Friendship can bring you together and take you places you never imagined...
When Luster Dawn moved to Ponyville, she didn't expect to connect with an unlikely group of friends: excitable Kirin Half Moon, cool-calm-collected dragon Alex, shy griffon Gemma, rough-and-tumble changeling Stinger, bombastic yak Magnus, and reluctant pegasus Aurora. However, she doesn't have long to get used to her new situation before she and her friends are called far beyond the borders of Equestria to deal with a long-thought vanquished foe and discover a long-forgotten and dark chapter in Equestrian history...
That was the thought running through Aurora Gleam's mind at the moment. She was standing alone, watching as Cloudsdale pegasi lowered her mother's body into the ground. The sun shone brightly overhead but she wished that it was covered by dark clouds. Then it would match her current mood. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. Why did Gale have to die?
She wasn't going to cry. She'd promised herself she wouldn't cry today. She was a big pony and big ponies didn't cry.
"Aurora?"
She looked to see her father—Midnight—standing there. Beside him was an Earth pony mare she didn't know. And that made her move past sad and towards angry. How long had she been sending him letters, asking if she could come stay with him for a weekend, to come visit, to do anything with her? But no, his daughter's pleas had done nothing to move him. It was his ex-wife's death that did that. Not only that but he brought his new mare with him. Aurora glared at both of them.
"Aurora, it'll be okay," Midnight told her. She shook her head and focused on what her mother's boss was saying, a eulogy memorializing Gale Force.
When all was said and done, several of her and her mother's friends came up to offer their condolences to Aurora, not that it mattered. Gale was still gone. Aurora was now alone. Of course she wouldn't be living alone. Since she was still a filly, she'd be moving in with Midnight and that Earth mare—Honeycrisp. Oh, how she did not want to move. Not one bit. She didn't get a choice, though. All she could do was pack her things and move to wherever her father was living now.
She really wanted her mother back.
As it turned out, Honeycrisp had intentions to move before Gale had died.
With Aurora now in tow, Midnight and Honeycrisp packed up both their home in Vanhoover and Aurora and Gale's home in Cloudsdale. They were planning to move to Ponyville, a little town that Aurora had only heard of in history classes when it came to the story of Princess Twilight's rise to ruling all of Equestria. Honeycrisp had wanted to move there to be closer to her cousins and Midnight had accepted a teaching position at the School of Friendship. As such, they were both far more enthusiastic about the move than the little pegasus filly who was still mourning the loss of her mother.
"Stupid Ponyville..." she muttered.
"C'mon, Rora. It's not that bad," Midnight assured her, levitating his daughter into their new house. "See? It's a brand-new start for the three of us. I have a new job, Honeycrisp is working at Sweet Apple Acres with her extended family, and you get to make new friends here!"
"But I don't want new friends. I like my old friends, in Cloudsdale!"
"Sweetheart, I know you miss your mom. She was a very special pony. But would she want you to be miserable?"
"She wouldn't want me to be here. I want to go back to Cloudsdale!"
"But there's nobody to take care of you there. Here you have me and Honeycrisp and we both love you very much."
"If you love me so much, how come you never came to see me before Mom died? I sent you so many letters!"
Midnight shut his mouth and looked very nervous. Then Honeycrisp came in with a pie on her back.
"I brought dessert!" she sang. "Sugar Belle made it just for us to welcome us to Ponyville!"
"Great. Enjoy." Aurora's wings fluttered and she headed upstairs, leaving the unicorn looking guilty and the Earth pony looking confused.
"What happened?"
"I'm a failure as a father is what happened. She doesn't want to be here."
"Give her time. She just lost her mother and she just found out her father has a new mare in his life. Time heals all wounds."
"That may be true, but... I should've been better."
"And you will be. This is your chance. I promise."
Upstairs, Aurora reluctantly began unpacking. This was her room, her space. Nobody was allowed to enter without her permission. One of the first things she took out of a box was a picture of herself and her mother. Gale had a wing wrapped around her daughter with a broad smile on her peachy-toned face. Her dark red mane was twisted up into a bun on top of her head, bright blue eyes slightly dulled by illness. It was the last picture that the two had taken together before whatever sickness Gale had took hold in full force and caused her to be hospitalized.
I look so much like her. How... will I get sick, too?
