Princess Celestia would like to say that the transition after banishing Nightmare Moon was peaceful. If she did, she'd be lying. The reality was anything but.
Princess Luna became Nightmare Moon one thousand years ago. That same night, she tried to overthrow her sister and was banished to the moon. When that happened, the largest community of thestrals watched.
With dissent growing among the normal ponies against those of the Night, Celestia tries to protect as many as she can. Riots break out. Vandalism, discrimination, and racism become commonplace. Thestrals are no longer safe on the streets.
Enter Constellation Nightmane. After witnessing the Celestia-Luna battle, she knows that she needs to find a way out. A way to prove that Luna was the only one who betrayed Equestria. Because if she doesn’t, a lot of innocent ponies - mares and stallions, fillies and colts, ponies and thestrals - are going to die in a brewing civil war.
Princess Twilight Sparkle walked down the gangway. After two weeks of rolling seas, she was glad to step on land again. Her natural instinct was to go check in with the Manehattan harbormaster, but he was already bounding down the solid oak pier to meet her.
“Princess! I apologize for my lateness.”
“It’s fine. Good to be back. If you don't mind, sir, I'll head to the library. There are some history volumes there I have yet to read.”
“By all means, Princess. By all means. I will handle everything here. Enjoy the library!”
Twilight trotted through the streets of Manehattan, remembering the many lives lost in this very city only a year ago. The Manehattan Siege, she heard, had been extremely costly to both sides. And the one pony who'd gotten them through it - Crimson Dawn, a red Pegasus from Atlantis - had died in the final battle against Sombra. Just a couple months had passed since then, but Twilight still had vivid nightmares about it.
She shook the memory out. The central library’s large oaken doorway was directly in front of her now. She opened the double doors, treading lightly across the shiny reflective marble floor.
“How may I help you today, Princess?” The old stallion’s wrinkled coat glistened with the joy of work as he acknowledged her from his position behind the checkout counter. His light grey mane was short and cropped to the left, while his greying tail unconsciously swept from side to side. Two old, bundled bat wings were folded neatly at his side.
A thestral. Good. Twilight nodded to the librarian and trotted over to him. “Actually,” she said as she approached, “I was wondering if you could tell me something. What does the name ‘Nightmane’ mean to you?”
He straightened, stretching out his creaky back. “Nightmane? Now that is a name we haven’t heard a non-thestral say in a long, long time.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Thestral names are almost never said by normal ponies here in Equestria.”
“That’s neat. Why is that?”
“The Nightmare Moon incident a millennium ago.”
“Is there a reason you’re here in Manehattan and not with others of your kind? I’m not trying to be discriminatory, just curious.”
“Princess, my family and I have run this joint since the founding of Manehattan three hundred years ago. We wanted to prove that thestrals weren't monsters.”
“And you did.”
“And we did.” The stallion waved to another librarian, a young mare not much older than Twilight, to come. When she did, she helped him slowly walk to a special lounge chair reserved for him. He gestured for Twilight to sit, so she did in a comfortable blue lounge chair across a low table from him. “I know the Nightmane family. In fact, we Sparrowbolts are a branch of them. If you want, I've kept in touch with the branch in Summercrest. I could get you to them.”
“No, it's fine. I just came back from Atlantis.”
“I see. They knew Colonel Dawn’s family. Did he ever mention the Nightmanes? Is that why you're curious?”
“Yes.”
The mare walked up with a pitcher. “Would you like tea, Princess?”
She looked up. “Yes, thank you. And you can call me Twilight.”
She nodded. The stallion waited while she poured the hot liquid. When she glanced to him, he said, “The usual, Constellation.”
“Yes, Grandpa Starling.”
“Constellation?” Twilight asked. “That's a pretty name.”
“Thank you, Twilight. I was named after one of our ancestors from a millennium ago.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” Grandpa Starling said. “Constellation Nightmane lived during the time of Nightmare Moon’s banishment. To be honest, without her, we'd not be here. Her name is so special to our family that only those who bear uncanny resemblance to her in both personality and looks can also bear the name.”
“That's amazing.” Twilight’s eyes opened wide in disbelief. “It must be an honor for you to be named such.”
“Believe me, I'll never live up to her name. Constellation Nightmane is the single greatest mare in the entire family. Well, at least according to Grandpa.” Constellation Sparrowbolt sat down after getting her grandfather his drink. “Grandpa, what is her story, exactly?”
“It's about time I told you anyway,” he replied. “This tale has been passed down for generations. Its words have never been copied onto paper, just told through word of mouth. My grandfather told me many years ago, and his to him, and so on. It starts one night about one thousand years ago…”
A young thestral opened her eyes. She had a starry-night mane over her shoulder in a simple braid, like Princess Luna’s but without the flow, and a similar coat. Her batlike eyes were the purest of sapphire blues. She turned her head to look out the west-facing window. Celestia’s sun was setting; Luna’s moon was rising. She twisted out of bed, belly-flopping onto the floor and bonking her head against the bedside table.
That woke her up. Her eyes shot open as she regained her sense of balance and stood up. Below her, she heard her mother call, “Constellation, did you just fall out of bed again?”
“Yes, Mother,” she replied through the cracks in the pine floorboards. “I apologize for the noise, Mother.” Constellation then stretched her wings, as per usual with her evening routine. It was a comforting thing that always soothed her nerves no matter the situation.
“Breakfast” was munched on in earnest. Mother had made special oatmeal to celebrate her daughter’s sixteenth birthday, and was planning on getting a cake later that night.
“Is Father still worried about Princess Luna?”
“Yes. She's gotten worse. Her mind may be sick, but she won't let anypony close enough to find out. What your father believes is happening is some kind of decent into madness or extreme jealousy.”
