease wash over her. She glanced up at the skies. “You thought Twilight and I were both coming with the main forces?”

“Who else would?” Rainbow asked. “Without the princess, you two are kind of the ones in command. Everypony knows it. Where is Twilight, anyway? Keeping the castle running?”

Moondancer froze, that feeling of dread suddenly becoming oh so crystal clear. “Oh no. Ohhhhh no. No no no no no. Buck. BUCK! Rainbow, Shadowfang, which of all of the shadowbolts here is the fastest flier? More importantly, can they outrun a train?”

“What? I mean, me, obviously,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “And yeah, any day. Probably. Why?”

“Because we’re struggling to communicate as it is and I need you to go and catch one now!” Moondancer said, barely suppressing the panic in her voice.

She needed to get Twilight back to the castle. Oh by the sun and moon, she prayed she was just being paranoid. That she hadn’t sent her best friend off to her doom.

------

Gilda wondered if every pony had some kind of death wish or something. First the captain, now Legendary.

“Put me down!” Legendary yelled, as if the twenty-fifth time he said that would have any more effect than the other twenty-four times. Gilda just rolled her eyes and glanced to the other ponies. They were looking almost as haggard as him, though they had the added benefit of not having been tackled and tied up by the rest of them when he tried to do a ‘last stand’ to ‘buy them time’.

Now that she thought about it, she wondered why Coldstone even had that rope. This was why more ponies needed wings. Wings made everything better. Focus on wings and not the horrors that were chasing them.

Alas, Gilda couldn’t help but glance back at the slowly creeping dragons in the darkness. It wasn’t even their size or power that was the most terrifying (though it was more terrifying than she’d ever want to admit), it was how silent they were. Their steps didn’t even seem to make a sound, though she swore the ground sometimes shook underfoot.

Stupid Lavender. Stupid Thorax. Why in Equestria did they decide to run off INTO those things? She didn’t know what the changeling had done or how he’d ended up so big and green all of a sudden, but she knew whatever that boost of energy he’d given them had been pretty helpful and while she was pretty sure she’d ended up getting the largest burst, she really could use another one right now.

“Release me! If I must die, allow me to die in battle and buying my noble brethren time!” Legendary roared.

“Nopony is dying!” Bouncing yelled. “The captain ordered a retreat, we retreat. Reinforcements are on the way!”

“If reinforcements were on the way, they’d be here by--” Legendary’s voice went silent for a moment before he let out a single very soft, very nervous word. “Oh.”

Gilda couldn’t help but pause for a moment to look back. “Huh? Oh.” She slowly came to a stop and stared. Well, that was certainly reinforcements of a kind.

The dragons had come to a complete stop, one of them with a large, swirling circle over their chest. In front of them, Nightmare Moon now stood, her body so much smaller she could have easily been missed if not for one thing.

Despite the severe size different, the alicorn’s sheer presence seemed to dwarf the two dragons, drawing Gilda’s eyes to her despite any attempts to look away. The alicorn looked annoyed, though not so much at the dragons. In fact, the dragons now seemed unwilling, perhaps unable, to move. Instead the alicorn seemed to be focusing on something else. Her horn glowed for a moment and then, suddenly, it was as if something in the world shifted. Gilda couldn’t say what, but something just felt better.

“Oh, oh that is better,” Coldstone said before nearly falling over, only barely being caught by Bouncing. “Also, ow. Systems are back up, though. Ow, ow ow ow. Ow. Lots of missed messages. Buck. Ow. Okay can they go back down now, please?”

“Sorry sweetie,” Bouncing said with a light giggle before gently reaching up to massage his horn. “Only unicorn in the unit has its downsides.”

“If you like,” Ash said. “I have a potion that should help with--”

“I’ll take my chances with the messages,” Coldstone said before looking up at his wife. “Keep rubbing my horn, my little delicate murder dove?”

“Of course my amazingly blizzardy snuggle bunny,” Bouncing said in a soothing tone.

“The pretender,” Legendary said in a hushed tone. “Oh, if only I had my axe I--” Gilda shoved him off her back and rolled her eyes. Hopefully Ash would be able to keep him quiet until they returned to base. She had to give it to the captain, she didn’t think--

Her heart almost leaped into her mouth when Nightmare Moon’s head lowered to the two laying at her feet. Despite herself, she couldn’t help it, she ran towards them.

Thorax and Lavender, both covered in long, bloody marks across their flesh as if they had been flailed. Nightmare Moon’s eyes kept looking between the two of them before, finally, she picked them both up in her magic.

The dragons chose that moment to strike.

Gilda watched helplessly, too far away to do anything, as the dragon’s claws came down at the distracted ruler and the wounded. Only for the claws to bounce off a dark shield that seemed to spring up from nowhere. The alicorn glanced up once more and then, with the same force one might swat away a fly, she flicked her horn. The dragons disappeared, where they were sent Gilda couldn’t begin to guess, but at least that meant one threat was gone.

The griffon came to a halt in mid step when the alicorn’s eyes turned to her. Angry, rage filled eyes. As calm as the alicorn had seemed a moment ago, those eyes were anything but. She gave a nervous gulp, trying to will herself to move, but she couldn’t.

“Griffon,” Nightmare Moon said. “You wear our colors.”

“Yes,” Gilda said before looking nervously down at the two wounded, then back up at the alicorn. “I--”

“Do you know what this is?” the alicorn asked before pointing at Thorax.

“Yes. That’s, err, he’s Thorax,” Gilda said.

“We… see,” Nightmare Moon said before looking down at him once more. “Is he one of ours?”

Gilda stared up at the alicorn, unsure of what was happening now. She couldn’t help but feel that Nightmare Moon was suppressing herself, as if one wrong move would result in the ruler wiping out not just her and the badlands, but all of Equestria. A rage so powerful that it threatened to engulf all of them. “Thorax is one of yours,” Gilda said, her heart hammering a little harder.

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said, her voice strained. “We have… erred.”

Gilda found her eyes drawn back to the two wounded. The deep cuts, the blood. She’d thought that whatever stupid plan they had enacted had resulted in that. Had Nightmare Moon done this? Despite the danger, Gilda couldn’t suppress herself. She saw red. “YOU DID THIS?” she screamed.

The alicorn gave a nod. However, before Gilda could say more, her beak was shut by dark magic. “We… apologize,” the alicorn said. “But we understand the anger you must feel right now. The words you desire to say. If you say them? We may not be able to stop ourselves. Not. Now,” Nightmare Moon said.

Gilda couldn’t be sure, but she swore the ruler was trembling.

“We… have erred. Our ponies require us,” Nightmare Moon said. “Our ponies must come first. So much we must fix. So many places we must go. Now is not the time for anger.” Her horn glowed once more and darkness enshrouded all of them.

For a moment Gilda felt as if she was swimming through a lake of ice, a feeling that chilled her straight to the core. Then she was standing in the middle of a medical tent, her and the rest of their unit. Though confused, within moments medical ponies came galloping forward to tend to them.

Even as the ponies tried to help them and find out what happened, one thought couldn’t leave Gilda’s head. A few words she could have sworn she heard the ruler of the night whisper before teleporting them away.

“Rage comes after.”

------

Nightmare Moon struggled, desperately, to contain the rage in her heart. How dare the umbrum do this. How dare it attack her. How dare it think to challenge her.

How dare it distract her. How dare it trick her.

She could feel it, all over her kingdom. Magic defenses cut. Networks destroyed. Connections broken. How long would it take for the full extent of the damage to be realized? She had truly believed the shades to be hers now, that the umbrum could never challenge her should it rear its head. She had allowed the shades full access to her kingdom, every facet of the inner workings they touched. In so many ways they were her personal spies. Able to keep an eye on any troubles that may arise.

The perfect weapon to tear her kingdom apart from the inside. She felt like such a foal. Allowing herself to get lost in the glee of tearing apart a pathetic opponent who dared to challenge her. The umbrum was weaker than it had ever been, there was no way it could have challenged her. She should have known it was all part of some plan to remove her from everypony else. To distract her while it did as much damage as possible.

However, aside from her rage she also had to suppress her pride. Because while the damage was extensive, her power was tremendous. So much had been destroyed, but she was able to, more or less, brute force everything back into working order. The magics her kingdom depended on so much were once again functional, if not a hundred percent. Reports were coming in from all over Equestria of the many threats that threatened to wash over them. The umbrum had managed to distract her, set into motion a plan that had likely taken every resource it had available, even taken grievous wounds upon itself. All for what, a few hours of communications being cut, ponies suffering an inability to teleport during that time and a hoofful of new shades? It truly was pathetic that it was all they could achieve against her now supreme power.

Which was why she struggled to reign her pride in as well. The umbrum knew it could not challenge her openly, so there had to be something else it was trying to do. Damaging the communications structure for a short while could not have been its only intentions. Surely it hadn’t believed she was so weak that it could hope to defeat her even while spreading itself so thin? Had it truly desired a chance to defeat her it should have brought all of its forces to bear. As much as she wanted to believe she had just been underestimated, she doubted it. There was something more to this that just hadn’t reared its head yet. She was sure of it.

Nightmare Moon shoved the door to her throne room open so hard that it cracked the wall, not even allowing the guards to open it for her.

She had to be calm and focused. Figure out what it was that the umbrum was trying to do. Once she knew what its plan was, she would stop it and unleash the true rage of the ruler of the night. It would learn the true meaning of fear.

Nightmare Moon walked to her throne and, slowly, took her seat before looking over at the guards who now stood at attention. Anxious. Fearful. She could almost taste it on them. The nervousness. Foals, their ruler was here, they need not fear. The umbrum would no longer harm them.

She tried to shove those thoughts aside and focus on the task at hoof. “Have my student and bard summoned immediately and prepare all forces for the coming battle with the umbrum. We will…” Nightmare Moon trailed off when the door opened.

Moondancer came walking into the room with a look Nightmare Moon couldn’t quite identify. She didn’t look scared, sad, worried or anything like that. She looked shocked, as if she had just been slapped. She didn’t even seem to be paying much attention when she walked, as if she was in a daze. For a moment the ruler wondered if the mare had been experimenting with a stunning spell that had gone poorly, but that quickly faded when the unicorn came to stand before her.

“I failed,” Moondancer said.

“You failed?” Nightmare Moon asked, a part of her taking more glee in seeing her student like this than she wanted to at the moment.

“I deserve to be banished,” Moondancer said before her legs started to shake and she collapsed, the tears starting to fall.

The glee vanished and Nightmare Moon climbed back to her hooves, momentarily forgetting her own rage. “Student, you do not--”

“THEY TOOK HER!” Moondancer screamed, the stunned mask crumbling to one of despair before she covered her face with her hooves. “They took her! I, I tried to keep her safe and I couldn’t and I failed!”

“Her? Took--” Nightmare Moon went entirely still. No. No no no. The ruler felt a growing sense of dread that threatened to overwhelm her. “Not…”

“Twilight,” Moondancer said between sobs, her hooves now covering her face.

Nightmare Moon stared at her student and, only through great strength of will, suppressed the urge to crush her like an insect. Now was not the time for rage or despair.

But soon. Her rage. The umbrum’s despair.

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said, waves of dark, violent magic rippling off her and leaving small cracks in the walls of the chamber. “The end of the umbrum comes. Moondancer.”

The unicorn stared up at her through tear stained eyes. “Your highness?”

“Dry your eyes,” the alicorn said. “For you will not be banished.”

“Your highness?” one of the guards asked nervously. She could almost admire his bravery, speaking up now. She wondered if he was trying to draw attention away from her student to protect her. “Should we prepare?”

“Prepare for what?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“To, err, rescue Twilight Glow?” the stallion asked nervously.

“No,” Nightmare Moon said before shaking her head. “That will not be necessary. We have erred again, it seems. There will be no need to prepare for war.” Once more she turned her gaze to Moondancer. She then, very slowly, offered a hoof to the fallen mare. “We and our student will deal with this personally. For now, the focus shall be on recovery from this attack.”

“Your highness?” Moondancer asked, staring at her. Slowly she reached out and took the hoof, letting herself be drawn back to her hooves.

“You have not failed us yet,” Nightmare Moon said before slowly lowering a hoof to the ground. One of the pillars in the room finally crumbled from its hundreds of small cracks. “Let us go retrieve our bard.”

Moondancer stared at her for a long moment before glancing around the throne room and all the cracks and damage caused by the small suppressed waves of magical energy from the ruler. Then, very slowly, she nodded. “At once, your majesty.”

------

Twilight groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She felt cold and achy. Where in Equestria was she?

“Spike?” Twilight asked.

“Twilight?” the little dragon asked. She glanced back to see him on the ground next to her, looking as confused and disoriented as she felt. “What happened? Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said. She looked around for a moment to try and determine the answer that question.

Only to realize they were inside a cage being watched by an all too familiar unicorn.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Twilight asked before slowly getting to her hooves and walking to the bars of her cage, staring at him.

“King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire,” he said, an amused grin on his face.

“I see,” Twilight said, trying to keep as calm as she could. “I’ll be honest. I have to give you an A for effort, but dark ruler has already been done. I don’t think Nightmare Moon is going to put up with you for long. But please, go on. This is where you tell me your evil plan and I’m supposed to cower like a foal, correct?”

Sombra laughed and shook his head. “No.”

“The part where you try to replace me with a fake and send me off to another dimension?” Twilight asked.

“… What?” Sombra asked, the smile on his face wavering slightly.

“Invite me to tea?” Twilight asked.

“Hm. Unlikely,” Sombra said. “No. I was merely curious if you were everything they said you were.”

Twilight cocked an eye. “I see. You know, if you invited me all the way here for an autograph, this really isn’t the right way to go about it. Try sending a letter, I read them all and try to write back. Though admittedly I haven’t kept up on that as well as I would like.”

Sombra gave a light laugh before shaking his head. “I see. I would have preferred to have acquired all three of you, but you two will have to do.” He held out his right hoof and dark magic popped and boiled in it for a moment before a pair of metal helmets with a few spikes and black plumes appeared, one shaped like a dragon’s head and the other like a pony’s.

Twilight gulped and took a small step back, quickly interposing herself between Spike and Sombra. “When Nightmare Moon gets here, she’ll--”

“Be more than willing to negotiate,” Sombra said.

“You don’t know her highness if you think she’ll negotiate anything with you,” Twilight said softly.

“With me? No. With you, however, is a different story,” Sombra said before he began to chuckle before the top of the cage opened.

Twilight gave a soft, nervous gulp before looking back to Spike. She just had to come up with a plan. Some way to--

Then the helmet fell over her head and the only thought she had was ‘All hail King Sombra.’

Author's Notes:

And here we are, the finale of this arc... I really am sorry for kind of leaving it on a cliffhanger. I will return to it when I can and, fortunately, there's only one arc left! The finale of season 3! .... And possibly an epilogue. As much as I've been enjoying writing my book series, I'll admit there's definitely a huge rush in being able to write an arc and just post it. Hope you guys keep enjoying and look forward to next burst! Hopefully not as long a wait.

S3 Ch 20. Chuck's First Day

The Great and Powerful Trixie gave a soft yawn when she climbed down from her bed and slowly made her way across the room. She’d slept passably, she supposed. She’d had nightmares half the night, though. Something had just felt off. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with anything. That was the last thing she needed, she still had to teach her new ‘assistant’ how to organize all of those books, not to mention she was getting another small shipment and expecting some recommendations for Lyra. The Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t have time to become the Sick and Resting Trixie.

Trixie made her way to the kitchen, rolling her eyes as Daring Do and Chuck wrestled on the floor. She poured herself a nice, refreshing glass of juice before pausing and walking back out into the main area.

She didn’t know which was worse. The fact the main area had been entirely wrecked or the fact some Daring Do cosplayer had Chuck in a headlock. No, definitely the destruction. She took a small, deep breath before drinking one last sip of her juice before, finally, hurtling it at the pair of them.

“Gah!” Daring Do yelled before her head shot up.

“Who, exactly, is going to pick up this mess?” Trixie asked. “Because it’s certainly NOT going to be the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Uhhhhh,” Daring Do said before glancing back at Chuck. “It’s not what it looks like.”

“Mmm hm,” Trixie said. “Because it looks like you dressed up as Daring Do, broke into the library after hours and are now assaulting my newest assistant.”

“Err, I mean, wait, assistant?” Daring asked. “That’s not exactly what happened!”

“Mmm? So you didn’t break in?” Trixie asked before glancing around. Ah. There it was. She could see one of the windows, now wide open. She really needed to start locking those things.

“I mean, a window was unlocked and--” Daring said.

“And you’re not assaulting my assistant?” Trixie asked.

“Uhhhhh…” Daring said before releasing Chuck from the headlock. He dropped to the ground with a dazed squeak. “I didn’t know he was your assistant. I thought he was another one of Dr. Caballeron’s goons.”

“Doctor… wait a moment,” Trixie asked before glaring at the mare. “You’re that pony from last night! Well. This night. Yesterday. When I was closing!”

Daring gave a soft sigh before standing up straight and nodding. “I guess there’s no point in trying to hide it. Yes, I’m really--”

“A burglar,” Trixie said. “I’m calling the guard.”

“Wait, what?” Daring asked.

“I’m calling the guard,” Trixie said again. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not have time to deal with petty criminals!”

“Wait, no, you don’t understand!” Daring yelled. “Listen, I’m not a criminal. I’m Daring Do, the REAL Daring Do. I--”

“Sure you are,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “Daring Do isn’t real, she’s just some b-list action character from some overhyped books. While I’ll admit your costume is quite convincing from what I’ve seen, it’s hardly anything special.”

“B-list?!” Daring asked. “Have you not even read my books?”

“Fine, a criminal AND a fangirl,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “Perhaps deranged as well. Chuck, are you okay?”

“Pretty lights…” Chuck said drowsily.

“Now just look at the mess you’ve made in my--” Trixie started, only for the door to the library to suddenly burst open with such ferocity her hat was blown on its side.

Trixie blinked and stared at the four, dare she say, thugs standing in the doorway. With a single rather rough looking earth pony leading them. “Ah, my apologies,” the stallion said. “You see, I forgot my library card but I absolutely must take some things to check out.”

Trixie stared, her eye twitching. “Just what in the--”

“Caballeron,” Daring said. “I should have known you’d show your face here. You don’t really think you’ll get away with whatever you’re planning, do you?”

“That’s DOCTOR Caballeron,” Caballeron said with a chuckle. “Of course, Daring Do. I should have known you’d be here. You’re too late, however. Because you see… I already know who holds the ring.”

“The ring will never be yours,” Daring Do said. “Do you even know what will happen if Ahuizotl gets his hands on it?”

“He’ll make me filthy stinking rich, obviously,” Caballeron said before motioning a hoof forward. “Get her!”

Trixie blinked and glanced between the two, bewilderment on her face. Slowly Chuck crawled over to him and gave her a confused look. She just shrugged and her horn glowed as she poured some more juice in the kitchen and then brought the two cups of juice over to them. The changeling took his with a grateful look and the two began to drink.

“Happy you could just drop in!” Daring said before leaping onto and tipping a full stack of books on top of one of the thugs, then darting across the room, landing on top of stage curtain. “But I really must make this the curtain call!” With a mighty buck she kicked the post of the curtain free, dropping it on the three thugs.

“One-liners could use some work,” Trixie said. “But, as improv shows go, they’re quite passable.”

“My neck still hurts,” Chuck said.

“Oh, stop complaining,” Trixie said. “Nopony likes a whiner. Hm?”

Caballeron was standing besides her now, a smirk on his face. “Enough of this. NOW! Pony. I know YOU are the one who has the ring. Tell me, where is it?”

Trixie just stared at him for a moment before taking a small sip of her juice. She then sighed. “What? Is this part of your act? Fine, fine, if you so adamantly demand to know. It’s, mmmm, at the bottom of the Ponyville Well. I tossed it there where nopony could find it. Happy?”

“Ha!” Caballeron said. “Now, Daring Do, you will--”

“She already left,” Trixie said before motioning towards the window the pony had dashed out through.

“What?” Caballeron asked. “Curses! Fools, get out of there! We must get to the ring before Daring Do!”

Trixie sighed as ponies climbed out from the wreckage and then barreled out of the door. It was going to be one of those days, wasn’t it?

Wait, no, that wasn’t a ‘day’ thing.

“Is… there even a well?” Chuck asked.

“Who cares?” Trixie asked. At least they were out of her mane for the moment.

“I must admit I am quite surprised to see this first thing in the morning,” Zecora’s voice came from the open doorway, the zebra trotting up. “For destruction like this oft needs more warning. I can’t quite shake my own small worry, would you be able to tell me the story?”

“Hm?” Trixie asked before glancing to her Prized and Striped apprentice. “Ah, of course. I suppose I, the Great and--” Her words were cut off by the sound of a bookshelf collapsing. “Sigh… let’s go get some breakfast and I’ll tell you everything. Then I suppose I’ll have to talk with the mayor about some extra security. Chuck?” she said, pausing at the sad look the changeling was giving her. She had been PLANNING to tell him to try and clean up while she was gone. But she supposed that wouldn’t do. What if those ponies came back?

“Yes?” Chuck asked.

“Come along,” Trixie said. “We can get you a cupcake or something.” Her horn glowed and she grabbed another magic book from one of the nearby bookcases… which then promptly collapsed. She sighed and thrust the book into the changeling’s chest. “Read this while we work.”

“Yes Great and Bossy Trixie,” Chuck said.

Trixie nodded, but then paused. “What did you say?”

“Great and Powerful Trixie,” Chuck said quickly.

Trixie glared at him, but didn’t say anything.

------

Paradise. Oh, this was paradise. There was no other place it could be. The blissful, wonderful paradise, the ideal reward for a good, well behaved changeling that had loyally obeyed her queen, at all times. No wonder they had been sent here. Chitin licked a little frosting off one of the cupcakes, before sliding the others out onto a tray.

Pinkie, or as Chitin called her, the Great Pony of Paradise, giggled before sliding over another small tray of cupcakes. “Can you put these out on the second row? Only eat one.”

Chitin nodded, struggling to suppress the urge to eat ONLY one. Pink pony was so generous. Pink pony was so wise. She hoped she could be around pink pony forever. She happily scampered over to the stand and slid them in, right before the door opened. She turned around in time to see a fellow changeling.

Chuck?

She felt a small moment of dread before she saw Trixie and Zecora following behind him. “Next thing I know, they’re running around the library, breaking things. They keep talking about some stupid ring. It is far too early in the morning for this nonsense. So I told them it was in the bottom of the well so they’d go away.”

“And they so quickly believed when they were misdirected?” Zecora asked. “I believe their quick return won’t be unexpected.”

“Good! They can help clean up that mess they made,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “The library isn’t even the whole of it. Look at my new changeling. He’s been traumatized.”

Chitin’s eyes narrowed. Just WHAT was Chuck planning. This was HER paradise, if he thought he could come in and steal her-- no.

No. That was not the way of the Great Pony of Paradise. What would Pinkie Pie do?

Chuck looked hungry. Chitin was not hungry (for once), but she had a cupcake. Hmmmm. Her eyes lit up. She knew EXACTLY what she should do. She pulled out the cupcake she had been given before lightly trotting towards the group.

“I know not what this ring could be that they all search,” Zecora said. “Perhaps it is time you try some research?”

“Who knows?” Trixie asked with a roll of her eyes. “I need some security is what I need. And somepony who can fix all the stuff they broke.”

Chuck glanced up, confusion on his face as Chitin approached. A moment later she stuffed the cupcake in his mouth and he almost choked on it, his confusion turning to alarm… which was quickly replaced with a giddy glee.

“L-love…” Chuck said softly, a dazed, happy look on his face.

Chitin couldn’t help it, she felt a little warmth inside as well. Truly the teachings of the pink pony were wise.

“Yes, yes,” Trixie said, waving her hoof dismissively. “Though, normally we prefer to order our food BEFORE having it stuffed in our face. But hm, I suppose a few of those cupcakes, I’ll have a ursa major claw and, mmm, for you Zecora?”

“Mmmm, normally in the morning I prefer something less sweet and instead bitter,” Zecora said, tapping her chin. “But why not a simple peach fritter?”

“And one peach fritter,” Trixie said.

Chitin gave a small nod before grabbing a bag and beginning to collect their orders, using the handy cheat sheet Pinkie had made her. It even had pictures for the words she couldn’t properly read yet.

“Now, about your problem of the broken bookcases,” Zecora said. “Perhaps the Apple Farm, assuming you are in their good graces?”

“Ah, of course! I don’t know why I didn’t think of that!” Trixie said with a laugh. “This is exactly the kind of reason I asked you to swing by this morning.”

“Hmm, I am quite surprised by that, I must attest,” Zecora said with a knowing tone. “I suspected this call was in case you had trouble with your new guest.”

Trixie paused before giving a small smile, her cheeks going a little redder. “Ah. Well, yes. There can be two reasons. Sometimes the Great and Powerful Trixie’s abilities and foresight amaze even her.”

“Fret not, oh Great and Powerful pony who is quite amusing,” Zecora said with an amused, teasing tone. “This morning has already been far more interesting than merely snoozing.”

“Your order,” Chitin said before scooting the bag closer.

“Hm? Right, yes, yes,” Trixie said before flinging some bits on the counter before pulling the bag to her and trotting back out the door, distributing the breakfast as they went.

Chitin couldn’t help feeling a small, strange warmth in her still. Maybe she should talk to the pink pony about sending cupcakes to the other changelings who were here. It felt nice to follow Pinkie’s lessons. Like she was being an even better changeling.

She cocked her head to the side as suddenly four weird ponies, soaking wet, suddenly started CHASING Chuck and the others. She shrugged. Eh, it was probably nothing. Ponies were weird, anyway. It was hardly the first time she’d seen them chase each other.

“Congratulations on your first customer!” Pinkie said from behind her, before confetti exploded around her. “And your first gift!”

Chitin’s eyes went wide. She had TWO cupcakes now.

Best. Paradise. EVER.

Author's Notes:

And so it begins, again! The return of Twilight Glow. These first two chapters are a bit soft to get me back into things, a light little side story before Nightmare Moon and Moondancer make their move. Hope you enjoy. This time, I intend to finish the entirety of this season, so it can close out until I have time to finish the rest of the story. Hopefully no more big cliffhanger waiting. Also, decided well... to add the author notes from my original works here, if people want to connect with me on those or connect with my discord.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 21. Ring of Scorchero

Fang could do this. He was a strong, powerful changeling who wasn’t afraid of anything. No matter what. He wasn’t frightened. He wasn’t… Okay, no, he was terrified. But third time was the charm, right? Slowly he tip hoofed through the entranceway.

The rooster turned towards him the moment he stepped inside and he felt his heart almost stop. No no. Please no. Alas, he stood no chance. It let out a mighty cry before charging at him.

Fang let out a shriek before he turned tail and fled, trying to escape the wrath of the angry chicken and fleeing the coop “No no no back back AHHHH!” Without anywhere to escape, he took the only avenue open to him. Up. He flew through the air, landing on top of the chicken coop and peered over the edge, down at the fierce, angry rooster.

The rooster gave a light hmph before strutting away, back into the coop.

“Yah got the eggs?” Applebloom yelled up at him.

“… Yes,” Fang called down.

“Are yah telling the truth?” Applebloom asked.

“No,” Fang said dejectedly. “Please don’t be disappointed.”

Applebloom gave a sigh before rolling her eyes. “It’s fine. Maybe the chickens were a bit much for yah on your first day. Yah are a bit…” She paused and glanced back to Granny Smith, who just shrugged. “Buggy.”

“The guardian of the coop is deadly,” Fang said. “Are eggs truly necessary?”

“How about yah go help Applejack with the fence? I’ll do this. That okay?” Applebloom asked the eldest earth pony, who merely nodded. The filly thenhopped the fence and trotted into the coop. Fang cringed when he heard the sound of the great rooster arising again. He then heard a light thump. “Oh knock it off, yah big feather-duster.”

Fang stared down from his vantage point to see the rooster retreat from the coop. Truly, ponies were dangerous, deadly creatures. He lightly flew from the coop and over the fence, buzzing lightly and barely clearing it. His stomach felt like it was sticking to his ribs, but he tried to ignore it.

Oh, there was love here, certainly, but not enough. Applejack, Big Mac and Granny Smith had love for each other, but there wasn’t much to spare for him. Applebloom, on the other hoof, well… she had a little to spare for everypony. Even him. But it wasn’t much and he wasn’t sure how well it would sustain him. Especially if he was doing this hard, menial labor. He was built for cuddling, snuggling and nibbling. Not fighting off vengeful chickens and kicking trees.

His queen gave him an order, he would follow it. Even if he wasted away doing it. For the hive. He trotted a little faster until he caught sight of the older earth pony.

“Hm?” Applejack asked when she caught sight of him. “Done with the chickens already? Where’s Applebloom?”

“She sent me to help you,” Fang said softly. “The guardian chicken did not approve of me entering his lair.”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “And Granny Smith?”

“She’s still keeping an eye on Applebloom,” Fang said. He didn’t need to be able to taste the distrust on the earth pony to know how she felt about that, the way she was looking at him. Even if he wanted to hurt her it wasn’t as if he could. The collar prevented it.

Still, she seemed to, somewhat, be trying to give him the benefit of the doubt. He hoped that was progress.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Fang asked nervously.

“I guess,” Applejack said. “Yah sure you’re up to it? This work can be a smidgen difficult. Yah barely touched yer breakfast this mornin’.”

“Changeling,” Fang said softly. “Pony food doesn’t really do much for me.”

“Right, right, that whole love thing,” Applejack said. Now he could taste just a hint of worry from her. That was slightly comforting. “Here, just hold up the boards, I’ll hammer. So, how do yah like the farm so far?”

“It’s peaceful,” Fang said before trotting forward and moving where she told him, holding the boards in place while she hammered. “Mostly.”

“Mostly?” Applejack asked.

“The hammer is loud,” Fang said. How she managed to talk while holding it in her mouth like that he couldn’t imagine. Lots of practice, he supposed. He’d always just shapeshifted into something with hands when he needed to grip something, how she did it she’d never understand.

“Mmm hm, fair ‘nough,” Applejack said before she started hammering a bit more. An awkward silence hung over the air.

“It’s not as scary,” Fang finally said.

“Scary?” Applejack asked before letting the hammer fall onto the ground. “Yah all can turn into anything yah all wanna. What’d be scary?”

“Hydras, crag eels, dozens of other predators,” Fang said. “Especially as the hive’s strength collapsed more and more. The warrior drones were less able to drive off threats every year, so those who slept on the edges of the hive were often at risk of being attacked.” Also, the last to be fed in many cases. He left that part out, though.

“Oh,” Applejack said. “That, uhhhh, that doesn’t sound very nice. Happen often?”

The concern only seemed to grow, sadly there was no love. Strange. Having concern for something she distrusted so. Ponies were so weird. “Often enough.”

“How uhhh… does that love thing work?” Applejack asked.

“What do you mean?” Fang asked.

“You eat from it, right?” Applejack asked. “How’s it work? How do you do that?”

“Well, we feed off it to sustain ourselves,” Fang said. “We can get some out of the air itself, if there’s love nearby. But usually we feed off ponies best who love the pony we’re pretending to be.”

“And, uhhh, if nopony loves you and you can’t shift into something else?” Applejack asked.

Fang gave a soft sigh. “We starve to death. It takes a long, long while though.”

Applejack gave a small, sheepish nod. “That doesn’t sound very pleasant.”

“It’s not,” Fang said. Once more silence reigned and he could feel the awkwardness in the air. “If there is love, it’s like we feed off the energy of whoever is giving the love.”

“Like a parasite,” Applejack said.

Fang cringed. He could feel the sudden rush of dislike from the earth pony, but then he felt the guilt. She wasn’t wrong, though. “It’s what we are.”

“Yah ever try like… willingly getting love?” Applejack asked. “From others? Without invading? Or even loving each other?”

“That’s what we’re doing here, isn’t it?” Fang asked. “Changelings can’t love, though. We’re not capable of it.”

“That’s pretty rough,” Applejack said with a sigh. “Sorry. Ah uhhh, wish ah could help. Just don’t feel right having yah work on the farm when we can’t even feed you.”

Fang gave a shrug. “It is what it is.”

Applejack sighed and then shook her head. “Just cause it is that way doesn’t mean it should be that way. Listen, ah don’t really trust yah, but if yer gonna be on the farm we’re gonna needta figure something out. It’s hard work out here an’ ah can’t have yah starvin’ over--”

“Ah, Applejack!” Trixie’s voice echoed through the fields, making Applejack cringe.

“Put a pin in that and we can talk after,” Applejack said before turning towards the approaching unicorn.

Fang blinked a few times. What was he supposed to put a pin in? The fence? Was he supposed to get pins? Where were the pins? He shrugged and then turned to see the approaching unicorn, only to realize a moment later that Chuck was with her, as was Zecora.

“Just the pony I was hoping to see,” Trixie said before rearing, fireworks going off behind her. Fang at least knew where they came from, he just wished he understood why. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has need of your services!”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “What yah need, Trixie?”

“The library has been positively ransacked by a group of performance actors! The stage, the curtain and even a few of the bookshelves have been positively shattered!” Trixie said.

Applejack stared at her for a few moments, her mouth falling open. “Wait, they were broken by what now?”

“Performance actors,” Trixie said. “Why, those scoundrels even chased us half the way here before we gave them the slip thanks to my magnificent performance!”

“I thought it was because Zecora used that dust powder,” Chuck asked.

“Most performers have assistants!” Trixie said quickly. “And, as the greatest performer it stands to reason that I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, would have the greatest assistant!”

“What?” Applejack asked. “So, wait, yah all are being chased by a bunch of actors? Why? Huh?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Trixie said. “I’ll deal with them in due time. They apparently want some weird ring or something. The important thing is I need somepony who is capable of repairing the library and I know of very few ponies who are quite as talented as you with the hammer.”

“Uh huh,” Applejack said. “Ah guess I’ll try an’ swing by once ah finish with this fence. But, uhhh, yah sure yah don’t need some help with the rest of it?”

“Nonsense,” Trixie said with a hmph. “I, the Great and Powerful Trixie am more than capable of dealing with a few over enthusiastic performers.”

“Uh huh,” Applejack said before glancing to Zecora. “And how about you?”

“Oh, despite how things may appear, they are not as bad as they may look,” the zebra said with an amused chuckle. “Though I do wish our grand performer here would, ahhhh, have read this particular book.”

Trixie blinked a few times, a confused look on her face. “And what is THAT supposed to mean?”

“It means, dear magician of flash and fire,” Zecora said. “This morning has been quite amusing to see despite how we perspire. While pony tales I rarely pursue, even I can identify the pegasus who Daringly Do. While it had seemed once that it was merely fiction, after today believing that feels like a contradiction.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“I think she just said she is,” Chuck said.

“I know what she said!” Trixie shrieked before rolling her eyes. “I do not need a translator for my number one assistant and apprentice, thank you very much.”

Applejack just cocked an eye at the zebra, who smiled back. “I would not fret, young Applejack. Trixie may be crass and loud, but most would be wise to her not attack. We will get to the bottom of the item they so desperately cling, once we get an opportunity to ask about this ring.”

Trixie looked between them before giving an annoyed sigh. “Fine. Thank you, Applejack. At least SOMEPONY here is being HELPFUL.” She then turned and trotted away, the other two following her.

Fang watched them leave, confusion on his features before turning to Applejack. He was about to ask, but he realized he could taste the confusion radiating off her.

It was good to know he wasn’t the only one terribly confused by this turn of events.

It only got weirder when, after a few moments, a strange pegasus with a light gold coat, a streaked gray mane and wearing strange garments he couldn’t even identify flew at them. “Hey, you two! Did you see a zebra, a changeling and a really obnoxious blue unicorn come this way?” she asked.

“Uhhhh…” Applejack said, her mouth hanging open. “Are… are you…”

“Listen, I don’t have time for gawking! Did you, or didn’t you?” the pegasus yelled.

“Uhhhh…” Applejack said.

“They went that way,” Fang said. “They left a while ago, but you might be able to catch up to them if you hurry.”

“Thanks, bye!” the pegasus said before taking off.

“Was… that Daring Do?” Applejack asked. “No. No. That’s not possible. Daring Do isn’t… nope. What did Trixie say? Performers? That just… yeah. What?”

“Who?” Fang asked.

“Nothing,” Applejack said, shaking her head. “Jus’ been out in the… moon… too long, I guess. Eyes been playing tricks on me. What were we talking about?”

“The fence,” Fang said.

“Oh, right, yes,” Applejack said, though she kept her eyes focused on where the ponies had run off to. “She ain’t real, she can’t be. Can she?”

------

Ponies were so very, very strange. Unfortunately, Sap was learning this firsthoof. One moment he was watching the strange, yellow vampire pony talk to the town’s weather pony about some medication for his vampire fruit bat. The very next moment a small group of ponies were running by and just stuffed him into a bag before he could object, only to carry him off.

Still, better than Discord. He hoped this was some weird pony thing that wouldn’t hurt him too much, for now he just laid limp.

“And you’re absolutely certain this changeling is the one the librarian had?” a voice asked.

“Of course it is,” a different voice, the pony carrying him, said. “Why would the town have a second changeling?”

“Why would they have one at all?” the first voice asked.

“I don’t know. Eccentric librarian? She did seem pretty weird. Who talks in the third person like that?” the pony carrying him asked.

“Bah, no matter. Here she comes! Ah, Daring Do, I was wondering when you’d show your face,” the first voice said.

“Caballeron,” a new voice, apparently Daring Do, said. “I don’t know what makes you think I’m going to let you find the last ring of scorchero.”

“WILL SOMEPONY PLEASE TELL THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE WHAT ANY OF YOU ARE DOING?” Trixie’s voice yelled with such volume that even inside the bag it made Sap cringe.

“Ah, the librarian. At least you make your… appearance. Oh,” the first voice, apparently Caballeron said. “Wait, then who is this?”

The bag was suddenly flipped upside down and Sap was dumped, unceremoniously, onto the ground. They were in the middle of a road leading out of Ponyville. Four strange ponies towered over him, while a strangely garbed pegasus stood across the field. Coming down the road were Trixie, a zebra he didn’t know and Chuck. He gave Chuck a small wave before looking up at the four ponies over him. “I’m Sap. Hi.”

The earth pony in front of the group hmphed before turning to Trixie. “Bah, no matter. You! Librarian! Give ME the ring unless you want your changeling friend to be squashed.”

Trixie gave a low groan before lifting a hoof up and rubbing her forehead. “It is too early in the morning for any of this.” She then paused and glanced up to the moon, before nodding. “See? The moon has only barely risen, morning. What ring are any of you talking about?”

“The Ring of Scorchero,” Daring said. “And you can’t give it to him, it--”

“I don’t have it!” Trixie yelled. “I don’t even know what IT is! Listen, I don’t know what silly ring any of you are talking about!”

“You don’t?” Daring asked.

“I’ve been TRYING to tell you!” Trixie yelled, stomping her hooves. “Listen, I understand. Whatever this… street performance is, needs to end now. You’ve wrecked MY library, chased us up and down this town and now it looks like you’ve kidnapped one of the other changelings! While I, as a fellow performer of the arts, can understand the desire to create an interactive display THIS is NOT the way to go about it! What is WRONG with you ponies?”

For a moment there was silence before the four ponies standing over Sap started mumbling to each other. Finally, Caballeron turned to her. “Wait. So you DON’T have the lamp that the Flim Flam brothers made? Fueled by the Ring of Scorchero that we rightfuly stole?”

“Wait, THAT’S what this is about? That heating lamp?” Trixie asked. “Are you all INSANE? You’re doing a street performance about THAT?”

Sap wondered if he could leave now, but he didn’t want to be rude. Even if he was confused.

“This is no street performance,” Caballeron said. “The Ring of Scorchero is a powerful artif--”

“Oh, by Nightmare Moon’s mane,” Trixie said before face hoofing. “I’ve had it. You want the lamp? Fine. It’s all yours. It’s in the castle.”

“Castle?” Caballeron asked.

“Canterlot Castle,” Trixie said before pointing off in the distance towards Canterlot. “Under Nightmare Moon’s guardianship. If YOU want to go get it from her, be my guest. Apparently it has sun power or something.”

Caballeron stared at the castle for a few moments before gulping. “Ah. I see. With the dark tyrant. I don’t suppose, err, that she’d be willing to, uhhh, sell it?”

“You’re joking, right?” Trixie asked with another roll of her eyes. “Good luck with that. As for me, I have a library to go fix thanks to you lot.” She started walking back towards the town, struggling to keep the annoyance out of her voice. “I expect you four at least will help clean up the--”

“We’ll get you next time, Daring Do!” Caballeron yelled before rearing and then turning, galloping away.

“Typical,” Trixie said before glancing towards Daring. “How about you, huh? Going to run off as well?”

“Uhhhh…” Daring said before sighing. “Honestly, I’m trying to decide if the ring being with Nightmare Moon is the safest place for it. I can’t imagine even Ahuizotl would risk assaulting the castle for it. Perhaps it’s time for a plan B…”

“Does plan B involve cleaning up some of the mess you made of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s library?” Trixie asked with a haughty tone.

“Hey, that was… oh,” Daring said sheepishly. “I guess I uhhh… did make a bit of a mess, didn’t I?”

“While your intentions may have been pure,” Zecora said. “The damage left in your wake is not simple to cure. If a hero you truly desire to be and nothing less, you must remember to help clean up your mess.”

Daring gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Fine, since apparently the ring isn’t going to be going anywhere soon.”

“Am I free to go?” Sap asked.

Trixie just shrugged and rolled her eyes again, stomping off.

Sap slowly rolled back to his feet and shook his head. He hoped he could find Fluttershy again. At least ponies tended to be nice enough to give directions.

------

“Finally!” Trixie said once the library was, finally, put right. She had to give Applejack credit, the earth pony was positively amazing with a hammer. Though she didn’t get why the earth pony seemed so star struck by the pegasus. So Daring Do was apparently in a few books, so what? When your home town had a TRUE celebrity such as her living in it, why worry about some random traveling treasure hunter? Still, if the mare truly did exist, perhaps it was time she did take a day or two to read through some of her books. Once she had her wagon fixed, of course. And properly trained Chuck.

“Sorry about the mess,” Daring said. “I uhhh, thought the changeling was after the ring as well.”

“He can’t even spell ring,” Trixie said before turning towards the basement. “Speaking of, before you go I have one last thing for you.”

“What?” Daring asked. “I didn’t break anything else!”

“Not that,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes before heading down into the cramped basement. She shoved some of the boxes aside, rustling through them until finally she saw it. The lamp. It took her only a few moments to open it open enough to see what they were all arguing about. Such a strange thing, that silly metal ring. As much as she loathed the idea of not having the lamp for next winter wrap-up, she was certain those pair of nerds could come up with a new solution. As much as she hated to admit it, they were incredibly talented. Compared to trying to manage Nightmare Moon, making strange heat lamps was probably a borderline vacation. Besides,the last thing Ponyville needed was more troublemakers trying to demolish the town trying to get their hooves on this silly ring. She trotted back upstairs and tossed the ring to the pegasus.

Daring’s eyes went wide and she caught the ring around her neck. “What? I thought you said Nightmare Moon had it?”

“Like I was going to tell the pony’s who trashed my library, threatened me and chased me all over town where it ACTUALLY was?” Trixie asked with a light harumph. “The Great and Powerful Trixie was NOT born yesterday.”

Daring stared at it before giving a small nod. “I see. Well, in that case, thank you. The valley thanks you. Now, I’ve got to get back to work on plan A.”

“Yes, yes,” Trixie said before pausing for a moment. Her horn glowed and one of the books were gripped in her magic before being drawn out, in front of Daring.

“Uhhhh, what’s this?” Daring asked before pausing. “’Up your sleeve, a hundred and one tricks to misdirect and amaze your audience’. What?”

“If you’re going to be sneaking around and breaking into random buildings,” Trixie said. “Perhaps rather than fighting the tenants, next time, just try a distraction. Chuck is struggling enough without getting a concussion from strange pegasi who wants to swipe some old ring.”

“Uhhhh… thank you? I think?” Daring said before taking the book and then darting out the door.

“Yah know,” Applejack said. “You’re probably not getting that book back.”

“It’s fine,” Trixie said. “It was the oldest copy and we have four of them already. Now then. Chuck! What did you learn today?”

Chuck blinked a few times, looking between the ponies. He finally just gave a shrug. “Ponies are weird, but librarians are great and powerful.”

Trixie gave a shrug. “Close enough. How about you, Zecora?”

The zebra just gave her another amused look. “With you two I have spent most the day, so of that I have little to say. Strange though it was to flee from characters in a book, happy am I that the library journey I took. Last but not least, your changeling assistant seems to mean no ill will,” Zecora said before glancing towards him. “So then, I believe the proper response is ‘Welcome to Ponyville.’”

“Every day isn’t going to be like this, is it?” Chuck asked with a nervous gulp.

“Hopefully not,” Trixie said before adjusting her hand once more. “Now then, Chuck, we still have a lot of work to do. Thanks to those rough housing ponies I’m going to need to send even more books in for repairs. We’ve still got to teach you to read.”

“So, uhhh,” Applejack said, finally looking away from the door. “That was the real Daring Do, right? She’s real? This ain’t all some weird dream, right?”

Author's Notes:

Another chapter, weeee! I don't know why, but I find the idea of Zecora finding Trixie to be amusing and coming along to be hilarious. That and Trixie just loving having a cool potion brewing assistant. I adore their dynamic and it's so fun to write.

Also, I was invited to do an interview / Q&A thing this saturday. Link here if you want to ask me any questions.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 22. The Frozen North

For the first time that day, Moondancer was so very, very thankful that she had had a light breakfast and no real opportunities to eat during the attacks. Because what little she had was now making its way out of her stomach and across the snowy mountains of the frozen north.

Moondancer had teleported before, yes. Of course she had. Great distances, in fact. But due to the nature of the attack, the teleportation used was far shorter distance than normal as well as far, far, far more turbulent. She’d lost count of how many times they had teleported after the fifteenth. Still, she had to give Nightmare Moon credit, it wasn’t just anypony who could rapid fire teleport not just herself, but another pony such great distances. Granted, she supposed it came from having the might of three alicorns and who knew how many other ponys.

“Sorry,” Moondancer said for the umpteenth time, though Nightmare Moon didn’t respond. The princess seemed more focused on the distance than her struggling student. She supposed it benefited her this time. Odd, she hadn’t expected to be so pleased to be ignored.

Slowly she stood back up and cast a quick mouth cleansing spell to clear what she could from her mouth, leaving her with the light taste of mint. She then turned towards the direction the princess was staring.

The frozen north was a barren, harsh wasteland. Mountains surrounding a cold, vast, empty plain. The weather harsh and uncontrolled, so dangerous only the bravest of weather ponies even considered trying to adjust it.

Yet, in the center of the plains was a city of crystal, with a massive pillar that towered over the plains. The city itself was untouched by the snow and weather. “What is that place?” Moondancer asked.

“The Crystal Empire,” Nightmare Moon said. “Or, at least, it was once.”

“What?” Moondancer asked, shivering lightly in the cold. “But I’ve never even heard of such a place, it-- wait. No. You mentioned it in your journal, but--”

“It is a place that, long ago, faded into obscurity. Vanishing from this world. When the umbrum retreated into their dark depths, they took it and their… hmph… champion along with them,” Nightmare Moon said. “I would be more surprised if you had heard of it.”

“I-I-I see,” Moondancer said, her teeth starting to chatter. Great, first throwing up in front of Nightmare Moon and now freezing her hooves off. Well, at least she was certain that Nightmare Moon couldn’t think any less of her.

However, almost as soon as the chattering started, the cold seemed to vanish from her and she was enveloped in a soft, warm glow. “Is that better?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Yes, it is,” Moondancer said, lifting a hoof and looking down at it. “Thank you. Your highness? Why are you… err…” She eyed the queen for a few long moments. The Ruler of Equestria was furious, she could easily tell that. Her back straight, hooves digging into the ground, a tension on her body that seemed so taut that the alicorn could snap at any moment and likely wipe not just her out, but this entire mountain range. It felt like she was standing besides an unstable arcane array that had been overcharged and already shattered every balancing gem.

Yet the queen had never treated her so kindly.

“So, Twilight is there?” Moondancer asked.

“Most likely,” Nightmare Moon said. “We wouldn’t put it past the umbrum to have placed her somewhere else, however. It took all of its efforts to capture her and paid dearly for its actions.”

“Dearly?” Moondancer asked.

“Indeed,” Nightmare Moon said. “We have already grievously wounded the umbrum.”

Moondancer felt her spirits rise. “Wait, you have? Then this shouldn’t be too hard, right? If it can’t stop us then--”

Nightmare Moon’s horn stopped glowing for a moment, removing the light that illuminated the area. From the darkness, shades appeared. Dozens of them. They started to move forward, only to disappear when the glow began again. “No,” the alicorn said. “It will not be so simple. They know we are coming. While the umbrum cannot hope to fight us directly, it is far more crafty than mighty. Even we have been unable to free the shades from the curse of the umbrum. The crystal ponies have also likely been ensnared by their dark, foul magic.”

Moondancer gulped and gave a small nod. “I see. Then what’s the plan?”

“We will negotiate with their… representative,” Nightmare Moon said. “You will ensure we are not tricked again.”

“Tricked?” Moondancer asked, before her eyes went wide. “Wait, is that where you were? Why we couldn’t contact you?”

Nightmare Moon paused for a moment before nodding. “Indeed. The umbrum attacked us. We were… reveling in its destruction. We failed to realize that it was merely a distraction. We would not have believed it would allow itself to be so grievously wounded for such a thing, but truly it was wiser than we believed. It has likely been planning this attack for weeks, if not months. Waiting for us to leave Canterlot.”

Moondancer nodded. “I see. So it-- wait. So why did you leave, anyway?”

“Now is not the time for that,” Nightmare Moon said. “Our bard awaits us. Are you well enough to travel again?”

“Huh?” Moondancer asked. “But what if why you left is--”

“Student,” Nightmare Moon said. “We are only barely, just barely, containing our desire to reduce this so called empire to rubble and dust. The only thing that dwarfs our bottomless rage at this assault on not just ourselves, but our very reign, is our love for our ponies. Now is not the time for this discussion. Are you prepared?”

Moondancer looked back out over the fields of snow and the strange crystal palace. Very slowly, she nodded. “Let’s go save Twilight.”

Light enveloped the pair before they disappeared, leaving only a few small scorch marks, silent shades and the remains of Moondancer’s teleport sickness.

Besides one last fleeting prayer from the unicorn to keep her dearest friend safe.

------

Nightmare Moon appeared on the edge of the city, the snow only a few inches behind her. Moondancer appeared besides her almost an instant later. It was far more temperate here, so the alicorn dismissed the warming spell she’d cast on her student.

Her focus then shifted towards the wall of ponies blocking her way. Wearing strange armor and helmets that made their eyes glow in green slits. Nightmare Moon glanced around at them. “Pathetic,” she said. “Do you truly believe you can stop us? We are not here for you, we come for your leader, not his weak minded soldiers. We come for Sombra.”

The ponies stared at her, not answering. Instead, they charged straight at her.

------

Sombra watched from his vantage point overlooking the city, his eyes focused on the distant queen and her student. Amusing, at least. He’d hoped to have Moondancer under his sway as well, but the two he’d captured would have to be enough.

So far, the Queen of Equestria had reacted exactly as he’d expected, as his spies had informed him. He’d hoped the umbrum could have held her back longer, but it was no matter. Nightmare Moon was here and she was doing exactly as he expected. Scattering his soldiers with the ease one might swat a slow moving fly. Moondancer was impressive in her own right, able to face three or four of his soldiers with ease. Her magic was incredible. But when you compared it to a pony who easily vanquished entire battalions with ease, what importance was she?

Everything was going according to plan. He turned and trotted back into his castle, making his way to his throne. There was no real point to even trying to stop the Tyrant of the Night, all it would do was delay the inevitable. Her power, as it was now, was ridiculous. Even if he could do more than imprison the crystal heart, he doubted he could do more than annoy her for a short while.

But this battle wouldn’t be of magic, it would be of wits. Only if everything went wrong would he even consider facing her in battle. If it came to that and those ponies managed to exhaust her just a moment, allowed him just an extra second of time, he would sacrifice every last one of them. No matter how powerful she was, she was still just a pony. With weaknesses just like the rest of them. He climbed to his throne and sat down to wait.

Eventually she would fight her way to him and he would be pushed to the breaking point. Or, so she would believe. But he doubted she realized just how predictable she was.

Because, in the end, everything came down to one pony. His eyes fell on the earth pony and dragon wearing his helms.

For so long as he held them, even Nightmare Moon couldn’t fully strike at him. Unless she desired to see her oh so precious bard meet a quick, violent end.

Sombra froze for a moment when suddenly the dragon sneezed, causing a little smoke to rise out from the helmet. He waited, but nothing more happened. He sighed and closed his eyes, once more reaching out to the umbrum, informing it of what was coming. Though its wounds were grievous, they would heal. All they needed was time and then they would be able to wash over Equestria like a tidal wave. It could take decades, but it would be inevitable.

Time that the bard would buy them.

------

Spike reached up under the mask and rubbed his eyes. Ugh, the mask was all burned and spit covered now. Ew.

All hail King Sombra.

He quickly stood back at attention, awaiting orders from his glorious liege. He was--

Wait, what? King Sombra wasn’t his liege. Why would he--

All hail King Sombra.

Yes, he was a loyal dragon of the Crystal Empire. He served King Sombra… didn’t he? He was supposed to. Wasn’t he?

Don’t move unless ordered.

Don’t tell me what to do.

Spike wanted to groan, but he stayed silent and at attention, as his king demanded.

Wait, a king wasn’t the Dragon Lord, was he?

Again his head ached.

Author's Notes:

Another chapter doooone! Actually, almost finished with the grand season 3 finale. Hoping to finish the initial draft today or tomorrow.

Also, I was invited to do an interview / Q&A thing this saturday. Link here if you want to ask me any questions.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 23. Rage

Moondancer wondered if she should just summon up some popcorn at this point. It wasn’t like her attempts to aid the Princess of the Night were doing much. Heck, at this point she was probably doing more to ensure that Nightmare Moon didn’t just murder the crystal ponies, often catching them before they could fall to their deaths or stopping them from being impaled on the rather spiky portions of the castle. It wasn’t like it was really their fault, the moment any of them had their helmets removed their fled as quickly as they could. A shame she was finding grabbing the helmets directly seemed to be impossible, the crystals in them resistant to magic.

Actually, now that she thought about it she was probably doing plenty. Her horn glowed and she redirected two ponies Nightmare Moon sent hurting into a flatter part of the wall, where they crashed and then dropped to the ground. The ruler then turned towards the large, ornate double doors blocking their way. She blasted it open with such ferocity that one of the doors flew across the throne room, embedding itself in the wall. The other fared only slightly better, hanging partially on the single hinge that had stayed attached valiantly.

The dark unicorn was sitting on the throne, his eyes wide and locked on the door embedded on the wall with a look that made Moondancer suspect he hadn’t quite expected to receive such an introduction. She didn’t blame him, though.

Nightmare Moon was practically crackling with dark magic, her horn aglow and each movement she made radiated with an almost awe inspiring pressure that threatened to crush them all. “Sombra,” the alicorn said. “So we’ve found you at last.” Her head then turned towards the other two in the room, a single crystal pony and a baby dragon, wearing the same helmets as the others.

Wait, dragon?

Moondancer’s eyes went wide. “WAIT!” she yelled. “Nightmare Moon! Don’t!”

The alicorn froze before glancing back. “Explain yourself.”

“I think that’s Spike and Twilight,” Moondancer said.

Nightmare Moon’s head whipped around so hard that the unicorn swore she heard a crack. However, before she could continue, a loud, ominous laughter filled the chamber.

“Your student is correct,” Sombra said, his smile wide and flashing his razor sharp teeth. “Your precious bard and her little dragon are now obedient and loyal subjects of the King of the Crystal Empire.”

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said. “Then your end will be swi--”

Sombra’s hoof came down and spikes of black crystal rose from the floor in front of Twilight. The earth pony leaned forward, her throat pushed to the edge.

The alicorn went entirely still.

“Now then,” Sombra said. “Shall we discuss my terms?”

“Let our bard go, Sombra,” Nightmare Moon said. “We swear, if you hurt so much as one hair on her head, the suffering we will make you experience will be immeasurable. Our rage, our anger will be unrelenting. You, your kingdom, everything you have ever cared for will be turned to dust.”

“Perhaps,” the unicorn said, adopting a mock saddened face. “But then she’ll be dead. Besides, it’s not like I could expect anything else, now is there? When the great Nightmare Moon decides you are her enemy, what happens? You end up banished, tormented, imprisoned, destroyed, dying or dead. If it comes to that, I suppose I will have to take satisfaction in knowing I hurt you as much as possible before my end.”

Nightmare Moon let out a growl, her wings slowly spreading out, the pressure from her magic making the room quiver.

“Uh uh!” Sombra said quickly. “One more spell and she goes. Twilight, you have your orders.”

“Yes, Lord Sombra,” Twilight said, her voice echoing out from the helmet.

“Twilight!” Moondancer yelled before taking a step forward. A spike of dark crystal rose up, suddenly, narrowly missing her face.

“You’re not important here, Student of the Night. Don’t think I won’t take great pleasure in tearing you apart. This is for her,” Sombra said. The door creaked shut behind the pair and, slowly, he smiled. “Now then, your highness. If you would be so kind as to end your magics so we could discuss this like calm, reasonable ponies?”

“You’re no pony,” Nightmare Moon said bitterly before her horn went dim. A moment later the lights in the room began to dim as well, revealing dozens of shades in the shadows.

“I am at least a fitting replica of one,” Sombra said before getting to his hooves. “If Nightmare Moon casts any spells again orif she moves towards you without my permission, take the plunge, Twilight. There, now that the orders are given, surely you will behave? Unless you’d like to test it? I mean, I do have two hostages now, but I hear you’re not quite as keen on the dragon one so I’m not sure how well it’d work if the first is lost. I was originally hoping to have your student as a… test, but alas. It seems she managed to escape my clutches. Until now, at least.”

Moondancer looked between her friend and the unicorn. How could he do this to her? Didn’t he know what would happen if he followed through with this? If something happened to Twilight it wouldn’t just prove a disaster to him, it could prove a borderline armageddon event. He was holding a match over the mother of all party cannons. There wouldn’t even BE a Crystal Empire when she was done, it’d just be a crater. If only she hadn’t been so stupid as to send Twilight without her.

“We will tear you to pieces,” Nightmare Moon said through gritted teeth, her gaze furious enough that if it could it would have left nothing but a few scorch marks and possibly bound his very soul to the palace.

As it was, he merely laughed. “Perhaps, one day, you will. For now I expect you’ll be on your best behavior.” He trotted down to Twilight and then reached out, rubbing the top of her helmet and nudging her neck ever closer to the crystal shards.

Moondancer cringed and couldn’t help but notice Nightmare Moon flinching at the sight.

“What are your demands, Sombra?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“My demands are simple,” Sombra said. “You leave, never return. My Crystal Empire and your Equestria maintain a truce. No interference. No war. Everypony wins. That’s what you ponies like, isn’t it?”

“That’s it?” Moondancer asked, unable to stop herself. Peace? He just wanted peace? He foalnapped Twilight for THAT?

Nightmare Moon eyed him for a moment before her gaze turned to Twilight. “We see. Leave our crystal ponies, our shades and our territory in your hooves. Very well,” the alicorn said. “Return to us our bard and we will agree to your terms.”

That only made Sombra’s grin grow wider. “No. Do you think me a fool, Nightmare Moon? The moment I no longer hold your precious bard under my hooves, you wouldn’t hesitate to launch an assault. I doubt you’d even wait to leave this room. You leave, she stays. So long as you maintain your end of the agreement, she stays safe. That is what I am offering you.”

“IMPOSSIBLE!” Nightmare Moon yelled, her wings spreading out and a single hoof raised. She stopped, however, when she saw Twilight move a bit closer to the crystal, her neck pushed to the edge. “We will not leave here without her.”

“You won’t leave here with her alive,” Sombra said before trotting towards the alicorn. “Your power is great, Nightmare Moon. Even I cannot argue that. Far beyond even the combined might of the two princesses when you banished me. But the power of the umbrum is mighty as well. We cannot defeat you. But we can make you suffer for it. So it really comes down to which you think is more valuable.” He held up his hoof, a small black flame forming in it. “A small, tiny empire that could certainly never hope to oppose the great Ruler of Equestria.” The flame snuffed out. “For the life of your precious bard, a truly irreplaceable pony, I’m certain. And who knows, in a few decades, once you have proven your willingness to keep to my terms, you’ll be trusted enough to have her returned to you.”

Nightmare Moon grit her teeth, digging her hooves into the ground.

Moondancer gulped before looking between all of them. What would Twilight do in this situation? There had to be some way to save both. There had to be…

Her eyes landed on a few of the shades. The ponies trapped, bound in that state between the umbrum and pony. Lost to the shadows. How many new ponies had been dragged into their ranks, kicking and screaming, in this new attack? She then glanced back towards the door they’d broken through. The battered, beaten ponies who had tried to stand in their way. Then back to Twilight.

How many ponies had their very will stolen by this monster? Just like Twilight was right now?

How many more would meet a similar fate if they didn’t stop this now? Nightmare Moon could defeat this creature. But if it grew stronger, what then? How many thousands, possibly millions, of ponies would fall under his control? Stripped of their very minds? Even now they were no closer to freeing the shades, how many would be trapped in the living nightmare?

Moondancer felt a small crack in her heart when she realized what Twilight would do. If she were here, if she could see the choice being offered. The lives of thousands of ponies versus her own life. A life where she was bound and held captive, a controlled, hollow shell of herself.

She knew exactly what Twilight would do, what she’d want, but there was no way she could do it. There had to be another way. But if she--

No, if Nightmare Moon cast another spell, she’d die. But if she could just free her, then Nightmare Moon wouldn’t have to hold back anymore. She glanced between Sombra and the alicorn again. He didn’t think her important, so perhaps she could use this to her advantage.

“Well?” Sombra asked. “You have your agreement. Do you accept, or does your bard die?”

Maybe, just maybe…

It was their only chance. She just had to get Twilight away from that. It’d just take a second. She had the magic, she just had to be quick enough.

“How do we know you will keep your word?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“You’ll just have to trust me,” Sombra said. “After all, I--”

Moondancer teleported, her horn flashing for a moment before she was across the chamber. She reached out with her magic, trying to grab Spike and Twilight, to push them away from the crystal.

Only for a red dome of magic to appear around them, flickering into existence. Her eyes widened a moment before a black crystal grew from the ground at her face. She tried to roll out of the way, but it was too fast, the razor edges of the crystal slashing across the left side of her face and shredding her ear to pieces. She let out a scream, stumbling back and clutching it, the blood spilling down the side of her face.

“You didn’t really think I’d make it that easy, did you?” Sombra asked. “Though, I was hoping you’d try. It is so nice to see everything go perfectly to my expectations.”

It felt like the whole world was spinning and, worse, she couldn’t even hear anything out of her right ear. The pain was almost unbearable, yet all she’d managed to do was hurt herself. Sombra lifted a hoof, his gaze focused on her. “A valiant attempt, student. But the only one who can save her, now, is Nightmare Moon. Only my magic can move through that barrier.”

Moondancer cringed and felt the tears flowing down her face. She had to do it, didn’t she? Was there really no way to save them? She slowly opened her eyes and stared at Twilight and Spike. Trapped.

So many lives were waiting for them. If only she’d been stronger. Faster. Smarter. If she’d predicted a barrier like that.

“We…” Nightmare Moon said, her hoof grounding into the ground and the anger clear on her face. Yet still she didn’t raise a hoof to him.

But she had to.

There was no other way.

“Do it!” Moondancer yelled.

“Student?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“You’re the only pony who can stop him!” Moondancer yelled.

“You think we should sacrifice my bard?” Nightmare Moon asked, the ire in her voice only rising.

“Oh, of course she does,” Sombra said with a light laugh. “Once the bard is gone, all that remains is the student. Then it--”

“Don’t listen to him!” Moondancer yelled. “Don’t do it for me! Do it for Twilight!” Her heart felt like it was being torn apart with every word, but she had to say it. “Think of every single thing Twilight has done! Every moment she has been by your side! Every speech! Every written word! The way she has dedicated her life to helping so many ponies! What would she do if she knew she was being used as a tool to enslave and hurt others? How much pain do you think it would inflict on her, how much do you think she is hurting right now, if any part of her is aware? Nightmare Moon, you know Twilight. Don’t let her final act be the one that leads to more pain and suffering! She… she deserves so much better!”

Nightmare Moon didn’t move, looking between all of them. Finally, she shook her head and lowered her eyes. “We… cannot. We… I… cannot… We won’t… we…”

Moondancer tried to get to her hooves, but the moment it did she felt as if the world was spinning underhoof and she collapsed to the ground again.

Sombra merely laughed. “You waste your time, Student of the Night. She will--”

“You already made one mistake!” Moondancer yelled. “You asked for me to be here, to stop this, to--” Her words were cut off when more shards of crystal erupted around her, slashing into her body. She let out a scream, barely managing to shield her face.

When they retracted she lay in a pool of her own blood, struggling to keep her eyes open. Watching helplessly when Nightmare Moon looked between the two of them.

Moondancer lifted her head one last time, her eyes locking on the pair of prisoners. “Nightmare Moon. If you truly love your ponies… then save us.”

Sombra gave a low growl and lifted his hoof once more.

“Enough!” Nightmare Moon yelled.

Sombra glanced to the alicorn. “Oh? Finally made your choice?”

“We have,” Nightmare Moon said. “Our student is a foal.”

Moondancer closed her eyes and just clutched her bleeding, deaf ear. If only it was her there. If only Twilight was here, not her. Then she knew the alicorn wouldn’t hesitate.

“She is clumsy, oafish, borders on talentless,” Nightmare Moon said. “Despite all of this, she is correct. We cannot, no matter how much we long to, sacrifice our kingdom for the sake of one pony. No matter how precious she is to us.”

“W-what?” Sombra asked, taking a small step back and the smile falling from his lips. “You can’t be serious. You’re going to just let her die?”

“We have no choice,” Nightmare Moon said before her eyes narrowed on him once more. Tears flowed from them, but she didn’t waver. “Twilight Glow, if you can hear us. Know that we are sorry.” She lifted a hoof into the air and took a step forward.

Moondancer opened her eyes and stared at Twilight. It felt as if time was slowing down, as she watched the earth pony’s head pull back, readying to lunge onto the crystal.

Then Spike turned. “NO!” the dragon yelled, shoving the helmet off his head. He leaped into the air, wrapping his claws around the helmet on Twilight’s face and shoved her back, taking it off with him and pulling her head back, away from the blade.

