Prologue i- Adopted

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Sunset sat in the bathroom and silently cried to herself. For the past eight years living here at Madam Harshwinny's Orphanage she was completely alone, none of the other foals would talk to her or play with her or even be friends with her. Instead they would bully her with harsh taunting and teasing, occasionally they would do mean things to her.

Crooked-horn! Crooked-horn! Crooked-horn!
Lizard-pony! Lizard-pony! Lizard-pony!
Snake-tail! Snake-tail! Snake-tail!
Sunset Shimmer is a deer-lizard! Sunset Shimmer is a deer-lizard! Sunset Shimmer is a deer-lizard!
Wide-snout! Wide-snout! Wide-snout!
Vampire-pony! Vampire-pony! Vampire-pony!
Here kitty-kitty-kitty!

The teasing and taunts from the other foals plated over and over in Sunset's mind as she looked at herself in the mirror. Why couldn't she look like other ponies? Her mane, instead of being straight or slightly curly like the other ponies, was lion-like with tight crimson and gold curls. Instead of being covered with fur like other ponies, she was covered with goldenrod scales, like a lizard or dragon. Her horn, instead of being straight or slightly curved like normal unicorns, had an S-curve with an antler-like fork three quarters of the way up. Instead of the narrow, slightly-rounded snout of other fillies her age, was broader and flatter that ended in a dragon-like nose, with a pair of fleshy, whisker-like protrusions just above her top lip. Instead of the flat teeth like other ponies, hers were needle-like, though she could eat hay, oats, alfalfa, flowers and apples like other ponies, she also had a craving for meat. Instead of the short, stumpy tail with long hair growing from the dock like other ponies, hers was long, almost snake-like with a tuft of crimson and gold hair at the end. Even her hooves were different, they were made of the broad, round keratin, but with a large broad scale at the front.

Mud caked Sunset's mane with twigs and leaves stuck to it or sticking out at odd angles. Mint Julep, one of the older fillies that had been living at the orphanage almost as long as her, had shoved her down into a mud puddle on the playground, then Cinnamon Crisp and Rough Diamond, her two toadies, had dumped a couple of buckets of leaved and twigs over her head as she stood up. The other foals laughed and pointed at her, and a few had proceeded to throw hoof-fulls of leaves and twigs at her.

There was a pounding at the restroom door and Madam Harshwhinny's voice shouted through. "Sunset Shimmer! Hurry your scaly plot up in there! If you're late for lunch you'll go hungry!"

Madam Harshwhinny was an aloof and bitter mare who would often say mean things to the foals.

You are here because nopony loves or wants you! If I had my way, I'd sell you all to a rock farm! Nopony wants to adopt most of you as you're ugly foals! Especially ones with scales! You're all a disappointment to Equestria! For those who are still when your eighteenth summer gets here, you'll be sold off to a workhouse!

Anger burned in Sunset's heart as she turned on the shower and began to rinse the mud, twigs and leaves out of her mane. She levitated over a bottle of shampoo, squirted a bit into her mane and scrubbed out the remaining detritus, then rinsed it all out. She didn't notice the wisps of steam curling off her mane as she toweled off.

Sunset Barely made it in time to the cafeteria. She levitated a tray and stepped in line. The lunch ponies ladled into bowls a thin carrot and noodle soup, placed a single hard hay roll onto the trays and scooped a slightly sweet, gelatinous mush into smaller bowls that was supposed to be apple sauce.

Sunset scooped up her tray and began walking to the table where she always ate alone. On the far side of the cafeteria Harshwhinny was having a quiet conversation with a Foal Services agent. Harshwhinny pulled a small bag of bits from inside her blouse and hoofed them over to the agent, who after accepting the bits, quickly scribbled down several things on a clipboard and hoofed over a gold-foil document.

Harshwhinny smirked smugly as she accepted the gold-foil document. It was another "triple-a" document that she had bribed the Foal Services agent for and would proudly display in the picture frame outside of her office.

Sunset focused on the subpar meal in front of her, she and her fellow orphans quickly learned to say nothing if they saw Madam Harshwhinny bribing a Foal Services agent for a gold-foil document. If any spoke up, she'd lock them in a closet for hours. Then after letting them out, she'd make all the other orphans line up in the common room and watch as she spanked the orphan who offender her with a strap, humiliating the one who brought her ire and scaring the others into silence.

As the Foal Services agent left, in walked Harshwhinny's twin niece and nephew, Honey Bunches and Two Scoops. They must have gotten suspended for fighting...again. The twins had a nasty temper and a mean streak, just like their aunt.

Sunset hunkered down in her seat, trying to make herself as small and unnoticeable as possible, turning her attention to her spoon as she sipped the soup. Mint Julep pranced over to Two Scoops and fawned over the teenage foal as she batted her eyelashes.

"I am invisible! Please don't see me! I am invisible! Please don't see me!", Sunset whispered over and over to herself.

"Well-well-well!", Two Scoops mocked as he walked up. "Look at who we have here! An ugly, scaly pony!"

"Ha-ha-ha! Good one, Scoops!", Julep said with a giggle.

Sunset refused to look up, trying to ignore the bullies.

"Don't act like you can't hear us, crooked-horn!", Honey Bunches teased.

Sunset left out a huff, trying to ignore and not acknowledge the teasing. Her huff caused wisps of steam to rise from the bowl.

"You better acknowledge you betters, you ugly scaly pony.", Two Scoops said.

Sunset placed her hooves on the table and clenched her teeth. The paint on the table began to bubble around her hooves as she began to feel hot. "Go away.", she muttered through grit teeth.

Honey Bunch placed a hoof to her ear. "Beg your pardon? Speak up."

"Go away!", Sunset snarled. More paint bubbled around her hooves as she began to feel hotter.

Two Scoops flicked Sunset's nose. "Aw, look! I think she's getting mad!"

"You gonna cry, crybaby?", Honey Bunch mocked.

The paint around Sunset's hooves began to curl up and blacken as visible ripples of heat started to ripple off of her body. Her eyes flickered white and she huffed out a cloud of smoke and steam. "I said, go away!" Her voice took on a distortion, like the crackling of coals.

A worried expression crossed Julep's face and she took an unsure couple of steps backwards. She was seeing something she had never seen before and it was scaring her. "Uh...g-g-guys, m-maybe we should leave her alone? She looks mad, madder than I've ever seen her before."

"Heh-heh-heh!", Scoops nastily chortled. "Then maybe we should do something to cool her off!" He scooped up the bowl of soup and dumped it on Sunset's head.

Something inside Sunset snapped. In an instant her eyes glowed reddish-yellow, like twin infernos, her scales turned black as soot, her hooves glowed like bronze in a furnace, and the crimson and gold hair that made up her mane and the tuft at the end of her tail erupted into blue flame. "RRRRRHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" She tipped up her head and unleashed a howl like a conflagration unleashed.

Yellow and red flames consumed the table Sunset was sitting at. Foals screamed in fright and scrambled over one another as they made a mad dash for the door in a panicked mass.

Honey Bunch, Two Scoops and Mint Julep shrieked in horror as they stumbled over their own hooves and they stampeded away from the living inferno.

A wave of heat erupted from Sunset turning the nearby tables to ash in an instant. She immediately locked her twin blazing orbs on the trio of bullies still stumbling over their own hooves and began stalking towards them. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE! RHAUGH! BUT NO! YOU HAD TO KEEP PUSHING MY BUTTONS! YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Her voice was like unto an out of control blaze. Rings of fire sprung from each of her hooffalls and tongues of flame followed in her wake. Smoke billowed from her nostrils as flames dripped from her glowing fangs.

The odd-looking unicorn known as Sunset Shimmer was replaced by an elemental of flame and fury.

The trio of bullies found their hoofing and bolted for their lives.

Black smoke filled the cafeteria as the flames consumed it. Sunset's blazing form was visible through the otherwise obfuscating smoke.

Princess Celestia was sitting on her throne half paying attention to the droning whines of complaining nobles in day court when she felt a sudden rush of magic. Holding up a hoof, she cut off the noble, much to their chagrin, walked over to a window, flung it open and looked out. She saw a broad tendril of smoke that grew in size to a column from one of the lower districts of the city. "Day court is hereby dismissed until further notice. If anypony has pending issues, please wait until later or take it before parliament."

Many nobles shouted their discontent as the guards cleared the throne room.

Celestia scowled for a moment before turning to her guard Captain, Knightly Armor. "Captain Armor, gather a contingent of your best ponies. A kirin's magic has just awoken. We need to act quickly before they go nova."

Knightly Armor, a white unicorn stallion with a pale blue mane and tail, gave his princess a quick salute before rushing off to gather guards.

Knightly's son, Shining Armor, was in the barracks polishing his shoes, breastplate and helmet when his father burst in.

"Shining! You're on deck! We've got a kirin and might need your skills with creating shields to contain it!"

Shining gave a quick salute, quickly donned his armor and scrambled out.

As Celestia prepared to depart with a full contingent of her guards, a lavender unicorn's head peeked out of a door with a six-sided painted near the top. "Mommy? What's going on? I feel a weird tingle."

Celestia trotted over and gave the unicorn's head a quick kiss on the snout. "There's an emergency in the city, Twilight. Stay here and study chapters four through fifteen. I'll be back soon to continue with your lessons."

Twilight gave a quick nod and withdrew from the door. Just as her snout disappeared inside, a forked tongue flicked from between her lips.

Sunset screamed out her rage as her body grew hotter and hotter. She stamped through the orphanage, the tiles of the floor melting beneath her hooves as she sought out the objects of her wrath. The walls, ceiling, mattresses and whatnot erupted into flames. The metal frames of the bunks, handles and hinges on doors melted into slag. Glass in the windows and picture frames melted and flowed like water. In her wake embers blew about on heat-driven wind and charred timbers collapsed.

The foals and orphanage staff, gathered in the playground, huddling together. They yelped in fright as the outer wall of the orphanage crumbled like a stack of burned matches. They shrieked in fright as the flaming avatar of wrath stalked forwards.

