> It's Going Down
>  by Nerdz
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One: Six Months Later
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness shrouded the chamber, enhancing the pale green glow emanating from the cauldron smoking in the center of the room. Four cloaked figures emerged from the shadows. The blue filly reached the pewter cauldron first, a crystal phial filled with a glittery golden liquid clutched tightly in her pale pink aura. With a flick of magic, she removed the stopper and poured a single drop of the golden substance into the potion before her. The smoke turned a pale purple as she corked the phial and tucked it into her cloak.

A slate grey colt stepped forward, a corded sack resting in his own blood-red glow. He opened the bag, pinching out a tiny bit of the silvery powder within. The potion hissed as the powder hit the surface. Another colt moved to the side of the cauldron, this one golden in coat. He leaned over the edge and dropped the herbs he held between his teeth.

Finally, a filly black as night made her way into the green light. An old tome was held aloft by her blue aura. Her magic split to stir the contents of the cauldron as they began to bubble thickly. She began to read from the book, speaking in clear, even tones.

“For those who wish to break the chains, to leave but one trait in remains, let your wicked ways take hold, of those who refuse to break the mold.”

The potion hissed and gurgled along with the words, the plumes of smoke surging and receding in time with the infliction of her voice. As the final words passed her lips, the smoke gathered into a thick column that shot forcefully into the air in a powerful stream before dissipating altogether. The end result was a thin, see-through potion, tinted lightly with a turquoise color, bubbling mildly.

The three others stepped forward, each siphoning off their own portions of the potion. The dark filly let a malicious smile cut across her lips. Her face was mostly obscured by her long, dark purple mane, but her eyes were visible through the thick locks when they began to glow white.


***


School dawned the next day, and the four teens put their plan in motion. They entered the front hall together, dressed in ripped leather of their signature colors, each with a smug air about them. They paused, gazing casually about the hustle and bustle of the early morning. It was in this near-chaos that the youngest of their group slipped away, unnoticed by anyone apart from his fellows.

Moments later, the effect of his work was seen. Colorless, scentless, and tasteless, the potion came from the vents in a mist that descended over the hall. It was if someone had flipped a switch in the normally well-behaved students’ brains. Idle chat turned to furious exchanges, lockers were slammed with enough force to warp the metal, and it wasn’t long before graffiti appeared on the walls. The yellow colt slipped back into their ranks moments before the first scuffle broke out.

As if an invisible signal had been given, the four split up. The dark filly moved toward her locker. Her magic flared, pulling open the door. She glanced about the messy interior, extracting a half-full can of black spray paint. She slammed the door back, shaking the can in her magic, pondering over what to tag the wall of metal before her with. Suddenly, a small force slammed into her side, making her drop the paint. It was grabbed instantly in an aura almost identical to her own, albeit weaker. Her eyes wandered down to a golden-orange filly, the latter’s eyes daring her to try to take back the paint.

With a smirk, the older filly turned and disappeared around the corner.

The grey colt stepped into the gym. Students were spread around the room, in various stages of stretching and warming up, many already donned in the uniforms of the sports teams the school offered. Several students were beginning to sweat as their early morning workout began to take its toll. Moving further into the room, the colt flashed a sultry smile at a group of fillies in matching outfits of halter tops and skirts. The girls blushed and closed ranks, tittering joyously to each other. No one noticed the potion dropping into the water cooler.

The colt flirted with the fillies for a while, watching out of the corner of his eye as ponies moved toward the cooler, gulping down cups of water and potion.The effect, of course, was immediate. As it had done in the front hall, friendly sparrs turned much more aggressive, and soon the entire gym erupted into a cacophony of shouting, swearing, and fighting. The few students who had not yet gotten a drink looked around in confusion, wondering what had happened, but the culprit had already disappeared.

A blue filly sat perched on her desk. She looked around bored, as students began to file into the classroom. She smirked inwardly, overhearing the fervent gossip about the fights breaking out in the gym and main hall. A few fillies hurried into the seats surrounding her, as did a few colts who knew they had no chance with her. She flicked her magic to life, pulling a tiny glass perfume bottle from the saddlebacks sat under her desk, pretending to spritz a tiny bit on her face. One of the fillies chanced an admiring glance at the Changeling guised as a Unicorn.

“That smells nice,” she offered, seeming not to notice nothing had yet left the bottle.

The raven-haired beauty smiled sweetly, holding the bottle towards the other girl. “Want some?” Earning a vigorous nod in response, she sprayed the contents into the air. The second the other girl breathed it in, her eyes darkened. In an instant motion, she slapped the bottle from the filly’s magic, where it shattered on the floor. Every eye turned to them, but the potion took effect before anyone could act further. The Changeling merely reclined in her seat as the room erupted around her, gazing idly at the door when the teacher walked in, a look of shock momentarily passing her face before being replaced by a wicked grin.

Most of the school had descended into madness by the time the dark Alicorn had waltzed her way to the kitchen. It was in there that she had emptied her part of the potion into every bit of food she could find. She sat alone now in the cafeteria, waiting for the lunch bell to ring. She could hear the shouts of those, like her, who had skipped their classes. Her friends joined her, waiting. It wouldn’t be long before anyone who had not been in the main hall, gym, or a classroom when the plan had been put into action would be under their spell. Indeed, the shouting grew louder and she could hear loud hoofsteps, as if the whole school were stampeding towards them.

“Nyx! Nyx! Nyx!”


***


A bright flash blinded her for a moment. She blinked rapidly, trying to pull her thoughts back. Shouts of her name reached her ears. She inwardly groaned. She’d been daydreaming and they cornered her.

The white light receded and she forced herself to grin at the dozen ponies carrying microphones, notepads, and cameras. Questions were flying from every direction. She tried to focus on one.

“Nyx! What made you decide to change your look?!” a mare in the front shouted, shoving a microphone in her face.

‘Really?’ she thought to herself, ‘That’s what they focus on?’ Honestly, though, she couldn’t blame them; the change was drastic. Her mane had grown of course, in the six months she’d been in Equestria, but she was sure that’s not what they were talking about. Her hair, once a vibrant purple, was now a bleach-blonde, with a pastel pink streaked through. That had been an interesting night, with her roommate entering the fillies’ bathroom to find the Alicorn leaned over the sink, trying to wash the foul-smelling, burning substance out of her mane. The results were...less than ideal, and it was actually the Changeling’s idea to add the pink.

It didn’t stop there. She hadn’t put much thought as to what the blonde would look like against her midnight-black coat, and she realized too late how awful it was. She didn’t dare use the bleach on her coat; it had burned enough in her hair, and she reluctantly opted for a spell to try and lighten the black. She’d hoped for white, but ended up having to settle for a pastel grey.

Her wardrobe had an obvious difference. Her burgundy leather jacket, ripped t-shirts, and tight jeans had been traded for flowing, colorful dresses and skirts. And, of course, there were the glasses perched on her nose, not correcting her eyesight, per say, but correcting her eyes all the same. Her eyes gave the more comfortable appearance of a normal pony’s rather than her own dragon-like irises.

She let out a girlish giggle. “Oh, well, I thought I needed a change. I was just so inspired by the other girls here, I just had to try some Equestrian couture!” That was a lie. In truth, whenever she looked in the mirror, it wasn’t her own image she saw reflected back at her. Ignoring the sombre thought, she twisted slightly, letting the skirt of her pale blue lacy dress swish around her hocks. Cameras clicked and flashed, trying to catch her at this new angle.

“Nyx!” she turned her attention to a stallion in the back, “You’re only days away from being made a mare of the Equestrian Court. How are you preparing?”

‘With great difficulty,’ she thought, but said aloud, “I’ve spent every moment I can spare reading about Equestrian history, and interviewing the other members of the court. Sunny has been a big help!” Her cousin really had been helpful. After the shock of discovering their relation had passed, the two put aside their rivalry, and Sunrise had stepped up to educate Nyx on the expectations of mares of their status.

A stern looking mare cleared her throat, catching Nyx’s attention. “We all know what happened at King Will’s coronation. But the explanation we were given, it’s just too far-fetched. I mean, Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon being two different ponies in the same body? It’s ridiculous! How can you expect us to believe that?”

Nyx could feel her smile fade slightly. “It came as a shock to me as well, but several doctors have examined her and each and every one of them confirmed the same diagnosis of trauma that would have caused her to create Nightmare as a coping mechanism.” She turned her head to try and catch another question, but the mare spoke again.

“So is Luna your mother or not?”

“DNA tests have proven-”

Another pony’s voice interrupted her. “But wouldn’t Luna and Nightmare have the same DNA if they share a body?”

“Alicorn magic wor-”

A third pony spoke up, “Seems a little too convenient to me!”

The voices began to blend together as the crowd began to shout questions at her. She couldn’t focus on any one voice long enough to process the question, let alone formulate an answer. The crowd began to push forward, voices growing louder and louder. She could feel her heartbeat quickening. It became difficult to breathe.

And suddenly, a much more welcome voice cut through the noise. A warm weight pressed against her side and a wyvern-like wing draped over her shoulders.

“Gee, everypony, I hope you’re treating my girl alright!” Despite his calm stature and gentle voice, everyone could hear the warning behind his words. Will gave the Alicorn a soft squeeze with his wing, subtly checking if she was okay. Nyx draped her own wing over her coltfriend, alleviating his worries.

Instantly, the questioning turned to the young king.

“King Will! How come you’ve taken such an...um...interesting appearance?”

Will gave an easy smile. “I used to hide my true self in fear that my half-draconequus appearance would make others uncomfortable. But, Nyx has shown me that I need to be true to myself. If I’m confident in how I look, I’ll be more confident in everything I do.”

A few ‘aw’s chorused from the crowd. The stern mare from before spoke up again.

“Did you ever think you’d end up with somepony like...her?”

Nyx could feel Will tense up beside her, though his smile never left his face. “I think we’re done here.”

The crowd didn’t seem to agree. They moved toward the teens, shouting louder. A stern voice cut through. Every head turned to see a lavender mare marching her way over.

“Excuse me,” the mare snapped, “But this is a school, and unless you all have signed in at the front office and gotten visitors passes, I will not only have you arrested for trespassing, but for harassing my students.”

A few of the reporters shuffled uncomfortably, while the mare who had already cause so much trouble moved forward threateningly. “We all have press badges, today and tomorrow are off in preparation for the ceremony Saturday, so we’re not interrupting classes, and they’re public figures,” she sneered here, “They need to grow up and get used to it.”

Fire bloomed in the older mare’s eyes. “You are sorely mistaken. Today is in fact a half-day, and as it is not yet noon, you are interrupting classes. And, as there is no event being held today, you need school distributed visitors passes, and, since your purpose here seems to be interviewing students, who, might I add, are minors,” she paused, as the offending individual’s resolve seemed to wilt, “You would need to get the consent of their parents and/or guardians to do so, along with set up a meeting which will not conflict with their schedules. Have I made myself clear?”

The reporters let out various mutters of consent before scurrying away. The stern demeanor left the lavender mare’s face the moment the final pony disappeared around a corner. She turned to the students, a concerned, motherly look on her face.

“Are you two alright?” she asked.

“Because of you, yes,” Nyx let out a sigh, “They came out of nowhere! Thank you so much, Mrs. Sparkle.”

The headmistress smiled. “Anytime. You deserve and unhindered school day.” she gave a nod to each teen and headed back to the main building, where her office was located.

Will turned his attention to his marefriend, handsome in his blue suit, a worried look on his face. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just need to pay more attention to my surroundings.”

“It’s not your fault,” he dismissed, “I’m sorry for what you’ve been put through, especially with all the press over the ceremony.”

Nyx smiled reassuringly, “It’s not your fault either.”

“Still,” his eyes brightened, “Hey, spring break is coming up! We should do something; go somewhere!”

“That’d be fun!” the filly said tentatively.

“Yeah, Manehattan maybe, or Luna Bay. I could get my parents to take over for a few days, and…” his voice trailed away as he glanced over the filly’s shoulder.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, following his gaze to a large clock fitted to the front wall of the main hall. It was almost nine in the morning.

“I have a meeting…” the colt grumbled, “I’m gonna be late. Okay, we’ll finish this later.” he promised. He bit his lip nervously, leaning subconsciously toward the filly.

Nyx could feel her heart quicken, though this time it was a pleasant experience. The two hadn’t kissed yet. Of course, there were the occasional cheek or forehead kisses, but Nyx was new to the dating field. She’d never experienced a relationship like the one she had with Will. He, ever the gentleman, let her set the pace, hence his stopping when he’d cleared half the space between them. She hesitated only a moment, having decided she was ready to move forward a while ago. She let her eyes flutter closed as she began to close the distance.