Twilight went entirely still, her eyes wide and confused. “W-what? What’s--”

“NO!” Sombra yelled before stomping his hoof. The crystal in front of Twilight grew suddenly, razor edged shards flying at her.

Twilight shrieked and, barely, managed to move to the right, trying to pull away from the crystals, but she just wasn’t fast enough. She screamed when shards of crystal slashed across her face, falling to her side and clutching her face, screaming when blood flowed.

But she was alive.

Then it was as if time stopped. The world darkened and the silence became deafening, drowning out the screams. How silence could be so deafening Moondancer couldn’t imagine, but it filled her with terror.

------

The screams of her student and bard echoed through Nightmare Moon’s head.

Her ponies were freed.

Her gaze met Sombra’s for but a moment, yet she could see the fear in his eyes.

Good.

Now, at last, was after. Now was the time for her rage.

Nightmare Moon took a single step forward.

The crystals around the room shattered to dust.

The Ruler of the Night took another step.

Every window in the city shattered.

The Tyrant of Darkness took a third step.

A crack spanning the entire Crystal Castle formed across it.

The Queen of Equestria took one final step, standing before Sombra.

Sombra would experience true terror when the night enveloped him.

But Nightmare Moon’s wrath would not be settled so easily, with the mere destruction of but a single subject. No. “You have hurt MY ponies. You have wounded MY ponies. You have spilled the blood of MY ponies. You have dealth untold suffering to MY ponies. You have stolen, again and again, what is rightfully MINE!”

Sombra tried to look away as the castle crumbled around them, but he couldn’t. He tried to flee, but her magic enveloped him, binding him in place. Though crystal and stone fell to dust, there was no sound aside from the ominous hum of the rage filled alicorn.

“The umbrum is of the shadows,” Nightmare Moon said, her voice cold and seeming to echo through the entirety of the city. “The umbrum is but a peasant who believes it can dethrone a queen. This rivalry, this farce, shall exist no longer.” Her magic enveloped all, finally turning the castle to dust in a single movement and enveloping the ponies, and a single dragon, in small orbs of darkness, lowering them to the ground.

Soon all that remained in the air were Nightmare Moon and Sombra. She stared into his eyes. “The night. The shadows. The darkness. It is our domain. It is MY domain. And it shall be challenged NO LONGER!”

Sombra gave the softest whimper when he felt her magic washing over him. Enveloping his magic. But he was just the beginning. She used her magic to climb across his own, traveling deep, deep under the ground. To the umbrum itself.

Then the connection was gone. Like a wounded animal severing its tail to free itself from a predator, it cut itself off entirely from Sombra. The unicorn let out a soft gasp, his eyes going wide. “W-what? What did you--”

Nightmare Moon didn’t answer. She tossed him aside like the useless sack of wasted potential he was. Her horn stopped glowing and the shades appeared.

Darkness enveloped them all once more and she reached her magic through them. The umbrum thought it could steal her subjects again? That it could use them to harm her once more? No. It had taken her by surprise, its theft unnoticed until it was too late. But now she would tear it apart. Piece by piece. Her magic traveled along the shades themselves, finding their connection towards the umbrum, trying to find her way to it.

Again and again the umbrum severed its bonds, hacking at its own power in a desperate bid to keep her away. Surrendering not just Sombra, but the shades themselves to her. Bleeding out shadows of magic while it struggled to keep itself just out of reach.

Nightmare Moon let out a furious, angry roar as, despite all of her power, the umbrum drifted just out of reach, hiding from her. It had nothing left. No shades. No Sombra. Nothing.

It was powerless.

But, somewhere, it was still alive. Despite her fury, despite her rage, despite her need to destroy something, it had escaped her.

Her shades were hers once more, but it wasn’t enough. She needed more. She…

She would unleash all of her rage. She looked around at the confused ponies, casting off their helmets. Staring at her with awe and wonder. Then her gaze turned towards a brilliant, shining heart. The Crystal Heart.

Her eyes narrowed once more as she gave her silent order to the shades. Her shades. Forcing them to take all of these ponies, her ponies, away from the Crystal Empire. As well as the dragon.

All except for three. Her gaze turned towards the two wounded mares, whimpering on the ground. Bloody and hurt. Sombra, broken, staring with horror. Then she glanced up at the Crystal Heart.

She shattered the heart to pieces, letting the remains drop to the ground. The Crystal Empire, or at least what remained of it, followed suit a moment later. As the clouds of thunder and snow began to close in on the rubble and destruction left in her wake, she stared into his eyes. “M-mercy,” he said, fear in his voice.

Nightmare Moon reveled in the moment he finally understood what he was dealing with. What he had threatened. What she would take from him. “The only reason you still live,” she said, her voice wrapped in barely restrained rage. “Is that you are my sole connection to the umbrum. Perhaps this world’s only remaining one.”

“I will repair that connection.” The clouds overhead swirled in a violent display of natural might and danger. She lowered her head to his own, their noses nearly touching.

“Then I will have my vengeance.”

With those final words the four ponies vanished, leaving nothing but the ruins of the once Crystal Empire and the shattered remnants of the Crystal Heart in their wake.

Author's Notes:

Don't... threaten... Twilight... Nightmare Moon does not handle her rage very well. 😅 Unfortunately, I don't think this has really been enough for her. If she gets her hooves on the umbrum...

Also, I was invited to do an interview / Q&A thing this saturday. Link here if you want to ask me any questions.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 24. Ritual

Moondancer’s eyes very, very slowly opened. She felt like she’d been run over by two carriages, a train and then a small herd of bunnies. Just to add insult to injury.

She ached so much. Everything sounded so strange and distorted. More than that, she head a killer headache. Slowly she started to sit up, letting out a low groan. She was in a hospital bed, surrounded by a curtain. Well, she was alive. That was-- TWILIGHT!

Oh no.

“Moondancer?” a voice asked. The curtain was shoved aside, revealing three other curtained off areas and a stallion. He let out a sigh of relief when she saw him. “Please, don’t sit up. You’ve suffered a major injury and--”

“Twilight,” Moondancer said. “Where’s Twilight? I saw her, she was wounded. Is she okay? Is she--” The words caught in her throat when she saw the look on his face. The way his eyes lowered. Moondancer collapsed onto the bed, her strength vanishing. “I failed. She’s… I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t do anything, could I?”

“No,” he said softly. “It’s not your fault. You did all you--”

“I sent her,” Moondancer said, the tears welling up in her eyes. “I should have had her come with me. To deal with the dragons. Instead I sent her off on her own. I left her to be captured by those… things. This is my fault. I should be banished. Executed.”

“Please, Moondancer, this isn’t your fault,” he said softly.

“Then who’s fault is it?” Moondancer asked.

“The umbrums,” Twilight’s voice said.

Moondancer froze in place. It wasn’t possible. She sat up quickly, sending the world spinning again. “What? Twilight? You’re alive?!” Her horn glowed and the curtains around the other beds instantly parted.

Twilight was sitting up in the bed besides her, face wrapped in bandages. “Of course I’m alive,” the earth pony said with a teasing chuckle. “I’m an earth pony, remember? We’re made of tough stuff.”

“Twilight, you’re… you’re okay,” Moondancer said, unable to stop fresh tears from falling. “I thought…”

“I would hardly call either of you ‘okay’,” Nightmare Moon’s voice echoed through the room. Moondancer couldn’t help but notice the way the color drained from the stallion’s face and how quickly he started to back away towards the door. A moment later the alicorn appeared in the center of the room.

The pressure in the room seemed to raise astronomically, making it difficult to breathe. Moondancer shivered, pulling the blanket up close to herself. Nightmare Moon then glanced towards the fleeing stallion, her horn glowing before she lifted him back into the air and pulled him back. “Tell them, doctor. Exactly what you told me.”

“Y-your highness, I, uhh, I mean, err, a-as you wish,” he said nervously. “The damage to you both was incredibly severe, especially when her highness arrived. It took all we had to stabilize you both. Unfortunately, err…”

“Go on,” Nightmare Moon said.

“Y-your highness…” Twilight said softly, pulling back from her. “Please.”

Nightmare Moon let a low growl out and let the stallion go. He squeaked and dropped to the floor, quickly catching himself and looking between the two. “Err, we tried to do what we could. But, uhhh. Moondancer, Twilight. I’m afraid the wounds you suffered were incredibly severe. There were very tiny shards of whatever that crystal was embedded in your bodies and it made it incredibly difficult to tend to your wounds, even after we removed them. Moondancer, your left ear, Twilight, your right eye… I’m sorry. They’ll never function again.”

“And that is where we are,” Nightmare Moon said bitterly before nudging the doctor away. He took the opportunity to flee for his life. “The umbrum have escaped. Sombra is our prisoner and will remain so until we have managed to use him to find them again. We are now the teacher of a half-deaf student and the ruler of a half-blind bard.”

Twilight didn’t say a word. Moondancer, on the other hoof, collapsed onto the bed. “This is my fault. If I’d just been smarter, if I--”

“Silence, student,” Nightmare Moon said.

“But I--”

“WE SAID SILENCE!” Nightmare Moon yelled, making the window of the room crack. “You are to blame for many things, but not this. This falls on our head, and our head alone. We erred again.”

“Is Spike okay?” Twilight asked softly.

“The dragon?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Indeed. He awaits your return in the castle. As do we all.”

“What about the other ponies there?” Twilight asked. “The… ummm…”

“The crystal ponies will learn to serve their new queen,” Nightmare Moon said. “They are frightened for now. But they will learn that this is where they belong. The Crystal Heart is no more. Its power gone.”

“Crystal Heart?” Moondancer asked.

“Nothing you need worry about,” Nightmare Moon said dismissively. “Recover, both of you. Once you have regained your strength you will return to the castle. We vow, this will never happen again. We will ensure it.” The alicorn then turned, her body turning into a small wisp of darkness, before flowing out the window.

Moondancer stared at where Nightmare Moon had been. “That’s ominous, right? I’m not imagining it?”

“It is,” Twilight said softly. “Moondancer, it’s not--”

“It is,” Moondancer said softly. “All of this is my fault. You can try to say it’s not, you can act like it isn’t. You might even believe it. But it doesn’t change the fact that I did it. I sent you on your own. I left you vulnerable. If I’d been there, I could have protected you. If I’d just brought you with me.”

“You couldn’t know this would happen,” Twilight said softly.

“Nopony could have,” Moondancer said before rolling so her back was to Twilight. “It was just another mistake in a long line of mistakes. That’s all I’ve ever really done, Twilight. No matter how hard I try, no matter what steps I take. My cutie mark, my studies, the Elements of Harmony, now this.”

“Moondancer, you’re not--”

“Just let it go, Twilight,” Moondancer said, cutting her off. “Just hate me. Just let me hate me, please. Just… please. If it just affected me. If my mistakes only hurt me, then that’d be fine. Then I’d be fine. I just… please.”

“Moondancer…” Twilight said softly.

Moondancer didn’t respond. What could she possibly say? Her mother was right, she really was just a long line of mistakes culminating in failure. Every time she started to believe that, maybe, just maybe, she had value… it all came crashing down on her head.

She hoped that whatever terrible thing Nightmare Moon had planned once they recovered, for once it would fall on her head and only her head. She was just so sick of ruining everything.

------

Twilight kept her head down, struggling to silence the growing sense of unease when she walked through the halls of the castle.

Recovery had been a slow, tiring affair. Nightmare Moon refused to allow them any visitors and, on top of that, Moondancer barely spoke to her. No matter how much she tried to cheer the unicorn up, nothing she said could help.

Though, to be honest she wasn’t surprised. They had, technically, won that battle. But it didn’t feel like it. New shades now walked Equestria, ponies trapped in that strange limbo. Fathers. Mothers. Sisters. Brothers. She’d heard of the ponies who had begged Nightmare Moon to save them, to try and return them to the state they had been.

But there was nothing that could be done. While their ruler now believed the shades could never be stolen by the umbrum again, she was unable to free them from their new condition. At least, not yet. Perhaps with time a way would be found. Even stealing the power of Sombra hadn’t been enough to allow it.

On top of that, the crystal ponies were lost. She’d managed to learn a little about who they were. More importantly, what the Crystal Heart had been. Apparently the moment it had been shattered had been felt all over Equestria, creating despair in many ponies. While most had recovered, she couldn’t deny that something still felt wrong. Like some piece of love, joy and happiness had been broken. The crystal ponies felt it most of all, their hearts an only slightly brighter version of the shades.

If Nightmare Moon cared, then she didn’t show it. She hadn’t shown much of anything, actually. She’d only passed by the hospital room a few times, barely saying anything. Merely checking on them. But the rage and anger she felt enveloped them all. Every step threatening to shatter the everything she touched.

They’d won, but so much had been lost. A darkness hung over Equestria that most could feel, yet none could really place. Twilight was trying to resist it, trying to keep her spirits up, but even she was struggling to feel hope in these moments.

The empty halls of the castle were doing nothing to relieve any of this pressure. She prayed that whatever Nightmare Moon desired of them would be simple. She doubted it, though. If she sent all the guards away, it likely was going to be rough. All she wanted was go to her room, hug Spike, cry and sleep. She couldn’t wait to see him again.

Twilight gave one last encouraging smile to Moondancer once they stopped outside the throne room. “Ready for this?”

“If you want to go hide, I’ll try to stall her,” Moondancer offered.

“Whatever she wants, we’ll face it together,” Twilight said. “We’re a team, right?”

Moondancer just gave a sigh and opened the door with her magic.

Twilight thought she was prepared. However, when the door opened and she saw Nightmare Moon sitting on her throne and Tirek standing besides her, she realized she really wasn’t.

Moondancer took a single step back, her eyes wide and not looking any more confident about this than Twilight felt.

Nightmare Moon, however, looked incredibly pleased. “Ah, my faithful student and bard. Come in.”

“Your highness,” Twilight said before making her way forward. She gave Tirek a nervous glance. Worse, he looked so incredibly smug. This didn’t bode well at all. She and Moondancer bowed their heads, the pressure in the room making it hard to breathe. Even now, smiling as she was, the anger could be felt from the alicorn. Nearly burning them.

The door slammed shut behind them and they both jumped. Nightmare Moon rose to her hooves and began to walk towards them. “My bard, to you we owe the greatest apology,” she said softly.

“Your highness?” Twilight asked.

“Please, lift your head,” the alicorn said. “We left you weak and vulnerable. Helpless against what came. Once more we allowed you to be hurt due to our own selfish desires.” Her wing moved out, gently touching the earth pony’s chin and raising her head so their eyes could meet.

“It’s not your fault,” Twilight said. Something about this chilled her to the bone.

“But it is,” Nightmare Moon said. “Your wounds were severe. Were you an alicorn, this never would have happened. Even if it had, the damage could have been far easier to repair. Now, it cannot be undone. But I can ensure that it never happens again.”

“Your highness?” Twilight asked, the dread only rising in her.

“Once more, we ask you. Join us at our side,” Nightmare Moon said. “Surely after this event you see that you are vulnerable. You must be protected. Join us at our side, forever.”

Twilight gulped and looked between Tirek and Nightmare Moon. Now, at least, she knew why he looked so smug. Slowly, she shook her head. “My answer is still the same, your highness. I can’t. I won’t. What I…” She trailed off before giving a soft sigh. “I can’t. I’m sorry.” Especially not now. Not when she felt this darkness in her heart.

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said, a hoof digging into the stone of the chamber and causing it to crack. “We would be lying if we said we didn’t expect this response. We had hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Moondancer?”

The unicorn went tense, her eyes wide. “Y-your highness?”

“You will aid us in this ritual,” Nightmare Moon said.

“Wait, what?” Twilight asked. She let out a yelp when suddenly she was enveloped in dark magic. “Hey! What are you doing?”

“What we should have done long again,” Nightmare Moon said. Black crystals rose up from the ground and lowered from the ceiling. Twilight was lifted between them before dark magic flowed out, holding her there. “We had hoped you would relent, willingly. That you would see the wisdom in joining us at our side. We had hoped you would become like us of your own will. We had hoped you would make the correct decision. We see now that we should have asked forgiveness, not permission.”

“W-what?” Twilight asked before flailing her hooves. “You can’t mean to, you can’t be serious! You--”

“The ritual must be done willingly,” Nightmare Moon said. “Under most circumstances. However, there are ways around this. Tirek will aid me. Moondancer?”

The unicorn stared, her eyes wide as she looked between Twilight and Nightmare Moon. “Your highness, you can’t be serious.”

“Put me down!” Twilight yelled. “You can’t do this! Nightmare Moon! Stop this!”

“There is nothing we cannot do,” Nightmare Moon said. “In time, you will forgive us. This… will likely hurt. But when it is over, you will be stronger. More powerful than you ever imagined. You will not be harmed again.” She started to walk forward, standing before the earth pony. “We are sorry, Twilight Glow. We will not ere again.”

------

Moondancer stared, her mouth agape. Nightmare Moon couldn’t be serious. Making Twilight an alicorn was one thing. But to force it on her like that?

“Student,” Nightmare Moon said, glancing back at her. “Go stand with Tirek and we can begin.”

“Please,” Twilight begged. “Don’t do this. You can’t force this on me! I’m not an alicorn! I’m not supposed to be!”

“You say this now,” Nightmare Moon said. “But you will thank me eventually.”

Moondancer felt her eye twitch. No she wouldn’t. Twilight wouldn’t forgive her for this. Could Nightmare Moon really not see the problem with this? Forcing this onto another pony? Did she really think that taking away the choice would somehow end well? She looked between Tirek and Twilight for a moment, before slowly walking to his side.

She couldn’t even do anything. If what Nightmare Moon said was possible, then there was nothing that could be done. So long as she had Tirek, she could do as she pleased.

Another mistake.

Moondancer closed her eyes and tried to hold back her tears. Even as Twilight begged the ruler to not do this. She’d helped Nightmare Moon bind Tirek to her will. Helped her enslave him. If she had done something, maybe this wouldn’t be possible. But no. She’d obeyed, the good little student. Another long line of mistakes that resulted in somepony else suffering for it. Just like everything else she did. Everything she touched.

She could practically hear her mother’s voice in her ear, yelling at her. Telling her she’d failed. How, once again, Moondancer had bucked everything up. How she couldn’t do anything right. How all she ever seemed to do was cause pain with her actions.

Buck.

THAT!

Moondancer ground her hoof into the ground and grit her teeth. She was scared, but she didn’t care. She’d already lost so much. Her respect. Her ear. Her friends. Maybe it would cost her, but this time she’d do something she could be proud of. She’d do something for the right reasons. She’d protect a pony she cared for.

Moondancer glanced to Tirek before leaning forward. “Run,” she said. She then tapped her horn against the bonds on his body. Bit by bit the gems across it dimmed before, finally, they fell to the ground.

Tirek stared at her, confusion on his features. “What?”

“RUN!” Moondancer yelled before her horn illuminated and he disappeared in a flash of magic, teleporting to the entrance of the throne room. She then turned on Nightmare Moon and unleashed a blast of purple magic in her confused face when she turned around.

It would cost her dearly, but at least this time SHE would be the one to suffer for it.

Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes, her face lightly singed. “We see, student.” Her horn began to glow. “So you have chosen poorly.”

Moondancer gulped, but she stood her ground. “No. I have chosen correctly. I won’t let you do this to her.”

Nightmare Moon turned to face her, before glancing back towards the door Tirek had fled through. Her eyes narrowed to slits when they turned towards her again and she bared her fangs. “He won’t get far. You, however, will not exist to see this.”

“Moondancer, run!” Twilight yelled. “Forget about me, just go!”

Moondancer’s horn glowed and she narrowly avoided a blast of magic from the alicorn. She couldn’t win this, she knew that.

But she could delay Nightmare Moon. Buy Tirek enough time. Maybe he could get far enough away. Maybe Discord would grab him. Who knew? But she knew she wouldn’t let her do this to Twilight without a fight. Not to her friend.

------

Tirek chuckled when he galloped through the empty halls of the castle. Things were going so much better than even he’d expected. It had taken him so, so long but now his goal would finally be achieved. Power. So much power. He was almost drooling at the notion.

To imagine, Moondancer would be the pony to finally free him. Such foals. Love. Friendship. When would they learn, the only thing that mattered was power. Why fight it so when it was offered? That earth pony truly was an idiot beyond his wildest imaginations.

Soon, it wouldn’t matter. He could feel it. Calling to him. Step by step he ran up the steps towards Twilight’s room, where his prize awaited. He stopped outside the door for a moment, gripping the knob and turning, shoving it open.

Only to freeze when his eyes fell on the eyes staring up at him. Spike? What was the dragon doing here?

“Tirek?” Spike asked. “What are you doing-- you’re not bound! You escaped?”

Tirek’s eyes narrowed but, slowly, a smile formed on his face. Perhaps this, too, was another opportunity. “Indeed. I have come to collect something before I go, however. A small trinket I had lent to Twilight.”

“Huh?” Spike asked.

“Worry not,” Tirek said before walking into the room. He could feel it, he pulled open the desk drawers and paused. Pens, papers, a weird tail ring that had a blue and orange glowing gem on it, a weird key and then finally, the medallion. The medallion that had once been his brothers. He reached out and grabbed it. Finally, his moment of glory was at hand, he--

“You need to leave,” Spike said. “If Nightmare Moon finds you, you’ll be in danger! You’ve got to get out of here while you can!”

“Oh, I intend to,” Tirek said before he began to drain the power from the medallion.

And finished.

The centaur froze, his triumph fading away. Impossible. He’d done it perfectly. The medallion should have been slowly drawing from Nightmare Moon’s power, storing it bit by bit. Yet there was so little there. He had felt the might of the alicorn. This trivial amount couldn’t even make her stumble, let alone give him what he needed to overrun Equestria and steal all their power for himself.

His own heart sunk and he felt the small inklings of despair. Another plan, another hope, ruined.

Another failure.

Bah. No matter. He would come up with a new plan, a new way to triumph. He would take all their power for himself. Somehow. He would…

He would triumph.

He would rule.

…

It felt so hollow.

He stared at the medallion. It had been a gift from his brother, so long ago. The second to last gift he’d ever received. The last being a small, chocolate moose from a very strange dragon. He glanced towards Spike.

“Tirek, you need to go!” Spike said. “You’re in danger the longer you stay!”

“Come with me,” Tirek said.

“What?” Spike asked.

“Come with me,” Tirek repeated, his confidence growing. Of course, it all made sense now. So what if this plan failed? He could just come up with another. “You are a dragon, are you not? A creature of raw, primal power. You don’t really wish to stay here, a slave to mere ponies, do you?”

“I’m not a slave,” Spike said.

“Are you not?” Tirek asked. “Can you not go where you wish? Do as you wish? Dragons, or if what I heard was true, are the fiercest of creatures. With power beyond even the strongest of ponies. Dragons rule with might and ferocity. They do not cower before ponies.”

“I’m not cowering,” Spike said. “Twilight is my friend. You need to go. When Nightmare Moon gets here she--”

“Forget about Nightmare Moon,” Tirek said. “Together, we could defeat her. We could rule Equestria, together. You may be a baby now, but given time, with my magic and your eventual might, we--”

“Pass,” Spike said.

Tirek blinked a few times. Ugh. Just like the earth pony. “Truly? Are you not a dragon?”

“I’m a dragon,” Spike said defensively. “I just… don’t want to.”

“Don’t want to?” Tirek asked. “Do you not wish to rule? To own these lands? To make the ponies of these lands pay you tribute in precious gems and magic?”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Tribute?”

“Tribute,” Tirek said, a grin forming on his lips. Finally. He knew he could get through to the dragon. One could not forsake their nature. Already there was some drool from the dragon’s mouth. Slowly, he held out his hand to him. “Join me, Spike. Become the dragon you were always meant to be.”

“Meant to be?” Spike asked.

“Of course,” Tirek said. “After all, why else would a dragon be here amongst ponies, if not to rule them?”

“But… I was sent here,” Spike said. “To deliver a message. I was never… well…”

“And before that, what were you?” Tirek asked. “A dragon. A future lord of your domain. You were--”

“Miserable,” Spike finally said, the smile on his face fading.

“What?” Tirek asked.

“I was miserable,” Spike said. “Dragons aren’t like ponies. I wasn’t sent here because I was strong or useful. I was sent because I was weak. Because everybody abandoned me.”

“And you will be strong,” Tirek said.

“So?” Spike asked. “Even if I’m strong, even if I’m more powerful than any pony, just look what that does to you. Look at Nightmare Moon, she’s always upset. I gave her a chocolate moose and she practically panicked. If my choices are being here with my friends or being strong, I’ll take my friends.”

Tirek went still, his mouth falling open. Even a dragon? What were these ponies? Some kind of infection? A disease? HOW? “You would give up what makes you a dragon? You would give up everything you could be? You would give up what you once were, to live like… this?”

Spike was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, I think I would. I’ll just be a dragon of ponies.”

Tirek stared at him before sighing. “Then you had best go to the throne room.”

“Huh?” Spike asked.

“Your precious friend, Moondancer, has already angered the Tyrant of the Night. It may be your last chance to say goodbye before she perishes.”

Spike’s eyes went wide and he leaped off the bed, darting out of the room and down the stairs.

Tirek sighed and stared at the door. Even a dragon. His brother. His father. Discord. Even a dragon.

He rubbed a finger across the medallion.

Power. All he wanted was power. All he cared about was power. But, for once, he found himself questioning why. The earth pony had asked him. Was power for power’s sake not enough? He wasn’t like Nightmare Moon. He didn’t crave their love, their adoration. He longed for power.

Tirek had spent so long looking for power. Dedicating his everything to power. For a thousand years it was all he had dreamed of. Every scheme, every ploy, every lie. Everything. It had cost him so, so much.

What had it gotten him?

Not nearly enough. He’d watched others with power. Seen others with power. More power than he had ever held. Yet…

Yet they seemed to see something he did not. Seemed to understand something he did not.

Power was enough.

Power had to be enough.

What if power wasn’t enough?

…

Power was always enough. It was all that mattered. It was all he had. If he didn’t have it anymore, what else did he have?

He clutched the medallion tighter.

What did they see? What did all of them see? How could a baby dragon see it and yet he was so blind?

Tirek clutched the medallion so tightly that the edge of it dug into his hand, cutting and making it bleed. But he ignored it.

What was it? Why could he not see? A dragon. A stupid earth pony. A stupid unicorn. His own brother. His father. What did they all see that he couldn’t? Why was this so hard?

Tirek felt warmth going down his face and, slowly, he reached up and felt the tears going down her face.

He didn’t understand. He couldn’t understand.

But for the first time he wanted to understand.

He lifted the medallion up and put it around his neck.

Once it had been a cold, dark reminder of how useless others were. How in the quest for power it didn’t matter. Nobody else did.

But now it felt oddly warmer. Very well. If power wasn’t the be all, end all, then he would discover what was. His eyes narrowed and he turned, following after the dragon.

He didn’t notice as the pink gem on the tail ring began to glow.

Author's Notes:

And so, Nightmare Moon and Tirek make their moves. Finally, Moondancer makes her own challenge to the Queen of Equestria and Spike... well. Spike is just precious.

But the Elements are beginning to awaken. Two more have now begun to glow, only three more remain... Here's hoping Moondancer can live long enough to see what they have in store.

Also, won't lie. This chapter and the next few are some of the most anxiety ridden ones of mine to post. :x

Also, I was invited to do an interview / Q&A thing this saturday. Link here if you want to ask me any questions.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 25. Delay

Moondancer panted from exertion, her horn giving a small, tiny flicker of magic. How many more times could she teleport? Once? Twice? Not many. She was exhausted.

She really hoped Tirek had gotten far enough away by now. There was going to be an angry alicorn on his tail soon enough. She stared down Nightmare Moon, waiting for her to make her next move.

But, for once, the ruler wasn’t moving. She was just staring at her, standing and waiting. Annoyance on her face. Moondancer wondered when she’d finally make her move. The longer she took, the better. At least this way--

Wait, she wasn’t moving.

Moondancer realized a moment too quick and tried to leap aside, but was far too slow. A blast hit her in the back with such force she slammed into the ground and cracked the tile. She gasped for air, though every breath hurt. Oh. Yes. One of her leg were definitely broken. Possibly more than one. She suspected a few ribs were, too. Well, at least it wouldn’t hurt for long. The Nightmare Moon she had been watching faded away, the illusion disappearing.

She felt a hoof on her back. “So the student finally falls,” Nightmare Moon said with a light chuckle, the hoof not crushing her. Instead, it lightly stroked her back. “Fitting, in a way. You truly were the toughest challenge we’d faced so far. Ironically, nearly the weakest. But still, you tried and were almost a struggle. Not a threat, but slow and tedious. For that, our student, we will grant you one final score.” The hoof lifted. “D, for dead.”

“WAIT!” Twilight screamed.

“Hm?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“I’ll do it!” Twilight yelled. “Please, please stop. Don’t hurt her. Don’t!”

“She has risen against her ruler, a traitor,” Nightmare Moon said. “Yet you wish to pardon her?”

“Please,” Twilight begged. “I’ll do it. I’ll be willing. Please, stop. Don’t hurt her. Please.”

“D-don’t,” Moondancer yelled. “Don’t do this. Just please, let me--”

“No!” Twilight yelled. “Moondancer, you don’t need to do this! You can’t do this! You’re so much more important than you realize! Please, Nightmare Moon! I’ll do it! I’ll do whatever you wish! Just please, stop it.”

Nightmare Moon sighed, before giving a light chuckle. “Very well. While we do wish you wouldn’t make this so difficult, we will grant this wish.” Her hoof pulled away from Moondancer and the alicorn began to walk towards the trapped earth pony. She glanced back at Moondancer for only a moment, before sighing. “Do try to clean yourself up, student. You’ll be standing before two rulers, soon.” She then walked to stand before the crystals, looking up at Twilight. “Welcome, my dear bard. To eternity. You’ll see soon why this was a gift, not the punishment you seem so fearful of.” Magic swirled around her horn before she unleashed the beam of magic at the earth pony.

Moondancer stared at the ritual with horror. Again she had failed. Again she hadn’t been able to protect her friend. Tears started to fall from her eyes.

Always. Why did she always hurt the ponies she cared about? Her sister, her friends, her mentor, now her best friend. If only she could just do one thing right.

She wouldn’t. Not again. She wouldn’t stand idly by while those she cared about were hurt. Her horn sparked a bit. Just enough for a little more magic. Even if it took everything she had.

Moondancer teleported into the air, besides Twilight. She then cast her final spell, erecting a barrier around the two of them, just for a moment. Trying to stop it as best she could.

Nightmare Moon’s grin faded to a look of horror, her eyes going wide.

Then there was nothing but light.

------

Nightmare Moon stared, her eyes wide, her student and bard wrapped in the shifting magic. No. No no no. How… why? WHY?! Must her sister’s student ruin EVERYTHING? Must that unicorn destroy EVERYTHING she worked so hard for? She felt the fury growing inside her, but struggled to suppress it.

It was no matter. The barrier had crumbled and she could feel the spell taking effect. So what if Moondancer had delayed it? It didn’t matter. Her goal would, finally, be achieved. She would have a pony to serve as her confidant. To rule besides her. To keep her from making such errors again.

Moondancer, however, would live in the bottom of a deep, dark, terrible prison. Far from even the light of her moon. Her life would be spared as the bard wished, but her will, her freedom, would never.

The light began to fade and the two pony’s dropped to the ground.

A smile formed on her lips when she saw the horn on Twilight’s forehead. The wing at her right side. Finally. She was an alicorn. Dazed, confused, but an alicorn. She--

Then her eyes fell on Moondancer. More importantly, the wing on her left side. She was an alicorn as well? What? But that wasn’t… how was SHE worthy? Impossible. There should not have been…

Fresh horror washed over Nightmare Moon when she saw Twilight stir and groan, the pony rolling a bit on her side, revealing her right side. Which bore no wing. The alicorn’s horn glowed for a moment and she forced Moondancer over to reveal that she bore no wing on her right side.

Neither of them were an alicorn.

They were something else. Something inbetween. It hadn’t made an alicorn. It had made two half alicorns.

Impossible.

No. no no. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible. This was her one and only chance. Her opportunity to make Twilight hers, forever. To finally have a pony like her sister to stand by her, one who wouldn’t betray her. One who wouldn’t hurt her. One who wouldn’t steal everything from her.

Now she had lost it.

Thanks to Moondancer.

Her eyes turned to the unicorn, or whatever she was now, and a cold, merciless rage flooded her. Rage more powerful than she had ever even felt for her sister.

She grabbed Moondancer in her magic, a small, cruel smile forming on her lips.

“Huh?” Moondancer asked in a confused, disoriented tone.

Nightmare Moon slammed her down to the ground with such ferocity that she broke through the floor and those below, crashing through stone and wood, until she finally hit the very foundation of the castle. She then lifted her up, smiling at her with a mouth filled with fangs. “This will not be quick, dear student.”

Moondancer gave a soft, pathetic whimper.

“May your new ‘power’ allow you to survive long enough for me to draw some satisfaction in return for what you have taken from us,” Nightmare Moon said before she smashed the new ‘alicorn’ through a few walls, her weak screams echoing through the castle.

Twilight groaned, but she could only barely open her eyes. “S-stop…” Twilight begged.

Nightmare Moon ignored her. No longer. She had denied her rage for too long. Now there was no more need to deny herself. Now she would show this pony the true terror of her teacher. She would make an example of her. Perhaps, if she was lucky, the next time she decided to make an eternal companion, it would be enough to ensure nopony ever interfered.

------

Spike shoved open the door to the throne room and froze.

Twilight was on the ground, crawling desperately towards Nightmare Moon. The alicorn stood there, her horn aglow. A moment later something burst through the ceiling, only to crash to the ground of the throne room.

It took him a few moments to realize that it was Moondancer. She looked so hurt, so broken. Then she was soaring through the air again, slamming through a wall, only to come back into the room through a different hole in the wall, crashing to the ground.

Nightmare Moon was going to kill her. Didn’t she know that? Didn’t she care? Spike stared, terrified. He had to get a guard.

What guard could stop her? What guard would even try? He hadn’t even seen any on the way here. He hadn’t seen ANYPONY on the way here. He couldn’t let her do this, could he?

But he couldn’t stop her.

He watched as Twilight gripped the alicorn’s legs, lightly headbutting her legs. But Nightmare Moon didn’t seem to notice, or care. She picked up Moondancer and flung her again, giving an angry yell. He then noticed the tears going down the alicorn’s eyes. Was she really crying? How could she do this to somepony and then act as if she was sad about it?

Spike shook his head before running towards them. Maybe he couldn’t stop this, but he had to try. He dashed across the throne room, lunging through the air. Then he wrapped his claws around one of Nightmare Moon’s legs and bit her with all his might.

The alicorn let out a yelp, dropping Moondancer for the moment and then looking down. Her eyes narrowed on the dragon. “Et tu, dragon? Very well. We will deal with you later. For now, begone.”

Spike was gripped in magic and flung across the room so hard he left a small dent in the wall. Well, he supposed he should be grateful he wasn’t thrown through it, but it still hurt. He dropped to the ground and gave a low, pained groan. “Ow…”

------

“Let us go, Twilight,” Nightmare Moon said, turning her focus away from the barely moving dragon.

“Please, please stop,” Twilight pleaded before looking up at the alicorn. “You win, you’ve made your point. Please.”

“Our point?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Our point remains unmade. If it had been, this would not have happened. No.” Her eyes shifted to the broken, beaten form of Moondancer. She felt that unstoppable sadness welling inside her. That despair. “This will be our example of what we do to traitors. There will be no more mercy. No more kindness. No restraint on those who oppose us. The pain we feel is more powerful than you can imagine.” Her horn lit up and she lifted Moondancer into the air, before baring her teeth. She spread out the wounded pony’s wing. Another reminder of her failures, of her mercies, how they had all led to this moment. To losing so much. “Long ago we refrained from taking the wing from a pony who attacked us. Perhaps, had we done so then, now this would not have happened. We will not make the same mistake again.”

Moondancer gave a weak, pathetic scream when her wing was pulled taut, but it refused to come off no matter how hard it was tugged.

“Hm, it seems even a partial alicorn’s wings are difficult to just pull off,” Nightmare Moon said with a saddened sigh. “Let us see how it cuts, shall we?”

Suddenly a light, echoing clap went through the hall. Nightmare Moon’s gaze moved to the entrance way.

Towards Tirek. The centaur stood there, a smile on his face.

Nightmare Moon’s eyes narrowed and she tossed Moondancer against the wall, making her hit it with a sickening splat before her body dropped to the ground. “So you have returned to face us? Foalish. Or have you perhaps realized that opposing us is nonsense?”

“Indeed I have,” Tirek said before, to her great surprise, he knelt. “All hail Nightmare Moon, the true Queen of Equestria.”

Nightmare Moon went entirely still. Even through the rage, through the despair, the pain. Even through all of that his words shocked her like a bucket of ice water. “What?”

“All hail Nightmare Moon,” Tirek said.

“Explain yourself,” Nightmare Moon said, suspicion filling her voice. “Since when do you worship us?”

“Since I realized you, my queen, were correct,” Tirek said with a low, dark chuckle. “I was wrong.”

“We were… correct? In what way?” Nightmare Moon asked, searching for the trap.

“I believed ponies were weak. I believed them soft, caring. I believed they valued love and compassion, more than power,” Tirek said. “Most pathetically of all, I believed that the princess’ cared for and even, ugh, protected their ponies.”

Nightmare Moon froze, her eyes narrowing to slits. “You come here to mock us?”

“I come here to congratulate you,” Tirek said. “To swear obedience, my queen. I believed you like that Celestia. A pony so focused on being loved, cared for by her subjects, that she’d forgotten the only thing that truly mattered. Power. Control. Might.” He motioned to Moondancer. “The only thing that matters, has ever mattered, is the right to do as you please. To enforce your will on others. To force the world, your subjects, to serve you. To make them understand they are nothing but slaves before your will. I had believed you soft. But no, this has shown me the truth. You truly are the queen of all. A pony beyond compare. A pony who rightfully rules these lands, shattering all who dare oppose her.”

“We… we are not…” Nightmare Moon said softly, struggling to find an answer to those words. If he dared to question her, to object, she would have crushed him as well. But there was such praise to his words. Such pride. Such… delight. He spoke of such dark things as if they were good.

For the first time in what felt like days, she felt the rage of all that had happened get pushed away. Being tricked. Having her ponies stolen. Nearly losing them. Twilight. Moondancer. Even the dragon.

Only to finally see the true horror of what she had done. What she had become. Her eyes fell to Twilight then. She pulled back, freeing her hoof from the other pony.

Moondancer’s soft, pathetic cry drew her attention.

By the stars, what had she done? What had she become?

Was it not her job to protect her ponies? To save them? How could she do this? How could she right this?

There was no righting this, was there?

“Please, no more,” Twilight begged her. “Please…”

Nightmare Moon felt new tears welling in her eyes. She was a monster. How could she do this?

How many of her own ponies had she hurt?

Maybe she truly had deserved to be banished.

Her horn lit up and she bound all of them in her magic, teleporting them all away. Tirek to the dungeon. Moondancer to the hospital. Twilight and Spike to their room.

Nightmare Moon looked around at her castle, the many bloody holes. The destruction she had wrought. The dark crystals shattered.

Her empty, broken castle. Where she was alone.

Nightmare Moon sat down and finally let the tears overtake her, let the pain, the fury, let all of it envelop her.

This was who she was. This was what she was. Twilight would never stand by her side.

Because she would never, ever, ever deserve to be anything but alone again.

Nightmare Moon let out a scream, letting it all envelop her, overwhelm her and dowse her world in darkness, the only ones to watch her mourning her silent shades.

Author's Notes:

One of the biggest issues of losing control of your temper, is while it can take seconds to destroy... it can take days, months or even years to repair what you break.

Nightmare Moon is starting to realize that, I think.

Luckily, Moondancer is a lot more durable than she'd ever been before, but... well... I can't truly say if this was Tirek's intention or not. Or if he truly was proud of what Nightmare Moon showed him.

Also, I was invited to do an interview / Q&A thing today. Link here if you want to ask me any questions.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 26. Something Inbetween

“I just want to know if she’s okay,” a voice said, making Twilight pause.

“We’re sorry, miss, but Moondancer is not allowed any visitors right now,” the guard said. “Especially from somepony who won’t even give her name.”

Twilight’s eye narrowed and she peered around the corner at the strange pegasus in front of the guards. She had a yellow coat, striped red mane and judging by her shape, an athlete of some kind. She couldn’t recognize her, though.

“Please, just for a moment,” the pegasus begged. “I just need to know she’s okay.”

“I’m sorry,” the guard said again. “Our orders are clear. Nopony sees Moondancer except those she specifically allows. We have orders to even keep Nightmare Moon herself out if it comes to it.”

“I just want to know she’s okay,” the pegasus said again.

“She’ll be fine,” the guard said. “Other than that, you’ll need to wait for an official announcement.”

“I shouldn’t be hearing about it from the paper!” the pegasus yelled.

The guard gave an annoyed sigh. “Wait, aren’t you a reporter of some kind?”

That made the pegasus freeze before, finally, she shook her head. “Never mind. Forget it,” she said before turning away.

Twilight blinked a few times and cocked her head to the side. Strange. Did she really think she’d be let in without revealing who she was? If she wasn’t a reporter, though, why did she want in so badly? She trotted towards her. The moment the guard saw her she quickly shook her head, cutting him off. He looked at her curiously, but didn’t say a word when she passed him and followed the pegasus down the hall. “Hello? Miss?”

“Hmmm?” the pegasus asked before glancing back at her. “Err… hello? Can… I help you?”

“Yes,” Twilight said. “I hear you were trying to speak with Moondancer?”

“Oh,” the mare said before rolling her eyes. “I wouldn’t waste your time. Apparently only those she said specifically to let in can see her.”

“I see,” Twilight said, her eye narrowing. Well, at least the mare didn’t seem to recognize her. Granted, she didn’t blame her. SHE didn’t recognize her these days. A weird horn on her forehead, an eye patch covering one eye and a saddlebag to cover her wing. She practically looked like a brand new pony. Well, enough like a new pony that nopony thought she was Twilight after they realized she was a ‘unicorn’. She’d enjoy the anonymity while it lasted. “Are you a friend of hers?”

“No,” the pegasus said. “I’m her… err. Who are you again?”

“I’m a friend,” Twilight said, before feeling a moment of worry. Oh crud. What should she say her name was? If she said Twilight, then surely the pony would recognize her. “Sparkle.”

“Sparkle, huh?” the pegasus said, before sighing. “Never heard of you.”

“And you are?” Twilight asked.

The pegasus gave a soft sigh before glancing down the hall towards the guards. “Promise not to tell her I was here if I tell you? I really don’t want her knowing I was here.”

“I promise I’ll tell her what you looked like and that you were looking for her if you don’t,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes.

“Don’t!” the pegasus said quickly. “Sundancer. I’m her sister. Was her sister. Am her sister. It’s… complicated.”

Twilight’s eye went wide. “Wait, you’re her sister? Why didn’t you say so? If Moondancer knew you were here then--”

“Don’t!” Sundancer said quickly. “Don’t. Please. Trust me. It’s better she doesn’t know I’m here. If she did, it would just hurt her more.”

“Hurt her more?” Twilight asked. “What happened?”

“That’s not really important right now,” Sundancer said. “I just… you said you’re her friend, right? Is she okay? Is she going to be okay?”

Twilight was silent for a long moment after that. How to answer that? Would Moondancer be okay? Well… “She’ll survive.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Sundancer said.

“I don’t know,” Twilight said.

“What happened to her?” Sundancer asked. “Why won’t anypony tell me what happened?”

Twilight gave a soft sigh before shaking her head. “Bad things happened. I’m not sure how long it’ll take her to recover. Physically, she’ll be fine. Emotionally…”

“Please, Sparkle,” Sundancer said gently. “I’m not even supposed to be here. But I need to know. The only thing I know is from the papers, that she just got out of the hospital just to be admitted a few hours later with life threatening injuries. What happened?”

Twilight gave another soft sigh. How could she tell the sister of her friend that Moondancer had been nearly killed by a queen who was throwing a temper tantrum over her rescue attempt? That now Moondancer was one part unicorn, one part earth pony and one-half part pegasus? That in the end the only reason she was still alive wasn’t because of anything they’d done, but some words from TIREK of all ponies? That now her sister was permanently deaf in one ear and struggling to even work up the will to lift her head? To tell her that the unicorn Moondancer had been shattered to the point she was only a shadow of her former self?

How could Twilight tell her any of that?

“It’s complicated,” Twilight said. “But I’m doing the best I can. I’m sure if you came and saw her she--”

“No,” Sundancer said. “Trust me. It’d just make things worse right now. I just wanted to see her. To know she’d be okay. That’s enough. If she’ll be okay, that’s fine. You’re uhhh… how close are you to her?”

“Just a little,” Twilight said.

“Is it true what they say about her?” Sundancer asked.

“None of the bad,” Twilight said almost instantly. “If you mean what the papers are saying? No. They’re mostly lies.”

Sundancer gave a small nod and smiled. “Good. Thanks. I uhhh… I mean, I suspected. With all the letters Moondancer used to send me, I never thought she’d… nevermind. Thank you, Sparkle. Just… help her where you can. Okay? Please.” The pegasus gave a soft sigh and hung her head.

“Are you sure you won’t talk to her?” Twilight asked. “I’m sure she--”

“I just wanted to see her for a moment,” Sundancer said softly. “Just know she was okay. But it’s really better if she doesn’t see me. It’s a… sister thing, I guess. You always want to protect your little sister, you know? Even when you’re terrible at it. Do you have any sisters?”

“Only a big brother,” Twilight said softly. “But, yeah. He’d do anything to keep me safe.”

“Then you kind of know what it’s like,” Sundancer said, a weak smile on her lips. “But there’s always things we can’t protect those we care about from. It makes being the big sister pretty hard. Thanks, though. I’m happy Moondancer has some good ponies keeping an eye out for her. Err. Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean--”

“I know,” Twilight said with a light chuckle. “Don’t worry, it’s just a turn of phrase.”

“Yeah,” Sundancer said sheepishly. “It’s, err, a very nice eye patch.”

“Thanks, I just got it,” Twilight said.

That made the smile on her lips fall. “Wait, so you just--”

“Just a small infection,” Twilight lied. “Nothing to worry about. I do need to go see Moondancer, though. So, uhhh, if you’re sure you don’t want to come, then I should go.”

“I’m sure. Thank you, Sparkle,” Sundancer said before turning and walking away.

Twilight stared at her before sighing and trotting back towards the door. The guard stepped aside and she walked into the room.

It smelled sterile, incredibly sterile. Moondancer was sleeping on her left side, her back to the door. However, when the door opened she stirred and glanced over at her. “Twilight?”

“Moondancer,” Twilight said softly. “How are you doing today?”

“Better,” Moondancer said with a light chuckle before starting to sit up, though she let out a hiss of pain. “Turns out being an alicorn, or whatever we are now, comes with great healing abilities. They say I’ll likely be fully healed in another week or so. How uhhh, are things okay back at the castle?”

Twilight nodded, struggling to force a smile on her lips. “They’re… fine. Spike is worried about you.”

“And uhhh, how about her?” Moondancer asked.

Twilight gave a soft sigh and shrugged. “I don’t know. I barely see her. Ever since… that, she’s been avoiding me. Everypony, I think. It’s like she’s scared. Repairs are going well, though. They, uhhh, have the kitchen back in order.”

“Yeah, I was a bit worried about it after I went flying through the stove,” Moondancer said with a light, half hearted chuckle. “I uhhh…”

“I know,” Twilight said. “You know you don’t have to come back. What she did to you, she…”

“I won’t leave you alone with her,” Moondancer said softly. “Not now. Not ever again.”

“This isn’t your responsibility,” Twilight said softly.

“It’s not yours, either,” Moondancer said. “Besides, if you don’t have me, who’s going to teach you magic?”

“I’m getting much better!” Twilight said quickly, her cheeks burning red. “I can open doors now and I am able to hold up three books at once.”

Moondancer gave a light snicker. “It figures. A mind that likely knows more about magic than half of Canterlot put together… and your grand technique is opening doors and studying three books at once. Truly you are the second coming of Clover the Clever.”

“Well, we can’t all be legendary unicorns who can teleport and face down Nightmare Moon herself,” Twilight said in a teasing tone.

“Are you sure?” Moondancer asked. “I’m sure before long you’ll have a minor in it, maybe a major. Grand Tyrant Sparring.”

Twilight gave a light snicker, a hoof moving up to cover her mouth and stifle it. “I’ll admit, I miss having you there. There’s so much new… everything now. It doesn’t feel right learning about it without you. Comparing notes.”

“Yeah,” Moondancer said. “I don’t know how much of this is being an alicorn, how much is having earth pony and how much is, well… everything else.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said with a small smile, struggling to hold back the tears. She suspected Moondancer was as well.

“So, uhhh. You said you were working on a new book, right?” Moondancer asked.

Twilight froze and closed her eyes, trying to stifle the tears. “Yeah.”

“How is it…”

Twilight just shook her head.

“Twilight,” Moondancer said softly. “You have a--”

“Please, don’t,” Twilight said gently. “I don’t… I can’t.”

“Can’t what?” Moondancer asked.

“I can’t… talk about this without crying…” Twilight said gently. “You’re so hurt, so… I just… please.”

“Twilight, please, just say it,” Moondancer said softly. “I know it’s hard, but please. Just tell me.”

“I can’t see it anymore,” Twilight said gently, the tears starting to fall down her face before she finally just let it out. “I used to believe we could do something. I thought if we tried our hardest, if we worked together. If we did everything right. I thought we could save everypony. I thought we could maybe, just maybe, fix her. I always held onto that light for so, so long. Of course I had doubts and tried to not get my hopes up, but I thought she was getting better. I thought she was…” The tears dripped down her cheeks, splashing to the ground. Matching Moondancer’s own. “For so long I tried to keep it together. But that’s not what this is, is it? There’s no light at the end of the tunnel. There’s no hope. There’s no she’ll get better. She’s always just one bad snap from hurting all of us. From tearing us apart. She nearly killed you, Moondancer. She would have. I couldn’t stop her. I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t do anything but watch. She just didn’t care.”

Moondancer nodded, the tears falling down her face as well.

“It’s hopeless, isn’t it? There’s no new dawn, no fresh day. There’s no ‘things will get better’. I can’t pretend they will anymore. I tried to write. I tried so, so hard. I wanted to write something of hope, of belief. Something to just… make it better. Something to lift ponies up during this time. But how? How can I write about hope when I’ve given up on it?” Twilight asked, her voice raising despite herself. “How can I write about ponies saving the world, when it feels like there’s nothing else that can be done? We’re all trapped under the hooves of a tyrant who only cares about us until she decides it’s okay to hurt us again. A constant cycle of it. There’s no beauty, no hope. There’s no…”

“I mean, you got Tirek to help, right?” Moondancer asked. “He came back and stood up to her. That counts for something, right?”

“I don’t even know what he’s doing,” Twilight said softly. “It’s not friendship. It’s… something else. Maybe he’s trying to play us again, I don’t know. But… but… I just… For so long I always had this light. This rainbow. Whenever I hit my darkest moments, whenever the story was too much to bear. Whenever I felt like it was all coming down, crashing around them, I’d remember it. In the darkest hour, when all hope is lost. That’s when the light appears. That’s when an explosion erupts, lighting up the world. Reminding everypony what they fight for. What WE fight for. That no matter how bad it got, there was always hope. There was always some way that the heroes would rise, that they could see that light. But I just… can’t… anymore. That light? That dawn? It’s gone. No matter how hard I try to see it. No matter how deep I reach into myself… I can’t.”

“Twilight?” Moondancer asked.

“Nightmare Moon has snuffed it out, just like she has everything else she puts her hooves on. And I… I hate her,” Twilight finally said. “I hate her for everything she has done. To you, to me. To our friends. To our families. Everything. I just… I want to believe she can be helped. But she can’t, can she? She just… gets worse. Every time I think she’s finally getting better, she just relapses into this. How long until she finally wipes out a city or who knows what else? What happened in the Crystal Empire? It was just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve done more studies. The Crystal Heart wasn’t just some magical trinket. It was an embodiment of light and love. She shattered it. Without a second thought, she shattered it. Like the elements. Like you. Like everything she touches. She says she loves us, but she doesn’t. We’re just an audience to her, one she can destroy the moment it’s convenient.”

“Twilight,” Moondancer said softly. “There’s… I’m sure there’s still some hope. We can--”

“Is this what it feels like?” Twilight asked.

“What?” Moondancer asked.

“Every time I get hurt,” Twilight said. “Is this how you felt each time? So… this?”

Moondancer sighed and gave a small nod. “Yes.”

“I’m so sorry I did this to you, to everypony,” Twilight said gently.

“And you still believed,” Moondancer said. “You still tried. You still rose up for Equestria, despite the risks, the dangers.” Slowly she reached out a hoof and placed it over Twilight’s. “There is a light here. I don’t know where it is. I don’t know what it is. But we’ll find it. All of us. Then you can go back to writing all kinds of happy stories, okay?”

Twilight gave a small, tiny chuckle and nodded, her eyes blurry from the tears before she gently gave Moondancer’s hoof a small squeeze. If nothing else, at least now she better understood how the others had felt, seeing her like this. So hurt.

She’d need to be more careful. She never wanted to feel like this again, nor did she ever want to make anypony else feel like this.

------

Nightmare Moon stared through the small viewing rift she had created, listening to her student and bard speak. Though the night breeze from her vantage point on top of Canterlot Castle was slightly warm, she felt cold and hollow.

They were right, though. Much as she hated to admit it. As much as she felt broken at the notion. They were correct.

There was no dawn. No happy moment. No light at the end of the tunnel.

There was just her. Nightmare Moon. Their fears made incarnate. Even she could no longer deny this. Try as she might to be worthy of their love, all it ever seemed to take was one misstep and everything she worked so hard for came crashing down.

Was it her very nature? The nature of the night?

She closed her eyes and remembered what had drawn her out when her ponies needed her. Those cries for mercy. That belief that the darkness, the night, would shield those too weak to protect themselves. Would hide them. Coddle them. Protect them. How could a pony both be their greatest threat and also their greatest protector? How did she balance those two sides out?

How did Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna co-exist?

The tears trailed down the alicorn’s face and she longed to return to that night, so long ago. When she had first arrived. When she had shattered the Elements of Harmony. If she could just undo all she had done, stop herself from succeeding.

Even if it meant her destruction. Her banishment from her home forever. Even if it meant she lost everything. If she could just undo it all and leave it all better, she would. Just in that moment.

But she was no foal. She knew those feelings would not last forever. Come tomorrow, the day after, it may all return. The anger. The hurt. The feelings of abandonment. She couldn’t protect her ponies. Yet she couldn’t give them up. Why did things have to go down this road? Why must it be impossible to turn around and try again?

Nightmare Moon stared up at her sinking moon. Soon, it would all start again. A new, rising moon. A ‘morning’ as it were. A new dawn.

A mockery.

Nightmare Moon wished, so desperately, that she had somepony to talk to. Somepony to share her grief with. Her pain. But who? Her bard hated her, for every reason. Her sister was… she couldn’t share this with her sister. Nopony else could understand. Nopony else could see. She was the monster they all feared. She was…

No. Perhaps there was one more. One creature in all of Equestria who, in this most terrible, dire of moments, she could look to. Though it sicked her to ask.

But she had to ask now. Otherwise, she might never do it.

“Discord,” Nightmare Moon said softly. “If you can hear us, we require your aid.”

She was greeted by silence.

“We vow we will not try to harm you during this encounter,” the alicorn said. Once more, she was greeted by silence.

“Discord, we know you are there. Somewhere,” Nightmare Moon said, her ire only rising. Of course, the one time she wished him to appear.

She closed her eyes once more. “Please. Discord, we… no. I require your advice. Mock me if you wish. But… I need your help.”

“My my my,” Discord’s voice said in a playful, mocking tone. “The great Queen of Equestria requires the aid of I, a humble spirit of chaos? However could I deny such a once in a lifetime request?”

Nightmare Moon took a slow, deep breath. Oh, this was going to be painful. But she deserved a little pain right now.

Author's Notes:

Nothing quite like that moment you have to reach out to the person you loathe most, because you can't imagine anybody else even wanting to talk to you, or offering you actual help. But sometimes you really need to fall so you can pick yourself up again.

Also, Twilight now knows what it's like to see your close friend so hurt... it sucks. It can be very, very painful and, in some cases, feel like it snuffs the light out from you. But at least her friend is still there, still alive. That's something. And looks like not every member of Moondancer's family is quite as... hateful towards her. Not that she knows it.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next.
Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 27. Discord

“Discord,” Nightmare Moon said softly before turning to look at the spirit. She froze and cringed at the form he had taken. “Ew.”

“What? Too much?” Discord asked. He had the body of Celestia, though his own face. “I thought you wanted advice? Isn’t this what you ponies prefer to hear it from?”

“Please, undo whatever… that… is,” Nightmare Moon said. “Before we become any more… ill… than we already feel.”

“Very well,” Discord said before tugging on one of his hoofs and making it explode like a fire cracker. When the smoke cleared, Discord laid on a hammock made of the moon, a pair of moonglasses over his eyes. “So then, my liege, whatever can I do for you on this fine morning?”

“We wish to know how you became… this,” Nightmare Moon said, motioning to him.

“Mmmm, a deal with a gopher, you know. Tricky creatures, gophers. Nopony ever expects them.”

The alicorn gave a sigh. “We did not summon you to make wise cracks.”

“And yet I agreed to it because I desired to make them,” Discord said with a smug smirk. “Funny how that works, isn’t it?”

Nightmare Moon gave a light growl before, barely, shoving it down. “Fine, then. Allow us to be more clear. When our bard was in her darkest hour, she called to you. Not us, but you.”

“Well, she would hardly have called on you,” Discord said in a teasing tone. “After all, you were the darkest hour, no?” He held up a small sign and twirled it, stick figures of Twilight, Nightmare Moon, Spike and eventually Discord moving across it, playing out the near fatal destruction of the dragon as if the sign was a flipbook.

“Yet you came to aid her,” Nightmare Moon said. “You, a creature of vile contempt, of wicked thought, of cruelty and--”

“Yes, yes, get on with it, princess. Must you be so predictable?” Discord asked, now playing with a pair of Luna and Moondancer toys.

“You decided to help her, going against your very nature,” Nightmare Moon said. “When you first arrived, you played the role of villain, and my sister and I vanquished you. Yet this time, you play the role of hero. Why?”

“Role of head villain was already taken,” Discord said casually, an open book appearing in his hand with the words ‘Tirek’ on the spine. Twilight’s, she recognized. Though she could see two more behind him. One titled ‘Discord’ and another titled ‘Sunset’, though she didn’t recognize those. He flipped through the pages. “I didn’t really feel like playing second banana, you see. Where’s the fun in that?”

“You’re evil,” Nightmare Moon said. “Yet you just decided to stop being evil?”

“No no,” Discord said, his face puffing up to a frankly horrific size, a mockery of what she imagined was supposed to be ‘cute’ when he batted his big, puffy eyes at her. “Evil? Me? That’d hardly be what I am. I am Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, remember? Not everything has to be white and black. Or, well, I suppose sun and moon. I merely found it more amusing, at this time, to stand opposite you.”

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said, sadness filling her voice. “So it is your nature, then. To be… contrary. Not a decision, just… a thing you are.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far,” Discord said before relaxing in his hammock once more, flipping through the book. “There are many, many paths I could have taken, your highness.” She didn’t know why, but whenever he called her that it managed to annoy her more than if he called her a mocking name. How he could sound so mocking and yet respectful at the same time she would never know. “Opposing you isn’t truly possible, even for me. But annoying you? That has been an absolute dream. However…” He snapped his fingers and he appeared in a strange changeling outfit on one of her shoulders and a copy in a strange shade outfit on the other, making her growl and struggle to not fall down from the sudden weight. “Making it better? Worse? I could do both. I just had to decide what I wanted.”

“What you wanted?” Nightmare Moon asked before flapping her wings and rearing, making both of the discords poof, only to reappear behind her. “What is it you wanted?”

“Oh, I wasn’t sure, for a bit,” Discord said. “That’s the joy in it, you see. The Spirit of Chaos, not sure what he wants to do? Hilarious. We all know how much I enjoy a good Laugh. Well, I Hope you know. Besides, I’ve always been fond of the color blue.”

Nightmare Moon gave a low growl, stomping a hoof on the roof. “Discord! Stop talking in riddles!”

“Oh, riddles, those are fun,” Discord said with a light snicker. “Perhaps we should try one.”

“I’m not in the mood for--”

“When I arrived here all was not as it seemed, for but a moment I thought it a dream,” Discord said, ignoring her objections, his tone mocking again. “While a zebra’s salve can show the truth of the matter, to my eyes by default it’s all simple chatter. A world so different from what I expected, for but a moment I desired to see it rejected. But as I learned more I realized this opportunity, with which I may act with impunity,” the grin on his lips only got wider before he snapped his fingers and disappeared, reappearing in the very moon itself, his voice echoing around her. “What world will ponies with Discord make a deal, except for one where the Nightmare is real?” He then gave a small shrug. “All I had to do was accept what was different and hope it all worked out in the end, maybe have a laugh now and again. Really quite simple once you realize the secret.”

Nightmare Moon blinked a few times, staring at him as if he was as insane as he was. “That last part didn’t rhyme.”

“No, it didn’t,” Discord said with a chuckle before reappearing in front of her.

“We loathe you,” Nightmare Moon said.

“It’s really not that hard, your highness,” Discord said in a teasing tone, making her cringe again. A small couch appeared under her and a chair formed under him. He licked a small pen and started doodling on a notepad before adjusting his new glasses, a polkadot suit forming on him. “I just left a thousand year imprisonment and didn’t wish to return. That’s the joy of chaos. What else is it, but change? You, of all ponies, should know how easy change is.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Nightmare Moon asked.

Discord snickered before holding up a small Luna and Celestia doll. “’You should be careful, I don’t want you to get a sunburn. What kind of big sister would I be if I let you get hurt like that?’ ‘Oh sister. You’d never hurt me.’ Ugh. I’ve had quesadillas that were less cheesy. Caused less heartburn, too. Don’t even get me started on that lullaby. Blegh.”

Nightmare Moon felt her annoyance only grow. “Yes, we were foalish. But--”

“But what is done is done and cannot be undone, yeah yeah,” Discord said. “You cannot go back and undo it, now can you?” he asked in a teasing tone. “No matter how desperately you desire to.” His claw reached out and scritched her under the chin, turning to smoke when she tried to bite it. He then ran a claw through his beard with a smile.

“You are no different than you ever were,” Nightmare Moon said bitterly. “You still revel in causing pain and misery. Begone, we never should have called you. This was foalish of us, why we believed you would be of aid we cannot fathom.”

“I never said I was ever different,” Discord said. “In fact, I believe I said I was the same I’ve always been, your highness. I still have my fun. Perhaps you should try looking at yourself, hmm? If my method of chaos seems so different to you than it once was, yet it makes you suffer just the same? Perhaps it is you, not I, who has changed the most.”

“So what if we have?” Nightmare Moon asked.

Discord walked towards the edge of the roof and snapped his fingers, his beard growing longer, a staff of licorice appearing in his hand and a fuzzy bathrobe appearing in his hand. “That’s the beautiful thing about chaos, ‘Queen’ Nightmare Moon. After all, it’s not about good versus evil, now is it? Chaos versus harmony is what you like. Now, I’ll admit team chaos often gets a bit of a bad reputation. But a little change, now and again, can be quite good for everypony. You changed once. Can you allow yourself to change again?”

The alicorn froze, her eyes going wide. Was he truly so daft, or was this more mockery? Her desire to change was why he called him here! “We… I… We… don’t… know. If we can,” Nightmare Moon admitted, her eyes sinking lower as the moon finally fell behind the horizon and darkness enveloped them all. “We wish to, but we are unsure if we can. It is not in our nature.”

“Ah, I see, I see. Well, unfortunately there is no simple solution. No magical rainbow here to make it all stop. Well, yet. If you cannot, then I have one final thing to say about this moment you feel. This pain you’re causing?” Discord said before turning to face her.

“What?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“It! Shall! Not! Pass!” Discord then slammed the licorice staff on the roof, causing the chunk under him to give way and for him to sink out of sight.

Nightmare Moon blinked a few times before inching over towards the edge of the roof, staring down. In the darkness of the night she couldn’t see him, yet even if she could see she doubted he was there. Finally she rolled her eyes and turned towards the horizon. It was almost time to raise the moon anew. This had been a waste of time, Discord had spoken in nothing but riddles and hidden meanings.

Change. Chaos. There was more to it, though. She knew it. Ponies were suffering, but not at his hoof. At hers. But didn’t they see how much she was suffering? How much she ached? How broken her heart was? They cried out to Celestia, to her sister. But who listened when she cried out?

When her heart was lost to the darkness, who reached their hoof out to save her?

Certainly not her sister. Not Celestia. Always so perfect. Always so wonderful. Always the light of dawn. Always the pony they turned to. The one who pushed her aside when all was said and done. The one who stood by and watched her suffer, even when she needed her most. Who never understood how--

Soft music began to play, once more. A soft, gentle tune. Her ears twitched and eyes narrowed. What in Equestria? Why would--

Her sister’s voice rang out through the night.

Another trick of Discord’s, no doubt. Did he really think she’d be so weak willed, so soft? That a stupid lullaby would…

Would…

Nightmare Moon went still and listened to the words once more. The familiar, heart burning words.

‘Never imagined I would face them on my own.’

Luna never thought she would either.

But now she had no choice.

There was no light. No hope. No fresh dawn. There was nothing more she could offer her ponies. No matter how she protected them, in the end the only thing she couldn’t protect them from was herself. She wasn’t meant to do this on her own.

Nopony was.

“Celestia… Tia…” Luna said softly, the sobs wracking her body. She looked out over her kingdom. Her home. Nopony found the love in her nights. Nopony saw the care she wove into the night sky. Nopony…

But… They did, didn’t they? Some did.

Some still did. Though she hadn’t seen them. Though she had been the ‘backup’ princess. She had been so alone for so long. Must she spend many more lifetimes alone still? Must her sky be forgotten? She wished to raise the moon, but she couldn’t. Though the darkness enveloped her like the words of that lullaby, she couldn’t pierce through it.

Luna couldn’t go back. She wouldn’t. Though this darkness crowded in on her. Though it smothered her. Though it enveloped her.

Though it choked the very life from her.

She couldn’t go back. Not now. Not after everything she had done. There had been so many mistakes. From her. From her sister. From her ponies. She wouldn’t bear the brunt of it all. She couldn’t. She closed her eyes and cowered in the darkness.