A miasma of smoke, soot and ashes blew about Sunset on hot winds as her body blazed hotter and hotter. Stomping forwards, she stopped a few paces from the terrified crowd of her tormentors. Leaves on the nearby trees began to curl up and blacken. The ground beneath her melted into a shallow pool of lava. "ALL I WANTED WAS FOR SOMEPONY TO BE MY FRIEND!", she screamed in a voice like unto roaring flames. "OR FAILING THAT, I JUST WANTED TO BE LEFT ALONE!"

"I'm sorryyyy!", Mint Julep shout-sobbed as she cowered.

"SORRY? SORRY? SORRY?!", Sunset shouted. A cone of intense heat issued from her mouth with each word, causing the grass in front of her to blacked and curl up. The tips of the hairs of the manes of the huddling ponies curled up as the singed. The edges of Harshwhinny's blouse began to blacken "ALL I WANTED WAS FOR SOMEPONY TO CALL A FRIEND OR LOVE ME!" She raised her head to the heavens and unleashed a sorrowful howl of rage.

Nopony noticed the brilliant flash of light as Celestia and a contingent of guards appeared, they were all too distracted by the raging kirin before them.

"Cadet Armor! Erect a barrier between that kirin and those ponies!", Knightly Armor ordered.

With a flicker of raspberry-colored magic, Shining Armor erected a wall of magic before the terrified ponies.

Celestia's heart wept at the wails of the kirin. This was not the sound of somepony who was intentionally trying to hurt her little ponies, this was somepony who had been bullied and hurt to the point that they lost control.

Once they experienced a relief from the intense heat only did the ponies notice their princess with her guards.

"Get those ponies out of here and to a safe distance!", Knightly Armor barked.

The guards didn't have to be ordered twice. They quickly scrambled forward, gathered up the scared ponies and ushered them away. Once the last pony was moved safely away, Knightly Armor gave a nod to his son, it was a silent order, 'Move away to a safe distance.' Shining gave his father a hesitant nod, dropped his spell and withdrew.

Celestia had to act quickly. The kirin filly was growing hotter by the minute and would go nova in a hoof-full of minutes at the best. She peeled off her golden shoes, revealing not a pony's hooves, but the pearlescent talons of a dragon. Removing her ceremonial golden breastplate and tiara, and passed them to Knightly Armor. "Captain Armor, withdraw yourself, your guards and the civilians to a minimum safe distance of at least thirty body lengths."

"But my princess--", Knightly started to protest before he was cut off.

"I am not asking, captain."

Knightly swallowed and gave his princess a nod before fleeing away. He was one of a privileged few to see his princess in her true form.

Once she was certain no ponies were in danger Celestia dropped her disguise. She went from the graceful form of Celestia the alicorn of the sun to Celestia the half-dragon of the sun. Her legs went from a sleek willowy form to muscular scaly limbs. Her wings went from the ivory graceful feathered appendages to leathery glorious pearlescent wings. Her single alabaster horn became twin ivory draconic horns with a single blazing pearl floating between them. Her snout went from the graceful rounded of a mare's into a broad, flat snout of a glorious half-dragon, twin pars of barbels extended from her upper lip and chin, flowing on magical winds. Her flowing pastel rainbow mane and tail became twin rows of pastel rainbow fins that ran from the back of her head to the tip of her serpentine tail. Her body lengthened into an undulating serpent-like form covered in pearlescent scales that shimmered in the sunlight.

Celestia was the eldest of three daughters of a wise, powerful and ancient eastern dragon who had taken a mortal mare as his bride. Though she was ancient, being over four thousand years old, she was still vulnerable to dragon greed and dragon hubris, as she had witnessed nearly one thousand years ago, when through her own hubris she ignored...no! Right now was not the time to dwell and lament on the past.

With no time to waste, Celestia gently grasped the kirin filly who was unleashing their sorrowful howl to the heavens and began channeling. Her body heated up as kirin magic and flames flowed into her. Once the filly's body began to cool and the flames died out, she took in a deep breath, lifted her head to the sky and heaved out. Dragon flames mixed with kirin fire and magic rocket upwards as they coiled around one another. Clouds flash evaporated before the mass of coiling flames and magic. Higher and higher the coiling mass went until it reached the edge of the atmosphere, dispersing in a brilliant aurora.

Far away on the moon and in the frozen north two dark beings momentarily woke up and took notice of the display. They turned their attention towards Equestria before being dragged back into their deep slumber.

Disaster was averted. Yes the sky above Canterlot would bear the scar for the next month, but that was far better than a kirin foal who had lost control, went nova and destroyed the city, mountaintop and themselves in a single fiery conflagration.

Celestia quickly resumed her pony disguise. Summoning her vestments with her magic, she quickly donned them.

Sunset's scales returned to their normal goldenrod color. The hair of her mane reverted back to its normal crimson and gold tightly curled lion-like locks. She blinked her eyes as they returned to their normal light teal coloration. Her breath quavered in her breast as the horrific realization of what happened dawned on her. She looked around the ground and to the orphanage, taking in the carnage, then up to the princess giving a soft smile above her.

"Welcome back, little one. We almost lost you there for a moment."

Sunset plopped down onto the rapidly cooling ground and began to bawl like a new born foal.

Celestia held the distraught young kirin to her breast. "Shh! Shh! It's okay."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!", was all Sunset could say between heaving sighs.

Celestia gently stroked the weeping kirin foal's head as she gently shushed her.

After dozens of minutes, Sunset finally calmed down.

"Feeling better now?"

"Mm-hmm." Sunset nodded.

"What is your name, little one?"

"S-Sunset Shimmer."

"Do you know where you currently know where you are?"

"Madam Harshwhinny's Orphanage in Canterlot."

"Do you remember your parents or where you came from?"

Sunset wracked her brain for any memories. Fuzzy, grainy images of trees zipping by and something dark chasing came to the forefront of her memory before quickly dissolving into a staticy haze. "Mm-mmh."

Slowly the ponies of the orphanage filtered back.

"My orphanage!", Harshwhinny exclaimed. She then turned her gaze onto Sunset. "Princess! You need to kill that...that...thing before it can hurt anypony else! It has been nothing but a thorn in by frog since I first took it in"

Sunset cowered from the harsh words.

Celestia immediately turned to face Harshwhinny and flared her wings in a display of dominance and regal authority, causing the mare to cower. "This is no thing, she is an extremely rare and powerful being known as a kirin!", she snapped. She lowered her head until she was face-to-face with the mare. "Now pray-tell, how did a kirin come under your care?"

Harshwhinny balked, stuttered, hemmed and hawed for several moments. There she had heard stories of kirin before, they were mostly told as fairy tales and legends of old.

"Well? I'm listening."

"Th-th-that's strictly confidential information under the Foal Protection Bill of seventeen-thirty-five Solar!"

"Don't quote laws at me. I was there when that bill was drafted. It is my signature on that bill. Your grandmother was barely out of diapers when it was put to law. You can tell me or I can have every scrap of paperwork filed on this orphanage brought before me from its founding. I give you the choice, tell me now how a kirin foal came into your care or I can crawl through every scrap of paper on you for the past thirty years. I'm sure there's plenty in there you'd rather have not come to light."

Harshwhinny blew out a defeated sigh and hung her head. "It was eight years ago, the night the explosion happened at the base of the mountain. A strange couple came by with a blanket-covered basket, a note and a small sack of bits. The note said to watch over their foal until they returned."

Celestia remembered that night. The skeletons of a pair of kirin skeletons were found partially fused to the boulders far below and the vapors of dark magic wafting from the soil. She had ordered the remains of the two kirins to be buried in their ancestral tradition and their location denoted so their remains could be returned if any enclave or village of them were to ever be found. "So you filed the note and bits you received with Foal Protection?"

Harshwhinny flinched at the question.

"I see. Guard captain?"

Knightly Armor trotted up and bowed. "Yes, my princess?"

"Hold Madam Harshwhinny in a nearby constabulary. I will personally speak with each foal that's currently under her care. Also send a runner to Foal Protection. I want all the files on this orphanage since Harshwhinny took over as head madam."

Harshwhinny hung her head as the guards escorted her off.

Celestia kept a calm and cool exterior as she listened to each foal's story of what they experienced under Harshwhinny. Just beneath that calm and cool exterior she was seething. Stories of verbal and physical abuse, stories of bribery for gold-leaf documentation. Stories of silently condoned bullying. She couldn't be mad at the younger foals, they tended to act how they saw their older orphans behave.

She separated the teen orphans from their younger counterparts. "I'm disappointed in you." The teen orphans flinched at the chiding they received. "I know it's hard living here, but you're supposed to set an example for those younger than you. Show them how to be friends with everypony, not single out somepony for being different." She then turned her attention to Honey Bunch and Two Scoops. "I'm especially disappointed with you two. You both grew up in a safe home with loving parents. You should have shown those younger and less advantaged than you how to be better. You're both more than old enough to know better. I'll be personally inspecting your school records and talking with your teachers and parents. *sigh* You both are more than old enough to know better." She shook her head disapprovingly then dismissed the twins with a flick of her golden shoe.

Reams of paperwork on the orphanage began to be brought in. Celestia sat on the playground as the foals played on the equipment. She kept darting an eye at Sunset sitting alone nearby. "Sunset Shimmer? Wouldn't you prefer to go and play with your friends?"

"Nopony likes me. They call me names and shove me in the mud. Now they're scared of me. I can't blame them. I'm just an ugly, scaly, lizard-snake pony with a crooked horn that burned the orphanage down." Sunset turned her head aside and sniffled.

Celestia placed the paperwork aside, walked up to Sunset, placed a gold shoe concealing her talons gently under her chin and turned the filly's head to face her. "Sunset, you are not an ugly, snake-lizard pony with a crooked horn. You're a beautiful kirin, a creature as rare as the gem in my breastplate. It's not your fault that you lost control. You were pushed around and bullied until you couldn't take it anymore. I don't hold it against you." She paused and thought for a second. "How would you like it if I adopted you?"