The two ate in silence for a few minutes. Then the night routines came around, being the most normal of waking hours - and the dullest. Constellation sat outside, mostly, soaking in the soft moonlight. But as dawn was supposed to come, something odd happened.
“Mother! The sun is eclipsed!” Constellation cried.
“The eclipse has not occurred for seven hundred years! Why…” The adult thestral’s eyes widened in horror as she saw a huge flash of light. It originated to the east. The Everfree Forest. “Get inside!”
“What's going on?” her daughter asked.
“It's happened. Just like we've always feared. Princess Luna has fallen to true darkness.”
Even though their residence was in Canterlot, the duel could be seen easily. The many thestrals in this section of the city locked up, closed everything. The entire East Canterlot area shut down in a matter of minutes as their patron princess fought her sister. From inside their locked houses, they watched the flashes light up the night.
“Sister! Don't make me do this!”
“Once your petty daylight is gone, the night will last forever!”
The white-coated alicorn cast her spell. It missed the black thing in blue armor formerly known as Luna by the smallest of margins. She regretted the shot. She wanted to take it all back, to bring her sister back…
Her enemy cast a dark blue laser. It smashed a hole in the castle roof below. Princess Celestia dodged a second attack, casting another spell of her own. It hit the black thing square in the chest armor. She recoiled and lost her wing strength for a second. But that was all Celestia needed to escape down into the throne room.
The dark mare followed. Celestia brushed the stone dust off her shoulder. Scrapes and bruises covered her body, and her wingpits were starting to blister. “Sister, come back to me…”
“I am not your sister. I am the Night. My name: Nightmare Moon.” Nightmare cast a spell that wrapped around Celestia, picking her up and preventing her escape. She was dragged closer to the evil alicorn. “Once you are dead, I will rule all of Equestria. And there is nothing you can do to stop me.”
Celestia countered the levitation spell, dropping to the rubble-covered ground. She teleported to the stairs leading to the dual throne. Golden magic encircled the trapdoor between the two. “Then you leave me no choice. I'm sorry.”
Nightmare Moon saw it coming and flew up above the ruined castle before Celestia could do her thing. The night was beautiful. Dark and sinister and peaceful. It was almost harmonic.
Celestia now had six gems held in her magic. The orange one, honesty. The pink one, kindness. The deep blue, almost deep purple one, generosity. The sky-blue one, laughter. The red one, loyalty. The rich violet one, magic. All six swirled around the princess as she hovered just above the destroyed ceiling.
They both cast simultaneously.
The golden magic of the Elements of Harmony collided with the dark blue of Nightmare Moon’s. A sphere of light, brighter than the sun had ever been, expanded and engulfed both alicorns.
The shockwave was incredible. It ripped trees, knocked down houses, and sent every little critter flying for miles. It was so powerful, in fact, it was felt all across the continent. Changeling hives quivered. Even the cursed, disappeared Crystal Empire was shaken to its core.
In the sphere, the two opponents sent every last ounce of magical energy in them at the other. The magical strain grew to literal astronomical levels. Then it imploded.
All the magic was sucked into the six special gems and released in one blast directed at Nightmare Moon. It smashed through her feeble shield and annihilated her armor. With a final, loud cry of denial, she was transformed into pieces of magic that coalesced on the moon. The image of a mare materialized on the right side of the moon as the bright magic faded away.
Princess Celestia looked around her for a few seconds, hoping her sister was nearby. But when her gaze went upwards, she realized where Luna had gone. Tears began to stream down her face as reality kicked in. Celestia landed sobbing.
A single scroll appeared at her hooves. Picking it up with her magic, she read its contents. It was a prophecy dictating the return of Nightmare Moon in one thousand years. A full millennium without her sister by her side.
In Canterlot, the thestral families had all gathered outside as the fight came to a close. It was anyone’s guess as to what would happen next. Would they all be arrested? Would riots break out, demanding that they, the guardians of the night, be removed from their homes and relocated? What even happened over the Everfree Forest? Questions and rumors were flying around faster than the mythical Sonic Rainboom.
Constellation and her mother were stuck in the midst of this commotion. Finally, the young mare had enough. “EVERYPONY, QUIET DOWN! Quiet Down!” When she had everyone’s attention, she continued. “We can’t do anything about what’s going on. Whatever happened has happened. What we need to do is to get on our game and make sure we can deal with what happens next.”
“And exactly why do you have the authority to tell us what to do, Constell?” one asked. He shoved his way through the crowd to reveal himself as a snobby high-born thestral. “You are a peasant, the bastard daughter of a guard. You are the lowest-born thestral here!”
Constellation rolled her eyes. “Two things. One, I’m not a bastard. If my history is correct, that’s what you are. Second, my father is a guard of Princess Luna. I don’t see your father protecting our rulers with his impractical fancypants sword.”
Whispers about a burn rippled through the crowd. The high-born frowned, baring his bat fangs in anger as he hissed. His eye slits narrowed more than they already were. He looked like he was going to back down. Then, without warning, his hoof collided with Constellation’s muzzle, breaking it in several places and knocking her down.
Constellation turned her head. Damn, her jaw hurt. Why did ponies have to be so mean sometimes?
She coughed up a few drops of blood. Struggling to get up, she bonked her head against a floating hoof. Pain flashed through her mind and she dropped back down. Her head landed with a thunk.
“You don't have your daddy to protect you, Constell. What'll you do now, filly?” The high-born was still there, hovering over her.
“Use your own actions to show everyone how much of a violent motherfucker you really are,” she replied.
He smacked her again. “How dare you say that about me? You little piece of-” The punches kept coming. And coming. He stomped on her gut, bitch-slapped her, and slammed down on her forelegs. Through her blurred sight, Constellation could see her mother being held back by her adversary’s buddies. In fact, his “friends” were keeping a circle around them.