Shaking that thought from her mind, Aurora set the framed photo on her nightstand and sighed. She then proceeded to unpack everything else. Books on shelves, toys either on her bed or in her closet, posters hung with the tape she'd brought from home... a place for everything and everything in its place. Then she found something in her box that wasn't familiar. It was a jewelry box containing a necklace made from a dark purple crystal. She'd never seen it before.
This must be their way of bribing me. It's kinda nice, though...
A note was at the bottom of the jewelry box. It was in her mother's mouth-writing.
My little Rora,
As I write this, I'm in the hospital with an illness that the doctors cannot identify and cannot cure. I'm not getting any better, and I doubt I ever will. By the time you read this, I will be gone. Hopefully your father has taken you in. I'm sorry that I have to leave you so soon. I'm going to miss being alongside you for so much, but I'm still with you in your heart. I love you very much, my darling daughter. I hope you find happiness in your life.
This necklace is a family heirloom. It's been passed down for generations and since I'm passing on, it's your turn to have it. I never wore it, but my mother told me that it brought us good luck and happiness. Maybe that's why I've never been able to be happy unless I'm with you. Good luck, Rora.
Love, Gale Force.
Aurora eyed the necklace. She'd seen it before, now that she thought about it. Every picture she'd ever seen of her mother's mother had the mare wearing the same piece of jewelry. Hesitantly, she put it on. Almost immediately, it was like her negative emotions were being absorbed into it. She felt lighter than she had in moons. Still not happy with her situation but much lighter and much less grief-stricken.
It was just what she needed. An outlet for all the negativity she'd been carrying.
Meanwhile, in a cave underground, a figure in a dark cloak felt a bit of power surge through him.
So much anger... and grief... it's perfect.
So long he'd been languishing, ever since Princess Twilight and her friends caused him to be defeated for the third time. Now, though, somebody had found one of his crystals. Now he had a source of power. But he had to play his cards right. Otherwise he'd be defeated well before he even had a chance to take Equestria for himself. He couldn't do this alone, either. He'd made that mistake three times. He wouldn't make it again.
The only question now was how to find allies. Whichever pony had found his necklace was still young, despite the levels of anger and resentment they'd exhibited. He could think of one place where those who held great hatred for Equestria still lived and fed their fears and anger and it would be perfect.
Her newest assignment from Princess Twilight was to move to Ponyville and learn about friendship from the residents. After all, despite being born there, she'd wanted nothing to do with friendship. Thinking back on when she was a foal brought memories of her mother worrying about her and her father encouraging her to make friends. It had all seemed so silly back then. Now that she had an official assignment it was all the more concerning. After all, her teacher was the Princess of Friendship. Her mother was the head-mare of the School of Friendship and her father was the vice-head-stallion. It would look really really bad if she was terrible at friendship.
Knock knock
"Luster?" called Starlight through the door of the library. "You unpacked yet?"
"Just finishing up, Mom!" Luster set down the last of the potted plants she'd brought from Canterlot and unlocked the front door. In trotted her mother and father.
"This place looks great, Dawnie!" Sunburst complimented.
"Thanks. I've been going crazy all day trying to get everything in order."
"I'm just glad you decided to do this. You have no idea how proud I am of you!"
He threw his forelegs around his daughter's neck in a massive hug. She gently pushed him off her; she was used to the fact that her father was the far more affectionate of the two, while Starlight was the overprotective one. It had taken a lot to get her to allow Luster to go to Canterlot to learn from Princess Twilight at magic school. But now their precious only daughter was returning home. Sure, they had her little brother, but he was still a colt. He was in school and didn't even have his cutie mark yet. She was the one they needed to keep an eye on.
"Pinkie and Cheese are throwing a party to welcome you back," Starlight explained. "It would be rude to not go."
"All right, then. I'll be on my way in a minute."
"Firecracker's looking forward to seeing you again," Sunburst sighed as Starlight headed out. "Don't keep him waiting. He really idolizes his big sister."
Okay. Thanks for the guilt trip.
Luster walked out of the house and glanced around at the ponies and other races going about their day-to-day lives. She could see how this town was known as 'the friendliest place in Equestria'. Yaks, griffons, changelings, kirin, dragons, hippogriffs, and ponies all lived alongside each other in some kind of harmony. The School of Friendship was certainly a big part of the reason, since students and their families moved to Ponyville in order for the student to attend. Not always, but it happened enough that there were substantial populations of each.