But she desired, just for a moment, to be that light for them. As her very soul was crushed under the weight of the darkness, she wanted desperately to have a single pony who would reach out a hoof to her. To pull her out. To save her.

But there were none. She had made sure of that. Everypony she had destroyed or broken in her desperate quest for notice. For attention. For love.

She had been lost to the Nightmare and now it enveloped them all.

“Tia… sister… I love… you… I miss you…” Just for a moment. She wished it could all be undone. She would have given anything to feel her warmth. To feel her love. To feel that kindness. To be enveloped in the love of her sister. She couldn’t undo this, though.

Luna opened her eyes, staring on the empty horizon. Change? How could she change? If she changed, if she relented, then it would all return as it once was. Worse than before. She wouldn’t just be unloved, she would be hated. Despised. All would loathe her. All would fear her.

They would cry out for Celestia to banish her again.

“Luna you’re loved so much more than you know…” Celestia’s voice echoed through the night.

If only she could believe that.

Luna screamed. Not in rage, not in anger, not in hatred. In pain, in sadness, in grief. She screamed, desperate to drown out the lullaby of her sister. The apology she couldn’t bear. The acknowledgments of what had been done to her. What had driven her into the shadows so long ago. She screamed to let out the pain, to try and pierce the darkness that enveloped her.

But it could not. There was nopony now. No hoof reaching for her. No elder sister to help her. No bard to one day serve as that role. No replacement. No substitution.

The darkness choked her, crushed her, there was no light for her anymore. None she could bring to herself or anypony. The only light that remained she kept trapped. She kept bottled. She kept hidden.

Luna stared at the horizon, the tears falling down her face, blurring the world out. Turning the light of the stars and the light of the city into a mass of useless, fuzzy lights.

She was lost in the darkness and there was nopony coming for her.

But she would not allow anypony else to suffer this fate. She could not undo what had been done. She could not ease her own pain. She could not dampen her own suffering. Even as her sister’s lullaby mocked her, as Discord’s foul tricks, his words of ‘change’ and ‘chaos’ rolled over her.

She was not a spirit of chaos. She was Nightmare Moon. Guardian of her ponies. Though she falter, though she fall, though she be trapped in a hellish nightmare, that would not change.

If she could not protect them in the shadows. Then she would give them hope in the light.

She closed her eyes and her horn glowed once more, reaching out across Equestria. A simple, small warning. To her creatures of the night. The vampire ponies, the shades, all who were hers. She could feel the tension in the air as, for this moment and this moment alone, she connected to all of them. Warned them of what was to come.

To her surprise, she felt not betrayal, but joy. Excitement.

Luna felt love. Not for what was to come. But for her. Care. Acceptance of what she would do. Must do. And what it meant for them all.

A belief that this was what she wanted. That, in some way, her own heart was healing. That the believed that was touching, if only it were true.

Luna stared at the horizon one final time.

Then she reached out, grabbing the sun, the first time of many, before it began to rise.

Casting its light over Equestria once more. Her Equestria. The rays of its light filling her with a warmth she’d never expected. How long had it been since she had last felt the rays of the sun? A thousand years? More? She had expected it to feel harsh. Judgmental. For it to burn her.

Instead it felt kind. Gentle. Warm. Loving. Not like an enemy that aimed to harm her. Instead, wrapping her in a warm embrace. Her sister’s warm embrace. Or, at least, the next best thing.

In that light, Nightmare Moon, for just a moment, believed that maybe she could change. She could no longer be Luna. But just as her student and bard were somewhere inbetween alicorn and pony, she could find a place for her between Nightmare Moon and Luna.

------

Twilight stirred, her eyes blinking blearily. Had she really just fallen asleep?

Yep, she certainly had. Ow, her back. Sleeping in a chair after crying yourself to sleep was definitely not something she’d recommend. Still, she felt a little better. She could hear yelling, though. Ponies galloping. Also, who turned all the lights on so bright? Buck. She glanced to Moondancer, who wasn’t moving, her eyes locked on something across the room.

“What in Equestria?” Twilight asked before glancing back.

Her heart nearly stopped. The sun was rising, casting its warm glow over the land. The window blinds open, allowing the light to illuminate the room.

It was breathtaking. It was beautiful. The greatest thing she’d ever seen. She felt an explosion in her heart, like she had felt so, so long ago.

“I think… there might be some hope after all,” Moondancer said softly.

“I think you’re right,” Twilight said before closing her eyes and letting the warmth of the sun, near forgotten, wash over her once more.

A new dawn for Equestria. One, hopefully, they could keep.

Author's Notes:

Same as last time, this is the lullaby from Celestia, the one that haunts NMM. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4tyvJJzSDk&t=0s

As they say, a Spirit of Chaos is never late, he arrives exactly when it will cause the most damage to ruling officials. Just, sometimes, they need a bit more damage to push them where they need to be.

So ends season three... or so it was going to be... buuuut... Going to need to go over my notes again once I finish, but only 21 arcs to go now! It'll likely be a bit before I'm able to return to this, though. I plan to finish the avatar series and a few original works before I settle down for it, but well... I think there's only one more season to go. The next season is the big one, though. The grand finale and all that. And oh, it's a doozy of a thing.

Thank you for being patient with me. Enjoy the new dawn of Equestria... and one bonus chapter that's coming tomorrow.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S3 CH 28. Her Patience (Season Finale)

Nightmare Moon stared out over her land, watching the sun, her sister’s sun, bring light and warmth long barren of it. The song had faded, but it still echoed in her mind. The lullaby of a sister, now gone. Her horn lit once more and the song started once more. But lullaby’s were her domain, those of the night. And she reshaped the words, into something new. Something hers. Something… she hoped could bring peace to her ponies, even if they never heard it.

“Once did a pony who was freed from the moon look out on her kingdom in pain. She jeered and she said with such hate in her heart, ‘The sun shall never be seen again.’ So harsh was her cruelty and so brilliant her rage that great was the shadow she cast. Which fell dark upon the poor ponies she loved and grew only darker as her hurt and ache did last.”

It wasn’t her best work, but Luna shaped and molded the words still, struggling to create something out of this pain in her heart. “My dear ponies, know that I love you so, please rest now in my firm embrace. Hear please this lullaby, though my heart shattered first, through disregard and through suffering and through rage. Feel the peace and warmth of this day and please melt my sorrow in kind. Ponies, your love is wanted so much more than you know. Please help me to learn to be kind…”

“Soon did that queen take notice that one pony did give her what she thought was her due. Never did she question that what she offered was wanted by a pony like her, she ignored it as her pony’s pain grew. But such is the way of such heartache, it often does blind the love of its host. So that foolish queen took what she had demanded, causing the destruction of what she wanted most.”

Tears flowed down Nightmare Moon’s cheeks, though Luna refused to stop. Pain she deserved, pain she would suffer. Even if all it did was delay the pain she would inflict on those ponies around her. If only it filled her with enough shame that she wouldn’t harm them again, enforce her will on them once more. She didn’t have the strength to stop this, to truly give in, but she would delay it. “My dear ponies know I love you so, please learn to want my embrace. Bear up my vow, oh stars of the sky, through tears and through aches and through pain. Bring my heart peace and love so I may try to learn to be kind. Change is so much harder than I knew, but for them the strength I will find. Please forgive me and learn to be mine...”

Was it enough? Could it ever be enough? She couldn’t undo what she had done. She could never not be a monster. Luna could not exist, but nor could Nightmare Moon. Not as she was. She felt her sister’s sun warming her yet, piercing through to her bones. Encouraging, despite all she had done. She almost swore she could hear her sister’s voice with her own. “The years now before us, fearful and unknown. I never realized I couldn’t face them on my own. May no more sorrowful winters silently pass I plead. I need you, I fear you, all this time away...”

Nightmare Moon’s gaze turned away from her kingdom. Down. She had given the physical light back to her pony’s. But could she return the light to herself? Be like her ponies needed her to be? Dare she? No matter how little power her sister had, to even give a hint of her return, what would her ponies do?

Yet…

How many of her ponies had she nearly destroyed? How many had she nearly killed? Was this what happened when her power was truly allowed without restraint, when there was nopony who she could look to? How long until that darkness swept over her again and her ponies once more felt her ire?

But if she did such a thing, it would weaken her. Not physically, not magically, but emotionally. She would be making herself vulnerable. To the pony who had hurt her the most. Despite her power, it terrified her.

The only thing that scared her more was herself.

Those last lines played once more, this time, one last vow to herself and to those she loved. One sung so often to her, yet now she wished for it to spread to her ponies, not her. “May all your fears be gone today, safe in the warmth of her gentle light. And know not our sadness, pain or fear. And when the sun sets I’ll try to bear this great despair…”

Nightmare Moon held up her hooves to stare at them. How much of blood would be spilled before she learned her lesson? How many more must suffer before she would be sated?

This must be her last chance. Her final fall. She had hurt so many ponies… If nopony else could keep her in check, then it must be her. No matter the price to her.

Nightmare Moon disappeared from the roof, leaving nothing but scorch marks where she had been. Even if it weakened her, even if it destroyed her, she required something to reign her in. She had to change. Discord was right about that.

There was only one pony left for her now, no matter how much it hurt. No matter how much it destroyed her. No matter how much it killed her. For a moment, her steps through the crystal lined cavern faltered.

But only a moment more before the memories of her bard begging for mercy flashed through her mind. The thoughts of Moondancer, a pony who bore such scars both physical and emotional that so closely resembling her own, bloody and broken.

Princess Celestia could never return while she reigned.

But, no matter how much she denied it, no matter how much she fought it, one thing was clear to her.

Even if there was only enough space in Equestria for a single princess, one powerful queen, there would have to be space for her sister. If not for her sake, then for her ponies.

Nightmare Moon froze in place, her eyes locked on the sleeping alicorn, wreathed in chains. She couldn’t do this. If she did it, if even the smallest hint of Celestia’s return was to leak out, then…

Then what? Nightmare Moon might lose her temper? Hurt them more? No. Never again. She had crossed a line this time, even she could see that. She had done what could not be undone. No matter how desperately she wished it could. Slowly she stepped forward.

Celestia’s eyes opened when she was halfway to her. “Luna?” the princess asked.

“You… said once, that you would wait for us… for me, forever,” Nightmare Moon said softly. “I said I… I would never trust you again. I said I wouldn’t believe your lies.”

“Luna…” Celestia said softly.

Luna stopped a few steps from the princess, staring at her. If she did this, it would be another thing she could never take back. It could very well set her on the path to her very destruction. Her end. No more eternal banishment. Merely the destruction of all that she was. Because there would be no more Mare in the Moon. Never again. There would only be her… or the Princess of the Sun.

“Tia… I… I’ve ruined everything,” Luna said softly. “We can’t… I can’t do this on my own. I can’t… I can’t… do this… I can’t. There’s no more…” She leaped forward and hugged her sister once more, banishing the chains around her.

“Luna?” Celestia asked.

“Tia… I’m scared,” Luna whispered. “I’ve done so many terrible, terrible things… I’ve hurt so many ponies. I’m not sure what I’ll do next. I’m so, so terrified that I truly am just the nightmare. I need to change, I need to be better, but I don’t know how.”

“Luna,” Celestia said softly, her wings once more enveloping her sister and holding her close. “You… I…”

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” Luna whispered. “I have ruined everything. I’ve… I’ve…” Then, for the first time in a thousand years, she told her sister. Everything.

Everything that had transpired. Every ache. Every pain. Every joy. Every fear. Every lie. Every deceit. Every moment of jealousy. Every single mistake. From the moment she had first begun to feel like her ponies no longer cared for her, to the talk with Discord.

When all was said and done, Luna didn’t know what to do. She felt so tired, so spent, so hollow. Yet she also felt so free. But then her gaze raised and she stared into her sister’s eyes.

She saw fear and sadness. The tears trailing down her sister’s face. “Tia?” Luna asked softly. “What… do I do?”

Celestia stared at her and then, so soft even Luna could barely hear it, she answered. “I do not know.”

“W-what?” Luna asked.

“I do not know,” Celestia said softly. “Oh Luna, I’m so sorry.”

“But you… you…” Luna said softly, her body shaking. “You always have the answer. Sister?”

“Oh Luna,” Celestia said softly. “I know not what the future will bring. But… I…”

“You hate us too, do you?” Luna asked and started to pull back.

“I hate me,” Celestia said.

“W-what?” Luna asked, staring at the mare.

“Luna,” Celestia said softly, her hoof reaching out to stroke her sister’s cheek. “You have become something you were never meant to be. It was no mistake that three of the elements chose you.”

“But they all chose you,” Luna said bitterly.

“Laughter, honesty, loyalty,” Celestia said softly, ignoring her little sister’s remark. “A pony who delighted in mirth and play, who now feels nothing but pain in their laughter. A pony who was true to her word, who became afraid to speak the truth for fear of scorn. A pony so loyal, who cares so deeply for the ponies in her care that she eventually shatters and cuts them on the very edges of her broken heart. You did change into something else.”

“Then how do we--”

“But you didn’t do it alone,” Celestia said softly, looking into Luna’s eyes. “Nopony is meant to be alone, Luna. Not you, not I, none of us. We may not always realize it, but we do need our ponies. Nightmare Moon may be you, but she was not created by you alone. You made mistakes, but you were not the only one. There were times I could have prevented this. There were times others could have prevented this. There were times you could have prevented this. But what is done has been done. It cannot be undone. It took so many of us to make you this. Perhaps, eventually, we can make you who you were again.”

“What if I can’t change?” Luna asked softly.

“You can change, dear sister,” Celestia said, just as softly.

“And if I can’t? What if it’s impossible? What if I just hurt my ponies again?” Luna asked.

“I refuse to believe you can’t return to me, Luna,” Celestia said softly.

“Why?” Luna asked.

“Because I took from you your laughter, your loyalty and your honesty,” Celestia said gently. “I will carry them until the day you are ready to take them back. Because you are my little sister and I hurt you more than you ever deserved. Because I failed to love you the way you needed. Because I never protected you when I should have.”

“Tia…”

“Because I failed,” Celestia said softly. “For a thousand years I failed.” Her wings tightened around the other alicorn, the tears going down her face and leaking onto her sister. “For a thousand years I’ve gone over what I had done to you, what I put you through. How much I hurt you. I won’t lose you again. I can’t lose you again. I’m not… I’m not strong enough, Luna. I can’t do it. I don’t care what terrible things you’ve done, because I know that’s not the pony you are. I know that pony inside. The pony who stood by me against Discord. The pony who refused to abandon me even though it meant she had to face the windigo. My sister. I know you’re still in there. You have to be…”

“Tia?” Luna asked.

“Because if you’re not…” Celestia said softly, giving a sob that Luna had only heard the likes of in her most frightened and painful of dreams. “Because if you’re not in there, if you’re gone, my dear sister. If I’ve managed to snuff that side of you out so thoroughly that you can never return to me? Then it matters not what happens to me. I’ve done so much worse than merely murdering a pony. I’ve slain the very soul of the pony who I, more than any other, was supposed to protect. So I will wait, I will endure, I will suffer if that’s what you need from me. Because I know you will return to me. Because… Because I…” Celestia choked on the words for a moment, trying to get them out. “Because I… I r-refuse to believe… I refuse to believe that the Elements of Harmony forced us… us to endure a t-thousand years of this torture… just for me t-to lose you again. I can’t b-bear it. I… I won’t.”

“But what if I hurt more ponies?” Luna asked.

“You will come back to me,” Celestia said gently.

“And if it takes a hundred years?” Luna asked.

“Then I will endure a hundred years,” Celestia said gently.

“And if Equestria is in ruins?” Luna asked.

“Then we will fix it together,” Celestia said.

“How can you say that?!” Luna asked, staring up at her. “Don’t you even care?”

“Luna,” Celestia said softly. “I can’t do this without you. Not anymore. The only way that Equestria will ever again have a Celestia worthy of it, is if there is a Luna besides her. I will wait as long as possible for that future.”

“And if Equestria will never forgive us?” Luna asked.

“Then I will spend a thousand years showing them the Luna I know,” Celestia said.

“And if… we… can never forgive us?” Luna asked softly, her eyes lowering.

Celestia went silent.

“Well?” Luna asked. “What then, dear sister?”

“I do not know,” Celestia said softly. “I’ve never figured out how to forgive myself. I can only hope that… we can learn. Together.”

Luna stared at her before, very slowly, pulling away. Nightmare Moon stared down at the fallen princess.

No. It was all lies. She couldn’t…

No.

NO.

Even as that rage threatened to boil over again, Nightmare Moon shoved it aside. She would not allow herself to be that anymore. Her student bore the brutality of her anger. It could no longer be allowed to be free. Neither could she, at least not fully.

“Your isolation here will end, sister,” Nightmare Moon said.

“Luna?” Celestia asked.

“Nightmare Moon,” the queen said, correcting her. “We have made too many mistakes as of late. It has caused us to harm our ponies, to destroy, to hurt. It has caused us to become a true monster. It has cost us so much we held dear. It has turned all our greatest fears into reality. We must be better. If we cannot…” Nightmare Moon glanced around at the crystals. “We require an advisor. A pony who we can… who can guide us. We will not return your power. Nor will we grant you your freedom. But… we will allow you a place where you can be easier for us to see. Perhaps even… a place where others may see you.”

“Sister?” Celestia asked.

“The sun has risen once more across Equestria, a light to bring them warmth. Should we, should I lapse again, I will crush it. I will drive them back to the darkness,” Nightmare Moon said. “I had forgotten what the sun was, how warm its glow. What it meant. If you truly meant what you said, then take my offer. Help me to be the pony our ponies deserve.”

Luna turned and looked to Celestia, before feeling more tears start to fall once more. “Please… sister. I cannot do this alone.”

Celestia stared at her, before, very slowly, she got to her hooves. Then, very slowly, she nodded. She then walked after the mare, once more through the crystal caverns.

No matter what Nightmare Moon said, however, Celestia felt a new light inside herself. Because for the first time in well over a thousand years, it all seemed like her wait was nearly over. Though she could never make up for the pain her actions had inflicted, for the grief she had caused, she would try. With her younger sister by her side she believed she would even succeed.

Because Luna would come home.

Before they could go too far, however, Nightmare Moon paused. “Tia?”

“Yes?” Celestia asked.

“How did Moondancer get her cutie mark?” Nightmare Moon asked.

Celestia was silent for a few moments before shaking her head. “I could tell you, dear sister, but I could never do it justice. Neither could Moondancer. My advice, if you’d take it, is to ask her sister. Of all the ponies in Equestria, she is likely the only pony who could truly share the tale.”

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said, before she began walking again. She would need to make another trip, soon. Possibly as Nightmare Moon. Perhaps it was time that the ruler visit some of the more… distant cities of her domain.

Author's Notes:

So... music is not my forte, sorry. :x But I tried, really, I did. Considering how pivotal this song was to Luna's state, it felt only natural that she'd have her own version. Also, originally I wasn't going to show this, as I'd intended for it to be seen at the beginning of the next season that Celestia was 'back', albeit in a very restrained manner. But, welllll... I realized after all of this, the return of the sun, showing the sun's return in both ways was fitting.

Hope you all enjoy, only one season to go!

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page. If you'd like to support me directly I now have a ko-fi page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S4 CH 1. Advisor

“Mmmmm, nope, too plain,” Discord said before snapping his fingers. The simple, mundane chair transformed into a gem encrusted, golden throne. “Nope, too gaudy.” He snapped his fingers again and the chair turned into a giant clown chair, with the tongue acting as the chair. It winked at him. “Nope, too messy when it drools.” He snapped his fingers again and the chair turned into a reclining sofa. “Ehhhh, a little too therapeutic for such a prestigious role.” He snapped his fingers one last time and a crystal chair with a white backing appeared, the top portion holding an etching of his face. “Ahhhh, perfect.” He then turned and took a seat, grinning as he sat in it.

After a few moments he sniffed the air. “Is someone cooking toast?”

“Errr, Discord, errr… sir? Spirit?” the guard said nervously. “I think the chair is… burning… you…”

“Oh, huh,” Discord said before sighing. He snapped his fingers again and the chair disappeared, replaced with the mundane wooden one. “Very well, I suppose this will have to do.”

“Ah, good,” Nightmare Moon said. “Are we comfortable, then?”

“Mostly,” Discord said before snapping his fingers. “You, pony, get me a sparkling cider now, chop chop.”

The guard just looked between the spirit and his ruler, the latter of which was looking more and more like she was about to turn everything in the room to ash. He wished he could go get the drink just so he could try to be out of the blast zone.

“Delightful,” Nightmare Moon said before yanking the chair out from under the spirit. To her annoyance, he didn’t fall, instead just lounging in the air. “Pray tell, Discord, what makes you believe that it is at all permissible for you to be within our presence? Please, enlighten us as to why we should not turn you to a smoldering pile of ash where you stand?”

“What?” Discord asked, a look of shock on his face. “How can I possibly do my job if I’m not here? Well, I suppose I could do it long distance but--”

“JOB?!” Nightmare Moon asked, cracks forming across the windows to her new throne room. She cringed, quickly repairing them with a spell. After her recent demolition of the room, she felt a little more keen to avoid destroying it. Blunt trauma renovations were not the sign of a good ruler. “What job?”

“Oh, as your newest advisor, obviously,” Discord said. “Look, I even made a business card.” He snapped his fingers and a squirrel appeared in front of her, lightly chewing on a walnut. On its side read ‘Discord, Advisor to the Stars and Certified Royal Mischief Maker’.

“You are not my advisor!” Nightmare Moon yelled before getting to her hooves and starting towards him. Her horn glowed with dark magic for a moment and he let out a yelp when he was grabbed in her power. “In fact, you are nothing but an insignificant annoyance who I will promptly, and giddily, destroy now.”

Discord urked, struggling against the magic holding him. He shoved at it, but it only pushed him down further, driving him to the floor. “I-I see. P-perhaps… I-I was wrong,” he said weakly. “I guess… there’s… someone else you’d prefer for that… role?” With a great deal of effort he snapped his fingers. A moment later Tirek appeared a few feet to his right, yelping before plummeting to the ground.

“Ow,” the centaur said. “What in the--”

Nightmare Moon paused before releasing Discord. A moment later Tirek was enveloped in her magic before disappearing, banished once more to the prison. “Very well. I see your… point. When we desire your… advice… Discord… we will call for it. But, until then you will be gone from our sight and not sully our kingdom. Are we clear?”

“As you wish, your highness,” Discord said before lifting up his hand once more.

“Wait,” Nightmare Moon said. “The Elements of Harmony. Where are they?”

Discord’s grin grew wider than ever. “Ohhh, I could tell you if you want to know, but only this very moment. If you really, truly, absolutely want to know?”

Nightmare Moon turned to eye him, a wide grin forming on her lips and showing a hint of her fangs. “We very much do.”

“Very well,” Discord said. “They are, currently, in a location where they will be best for keeping Equestria safe.”

Nightmare Moon froze, her eyes narrowing on him. “And you wish to keep them safe? Why do we find that hard to believe?”

Discord just grinned at her.

Nightmare Moon gave an annoyed sigh. “Very well. If you should ever think to use them against us, know we will not hesitate to destroy you along with them.”

“Oh, I’d never dream of it, your highness. As if I could possibly use them. Why, it would take at least two ponies with a positively sickeningly lovey dovey relationship to do that. So then!” Discord disappeared before reappearing on her head, now only a few inches all. He leaned against her horn. “What’s first on the agenda? War? Destruction? Baby kissing?”

“Perhaps we should start with you leaving,” Nightmare Moon said before gripping him in her magic and flinging him at the wall with a satisfying splat. “Why are you even here?”

“Oh, Twilight asked me to keep you out of the way so she could take Moondancer on a nice, relaxing picnic.”

Nightmare Moon froze, her eyes going wide. “What? She asked you that?”

“Well, no, not in so many words,” Discord said before snapping his fingers. A moment later a small viewing square appeared in front of them, focused on the two somewhat alicorns and baby dragon in a hospital room.

“So, nervous?” Twilight asked from her seat besides the bed.

“What, to get back to working in close proximity to the pony who tried to shatter every bone in my body before nearly tearing my wing off?” Moondancer asked from her position on the bed. “Yes, I am a tiny bit nervous about that. Can’t imagine why.”

“You don’t have to come back,” Twilight said softly, the half-alicorn lightly hugging Spike to her chest.

“Could always run away,” Spike said. “I mean, not that I’m scared or anything. But you two have already lost an eye, an ear and a, uhhhh…”

“We didn’t technically lose a wing,” Twilight said before glancing at the wing she had. “It just didn’t… come right.”

“Yes, I’m incredibly nervous,” Moondancer said. “But she hasn’t told me to stay away. There’s no way in Equestria I’m leaving you to face her alone. Let’s be honest, even if we did try to flee she would tear the kingdom apart trying to find you. She’s already done this to us, who knows what she might do next? The sun raising might be more calm before her next eruption.”

Twilight gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Probably. Well… if running isn’t an option, how about one last relaxing day before we return? I have just the task to take us out of the city for a few days.”

“Starting my return to work with an away mission? Sounds great,” Moondancer said with a smile. “Where we going? Badlands? Dragon lands? Anywhere lands?”

“Ponyville,” Twilight said. “To go check on the changelings. I want to make sure they haven’t caused much trouble and, well… if we can expand this experiment.”

“That does sound nice,” Moondancer said. “Yeah, why not? It’d be nice to see the sun again. Actually seeing the sun. I still can’t--”

The square disappeared and Discord just shrugged. “It gets pretty mushy and bleh from there.”

Nightmare Moon growled, digging a hoof into the ground. “They never mention you. Nor did I give them permission to do such a thing! They were just attacked! Guards, stop their--”

“Well, not by name, no. But who else could keep you distracted while they have fun? And oh, that won’t work,” Discord said mischievously. “They left hours ago. You should get the warning right about…”

Nightmare Moon’s eyes went wide when alarms went off in her head. She let out a growl and lunged at him. “Discord, you foul beast! I WILL TEAR YOU APART!”

Discord teleported a bit away, chuckling softly. “Now now, Nightmare Moon! Careful, your anger is showing!”

“I’ll show YOU angry!” she yelled.

“Is this REALLY the kind of matriarch you want to be?” Discord asked.

Nightmare Moon froze in mid leap, her breathing heavy, wings spread and fangs bared. However, after a moment she paused and slowly retracted. “We… see. Then they are safe?”

“Of course,” Discord said. “If they were in danger even I’m not reckless enough to be within magic’s reach of you.”

“You are playing a dangerous game, Discord,” Nightmare Moon said.

“The only kind worth playing, your highness.”

“… Stop calling us that,” Nightmare Moon said. “Call us Nightmare Moon.” The way he said ‘your highness’ still made her skin crawl. “Know if anything does happen to them, we will tear you limb from limb.”

“I would expect nothing less… your highness.”

Nightmare Moon gave a shudder before she turned and made her way back to her throne, pausing only a moment to throw his chair at him. Annoyingly it slid back into place underneath him.

------

Twilight tried to keep the grin off her face, though it was hard. She had to play it cool. Play it calm. Play it--

“Soooo, uhhhh, why do you look so excited?” Moondancer asked, cocking her head to the side. “Isn’t this just meeting some changelings?”

“What? Me? Excited? Why would you think I was excited? This is totally a run of the mill changeling examination mission. Nothing exciting, dangerous or secret about it. Nothing at all. Nope, nothing,” Twilight said before picking up her bagel and stuffing it in her mouth. “Mfff ‘alk, eting,” she said around it.

“Subtle,” Spike said with a roll of his eyes.

“Do you know, Spike?” Moondancer asked with a cocked eye.

“Nope,” Spike said. “But it’s Twilight, so I figure it’s some kind of nerdy thing. She probably got tickets to a museum or an eight hour magic point presentation on the uses of book wax.”

“WAXSH?” Twilight said, nearly choking on her bagel before pounding on her chest a few times and grabbing her water, drinking it down. Once she could breathe again she glared.. “First of all, you don’t wax books. Second of all, it’s no tickets to anything. I mean, because there isn’t anything. Because… uhhhh…” She slowly trailed off as the other two just stared at her.

“Should I be worried?” Moondancer asked.

“Not at all,” Twilight said quickly. “Even if you were, I see Ponyville now so it’d be too late.”

Moondancer gave a sigh before glancing out the window. Well, if anypony was going to make sure whatever the surprise was was good, it would be Twilight. Hopefully. Ohhhh, maybe they could go explore some old ruins together or something!

The train came to a stop and, slowly, the pair began to climb off. “So, uhhh, how are you getting used to having a horn?” Moondancer asked.

“It’s very strange,” Twilight said. “Eating is usually a lot less messy, when I remember to use my magic.”

“She tried cooking,” Spike said. “She’s managed to be double banned from ever trying again.”

Twilight’s cheeks went bright red. “I-I mean, I made that pasta and--”

“No, you started to make that pasta and accidentally summoned a weird seventy legged--”

“It wasn’t my fault the pasta just happened to fall in the exact right positions to complete a summoning circle!” Twilight said, her cheeks burning. Spike just cocked an eye at her. “Okay, fine, so maybe I shouldn’t have tried to rush it along with magic.”

Moondancer couldn’t help but snicker when she watched the two. “I don’t know, it’s kind of nice knowing there’s one subject you don’t have a minor in. Two, I suppose now.”

“Oh, I have a minor in cooking,” Twilight said.

Moondancer paused, opened her mouth, then paused again. Finally she just looked at Spike.

“Allow me,” Spike said. “How?”

“Lab partner,” Twilight said. “I aced all of the written tests and was only allowed to help with preparations. The teacher made me promise to never try to make a casserole again, though. He said it was borderline treason and against all laws of ponykind.”

“This explains so many things in the syllabus for cooking 101,” Moondancer said softly.

“Either way, I don’t think that’s something we need to worry about right now,” Twilight said. “After all, I think there’s something far more important.”

“Hm? Like what?” Moondancer asked before following Twilight’s eyes. She went entirely still a moment later, her mouth dropping.

“Hey, Moondancer,” Bon Bon said. “Its been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Guh…” Moondancer said.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve seen her lock up this bad in years,” Lyra said.

“Buh?” Moondancer asked.

“Ohhhh, she’s doing the nervous hoofdance!” Minuette said. “I always loved the little shuffle dance.”

“Squeek?!” Moondancer said in confusion.

“Aaaaand there’s the squeak, always a classic,” Twinkleshine said. “I think that’s stage four?”

“Which means…” Lemonhearts said before her horn glowed. A moment later when Moondancer tried to take a step back and stumbled, she was caught by a cushion rather than falling on her back.

“I… I can’t be that predictable, can I?” Moondancer asked after a few moments, once her mouth moved again.

“Welllll, no, not really,” Lyra said. “But Bon Bon pretty much said that was exactly how you’d react. Right down to the stumbling and concussing yourself on some luggage if we didn’t catch you.”

“Your uhhhh, wing is showing,” Bon Bon whispered.

“What?” Moondancer asked before yelping. She quickly adjusted her saddle before glancing away. “Err, yeah. So ummm… wait. No! Y-you can’t be here, if Nightmare Moon finds out that—”

“Oh, wow, will you look at that,” Twilight said before coughing into her hoof. “We are running out of time and, silly me, it looks like there is so many things we still have to take care of while here. And I need to go and check up on these changelings. If only there were some ponies here who could take care of these things for us. Oh, wow, here is Bon Bon, an old friend of mine from Canterlot. What a coincidence. We--”

“I think she gets it,” Bon Bon said with a light snicker. “We know you’re worried, Moondancer. But, come on. The only news we’ve heard about you since… you know, was how you nearly died. We just wanna see our friend for one day.”

“Just one lunch won’t hurt us any,” Lyra said with a little wink. “After all, it’s all coincidence we just happened to run into each other today.”

“And let me tell you, it was not easy trying to ensure we all ‘coincidentally’ arrived here today,” Minuette said.

“Sorry about that,” Twinkleshine said sheepishly.

“Well, I’ve got to go meet up with some ponies,” Twilight said. “If anypony needs me, I’ll be at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“For Trixie’s practice?” Lyra asked.

Twilight froze for a moment before blinking. “Wait, what?”

“Errr… nothing,” Lyra said. “Have fun.”

“… I… will,” Twilight said, though she had a small inkling of worry now.

------

“Now presenting, ummm, for… your… viewing pleasure. I, ummm, I give you the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Chuck yelled before dashing off the stage. He yelped and spun through the air, only barely getting caught in time by Trixie’s magic to stop from landing painfully.

“Much better this time, Chuck,” Trixie said before rolling her eyes. “You almost managed to leave the stage correctly. Remember, exit stage RIGHT. Not right off the stage. Why, in a decade or so you might be ready to present me in Manehatten.”

“Really?” Chuck asked, staring up at her with sparkling eyes.

“… Sure,” Trixie said before letting him go and making him land with an oof. “Assuming the audience is drunk or senile,” she muttered under her breath.

“While Chuck’s announcements can cause a bit of trouble,” Zecora said with an amused grin. “I believe it has pushed your own capabilities to be far less humble.”

“Hey, I am not--” Trixie stopped for a moment before pausing. “Wait, you just said I was getting more talented?”

“Indeed I did, my less-than-mellow magician,” Zecora said. “In fact at this pace your dreams could come to fruition. Telekinesis is a common spell, but mastering it through such constant use will serve you well.”

“Eeeee!” Trixie said, clapping her hooves together. “Really? Ohhhhh, I knew accepting his help would be the right idea. So, what do the rest of you think of my act?”

“It’s unique,” Applejack said. “Not sure I really see the whole point of all the jewels coveringthe practice stage, though.”

“What?!” Rarity asked. “Nonsense! Trixie is representing Ponyville when she goes out on her performances! I refuse to let her stage be anything but as eye catching as the rest of her ensemble! Besides, even if this IS a practice stage, you never know when she’ll need to perform for a crowd too large to fit in the library.”

Trixie preened, standing up a little straighter. “Of course, I would expect nothing less from such a Fashionable and Talented weaver! Speaking of…”

“Everything is coming along just fine,” Rarity said smoothly. “Chuck’s little outfit should be ready in plenty of time.”

“Speaking of having things ‘ready’ in time,” Applejack said. “If you’d just let me and Big Mac take a crack at your wagon, we could probably get it rolling again.”

“I assure you, the Great and Powerful Trixie has her wagon well in hoof and will fix it in due time! The performance, though. What was your favorite part? Come now! It’s not just anypony I let see my grand performances early!”

“Oh, ummm… I liked it when you pulled the gopher out of the hat,” Fluttershy said before giving a light yawn from her perch in one of the apple trees, shaded from the sun’s light. “Ronny seems pretty happy to be on stage again.”

Trixie smirked before pulling off her hat, a little gopher popping his head out. “Yes, Ronny has been an absolutely excellent performing animal for my acts. See, at least one pony here appreciates my performa-- Rainbow Dash, are you sleeping?!”

“No, I’m relaxing and catching some sun,” Rainbow said from her reclined position. “Fireworks were cool. You managed to not light the stage on fire this time, so that’s definitely an improvement.”

“They were kind of scary,” Fang said timidly. He yelped when Trixie glared at him and he quickly backed away. “S-sorry.”

Trixie’s eyes only narrowed before she glanced towards Sap. That changeling was snoring soundly underneath Fluttershy’s branch. Ugh. The dangers of inviting a vampire pony and her changeling to a daytime performance. Not to mention the Shadowbolt.

“I liked the cupcakes!” Pinkie said from behind Trixie.

“Huh? There weren’t any cupc-- grk!” Trixie never got a chance to object before Pinkie seemed to materialize behind her and then stuff a cupcake into her mouth. She coughed and took a step away, wiping her mouth. “I wish you wouldn’t do that! Or at least teach me HOW you do it!”

“A magician can’t reveal her secrets, you know that,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “Be back soon, saw Twilight on the way, try not to panic or anything!”

Trixie rolled her eyes before glancing towards Chuck, Sap and Fang. She felt a moment of annoyance that all three were now sitting at rapt attention and watching the pink pony run off. Even Sap had woken up. She didn’t know what it was about that mare’s cupcakes, but the changelings always seemed to be focused only on them.

“Hey everypony,” Twilight’s voice called out. “Sorry I’m late!”

“Ah, it is of no matter,” Trixie said with a smirk before turning towards the mare. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has been keeping… every… pony… every… every pony… every…”

Twilight blinked a few times and stared at her. “Yes?”

“Twi… Twilight?” Applejack asked.

“Yesssss?” Twilight said. “Is… is it the horn? I-I know I mentioned this! You all read my letter, didn’t you?”

“What the BUCK happened to your eye!” Rainbow yelled.

“Oh. OH!” Twilight said sheepishly. “I… I did mention I got a little hurt in--”

“Twilight, darling, that is NOT a little hurt!” Rarity said a moment before she was practically on her, gripping the alicorn’s head in her magic. She turned it to the left and right. “That scar is absolutely horrible! Not to mention the eye patch is so mundane. Oh dear heavens. What… what happened?”

“Oh, well, there was the whole thing with Sombra, and, err, I guess… maybe… I left out a few details in my letters,” Twilight said. “Really, it’s not that big a deal. I just--”

“Little ponies who live as you do should not say such a lie,” Zecora said. “In no realm is it a small thing to lose an eye.”

Twilight gave a soft sigh before lifting a hoof up to her forehead. “I… I’m sorry. A lot happened, really. With Moondancer losing an ear, the whole weird partial pony mix thing, Nightmare Moon nearly killing Moondancer, everything in Equestria getting torn apart, I just… there was a LOT to cover and some things might have slipped my mind in my letters. I’m sorry.”

“It… it’s going to heal, right?” Fluttershy asked softly.

Twilight shook her head slowly. “I… don’t think so. It might get less tender, but… yeah.”

“Is this why nopony has been able to get a hold of you since… well…” Rainbow asked. “Either of you.”

“Kind of,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Now, now, everypony,” Applejack said with a small smile. “Let’s give her a little bit of space. I’m sure she--”

“YOU’RE A UNICORN!” Trixie snapped, pointing a hoof at her accusingly.

Twilight blinked a few times before cocking her head to the side. “I… well… kind of… half… what? But… didn’t you… what? Did you even read the letters I sent?”

“Of course I did!” Trixie said, before pausing. “Okay, I glanced at them. The Great and Powerful Trixie is very busy and only has so long to glance at her fanmail. Especially when it is THICKER than she is.”

“Not many things thicker than her,” Rainbow said with a snicker.

“Exa-- HEY!” Trixie said before glaring at Rainbow.

The pegasus responded by getting a hoof bump from Applejack and smirking at her.

“Anyway, HOW? The Great and Powerful Trixie will NOT be outdone by you, a mere author! Your magic may be sizeable, but I will not be pushed to the wayside!” Trixie said, storming over and glaring at Twilight. “I challenge you to a magic duel!”

“U-uhhhh… a magic duel?” Twilight asked. “Why? What?”

“T-Trixie, you can’t be serious!” Rarity said.

“I am entirely serious!” Trixie said firmly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie hereby challenges you! Go on, make my day? What incredible magic can you perform now, hm?! Time travel, age alteration, duplication, teleportation?!”

Twilight squirmed and then, very softly, mumbled something timidly.

Trixie blinked a few times, certain she’d misheard that. “I’m… I’m sorry. The Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t quite catch that.”

“She said she can lift four things at once with magic now!” Spike said before getting between the two of them and glaring at Trixie.

The performer just stared at her before cocking her head to the side. “Wait… what? But I thought you were supposed to be some kind of prodigy or… something? While I did tune out most of the inane things you and Starjumper were saying, it was certainly advanced magic.”

“Her name is Moondancer, first of all. Second, actual magic is hard, okay?” Twilight said, her cheeks burning. “I know all the theories, but it’s like having a muscle I’ve never had before just suddenly pop up! I don’t know how it works, I just know the general equations and principles that allow it to function! Putting them into practice is a lot harder than I thought they would be. I’m sorry.”

“Oh… uhhhh…” Trixie said. “Perhaps, errr, the Great and Powerful Trixie was a little… hasty in her challenge.”

“Yah don’t say?” Applejack asked, giving her a less than amused look. “You really should stop doing that.”

“But the Great and Powerful Trixie is not one to just let her friend wallow in her pathetic failures,” Trixie said proudly. “If you desire to learn true magic, now is the time to teach you. Come, Lamplight, follow me onto the stage.”

“Oh please tell me we’re not doing this again,” Twilight said with annoyance. “You know my name. I KNOW you know my name!” She then nudged Spike, but alas, the dragon was giggling too much to care.

“Step one of proper magic usage is--” Trixie’s words were cut off by a sudden scream. “Why the Great and Powerful Trixie does appreciate the enthusiasm, please hold the cries of glee until AFTER the lesson.”

“Uhhhh, I don’t think that was about you,” Spike said before pointing off towards the Everfree Forest and some fleeing ponies.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack said.

Long, black and spiked vines were spreading out from the trees while above spiked, black clouds were slowly pillowing out from the forest.

“That… that doesn’t look good,” Spike said. “Sombra?”

“I doubt it,” Twilight said.

“Okay, everypony! We brought cupcakes!” Pinkie yelled as she and Chitin came lightly trotting towards them, the pair pulling a wagon filled with cupcakes.

“I… I helped make them myself,” Chitin said nervously. “W-with love.”

If Twilight wasn’t so distracted by everything else, she might have even asked what happened to the changeling’s wings and why they were so shimmery. As it was, all she could do was stare when the vines slowly spread out from the forest, tearing apart anything and everything in their way as they went.

Author's Notes:

So I suck at staying away, sue me... :P But yeah, I wanted to get some of this out as I had ideas and some new songs giving me inspiration (Prince whateverer's ghost in the sun making me wanna write more Nightmare Moooooon.)

So, here we are at the beginning of season 4... and it's a doozy. Moondancer gets to see her friends, Discord taunts NMM and takes advantage of their... temporary ceasefire and we learn that Twilight... just... just keep Twilight OUT of the kitchen. Magic is easy, cooking is *hard*. Also, apparently magic is hard.

Also, Trixie has learned that praising local fashionista can help her get more dazzling things. Trixie will use this info to her advantage... but really should also learn to fully read the letters she receives. Even if they are incredibly thick.

Yup, and absolutely nothing else of great import happened here. No foreshadowing at all. Nope.

S4 CH 2. Vines

“So, there I am, soaked to the bone when who should walk by but Fancy Pants himself,” Lyra said before shaking her head. “Suffice to say, I took the job in Ponyville and Bon Bon and I have been here ever since. Its been wonderful. The lunches, the long talks, the benches we’ve sat on. Every day is a brand new adventure when you get to spend it with your best friend.”

Bon Bon’s cheeks were a little red and she lightly nibbled on her spinach. “Yeah. I really thought I’d end up moving here alone. Its been so much nicer knowing I have a friend. How, uhhh, how have you been, Moondancer? We see a lot in the newspapers, but it’s a little… different now. Even Lemon barely sees you and she works in the castle.”

“Only some days,” Lemon said quickly. “Most of the prep work is done at our HQ, I’m rarely one of the main organizers these days.”

“I’m sorry,” Moondancer said, keeping her eyes downcast. “I know when last we saw each other, well…”

“You were swearing fealty to Nightmare Moon in order to save us all from a lifetime trapped in a tiny ball?” Twinkleshine asked. “Yeah, won’t lie. We uhhhh… didn’t handle that one the best.”

“That’s an understatement,” Bon Bon said with a light snicker. “Twinkleshine accidentally summoned a balor.”

Moondancer’s eyes went wide and she covered her mouth with a hoof. “A-again?!”

“This time it was… slightly less unexpected,” Twinkleshine said sheepishly.

“She was trying to summon a cyclops,” Lemon said. “So, half there. Suffice to say, she’s officially been banned from the restricted section of the library and I’ve forbidden her from practicing any more experimental magic.”

“Well, if you’re going to mess up you should at least mess up big,” Twinkleshine said.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Moondancer said softly. “None of this would have happened if I’d just been able to use the elements. If I hadn’t failed again. If I’d just--”

“It’s not your fault,” Bon Bon said. “How could you have--”

“Of course it was, Bon Bon,” Moondancer said softly. “You all got me there. I had the five elements there. Right there. But I couldn’t use them. I couldn’t make the sixth one appear. No matter how much magic I used, I wasn’t able to wield them. They just wouldn’t respond to me.”

“It’s not your fault,” Minuette said in a soothing tone. “It wasn’t fair for you to have to deal with everything on your own.”

“It really wasn’t fair to make everypony else depend on me, considering my track record,” Moondancer said before givng a soft sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m just… bringing the mood down, aren’t I? I should go.”

“Moondancer,” Lyra said with a small smile. “We’re your friends. We’ll always be your friends. We get it, you blame yourself. But we don’t. What happened is no more your fault than any of ours. You tried your hardest. You’ve sacrificed more than anypony we know trying to keep Equestria safe.”

Moondancer gave a light chuckle before shaking her head. “Second most, likely. Twilight I think has me beat in that department.”

“I wouldn’t be certain about that,” Bon Bon said before glancing to her ear.

“I’m sorry,” Moondancer said again. “I just… I just wish I could have done all of these things right. Even now I’m not sure what I’ve done right or wrong. Even me getting hurt was my fault. If I hadn’t messed up again then--”

“Oh my gosh, are you really going to spend the whole meal beating up our friend?” Lyra asked in a teasing tone. “Because I’ve got to tell you, it’s really not very nice. She doesn’t really fight back.”

Moondancer’s cheeks went scarlet and she glanced away, a small smile on her face. “I… I guess that’s fair. I’ll stop. I’ll try to stop.”

“Good,” Bon Bon said. “So, how about some good news? What’s been going on that you like?”

“Uhhhh… Twilight, she’s pretty great,” Moondancer said. “Smartest pony I know. Talented, clever, knows possibly more about magic than me.”

“Wait, the earth pony?” Minuette asked. “Err, ex-earth pony?”

“Ahem?” Bon Bon asked. “What’s wrong with being an earth pony?”

“Hey, you know a lot,” Minuette said. “But this is an earth pony knowing more about MAGIC that Moondancer. Our resident massive magic nerd who is also a unicorn. She knows more than the five of us put together when it comes to magic.”

“I know, but she’s brilliant,” Moondancer said. “Though, uhhh. Now she’s… kind of got the whole… earth pony, unicorn, mixed thingy I have. She’ll probably outpace me eventually. Once she figures out telekinesis. Oh, and there’s Spike. He’s wonderful.”

“Spike?” Lemon asked.

“He’s the dragon,” Bon Bon said. “Remember, from the papers?”

“Ohhhhhh,” Lemon said. “I thought that was made up.”

“Then there’s Twilight’s friends,” Moondancer said. “Or… kind of her friends? I think they’re her friends now. Rarity, she does a lot of work around the castle. Applejack has done some catering things. Rainbow--”

“Ohhhh, the Shadowbolt?” Lyra asked.

“Yep!” Moondancer said.

“Then you have to have met Pinkie Pie, right?” Lyra asked.

“I think everypony within a ten mile radius has met Pinkie Pie,” Minuette said in a flat tone. “I’m pretty sure she qualifies as everypony’s ‘good news’ in that regard.”

“Yeah,” Moondancer said before blinking. “Huh. Then I guess there’s Trixie, she’s--”

“Ohhh, the librarian?” Lyra asked. “She’s sooooo loud. But her recommendations are top notch. Benches through the ages, such an amazing read.”

“Rumor has it she even got Rainbow to read one or two things,” Bon Bon said with a light snicker. “Her performances can be fun too.”

“Are they really that good?” Moondancer asked.

“Ehhh, off and on,” Minuette said with a shrug. “I saw one of her shows, it was okay. She’s a bit obnoxious and some of her acts are a bit over the top for what she actually does. But she definitely has a lot of passion and her zebra assistant is a blast to watch. Once you get past the arrogance, she can be pretty interesting. Honestly, compared to some of the pony’s back in Canterlot, she’s borderline humble. Isn’t that right, Lemon?”

“I’ve seen wayyyy worse,” Lemon said. “She’s a showpony, what can you expect? If you’re too humble the hecklers will tear you apart.”

Moondancer couldn’t help but snicker, lifting a hoof over her mouth to try and stifle them. It felt… nice. She felt relaxed. Calm. Safe. She wished this meal could last forever. Perhaps--

A scream made her stand at attention and look around in confusion. “What in Equestria?” Moondancer asked. A few moments later the ground under them began to rumble and black, spiked vines started to force their way out of the floorboards. What now? Was it Nightmare Moon? Did she find out about her friends? No no no no no! Moondancer tried to think, tried to come up with a plan, but she was drawing a blank. All she could do was stare while the vines came closer and closer, coiling around furniture and knocking over tables.

“Okay, everypony outside!” Bon Bon yelled before grabbing Lyra’s hoof and dashing towards the door.

Moondancer and the others soon followed suit, though outside wasn’t much better. Her mouth fell open when she saw the vines erupting all over, damaging homes, destroying streets, frightening ponies.

“Do you think this is Nightmare Moon’s doing?” Twinkleshine asked.

“Maybe? No,” Moondancer said. “I’m not sure. I… I should… I…”

“Should regroup with Twilight?” Bon Bon asked.

“Yes,” Moondancer said. “Listen, if there’s something dangerous then Nightmare Moon will likely show herself. If she does it could put all of you in danger. I should go alone.”

“As is tradition?” Lemon asked with a small smile. “Relax. If there’s nothing we can do we’ll keep out of the way, okay? But, just this once, why don’t you stop trying to hold everything on your own shoulders and let us help you out?”

“Besides,” Minuette said. “I kind of want to meet this Twilight and Spike outside of the letter. We’re not going to let just anypony watch out for our old friend.”

Moondancer blinked but, slowly, she gave a small smile and nodded.

------

“The results would be tragic,” Zecora said before pointing towards the potion and then glancing up at the large assortment of gathered ponies of all kinds. “It only responds to alicorn magic.”

“Well, that sounds useful,” Rainbow said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “So I guess we just go get Nightmare Moon to guzzle a random mystery tonic. I’m sure she’ll be giddy to try it. If that stuff even works.”

“Hey!” Trixie snapped, her voice filled with ire. “Of course the potion works! My assistant is not some street peddling hack!”

“Easy, Trixie, easy,” Applejack said, holding up a hoof. “Ain’t nopony accusing Zecora of being a hack. We’re just a little concerned is all. Nightmare Moon isn’t really, well… keen on taking… help.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Twilight said before glancing to Moondancer. “But, there might be an alternative. Moondancer?”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Moondancer said. “It could be dangerous, though. We’re not true alicorns, there’s no telling what will happen if it only works with one. If anypony is going to try it, it’ll have to be me.”

“Again?” Bon Bon asked.

“I have the most experience with magic,” Moondancer said. “I’m a lot more durable than I was. On top of that, Nightmare Moon already hates me so if I get hurt she won’t be that annoyed.”

“Wait, hates you?” Lemon asked.

Moondancer ignored her, her horn glowing before she unleashed her magic on the jar. The liquid within changed from purple, to red, to orange and then, finally, to white. “See? Nothing to it.”

“What do you mean Nightmare Moon hates you?” Lemon asked.

Moondancer didn’t answer, instead grabbing the jar. “Wish me luck.” With those final words, she drank from it. Her eyes glowed a bright, white light a moment later. She started whimpering, whining and cowering.

“W-what’s wrong? Is… is she going to be okay?” Minuette asked.

“The potion merely shows her the past related to our current threat,” Zecora said. “No damage will she suffer even should her cheeks become wet.”

“Is anypony else concerned about this whole ‘Nightmare Moon HATES her’ thing?” Lemon asked. “Anypony? Just me?”

“It’s Moondancer,” Lyra said with a sigh. “She thinks everypony hates her. Always.”

“She’s… not… altogether wrong in this case,” Twilight said softly. “Nightmare Moon does have a… uhhh…”

“Wait, what?” Lyra asked. “But… but she’s Nightmare Moon’s student! We all saw it! How can a pony hate her student?”

“It can’t really be that bad, can it?” Minuette asked.

“No, it’s pretty much that bad,” Spike said. “Nightmare Moon is one bad sundae off from, well… what happened last time.”

“We can’t let her go back to that,” Lemon said.

“I doubt we have much choice,” Bon Bon said. “You know how Moondancer is. She--”

A moment later the crying stopped and Moondancer wobbled for a moment before shaking her head. “That… what? What’s wrong? Why is everypony staring at me?”

“You, ummm, you were crying,” Twilight said. “And mumbling a lot. What… happened?”

“I saw… Celestia,” Moondancer said softly. “I saw her use the elements and stop Nightmare Moon. Alone. But… but I don’t think it’s related to this. It’s not… I don’t think these thorns are Nightmare Moon.”

“Perhaps deeper in the past are the answers we seek,” Zecora said. “Another sip may be what is needed, but perhaps another alicorn should take a peak.”

“No. I’ll do it,” Moondancer said before taking another sip of it. This time, after a moment, she started giggling.

“Okay, if she starts singing I am out of here,” Trixie said. “I’m gonna go… hang out with the changelings before this gets weirder.”

“What, you think they’re the normal ones?” Spike asked.

“Compared to this? Yes. Really makes you think, doesn’t it?” Trixie asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “That and they have the cupcakes.” She trotted off. When she approached the cupcakes three of the changelings hissed at her before shaking their head, though Chitin reached out and offered her one. “Thank you, ummm… whichever one you are. One of the girls. I think.”

“Chitin,” the changeling said.

“Right, right. Now, while they deal with… that weirdness, let me regale you of the time I rescued Ponyville from the villain Candlebra.”

“Wasn’t it Caballeron?” Chuck asked.

“Yes, yes, him,” Trixie said.

“As I was saying,” Bon Bon said. “Moondancer isn’t one to run away from… well…”

“Anything? I noticed,” Twilight said softly. “Even when she certainly should.” She glanced back towards her wing, hidden under her saddle. “It’s… my fault any of this happened. If I hadn’t resisted, then--”

“Now hold on a moment,” Applejack said. “I ain’t sayin’ any of this is Moondancer’s fault. But it sure as plum isn’t yours, Twilight. Yah didn’t want any of… this forced on yah. And Nightmare Moon didn’t have any right to force it on yah. If Moondancer tried to stop it then she did the right thing. She got hurt for it, that ain’t right either. But it doesn’t make it your fault.”

“But if I had just accepted it,” Twilight said gently. “If I’d let her change me…”

“Dear, please try to understand I am being quite delicate when I say this,” Rarity said. “Her highness, Nightmare Moon, is a bit… testy. I do not imagine anypony of any measurable level of sanity would desire to spend the rest of an, ahhhh… extended life as their… I’d say colleague, but no. Toy. Plaything. Puppet.”

“Basically, she’s not treating you like a pony and that’s not your fault,” Rainbow said flatly. “Buck, if I’d been there I’d have tried to fight her too.”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Moondancer’s friends asked, staring with looks of horror.

“Did you say that Moondancer tried to FIGHT Nightmare Moon?” Bon Bon asked.

“You said she disrupted the ritual!” Lyra said.

“You never mentioned she tried to FIGHT her!” Minuette said.

“She—” Lemon’s words were cut off when Moondancer’s eyes stopped glowing and she shook her head.

“O-okay,” Moondancer said. “That was weird, but, ummm. I don’t think that was it either.”

“Third time’s the charm!” Twinkleshine said before gripping the bottle and holding it to her lips.

“Err, what? R-right!” Moondancer said before her eyes started glowing again.

“She out? Good!” Lemon said before turning to Twilight. “Please, please tell me you’re exaggerating. She didn’t actually TRY to fight her, did she? After last time? She--”

“Oh, no, she very much attempted to fight me,” Nightmare Moon said a moment before her frame materialized out of the shadows of the trees. She gave a small, narrowed eye glance to Rarity, who eeping and quickly took a step behind one of the apple trees.

Fluttershy squeaked and her eyes shot open. She flailed for a moment before tumbling out of the tree onto the Ruler of the Night. “S-sorry…” she said softly.

Nightmare Moon sighed and gripped the vampire pony in her magic before lifting her up, depositing her back on a tree branch. “You, little one of our night, should be in bed.”

“Didn’t want to miss the… get together,” Fluttershy said with another soft yawn.

“We can see that,” Nightmare Moon said before turning her gaze back towards the group of ponies. “We take it, then, that you have begun to unravel what it is causing this plague upon our lands?”

“Err, Moondancer is trying to,” Twilight said softly. “How, ummm, how much did you hear?”

“Enough,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing away from her and towards Moondancer’s friends. “I must say I am surprised to see you five again.”

“It, err, was just a coincidence,” Minuette said sheepishly. “We were in the neighborhood and--”

“My my, what a happy coincidence it is, then,” Nightmare Moon said before walking towards them and pausing when she passed Moondancer. “Perhaps even one we can use. Shall we wait to see what it is my precious student has learned?”

The gathered ponies slowly nodded, watching Moondancer until, finally, her eyes stopped glowing.

“I figured it out!” Moondancer said proudly, nearly hopping in place. “The Tree of Harmony! Something must have happened to it!”

“T-the w-what now?” Twilight asked, her eyes locked on Nightmare Moon behind Moondancer, mentally willing the other mare to turn around.

“The Tree of Harmony, where the Elements of Harmony came from,” Moondancer said. “Celestia and Nightmare Moon found it and took the Elements from it. Since they were destroyed, something must have happened to it and it’s no longer containing the magic of the forest. We just need to inform Nightmare Moon about the--” Moondancer turned and went entirely still, one hoof pointing at the forest.

Her eyes falling on Nightmare Moon. She gave the softest of whimpers.

“Fascinating,” Nightmare Moon said before, slowly, she smiled. “And it is well that you desired to inform us first and foremost.” A hoof reached out to stroke Moondancer’s chin. “Such a good, loyal student we have.”

“Y-your highness… I… I was… My friends didn’t… they…”

“Hmmm?” Nightmare Moon asked before glancing. “Why do you seem so afraid, little student of ours? We think it is quite clear what you intended.”

Moondancer gulped, staring at the alicorn and feeling as if there was a blade suspended over her head. Never knowing if or when it would fall. “Y-you… d-do?”

“But of course,” Nightmare Moon said before giving her a gentle pat on the head. “A new threat rears its head against our kingdom and our dear student gathers the ponies she believes can deal with it.”

Moondancer stared at the ruler before, very slowly, giving a nod. “Y-yes?”

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing towards the forest. “The Everfree Forest has changed much since we last traveled through them. Even moreso now. The journey to find the Tree of Harmony will not be an easy one. However, as you have sworn allegiance to us and know better than to risk attempting a second coup… we instead have a new task for you.” She spread her wings out. “Go forth, our little ponies. Find the Tree of Harmony and stop whatever… force is attempting to damage our kingdom. When we last journeyed to it it could be found near our castle, we advise you to begin your search there.” She glanced at the sky before smiling. “Consider it… a test. If you have not returned by tomorrow’s dusk, we will have assumed you have failed. Should you… succeed, however? We will see that perhaps the six of you are still useful to us as a whole, despite earlier… mistakes. We will even have a reward for you, our little student. One even you would agree is quite generous.”

“And… and if I fail?” Moondancer asked nervously.

A fanged smile formed on her lips. “Should you fail, little Moondancer, it will merely show you are incompetent as we suspected. An incompetence that is seemingly infectious even by ponies of… higher caliber,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing towards Bon Bon, who glared at her. “Now go. Your orders have been given. Do as your ruler demands.” Her horn glowed before the six were enveloped in her magic, disappearing from sight.

She then glanced back towards Twilight. “As for you…”

“Y-your highness,” Twilight said nervously, quickly kneeling down and bowing her head. “I-I assure you, we--”

“How goes your little project?” Nightmare Moon asked, before glancing towards the changelings.

“Huh?” Twilight asked. “Errr… well… enough, I suppose. They seem to be, ummm…” She nervously watched as one of the changelings started to, very timidly, approach the Ruler of the Night. She could almost feel everything going poorly.

“U-ummm… N-Nightmare… Moon… Your highness?” Chitin asked softly, her entire body shaking.

“Oh my, whatever is it?” Nightmare Moon asked with a fanged smirk on her lips. “Do you wish to challenge us as well?”

“N-no!” Chitin said softly before, nervously, she held up a small cupcake. “T-the… the wise… pink… p-pony says… when you meet a p-pony and… and aren’t sure what to do… g-giving them something nice to e-eat is the best way t-to say… h-hello. S-so… so… h-hello…”

Nightmare Moon paused, staring at the cupcake before giving a confused look to Twilight. The other mare just shrugged. “We… see. You’re… welcome for allowing you to partake in this… task, then,” she said before gripping the cupcake in her magic. The changeling didn’t leave, though. “Yes? Was there something else you wished?”

“Could… could, errr, could… if… if I make them… could… you give some of my cupcakes to the other changelings? To the ones back in Tartarus? The ones held captive and starving?” Chitin asked.

Nightmare Moon stared down at the cupcake. Ugh. It looked like garbage. The frosting was barely holding itself together, the cupcake was oddly lumpy and it was even a little burnt. Still, she supposed from a creature like that it was the best it could do. “Very well, we see no reason to deny this request. Our bard can manage the details as required.”

“Oh, thank you your highness!” Chitin said before lunging forward and hugging Nightmare Moon’s leg, then buzzing away to join the others.

Nightmare Moon went entirely still, unsure of what she could do now. How was she even supposed to react to THAT?

------

Moondancer let out a yelp when she landed on the ground outside the forest. Well, that wasn’t so--

A moment later all five of her friends landed on her back, knocking the air out of her. “O-ow…”

“Think… yeah… definitely feeling the hate here,” Lemon said softly.

“Sorry… Moondancer… just… need a moment…” Bon Bon said before she dug her hooves into the ground and bodily lifted the others off them, tossing them off before rolling off the student. “Ow. You okay?”

“Y-yeah,” Moondancer said gently before, gingerly getting to her hooves. She was not okay, not in the slightest. She ached and didn’t want to imagine what would happen if they failed. “I’m so sorry, you shouldn’t have had to go through this. I should—”

“Oh, we know, we know,” Minuette said before rolling her eyes. “But we’re your friends, Moondancer. We already told you we’re not going to leave you behind.”

“But you’re all in danger because of me. If--”

“And so begins another batch of Moondancer’s greatest hits,” Lyra said before she started to lightly trot into the forest. “Fine, you win. Moondancer, if you’d like to wait here, that’s fine. But me? I’m going to go try and find this fancy tree. Now, it might be dangerous for me to go alone, but I’m sure if anypony wants to come with me they’re more than welcome to.”

Moondancer blinked a few times. “That’s, you can’t--”

“Oh, I can, I do, I did and I will,” Lyra said before pausing. “Err, I think I did those out of order. Either way…” She took a step into the forest. “See, now if anything goes bad it’s my fault. So there.”

“Well, there’s no way I’m letting Lyra go off on her own,” Bon Bon said before lightly trotting after her.

“If we’re going to run off and find an old tree, might as well do it together,” Twinkleshine said before lightly trotting after them.

“We have a deadline, if anypony is going to make sure we get there in time it’ll have to be me,” Minuette said before lightly trotting forward and then glancing back at Lemon. “Are you coming?”

“Honestly? I’m trying to figure out if the mayor needs a new event manager,” Lemon said. “Because I’m pretty sure I’m going to get fired from my party organization job if we do this without Nightmare Moon’s student.”

Moondancer gave a sigh before rolling her eyes. “Fine, fine, I get it. I’m coming.”

“Are you sure?” Lemon asked. “I don’t imagine managing a mayor’s town events could be that much different from assisting at the one’s in Canterlot.”

Moondancer gave a light chuckle and shook her head. “No, but thank you. I… mean that. Thank you.”

Author's Notes:

And so Moondancer's friends are getting involved. Whether she likes it or not. But who knows? Maybe this will be good in the end. If they succeed here, surely things will only get better, right?

... Also, I laughed probably a little too hard at the idea of them all but force feeding her the potion. Go back into memory land, Moondancer, so your friends can find out just how things really are. Fortunately, or unfortunately, they haven't been entirely... privy to the full goings on and are a little shocked to find out the treasured student is... not... actually liked. At all. Oh dear... Also, I swear, the amount of research I've had to do on all five of them for this chapter. Here's hoping it still went well.

Gonna post my standard blurb below.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server.

S4 CH 3. Second Try

“You know what?,” Bon Bon said before leaping onto a small rise to the side of the path before offering her hooves to help the others up. “I for one am looking forward to proving Nightmare Moon wrong. She said some pretty hurtful things back there, you know.”

“Yeah, she does that,” Moondancer said before looking ahead at the vine covered path. At least they weren’t hostile.

“Hard to believe she’s really Celestia’s little sister, huh?” Lyra asked. “Could you imagine Princess Celestia getting like that?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Lemon said. “If you annoyed her enough I could see her being nasty.”

“Lemon!” Minuette said, glaring at her.

“What?” Lemon asked. “I’m not saying she’d normally be like that. But everypony has a breaking point and nopony’s flawless. Even a princess. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out even Princess Celestia said a few cutting words now and again. Come on, you had to see her do it at least once, right Moondancer?”

“I guess. But she never did it to really hurt,” Moondancer said sheepishly. “Only when somepony was being real thick headed. She always knew exactly just how much to cut if she had to. There’s quite a few ponies I wish I could use that talent on.”

“See? Even Moondancer agrees and she practically worships the ground Celestia walks on,” Lemon said.

“I-I do not!” Moondancer said, her face burning. “I just… really look up to her is all. Or I did. Before I messed everything up.”

“Um, everypony?” Minuette said softly. “I think we’re being watched.”

“I think you might be right,” Bon Bon said. Her eyes narrowed before she glanced back towards Twinkleshine. “Think you can give me some cover?”

“Huh? Oh! Right, yes, just give me a moment,” Twinkleshine said before her horn began to glow.

Moondancer’s eyes went wide. Wait. No. She remembered what that-- she ducked down along with the other girls, a moment before a light boom came from Twinkleshine’s horn and smoke filled the area.

For a few moments there was silence. Then a startled yelp and the sound of cracking wood. The smoke cleared a few seconds later and Bon Bon came trotting out from the woods, a smug look on her face. “Dealt with. But, uhhh, we should go. We should really, really go.”

“Ohhhh I love it when she does that,” Lyra said with a small grin.

“I wasn’t kidding, let’s go,” Bon Bon said before she quickly started trotting away, jumping over one of the spiked vines.

“Come on, what was it?” Twinkleshine asked.

“Cockatrice,” Bon Bon said. “I spooked it, but I don’t want to be here if it comes back.”

“Wait, really?” Lyra asked. “I thought it was like, a monster or something! Wait, comes back?”

“I spooked it,” Bon Bon said again. “I’m not going hoof to hoof with a cockatrice. Are you crazy?”

“Sigh, and there go all those fantasies and stories about you wrestling manticores,” Lyra said with a teasing tone.

“A manticore wouldn’t have been nearly as bad,” Bon Bon said. “You just need a chair and a whip. A cockatrice is far worse. One look and you’re stone. Less aggressive, at least. Usually.”