Through it all, she didn't fight back. She wasn't the type to resort to violence. She just took the hits until a loud masculine voice called out: “Junior!”
At that moment, all activity stopped. Everyone stared at the stallion who'd yelled. It was the high-born’s father, Dusky Goldwings IV. Mr. Dusky was from a long line of wealthy thestrals who assisted Princess Luna in most ways, shapes, and forms. His unusually golden wings were a symbol of pride among his family; they were the only thestrals to ever have gold wings, and they could be quite snobby about it. “What gives you the authority to beat the life out of a mare two-thirds your size?”
“She called me violent and a bastard, Father.”
“And by doing that, she hurt your pride?”
“Yes, Father.”
He actually burst out laughing in spite of his status. “Son, that is one of the most ridiculous excuses I have ever heard in my life! Violent? Look at just now. A bastard? The history books say you are, but I'm not so sure. It's been years. So, she is effectively correct. Why beat what you want out of someone when what they have is right.” He addressed the crowd: “I apologize for my son's rash and uncalled for behavior. I'm afraid our strong affinity towards the truth as thestrals has not quite sunk in yet.” Keeping his formal composure, he practically dragged Dusky Goldwings V. away.
Constellation felt her head being raised. She pulled her left eye open to see her mother holding her in her hooves. “Oh, my night sky…”
“I'll be fine, Mother.” Constellation tried to stand but her left foreleg gave out and she tumbled to the brick road. Her injured mind was bouncing all over the place - literally. It hurt too much to even move her head at reasonable speed.
Her mother half-carried her back to their home. She placed Constellation on the springy dark green couch and went into the kitchen. “Your father may get the credit for protecting Princess Luna, but I still have a medicinal edge. I've always been able to heal his occasionally grisly wounds, so yours should be a cakewalk.” She began spreading a herbal paste on her daughter’s cuts and bruises. “This has been used in our family for generations, made from plants found only in the crystal mines below the city.”
“Where in the mines, Mother?”
“These plants will only grow in complete darkness aside from light emitted from the crystals down there. Even then, you must be miles below the surface. And once a decade, I travel down there to gather more during their blooming day.”
“They bloom once every ten years?”
“Yes. It is also during this time that the plants are visible even to the trained eye. Now lie still so I can put it on your face.” Constellation complied, and her mother wiped it all over her jaw and rubbed it into her scalp. The mare almost jerked back when it stung her jaw, but remembered her mother’s orders and resisted the temptation. “Exactly what does it do, Mother? The paste.”
“It absorbs magic from the crystals and when applied to a wound, re-emits it as a healing agent that rivals healing spells in both speed and effectiveness. Mr. Goldwings has tried to buy the recipe from me for years so he can get richer off it, but I still own the rights to make it.” She finished applying the salve. “Now get some rest. It works best when you sleep.”
Constellation nodded and closed her eyes. If she ever left Canterlot on a trip, she’d have to remember to bring some.
Within the Canterlot palace, Princess Celestia almost drifted off to sleep, but was awakened by the nightmare that consumed her sister. It had all happened so fast: Luna had turned, attacked, and was banished less than two hours later by the power of the Elements. But did Luna’s thestrals aid in her betrayal? Had they quietly plotted the final moment for years, hoping that their patron Princess would emerge from the fight victorious? Only time and the right ponies would tell.
The door opened; it was the palace chef, bringing her more coffee. She’d been awake for thirty hours, trying to prevent herself from succumbing to the blackness that slowly encroached on her vision. Celestia thanked the chef and sipped the caffeinated drink. The blackness retreated from the edges of her vision.
“Captain Sparkle, I have an assignment for you,” the Princess of the Sun said.
Her Captain of the Guard looked up from his quiet game of cards. He had a deep red coat and a dark blue mane and tail, reminiscent of the two colors that mixed to make violet. The first of two center stripes down his mane and tail was an extremely dark shade of violet, almost black color. The second was a twilight white all the way through. His eyes were a unique bright purple that made one look twice at his face and strong jaw.
“Yes, Princess?”
“I need you to keep the thestral population separated from the rest of us. It’s for their safety and ours, especially after my sister. No thestral leaves their respective district without a guard to protect them.” In the back of her mind, she thought, Also, I have that nagging suspicion. But she never said that out loud.
“I understand, Princess. Will do.” Captain Sparkle bowed, then turned around and exited the throne room. As he did, he signaled his officers to round up the Guards for their assignments. They were on their way to Midnight District in less than than hour.
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Constellation Nightmane wandered through the barren wasteland once known as the Inter-Dream. Without Princess Luna, the Inter-Dream would slowly crumble, falling apart over the next one thousand twenty-five years until all connections between dreams were lost. Until then, it was the duty of the thestral population to maintain it in the hope of Luna’s eventual return.
She looked to the left, watching the doors to ponies’ dreams open and close, appear and disappear, as their respective dreamers slept and woke. Only Princess Luna could really enter these, but thestrals had the ability to at least monitor the dreams and alert the Princess when a nightmare came. To the right was emptiness, the result of Luna’s banishment. Thestral dreams used to be there, but when Luna betrayed her sister and Equestria the night before, most thestrals lost their connection to the Inter-Dream. As far as Constellation knew, she was the only one who was able to maintain the dream world.
The starry ground felt sharp, as if the stars deliberately stuck their points into her hooves. Last time she’d been here, the stars had been soft and round, like a long, lumpy pillow. She imagined that it would only get worse as time went on.
Another pony entered the Inter-Dream. Constellation walked to where he or she would enter. It was Goldwings Sr. He glanced around for a second before heading her way.
“Miss Nightmane, I would like to apologize for my son’s rash behaviour the previous night. I can assure you that he is receiving the proper discipline and hope that you accept this,” he said.