She suddenly ran into somebody, falling over as a result of the impact. Shaking her head, Luster got to her hooves and looked to see a kirin mare doing the same.
Make some friends, Luster.
"Um... hello?"
The kirin's eyes widened and she ran off with a gasp.
"Okay, that was bizarre..."
The party was at Sugarcube Corner, as she'd expected, and everybody was waiting for her. Her parents, her brother, the rest of the Council of Friendship, teachers from the School, and nearly everybody she'd ever met in her life. One of the teachers—a unicorn named Midnight—was pulling a pegasus mare out from under a table by her tail. Luster wasn't surprised. Aurora had never been a big fan of social gatherings and more often than not Midnight or Honeycrisp would have to pull her into the action. It was funny but also kind of indicative of how Luster acted, too. Social distancing and all that nonsense.
"Welcome her back," whispered Midnight in a tone that Luster assumed he thought she couldn't hear.
"Can I leave once I do?"
"Yes."
Aurora got to her hooves and trotted over to Luster.
"Hi. Welcome back to Ponyville." Her tone was flat and Luster couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"Thanks, Aurora."
"I'm going home now."
"You sure you don't wanna stay for cake?" asked a light blue unicorn filly that Luster didn't know. Her mane was a swirl of dark blue, white, and yellow.
"...fine. I'll stay." She ruffled the filly's hair and the filly giggled before turning to Luster.
"Hi! My name's Starry Night! Your mommy and daddy work with my daddy!"
Ah, she was Midnight's daughter, too. That made sense. He and Honeycrisp had been expecting a new foal when she'd left Ponyville. That meant Starry was about Firecracker's age. She was cute as a button, too.
"I didn't know you were the pony of honor!" said an excited voice behind her. She turned to see the kirin from earlier running eagerly in place. "My name's Half Moon! It's nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Luster Dawn."
"Wowie, Luster!"
"Calm down, Moon," snorted a dark green dragon nearby. "Sorry about her. She's just really excitable. Her mom's the same way."
Luster felt... right. Like these two—she was meant to be with them somehow.
"It's nice to meet you both."
"Name's Alex. Short for Alexandrite. I'm Moon's... best friend, I guess you could say. At least, I'm one of maybe four who can tolerate her excited self for more than two minutes."
"And where are the other three?"
"Running late. Stinger needed to find something that he didn't want me or Moon's help with, and Gemma and Magnus went off somewhere."
"We here now!" announced a young male yak as he entered the room. His steps caused the room to shake a bit. Right behind him was a small griffon and a bright yellow changeling with black markings.
"That would be Magnus. The griffon is Gemma and the changeling is Stinger."
Luster could feel that same tug in her chest with the three newcomers that she'd felt with Alex and Moon. A connection of some kind.
"It's nice to meet you all," she stated. "You're students at the School of Friendship?"
"Your mom hasn't shut up about how proud she is of you," explained Alex.
"Starlight love bragging about Luster," Magnus added. "Sunburst, too."
Luster wasn't surprised. Why wouldn't they brag about how proud they were?
"It's always nice to know they haven't forgotten about me while I'm so far away."
Suddenly, a weight landed on her back. She turned her head to see a unicorn colt with a bright orange coat and a bright red mane. His eyes were a deep bluish-purple. She also knew exactly who it was, despite the fact she hadn't spent too much time with him lately.
"Hey, Firecracker!"
"You're home!" he cheered. "How long are you staying?"
"Until Princess Twilight says I'm done with my friendship studies."
"So forever."
"Yep."
"Mom's not done with hers and she's been studying it longer than Princess Twilight's been on the throne."
"Wow, that's a long time," Alex remarked. "I mean, it's been what, twenty years?"
"Just about," Gemma whispered. "Auntie Gilda talks about it all the time. She met Princess Twilight when she was just a unicorn."
"She was a unicorn?" gasped Moon. "No. Way!"
"She finished one of Starswirl's spells and became an alicorn. That's what Mr. Midnight said in his class on Equestrian history."
"I can't tell you how many times Mom and Dad have told us that story," Luster affirmed, nodding. "It's always nice to hear and remember that Princess Twilight started out right where I am."