Moondancer couldn’t help but smile when they startedto lightly trot through the forest. It was familiar, yet so far behind them now. The first time they’d walked through the woods. All she had to do was stay out of their way and they’d handled everything.

All until the end.

Where she’d finally been needed… and she let them down.

------

“It’s going to be okay,” Minuette said, giving Moondancer a little nudge. “I know all of this is a little scary, but they’re just vines.”

“Vines that are probably demonically possessed or something,” Twinkleshine said with a light giggle.

“It’s not that,” Moondancer said. “It’s… I’m just worried about what’s at the end. If we find this tree. What happens if I let you down again?”

“You never let us down to begin with,” Minuette said.

“How can you all keep saying that?” Moondancer asked.

“How can we not blame you for failing to single hoofedly stop an alicorn princess who has the power to take down nearly every single pony in Equestria with one hoof?” Bon Bon asked, glancing back at her. “It’s a mystery, that.”

“But if I hadn’t failed--”

“Then things might be different,” Lyra said with a shrug. “Maybe Celestia would be here. Maybe something else would have happened. But the Elements didn’t respond to you, we weren’t able to do what Princess Celestia wanted us to do. It happens. Maybe she should have given some better instructions rather than trusting you to figure it out all on your own.”

“Equestria falling into the hooves of a tyrant isn’t something that ‘just happens’,” Moondancer said firmly.

“But it did happen,” Lyra said. “And nothing we do now will change what did happen. Besides, I think you’re doing a pretty good job all things considered. The sun is back, that’s nice.”

“It’s only back because of… of…” Moondancer paused and glanced up. “Honestly, I don’t know why. Probably something Twilight did.”

“You know,” Twinkleshine said before walking up besides her. “Sometimes you talk about Twilight the way you used to talk about Celestia. You ever think that maybe you are helping, too?”

“I’m usually just getting in her way most days,” Moondancer said.

“I’m sure that’s not true,” Twinkleshine said.

“You don’t… know her like I do,” Moondancer said. “She’s special. She’s…” She trailed off, letting the words die in her mouth. Twilight was the one who the elements responded to. If her friends had been there with Twilight instead, surely they would have reacted then and Nightmare Moon would have been stopped. But she couldn’t endanger them and tell them about the Elements. “She’s just special.”

“We’re all special in our own way, Moondancer,” Minuette said. “You can’t just focus on what went wrong. Eventually you’ll need to focus on what you did right. I’m sure if you looked and stopped trying to ignore it, you’d find plenty. This is just like teleporting objects for beginners all over again.”

Moondancer cringed. “Ugh, don’t remind me, please.”

“Yup, exactly like it,” Twinkleshine said with a roll of her eyes.

“Hm? What happened then?” Bon Bon asked.

“Oh, right, you and Lyra weren’t around for it, were you?” Lemon asked. “It was hilarious.”

“Please don’t,” Moondancer said, her cheeks burning.

“Oh, it’s happening,” Lemon said. “So, for our final we were supposed to teleport something from home, right? Something special to us. At least, attempt it.”

Moondancer gave a low groan.

“But it was just for beginners, so nopony was expected to actually succeed at it,” Lemon said. “I think only three ponies managed to do it. Except Moondancer. Unfortunately, wellllll…”

“I was lucky I wasn’t expelled,” Moondancer said, her face burning.

“She teleported Princess Celestia into the classroom!” Lemon said before bursting into a fit of giggles. “You should have seen the teacher’s face! I thought he was going to faint! Suffice to say, she got an A.”

“I interrupted a very important diplomatic meeting with her and the horses from Saddle Arabia,” Moondancer said. “I could have tossed weeks of diplomatic discussions down the drain.”

“But you didn’t,” Minuette said.

“But I could have,” Moondancer said. “If I had just--”

A sudden howl filled the air. They all went silent moments before the world seemed to come to a stop around them. Moondancer looked around in confusion, only to realize the world HAD stopped around them. Or, not quite stopped, but slowed considerably.

Minuette.

She could see the light of the unicorn’s horn and quickly recognized the spell. Controlled, local time dilution. Making everything around a pony seem as if it was moving a hundred times slower, amplifying a pony’s reaction speed many times. In many ways, the mare’s signature spell.

“Tttttttthhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeee,” Bon Bon’s voice came, motioning to their right in slow motion. The six turned towards the location and could just make out the shapes of three timber wolves breaking through the foliage. “IIIIIIIIIII’lllllllllll ttttttttttttaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkkkkkkkeeeeee ttttttttthhhhhhhheeeeee oooooooooonnnnnnneeeeee oooooooonnnnnn tttttttttthhhhhhhheeeeee llllllllleeeeeeeeffffffftttttt!” The earth pony grinned to Lyra and the two shared a small nod.

“Wwwwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeee’llllllllllll ggggggggggeeeeeeeeeetttttttttt ttttttthhhhhheeeeee ccccccccceeeeeeeeennnnnnntttttttteeeeeeerrrrrr,” Twinkleshine said before she and Lemon moved towards it.

Moondancer felt a small burst of anxiety. Wait, did that mean SHE had to deal with the last one? How was she supposed to-- Oh. Right. Magic. Her horn lit up and, very, very, very slowly a nearby vine began to untie itself. It was nearly unwrapped by the time the timberwolve’s head was fully unveiled from the trees. She, as quickly as she could, tied it into a loop and then yanked it forward. It wrapped around the timberwolf’s head before it fully managed to get out from the bush.

Time began to return to its normal speed. Lemon and Twinkleshine had their horns together and after a few moments a flurry of pies, complete with tins, shot out from their horns and rained down on the startled timberwolf. One slamming into its face while it stumbled and lost its footing, slipping on the tins before finally crashing into a tree and shattering into bits of wood.

Bon Bon easily stepped around her timberwolf, avoiding its snapped jaws and making it spin around. A moment later Lyra ran at it, turning to buck it in the side while it was contorted, shattering it into timber across the ground.

“And that’s that,” Bon Bon said. “Good timing, Minuette.”

“Woo, that spell is always a doozy,” Lyra said before shaking her head. “I swear I can still feel myself vibrating.”

“Hey, if you know one trick you should make sure it’s a good one, right?” Minuette said with a light giggle.

“I uhhh… t-thank you,” Moondancer said sheepishly before following up behind them. “I--”

“Thanks for having my back,” Minuette said. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down. How about you add that to the list of things you do right?”

“W-what?” Moondancer asked before her cheeks went red again. Still, though, she couldn’t help but smile. “Well, thank you for giving me all the time I needed to figure it out.”

“What else are friends for?” Minuette asked. “Good friends are worth waiting for.”

“They are,” Moondancer said. “They really, really are.”

------

“Oh, that’s definitely a cragadile,” Bon Bon said.

“How can you tell?” Lyra asked.

“Conveniently placed stones,” Bon Bon said. “Inside that water? Ew. If you look you can even see where the air bubbles are coming out of its mouth every so often.”

“So should we go around?” Moondancer asked.

“No,” Bon Bon said. “We just need to make sure it’s full. Lemon, Twinkleshine, can you two summon some more pies? I have an idea. Mint cream, please. Minuette, do you have your drill?”

“Yes, because I often carry around expensive and delicate dental equipment,” Minuette said in a flat tone.

“Fair enough,” Bon Bon said. “I guess we can antagonize it with something else.”

“Oh, wait, you wanted me to annoy it? That I can do,” Minuette said.

“Are you sure? Its scales are pretty thick,” Bon Bon said.

“I’m a dentist, Bon Bon,” Minuette said proudly before a small dental pick popped into existence by her head. “It’s one of the things we’re best at.”

Moondancer couldn’t help but snicker while she watched them work. She really did have to give Bon Bon some praise, the only pony she could think who would be as knowledgeable of giant monsters was Twilight. Then again, Bon Bon DID have a masters in it.

------

Moondancer took it back. She took back ALL the praise.

“Hold on, I think we’re going towards some rocky terrain!” Bon Bon yelled.

Riding on a cragadile’s back through the forest had its advantages, namely in that nothing would harass them. Unfortunately, it was a painful, bumpy ride and she didn’t know how much she trusted that makeshift rope they’d made out of the vines to hold. Judging by how tightly Lemon was holding onto her, she suspected the other mare felt the same way.

------

“I think I’m going to be picking crag scales out of my flank for weeks,” Twinkleshine whined.

“So it wasn’t my best idea,” Bon Bon said. “It got us through the manticore though, so that saved us some trouble.”

“And made a whole lot of trouble for the manticore,” Minuette said. “I hope they’ll be okay.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Moondancer said. “They’ll likely rough each other up a bit, but I don’t believe they’re really predators towards either of them, so one of them will likely retreat before long.”

“Girls, look! The castle!” Twinkleshine yelled before galloping ahead, her pained flank forgotten for a moment.

“Twinkleshine! Don’t run off alone!” Lemon yelled before galloping after her. A moment later the rest followed suit, staring at the castle across the ravine before they found their eyes drown down towards the ravine itself.

“That’s… convenient,” Bon Bon said. “A little too convenient.”

“It’s a plant,” Lyra said.

“A little too plant,” Lemon said.

“How can something be a little too plant?” Minuette asked.

“I don’t know,” Lemon said. “It just felt right to say. Is that it?”

“We don’t know it’s there,” Moondancer said. They could see a small cave down in the ravine separating the castle from the rest of the forest. The vines seemed to be coming out from it, spreading through the forest from it.

“How do we get down there, though?” Lyra asked.

“Hmmmm,” Minuette said before glancing around. “Okay, perhaps we could make a rope out of these vines. Now, the spikes can possibly be filed down a bit, in which case they’d make wonderful hoof holds and--”

“Or,” Bon Bon said. “Just throwing this out here. We could take the stairs.” She pointed off to the side of the cliff.

“… Stairs work too, if you’re into that,” Minuette said with a light chuckle before they turned and started walking towards and then down the stairs.

“You know, once this is all over we should go to the spa,” Lyra said. “Aloe and Lotus are miracle workers.”

“Ohhhh, I would fight a hydra for a proper hooficure after all this walking and bouncing around,” Bon Bon said with a blissful sigh.

“Ohhhhh, that sounds like so much fun!” Minuette said with a little squeal. “You’ll come too, won’t you Moondancer?”

“W-what?” Moondancer asked, barely suppressing the urge to rear. “Once we get back? But, ummm, Nightmare Moon might--”

“Then we just go before going to see her, silly,” Lemon said.

“Ohhhhh, that sounds so naughty,” Twinkleshine said. “We should do it. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. So long as the thorns are dealt with, it’s fine, right?”

“Can we please NOT antagonize Nightmare Moon?” Moondancer said, her tone far more curt than she intended. She felt a small pain in her chest at the hurt looks on her friend’s faces. “Wait, no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean… I just… I don’t… I don’t want any of you to get hurt again. This has all been fun, really. Scary, but fun. But the longer we’re together, the more time she focuses on all of you, the more danger you’re all in. I don’t want to see any of you get hurt over me.”

“Yeah… it… always sucks seeing your friend getting hurt,” Minuette said softly.

“Knowing that she’s trying her hardest and that she’s pushing herself more than anypony has any right to ask her to,” Lemon said.

“Not being able to help her, no matter how hard you want to,” Twinkleshine said.

“Knowing the only thing you’d do if you tried is make it worse for her,” Lyra said.

“Knowing she blames herself for what happened, even though it’s not her fault,” Bon Bon said.

Moondancer paused for a moment, eyeing the five of them. She wanted to object, but what could she really say? She knew exactly how it felt to watch that. It felt like half the times that was how it felt when she watched Twilight do… anything she did.

Oof, that was a painful thought. At least she didn’t try and throw a tyrant. “Sorry. I’ll… try and lay off myself a bit, okay? And thank you. I just… I really want to keep all of you safe. But I’m guessing you want to keep me safe, too.”

“We wouldn’t be here otherwise,” Bon Bon said.

“But you’re here now! And what a trip it has been,” Discord’s voice rang out, making them all freeze for a moment before they looked in the cave.

Discord was lounging on a strange crystal tree, which was wrapped in the spiked vines. “My my. She actually DID send the B-team, didn’t she?” He asked before plucking a thorn from one of the vines and picking his tail with it. “Let’s take a look at you lot. The dentist, the monster catcher, the party planner, the musician, the star summoner and the student. You know, when I say it like that it’s not entirely boring.”

“Discord!” Moondancer yelled, her eyes narrowing on him. “What are YOU doing here?”

“Me? I’m helping,” Discord said before snapping his fingers. Moondancer let out a yelp when her saddle disappeared, revealing her wing. “You’re not quite a princess, but I suppose you’ll have to do.”

“Leave Moondancer alone!” Minuette said, her horn glowing. A moment later it flickered out. “Huh?”

“Oh, come now,” Discord said with a roll of his eyes. “What part of help-ing don’t you ponies understand? Why do you think none of the vines tried to eat you lot?”

“Wait, are these vines your doing?” Moondancer asked, her eyes going wide.

“Ah, finally caught on, have we?” Discord asked. “You see, the Tree of Harmony and I have a little bet going on. As much as I dislike the notion of repeating things, I think it should just go for old reliable. Still, it put up quite the argument and as long as I get what I want in the end, I don’t mind playing along. For now.”

“What?” Moondancer asked, her eyes turning towards the tree. “It… talked to you? How?”

“Oh, you just need to know how to listen,” Discord said before his grin grew. “After all, it’s all bark, no bite.” He was rewarded with four groans and two face hooves. “But indeed, it has. And I, in my infinite kindness, have agreed to help it.”

“Help it… how?” Moondancer asked.

“An opportunity,” Discord said with a wicked grin before disappearing and appearing once more by her good ear. “A… mmmm… prequel to the main event, as it were. A game. You win and I’ll tell you how to use the Elements of Harmony to stop Nightmare Moon once and for all.”

“And… if we fail?” Moondancer asked.

“Nothing,” Discord said before disappearing once more, appearing on top of the tree again. “I was going to turn you all into gophers, but the tree got so annoyed at that. Something something not very nice, something something friendship, something something gag. So, if you lose… absolutely NOTHING will happen.”

Moondancer gulped, staring at him. Then she glanced towards the tree and the vines before sighing. “Girls, I think we can--” The ground began to rumble underneath them. A moment later five strange pod-like plants shot out from the ground, enveloping her friends. “W-what? HEY!”

“No no no no,” Discord said, the grin on his lips getting wider. “This game isn’t me versus six. This game is just me and you, Moondancer.”

“W-what?” Moondancer asked before taking a step back. She yelped when she realized she backed into a wall of vines.

“It’s the top of the fourth, Moondancer, you’re at the bat,” Discord said with a light chuckle before a baseball appeared in his hand. An angry bat appeared on her back, making her shriek. “Can you get a home run? Or will you strike out just like every. Other. Time? I wouldn’t worry too much about it… after all. It’s not like there’s any real stakes here, now is there? All that you have to lose… Is your chance to make up to every pony you’ve failed.”

Moondancer went entirely still for a moment before her horn glowed and she grabbed the angry bat in her magic, shoving it away. “F-fine. Let’s play. Show me your worst, Discord.”

“Oh, I won’t show you MY worst,” Discord said before snapping his fingers. A moment later she let out a shriek and a pod rose up from under her, dragging her in with a shriek. “We’re going to see just what it is your so-called friends faced in THEIR worst.”

For a moment there was silence before he sighed. “Yes, I know it’s traditionally bottom of the nineth. That’s why it’s a JOKE. How do you even KNOW about baseball? You’re a tree. At best you’d be the bat. What? Heh. Oh, that one was hilarious. Have you ever considered doing stand up? Oh, right. I guess you are a little tied up right now, aren’t you? No, no, don’t worry. They’ll be fine. Hm? Oh, of course. I’m sure I COULD tell you exactly why the change of heart, but that wouldn’t be very fun now would it? What? No, I’m hardly going to follow the original script. Do I look like a two bit street performer? I am a PROFESSIONAL chaos spirit, good tree, and I would remind you NOT to forget it. I’m not going to do the same act twice.”

“Hm? Oh, they’ll be fine. It’s not like ponies need air or anything. Oh. They do? Well, I guess we’d better move along to this little game then, shouldn’t we?” Discord snapped his fingers one last time, closing the scene.

Author's Notes:

Yup, totally nothing will happen. Absolutely nothing. No hidden meanings there, surely. So, tag yourself, which of Moondancer's is your favorite? I'll be honest... Minuette scares me the most. Dentists are terrifying. But my favorite is probably Twinkleshine. Everypony's favorite balor summoner... I still can't believe that line existed.

Seriously, though. Moondancer's friends wanna give her so many hugs. She kicks herself a little too much and, if anything, they're worried it's only getting worse...

Gonna post my standard blurb below.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters as well as monthly voting to determine which of the series will be written next. Alternatively, full copies of my books can be purchased through amazon on my author page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server.

S4 CH 4. Value

“Tea?” Discord asked. “It only sings a little bit.”

“I’ll pass,” Moondancer said softly before lightly swimming through the air. “Are we in a dream? This feels a lot like dream walking.”

“No, no, but close enough,” Discord said with a light chuckle. “Now them, who shall we start with?”

“I still don’t know what game we’re even playing,” Moondancer said.

“Oh, you’ll like this,” Discord said. “A quiz game. But you need to make it through to the end to answer the question. So then, shall we? Which of your friends will we start with?”

“What are you going to do to them?” Moondancer asked.

“They’ll be fine, you have my word. Cross my heart, hope to cry, turn cupcakes into eyes,” Discord said innocently, a small halo appearing over his head.

Moondancer gave a soft sigh. She didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him if he didn’t let her throw him. “Fine. Bon Bon.”

“A fun choice!” He snapped his fingers and the two disappeared.

------

“I’m… I’m fine…” Bon Bon said, though she looked exhausted and hurt. She had at least a dozen cuts across her body.

“Wait, what?” Moondancer asked. “When did she… what’s THAT?”

“A shake,” Discord said, lightly drinking the straw.

“No, THAT!” Moondancer snapped, pointing towards the creature buried under what looked like a collapsed building.

“Ohhhh, a bugbear,” Discord said. “Nasty creatures, them.”

“SHE did that?” Moondancer asked. “Wait, is that how, she said it was a skiing accident!”

“Oh, and you believed her, how cute,” Discord said with a light snicker. “Ugh, right, let’s move this along.” He twirled his finger and the ponies moved faster and faster. She saw Bon Bon in the hospital, then eventually getting out though she still wasn’t fully healed. One leg was even in a sling. Things kept getting faster and faster. Bon Bon was struggling, trying to do everything herself. Even shopping seemed to be difficult for her, eventually she yelled at a pony in a super market, though it all happened so quickly that Moondancer couldn’t see what it was about.

Then Bon Bon was on the ground, gasping for air, struggling to fight off another unicorn. Around his throat was a strange talisman and his eyes were glowing a light green. She gripped his hoof with hers, struggling to fend him off. But with only one front hoof, it was a losing fight.

Then THWACK! A chunk of wood slammed into the side of the pony’s head and he dropped like a sack of bricks. Bon Bon coughed and hacked, her good hoof coming up to her throat and she gasped for air. A moment later she looked up at the pony who saved her. “W-who? What? Why? What?”

“Are you okay?” Lyra asked.

“I… I had it handled,” Bon Bon said.

“You really didn’t,” Lyra said.

“I… yeah, I guess I didn’t,” Bon Bon said before looking back up at her. “Uhhhh… I’m Bon Bon. Thanks for, um, that. Err… Lyra, right?”

“Yeah, Lyra.”

“I’m Bon Bon. Sorry for yelling at you earlier,” Bon Bon said before getting, gingerly, to her hooves and walking to the stallion. She reached out and tugged the talisman off his neck before smashing it on the ground.

“It’s, uhhh, okay. I really should have asked before just helping like that,” Lyra said sheepishly.

“Thanks for not asking this time,” Bon Bon said before giving a small smile. “Hey, uhhhh. I need to talk with the Canterlot Guard about this pony. After would you like to get a thank you drink or something?”

“I’d like that,” Lyra said. “So what was wrong with him, anyway?”

“No idea,” Bon Bon said. “Dark magic, likely. I guess I just kind of over estimated myself, huh?”

“Yeahhhhh… wait, do you mean about the bag of coffee on the top shelf or taking a stallion twice your size under the effects of some magic mumbo jumbo?” Lyra asked.

“… Both, I think,” Bon Bon said. “Both is good.”

“Wait, THAT’S how they met?!” Moondancer asked. “Why didn’t they tell me?”

“Did you ever ask?” Discord asked.

“I… well, no, but… I…” Moondancer sighed. “Is this what you wanted me to see? Are we done?”

“Yeah, more or less,” Discord said. “It gets sappier from here and, frankly, I’d prefer to avoid that. Lots of boring talk about accepting her limitations and things like that. Ugh. Character development. Who’s next?”

“Minuette, why not? At least SHE won’t be fighting monsters or ancient dark magic!”

“Oh, we’ll see about that,” Discord said before snapping her fingers.

------

Minuette grabbed her pillow and screamed into it before, finally, flinging it across the room. She then collapsed onto her bed. “I just can’t do it. I can’t I can’t I can’t!”

Moondancer blinked a few times before glancing over at Minuette’s desk. She trotted over and then let out a soft gasp when she saw the homework strewn across it. “I… I remember this assignment.”

“Oh. You remember your homework. What a surprise,” Discord said in a tone that borderline screamed that he wasn’t surprised.

Moondancer rolled her eyes before looking over the paper. “I don’t understand, why’s she so upset? She’s done it. Heck, most of her answers are even correct.”

“They’d kill me,” Minuette said before walking through her and picking up the homework. “Maybe if I started to fail?”

“FAIL? Intentionally?! Minuette, no!” Moondancer yelled. “Is, is that what happened? Is that why you left Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? I-I thought--”

Once again everything started going faster and faster. Then Minuette was in the hall, talking with a younger Moondancer.

“Can you believe it?” the young Moondancer asked. “Isn’t the time leap theory absolutely fascinating?”

“Hm? Oh. Yeah, right,” Minuette said. “Absolutely fascinating.”

“Ohhh, I remember that,” Moondancer said. “We were talking about time magic theory, but she just kept focusing on that mare with the braces. Heh, silly now that I think about it. I thought she had a crush on her.”

“Oh?” Discord asked. “So this memory is a romantic one too? Gag.”

“No,” Moondancer said before rolling her eyes. “This is about Minuette leaving the school and becoming a dentist, isn’t it?”

Discord paused before flipping through reality to the end, then coming back. “Apparently, yes.”

“I don’t see why it was such a big deal,” Moondancer said. “She seemed pretty happy with it.”

“Let’s see then, why don’t we?” Discord asked before time sped up once again. They were in the unicorn’s room again, Minuette pacing back and forth.

“O-okay, mom, dad. I know you want me to grow up and become some great time mage. I mean, it’s why my cutie mark means, right?” Minuette asked. “And I have that spell, so it only makes sense. I mean, I’ve spent the last… I’ve spent my whole life working towards it, didn’t I? So it’s the only thing that makes sense, right? It’s… what I have to be. It’s… ughhhhh!” The unicorn jumped on the bed and banged her head against the pillows a few times. “Stupid, stupid! You’re supposed to convince them to let you do this! Not make them want you to stay!” She took a slow, deep breath and tried again.

“Okay, mom, dad, I know I’ve been at Celestia’s school for years and I have learned a lot. I’ve made great friends and I know more about magic than I ever wanted to know. But I don’t think being a mage is in my future. I want to become a dentist. Teeth fascinate me. I know it’s weird, but I really want to focus on oral hygiene. Yes, I know it’ll set me back a few years and not everything I’ve learned will transfer over. But I think it’s what’s best for me. No. I know it’s what’s best for me. It’s what I’m passionate about.”

“Oh, if you’re sure, dear,” a voice said from behind her, making her jump. She whipped around to see her mother in the doorway. “By the way, dinner’s done. You should come and get it before it gets cold.”

“W-wait, what?” Minuette asked. “Do… do you mean that? Not the dinner, but the transfer? You’re… okay with it?”

“Of course, dear,” her mother said with a laugh. “We only want what’s best for you.”

Minuette blinked a few times, tears welling up in her eyes before she got to her hooves and ran off, giving her mother a big hug. “T-thank you, mama. T-thank you… s-so much!”

Moondancer just stared, tears welling up in her eyes. “I never… noticed that Minuette was… struggling so much with all of that. I thought she… just one day she said she was going to become a dentist and that was that. I never…”

“You ponies do tend to have a tendency to blow things out of proportion, don’t you?” Discord asked before snickering. “Can you believe she spent weeks agonizing over how to tell her parents, only to have them overhear? How pathetic was that?”

“Yeah, I guess we do tend to… over do it sometimes,” Moondancer said, though her eyes were locked on Minuette and her mother. “Can we… go… to the next one, please? Just… I don’t care who. Please.”

------

A filly Lyra was giggling as she trotted into her home, two other unicorns behind her. “Moooom, I’m home!” she called out. “My friends came over! Mom?”

“Oh, honey,” a voice called down the stairs. “Your friends? They…” there was hushed mumbling from up the stairs before she called down again. “They can stay until dinner, okay? But then they need to go home. Your father and I need to talk with you.”

“Yeah, skipping that,” Discord said before twirling his finger through the meal. After it, however, Lyra was sitting on the couch with her mother.

“So, you know what your father does is very important, right?” her mother asked.

“Of course, mommy,” Lyra said. “He plays for a band!”

“An orchestra, but yes,” her mother said. “But, well… you see a great opportunity has come up and we can’t pass this up.”

“Huh?” Lyra asked.

“We’re moving to Manehatten,” she finally said, almost spurting it out. “Now, I know this is a big change, but you’ll get used to it, I’m sure.”

“But… but what about school? What about my friends?” Lyra asked.

“You’ll go to a new school, make new friends,” her mother said.

“This one is about her moving?” Moondancer asked. “I already knew about that. She--”

“Yes, yes, but that’s not the point, is it?” Discord asked before he started fast forwarding it again. Moondancer sighed.

But it wasn’t long before it became clear. The first time they’d moved Lyra had cried. The second time, she’d full on bawled. The third she’d thrown a tantrum.

By the fourth she didn’t even question it or object. She didn’t have any friends anymore. The fifth she just kind of shrugged. Then Lyra was, finally, in Canterlot. Quiet, reserved, almost hidden away from everypony.

Until Minuette reached out to her.

Lyra turned her down, refused to even try. But that had been something she’d always loved about Minuette. She wouldn’t force you, but she’d try enough times. Even if you were scared, she’d keep offering the hoof until you took it and gave it a chance.

Moondancer felt another niggling wound in her own heart. She’d been a lot the same way. Nervous. Scared that the ponies around her would leave her. She knew how hard it could be to open yourself up to them. Minuette had managed to even make her believe that, maybe, she was worth it.

Unlike her, though, Lyra had the courage to eventually fully take that plunge. To open herself up to those ponies. Moondancer hadn’t been there, she’d likely been studying for some test. But Minuette, Lemon and Twinkleshine had been there. When the unicorn had cried her heart out and told them how scared she was that she’d lose all her friends again.

Moondancer pulled back a little bit. “Why are you making me watch this?”

“It’s not my idea,” Discord said. “Take it up with the tree. I’m just playing the role of guide in this one.”

“Is this a punishment? Because I wasn’t good enough? My friends hurt, okay? They hurt, they suffered, they needed a pony to be there for them and it was NEVER me! Okay? I was a terrible friend! I was a terrible student! I was a terrible sister! I’m a terrible pony! Are you happy?!”

Discord snapped his fingers again.

------

“STOP THIS!” Moondancer yelled. “I get it, I NEVER HELPED--”

“Didn’t you, though?” Discord asked.

“What are you--” Moondancer stopped when she realized where they were. The screaming. The walls tinted red. The fire. “O-oh no. Please no.”

“Ohhhhh yes,” Discord said, his paws rubbing together in excitement.

Moondancer turned around and she saw it. Twinkleshine. The young unicorn, practically still a filly. Staring up at the massive red, bipedal monster made of flame. A single massive eye in the center of its massive head.

Twinkleshine was staring at the monster.

Finally, it let out a roar and slammed a fist down. A whip of fire formed, slashing a red hot gash across the tile.

Twinkleshine shrieked and started flipping through her summoning books. “E-everypony stop panicking! It’s fine! It’s fine!”

“No no no!” Moondancer said softly, giving a light whimper and her cheeks turning red.

“I have it under control!” Twinkleshine yelled. A moment later the whip slashed through one of the doors, cleaving it in half.

Moondancer felt shame wash over her. A moment later a younger her, barely older than a filly herself, barged into the room and yelped when she saw the monster. It had turned away, giving her the opportunity she’d needed. Its whip raised high…

She galloped forward and tapped the summoning circle with her horn. A simple reverse summoning spell. Even she could do it at that age. She’d been so proud of herself. For a second. She’d really thought she’d ran in and done something good. Useful. Helpful. For once.

“I had it under control!” Twinkleshine snapped at her.

Any pride she’d had was shattered in that moment. The younger Moondancer froze in place, the smile falling from her lips. “W-what? I thought--”

“I could have done that! I knew what I was doing! I didn’t need anypony else’s help!” Twinkleshine snapped at her.

The younger Moondancer took a small step back. “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry. I was just trying to help. I--”

“Nopony wants your help! Nopony NEEDS your help!” Twinkleshine snapped.

The young Moondancer quivered for a moment before, very slowly, her head lowered and she turned to leave. “I… I’m sorry.” She fled the room almost as quickly as she’d come, trying to escape before they saw the tears.

Once she was out of the room, however, things changed. “That wasn’t very nice,” Minuette said.

“What?” Twinkleshine asked. “I had it--”

“Oh, you definitely did not,” Minuette said. “How did you even SUMMON that?”

“I don’t… know,” Twinkleshine said softly. “But I didn’t need her to just butt in. She--”

“She saved all of us and then you yelled at her!” Minuette said. “… Also, where’s our teacher?”

“I… I think she fainted,” Lemon said. “We… we should get the principal.”

“Awwww, you ruined all the fun,” Discord said.

“That wasn’t fun,” Moondancer said softly. “I… helped?”

“You got rid of a fire demon, possibly saving a bunch of school ponies from a rather amusing, if gruesome, end and you ask if you helped?” Discord asked.

“I-I mean, she was so mad. I just thought she had it… handled,” Moondancer said softly.

The world sped up again and a moment later the younger Moondancer and Twinkleshine were standing in front of each other. “I ummm… I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Twinkleshine said sheepishly. “I was just… really upset that I messed up that spell so badly. Thank you for saving us. Really.”

Moondancer blinked a few times. “I… remembered it differently in my head.”

“Oh? How did you remember it?” Discord asked. “Wait, let’s see.” He snapped his fingers.

Once again the two young ponies were standing across from each other. “Gee, I’m sooooo sorry I yelled at you,” Twinkleshine said before rolling her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “I was just really upset that YOU messed up my spell. Thanks for saving us. Really.”

“Geez,” Discord said before shaking his head. “Even I can’t mock something that pathetic. I mean, I can and I will, but I might almost feel bad for it. Shall we move onto the last one?”

“So I did help though, right? I was… I mean… this was kind of why they started… I thought it was just out of pity because I didn’t really have any other friends,” Moondancer said softly.

“Likely both, even I almost feel a bit of pity for you at this point and I’m the Lord of Chaos,” Discord said before readying to snap his fingers. “One more to go and we can get through this gag inducing clip show. Ugh.”

------

Lemon grinned as she walked into the building. Dozens of other ponies were moving around, filling envelopes, signing paperwork, delivering--

“NO!” Discord said, the memory turning gray and getting a big red X across it. “If you wanna do sappy first meetings? Fine. If you want to do cutesy wutesy origins? Fine. Even over dramatic and floofy ‘Oh woe is me, I have no friends because I move all the time’ bleghness, whatever. But I draw the line at, ugh, politics.”

“What did you expect?” Moondancer asked.

“She organizes parties!” Discord said.

“Political parties,” Moondancer said. “Fundraisers, things like that. She’s not Pinkie.”

“Ughhhhhhh… Fine. But we’re doing it my way. It will make this whole thing less bland and boring. And slightly less repetitive.”

“And what exactly is your--” A moment later everything disappeared to be replaced by a very confused looking puppet cart. On the background were a bunch of papers with the words ‘boring’ and ‘annoying’ written on them. A small yellow sock puppet popped up a moment later.

“Oh yay! I get to work for this pony who for one reason or another I always admired and think his method is, for some reason, better than others that nobody REALLY cares about but they all pretend they do at cocktail parties.”

“First of all,” Moondancer said. “His name was Silvertongue and his ideas were… sound. But, well…”

“Are you telling this story, or are the puppets?” Discord asked before tossing some popcorn into his mouth.

“Ugh,” Moondancer said before rolling her eyes.

“Oh nooooo,” the sock puppet said. “Despite what I thought, it turns out that Silverflank’s--”

“Silvertongue’s,” Moondancer corrected.

“Whatever’s goals were all a big lie all along! None of the things he promised or agreed to try are actually happening! Oh no, what should I do?” the sock puppet asked.

Moondancer froze, her mouth falling open. “Wait, what?”

Another sock puppet came onto the stage. “Listen here, Lemonlime--”

“Lemon Hearts,” Moondancer corrected.

“Whatever!” Both the sock puppets said at once. “Listen here. If you tell anypony about this, you’ll never be touched by anypony in this line of work again. Do you hear me?”

“Oh nooooo,” the Lemon sock puppet said. “I better sing a sad song about the struggles of finding out that the person and organization I used to admire isn’t just wrong, it is actively bad and causing untold damage to ponies across Equestria. How bad could it possibly be? Oh, woe is me. But, I know. If I talk to my friends about this, surely THEY will be able to guide me on the correct path!”

“Lemon… never talked to me about any of this,” Moondancer said softly.

“Hmmm?” Discord asked. “Let’s see why.”

“Oh, err, ummm, Moondancer? Can I ask you something?” Lemon puppet asked.

A moment later a yellow, ratty sock puppet with her mane rose up. “I’m a little busy right now, Lemon. I’ve got to get this report filed, not to mention I’m working on this research assignment for Princess Celestia’s upcoming meeting with the griffon ambassador. On top of that I need to figure out just how much I can drain the fun out of fireworks so I can ensure that everything around the world is boring and dry as my studies.”

“I was not!” Moondancer said, her cheeks burning. “We had a meeting with the yaks and we were trying to find a safe way to use fireworks WITHOUT creating an avalanche!”

“As the sock puppets said, boring,” Discord said with a light chuckle. “Pop corn?” he asked, offering the small, brown snacks to her. She nervously took one and gave it a lick. It tasted like buttery soda. It didn’t turn her into a canary, though, so it wasn’t as bad as she’d worried.

“But fine, I get it,” Moondancer said. “I was a terrible friend.”

“You know, it’s not just about you,” Discord said. “Usually it’s about me. But I digress.”

He snapped his fingers.

“I just… don’t know what to do,” Lemon puppet said. “I tried singing a song and wallowing in my misery, that did nothing. I talked to my friends, but their suggestions are scary. I’ve always dreamed of working for this, because I am a bland, boring pony who’s only motivation is working for a political organization.”

“That’s not fair!” Moondancer said, glaring at Discord. “She didn’t want to work for them! She wanted to HELP ponies!”

“You say tomato, I say boring--” Discord said before getting cut off.

“That’s right, I do want to help ponies!” Lemon puppet said. “They may be wrong, but those goals ARE noble! It doesn’t matter if they refuse to follow through on them! Even if I never get another opportunity to work in my dream job, I won’t let them taint the kind of pony I want to be! I’ll stop them and work in my own way to make up for what they’ve done!”

Discord rolled his eyes, but held his tongue.

“That’s right, little sock Lemon!” Moondancer said firmly. “And you… oh. Wait. Does that mean that… Lemon was behind… Why Silvertongue just dissolved the…”

“And then I never worked in politics again, yayyyy! Instead I got to organize political parties in Canterlot,” Lemon said. “Which is only slightly less boring!”

“I never knew that, either,” Moondancer said softly. “Is that… was that the point of this? The test? To show I was just a terrible friend? That--”

“No, not particularly,” Discord said. “These weren’t insights into you, Moondancer. You weren’t even involved in one of them.”

“Yes, but I was a terrible friend in all of them,” Moondancer said softly.

“Still, not the point,” Discord said. “You nerdy types really can be thick, can’t you? The point, my little wannabe student, was to see the moments that helped make them the ponies they are. The things that helped them become the ponies they were… when this happened.” He snapped his fingers once more.

------

Moondancer wilted when she saw herself. Kneeling down by the five Elements of Harmony. Her horn glowing when she tried, desperately, to make them spark. Nightmare Moon suddenly appearing in front of her.

She watched helplessly when she was thrown away from them, skidding along the floor. That moment of triumph when the Elements started to spark… only to go dim.

Then when Nightmare Moon shattered them. “You little foal. Did you truly believe you could defeat us?” the ruler asked. “Now you will never see your princess or your sun. The night will last forever!”

She’d failed. She’d failed in every meaning of the word. She could hear her friends approaching. But it didn’t matter.

The Elements were destroyed. She had failed. Everypony had depended on her. Everypony had trusted her.

Moondancer had let them down. Just like she always did. She collapsed to the ground, covering her face with her hooves and giving a soft, pathetic sob. None of them should have ever been her friend. She’d never deserved it. They’d deserved so much better than her.

“That’s it?” Discord asked. “That’s truly your answer? After everything, that’s what you take away from this?”

“What else is there?” Moondancer asked, not opening her eyes. “I failed. In the end, they’d trusted me. They’d come for me. They’d BELIEVED in me and I let them down. Just like--”

“Enough of this!” Discord said, tossing his popcorn away. “You’re ruining my fun. We’ve seen what made your friends the way they are. Now, why don’t we see what made you the way YOU are?” He snapped his finger.

------

Moondancer went entirely still. She couldn’t even breath. She was on stage. Overhead there was a great glass moon. She, a far, far younger her, was adjusting one of the ropes. Her sister, not much older than she was at the time, was reading over the script. Her mother and father were in the stands, watching the final rehearsal.

“N-no,” Moondancer said. “P-please, by Celestia no. Please no.”

“What?” Discord asked. “A play? That’s it?”

“P-please, don’t, don’t, stop it, don’t, don’t watch! STOP THIS!” Moondancer screamed.

Discord chuckled before shaking his head. “Oh, no I’ve got to--”

“AGH!” Moondancer screamed before she fled. She galloped as quickly as she could, running as far, far away as she could. Struggling to ignore the sounds that had haunted her years for so many years. She just ran and she ran and she ran. She didn’t know how long she ran, though she was certain if she was in the real, waking world she’d have passed out from exhaustion. At least, she would have once. Perhaps the earth pony in her would have meant she didn’t.

But she kept running, trying to escape. Trying to get away from it. Trying to escape the one thing that, no matter how desperately she longed to, she could never be free from.

Despite her running, she heard it. The giddy, excited screaming of a filly who just got her cutie mark.

Followed by the frantic, terrified screaming of everything going wrong in every possible way. The shattering of glass. The tearing of ropes. The crunching of metal.

Moondancer just kept running, kept trying to escape it. Kept trying to flee. But nopony could escape their cutie mark. Nopony could escape what they were. Their destiny. Some ponies were destined for greatness, for achievements. For making the world sing and dance and swirl.

She was destined to never be enough.

Far, far too late the world around her began to fade away.

Moondancer was left in an endless, hollow void. “W-well?” she asked. “Discord? Where are you? A-aren’t you going to come and mock me? A-aren’t you going to tell me h-how terrible I am? Aren’t you g-g-going to laugh at me? Tell me h-how funny all that was? WELL?” she yelled, the tears flowing down her face so much they blurred her vision. “A-aren’t you going to say something? Aren’t you… g-going to… mock me… o-or… or yell… or t-tell me how… terrible… I am? H-how I never… never s-should have been d-depended on?”

She finally collapsed onto her stomach and rested her head on her hooves. “D-Discord? Are you… t-there? Aren’t you going to s-say something? Please… please… s-say something. M-mock me. Scold me. Insult me. T-tell me I d-deserved it all. Just please…”

“S-say something,” Moondancer begged, but she was greeted by silence.

“DISCORD!” Moondancer screamed. “SAY IT! SAY IT SAY IT SAY IT! JUST SAY IT! Say I deserve it! Say everything that happened is my fault! Say that Nightmare Moon is what I deserve! Say that I was the wrong pony for the job! SAY THAT CELESTIA WAS WRONG! WHY WON’T YOU SAY IT? SAY I WASN’T IMPORTANT! SAY I NEVER HAD ANY VALUE! THAT NOPONY SHOULD, COULD, EVER LIKE ME AND WANT TO BE MY FRIEND! SAY THE ELEMENTS COULD HAVE NEVER RESPONDED TO ME!”

Moondancer looked around the void but there was nothing. No laughing draconequus. No mockery. No angry Nightmare Moon. Nothing. She collapsed again and sobbed into her hooves, the tears flowing again.

“Just say I’m a monster,” Moondancer said softly. “Just please. Please. Say it. Celestia put all of her hope into t-the hooves of a useless, pathetic pony. The Elements didn’t respond to me because I… I never was worthy of being a friend. All I ever did, all I’ve ever done, is hurt the ponies by me. All I’ve ever done is stand in their way. The Elements knew it just as well as I did. I just… was too scared to admit it. To realize it. T-thank you… Discord. Y-you’re right. I… I need to--”

Her words were stopped by a paw to her lips. Discord stared down at her. He opened his mouth to speak, only to stop himself and sigh. “I… don’t… do… that. Any of… that. Comfort isn’t my strong suit,” he said. “You’ve failed this test. But… I think I’m beginning to see what the Tree of Harmony means.”

“W-what?” Moondancer asked. “W-wait, f-failed? Again? W-what does that--”

“It means… nothing happened, Moondancer,” Discord said before snapping his fingers.

------

Moondancer groaned, slowly opening her eyes. Around her, her friends slowly opened their eyes as well, giving confused and disoriented groans.

“I feel like I just went three rounds with that cragadile,” Lyra said before shaking her head.

“Huh?” Moondancer said. Everything hurt. Her head especially. She reached up and then frowned. Was she crying? She wiped her eyes for a moment.

“The tree!” Bon Bon said.

“W-what?” Moondancer said before turning to see. True enough, the tree was there. The vines were gone. They’d done it. She didn’t know how, but they’d done it.

“You know,” Minuette said. “It’s dusk now. If we camp out here for the night, we can head back in the morning. We’ll still get back almost a full day ahead of schedule. Maybe we could make her royal highness swallow her words after all.”

“I… I guess,” Moondancer said, though her eyes were locked on one thing in particular. A six point star. Twilight’s cutie mark.

“What’s wrong?” Twinkleshine asked.

“Just… Twilight’s cutie mark,” Moondancer said, pointing at it. “It’s on the tree.”

“… It’s a six point star,” Bon Bon said. “In our group alone there are two ponies with star cutie marks. You have four point, Twinkleshine has five point. Stars make up about a tenth of the cutie marks in Equestria.”

“Besides, if you’re going to go for something that vague,” Lyra said before motioning down the tree. “Your cutie mark is on it too.”

“What?” Moondancer asked before glancing down towards a sun and moon marking. “I mean, those are obviously Princess Celestia and… Nightmare Moon’s marks and ummm… okay, point.”

“No need to overthink everything,” Bon Bon said with a light snicker. “Six elements, six point star. Come on, let’s get a camp setup. I don’t wanna go through these woods in the dark a second time.”

“Me either,” Moondancer said, though she cocked her head to the side and stared at the tree. She felt she was forgetting something important. Something… terrible.

“Moondancer, come oooooon,” Minuette said. “We could really use some of that all around versatile ‘I studied half the magic books the school had’ princess’ prized student magic for this!”

“What? Oh, right! Coming!” Moondancer said before turning and trotting away from the tree.

Once she was gone Discord appeared and laid down on one of the branches of the tree. “I think it’s safe to say I won our little bet,” he said. “Hm? Why? Because she failed.” The spirit gave a light snort. “Oh, you can’t be serious. Me, the Spirit of Chaos, feeling pity over that? Don’t make me laugh. I just didn’t want to listen to her spend the next two years whining and moping about how nopony could ever love her. Push came to shove and she gave up. Such a drama queen.”

Discord gave a little snort and a small, malevolent smirk formed on his lips. “Well, I can’t deny a part of me is tempted to give her hometown a little… visit. But only for the most dastardly of chaotic endeavors, I assure you. What? Getting soft? Me? Ugh, you must be suffering root rot. You’ve grown delusional in your old age. It’s the crystal, you know. Crystals make horrible minds, even magic ones. Besides, if we’re going to talk about going ‘soft’, you’re the one trusting me to help. Hm? Us, friends? Please. We all know I’m only in this for the tea and laughs. Speaking of, did I ever tell you the one about the oak and the princess? Why, it’s downright tree-sonous.”

Author's Notes:

This episode of Twilight Glow brought to you... by Moondancer's episode. I won't lie. From the moment I saw her screaming and crying, I'd been considering it. Primarily due to the words she used. 'These three convinced me I had VALUE. That ponies might like me and want to be my friend.'

That's not the kind of thing that just happens. She was convinced before meeting those three that she had no value, that nopony could care about her. Love her. All it took was Twilight confirming those notions and it undid the work of the three ponies reaching out to her...

What caused that? What happened to this unicorn to give her that mindset? Wish I'd remembered her sister before hand buuuuut alternate world anyway so it's hopefully fine that her sister is a pegasus in this world. As changes go, it's relatively minor. Buuuut, the origins of Moondancer's cutie mark will be revealed soon. The season 4 opening act is turning out to be a lot bigger than I'd initially planned... Only a few chapters left.

Also, kind of related. I found this song only a few days ago, but dang if it doesn't just hit EXACTLY the notes of Moondancer's story when I was writing it... If that scene I mentioned above is the backdrop for this arc, this is the theme song. Sometimes asking for help is the hardest thing one can do.

S4 CH 5. Her Mark

Nightmare Moon eyed the changelings and then, slowly, glanced to her bard. “We trust you have no objections… sorting out whatever… this is?” she asked before gripping the cupcake in her magic and gently gliding it over to Twilight.

Twilight, very nervously, reached out her hoof to take it. A shame, truly. Her magic was still too ill controlled to grab it. “Of course, your highness. Err, but what about--”

“Moondancer will be safe,” Nightmare Moon said. “Her comrades failed to fall before my traps, without me to challenge their journey they will make it through those woods. If they will be able to deal with this threat, however, remains to be seen. Her own talents are seemingly far below the company she keeps.” She started to walk away, only to pause after a moment. “We must tend to some matters, our kingdom still suffers greatly from these assaults. Aside from these vines, there are no pressing concerns for you or my student to worry about. Should Moondancer and her… team return before the deadline is met, let them know they may do as they please. We will expect both of you to return to the castle by dusk on the morrow.”

“Of… of course your highness,” Twilight said.

Nightmare Moon disappeared in a wisp of dark magic.

“You know, I hate to say it,” Rainbow said. “But I think I’m starting to feel some of the hate there myself. Geez.”

“The sad thing is that was relatively tame, by her standards,” Twilight said before glancing towards the changelings. “I should go finish my report. Then, ummm…”

“You heard her,” Rainbow said with a wide grin. “You’re not due back until tomorrow. That means we’ve got a whole night to do whatever we want.”

“Don’t you have a job to do?” Applejack asked.

“Eh, I’m currently on break,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Even awesomeness like me needs a break sometimes.”

“Ah, then perhaps you’d all like to see the Great and Powerful Trixie’s newest disappearing act?” Trixie asked.

“Does it involve swapping places with a changeling in bad makeup?” Applejack asked.

“Not this time!”

------

Nightmare Moon materialized outside the city she had, not so long ago, disappeared from. Before the umbrum had distracted. She started to walk towards it before sighing. “Discord?”

She was greeted by silence.

“Discord, we require your… services… as an advisor,” Nightmare Moon said.

“You called, your highness?” Discord said, a tiny version of him appearing on her head.

Nightmare Moon growled, but bit her tongue. She supposed she could be a little grateful that he was so predictable in some ways. He’d help her… but only because he knew how much it would annoy her to require his help. “Watch over Moondancer and ensure she comes to no harm.”

“Oh ho?” Discord asked. “Are you worried about the little baby alicorn?”

Nightmare Moon cringed. “We have hurt her enough. On this one occasion, and only one, if you are unable to aid her then you have our permission to… ugh… summon us.”

“Oh my oh my!” Discord said with a gleeful snicker. “You mean to tell me I have permission to have THE Nightmare Moon at MY beck and call?”

“Must you make us regret this decision so soon?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Always, your highness. See you soon,” Discord said before disappearing once more.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes before glancing back towards the city. With a flash of magic, the ruler was gone and in her place stood ‘Radiance’. The simple reporter. She wondered for a moment if she should summon the fedora and coat again but quickly shoved that aside. If it was as obvious as she had been told, well… She had to find Sundancer. The last thing she wanted to do was scare off the mare. She’d need to use all of her cunning and wit in order to find the mare and get her alone. So she could FINALLY get an answer to the question that had plagued her for so long.

Just what was it about Moondancer’s cutie mark that was such a ‘mistake’? She walked towards the city, her head held high.

------

Of all the reactions she’d expected in this little journey, this one wasn’t it. “You ARE Radiance, aren’t you?” Sundancer asked, the pegasus nervously glancing from side to side. “THE Radiance? The one who was asking about Moondancer a few weeks ago?”

“Errr, y-yes?” Radiance said nervously. “We, I mean I--” A hoof covered her mouth and the pegasus glanced around a few more times before sliding over a business card.

“Here. Tell them ‘Little Sunray’ sent you, they’ll show you to my private booth. Get whatever you want, I’ll swing by in an hour or so,” Sundancer said.

“W-what?” Radiance said. “You expect us to wait an hour? We--”

“Yes, please,” Sundancer said. “Listen, just be there and I’ll answer whatever you want. Okay?”

The ruler incognito gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Very well,” she said before turning and trotting away. She glanced at the card before sighing. A shake bar. Delightful. Well, hopefully her student would appreciate the levels she sunk to in order to learn more about her. Must Moondancer make everything so difficult?

------

“Oh thank Celestia you’re here,” Sundancer said.

Radiance felt her eye twitch a little. “I believe it would be thank Nightmare Moon currently, Celestia had little to do with it. Also, we have ordered quite a generous amount on your tab.” She picked up one of the sliced peaches and bit into it with a flourish.

“I heard,” Sundancer said in a slightly annoyed tone. “Don’t feed reporters very well where you’re, oh, whatever. Who cares? You’re here about Moondancer, right?” She slid into the booth next to Radiance, making her yelp.

“T-there’s a second bench across from me, you know,” Radiance said quickly.

“I’d rather we not have to raise our voices very loud,” Sundancer said. “The last thing I want is anypony hearing about this and word getting back to my mother. So, you’re here about Moondancer. Is she okay? Did something happen?”

Radiance blinked a few times, her mouth falling open. “You know… since I have arrived here, you are the first pony to ask me that.”

“Huh?” Sundancer asked. “What do you mean?”

“Nearly every pony I have tried to talk with about Moondancer has always gotten distracted by, well… you,” Radiance said. “Or don’t even seem to know who she is. Only one pony has even expressed the barest interest in her until now.”

“She’s my little sister, of course I’m interested in her,” Sundancer said. “Is she… okay? Is she safe? The last thing I heard was that she was in the hospital but… I wasn’t… able to see her.”

“I see,” Radiance said in a slightly annoyed tone. “Unable to tear yourself away from work, I take it?”

“Yeah, something like that,” Sundancer said softly. “Just… too busy. Heh. Hey, um, do you have any siblings?”

“Only child,” Radiance lied.

“Oh. Well, um. Take it from me, then. It’s kind of the big sister’s job to look out for their little sister. I’m… not… very good at that,” Sundancer said with a sad sigh. She paused for a moment when a fizzy drink was brought by one of the waiters. She took a small drink of it before sighing. “So, is she? Okay, I mean? She’s not hurt?”

“No, she has healed wonderfully,” Radiance said. “Well, aside from the ear. But that was damaged before Nightmare Moon got a hold of her.”

“Wait, what? Damaged? Her ear?” Sundancer asked.

“I suppose the papers haven’t spread that, then?” Radiance asked. “In the battle of the Crystal Empire, Moondancer’s left ear was destroyed by Sombra.”

The color left Sundancer’s face, making her stare with a look of horror. “She’s… deaf?”

“Half deaf,” Radiance said.

“Oh Celestia,” Sundancer said before abandoning the straw in her drink and just drinking straight from the mug. After a moment she sighed. “I am the worst sister in the world. I should have been there.”

“In the Crystal Empire? You would have been largely useless,” Radiance said. “She was there with Nightmare Moon herself and still managed to get wounded.”

“Oh, yes, I’m sure the great tyrant of the eternal night was just sooooo protective of her little ponies,” Sundancer said bitterly before sighing. “Sorry, sorry, that’s not fair. I just… is… she okay? Other than that? Is she… doing well?”

Radiance considered it for a moment. Well, truly she was wondering if she should burn this bar to the ground once she finished burning Firedancer’s studio to ash. It seemed the entire family was making a good showing of tap dancing on her last nerve. She wondered if stocks and whipping would get her the answers she had so longingly craved. “She is doing well enough. She is safe and with her friends.”

“Moondancer has friends?” Sundancer asked.

“I… well… yes?” Radiance said, cocking her head to the side. “Of course she does?”

“Really?” Sundancer asked. “I mean, err. She just never mentioned them in her letters. Well, when she wrote. Not that there were many of them. She usually--”

“I believe you agreed to answer some of MY questions if I waited for you,” Radiance said, unable to suppress her annoyance any further. “So if you would mind I would appreciate FINALLY getting an answer to the question I have been searching for weeks for.” It took everything she had not to yell and fling the table through the wall. She had faced down monsters that posed less of a challenge than extracting this answer from some ponies.

“Right, right, sorry,” Sundancer said. “Are you okay? You seem really tense. You need more sunlight. Heh. You know, since it’s out now?”

“I am a night pony,” Radiance said through gritted teeth. “My question is simple. How did Moondancer get her cutie mark?”

Sundancer nearly choked on her drink, slamming the cup down and coughing as some of it came up her nose. She reached over her and grabbed some napkins, bringing them up to her face. “W-what? Moondancer’s cutie mark? THAT’S what you wanted to know about?”

“Yes! Surely YOU at least know,” Radiance said, annoyance dripping from her words. “Perhaps you should try spreading the word as well. As nopony else in all of Equestria seems able to answer what should be such a SIMPLE question.”

“It’s not simple,” Sundancer said, her eyes lowered. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… I just… only one other pony has asked me that before.”

“And who, pray tell, was that?” Radiance asked.

“Princess Celestia,” Sundancer said.

Radiance barely managed to keep her disguise together, the illusion almost flickering. “Princess Celestia asked?”

“Yes. It was a long, long time ago, before Moondancer became her student,” Sundancer said. “It… fine. I’ll tell you. But listen. This shows up in nothing. Ever. No news paper, nothing. Just between you and me.”

Radiance blinked a few times before, very slowly, she nodded. “As you wish.”

“Good,” Sundancer said with a sigh. Then snorted. “You’re not really a reporter, are you?”

“If you truly must know and it will get you to finally answer our questions? No, I am not,” Radiance said. “We have been told the disguise is useful for such things, though.”

“When done well, probably,” Sundancer said with a sigh. “Not sure why a reporter would be interested in this story. But fine. I guess, well… the abridged story is simple. She was working on her play, I stole the lead, she did a great job of it and got her cutie mark. Boom, all done.”

Radiance barely suppressed a growl. “And the non-abridged vers-- wait, stole the lead?”

Sundancer gave another soft groan and covered her face with her hooves. “I… I was a really, really, really awful big sister.”

“Please, enlighten me,” Radiance said coldly. “The full story. All of it. Like you told my-- like you told Celestia.”

“So, uhhhh… let’s just say… dancing is pretty big in our family. I mean, Sundancer, Firedancer, Clouddancer, Moondancer, right? And of the two of us I was obviously the more talented in it,” Sundancer said, though there was no pride in her voice. If anything, she sounded ashamed. “I was far, far more talented at it. The dancing part, at least. Moondancer was passable, but she didn’t… have the coordination. What she had was a lot of talent at making up dances. She was a really big dreamer, in that sense. She’d come up with something and I could put it into action.” She gave a soft sigh before lightly tapping on her glass. “Yeah… I’m sure you’re thinking some pretty nasty things right now. You’re probably right. I was a filly then, you know? We both were. I just didn’t see why it mattered. Moondancer came up with something, but she couldn’t do it half the time. Then I could pull it off and I’d get all the praise. I loved it.”

“I heard you two were… thick as thieves,” Radiance said, the ire rising in her voice. It was becoming quite clear that the dancers were certainly good at dancing around the point. The studio would look marvelous wreathed in flames. Perhaps she could have some smores delivered.

“Yeah, one of us was a thief alright,” Sundancer said bitterly. “She was furious about it, but she kept trying to one up me. It… never worked. In the end, mom just… kept gushing about how amazing I was. So she tried doing something entirely new. Her name was Moondancer, right? So she started making something that was going to be just hers. The Rising of the Moon.”

Radiance blinked a few times. “Wait. Don’t you mean the Rise of the Sun and Moon?”

Sundancer cringed and there were definitely tears in her eyes then, though they didn’t fall. “No. It became that after I got mad and tattled. Mom was mad. ‘How can you have such a talented big sister and try and leave her out of it?’ Ugh. Couldn’t just let her have this one thing, could I?”

Radiance didn’t say a word, though she was quickly finding this story a little too familiar for her tastes and going in a direction she didn’t like at all.

“So she starts going at it full tilt, even knowing I’ll be in it. But ohhh, Moondancer was clever. She made a part for the ‘sun’ in this play. Kept me distracted. It really might have been amazing. She’d practice every night, really threw her all into it. She was desperate to have the moon be the headliner, even if she knew she couldn’t keep up with me. Honestly, it was the first time I think I ever noticed, you know?” Sundancer said, a single tear going down her face. “I had this great little sister. All she wanted was to be a… a great dancer like her big sister. It wasn’t her fault I could pick up a dance in an hour that took her weeks to get right, you know? I could have helped her. I-I should have helped her. B-but all I did was t-try and hog all the spotlight for myself. All I… I ever did…”

“Tissue?” Radiance asked, offering one to the other mare. This story was going down a road she desperately wanted to get off from.

“T-thank you,” Sundancer said before wiping her eyes. “I-I started to feel… to actually kind of feel bad. I actually started helping Moondancer. It was the first time we ever did a dance together. Can you believe it? We’d been dancing s-since we were foals and it was the first time we’d really danced together.”

“… The Rising of the Sun and Moon was going to be beautiful,” Sundancer said before wiping her eyes a few more times and then blowing her nose. “She didn’t know it, but I was… actually planning on adjusting some things. I’d always been the lead, figured it’d do for me to be a background dancer for once. Really let my little sister take the lime light, you know? Just this once. We were doing the final rehearsal together. I… I told her about the changes. I’d never seen her so happy. Oh Celestia…”

“She danced so beautifully, you know?” Sundancer said softly before Radiance offered her another tissue and she quickly wiped her eyes. “Sloppy, sure. But she was just a filly. But she was s-so excited. She was trying so hard. I-I was in the background, right? We had these little pully systems. S-since, well, I was still a filly, not to mention earth ponies and unicorns couldn’t f-fly. So… so we’d use them for some of the stunts. Have us ‘fly’ in the background. But…”

“She did her performance, she was so excited. She wasn’t as coordinated as me but she had so much passion. H-her cutie mark came and… and she tried so hard, you know?” Sundancer said, sinking lower in her seat. “The first thing mom said? ‘Why are you the lead? Your sister is the much better dancer’. I never… I’d never seen her so shattered. Moondancer was so sad, so upset. Then she got… so angry.”

“Angry?” Radiance asked. “Moondancer?”

Sundancer nodded. “She’d just started crying and she screamed how much she hated me and wished she’d been an only sister and then she… she just started throwing things. Knocked over the glass moon they’d made, some of the background things and then she… bucked the control levers for the pulley system. I don’t… think she meant to break anything. But she’d jammed the lever, hard. It was a bit… delicate. One second I’m a few feet in the air, the next moment I’m rocketing towards the roof. I slammed into the top wheel. My wing got tangled in it and then the entire thing came down. Dad was there, he caught me before I landed. But, well, they were terrified. We all were. I was hurt and screaming. Moondancer was terrified. They thought my wings might…”

“She broke your wings?” Radiance asked, her eyes wide.

“W-what? No!” Sundancer said, spreading her wings out and flapping them. “See? They’re fine. Not a scratch on them. I was lucky, though. Accidents like that were rare, but they could happen. They replaced the whole pulley system after that. I didn’t see Moondancer until I was out of the hospital and she’d never stopped apologizing since. Mom… tried to keep it all hush hush, most only knew the play my sister had been working on never saw the light of day.Moondancer doesn’t… really talk about it. She still apologizes every time she sees me. But I guess that’s why you had to come see me to ask, huh?”

Radiance nodded, her eyes lowered. “We… see. And… your mother?”

“She still hasn’t forgiven Moondancer,” Sundancer said with a soft sigh. “It was an accident. Moondancer had a bit of a temper on her, sure. But she’d never try to hurt me like that. She was just upset and angry. I was lucky, I didn’t even really get that hurt.”

“But you could have been,” Radiance said softly.

“I could have been, but I wasn’t,” Sundancer said. “And Moondancer has been suffering for it ever since. I’ve never seen her dance since. I can’t even remember the last time I ever saw her smile. Even when she was in Canterlot we’d only occasionally get a letter from her. Then the few times she came to visit, you know what mom did? What she would always do? Is bring it up. Ask if she knows any proper wing mending spells. Always in that obnoxious, infuriating tone of hers. As if it’s a joke. As if we don’t all know what she means by it,” Sundancer said, the bitterness filling her voice. She then gave a soft sigh and shook her head. “Sorry. Mom and I just have… issues.”

“I’ve noticed that,” Radiance said softly. “When have you last seen Moondancer?”

“Not in a long while,” Sundancer said. “Before all of this… stuff. Before Nightmare Moon.”

“You should visit her,” Radiance said gently. “It might… do her good. To see her big sister.”

Sundancer gave a light snort and shook her head. “Really? You really don’t have any siblings, huh?”

“Excuse me?” Radiance asked.

“Why would she want to see me?” Sundancer asked. “All I ever did was shove her aside as everypony watched and cheered me on for it. The most important moment in her life, the one thing that was supposed to be about her, and I still managed to make it all about me. All I’ve ever done is cause her pain. If you had a pony like that in your life would YOU want anything to do with them?”

Radiance was silent and stared at her drink for a few moments before shaking her head. “No. I… don’t… think I would want to.”

“Exactly,” Sundancer said.

“But… that wouldn’t… that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t need them in my life,” Radiance said softly.

“Please,” Sundancer said before rolling her eyes. “The last thing Moondancer needs is a terrible big sister.”

“Then maybe you should try to learn how to be a good big sister,” Radiance said. “Moondancer has already ended up in the hospital a few times since entering the care of Nightmare Moon. If you decide to keep allowing your… own doubts to control you, there may not be a Moondancer for you to be a big sister for before long.”

Sundancer went entirely still for a few moments, staring at her drink. “You know. I… never… really thought about that. Huh. Do you think a pony can change like that? Become the big sister a pony needs?”

“Perhaps,” Radiance said softly. “Though it could take a thousand years.”

Sundancer gave a light snort and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right, I don’t think it’d take that long. But maybe you’re right. Maybe it’s time I try. Any suggestions?”

“Burn your mother’s studio to the ground?” Radiance offered.

Sundancer gave a light snort. “Please, she insures it. Besides, that’d hardly help Moondancer any. Though I could always give her the matches. That might be therapeutic,” she said in a joking tone.

“Then we’re afraid there is little we can offer you in guidance,” Radiance said. “Thank you for answering our questions. We should be off.”

“Oh, right,” Sundancer said before sliding out from the booth so Radiance could leave. “Happy I could help. Err, Radiance? Thanks.”

“Huh?” Radiance asked.

“For looking out for Moondancer,” Sundancer said. “I’m happy she does have a few friends out there. Even a weird one. That whole ‘we’ and ‘our’ thing you keep slipping into? It’s cute. Some kind of Canterlot thing I imagine? But I’ll think on what you said. Maybe I can try to fix some of this. Be the sister I should have been. Think she’ll forgive me?”

“I find it unlikely,” Radiance said flatly.

“Oof,” Sundancer said with a light snicker. “I probably deserved that. Guess it’s a good thing you don’t have a big sister, huh? Siblings shouldn’t hold grudges.”

“Probably shouldn’t avoid each other then, either,” Radiance said.

“I am hiding from my problems, entirely different,” Sundancer said with a playful smile before giving a sad sigh and sliding back into the booth. “Maybe you’re right, though. Being the big sister she needs. Especially now, if she’s really stuck being around that tyrant all the time. Might do her some good to know somepony here still cares about her.”

Radiance didn’t answer, merely turning and trotting away.

She was going to burn that studio to the ground. Maybe hold Firedancer over it, see how she danced through the smoke and ash. Watch as all her hopes and--

No. No. Nightmare Moon buried those thoughts down. Vengeance of that sort, no matter how sweet it may taste, would do little good here. Well, it would do her plenty of good. But what of her student?

Endangering the mare’s mother would do little to help her. But she couldn’t suppress this growing anger inside her. This desire to hurt Firedancer for what she had done. To take vengeance on her for--

Very, very slowly a smile spread across her lips. Oh. ‘True Princess’ indeed. Perhaps it was time for Firedancer to meet the ruler of her kingdom. It would not be as appealing and delightful a vengeance as she would enjoy.

But there was something to be said for shaming a pony. As much as taking a lesson from Tirek annoyed her, she could at least take solace in knowing she would be using that lesson for vengeance. She then paused and glanced back towards Sundancer. “One last bit of warning,” Radiance said.

“Hm?” Sundancer asked. “What?”

“Nightmare Moon is intending to arrive here later today,” Radiance said. “A surprise visit to the home of her student.”

Sundancer managed to choke on her drink for a second time. Impressive, she likely had managed to get more on her face than in her mouth by now. “W-what?! How do you know--”

Radiance put a hoof over her mouth to silence her. “Calm yourself. She means no ill will. In fact, I hear she has only the kindest things to say to your mother. I would advise you to not be there, however.”

“W-what?” Sundancer asked. “She’s going to kill my mom!”

“Unlikely,” Radiance said. “Trust me. From what I’ve heard your mother has made her quite… satisfied.”

Sundancer just stared at her in confusion, but Radiance didn’t elaborate any further. Instead, she merely turned and left a second time.