“I can do that,” she replied.
“Thank you, Miss Nightmane. I do have a compensation gift for you. It should be delivered to your house in the evening.”
“You didn’t need to.”
“Given that my son could have killed you, I believe it’s necessary.”
“Well, then, I accept. Reluctantly.” Constellation looked at the vast dream world around them. “It’s a beautiful place, the Inter-Dream. I only wish more of us could enter. After Luna did what she did, I haven’t seen many of us here.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “You are right in every way except one.”
“What would that be, sir?”
“You forget that in order for one to appreciate the Inter-Dream, he or she must first understand what it took to get it.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
Dusky Goldwings Sr. sighed. “It started with the Guards of the Night, from which your father has earned his respectable reputation. Three thousand years ago, this place was a warzone, one where the Elements of Harmony and Princess Celestia could not enter, much less have an effect. Princess Luna lead her personal guard, our ancestors, the Guards of the Night, into battle against the Nightmares of Darkness. In that final engagement, she single-hoofedly took on their leader, known as Nightbreaker.”
“Who’s Nightbreaker?”
“Nightbreaker is the most powerful dreamwalker to ever exist. She had the ability to turn the entire population of Equestria to slaves, doing her will in the waking world while she controlled them unthreatened from here in the Inter-Dream. She did just that, in fact, for three whole years of anarchy. Eventually, Princess Luna learned how to dreamwalk and taught her guards to do the same. Their few hundred was up against the many hundreds of thousands of dreamers and dreamwalkers under Nightbreaker’s control.
“They fought incredible odds at every battle, knowing that at any time a new army of dreamers could appear and destroy them. But they prevailed. And in that final battle on Nightbreaker’s doorstep, the Guards of the Night lost more than half of their remaining force. Remember, if you die in the Inter-Dream, you die in the waking world because this is the universal unconscious of Equestria. Only twenty thestrals survived the battle, each pair of them beginning the ten main families of our culture: Nightmane, Goldwings, Dawncrusher, Prethoryn, Sparklelight, Silvercrest, Astroline, Dreamwalker, Winterfoal, and Neptune.
“Princess Luna went head-to-head against Nightbreaker. Their duel was so intense its echoes passed through dreams and entered the waking world. One such echo created the Crystal Empire; another, Galloping Gorge; a third, the Badlands. But Luna prevailed against all odds and smashed Nightbreaker into pieces of starry black essence that were never seen again. Of course, that meant Nightbreaker’s remains were unable to enter the Inter-Dream after Luna sent them to Equestria’s fringes.”
“That’s an old filly’s story, sir.”
“That doesn’t make it any less true, Miss Nightmane. Tell me, what other story or theory can explain us? Or dreamwalking? Or even the Inter-Dream’s reliance on Princess Luna’s magic to keep it from breaking apart? I don’t believe there’s any story that actually fits history like this one. Now, Miss Nightmane, I make my leave. I wish you a quick recovery from your wounds.”
Twilight Sparkle shifted in her seat. The three had been there for the better part of five hours while Grandpa Starling told his story. He noticed and raised an eyebrow. “It’s a little long, isn’t it? I should’ve warned you, Twilight.”
“It’s just dinnertime. I’m sorry for bothering you. I just want to keep listening, but time says otherwise.”
“Constell, could you get us some food? I’m sure your mother wouldn’t mind you staying in the library for the next week.”
“Yes, Grandpa.” Constellation Sparrowbolt stood up and walked into the library kitchen. She gathered some dinner, just a simple hay meal, but none of the three really cared. She brought it back to the low table where Grandpa Starling and Twilight sat, chatting about the reality behind the tale.
“You see, Princess, all ten of those original thestral families I mentioned still exist. We here are branched from the Nightmanes, as I’ve said before. Colonel Moonshine Silvercrest, who lead the Atlantean Second Coastal Regiment for years and who mentored Colonel Dawn, was in fact descended from the Silvercrest thestral family. The Goldwings run Applewood down in Las Pegasus. I’ve even met some Dreamwalkers down in Fillydelphia.”
“I remember seeing my family tree once. There was a Sparkle a thousand years ago, but he was almost rubbed out. Why would somepony do that?”
“It’d have to be about your family’s relation to this Sparkle. Do you know what his first name is?”
Twilight thought for a second. “Candlelight.”
“I see.” Grandpa Starling dropped his gaze for a mere second, but Twilight caught it and raised her own eyebrow. He continued: “Candlelight Sparkle was Celestia’s Captain of the Guard when Nightmare Moon was banished. He’s known among thestrals for saving the Sparklelight family name by marrying into them, at great personal cost. He was shamed by his family and shunned by his friends. It was a rough time for all ponies. The reason for his name not being completely removed from your family tree would be that at some point, he was forgiven.”
“So, what you’re saying is that one of my ancestors married a thestral?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Grandpa Starling signaled Constellation to get a book. Her eyes followed his hoof movements closely. When he finished, she nodded and walked into the reference section.
“What did you tell her to get?” Twilight asked as she watched the young thestral.
He smiled a warm smile. “I asked Constell to bring us a couple reference books.”
“What kind of reference books?”
“Family trees. We have an extensive collection here. Our lineage section even includes the family of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the information gathered for the last seven generations. Princess Mi Amoré Cadenza’s lineage has been traced as well, and when you became Princess, we began tracing yours. For reference purposes, of course.”
“So mine’s not done.”
“I myself and Constell have done the majority of the work regarding your family, Twilight. I can say with certainty that your ancestors have been traced back as far as fifteen hundred years. If Candlelight Sparkle is in there, we’ll see it.”