Sunset's eyes sparkled at the question. "Y-you mean it?"

"Mm-hmm. I have a daughter who is a few summers younger than you that is also special and unique. She'd be thrilled to have a sister closer to her age to play with. You both could learn so much from one another. She's all alone in that drafty palace with nopony her age."

Sunset's heart filled with joy until she thought she would burst. Sparkles danced in her eyes and a broad smile spread across her lips, putting her mouth full of needle-like teeth on display. The twin barbels on her upper lip wiggled. "Yes! One thousand times yes!", she exclaimed. "Will I get my own room? Will there be bubble baths? Can I have ice cream and candy and cake for dinner every night?"

Celestia giggled at Sunset's questions. "To answer your questions in order. Yes. Yes. No, but you can have them for dessert if you're good and finish your homework." She placed the paperwork back in their boxes and gestured to Knightly Armor. "Have all of this delivered to my office and contact Foal Services. Tell them to personally deliver Sunset Shimmer's adoption forms to me. I must retire to the palace and show my new daughter her home."

Knightly bowed and began barking orders to his underlings.

"Sunset, have you ever teleported before?"

"Mm-mm!"

Celestia extended a wing out to the young kirin. "Stand here under my wing and be very still. If you wiggle around too much, you might get a nasty scorch." Sunset scurried up under her wing. Celestia summoned her magic, in a pop and a flash of light, they disappeared. A second later the two of the reappeared in a hallway inside the palace.

"Wwwwwooooooooowwwwwww!", Sunset exclaimed. A crimson aura surrounded her horn and she began replicating the teleportation spell, popping in and out of existence in little flashes of light. She giggled and squealed with glee each time she teleported, sometimes appearing a few strides away, sometimes appearing a body length or two in the air and then disappearing in another flash of light just as gravity began to take hold and reappearing a few strides away in the air on on the floor.

Celestia tittered as she trotted up to her new daughter and laid a wing across the young kirin's withers. "Very impressive, Sunset. Most take years of study before they can learn such an advanced spell. But you can practice your teleportation later. Let's meet your new sister first."

Sunset nodded and the pair walked up to a door that had a purple six-pointed star painted on it with. Celestia gently tapped on the door.

With a soft creak, the door opened and a young unicorn's head stuck through the crack. "Yes, mommy? I've been reading chapters you told me to."

Celestia smiled gently at Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight, come on out and meet your new sister."

Twilight glanced at Sunset then back to Celestia who simply smiled and nodded. *fwpt* Her forked tongue darted out from between her lips, wiggled in the air a couple of times, then darted back into her mouth. Her head went back inside and the door closed.

Sunset goggled at what she just experienced. Did she just stick her tongue out at me? Waitaminnit! Was her tongue forked?!

"Was she the one that made me feel tingly?", Twilight's voice asked from behind the closed door.

Celestia looked down at Sunset. "You'll have to excuse Twilight. She's a bit shy and a little high-strung. She's also very sensitive to magic changes to magic. It's allowed her to progress very quickly in her studies." The princess cleared her throat. "Yes, Twilight. She was the one that caused the surge in magic. Her name is Sunset Shimmer and she's your new sister. I know you've been lonely with nopony around your age. She's very excited to meet you. Come on out, my little sparkling star."

For a couple of moments there was no sound and Sunset sighed, thinking that she wouldn't get a chance to meet Twilight in pony. Then the handle rattled and with a creak the door opened. Sunset expected a young unicorn filly to walk out, instead a lavender snake with a unicorn's head slithered out.

"Yipe!", Sunset exclaimed, surprised and slightly started as she hopped backwards.

Twilight, frightened by Sunset's reaction, coiled her body and reared up. She spread her hood and opened her mouth wide, revealing her twin fangs in a threat display as she hissed.

"Whoa! Coooooool!", Sunset exclaimed, her initial shock and fear forgotten, being replaced by curiosity. She approached the snake-pony, amazed by the six-pointed star pattern in her hood.

Twilight hissed and nipped at Sunset, who took a little hop backwards.

"Twilight, it's rude to hiss and nip at somepony.", Celestia scolded.

Twilight immediately collapsed her hood and closed her mouth. She retreated into her coils. "I'm sorry, mommy. I'll be good, I promise."

Celestia gave a motherly titter as she stepped over to Twilight and gently kissed her on the head. "I'm not mad, my little shimmering star. I know you were frightened. No need to hide from me. Now come on over and say hello to your new sister, Sunset Shimmer."

Twilight uncoiled herself and slithered over to Sunset. She raised her body up, deployed her hood in a regal display and dipped her head in a small bow. "My name is Lady Twilight Sparkle."

Sunset dipped her head back. "My name is Sunset Shimmer."

Twilight looked at Celestia. "Mommy? She's not a lady?"

Celestia smiled at her naga daughter. "Technically not until I fill out the paperwork. She won't have to use that term in day-today stuff with you, I and the castle staff, just only for official functions, like day court, addressing parliament and at the Grand Galloping Gala."

"Oh. Um..okay." Twilight retracted her hood.

Sunset looked Twilight over closely. "I've never met a snake-pony before."

Twilight reared back and flared her hood. "I'm not a 'snake-pony'!" She raised her tail and made air quotes with it. "I'm a naga! *fwee*" She blew a raspberry that sounded like a party whistle, quickly slithered back into her room and slammed the door. A raspy hiss came from the key hole.

Sunset blinked at what happened. "Uh...I didn't mean to upset her. I've never met a naga before."

Celestia gave a knowing smirk. "Twilight's a little sensitive, some less than couth ponies have used that term hatefully in her presence before. She'll come around. And I did tell you she's a bit high-strung. Come along, Sunset. I'll let you pick out your new room."

As the two trotted off, a purple eye peered out from the keyhole of the door with the six-pointed star. "Sister.", Twilight whispered.

Celestia sat in her office. She had earlier in the day filled out Sunset's adoption papers in triplicate the Foal Services agents had brought. She placed one copy in her personal files, sent one to the palace records vault and sent the third back with the agents. Sunset had been settled into her new room and was currently exploring the palace grounds. Celestia would have fire-resistant bedding and furniture to the young kirin's room in the morning after breakfast, just in case she had any more emotional flareups.

Currently Celestia was looking through the reams of paperwork that had been delivered. Shad had removed her vestments and reverted to her half-dragon form. Currently she had the paperwork separated into three stacks. Though Harshwhinny's orphanage was officially licensed to house no more than thirty orphans, she had personally counted twenty orphans today, there were odd discrepancies that showed kept popping up with too much regularity to be the odd clerical error. Every six months for the past two decades the orphanage would be registered to house one hundred orphans, with it going back down to thirty by year's end. The monthly stipend sent for most of the year for one hundred orphans, dropping back down for a month or two for thirty.

Celestia already had enough evidence to get Harshwhinny for fraud. She'd have the palace's clerks go over everything with a fine-toothed comb and in the morning she'd have enough evidence to issue a warrant to seize the orphanage's bank records and search Harshwhinny's residence. She'd also send auditors to the Foal Service offices in Canterlot to uncover any and all co-conspirators. This would also be the justification she would need to send out auditors to every orphanage and foster home across the nation, ensuring that there were no other corrupt ponies when it came to the disadvantaged foals.

Celestia's ear flaps twitched at the creak of the hinges of her office door and the scraping of scales on the floor that were the telltale sounds that Twilight had just come in.

Twilight slithered up to the desk and raised her body until her snout was level with the top. "Mommy?"

Celestia placed the paperwork down and looked at the young naga with a toothy draconic smile. "Yes, my shimmering star?"

"Is Sunset a half-dragon, like you?"

"That's a very good question, Twilight.", Celestia said, tapping a claw to her cheek. "But the answer is no. She is a kirin. A very powerful and rare being."

"Why did she make me feel all tingly?"

"When kirin get angry or their magic first awakens, they can sometimes transform into a very dangerous form known as a nirik."

Twilight recoiled slightly. "Is Sunset dangerous? Will she turn into a nirik?" She trembled with nervous fright.

Celestia gently stroked Twilight's head and mane. "No, I don't think she will again for the time being. You see, she was living in an orphanage where they called her mean names, like ugly lizard-pony or ugly snake-pony or crooked-horn."

Twilight let out a hiss. "Such meanies! Sunset's not a lizard! Lizards lick their eyeballs and eat bugs! Eww! Blech!"

Celestia chuckled at Twilight's half squenched face as she stuck out her forked tongue in disgust.

"Also, Sunset's not ugly! She has pretty scales the color of dandelions."

"They are quite lovely.", Celestia agreed.

"And the curls in her mane are pretty, they look like rubies and gold!"

"Indeed, they are quite fetching."

"And she doesn't have a crooked horn. It looks like a yellow flame standing still."

"It is quite a stunning horn."

"She also has fangs, like me."

"Not quite like yours, but yes, she does have fangs. Quite striking ones if I must say."

"And her eyes are very pretty too. They look like those blue-green gems that the bison like."

"Why yes, they are quite beautiful. Not quite turquoise, but a light teal, like rare sea sapphires."

"I hope Sunset isn't mad with me."

"I don't think she's mad at you. In fact she's sorry for calling you a snake-pony. She's never met a naga before. In fact before today, she was the only scaled being she knew."

Twilight pouted slightly. "Aw! That's so sad."

Celestia cooed softly at the cute pout on her daughter's face.

"Do you know where Sunset is?"

Celestia gestured over to the window in her office that overlooked the garden. "I saw her about a half an hour ago exploring the gardens." She got up and walked over to the window, Twilight slithering beside her. "Ah, yes! There she is. She's playing by the reflecting pool in the Garden of Hummingbirds."

Twilight reared up and looked out the window.

"Why don't you go join her, Twilight. It's a nice bright sunny day today."

Twilight let out a small excited gasp. A purple aura surrounded her horn and she vanished in a small wink of light.