"So maybe I'll be a princess one day?" Starry wondered aloud.
"Maybe. But you have to work hard at magic first."
"I will! Daddy's already teaching me and I've been helping with apple harvests by levitating baskets!"
Luster let out a giggle. Maybe making friends in Ponyville wouldn't be as bad as she'd thought...
Luster Dawn had been back in Ponyville for a few months now. Learning about friendship was easy, and sending letters back to Princess Twilight gave her a certain sense of satisfaction. Spending time with her family and her newfound friends didn't hurt, either. It felt good to make those kinds of connections again after spending so much time on her own. Ponyville's reputation as one of the friendliest towns in Equestria seemed to be accurate.
Yep, life was good. She didn't even have to worry about some world-ending catastrophe or villain attacking like her mentor had.
Okay, so there were a few things. Aurora was as standoffish as ever, Stinger had a habit of pranking others, Magnus could be rather overbearing, Moon had a tendency to be excited about the tiniest things, Alex... well, he and Gemma weren't really a problem. They tended to go with the flow more than the others. But Luster still loved all of them and wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.
Everything changed, however, one early spring morning.
Luster was trotting along the road towards the School of Friendship to meet up with her friends before they started class for the day, as well as to eat breakfast with her parents and pick up her brother to take him to the Ponyville Schoolhouse. It had become a routine since her return and she loved herself a routine that she could consistently stick to. She arrived at the castle, but then a voice called out weakly. It was in a language she didn't understand, and it was coming from around the corner of the castle.
"Cobhair... orm..."
Part of her wanted to run for help, but the other part of her thought of what Princess Twilight would do, what her parents would do. And so she went around the corner and there, lying in a heap on the ground, was a pure white pony with a reddish-gold mane. A mare, to be precise... but something was off. For one thing, she had no cutie mark despite being full-grown. For another, she had a pair of transparent butterfly-like wings on her back. One was slightly bent and she looked exhausted. Her eyes opened a little and they were an emerald green that Luster had never seen on a pony before.
"Le... le do thoil..." she whispered, her eyes closing again.
Luster felt a moment of panic before she calmed down and lifted the odd pony with her magic. As discreetly and quietly as she could she entered the castle, making her way to a bedroom she knew was unoccupied and carefully set their guest under the covers.
Okay, Luster. Just go tell Mom and Dad. It shouldn't take long...
She left the room and heard hoof-steps approaching. It was her dad, based on the lightness of the steps. Her mother tended to walk with much more purpose and Firecracker was a klutz.
"Oh, Dawnie! What are you doing?"
"Um... could you get Mom? I found something this morning and I need some help with it."
"She already went to the school this morning. Something about making sure your god-mare doesn't blow up the classrooms while preparing for her lecture on the value of stage magic."
"Just... come on."
She showed him the mystery mare and he backed up, looking terrified and confused at the same time.
"Dawnie, who is—"
"I have no idea, and I can't understand a word she's said. I've never heard anybody speak that language before." Sunburst cleaned his lenses and adjusted them on his muzzle before nodding to her.
"Go find your mother and Midnight. He knows more than almost anybody else about non-Ponish languages."
"So why do we need Mom?"
"Because I know I'm going to geek out and she stabilizes me when I go too far."
It turned out Sunburst had been right on the money in regards to him geeking out. After Starlight had used some healing tactics she'd learned from Zecora, the mare had woken up and glanced around at her surroundings before her eyes rested on Starlight.
"Cò d' an nighean thu?" she asked, tilting her head. Starlight gave her a confused look.
"I'm sorry?"
"Ní thuigim thú."
"Midnight, do you recognize the language?" Sunburst asked, looking ready to explode with excitement.
"I do, actually. I thought it was a dead language, but this is undoubtedly Gaeilge."
"Gaeilge?"
"The odd pronunciations and accent make it unmistakable. Let me try..." He approached the mare and she tilted her head.
"An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?"
"Tuigim thú."
"Hu-rè!"
"What's she saying?"
"She asked if I spoke Gaeilge. I do and she cheered." He turned back to her. "Cad es ainm duit?"
"Is me Niamh."
"Is me Midnight. An bhfuil Ponish agat?"