Author's Notes:

Okay. This one has been building a long, long, long, long time. From the moment I decided Moondancer was going to be the student, I hadn't really had much intentions for it. But once I decided to expand the story.

From there, I started trying to figure out WHY Moondancer. What was it about her that drew Celestia's notice? The cutie mark? Okay. Self esteem issues, the cutie mark being similar to Luna's. Then the talent with magic... from there it kind of wrote itself. The idea of a dancing family... Bit by bit it came to fruition. Then, finally, this was realized.

A looooooong time ago. I wasn't even sure if it was going to come up at the time. Then it did, and well... here we go. The culmination. In a lot of ways, the more I worked on Moondancer, the more I realized she was, in many ways, a mirror to Luna/Nightmare Moon. Probably part of the reason NMM dislikes her so much. We always hate the people most like us... The opening act is almost finished, not nearly as cathartic as I want it to be, though. Honestly, I cried a few times writing this arc out... Hope you're all enjoying it.

S4 CH 6. Deserving

“Ah, so you must be our student’s grandmother,” Nightmare Moon said, petty though she knew it was. “Go, retrieve Firedancer.”

Firedancer gave a little squeak, cowering so low to the ground from the Ruler of Equestria that her belly touched the ground. “I… I am Firedancer, y-your highness. I am s-so grateful that you have g-graced my h-humble studio with your, err, m-majestic presence.”

Nightmare Moon just looked down on the mare and cocked an eye. “Truly? You are ‘Firedancer’? We’d heard such tales of your beauty and grace.” Firedancer opened her mouth to speak, but she cut her off. “Alas, we suppose for normal ponies such things must one day fade.”

She was rewarded with a small eye twitch from the other mare, but she held her tongue on that matter. Good. It seemed she could hold her tongue, slightly, in the presence of her ruler. A shame she couldn’t learn to do it around others. There was a light snickering though from the gathered performers cowering across the room. “How may I serve you, your majesty? We don’t currently have any, err, performances scheduled for--”

“Serve us?” Nightmare Moon asked. “There is no need. We have come to thank you for the aid you have already offered in our return.”

“WHAT?” Firedancer yelled before covering her mouth with her hooves.

Nightmare Moon reached out and lightly patted her on the head with a knowing, fanged smile that made the unicorn give a squeak and go back to trembling. “Indeed. When our return was imminent, only one pony stood in our way and had any chance of defeating us. Moondancer. Celestia had trained her well, though we are loath to admit it. However…” She gently stroked the mare’s cheek in a way that, judging by the trembling of the mare, was anything but comforting. “When facing our enemies we have long since learned to find every crack in their heart. The damage that you had done to young Moondancer’s was plenty to allow us to crush her. So in a way, we have you to thank for our rule and the overthrowing of our much hated sister’s final tool to stop us.”

“W-what?” Firedancer asked, her mouth falling open. “I don’t understand.”

“Ah, we see. The mind truly is the first thing to go when a normal pony grows old, is it not?” Nightmare Moon asked. “No matter, little one. Just know we are apologetic for the delay it took us in properly appearing and thanking you for the aid you offered us.”

“What?” Firedancer said, looking even more confused.

Nightmare Moon turned and walked away from the mare, her guards giving her confused looks as well but keeping their mouths shut. Still, she felt her own ire growing. She had hoped for some great shame from the mare. Understanding. Not just confusion, but self loathing. Instead she just looked bewildered. Perhaps burning down the studio was truly the only way to get the catharsis she so desperately desired. Perhaps she had been too subtle. Perhaps a mother like that was incapable of feeling shame at all. It wasn’t too late, burning the studio to ash WAS still an option.

No, not yet. She would let Moondancer do it if she so desired. She still had one last pony to talk with.

To yell at.

------

“Sister,” Nightmare Moon said before materializing inside the room holding her sister captive.

Celestia glanced up from her book with a bewildered look on her face. “Yes?”

“We have done as you suggested,” Nightmare Moon said, keeping her head held high. “We have met with Sundancer and learned of Moondancer’s cutie mark.”

Celestia slowly closed her book before she rose to her hooves. “And?”

Nightmare Moon stared at her. How could Celestia look so calm? So unruffled? Even now, locked away in this room? Sure, it was grand compared to the crystal caverns. It even had books and cushions. She looked more like she was awakening from a long nap than if she had endured years of isolation and torment at her little sister’s hooves. “You are a monster.”

“Likely,” Celestia said, not objecting to the statement.

“How could you give HER to us?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Give her to you?” Celestia asked.

“She was never up to this task!” Nightmare Moon snapped. “She couldn’t destroy us! She couldn’t defeat us!”

“Of course she couldn’t destroy you,” Celestia said. “I trained her to save you.”

Nightmare Moon froze, her eyes going wide. “W-what?”

“Over the years I trained many ponies, dear sister,” Celestia said in a soft, soothing tone. “So many, many ponies. But none… were right. Somepony who could not just bear the Elements of Harmony, but could bear them better than I had. We had.” She turned and glanced towards the window and the rising moon. “I searched for a pony who could be everything I could not. A pony who could, one day, take up our rule. Guide Equestria. That was, originally, the purpose of my school. To find those with not just great power, but who would achieve great things.”

“There were many, many, many ponies. Strong ponies. Arrogant ponies. Selfless ponies. Ponies who… who I failed,” Celestia said, wilting slightly. “So many, many ponies I failed. But none were… right. None were correct. I was an imperfect teacher. Much as I was an imperfect sister. I had begun to despair of ever seeing… of ever finding a pony who could be all I needed them to be. Or maybe they were and I just failed to see it. It wouldn’t be the first time I failed to see the most important things of all.”

“I believed, for a time, Cadence would be the pony to save you. To take my place. But… I… realize I was wrong,” Celestia said softly, lowering herself down and laying on her stomach. “I was a foal.”

“Sister?” Nightmare Moon asked softly, taking a small step forward.

“I sought myself in my students,” Celestia said softly. “A pony who was powerful. Glorious. Radiant. I sought a pony who drew the eyes of all. A pony who shone like the sun. Moondancer was… different. So, so different from everything I had sought. She was you. In so, so many ways she was like you. She was controlled. She was refined. She was subtle. If my prior students had been the warmth and glow of the sun… Moondancer was the cooling, gentle touch of the moon.”

“So you sought to replace us…” Nightmare Moon said.

“I sought to replace myself,” Celestia said.

“W-what?!” Luna asked, her eyes going wide.

“I had failed over and over,” Celestia said. “I had given up hope. I thought… I thought the thousand years would finally end. Yet I was no closer to finding a way to save my little sister. I had failed. I was growing desperate. I had wasted the time the Elements had granted me. Then I met… her. I believed… I believed I had finally found a pony who would be what I wasn’t. She reminded me so much of you. But when Sundancer finally told me the story of how she had acquired her cutie mark, I knew she was the one.”

“There was so much Luna in this small, young student of mine,” Celestia said softly. “I thought… I thought perhaps I could make up for what I had done. I had sought myself in my prior students. I thought, perhaps, if I could fix her. If I could undo the damage done to this pony… if I could save her? Then she could save you. It was a selfish proposition, I know. I knew the risks. The dangers. I knew I put her and her friends in great danger. I knew she… I knew there was always a possibility she wouldn’t succeed. But there was nopony else for me to turn to.”

“So she failed you, in the end,” Nightmare Moon said.

“No, she never failed me,” Celestia said softly. “I failed her. Just as I did you. Just as I did so many other ponies. There was more I could have done. I knew what was coming. I could have better prepared. I could have kept searching. I could have… I knew Moondancer wouldn’t be able to face you.” For the first time her voice cracked and the calm, steady tone faded away. “I k-knew she couldn’t defeat you. I-I knew s-s-she wouldn’t m-m-manage in the end… I forced her to do it anyway. I-I made excuses. I made her do it ANYWAY!” Celestia yelled, her wings spreading out. “The fault never lied with her. It was always I. I sent her with her friends to do a task I believed they couldn’t do. All because I so desperately hoped that I was wrong again. But I knew. Damn me, I knew.”

“You knew?” Nightmare Moon asked. “Then why not replace her? Find a new student?”

“Why not find a new sister?” Celestia asked softly. “Because I had already betrayed you once. I had already lost you once. If ever there was a pony bathed in your moon, it was her. If ever there was a pony who needed me as much as you did, it was her. I couldn’t… I couldn’t do it a second time. I have failed so terribly once, I couldn’t bear to do it a second time. I told myself I was wrong, that she COULD do this. Despite all of the warning signs. Despite all of the indicators. Despite the fact I knew she had no real chance. Everything could, would go wrong. Knowing she would likely fail. I told myself I was misjudging her. That she would rise to this occasion, like a beautiful gemstone created from the pressure of her destiny.”

“Instead I shattered her,” Nightmare Moon said softly. “I shattered her and danced on the fragments of her soul.”

“She was a wonderful student,” Celestia said softly. “She deserved a far, far better teacher than I could ever be.”

Nightmare Moon nodded slowly. “She will have one. Thank you, sister.” She turned and walked away, closing the door to her sister’s prison behind her.

Celestia glanced back towards the door before sighing. Arrogant as it was, she did wonder if she had failed after all. She had sought herself for so long, a pony that was flashy, loud, demanded notice. A pony who would save her sister in one single, glorious blast.

But Luna had always been more subtle. Patient. Calculating. If Moondancer could help save her little sister, then she supposed it was only natural that such a rescue would be just as slow and subtle. Maybe for the list of her failures, grand as it may be…

Her choice in students wouldn’t be amongst them this time.

Even if not Moondancer, there did still seem to be one other pony caught in this sisterly feud. Perhaps Twilight would be able to save her. Or maybe, in the end, she had been wrong all along. It didn’t take one pony or six ponies. Maybe, what it truly took, was two. She couldn’t imagine how all of this would play out in the end. All she knew is she couldn’t give up hope. She had to trust her little ponies to bring her sister back to her. To fix the mistakes she had made so, so long ago.

If they could, she vowed she would never make such errors again.

------

Nightmare Moon re-positioned herself for what felt like the thousandth time on her throne. It just… never felt right. Never felt comfortable. No matter how she adjusted herself, it just felt wrong.

It wasn’t the throne, though. It was what she was considering. She gave another soft sigh before closing her eyes and scrying on her student, her bard and all of their friends for a few moments. Why were there so many of them? Did they believe this some party to attend as a swarm?

Why did they all seem to enjoy each other’s company? There were moments of conflict, yet they seemed to work it out. During the day, during the night, it mattered not. The rainbow maned one and the vampire one were more night ponies it seemed, but the other stayed up later with them. Then they tried to spend time during the day with the others. Even Moondancer and her friends seemed to have begun to pick up where they left off. There had even been an amusing moment where the magician had been chased around by an owl in the night, only for the vampire pony to calm it down. They seemed… happy.

Or they had.

But it was nearly dusk. They would be returning soon. Her student had succeeded at her task, the vines were gone. A small, nagging part in the back of her mind told her that it was impossible, that obviously her student had cheated in some manner.

Unlikely. Moondancer was… capable. Talented. The only pony who seemed to truly doubt her capabilities aside from her was…

Nightmare Moon herself.

How long until she hurt Moondancer again? How many times had she vowed to keep her safe? Her word was not her bond.

But this decision would leave her vulnerable. It would give her a weakness. A glaring weakness. Could the Ruler of Equestria have a weakness?

How much more blood of her subjects would be spilled to avoid such ‘weaknesses’?

All of the excuses, all of the denials were just that. Hollow and empty. She could never protect her ponies like this. Celestia was right. If ever there was a pony who bathed in her moonlight, it was Moondancer. Perhaps that was why she hated the mare so. The student reminded the princess of what she had been.

That was why she had to take such a step. No matter how foolish, dangerous it was. If she desired to be a better pony, if she truly wished to be a better pony…

Nightmare Moon scryed on them once more and felt a moment of annoyance. A veritable crowd of them. Moondancer and her friends. Twilight and her friends. Even the magician, the changelings and the zebra apparently decided to come for this. Did they really hope if they came by the dozen her ire would be prevented? Did they all hope to come in together and hope her anger and annoyance would be distributed between them?

Her ire only grew when they came down the hall towards her room. When she watched her student and bard stop their friends. Tell them they had to do this alone. That they wouldn’t endanger them. How dare they. She was about to take the ultimate risk for her foolish student, yet they treat her like…

Like a pony who had nearly killed her student only a few scant weeks ago.

She would be a better ruler. She would be the greatest pony. She wouldn’t demand their love. She would be a pony WORTHY of their love. Even if she had to force herself to be it. Even if it hurt her.

The door to the throne room opened and her student and bard nervously walked forward. They bowed their heads obediently. Nightmare Moon stared down at the two for a moment before glancing to Twilight. “We take it your project is going well?”

“Yes, your highness,” Twilight said.

“We will never understand your desire to aid such creatures after they harmed you,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing to the guards. “Leave us.”

“Y-your highness?” Moondancer asked, the worry clear in her voice. No, she didn’t blame them. Were she either of them, she would be worried as well.

“Worry not,” Nightmare Moon said. “We are not angered with either of you. What we desire to speak with you two is for your ears only. Go.”

The guards gave a concerned look for the two, but bowed their heads before departing. For a moment the room was empty. Nightmare Moon sighed before shaking her head. They were right to fear her. But she was less certain she was right to have made them fear her. “Student… we are very proud of you.”

“What?! I-I’m sorry!” Moondancer said, taking a step back. “I-I just thought-- wait, what?”

“We are proud of you,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing out the windows to the rising moon. “We assigned you and your team a task and you performed it perfectly. Before our moon had even begun its rise, you had already completed your duty. We… hope you enjoyed the rest of your time with your te… with your friends.”

“I… I did, your highness. Is, is that okay?” Moondancer asked gently.

“It is preferred,” Nightmare Moon said. She took a slow, deep breath, struggling to keep her patience in check. Must the mare question every comment she made? Likely yes. “While it is true that you all rose against us upon our arrival to our throne, you were ill informed. We find it doubtful you would attempt such a mistake again.” She then took another slow, deep breath. She did not wish to say this next part. “Both of you, in fact, have managed to rise to the occasion when it was necessary. In return, we… I have hurt you.”

“Your highness?” Moondancer asked, trembling slightly.

“What we did to you,” Nightmare Moon said. “What I did to you, to both of you. It was wrong. You were correct in opposing me. In your objections. For attempting to stop me. I will not ask your forgiveness. I do not deserve your forgiveness. We merely wish for you to both feel no fear for more… reprisal after what happened.” Once again she felt a burning anger in her core, reminding her of what Moondancer took from her. Her one opportunity to have an eternal companion by her side.

A forced eternal companion who was trapped in her own personal hell. No, perhaps this was for the best. This was certainly for the best.

“Ba… Twilight,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing to her bard. “Our prisoners are once more open to you. Tirek will… likely… welcome your company. The queen of the changelings will likely also enjoy an… update on her… subjects. The umbrum, however, is confined away for the time being. Knowing your… strange urges to aid even the most undeserving, he may eventually be allowed to gaze upon your visage."

“I… I see. Thank you, your highness,” Twilight said.

“Good. Twilight, you are dismissed,” Nightmare Moon said. She couldn’t help but notice the concerned look her bard gave her student. Not that she could blame her. “We have private matters to discuss with our stu… with Moondancer.”

Moondancer went rigid as a board and gave a soft, delicate whimper before she could stop herself. Twilight didn’t make a move to leave, her eyes locked on the other partial alicorn.

“We assure you, no harm will befall our student,” Nightmare Moon said firmly. “Now go.”

“But—”

“LEAVE!” Nightmare Moon ordered, unable to contain her annoyance any longer. Her wings spread out aggressively and she suppressed the urge to cringe at the fearful looks on their faces.

“Go,” Moondancer said softly. “I-I’ll be fine.”

Twilight gave her friend one last concerned look before bowing once more and then leaving the room.

Nightmare Moon gave a sigh. A moment later her horn lit up and the room flashed for a moment. None outside of the room could hear them now.

She watched the color drain from her student’s face. She supposed the mare would know such a spell, she’d used it often enough to cry in her room. Much like Nightmare Moon had done back when she was Luna.

“Moondancer, what we must tell you is something… we do not expect you to understand or truly believe,” Nightmare Moon said before she got to her hooves. She walked forward, only for her student to back away. She ignored it, though, and continued to walk to her student. Until Moondancer was backed against the wall and shaking. She soon towered over the mare and, delicately as she could, she reached out and stroked her cheek. “Moondancer, our precious student. We are truly sorry for all we have subjected you to. For the pain we have caused you.”

Moondancer gave a whimper, but she ignored it.

“And though we would never say this to anypony but you. We… are truly sorry that you failed to defeat us,” Nightmare Moon said in a soft, soothing tone.

That made the whimpering stop and confusion spread across the smaller alicorn’s face.

“We have learned of your cutie mark,” Nightmare Moon said.

The reaction was instant. Moondancer’s eyes went wide and she tried to pull away. The ruler reached out, wrapping both hooves around the mare and pulling her into a hug. “L-let me--”

“You are not a mistake,” Nightmare Moon said softly.

“S-stop! I don’t--”

“You are not a monster. You are not a creature devoid of goodness. You do not deserve to be hurt. You do not deserve ANY of this,” Nightmare Moon said softly, her wings wrapping around the other mare.

“P-please, I don’t--”

“What happened, what you did, was in a moment of hurt,” Nightmare Moon said. “As a child lashing out against cruelty and in pain. A moment’s mistake does not make you worthless. It does not make you lesser. You were never, ever a mistake. You are not a bad pony.”

The struggling stopped and she could feel the warm wet tears from Moondancer’s face, pressed against her withers.

“You were, you are, a pony who was hurt. Who was vulnerable and should have been happy. Should have had joy. Instead the pony you depended on most used it to cut you,” Nightmare Moon said in a gentle, delicate tone.

“I… I didn’t mean to… I was just…”

“You were angry and hurt,” Nightmare Moon said, a hoof gently stroking her mane. “You lashed out. You made a mistake. A terrible mistake that could have had lasting consequences, but it didn’t. You were lucky. Your sister was lucky. But that fear, it never truly left you. Every time you felt that anger bubble inside you. Every time you felt you might not be good enough. Every time you began to get frustrated. You always felt that fear, that moment of doubt. That worry that you might do something wrong again. That you might not be lucky this time. That this would be the mistake you made that truly was unforgiveable. That you couldn’t come back from. So you buried it. You hid from it. You suppressed who you were, what you were, everything you desired in a desperate bid to be what you hoped would make everypony happy.”

Moondancer trembled and gave a soft little sob, finally giving in and laying against her ruler. “I-I’m sorry…”

“I know,” Luna said gently. “I know more than you will ever understand. You were never a mistake. You were never unworthy. You were always an… an excellent student. A wonderful child. You deserved so, so much more than you were given. Had you been given it, perhaps you would have defeated me. I am so sorry for all of the pain I have inflicted you. For the wounds I have carved out from your flesh. I am sorry that I have hated you when you have done nothing to deserve such a fate. I am sorry that… that I may hate you again. But I will never again hurt you. This time, these words will be true.”

“Y-your highness?” Moondancer asked before looking up in confusion. “I… I understand. I--”

“No,” Luna said softly before reaching out a hoof to gently stroke her cheek. “You do not. We have said this before. We will not harm you. We will appreciate you. We will protect you. We have made promises we have failed to keep again and again. Our word cannot be trusted. In a moment of anger, of hatred, of ire… we are capable of so many terrible, awful things. Things you do not deserve to ever suffer.” She lowered her head against the other mare’s, holding her close. “You are one of our moonlight. A pony who should have felt safe and secure to hide, to be protected. Instead we hurt you. This cannot be forgiven. But I will ensure this never, ever happens again.” Very slowly she released the mare before getting to her hooves and walking away from her. “Are you familiar with bonding magic, student?”

“Uhhhhhh…” Moondancer said softly, staring at her. “Like… the vampire ponies have on them?”

“Indeed,” Luna said. “A magic not practiced for centuries. It is both powerful and dangerous. It is why only you and I may know of what transpires in this room.” Her horn glowed again and a small, black knife appeared at her side. Moondancer yelped and pulled back, but the knife never went near her. Instead it slashed a single thin, small gash across the ruler’s right leg. A few drops of blood were gathered on the tip of the blade before they began to write in the air. “Consider yourself privileged, young student. You will see a magic not woven in many, many lifetimes.”

“This bond we forge in our blood, witnessed by our student, Moondancer. We, Nightmare Moon, once Luna, Ruler of Equestria and weaver of the night sky, hereby forge this eternal oath. Never again shall we intentionally physically harm Moondancer, our student, nor punish her for sins she has not committed. Nor shall we force her to be our student, should she desire to leave our side. Never again will we offer her anything aside from safety and comfort beneath our wings. May this oath only be broken should the safety of all of Equestria be at stake or she, of her own volition, choose to nullify this bond. Should we break this bond, may our punishment be a thousand fold of that which we inflict.”

For a moment the words of blood hung in the air before they began to glow a bright, golden color. Then they surged into the ruler, enveloping her before she gave a pained cry. The knife clattered to the ground before disappearing. She could feel the words, the oath, writing itself upon her very soul like a burning flame. Then, as quickly as it started, it was gone.

“It is done,” Nightmare Moon said softly,

“I… I don’t understand,” Moondancer said softly.

“Our little pony,” Nightmare Moon said before she walked towards her throne. “Again and again we have hurt you. We will harm you no longer. Since we cannot trust ourselves to keep such a vow, we have given up the right to break such a vow ever again.”

“But… but… I don’t deserve--”

“Child,” Nightmare Moon said. “If we were capable of giving you what you deserve we would. We cannot give you the care you were denied. We cannot give you the love you deserve. We are not even sure we can be the teacher you deserve.” She sat on her throne and turned towards the mare. “We… can only ask that you give us the chance. The opportunity. A place within our moonlight that all of our ponies should have, yet you were denied. But our bond will protect you, should you not desire it. You are no longer trapped in our grip, you no longer have to be our student. You… are free.”

“The night is many things to many ponies,” Nightmare Moon said softly, her eyes downcast. “So many, many times we have forgotten that. We have focused only on ourselves, not those who needed us most. We cannot make up for what we have done. But… we can try with all of our will to make up for them. If you will allow us this chance. If… you will not… we understand. You may go as you wish, anywhere you wish.”

Moondancer stood there for a moment, staring up at her ruler. She didn’t know what to say. Where could she possibly go? To her parents? Never. School? Unlikely. Her studies were really the only thing she had. Even if she did have somewhere else to go, she could never abandon Twilight and Spike here alone. “I… I understand. I’d… like to stay. If that’s okay?”

Nightmare Moon let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding in. “Thank you. We… will try to be a teacher worthy of such a student.” She glanced towards the windows once more. “There is one last thing to discuss. Your reward for a task done well.”

“Reward? Isn’t this the reward?” Moondancer asked. “Your highness, you don’t need to--” She went silent when the ruler lifted a hoof.

“We understand your worry but this is a gift we believe you will find most delightful. Though she is no longer your teacher, there is one pony who we believe you should be allowed to see.” A small, golden key appeared besides her. A copy of it formed before flying through the air to Moondancer. “The room besides our own. This key will open the door once.”

“Uhhhh…” Moondancer said, staring at it. “Who--”

“Our sister,” Nightmare Moon said. “Your former teacher. We grant you the right to visit her this once. A reward for a job well done.”

Moondancer nearly dropped the key, her eyes wide. “Y-you mean…”

“Celestia,” Nightmare Moon said before sighing when she saw the mare struggling to suppress the excitement in her eyes. “We know you must be excited to see her, you need not hide it. You are dismissed.”

It took only a second for the partial alicorn to gallop away, leaving Nightmare Moon alone in the empty throne room. She sighed and laid down on her throne, resting her head on the arm rest. “Yes, our student. Return to the embrace of our sister. Just like the rest of our ponies. Then sleep soft, happy dreams in your warm, soft bed. Where you may forget about us, as they all inevitably do.”

She idly wondered if the ponies realized what they were doing. Day had only appeared for such a short time, but already ponies were going back to the cycle she so hated. Sleep during the night, awake during the day. Still…

There were still a few awake during her nights. Her creatures of the night. But they were only there because they had no choice. Those who did… rarely chose her.

But she could not deny the pain it caused her to know how quickly ponies were once again adapting to ignoring her. Despite all that had happened did she still hold such little value to them? It made her somewhat angry, but even that didn’t help.

Nightmare Moon was so tired of being angry. She was just sad and exhausted. Perhaps it would have been better if she had been defeated back then. Had Moondancer destroyed her. Celestia said that the mare was never meant to do that, but that was ridiculous. How could a pony like her ever be saved?

She truly was just the backup princess. None of them could trust her. She couldn’t even trust herself, having to resort to such magic just to ensure she didn’t hurt an innocent pony.

Luna sighed and closed her eyes. None of them wanted her. None of them ever would. But soon the Night Court would begin and it wouldn’t matter what she wanted, she would have a job to do. At least they were shorter these days. After all, nopony wanted to be up in her moonlight when the sun was an option.

Author's Notes:

And so more and more Luna begins to show her face... As the flames of hatred begin to die down, the coldness of loneliness begins to wash over her. Still... Celestia has hope. And at least she can ensure she never harms Moondancer again. If only she could ensure she'd never regret that decision.

Moondancer, for one, is very, very, very confused and isn't sure about all of this. But... Celestia awaits. Only one more chapter to go and this opening act is complete and then this story will be going back on hiatus. Hope you enjoyed.

S4 CH 7. Denial

Twilight paced back and forth, trying to keep her heart from exploding. She wasn’t the only one. There were a dozen ponies crowding the hall, most of who looked anxious. Well, aside from Trixie. Trixie was showing some card tricks to the changelings. Zecora seemed fine as well, but she suspected the zebra mostly came to grab some things from the Canterlot Market and she was finding this entire thing fascinating. She wasn’t entirely sure how to tell if a changeling WAS anxious or not, either.

But everypony else was definitely nervous. Even the guards were watching the door, as if they expected they’d be summoned in at any moment.

Finally, it opened and Moondancer nearly galloped out.

“Well?!” the partial alicorn was nearly bowled over when nearly a dozen ponies yelled at her.

Moondancer yelped and flushed, squirming in place. “I-I’m not entirely sure. It’s a, a good thing though. I think? I mean, she… she said she hates me. But she doesn’t want to. I think. Maybe? I’m not entirely sure. She did this thing that… I don’t really get it but that’s what studying is for. But, ummm, she also told me that… that…” She trailed off, staring at them. A look of guilt came over her face and she lowered her eyes. “I… I don’t know if… if I’m supposed to tell you.”

“What?” Rainbow asked. “Come on! I didn’t take the train all the way up here just to NOT hear what’s going on!”

“I’m with Rainbow,” Bon Bon said. “If she’s sending you off somewhere, we should know. There’s no telling what she has planned.”

“Exactly,” Rainbow said. “If she plans to have you fight like, a swarm of dragons or a pack of timber wolves or--”

“Rainbow, knock it off,” Applejack said before giving a sigh. “Yah say it’s good news?”

“I think so,” Moondancer said before holding up a small key. “She gave me this. I… I think I should go do it now, though. Before she changes her mind. But… I… I want to tell everypony but…” She looked around nervously.

“But if you do you have no idea how she’ll react, right?” Twilight asked. “Best not to risk it. Especially after what… happened. Maybe you can tell us later. You are safe though, right? Not in danger?”

“I don’t think so,” Moondancer said softly before nervously shuffling her hooves a little bit.

“Ohhhh, and she’s doing the nervous hoof dance,” Minuette said. “My favorite. Whatever it is must have her excited.”

Moondancer gave a little squeak before face hoofing. “Nightmare Moon said it’s okay for me to stay around my friends. But I should do this while I can. So, I ummm…”

“Would like some privacy to say your goodbyes, darling?” Rarity asked.

“If… If I could?” Moondancer said sheepishly, nervously poking at the ground. “N-not that I ummm, I mean, I-I really appreciate everypony--”

“Moondancer?” Lyra said.

“Yes?” Moondancer asked.

“It’s okay, I think everypony understands,” Lyra said.

“I don’t!” Chuck called.

Trixie rolled her eyes. “There’s a surprise. Well, I’m all for getting this over with. The less time we spend around little moon tantrum the better. Let’s go meet with this queen so we can head back. If Chuck isn’t tucked in by nine he gets cranky.”

“I do?” Chuck asked.

“You do,” Trixie said firmly before she trotted down the hall. A moment later she came back. “The Great and Powerful Trixie requires directions.”

Twilight snickered before giving one last wave to Moondancer and trotting down the other hall, forcing Trixie to dash after them to catch up.

------

“HISSSSSSSSS!” Chrysalis hissed at them, glaring angrily at the gathered ponies.

“Nice to see you too,” Twilight said.

“You brought a horde!” Chrysalis said, baring her fangs. “Is this an assassination attempt? Have you come to attempt to end me now, torturer?”

“Torturer?” Rainbow asked. “Twilight?”

“I made her sit through one magic point presentation and--”

“Say no more,” Rainbow said. “On behalf of Equestrians everywhere, I would like to apologize for the horrific trauma inflicted upon you.”

“HEY!” Twilight said.

“It’s not enough, but it is appreciated,” Chrysalis said.

“Stop that! Don’t bond over that!” Twilight said.

“How rude, magic point presentations are a delight,” Trixie said.

“Exac—”

“They’re the ideal time to practice card tricks or disappearing acts,” Trixie said quickly.

Twilight just glowered at Rainbow and Trixie as the two hoof bumped and snickered. “There’s a bad influence here, I’m just not sure which one of you it is.”

“I… I like them,” Fluttershy said softly. “T-they’re very relaxing…”

Twilight just sighed and nodded to Fluttershy. She knew her friend meant well, but… well… she also knew that it was as close as the pegasus was likely to get to saying they were boring. “Anyway, moving along. We’ve come to give you an update on your changelings.”

“Hm?” Chrysalis asked before eyeing the four who stepped forward. “You’re… not starved yet.”

“Nope!” Chuck said softly. “I’m learning to do introductions for the Great and Powerful Trixie! She doesn’t feed me much as she really loves herself mostly, but she also really loves it when ponies enjoy her acts so whenever I cheer I get a little.”

“HEY!” Trixie objected. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT self absorbed!”

“She really is,” Chuck said happily. “But she’s nice, too. She’s taught me a lot. Has lots of books that read to me and lets me even try her hat sometimes and all kinds of different outfits as her ‘apprentice’. Sometimes I can be a showmare and sometimes a showstallion and sometimes neither! It’s a lot of fun.” He then glanced to Sap, letting him go next.

“I ummm… I’m honestly terrified,” Sap said gently. “The yellow one… she has tamed Discord.”

“… Wait, what?” Chrysalis asked before looking to Fluttershy. The pegasus cringed.

“I… I haven’t tamed Discord,” Fluttershy said softly. “He’s just one of my best friends. He’s really a sweetie once you get to know him.”

“She also picked up a tree,” Sap said gently. “A whole tree. With one hoof. Discord has warned me that terrible, terrible things that will happen if I allow so much as a single hair on her head to get bent. But other than that it’s not so bad. Sometimes I’m able to come to their tea parties and a full but slightly weird tummy is better than empty.”

“I ummm… I’ve mostly been being fed by Chitin,” Fang said gently. “I don’t know how but… yeah. The farming ponies are… scary. I think this one doesn’t like me.”

“I never said I disliked you,” Applejack said nervously. “I just don’t rightly trust you. What? Why is everypony looking at me like that? I’m trying, okay!”

Chrysalis just stared at her four changelings before glancing to Chitin. “And you? Chitin?”

“Pink pony is wise,” Chitin said happily before fluttering her strange, glimmering wings. “Pink pony has taught me much. Like these.” She held out a cupcake to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis cocked an eye before sighing and taking it. It looked foul. But all four of her changelings were watching her. She rolled her eyes and took a bite of it, only to pause when she tasted it. Love. In food form. Amazing. She then glanced back to Chitin’s wings. Was that why they were so weird and crystal-like?

“Do you like it?” Chitin asked.

“It’s… passable,” Chrysalis said. She was pretty sure there was a hair inside it that was now stuck in her teeth. Ew.

“Eeeeee!” Chitin said, flapping up into the air excitedly for a moment. “Did you hear that? The queen said I’m ‘passable!’”

“GAHHH!” Chrysalis said, dropping the cupcake and taking a step back. She stared at Chitin, her eyes wide with horror. That was impossible. Had she felt… love? From her changeling? No. It… it had to be the cupcake. That wasn’t… no. Nope. Nope. Changelings didn’t HAVE love to give. It was a… she didn’t know what it was.

Other than feeling wrong.

“You… you dropped it,” Chitin said, staring at it.

“So we did,” Chrysalis said. “It--”

“That’s fine!” Chitin said happily. “I brought a whole baker’s dozen! It’s like a dozen but then you add one more! Cause… reasons! I… I don’t actually get it. Baking math is harder than normal pony math.”

“… Joy,” Chrysalis said softly.

Twilight just smiled before turning to another cell while the rest of them dealt with the changelings. Tirek. He was watching her with an inscrutable look. Or maybe he was watching Spike. She trotted over towards him, Spike following behind her. “Its been a while, Tirek.”

“Pony,” he said. “Spike.”

“Hey,” Spike said sheepishly.

“I… never had a chance to talk to you about what you did,” Twilight said.

“Hm? Whatever could you mean?” Tirek asked.

“Oh, you know exactly what I mean,” Twilight said. “It was quite the dangerous gambit you played there.”

“The risk was more yours than mine,” Tirek said with a light chuckle. “Alas, I only acquired a little of what I hoped. I have no idea how you found out about my little trick, but it was clever how you played along.”

“What else could I do?” Twilight asked, cocking an eye. “Oh, it was clever alright. You really had me going there for a little bit.”

Tirek gave a small smirk and cross his arms. “Perhaps you are correct, I am quite the cliche’d villain in the end. But truly, you must tell me. How did you figure it out? Even if you have unicorn magic now, you certainly didn’t then.”

“Just because I couldn’t cast a spell doesn’t mean I’m dumb,” Twilight said. “Besides, I’ve written enough stories with that kind of thing.”

“Ummm, do either of you mind explaining what you’re talking about?” Spike asked.

“My brother’s medallion,” Tirek said.

“His speech to Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said at the same time.

The two stared at each other before, finally, saying “What?” at the same time.

“Wait, you’re wearing your medallion!” Twilight said. “When did you get it?”

“I am,” Tirek said. “You weren’t talking about the enchantment I placed on it? To drain Nightmare Moon’s magic bit by bit?”

“No,” Twilight said. “Wait, you did what?”

“If you didn’t know about it, how did you STOP it? There should have been so much more in it!” Tirek demanded, his eyes narrowed on her.

“I… didn’t,” Twilight said. “But oh, that’s clever. I really thought you were trying to trick me with a show of ‘Here’s something that was valuable for me once. Now that you think I trust you, release me and then I can turn on you, claim it meant nothing to me and--’”

“You are frustratingly correct,” Tirek said, the ire rising in his voice. “That was my intent.”

“Ohhhh, don’t pout,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I didn’t know about the draining part. That would have caught me off guard.”

“Yet, somehow, you managed to avoid it,” Tirek said. “You are either smarter than you realize or obnoxiously lucky. I am not sure which I detest more.”

“You were going to betray us?” Spike asked, his tone hurt.

“Obviously,” Tirek said.

“But you didn’t then,” Twilight said. “I was there, Tirek. I couldn’t get through to Nightmare Moon. Nopony could. But you managed it. You could have been torn apart if she grew angry at you. So why?”

Tirek gave a shrug. “I merely praised the queen for her choices. Even I was--”

“Oh, don’t give me that,” Twilight said in a flat, unamused tone. “We both know you’re not the type to just praise somepony for being ‘magnificent’. And you’ve known Nightmare Moon longer than all of us. You know she would never share power with you or allow you the opportunity to betray her. You could have escaped and might have even got away. Instead you drew attention to yourself during her most dangerous moments. Why? You didn’t have to help us. But you did.”

Tirek’s eyes narrowed. “You are obnoxiously, annoyingly astute.”

“I’ve made a career out of dissecting and understanding motivations and goals of other ponies,” Twilight said before pausing. “Well, or at least pretending I understand them. Admittedly my track record isn’t always the best but I’ve studied you quite a bit as well. I’ve gone over it quite a few times in my head. The Tirek I was questioning before… he would have left. He would have abandoned us. But you… didn’t. Why?”

Tirek gave a sigh before glancing down towards the end of the cells, where Chrysalis was talking with the changelings. He then glanced back to them before lifting a hand and pointing a finger at Spike.

“Me?” Spike asked.

“Indeed,” Tirek said. “A dragon. The most selfish, greedy, vile creature imaginable. The only thing in terms of power and thirst for power that could compete with me. Despite all that, you gave me a gift.”

Spike blinked and then flushed. “You helped Twilight. I was just saying thank you.”

“Indeed,” Tirek said. “A dragon thanking me with a gift he need not give. For a deed that was already done… on behalf of another creature. Then you turned down great power, obnoxious bard. Finally, when the chance came your little dragon… threw himself at Nightmare Moon.” He reached up a hand and squeezed the medallion around his throat. “If you really must know… I… felt… I owed a debt. I wished to repay. To give a thank you. I thought, perhaps, this was truly my chance to turn things around. That, maybe, power was not the end all I had hoped. That perhaps… love… and friendship were what I was missing all along. I could even… help.”

Twilight blinked a few times before sighing. “And the real reason?” she asked.

Tirek gave a soft chuckle and a smile crept along his lips again. “Annoyingly observant. Very well. I truly do not know. I had intended to leave. I was GOING to leave. When I passed the throne room, I was already plotting my escape. Where I would go. How long I would have until she found me. If I could… wait until she lost interest. But in this case, there is no lie. I was… torn. I had always believed power was all that mattered. But then I saw creatures acting so far… beyond how they should. Not just denying power. But outright fighting it. It made me… curious.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked.

“Equestrian unicorns were said to be the most powerful beings of magic in my home,” Tirek said. “Yet, alicorns stand above them. In some cases, so do strange spirits. I had believed that power could only be achieved by taking it. But… what if power, true power, was gained another way. What if, though I am loathe to say it, what makes equestrian magic so powerful IS the fact you deny it?” He walked forward, wrapping his fingers around the bars and staring down at her. “You denied it. You actively fought it. And now? You are more powerful than ever. Even beyond that, you hold a power over creatures that goes beyond magic. That Moondancer would have died to protect you from what you should have willingly begged for. She released me, knowing I could one day become a terrible blight on ponies and use my freedom to destroy her. In that moment, my curiosity outweighed my own desire for power. In a strange way it even felt… nice. Strange, but nice.”

Twilight blinked a few times, struggling to try and piece the words he was saying into a coherent thought. Finally, she sighed. “You have a really twisted way of thinking about things, Tirek. But you know what? That at least makes sense. So… are you going to try and drain power still or…?”

“No, not yet,” Tirek said. “Perhaps in the future, but not now. I am, how you would say…”

“Playing the long con?” Twilight asked.

“Indeed,” Tirek said. “I want to figure out and understand what it is all of you ponies wield that creates such power.”

Twilight gave a sigh and shook her head. “I guess this at least beats you, well, trying to beat us. No, you know what? Thank you anyway. You likely saved Moondancer’s life. If I can help you in some way to understand all of this, I will.”

“If you really wish to aid me, see if you can get me out of here,” Tirek said before crossing his arms. “Truly, I am reformed. Scout’s honor.”

Twilight just cocked an eye at him.

“Very well,” Tirek said. “I am at LEAST as reformed as Discord.”

“I’m still not sure what he’s up to,” Twilight said. “But I’ll try. Okay? Who knows? Maybe before long you’ll even like us.”

“I do hope you’ll be happy to settle for ‘tolerate’,” Tirek said before pulling his hands back. “Now then. Do I, at least, get a cupcake?”

Twilight gave a light snicker. “Do you actually want one?”

“No, but it is nice to be remembered,” Tirek said.

“Sorry,” Twilight said. “But you will have a certain gift arriving soon. I hope you like apples.”

“Apples?” Tirek asked.

“Apples,” Spike said with a small, sage nod.

“… Am I missing something here?” Tirek asked.

“You’ll see,” Twilight said happily. “Oh, do you need any more books?”

“No,” Tirek said. “The recommendations I’ve been receiving have been sufficient. You know, some of them are a nasty little trick.”

“Oh? Really?” Twilight asked.

“Reading them I would have believed you ponies would be easy to conquer,” Tirek said.

“If we were weak and behaved like us, do you really think we’d still be here?” Twilight asked.

Tirek gave a soft sigh and shook his head. “Annoyingly, headache-inducingly observant. If only I had considered such things before attacking your kingdom. Perhaps you are right. Your bonds are a power all their own.”

“But think of it this way,” Twilight said with a small smile. “Now you can get the inside scoop. Just imagine, one day you may actually like us and find us enjoyable to be around. Imagine how powerful you’ll be then.”

Tirek blinked and gave a small smirk. “A tolerable motivational speaker, at least.”

“I have a minor in it,” Twilight said. “It was taught by a minotaur, actually. Nice guy for the most part.”

“Of course you do,” Spike said before rolling his eyes.

------

Celestia cocked her head to the side when she heard the lock in the door turn. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her sister. She missed her sister dearly and would have given both wings and a hoof to have her return to her. Every time her sister visited her she felt she was just that much closer to having little Luna back.

But her sister had the absolute worst habit of coming back RIGHT as the story got most interesting. Would Daring Do manage to make it out of that pit of vipers? She hadn’t managed to read this one yet.

Although she stood and readied herself, wondering if her dear sister would be in a happy mood or a--

Then the door opened and she saw her. Moondancer.

Celestia couldn’t breathe. She didn’t dare move a muscle.

She just stood there. Taking in her dear, precious student.

Her ear. Her mane. The single wing.

Moondancer didn’t move, not breathing either. As if she was scared all of this would blow away if she moved too quickly.

“Moondancer,” Celestia said softly.

Her student took a single step forward, tears beginning to fall down cheeks that had felt them far, far too often. “Y-your highness. P-princess…”

Even now Celestia’s heart ached. How long had it been since the two had seen each other? Yet, even now… Moondancer was scared to offend her. To go too far. She could see that desperate look in the young mare’s eyes to run forward and hug her. Oh, how she wished she would.

“You may come,” Celestia said in the measured, calm voice she always had to use around Moondancer.

Moondancer did, then. Slowly walking forward. Staring up at her as if she was a goddess, not a failed teacher. She stopped before coming within reach, though. Instead, bowing her head.

“I am so sorry,” Moondancer said, her voice little more than a sob. “I failed you. I--”

“Never say that again,” Celestia said gently.

“Y-your highness?” Moondancer asked.

“Never say you failed me again,” Celestia said before giving a sigh. She felt so tired, now. She loved Moondancer dearly. She would have walked through fire for her. But now, more than ever, she could see the mare could never stand against Nightmare Moon.

Despite everything that happened, despite all of her failures laid out for the mare to see. Moondancer still looked at her with that same look. The eyes of a pony looking for comfort. For love. To please her. She would be anything for her princess, except the one thing Celestia needed her to be. She would never be her equal. Forever their role would be as mentor and student. Princess and subject. Parent and child.

She had sent a foal to face what she feared most. If only the foal could see at who’s hooves the fault truly lay.

“B-but Nightmare Moon--”

“Nightmare Moon was a problem of my creation,” Celestia said in a soothing tone. “A problem I could not face. A problem I ill prepared you to face. A problem I never, ever should have asked you to.”

“But you trusted me to--”

“Moondancer,” Celestia said before, as delicately as she could, she reached out a hoof and rested it on her shoulder. “I know not when we will see each other again. Or even if. But there is one thing you must take from this. One single lesson you must learn. No matter what happens. One important thing, above all.”

“Y-yes, your majesty?”

“None of this is your fault,” Celestia said. “I created this threat. I released it upon Equestria. I guided you to face it. And I failed to properly prepare you.” She had failed to realize and act on the fact her student would not be ready. Would never be ready. Perhaps if she had had a better teacher. But she didn’t dare say that part.

“B-but… but…” More tears began to stream down Moondancer’s face.

Celestia couldn’t hold it in any longer. She hugged the mare, pulling her close and enveloping her in her wings. “Oh our dear, sweet student. W-we are so, so sorry. We can never, ever tell you how sorry we are for all we have subjected you to. Were we to spend ten thousand years locked away, it would not be enough for the crimes we have committed both on you and our sister.”

“W-what?” Moondancer asked. “B-but I had the elements! I-I couldn’t use them! I couldn’t… I saw you. You used all of them, by yourself. You--”

“Only in that one moment,” Celestia said softly. “Before that, my sister and I had both wielded them. We had always stood together to hold them, bearing them. Even in that single moment… A part of my sister was still there to help me. Not in form, but in spirit. One pony wasn’t meant to wield them alone.”

“T-then if I had been a better friend--”

“Moondancer,” Celestia said delicately. “Please. Please, just this once. Please stop blaming yourself. This was my mistake. My error. You’ve never been the pony at fault for this.”

“But you--”

“I am a pony!” Celestia said so fiercely that her student cringed. “I am sorry. But I am a pony. A mere pony. I have great power, longevity. I have more magic than most. But I am still just a pony. I make mistakes. I have made countless mistakes. I have fears, I have worries. I panic, I trip, for goodness sake Moondancer, I have to use the restroom sometimes. I am just a pony. I am just as flawed as anypony else. How I wish that wasn’t true, how I wish I could be the perfect ideal pony that you see when you look at me. But I can never be that. I can only be the best me I can be.”

“Y-your highness,” Moondancer said softly, sniffling a little. “B-but you’re so… so…”

“Good? Pure? Kind?” Celestia asked. “I was not always this way. I have been angry. I have lashed out. I have made poor judgments. I have yelled at ponies. I have lived well over a thousand years and made so many, many mistakes during that time. I have learned from them. But all that makes me good, all that makes me loved, all that ponies see and revere? It is made on the backs of so many, many mistakes. My sister was my greatest, but there are so many that come close. You, my dear Moondancer, were never one of them. The only mistake I made was how I treated you. How I taught you.”

“W-what?” Moondancer asked, giving the softest whimper. “Y-you wish I wasn’t your student?”

“I wish I had been a better teacher and mentor for such a wonderful student,” Celestia said softly. “I wish I could have been everything you needed. I wish… I wish I could have found you sooner, before this pain was inflicted on you. I wish, I so desperately wish, I could have been better for you. I wish I could have known how to fix what was done to you. You deserved a better teacher than I could be. For that, I will be eternally sorry.”

“You… you were an amazing teacher, princess! I… I was just…”

“You were brilliant, Moondancer,” Celestia said gently before, slowly, unwrapping her wings from the mare and smiling down at her. “You have never been anything but a student I took great pride in. Even now you make me more proud every day. I only wish that I didn’t need to cast this burden off onto you.”

“It’s not so bad,” Moondancer said gently. “She’s really not so--” She was silenced by a hoof to her lips.

“Please, do not lie to me, my precious student,” Celestia said softly. “You have never been good at it. Tell me the truth. Just this once, tell me how you truly feel.”

Moondancer stared up at her for a few moments before giving a soft sob and then finally burying her face in her mentor’s withers. “I-it’s so h-hard. S-she hates me. She hates me s-so much. S-she mocks me, she h-hits me, she attacks me, s-she threatens me. E-every mistake, n-no matter how s-small, and she calls me a foal. I-I can never m-make her happy. T-then she… she apologizes a-and for a l-little bit she is… is a-almost nice. B-but then she starts again. T-then she just… s-she hates me s-so much. I-I just… I want to leave but… but… I-I can’t… l-leave. I-I can’t l-leave Twilight behind. I can’t l-leave Spike behind. I-I can’t a-abandon them. I… I know I can… I can d-draw her anger towards me a-and protect everypony but I-I’m so scared all the time that she’s going to… to do something terrible. She’s l-letting me have my friends back b-but what if it’s just some game? G-give me what I want so she can… s-so she can t-take it back again later? It’s all just… just a game to her. A terrible, a-awful game. I-I don’t want to play anymore. I want to w-wake up from the nightmare and just… I want to be happy.” She gave a few soft, pathetic whimpers before whispering in a soft, broken tone. “I miss you… so much...”

Celestia nodded, slowly reaching a hoof up to wipe the tears from her eyes, though it was a useless effort. More tears soon came. She gently hugged the mare once more, letting her cry out all she needed to. Gently her hoof began to stroke the mane of her protege before she lightly started to hum a soft, soothing melody. Her student had been so brave for so long. Endured so much.

She didn’t know how long they stood there, the gentle humming mixing with her student’s sobs until the latter finally faded. When Celestia gazed down she couldn’t help but smile.She gently leanws forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her sleeping student’s forehead. “Please, my student. Just be brave for a little while longer. I believe they may be a light at the end of this tunnel yet. I vow I will make it up to you then. Somehow.” For now, though, all she could do was slowly lay down and read her book, letting her exhausted student rest and hoping she would have sweet, happy dreams.

------

“Soooo, ummm, about Tirek…” Spike said softly, the tired dragon barely keeping his eyes open as she carried him up to her room.. “How much of that do you think was true?”

Twilight gave a small shrug as she continued her ascent to her room. She was tired, she’d had a busy few days and, frankly, she just wanted to rest. She didn’t want to have to try and decipher the motivations of more powerful, ancient creatures. It was so much easier when they were just stories in books. “No idea. I can’t say for certain how much he was lying during that. I don’t think even he really knows what he wants right now. I hope he can be better, though. I think he has potential.”

“You don’t think I’m… weird, for a dragon, do you? All those things he said before?” Spike asked.

“Not particularly,” Twilight said. “You’re nicer than any dragons I’ve ever heard of. But I’ve never met a dragon before, so I can’t honestly say. I wouldn’t put too much trust into the things he says, anyway. I’m pretty sure he’s just about always trying to find some way to play every creature around him. I… hm?” She stopped outside her door when she saw a note taped to the front.

“What is it?” Spike asked, glancing up from his position.

“Looks like they’re getting the mail services back in order,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Don’t know why they felt they needed to leave a note. How much mail could I--” The words died in her throat when she pushed the door open and saw her bed almost buried in letters and packages. “… Okay then.”

“… Do I have to help with that?” Spike asked softly.

Twilight shook her head. Her horn glowed for a moment and she picked him up, gently carrying him to his bed and tucking him in. “No, you’re fine. This won’t take long.” She then closed the door and walked to the bed, gathering everything up and placing it gently on her desk.

The letters were easy enough. Some fan mail, some hate mail, some ‘Why did you do THAT’ mail. Oddly mundane, she hadn’t gotten stuff like that in a while. Some small packages. She opened those as she got to them. “Awwww…” she mumbled softly. Somepony had done a little hoof paint drawing of Fuzzles the Bunny. Even if it wasn’t her favorite series to write, she could never NOT adore such things. She had a wall covered with such things back at her old home.

Twilight cocked her head to the side when she got to a large book shaped package. It said ‘Twilight Glow’ on the cover, but it looked like they had misspelled and crossed out her last name the first time. The only signature was a half-sun with little sparkles drawn drawn around it. She put it to the side for now, she’d open it when she had more time to read, the last thing she wanted was to open a book and then forget to read it because she was too busy. After that there was some more fan mail, a few letters from Gilda saying she should come check on the snails soon. She really wished they’d remember it was SLUGS, not snails. Either way, she imagined that was Gilda’s way of trying to subtly come talk with her when she had a chance. She wondered if something had happened to Thorax. Ohhhh. A breakthrough with changelings would be amazing.

However, she finally came to a letter from her brother. Best for last, she supposed. She hoped whatever it was explained where he had been lately. She opened it up and began to read.

After a few moments she let out a squeal and started dancing around. “Eeeeeeeee!”

“W-what?” Spike asked, sitting up and staring at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong!” Twilight said giddily. “For once, something is so right! My brother! He and Cadence are FINALLY getting MARRIED!”

Author's Notes:

And so the opening act comes to a close. Whew. Very Moondancer focused, but I hope you all enjoyed. And absolutely NO foreshadowing. Nope. None. Not a single bit... Hee hee. Go ahead, post your theories below. I can't wait to hear them. :) Wedding soooooon.

S4 CH 8. Old meets new

“You’re kidding, right?” Moondancer asked, cocking an eye.

“I-I know,” Twilight said sheepishly. “But it’s not like I’m that important or anything, I--”

“It’s just for a week,” Moondancer said. “They’ll need you.”

“I-I’m sure there’s plenty of ponies who can plan a wedding,” Twilight said. “And--”

“But there aren’t many ponies who can be your brother’s little sister or Princess Cadence’s favorite sister-in-law. In fact, there’s only one,” Moondancer said with a small smile. “Especially considering they want to make it a whole shindig.”

“But Pinkie Pie said she’d--” Twilight was silenced with a hoof over her mouth.

“I’ll be fine,” Moondancer said. “I’ll see you in a week.”

“B-but you only just got back,” Twilight said softly. “I can’t just leave you alone with her.”

“Well, it’s a good thing you’re not going to, huh?” Bon Bon’s voice came from the door.

“Huh?” Twilight asked, looking at the earth pony. “Wait, when did you—”

“I’m doing a bit of work here in town,” Bon Bon said. “I got permission to stay in the castle this week. You know, with my old friend.”

“And then I think Lyra is staying for a week. After which Twinkleshine intends to,” Moondancer said in a flat, unamused tone. “You know, I SEE those residency requests. I know exactly what you ponies are up to.”

“Oh, I know,” Bon Bon said happily. “Doesn’t change anything, though. She’ll be fine, Twilight. I give my word. We don’t intend to let anything happen to Moondancer. Especially when we only just got our friend back.”

Twilight gave a small smile, though the trepidation was clear on her face. “Are you sure? I mean, Nightmare Moon can be a bit of a hoofful and--”

“It’s fine,” Moondancer said. “I’ll be fine. I promise. Just please, go. You need to pack for this trip and get Spike ready. You are taking him, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I--” Twilight stopped. “Wait, should I leave him? I mean, this is--”

“Just gooooo,” Moondancer said before giving her a light nudge with her hoof. “I’ll see you in a week. Then I’ll expect to see quite the event when the wedding does happen. I do hope I’ll be invited.”

“I think everypony is going to be invited,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I really need to talk with Pinkie about the guest list. I don’t even KNOW half these ponies. Apparently Cadence has been making friends with all the crystal ponies and THAT’S another bundle of, ugh. Right. Fine. Please, keep her safe?” she asked, looking to Bon Bon.

“I won’t let anything hurt her,” Bon Bon said with a small smile. “Go on. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can get back. Then we can panic about something else.”

“I’m not panicking, I’m excited!” Twilight said before giving a giddy hop and then galloping off. “Panic comes later!”

Bon Bon watched her go before shaking her head. “Oh, she is going to have three, possibly even four full meltdowns by the end of the week. Calling it now.”

Moondancer gave a light snicker. “Probably. I uhhhh… thanks. By the way. I mean, ummm…”

“Don’t,” Bon Bon said before giving her a light wither nudge. “You’re my friend, Moondancer. I’m… just sorry I haven’t been much of a friend lately. We all are. We shouldn’t… have let you do all this yourself. We should have stepped in. We just thought you were better if we… gave you space.”

“I would have been a lot worse off if anything else happened to any of you,” Moondancer said softly. “You were all there for me, every time I needed you. I failed, though. I… I let you all down. Once everything went, once this Nightmare started, I don’t think I could have kept going if not for you.”

“We’re not leaving you alone ever again,” Bon Bon said. “So… that thing Nightmare Moon gave you. Is uhhh… are you good? Errr…”

Moondancer blinked before, very softly, she gave a nod. “Yeah. I think… I’m good.” She’d slept by her teacher. It had been nice, but strange. It reminded her of all the times when she’d slept near the princess. When she’d been frightened and scared. When Celestia had scared away the nightmares. It hadn’t been long, but it had been nice.

But waking up to see Nightmare Moon watching the two of them with that strange, confused expression made it feel stranger still. The ruler didn’t seem mad. Just… confused. She hadn’t objected, in fact she’d merely told Moondancer to return to her room. She hadn’t even raised her voice.

She still had to process all of it, but then she’d gotten distracted by Bon Bon staying for a week, then Twilight dancing and squealing down the halls and telling everypony in the guard that her big brother best friend forever was getting married.

Now that she thought about it, she had a whole lot to process. She glanced at the windows before sighing. “It’s late, I need some sleep,” Moondancer said.

“You look like you need a drink,” Bon Bon said.

“I don’t think there’s enough in all of Canterlot,” Moondancer said.

“Would somepony mind telling me why our bard is running around squealing like a school filly?” Nightmare Moon asked before she came trotting down the hall.

“Her brother’s getting married and she’s got a wedding to help plan,” Bon Bon said. “I’m taking Moondancer out to have some drinks! Wanna cooooo--” The earth pony froze in mid sentence, staring at the annoyed looking alicorn.

“… It has been a very, very long night and the sun will rise soon,” Nightmare Moon said. “Have you forgotten who it is that you now speak with?”

“N-nope,” Bon Bon said sheepishly. She then sighed. “Well, too late now, huh? Wanna come get drinks with us your highness? But only if you pay.”

“W-what?” Nightmare Moon asked. “We wouldn’t, why would we, we aren’t—”

“Bon Bon!” Moondancer said, glaring at her. “Have you had some already? What is wrong with you?”

“Honestly I’m so scared right now I can’t feel my face,” Bon Bon said with a weak smile. “But, you know. It might be fun?”

Nightmare Moon just stared at the pair of them before taking a slow, deep breath. “We have no patience for this. Do as you will. Student, do not stay up too late, you have tasks when the sunsets. You… Bon Bon. Try not to take advantage of your current… allowances within our castle lest you lose them.” She then walked past the two of them, shaking her head with annoyance.

“Of, of course your majesty,” Bon Bon said with as innocent a smile as she could, her eyes never leaving the alicorn until she walked out of sight. “Okay, yeah. She just kind of sneaks up on you, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah, she does,” Moondancer said. “I’m going to go get some sleep. You should too. Before you get me arrested or worse.”

“Eh, it’d be worth it,” Bon Bon said with a small smirk. “You know why?”

“Why?” Moondancer asked.

“You’re smiling,” Bon Bon said in a playful, teasing tone.

Moondancer squeaked and lifted a hoof over her mouth, trying to hide it. The laugh her friend made only cemented her fears.

She was accidentally encouraging her. Oh, this week was going to be horrible.

------

“This week is going to be AMAZING!” Twilight said with a happy, giddy squeal.

“So you DID decide to go?” Spike asked, cocking an eye and glaring at her.

“S-sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Are you sure this time? Because you said you had to go at least ten times, then you can’t go twenty times, then maybe if you brought Moondancer seventeen times, then--”

“I know, I know,” Twilight said.

“Then you ran around everywhere, yelling about it,” Spike said.

“Sorry,” Twilight said.

“So, does this mean we can go to bed now?” Spike asked.

“Welllllll…” Twilight said sheepishly.

“… I take it that’s a no?” Spike asked.

“You can, I can’t!” Twilight said. “I need to paaaack!” she said before galloping around the room. She tossed the rest of her mail into the desk drawer. She’d deal with all of that after she got back. Eeeee! The drawer didn’t even close with so much in it but that didn’t matter! She had to get ready to go! “Oh my gosh this whole telekinetic magic thing is going to make this SO much easier!”

“Sure it will,” Spike said before rolling his eyes.

“Come on, Spike, it’ll be great! Rarity will be there,” Twilight said with a small smile.

Spike sat up. “W-what? I mean, err, not that I, uhhh… fine. Fine. Let’s pack,” he grumbled before giving a small sigh. Hopefully he could sleep on the train. How could she not be tired? She was up as late as he was.

------

Moondancer wondered if it would be rude to turn the droning pony’s suit into woven lilies. Or maybe a slime monster of some kind. Or just light it on fire.

Why was it the most boring, tedious ponies demanded they take every. Single. Second of time allotted to them? How was Nightmare Moon managing to NOT fall asleep right now? All she was doing was sitting there, staring intently at the mare. Unblinking.

Wait.

Unblinking. When was the last time she’d blinked? Moondancer glanced to Bon Bon. Her friend had managed to actually fall asleep standing up, her head resting against the wall and partially obscured by one of the guards. She then glanced back to Nightmare Moon. There was no possible way.

Her horn glimmered for a moment before her eyes glowed and, sure enough, Nightmare Moon was using an illusion. A subtle one, mind. Simple. But her eyes were closed and she wasn’t staring intently at the mare, her head was hanging and she looked like she might fall asleep at any moment.

“Now, as can clearly be seen,” she said before pointing towards her fourth chart. “This years parade is using cherry red on the uniforms. This clashes horribly with--”

Moondancer gave a soft sigh before willing herself to stay awake. Ohhhhh, she would have given almost anything to have it be one of Twilight’s presentations. Those were fun, informative and exciting. This was just a pony tap dancing around the fact she didn’t like the particular shade of red being used in a drummer pony’s leotards. Or did like them and didn’t think they were professional enough. Or something. Honestly, she’d lost the lead on it around the eighth minute.

Moondancer glanced towards her timer. Just. A little bit. More. She willed it to speed up, alas time was not under her control. She counted the seconds until, finally, it was time. “Ahem, I am sorry to interrupt, Nagging Nelly--”

“It’s Napping Nettles,” the mare said with a huff.

“Right, that,” Moondancer said. “But your time is drawing to a close.”

“Oh thank the stars,” Nightmare Moon muttered under her breath and Moondancer had to suppress the urge to chuckle.

“Could you please say what it is, exactly, you wish for her highness to do about this?” Moondancer asked.

“Hm?” Nettles asked. “We merely want all of this to be taken under advisement for next year’s parade.”

“But of course,” Nightmare Moon said. “We assure you, our dear little pony. We will take this entire… detailed… report under advisement when next we plan such… festivities. Your valuable information is most insightful.”

The mare preened under the compliment, standing a little straighter. “Why thank you, your highness.” She finally turned and trotted away, the door slamming shut behind her.

“I’m awake!” Bon Bon said, her head shooting up.

“Please do not lie,” Nightmare Moon said softly before giving a light yawn. “We are the Princess of the Night and even we longed to sleep through that.”

“I-I stayed awake,” Moondancer said sheepishly.

“Yes, but you and our bard are both quite twisted in that way,” Nightmare Moon muttered before lifting a hoof to her mouth. “We believe it is time for a short recess. We desire a cupcake or five to revitalize ourselves. Moondancer, you may…” She trailed off before glancing towards Bon Bon. She shook her head. “You are dismissed for the rest of the evening. You two should try and enjoy yourselves.”

“What?” Moondancer asked. “But what about--” Before she could finish the sentence a hoof covered her mouth.

“Thank you, your highness,” Bon Bon said. “We’ll try to keep out of your mane for a little bit. Come on, Moondancer.”

Moondancer blinked before, very slowly, she gave in to her friend’s demands and made her way towards the door. Once they were out Bon Bon made a light yawn before shaking her head.

“Is it always this boring?” Bon Bon asked.

“If we’re lucky,” Moondancer said, stretching out her neck a little while they walked down the hall. She wished she could figure out how to sleep standing up.

“If we’re not?” Bon Bon asked.

“Somepony does something dumb, she gets mad, tries to burn the place down,” Moondancer said. “She’s actually been relatively tame the last few days. Actually… incredibly.”

“I noticed,” Bon Bon said. “I really expected her to be more… well…”

“Snapping at me?” Moondancer asked. “Insulting? Rubbing every mistake I made in my face? She usually is. This is actually rather… nice for her. Aside from that ‘twisted’ comment, I don’t think she has insulted me at all.”

“I once saw you giggle with glee when you were told to make a two hour presentation on the medicinal uses of zap apples,” Bon Bon said in a flat, unamused tone. “Twisted sounds accurate.”

“T-that’s different, that’s learning!” Moondancer said. “Zap apples are also fascinating!”

“Fine. Let’s go learn something,” Bon Bon said. “Anything. Please. The night is young and while I feel like I just aged three decades in the last hour, so am I. Why don’t we go investigate the dungeons? I hear there’s all kinds of terrifying creatures there.”

“I’d really rather not,” Moondancer said. “I… really, really don’t like Chrysalis. And Tirek and I, well… it’s… awkward. Very awkward.”

“Come on, let’s go do something exciting,” Bon Bon said. “You’ve lived here for years, you have to know where something fun is.”

“Oh, I could show you around the library!” Moondancer said.

Bon Bon gave a light snicker before shaking her head. “Oh, I forgot how adorable you are. I uhhhh, still don’t really like going there. After that tongue-twister book tried to contort me into a pretzel, just… no.”

“Sorry,” Moondancer said sheepishly. “Maybe we could—”

Bon Bon suddenly put a hoof over her mouth. “Did you see that?”

“Huh?” Moondancer asked, glancing down the hallway. She didn’t see anything. “There’s nothing there.”

“I just saw a weird, dark figure go down that hall,” Bon Bon said.

Moondancer rolled her eyes. “I think your mind is playing tricks on you. Are you that bored?”

Bon Bon gave a sigh and cocked her head to the side. “I didn’t imagine it.”

Moondancer sighed and started lightly trotting towards the passageway. She froze when she saw somepony disappear around the corner.

“Told you,” Bon Bon whispered. “Let’s go.”

Moondancer nodded before racing down the hall after the figure. This time she got a good view of the pony when they walked up some stairs. The stairs towards Nightmare Moon’s room. Oh no. Whoever the pony was, they were wearing a cloak, hiding themselves entirely. It couldn’t be good. An assassination attempt? If they were after Nightmare Moon then they all stood to lose if the ruler was angered.

Moondancer’s horn glowed for a moment before they started ascending the stairs, the spell washing over and muffling their hoofsteps.

“Good thinking,” Bon Bon whispered.

The pair galloped up the steps…

Before running into the cloaked pony. She had been standing in front of Twilight’s door, her ear against it. Now she was buried under the two ponies, giving a light groan before yelping. A moment later the pony disappeared, though, appearing a bit higher up the steps from them and leaving her cloak behind. An orange unicorn wearing a pair of saddlebags with a blazing red and yellow mane stared down at them.

Moondancer couldn’t move, her eyes locked onto the mare. Sunset Shimmer. It was Celestia’s old student. What in Equestria was SHE doing here? How? WHY? WHAT?! Why was she skulking around the castle for?

“Sorry it had to be this way,” Sunset said before her horn glowed.

Bon Bon yanked the cloak out from under them and tossed it in Sunset’s face, making her spell explode into it. She then lunged forward, wrapping her hooves around the unicorn and putting her in a headlock before driving her face down on the steps.

Sunset let out a low, pained whimper.