Celestia gave a broad smile only a mother could have as she looked out the window. The smile slowly dissolved from her face as she turned away from the window and back to her desk. She dipped a quill into an inkpot and wrote out an order for the paperwork to be sent to the palace clerks. "Rubber Stamp and Collate will have a field day with this." She then wrote out another order, stating that day court was cancelled and that night court would start three hours after moonrise. She flicked her claw against a small bell three times, creating a trio of musical chimes.

The door opened and Celestia's seneschal, Raven Inkwell strode in. "You called for me, my pri--OH GOODNESS ME!" The mare froze in her tracks, eyes wide with shock. She shook her head, regaining control of her expression. "A thousand pardons, my princess. I meant no disrespect. I'm still getting used to seeing you in your half-dragon form."

Celestia gave a small smile, Raven had only been on the palace staff for a year after her father, the former seneschal, Trumpet Herald, had suffered a stroke and was left partially paralyzed on his left side. Their family had served the crown faithfully for generations. Raven had been properly schooled and groomed for the past five years to take over for her father in fifteen years until the unforeseen stroke happened. The mare had proven herself to be quite competent, if a little overzealous. "No offence intended, none taken." She handed the two orders to Raven. "Please ensure these orders are delivered to the right ponies."

Raven read the two orders. "I hear and obey, my princess."

Celestia transformed into her alicorn form and donned her royal vestments. "I am going to enjoy the rest of the day with my daughters in the gardens. I am not to be disturbed until after dinner."

"I hear and obey.", Raven replied and turned to trot off.

"Oh, and Raven?", Celestia called out to her seneschal.

Raven stopped and turned back to face the princess. "Yes, my princess?", she replied with a small curtsy.

"Please stop with all of the excessive formality. Court is not in session, nor are we standing before parliament. You can simply call me Celestia. I need all of my seneschals to be straightforward and frank with me, something that can't be done if you're constantly having to put up the veneer of formality. Unless it's an official function, you can simply call me Celestia."

"Yes, my--err...um, of course, Celestia.", Raven said. "Then I'd like to make a small request."

"State it, if it is within reason, then I will grant it."

"The title seneschal is such a stuffy and archaic title. It lacks the gravitas and weight my office carries. I much prefer the title Majordomo."

Celestia gave Raven a broad smile. Her seneschals had always been loyal and trustworthy, and the title of seneschal was a bit long in the tooth. Majordomo was a more modern title that felt powerful. "Very well, Majordomo Raven Inkwell."

Raven's eyes sparkled for a moment.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I must go spend time with my daughters. Every moment wasted is a moment never to be regained." Celestia trotted out of her office, a quartet of guards following closely behind.

***

Sunset hummed a formless tune as she hopped across the oval shaped rocks that formed a path across the reflecting pool and listened to the humming birds as they flitted from flower to flower gathering nectar. *hop-hop-pause-hop* She would occasionally cast a nervous glance at the guards who were standing silently and stiffly off to the side, always giving her space but staying no less than ten paces away.

With a small pop and a wink of light Twilight appeared before Sunset on an oval stone just ahead of her. "Hhhhhiiiiiiiiii!"

"Yipe!" Sunset hopped backwards in surprise to another stone. She lost her hoofing. "Whoa-oa-oa-oa!" *splash* She flailed around in the shallow water as panic took hold. "Help! Help!"

A nearby guard sighed and rolled his eyes. He trotted up to the edge of the reflecting pool. "Just put your hooves down."

Sunset continued to thrash around in a panicked state.

"I don't get paid enough for this.", he grumbled. Laying his pike aside, he pulled off his armored shoes, helmet and breastplate. With the armor free of his form, the illusory enchantment dropped and his coat went from grayish-white to a deep bronze, his mane and tail were a bright coppery red, with the former cut into a tight flattop style and the latter curled up into a tight ball, held in place by hairpins. He strode into the reflecting pool and up to the panicking kirin. "Just pit your hooves down, you silly filly!", he barked.

Sunset tried to scramble up the guard, who just sighed and rolled his eyes again. This caused her to let go and continue flailing in the water.

Twilight looked at her sister with a confused stare, then slid off the rock and into the water, gliding across the surface. Upon reaching Sunset, she allowed her body to sink into the water and rose up. "Just stand up, like me. It's not deep."

Sunset continued her panicked flailing. This caused the guard to grind his teeth as he growled in frustration. He reached out with his forehooves and grabbed the panicking kirin, shaking her. This got her to calm down slightly. "Just put your hooves down and stand up, dummy!"

Sunset did as the guard told her. The water was shallow, barely halfway up her fetlocks. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Oh...uh...heh! Uh...sorry about that."

The guard let out several wordless sighing grumbles as he stood up. "No matter. You were in no real danger. Let's get out out of the reflection pool and dried off before--"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The guard's eyes became pinpricks at the sound of the princess' voice. He spun around to face her and let out a scared squeak. He scrambled out of the reflecting pool and prostrate himself before Celestia. "A thousand pardons for laying hoof on Lady Sunset. She fell in the reflecting pool and was panicking. I simply stepped in to help her up."

Twilight quickly slithered out of the reflecting pool and placed herself between her mother and the guard. "Don't be mad at him, mommy. It was my fault that Sunset fell in. If you're going to be mad at anypony, be mad at me."

Sunset sloshed out of the reflecting pool and walked up to Celestia. "Please don't be mad at him. I should have known that the water was shallow. I was panicking like a dummy."

"Do you know how to swim.", Celestia asked Sunset.

"No."

"Then your panic is understandable when falling into water. Twilight, did you know Sunset didn't know how to swim?"

"No, mommy."

Celestia returned her attention to the prostrate guard. "Arise, Lance Corporal Hoplon and don your armor." Once the guard finished carrying out her command, she barked out an order. "All guards present, assemble for inspection!"

A dozen guards, along with the quartet that were following Celestia gathered into lines and rows. As one they stamped their right pair of hooves, coming to attention.

Celestia paced back and forth before the guards. Her face stern as she inspected them. "This is unacceptable. A member of the royal household was in distress and only one guard moved to help." She shook her head. "Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! I blame myself for not making my orders clearer. So hear me now and disseminate this among you fellow guards. You are to keep a watchful eye on the royal household at all times. Give us our space during our private time, keeping no less than ten paces of a casual trot away at all times. If any member of the royal household appears to be in any form of distress, no less than three are to come forward to offer aid and no less than two are to be sent as runners to alert myself or your superiors to what is happening. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my princess!", the gathered guards shouted in unison.

"Very well. Lance Corporal Hoplon, front and center!"

Hoplon swallowed hard as he trotted forward and snapped to attention. "Lance Corporal Hoplon front and center as you commanded, my princess!"

"Kneel."

Hoplon squatted with his rear legs as he curled one foreleg under his body and extended the other.

Celestia tapped each of Hoplon's shoulders then helmet with a golden shoe. "Lance Corporal Hoplon, for taking the initiative and for quick thinking, you are promoted to a member of the royal family guard. Seeing as only officers can hold such a rank, your official rank shall be colonel second class. Rise." Once he had risen, eyes shimmering, she lowered her head unti she was face to face with him. "Corporal second class, you are not in proper uniform. Report immediately to the quartermaster for proper armor and a halberd." She rose to her full height and spread her wings in a regal display. "Dismissed!"

Once the guards had returned to their station and Hoplon had hurried off to the quartermaster's, Celestia set about drying and cleaning off her daughters. She gestured over to a marble bench.

Once the trio had sat on the bench, Celestia wrapped her wings around her daughters. "Twilight, I am proud of you. You acted quickly and tried to teach your sister by example. Sunset, I'll be personally giving you daily swimming lessons along with your other classes."

"You saw the whole thing?"

"Mm-hmm. You were in no real danger. If you were, I'd have stepped in." Celestia gave a smile to her daughters. "I don't know about you two, but I could go for a nice snack. How does creme puffs and tea sound?"

"Delicious!", Twilight exclaimed. "Could I also have a nice fat rat and a couple of eggs?"

"So long as it doesn't spoil your dinner. Is there something special you'd like, Sunset?"

"I've never had ice cream before."

This elicited a surprised gasp from Twilight. "Never?!"

"Is there a flavor you'd like?"

"It comes in flavors?"

Celestia chuckled as she clapped her golden shoes together to summon a member of the palace staff.

Sunset gazed in amazement as Twilight unhinged her jaws and swallowed down a large rat and a pair of hard boiled eggs, with the shell still on them. "Gross! But neat!"

Twilight simply shot a sideways glance at her sister while the shapes of the rat and eggs slid down her throat.

"Nagas can't chew like the rest of us can, so they swallow their food whole. Eat your ice cream before it melts.

Sunset turned her attention to the slowly four scoops of ice cream in the bowl in front of her. Each scoop was a different flavor, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and pistachio. "Mmmmm!", she moaned out that the sweet, delicious coldness of each flavor.

*bzzvzzvzzvvzz!*

The deep thrumming buzz announced the arrival of a humming bird. It flitted out of bushes and hovered in the air in front of Sunset. She crossed her eyes to get a better look at it. The hummingbird was larger than the ones she had seen earlier flitting about the bushes. Its color was also different, being a brilliant golden yellow with a pair of feathers atop its head that looked like little rabbit ears. The hummingbird flitted back and forth in front of Sunset, then darted forward and perched on her snout. She giggled as it wiggled its little hummingbird tushy as it nestled down on the end of her snout.

"It looks like you've made a little friend.", Celestia said with a titter. "That is a greater sun bunny hummingbird." She extended a gold shoe to it and the humming bird flitted off Sunset's snout onto Celestia's golden shoe. She hummed out a series of musical notes and the hummingbird sang the notes back in a little squeaky voice. Then the hummingbird flitted off the shoe and away, back into the bushes.

"This is a most auspicious occasion. The first day when I brought Twilight home, a star sparrow perched on her head. So I nicknamed her Little Sparkling Star after that occasion.", Celestia said. "What to name you? What to name you?"

"Ooh! I know! I know!", Twilight said as she bounced excitedly.

"Don't leave me in suspense, my Little Sparkling Star."

"Let's call her Sunny Bunny!"