And she stopped when a voice cleared behind her. Will’s face flushed and she turned around to give her roommate a death glare.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Lady had a bemused look on her face. She quirked a perfectly penciled eyebrow and fluttered her long lashes teasingly. “But, Nyx, we have a free period and I really need to make some adjustments to your dress.”

Nyx sighed inwardly and put on a professional smile. “Of course. I’ll see you later Will,” she said to the colt before slipping off after her friend. “Gosh, you just couldn’t have waited five more seconds, could you?!” she whisper-yelled, earning a loud laugh in response.


***


In the six months they’d lived there, the girls had left their mark on the dorm they shared. The Changeling’s side of the room was just as elegant as the girl herself. Her white canopy bed was decorated in pink and gold. A desk sat near the filly’s bed, made of dark mahogany, standing on stacks of drawers instead of typical table legs. One side of drawers were filled to the brim with makeup, the other with school and sewing materials. Mannequins lined a wall, nearly blocking one of the windows, each donned in a unique dress or tux.

Nyx’s half of the room was as unorganized and disheveled as she felt. Books, papers, and clothes were scattered around the floor near her bed, though she tried to keep the mess relatively out of her roommate’s space. Her bed hadn’t been made in quite a while, evidenced by the sheets hanging off the side of the mattress and the pillows on the floor. The only things seemingly in place were three books atop her bedside table; one was leather-bound and old, one was newer with a glossy cover, and the third was a black spiral notebook.

The two girls stood in the Changeling’s workspace. Lady bustled about, muttering to herself as she worked. Her magic whirled around the room, carrying various sketches, fabrics, needles, and threads. Nyx stood in the center of it all, wearing the makings of a ballgown. The dress was a pale lilac, accented in white. It was sleeveless, resting high on her chest, and the skirt, when complete, would trail the ground behind her. One branch of magic rapidly stitched an almost floral design across the skirt as Lady moved around behind the Alicorn, and a second branch grabbed the sash at the filly’s waist and pulled tight, causing the teen to squeak in surprise.

“Lady,” she groaned, “Lay off, will ya? I’m not gonna be able to breathe in this thing.”

The Changeling made a ‘tsk’ sound. “Not with that attitude!”

“That doesn’t even make sense!” Nyx protested, only to be shushed by the blue filly.  “Please? I know I’ve said I’m gonna pass out before this is over, but I really don’t want to.”

Lady furrowed her brows and bit her lip. She sighed sympathetically and loosened the sash a little bit. “This okay?”

Nyx gave a few experimental breaths. “That’ll do,” she said.

The Changeling hummed in response and began sewing the sash in place. The Alicorn glanced toward her bed.

“Since I’m stuck here,” she inclined her head to her books, “Mind if I do a bit of studying?” Lady muttered her consent, locking in concentration of making the stitch seem invisible. Nyx flared her own horn, reaching her magic out to the books and pulling them over to eye-level. She opened first the glossy-covered book and the spiral notebook. The former, a gift from her cousin, was titled ‘A Lady’s Guide to Court Etiquette’, something Sunrise had gotten a great deal of use of when she was thirteen, and something Nyx greatly needed now. The notebook, again, was from Sunny, but filled with notes she’d made for herself as different cultures emerged in Equestria, from the religions in Saddle Arabia to the courting rituals of the Hippogriffs, along with the physics and temperaments of the sun and moon.

In short, everything Nyx would need to know in order to be a decent Mare of the Court, and what she would need as Luna’s heir. Things she would need to memorize by her induction ceremony in two days time. No pressure.

She turned her attention to the leather-bound book, the spellbook her mother-no, Nightmare Moon, had given her the day she first came to Equestria. She cracked it open and skimmed through the pages. There had to be something there that could help her remember everything.

A pink aura suddenly snatched the book from her grasp. She blinked her surprise.

“No cheating!” Lady reprimanded, setting the book on her own bed.

Nyx huffed, picking the book back up. “It’s not a test I’m studying for!”

The book was taken away again. “Isn’t it?” Lady jerked the book to the side, dodging Nyx’s attempt to take it back. “I thought you were trying to do this on your own,” dodge again, “You know, prove to Equestria you’re more than your magic,” and again, “What would Will say if he knew you were still using dark magic?”

The Alicorn stopped, looking guilty. “He...doesn’t have to know?” Her roommate raised an eyebrow. She raised her own and poked out her bottom lip, tilting her head down and looking up imploringly.

Lady shook her head and tapped her friend on the nose with the book’s spine. “Honey, I raised two kids, puppy-dog eyes don’t work on me.”

Nyx slumped her shoulders. “Lady, I have over a thousand years worth of different cultures and customs to learn in two days.”

“How much do you actually have to know for the ceremony. Bare minimum!”

“Basic etiquette and diplomatic behaviors, but-”

“I’d say you’re a novice at least!”

“But, Lady, the customs-”

“Can be learned down the line.” she laid a hoof on the Alicorn’s shoulder. “Honey, no one expects you to be perfect.” she moved away.

‘Except everypony.’ Nyx thought, ‘Look at Sunny. And Nova. And Lolly. All heirs to their parents’ claims, and all extraordinary at what they do. How can I live up to that?’

Lady set the book on Nyx’s bedside table. “You really should think about donating this.”

Nyx straightened up as her friend set back to work. “Who would want it?”

“The museum. That’s where I took the mirror my mother gave me.”

A moment of silence passed and the Alicorn broke it with, “Do you miss it? The Island?”

Lady paused her movements, a thoughtful silence enveloping her. “I thought I would. We grew up there, you know? But honestly, this is home. We’re safer here. We have a future here, ponies who love us. I could never dream of going back, could you?”

“Of course not,” Nyx replied. She didn’t have the heart to tell the truth.


***


The girls managed to be back in the main building by the time the dismissal bell for their free period sounded, giving them five minutes to get to their next classes. Two colts joined up with them as they entered, one tall and slate grey, one short and golden yellow, the latter visibly younger than the rest of the group. The girls led the party, but as Lady marched on with her head held high, Nyx’s ears were pinned back, her head drooping as she began lagging behind her friends, lost in thought.

“Hi Shade!” The colt in question flashed a winning smile at the gaggle of girls as they passed. Each of the fillies blushed deeply, turning in a whispered argument of exactly which of them the grin had been directed toward.

The yellow colt muttered disapprovingly. “Stop torturing the poor things and pick somepony already!”

Shade turned his grin to the other colt. “And why, Flare, would I do that? If I go alone, everypony gets a dance,” he said smoothly, aiming a wink over his shoulder that sent the fillies into a fit of giggles.

Flare shook his head in disbelief. “They’re a bit pathetic, aren’t they?”

“Be nice!” Lady admonished with a glare.

“I’m just saying! Anything he does has them melting!” he pulled a face, over exaggerating the looks his friend was getting, “We get it, you’re a heart thro-” the sentence died as his gaze caught sight of a filly turning the corner.

Her coat was a golden, honey-orange, her mane cobalt with streaks of turquoise and magenta. She wore a skirt of pale lilac and a smart blouse in a matching color. The shirt hugged tight around her middle, with a bit of midriff showing, and her short sleeves were puffed. A flowery headband was tucked into her cute bob, just behind her ears, tying off the look. Her face was scrunched cutely as she read over the clipboard she held in her weak magic. She looked up, eyes landing on the group. A relieved smile spread across her face as she hurried toward them.

“Nyx!” she called, trying to catch the girl’s attention.

Flare subconsciously stepped forward. “Hi N-nova!”

The filly startled and blushed. “Oh, hey Flare,” she smiled politely before turning back to the Alicorn, not giving the colt a chance to continue.

Shade leaned close to the younger colt’s ear and muttered, “Smooth, dude.” before leading him away.

“Nyx?” the filly tried again. Still no reply.

Lady glanced between the two. “So, Nova, am I still seeing you for your dress fitting? Noon, right?”

The younger girl looked sheepish. “I’m sorry, I forgot to text you. I’m supposed to oversee tryouts for the new fencing team in place of my mom, and then she needs help with decorations for Nyx’s ceremony. Normally, Sunny would be helping me, but she’s back home,” the girl lowered her voice, “with her parents. Her dad got sick.” her voice went back to normal, “Anyway, me and mom are on our own, and I’m gonna be really busy until this evening.”

The Changeling nodded sympathetically. “Well, I can reschedule you. How’s six sound?”

“Lovely!” she sighed in reply.

“Right, so now I have an opening for noon.”

A passing filly stopped and backtracked, ears perked excitedly. “Really? Can I take it?” The caramel filly shook her chocolate and magenta mane from her eyes.

“Anything for you, Lolly.”

“Nyx,” Nova began again, laying a hoof on the older filly’s shoulder.

The Alicorn jumped as if she’d been shocked. She glanced around at the concerned faces around her. “Sorry, guess I zoned out there.”

Lady furrowed her brow. “You okay, hon?”

“Yeah, yes, I’m fine. What did you need, Nova?”

The younger filly raised a skeptical eyebrow, casting a worried look at the others, each of them looking thoroughly unconvinced. Shrugging, she moved forward, brandishing her clipboard.

“As much as I hate to bother you again about the ceremony, my mom really needs you to finalize on the desserts. We’ve narrowed it down, so just tell me what you’d prefer.” She paused, waiting for a nod, before launching into a fast-talking spiel of each confection.

“So the brownies are my personal favorite, but they were served at my own ceremony, so that might not be the best choice, but it’s totally up to you! Then we have banana cream pie, always a favorite, and Aunt Pinkie’s specialty, the Marzipan Mascar…” she paused, squinting at the paper before her, “Mas-something.”

“Mascarpone Meringue Madness,” Lolly interrupted, appearing over the younger filly’s shoulder, “I had that at mine. It’s this massive, four-tiered cake made with pound cake, meringue, lemon mascarpone, eclairs, doughnuts, and chocolate mousse!”

Lady groaned and shook her head. “Nope, too rich, too much sugar, I’m getting queasy just thinking about it.”

“But it’s your choice, Nyx!” Nova brought attention back to her clipboard, “Then we have gelatin, gelato, puddings, cloud cake-”

“Sunny had that!” Lolly once again interrupted.

“Ice creams, baked Alaska, mille-feuille-”

“That!” Nyx cut in quickly, rubbing her throbbing temples.They’d eaten that, she remembered, when she and Will had met with the dignitaries from Maris. Will had liked it. “That sounds perfect.”

Lolly’s eyes sparkled mischievously as Nova marked down the Alicorn’s answer on her clipboard. “So...has Will...you know...popped the question yet?”

Nyx’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?!”

Lolly rolled her eyes. “Y’know, asked you to marry him? Oh, c’mon, don’t sound so shocked,” she admonished, “He’s a king, you’ll be a member of the court in a few days, you’re bound to crowned as Lunar Princess within a few years, probably alongside Sunny, and after Will’s coronation, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of you,” she inclined her head toward Lady, and vaguely gestured the way the colts had gone, “become Guardians.”

“What does that have to do with marriage?”

“Well, you’re public figures, in a hierarchy no less. You’ll have to have at least one foal to be heir, mid-twenties is typically the ideal time to start having foals, and the public has a thing against unmarried parents. Plus, you’ll want a few years to yourselves before having kids, and royal weddings take an especially long time to plan, so the engagement will need to be pretty early if you want to still be in your prime for foals.”

The Alicorn could feel her heart quickening and a sick feeling erupted in her stomach. Weddings? Children? She’s sixteen! She and Will have only been together for six months! They’re still in high school! She muttered her musings aloud.

Lolly’s eyebrow climbed her forehead. “He’s head over heels for you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he already has a ring picked out.”

A squeal escaped from the youngest filly. Nova sat back on her haunches and clapped her hooves excitedly. “Oh, I wonder what it’ll look like!”

“Forget the ring,” Lady grinned dreamily, “imagine the wedding!” she turned to her roommate, “I call dibs on making your dress!”

“And I get to make the cake for the wedding!” Lolly paused before adding, “And for the foals’ birthdays!”

Nyx’s eyes squeezed shut as the fillies continued to gush over a future she’d unknowingly signed up for. She hadn’t even been in the kingdom for a year yet, and already she was facing the prospects of weddings, foals, and politics. Is this really what she wanted?

She thought of the students milling about around her. Few of her classmates were royal, and fewer still that wanted to be. What did they have to worry about? Finals? College applications? If only she could only be faced with that.

Her heart rate reached sickening speeds. The more she thought of what was to come, the harder it seemed to breathe. And yet, she couldn’t stop. Equestria was completely different than what the girl had grown up in. She couldn’t rule with fear and intimidation. Ponies already didn’t like her; they’d be calling for her head at her first mistake. Not to mention she was Luna’s heir. One day, regardless of her relationship with Will, she’d be raising and lowering the moon. What if she couldn’t keep up with the moon’s phases? And daylight savings time was something to consider. How much earlier or later did the moon rise each day? Did she have to move the stars too? All creatures counted on the stars’ positions for navigation and other things.