“Who in Equestria are you? Do you have any idea who you just tried to attack?” Bon Bon said. “Moondancer? A little help?”

“W-what? Oh, right!” Moondancer said before blinking. What was she even supposed to DO here? Call the guards?

“Wait, Moondancer?!” Sunset asked before trying to lift her head, only to have Bon Bon tighten her hold. “W-wait, please, there’s a huge misunderstanding.”

“Well?” Bon Bon asked. “Get Nightmare Moon, she--”

“Wait, Nightmare Moon is still HERE?” Sunset asked, struggling to pull free from the grip. “Haven’t you, wait, please! Wait wait wait! Moondancer, please! Ow ow ow ow! I need Twilight! Spar-- Glow! Twilight Glow! Please, she’ll vouch for me! I’m--”

“Sunset Shimmer, I know,” Moondancer said. “We’ve met.”

“We’ve me-- oh no,” Sunset said softly, going limp in Bon Bon’s grip. “Please, you need to listen. I-- ow! Can you please STOP that?!”

“If you try casting anything I’ll twist harder,” Bon Bon said.

“Why were you trying to break into Twilight’s room?” Moondancer asked.

“Because I need her help!” Sunset said, her voice rising. “Can you please just let me know so I can explain?”

“You tried to zap us with something,” Bon Bon said.

“I thought you were guards!” Sunset snapped before cringing. “Okay, that sounded better in my head. I swear, Moondancer, if I had known it was you I wouldn’t have tried that. Twilight told me about you.”

“She did?” Moondancer asked.

“Yes. Granted, I’ll admit I was a little dazed at the time because she slapped me nearly as hard as your friend is DRIVING MY HEAD INTO THE STEPS!” Sunset yelled.

“You know, if you keep yelling some guards will come,” Bon Bon said. “So go right ahead.”

Sunset gave a whimper before going entirely still again. “Please. I’m sorry, but please. Moondancer, you need to listen to me. Twilight told me that you were kind, compassionate, caring. That you were sacrificing everything in order to save Equestria. She told me you were a much, much better student to Celestia than I could ever be. She was right.”

Moondancer cringed, but didn’t say a word. She remembered the stories about Sunset. She’d seen some of the magic she performed in classes. She was amazing. So much better than Moondancer had ever been. Yet whenever they had met, the mare had always snubbed them at best, borderline antagonistic at worst. Now she was all but begging.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life,” Sunset said. “A whole lot of mistakes. More than I can count. I was a terrible pony. But right now, a lot of people are depending on me to come back and save them. To do that, I need Twilight’s help. Just tell her I’m here and--”

“Twilight won’t be back for at least five more days,” Moondancer said. “She left two days ago to Manehatten.”

“W-what?” Sunset asked.

Moondancer couldn’t look away. She knew that look. That was a look that had appeared on her own face far, far too often. The wide eyes. The starting of tears. That stunned, slightly mouth agape stare. The moment that all of her hope was snatched up before her and hopelessness began to sink in. “Let her go,” Moondancer said softly.

“You sure?” Bon Bon asked. “Lyra told me a few stories about ‘Sunset’, not sure we want her running around.”

“I’m sure,” Moondancer said, hoping she was right. Slowly Bon Bon got off her, leaving the unicorn on the ground. She wasn’t moving, though. “Sunset?”

“Twilight has to be here,” Sunset said softly. “I-I need her. She’s the… the only person who can… make heads or tails of herself.”

“Huh?” Bon Bon asked.

“Twilight has to be here,” Sunset said before glancing towards the door again. “Everything is… everybody is depending on…” She slowly got to her hooves, but didn’t take a single step. “P-please. She has to be here.”

“She’s not,” Moondancer said. “I’m so—”

“NO!” Sunset yelled before rushing at the door. She slammed into it, the knob cracking before she blasted it with magic, the door bursting inward. “She had to leave me something, anything!”

“S-stop!” Moondancer yelled, but it was too late.

Sunset yanked the drawer out of the desk, spilling the contents across the floor. Letters spilling everywhere before she finally went entirely still. She picked up a small, wrapped book-shaped package. “She hadn’t… even… opened it…”

“Ummmm, what’s that?” Bon Bon asked. “Should we be worried?”

Moondancer didn’t answer, she couldn’t. But she knew exactly what Bon Bon was asking about. She barely even saw the unicorn standing in the middle of the room, holding the bundled up book while tears went down her face. Because her eyes were locked on the Elements of Harmony, the tailring having tumbled out when the contents were spilled across the ground.

The orange Element now glowing brighter than she’d ever imagined, ever since Sunset had touched it.

Author's Notes:

... So I got really excited for the next part of the story. So sue me. It'll be in three separate parts, multiple chapters each. Only the first of three is done... And yes. The first part will be Moondancer's... The second is a mix and likely to be broken up between and after... the third is Twilight's. And oh, it's going to be a doozy. Enjoy.

Also, three guesses where Bon Bon learned to do that.

S4 CH 9. What You Stole

Moondancer slowly walked into the room before picking up the Elements of Harmony with her magic. The light dimmed slightly, but it was still lit up. In fact, three of the stones were now glowing, albeit not as bright as the orange had. She couldn’t understand, though. Why were the Elements reacting to Sunset of all ponies? Was she supposed to be the one to use them?

“Moondancer?” Bon Bon asked. “Do you know what that is?”

“It’s—” Moondancer stopped herself. Could she tell Bon Bon? Would knowing the Elements were here put her in more danger? She wasn’t worthy to wield them, but if Twilight and Sunset were, wasn’t it important that only they knew? “It’s a… it’s…” She nervously shuffled her hooves. She didn’t want to lie to her friend, though. But she could never forgive herself if she put them in danger again.

Her thoughts were shattered when there was a loud thump. Sunset had dropped the book on the desk. “Okay, enough,” Sunset said. “Now is not the time to feel sorry for myself. Moondancer, right? I’ve got a message for Twilight.”

“Ummmm…” Moondancer said, staring at her. “You just broke into her room, you know.”

“She’ll understand,” Sunset said. “At least, she should. Considering how desperate she was to get back here to save all of you from the changelings, she better. She--”

“Wait, WHAT?” Moondancer asked. “Changelings? You knew about that? Wait, no, what do you--”

“Listen, I’m on a real time crunch here,” Sunset said before she pulled out a small purple compact from her saddlebags. She laid it on the book. “Tell her that in a month I’ll be back for this. If I’m not, well… just… assume I didn’t make it. If she can figure it out, great. If she can’t…” She took a slow, deep breath. “If she can’t, tell her to do what she thinks is right. If she’s anything like my Twilight, she’ll make the correct choice. Tell her to break the mirror if she has to.” She tried to leave, but found her way blocked by both Moondancer and Bon Bon.

“There’s no way we’re letting you go like that,” Bon Bon said. “You can’t just break into here and--”

“Listen, I get it,” Sunset said. “I’m probably suspicious as can be right now. I don’t have time to get you all to believe me. They don’t have thirty moons to wait for me to come back. I don’t know if they’ll have even three moons. Just tell Glow--”

“Make time,” Moondancer said. “Give us the short version.”

Sunset gave a soft sigh before reaching up to rub her forehead. “Fine. Moondancer, you’re Celestia’s student, right? Or… were? Glow told me a few good things about you.”

“You said that,” Moondancer said.

“So keep that in mind when I say that’s the ONLY reason I’m not blasting my way out of here. Well, that and the headache,” Sunset said bitterly.

“Not really sorry,” Bon Bon said.

“You want the full truth?” Sunset asked. “Fine. After Glow and I separated, I blasted the rest of the changelings following us and I went and stole a bunch of old magical relics from the castle.”

“WHAT?” Moondancer asked, her eyes going wide.

“Time! Is! Short! Do you want the truth or do you want to interrupt me and I can go with plan A?” Sunset snapped, her eyes narrowing.

“Sorry,” Moondancer said sheepishly.

“Don’t yell at her!” Bon Bon said defensively.

“Okay, right, since apparently Glow didn’t tell you about me. Since I fled Celestia, I went to another dimension,” Sunset said. “Through a magical mirror. Things happened, I was planning to come back, steal some magical thing, use it to take over the people of that world and overthrow Celestia. Don’t interrupt!” Sunset said quickly when both of them opened their mouths. “That was the plan, it was a terrible plan, I was a terrible pony. You can think all of that you want after I’m gone and the people back home aren’t depending for me. That world has no real magic of its own, it actually has humans and--”

“Wait, HUMANS?” Bon Bon and Moondancer said, sharing a look.

“… You two know what humans are?” Sunset asked. “Wow, nerds. Err, no offense.”

“Lyra,” the two said in unison before sighing.

“Right, we have one of her back home too. Anyway. No magic, I was going to take over by bringing Equestria magic there and all of that. Then Glow came and caused a uhhh, she told me about here. I was pretty nasty, but I saw an opportunity. Things were going wild, I’d come in, steal some old magical artifacts, the version of her back home, Twilight Sparkle, was a genius. Like, an obscene genius. She had all this stuff figured out in a way I couldn’t even begin to understand it. Also, gullible as can be,” Sunset said before giving another soft sigh. “So… yeah. I offered to help Glow, got her to the throne room. Left, figured she’d have all of this handled. And with Nightmare Moon out and about I figured, hey, if this world’s messed up… I’ll just take power and my new home. Celestia would probably come back eventually. But umm…”

Moondancer stared at Sunset. If she wasn’t seeing it now, she wouldn’t believe it. The Sunset she’d seen she’d only seen a few times, but she’d always looked so cocky, arrogant and like everypony around her was below her. This Sunset looked more ashamed than she’d ever seen a pony look. More importantly, the orange gem was glimmering again.

“Sparkle was a genius,” Sunset said gently. “Is. Is a genius. She figured it out. Made that thing. Magic from Equestria doesn’t work right, but oh it does something. It entered me and… it was everything I ever wanted and… oh it hurt. Probably the most painful thing I’ve ever felt. It felt like I was burning from the inside out. I became a… demon. A raging she demon. But I got everything I ever wanted. Had so many people bowing to me. Enslaved. I was… almost unstoppable. It was miserable. Twilight saved me,” Sunset said, tears starting to form in her eyes though she quickly wiped them away. “I don’t know how. After that we just kind of… it got harder for us to talk. I guess. I think I scared her a bit. But she managed to save me and put all the magic in that.” She pointed towards the compact.

“Wait, that thing is holding magic?” Moondancer asked before reaching towards it.

“Don’t touch it!” Sunset said, blocking her hoof with her own. “Trust me. Don’t. Touch it. Listen. I’ve done a lot of terrible, awful things in my life. I was a terrible student, an awful friend and just… I wasn’t a good pony. After that? I had to take a good, hard, long look at myself. At who I was. Who I wanted to be. Who I could be. I didn’t like what I saw. I did so much damage. So I tried to cut everything from my past away, tried to fix things I’d broken. But… it looked like I was too late. Your past always catches up to you,” Sunset said with a weak, hollow smile. “No matter what I did, it seemed that it just found me eventually. I told Twilight to keep the magic away from me, I was done with it. I just couldn’t be trusted, not after that. I just… I wanted to move on. To try and find a better way, you know? Be somebody better. I even got some help. But it seems magic wasn’t done with me.”

“Our tampering with magic drew something else to us. They called themselves the ‘Dazzlings’. They claimed to be Equestrian and something known as Sirens, but I’m honestly not sure. I thought I could handle it, I really did. But they were crafty, methodical. Careful. But just in case I sent Glow that book last time the portal opened on my side. About a month ago your time,” Sunset said before glancing at it. “It seems she didn’t even open it, though. Not that I can blame her.”

“Errrrr,” Moondancer said softly. “A month ago? There’s been a… ummm. How did you send it?”

Sunset gave a shrug. “No idea, honestly. It was an old messenger spell Celestia had taught me. I don’t even know if Celestia had the other book anymore, but I knew I could use that magic to ensure she got it. Well, eventually. It may have taken me a few times to uhhh, get the spell right,” Sunset said sheepishly, her cheeks burning. “But I was able to duplicate it. Then I just teleported that one to the local delivery system with her name on it and popped back home. With the mirror all messing up I didn’t want to stay longer than was necessary. I definitely didn’t want to draw too much attention to the portal, either, with the Sirens running around. If I’d realized how badly things could go, I wouldn’t have sent the book at all and would have just asked for help.”

“Err, you might not have found help. The mail system is currently kind of… things have been delayed,” Moondancer said softly. “It likely only just got to her. Things have been… wild here. A month ago you might not have been able to get back at all.”

“Wild? That’s an understatement,” Bon Bon mumbled.

“… Oh,” Sunset said before rolling her eyes. “Well, add great timing to my list of faults then. The Dazzlings figured out Twilight, figured out Sparkle had the magic we’d stored. She fled her school, but well… Crystal Prep fell first. She gave me that thing just in case they got her, too, since we were the only ones who seemed at all… resistant to their magic. Since then she’d been trying to figure out a way to counter whatever it is they were doing, some of my friends were even helping her.” Sunset cringed and took a sharp intake of breath. “New… new friends. Since I… stopped being nasty. Not the ones from when I was… a-anyway. She told me to bring the magic capture device back to her, that she’d finally figured out how we could use the magic without hurting anybody. We could use it to fight the Sirens off. But I was too late. I arrived right in time to see Sparkle and my friends trapped under their spell. I ran and have been hiding ever since. Waiting for the portal to activate so I could see if Glow could figure it out. I’d hoped she’d have read my messages but just not had time to respond.” Sunset gave another glance towards the book. “I’ll figure out another way to fight them. If I don’t… just… tell Glow she was right. About pretty much everything she said about me. Tell her I’m… sorry.”

“If you can just wait a few days, I’m sure we can get Twilight back,” Moondancer said. “She’s--”

“The portal closes once the sun rises,” Sunset said. “Every thirty moons, here, it opens. There’s no telling when it will open again on that side. There was already a bit of a time distortion thing going on with that, even before your sun and moon cycles got all messed up. If I don’t go back now, I can’t go back for thirty moons. That could be anywhere from thirty minutes, thirty hours, thirty days, I don’t know. I don’t have TIME for this. Just tell Glow what I told you. If Sparkle could figure out how to make that thing work without turning someone into a monster, then Glow can. Probably.” Neither of the two budged and she gave another sigh. “Please. I need to go.”

“Do you really think you can stop these Dazzlings on your own?” Moondancer asked.

“I don’t know,” Sunset said. “But I have to try. This is my fault. I’ve… made enough mistakes that I know leaving things like this would be another.”

“And if you can’t win?” Moondancer asked.

“I’ve learned to live with failing,” Sunset said with a shrug. “But I won’t live with abandoning my friends.”

“Huh, you really are a student of Celestia, aren’t you?” Bon Bon asked.

Sunset’s cheeks turned red and she glanced away. “I ummm… was… once. I wasn’t a very good one.”

“I don’t know,” Bon Bon said. “You sound just like Moondancer right now. Whole martyr complex and all.”

“What?” Moondancer asked, turning to her friend. “When do I ever do something like that?”

Bon Bon coughed before motioning to her wing.

“T-that was different!” Moondancer said before giving a soft sigh. “I can’t let you go, Sunset.”

“Because it’s too dangerous?” Sunset asked, cocking an eye. “Trust me, it’ll be a lot more dangerous if you try to stop me. Because you’ll be hurt, and I’ll be tired.” She gave a light snort.

“Yes and no,” Moondancer said before holding up the Elements of Harmony. “Because this.”

“You never did tell me what that is,” Bon Bon said.

Moondancer gulped before motioning Bon Bon inside before picking up the door in her magic and shoving it back into place. She cast a quick spell, repairing the damage as best she could. “They’re the Elements of Harmony.”

“WHAT?” Bon Bon asked, her eyes going wide. “What are the--” Her mouth was closed by Moondancer’s magic a moment later.

“The Elements of Harmony? Those?” Sunset asked. “Aren’t they supposed to be six stones? Not, well… five and a tail ring?”

“We never found the sixth,” Moondancer said before shaking her head. “But that’s not what matters right now.”

“I’d disagree!” Bon Bon said.

“What does matter is they reacted when YOU touched them,” Moondancer said. “Three of the Elements are lit now. If we can find all of them, the sixth should appear. Probably. If you’re one of them, I can’t let you go off and face certain doom.”

“You can’t make me wait here and let my friends down, either,” Sunset said.

“Seriously, why were they in Twilight’s room? HOW?” Bon Bon asked.

“Discord,” Moondancer said.

“… Ah,” Bon Bon said. “That explains everything and nothing at the same time. Carry on.”

“Who’s Discord?” Sunset asked.

“Long story,” Moondancer said. “What’s important is that if the Elements are reacting to you now, I can’t let you run off and get hurt or worse.”

“Well, you aren’t--”

“You had a plan,” Moondancer said before gripping the compact in her magic, pulling it over to herself. “I’m not Twilight, but I might be the next best thing. So, how do we get to this dimension of yours?”

“Y-you can’t mean that,” Sunset said. “I-I already put enough people in dangers. I can’t add another.”

“Two others,” Bon Bon said.

“What?” Moondancer asked, looking at her. “You’re not--”

“If I don’t, Lyra will kill me,” Bon Bon said. “I’d grab her if I could. Besides, no way am I letting you run off alone. Somepony has to keep you out of trouble.”

Sunset gave a sigh and shook her head. “Listen, I appreciate it but--”

“But we’re not the help you wanted,” Moondancer said before holding up the Elements of Harmony. “But the Elements are reacting and, as far as I know, there’s no better help than that.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “Yeah, starting to definitely get those Glow vibes off you. Fine. But let’s go quick. I’ve already delayed long enough. If you want any chance of getting in and out BEFORE the portal closes, we need to go. Now.”

Moondancer nodded, her horn glowing for a few moments before a small letter appeared on Twilight’s desk. Her horn flickered a few more times and then she nodded to Sunset. “Nightmare Moon may yell at me later if we don’t get back before she sees her letter, but… lives are on the line. Right? Time is of the essence? All that? Here, take this.” She held out the Elements of Harmony to Sunset, but she yelped and took a step back.

“Oh no no no no no. I am not doing that,” Sunset said quickly. “Listen, if you want to bring that thing, you’re welcome to it. But I am not touching it.”

“What? But it’s a powerful artifact of Equestria,” Moondancer said. “It might--”

“The last time I held anything like that I hurt my friends and turned into a demon,” Sunset said before walking forward, shoving past Moondancer and pulling the door open. “If push comes to shove, I can’t guarantee I won’t choose power again. I’d suggest leaving that here.”

Moondancer blinked and looked down at it. The stone was still glowing. But could an Element be useful even if the pony who had it wouldn’t use it?

Maybe. Maybe not. But if she couldn’t let Sunset get hurt, there might be a time where they needed it. Even if she wasn’t worthy of it, hopefully they wouldn’t mind if she wore them. Just this once. She slid it on her tail and followed after Sunset.

“So, what are we facing?” Bon Bon said.

“Err, I’ll explain when we get there,” Sunset said. “For now, let me just explain what you’re going to see when you get there. Trust me. It might be a bit of a shock.”

“Oh, how bad could it be?” Bon Bon asked. “Like a small minotaur, right?”

------

Sunset crossed her arms and sighed, tapping her foot anxiously while she glanced around. She had to give the two credit. They’d managed to not scream. They were freaking out a little bit, but in comparison to her first time coming here, it wasn’t so bad. Moondancer had collapsed on the ground and looked like she might start crying at any moment, her hands pulled up and little fists positioned like hooves. At least her saddlebags had turned into a bag so she could carry the compact and Elements around, though honestly they looked more like a bracelet now. Bon Bon had managed to stay standing, but she was only standing because of her hold on the statue and looked like she might throw up any moment.

Still, way better than she expected. “So, how you two doing?” Sunset asked.

“We are very tall,” Bon Bon said.

“These are very weird clothes,” Moondancer said. “Also, my hooves are all split. Also, I think I may be having a tiny bit of a panic attack.”

“You’re handling it well,” Sunset said, trying to offer encouragement.

“Experience with panic mostly,” Moondancer said. “Remind me to thank Lyra for every talk she ever put us through about anthropology.”

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Bon Bon said.

“Oh, trust me, not a good idea,” Sunset said with a shudder. “You think it’s weird feeling like a human on the outside, feeling things on the inside are like a dozen times worse.”

Bon Bon just gave a little whimper.

“Anyway,” Sunset said. “The Sirens aren’t here. If we’re lucky, we won’t run into any of their goons. But honestly, I’ll feel a lot happier once we get out of here. We--”

“Sunset!” Sparkle’s voice came, making her freeze.

“Twilight?” Moondancer asked before looking towards a small group of humans walking towards them. Three of them, though they seemed oddly familiar.

“Oh no,” Sunset said, turning to face them. “Oh no no no. Moondancer, Bon Bon, get up. We need to go, now. Bad luck, very, very bad luck.”

“Sunset!” Sparkle snapped. “Give back what you stole!”

“I can’t believe you’re back to your old tricks,” Rainbow’s voice came from the girl with rainbow hair.

“I can,” Applejack’s voice came from the other girl.

“Applejack?” Moondancer asked. “Rainbow?”

“Moondancer? Sweetie Drops?” Rainbow asked. “What are you two doing here?”

“Wait, Sweetie Drops?” Moondancer asked, glancing to Bon Bon.

“Long story,” Bon Bon said. “Ummmm, Sunset?”

“Can you two run?” Sunset asked before pulling out a small, strange rectangle and tapping on it wildly. “We need to go, now. Ohhh this is bad.”

“Maybe?” Moondancer said. “Where?”

“Come on!” Sunset yelled before she turned and dashed away. Moondancer and Bon Bon shared a look before they, awkwardly, tried to follow after her.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Rainbow said before rolling her eyes. “Okay. One, two, three, four aaaaand five. Okay, head start is over!”

“Really?” Applejack asked, making her friend stop.

“What?” Rainbow asked.

“A head start?” Applejack asked.

“What? I could outrun them any day of the week.”

“They’re getting away!” Sparkle yelled.

“Huh? Oh! Right!” Rainbow yelled before taking off after them. It took her nearly twenty whole seconds to catch up to them, but she supposed in Sunset’s defense it was mostly because the other two were slowing her down. She skidded to a stop in front of her and crossed her arms. “Okay, Sunset. No more games. Give Twilight back her… whatever that thing was you stole. Seriously, Moondancer, Sweetie Drops, what are you two doing here anyway? After everything Sunset’s pulled I’d figure you’d know better than to go following her around.”

“Uhhhhh…” Moondancer said before glancing towards Sunset. “Stole?”

“I didn’t steal it,” Sunset said bitterly. “Rainbow, you’re not yourself. None of you are. You just need to--”

“Oh, time for another Sunset tall tale?” Applejack asked, her and Twilight lightly jogging up behind the three.

“Sunset, we’re not mad,” Sparkle said.

“Speak for yourself,” Rainbow said with a hmph.

“Fine, I’m not mad,” Sparkle said. “I’m sure you think you’re doing the right thing.”

“Yeah, sure she does,” Applejack said, crossing her arms.

“Just give it back,” Sparkle said. “You can’t control that magic. It’s not going to give you what you want.”

“I don’t have it,” Sunset said. “You’re not going to find it, either. It’s gone.”

“Yeah right,” Applejack said. “That’s a load of rotten apples. The day Sunset Shimmer gives up an ounce of power is the day I eat my hat.”

Sunset gulped and took a small step back before glancing back to Moondancer and Bon Bon. “It’s… in my locker.”

“No, it’s not,” Sparkle said. “We already looked in there.”

“You opened my locker?” Sunset asked.

“The safety of our world is at stake. After you tried to take over the school with your magic schemes, do you think we’ll just let you try again?” Sparkle asked.

Sunset cringed and she pulled her arms in front of herself, crossing them nervously. “I’m not, I don’t… I’m not that person anymore. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow. You know this. It’s the Siren’s spell. They--”

“Yeah, right,” Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. “You’re just as full of it as you always were. You really had us going with that whole ‘I’m trying to be better’ better act. Seriously? Why even pretend to try and make up for all those lies if you were going to just try and do it all over again? What is wrong with you?”

“This isn’t another trick!” Sunset yelled. “It’s the Dazzlings, they--”

“Uh huh,” Applejack said. “You’re the only one set on seeing them as some monsters. Almost as if somebody is trying to turn everyone against them. Kind of your MO, ain’t it?”

“The only monster here is you, Sunset,” Rainbow said. “Now give Twilight back her device.”

“I don’t have it,” Sunset said, taking another step back into the street.

“Then where is it?” Applejack asked.

Sparkle then turned towards Moondancer and Bon Bon. “Moondancer? Sweetie Drops? You have it, don’t you? She’s sucked you into her schemes, hasn’t she?”

“Please,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “After what she did to them, I doubt it.”

“Did to us?” Bon Bon asked.

“Well, you and Lyra,” Applejack said. She then blinked. “Speaking of, where is Lyra? I thought you two were always together.”

“You two DO have it, don’t you?” Sparkle asked. “Did she give it to you?”

“Uhhhh, no,” Moondancer said, taking a small step back. She really wished she was better at lying.

A moment later Sparkle was in front of her. “Moondancer? Please, tell me the truth. Do you have it?”

Moondancer stared at the human. She was so… strange looking. Weird. Nothing at all like a pony. But… those eyes were Twilight’s. At least one of them were. That hair. That voice. She gulped, trying to bring up the will to lie.

But she couldn’t. Slowly she looked down. She had it. She reached into the little bag at her side.

“Moondancer, don’t! That’s not Twilight anymore!” Sunset yelled, taking a step forward, only to find her way blocked by Applejack and Rainbow.

“Just because she’s not believing any more of your lies doesn’t mean she’s not Twilight,” Applejack said.

“So, what lie did she make up?” Sparkle asked, her voice filled with bitterness. “I bet she tried to get you to open it, right? Get you to unleash the magic she stole?”

Moondancer slowly nodded. “Yeah, she did,” she said, pulling it out. She stared down at the device before glancing up at Sparkle.

“This is specifically why I tried to keep you away from it, Sunset,” Sparkle said bitterly. “I can’t believe I ever trusted you after all you did. Some people just really are beyond help, aren’t they? Please, give it to me. I can keep it safe from her.”

Moondancer froze, staring at it. She then glanced towards Sunset before looking up at Sparkle. “Do you… really think she’s beyond help?”

“She’s lied to us,” Sparkle said. “She used me. Again and again. She’s tore so many friendships apart all so she could win more power. She’s been doing nothing but causing EVERYONE trouble! This is just like every other time! She makes up these stories about the new girls, trying to get us to turn on them. I actually started to believe them! Then she steals my device! All she has ever cared about is power. That’s all she’ll EVER care about!”

Moondancer sighed, staring down at device. “You’re right.”

“Exactly,” Sparkle said, holding her hand out. “Just give me--”

“Sunset’s right,” Moondancer said. “You’re not Twilight. Bon Bon!” she said before she turned and ran.

“Seriously?” Rainbow said before shaking her head. “We literally just did this.” She took off and a few moments later she had them blocked, a smirk on her face. “Seriously. I’m the fastest girl in school. You don’t really think you’re going to outrun me, do you? Especially when you’ve got some more dangerous magic mumbo jumbo. The last thing I want is another angry demon running around.”

“About time,” Sunset said.

“Huh?” Applejack asked before letting out a shriek and diving out of the way. Twilight leaped away as well, though the car never came close to them, instead skidding to a stop in the middle of the road.

Sunset jumped in. “Come on!”

Moondancer turned and ran towards it, her mind already struggling to come up with a dozen answers as to what that thing was. The primary one that came to mind was that it was fast and soon not going to be here. Unfortunately, she felt a hand on her shoulder a moment later.

“Yeah, no,” Rainbow said, glaring at her. “I’m not-- GAHHHH!” She then let go, dropping to her knees. “Ow ow ow OW OW!”

“Oh, sweet, it doesn’t just work on minotaurs,” Bon Bon said. “Fingers are great, though. Um, let’s go!”

Moondancer blinked before running towards the vehicle and leaping in as best she could. The strange person inside was wearing a pair of red glasses and a pair of headphones. Once all three were inside, she took off, leaving the three behind.

Sunset gave a light groan. Which wasn’t surprising, since the vehicle seemed to only be designed for one extra passenger and the two had landed less than gracefully on her. “O-ow. N-not that I don’t appreciate the s-save, DJ Pon-3, but was the convertible really necessary?” The driver just shrugged with a smile. “Ow. Knee, in my ribs. Okay, let’s just, ow, okay, there.” The three managed to, albeit slowly, untangle and reposition so they were tightly packed, but at least not on top of each other. At the very least it was a roomy one seat. “So yeah. That. Was really trying to avoid that. Thanks. Really. For ummm… not giving it to her.”

“I almost did,” Moondancer said before sliding it back in her bag. “But of the two of you, I think I have to trust you now. Because I can’t see that as Twilight.”

“Really? Why?” Sunset asked.

“Two reasons,” Moondancer said. “She said all you want is power, if that was true, well. I saw the way you looked at the Elements. The second, though… I’ve never seen Twilight give up on anypony. Anybody. No matter how much they deserved it.”

“Here’s hoping that applies to my Twilight,” Sunset said with a sigh. “Last time I saw her I did drop a recycle bin on her head.”

The car came to a sudden halt, making the three shriek before crashing together. Sunset groaned and shoved the door open before falling out of the vehicle. “O-ow. Really. Please. Next time. Bigger car.”

DJ Pon-3 just gave a sheepish grin and a shrug.

“Yeah, I probably deserved that. Thanks, by the way. For coming,” Sunset said before slowly getting to her feet and shaking her head.

“So, you never told us before,” Bon Bon said. “How did you get them to tell you they were sirens anyway?”

“They kind of… volunteered it,” Sunset said. “Well… more… rubbed it in my face. After they… kind of…” She gave a sigh before waving to DJ Pon-3, the other girl speeding off. “Who… evil villain thing, I guess? I think they kind of enjoyed it. After taking over Crystal Prep, well. You heard the others. Twilight and I tried to warn everybody, but most weren’t… well...”

“I’m guessing it didn’t go well?” Moondancer asked.

“Yeah. Turns out if you blackmail, trick, and betray pretty much everybody you ever knew, not many of them want to give you a second chance. Then throw in the whole going demon and only even stopping when my only actual friend manages to somehow save me? Yeah…” Sunset muttered, crossing her arms and heading towards the building. “There weren’t many even willing to give me a chance. You just met three of them.”

“Rainbow, Applejack, Twilight?” Moondancer asked.

“Yeah,” Sunset mumbled. “Sort of. Twilight, of course. But Twilight’s… great. That and she was kind of the one who alerted me to it. She’s really smart, you know? Went on about hypnotism in their music and all that. It changes a person. Some people can resist it, I did for a bit, but well… it’s sneaky.”

“Sneaky how?” Bon Bon asked.

Sunset motioned for them to follow her into the house. “Try to keep it down, my ummmm… caretakers… are probably sleeping.”

“Wait, caretakers?” Moondancer asked.

“Let’s not get into that right now,” Sunset said. “Their magic is subtle. It makes you forget things, remember things wrong. You might not even notice a person is under it at first. But then… well… then they start to change. They don’t go too far out of their normal behavior, it seems. But when everyone is already one slight push from hating you…”

“Doesn’t take much?” Moondancer asked.

“Exactly,” Sunset said before quietly leading them through the house and to a large, albeit simple room. She sat on the bed with another sigh. “I thought we had it handled. Sparkle comes to Canterlot High, I send Glow the book, waited for her answer. Nothing came, though. Sparkle kind of… ummmm…” She glanced off to one of the corner’s of the room where a few blankets and pillows had been gathered up into a small nest. Nestled on the nest was a small, purple dog who was sound asleep. “Camped out here for a while. We tried to come up with a solution. Principal Cinch would probably have both our heads if she found out where she was. But with those three looking for her, we didn’t have much choice. Never seen somebody try and do makeup homework while hiding for their lives.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Twilight,” Moondancer said with a snicker.

“Twilight?” the dog asked, his eyes opening before he jumped to his paws, tail wagging. He turned to look at them, only to freeze and then frown. “You’re… not Twilight.”

“Uhhhhhh…” Moondancer said softly. “Spike?”

Spike perked up and then cocked his head to the side.

“I’m sorry, Spike,” Sunset said. “Glow wasn’t there. This is Moondancer and, uhhh… Bon Bon. Err, he talks now. A uhhhh… earlier… magic experiment. Don’t ask. Then again, from Equestria. Probably less odd for you to see a talking dog. Forget I said anything.”

Spike gave a light hmph before turning his back on them and plopping back down.

“He’s ummm… kind of mad at me,” Sunset said softly. “I uhhh… may have promised I’d keep Sparkle safe. But I am going to find a way to save her. Sparkle figured it out. They’re doing some magic through their music and if we can kind of… out music them, we can nullify it. In theory.”

“In theory?” Moondancer asked.

“We hoped,” Sunset said. “Rainbow and the others might not have trusted me very much, but they were willing to give it a shot once they realized I was being sincere. They were working on a song to break it. The biggest problem, though, was that we didn’t really have a way to test it. We were really just throwing magic at the wall to see what stuck, hoping Glow would send me something to help. Then Sparkle called me and told me to come to the music room, in that giddy, excited ‘I just figured out something AMAZING!’ voice of hers. Only to… well…” She stopped for a second, a hand moving over her mouth. She took a few slow, steady breathes before speaking again. “Aria and Sonata stopped me on the way there. I didn’t realize why at the time. They said I couldn’t stop them, that they’d heard all about me. Did this whole annoying gloating as if they’d already won thing. We bantered for a bit, I said I’d stop them, but it wasn’t until they said I was all alone that I realized what they were doing.”

“By the time I got there, Adagio already had them under her spell. I was so STUPID!” Sunset snapped, shaking her head. “I should have KNOWN something was up. I was the only one of us with real actual experience dealing with magic! Ugh!” She rested her head in her palms before sighing. “I’ve been trying to come up with something, anything, since. I must have left Glow like a thousand messages in that stupid book. It seemed to be working, it did the whole glowing thing. I just hoped she was buried in a book trying to figure out an answer. If I just came to see her she might finally have an answer. I don’t know anything about music magic! I’ve always been a more hands on student, you know? Magic I can touch and experiment with! But the only magic I can actually touch here is magic that turned me insane and made me hurt everyone I cared about! Nobody else here even has magic! How can I possibly--” She was cut off when Moondancer suddenly hugged her.

Moondancer just held her for a few moments before, finally, glancing to Bon Bon. “Okay, is that how I sound?”

“A little more panicked, but yeah,” Bon Bon said. “She’s got the whole wildly, anxious exposition rambling thing you got too.”

“S-sorry,” Sunset said once Moondancer let her go and pulled away. She reached up to wipe the tears gathering in her eyes. “Its been a rough couple of days.”

“Days?” Moondancer asked.

“Yeah,” Sunset said.

“So you’ve just been here? Hiding?” Moondancer asked.

“Uh huh,” Sunset said.

“But Twilight knows where you live, doesn’t she? Haven’t the Sirens tried anything?” Moondancer asked. Then her eyes went wide and she flicked her head back. After a moment she sighed. “Right. I can’t summon my books here.”

“You get used to it,” Sunset said before giving a light chuckle. “But yeah. She also knows where the portal to Equestria is. But she hasn’t told them that, either. I think. The magic is subtle, but it’s still them in there. They want magic and to get to Equestria, but they’ve only been able to get Twilight to tell them I have it. Well… no.” Sunset gave a soft sigh before glancing towards the bag. “They probably figured that out. I don’t think Twilight would have put me in danger like that. But once they knew…”

“Send them to find you,” Bon Bon said. “Have a few girls stake out the school, then grab Twilight to come and demand it from you. Can they use that magic?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” Sunset said with a shrug. “Or they at least think they can. I thought I could. But it wasn’t until it was burning me out from the inside that I realized how wrong I was. Twilight said she figured it out, but well… if she still knows while under their control, that could only make things worse.”

“Well, I think you’re in luck,” Bon Bon said. “Moondancer might be even better than Twi-- Glow for this.”

“Oh? Why?” Sunset asked.

“Ohhhhh, I’ve waited a long time to be the one to say this,” Moondancer said, her feet lightly tapping on the ground while she held up the small compact. “I have a major in musical magic theory.”

“… What? Why?” Sunset asked.

“Lyra,” Bon Bon and Moondancer said together before sharing a small giggle.

“Actually, wait,” Bon Bon said. “The girls mentioned you did something to me and Lyra here. What exactly happened?”

Sunset cringed and took a slow, deep breath. “Oh… I ummm… wow… err.” She reached up and rubbed her head nervously. “I ummm, you see. I uhhh. I used to be a real piece of work.”

“It wasn’t me, I won’t be mad,” Bon Bon said.

“I uhhhh…” Sunset said before giving another sigh. “I guess it’s better you hear it from me than anyone else. I made Lyra and Sweetie Drops think that they sabotaged each other during a piano recital in front of the school and uhhh, nearly destroyed their friendship forever. Or tried to. I uhhh… did… that kind of thing a lot.”

Silence reigned in the room for a few moments as the other two just stared at her.

“… There’s a reason I said I deserved that slap Glow gave me,” Sunset said softly.

Bon Bon reached out and gently patted her on the back. “I get it. We’ve all done things we wished we hadn’t in the past. But you’re not that kind of pony anymore, right?”

“I don’t ever want to be like that again,” Sunset said.

“Then good. Everyone deserves a second chance,” Bon Bon said. “Or… however many chances this would be for you.”

“I think I’m going on my fourth now,” Sunset said with a chuckle. “But hey. At least this time I’m actually trying to be better. So, Moondancer, do you think you can figure out what Twilight Sparkle did?”

“Oh, yeah,” Moondancer said. “That’s actually the easy part. You said she was in the music room with the others, right? When she figured it out and told you to bring the magic?”

“Yeah,” Sunset said.

“Then yeah, magical theory is pretty simple on that,” Moondancer said before grinning and glancing out the window. “In fact, I think… hm. How many hours do we have until sunrise?”

“Uhhhhh…” Sunset said before glancing towards a small box on her bedside table. “Five, maybe six hours. Why?”

“I have a plan,” Moondancer said. She then sighed. “But oh, I wish Lyra was here. But the three of us should be more than capable.”

“Already?” Sunset asked. “How?”

“Well, she was Celestia’s prized pupil for a reason,” Bon Bon said. “Even if she doesn’t see it half the time.”

Moondancer’s cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red, but she slowly nodded. “Trust me. I… think I can do this. We can do this. We just need some music equipment and an outdoor stage.”

Sunset gave a soft sigh, but a huge smile now covered her face. “Well, good to know the famous Moondancer truly does live up to the hype. Then let’s go save my friends! And… the people who kind of tolerate me. I know just the place, there’s a park not too far from the school where they do events and stuff. There’s a stage there.”

“Perfect,” Moondancer said. “We’ll need some sound equipment too.”

“Most of it will probably be locked up, but I’ve gotten pretty good at picking locks,” Sunset said. She then cringed, giving a sheepish smile. “Err… b-but only for a good cause. Honest.”

Author's Notes:

And here we get into what's going on and why Sunset needs their help... also, Moondancer FINALLY gets to use THE LINE! You have *no* idea how long she has waited to use that line.

Also, I was midway through this chapter before I realized DJ Pon-3's car only has two seats. Rather than rewriting everything, I just decided Sunset would suffer a bit. On the upside, she kind of feels she deserves it.

Sorry if sometimes this story feels a bit rushed. I'm honestly always a bit nervous doing things in EG world because this isn't a EG story, so I kind of wrote it out and just went full tilt so I could get it out before anxiety hit too hard. Hope you enjoy.

S4 CH 10: Park Concert

“You see, the basics of music magic are fairly simple,” Moondancer said as she adjusted the wires for the sound system. She had to admit, the technology of this world was very, very strange. The cars were a bit scary, the ‘phones’ they had were incredible. But the sound systems weren’t all that different from what they had back in Equestria. Albeit, the ones back home ran on magic, not electricity. Fundamentally they were close enough to be the same thing.

“The song you sing doesn’t really matter,” Moondancer said. “What does matter is the emotion behind it. It’s a very subtle magic, though. A lot of ponies don’t even realize it’s magic. But it has the ability to alter the moods and minds of ponies around it. In fact, during battle Equestrian War Songs have been wielded to turn almost certain defeat into incredible victories. However, using music to mind control a pony, err, a person into something they normally aren’t? That’s an incredibly dangerous application of the magic and something I’ve only ever heard of in theory, not reality.”

“But you can counter it, right?” Sunset asked.

“Of course,” Moondancer said before thrusting the last wire in. There was a low hum from the speakers before she leaned forward and spoke directly into the microphone. “Testing, one two. Testing? Perfect.” She then pulled back. “It’s going to depend on you though, Sunset.”

“What, ME?” Sunset asked.

“Of course,” Moondancer said. “They’re your friends, aren’t they? You just need to remind them of that. I don’t have the connection to them, nor do I really have much of a singing voice. Even before I uhhh…” She rubbed the left side of her head, thankful her hair obstructed the damage. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem coming to another dimension altered that loss. She idly wondered if she should warn Sunset in case she saw Glow later, before deciding against it. If everything went right they wouldn’t see each other at all.

And if things went wrong it wouldn’t matter.

“Oh no, no no no no,” Sunset said, waving her hands and shaking her head. “You’re the good student, not me. I should NOT be touching magic. Really, trust me, it’s way better if you do it. Not me.”

“It’s really not,” Moondancer said with a sigh. “Listen, I can set this up and tell you what to do. But YOU need to be the one to sing the song. Emotions matter for this. There people are your friends and you need to overload the siren’s magic if you want any chance to fight them.”

Sunset whimpered before glancing towards the gathered instruments. “But I thought that was the point of getting all of their instruments to begin with? You free them and--”

“You free them,” Moondancer said. “Then all of you, together, face the sirens. If these three are as powerful as you say, then we’ll need all of them. They likely have some magic of their own amplifying their songs, you won’t. So you’ll need every edge you can get.”

“I can’t!” Sunset yelled. “Last time I used magic, I could have done so many terrible things! I can’t control it!”

Moondancer gave a sigh. It felt a little strange to be on this side of things. “Yes, you can. As magic goes, it’s fairly tame. It shouldn’t be capable of turning you into anything. Besides, this isn’t like that time. It’s like I said, emotions matter. Last time you used magic, what did you want?”

Sunset cringed and looked away, leaning back against one of the speakers. “That’s not… I wasn’t… I didn’t…”

“What did you want?” Moondancer asked.

“Power,” Sunset said. “It was all I desired, okay? All I wanted. It’s why I can’t do this! I can’t HAVE power! I can’t HAVE magic! I don’t want to do that again! I don’t ever want to be that again! If I have power then I… I might try… you don’t understand what it’s like! I’m still that person! I still want it! A part of me still craves it! I still want control, I still feel that ambition, that desire to just win at any cost. I still hate to lose! What if I get access to it and I can’t control it again? What if I hurt someone? I got lucky last time. Twilight saved me. But it almost cost us both everything. I can’t, I WON’T, do that again. I could put everyone in even more danger.”

Moondancer bit her tongue, glancing away from her. “O-oh.” She stared at the microphone. It had all seemed so simple a moment ago. But music magic truly did depend on the emotions of the singer. If Sunset truly was that kind of person, then it could all backfire on them. It could unleash that side of her, make it so much worse.

“Well, duh,” Bon Bon said before she came around from backstage. “Of course you won’t. That’s pretty obvious.”

“You don’t know that,” Sunset said, hugging herself. “I could go bad again. Rotten. I could hurt people. It’d be so easy. Last time magic gave me exactly what I wanted, but I still have some of those wants in me.”

“No you couldn’t,” Bon Bon said. “You wanted power then, fine. You want power now, whatever. But like, you’re kind of missing the whole point. That was your past. Why did you WANT power then?”

“Because I… I thought…” Sunset said softly, hugging herself tightly. “I-I don’t know. At first it was just… I thought… I thought I deserved it. I thought I was special. I thought I was going to be special. I thought it would… I thought it would… give me… I thought I’d have vengeance. I thought it would set me free to do whatever I wanted! I thought it might finally make me good enough! I thought it would finally make me WORTHY! I just… I got lost along that road, I guess. Okay? For so long I felt so overwhelmed. Like I had to either just… give in and admit I’d never be good enough or demand I was good enough and ignore everything else. There was no inbetween.”

“Geez, being Celestia’s student really does a number on somepony, doesn’t it?” Bon Bon asked. “It’s kind of like looking at a sad house mirror.”

“It’s not Celestia’s fault!” Moondancer and Sunset said in unison, before pausing and looking at each other.

After a few moments Sunset gave a sigh. “Okay. So I guess… the pressure did… get to me. A bit.”

“It… does that,” Moondancer said sheepishly.

“Is that what you want now?” Bon Bon asked. “To be ‘good enough’? Is that why you want power? Just really think on it. What is it that YOU want?”

Sunset sighed and looked down, her hand moving up and gently resting over her throat. “I want… I want power… to save my friends. I want to rescue Twilight like she rescued me. I want to stop them. It doesn’t matter if I’m good enough. It doesn’t… matter that I’ve done terrible things. My past won’t stop me.”

Bon Bon let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s good. Because if you said you thought you really just wanted to go all melodramatic and evil I was going to have to figure out what other minotaur moves work on humans. Lyra is going to be sooooo jealous when I tell her about fingers. So, what’s next?”

“Uhhhh, well…” Moondancer said softly before clearing her throat. “Well, you have her number, right? Give Twilight a call, tell her where we are. When she comes here to get the magical storage device, free her. You know what you want, how you feel, so I guess just make a song.”

“A song? What, freehand?” Sunset asked.

“Eh, you’re a pony,” Moondancer said. “It’ll come to you. It always does.”

“You seem awfully confident about this,” Sunset said.

“I’m not,” Moondancer said before reaching into her bag and pulling out the Elements of Harmony. The orange gem was glimmering almost as bright as Celestia’s sun. “But the Elements are. So they--”

“Are going to be ours? Oh, you’re so right,” a voice said.

“O-oh no,” Sunset said before slowly turning around.

Three girls were standing on the hill overlooking the stage, their arms crossed and the red gems in their necklaces glowing in the light.

“You know, Sunset,” the girl in the middle with orange streaked hair said before reaching up and lightly pinching the red gem in her necklace. “Had I known you were going to find an even bigger source of Equestrian magic for us I wouldn’t have worried so much. Why, at this point you’re practically one of our team already, does this mean you’re going to take me up on my offer? We could use someone like you.”

“Really? I thought you only made her that offer because you wanted her to be the audience when we took over the world and succeeded at everything she failed?” the girl with striped purple and greenish-blue hair asked.

“Ugh. Shut up, Sonata,” the last girl, with striped lighter purple and green hair said.

“Both of you, quiet,” the girl in the middle said. “But really, Sunset. You had to know this was coming. You fail to take over your school, fail to take over this world, failed to use magic, failed to protect your friends, why, you’ve failed at pretty much everything you’ve tried. Did you really think with a little extra help you’d actually succeed? Especially with that… whatever it is shining like a beacon?”

Moondancer gulped and shoved the Elements back into her bag. “Are… are these the Sirens?”

“Oh, our reputation precedes us?” the girl asked. “I’m Adagio. This is Sonata,” she said before motioning to the second girl. “And this is Aria,” she said before motioning to the third. “Now then, are we going to do this the hard way or the--” She stopped when the three gave each other a look and then turned, running from the stage and into the surrounding treeline. Slowly a smile formed on her lips before glancing back at the other two. “Well then, hard way it is. Get them.”

“Ummmm…” Sonata said. “But what about—”

“Don’t worry about that,” Adagio said before walking after Sunset. “The audience will be here soon. Get the compact from whichever one has it now and bring them back.”

“But what if they give us trouble?” Sonata asked.

Adagio gave an annoyed sigh. “It’s Sweetie Drops and Moondancer. If they’re anything like the ones we already bound to our will, we know exactly what to use against them.”

“But—” Sonata started, only to get cut off.

“Go!” Adagio snapped, the anger in her tone making the other two girls cringe. She took a slow, deep breath before speaking in a gentler tone. “After all, those three did such hard work to ensure everything was ready for our… well. Our grand debut. Their finale. I’d absolutely hate for them to miss the show.”

Sonata and Aria glanced at each other for a moment before nodding, the first running after Moondancer and the second running after Bon Bon.

------

No no no no. This was NOT what was supposed to happen. Moondancer tried to keep her panic from overtaking her, but it was taking all of her control. They were going to lose. They were going to be crushed. Beaten. Broken.

NO. Maybe? Oh, she hoped not. She knew the application of music magic, but she’d never been any good at it. That was Lyra’s talent, not hers. She’d only ever studied it. There was no possible way she could compete against creatures who could perform it at such a scale.

That was the entire point of coming out here. Draw Sunset’s friends out here, save them, then work together to defeat the Dazzlings. If the three sirens sang together they had no chance. She couldn’t face singing magic like that. But there were still other ways to fight them. If they could stop them from singing in unison, then maybe they could beat them.

Moondancer would feel a lot more confident in this plan if she was at least used to this human body. At least she could run now. She opened her bag and looked down at the Elements of Harmony. “Ugh. I wish Sunset had taken you. You never reacted to me like that. I don’t suppose you have some magic thing you can do to help us?”

“Where arrrrrre you?” Sonata’s voice echoed through the trees.

Moondancer urked and quickly moved behind one of the trees, hiding. After a few moments she heard the other girl’s footsteps.

“Moondancer? Mooooooondancer? Where arrrrrre you?” Sonata called as she walked through the trees. “Come ooooon. I know you’re here. You know, you could just give us what we want. You can’t use the magic, right? So shouldn’t it go to us? I mean, if I had a weird magic thingie I couldn’t use then I’d at least want it to go to someone who could use it! Gasp! Like us!”

Moondancer hugged her bag to her chest and stayed silent.

“Adagio is gonna be realllllly mad at you if you don’t give it to us. Trust me, you don’t want her mad at you. She gets reeeeeeeeally nasty,” Sonata said before giving a light giggle. “But she’s also reallllly smart, if mean. She figured out you’re from Equestria, right? Just like Sunset! Ohhhh, are you two friends? That’d be pretty fun. Cause once we realized who you were we tried to find out what we could about the you from this world. You know, just in case you gave us trouble.” She peered around a tree, but didn’t see Moondancer. She gave a sigh and shook her head. “Do you know what we found out?”

Moondancer pushed against the tree, willing the girl to just keep going.

“We found… nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was like Moondancer barely existed,” Sonata said. “It was actually kind of impressive. A whole lot of people kind of knew you, right? But nobody KNEW you. It was like the Moondancer here barely even existed. In fact, the only one who had anything to say about Moondancer at all was Principal Celestia and some of the teachers.”

Moondancer couldn’t help it. Before she could stop herself she let out a gasp, before cringing. A smile crept on Sonata’s lips.

“I heard that,” Sonata said in a singsong voice. “Soooo, is it like that for you in Equestria too? Are you just a big teacher’s pet? No friends? Is that why you’re doing this? Do you think Sunset will be your friend if you help her? She wooooon’t.”

Moondancer covered her mouth with her hands and inched around the tree slightly, trying to ensure it was blocking her from Sonata’s view.

“Sunset’s only pretending to be nice, you know,” Sonata said. “Adagio does it sometimes. She’ll be all smiles and compliments and say sweet, nice things about you. Then the next moment she gets what she wants and tears you down. That’s what Sunset is going to do to you once she has what she wants. You don’t have to take my word for it. All of her old friends say that too. Well. One of them. I guess Twilight really is the only one who stuck around even after she turned on them.”

Moondancer blinked a few times and clenched her fists. She could hear Sonata getting closer.

“Is that why you’re helping her?” Sonata asked. “Is she like you? Is that why you don’t have any friends? Did you betray hers? Or are you more like Twilight? The kind of person who gets betrayed and--”

“I’m like Twilight!” Moondancer yelled before stepping out from behind the tree and swinging the bag into Sonata’s head. The girl let out a shriek, dropping to the ground in a confused heap. She stared up at her, a hand on the side of her face. “I-I’m determined to not give in and… and…”

Sonata stared up at her, tears welling up in her eyes. “Y-you… you h-hit me…”

“Well, I… I thought you were--” Moondancer was cut off when Sonata kicked her feet out from under her. She hit the ground with a grunt, barely rolling away before Sonata could grab her.

“Hee hee, wow, you really are a push over, aren’t you?” Sonata asked before jumping to her feet.

Moondancer crawled to her own feet, still clutching her bag and glaring at her. “I… I’m not going to give these to you.”

“Ugggggh…” Sonata said before shaking her head. “But I don’t want to have to fight you.” A smile spread across her lips before she let out a soft hum and then began to gently sing. “Are you absolutely sure? Wouldn’t it be great if you gave me the bag? Then nobody would have to feel sad.”

Moondancer slowly started to hold the bag out to her. The grin on Sonata’s lips grew again… Until she hit her in the face with it a second time and ran.

“OW! Again?! Seriously?” Sonata yelled.

------

“Sweetie Drops, come out,” Aria said, annoyance filling her voice. She didn’t know why she had to do this. What was even the point of mind controlling a whole school of people if you couldn’t make them do the annoying things like chase people who had what you wanted? She hoped they’d hurry up and get here soon. She gave another half-hearted glance around before sighing. She bet this girl didn’t even have any magic stuff at all. She had half a mind to go back and just say that she’d gotten away.

“Sweetie Drops, just come out,” Aria said, unable to even make it sound like she cared. She hated getting stuck with these kinds of jobs. She should have--

Aria was on the ground, now. Her head hurt but there was definitely a knee pushed into her back and she could taste dirt. She didn’t know how this happened or why, but she didn’t like it. She tried to sit up, only to have her right arm suddenly grabbed and twisted behind her back, making her yelp. “L-listen here you--”

“First of all, my name is Bon Bon,” Bon Bon said from behind her. “I haven’t been Sweetie Drops in a long, long time. Second of all, please stop struggling. I don’t want to hurt you, but I might if you keep trying to twist out of my grip. I’ve never actually done this to a human before and I’ve certainly never done this AS a human. I’m not entirely certain how much an arm can take and I don’t think either of us want me to find out this way.”

“W-what in the world?” Aria asked. “Ow ow ow! What are you?”

“Oh, a lot of things,” Bon Bon said with a happy giggle. “I did some trash hauling for a bit, ran a candy shop, I was doing some confidential work for a while too. I’ve always been a firm believer in never limiting what you can learn, you know? It turns out with the right training you can learn a whole lot and that was before the training Celestia wanted me to have as Moondancer’s friend.”

“Ow ow ow you’re going to dislocate my arm!” Aria said before giving another groan. She then took a slow, deep breath before lightly humming. A moment later she felt a hand on the back of her head.

“It’ll be really hard to sing if your mouth is filled with dirt,” Bon Bon said. “I might not understand all of the inner workings of music magic, but I know you do need to be singing to make it work.”

Aria gave a small gulp. “Fine. Whatever. You win. What now?”

“Now? My friend is trying to figure all of this out,” Bon Bon said. “I’m not sure what she’s doing, but I’m sure she has everything perfectly under control. Still, I’d really prefer it if I could go check on her. So I’m going to see if there’s a way I can neutralize you as a threat without hurting you too much, then we’re going to--”

“OW! DOESN’T BEND THAT WAY!” Aria shrieked.

“Oh, um, sorry,” Bon Bon said sheepishly. “I’m really basing all of this on minotaurs, you know? I didn’t think it would be that different but uhhhh… sorry. How about that?”

“B-b-better,” Aria managed to choke out, struggling to keep herself from crying. She really, really wished she’d gone after the other one. She’d thought this one would be EASY!

------

“You know, I really thought you’d have something more complex in mind than to just run,” Adagio said as she walked through the trees, occasionally glancing around before her eyes locked onto a few footprints in the dirt. She gave a small smirk, coming to a stop.

Sunset kept her mouth shut, instead just pushing up against the tree and hoping the girl would keep going. She didn’t know what Moondancer and Bon Bon had planned, but she was certain the two of them knew what they were doing. Though a part of her she didn’t want to admit wished one of the other girls had come after her.

“Though, I guess running is what you do best now, huh?” Adagio asked. “It’s sad, really. The Sunset Shimmer I heard about was practically a warrior. Everyone was so scared of her. The kind of person who took what she wanted. When Twilight came running to you I was actually a tiny bit worried. It had taken us a while to get Crystal Prep under our sway, now we had to capture a second school? We’re good, but I didn’t know if we were that good. Especially if someone of actual danger was waiting for us.”

Sunset closed her eyes, trying to ignore the other girl’s words.

“I really did mean that offer I made you, then,” Adagio said. “But then, that was the Sunset I’d heard about. The old Sunset Shimmer, wasn’t it?”

Sunset shook her head. She wasn’t that Sunset anymore. She couldn’t be. She wanted to be better.

“The new Sunset, though,” Adagio said. “She’s soooooo nice. All it took was just a little hint of real power and then suddenly you were running like a beaten dog, righting wrongs, being such a ‘pwecious fwiend’ to everyone, weren’t you? Did you really think you could go back? Did you really think any of them would accept you? That they’d buy it for a second?”

“I know you’re pathetic, you know you’re pathetic,” Adagio said. “But everyone at Canterlot High? They still don’t, do they? They all think you’re just waiting to play them again. After all, you’re just the girl who went around ruining all their lives. Just like you did when you first arrived. Just like you did this time. What was it you said last time? ‘I’m in a much better place now’? Do you feel better?””

Sunset couldn’t help it, she gave the softest whimper. It wasn’t her fault, she didn’t mean for this to happen. She’d tried to put magic behind her. She’d given up on it. She’d made Twilight promise not to tamper with it anymore. She never wanted this to happen. Slowly she sunk to the ground, wishing the girl would just keep going.

“Canterlot High was even easier than Crystal Prep. Do you know why?” Adagio asked, waiting for a few moments before speaking again. “Because they all hated you. Every last one of them. It was so easy to take hold and turn them against you. Well, except Twilight. She seemed to believe you were what they all needed. I don’t know why, though. If anything, you were just another cause of problems for her. If not for you, she wouldn’t have that magic. We wouldn’t have had to take over her school. Chased her all the way here. Yet, for some reason, when I got to the music room, do you know what she was saying?”

Sunset shook her head, she didn’t want to hear this. It was all tricks. It had to be.

“She was saying they should trust you,” Adagio said. “That you were different now. But they didn’t believe her. They said it was all another trick. That they were just pretending to be your friend now so you couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. Isn’t that sooooo noble of them? Sacrificing themselves just so you wouldn’t turn evil on them? I guess seeing a girl go all demon on them once really left its mark, didn’t it? I don’t know what you were expecting, though. Did you really think you could just turn around and go ‘oops, my bad’ and they’d all forget?”

Sunset shook her head, struggling to contain another soft whimper.

“None of them want you here, Sunset,” Adagio said. “You don’t belong. You’re not wanted. All you’ve ever done is make things worse. Why ARE you even here? Though, I guess I should thank you. Whatever Moondancer brought with her, well… maybe it’ll be just what we finally need. Is that what you wanted? To not just fail, but to take everyone down with you? That certainly sounds like the Sunset Shimmer I heard about.”

Sunset hugged her knees to her chest.

“You’ve already lost, Sunset. You’ve already failed everyone. So why don’t you just run away again? I want to see what else you’ll bring us,” Adagio said before giving a mocking laugh. “Or, maybe, do you still think somehow they’ll forgive you? How about you ask them yourself?”

“I trusted you,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I thought you’d come through for me.”

Sunset lifted her head and looked through the trees. No. No no no. Please no. She saw Twilight walking towards them, with others from her school walking with her.

“I actually thought, maybe, you’d changed,” Applejack said. “But you were still just the same old Sunset, huh? Just trying to play all of us.”

“I really wanted to believe you were being genuine,” Fluttershy said. “But you always were just a big meanie, weren’t you? S-sorry.”

“Is this really what you wanted?” Rarity asked. “Maybe if you would just stop trying to use everybody around you, maybe some of us could help you.”

“You’re all wasting your time,” Rainbow said with a snort. “Sunset played all of us once. There’s no way she’d ever change.”

“You even broke your Pinkie Promise,” Pinkie said. “Nobody EVER breaks a Pinkie Promise.”

“And they were the ones who were going to give you another shot,” Adagio said with a light laugh. “Even they knew you were still just as nasty on the inside as magic made you on the outside. You could try and cover it up, but it’s--” She was cut off when Sunset let out a yell of frustration before running away, back the way they’d come. The siren watched her run before lifting a hand to her mouth to quiet her snickers. “As I said. Just run away in the end, doesn’t she? What’s the saying? The best revenge is being better?” Adagio asked.

“Actually, it’s ‘Living well is the best revenge’,” Twilight said.

Adagio rolled her eyes. “Well, in this case? It’s ‘Winning is always best when you can rub it in the loser’s face.’”

“Those two aren’t really related at all,” Twilight said.

Adagio sighed and started walking after Sunset, muttering under her breath about eggheads. Only a little longer.

------

Moondancer glanced back, still hugging the bag to her chest. She couldn’t believe it. Her being half deaf was, oddly, working in her favor. She could hear Sonata’s humming behind her and feel, somewhat, that magical guidance nudging her. But it just wasn’t as effective. At least, she suspected that was why.

It made sense, she supposed. If you could block out the music entirely, then the magic in it couldn’t affect you. If it was half blocked, then it was half as effective. That was before even considering things like the ways direction could play with sound and--

Her thoughts were thrown off when suddenly someone was directly in front of her. Moondancer yelped and tried to skid to a stop, but wasn’t fast enough. The woman she ran into, however, reached out and caught her by her shoulders. “S-sorry,” Moondancer said.

“Are you okay, Moondancer?” Celestia asked.

Moondancer went entirely still. No. No no no no no. No. No please no. Slowly she looked up at the woman.

It was Celestia. Not as a pony, but definitely her. Those eyes. That mane. That concerned look. The green magic glimmering in her eyes. It was then Moondancer realized that the hands on her shoulders hadn’t let go. “N-no,” Moondancer said softly. “C-Celestia. No.”

“Moondancer,” Celestia said in a slow, calm voice. “What did you take from Sonata?”

“I-I didn’t take anything,” Moondancer said, though she couldn’t stop shaking. Please. Anything but this. She could hear the siren coming closer. She had to knock Celestia away. She had to run.

“Moondancer,” Celestia said in a harsh, firm voice. “Give it to me.”

Moondancer shook her head. “N-no. I… I can’t…”

“Moondancer, please,” Celestia said. “You’ve already disappointed me enough.”

“Do what the principal says, Moondancer,” a second voice said. She turned to look at the next woman. It was so… familiar. Like Nightmare Moon, but when she was nice. Gentle.

“Moondancer, please,” Celestia said before letting one of her shoulders go and holding out her hand. “Be a good pupil for once. Do what I tell you.”

Moondancer looked between the two of them, unsure of what she could do. She felt like her soul was being shattered. She didn’t have the will to fight anymore, all she could do was slowly reach into the bag and pull out the compact. She was slowly dragged along behind her. Silent. Even when she felt Sonata’s song wash over her, she couldn’t even care.

She really was nothing more than a disappointment.

------

“You know, it’s times like this I kind of wish I was a unicorn,” Bon Bon said. “Being able to summon some rope when I need it would be useful. I guess it wouldn’t work here though, would it?”

“You’re doing fine without it,” Aria said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Ow! Not so tight!”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Bon Bon said before she moved the belt around slightly. “It’s your belt. Seriously, why do you need two of them like that?”

“It’s called a style,” Aria said. “Something I’m sure you’re not used to-- ow!”

“Sorry,” Bon Bon said. “Well, not really. But it was an accident, believe it or not. Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go make sure that--”

“Sweetie Drops?” a voice asked.

“I told you, my name isn’t Sweetie Drops! It’s Bon Bon! I’m not--” Bon Bon said before freezing in mid sentence. She knew that voice. She turned around to see the human walking towards her. The one pony she’d have recognized anywhere. “L-Lyra.”

“What are you doing to Aria?” Lyra asked as she approached.

“W-what?” Bon Bon asked. “It’s not what it looks like. She’s… no. You’re not going to believe me anyway, are you? You’re just…”

“What are you doing?” Lyra asked. “Who’s Bon Bon?”

Bon Bon slowly got to her feet and looked to her friend. “You’re not Lyra. Or, you are. But you’re not my Lyra. You’re under their spell.”

“S-Sweetie Drops?” Lyra asked before taking a small step back. “W-why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m sorry, Lyra,” Bon Bon said. “You’ll understand later.” She ran at her… only to skid to a stop when Lyra let out a shriek and covered her face with her hands. She shook her head. No. She needed to do this. This wasn’t HER Lyra. This was another Lyra. More than that, this Lyra was under the spell of these sirens. She wasn’t… she wasn’t…

But she couldn’t. Try as she might, it didn’t matter how much training she had or what the job was. When the one person she had to deal with was the one person she couldn’t bring herself to ever fight.

------

“Finally,” Adagio said before jumping off the stage and walking towards the other two sirens. The crowd was finally gathered, standing in front of the stage and staring ahead with glowing red eyes. Moondancer and Bon Bon walked slowly behind the other two sirens, their eyes glowing green. “Took your time, didn’t you?”

“How about next time YOU go after the weird girl?” Aria snapped. “She’s a lot tougher than she looks.”

Adagio blinked and stared at the other girl. “Why are you covered in dirt and pine needles? What happened to your belt?”

Aria just glared.

“Guess what I goooooot,” Sonata said before holding up the compact.

“At least one of you were competent this time,” Adagio said. “Where’s that other thing she had?”

“Where’s Sunset?” Aria asked before Sonata could answer.

“Don’t worry about her,” Adagio said before holding out her hand for the compact. “It’s time for our grand performance. After this, we’ll--”

“Oh, there she is,” Sonata said before motioning behind her.

“Huh?” Adagio said before turning to see Sunset standing on the stage. A low hum filled the air when the microphone came on. Slowly a smirk formed on the siren’s lips. “I guess she’s still got one last lesson to learn. Let’s make it a painful one, shall we?”

Sunset gulped before gripping the microphone. She really, really hoped Moondancer was right about this. Everyone was depending on her. Everyone needed her. If feelings really meant that much, well… then she’d have to show them exactly how she felt.

She wouldn’t run away this time. She wouldn’t hide this time.

She wouldn’t lose this time, because this time she had all of the right reasons to win.

Author's Notes:

See, this is why you need to be careful when you bring your world altering magical artifacts to other dimensions. Geez. Rookie mistake, Moondancer. But yes, Moondancer definitely knows what to do. Alas, she couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Especially not against trained professionals. But that's what the plan is for!

...

The plan is not going to plan!

Sunset is still very shy about using any kind of magic, though. Next chapter you'll find out exactly why, as it delves into a bit of what happened in the prior time between her visit from Twilight and this moment.