Constellation Sparrowbolt came back with three family tree books: Nightmane, Sparkle, and Sparklelight. Grandpa Starling opened the Sparklelight one when she gave it to him, scrolling through the hundreds of names listed. Twilight opened her own, flipping to the pages for a millennium ago. When she found Candlelight Sparkle’s name, she turned it so Starling could see. He transferred his gaze between the two books repeatedly. After a minute, a grin broke out. “Princess, we are indeed talking about the very same Captain of the Guard Candlelight Sparkle.”
She sighed with relief. Then, after a second, it clicked. “Wait. I’m related to one of the ten main thestral families by ancestry?”
“If barely. You don’t have a drop of thestral blood in you, Twilight. But the modern Sparklelight family - I can find some of them if you want - is descended partly from a normal pony.”
“Huh.” Twilight turned her book back to face her. When doing so, she felt a passive spell cast on it. She activated it, causing a mirage of Candlelight Sparkle to appear before her. He had all the same characteristics Starling had said he had, even the ancient silver Guard armor. “I didn’t know he was a Unicorn.”
Starling looked up. “I forgot to mention that.” He touched the Nightmane book, whispering something inaudible. It sparked and a second mirage materialized, this one of a young thestral. She had a starry-night mane, tail, and coat, along with sapphire-blue eyes. Her bat-wings were darker than pitch black. Twilight immediately recognized the image based on Starling’s tale.
“Constellation Nightmane.”
“Good. you can recognize her.” Starling sighed. “I wish I could tell you the rest of the story, but my memory is faded and fuzzy. I should’ve told-” he coughed violently- “you about the second way to learn.” He then flopped back onto his chair, eyes closed and muscles limp.
“Starling, are you alright?” Twilight asked.
Constellation Sparrowbolt was at her grandfather’s side in an instant. “Don’t worry, Princess. We knew this would happen soon.”
“What do you mean?”
The young thestral slumped her shoulders as she felt the old stallion’s neck. “Grandpa’s been sick for years. The doctors finally said it was officially terminal three months ago, but we knew it was well before then.”
“What kind of sickness?”
“I don’t know. All I know about it is that it runs in the family. We call it ‘bat killer’ in our family. It was a small price to pay for survival, at least that’s what we think. How it works is simple: when one of us reaches a certain age, it begins to override the immune system, and, over the next thirty years or so, it saps the body’s ability to fight back. Finally, when the time is right, it strikes the brain and completely disrupts all neurological connections. The last thing an infected individual does is a hard cough.” She felt a pulse. “False alarm. He'll be fine, just give him a day.”
Twilight raised her eyebrows. “He said something about another way to learn what happened.”
“Yes. There is. He was developing a special headset that would allow the user to see the past without time travel. Last I heard, it was close.”
“May I see this headset?”
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Twilight looked around her in awe. She now stood in a laboratory Doctor Hooves would be jealous of. The entire place smelled of dust and stale air. Machinations, doohickeys, thingamabobs, and whatchamacallits littered the floor. Different-sized contraptions hung from the wall. Even a replica of her mirror portal sat in the corner. It immediately drew her attention. Even in the dim light, she’d recognize that shape anywhere. She walked to it and hit a button.
The replica portal lit up. The mirror shimmered and swirled. Then it stopped. The purple ended its spiral and the mirror returned to normal.
“Why doesn't it work?”
“I don't know. It's probably a wire or magic transfer unit.”
“Okay.” Twilight moved on, finally reaching a cushioned thingy-covered snoopie cap with earholes resting on a bulbous wooden stand. Constell picked it up and gave it to Twilight. “This is it.”
Twilight put it on. “Cozy.” Constell hit a button and it lit up. Lights flashed and a humming sound was heard. Then it shut off.
“Silly me. I forgot to plug it in.” Constell fixed the issue and tried again. This time, it worked. Twilight’s vision blurred with white that closed in on the center, finally pushing out the rest of her senses with a ringing and tingling. The ringing drowned out her hearing…
Twilight opened her eyes. She glanced around, gazing at the nighttime glow Canterlot gave off. Even a thousand years before her time, she could feel the warmth its lights gave off. The cap was making an excellent substitute for time travel, even replicating the very time itself.
Then, a pony went right through her. She didn't feel a thing. Twilight smiled. Looking up, she saw the Mare in the Moon. The Everfree Castle was still smoldering with magic to the east as well. Only time would end this chaos, she knew, but she still wanted to do something. She began her long walk to the Midnight District. Hopefully, she still knew her way around.
---------------------------------
Constellation Nightmane’s mother exploded with laughter. “Are you seriously going to keep us in our own district, by force if necessary? That's a good one!”
“Mrs. Nightmane, this is by the Princess’ orders. We cannot change her laws, only enforce them,” the guard politely replied. “You must understand this.”
“Well, if you insist, I suppose I can stay here. But I do request to leave to the Crystal mines tomorrow.”
“The mines have been off-limits for years, ma'am.”
“I received special permission from Princess Celestia herself to go there every ten years.” Mrs. Nightmane pulled a card out of the saddlebag she always carried around with her. “As you can see, it's genuine.”
“Why do you go down there? We need to know so you may be escorted appropriately.”
“The crystal herbs. I gather their blooms to make a healing paste.”
“How far below the surface?”
“Seven hours, forty-five minutes, one way.”
“That's too far.”
“According to this card, it's not.”
“You will need to speak to the Princess tomorrow.”
“Harmony damn it! I cannot wait another ten years before going down there again! The plants bloom tomorrow, and only tomorrow for the next decade! If you say I must speak with Princess Celestia, it'd better be in the next hour and a half!” she yelled. A bit quieter, but still as angry: “Get moving.” She slammed the door in their faces.
Nearby, Dusky Goldwings Sr. was listening closely. He grinned. Now he knew where to go and when to go there to find the plants, but for now, other important things awaited his attention.