The Alicorn’s thoughts were spiraling. She was locked in place, eyes tightly shut and breathing erratic. Her legs itched to run, to flee. Where, she didn’t know. All she knew was the overpowering urge to escape.

A hoof rested on her shoulder, nearly making her jump out of her skin.

“Hey,” a warm voice whispered in her ear, bringing her back to the present but not quite dissipating the anxiety coursing through her. She leaned into the solid figure behind her.

“Hi Will!” the other girls chorused in sing-song voices.

Nyx leaned her head up, opening her eyes to look into those of her coltfriend. “Hello,” she replied.

The colt grinned. He leaned forward as if to kiss her. Nyx started to lean in too, but they both paused before the action could be completed, suddenly very aware they had an audience. They rapidly pulled apart, blushing furiously, decidedly ignoring the giggles of their friends. The Alicorn filly muttered something about geometry before hurrying away, the Changeling and Earth fillies following her with teasing giggles.

Will waved to the girls as they disappeared into a building. His face gained a serious look as he turned to Nova.

“How’s it coming?” he asked, voice low, “Is it gonna be ready in time?”

The Unicorn smiled. “It’s almost done, I just need you to confirm eye color.” She flipped to the last page of her clipboard. Upon it were two pictures.

The first was of Will and Nyx, taken at the afterparty of the former’s coronation. He remembered the moment fondly; he had tried to kiss her and she’d teasingly turned away last second, so that the kiss landed on her cheek. The picture was taken a moment later. The filly’s face was flushed with laughter, eyes glittering with mirth. He, too, was mid-laugh, eyes closed and forehead pressed against her hair. Will felt a small smile playing at his lips. He’d been so happy in that moment, high off the adrenaline of battling Nightmare Moon and using the Elements to defeat her, not to mention the thrill of being King. All that had mattered was the filly at his side, and the sound of her laughter that he hoped would never fade.

The second photo was almost the same scene, apart from a few glaring differences, this first being that it was a picture of a stained glass window depicting the moment. Second, instead of a gym wall and other dancing teens behind them, the background in the window was of a twinkling night sky. Third, his marefriend’s eyes were wrong.

“Her pupils need to be slitted, like a dragon’s,” he said, tapping the offending feature, “and don’t forget, the whites of her eyes aren’t white, they’re kinda pale green.”

“Got it,” the filly muttered as she took down a few notes. A bit of magic branched away to hold a few swatches of colored glass out for the colt to take. “Which color is better for the irises?”

Will encased the glass in his own magic, flipping through the pieces. He studied each one in turn, continually unimpressed. One was too pale. Another was too dull. Too much purple in that one. This one was more of a green than a blue. The final piece, however, was perfect. It caught the light the same way Nyx’s eyes did. It glowed the way hers did when she smiled. Not to mention that the color matched perfectly.

“This one,” he stated proudly. Every important moment in Equestrian history was depicted in glass in a memorial hall in the school. Some would argue that his coronation was more worthy of immortalization, or even the battle that followed. To Will, however, her smile far surpassed anything that could be found in any glass, painting, or book.


***


“Velvet!” the colt shouted.

Lady glanced up from the seam she was pinning. “Do what?”

“Velvet!” he repeated, tossing his blue-and-gold mane proudly, “A velvet tux, no one’s gonna have that!”

The Changeling kept a straight face despite the panic rising in her. She looked over his essentially-finished suit. The fabric was a blend of polyester and wool, dyed a deep scarlet she’d insisted would match better with his pearl coat and dual-colored hair than the green shade he’d originally wanted. And suddenly, two days the event he needed the suit for, he wanted velvet. Absolutely not. She glared daggers at the back of his head; he was too busy admiring his own reflection in the mirror she’d set up to notice the death look he was getting. Movement in the corner of her vision caught her attention and she caught sight of her coltfriend, Scifresh Doubloon sitting at her desk shaking violently with suppressed laughter.

She couldn’t help but crack a small smile herself, knowing why he found it so funny. She’d developed a crush on the Unicorn in front of her not long after arriving in Equestria, and now here she was, trying to strangle him with her eyes. Still, regardless of time constraints, there was no way she’d let anypony wear a suit made of velvet on a warm spring night; he’d probably get heat stroke.

“Silver,” she began, moving into his line of sight, “I look at you, and I see, not a prince, not a prince’s son,” she paused for dramatic effect, “I see a potential king!”

The colt’s eyes widened comically as he emotionally choked out a gasp of, “Really?!”

Lady nodded slowly, seriously, while trying to ignore the snort of laughter her coltfriend attempted to disguise as a cough. “Of course, and you know, kings have to be sensible, right?” she earned a dignified nod and another laugh-cough, “Well, their wardrobe should reflect that. And nothing,” she ran a hoof over the fabric covering the colt’s foreleg, “Is more sensible than a poly-wool blend!”

The colt gave a not-so-subtle glance over to his grey-blue fellow prince, searching for confirmation. Doub managed to hide his amused expression and give a solemn, serious nod. Once his friend turned back to the filly, however, he proceeded to double over in the pain of repressing his mirth.

“Of course,” Silver agreed, “But still, King Silver Stocking...has a nice ring to it, yes?”

“Totally,” the other colt choked out between silent laughter.

Somepony knocked on the open door. All eyes turned to the newcomer, a tall, slate-grey unicorn with a swooping black mane pulled back in a small bun. He glared at the suited colt.

“Sil, you need to get your flank down to the gym. Practice starts in five and I swear to Celestia, if you are late one more time, you’re doing extra drills, and cleaning the locker room. Are we clear?”

“Yes, Shade.” Silver grumbled with a fake smile, scowling when the colt disappeared from view. He moved behind a curtain in the corner of the room to change, tossing the balled-up clothing to Lady, oblivious to her muttered cursing as she tried to straighten them without dislodging any pins. “Why’d Coach Armor make Shade captain, of all ponies?!” he muttered, “I’ve been on the team longer. After Will left, that should’ve been my spot!”

‘And yet Shade, the far better athlete, got the job,’ Lady thought smugly, but held her tongue.

Silver stepped out from behind the curtain, donned now in a simple button-up shirt and slacks. He watched as Lady smoothly fastened the suit in place on a mannequin.

“Sensible...Sunny would have to appreciate that.”

Lady shared a look with her coltfriend, one that said, ‘It’s been almost four months, how is he not over that?’ While Sunrise had mostly reformed her way, Silver Stocking hadn’t made much progress. It didn’t take the filly long to realize this, and she ended their relationship in due course.

Silver left quickly, realizing he had two minutes to get to the gym. Lady and Doub shared a laugh.

“He got his father’s looks,” the colt started.

“But also the arrogance,” Lady concluded with a chuckle.  She walked over to the desk, picking up a water bottle. “So, how’s the finances looking?”

The colt grinned and turned to his laptop. “Well, once Silver finally pays for his suit, and we collect from Lolly and Nova and the others…” he turned the screen to face the filly, who choked on her water.

“Sci, oh my gosh!” the colt grinned at the nickname and the smile on the face of the only one allowed to use it.

“I know.”

Lady threw her forehooves around the colt’s neck. “What do I even do with all this?”

“Well,” Doub began, turning his laptop back around and typing a few keys, “You could invest a bit into advertisin’ and get more business. Then, after a few years of profit…” he gestured to the screen, “You could get a starter home big enough for you and your sisters. And you could support yourself, by yourself.”

The filly smiled lightly, knowing what Doub was implying. Chrysalis had raised her to think that her only purpose in life was to marry a prince, and that she’d be worthless without one. Equestria, however, taught her something different. She now lived in a kingdom of opportunity, where your worth was, generally, determined by your heart, not your title or status. Sure, there were a few who are quick to make her a scapegoat for things in the name of the Changeling siege of Canterlot, despite that happening over twenty years before she was born. But still, her future was in her hooves. It wasn’t dependant on how well she could marry. She could have a place where she and her sisters could be safe. She could have all she ever wanted.

She planted a kiss on the colt’s cheek. “Thank you.”


***


Nyx sprinted down the hall and skidded to a stop in front of her locker. She quickly spun the combination in and ripped the door open. Momentarily forgetting her magical prowess, she began fighting to switch the books in her bag with the ones in the locker. Despite her panicked movements, she didn’t really understand why she was rushing. She wasn’t running late, and it was her last class of the day, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was forgetting something.

“Hey, Nyx!”

She jumped and whirled around. “Will, hey!”

The colt gave a giddy grin. “I’ve got something for you,” he said.

“What for? My birthday’s not ‘till next month.”

“What, I can’t get you something just because?”

“Well, you kinda do that all the time,” the Alicorn replied, “Spontaneous flowers, surprise movie nights, little notes in my locker,” she paused, lighting her horn and plucking one of said notes from the vent in the door, “Not to mention the dress you gave me last week, the tickets to see ‘Dear Evan Prancen’, ‘Feathers’,  and ‘Griffinton’ this summer, the ‘Daring Do’ boxse-”

“Okay, okay!” Will laughed sheepishly, “I get it, I spoil you a lot. I just feel bad I guess. You didn’t have much growing up.”

Nyx smiled sadly, “That wasn’t your fault. You don’t have anything to make up for.”

“Still,” he said, flaring his horn and reaching his magic into his pocket.  He pulled out a small, blue-velvet box.

The girl’s heart stopped, remembering the earlier conversation. Was this it? Was she about to become the future Queen of the Center Region? Was she even ready for that?

Thank goodness, it wasn’t a ring. The box opened to reveal a necklace. The chain was silver and glinted in the light streaming in from the windows. The pendant was a small, deep purple jewel, cut in the shape of a ram. Nyx grinned, despite her confusion. The colt must have seen it in her eyes, however, as he quickly moved to explain.

“Your birthday is in April,” he said, “So your birthstone is a diamond,” he gestured to the gem, “And since you were born on the fifteenth, your star sign is Aries, which is a ram, and purple, your favorite color.”

Realization dawned on her face and quickly morphed into a sweet smile. She wrapped him in a tight hug. “Oh, Will, you’re so sweet! Thank you!” Her smile was returned as her coltfriend fastened the chain around her neck. “I feel bad now, I didn’t get you anything.”

“You’re treating me to a picnic tonight, remember?”

“No, that’s Thursday.”

“Today is Thursday.”

Nyx’s smile faltered. “No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. Today’s a half-day,” he gestured around the hall, which she realized was mostly empty, “And there’s no school Friday so they can set up for Saturday.”

Nyx froze for a moment while her mind tried to catch up with what she was hearing. School was over for the day. That’s what she forgot. That and the picnic. She slowly began to unload her books back into her locker.

“I knew that,” she stated.

Concern flashed across Will’s face. “If you can’t make it tonight, it’s okay, we can do it later-”

“No! Nononono, I just have a few things left to make. We’ll meet at the gazebo in the garden, okay?”

“If you’re sure…”

“I am,” she hugged him again before hurrying toward the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll see you later!”


***


“Alright everypony!” Shade yelled, surveying the crowd of colts before him, “Line up!”

Fencing hadn’t seemed like something he’d enjoy at first. Hoofball season had ended with the previous semester, and he was considerably more upset about it than he would’ve believed he could be years ago. Shade had been a loner for as long as he could remember, only ever occasionally working with Nyx on the Island of the Forgotten. The Canterlot High hoofball team was the first time he’d ever been a part of something.

So, naturally, when the season ended, he’d found himself moping about during winter break, wondering how he’d occupy his time until the next season. Luckily, his teammates caught on to his despair and told him about the school’s second most popular sport, fencing. While swordplay was right up his alley, the rules of fencing seemed a little too pansy for his taste. However, the other guys were pretty excited about it, so he agreed to try out with them in January. To his surprise, he found that he not only really enjoyed the sport, he was good at it. Time spent on the Isle made him quick and nimble, not to mention that he was already familiar with wielding a sword with only his mouth, as magic wasn’t accessible to Isle residents, so he already had a leg up on his fellow Unicorns.

With all this, he easily made the team. They won their first few matches, thanks to the team’s combined skill levels and Will’s leadership. However, the young king’s duties quickly became too much to juggle with school and sports, so extracurriculars, unfortunately, had to be dropped. This was good news for Shade, in any case, because he was bumped up to team captain. Which also meant that more tryouts had to be held to fill in his old spot. And as captain, he was in charge.

He’d gone over basic terminology then let the members of the team sparr with the attendees. He had walked around, complimenting when deserved and correcting when needed. Now, he would sparr with each attendee in turn, gauging their skill for himself. Then he’d take the night and next day to make his decision in time for a practice before Nyx’s ceremony. He gestured the first colt forward.