She seemed to understand that and took a deep breath. A slight glow came from Midnight's throat and into her own.
"Me Ponish ain't the best," she stated. "Tá brón orm. I hoped one of ya spoke Gaeilge."
"What... what are you?" Luster asked.
"I am Niamh of the Sidhe."
"You're a Sidhe?!" yelled Sunburst. His wife levitated him a little, not-so-subtly reminding him to remain calm.
"What's a Sidhe?" asked Luster.
"They're a race of pony-like beings that are older than Equestria itself. Some say that they're where ponies came from, but nobody's seen one in thousands of years!"
"To be precise, nobody's seen one since that winter that the Windigos caused," Midnight corrected. "Think of them as alicorns with butterfly wings and no horns."
"Ya seem like a smart stallion. Can any of ya tell me where ta get some help around here?"
"Well, you've found the right place," Starlight sighed. "But what do you need help with?"
"The Sidhe... we're in trouble. Our princess sent me ta get help." She was shaking a little. "Tír na nÓg has been taken over and most of the Sidhe have surrendered. There's only a few of us who haven't. Me, Princess Eimear, her granny, and her uncle. King Conor was the one who allowed Tír na nÓg ta be taken."
"I think it's time to bring Twilight into this," Sunburst pointed out. "This is another country. Far beyond Equestria."
"I've been travelin' fer months," explained Niamh. "I dunno what's gonna be waitin' when I get back home."
"Hey, what was that spell you did?" Luster spoke up.
"Luster," Starlight said in a warning tone.
"It's a spell fer languages. Not a common one but ol' Granny Ciara taught it ta me just in case. One use only."
"Aw." Luster looked disappointed.
"Anyway, I'll send a letter to Twilight and tell the students that we need to cancel classes for the day due to an emergency. Sunburst, you make sure Niamh is comfortable. Midnight, you find everything you can on Tír na nÓg and the Sidhe. We don't have any time to waste."
"What about me?" Luster inquired.
"You go gather your friends. If I'm right..." She took a deep breath. "This is going to be a quest for you and them beyond Equestria. The Council has too many responsibilities to do this sort of thing and this will test your friendships. You'll see."
On the one hoof, Luster was excited to travel to a distant land with her friends and save an ancient race. On the other... that was a lot of pressure. And this was going to be a long journey. But she was sure she could handle it.
But as her mother trotted off to write a letter, Luster wondered...
"So you found somebody from a race that nobody's heard anything from in thousands of years?" Alex asked.
"Yep, pretty much. Dad's really excited but I'm a bit skeptical. I mean, before now, I've never even heard of them."
"I have," sighed Aurora. "They're one of Dad's favorite things to research. I've been hearing about them since I started living with him and Honeycrisp."
"What do you know, then?" Gemma inquired.
"Not much, but nobody really knows more than that. Supposedly they were the race that ponies came from, and they're somehow related to the Breezies? At any rate, the fact that they've been taken over is a little weird, too, considering that before they left unicorns, pegasi, and Earth ponies to fend for themselves they had enough power to raise the sun and moon without issue."
Magnus looked at the door to the throne room.
"Princess Twilight want us here. Why?"
"Because there's a chance we might need to accompany Niamh to check on the situation. According to her, the only Sidhe who aren't under the control of whoever conquered them are her, the princess, Granny Ciara, and the princess's uncle."
"Ooh!" Moon started jumping in place. "I hope that's it! I'd love to go on a big friendship quest with all of you! Mr. Midnight always said it's what brought Princess Twilight and the Council so close!"
The door opened and Starlight waved for them to come in.
"Luster," Twilight greeted her pupil. "I understand you're the one who found Niamh?"
"Yes." She nodded. "I had no idea that she was a Sidhe. I didn't even know what one was until a few hours ago."
"Very few do. Even what I know about them is limited. But then again, there aren't many books that mention them in the first place. Tír na nÓg, their homeland, isn't even on any of our maps."
"Not even the cutie map!" yelled Pinkie.
"I must say, the idea of anybody having butterfly wings like this is quite fascinating," Rarity commented, looking at the wings of the Sidhe. "I had them for a short time myself, years and years ago. Long before Twilight was even a princess."
"Magnus want wings!" gasped the young yak excitedly.