------------------------------
Celestia sipped more coffee. Apparently, some stubborn thestral needed to see her. She was due to arrive in the next minute.
On cue, she walked through the opening doors, flanked by two guards. “Princess.” She bowed her head in respect.
“I remember you. Mrs. Nightmane, wife of Night Guard Nightmane. What brings you here?”
“Well, it turns out that this card you gave me about thirty years ago doesn't allow me to get past your guards and go into the mines.”
“Is this about the crystal plants?”
“Yes.”
“Then go. You know the way. You shouldn't need guards because nopony else is allowed in the mines.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Mrs. Nightmane turned and walked triumphantly out of the throne room to be escorted back home.
----------------------------
Mrs. Nightmane looked down into the darkness below her. This was it. She had waited patiently for so long to do this. Fastening her rope to a secure rock, she began her descent into the Canterlot Mines.
She slowed her trot to a walk after the first hour. Alternating like that allowed her to rest periodically while still reaching her destination quickly. It took her the seven hours just to make it to the depth she wanted and the other forty-five minutes to reach the actual area the plants grew in.
She shivered. Something was definitely not right. Picking a bloom, she brought it to eye level. It was brighter than the previous years, finally ripe after the last several times. She placed it in her saddlebag. Moving on, the next few would ripen by next trip. But as she picked more and more truly ripe blooms, she couldn't help but feel apprehension. Something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint it.
She made it to the last cavernous section. Then she saw why her sixth sense had been tingling. She immediately assumed a defensive stance. “Nightbreaker,” she growled. “I should've known.”
The corrupted dreamwalking alicorn’s image flickered. She had a coat devoid of all light and a mane and tail whiter than Celestia. Her eyes were black holes that saw every move, every thought that crossed your mind. A twinkle in those eyes marked her pupils. She smelled strangely of lavender to the normal pony, but in reality it was terror. Fear and terror like the aura around her. Her pricking black ears had sunset-orange inner areas, and they heard everything just like the eyes saw everything.
“Mrs. Twilight White Nightmane. Daughter of Daydream, daughter of of Nebula, daughter of Spellcaster, son of Midnight, daughter of Krypton Nightmane, the longest-lived thestral to exist. My personal enemy's favorite guard family.” Even her slightly raspy, slightly robotic voice inspired fear.
“What have you done to Princess Luna?” Twilight Nightmane was shaking on the spot.
“Ah, straight to the point. Just like Krypton, but with words and not swords.”
“I can defend myself.” Twilight Nightmane brandished a steel short sword with a beautifully carved silverwood hilt, made from the silverwood trees found only in the Equestria-Yakyakistan mountain pass. Silverwood had many magical properties, one of them allowing a sword to cut through both dreams and reality if it made up the hilt.
“Please, Twilight. I'm only here to talk.”
“Then what happened to the Princess of the Night?” the thestral demanded.
“Apart from not finding all but a piece of my essence, I have done nothing. Once I do find it, however, I will once again be one and I will destroy all of your sweet dreams. I will conquer the waking world, and the nightmare will last forever!” Nightbreaker cackled. Her evil laugh sounded much like the one Nightmane had dreamed of the night before, only without Luna’s softness.
She realized the problem. “You infused your essense into Princess Luna and tried to take control. But before you could add the final piece, she acted and was subsequently beaten by her sister. And when she returns, if she does, you will completely control her. You will use her body as a vessel to conquer the waking world and then retreat to the Inter-Dream, where you will rule unthreatened and unopposed.”
“Very perceptive, Twilight.” She paused for a second before continuing. “I'd use you as well, but your plants seem to block my attempts. But there is a presence here… an alicorn.”
“Princess Celestia,” the thestral said bluntly.
“No. I do not recognize this presence, but she is here. She is also not here, like only her thoughts exist. But based on what I feel, she is in fact a Sparkle.” Nightbreaker turned her gaze to where the presence was felt.
Twilight Sparkle gasped. The thing - no, Nightbreaker - knew she was there. Knew who she was. That shouldn't happen. She was still in her own time, wearing a nerdy-looking snoopie cap. She was in the Manehattan library's upper floor laboratory. Just the mere fact that she was discovered had her trembling with fear. But she couldn't move, couldn't run. The spirit's icy glare glued her to the spot.
A quiet thought entered her mind: Twilight, take the cap off. Then, louder and more insistent: Twilight, take the cap off now!
With trembling hooves, she reached for the snoopie cap and pulled it off. White encompassed her vision…
Twilight Sparkle snapped awake screaming. Constell was next to her instantly, trying to calm her down. “Shhhh! You're safe. Nopony is trying to do anything to you.”
Twilight breathed deeply. “She could sense me. Hear my thoughts. She knew I was there.”
“Who?”
“Nightbreaker.”
Who Is She, And Why Did She Come? Also, We Need A Break
Twilight Nightmane stood transfixed with fear. Across the chamber, Nightbreaker’s image paced back and forth, mumbling about a disappearing presence. She furrowed her eyebrows and lit her horn. “Imagini thine presidencia.” The thestral recognized the language as ancient. It was an ancient language, one last used millennia ago. One the mythical ponies of the Frozen North used.
The spell caused an mirage to materialize. It was of a violet alicorn the height of an average pony. She had a dark purple mane and tail with a double stripe down the middle. Her violet eyes looked young and innocent. With her sharp horn and wings, it was obvious how her presence was there.
“Imagini thine mentanicion.” Transparent light blue text materialized next to the image.
“What are you doing?” Twilight asked.