He was dressed entirely in black; long black athletic pants and a matching long-sleeved shirt, similar to, but not exactly like, the uniform Shade himself wore. Gloves adorned the colt’s front hooves, while the back ones were hidden by his pants, so Shade couldn’t tell what color his coat was. His face was obscured by one of the school’s old fencing masks the attendees had been allowed to borrow for tryouts, and his mane and tail were both tucked into his uniform, as per regulations.

Honestly, Shade was a little relieved that he didn’t know who this colt was. He hadn’t shown much promise during the sparring, putting so little effort into it that he seemed almost bored. It would be much easier to pass his judgment if he didn’t know who he was letting down. He and the colt got into position on the piste and he put his own mask down.

“Ready?” Nova called. Normally, coach Armor would have been the referee, but he was at his daughter’s university graduation ceremony. Next in line would be Mrs. Sparkle, as she was headmistress, but she was busy making preparations for Nyx’s ceremony. In turn, this position had fallen onto Nova, the only one Mrs. Sparkle felt she could trust.

“Allez!” the filly shouted, and both competitors lunged into action.

Shade quickly realized why the other colt had seemed so bored. He was good. Excellent, even. Every move he made was matched perfectly, almost as if his opponent was reading his mind. His lunge was instantly met by a parry. Remise met with riposte, again and again. After several minutes of equal attack and defense, Shade began to feel a sweat begin to creep on his brow. He saw an opening and lunged. But no, the other colt feinted and knocked his sword away.

He took his mask off, nodding appreciatively at the sword lying useless on the piste. “Not bad, dude. Who are you?”

The other colt reached a gloved hoof up to the mask and slipped it off. Shade’s jaw dropped as Lolly’s face stared back at him.

“Lolly?!” Nova cried, stunned, before erupting in applause.

“Um, excuse me?!” Silver Stocking snarled as he stalked over, “Just what do you think you’re doing?!”

The Earth filly raised an unconcerned eyebrow. “Trying out for the team?”

“You can’t!”

“And why not?”

“You’re a filly!”

“Excuse me?” Shade interrupted, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Silver ignited his horn, pulling a small booklet from his gear bag. “Oh, don’t tell me Captain Shade,” he sneered, “hasn’t read the rule book!” he flipped a few pages and began to read, “A regulated school team is to be comprised of a captain and eight colts!” he shoved the paper in Shade’s face.

The filly snatched the paper away and pointed at the copyright symbol, “It also says this was written over fifty years ago! Oh, but how dare a female try to join a school team! What’s next, female doctors? Female mothers?” she let out a dramatic, sarcastic gasp, “Female mares?!”

Silver grabbed the booklet. “Why change perfection? Just face it, fillies are too delicate for this sport.”

“Did you miss the part where I just kicked Shade’s flank?!”

“He’s supposed to go easy during tryouts, to let the attendees show their skill!”

“I’d say my skill is pretty good!”

“Doesn’t matter!” Silver spat, “The rules say no fillies, and the captain,” he glared at Shade, “Has to follow the rules. If, of course, he wants to keep his position.”

Lolly turned to Shade. She was giving him a death glare, but he could see the pleading look in her eyes. He lowered his own. The filly sniffed, her face hardening as she turned back to Silver.

“Mares can save your kingdom and even rule it, but they can’t even play a simple sport. You’re a pig!” she spat.

‘That’s offensive to pigs,’ Shade thought, but kept his mouth shut.

Lolly turned and stomped away.

“Uh, take five, guys!” Shade shouted as he ran after her.

The colts looked at each other and shrugged before moving over to the benches lining the walls to sit and get some water. Flare, who had been standing along with the current team members, looked around. He saw Nova moving over to the corner where she’d set her clipboard.

“Hey, Nova, wait up!”

The filly turned around. “Hey Flare! What’s up?”

“N-nothing much,” the colt stuttered, “You?”

Nova scowled, “Just preparations for Nyx’s ceremony. It’s honestly exhausting.”

“Yeah, I bet. Hey, speaking of the ceremony-”

“Ugh, is that all anyone can talk about? Ceremony this, ceremony that, I never wanna plan one of these again! I wanted to help Sunny this year after she did such a good job on mine last year, but with her dad getting sick, here I am, doing my part and hers too! No wonder she was so exhausted during the party! Just sat there, serving punch. That’s probably what I’ll end up doing.”

Flare nodded meekly. He tried to speak, but Nova cut in again. “Oh, look Shade’s back!” the colt looked around to see that, indeed, the captain had returned, “Well, back to work! Thanks for letting me vent, Flare. You’re a great friend!”

The colt laughed as the filly sauntered away. “Yep, that’s me.”


***

“How to get out of the friendzone…” Flare muttered to himself as he typed the word into the search engine. He’d never been good at the whole ‘filly’ thing, so after tryouts he’d come straight back to his dorm and pulled out his laptop. Let the internet solve his problems.

An annoyed squeak sounded in his ear. The colt craned his neck to see a tiny bat perched on his shoulder. It was auburn in color, with a tuft of red fur on its head. Blue eyes glared back at him.

“What?”

The bat nipped his ear.

“Okay, okay! You’re right, no need to maim me!” he grumbled, swatting the creature away. He sighed, staring at the screen. “You’re right, Berry,” he repeated, “There’s no such thing as the friendzone if you value her friendship. And I do! I just...I wish there was more,” he sighed. He reached out to his keyboard, refining his search to, ‘How to get your crush to like you back.’

He clicked the first article. “Let’s see...be noticeable…” he ran a hoof through his shaggy, bright red hair, “Check. Be positive. Check? Kinda? I think?” he glanced at his furry companion for reassurance, only to see her chewing his pillow. “Hey, Stop! What next? Be nice? Check, I’m pretty nice. Be clean…” he paused and sniffed his shirt. “Uh...we’ll come back to that. Be yourself-” he shut the laptop with a snort, “Ha, nope!” Defeated, he grabbed the remote of his nightstand, clicked the TV on, and flopped on his stomach to watch some crime show.

Muffled shouts sounded from the hallway. Flare raised his head briefly then thought, ‘It’s high school, ponies are always yelling about something,’ and put his head back down. His head jerked up again when his door opened.

Nyx burst in, looking harried, and slammed the door shut behind her, locking it for good measure. The shouts began issuing from right outside the door as she backed away, breathing heavily. Flare grabbed the remote and turned his show off as the shouts died down and hoofsteps indicated whoever it was leaving.

“You okay?” he asked, nervously.

“Do I look okay?!” she snapped, “I can’t even go walk to the kitchen without these...these…” she struggled for a moment, “So-and-so’s harassing me!”

Flare snorted. “So-and-so’s?”

“I can’t swear anymore, okay? Leave me alone!”

“Yikes.” the colt said, scrunching his face at her tone.

“I mean, don’t you miss just going wherever you wanted and ponies just run in the other direction?”

“That was a ‘you’ thing,” the Earth colt said, “And let’s not forget, until about seven or eight months ago, I was one of those ponies.”

Nyx tried to control her breathing and slow her racing heart. “Right, sorry about that. And I didn’t even get to the kitchen! I’m running even more behind!”

The colt gave a sympathetic look. He opened his mouth to speak again, but was stopped by the sound of a lock clicking and the door creaking open. Silver Stocking backed into the room, glancing down the hallway as if making sure he wasn’t being seen, oblivious to the two ponies and one bat watching his every move from behind his back. Very slowly, with minimal sound, he pressed the door closed. He let out a sigh and turned around, immediately adopting a deer-in-the-headlights look once he saw his audience.

“Uh, hi? I just, uh, came to borrow your 3D printer...” he gestured to the contraption in an otherwise unused corner of the room.

“Don’t you have one? A leading brand?”

“Yours works better!” he whined, “You built all these modifications and it’s more efficient and the products come out better and-”

“How did you even get a key?”

Silver coughed, using his magic to pull said key from his front pocket. “I printed it last time I was here…” he muttered, “You weren’t here. I climbed in the window…”

Flare marched forward, knocked the key out of the older colt’s magical grip. He pointed toward the door. “Out,” he deadpanned.

“Fine, fine,” Silver said, backing away and out the door, “I can tell when I’m not wanted!”

“Apparently that’s it,” Flare muttered as the door closed again. He turned toward his friend, who was staring off into space. “Nyx?” the filly jumped.

“Yes?”

“Did you get what I asked?”

“Yeah…” she said, reaching her magic into her bag and pulling out a tiny green capsule, “Yeah I got it. One truth potion. Eat this, and you’ll be able to ask Nova out.” Flare reached for the capsule, but Nyx pulled it away. “Are you sure you want this? You won’t just be telling Nova how you feel about her, you’ll be speaking your mind to anyone, all the time, no matter what.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Okay…”

As Nyx reached the capsule out again, the bat gave a squeak and lunged, snapping her tiny jaws around it. Both teens yelled as the bat swooped around the room, but it was too late. She landed on Flare’s head, gagging.

“Yuck! Okay, that was not a grape!”

Both teens’ jaws dropped. The bat was talking. The bat was talking.

“You!” Berry said, hanging upside down from the colt’s bangs so he had to cross his eyes to see her, “You just gotta talk to her. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. Worst case, she says no and it’s a bit awkward for a while. You’ll still be friends! Oh, hey, also, my food bowl is empty.”

“I’m not dealing with this,” Nyx said, and she marched out of the room.

“Hey, wait!” Flare shouted as the door closed. He shook his head and the bat dropped to the floor. He glanced over to her cage on top of his dresser. Her food dish was indeed empty.

‘Well,’ he thought as he poured crushed pieces of the dried fruit that made up the majority of the little bat’s diet into the bowl, ‘On the bright side, figuring out what she wants just got a lot easier.’
> Chapter Two: Those Left Behind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hundreds of years ago, when the kingdom was still young, a general took a group of ponies to an island in the Eastern Sea, in an attempt to expand Equestria’s borders. A settlement was built, made of a series of cottages for the commoners and a small castle-esque manor for the general and his family.

The settlement didn’t last long. The ground was hard and infertile. There was little fresh water. With no crops, there was no trade, so the docks remained empty, as did family lock boxes. Empty bellies made for weak immune systems, and within weeks of the first cough, half the population was gone. The island was abandoned.

It was centuries later that Equestria decided to abandon their criminals on this island. It was inspected when the idea came about. The buildings were crumbling, with ceilings caved in, walls collapsing, and floors coated with a thick layer of dust. Any semblance of a garden was wiped away with the years passing. The whole place was covered in a fine layer of mold and muck.

Certainly a place perfect for a prison.

They were dumped there with only a promise of monthly dumps of second-hoof scraps of food, clothing, and other items. A long-winded way of saying garbage. It didn’t take long for a barrier to be found around the large crop of land, trapping them there with no magic or hope of escape.

The prisoners made do with what they found themselves with. Territories were claimed. Houses filled. Buildings erected. Areas named.

‘The Wharf’ was the name given to the docks and the land and buildings around them. Boats were taken out in the mile or so of water the barrier afforded, in search of water plants to make up for lack of crops, something small to survive on until the next garbage dump.

The Wharf was crowded as usual. A permanent stench of damp seaweed and ocean water clung to the air and those who lived there. A young satyr stalked through, baring his fangs at an old mare holding a tin cup out to him.

His coat color was indistinguishable from the years of muck and grime matting it. His smoke-grey eyes surveyed those around him with an air of superiority. He was handsome, despite his filth. His face was narrow, well defined, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. Like many his age on the Island, he was muscular from the long hours of physical labor and fighting. Being bipedal, he was clearly one of, if not the, tallest inhabitant of the Island, having to duck to fit through doors designed for the ponies that made up the majority of the population. He wore torn red cotton pants and a green vest of cracked leather. A sword was sheathed in a belt around his waist, and a metal crest sat atop his brow.

His threatening gait changed to a more relaxed strut as he made his way to a derelict wooden building. He knew things about this building, like that is was built from what used to be a ship’s hull. He should know, he’s the one who got the wood.

If only he hadn’t built the doorway so low.

He crouched to enter, his twisted black horns scraping audibly on the doorframe. A furry hand clutched the sword at his side, unsheathing it and dumping it unceremoniously in a barrel. Here, he could straighten up as the ceiling was at least seven feet high. Raucous chatter emanated from each table. A pony reeking of cider pushed past him on wobbly legs. 

The satyr rolled his eyes and made his way over to a counter at the back of the room. He snagged a knife lying on the countertop and tossed it at the wall, hitting a newspaper clipping littered with holes from previous throws. The clipping featured a picture of the Center King’s coronation, of the young king and his marefriend.

A girl, golden yellow in coat, with a filthy mane of an odd color that fell somewhere between blue and sea-green stood behind the counter, wiping out a tin cup that looked as if it had never seen a sud of soap. Her brows knocked together in a scowl as she pulled the knife from the wall. She let out a growl, turning her glare to the picture. She spat at it and turned back to the cup.