Also, Adagio is probably a bit... too confident here. Then again, as far as she knows she's already won and she is savoring it.

... Probably helps she practically shattered Moondancer's soul right there. I don't think even they expected that to be as effective as it was. Come on, Sunset, you're their last hope!

S4 CH 11: Not Today

“Power… was all I desired,” Sunset sang, letting the words come from her heart.

“Pfft, and she failed,” Adagio said with a smirk before she started to walk towards the stage. “Come on, girls, let’s show her the real show.”

“But all that grew inside of me was the darkness I acquired,” Sunset sang, her hands gripping the microphone so tightly they were going white.

------

Rainbow lightly bounced the soccer ball with her knees, moving it easily from side to side in rapid succession. Far faster than most could even imagine, let alone ever try to match. Yeah, she was awesome. Nobody could ever deny that.

“Hey, Rainbow?” Sunset called out.

“GAH!” Rainbow yelped before instinctively kicking the ball. It flew at the girl’s head and she barely managed to duck down in time to avoid it.

“Y-yeah, I probably deserved that,” Sunset said sheepishly. “Do you have a moment?”

“Ugh, what do you want, Sunset?” Rainbow asked before walking past her to get her ball. “Going to go all demon-like and try to mind control me again? Cause wasn’t really a huge fan of that the first time.”

“No,” Sunset said. “That was… I… I need to tell you about something I did.”

“Worse than the whole flying demon thing?” Rainbow asked. “Cause that’s a pretty big bar to jump, even for me.”

“Yes,” Sunset said. “It’s about your friends.”

Rainbow paused for a moment, holding her ball in her hands but not bouncing it yet. “Who?”

“I guess I should start with Applejack,” Sunset said before sighing, a hand lifting up to rub her arm nervously.

------

“When I began to fall and I lost the path ahead,” Sunset sang, a few small tears in her eyes. She looked out over the sea of silent, green-eyed people. So many people she’d hurt. So many who hated her. She’d done so much wrong, could she do this right? “That’s when your friendship found me and it lifted me instead.”

------

“Rarity?” Sunset asked.

“GAHHHH!” Rarity shrieked, nearly tearing the fabric she had been sewing. “Sunset? What do you want? Whatever… whatever madness, whatever scheme you’ve got in mind I want NO part in it. None. Are we clear?”

“I… well, no,” Sunset said. “L-listen, I know after the… whole, err. The mind control thing…”

“What?” Rarity asked. “Oh, that. Yes, I suppose that was… quite the ordeal. Though only the second worst thing you’ve ever done to me. I really must get back to--”

“Please,” Sunset said. “This is important. I know I’m… really not your favorite person right now. Especially, err, after… the uhhhh… when last time we competed against each other. Listen, if you never want to talk to me again after this, I understand.” She put down the yearbook, opening it to a picture of Rarity and her friends. “I need to talk with you about them.”

Rarity gave a light hmph. “I’m not sure what you have scheming in that--”

“It’s my fault,” Sunset said. “All of it. The reason you five don’t talk anymore.”

Rarity blinked a few times before cocking her head to the side and eyeing her. “How could you be responsible for that?”

Sunset sighed before nervously clearing her throat, she supposed soon the mind control thing would be known as the third worst thing she’d ever done to her. Oh, this one was going to hurt too, wasn’t it? She’d rather have gotten hit by another soccer ball.

------

“Like the phoenix burning bright in the sky,” Sunset sang. She’d shown them all the monster she could be. The hurt she could cause. But now she had to show them she could be better. She would be better. She wasn’t that person anymore. “I’ll show there’s another side of me you can’t deny.”

------

“AHHHH!” Fluttershy yelled shrieked, nearly falling out of her chair.

“Fluttershy? I haven’t said anything yet,” Sunset said.

Fluttershy let out another, even louder shriek. “S-Sunset? I… I’m not… I didn’t, I-I’m sorry!”

Sunset gave a soft sigh and wished she could do this one in a letter. She actually wished she could do them all that way. “Trust me, if anybody here should be apologizing, it’s me. I… have something I need to tell you. Then I’ll leave, okay? You’ll never have to see me again. I promise.”

“O-okay,” Fluttershy said softly.

“It’s about your friends,” Sunset said. “And what I did to all of you.”

------

“I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say,” Sunset sang. She would be better. She refused to be that person again. She’d learned from her mistakes. She would never, ever make anyone feel that way again. “That my past does not define me. Because my past is not today.”

------

“Hey, Pinkie?” Sunset asked.

“Hiiiii Sunset,” Pinkie said. “Want a cupcake?”

“I uhhh, I don’t think I deserve a cupcake,” Sunset said.

“Probably not,” Pinkie said. “But they’re called cupcakes, not deserved cakes.”

Sunset took a slow, deep, pained inhale. “Ow. Yeah. Uhhhh. I’m… kind of a monster, huh?”

“Well, not anymore,” Pinkie said with a light giggle. “You were for a bit, though. Well, more a demon actually. Wings were a nice touch, though.”

“Thanks,” Sunset said, barely suppressing her sarcasm. “I uhhh… need to talk with you about your friends.”

“Oh, I know,” Pinkie said. “They told me already.”

“They did?” Sunset asked. “So… you’re talking again?”

“Yup!” Pinkie said.

“That’s a relief. I guess this means I don’t need to tell Applejack then, huh?” Sunset asked.

“Well, you don’t need to,” Pinkie said. “But you probably should. You didn’t NEED to tell any of us, did you?”

Sunset gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Yeah. I… I guess I should, huh? Pinkie?”

“Yeah, Sunset?” Pinkie asked.

“I know it won’t ever be enough, but I’m sorry,” Sunset said.

“Eh, it’s fine. We’re a really forgiving group,” Pinkie said. “So, cupcake?”

“You know what? I’d like-- grrk,” Sunset said before choking on the cupcake nearly forced down her throat. Yeah, she figured she’d probably deserved that one too.

------

“Ambition. It’s what I believed,” Sunset sang, closing her eyes though she felt the tears go down her face. She’d been so lost, then. So trapped. So… stuck in her beliefs. So wrong. “Would be the only way to set me free.”

------

“Sunset,” Applejack said, her arms crossed and glaring at the other girl.

“Applejack,” Sunset said, her eyes lowered. She couldn’t look the girl in the eyes, not now.

“I hear you have something you need to tell me,” Applejack said.

“Yeah,” Sunset said before sighing. “I uhhhh, heard the others told you? So ummmm…”

“Why don’t you go ahead and tell me everything you did?” Applejack asked. “Just in case they forgot anything.”

Sunset let out another sigh. So much for getting off light this time. Not that she didn’t deserve it.

------

“But when it disappeared and I found myself alone,” Sunset sang. “That’s when you came and got me and it felt like I was home.”

------

Sunset sighed, slowly cleaning the remains of the smoke bombs out of her locker. She’d done the right thing, she reminded herself. She’d done what she had to do. As far as she knew, there wasn’t anyone else she’d tricked and needed to confess to. Granted, it still included like half the school. She really wished there had been a less painful way to go about it. About the only people who would even look at her anymore were Snips and Snails. That and she was really tired of having to dig her gym shoes out of the trash, or finding her locker filled with sea weed or whatever other ‘prank’ she found herself the target of.

The old her might have been angry and tried to destroy whoever was doing it, but she didn’t feel mad. She just felt sad. Alone. Maybe she could request a transfer. Crystal Prep was a nice enough school. It might be nice to have one person who didn’t hate her, even if that girl was usually so busy they barely saw each other anymore. It might be worth it to not walk into a room and have everyone look at her like they wished they could peel her off their shoe.

Then again, after what happened she could barely work up the courage to talk to Sparkle anymore. All of their meetings were so awkward. She knew they should talk about what happened, but neither of them seemed able to work up the courage.

She really wished she had somebody, anybody, she could ask advice from. Maybe that one weird girl. Glow. She’d seemed nice. She supposed she’d need to tell Glow how she’d tricked her too, though. “Oh Celestia,” Sunset said softly. “What I wouldn’t give to be able to send you a letter.” But telling everybody here what she had done was one thing. Even if Celestia was back, she didn’t think she could face her again. Not after all she’d done. The only place worse than here right now would probably have been back in Canterlot.

“I don’t know,” Rainbow said, making her jump. “Sending letters to the principal seems a bit weird.”

“Rainbow?” Sunset asked. “Sorry. Whatever else I did, I’m sorry.”

“We know, we get it,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “We were all here for the ‘Sunset’s a giant, obnoxious, pain in the butt apology tour’. And, well… I gotta admit. That took guts. Going through everybody in school, knowing we’d all hate your guts after? That we’d want to throw you down the stairs? Doing it anyway? That’s some determination. Annnnnd… kind of awesome. A little awesome.”

“What’s she’s trying to say,” Rarity said with a small smile. “Is we wouldn’t mind if you’d like to have lunch with us today.”

“On account of nobody else wanting anything to do with you,” Pinkie said.

“As a… thank you for doing the right thing,” Applejack said. “Even if it took you a while to get there. A long, long while.”

Sunset sighed before closing her locker. “I… appreciate it. Really, I do. But you don’t need to force it. This is all my fault, anyway. If I didn’t want to have everyone hate me, I shouldn’t have been so easy to hate.”

“Probably,” Fluttershy said softly, earning a few glares from her friends. “But you’re trying to be better. And everyone makes mistakes, yours were just… bigger.”

“And explosive,” Rainbow said.

“And apparently involving other worlds,” Applejack said.

“Honestly you’re lucky you weren’t expelled or anything,” Pinkie said. “Celestia’s reallllllly forgiving. Maybe you SHOULD send her a letter.”

“The point is, darling,” Rarity said. “Is we’re extending an olive branch. You don’t have to take it, but… you may need to.”

Sunset gave a soft sigh. Well, it wasn’t like anyone else was going to give her a shot. “Okay. That sounds… nice.”

“Who knows?” Applejack said. “Maybe we can get to know each other. You can tell us about that weird place you were from.”

“Equestria?” Sunset asked. “It’s… a little weird. I was a pony there.”

“Oh, that sounds much nicer than being a demon,” Fluttershy said. “I’d have liked you more if you were a pony.”

“I wasn’t a good pony,” Sunset said before giving a sigh. “Trust me.”

“Well, there’s no time like the present,” Rainbow said. “So enough of this sappy stuff. It’s just lunch, no big deal. Okay? Okay.”

But it had ended up being so much more than that to her.

------

“Like the phoenix burning bright in the sky,” Sunset sang, opening her eyes again. Was it her imagination? Had some of the green left their eyes? Were they staring at her, seeing the real her? Some of them knew her. Some of them she had hurt. Could they forgive her? “I’ll show there’s another side of me you can’t deny.”

------

Sparkle hugged her books to her chest, keeping her eyes down. It had been almost a week since that other version of her had left. She wanted to ask so many questions.

But there were none she could ask. It all felt so normal now. She felt mundane. There was a whole other world, one with magic and things she could never imagine. She’d finally found someone she could really understand and even bond with. Talk with. Yet it had all disappeared after only a few short days. Most of which was sent preparing to help her.

Sparkle couldn’t deny it. She felt lonely now. Like she had lost something she didn’t realize she’d wanted. She wanted to bother her brother about it, but he and Cadence had enough to worry about without her bothering them with her little moments of loneliness.

Crystal prep had never felt so empty. Surrounded by students. Maybe it was time she tried to learn in a different way. Having a study buddy had been fun. She took a slow, deep breath before her eyes fell on Sour Sweet. The girl had been…

Well, she wasn’t exactly nice. But she had let her come with them on their little prank of Canterlot High. Probably only because she’d caught them. And she’d been left behind… again. But that was kind of like bonding, right? Sparkle took another deep breath before walking towards Sour Sweet. “H-hey. Ummm, Sour--”

“And then I was--” Sour Sweet stopped and glanced over towards Sparkle, before rolling her eyes. “Oh, gee. It’s soooooo great having the teacher’s pet just butt in the middle of my story. What do you want?” she asked.

“Err,” Sparkle said softly. “I-I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just, um, I-I was, sorry. I’ll wait.”

“Oh nooooo,” Sour Sweet said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I wouldn’t want somebody as important as you to have to wait. What do you want?”

“I, I thought, err, maybe you might, I…”

“Can you get on with it?” Sour Sweet asked.

“I was curious if, ummm, later you’d like to… maybe… study together or something?” Sparkle asked softly, her cheeks going a little red.

Sour Sweet stared at her for a few moments before rolling her eyes again. “Oh, gee, aren’t you so sweet willing to offer your brilliance to someone as stupid as me? However would I get by without someone as generous as you to help me?” she asked in the most fake happy voice. “You hear that, girls? Aren’t we sooooo lucky that Principal Cinch’s star pupil is willing to lower herself to help us?”

“W-what?” Sparkle asked. “I-I didn’t mean it like that, I, I just thought, I… I just…”

“What?” Sour Sweet asked. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I hurt the little protege’s feel—” She was cut off when she was grabbed by her shoulder and turned around. She stared up at a very annoyed looking girl who was looking at her as if she was contemplating how to tear her apart. Physically and emotionally. Sour Sweet wilted, just a little, and wished the girl would let her shoulder go.

“You got a problem with Twilight?” Sunset asked.

“Uhhhhh… who are--”

“I asked you a question,” Sunset said, yanking the girl a little closer.

Sour Sweet opened her mouth to say something backhanded, only to pause. Unlike Sparkle, this girl looked like she was ready to throw down already. Worse, she didn’t recognize her at all. “What, a problem with lil miss perfect? Gee wiz, not at--” The words died in her throat when Sunset leaned in closer and gave her a not at all friendly grin. “No… no problem, ma’am.”

“Good,” Sunset said before letting her go. “Now how about you run along. I need to talk to someone smart and you obviously don’t fit the bill. While you’re at it, why don’t you lay off Twilight? Otherwise, you and me? We’re going to have a problem.” Sunset walked around her, pausing when they were side by side. “And trust me. You don’t want us to have a problem.” She then walked to Twilight and smiled. “Hey, Twilight Sparkle, right?”

“Uhhhh, y-yes. Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight said nervously. “Err, Sunset Shimmer, right?”

“Yeah. I want you to have a look at some things for me. Just a little favor for your new friend,” Sunset said before putting an arm around her shoulder and walking away with her.

“You really kind of chickened out there,” one of Sour Sweet’s friends said.

“Shut up, Sugar Coat,” Sour Sweet said before shaking her head.

------

“I may not know what the future holds, but hear me when I say,” Sunset sang, throwing everything she had into this last moment. She begged for them to wake up. To snap out of it. She’d made so many mistakes, messed up so many times. Please, please let this be the time she did things right. “That my past does not define me. Because my past is not todayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

------

“Sunset?” Sparkle asked, staring at her friend. “I’m not so sure about this.”

“I know,” Sunset said with a small smirk. “That’s why I’m doing it.”

“But—” Sparkle said, before getting cut off.

“I get it,” Sunset said. “You’ve never really handled magic. But me? I’ve been doing it since I was a foal. I like to roll up my sleeves and really get my hooves, err, I mean my hands dirty. This right here? This is going to get messy.” She held up the compact. She could feel the magic, the power, inside. Waiting for her. It was time for her destiny to finally come. She really had to give it to Sparkle, she’d have never managed it without her.

“But what if it’s dangerous?” Sparkle asked. “What if you get hurt?”

Sunset paused and glanced over at her. She gave a small smile and then reached out, flicking her nose. “Relax, Twilight. I know what I’m doing. Don’t… worry...” She trailed off and felt, for the first time since she’d arrived here, doubt. She looked down at the compact. She then glanced to the other girl. They’d had so much fun together. Studying, learning, experimenting with the old Equestrian artifacts. For the first time she wondered if, just maybe, she didn’t need power. What if it wasn’t what she had been looking for all along? She then rolled her eyes. Right. As if she’d ever chicken out at the last minute. She was many things, but she was NOT a quitter. She was not going to let a bit of jitters stop her from getting what she deserved. “Twilight, relax. I’ll be fine. We’ve come too far just to stop now. Besides, don’t you want to know what’ll happen?”

“I… I guess,” Sparkle said.

“Good,” Sunset said before opening the compact. The magic formed a small, red sphere for a moment. Perfect. She could--

Then the magic enveloped her arms. She could feel it. She could feel all of it.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

It grew and began to envelop her, wrapping her in its burning light. Tears started to flow from her eye. She couldn’t control this. No, she wasn’t ready. She’d never been ready. Not for this.

Was this what Celestia had tried to protect her from? Was this what her mentor had tried to teach her to control?

She could feel it washing over her, soon covering all over her and burning away her tears. Then it felt as if it was burning away her very soul.

She would have more. She would bind all of them to her will. She could see the students starting to come out, curious as to the commotion. No. No no no. Run away. Run.

Bow. She’d wanted power. Now she had it. Now it was time for her to take everything she’d ever desired.

Below she caught sight of Twilight and realized her friend wouldn’t be spared. She desperately tried to regain a little control.

“R-run,” Sunset begged her. “P-please, run.”

The red light glowed brighter and the power took hold, focused on the thing she had wanted more than anything else. Where once Sunset Shimmer had stood, now she flew above all. A monster. A demon. A power none of them could understand. So beyond what she had been.

Sun Shatterer.

She laughed before holding out her hand and unleashing her wrath on the world around her. She would have control. She would have power. She would be glorious.

------

Sparkle stared at her friend. This was her fault. This was all her fault. She knew this was wrong. She knew this was a bad idea. Why hadn’t she stopped it?

She’d never forget that look of pain on Sunset’s face. The way the magic burned away her tears. Wasn’t there anything she could do? Sparkle slowly walked towards the compact, kneeling down to pick it up.

She’d been so happy, so excited. She’d finally had a friend. A person who seemed to not just understand her little tangents, but enjoyed them. More than that, Sunset had even reached out to help her. She’d always been one to wilt away and hide. Sure, Sunset wasn’t always the nicest person around, but she definitely had that softer side. Even if Sunset sometimes talked down to her, she never let anyone else do it. She’d also shown an odd amount of care whenever Twilight got a bit too absorbed in work, making sure she’d eaten and got sleep. Those moments were always interspersed with comments like ‘what would you do without me?’ and ‘geez, you should be smart enough to take care of yourself’, but they were still there.

Twilight clenched the compact. She’d even started to question some of the things Principal Cinch had said to her. Told her. Demanded of her. She knew she was being used, but she’d become used to that.

But Sunset had been the first one to seem to see something beyond what she could get from her. Or maybe it was just her imagination. Maybe she’d just been blinded by so many questions about magic and wanting to understand. In the end was this the real Sunset? This demon? This thing taking over the minds of the students of this school? She looked down at the compact and then up at her friend.

‘Run,’ Sunset had said.

No. There was good there. This demon wasn’t her friend. Her friend was in there. Her friend had tried to save her. Maybe…

Sparkle stared down at the compact once more. “SUNSET!”

“Sunset?” the demon called before laughing. “No, no longer. I am Sun Shatterer! Future princess, no, a queen!”

Sparkle gulped before holding the compact up and opening it once more. She’d captured the magic once, she could do it again.

Sun Shatterer laughed. The device tried to take her power, but she resisted its pull with ease. “I see. I suppose I did need to deal with you eventually, didn’t I?” Red magic gathered around her hands. “You’ll serve me well.”

Twilight’s legs began to shake. Only a few wisps seemed to be going into the compact, not nearly enough to stop this. So this was her friend after all. In the end, she’d just been used again. She closed her eyes and waited, not sure what would happen now.

“Twilight,” Sun Shatterer said, her voice strained.

Twilight looked up. Sun Shatterer stared down at her, her eyes sizzling from tears that burned away as fast as they fell.

“R-run,” Sun Shatterer pleaded with her. “I-I can’t… control… Please. G-get out of here.”

Twilight stared at her and, despite the situation, her heart soared. Sunset really had been her friend. “Sunset! I know you’re in there! I know you can fight this!” she yelled. “Please. Fight this! I know you can do it!”

Sun Shatterer raised her hands and gave a furious roar before throwing down a blast of red magic at her friend. At her minion. At her friend.

------

Sunset stared out over the sea of faces staring back at her. Glowing green eyes showing their bound wills. She supposed it made sense, though. If there was one thing she’d learned about magic, it was that she shouldn’t be using it. She couldn’t control it. Without her friends, she was helpless. Last time she’d tampered with it, Sparkle had been there to save her. She didn’t entirely know how the egghead had done it, but she knew she’d never be able to thank her enough for stopping her. Now she’d never get the chance to return the favor. She sunk to her knees. “I’m so sorry… everyone. I can’t do this.”

“Oh, a decent enough attempt,” Adagio said waving her hand dismissively. “Alas, your song was just passable. Though that’s being generous.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Sonata said. “I kind of liked it.”

“Ugh, you’re the worst,” Aria said.

“Now, girls,” Adagio said before climbing up the steps onto the stage. “As much fun as this has been, why don’t we show her real music?” She held up the compact. “If it’s any consolation, nobody will ever remember just how badly you failed.”

Pinkie’s hand darted out, swiping the compact from her and leaving the girl standing there for a few moments, staring at an empty hand. “Oh, I don’t know, I thought it was pretty good!” She then tossed the storage device over her shoulder. “Sunset, catch!”

“W-what?” Sunset asked before giving a yelp, barely managing to catch the compact, nearly dropping it twice before getting a solid grip on it. “P-Pinkie? Where did you, when did you, what? You’re… free?”

“You know, you never told us you could sing,” Rainbow said before tapping her on the shoulder and then offering her a hand when she turned around. “Cheesy, a bit sappy, but I guess I kind of liked it. I would have gone with something a biiiiit more awesome, but phoenixes are good enough.”

“R-Rainbow? O-oh, right. Here,” Sunset said before moving to put the compact into her hand. Rainbow ignored it and instead grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet.

“You know, Sunset,” Rarity said from behind Rainbow, her arms crossed and looking quite huffy. “You’re quite an awful person to make an enemy of.”

“Buuuuut you ain’t half bad to have on our side,” Applejack said, stepping up besides Rarity, a smirk on her lips.

“Did… you really mean all that?” Twilight asked. “When ummm… did you really feel… like…”

Sunset stared at her friends, trying to stop new, happy tears from falling. “I-I’m so sorry I caused all this. If I hadn’t… if I hadn’t tampered with magic like that… none of this would have happened.”

“And we forgive you,” Fluttershy said before glaring at the three sirens. “We’ll forgive you too AFTER we kick your butts for being such meany heads!”

Adagio stared at them for a few moments before glancing to the instruments set up on the stage and then the compact. Slowly a grin formed on her lips. “Do you really think you’ve got us beat that easily?”

“Ummmm, Adagio? They have the stored magic now,” Sonata said.

“So? They can’t use it,” Adagio said before glancing out over the crowd. “You managed to free some of your friends, which I’ll admit is… annoying. But you weren’t strong enough to break the entirety of our spell and I don’t think you’ll be having an encore.” She lifted her hands up. “Now then. I believe it’s our turn. Ah ahh…”

“Ah ahh…” Aria and Sonata sang in unison.

“Uhhhhh,” Pinkie said nervously. “I don’t suppose you have another song in there, do you Sunset?”

“W-what?” Sunset asked. “T-that was supposed to be all of you! T-that was why I had to free you! So you could use the magic and save everyone!”

“Welcome to the show,” the three sirens sang in unison. “We’re here to let you know. Our time is now. Your time is running out.”

The waves of magic music washed over them, making their knees shake.

“G-get to the instruments!” Sunset yelled. “I-it’s their magic. We need to sing over them!”

“Feel the wave of sound as it crashes down,” the sirens sang. Waves of magic rippled off from them while their necklaces glowed bright red. “You can’t turn away. We’ll make you want to stay.”

Waves of magic washed over the seven, driving them to their knees.

“We will be adored, tell us that you want us. We won’t be ignored, it’s time for our reward. Now you need us, come and heed us. Nothing can stop us nooooooow!” The three sang while Adagio smirked and walked towards the girls, her amulet glowing even brighter red while the girls struggled to get near the instruments. Sunset struggled to reach for the microphone, only to have a foot pushed against her shoulder and then shove her back into her friends. The compact fell from her hands and landed in front of the siren and she didn’t hesitate, scooping it up in a single movement before opening it.

Red magic washed over her and then spread to the three, their amulets glowing ever brighter as their singing cries filled the air. “What we have in store? All we want and more.” The three began to float in the air, wings of magic appearing on their backs. “We will break on through! Now it’s time to finish you!” The magic rippled between the three amulets as their voices rose higher and higher.

The three sirens rose their hands up and over their heads. Three finned pony-like creatures materialized from their amulets and rose up above them a moment later, circling in the sky and reveling in their new power.

Moondancer stared, her eyes wide. She thought Sunset had done it. Her friends were free, all they had to do was counter sing. But they needed time. That was the whole reason to bring her friends here to being with. Now? They needed help. There had to be something they could do. She looked to Bon Bon for a moment before reaching out and grabbing her hand. “Bon Bon?”

“Huh?” Bon Bon asked before shaking her head. “What?”

“Come on!” Moondancer yelled before running forward, holding her friend’s hand. She reached into the bag once more, pulling the Elements of Harmony out. All five gems were glimmering now, though some of them kept flickering in and out. She didn’t know what that meant, but she knew she had to do something. They had to do something while the sirens were distracted by their new power.

She couldn’t use the Elements, fine. But maybe they could. She ran to the edge of the stage and held out the Elements to her. “Sunset!” Moondancer yelled. “Take these!”

“W-what?” Sunset asked. “I can’t! I told you, I’m not supposed to have magic! Last time I almost hurt everyone!”

“You have to!” Moondancer yelled. “You’re the only one who can!”

“Well, somebody better!” Rainbow yelled.

“Twilight, you stopped me,” Sunset said, turning to her friend. “You can do it.”

Twilight stared at her, her mouth falling open. “W-what? No… no I didn’t.”

“What?” Sunset asked.

“I never stopped you,” Twilight said.

“But… you had the stored magic,” Sunset said. “You saved me!”

“No,” Twilight said. “I didn’t. You stopped yourself. When everything went wrong, I couldn’t save you! I couldn’t, only you could!”

A cry from above told Moondancer they’d run out of time. She turned to see the sirens now looking at them again, cruel smiles on their faces. She couldn’t believe it. They were going to be destroyed or worse if Sunset didn’t do it. “SUNSET!” Moondancer yelled. “Stop being an idiot and take this! You used the magic, I know it’s scary! But you’re not doing it alone! Your friends are here!” She looked up and saw the three sirens combining their magic before unleashing waves of magic at them.

Sunset reached out and took the Elements. Finally. Moondancer only barely managed to suppress the urge to yell at the girl for being so daft. So what if she failed once? With her friends she could--

The magic washed over them and she collapsed against the stage, letting out an agonized scream as it washed over her. She could see Sunset clutching the Elements, trying to get them to do something.

“JUST WORK!” Sunset yelled. “DO SOMETHING!” she yelled before slamming the Elements on the ground.

The Elements sparkled for a moment before, finally, there was a flash of light.

Suddenly they were falling. Moondancer landed on a coffee table, though it collapsed a moment later. “O-ow…” she said softly. A moment later she heard the sound of others dropping into the strange room with her. It was better than being crushed under magical siren music, at least. She laid there for a few moments before looking around.

She was a pony again. She looked up and saw a strange, circular rift in the ceiling above, opening to the sky of the human world.

The three sirens had landed on top of each other in the strange living room with them, no longer human but instead in their actual siren forms, staring down at her and the others.

“O-oh dear,” Moondancer said. “O-okay, everypony! S-stay calm, it… what?” she said when she focused on the others. Bon Bon was a pony. So was Sunset Shimmer, who was holding the Elements in her hooves. She had also, to Moondancer’s mild annoyance, managed to land on a couch.

The six girls, however? They were human. Then, after a moment, Sunset was a human. Then after a few more moments she was a pony. Then a human. “C-can somebody--” Pony. “Please make this--” Human. “Stop?!” Pony.

Okay, so they weren’t in Equestria. Or the human world. Where were they?

“I swear,” an all too familiar voice said before the Elements were picked up, out of Sunset’s hooves. The blue gem started to shine before going entirely dim. “It’s bad enough the tree starts bothering me for help, now this overdone decorative piece?” Discord asked before shaking his head. “I can’t solve all of your problems, you know. I’m not some deus ex draconequus.”

“Ahhhh—” the sirens started before zippers appeared over their mouths. “MMMMPH!”

“Make—” Sunset the human said. “It--” Pony. “Stoooooop!” Human.

Discord rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. A moment later Sunset was just a pony. She groaned and collapsed, falling off the couch. “Better?” he asked in a mildly annoyed tone.

“M-much,” Sunset said before looking up at him. “Wait. I recognize you. You’re… you’re...”

“Discord, Lord of Chaos and Disharmony?” he asked with a smirk.

“One of the palace's lawn ornament?” Sunset asked.

Discord blinked a few times before sighing. “And this is what happens when you leave the best character out of the script. Well, then. Since it seems I now have a bunch of uninvited guests, I suppose I’ll put some tea on.” He snapped his fingers and an apron appeared on him. “Do try not to clean up or anything, I just dirtied the place up and it’s so hard to keep things properly messy around here.” He then tossed the Elements back onto Moondancer, the tailring bouncing off her head and rolling along the ground before she grabbed it. “Oh, and congratulations, Moondancer. You apparently did slightly better this time. I’ll give you a, ohh… D+. Not a passing grade, but shows improvement.”

“W-what? I’ve never gotten a D before!” Moondancer said. “I-is there any extra cre-- wait, what? I… what? I… I didn’t even do anything.” She blinked a few times before glancing to the annoyed sirens who were trying to unseal their mouths. This… this was better, right?

Sunset just looked confused, staring at her. “Is this… better… or worse… than the demon thing?”

“Better, I think,” Moondancer said.

“You really ARE unicorns!” Fluttershy said excitedly.

“Maybe better,” Moondancer said with a little squeak. “At least nopony landed on me this time.” She then glanced down at the Elements. They’d only kind of worked this time, but they had done something. Yet Discord said she’d done better. Was that just more of his taunting?

Or was this the first step towards finally understanding them?

Author's Notes:

And here we have one of my favorite songs from the series, My Past Is Not Today. And some glimpses of what happened in this canon. Sunset never really did get a good glimpse of how magic worked here... but she's seen the damage it can do. But both her and Sparkle have yet to realize the most important thing. Sunset didn't stop herself and Twilight didn't save her. It took both of them, in the end. Eh, they'll figure it out.

On the... downside, Adagio realized that mayyyyybe she shouldn't keep toying with the girls if they managed to actually break their spell once. Kind of hard to play your instruments if you can't get to them...

Also, seriously, banging the Elements of Harmony on the ground is NOT the way to activate them. This is why they only get a D+ on that project. Still, improving... Just wait until Twilight and Moondancer can share notes. Imagine the research! The notes! The double, triple checking! It shall be fabulous!

S4 CH 12: Not Helping

Sunset thought she knew what magic was. She’d teleported, made plants grow a hundred feet in the air and even managed to hop backwards in time once for a few seconds. That was before going to the human world, of course. She’d thought she understood magic. She’d thought she was powerful.

But none of that could compare. No, not even raising the sun and the moon. They were but mere parlor tricks compared to the magic she was now experiencing. Fluttershy’s fingers massaged her just above the horn and she was pretty sure she would have given the girl every ounce of magic she had in order to have it continue for just a few more moments. Even the fact that Discord kept giving them annoyed looks didn’t make her reconsider. This? This was heaven.

The three sirens had already fallen before the might of the girl’s scritchies and she was certain that later she would regret this. But for now? In this moment? She was too blissed out to care.

“I think I like Sunset a lot more as a pony,” Fluttershy said softly. “She’s much nicer. Err, not that you’re not nicer now.”

“I will be whatever you want me to be, just please never stop,” Sunset said dreamily.

Rainbow just shook her head as she kept recording it with her phone. “At the very least we can be certain she’ll never go all angry rah rah evil again.”

“Why?” Applejack asked.

“Because if she does I’m so posting this online,” Rainbow said with a snicker.

“Rainbow, darling,” Rarity said. “That’s so scandalous I’m a little jealous I didn’t think of it first.”

“I… feel I should worry about that… but can’t… think right now…” Sunset mumbled.

“So… you’ll help, right?” Moondancer asked.

“To an extent,” Discord said with a sigh.

“What extent?” Moondancer asked.

“I’m really not liking this ‘Let’s go to Discord to fix all our problems’ line you ponies and jewelry seem to be taking,” Discord said before sipping from his lightly humming beaked beaker. “You make it sound like I have nothing better to do than help you ponies out of every minor problem.”

“Do you?” Moondancer asked before she could help herself.

“Don’t get smart with me, Moondancer. It doesn’t suit you,” Discord said.

Moondancer gave a soft sigh. She really, really wished she knew what his angle was. Or how they got here. Or why the others were humans. Shouldn’t they be ponies?

“You’re in the Realm of Chaos,” Discord said. “NOT Equestria.”

Moondancer blinked. “But the Realm of Chaos is in Equestria, isn’t it?”

Discord just cocked an eye at her.

Moondancer felt her eyes twitch. Oh, that just shattered at least seven different laws of dimensional relativity. She was going to write SUCH a report. Maybe even-- wait. “Wait a second, did you just read my mind?!”

“No, I read the page,” Discord said. “Trust me, even I wouldn’t try to read your mind. I may be a being of incredible power and chaos, but your mind is likely the equivalent of a magic point presentation. I do have my limits.”

“Hey!” Moondancer said.

“W-what’s wrong with, ummm, magic-point presentations?” Sparkle asked, her focus primarily on the animal crackers served with the chirping tea. The monkeys were trying to ride a rhino, but failing miserably. “They sound like fun.”

“Lots of… fun…” Sunset mumbled dreamily.

Discord rolled his eyes. “There is too much ‘student’ here. Not enough… oh dear. Where’s Pinkie? Eh. I’m sure it’ll be fine. As I was saying, I’m not going to fix this for you. That’s up to you lot. What I will do is offer you transportation.”

“Transportation?” Moondancer asked, unable to keep the suspicion out of her voice.

“Indeed,” Discord said. “Equestria or Pedestria.”

“Wait, that place is called Pedestria? Like pedestrian?” Moondancer asked.

“I mean, you’re from Equestria, as in equine,” Sparkle said.

“But that’s… well… okay, fair,” Moondancer said. “So you’ll send me ho… oh. Oh no. If I go back to Equestria, then what about them?” she asked. “They need our help! We can’t just send them to face the sirens alone!”

“H-hey!” Adagio said, struggling to sit up… only to collapse when Fluttershy reached over and started scritching behind her ears. “What… was I saying? Wait. Right. Not… going there. Going back to Equestria. Going home. Want… my magic back. MY magic.”

“Uhhhhh,” Moondancer said. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes,” Adagio said. “We… are sirens. We want our forms… our powers back.”

Moondancer opened her mouth, but then stopped herself. Maybe warning them about Nightmare Moon wasn’t something she had to do. Not to mention it seemed the sirens hadn’t considered the fact that they seemed to draw power from those under their spell. Without that power, they’d surely be helpless. She turned red when she realized Discord was smirking at her. He didn’t know everything she was thinking, did he? “S-shush, you. Okay, fine. I guess thank you for your, um, assistance. And utterly shattering at least four different laws of dimensional travel.”

“C-can I borrow some books from Equestria’s library?” Sparkle asked sheepishly. “Maybe about these four laws?”

Discord rolled his eyes and then lifted a hand. “Well then. If everyone is done, I believe it’s time for all of you to go. Because, frankly, there’s really only two of you I actually like and I really do need to stop Pinkie before she ends up splintering my realm and creates her own miniature chaos realm.”

“Err, come again?” Applejack asked, looking up from her lasso’ed dust bunnies.

“Don’t worry about it,” Discord said.

“Wait, what about Sunset?” Sparkle asked. “Where’s she going?”

Discord just sighed before snapping his fingers.

------

Moondancer appeared in the air and crashed to the ground. A moment later Bon Bon appeared overhead, dropping onto her.

Then the Elements of Harmony appeared, bouncing off her head. Then a horned helmet. Then a talisman. Then an amulet.

Finally, three sirens appeared and landed on them.

Moondancer whimpered, waiting to see what else would appear to land on her. Fortunately, it seemed to be done. “I think… he might… hate me too…” Moondancer managed to wheeze out. Finally she looked up and squeaked.

She was in the throne room. Nightmare Moon just stared at her, her mouth open. It was truly hard to say who was more surprised, her or her teacher.

“Nope, he definitely does,” Moondancer said.

“Do… we even… wish to know?” Nightmare Moon asked. “We… are not sure this qualifies as… enjoying one’s self.”

“Discord,” Moondancer said.

“Discord sucks,” Bon Bon said.

“Verily,” Adagio said.

“I don’t know, I think he was kind of cute,” Sonata said.

“Sonata, you’re the worst,” Aria said.

“Are… those… seaponies?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Huh?” Adagio said before giving a squeak. “An ALICORN?”

“Can somepony please, please get off me?” Moondancer asked. “Any of you?”

“S-sorry,” Bon Bon said. “Up we go!”

The three sirens let out a shriek when suddenly they were tossed aside.

“Not that this… whatever this is… isn’t amusing to watch,” Nightmare Moon said. “But what, exactly, is the point? Student?”

“J-just need a moment,” Moondancer said before giving a light groan. Discord was evil. She didn’t care what Fluttershy said. Pure. Evil.

Adagio glanced at the exhausted mare for a moment before, slowly, a grin formed on her lips. “We are singers, your majesty. Please, allow us to perform for you?”

“Huh?” Moondancer asked.

“Very well,” Nightmare Moon said before nodding.

“W-wai—” Bon Bon tried to stop them, but before she could the three flew up into the air. They entered a harmonic chorus, their voices echoing through the throne room. Bon Bon reached up and quickly covered her ears, mentally cursing when she saw the guard’s eyes start to turn green. Moondancer went entirely still, her eyes turning green when the magic washed over her.

The three sirens gave the two ponies smug looks, before suddenly they were enveloped in green magic and dragged in front of the ruler, their mouths sealed shut.

Nightmare Moon stared down at the three of them, a look of mild annoyance on her face. She gave a light yawn before speaking. “I take it you are… friends… of our student. So we will forgive, just once, this affront. But should you ever attempt any mind control magic like that again, we shall de-bone you.” Her wings spread out, causing her to tower over them.

“F-friends is a strong word,” Moondancer said with a groan before managing to stand up. She shook her head before quickly casting a sound filtering spell over her remaining ear. Oh, she didn’t like that. Their singing was much stronger here. Fortunately, so was she… if she wasn’t caught by surprise. Or had everypony dropped on her back.

“Ah, we see,” Nightmare Moon said before grinning, her fangs revealed. “Then it seems this night, long as it has been, will have some amusement after all.”

“M-more like acquaintances!” Moondancer said quickly.

“Ah,” Nightmare Moon said before glancing to Moondancer and Bon Bon. “Our bard is not here and usually she is the one who rises up in some annoying lecture about restraint and mercy. Are these creatures thre…” She then paused and looked at the three of them. “Do they believe themselves threats to our rule or not?”

“Uhhhh… n-not,” Moondancer said. “Just very stupid, your majesty.”

“We see,” Nightmare Moon said before dismissively tossing the three aside. They landed with a light crash. She then rose to her hooves and stretched out. “We are tired. Thank you for this…” She glanced at the pile or sirens and assorted objects. “Performance. Perhaps practice more before attempting it again. Ensure you pick up your trinkets before you retire.” She started to walk for a moment before glancing back at the sirens once more. “One final thing. You three.”

They stared up at her. “Err, your majesty?” Adagio said softly.

“Our threat was not idle,” Nightmare Moon warned. “We will not tolerate such magic in our realm. Our will is absolute. It shall not be forcefully altered by any creature.”

The lights flickered in the throne room for a moment, revealing dozens of dark shades looming over the sirens.

The lights then came back on once more. “Acquaintances of our student or not. We hope our warning is clear, as you will not receive another.” The alicorn then walked from her throne room, leaving the five behind.

“W-what… what were those?” Adagio asked.

“Y-you know, maybe being human wasn’t so bad,” Sonata said softly. “T-they had tacos.”

“That… that wasn’t really… she couldn’t REALLY de-bone us, would she? She… wouldn’t, right?” Aria asked.

“I can’t say for certain if she wouldn’t,” Moondancer said, struggling to keep her voice steady. “She almost did it to me. Or, well, de-winged me. But you asked for this, after all. Welcome to Equestria.”

The three sirens just stared at her.

“I got this, Moondancer,” Bon Bon said. “Back in Pedestria, you were big fish in a little pond. Now? Well, you just met the big shark. Congratulations. You survived.”

“She can’t… truly… can she?” Adagio asked. “I mean…”

“She can,” Moondancer said.

“She probably would,” Bon Bon said. “You’re not ponies, after all.”

Moondancer sighed before starting to pick up the artifacts in her magic. “I hope these are all of the ones that Sunset took. I wonder where--”

“Hey!” Adagio said before rising up. Her eyes narrowed on the partial alicorn. “That magic is ours, we--”

Moondancer took a slow, deep breath. “They’re going back where they belong.”

“They are ours,” Adagio said. “We worked hard for--”

Moondancer couldn’t take it anymore. It all just hit and she managed to loop all the way around from exhausted to furious. She teleported in front of the siren a moment later. “You will do nothing.”

“W-what? We--”

“In the last twelve hours, you have chased me around, threatened me, used my mentor against me, hurt my friends, started to enslave an entire city and caused more damage than I have the energy to measure,” Moondancer said, her voice quivering with rage. “More than that? You possibly tried to kill me. You DEFINITELY hurt the alternative world version of some of my dearest friends. You wanted to be around magic? Power? Congratulations. You’re swimming in it now. None of it yours. So you will do nothing. You will behave. Because the moment you try enslaving the will of others and grabbing power again?” Her horn shimmered for a moment and the lights of the room flickered out again. The surrounding shades moved away from her while the darkness began to swirl around her form. “You won’t need to worry about Nightmare Moon anymore, because I’ll deal with you myself. I didn’t have magic there. But here? I have a lot more than you three are prepared to deal with. After all the people who’ve hurt my friends I had to let slide, it might actually be relaxing to finally be able to take some vengeance. Are. We. Clear?”

Adagio stared at her for a moment, before opening her mouth to speak again. Before she could, Sonata and Aria jumped on her, covering her mouth with their hooves. “Crystal clear!” Sonata said quickly. “It, err, has been a really long night anyway, maybe we should all get some sleep. Right?”

“Right,” Moondancer said before letting the lights flicker back on. “I wouldn’t try singing for the time being. Shades don’t really hear like a pony does, but they know plenty of ways to stop it. I’ll have some guards take you to a guest room or something.” She then turned and walked away, Bon Bon following behind her.

“Are you okay?” Bon Bon asked. “That uhhhh…”

Moondancer shook her head once the door closed behind her. “I-I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m completely fine. I’m fine.”

“Moondancer,” Bon Bon said before reaching out and putting a hoof on her withers.

Moondancer stared at her friend before she finally just gave in. She didn’t have it in her to run to her room and silence the sounds. Not this time. She was too tired and angry and hurt to even cry. She just leaned into her and all but collapsed.

“It’s okay, Moondancer,” Bon Bon said softly.

“I-I… I’m not a d-disappointment, a-am I?” Moondancer asked. “Did I do the right thing? H-how should I… I-I tried so hard. I just… I just wanted to…” The relics fell to the ground around her. “W-what would T-Twilight have done? W-would she have done it b-better? Should I have j-just let Nightmare Moon have them? I-I wanted to. I really, really did. But I just… I wanted to do right. I-I wanted to be… did… did I do the right thing?”

“You did wonderfully,” Bon Bon whispered, slowly patting her on the back of the head. “Nopony thinks you’re a disappointment. Nopony. You’re doing better than anypony would ever have asked you.”

“I-I just keep messing u-up,” Moondancer said softly. “I-I gave them… I gave them t-the magic. I--”

“You kept the Elements safe though, right? We dealt with it,” Bon Bon said. “You did great. Honest. Nopony could have done it better. Celestia would be very proud of you.”

“Are… are you sure?” Moondancer asked.

“I’m sure,” Bon Bon said.

“Thank you,” Moondancer said gently. “Sorry you… g-got dragged into all this.”

“Are you kidding?” Bon Bon asked. “This was one of the funnest adventures I’ve had in ages. Lyra is going to be soooooo jealous when I tell her. I’m totally going to be sleeping on the couch for a week.”

Moondancer couldn’t help it, she couldn’t stop herself from giggling. Friends really were the best thing in the world. She just hoped Sunset and the others would be okay, now that everything was fixed. “Okay. Ummm, so about Sweetie Drops?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Bon Bon said. “It’s just my old name. Bon Bon is a much better one, isn’t it?”

“I think so,” Moondancer said with a smile before sighing and eyeing the Elements of Harmony over her friend’s shoulder. The blue gem had been lightly glowing before when she found it, but ever since Discord had picked it up, only two of the elements glowed. The orange and the pink one.

She had a very, very bad feeling about that. Maybe it was time she went back to the library and started doing some secret research, without her mentor knowing.

------

“Errrr, so…” Sunset asked sheepishly. “Are… you ummm… going to send me back?”

“Have you decided where you want to go?” Discord asked, though he wasn’t looking at her. He snapped his fingers and the small house began to ‘fix’ itself. The gathered dust bunnies running off, the broken bits of furniture repairing themselves, though some then broke in a completely different way, which Sunset didn’t understand.

“Pedestria,” Sunset said. “Are you okay? You seem…”

Discord sighed and snapped his fingers again. Once more she was a human. “Don’t worry about the mood of ‘lawn ornaments’. That’s two favors, Sunset. Don’t forget when the time comes to collect.”

“Wait, collect? I-I didn’t--” Sunset asked, but disappeared before she could get an answer. Instead only receiving a low, ominous chuckle that seemed to echo through her head. Worse, the way he had said that sounded very annoyed.

Oh, she had such a bad feeling about that.

Author's Notes:

As you can all see, everything is now fixed and better, with absolutely no consequences from needing to have Discord help. Again. Everything is going absolutely perfectly. Both Moondancer and Nightmare Moon are trying their hardest, though Moondancer is starting to feel the strain. She doesn't WANT to be nice to them... but she feels she's supposed to. At least two of the sirens see the wisdom in NOT letting Adagio push her too far... right now.

Also, Moondancer remembered the age old knowledge of 'Don't interrupt your enemy when they're about to make a mistake.' The sirens are dangerous... once they've gotten going. But until they ramp up, they're... relatively... harmless to ponies who are powerful enough. And unfortunately for them, they've now gone and met the big shark. Luckily for them, the shark is trying to be better and has already hurt her student enough to not want to do it more.

Still one more chapter to post, a little interlude between Tirek and Chrysalis, before going into what Twilight has been doing this week. Surely her time spent wedding planning will be safer than galavanting around dimensions, right?

RIGHT?!

Hope you all enjoyed this brief Equestria Girls adventure.

S4 CH 13: Trade

“… So, what are you reading now?” Chrysalis asked.

“The same thing I was reading the last five times you asked,” Tirek said, flipping another page. “Either an oddly informative cook book, or the rather strange diary of a pony who has a strange desire to camp.”

“What’s wrong with camping?” Chrysalis asked.

“It is the sign of a diseased mind,” Tirek said. “Why would you desire to go out when you have a perfectly good home with amenities? Camping should only be done when there is no other choice. I would expect you, a self-proclaimed queen, to understand this.”

Chrysalis sighed and just continued to rest her head on her hooves. Annoying. She counted the bars of her cell for the ten thousandth time before speaking once more. “So, what are you reading now?”

Tirek gave a sigh. “Same as the last five times you asked. You do realize if you desired you could always ask the bard to have some reading material brought to you as well.”

“I would sooner die of starvation than ask that PONY for ANYTHING!” Chrysalis roared, standing up on all four hooves. “I am a queen, I do not ‘ask’! I demand!”

“I can see that,” Tirek said, not even glancing up from his book.

“To imagine, the once great ‘Lord Tirek’ begging for reading material from mere ponies!” Chrysalis yelled.

“It is that or sleep,” Tirek said dismissively. “There’s also a large distance between asking and begging. As for books, well, they can be fascinating.” A wicked grin formed on his lips before he closed his book and picked up a different one. “This one, for example, is about a strange magical realm where ponies and griffons have swapped their positions in lives, more or less. It gives a lot of insight into how ponies see griffons. It kept me entertained for hours.” He grinned even more when he saw her eyes latch hungrily onto it. “Tell me, ‘Queen’ Chrysalis. Can you ask?”

“A queen NEVER asks,” Chrysalis said.

Tirek shrugged and dropped it back onto the pile. “Very well.” He picked up his book again and opened it.

After a few minutes she asked yet again. “What are you reading now?”

Tirek gave a soft sigh. “Very well, queens do not ask. But perhaps we could make a trade. Queens trade, do they not?”

Chrysalis’ eyes narrowed. “Perhaps. What is it you desired? You cannot have my magic!”

Tirek gave a light snort and eyed her. As if she had much magic to give now. “No, what I desire is simple. The truth.”

“From a changeling?” Chrysalis asked with a laugh. “That’s a valuable commodity indeed.”

“This book is part of a three part series,” Tirek said. “And I have all three.”

Chrysalis was silent for a long while before she finally spoke up once more. “Very well, truth then. For all three. What truth is it you desire to know? Because no, those bars do not make your muscles look big.”

“That story you told the bard,” Tirek said. “About your origins. Is it true?”

Chrysalis was silent for a long time before, finally, giving a sigh. “Parts of it, I suppose.”

“Only parts of it?” Tirek asked. “Come now. There must be more to it than that.”

“I am… not… certain," Chrysalis said gently.

“Birthed from a dead tree in a cursed watering hole?” Tirek asked. “I’ve never heard of magic such as that.”

Chrysalis glanced around before looking to him. “I will sate your curiosity, but only for your vow that these words never leave this prison. That obnoxious earth pony will never know. Agreed?”

Tirek gave a light snort. “Very well, for as much as my word is worth, I give it.”

“Good,” Chrysalis said. “I am truly uncertain. I know a spell, a very specific spell. I require a symbol of the creature, a piece of them such as a hair or a few drops of blood, and an image. With those three, I can use a tree and make copies of them.”

“Oh?” Tirek asked. “Fascinating. I’ve never heard of such magic.”

“Neither have I,” Chrysalis said. “Yet, it is a spell I know. The first spell I knew. I… often wondered if that was the true nature of my birth. If I was a copy, a poorly done one of something. One of these ponies. Perhaps one who could change their form. Or perhaps something else entirely, a spell done wrong. I will likely never know.” For the moment, the queen sounded sad, digging her head into her hooves. “The lands I awoke in were foul and twisted. The spring’s water was like poison to most creatures, but not me.”

“And your first hive?” Tirek asked. “Did it spring from the tree with you?”

Chrysalis cringed. “They… came later. I was confused, disoriented. The place I was in was… strange. I was nearly eaten by many of the plants there. By the creatures of the darkness. But… I did… eventually meet a creature that wasn’t quite so dangerous.” She licked her lips. “A most delicious creature. One that gave me my first taste of love and fed me so superbly.”

“A pony?” Tirek asked.

“Ha, no,” Chrysalis said. “Something else entirely. A kirin, a creature with scales and a multi-faceted horn. Entirely different from a disgusting pony.”

Tirek gave a light snort. “Of course. From there?”

“I killed them,” Chrysalis said with a prideful snort before rising up again, a grin on her lips. “They gave me love and I gorged upon it. As only a queen can. I was powerful, I was mighty. I was--”

“Alone?” Tirek asked.

Chrysalis froze and then collapsed once more. “Very well. The truth? It was an accident. I… did not understand. I was so hungry. For the first time I had a true meal. I don’t think the creature fully understood what I was doing. I certainly didn’t. Before long, they were gone and I was alone again. When the other kirin discovered what I had done, they were afraid of me. They drove me off. I… learned then. The importance of preserving one’s meals for later. Ensuring that I could feed a second time. I got better, though. With new strength I found new ways to gather love. To steal it. When I truly gorged, when I was at my fullest? My body glowing with the love of those I had drained and taken from? I created my first hive.” She gave a light chuckle. “That was… I was incredibly naive. I didn’t understand what I was doing. I thought they would be like me. Strong. Powerful. They were… not so.”

Tirek nodded. “I see. They didn’t last long, I take it?”

“No,” Chrysalis said. “Not even a few years. The first hive… starved. I was weak. Naive. I believed we would be powerful together. It was the smallest hive, only a dozen or so. But each and every one of them I had known. Had known me. Alas, there was not enough love to feed us all. The hive died, I continued. I learned from this mistake, however. Love is powerful, but must be carefully managed lest it run out. Preserved. The individual members of the hive do not matter, only the survival of the hive, and me as its queen, does. Most importantly, though… changelings do not love. We can feel many things. Hatred, anger, sadness, we can even… tolerate some things. But we do not love.” She gave a small smirk. “We do, however, learn.”

“So that story you told the bard?” Tirek asked.

“It is how I would like it to be remembered,” Chrysalis said. “A cursed tree in a tainted spring, born from the wounds inflicted by some great pony magician of the past. Is it not a fitting origin for an evil Queen such as I? Far better than a small changeling waking up inside a strange swamp and stumbling about in confusion like a drunk duck of some sort. Likely crafted from some failed spell.”

“Perhaps,” Tirek said. He then picked up the books he had promised her and walked to the edge of his cage, reaching out to rest them on the ground and then sliding them over to her. “I prefer the cursed tree version as well.”

“Oh?” Chrysalis asked.

“After all,” Tirek said before walking back to his bed. “Queen of the Changelings should have a fitting story. Born from a cursed tree has a nicer ring to it. I would love to know more of that spell of yours, one day. Making copies of a creature must be incredibly useful.”

“Less than you’d think,” Chrysalis said. “They can be delicate. And oddly prone to betrayal. You’d think most creatures would be loyal to their creator. But I suppose betrayal is something most creatures are prone to, are they not?”

Tirek gave a soft sigh. “Isn’t that the truth?” he asked before reaching up to lightly adjust the medallion around his throat.

“Ah, correct,” Chrysalis said. “Your brother betrayed you, didn’t he?”

“So you heard?” Tirek asked.

“I make it a habit to make notice of all creatures that can be useful as an ally or a dangerous foe to me, Lord Tirek,” Chrysalis said. “Besides, at one point I had considered you a possible target.”

Tirek gave a light snort. “Ah, that would have been a waste of your time, Queen Chrysalis. There was little love between me and my family. Even in the off chance you did manage to defeat me, you would have starved.”

Chrysalis gave a light snort. “Truly? Well, then perhaps it was wise I never tried you. Perhaps your brother or even father. Rulers are often loved by their people.”

“Very well,” Tirek said with an amused chuckle. “If we ever do manage to leave this place, perhaps I will even aid you in attempting to dethrone my father. You could hardly be a worse king than that pathetic old fool.”

“I take it you two never did get along, then?” Chrysalis asked. “Surely there must have been somebody in your home who loved you?”

“I thought there was, once,” Tirek said. He motioned to his medallion. “My brother. But we both know how that ended.”

“It seems you and I aren’t altogether that different then, Lord Tirek,” Chrysalis said before reaching out through the bars to slide the books towards herself.

“Oh? And how so?” Tirek asked.

“Neither of us ever needed anyone but ourselves,” Chrysalis said. “You believed you did and they cut your legs out from under you the moment they could. And I? Well… I created that which can never betray me.”

Tirek gave another light chuckle. “I see. I cannot deny, there is some appeal in such magic. Had I been able to… create loyal subjects, perhaps in the end I wouldn’t have been found out by those princesses.”

“Perhaps, when the time comes, I may be willing to create some minions for you,” Chrysalis said. “Assuming, of course, you could teach me that spell of yours. Being able to take the magic of others directly? Why, it sounds so very useful.”

Tirek gave a low, rumbling laugh. “Thankfully, such things are impossible. Were they, I would have likely been murdered by her royal lunar tantrum maker long ago. Us centaurs are… not quite as powerful in the field of magic as the unicorns of this world, myself excluded. But absorbing the magical abilities of others is something we can do. It is quite difficult, however, and took me years to learn to wield.”

“A shame, that,” Chrysalis said. “It must eat you up inside, knowing that the very ponies who you once wished to absorb power from are instead using your own powers to feed their own.”

“Not particularly,” Tirek said. “If anything, I am impressed. Nightmare Moon has proved to be a far more powerful ruler than Celestia ever was. Were she to have ruled alone when I came here, perhaps I would have found her to be a comrade rather than another fool to eventually absorb.”

“Oh? You would have allied with her?” Chrysalis asked.

“For a time,” Tirek said before his grin grew. “Until, of course, I was strong enough to take her power for myself.”

Chrysalis gave a light chuckle before nodding. “That is one of the things I find tolerable about you, Lord Tirek. You, at least, understand what truly matters. Power. Control. The ability to take whatever it is you desire.”

“Indeed,” Tirek said before a finger stroked along his medallion. “I do wonder if, perhaps, I have been looking at things in the wrong way.”

“Oh?” Chrysalis asked.

“Love,” Tirek said. “I always believed it a foolish, pathetic emotion. Meaningless. But if you changelings are able to absorb it in such a manner and gain such incredible power? Perhaps it is worth considering as another tool.”

“What, you wish to fall in love?” Chrysalis asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tirek said before rolling his eyes. “The ponies are powerful. Far, far more powerful than they should be. Perhaps they, like your changelings, use ‘love’ as a fuel source. Perhaps that is where their great ‘power’ comes from.”

Chrysalis paused, tapping a hoof on her chin. “Perhaps. The love Equestria once had was tremendous. It could have fed my hive for generations. Allowing us to search this world for a new power. In some cases love can be strong enough to even rival an alicorn’s power. Perhaps if you could find a way to tap into such things it would allow you to break these bonds holding you captive.”

Tirek gave a small smirk before nodding. “Perhaps. Unless it is something else. It can apparently bend even the will of a dragon.”

Chrysalis’ eyes went wide. “What? A dragon doesn’t have LOVE. Impossible!”

“Perhaps,” Tirek said. “But a dragon only craves power and riches, as well. Yet the ponies have created one that seems to have… care for others and willingly gives away his riches.”

Chrysalis gave a light shudder. “They are… far more formidable, then, than even I had dreamed.”

“Indeed they are,” Tirek said. “But I am beginning to think that it will be… possible to find the source of their power.”

“Oh?” Chrysalis asked. “And how is that?”

“Twilight Glow,” Tirek said. “Her highness’ precious bard.”

“Ugh,” Chrysalis said. “I loathe her. She acts so weak and pathetic. But that pony holds no mercy. Nothing more than an act.”

“Indeed,” Tirek said. “She did manage to stop your invasion, single hoofed, did she not?”

“She cheated!” Chrysalis said furiously. “She called for Nightmare Moon before I could absorb enough of her power.”

“Exactly,” Tirek said, giving her a knowing smile.

“I don’t get it,” Chrysalis said, staring at him in confusion.

“A mere earth pony,” Tirek said. “Yet she had Nightmare Moon at her beck and call. Has managed to stop your invasion, bend a dragon to her whims, stop the chaos of Discord and bring an end to the Umbrum.”

“Those are all Nightmare Moon’s doing,” Chrysalis said, though she sounded uncertain.

“But are they truly?” Tirek asked. “After all, I’d imagine a changeling of all creatures must see the advantages of not being… open with your power.”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to object, only to pause after a moment. “She… did disappear when I chased her into that room. No earth pony should have been able to do such. Not to mention she… oh. Oh that clever pony. Wait. MY HIVE! If she is truly so powerful, what does she desire of my hive? Does she believe she can turn them against me?! Impossible!”

“Of course,” Tirek said. “Impossible, perhaps. But she doesn’t need to know that. More importantly… you may wish to start being more subtle with your distaste.”

“Oh?” Chrysalis asked.

“There is an opportunity here,” Tirek said. “If a pony like that is capable of bending the wills of others so well…”

“She will not bend mine!” Chrysalis roared.

“Yet, if she believes she has?” Tirek asked with a small smirk. “After all. Discord is out there, free to do as he pleases. While you and I…”

“Are here,” Chrysalis said, a hoof tapping her chin. Slowly, a grin formed on her lips. “Oh, Lord Tirek. You truly are a clever one, aren’t you? Perhaps you are right. This… bard… may be the key after all. Should we eventually gain our freedom… perhaps the two of us should form an alliance of our own.”

Tirek gave her a small smirk before looking back to his book. “Perhaps.” Though, despite his words… he still felt oddly uneasy. Not about Chrysalis, no. She was easily dealt with and didn’t frighten him.

There certainly was a powerful magic here. If Chrysalis knew that dragon’s couldn’t feel love, well, she would be the one to know. There had to be an even greater threat from these ponies that even he didn’t yet recognize. One that even Discord feared. Beyond magic, power, love.

He would discover it. Somehow. He would understand it. Eventually, he would even harness it. Though, a part of him feared that the cost of harnessing it would be far worse than he ever imagined. Would he have to learn to… ugh… actually care for these ponies? He’d already aided one once on a whim. Would that become… common?

Author's Notes:

And so Tirek and Chrysalis have a little... talk. Tirek considers the power of love and if it truly is what ponies wield against him. Chrysalis admits she may not have been entirely truthful, not that she'll ever tell Twilight. And the two... well. Bond is a strong word. Realize they have a little bit in common.

Also, the pair is slowly trying to figure out how to manipulate Glow for their own ends... As well as trying to understand just what she has done to harness such great power. Truly, such a fierce and horrendous beast as... *checks notes* Spike the lovable baby dragon must have been controlled by an incredibly powerful force to... *checks notes again* not be cruel, greedy and nasty.

This'll be the last update for a bit, I realllllly need to focus on my original works. :x Thank you all, hope you're enjoying.

S4 CH 14: Journal

Twilight paced back and forth on the train. She KNEW she should get some sleep. Spike and Rainbow were trying to sleep in the train’s beds. But she couldn’t. SHE WAS TOO EXCITED! Her brother was FINALLY getting married.

Sure, she knew they were getting married but now she KNEW they were getting married! There was even a date! She was going to go help them plan! IT WAS SO EEEEEEE! This was going to be the best wedding EVER!

So long as she didn’t think about the fact Moondancer would be alone with Nightmare Moon for a week, she was pretty sure she could just keep being excited. Soon they’d be in Ponyville and some of her friends would be joining her and then EEEEEE!

“How can you possibly be this hyper?” Rainbow grumbled. “We were up all night. It’s like… a full day or so to get there. Get some sleep.”

“But my brother is getting married!” Twilight said excitedly.

Rainbow gave a light yawn and pulled her pillow closer. “Sleeeeeeep. Ugh. Maybe I should have waited and caught up with the others. Is she always like this when she travels, Spike?”

“Eh,” Spike said with a shrug. “Only when there’s research at the end. Wait, there isn’t going to be research, is there?”

“You know, you didn’t have to come with me,” Twilight said sheepishly. “And no, there’s not going to be any research.”

“Was gonna have to come up eventually,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Besides, Shadowfang and Lightning are going to meet me there. We didn’t really want you traveling alone anyway.”

“Lightning?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “Shadowbolt-in-training. Not quuuuite as good as me, but pretty good. My break is almost over and well, not a lot of ponies better for representing the Shadowbolts at a royal wedding than the one mare willing to give old moony butt a buck to the… face… eh… heh… errr…”

Twilight just cocked an eye at her.

“Sorry,” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“I don’t think it technically counts as a royal wedding,” Twilight said. “Cadence isn’t a princess now.”

“Not officially,” Rainbow said. “But pretty much everypony knows WHO she is. The Shadowbolts can’t officially offer a representative without angering Nightmare Moon. But when the sister of the groom just happens to be good friends with the only pony who can perform the sonic rainboom, it’s a pretty good cover.”

“You’re going to perform a sonic rainboom?!” Twilight yelled, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.

“Well, obviously,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “One of the only hoofful of weddings that’ll ever have one, too.”

“What? Who else’s is going to have one?” Twilight asked.

“My friends, obviously,” Rainbow said before lifting her head from the pillow. “Now. If I could get some sleep?”

“Fine, fine,” Twilight said before pausing. “Wait, what’s wrong with me traveling alone?”

“Uhhhhh…” Rainbow trailed off before making fake snoring sounds and rolling her back to her.

“Spike, what did you tell them?” Twilight asked.

“Don’t think it was me,” Spike said.

“Zzzzzzzzz snoooooooore snarf snorrrrrre…” Rainbow said.

Twilight wondered if she should tell the pegasus that snoring ponies didn’t usually say the word snore. “I can travel fine on my own.”

“I mean, last time we went on a train we kind of… well…” Spike motioned to his eye.

Twilight blinked for a moment before sighing. “Really? You get abducted one time and now nopony thinks you can travel…” she muttered. “I’m going to go get some breakfast, want anything?”

“Sleep,” Rainbow muttered. “Also, not the first time you’ve been abducted. I don’t even think it’s the fourth.”

“Some sapphires if they have any,” Spike said. “And pretty much… she probably has a minor in it.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Twilight said before rolling her eye and trotting out from the sleep car and towards the meal car. She decided to keep her mouth shut about the fact she did, kind of, have a minor in it. Dragon negotiation, technically, but it was kind of like abduction. Sadly, she’d never been abducted by a dragon. Well, she supposed fortunate.

Twilight couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh of relief once she made it to the meal car. There were a few ponies in there, some guests, a few guards and the staff. No ancient tyrannical kings She walked over and sat at the counter before looking over the menu and quickly ordering some hay cakes.

Far better than her last trip, at least. She barely even got any looks. It was--

“Twilight Glow?” a voice asked.

“Huh?” Twilight asked before glancing over at a strange purple unicorn. “Errr. Yes?”

“I’m Hope,” the mare said before giving a sheepish smile. “Could I ummm, get your autograph?”

“W-what?” Twilight asked. “O-oh! Right, yes. I… huh.” The books slid over to her, however, made her pause. Nightmare Moon’s and Tirek’s.

“I hope that’s okay,” Hope said before offering her a quill.

“It’s fine,” Twilight said softly. “I uhhh, was just thinking I need to get two others out soon.” Discord’s book was at least… as done as she imagined it would ever be. He was an enigma wrapped in maple syrup and glow-in-the-dark gummy worms. But she had gathered what she could. The changelings she wanted a bit more info on, to see how this rehabilitation plan of hers would work out. It seemed to be going well so far, at least. She needed to write Gilda a message to make sure Thorax was fine. So much just happened all at once, she just hadn’t had time to fully process it.

“You… are Twilight Glow, right?” Hope asked.

“Oh, sorry!” Twilight said before signing the books on the inside cover. “It kind of, well, sorry. Its been a busy couple of weeks. Months. Years. It has just been busy.”