"The ones I received were rather fragile, especially compared to poor Niamh here. Hers took a beating but thankfully we had some remedies to fix them."
"So why are we all here, exactly?" Ember asked, looking massive compared to the other beings in the room... except, perhaps, Princess Twilight herself.
"Well, as strange as it sounds... I'd like to send Luster and her friends with Niamh."
"S-so, you're sending all of them. Instead of an army. To fight an invader?" Thorax inquired, shaking a bit.
"I'm not so sure this is a good idea," Gilda agreed. She'd taken Grandpa Gruff's place in recent years, mostly due to the fact that he was too old to make the trip through Equestria nowadays.
"I worry about one of our own going so far," mused Rain Shine of the kirin.
"Magnus brave yak!" bellowed Rutherford proudly. "He my son!"
"I think they should go," Ember stated. "This is important, and I'm sure they can have some way to communicate with us."
"This is up to each individual leader and the guardians of the students," Twilight spoke up. "However, I do believe that the more time we spend discussing is more time that the Sidhe are being oppressed and harmed. I can give you all until sunrise tomorrow and we will reconvene then."
With that, the meeting was adjourned.
Far away from Equestria, a dark unicorn sat atop a throne made of precious stones. He chuckled as his new subjects did as they were told, lest they incur his wrath.
"King Sombra," the lead guard, a Sidhe named Fionn, spoke up as he entered.
"Any luck locating her?"
"No, Your Majesty. There is no sign of Princess Eimear."
"Keep searching, then. Do not stop until she is found. After all..."
"She is yer bride," finished Fionn.
"Yes, and your queen, if you can find her." Sombra waved his hoof to dismiss the captain. "Send in Conor when you leave."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After the white-haired Sidhe had left, one with a dark brown mane entered. His wings were much bigger and grander than that of the regular Sidhe, a sign of his royal status. In fact, Sombra was reminded of Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and that upstart Twilight Sparkle. Yet another reason that he hated the former king of the Sidhe. The only reason the stallion was still alive was because he was the only link they had to Princess Eimear.
"So, you still have no idea where your daughter is, correct?"
"Aye. My mum took her somewhere and I still have no clue where."
"She hasn't tried to contact you in a decade. I find that hard to believe."
"Believe what you will. Even if I was too weak ta stop ya, my girl isn't."
"Might I remind you that you surrendered without a fight?"
"Because you are far more powerful than I and I was not willing ta risk the safety of my subjects."
"Oh, how noble."
Conor raised his chin defiantly, looking down his nose at Sombra in a manner that infuriated the king.
"You absolute fool. Get out of my sight."
Conor trotted out of the room.
Eimear... stay safe. Do not let him find you.
As the sun rose over Equestria, Luster felt a sense of trepidation as she approached the throne room.
I might follow in Princess Twilight's hoofsteps. Or I might have to stay here while guards go with Niamh. Will they let me go on this quest? I hope they do.
"There she is," Twilight sighed as Luster entered. "Now we may begin. I hope that you have all come to a decision."
"We have," Ember replied. "Or at least, I have. I decided yesterday that allowing Alex to go is the best choice."
"Hm. Thank you. And for the rest of you?"
"I have to agree with Ember," Thorax spoke up.
One by one, the other representatives agreed. Only Rain Shine hesitated.
"Rain Shine?" Half Moon whispered.
"Can you assure me that Half Moon will be safe?" the leader of the kirin asked.
"I can never make that assertion, but as long as she's with her friends she should be fine," Twilight assured her.
"Then it's settled," Ember stated. "My only problem is there will be two ponies going and only one dragon."
"Aurora knows of the Sidhe and she can fly," Midnight argued, pulling his winged daughter close. He seemed not to notice as she pushed him away and rolled her eyes. "From what I've read of Tír na nÓg, it's in the middle of the sea. Yet another reason we haven't been able to contact them in over a millennia."
"Now isn't the time to fight," Gilda interrupted. "So two ponies are going. I say the more, the better. Besides, there isn't a hippogriff going, either, and Queen Novo isn't complaining."
"She never show up," Rutherford grumbled. "Hippogriff keep to herself."
"Rutherford," Pinkie said in a slight warning tone.
"Pink pony right. Need to be nice."
"Since we're all decided... they will be heading out as soon as Niamh is completely healed," Twilight instructed. "All of our students should prepare for their journey in the meantime."