“One order of pickled herring. Make it snappy.” the satyr ordered.

The filly threw the rag at him, catching it on his horns so that it covered his face. “Get it yourself! You’re in here enough, you know where it is, plus you’re the only one who orders it. I’m too busy to deal with you today, Dion.”

The boy pulled the rag off, smirking. “Aww, c’mon, ‘Pella! Don’t be like that!”

“Go bother somepony else! Find Rhys! I don’t like him wandering.”

At the sound of his name, a short, stocky colt came over to the counter. “I’m not wandering, Cappella, I’m right here!”

“Good, keep each other entertained.”

“Any news from the mainland?” Dion asked.

“Not much,” the colt, Rhys, responded, “just that Nyx is about to enter the Equestrian court.”


***


“You might just be the shortest pony I’ve ever seen!”

The filly jumped at the voice and looked up. An Alicorn stood on the stone wall next to her. She was dark in coat, with gorgeous, almost dragon-esque eyes, and a wavy plum mane that fell around her shoulders. The two looked to be the same age, around seven. And she was beautiful.

“Hey ankle biter, you hear me?”

“What?” the other girl snapped out of her thoughts, “Ankle biter?

“Yeah, ‘cuz you’re short.”

“Am not!”

“Are too!”

“Nuh uh! You’re an Alicorn, you’re just really tall!”

“Nope!” the filly said, popping the ‘p’, “I’m a bit shorter than a lot of ponies. You’re just tiny!”

“Whatever! And you’re wrong, I’m not even a pony!”

The Alicorn hopped down in front of the other girl. She did indeed tower over her. “You look like one.”

“That’s because there’s no magic here, stupid.” Suddenly, the taller girl was in her face.

“Who you callin’ stupid?!”

She glared back just as hard, puffing out her chest, trying to make herself look bigger. “Who do you think?!”

The two stood nose-to-nose, glaring daggers and breathing fire. Moments later the taller girl backed off.

“You got guts. I like that. Name’s Nyx, daughter of Nightmare Moon. And you are?”

“Cappella, daughter of-”

“I don’t care,” the filly, Nyx, cut her off, “Probably somepony lame anyway if you’re that little. You’re gonna have to be tough to walk and talk with me.”

Cappella’s glare returned. “Who says I want that?”

“Because everyone’s scared of me. I get whatever I want.”

‘Scared of your mom, more like,’ the smaller girl thought, but said aloud, “Then what do you want me for?”

The Alicorn flexed her wings. “I can see potential in you. And darkness knows there’s a lack of that around here. We could own this place. What d’ya say, biter?”

A smile spread across Cappella’s face.


***


The filly scowled. “Don’t say her name,” she growled.

Rhys tilted his head. “But weren’t you two friends before? She even gave you a nickname, didn’t she? Ankle bi-”

The blade the filly had pulled from the wall was suddenly pressed against his throat, her eyes inches from his own.

“Don’t. You. Dare,” she seethed.

“Okay, okay! I won’t, I won’t say anything, I promise!”

Cappella huffed and moved back to cleaning cups. The colt rubbed at his neck while the satyr laughed.

“You wouldn’t think it was funny if it was your throat she was after,” Rhys muttered.

Dion shot Cappella a grin. “She wouldn’t kill me, she likes me too much.”

“I’d sell you to those con twins for a corn chip.”

His smile dropped and he faked a Trottingham accent. “Aye, cheers love.”

“Go get your herring, and take Rhys with you! I don’t want you two bothering me for the rest of my shift!”

The boys grumbled but did as they were told. Cappella turned her attention to the door as a hunch-backed pony entered.

“Pick a table, I’ll be with you in a minute!” she shouted. She continued with the cup long after the worst stains were gone. She glanced outside the porthole-like windows at the dying light. Her shift ended when the sun was evenly framed by the window. One of her cousins would come in then and take over. The difference, though, is that they would get paid.

Her mother owned the restaurant, so she was expected to work without pay. Plus, she was given the longest shift with the most difficult hours, so her mom wouldn’t have to pay much to whoever else came in. Cappella had been on her hooves since the sun had risen that morning, and the only break she had was the few minutes nopony was in the dining room. She stared longingly out the window. Unlike rest of the Island, that got only scraps and strips of sunlight through the tiny gaps between derelict buildings, the restaurant stood facing the docks, giving it a wide, clear view of the ocean beyond the barrier and Equestria across the water.

She let out a groan. Standing here wouldn’t make her shift end any sooner. She moped her way over to the table, tugging at the torn sleeve of her mauve shirt with her teeth as she walked. “What’ll it be?”

“Coffee,” the pony, a mare, said.

“Don’t have any coffee.”

“You had coffee last week!”

The filly rolled her eyes. “And that was the last of it.”

“The barge came since then!”

“It’s not my fault nopony in Equestria threw out coffee this time! Now pick something else, or get out!”

The mare grumbled. “Did you get any lettuce?”

“Enough for a salad, but it’ll just be a bowl of lettuce.”

“That’ll do.”

The door opened and a cousin walked in. Cappella’s face brightened as the colt clocked in.

“He’ll deal with you!” she said, running to the door that lead to the storeroom. A green jacket and a brown belt hung on a rusty nail next to the door. She pulled the jacket over her shoulders, then fastened the belt around her waist, holding the mutilated fabric to her body. The girl laid a hoof on the door, but paused before opening it, listening to the voices within.

“But weren’t they friends?” she heard Rhys say.

“Well, not friends, per say, more like...” the other colt’s voice dropped to a whisper that she couldn’t quite decipher. It didn’t matter, she knew what he said.

“Hey!” she said, pushing the door open. She fully intended to give them a piece of her mind, but paused at a thought: if Rhys knows, he won’t bring it up again, and if Dion is the one to tell him, she won’t have to mention it. “Hurry up, my shift’s over. Pay for your stuff and meet me outside.”

She darted through the restaurant and out the door, coming to a rest just outside. She stared off over the ocean, the salty air swirling around her. In the distance, she could see the sun lowering behind Equestria.


***


Rain beat down on the filly. She felt numb, from the cold or her pain, she couldn’t tell. The storm was located only within the barrier. She’d heard some of the older ponies compare the Island to something called ‘The Everfree Forest’, whatever that was. She just knew weather here occurred naturally, unlike the Pegasi-made clouds in Equestria.

She pushed her rain-soaked mane from her eyes and she shuddered. It had been a stressful month. Equestrian guards came to collect four Isle foals, Shade, Lady Bug, Flare, and Nyx. Their parents sent them away with, as rumors said, a mission to steal the Elements of Harmony. This rumor was practically confirmed when the barrier fell the day of King Will’s coronation, and Nightmare Moon was seen flying toward the mainland. Chrysalis, Sombra, and Sunset Shimmer had run down from the apartment above Bargain Barn and called for order. While they organized groups together to await the Alicorn’s signal, she had sprinted to the docks.

The filly was one of the few Island residents that possessed the ability to swim, due to the fact she lived so close to the small bit of ocean they were allowed. It didn’t matter how many miles of sea she’d have to traverse to get to the mainland; only one thought was on her mind: she was escaping. Who needed Nightmare Moon and her signals? She was perfectly capable of getting away on her own.

But, skidding to a stop in front of her mother’s restaurant, she was greeted by the barrier fully intact. They were left in the dark regarding what happened until the garbage dump a few days later.

They turned good. They turned good and they wanted to stay. Nyx had fallen in love with the colt she was meant to con. And they stayed. They abandoned everypony else who was still stuck on the Island. And they stayed.

She grabbed a sharp rock and hurled it at the barrier. The stone impacted the magic wall, sending shock waves over the surface, carrying her anger over the rest of their prison. She let out a blood-curdling shriek, sending rock after rock sailing into the barrier and the water below. Finally, exhausted, she slumped on the ground, tears mingling with raindrops on her face. They were gone. They escaped. And she was still. Stuck. Here.

Something bitter was planted in her chest. Something hard and angry. It writhed and groaned, settling in for the long run.


***


As Cappella blinked away the memory, her ears were met with raucous jeers as the boys exited the restaurant. She grinned at them.

“What’s my name?” she demanded.

Rhys gave her a confused look. “C-cappella?” The Satyr at his side gave him a shove and a withering look. He took off the crest that sat between his horns and held it tightly against his chest.

“Captain Cappella,” he stated proudly, “Of the Bayonetta, the finest vessel to ever touch water!”

“And quite the crew we are,” she smirked, “The Gunner, the son of the treasure hunter Doctor Caballeron. First mate, son of the Satyr known as ‘The Storm King’. And me, Captain, daughter of the Siren Adagio!” her eyes roamed, surveying the ponies and the docks, “We’re gonna own this place.”

Own it they did indeed. Cappella already had a rather impressive piece of territory, but once Nyx and her gang had been taken from the Island, she and her crew had conquered the majority of their claims as well. The crew of the Bayonetta had become the most feared group on the Island in the absence of Nyx and whomever she deemed worthy to stand at her side.

‘I had been worthy once,’ Cappella mused. But there was no point in worrying over that now. She shouted to her Gunner, ordering him to round up the rest of the crew. He saluted and bolted away. The rest of the members were similar in origin, fellow street urchins living around the docks.

Presently, she and Dion made their way to the Bayonetta. In truth, the ship never sailed. The filly’s father had built it when she was little, with a promise to take her and her mother far away from the Island, where nopony could hurt them. It was he who taught her to swim, and the ins and outs of commanding a ship. She was a fast learner, he’d praised, calling her as sharp as a bayonet. His little Bayonetta. He named his ship after her.

Cappella took a steeling breath as she boarded his ship. Her ship. Her father had died not long after the final board was nailed.

The vessel was far too large to take out into the small stretch of sea the barrier provided, so it remained docked where it was first set to float. It didn’t matter much to the crew. Many made a permanent home aboard the ship, keeping it in shape for the far off day they did escape. Until then, it was their headquarters. Today’s agenda was a raid. Some members of a gang on the East side of the Island had been seen picking pockets in their territory. Final plans would be made once everyone had arrived, and they’d set out at midnight to the other gang’s headquarters. There, they’d take whatever they could get their hooves on.

The filly made her way to the Captain’s Quarters to await the rest of her team. She lowered herself into a dusty old chair Dion had gotten for her from a particularly generous garbage dump. She spread a map out over her desk. It featured the Island, crudely drawn, and the locations of their allies and enemies. Allies and enemies…

Her mind drifted to Nyx and her gang. They’d betrayed her. Betrayed all of them. But not to worry, she’d get her revenge. One way or another, they’d never forget her again.
> Chapter Three: Tensions Break
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door to the school kitchen flew open with an audible crack as it hit the wall. The girl flinched, lighting her horn to pull the door back, checking for any damage. Nothing, thank goodness. But back to the problem at hoof.

The date. She’d forgotten the date. It was their first date in who-knows-how-long and she’d forgotten it. So now she had an hour to create a big fancy meal and get it down to the gazebo. No pressure.

She dropped her bag to the floor and removed her notebook, where she’d written down everything she planned to make. A quick look at the notes and all hope was gone. Stuffed collard greens? Mushroom tarts? Pasta puttanesca? Apple cupcakes? This would take hours to make, at this rate, she’d only have enough time to make a few sandwiches. But oh, how she wanted to surprise him, as he had for her on their first date. It seems now that it wouldn’t happen. 

Unless…

Nyx’s eyes drifted to the leather-bound corner poking out of the edge of her bag. A little dark magic couldn’t hurt...not for a good cause, at least.

She grabbed the book. There had to be a spell for fancy food. There was a spell for practically everything else anyone could ever need. She flipped through the book, past spells, charms, jinxes, hexes, potions, for everything from uneven hooves to things that she was sure even Nightmare Moon wouldn’t dare try.

Soon enough she came upon something that would work: a transfiguration spell, specifically to transform one type of food into another, as anyone who studied magic would know it is impossible to conjure food out of nothing. One could summon food, if they knew where it was, or could change the type and increase the quantity of what they already have.

‘A Principal Exemption to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration,’ Nyx thought to herself, ‘Nightmare made sure I knew that one.’

So she could make four simple sandwiches and transform them into each of the foods she planned to make. Then she could transfigure it to what she needed. That wouldn’t really be considered dark magic. It was just food. Lots of creatures use transfiguration magic. Sure the source she was getting the spell from was questionable, but if it didn’t take so much energy to perform it, the spell would be performed a lot more often by the average pony, not just the very powerful. It’d be fine.


***


The gazebo was as old as the school itself. Back when the school was under Celestia’s command, it was a favorite study spot for young Unicorns. Quiet and isolated, it made a perfect spot to practice Professor Inkwell’s lessons. Now, with most students preferring the state-of-the-art library and study halls, it was perfect for a young couple to get away from the paparazzi for a date.