"Sunny Bunny? Sunny Bunny? Sunny Bunny. Hmm...", Celestia mused for a moment. "I like it! You are my Brilliant Sunny Bunny!"

"I like it too. It's better than...better than...*hsnf*" Sunset sniffled with a mixture of happiness and hurt.

Celestia pulled Sunset tighter with her wing for a hug. "Shh! Nopony will ever call you those hurtful names again. Now finish your ice cream...well it's now ice cream soup."

The trio shared a round of happy chortles as they finished their snacks.

Prologue ii- Growing together

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Sunset had been living at the palace for three months now. She had grown accustom to the comings and goings of ponies of all types in the castle, to the ebb and flow of her mother's work, to sights and the smells of the day-to-day. She loved her mother and she loved her sister.

Sunset was sitting at a table on one of the many verandas, enjoying the early morning sun before breakfast and morning classes.

*thump*

Sunset had heard the scraping of scales that signaled Twilight's arrival, however it was unlike her sister to bump into things. "Sparkling Star? Is that you? Everything okay?", she called out through the veranda door.

"Yeah, Sunny Bunny.", Twilight answered with a huff and a small hiss.

Sunset noticed that something was off about her sister's tone. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but she sounded, in a word...agitated.

*thump**bump**thunk**rattle-rattle-rattle-crash*

"Gah! C'mon! Where's that stupid door handle?", Twilight grumbled.

Sunset walked over to the veranda door and swung it open. "Are you sure you're--"

Twilight turning to face her sister cut off Sunset's words in her throat.

Sunset could only stare in dumbfounded shock at Twilight. Her eyes looked milky and the odd way the naga rocked screamed to her that her sister was sick...and blind. She bolted past her sister to find their mother.

Twilight turned in place several times, trying to find her sister. "Sunny Bunny? Sunny Bunny? Say something. I can't see much when I'm getting close to shedding." She snapped her head towards movement. "Sunny Bunny?"

"I'm sorry, but no, Lady Twilight.", a guard replied. "Lady Sunset has run to find help. Here let me guide you onto the veranda."

"Sunny Bunny went to find help? Aw poo! I had read about how to split my skin so mommy wouldn't have to help me out with this shedding."

"Maybe next year.", the guard said as he guided Twilight onto a sunny spot on the veranda.

Twilight decided to stretch out in the warm sunlight. It would help her skin to dry out so shedding it would be easier. She let out a yawn and stretched out.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!", Sunset frantically shouted as she ran down the hallways, sliding around bends and drifting around corners. There was something wrong with Twilight and there was nothing that could stop her in her quest to find their mother, so she could help her sister.

Sunset cast teleportation as she encountered groups of ponies that were too tightly packed for for her to weave through, winking out with a pop and a flash, then reappearing several strides past them. She did diving slides under furniture that the castle staff was carrying to other rooms and did leaping vaults over guard rails, bypassing early morning tourists, squads of patrolling guards and groups of palace staff clocking in for the morning shift or filtering out after getting off from working a night shift.

Sunset burst through the door in Celestia's office. "Mom!"

Raven Inkwell, who was currently having a soft conversation with the princess nearly leapt out of her skin when Sunset burst through the door. She held a hoof to her chest and slowed her breathing, forcing her pounding heart to slow down.

Celestia gently placed a draconic paw on her Majordomo's wither.

Raven gave the princess a reassuring nod.

"Sunset Shimmer, what is the meaning of this?", Celestia said sternly. "Bursting into my office and scaring Majordomo Inkwell nearly half to death?"

"It's Twilight, mom! I think she's sick! I think she needs your help!"

Celestia leaned forward, a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong with Twilight?"

"Her eyes, they're all milky! I don't think she can see! She was bumping into stuff and her balance is all messed up! It's like she doesn't know where anything is!"

Raven and Celestia each shared a knowing look. Celestia double checked the date on the calendar, just to be sure.
"My Brilliant Sunny Bunny, what you did was commendable. You believed your sister was in peril and came to find me. I assure you that your sister is quite well."

"So what's up with her eyes? Why are they cloudy and why is she bumping into everything?"

Celestia transformed into her alicorn form, donned her vestments and trotted out of the office. "Come along, my Brilliant Sunny Bunny. This is a perfect teaching moment.

Twilight had fallen asleep in the morning sun and was softly buzzing. There was a gentle rocking of somepony shaking her body and she coiled tightly on herself. The shaking started again. She mumbled something incoherent as she tucked her head under her coils.

"Yipe!" Twilight sprung upright at the sudden electrical shock that struck her tail. "Who?! What?! Where?! When?! Why?! How?!" She looked around, but the clouding of the skin over her eyes made it hard to see anything.

"My little Shimmering Star, you should have told your sister that your shedding had started.", Celestia said.

Twilight calmed down at the sound of her mother's voice. "I thought I did, mommy. I'm sorry."

Celestia sat down next to Twilight. "Is it possible that you thought you had told her, but instead were talking to thin air as she had run to come and find me because she thought you were sick?"

"Did you think I was sick, Sunny Bunny?"

Sunset scuffed her hoof on the ground. "Uh...yeah I did. I saw your eyes were cloudy and thought you have been stricken blind from what even made you sick."

"Aw! That's so sweet!" Twilight moved to try and hug her sister. "Wait...where are? No, that's not you."

"Here, let me." Sunset moved in close and wrapped her forelegs around her sister's serpentine form for a hug. Twilight partially coiled her body around her sister's neck, returning the hug.

Celestia cooed at her daughters hugging and wrapped her forelegs around them both in a big motherly squeeze. "Alright, my Little Sparkling Star. Are you ready to shed that old skin?", She asked parting from the hug.

"Uh-huh. But I wanna try to shed it myself. I've been reading on how big snakes shed their skin and seeing that I'm snake-like in shape, I thought I'd give it a try."

Celestia took a seat on a nearby bench and patted her draconic paw beside her. "Come sit next to me and watch your sister shed her skin." She got comfortable and then said, "Alright my little Shimmering Star, you may proceed when ready. But remember, there's nothing wrong with asking for help if you feel you need it."

Twilight hummed a little merry tune as she coiled up her body. With her tongue she prodded around until she found the metal leg of a table. Scraping her snout against the metal leg several times, she then started crawling across the ground very slowly. The dry skin split down the middle of her snout, spreading to her whole head. With a couple of deliberate shakes, she was able to free her head.

"Whoa! Nnnnneeeeeeeaaaaaaaaatttttt!" Sunset leaned forward as she watched her sister crawl out of her skin, leaving the empty remnant inside-out.

Twilight flicked her tail a few times to pull it free of her old skin. "Ah! That feels nice.", she said with a sigh.

Sunset trotted over to get a closer look at the empty skin her sister had shed. She looked up at Twilight's face. "Weird! You've got these square holes on your top lip, Shimmering Star."

Twilight looked at Sunset with an odd expression on her face. "Everything looks weird now. Sunny Bunny, you've got this weird energy coming out of you, looping around and looping back in. It's mostly concentrated around your horn and hooves."

"It seems that your magic sensory pits have finally matured, my little Shimmering Star.", Celestia said, her voice full of pride. She brushed a tear away with a claw. "My little naga is no longer a neonate and is growing up." She picked up the shed skin. "Now let's dispose of this." Taking in a breath, she sent out a puff of reddish flame that consumed the shed skin.

Sunset gave a questioning tip of her head.

"It's to prevent anypony from using her shed skin for nefarious purposes.", Celestia said with a smile. For a moment the corners of her mouth turned down. "Though I haven't been able to confirm whether or not the skin of her first few sheddings have been destroyed. She was such a tiny thing when I found her."

"How did you find Twilight, mom?"

Celestia sat down on a bench and took a breath. "It was nearly nine summers ago..."

Celestia was sitting down enjoying her late morning snack of tea and crumpets. After popping a crumpet into her mouth, she took a long sip of tea to wash it down. Then suddenly...

*boom*

A magical explosion rocked a portion of the middle district of the city, specifically in a specially reinforced district where magical and alchemical ingredients were sold. Celestia spat out the mouthful and tea and crumpet, and ran to the window, throwing it open. A lingering trail of vapor and smoke going across the sky heading west gave a clear indication where the disturbance originated.

Celestia noticed the guards standing on the palace walls were looking up and to the west. She leaned further out and craned her neck around. A strange flickering green object was nearing the western horizon. In just the few seconds since it first rocketed out, making such a noise that it brought her to her window, it must have been traveling at an insane speed.

Celestia ensured that her alicorn disguise was secured and summoned a contingent of guards. She needed to investigate the origin of this strange happening. Once a dozen guards had gathered, she stepped into their midst, summoned her magic and teleported.

Celestia and her guards materialized a dozen strides away from a two-story building that had a smoking hole in its second story west facing wall.

A tiny lavender snake quickly slithered up to Celestia, coiled itself around her leg and climbed up her until it reached her head, it then hid underneath the princess' mane.

Celestia quickly turned her attention back to the building as a clatter arose from it.

"I told Dan to leave it alone. Nagas are very powerful, even when they're hatchlings. But nooooo! He wouldn't listen and got himself blasted to Celestia knows where.", a harsh feminine voice. "Davy?! Have you found that little snake-pony yet?"

"No, Gretchen, I haven't. I'm still looking. It blew it's terrarium to bits with that blast.", a masculine voice replied.

"Maybe it got outside!", the feminine voice shouted. "Go outside and look!"

"Why don't you?!", the masculine voice shouted back. "I've gotta clean this mess up and make it look like a magical experiment went wrong before the royal guard gets here."

Celestia felt the naga tremble underneath her mane. She reached up and gently patted it. "Worry not, little one, you're safe here with me. I'll not let those bad ponies get you." She looked to a guard wearing lieutenant markings. "What is your name lieutenant?"

"Knightly Armor, my princesses."

"Very well, lieutenant Armor. Run to the nearest guard station, and summon the witch hunters and the investigators. We've got a case of dark magic users kidnapping sapient beings. Tell the watch captain there that I have ordered a broad net protocol."