“What does it look like, Nightmane?” Nightbreaker looked at the wall of transparent text. “Name, dates, history, location. With this spell, I can learn anything I want about a pony by looking at their thoughts.” She stopped searching. “Twilight Sparkle, born 981 the Year of Our Sun. Occupation: Princess of Friendship. History: former student of Celestia, wields the Element of Magic, lives in Ponyville. Killed by magic explosion and revived during the Second Battle of the Crystal Empire several months later. Last known location: Manehattan. I don't recognize either of those towns.” Her talking ceased abruptly. “Wait… 981?! This is year zero according to that stupid new calendar!” Nightbreaker’s eyes shot wider than a canyon when reality hit. “By Harmony! This Twilight Sparkle is from the future!”
Twilight Nightmane began to back down the hall behind her. “I'll just be going now, if you don't mind.” Then she turned tail and ran to the surface.
Nightbreaker watched her go. When the thestral was out of sight, she signaled a crystal, from which a spirit promptly emerged. He had the eyes of an eagle, ears of an owl, and the tail of a hawk, all blacker than midnight. “General Graveyard, I want you to follow her. Report back to me in the morning, for afterwards I have another assignment for you.”
“Yes, Queen of Nightmares,” he gruffly said. He absorbed himself into the rock wall and disappeared completely.
--------------------------
Constellation Nightmane’s ears pricked. She heard hoofsteps on the front porch and a tired voice.
“Thank you for helping me across town, Captain Sparkle. I’ve had enough of evil spirits for one day.”
“Not a problem, Mrs. Nightmane. It's my pleasure to help the family of a distinguished Night Guard member like Lieutenant Nightwatch.” After a slight pause, he continued: “Which spirit was it you saw again?”
“Her name is Nightbreaker. Princess Luna and the Night Guard fought her three thousand years ago in the dreamworld.”
“Right. And I was hoping - since I won't really be able to come except on official business, maybe you could pass this trinket to Miss Silver Sparklelight?”
“Of course, sir.” Twilight Nightmane replied. A moment later, Captain Sparkle was heard walking down the porch stairs and across the yard. The thestral pushed the door open and walked in. “Hello, Constellation. How are you?”
“I'm fine, Mother. But did you really run into Nightbreaker down there?”
“Not Nightbreaker herself, no, but a piece of her essence. She went on about conquering the waking world once she found the rest of her and then tried to find some nonexistent alicorn. She also apparently tried to mind-control me, but the crystal herbs protected me. So,” she said as she gave a bag of the mysterious plant to her daughter, “I want you to keep these in your saddlebag at all times. Understood?”
“Yes, Mother.” As she accepted the bag, her mother went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
An awkward silence reign between the two for a while. “Did you know we'll have a new alicorn princess in a thousand years?” Twilight finally asked.
“No. The only ones are Celestia and Luna.”
"Huh. That apparition said otherwise."
Half an hour later, Twilight sighed. “Dinner’s ready. I’ll be in bed.”
“Yes, Mother.” After her mother disappeared up the creaky oak stairs, Constellation walked into the kitchen. A single muffin was steaming on the counter. She picked it up. Munching on it, she opened the door to the city-edge balcony. It was a peaceful evening, with the moon coming up as the sun went down. The only difference was the set of dark splotches on the right side of the moon in the shape of a mare’s head.
They think we made the Princess turn against Equestria, don’t they? she asked herself. That’s why I can’t leave the district. That’s why Captain Sparkle can only come on official Royal Guard business.
Her ears perked. She turned her head to the direction of the sound she’d just barely heard. There was nothing. Another noise. She saw nothing. “I know you’re there, whoever you are!” she yelled into the darkness. No reply came. Frowning, she walked back inside and pulled her dinner out of the oven. She ate it in silence.
-------------------------------
Twilight Sparkle stared at Grandpa Starling. The old thestral was grim. He raised his right eyebrow as he glanced at his granddaughter. Constell was sitting down in a chair, the snoopie cap in her hooves.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa. I thought it would work,” she said through the cap. “I don’t know what happened…”
“Constell, do you know what you could have done? What you’ve already caused?” His stern expression pierced the mare’s reddened eyes when she pulled the cap from her face. She shook her head in response.
“You may have broken the space-time continuum by letting Nightbreaker know Twilight is an alicorn. I told you special identification spells have existed since before Equestria was founded. Spells that can pass through the temporal threshold if the caster knows what to look for.”
“I’m so sorry, Grandpa. Just help me fix this mess,” she sobbed.
“I will, Constell.” He reached between them and patted her on the shoulder. “But there’s only one way to do it, and it involves using the cap again.”
“Twilight won’t use the cap, I swear.”
“I know that. What I mean is this: you will.”
The young thestral gulped. “Me?”
“Yes, Constell.” He stood up and walked to a side closet, opened it, and pulled out a second cap. “I might be too old to use this, but Twilight, with your consent, you can go back with her and navigate Canterlot. You know the area better. Besides, if you two get pulled into the past, and I’ll know if you do, you can help each other come home.”
-----------------------------
Constellation Nightmane sat down at the table across from her mother. “Did you ever have that feeling that you’re being watched, Mother?”
Twilight Nightmane frowned in thought. “No. Why?”
“It’s just… I felt somepony last night after you went upstairs. Like he or she was watching me.”
The older thestral sighed deeply. “As I already told you, I encountered a piece of Nightbreaker’s essence in the mines yesterday. But she felt an alicorn from the future, as I’ve also said. I don’t know what to do about this. Should I tell Princess Celestia? Captain Sparkle has told her about Nightbreaker by now; that much I know for sure. Should this be a family secret? It’s just… an entirely new alicorn, probably a princess, traveled back in time a thousand years to watch. That isn’t something one can easily wrap her head around.”
“Mother, I think you worry too much,” Constellation said through a corn muffin. “If it was an issue, you’d be called to the palace. Maybe me as well.”