Nyx arrived first. She cleared out the brush and vines that had grown over the benches and table in the past years. Once that was complete, the meal was spread over the table. She’d just gotten the last dish in place when she heard Will whistling up the lane. He stopped at the edge of the tree line.

“Hello, dear lady!” he called, “How are you this fine evening?”

Nyx let out a laugh and leaned over the side of the gazebo. “Why, delightful, my king! Isn’t the view here just splendid? Such scope for the imagination!”

Will stepped closer and pressed their foreheads together. “I concur.”

“I’ve missed this,” the filly sighed, “Just getting to be us. No messing up in front of a camera.”

“Speaking of being us,” Will started as he climbed up onto the gazebo, “what’s up with the glasses?”

“They’ve been back for a while now.”

“We haven’t been alone long enough for me to ask for a while either. I thought you weren’t going to hide your eyes anymore? What changed?”

Nyx dodged the question. “We have more important things to catch up on,” she admonished, a hoof coming up to fiddle with her new necklace. “Sit, eat. I’ve made mushroom tarts for you and stuffed collard greens for both of us, because I don’t like mushrooms, and for an entree, we have pasta puttanesca, and apple cupcakes for dessert.”

“This is amazing, all my favorites! How long did you find time for this, it must have taken days!”

“Oh, don’t even ask me! Now, tell me more about this traveling idea.”

The colt complied, laying out his plans while Nyx dished up their plates. “Well we’re going to Bridleway, of course, we already have the tickets, but I figured we could go a few days early and explore Manehattan. And Luna Bay is a pretty popular spring break spot, and I happen to know of a quiet little cove. I read online that Hoofflix is filming a Bo Moolaney show in Las Pegasus soon. I know how much you like his comedy, so maybe we can get some tickets.”

The Alicorn smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”

Will returned the grin. His horn flared and he gripped a fork in his magic, cut off a piece of his mushroom tart, and lifted it to his lips. His eyes rolled back. “You’ve outdone yourself, love,” he sighed, “This is the best tart I’ve ever tasted.”

The appetizers were gone within moments, and the pasta dish wasn’t far behind. Nyx had really developed a passion for cooking and baking that rivaled her love for painting and magic. Her favorite meal, daisy sandwiches and celery soup, was simple and easy to prepare, so she turned to the dishes her loved ones were partial to. Lady loved sushi, specifically an avocado and mango brown rice roll. Flare’s favorite was carrot cake. Shade’s was Manehattan-style deep dish pizza, with onions, olives, and green peppers. Nova and Sunny shared a love for cloud cake, though Nova preferred chocolate flavored and Sunny was partial to strawberry. Lolly’s favorite was flan, and while she boasts that she’s never tasted one better than her mother’s, she begrudgingly admitted Nyx’s was a close rival.

She spent weeks perfecting the recipes for Will’s favorites in preparation for their picnic, with her friends as her taste testers, and the colt in question none the wiser to what she was up to.  She’d even learned to make pasta from scratch. It was really too bad she didn’t get a chance to actually make it.

“Do you have napkins?” Will asked.

Nyx looked up to see the colt had somehow managed to get tomato sauce on the tip of his muzzle. She started snickering.

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up!” Will said dryly, which only prompted more laughter. He smirked and quoted the filly. “Well, I guess you can dress me up, but you still can’t take me anywhere.”

Nyx laughed even harder, remembering how awkward she’d been on their first date. Her laughter choked out, however, when her eyes focused on the hoof Will was reaching in the picnic basket.

“I can get the napkins!” she cried, reaching out but it was too late. Confusion was written across the colt’s face as he pulled the spell book from within.

“What’s this?” he asked, flipping it open. He paged through the passages the filly had marked. “Memory Enhancement spell,” she’d spent ‘every spare moment reading up on Equestrian history’, “repairing charm,” she was wearing her glasses again, glasses that were destroyed in their battle with Nightmare Moon, “food transfiguration, a Principal Exemption to Gamp’s Law of…” food prepared so quickly, “Nyx, are you still using dark-hey!” Will had looked up to find his head encased in the filly’s pale blue aura. He flared his own horn, blocking out the girl’s magic.

“I-I can expla-”

“Are you trying to spell me right now?!” he shouted, leaping to his hooves, his chair falling backward with the force of the motion. Nyx slowly stood up and backed away, a front hoof held out in a pleading motion.

“Look, I’ve had a hard time wi-”

“You think being a king at sixteen isn’t hard?!” Will shouted, “Hate to break it to you, but it is! And yet I haven’t resorted to dark magic and sorcery! We’re supposed to be learning what to do together!”

“That is so easy for you to say!” the girl fired back, “You’ve had your entire life to prepare for this, I’ve had six months! Six! Months!”

“You can’t just lie and cheat your way out of difficult situations!”

“Since your coronation, everything I’ve done, said, and, dear Celestia, even thought has been calculated and critically assessed so my actions don’t reflect badly on you!”

“Then why use dark magic!” Will yelled, dropping the book on the table.

“Because it was all I had! I couldn’t do it alone!” Nyx retorted, her voice breaking. “I’m not one of those fair Equestrian Princesses, Will! I couldn’t...I can’t be the perfect lady you need me to be. I can’t. I’m not good enough.”

The fight left Will as quickly as it had appeared. The filly flared her magic and snatched up the book. She pushed past the colt.

“Nyx, wait!” he pleaded, catching her hoof in his own as she passed. She jerked away.

“Don’t bother!” she seethed, sped to a run, and disappeared down the lane.


***


The door slammed shut behind the Alicorn. She threw her spell book onto her bed and paced around the dorm, thankful Lady wouldn’t be back from studying with Doub until just before curfew. If she were here, she’d ask questions and Nyx was not in the mood for questions. She paused briefly at the closet she shared with the Changeling before slowly opening it.

The closet was a moderate size; walk-in, just big enough for both girls. Lady’s clothes were on the left, Nyx’s on the right. A single row of frilly, pastel-colored dresses, blouses, and skirts. No more cracked old leather or tight-fitting jeans. Not for a future mare of the court.

However, she was never able to bring herself to throw any of it away. Tucked away at the back was a box, filled with every item of clothing she’d brought with her from the Island, and the little bit of her old style she’d accumulated in Equestria before she turned it all over in exchange for outfits more appropriate of a lady. At the top of the box lay her favorite jacket.

She had found it one garbage day, nestled between a broken video game console and a pile of musty, moldy old children’s books. It was practically brand new, and while it wasn’t made for one with wings, it wasn’t anything a pocket knife couldn’t fix. She’d been thirteen then and wore the jacket every day. 

She put it on now, the weight of the leather more comforting than she’d remembered. Despite being packed away for months, it still carried its warm, almost sunshine-like feel. It almost made her drowsy. Nyx exited the closet and caught sight of herself in her mirror. 

Equestrian blue lace versus studded Island leather. She sniffed. It was an almost perfect metaphor for her own predicament. Equestrian lady versus Island denizen. If Nightmare Moon, and therefore Luna, had never been banished, she would have been born here. She might have been the blonde-haired, pale-coated princess Will needed at his side. Instead, she was raised on the Island, with a midnight coat and the purple mane that was peeking out at her roots. Born for one world, and raised in another. Belonging, it seemed, to neither.

Tears spilled from her eyes again. “I don’t know who I am anymore,” she whispered.

But she did know one thing: she couldn’t handle Equestria anymore.

The Island was a different story. She was born there. She spent the majority of her life there. She ruled there.

That she could handle.

She unclasped her necklace and laid it out on her nightstand. Her glasses were placed on top of it. Then she turned to her saddlebags. She dumped out her school supplies to make room for what she’d need. She changed out of her dress into clothes from the Island and packed another set. Her sketchbook and a pack of pencils. Her spell book. A few pieces of cheap jewelry from various thrift stores and arcades that weren’t worth much here but would be on the Island. Moving to her bed, the filly reached under her pillow and got the hoofball jersey she wore to bed. A framed picture of all her friends taken at the coronation afterparty was added along with the jersey. She could stop by the kitchen for a food supply. Who knows when she’d find food again. She snagged a few bills from her wallet and tucked them into a pocket hidden inside her jacket. It wasn’t stealing if she paid for what she took.

With her bag packed, Nyx grabbed a notebook from the pile she’d emptied out and a pencil from her desk. She couldn’t just disappear. She had to tell Lady.

‘Lady,’ she wrote, ‘Don’t come looking for me. It’s better this way. Will and I had a fight and it made me realize how foolish I’ve been. I don’t belong here, and I certainly don’t deserve him. He needs someone who knows what she’s doing, and that’s not me. I’m going back to the Island. Again, don’t come after me. I’ll be okay. You all can keep my stuff. I’m taking what’s important to me,’ she paused, then, ‘Tell the boys ‘bye’ for me. Tell Princess Luna,’ she stopped again, erased, ‘Tell my mom I’m sorry. Maybe we’ll see each other again one day. I love you. -Nyx.’

As the girl set the notepad down, she remembered the small weight on her horn. A ring. Will’s ring. The one with his family crest, the one he gave her at his coronation. She’d barely taken it off since then. She took it off now and set it by the note.

‘P.S.,’ she added, ‘give Will his ring back for me. Tell him to give it to someone who’s worthy of it.’


***


Flying had its perks. For example, it took maybe an hour to get to the coast, whereas a train or carriage would have taken until long after dark, maybe into the next day. And while the latter options would have saved her poor wings much pain, it would run the risk of getting recognized or questioned. Flying was better.

Nyx sat on the edge of a cliff, eating an apple. It wasn’t filling but she wanted to save the heartier foods for her arrival. She flipped through her spell book. The Island was protected by a powerful barrier. Luckily there was a spell that, if cast just before she reached the wall, would make her impervious to the barrier’s spell just long enough for her to get inside. But the barrier’s magic blocked any other magic from getting in, so once she was there, she was there for good. No matter. That's what she wanted. 

She finished off the apple and tossed it into a wire trash can. With the book tucked away, she was ready to go. She readied herself and took off. Rocky shore turned to miles and miles of endless sea as ocean winds both fought and helped her on her journey. The Island was approaching fast. She flared her horn. She had one shot. There was a bright light. A feeling like ice water trickled down her spine, so cold it burned more than any fire. And then she was crashing into a market stall.

The girl picked herself up, ignoring the shouts of an angry old mare. She looked herself over. She could feel bruises forming under her coat, but that wasn’t what had her attention. The magic keeping her coat grey was melting off, leaving a dark, midnight black in its wake.

The mare, furious at the girl for bursting through the barrier into her stall and then ignoring her, snatched the filly by her blonde mane, prepared to give her a piece of her mind. Nyx whirled around, pupils dilated, a vicious snarl etched on her lips. She bared her teeth and let out a roar. The mare screamed and bolted.

Nyx watched her run, amused. A wicked gleam reflected in her eyes. A familiar old chuckle rumbled in her chest. She was home.


***


Will sat at his desk, slowly making his way through the mountain of paperwork on his desk. His mind wasn’t on the task, however. He kept going over the fight with Nyx. Had he really not noticed what she was going through? What she’d been doing for him? How had he been so clueless? He would apologize, but he’d give her time to cool down.

A bright light flashed in front of his desk. Within a few whirlwind seconds, an angry Changeling had hopped over his desk, shoved him, still in his chair, against the wall, and had ripped his pen away from him with her own magic and held it to his throat like a weapon.

“You have five seconds to tell me what you did,” she seethed.

“Wh-what? Listen, we just had an argument, I’ll let her cool down and then I’ll apolo-” a piece of paper was shoved in his face.

“She left!” Lady screeched.

“She...she what?” Will sat up straight, taking the paper and reading his marefriend’s writing.

“After all she’s done for you! I don’t think she’s slept more than a few hours a night in months! I had to force her to put down that princess manual Sunny gave her because she’d been reading for two days, two days, and she didn’t eat the whole time! She passed out in a hallway twice from exhaustion and dehydration and she wouldn’t let anyone know because she wanted to prove she could do this! She didn’t think she was worthy of you, but in my opinion, you don’t deserve her! Everything she did was to benefit you, and you picked a fight over her only way to cope. If she didn’t love you so much, I swear, I’d kill you myself!” Lady breathed hard, her voice raw from screaming.

Will sat in dumb disbelief. “She left.” Something clinked on his desk. His ring.

“She went back to the Island. We’re considered traitors there, she’s practically walking into a death trap.”

“Well then I need to go get her!” the colt lept to his hooves, “I need to find her and apologize! A-and beg her to come home!”

“You’re not going alone,” the Changeling sighed, “As much as I hate you right now, I’m going to help you. You wouldn’t last a minute. I’ll get the boys; Shade knows Nyx’s territory better than I do, and Flare’s a genius.”