Luster couldn't hide her smile. None of her friends, could, either. They'd seen the power of friendship firsthoof and it would be amazing to take it on a journey like that Princess Twilight and the Council had undertaken all those years ago.
"You're quiet. It's not like you."
"Oh, you noticed?" Starlight sighed as Sunburst sat down on the couch next to her.
"Of course I did. What's wrong?"
"I'm... worried. About Luster going on this trip." She took a deep breath. "She's still young. Really young. When we started doing all this we were a lot older. We had more experience. She's always either been here or in Canterlot. I mean, I didn't have the best experiences prior to my friendship studies... but I traveled. I learned about the world. Luster hasn't had that experience yet."
"So what better way to get it than by traveling across Equestria to save a long-lost civilization?"
"You aren't worried about her?"
"I am. I'm always worried about her. But she's not a filly anymore. We need to let go, or we'll become..."
"Stellar Flare and Firelight." Sunburst laughed.
"Yeah. Our parents. We've done better. Luster wrote to us while she was living in Canterlot, which is more than either of us did."
"I just wish there was some way we could check up on her, talk to her. There's not going to be a lot of letter-writing opportunities..."
"We'll talk to Twilight and Luster before they leave, I promise."
"Mom? Dad?"
They looked to see Firecracker in the doorway. He had the same white socks on his legs as his father and grandmother and looked so darn adorable as he rubbed his eyes.
"Oh, it's your bedtime, isn't it?" Starlight sighed. "Come on, sweetheart. I'll tuck you in and tell you how me and Thorax saved the changelings."
"Where's Luster going?"
"She's... she's going on a journey for Princess Twilight. Remember Niamh?"
"The pony with butterfly wings?"
"Yeah. Luster and her friends are going to help Niamh save her home," Starburst explained.
"But she just came home!"
"She'll be back. I promise. And she'll spend even more time with you then."
That seemed to satisfy the colt and Starlight carried him to bed while Sunburst headed to the library.
Luster's going to need all the help she can get...
Luster double-checked her packing list with what she had in her saddlebags.
"You're sure you have everything?" Starlight asked her daughter.
"Positive, Mom."
"Book of spells?"
"Check."
"Warm clothes?"
"Check."
"Blanket?"
"Check."
"Essentials for heigine?"
"Super check. Mom, I've got everything, I promise."
"I know. You're organized. I just..."
"Worry about me going so far away?"
"...yes." Luster hugged her mother.
"I'm worried, too. I'm going further away than you and Princess Twilight ever have. But I'm your daughter and her student. This is going to be fine."
Starlight sighed. She really didn't have any choice here but to trust her daughter's judgement as Twilight had trusted hers so long ago.
"We're not even leaving until tomorrow," Luster continued, smiling. "That gives you plenty of time to say goodbye."
"Let's just get going now. You'll be leaving for Tír na nÓg bright and early and we want to get there in time for you to have a good night's sleep."
Luster grabbed her saddlebags and tightened the straps with her magic before they left the building and headed to the train station. Sunburst and Firecracker were waiting for them along with the rest of Luster's friends. Aurora was standing with her father, stepmother, and half-sister, the latter of the three clinging to her big sister's back hind leg. The others were alone, their families waiting for them in Canterlot.
"Why do you hafta go, Rora?" Starry asked, her dark blue eyes full of tears.
"Starry, I'm sorry. But these guys need me, too. Plus, I'll make sure to bring you back a souvenir." Midnight coughed slightly and she rolled her eyes. "And you too, Dad. And maybe Honeycrisp if the Sidhe have anything that might interest her."
"You really don't have to bring me anythin'," Honeycrisp assured her. "Just you comin' home safe is enough."
There was a screeching sound as the train pulled into the station. The entire group got onto the train and took their spots, Firecracker choosing to take the seat directly beside his sister. It wasn't a long ride, but they were happy to be greeted by Gallus once they arrived in Canterlot. Gemma, of course, immediately rushed forward and hugged him. Luster had learned that like Gallus, Gemma was an orphan. Unlike him, however, she'd had the good fortune of being adopted by him as a little sister.
"Come on. Twilight sent me to escort you all to the castle. Niamh is ready to go for tomorrow."