Somepony knocked on the door. Constellation opened it to answer. On the other side was a thestra whose coat had a silvery sheen. Her metallic mane and tail reflected the moonlight quite well, and her blue-gray eyes darted back and forth constantly. “Hi, Constellation. I heard Captain Sparkle had come by earlier?”
“Silver Sparklelight. Please, come in,” the starry-night thestral replied. “Mother might have something from him for you.”
Twilight Nightmane looked up from her newspaper. “Oh, yes. I’ll go get it.” She stood up and walked up the stairs. When she returned, she held a small package. “For you, Silver.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Nightmane.” Silver opened the package, which had a box of chocolates and a note that read:
To the love of my life-
Meet me in the Midnight District gardens after sunset on Tuesday.
~the Captain
“He wants me to go to the gardens tonight?” she asked herself aloud. “What do I say? What do I do?”
“Don’t worry, SIlver,” Constellation said. “I’ll be there tonight, reflecting on the sky..”
The silver thestral nodded. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but her friend obviously did and she trusted Constellation Nightmane.
Constellation watched Silver Sparklelight come back out of the shadowy bushes in the garden. “How’d it go?”
“He proposed to me.”
“What did you say?” Constellation’s tail flickered back and forth in excitement.
“I said yes.” Silver whisper-screamed.
“You’re so lucky, you know that? I wonder how many mares’ dreams to be with Captain Candlelight Sparkle are about to be crushed. He is a pretty hoofsome stallion.”
“Yours?” Silver teased.
“No. I’m content with remaining single for the time being. Besides, I’m sixteen. You’re nineteen. I am still a dependent. You, on the other hoof, just don’t want to leave home just yet while you get everything settled for a career.”
Silver bit her lip. “Yeah, I figured you knew that. You’re not stupid.”
Constellation playfully patted her friend on the back. “Don’t worry about me. You have a future ahead that you need to hang on to.”
-----------------------
Princess Celestia turned her attention to the city bell tower’s enormous, noisy clock as it banged out the time for all Canterlot to hear. As the final dong faded into the night, she returned to her original thought.
Captain Sparkle was late. It had been fifteen minutes since his watch began and he was nowhere in sight. In fact, she was holding his watch right now, with a cup of coffee held delicately in her magic. The white porcelain was perfect for a hot drink, easily contrasting the dark liquid. But the coffee had more or less cooled by now, and steam no longer spiraled up from it. Celestia sighed and heated it up with her magic.
Galloping hoofsteps approached. The sudden clanking of armor normally heard during a salute told her that the prodigal son had returned.
“Captain Sparkle, I hope you have a good reason for being this late for your shift? As Captain of the Guard, you of all ponies cannot afford mistakes like this.”
“I apologize, Princess,” Sparkle said. “I was in the gardens across town.”
“In the Midnight District, Captain?”
He lowered his head and shuffled slightly. “Yes, ma’am.” His voice was downcast as he realized how big a mistake he’d made being this late.
Celestia turned around, still holding the coffee. “What happened?” she asked in her calmest, most motherly voice.
Captain Sparkle almost mumbled something, but caught himself. “I got engaged,” he said quietly after a couple seconds.
“And this was more important than your position as Captain?”
“No, ma’am. I lost track of time, ma’am.”
Celestia looked to the sky for a few seconds before looking deep into Captain Sparkle’s eyes as she lifted his head with her hoof. “Captain, I’m happy for you. You’re on the way to marriage, which will be one of the biggest events in your lifetime. You ready to start a family. That is a bond not even the strongest weapon can break, or spell can disrupt. But you must remember your duty to Equestria. Please, in the future, try to be on time. I don’t want to have to court-martial my finest Captain for forgetting his post.”
“Yes, ma’am. I understand, ma’am.”
“Good.” Celestia stood straight once again and strode past Sparkle. “See you for the morning report, Captain.”
----------------------
Constellation woke to a startling figure on her bedroom balcony. Its eyes were dark - its entire body, in fact, was a pony-shaped black hole. And the weirdest part: she felt its gaze rest on her, its icy glare chilling her bones through her thin blanket.
“Wh- what are you?” she questioned it nervously.
“It does not matter what I am, Constellation Nightmane,” its rough voice replied. “Nor who I am. What matters is everything you and your mother have done these past few days.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong. Neither has Mother.”
“That is not the point. The true Queen of the Dreamworld has interest in you. However, she her magic cannot come close. You must go to her.”
Its command froze her mind for a minute. The Queen of the Dreamworld was the title held by only one pony: Nightbreaker herself. When Constellation came back to the present, the thing was still waiting for her response.
“No.” Although she was scared, her voice was firm. The chill she felt from its presence became literal and her breath came out in clouds.
“You dare to resist the orders of your one true Queen? If only you knew the full power of the magic she can wield.”
“I will not betray Equestria.”
The black eagle-eyes became visible as white lines of rage materialized around them. Its anger eventually subsided, and he spoke once more. “The resolve of the Nightmane family is impressive. Your ancestor was a worthy adversary, Constellation Nightmane, but do not push your luck. You are not Krypton Nightmane.” With that, the figure was gone, leaving no trace except for a single black tendril that snaked away.
Twilight Nightmane poked her head into the doorway just as it vanished from view. “Who were you talking to, sweetie?”
“It didn’t say, but I think it came from Nightbreaker.”
“You know she’s gone, sweetie.”
“I know you’re hiding something. The night you came back from the mines, you gave me some of the herbs, saying they’d protect me from Nightbreaker. I know what I heard.”
Twilight let out a long, pressure-relieving sigh. “Well then. I hoped you’d forget and think I was just being a paranoid mother. Just… be careful. After the mines, and since your father hasn’t come back, I’ve been a little more on edge than usual.”
Constellation got out of bed and placed her hoof on her mother’s shoulder. “I’ll be fine, Mother. I have you."