Will nodded. He gulped and backed away from the pen she wielded like a sword. “Thank you.”

The girl looked him over and tutted. He wore pressed beige slacks and a deep blue suit jacket with his family crest stitched in gold thread on the back. Much too kingly. “You’ll need a disguise. If anyone sees you dressed like that, they’ll tear you to shreds.”
> Chapter Four: Home Sweet Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn’t occur to Nyx until she was on the Island that she had no real plan of what to do once she arrived. In her haste to get away, she’d completely neglected that key detail. Usually, newcomers went to ‘Housing’, a large warehouse where they could get a cot until they could get their affairs in order. This situation was different, however, and she had no idea if there were even policies in place for ponies returning to the prison, because no one had ever left it in the first place.

She quickly shook any thought of going to Housing out of her mind. She was a traitor in the eyes if the Island’s inhabitants. Going to the hub of the most desperate of them would only mean danger. At least until she’d gotten her old reputation back.

The first step should be accommodations. Her old home should still be standing. But empty was another question entirely. 

Which is why she stood before the dilapidated old castle she’d grown up in. It had once been the home of the general that had first tried to settle the island and his family. Before the filly was born, Nightmare Moon had cleared out the walls of the bottom floor and turned it into the thrift store where she made her living. She’d send out her minions, and later Nyx, to fetch whatever they could find of value from the garbage barge, and then she’d turn around and sell it for whatever price she could squeeze out of it.

The store was bare now, no doubt raided when everyone realized the infamous monarch of the Island wasn’t returning. She shrugged her bags further up her shoulder and picked her way over broken wood and glass to the lockbox hidden in the space under a false piece of flooring. Not only had someone taken whatever the box held, but the box itself was also missing, along with the board that concealed it. 

Whatever, she never liked the store anyway, and it wasn’t like they’d even needed it back then. Nyx was good at stealing anything she needed, and everyone was too afraid of Nightmare to ever deny her anything. It was more of a way for the mare to fight away boredom and, the girl now realized, probably a way to get her out of the house before she was old enough to realize that her mother didn’t want her around all the time.

Nyx made her way to a staircase that lead to the apartment they’d lived in. She paused, one foot on the first step. One day she might open the store again. But for now, it was best to leave it. Without her old reputation, it would just be a foolish endeavor.

Other than there being a much thicker layer of dust than there used to be, the upstairs apartment was just as it had been when she’d left six months before. Even after she was gone, looters were too afraid of Nightmare to disturb her living space. Same broken, old-fashioned furniture. Same sparse walls, smashed windows. Same cold atmosphere.

Her bedroom, too, was virtually untouched. The graphitti she’d tagged the stone walls with, while still mostly intact, had faded and chipped away. The old mattress she slept on was still tucked away in the corner of the room. It wasn’t made, and she couldn’t recall if it ever had been, but the ratty blanket she’d slept with since fillyhood was still piled exactly where she left it.

And there, in the corner, sat a medium-sized crate, filled with the mostly-empty cans of spray paint she’d collected over the years. The filly leaned heavily against her door jam. She threw a glance over her shoulder, at the bare rooms behind her, the bare walls. A little redecorating would calm her nerves while she came up with a game plan. For now, however, she couldn’t stand a blonde mane. It wasn’t her. Time to get back into her old groove.


***


“I don’t see why he has to come, Lady,” Shade aimed a glare at the young king, “Obviously Nyx doesn’t want to see him right now, and I don’t blame her. She needs us, not him!” he practically spat the last word.

Lady had barged into Shade and Flare’s room, dragging Will by the ear behind her with her magic. Once she explained the situation, Flare had to physically restrain the older colt from hurting Will. Presently, she was digging through the boys’ closet. She tossed out an old moth-eaten shirt, a faded leather jacket, a pair of ripped jeans, and a cotton beanie.

“Because she loves him, and he needs to apologize.”

The grey colt muttered a few colorful words that earned him a glare from the Changeling.

Flare spoke up, “It’s not just his fault, you know.”

“What?” the other three said in unison.

“Well, I mean, we’re her friends too, right?” he said, gesturing between himself, Lady, and Shade, “We should’ve realized something was wrong. We should’ve helped her.”

The Changeling nibbled worryingly on her lip. “You’re right. We’re the closest thing to family any of us have.” she turned to Will, “You and Shade are about the same size. Wear this, maybe you’ll blend in better.”

“Hey, I didn’t agree to-”

“Shade, save it, or I swear-”

“Alright, fine!” the Unicorn let out a huff as Flare cleared his throat.

“Have any of you noticed how much she’s been zoning out lately?” he paused, letting the others nod their confirmation, “I think those might have been panic attacks.”

“I thought those were like, you know, crying and the whole ‘walls closing in’ thing,” Shade protested.

“Sometimes, yeah, but not always.” the colt tapped a hoof against the screen of his phone, pulling up an article he’d saved. “A lot of ponies go without a diagnosis because they think that’s the only kind, but panic attacks are classified by symptoms, not by what they look like. Sometimes they’re big and loud and noticeable, and sometimes they’re quiet and no one else around knows what’s happening. Nyx was in here earlier and she zoned out for a bit, and I thought it was weird, so I looked some stuff up and did some research. I was gonna bring it up to her next time I saw her, but, well…”

“So Nyx may have an anxiety issue, and she’s on the Island,” Lady summed up, “Great. You,” she said to Will, “Get dressed. Shade, you don’t wear these anymore, right? Mind if I cut wing holes?”

“I can just use magic to disguise myself,” Will spoke up for the first time.

“No magic on the Island, remember? Luckily you’ve been hiding the whole ‘half-Draconequus’ features for years. I doubt anyone there knows you even have wings, so this could work to our advantage.” The filly, having gotten nodded consent from the garments’ owner, began tearing fresh holes in the shirt. Her aura split from the task and plopped the beanie over the colt’s horn. “Keep this pulled low. Hide your horn and your face as much as you can.”

The girl stepped back and the other boys moved forward, each looking over the young king. “Not bad. As long as no one sees your face, I doubt you’ll get recognized.”

“Remember the carriage you guys came here in? They finally got replaced with actual cars. I have access to where they’re kept, we can use them to get to the Island.”

“Well at least you’re useful for something,” Shade sneered, “Let’s go.”


***


Nyx stood outside a ramshackle studio. ‘Mayhem’s Mane Care’ was sloppily painted over the door in alternating green and purple letters. When her daughter was born, The Mane-iac started going by her real name again. The mother-daughter duo was a bit of an oddity on the Island: they actually had a fairly good relationship.

The Alicorn took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The filly in question was standing in the middle of the room, sweeping away tufts of black hair, humming a nonsense tune to herself. Everything about the girl was small; short stature, dainty lips, pert nose, and small eyes, one green, one blue, covered by pink-framed glasses. She was coffee-brown in coat, apart from the specs of hair dye mishaps, with a mane of bright blue and dark purple, the small strip of pale green at her scalp showing her natural hair color. Her mane was the only thing that betrayed her small nature. It was a large, frizzy ball of kinky curls she’d somehow managed to pull into two round, fluffy pigtails at the top of her head.

“Uh, excuse me? I don’t know if you kno-”

The girl turned around and gasped, “Nyx! Oh my gosh, you’re back!”

“Okay, I guess you do.”

“What did you do to your hair?!”

Nyx subconsciously ran a hoof through her mane. “It’s kinda a long story...Poppy, right? Think you can help?”

The filly, Poppy, let out a low whistle. Her eyes roamed over the poorly done bleach job, wincing at the gaudy pink streaks that were supposed to take away from the blonde but in the end only made it worse. She gave a shrug and patted a seat. “I’ll give it a shot.”

As the Alicorn complied, dropping her saddlebags next to the seat, the Earth filly looked through a small crate filled with different homemade dyes. “I’m guessing you want your purple back? I don’t think I have anything that’ll get you back to your old color exactly, but I can get you a nice purple.” She selected a few bottles and set them out on a table, next to a bowl and a paintbrush. Next, she ran her hooves through the older girl’s mane. “Box bleach?” she asked.

“That obvious?”

“Oh yeah. Your hair is pretty dead. Feel how dry it is?” she ran her hooves down through the hair, starting from the top, and pausing at the filly’s shoulders. “I can salvage about this much. The rest really needs to come off,” she paused, giving the filly a critical look, “How far can I go?”

Nyx gave a wicked smirk. “I need to get my old reputation back, but I’ll need to look worthy of it. Do whatever you want, have fun.”

Poppy closed her eyes and sighed. “I’ve been waiting to hear that since I started working the shop!” She squealed and grabbed an almost empty bottle of shampoo.

“How long have you been working the shop?”

“Not very long. It’s mostly sweeping, a few simple cuts, a dye job here and there.”

“Should I be trusting you with this?” the Alicorn nodded towards the dye.

“Oh, I do a lot more than mom knows about.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” she said, leading Nyx to a pump sink in the corner of the room, “She’s had some trouble, uh, remembering things lately. Is that too cold? I can warm it up, but it’ll take a while to get the stove going.”

“No, it’s good. What do you mean?”

“Well, you know how she became The Mane-iac, right?”

Nyx lowered her head in the sink, “She fell in some vat of chemicals, right?”

“Yeah, and there was some lightning involved, I think. Anyway, she became unhinged and became a supervillain. Then she was sent here, she met my dad, and had me, and she kinda gave up on the whole evil thing, but whatever those chemicals did, her mind is still...deteriorating, I guess. She forgets what she’s doing, sometimes, in the middle of doing it. Or sometimes she won’t recognize someone, or she’ll forget she’s not in Equestria, or sometimes she forgets dad died.” the filly let out a sigh, and let the Alicorn lift her head, “I don’t think she’s gonna get any better, and she’s probably just getting worse. I wish she’d let me take over the shop fully. She’s not going to be able to work much longer, and I’d feel better knowing she wasn’t in here every day with sharp objects and chemicals.

“Anyway,” she continued, leading Nyx back over to her chair and picking up a pair of scissors, “You’re back! What’s that about?”

Nyx huffed. “Long story short, I don’t belong in Equestria. This is my home.”

“I don’t suppose Lady came with you?”

“I didn’t know you knew Lady.”

“Oh yeah! She’d work here whenever she could get away from her mother.” Poppy paused after clipping off a tuft of hair. She smiled sheepishly. “You...weren’t supposed to find out about that. I forgot Nightmare banished them.”

The Alicorn laughed. “It’s fine. Lady and I are friends now. Roommates, actually. And no, she didn’t come with me. She might not even know I’m gone yet.”

“You didn’t tell her you were leaving?”

“It was kind of an impulse decision, you could say.”

Poppy let out a low whistle. “Some impulse!”

“Yeah,” Nyx replied. 

The fillies continued to catch up as more and more blonde hair drifted to the floor. Once the cutting was finished and Nyx’s mane had dried, Poppy began mixing dye.

“It’ll be darker than this once it’s on your hair,” she said, showing the older girl a bowl full of thick, pink liquid, “I know it looks pink but it’ll be really purple once it takes. If I had any bleach, I’d touch up your roots but there’s not much there, so I should be able to blend this in alright.”

The dye sat in the filly’s mane for an hour and then was rinsed off in cold water. Poppy combed through the hair as it dried, fluffing it in places. “Alright,” she said, turning Nyx to face a cracked, old mirror.

Her mane was wavier than it had been long. It framed her face in a wild, untamed manner, as if her head was wrapped in magenta flames. The color was much lighter than her natural plum; the blonde in her hair had made the dye take lighter and brighter in a bright, almost pink, magenta. She looked fiery, fierce. It was perfect.

“There I am,” she said smoothly. She dug through her bag and pulled out a few rings she’d gotten from a thrift store. The band wasn’t real gold, and the gems weren’t real rubies, but she knew it would be worth something more here than the seventy-five cents she’d paid for it. “Will this cover it? It’s not real but-”

“Are you kidding?!” the younger filly cried, taking the ring and examining it, “Real or not, this is way more than I’ve ever been paid!”

“Keep the change then!” Nyx laughed. She pulled her bags onto her shoulders and turned back to the mirror to run her hoof through her mane.

The door opened.

“What are you doing here?” Nyx heard Poppy ask nervously.

“Collecting rent,” an all too familiar voice snarked in reply, “Fork it over, runt.”

The Alicorn listened as the register opened and metal clinked together. She peered around the side of the mirror in time to see a large Satyr drop a handful of shiny coins and the ring she’d just paid with into a pouch tied to his waist.

“This isn’t your territory, Dion,” she said, stepping out fully from behind the mirror.

“Think of it as payment for not-” the Satyr cut himself off as his eyes landed on the filly, “Well, well, well, what do we have here? Oh, just wait ‘till Cappella hears you’re back.”