As the sun set, she felt her power growing and returning.
Good.
It had been many years since she'd been allowed to freely roam. Since the 'good ones' of the Aos Sí had imprisoned her she hadn't seen natural light in centuries. Now she and the other Ouphes were free under the reign of King Sombra. All he asked in return was that they do tasks he was unable to perform himself. It was the least they could do in return for his help in letting them have their freedom.
She was Grania of the Ouphes, and she was going to make sure the Aos Sí never took their control back.
As she stood outside of the city she felt a sense of pride and joy. These ponies and whatever other creatures resided within did not know of the Aos Sí, much less the Ouphes. They weren't prepared in any way, shape, or form for her. Her target wasn't any of them but instead the lone Sidhe that was within the walls and could lead to the king's downfall.
Silently and invisibly she crept through the gates.
The evening meal was winding down and as Niamh took one last bite of her food, she felt it—a dark presence approaching the castle. It was a feeling of nausea in her gut, one that wasn't from any kind of illness.
"Does anyone else feel that?" she asked.
"Feel what?" inquired Rarity.
"Something is coming." The Sidhe got up from the table and followed the feeling in her gut. Before too much longer the door opened to reveal a dark-colored mare with an evil grin.
"Heileo, Aos Sí," the mare hissed.
"Cé tusa?"
"Níl sé sin tábhachtach."
"Um, can somebody please translate?" asked Rainbow.
"Oh, I see," the dark mare snickered in Ponish. "The Sidhe are so weak they go ta the ponies I am meant ta rule!"
"Ya daft gombeen!" Niamh snapped. "Get out!"
The mare, rather than leaving, instead leapt upon Niamh. The two began to tangle, fighting hard for control, and Twilight quickly used her magic to pull them apart. Niamh had a scratch on her face and bruises from where the stranger had kicked her savagely.
"What do you want?" Twilight inquired of the newcomer.
"I need ta get rid of that shtate. Wasn't expectin' ya ta be awake, honestly." Suddenly the mare teleported back to the door. "I guess I'll wait until—"
A beam of magic hit her in the side, causing her to fall over and freeze. Starlight had her eyes narrowed as she used more magic to restrain her.
"Who are you?" Starlight snapped.
"I am Grania of the Ouphes and ya won't win against us!"
Guards rushed forwards and took the mare into custody, dragging her off to the dungeon. However, Niamh looked unnerved by her last statement.
"Niamh?" whispered Gemma.
"The Ouphes are free? No..."
"I've never heard of them," Midnight commented.
"That's because the Sidhe sealed them away ages ago. They are a dark reflection of us that want nothin' more than destruction and death."
"Like niriks!" gasped Half Moon.
"Kinda, but they are not the same thing as us."
"If they're coming after you," spoke up Thorax, "then you need to leave as soon as possible."
"Before first light."
Nods were had. The situation was getting more dire.
And before the sun rose, the families of those going on the journey gathered in the throne room. Starlight felt a little more worried than before about the journey, but that was somewhat assuaged by a gift Discord had given each of them in the form of magic mirrors. He'd explained that it was easier than letters and these mirrors had been enchanted so they would never break.
Luster, on the other hoof, was excited to be setting out. Niamh had explained that Tír na nÓg was far to the west, a journey that would take them quite a long time to complete. Once it was done, however, the Sidhe would be freed.
She could only hope they would hold out that long.
"Eimear!"
The mare with a white coat and beautiful golden mane looked up as an older one came upon her.
"There ya are! What are ya doin, daft girl?"
"I am tryin' ta see Niamh."
"She's been hidden fer months. Ya ain't gonna find her!"
"Granny, I have ta know she's okay!"
Below the princess's hooves, the small pool she was standing before began to swirl. Ciara and Eimear stared at the water as an image appeared. It was Niamh, accompanied by a griffon, a Changeling, two ponies, a dragon, a yak, and a creature they didn't recognize. But they were traveling west, from what Eimear could tell, and her heart quickened at the thought that perhaps she'd be able to one day rule the Sidhe like she was meant to do.
"The sun'll be risin'," Ciara added. "We'd best head back before the others wake up and yer uncle has a fit."
"All right, I'm comin'." Eimear cast one last glance at the pool. "Hurry, Niamh. We need all the help we can get."