“I imagine so,” Hope said with a small smile. She picked up the books before pausing. A moment later the two books disappeared and a new book appeared, one with a blue cover. “I want you to have this.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked, taking the book and turning it to the side. “Err, I’m not—“

“Please,” Hope said. “When you get the chance, just read the first page. If you don’t read anything past that, I understand.”

Twilight nodded before glancing up again. “Okay. I’ll give it a look.”

“All I can ask,” Hope said.

Twilight nodded before opening the clasp on the side of the book and reading through the first few lines.

‘The crystal guard said I was alone out in the wastes just north of the empire.’ A journal of some kind? She sighed and kept reading. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to read a fan’s work. Honestly, if she had the time for it she would have read all of it. But she had so much to do already. Starting with amnesia was pretty common, though. She hoped she could give some good feedback, at least.

‘Sombra. It was the only name I could remember when the guards found me.’

Twilight froze. She looked up, but Hope was gone. No. No no no no. NO. She scanned the page again, reading through it as fast as she could. It couldn’t be--

It was.

It was Sombra’s journal. She closed the book and got to her hooves. “Did you see where that unicorn went?” she asked the pony behind the counter.

“Huh? Sorry, Miss Glow, I’m cooking,” he said.

“Did anypony see where that unicorn went? The purple one?” Twilight asked.

One of the guards raised their hooves. “Err, she went that way, Miss Glow. But--”

Twilight didn’t wait for him to finish. She grabbed the book in her new magic and galloped after her.

------

Hope wasn’t on the train. Twilight had gone over every car, but there was no sign of the mare. She’d even asked a few of the guards to help her, but if the mare had been there she was long gone. Teleportation, she supposed. But off a moving train? That couldn’t have been easy. And why?

The only clue she had, now, was the book. So much for getting any sleep today. Meh, she could sleep after she read all of it. Maybe.

Twilight gave a light yawn before she started to read through the journal. For once, one of the ponies she wanted to study had already done half the work for her. She wondered if he’d give her permission to release this as a side thing, under his name of course and…

Twilight blinked a few times before shaking her head. This was her chance to learn more about Sombra and the umbrum, she couldn’t get distracted over licensing. Unfortunately for her, it seemed that his view on them was only slightly more knowledgeable than her own. He saw them as monsters and himself as their king. He’d once believed himself a pony who would one day become a monster, but he’d only had one friend. Radiant Hope. Judging by his description, it was that same pony she’d met.

It did give her hope, however. The journal painted a far different picture of the unicorn than she’d met. In fact, it seemed he didn’t even want to be a monster, to hurt ponies. He felt it was just his destiny. Though, she supposed she could understand why. While she didn’t know much about the umbrum, they sounded absolutely nasty. The yearly festival causing him such terrible pain likely hadn’t helped, only to have the pain finally stop and for him to lose his closest friend in response. Something like that could leave anypony vulnerable, only to be told he was a monster after. She honestly felt a little bad for him.

But if what this journal said was true, not another deceit, then he could be reasoned with. He could be saved. He could--

Twilight’s eyes widened when she came to the end of his entries… and the beginning of Radiant Hope’s.

It told of how her training in healing magic had eventually gained the attention of the princesses and she believed, perhaps, one day she would have joined them. But after her betrayal of her friend, she’d always felt lost. After learning incredible magic, she’d left the princesses. She’d finally returned to the Wastelands to find any piece of her home, or perhaps answers.

She had found them. In the form of the umbrum. For over a thousand years, though she wrote that time passed strangely there and she doubted a thousand years had passed in their realm, they had kept her captive. Taunted her. Tormented her. Then something strange had happened, the umbrum had fled, deeper into their prison. The very lock that had kept them sealed had been shattered… but they had hidden far away, attempting to escape deeper into their prison rather than fleeing it. She fled while she could and a new lock was sealed behind her, though it was far darker than she ever remembered it.

Nightmare Moon. Twilight shuddered when she remembered that particular battle. To think the umbrum would flee deeper into their prison to hide,

From there she had managed to travel to the Crystal Empire. Or, rather, what remained of it. All she found were ruins and the remains of the Crystal Heart. While she couldn’t repair it, she did gather the pieces and this book.

It would have taken ages to find a settlement, but midway through the journey she had encountered a shade. It had taken her to Canterlot, recognizing her as another crystal pony. She then learned about the new world she was in. The magic used to transport her had been similar to the magics of the umbrum. From there she had studied, using Twilight’s books as a guide.

She had realized, most important of all, that Sombra wasn’t dead. On top of that, she believed she could help the shades. Free them from the curse on them.

Twilight’s eyes widened when she read the last page.

‘Twilight Glow, if you’ve read this far, please understand why I had to do this. If I had told you directly, I couldn’t guarantee that you would believe me. Nor did I believe I would have time to explain everything. I can only hope that you are the pony who read all of this.’

‘From what I’ve read in your books, you are a pony who can see the good hidden behind the monster. The umbrum may be evil, but Sombra is not and he can be saved. I don’t know if you will believe me or not, but I can only hope you will.’

‘More than that, though, these is one final thing I must do. It has taken a long time, but I think I’ve found a final tool I need to break the curse on the shades. A powerful relic connected to the umbrum. Once I’ve found it, we will meet again. I can only hope what I’ve determined from my research is true and you are the pony I believe you to be. I know it’s a gamble. But I have to take it.’

She couldn’t believe it. How did she--

“Well, if this doesn’t work, I don’t know what will,” Spike said. “SORRY TWILIGHT!”

“Ow! What? Why are you yelling?” Twilight asked. “I’m right here.”

Spike froze and then just stared at her. He was holding a pan and a wooden spoon in his hands.

“… Why do you have those?” Twilight asked.

“Seriously?” Spike asked.

“Huh? Where is everypony?” Twilight asked when she realized nopony else was in the car with them aside from a concerned looking cook and guard. Wait, was it night again? She glanced out the window before her eyes went wide. “W-what is THAT?” she asked.

High overhead there was a strange, rainbow-like circular wave. Coming from it was what looked like a lightning bolt, flying off into the distance.

“That’s what I was trying to tell you!” Spike said. “We’re here! And, apparently, that’s a sonic rainboom!”

“What? Rainbow did a sonic rainboom?” Twilight asked.

“No, she didn’t,” Spike said. “That’s why she took off.”

“Why didn’t you get me?” Twilight asked.

Spike stared at her before, finally, banging the spoon against the pan. It took her a moment to realize… oh yeah. Maybe she’d been a little too focused on the book.

“R-right… sorry…” Twilight said sheepishly.

Spike just sighed and face palmed.

------

Gilda flicked through her mail with growing ire. Stupid bucking earth pony. She swore when she got her talons on Twilight she’d shake her enough to get some common sense into that skull. Where was she? How many more letters did she need to send before she got the hint? How had she not even responded yet?

The griffon took another slow, deep breath. No. The mail systems were still in turmoil. Maybe Twilight just hadn’t gotten the letter yet. She was under Nightmare Moon’s nose as well, maybe she was trying to be subtle. Either way, though, she was losing her patience. She had no idea what was happening to Thorax and neither did he, so their only real chance was that egghead.

For the dozenth time she considered writing a letter to Rainbow and seeing if she could get her old friend to just kidnap Twilight, but that’d probably only make things worse. As much as she loved the obnoxious rainbow blur, subtlety was NOT her strong suit.

“Awwwww…” Thorax said, making her glance over at him. She rolled her eyes. He was covered in cinnamon roll icing. Again. How could a creature that could literally gain the limbs of any creature in existence be a more messy eater than the creatures who just ate with their hooves?

Gilda rolled her eyes and nudged her cinnamon roll towards him. “Here,” she said. “I’m not really hungry.”

“You’re nervous,” Thorax said.

“Stop tasting my feelings,” Gilda said before tossing her mail in the garbage. All junk, anyway.

“I wasn’t this time,” Thorax said. “I’m just getting better at being able to tell.”

“TEEEEEEEN SHUN!” Smooth’s voice echoed through the tent before she trotted in.

Gilda glanced back and just rolled her eyes. Only Thorax, Glimmer and Legendary got to their hooves and saluted. Nadra picked up a grape and threw it at her, Coldstone and Bouncing Breeze were so busy snuggling in the corner she doubted they even noticed and Ash and Red Heart hadn’t even shown up for breakfast.

The grape bounced off Smooth’s forehead and the pegasus cocked an eye. “Really? Is that how you treat your superior officer? I have half a mind to have you court-martialed.” Any authority or respect she may have hoped to earn from those words were a lost cause as she was still in her heart-covered pajamas.

“If you had half a mind I’d question where you managed to pick up the other quarter, because it obviously wasn’t yours, you oversized feather duster,” Nadra said dismissively. “It’s not noon yet, shouldn’t you still be in bed?”

“Ahhh, if only,” Smooth said sadly. “In fact, last night I was in bed, having the most delightful dream about an apricot named Billy and--”

“Just get on with it,” Gilda said. “Otherwise we’re giving your cinnamon roll to Thorax.”

Smooth gave a soft sigh. “Fine, fine,” she said before sliding into her chair at the head of the table. “I’ve got good news and bad news. Oh. Right, at ease you three.”

Gilda rolled her eyes when Thorax, Glimmer and Legendary finally stopped their salute. She’d need to talk with Thorax about that, he really shouldn’t be using either of those two as an example.

“Following the recent events,” Smooth said. “It appears that my command here will soon come to an end.”

“You’re being banished?” Nadra asked.

“Imprisoned?” Gilda asked.

“Demoted?” Legendary asked.

Smooth rolled her eyes. “You all really know how to make a pony feel loved, you know that? No, none of those. The captain’s coming back. Red and Ash left last night and said they’ll buy us some time to clean up before she gets here, but--”

“You’re only telling us NOW?!” Gilda asked before jumping up. “What’s WRONG with you? Thorax, come on. We need to clean our tent.”

“My side’s plenty clean,” Thorax grumbled softly.

“Fine, I need you to help clean up my side,” Gilda said before rolling her eyes at the excited look on his face. Only he could be so happy about ‘helping’ like that.

“Relax,” Smooth said dismissively. “Last time I saw her she couldn’t even stand. We’ve got plenty of time. She probably won’t even be here until long after—”

“Breakfast?” an icy cold voice that sent chills down their spines said. Slowly every head turned towards the entrance of the mess tent. Captain Lavender Petal stood there, in full uniform. However, she looked slightly different from before. A long scar snaked down her neck under her armor and her horn and coat, once solid black, had dimmed to a dark, ashy gray.

All of them got to their hooves and talons, saluting quickly. Even the emergency ipecac duo had pulled away from each other to salute.

“C-c-c-captain,” Smooth said softly. “Y-you’re, errr, b-back already? I… I…” She wilted under the gaze of her commanding officer.

“Out of uniform,” Lavender said. “Again.”

Gilda didn’t dare move. The captain wouldn’t hurt them, she was sure. Probably. Maybe. But there was something about her right then. The way her eyes scanned over them. That terrible, foreboding presence that warned them of coming disaster. It felt as if it was ramped up to eleven. Or maybe they just weren’t used to it.

Then, as quick as it started, it ended. The captain gave a sigh before trotting towards the breakfast table. She gripped a muffin in her magic before glancing back towards them. “At ease. I will be performing a full inspection at noon. I expect the camp to be in the same shape I left it in. Private Gilda, Private Thorax, has there been any recent developments on… this situation?” she asked, motioning towards Thorax.

“No, ma’am,” Gilda said quickly.

“Very well,” Lavender said before turning towards the exit. She then paused. “Lieutenant Smooth Tongue,” she said.

“Y-y-y-yes ma’am?” Smooth asked shakily.

“Have you been in my tent?” Lavender asked.

“O-o-only to get necessary paperwork, ma’am!” Smooth said. “I’m reckless, not suicidal. Err, ma’am.”

“And Private Thorax’s paperwork?” Lavender asked.

“I had Glimmer take care of it!” Smooth said quickly.

“Good,” Lavender said. “All of you have until noon.” She then trotted out of the tent. However, when she stepped out into the daylight she stumbled a step, pulling back for a moment before taking a deep breath and then walking back outside.

After a few moments Smooth gave a low groan. “I am so dead.”

“You are definitely dead,” Nadra said. “Can I have your stuff?”

“No, you can’t you striped bandit,” Smooth said. “Seriously? I’m going to die and this is what you have to say?”

“Eh, she seemed less murdery than I expected,” Nadra said. “Besides, maybe I’ll get a promotion if you’re gone.”

“Reallllly know how to make me feel special,” Smooth said. “How is she back so quick? I thought we’d have all day! She couldn’t even walk!”

“Oh, relax,” Gilda said. “She gave us until noon. How mad could she be? Thorax, how about you? What do you think?”

“Huh?” Thorax asked, glancing towards her. He then shook his head. “I don’t know. I mean, she didn’t feel mad. But… she didn’t really feel like… anything.”

“That’s good, right?” Smooth asked, her voice filled with hope.

“Maybe?” Thorax said with a shrug. “It’s probably nothing. I’m still learning how all of… this works. Things taste different. So it’s probably just that. We should get started on cleaning before she DOES get mad.”

Gilda couldn’t help but narrow her eyes on the changeling, though. He was hiding something, he seemed more focused on where the captain had went than the cinnamon roll in front of him. More than that, he looked worried. It was subtle, but she was finding him a lot easier to read these days.

At least she’d get a chance to question him soon, once they started cleaning her tent. Who knew, maybe they’d get lucky and the captain was a fake. It’d be a lot safer for them then.

Author's Notes:

And here we begin the next arc... and it's a doozy. A lot going on and well... likely going to be slowly pushed out. Still, enjoy! Also, feel free to throw down your theories on how you think things will go and what, all, is going on. Also, going to be adding this blurb from now on.

If you'd like to help support me and my writing, please take a look at my Patreon which offers early access chapters on original works. Alternatively, full copies of my original works can be purchased through amazon on my author page.

Finally, if you would like to talk more about the series or talk to me directly, please feel free to join my discord server. I also now have a twitter page where I announce news and releases.

S4 CH 15: Amulet

“So, let me get this straight,” Rainbow said while she paced back and forth. “I get a teensy bit of vacation time and while I’m gone you all start learning how to do the sonic rainboom?”

“No, ma’am,” Lightning Dust, her and Shadowfang’s new student, said. The Shadowbolt-in-training stood at rapt attention and Rainbow couldn’t help but be a little proud of her. After all, the mare certainly talked a big game, but she was one of the few who Rainbow saw actually live up to it. So she was a little shocked to see the mare being humble for once, especially after THAT.

“So, that WASN’T a sonic rainboom I saw when the train arrived?” Rainbow asked.

“It was, ma’am,” Lightning said, that arrogant grin forming on her lips.

“Then what, exactly, was wrong with what I said?” Rainbow asked.

“I was the only one who had been learning how to perform a sonic rainboom, ma’am!” Lightning said.

Rainbow barely suppressed the urge to snicker and even then it was because she saw the look on Shadowfang’s face. She’d have thought he’d be overjoyed, instead he looked worried. Their student had already been leaps and bounds beyond the rest when they agreed to take her on. Now? She was possibly the best fresh recruit they’d ever had. “I see. You think you’ve mastered it, then?”

“Not yet, ma’am!” Lightning said. “But I will soon, ma’am!”

“You know,” Rainbow said. “Before today I was thought to be the only pony in all of Equestria who could do it. Before me, they thought it was just a myth. You know what this means?”

“That I’m going to be the most incredible shadowbolt to ever live, ma’am?” Lightning asked.

Rainbow couldn’t help but snicker at that. “Not quite, but who knows? You just might. What it means, though, is that this is an opportunity. I was already planning to perform a sonic rainboom during the wedding. Now? I think we could go even bigger. This could be our opportunity to perform a double sonic rainboom. If that doesn’t blow their minds, I don’t know what will. Think you can handle that, rookie?”

“Rainbow, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea,” Shadowfang said.

“I can handle it, ma’am!” Lightning said quickly.

Shadowfang gave a soft sigh. “Lightning, you’re still in training. I don’t think you performing right away is a good idea.”

Rainbow glanced between the two of them. Okay, something was definitely up. She almost asked Shadowfang to spill, but paused. Finally, she sighed. “Lightning, keep working on it. If you can master it, we’ll see about putting on a show nobody forgets. Shadowfang, let’s share reports on what happened while I was on vacation. Any other surprises?”

“No,” Shadowfang said before heading out the door.

Rainbow gave Lightning a confused look before trotting out after him, closing the door behind herself.

------

Lightning let out a sigh of relief before almost crumbling to the ground. Everything hurt. If she didn’t know better she’d have thought one of her wings had snapped from the explosion. “Stupid useless bauble,” she muttered before limping towards her room’s mirror.

She almost wished she’d waited a little longer before showing off, but she didn’t really have a choice. Shadowfang was too much of a worrier, if she didn’t show Rainbow what she could do before he got into her head with all his fretting she might never get the chance.

Still, Lightning wished she’d had a bit more time before Rainbow had shown up in her room. She gingerly peeled back her uniform and stared at her reflection in the mirror. The bruises weren’t too bad, all things considered. Not compared to the alicorn amulet. A small black and red amulet with an image of the head of a unicorn and wings of a pegasus over a red gem. A now cracked red gem. Being at ground zero of a sonic rainboom apparently had done more damage to it than it had her. She reached up to touch it, only to let out a pained cry when some red sparks shocked her.

She wondered how it was supposed to do her any bucking good if it broke the moment she actually used it to reach her potential? She reached up to grip it, only to let out a whimper when it zapped her again. She finally grit her teeth and reached up once more, this time ignoring the shock and tearing it off her throat. She then flung it into the garbage bin. “There. I don’t need you anymore. I did a sonic rainboom and I’m going to keep doing them, even if it kills me. The training wheels are off.”

Lightning then turned and limped towards her bathroom. First she was going to take a long shower, though. Maybe put some ice on the bruises before--

NO! She shook her head and walked with a furious determination. A cold shower for the bruises and then back out into the sky. Rainbow said they’d do a double sonic rainboom and she aimed to prove she could. If that didn’t make her a Shadowbolt then she didn’t know what would.

Besides, if Rainbow could do it, then so could she. She had to give it to her teacher, though. The first time she saw her performing a sonic rainboom she never would have imagined it could be so painful. The mare made it look easy.

She’d make it look easier, though.

------

“You shouldn’t have encouraged her like that,” Shadowfang said.

“What, I shouldn’t encourage our star protege?” Rainbow asked with a smirk. “And possibly the second most awesome flier I’ve ever seen? Heck, after that maybe we should just make her a Shadowbolt now.”

“I’m not sure we should ever make her a Shadowbolt,” Shadowfang said.

That made Rainbow come to such a sudden stop she almost fell over. She whipped around, looking him in the eyes. “What? Are you crazy? She did a sonic. Rainboom. There’s only one pony, now two, who can do that. She--”

“She took out three windows, four other fliers and if I hadn’t been there would have sent a dozen young pegasi hurtling to the ground,” Shadowfang said. “She didn’t notice or possibly didn’t care. I don’t know which is worse.”

“Wait, what?” Rainbow asked, her eyes narrowing. “What happened? I was on break like… a week. Now you want to kick her out?”

“I’ve been flying with her,” Shadowfang said. “She pushes herself too hard.”

“Uhhh, yeah? We’re the Shadowbolts. Kiiiiiind of like the Wonderbolts, remember? Pushing ourselves is kind of our thing,” Rainbow said with a snicker. The smile fell off her lips when she saw just how serious he looked.

“I’m serious,” Shadowfang said. “She’s reckless. Incredibly. Whenever she flies, it’s like she has a death wish. She takes no precautions, at all. She’s talented, yes. But she’s going to get herself hurt flying like that.”

“You sound like you’re talking about me,” Rainbow said.

“No, I don’t,” Shadowfang said. “You’re a bit reckless, yes. But you’re not like that. You’ll push yourself as hard as you can, but you’re always keeping an eye out for everything around you. On top of that, you don’t put OTHER ponies in danger when you do it. That’s the second problem. I’ve been watching her. She demands perfection from herself and doesn’t seem to care if she gets herself killed trying to do it. But worse? She demands perfection from everypony else and if they can’t keep up, she doesn’t care if they get hurt when they get in her way.”

Rainbow stared at him, her mouth falling open. Finally, she shook her head. “Okay, so its been a rough week. But let’s not kick her out just yet, okay? We’ve got a few weeks until the wedding, a ton of time to prepare. Besides, I only JUST got here. Maybe she’s been nervous or overdoing it because only one of her instructors were around. Besides, how often do we get a flier like her?”

Shadowfang gave a sigh and shook his head. “Very rarely, but--”

“Exactly. Besides, you trained with me,” Rainbow said. “After that, any other pony should seem easy. There’s no way we can just let her go now.”

“Fine,” Shadowfang said. “Just be careful, okay? She’ll get you hurt if you’re not careful.”

“Please, it’s me,” Rainbow said. “The number of pegasi who can outfly me can’t be counted on one hoof. Because there aren’t any.”

Shadowfang just rolled his eyes. “Sure. Just please, be careful. I… want to check on some things anyway.”

“Oh? What?” Rainbow asked.

“I heard Discord is here,” Shadowfang said. “I want to make sure he’s not connected in any way to our student suddenly… well… being able to do that. I knew she was practicing it, but I didn’t think she was ready yet. Last time I saw her try she was still crashing into safety cloud.”

Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, you mean… you think she used some kind of magic or something?”

“I don’t know,” Shadowfang said. “But I’m planning to find out. I’m hoping I’m just being paranoid on that front, though.”

Rainbow nodded, though she couldn’t help but eye Shadowfang. He really did seem suspicious of Lightning, though she couldn’t understand why. She was just an awesome flier, what was wrong with that? Besides, she had no intention of letting her new student just get kicked out like that. Especially not after showing off THAT. Awesomeness like that could NOT go to waste.

------

Gilda didn’t understand it. She didn’t eat in here, she didn’t have a lot of stuff. Aside from the occasional game of cards she didn’t do much in their tent. Yet, somehow, the tent seemed like a horrible, filthy mess.

Sure, it was mostly just pieces of dirty uniform she’d tossed on the ground, or bandages, or feathers, or--

Okay, so it did make sense. It didn’t make her any happier when she moved through her tent, tossing things in the trash or wash bin.

How her tentmate managed to keep his side of the tent so clean only made it more annoying. He couldn’t eat a cinnamon roll without ending up covered hoof to tail in icing, but apparently he couldn’t even leave one bandage on the floor like a normal tentmate.

“You shouldn’t salute Smooth like that,” Gilda said. “You’ll give her ideas.”

“She is our commanding officer,” Thorax said. “Aren’t we supposed to?”

“Technically yes, but no,” Gilda said. “She’s also a flank. If you show her too much respect, it might go to her head.”

“I don’t understand,” Thorax said.

“You’ll understand one day,” Gilda said.

“But I am supposed to salute the captain, right?” Thorax asked.

“Oh, yes,” Gilda said. “She’ll probably kill us if we don’t. Still worried about her?”

“I… don’t know,” Thorax said softly. “It just… felt weird.”

“You said that before,” Gilda said. “How about trying to explain it to somebody who can’t, for example, taste emotions?”

“It’s like there was nothing… there,” Thorax said. “There were a few flashes of annoyance, but that was it.”

“I think we all get flashes of annoyance from Smooth,” Gilda said. “So what? She’s probably undergoing some kind of weird stress-management thing. She did almost die like… three times. And took wayyyyy too many of those potions of Ash’s. I still have a few feathers that pop like tiny firecrackers when they fall out.”

“No, not calm,” Thorax said. “It was like… there was nothing. I’ve tasted calm. But this was… different. It was like there wasn’t even a pony there. It was like…” He frowned and tapped his chin. “It’s like… if you light a fire and then it goes out? The smoke kind of lingers in the air? It was like that. Occasional whiffs of smoke, but no fire anymore.”

“So, what, you think she WAS mad and just isn’t now?” Gilda asked. “Or maybe she’s not a pony at all, a changeling?”

“I… I don’t know,” Thorax said. “But it wasn’t like a changeling, either. Maybe it’s because I’m like this now. The two of us had to ummmm… connect really… strongly. If that makes sense? In order to make something else feel what she felt. Maybe it’s because of that. I didn’t do that before. It used to be only about eating love, not giving it. It’s… different now.”

Gilda gave a soft shudder. “So like, your minds are one or something? Emotions are one? Something like that?”

“Maybe,” Thorax said. “Sorry. I’m probably worrying about nothing.”

“Probably,” Gilda said before glancing at him. Despite the fact he SHOULD have just been helping her clean the tent, he kept looking out the exit. She finally rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed grunt. “Since it seems I’m not going to be getting much help out of you until we figure this out, why don’t we go talk with Red Heart. If anything’s up, she’d know.”

“Okay!” Thorax said excitedly before dashing out of the tent.

Gilda rolled her eyes. She swore some days she didn’t know if she wanted to swat the bug with a fly swatter or just pat him on the head. She followed after him none the less. The sooner they put his mind at ease, the sooner she could avoid having to do who knew how many laps due to messy tent. Or worse, late night sentry duty.

Author's Notes:

And so we learn just how Lightning Dust did the sonic rainboom... couldn't just be that easy, now could it? Though, things are a bit different this time. Rainbow's not her wingpony, afterall... now she's her instructor. Shadowfang is also a pony specifically used to monitoring new recruits, so he's seeing some things that have him quite a bit worried. But it'll probably be fine, what's the worst that could happen?

Also, Thorax is the best tentmate. He keeps his stuff cleeeeeean. Want.

Also, should warn everyone. I did do a minor retcon in the story... Namely that Twilight now has her original parents. I blame the fact her dad was actually adorable in the show. Didn't really... change much, honestly.

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S4 CH 16: Crash Course

“Twilight!” Cadence said, trotting towards her with a great smile on her face. “Sunsh--” The words died in her mouth.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybu…” Twilight trailed off, stopping in mid hop. She stared at the alicorn. “Is… something wrong?”

“Your… eye…” Cadence said.

“Oh. Oh. Right. I uhhhh… right. Err. Right. Eh… heh heh,” Twilight said sheepishly. “Err, yeah. I uhhhh. I guess… I maybe should have been a bit more specific in my letters.”

“Is… it an infection?” Cadence asked, though the look on her face showed just how worried she was.

“I’m afraid not,” Twilight said before giving a soft sigh. “It’s not a big deal, really. I mean, it is but compared to everything else it’s not really that big. Frankly I’m just thankful to be alive and wow when I say it like that it does sound worse, doesn’t it?”

Cadence just stared at her, her mouth gaping open. “Oh Twilight…”

“I’m fine, really,” Twilight said. “There are ponies who… well. Who got off a lot worse than I did.”

“Twilight, the suffering of one pony does not nullify the suffering of another,” Cadence said. “Even if it is lesser. When did this happen?”

“The Crystal Empire,” Twilight said. “When I got hurt and was in the hospital for a bit? Then. Did you uhhhh… get my letters?”

“Some of them,” Cadence said. “You didn’t mention how severe the injury was. Especially compared to… well… the rest.”

Twilight nodded. “It has been a… trying time as of late. I was actually hoping to talk with… with…” She had to pause for a moment to yawn. “Sorry, I didn’t really get much time to sleep on the train. I got distracted.”

“A good book?” Cadence asked, cocking an eye.

Twilight gave her another sheepish smile. “Did Spike tell you?”

“He mentioned it,” Cadence said before shaking her head.

“Where is he, anyway?” Twilight asked. “And where’s Shining? I didn’t expect him to run off on his own like that.”

“Shining needed to talk with him real quick about… something,” Cadence said, averting her gaze for a moment. “So I was supposed to help you get settled in. Are you okay? You look exhausted.”

“I can sleep after,” Twilight said before giving a light yawn. “As tired as I am, apparently there was a sonic rainboom, this weird journal I need to figure out, some mare named Hope I need to find, the best big brother in the world is marrying the best foalsitter EVER--”

“D’awwww,” Cadence said with a small grin.

“And for some reason you two are having everything up here rather than in Canterlos,” Twilight said with a light chuckle. “So I don’t think sleep is something I could do now. There’s a list.”

“Oh Twilight, if foalsitting you has taught me anything it’s that there’s always a list,” Cadence said in a playful, friendly tone.

“And so long as we stick to the list, everything should be fine,” Twilight said. “I hope you don’t mind if we talk about a few things first, though? I mean, before I get started on helping with the--”

“Before you go and take a nice, long nap and THEN can help with the wedding preparations?” Cadence asked with a knowing sirk.

“Awwww…” Twilight said.

“Twilight, there will be charts to organize and lists to make once you’ve woken up,” Cadence said before she turned and started walking away. “Besides, you’ll need your strength for when you face Shining.”

“Huh? Why?” Twilight asked. “Is he okay?”

“… Twilight, dear?” Cadence said. “You’re missing an eye. Just how long HAVE you been up?”

“Ummmm…” Twilight said. “I… woke up… at…”

“The fact it’s taking you this long to answer me tells me that it has been too long,” Cadence said with shaking her head. “Come on, let’s talk so you get get all this out of your head. Though I am this close to fetching some milk and cookies and tucking you in myself.”

Twilight gave a light snort. “Don’t you think I’m a bit old for that now?” she asked before trotting after her.

“You’re never too old for enforced self-care from the ponies who love you,” Cadence said. “Though, admittedly, I did think my foalsitting days were behind me.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said. “So, I guess we should start with the obvious. What have you two been up to? Last thing I hear you just left Canterlot right before the attack. Then I find out you’re getting married? Up here? What happened?”

“Well, that’s just it. I don’t entirely know,” Cadence said. “It was all so… strange. Right before the attack, there was just this… well… a…. hmm.” She glanced around the town, occasionally waving at the passing ponies who nodded or waved back.

“Yes?” Twilight asked.

“This feeling,” Cadence said. “I just… I knew I belonged here. Or… no. I felt I belonged… north. I just had to go. Right then. I tried to hold it in, but I couldn’t. I just… felt like I couldn’t ignore it. I told Shining and well… next thing I know, we’re on a train out of Canterlot. Barely a word to your parents.”

“And you just arrived here?” Twilight asked.

“Nope, we were trying to go further,” Cadence said. “We actually got stranded for a bit. When everything collapsed, welllll… suffice to say, it was a whole… thing.”

Twilight gave another light yawn before nodding. “A thing? How?”

“I’m trying to think of an interesting way to say we walked for a really long time,” Cadence said. “Ran into a few interesting ponies, a sea serpent as well. Quite charming. But mostly it was just walking. We weren’t sure what happened until we got to civilization again and heard the news.”

“Oh,” Twilight said with a light snicker. “Sounds…”

“Boring? Compared to what you went through? Yes,” Cadence said flatly. “I miss being able to fly. But then we arrived at this town and well… when we found out what happened we wanted to come back. We heard you’d gotten hurt and that apparently Spike had saved you. But everything was so chaotic and we couldn’t get a train. If we’d known just how hurt you’d been, well, we’d have walked.”

Twilight gave a small, sheepish smile. “Yeah. Uhhhhh… sorry I didn’t give all the details. I just didn’t want anypony to worry about me.”

“Twilight,” Cadence said.

“Yes?” Twilight asked.

“Things like this just make us worry more,” Cadence said. “After everything you’ve been through recently, you should not even worry about worrying about us. We’ve been fine. Especially in comparison. In fact, I, well. Hmmmm… Have you ever just felt like… you belonged somewhere? Like all your life you were looking for something but you didn’t know you were looking for it until you found it?”

Twilight started to shake her head, but then stopped. She slowly shrugged. “I… think… possibly. Just kind of… subtle, right? Something you didn’t even think mattered until suddenly it was just there? Now you can’t imagine not having it?”

“Exactly,” Cadence said. “I’ve felt like that. Like something was calling me. Almost like my cutie mark was telling me, but I don’t have one now so I thought… I don’t know WHAT I thought. But… then I came here. Before I knew it the crystal ponies were flocking to me. I don’t know why. I’d never even heard of a crystal pony before all this. But suddenly it was like… it was like I was home. Like I belonged. Like they were my ponies and I had to protect them. It felt like everything in my life had led to this point. More and more of them kept arriving and before I knew it, this small town had nearly doubled in size.” She came to a stop and motioned around them.

Twilight looked around and realized they were in the town square. On the map the town had seemed so small, yet now it was already bigger than Ponyville. Many of the buildings had likely been made recently, with many more in varying stages of construction. “So you just decided to hold the wedding here?”

“Yes,” Cadence said, standing up a little taller and her wings spreading slightly. “It just feels… right. I think these ponies are my destiny. I think they’re the reason why I became an alicorn to begin with. What my cutie mark was meant for. Even if I don’t have my magic anymore, I can’t abandon them. I won’t abandon them! Oh! I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to imply you were asking me to! I just… sometimes feel overwhelmed by it. I haven’t felt like this since… I can’t remember when.”

Twilight stared at Cadence, mouth slightly agape. She hadn’t seen her like this since Nightmare Moon had risen. She seemed to have purpose. Drive. A light to her eyes that had been missing for so long. She seemed to almost radiate with love once more.

She had direction.

“I wouldn’t ask you to,” Twilight said, unable to keep the awe out of her voice at seeing the old Cadence she had once known. “Princess Cadence, Protector of the Crystal Empire. It does have a nice ring to it. Or… would have.”

“Perhaps once,” Cadence said with a small smile. “But you know what? I think I am happy being Cadence, friend to the crystal ponies. They’ve… already been through so much. Sombra, the destruction of the Crystal Heart, losing their homes, this new era. Even if whatever destiny I once had is no longer possible, I still want to help these ponies however I can. Return that light they once had. Even without my cutie mark.”

Twilight faltered slightly before giving a light sigh. “Cadence, that’s… also one of the things I need to talk with you about.”

“Their light?” Cadence asked.

“Sombra’s, actually,” Twilight said.

Cadence went still for a moment before glancing around. “I… hope you understand a topic like that would be best discussed discreetly. After all they have been through…”

“I know,” Twilight said. Her horn glowed and she lifted the book from her saddlebag. “This is what I read on the way here and why I didn’t get any sleep. Read the first page and I’m sure you’ll understand why I need to talk with you about it.” She opened the book and held it out to the alicorn.

Cadence slowly read it and the color drained from her face. She gave a curt nod before looking back up to Twilight. “Lets retire to my room for now, shall we? I imagine there’s plenty we need to talk about.”

Twilight nodded and closed the book before returning it to her saddlebags. Tired as she was, at least she knew she wouldn’t be bored.

------

“So, where are we going?” Spike asked, slowly following behind the unicorn. “Twilight’s going to wonder where we are, you know.”

“I know,” Shining said with a light chuckle. “But this is important, I assure you. I’ll need to talk with Twily about it after, but I felt I owed you first.”

“Owed me?” Spike asked.

“I may not, technically, be a member of the royal guard anymore,” Shining said. “However, I have many friends there. Friends who’ve told me quite a bit about you. A while ago I asked them to keep an eye on you since you came under my little sister’s care.”

Spike gulped, a little nervousness starting to fill him before he poked his claws together. “Listen, whatever you feel you owe me, can we just call it even? I uhhh… haven’t been the best with being owed things. Besides, Twilight has done way more for me than I have her.”

“Ah, here we are!” Shining said, ignoring him. He shoved open the door of a bright, colorful building before dragging Spike inside. “Two donuts, extra sprinkles!”

“Wait, what?” Spike asked before glancing around. The building seemed to be a small donut shop, with a few tables and a bar at the front. A dull crystal pony stood behind the counter and gave a quick nod.

“Coming right up!” he said before dashing off to grab the order.

Shining dragged him to one of the corner booths and finally let him go before sliding into the booth. Spike slowly slid into the seat opposite him, confused as ever. “What?” Spike asked again. “You dragged me off for donuts? That’s it?”

“Kind of,” Shining said before giving a light sigh. “How to say this… Spike, a lot has been happening in Canterlot.”

“That’s an understatement,” Spike said with a light snort.

“My little sister has been at the forefront of it, again and again,” Shining said, ignoring Spike’s comment. “Unfortunately, I have not been able to be there for her during a lot of it. First being imprisoned, then well…”

“Nightmare Moon?” Spike asked.

“Exactly. Losing my position makes it even harder. But I’ve tried to always have those I could trust keep an eye on her. Keeping her out of trouble is an impossibility, even if Nightmare Moon wasn’t so close to her. Twilight has always had a uhhhh… inquisitive mind. Thank you,” Shining said when the donuts were brought over. Spike didn’t hesitate to take a bite out of his. “She always has to put her nose where it really shouldn’t be.”

“Mmmm hm,” Spike said. “I bet she has a minor in it.”

“Journalism, actually, but close enough,” Shining said with an exhausted sigh.

“What was it like growing up with a sister like that?” Spike asked.

“Ehhh,” Shining said with a shrug. “It gave me motivation, at least. Twilight is incredible in some ways, an absolute disaster in others. She would have been in wayyyyy more trouble. Luckily, she did have the coolest big brother ever to keep her safe and away from the stove.”

“Must have been nice,” Spike said.

“I’ll admit I was a little wary of her taking care of a dragon,” Shining said. “I’ve learned a bit about dragons, you know. After all, as a member of the royal guard it was my duty to be ready should they ever attack.”

Spike cringed and gave a nod before biting into his donut. He hoped this wasn’t going to turn into a ‘stay away from my sister’ talk.

“So, I have to say, it came as quite a surprise to find out that the one helping to keep little Twily safe WAS a dragon,” Shining said.

Spike nearly choked on the donut, hacking and coughing before pounding on his chest. “W-what?! Me?! I haven’t kept her safe! If anything, she’s been keeping me safe!”

“Oh, she definitely has,” Shining said. “I’ve heard about that as well. But that’s just Twily being Twily. You, on the other hoof? I wouldn’t have seen this coming. So… I wanted to thank you.”

“Is that what the donut is for?” Spike asked. “I haven’t really done anything. She’s saved my life like… at least four times. I’ve never really saved her life. Even when we got captured by Sombra, all I did was stand there until it was almost too late.”

“I’ll admit I don’t know the full story,” Shining said. “But from the rumors my sources could find you WERE responsible for saving her.”

“All I did was get her helmet off,” Spike said. “Even then I couldn’t break free of it until she was almost killed. It was mostly Nightmare Moon if anything! If I’d been better, she might not have even gotten hurt. If anything--”

“Spike,” Shining said before shaking his head. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

“Do what?” Spike asked.

“Tell yourself ‘what if’,” Shining said. “Whenever those we care about get hurt, we always have those thoughts. I’d… be lying if I said I didn’t have those thoughts myself. Every single time my little sister gets hurt I ask myself ‘what if I had done things differently’. I wonder how it would have turned out if I’d not been open in my attacks on Nightmare Moon. If I’d been stronger. If I’d paid more attention. Even if I’d gone and helped Moondancer on that fateful night. Every time she gets hurt, every time she puts herself in danger, every time she ends up beaten or battered from her time in the castle? I ask myself those questions more and more. That’s not even counting all of the things that Cadence has been through. But the fact is, we’re just ponies. Well, dragon in your case. As much as we want to bear the world on our shoulders, many of us can’t. We can only do what we can. It doesn’t make it easier, but it does help direct ourselves where we need to go. As much as I hate it, I can’t be there for Twilight right now. Even if Cadence didn’t need me, Nightmare Moon isn’t something I can help with. I’m not even a royal guard anymore. You, on the other hoof, didn’t have to stand up and help. But you did. So I mean this, from one grateful big brother to baby dragon. Thank you.”

Spike blinked a few times before stuffing the rest of the donut into his mouth and nodding. “Oh… uhhh. You’re welcome. I think you’re blowing what I do way out of proportion though. But does… this mean I can get another donut? Cause these are pretty good,” Spike said before nervously chuckling.

“It’s the crystal flake sprinkles,” Shining said. “And sure. But there’s something else I’d like to talk with you about. I uhhh… well. You know, it sounded a lot less silly earlier when I was talking with Cadence about it. But, errr…”

Spike cocked his head to the side and stared at the unicorn with bewilderment. “What?”

Shining gave another soft sigh and idly poked his hooves together, a little red going into his cheeks. “Right. Well, just remember this was Cadence’s idea when I suggested I should try and give you something more personal for all you’ve done.”

“What?” Spike asked before quickly shaking his head. “Oh no. No no no. Ummm, I’m good without gifts, okay? The donuts are fine. Really. Let’s stick to donuts, okay? Last time I got a gift it just, well, it didn’t end well. I--”

“It’s not that kind of gift,” Shining said before lifting a hoof to his forehead and lightly rubbing it. “Ugh. Cadence is much better at these kinds of things. If I could, I’d just make you an honorary royal guard or something. But I can’t really do that anymore. But, errr.” He took a slow, deep breath and lowered the hoof to his chest. “Right. I’m just going to say it. And know you don’t need to accept it. I mean, I’m sure it’s a little… weird, hearing from a pony. But, err… so I heard that, as dragons go, you don’t really have much of a family.”

“Yeah?” Spike said, nervously poking his claws together. He wished he’d just get on with it! “I’m not sure what that--”

“I’d like for you to be the best stallion at my wedding,” Shining said. “Best dragon? Whatever the term would be.”

Spike blinked a few times, his mouth falling open. “I… what?”

“Right, silly, huh?” Shining asked, looking away and lightly tapping a hoof on the seat. “I mean, err--”

“I accept!” Spike said, barely resisting giving out a little squeal of delight.

“Err… really?” Shining asked. He then all but collapsed back in the booth. “Oh, of course. Right. Heh. I uhhh, totally knew you would.”

“Of course! But, ummm, one question?” Spike asked.

“Yes?” Shining asked.

“What… exactly does a best dragon do?” Spike asked. “I mean, I know what a best dragon does at a dragon wedding. But I don’t think you really have a hoard of treasure for me to guard.”

“I… what?” Shining asked before shaking his head. “Oh. Ummm. It’s mostly just somepony who stands there, holds the rings, maybe gives a speech, plans the bachelor party. Don’t worry about most of that, though. I’m also planning to ask Twilight to be my best mare and I imagine she’ll do the speech part and carry the rings. It’s uhhh… well. It’s mostly meant as a symbol of honor. Usually done by family or really close friends. And I can’t think of anypony I’d want to have doing it more than the pony who has been keeping an eye on my little sister while I can’t. Err, even if you’re… not… a pony.”

“Oh,” Spike said. “Well, thank you very much. I will happily accept! Err… so I guess I’ll do the… bachelor party, then? How does that work?”

“Oh, gosh, no,” Shining said with a light chuckle. “I don’t plan on having one. As chaotic as things have been there’s no time to worry about that.”

“Oh now now, we can’t have that!” a voice said, sending a chill down both their spines. “A bachelor party can’t be ignored on such a grand occasion!”

“Uhhhhh…” Shining said nervously.

“Dis… cord?” Spike asked.

“The one and only,” Discord said before appearing in the middle of Shining’s donut, only a few inches tall and using it as a cushion. “In fact, this sounds like JUST the perfect opportunity for a bit of fun. Doesn’t it?”

“Uhhhhh…” Shining said nervously. “I don’t know about… that. Cadence needs me to--”

“Nonsense,” Discord said before chuckling. “Just leave everything to me. Why, they won’t even notice you’re gone. Oh, this is going to be SO much fun.”

“What?” Spike asked. “Gone? But we just--”

Before he could finish the sentence, however, Discord snapped his fingers, causing all three of them to disappear.

------

“That’s… a lot to take in,” Cadence said softly.

“I know, right?” Twilight said before giving another soft yawn. “Imagine. If we could actually help the shades. Not just those from before, but the ponies who were…” She trailed off and glanced around before shaking her head. She tried not to think of new ponies who had been trapped in those forms. Or the ponies they had left behind. “Maybe we could even help Sombra.”

“I doubt a pony like him can be helped,” Cadence said. “I’m honestly surprised you, of all ponies, want to try.”

Twilight glanced at the book for a moment before sighing. “Admittedly… a part of me doesn’t.”

“Oh?” Cadence asked.

“Sombra is… a monster,” Twilight said. “Perhaps not the kind of monster he thought he was, but certainly a monster of some sort. A part of me wants to bury him in the deepest, darkest dungeons possible.”

“Honestly, I feel that is where he belongs,” Cadence said. “Even now the crystal ponies shudder at just the mention of his name. If he were to… if he appeared again, I am not sure what ponies would do. Not to mention I’ve heard nothing good about these ‘umbrum’ aside from their magic turning ponies into shades.”

“Perhaps,” Twilight said before flipping through the book. “But… I think there is a pony in there. Even if he is a monster, I want to believe he can be something else. Who knows? Perhaps we can help him be that.”

“He tried to take your life,” Cadence said.

“I only said we may be able to,” Twilight said. “It may be impossible, I don’t know. But I still want to try. I used to believe there was good in everypony and… I’m not sure I want to entirely give up that notion. Just because it’s hard to find that rainbow in a pony’s heart doesn’t mean it’s not worth looking for. Besides, it’s not like he’s the first thing to try and take my life and if we can help save the shades, I think at least trying to help Sombra as well isn’t a bad cost.”

“Have you ever considered taking a class on self preservation?” Cadence asked in a dry tone. “It may be a subject you finally managed to not get an A in.”

“Hey, I know plenty about self preservation,” Twilight said in a haughty tone. “I’d just do better in class than live application.”

Cadence stared at her for a few long, annoyed moments before a smile formed on her lips. “You truly were the best filly I ever babysat, weren’t you?”

“Only because I had the best foalsitter,” Twilight said.

“Well, if you really want to try then the best foalsitter may be able to help you with this project,” Cadence said before turning around and walking to her dresser. “I think I may have what Hope is looking for.” She pulled open the top drawer and reached inside, rummaging around before pulling out a small, brown jewelry case. She opened it and then held it out to Twilight. “This.”

“It’s… beautiful…” Twilight whispered, staring at the necklace within. A small, crystal heart shimmered, the light flowing through it and making small rainbow-like projections. It reminded her of Cadence’s cutie mark, when she’d had it. “You’ve never shown me this piece before.”

“It would have been reckless for me to before. There are few like it,” Cadence said. “It’s a dangerous, if powerful, artifact. I’ve never told you how I became an alicorn, have I?”

“No,” Twilight said, her voice filled with annoyance. “Though I did ask you six-hundred and fifteen times while you were foalsitting me. Wait, are you finally going to tell me?”

Cadence gave a nod before smiling at her. “Considering all that’s happened? I think it’s time I did. It’s not that long, though. When I was a filly, I was… found. I don’t remember where I was before then, but I was just a pegasus. Confused and lost. Earth ponies took me in and began to raise me as their own once they realized they had no idea where I belonged. It was nice, for the most part. I was happy. Unfortunately, my new home came under the eye of a powerful unicorn. Prismia. She was… difficult. A bit of a bully. Dangerous. She hurt a lot of ponies.”

“Was she evil?” Twilight asked.

“Hurt,” Cadence said before giving a saddened sigh. “A hurt, broken soul. But a powerful unicorn. She cast dark magic that stole the love of all in my new home. Leaving them broken, hollow husks. In the end, I had to confront her. At that time? She was wearing this necklace.”

Twilight took a small step back, her eyes wide and locked on it. “And you just keep it there? In your dresser? Is that safe?”

“It is now,” Cadence said with a light chuckle. “This necklace enhances the power of those who wear it. Unfortunately, it has other effects. It can… amplify the emotions of those who don it. If those who wear it can keep themselves calm, happy, allow the love in their heart to spread? It will shimmer like this.” She slowly drew the necklace out and moved to put it on her own neck. She then paused before instead holding it out to her.

“What?” Twilight asked. “You want… me to…?”

“Yes,” Cadence said. “I think you can handle it. And if you want to meet this Hope, she will likely come looking for it. But be warned. If you keep your heart good and pure, filled with love, then it will remain brilliant. But if you allow negativity inside, hate, anger, resentment, jealousy? It will amplify those emotions and lose its brilliance. I’m sure you can imagine why Nightmare Moon must never know about this.”

Twilight nodded before reaching out a hoof for the necklace… before shaking her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t wear it.”

“Oh?” Cadence asked.

“I have a lot more negative emotions than I care to admit,” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “But I don’t understand what this has to do with the shades? Why would she be looking for this?”

“A lot of reasons,” Cadence said before letting the necklace drop back into the case and closing it, then offering it to her. “The shades are… mmm. I’d almost call it like a disease. One that targets a pony’s soul. At least, that is what the crystal ponies have told me. It drives them into darkness and then takes everything from them until they feel nothing. Until they almost are nothing. My village… was on that path, I believe, before I stopped Prismia. More importantly, I believe she was on that path. The mare she was with the necklace and after it were like two entirely different ponies. Now? I believe had I not saved her then, she would have eventually become a shade. Her heart was almost empty then, but I was able to fill it. It takes a strong, pure heart to wield such a thing without being corrupted by it. But now, more than ever, I am certain I know its origins.”

“You do?” Twilight asked softly before, nervously, taking the case.

“The umbrum,” Cadence said. “Perhaps Sombra himself. A relic that offers power, but pierces any weakness in the wearer’s heart to take from them everything. Perhaps it was meant to aid Sombra. Or perhaps it was meant to help corrupt more ponies and bring them under the umbrum’s influence. It may even predate him, perhaps a relic used by the umbrum before him. I couldn’t say. But if Hope is coming here, looking for something to aid her in saving the shades, I don’t know what else it could be. More importantly? If you truly think that somepony can save Sombra, after everything he’s been through? I think you may be one of the few ponies who can handle that necklace.”

Twilight nodded before gulping and eyeing the case. “So, the negativity… it amplifies it? But if I can keep my heart filled with love, it stays like a rainbow?”

“Indeed,” Cadence said.

“I… I’ll try it,” Twilight said. “But you’ll take it off if it comes to it, right?”

“I can’t,” Cadence said. “Only the pony who’s wearing it can remove it. But I can tell you if you need to take it off.”

Twilight nodded before, slowly, opening the case. “If I try doing anything weird, let Rainbow know about this, okay?” She pulled the necklace out and then wrapped it around her throat. She closed her eyes and waited. “What’s it doing?” she asked, readying herself to tear it off at a moment’s notice.

“Glowing at beautiful as ever,” Cadence said. “Just like the heart of the one wearing it. You always were a good filly, even if you did tend to be a little rambunctious at times.”

Twilight gave a chuckle before reaching down and holding the gem in a hoof, raising it so she could look closer. “Well, how could I be anything else with the world’s best foalsitter keeping an eye on me? Still, I’d best not keep it on much and definitely not unsupervised. I’ve read enough books to know that you don’t wear the possibly corrupting magical artifact for too long. ESPECIALLY if it seems like a good idea to.”

“How does it feel? I mean, since well…” Cadence said before motioning towards her horn.

“Oh! Right,” Twilight said before looking up. “Honestly? A little stronger, but I can’t really… say. I actually wanted to ask you about that. When you became an alicorn, how long did it take you to uhhhh… get used to…”

“Magic?” Cadence asked. “A few months. Why? Are you already teleporting around? Mastering aging spells?”

“No,” Twilight said. “In fact, all I can do is lift some things.”

“Wait, really?” Cadence asked. “Odd, I’d have imagined as talented as you are you’d already know dozens of spells. You WERE the only earth pony I knew to make it into the advanced casting classes. A lot of unicorns can’t even do that.”

“That’s just it,” Twilight said before rubbing her horn. “It feels… weird. I thought I’d know how the magic works. How hard could it be, right? Except… it just doesn’t. Work, I mean. I’ve practiced all kinds of things, but it’s almost like… half the magic isn’t there. If that makes sense? Or like pieces of the magic are missing.”

“Really?” Cadence asked. “Your horn looks fine to me, though.”

“As far as I can tell, there’s nothing physically wrong with me,” Twilight said sheepishly. “But… well… perhaps it’s just a mental block of some kind.”

“The nature of you becoming an alicorn is also quite… unique,” Cadence said softly. “And uhhh…”

“Incomplete?” Twilight said.

“Yes,” Cadence said. “It’s possible that the magic is just… struggling to properly balance itself.”

“Or isn’t all there,” Twilight said. “Like having only one wing.”

“Possibly,” Cadence said softly. “Perhaps you should try to find a personal tutor before you worry too much.”

“I technically have one now,” Twilight said softly, averting her gaze.

“Oh? Anypony I know?” Cadence asked.

“Err, I doubt it. Just a, uhhh, friend of mine,” Twilight said. “Trixie Lulamoon. She’s--”

“The stage magician?” Cadence asked, her voice flat and unamused. “You’re kidding.”

“You’ve heard of her?” Twilight asked.

“Of course I have,” Cadence said. “Everypony who was in Canterlot that day heard of her. Twilight, she is not an adequate tutor for a partial alicorn. What would possess you to let her be your tutor?”

“Errr, wellll…” Twilight said sheepishly. “She did kind of offer and I mostly ignored it…”

“But?”

“Welllll… errrr, you see…” Twilight said before poking her hooves together. “She uhhhh…”

Cadence glared at her before, slowly, she started to smile. “She gave you homework, didn’t see?”

“She told me to do a report,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Don’t ever change, Twilight,” Cadence said with a light chuckle. “But do please find an actual tutor. Maybe Moondancer.”

“She’s got enough to worry about,” Twilight said. “I’ll see about finding a proper mage. Promise. I’m sure Trixie could teach me about stage magic, though. If nothing else.”

“Thank you,” Cadence said. “Well, at least the necklace is still bright. Do you feel any different?”

“A bit embarrassed, but nothing--” Twilight’s words were cut off by a crash and a scream.

Cadence didn’t hesitate, turning and galloping out the door with Twilight right behind her.

------

“Stop screaming!” Lightning yelled at the screaming mare while she tried to wipe off the blood. A pony crashes through one little glass window and suddenly everypony is panicking. There wasn’t even that much blood, just a few cuts. Sure, her wings hurt but once she got the glass out they’d be fine.

“Are you okay? W-what happened?” the mare asked.

“I’m fine, I’m--”

“Lightning!” Rainbow’s voice came, making her cringe. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Nothing major,” Lightning said before turning towards her, standing up as straight and steady as she could. “Just a minor flying accident. I--”

“You’re covered in glass,” Rainbow said, hovering lightly in the air over the shards. “What happened?”

“I uhhh… I had a small backdraft when I was attempting to do the sonic rainboom,” Lightning said. “They aren’t easy to--”

“Spread out your wings,” Rainbow said, her eyes focused on them and some of the color drained from her face.

“What?” Lightning asked. “They’re fine.”

“Then spread them out,” Rainbow said, crossing her hooves.

Lightning gulped before, very slowly, she spread them out. She let out a low hiss of pain before giving them a little flap and sending a few pieces of glass scattering to the ground. “They’re fine, just a little cut up and--”

Before she could stop her, Rainbow landed on the ground besides her. “Lightning, what in Equestria are you doing? Shadowfang!”

“It’s fine!” Lightning said before nearly taking a step back and only stopping when she heard a piece of glass crack underhoof “I’m fine. I just had a little mis--”

“This isn’t a LITTLE anything!” Rainbow snapped. “We’re getting you medical attention and then--”

“I don’t NEED medical attention!” Lightning yelled before flapping her wings and taking to the air. “I’m FINE! I--” She let out a pained grunt when her left wing locked up entirely, a sharp pain shooting through it. She tried to correct herself, nearly flipping upside down and plummeting at the glass. She had only a moment to close her eyes and brace for impact.

However, she was instead snagged out of the air before she could hit the ground. Rainbow carried her back outside, dropping her carefully as she could on the grass. “You are NOT fine,” Rainbow said before brushing some glass off her own uniform. “Shadowfang! Ugh, where IS he? I thought you were resting?”

“It was a small miscalculation,” Lightning said, trying to keep her temper in check. She didn’t need the coddling. “I was practicing the sonic rainboom and I just made a small mistake. I--”

“Rainbow!” Shadowfang yelled before skidding to a stop by them.

“About time!” Rainbow snapped. “Where were you?”

“Getting help,” Shadowfang said. “There’s a medical pony on the way. Lightning? Are you okay?”

“I’M FINE!” Lightning yelled. “Will everypony STOP fretting over me like I’m some kind of ROOKIE?! I’m the best flier any of you have ever SEEN! I don’t need a medical ANYTHING! I just need to get back to PRACTICE!”

Rainbow stared at her for a few moments, her eyes wide. Finally, she shook her head. “Lightning Dust, I was wrong,” she said firmly. “You are NOT doing the sonic rainboom at the wedding.”

“What?” Lightning asked, going entirely still. “I… I can figure it out. I’ve done it once, I don’t--”

“It’s not about you figuring it out!” Rainbow yelled. “It’s just… Lightning, you’re going to get these cuts looked at and make sure your wing is okay. Until then? You’re grounded. Once you’re better? I… I don’t even know right now. But you are NOT flying until you get the okay. Got it?”

Lightning stared at her, her mouth falling open. She couldn’t believe it. They were going to ground her? But she was the best flier they had. One little mistake didn’t change that.

“What happened?” Cadence yelled before she and Twilight came galloping over.

“Flying accident,” Rainbow said before glancing at the two. “We’ve got it handled. There’s a lot of glass inside, though, be careful.”

“I’ll go help make sure nopony else gets hurt,” Cadence said before heading into the building.

“Flying accident?” Twilight asked.

Lightning stared at the other pony, her eyes locked on the necklace around her throat for a moment.

“Right, meet our student,” Rainbow said. “Twilight Glow, meet Lightning Dust.”

“I’m fine,” Lightning said before tearing her eyes away from the necklace to look the mare in the eyes. “They’re worrying over nothing.”

“You’re bleeding,” Twilight said softly before shaking her head. Her eyes glowed green for a moment before she took the necklace off and chucked it into a small carrying case, then tossed it into her saddlebags. “Oh wow, Cadence wasn’t kidding. That really does go negative fast.”

“Huh?” Rainbow asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Twilight said sheepishly. “Is everypony is okay? When we heard the scream, well, we worried about the worst. Surprised my brother isn’t here yet.”

“I’m fine,” Lightning said for what felt like the hundredth time before trying to spread her wing out again. If she could just get some lift before the medical ponies got here then--

“Finally,” Rainbow said, her eyes locking onto a crystal pony galloping towards them. On their saddlebags they had the symbol for first aid. “Shadowfang and I need to keep an eye on Lightning, make sure she’s okay. We’ll be back as soon as we can to help clean up, promise.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight said. “I’ll help take care of this. Just make sure nopony is hurt.”

“Of course,” Rainbow said before glancing back to Lightning when the crystal pony reached out for her wing. “Come on, let’s get you taken care of.”

“I’m fine!” Lightning yelled, trying to pull her wing back from the medical pony.

“You are nowhere even approaching fine,” Rainbow said. “Once your wing is tended we’re going to have a long talk. A very, very long talk.”

“But—”

“Please stay still,” the medical pony said before she reluctantly let him grab her wing. “I need to remove the glass and examine these lacerations. Please stop moving so much.”

Lightning growled, but grudgingly gave in. She didn’t need this, she could work through the pain. She wasn’t some weak willed little filly who needed to be coddled. She let out a low hiss when a small shard of glass was extracted from her wing.

She was fine.

------

This did not seem to be as fine as Gilda first suspected. Even she could tell that something was up when she walked into the medical tent. Ash was muttering under her breath while she worked, occasionally throwing strange things into her cauldron. No laughter. No giggles. No amusement. She seemed entirely focused for once, though on what the griffon couldn’t say.

Red, on the other talon, looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her mane was frazzled, she had bags under her eyes and she had definitely been crying. She was desperately flipping through books, only to shove them away and grab different books to flip through.

Worse, neither seemed to even notice when she and Thorax walked into the tent. Gilda glanced towards the liquid in the cauldron, a dark purple, and tried to pick out some of the words Ash was muttering.

“Root? No, no, it’s not about rooting. Shadows. Grounding? Yes, no. Can’t… maybe if I…”

Gilda just cocked her head to the side before glancing to Thorax. “Uhhhhh… maybe this is a bad time,” she said.

“I told you something was up,” Thorax whispered.

“So you were right,” Gilda said back before, slowly, walking towards Red. “Red? Red Heart?”

The pegasus didn’t look up, instead continuing to flip through her book. Gilda reached out a talon and tapped her shoulder, making her shriek and turn around. She then let out a sigh of relief. “Gilda? What are you doing here? I’m very busy right now, can this wait?”

“What’s going on?” Gilda asked. “Is it the captain?”

“What? No! The captain is fine! She’s going to be fine,” Red said.

“No she’s not,” Thorax said. “I could feel it. I can practically taste it. Or not taste it. What’s going on?”

“Taste it?” Red asked. “How can… oh… oh right. Changeling. It… I… Gilda, Thorax, you two should go and clean your tents. The captain isn’t… she’s n-not going to be happy if you fail her inspection.”

“She’s not going to feel anything,” Thorax said. “Is she?”

“What’s going on?” Gilda asked, despite herself hoping that this was just another bit of pony over reacting.

“It’s not… just… don’t worry about it,” Red said.

The sound of the tent flap could be heard behind them and when they glanced back, Smooth stood in it. For the first time in ages, she was in full uniform. She even had the hat. Gilda couldn’t remember EVER seeing her in the hat.

Now she was beginning to worry.

“Who the buck is that?” Smooth asked before trotting over to stand in front of Red. “Because that is NOT the captain. Thorax, will you stop saluting? This is no time for jokes.” Thorax, grudgingly, lowered his hoof.

“That’s the captain,” Red said before wiping her eyes. “S-she’s just--”

“She told me my daily reports were PASSABLE!” Smooth yelled. “MINE!”

“Oh sweet Celestia,” Red said softly.

“As what, kindling?” Gilda asked.

“Exactly!” Smooth said. “What’s going on? What in Equestria kind of potions did Ash feed her?”

“None yet,” Ash said.

“She’s not… it’s not a potion,” Red said. “Not a medication. It’s not… the captain is… she’s…”

“Red Heart,” Smooth said. “I do not do this lightly. So please understand just how important this is when I do it. I am officially ordering you, as your commanding officer, to tell me what in Equestria is going on with the captain.”

The tent went silent, even Ash looking up with wide eyes and nearly dropping her laddle. “Did… did Smooth Tongue just… give an order?” the earth pony asked softly.

Red stared, her mouth open before finally shaking her head. “She’s… the captain is… shadifying. Shading. She’s becoming a shade.”

“A what now?” Smooth asked. “Wait, like a… one of those… dark ponies? The ones disappearing in the light? THOSE shades? She can’t be a shade! Who’s going to run the outfit?”

“You will,” Lavender said from behind her, making all of them jump and whip around to see the captain standing in the entranceway. Gilda couldn’t help but shudder when she realized that the unicorn’s back legs were partially see-through for a moment when the light touched them. “Just like you did before I came here, First Lieutenant Smooth Tongue.”

“What?” Smooth asked, staring at her. “Oh no. No no no no! You saw what you came into, this place was a mess! A disaster! It--”

“Was functional,” Lavender said, her voice calm and relaxed. “That will just have to do again.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Smooth asked.

“She’s not,” Thorax said gently. “She’s not feeling… anything… anymore, are you? Captain?”

Lavender glanced towards him before shaking her head. “Very little. It is probably for the best. It wouldn’t do for my last day with all of you to be one where I was quaking with fear.”

“There has to be something we can do!” Smooth yelled, almost pleading. “Y-you can’t just leave me with that paperwork! I don’t deserve this!”

“And none of us deserve to have Smooth in charge,” Gilda said. “No offense.”

“None taken, I’m with you on this one,” Smooth said.

“It’s not a choice,” Lavender said.

“But what if… if we… if… if…” Smooth said, struggling to come up with something. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“The world is filled with what-ifs, Lieutenant,” Lavender said. “Let us focus on what is. My orders stand. I will perform a full inspection at noon. At sunset, you will take over as commanding officer of the Badland Mooners, until and unless somepony else is sent to replace me. Red?”

“C-captain,” Smooth said softly. “D-don’t go. Please don’t go. We… we need you.”

“H-here you go c-captain,” Red said before holding out a small packet of papers. Lavender took them in her magic and began to flip through them.

“This place won’t last a week without you,” Smooth said.

“You’ll do fine, Smooth,” Lavender said without looking up from the papers.

“You can’t honestly believe that!” Gilda snapped before she could stop herself. “She’s Smooth! The camp will burn down in a week!”

“If it burns, it burns,” Lavender said before nodding and levitating the papers back to Red. She turned and then left the tent, seeming to flicker out of existence for a moment when she stepped into the light, only to reappear a moment later.

“She can’t mean that,” Smooth said softly before walking to the entranceway and watching her leave. “Can she? It’s a joke, right? It has to be.”

“She didn’t even glare when I yelled at her,” Gilda said softly. “She’s… she’s really going… isn’t she?”

“T-there’s nothing we c-can do,” Red said softly before wiping her eyes. “T-they tried to… to stop it. B-but… but… It’s like… like she was h-hollowed out. E-everything that happened. All they could do was… was delay it.”

“Ash? There has to be something, right?” Smooth asked. “Some kind of potion, something? Anything?”

“I am TRYING!” Ash yelled.

“Well try harder!” Smooth yelled back. “Do YOU want me in charge?”

Gilda shook her head and glanced to Thorax. Or, at least, where Thorax had been. Great, now he was running off on his own. She really hoped he wasn’t going to start crying. She did not want to deal with a crying changeling. She definitely wasn’t going to cry like some sentimental pony. In fact, she wasn’t even upset. She just… was worried about having Smooth in charge. That was all.

She quickly made her way out of the tent and caught sight of Thorax running into the mess tent. It looked like the news would be spreading quickly afterall.

Gilda took a deep breath and started after him. She didn’t know why they were worrying so much. This was a pony problem, anyway. And ponies were obnoxious about that kind of stuff. Even when things were impossible they found a way. There was absolutely no possible way they’d just let this happen. None.

None at all.

They didn’t back down from dragons with claws bigger than their entire bodies, this couldn’t be any different.

Gilda wished she could make herself believe that when she walked towards the mess tent.

Author's Notes:

Twilight... REALLY needs to get better about warning people about her eye. Just... seriously. This is a MAJOR problem. I mean, sure, when it happened a lot of ponies had been turned into shades. And nearly died. And a 'dragon' attack. And Moondancer was almost killed. Then she became a half unicorn. Then... Okay, so maybe in comparison it wasn't the BIGGEST thing in the world, but come on! Also, seriously. Girl. Get some sleep.

On the upside, at least she now knows what Hope is coming for. After all, what are the chances that there would be TWO amulets that amplify the powers of their wearers AND corrupt them? In full seriousness, I do wonder if they were going to be canonically connected when the writer wrote about Cadence's 'origins'.

Also, dang it Discord...

On the upside, now everyone gets to see the process of shade-ification. If curious, the captain was offered leave when they realized what was going to happen. She chose to spend her last day on duty. Married to the job, that one.

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