Knightly Armor gave a sharp nod and ran as fast as his legs could carry them. He, just like every guard knew that a broad net protocol meant that every available guard was to scour the city, leaving no stone unturned, no crack or crevice uninspected, no matter how seemingly insignificant, and to canvas every street, boulevard, lane, parkway, walkway, driveway and alleyway with dozens of hourly patrols. It had been over a century since the last broad net protocol, and that was to bring down a powerful criminal cartel that had buried itself deep into Canterlot's underbelly.

The one that Celestia determined to be Gretchen, a unicorn mare with an odd horn deformation that gave it the appearance on an old gnarled root, a clear sign that she had been dabbling with dark magic, stepped out of a side door on the ground floor. Her eyes went wide upon seeing the princess with a contingent of guards and darted back inside. "Crap! Crap! Crap-crap-crap! Crappity-crap-crap-crap!", Gretchen shouted from inside. "The princess is already here! With a squad of guards!"

"What?!", shouted the masculine voice. "Not good! Not Good! Not Good!'

"Well don't just stand there dummy, do something to stall them!"

"Me!? Why not you?", Bob shouted. "I'm still upstairs!"

Celestia didn't need to make a gesture. The guards were already moving into place surrounding the building. Pegasi took flight, posting up outside the windows on the second floor and around the hole that had been blasted in the wall. Earth ponies began forming up at the doors, windows on the first floor as well as the cellar hatch. Unicorns began making magical barriers around the building as others started casting detection and scanning spells.

A guard sergeant stuck a hoof to his lips and gestured to a nearby building. A small team of guards moved to the building "Princess, we detect no hexigramatic traps, no obfuscating wards, no shields or active spells. There is a tunnel that is leading to that building." He gestured to the building where the small squad of guards were currently posted.

Celestia gave the sergeant a quick nod.

"Come out in the name of the princess!", the sergeant shouted. "Do not try to flee or fight back! We have already sent for the witch hunters and the investigators! You have ten seconds to comply!"

There was some clomping and thumping from inside the building for several seconds, then silence.

The sergeant gave a quick nod to the small squad of ponies who had been redirected to the nearby building. They smashed in the door and made rapid ingress into the building. "Breach!", he shouted.

Celestia stood beside her personal guard captain, a pegasus stallion named Iron Shoes, whose mane and tail had gone gray.

Unicorn guards fired small orbs through the windows that exploded into brilliant flashes of lights. Pegasi guards crashed through the upstairs windows and four dove in through the hole in the wall. Earth pony guards quickly kicked the doors to splinters or kicked through sections of walls to make passages inside. A pair of unicorns ripped the hatch off of the cellar, hurling it aside and a team of six earth ponies quickly rushed in, followed by four unicorns.

In seconds the guards were crashing through the different levels of the building. From upstairs there was the sounds of a struggle. From the neighboring building there was the sounds of a heated struggle followed by the crackle of magic. Gretchen came running out of the building, eyes wild with panic. Iron shoes pounced onto her in an attempt to capture her. Age had slowed his reactions slightly and she wriggled out of his tackle, only to be caught in a cloud of golden magic and forced down to her belly. She struggled only for a moment before Celestia's gaze cowed her into submission.

"Upper floor cleared!", a guard shouted. "We've got a prisoner!"

"Ground floor cleared!"

A unicorn came up from the cellar with a shocked expression on his face. "P-princess...it's...there's...I have no words."

Iron Shoes, clearly rattled by his failure to capture the fleeing mare, strode over to Gretchen and pulled out a set of hobbles and clapped them to her fetlocks. He then pulled out a restraining collar and secured it to her neck.

A pair of guards came out of the nearby building. "We're currently running a sweep of the building, but it looks like it's been abandoned for some time."

The guards drug a rare bat-winged pegasus, out of the first building a few moments later.

Celestia walked over to the open cellar. The sickly-sweet stink of decay, along with the foul vapors of dark and forbidden magic wafted out of the opening. The tiny naga that was hiding under her mane trembled. "Be calm, little one. You shall not go back into that building." She walked away from the building.

The guards quickly set about cordoning off the area, ensuring no civilians wanting lookie-loos or souvenirs could wander in. Gretchen and her accomplice were muzzled, just in case they knew any spells with spoken-only components, the former had a padded cap secured to her horn and the latter had clamps applied to his wings.

The clopping of hooves and rumbling of wheels indicated that lieutenant Knightly Armor had returned with a full company of guards. Gretchen and her accomplice were quickly shoved into a covered iron wagon with special restraining runes carved into the sides and heavy flat iron bars crisscrossing the windows. Ten witch hunters, with their odd black stovepipe hats, heavy black capes, black form-fitting padded armor, black beak-like masks with thick glass lenses, amulets and charms hanging around their necks, and belts of tools of differing sizes and lengths attached to their bodies, took up stations around the buildings. Eight investigators quickly took statements from the guards, they then entered into the buildings as the witch hunters descended into the cellar. A pair of investigators entered into the iron wagon, accompanied by two pairs of guards to perform a preliminary interrogation of the two prisoners. Their names were recorded as Gretchen and Bob, most likely aliases, but a more thorough interrogation using truth compulsion spells later would reveal any and all facts.

"Worry no more, little one. You are safe with me.", Celestia said to the tiny naga huddling under her mane. It crawled out from under mane and slithered up onto her snout. The tiniest purple eyes looked out from a tiny face covered in iridescent lavender scales and a miniscule horn jutting from it head stared into her rose-colored eyes. "Do you have a name, little one?"

The little naga gave the princess a confused look.

"No name? Pity. Such a pity that even in times like these, there are those who would treat such a magnificent being as yourself so cruelly and deny you a name." Celestia mused for a moment. "Your scales are the color of the sky at twilight and they sparkle so beautifully. Hmm. I shall name you Twilight Sparkle."

A smile spread across the tiny naga's mouth. It then slithered up to the top of the princess' head, curled up as it nestled into her mane, gave a tiny yawn and fell asleep. Celestia gave a coo as maternal instincts, the likes of which she had not felt in centuries, welled up inside of her.

"And so I had on my talons this little naga, only a few months hatched." Celestia held her draconic paws in a cupped manner as if she was cradling something. "I spent months trying to find her parents, but as nagas are very rare, so I could not find them. She was so tiny, so vulnerable. She hadn't even grown her mane yet and it would be another three summers before she'd grow her hood. So I had adoption papers written up and she became my daughter." She couldn't bring herself to tell Twilight that the witch hunters had found the remains of a naga family, most likely Twilight's hatching family, strung up around that basement. Their parts were probably being used in all sorts of foul rituals. She wouldn't have found Twilight, much less made her her daughter if it weren't for nagas propensity for wild and powerful magical surges, especially when stressed or scared.

"So what happened to those two ponies, Gretchen and Bob?", Sunset asked.

Celestia walked to the edge of the veranda and looked out to a black mountain in the distance. That was the place where those who committed the worst crimes were held until the end of all things. She then looked up to the skies, somewhere up there was the frozen corpse of Gretchen and Bob's co-conspirator orbiting the world, their body beached a palid white from the unshielded wrath of the heavens. She wouldn't tell her daughters that their biological families were the victims of nightmare cultists, not yet. Maybe...maybe when they were older and had proper training in the defense against foul magics. "They have been brought to justice and have been imprisoned for a very long time, but that's a story for another time. Let's go get breakfast. How does funny face pancakes sound?"

"Yummy!", Twilight exclaimed.

Celestia cooed at her daughters' costumes. Though Twilight had gone Nightmare Night trick-or-treating before, this was Sunset's first time.

Twilight wore a little black body stocking with cat ears on her head, whiskers on her face and little white paws sewn onto the costume. Sunset had gone with the classic Frankenpony's monster costume.

Celestia cooed and doted over her daughters as she snapped pictures with a camera. "Alright my little Shimmering Star, give me a cute meow!"

"Mew!"

Celestia practically melted at the cuteness as she snapped a picture. "Alright my bright Sunny Bunny, give me a fearsome moan!"

"Uh...moan?"

"You gotta do it like this, Lady Sunset. Mwraaaugh!" Shining Armor reared up on his hind legs and waved his forelegs about as he gave a beastly moan.

Knightly Armor cleared his throat and tapped the butt of his halberd on the ground.

"Oh, um sorry da--uh, sir. I was just trying to show Lady Sunset how to moan like Frankenpony's monster." A crimson blush spread on Shining's cheeks.

Celestia gave Knightly a nudge and cleared her throat. His son was young, barely eighteen summers old and was the youngest cadet so far to join the royal guard. He was certainly on the fast track to becoming a member of the elite family guard.

"Hrmm!", Knightly grumbled. It wasn't proper for a member of the guard, cadet or not, to behave in such a manner, but if the princess was willing to forgive his breach in protocol, then he'd let it slide...for now. Certainly when Celestia's daughters were safely back in the palace walls, he'd administer the proper punishment for a cadet, one hundred jumping jacks, one hundred push-ups and a five kilometer run.

"Okay, let's see if I got this right. *ahem* Bleeeeeuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrgh!" Sunset twisted up her face and stuck out her tongue as she did her best monster moan.

Celestia snapped a picture. "Oh my! What a ghastly monster you are!", she faux-quailed. She then handed her daughters each a plastic pail in the likeness of Jack o'Lanterns. "Now girls, I want you two to stay with private Shield and cadet Armor while you're out trick-or-treating. Only go up to homes that have their porch lanterns lit in neighborhoods that are well-lit. Do what your guards tell you, for they speak with my authority." She gave each of them a kiss then nudged them off into the night.

Celestia had vetted the neighborhoods that her daughters would be gathering candy in. They wouldn't be going to the stodgy neighborhoods that the nobles lived in, though superficially they'd be amenable to her daughters, she knew the elitist bigotry that dwelt in their hearts, and they would cast disparaging remarks disguised with honeyed words. No, her daughters would be going to personally selected working-class neighborhoods where the ponies had nothing to gain or lose by members of the royal family trick-or-treating, and they'd give out real candy, not this ghastly designer stuff those stuffed shirts called candy. There would also be a company of guards disguised as random Nightmare Night revelers walking the streets and two full flights of pegasi guards flying above them in night camouflage.