“Still taking her orders, huh?” Nyx smirked. Dion’s hand shot out and gripped her throat. His eyes burned.

“I could hurt you,” he whispered.

Despite the threatening situation she found herself in, Nyx looked bored. “Not without little miss Siren’s permission, I’m sure.”

After a few tense moments, Dion let go, swearing under his breath. Nyx smirked knowingly.

“Run back to your mistress. I’m sure she’s wondering where you got to.”

The Satyr growled, but he did leave. Once he was gone, Nyx passed the pouch he’d carried back to Poppy. “Guess I still have a few skills.”


***


The drive to the Island took most of the remainder of the day. By the time Lady, Flare, Shade, and Will had even reached the bridge, it was already dark, and the perpetual gloom over the Island promised to make their mission even more dangerous. They pulled slowly off the bridge into a marketplace that had been abandoned for the night, and parked in a small empty warehouse.

“This feels so weird,” Lady said, climbing out of the car, “Being back.”

“Help me with this,” said Shade as he pulled something out from the trunk. The three other teens helped the colt pull a large black tarp over the car, making it blend in with the shadows.

Flare looked around cautiously, “We gotta keep a low profile. The last thing we need is our parents finding out we’re here.”

The Changeling gave a nervous nod. “I didn’t even think of them.”

“Don’t worry,”  Shade laid a comforting hoof on the girl’s shoulder, “They won’t find us. We’ll be gone before they get the chance.” 

Lady nodded. “Yeah, you’re right, we-Will what do you think you’re doing?! Get away from there!”

Said colt gave a start and backed away from the tunnel he’d been peering down. Despite being the slightest bit older than the girl, he found himself as blushing and sheepish as he was whenever his mother caught him with his hoof in the cookie jar.

“N-nothing!” he stuttered, but he cast a glance over his shoulder as he walked back to the group. “Totally off-topic, but, what’s down there?”

“The Wharf,” Shade said severely, “You’ll wanna stay far away from there.” The colt gave the tunnel a calculating look. “Besides, Nyx wouldn’t have made it down there yet. Not with,” he shot a look at Lady and Flare, “You-Know-Who there.”

“Who?” Will questioned.

“Not my place,” came the gruff reply, “Anyhow, she’ll avoid it for as long as she can.”

“You knew her best while we were here, Shade. Where would she go?”

Shade chewed his lip. Where would she go? The question would’ve been difficult before, what with their territory being so vast, but now the girl’s options for refuge were so limited, did she even have anywhere to go?

‘No,’ he thought, ‘Nyx is smart, she knows how to survive. She knows this place is dangerous, she’ll keep a low profile until she’s built back her old reputation. For now, she’ll someplace she knows will be abandoned. Someplace familiar.’

“Bargain Barn,” he said aloud, “She wanted to go somewhere familiar, she’d go to her foalhood home.”

Flare gave a shrug. “Makes sense to me.”

“If nothing else, it’s a start. Now let-” Lady cut herself off,  borderline annoyed look crossing her face. In one quick motion, she’d dropped her disguise and whirled around, snatching the little hoof that was busy digging through her pocket, holding fast to the culprit, and let out a deafening hiss. But the anger on her face evaporated just as quickly as it appeared. Her disguise melted back into place once her eyes landed on the thieves.

Two young Changelings, barely older than Larva and Pupa, stared back at her. Her heart skipped a beat. They were just as bruised and broken and painfully thin as she had been at that age, as her sisters had been. Her own hoof delved into her pocket and produced a small red coin purse. It was practically empty, apart from one or two spare bits that held little to no value on the Island. But the purse itself would fetch the little ones a few days of meals.

“Here,” she whispered, offering the purse to the oldest foal, a colt. “Take it. Before somepony sees you.” 

The colt gave her a grateful look, then snatched the purse away with one hoof and tucked his little sister under his other and buzzed away into the shadows. Lady sighed as they disappeared. She turned to Will.

“You can’t do that. No helping.”

“What?” the young king sputtered, “But they’re kids! And you just-”

“Ah! Do as I say, not as I do!” she snapped, again using that tone that made anyone who heard it feel like a small child.

“Look,” Shade laid a hoof on Will’s shoulder, “If you’re going to blend in, you need to act the part. Walk with confidence, and you’ll generally be left alone.”

Will nodded and puffed his chest out a bit.

“Don’t do that. That looks stupid.”

He deflated.

“Just,” Lady said, “be cool. Act like you don’t care about anything going on around you. Don’t look anyone in the eye, and don’t let yourself look weak. Don’t invite attack, and don’t do anything that could be considered a challenge.”

“Just be chill,” Flare added, “And if anyone tries anything, act tougher than them and they’ll back off. Probably.”

“Okay, and if they don’t?” the young king asked.

“Look frightening,” Lady replied, “Intimidate them.”

Moments after the teens began their trek to the castle, Will got his chance to put this advice into practice. Will was lost in thought on what to say to Nyx when they found. What could he say? What could any of them say? How long had she been struggling with this? Was this the only thing she was struggling with? How could he have been so blind? It was at that moment that someone bumped into him.

“Watch it!” a voice broke through the colt’s internal monologue.

“You watch it!” Will snarled, eyes blazing as he whirled around to face the shocked newcomer.

“Hey wait, I know you, don’t I?” the newcomer, a colt, asked.

Shade swore under his breath and shot a pointed look to Lady and Flare as the colt cocked his head and leaned closer to Will. “It’s Rhys,” he hissed, “He’s one of her gang!”

Flare repeated the swear which earned him a sharp eye and pursed lip from Lady.

“I don’t think so, man,” Will spoke, his sudden nerve dissolving.

“You sure?” the colt, Rhys asked, “You look so familiar… Wait! I do know you! You’re King Will!”

“Uh-”

“Time to go!” Shade gave Will a shove.

“I know you too! Hi Shade! Flare and Lady too, hi guys!” Rhys called as the four teens disappeared around a street corner, “Oh, are you busy? Guess so, uh, well, bye then!” he waved.


***


“This is it.”

Will’s eyes traveled up the stone building. Though similar in build to a castle, it would barely count as a townhouse by modern standards. Still, he supposed it was the most impressive building he’d seen since entering the Island, despite the cracked walls and rotted wood.

“So,” he began in response to Shade’s statement, “This is where she grew up?”

“Nope,” the silver colt replied then gestured out into the streets, “That’s where she grew up; where most of us did. That,” he pointed again at the castle, “Is where she slept. Sometimes. We weren’t always allowed home.”

The young king cringed. What could a child possibly do to not be welcome in their own home? Then again, did Nightmare need much of a reason to leave a filly out on the street? He felt a brief pang of hatred for his father. It was his fault anyone even lived on the Island. Of course, no one expected the prisoners to have children, but when they were discovered, no one made any move to rescue them. What great leaders Equestria had; always ready to claim they were doing what was best for everyone while children were born, abused, and died in this wretched, putrid, wasteland.

But then again, if the children had been taken from the Island and placed with competent parents, would Nyx, Shade, Lady, and Flare have ever met? Would Lady even know she had sisters? Would he himself have ever met them, ever met Nyx?

He chided himself on his selfishness. It wouldn’t matter if he never met her, not if she had a loving fillyhood.

“What are you waiting for?” Lady interrupted his thoughts, “Go on.”

“You’re not coming?”

Shade rolled his eyes. “Negative, ghost rider. You’re the reason she’s here, you get to talk to her first. She’s probably upstairs. Just go inside, you’ll see the staircase, just go on up.”

“How do we even know she’s here?”

Shade craned his head back to look up at one of the smashed windows on the second floor. “There’s movement up there. She’s here.”

“Couldn’t that be anyone?”

“Trust me,” the colt grinned, “Even with Nightmare gone, nopony’s gonna risk going into her house.”

Will steeled himself and entered the castle. Sure enough, he found the staircase against the back wall and made his way up to the second floor. He paused on the landing, listening to the silence, wondering if Nyx was even home. But then a sound like that of an aerosol can spraying reached his ears. A smile twitched at his lips. She always loved painting. He followed the sound to what he guessed to be the living room. 

She stood on a crate she’d pushed up against the wall opposite the doorway. Before her was the makings of a mural. While nowhere near complete, Will could see what the picture was supposed to be.

It depicted an Alicorn, waist up, reaching for some orb that could be the sun or the moon. The Alicorn’s body had partially been filled in black, up to the neck, but the rest still only an outline. Thorns and briars clung to the Alicorn’s body, ripping into the picture’s flesh and keeping it from reaching whatever that orb was. With the picture’s eyes closed and the mane as yet unpainted, he couldn’t be sure of exactly who it was supposed to be a picture of, but the face looked awfully familiar.

“A little dark, don’t you think?” he asked, causing the girl to drop the can of spray paint she’d been using as she whirled around, face a mingle of anger, fear, and confusion, “It’s been a while since you’ve painted anything. I’ve missed watching you.” Will gave a half smile to the filly and an appraising look at the mural, “Still as talented as ever, I see.”

“Will?” Nyx shot a glance at the doorway, “How-what are you doing here?”

He tried to step forward, pausing as she flinched. “I’m sorry, Nyx. About everything, I...I shouldn’t have yelled, I should’ve understood, or at least tried to. You’re right, this whole thing has been so unfair to you. Like you said, I’ve been preparing my whole life for this, you got thrown into it only six months ago! And you’ve done it all alone…”

“Will-”

“Come home,” he pleaded, “Come home, and we can work through this together. Just please,” Will reached a hoof into a pocket on his chest, producing the ring she’d given back with her letter, “Please come home.”

Nyx sighed, rubbing her temples. She sat down on the crate and allowed Will to take a few steps closer. “Will, I tried...so hard-”

“Lady told me. Everything. About how you’d work yourself sick, and for what? The approval of a few ponies that don’t even matter?!”

“Few ponies?” the Alicorn scoffed, “You mean your entire kingdom? The position I was in, their approval meant a lot. I learned quickly that being in a spotlight meant everypony saw my every mistake, and my mistakes were amplified ten times over!”

“That’s not tru-”

“Isn’t it?!” she rose forcefully, eyes blazing, “They hated me. They hated me the moment I stepped foot off this hellscape, and I was condemned the second you gave me that ring. Not for anything I’d ever done or said, but for what I am! What I represented! Who I look like, who raised me! I couldn’t even look in the mirror because all I saw was her, and I can hear is her taunting, reminding me of who she raised me to be and what my purpose was!

“She ruined me! She ruined me before I was even born! I’m-” her voice cracked, raw from screaming, and her eyes welled, “I’m tainted,” she finished in a whisper.

“Nyx,” Will whispered, stunned. She was in much worse a state than any of them thought. “Nyx, you’re not tainted, you’re good, you’re so good!”

“But I’m not good enough. Not for you, and not for your kingdom.” Nyx held her chin up. “You need to do what’s best for Equestria, and that’s not me.” She lowered her eyes. “You should go. Before someone sees you.”

“Nyx, please,” the girl turned away, and Will shot out a hoof to grab her own, desperate, “Please come home! I love you!”

A beat passed. 

Her wings flared, knocking away his hold. Her voice was hard, masking the tears spilling down her face.

“It’s time for you to leave,” she said venomously, “Get out, before I make you.”

Will waited, hoping, but she didn’t say anything else. Slowly, he made his way out of the room, heart aching. He paused in the doorway.

“I’m not giving up on us. On you.” 

He left, the sounds of spray paint filling the void he left behind.


***


“So,” Shade began when Will exited the store, “There was a broken window, so we heard, uh, all of that.”

“That was,” Flare added, “Pretty bad.”

Lady rolled her eyes. “That’s all you have to say?”

“I’m not done here!” Will snapped, “I’m not leaving without her!”

“None of us are,” the Changeling assured, “We just need to let her cool down a bit. The wound is...obviously still raw.”

The young king huffed and stepped away.

“I dunno Lady,” Shade whispered, “You know her best, maybe you should talk to her.”

“Maybe...But you knew her longest! And we all can help her, maybe we should all go up?” she glanced up, “Will, get back over here!”

“With pleasure,” a gruff voice answered. A young Satyr slunk from the shadows.

“Dion!” Lady hissed.

“‘Ello, dearie!” he sing-songed in a fake Trottingham accent, head tilting as if it were unhinged.

The Unicorn bared his teeth. “How’d you even know we were here?”

“Oh, Nyx and I had a little run-in earlier!” he said airily, “I was coming by anyway to extend a little invitation, you see, Cappella heard she was back, and wanted a little chat, and Rhys came in and told us you three were also back in town, and had something that might,” his head cocked the other way, with a sickening crack, “‘tip’ the scales in her favor.” his head straightened. “If you want your king back, Nyx should come to the restaurant on the Wharf.” he licked his lips, “And she better be alone.”