Once her daughters were out of sight, Celestia turned her attention to the moon, specifically to the dark portion in the shape of a unicorn's head. She knew that she wouldn't always be around to protect her daughters. In a little over a decade the seals that held her greatest monument to her own hubris would dissolve and her daughters would be alone in this world, so she constantly strived to make sure they developed a strong bond. To lean on one another for strength. She also had started to slowly teach them self-reliance. One day the darkness from her past would return and it would inevitably turn its attention onto them. But for now she was content with letting them be younglings. " Come back to me Luna and Chrissi. Forgive me for my past transgressions. There are things coming that your nieces will need you strength and wisdom to guide them through."

At the top of the Canterhorn stood a half-dragon silhouetted against the night sky looking down at Celestia in the palace courtyard. It had black scales with green highlights. It then turned its attention up to the moon for a moment. A second later its body dissolved in a swarm of locusts.

***

Twilight and Sunset had returned an hour ago from their night of trick-or-treating with their pails full of all sorts of candies and candied apples and caramel apples and other goodies. Celestia had plucked a few treats from their pails and gobbled them down, under the pretense of 'checking to make sure they were safe'.

Currently they were in Celestia's study huddled under a blanket, occasionally munching on bits of candy as a horror movie about a pony wearing a dirty green and red sweater, a dirty brown fedora and a hoof glove with four knife blades attached to it was stalking teenagers in their dreams and killing them.

"Ugh!", Raven exclaimed. "Why are you letting them watch A Nightmare on Mare Street, Celestia? That'll give them nightmares for a week, at least."

"Pssh! Maybe forty years ago when that movie was new. It's a lot better than those low budget ones made recently in the found footage style about ghosts where you can see the unicorn stage-hooves' auras moving the furniture around. Besides, it's Nightmare Night. All ponies like to get a little scared. Plus it allows me to participate in that oldest of Nightmare Night traditions, pranks!"

Sunset and Twilight shuddered under the as the protagonist was fleeing from the villain through a boiler room. Fillies in white dresses sang a spooky nursery rhyme in a droning tune as they skipped rope. Celestia held a paw over her snout as she slunk through the shadows of her study to keep from giggling. She stopped at the black board and waited for the right moment. Just as Pony Kreuger popped out from behind some steam pipes, brandishing his hoof-claws and lunged at Misty, Celestia used her magic to switch off the projector. The room fell into darkness.

"Wha haffen?", Sunset said around a mouthful of candy.

Celestia extended a claw to the blackboard and...

*skree*

Twilight and Sunset winced at the horrific screeching.

Celestia summoned up a fedora and placed it on her head. She struck a menacing pose with the talons on one paw extended and waited. She didn't have to wait long. Sunset and twilight both lit their horns, casting dim lavender and red light about the room. They saw a menacing wearing a fedora, looming with claws extended.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!" The two sisters scrambled over one another as they fled the room. "Pony Kreuger! Pony Kreuger!", they shouted, scurrying down the hall, drawing the attention of the guards, who simply shook their heads a moments as they softly chuckled. The guards knew of their princess' propensity for pranks, especially on Nightmare Night. The sisters fled to their mother's room.

*skree*

The horrible screeching of claws caused them to to turn their heads in fright, seeing the same looming, fedora-wearing, claw-brandishing figure again. They shrieked in fright and went to flee out of the room.

Celestia teleported in front of her daughters and flicked on the lights. "Boo!" This caused her daughters to yelp in fright. She quickly snapped a picture of their faces and exclaimed, "Got ya!"

Upon realizing they had been duped, Twilight and Sunset suddenly felt very foolish.

"I...uh...I knew it was you the whole time.", Sunset lied, trying to cover for her previous fright.

"Nuh-uh! You were just as scared as me!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Not!" "Too!" "Not!" Too!"

Celestia pulled the developing photo from the camera. "I got you both good. You should both see your faces."

Sunset's cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassment and she stomped out of the room. "Whatever. I knew it was you the whole time.", she grumbled under her breath. "Darn near made me pee myself.", she sighed once she was out of earshot of everypony.

Ten years passed and Sunset and Twilight had grown into young adults.

Sunset's horn now had a pair of antler-like forks, her crimson and gold curly mane had thickened to the point where it wrapped her head much like a lion's mane and the tuft at the end of her tail had grown out until it covered the lower tenth of it, looking like a crimson and gold flame frozen in place. Her teeth had grown until they were much thicker, going from the needle-like fangs to sharp dagger-like fangs in the front and pony-like teeth in the rear, her upper and lower canine teeth had grown in length, indicating she was an omnivore. Her kirin ability to intimately learn the ins and and outs of a spell that had been used on her had grown greatly. She had gained mastery over elemental magics, able to control fire, ice, lightning and wind with great precision. She also gained a mastery over mind magic, to the point where she could communicate telepathically with others, read their thoughts and see their emotions as auras when she focused her mana.

Twilight's hood had gained a row of downward-facing spines that gave her simultaneously a fearsome and graceful appearance when she spread it. Her mane had a short row of four backwards-facing spines. The six-pointed stars adorned her hood and scales down her body. She had grown a double pair of retractable fangs in her mouth. She had also gained just below her eyes a pair of sensory pits, that along with the square pits on her upper lip, allowed her to "see" magic and heat. At the tip of her tail she had a segmented rattle that would make a buzzing rattling sound when anxious. scared, upset or angry. At the base of her tail and hood she had grown a pair of rudimentary hook-like protrusions that allowed her to better physically manipulate her environment so she would have to rely solely on her mouth or magic to move things. Her naga ability to temporarily mesmerize individuals when deploying her hood, staring into their eyes and waving her upper body back and forth rhythmically had matured over the last few years. Her diligence in studying magic had given her an almost savant understanding of the deeper aspects of spell-craft.

Their personalities though similar in many ways, were also very different. Both shared a deep love of knowledge and books. Both had minds sharper than surgeons' scalpels. Both had the ability to inspire the best in others. Sunset was brash and bold, often speaking her mind loudly, not hesitating to spit verbal barbs that stung worse than fire hornets, especially at haughty nobles who rubbed her the wrong way, much to their chagrin. Twilight was much more socially withdrawn, preferring to bury herself in the studies of ancient tomes, especially ones that contained history of pre-classical Equestria and esoteric spells. She was not above unleashing lectures at those whom earned her ire, often laced with veiled insults.

Both were adventurous and inquisitive.

Sunset was boisterous, taking much pleasure in fencing, hoofball, martial arts and other athletic events. She had taken to carousing with the enlisted ponies of the EUP, often going to bars and bawdy houses where cheap beer and rot-gut whiskey flowed like water, creating a ruckus and more often than not getting her self into trouble when fights broke out. Much to the chagrin of the noble she had also taken to attending "commoner entertainment" such as the new skateboard competitions and profession wrestling events where athletes in imitation of ancient gladiatorial spectacles would perform highly stylized mock fights for the cheers and boos of the fans, even receiving personally autographed photos of many of the superstars, such as Hulk Hoofin, Macho Mare, Dusty Roads, The Underzebra, Broken Heart and Stomp. She was also musically inclined, taking to the new-ish electric guitar, imitating nearly perfectly controversial bands such as Iron Mare, Ponytera, ZWA, Hoofrot, Slipclop and Maretallica.

Twilight was often attending lectures of the greatest minds. She would sit in lecture halls, listening intently to the newest discoveries in the mundane sciences and new philosophical ideas from great thinkers. She had taken great interest in astrophysics and the new science of rocketry. She had submitted to peer-reviewed scientific journals studies that had greatly advanced the ideas in the understanding of the mundane universe. She even had two astrophysical principles named after her, The Twilight Constant based on hr submitted observations that most thought were dust clouds or nebulae that turned out to be galaxies moving towards or away from the observer based on the red-shift or blue-shift of their light and the Twilight Limit when a collapsing star would become a black hole, something that was entire hypothetical until she and the famous paralyzed griffon astronomer, Professor Hawk, had jointly submitted their work proving they exited. She would also frequently attend poetry slams where clove cigarettes and middle-shelf wine was aplenty, clubs where experimental jazz was played, and debate halls, all things that Canterlottian nobles thought was below the station of a daughter of Celestia.

Both had also taken on their mother's habit of pulling pranks, much to their mother's delight.

***

Today was the day of Sunset and Twilight's coronation. A day when they would be given the titles of duchesses, titles that moved them up from minor nobles to major nobles. Titles that brought much privileges and responsibilities.

Celestia had taken it upon herself to get her daughters ready for their coronation ceremony. She might as well be herding cats, in fact herding cats might be easier. She found her daughters in the historical section of the library. They were currently pouring over a passage from a one thousand year old codex called 'Portents and Omens'. She knew that passage well, it was an old prophesy she had personally written down after the events of that dread day, that day when she was forced to banish one sister and drove a wedge between herself and her other sister. 'On the longest day of the thousandth year the moon will appear in the noon-sky, the sun shall turn black. The bonds will break and the nightmare that stole flesh will walk the land once again. The locusts will buzz. The sun shall fall. From flight ancient spirits will awaken. They will lay bare the sins of the elder. When the eight gather then shall the split that fractured the whole will be rejoined. They will heal the ancient wounds and redeem the wronged. The eight shall bring the three together, and in flame and colorful light will the Nightmare of the Moon will be banished.'

Twilight looked up from the ancient codex and to Celestia. "Mom! I found this old codex. The writing looks...familiar. I've come across in this book several mentions of a...pony?...I'm not really sure as many of the pages were damaged...but the same names pops up several times. You, Luna, Chrysalis, Nightmare Moon, eight souls, eight gems...but only seven are named, honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness, laughter, love, courage. But it mentions that one soul was sundered and one gem was split. It's all in odd cryptic prose. Then this prophesy...or is it a portent?...doesn't really matter. But it also mentions a nightmare that stole flesh. But this line is really odd, Nightmare and Moon are used in a proper context."

"Yeah.", Sunset said in a concerned tone. "Normally I'm not big on old prophesies, but when Twilight showed me this book, it struck me as odd. Almost as if it called to me. Did you used to have two sisters? Luna and Chrysalis? Were they hald-dragon like you or were they ponies? What happened to them?"

Could it be? The sundered soul was thrust into my paws and I never noticed? Could the souls of our champions come back? Celestia walked over to her daughters and closed the ancient codex. "For now let's put aside this dusty old tome. Today is a day of celebration. Today is the Summer Sun Celebration and your dual coronations. Once the events here are done, there is a town in the valley below I want you to visit. I have an old manor there I haven't gone to for some time."

Celestia pointed to a map on the wall. "Ponyville."

"Ponyville?", Sunset asked.

Twilight ducked her head. "H-have we done something to make you mad? Are you sending us away?"

"Quite the contrary my little Shimmering Star and my brilliant Sunny Bunny. I cannot be more proud of you both than I am now. My daughters whom I love more than my own life. The ones I would crawl through broken glass and barbed wire for. Ponyville is a quiet little farming town, mostly earth ponies. But it is home to many beings similar to yourselves. I think it will do you both some good to get out of Canterlot for a little while. Worry not, for I will join you both there when things here are done. I will tell you all the things I know of where you both came from. Now come along, the seamstresses need to get you both in your coronation gowns."

***

Celestia sat on her throne as the elaborate dual coronation ceremony comensed. Dread filled her heart, but the face of her alicorn form was the practiced calm and serene mask of court. As her daughters approached the dais, she cast a wary glance out the window. The sun was moving towards the noon precipice. The moon, black as pitch, was drifting across the sky towards the sun.

Celestia took a breath, then she heard it. The droning of locust wings. "Crissi, welcome back. Luna will be joining us soon.", she whispered.

As noon neared, trumpeters raised their horns and sounded the coronation tune. Sunset and Twilight reached the base of the dais. the former knelt and the latter lowered her upper body. Majordomo Raven Inkwell raised a twin pair of silver circlets in her magic. Celestia walked down the steps of the dais, raised a golden shoe and tapped her daughters on the heads. "Behold! Ladies Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle are no more! Long live duchesses Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle! May they reign with integrity and honor!"

Raven lowered the circlets onto the newly coronated duchesses head. She raised a hoof and shouted in a loud voice, "Hip-hip!"

"Hurrah!", the gathered assembly shouted back.

"Hip-hip!" "Hurrah!" "Hip-hip!" "Hurrah!"

Celestia took a deep breath, swallowed deeply and spread her wings in a regal display. The time was nigh! She strode out to the balcony. The gathered thong of ponies cheered. Deep purple banners and pennants bearing a gold sun standard fluttered in the breeze. A golden, stylized sun was raised on a pole above the highest spire of the palace.

A cloud of locusts flew in on loud thrumming wings. They swarmed to the balcony.

"Welcome home, Chrysalis.", Celestia said calmly. "I hope your travels went well and you come in friendship."

The sky went dark and ponies looked up, then shouted in alarm. An inky black cloud slowly descended from the sky. A pitch black lightning bolt fired from the cloud and struck the stylized sun atop the highest spire, sending it tumbling down. Ponies screamed in fright and stampeded away in all directions.

Celestia shed her gold adornments and assumed her half-dragon form. "Welcome home, Luna. I will not fight you for my sake."

Escape

View Online

Lieutenant Shining Armor was moving through the hidden passageways that honeycombed the palace. With it being both the Summer Sun Celebration and the coronation of the two sisters, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, security was heightened. He knew that at the top of the hour the two sisters would be coronated, then Princess Celestia would move out to the balcony for the noontime ceremony would commence where Celestia would fly up high in the sky, being silhouetted by the sun and put on a magnificent display. It was a day of celebration and cheer, but it was also a day of security and logistical nightmares...especially today.

Shining scowled under the guard of his helmet as he recalled reading the security briefing this morning that came in from the intelligence ponies.

Unknown and unidentified half-dragon spotted near the palatial grounds. When approached by security detail and ordered to identify itself, it simply vanished. According to the guard ponies being debriefed, it simply "dissolved into thousands of bugs and flew away". If seen attempt to identify and place a tracking tag on it. At approximately oh-three-hundred-forty-five there was a report to the local constabulary about a fight in midtown. When the constables responded, they encountered two groups of unidentified ponies, numbering thirteen in total. When the constables attempted to disperse the combatants, they were attacked. Two constables were reported injured, none life-threatening. The local constabulary quickly relayed what happened to a local guard station. An initial flyby by a pegasus scout reported that nightmare cultists and shadow cultists appeared to be having some sort of territorial dispute. When two eight guard teams moved into the area, the combatants had seemingly vanished. Evidence of a small-scale, but intense magical fight was documented. Magical burns to sections of walls and roadway, patches of blood, but no bodies or injured individuals were discovered. Initial sweeps turned up residue of dark magic, a single pouch of a black crystalline substance and an onyx ceremonial dagger were found and identified. Reports of unidentified ponies sighted near the passageway leading to the northwest tower were reported by cleaning staff at oh-five-fifteen, but a sweep by security ponies turned up no sign of intruders

Shining Armor didn't like those reports. He didn't earn his lieutenant rank by being a captain's son and resting on his laurels, unlike Blueblood did. He had earned it by being vigilant, showing initiative when threats revealed their ugly head, and by acting above-and-beyond what was needed for a pony of his station and rank. He was very soon to receive a promotion to the elite Family Guard, all he needed was a letter of commendation from his ranking officer and the approval from the princess. He'd put in a request for his commanding officer to review his file and determine if he was eligible for a letter of commendation, but that was something for future Shining Armor to worry about. Present Shining Armor was currently moving to a secret door that was equidistant to both Celestia's throne and the throne room's main balcony. There was a gut feeling gnawing at him, something was off and he couldn't quite put a hoof on it.

Knightly Armor stepped out of a side passage and gestured to his son. "Lieutenant Shining Armor, there's something I need you to see."

Shining paused and looked over at his father. "Captain? Is this something you need a member of the Sol Guard for help? Isn't this a matter for the Family Guard?"

***

The Royal Guard was made up of five different units, all separate from the Family Guard. The Sol Guard, an all-unicorn regiment and the oldest of the guard regiments, was composed of individuals who were highly skilled in defensive magic or disabling magic, who were the original protectors of Princess Celestia. The Jet-Stream Guard, an all-pegasus regiment who served as scouts and fast reaction specialists. The Wild Wood Hunters, an all-earth pony regiment that was the newest regiment of the royal guard, having formed three hundred years ago when a group of bounty hunters that operated near a forest outside of Whinyapolis called the Wild Wood lent assistance to Princess Celestia after her chariot was downed by a wild weather phenomenon called a storm burst. The Billhooks, the oldest guard regiment, right after the Sol Guard, who were originally formed by a civilian militia armed with billhooks and other farming implements after the Moon Revolt, helping protect the princess' procession up to the Canterhorn from bandits and nightmare cultists after she was forced to abandon her old home in the Everfree Valley. And the Witch Hunter Union, the smallest of the royal guard regiments who specializes in hunting down and capturing or eliminating practitioners of the dark arts, dangerous magical beasts, and documenting and containing or destroying dark artifacts. The Family Guard pulls from the best of the best of the five previous regiments, whose job is to protect the princess, her daughters and their personal residences.

***

Knightly Armor gave a frown at his son. "Don't make me pull rank on you, colt. You know the guard treatises as well as I do. Right now it is a request, don't make me make it an order. There's something you should see." He gestured down the hallway he had just come from.

Shining sighed and followed his father. They wound through passages, down, down, down through the palace. The blocks slowly gave way from the polished marble to the rough cut stones that dated to before the palace, when it was a small unicorn fort that contained the old vaults that now served as crypts for the ancient families. It was rumored that some of the vaults contained the remains of the founders and the pillars of Old Equestria, as well as the remains of the original eight champions who threw down the tyrant.

Knightly Armor slid a stone door to one of the old vaults. Musty air rushed out. "It's in there.", he said with a gesture.

Shining readied his spear and walked through the door. Light spilled though the doorway, allowing him to see around the vault. It was small, much smaller than the dozen or so he'd seen in history books. In the walls were four hutches that were carved out of the living stone, they were deep enough for two ponies each, but there was nothing in those hutches. No moldering burial shrouds, no bones slowly decaying into dust, no mummified remains. It looked like whoever had carved those hutches wound up never using them. On the back wall was an altar carved out of the living stone, on it was a massive and ancient earthenware urn, and something out of place, a rolled up scroll made of new parchment.

Shining walked over and levitated the scroll. Unrolling it, he looked it over. It was a map of all of the secret passageways in the castle, it looked like it was ripped out of several books and pasted to the scroll. "Who would put this here?", he asked slowly turning around, studying the scroll. "Was this done by the tress--HEY!"

The door slid shut. With a thud it was closed tight and with the click-clacking of ancient locking mechanisms, it was sealed.

"Forgive me son.", Knightly said softly after the door was sealed. "I can't have you dying for what I'm about to do. I found out almost ten years ago that not only was Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis real, but they're Celestia's sisters. After I confronted the princess about, she only asked me to do one thing, not protect her, not protect the palace, their residences, the throne room or the royal vestments, just ensure her daughters escape. You're clever and will find the passage out of there. Celestia locked me in on just like this, only the hutches were full of decaying skeletons and I found my way out after three days. You'll get out quicker than I did."

Knightly Armor turned and left the sealed vault with his son inside. He had orders to give the to the members of the other five regiments he trusted the most to take a company worth's of guards and disperse throughout the city, and protect the civilians at all costs. The Family Guard would stand, and on need be, die to protect Sunset and Twilight.

Shining hurled himself at the door, throwing his shoulder in it, trying to break it down. He then tried bucking the door down. He then tried using the spear to pry the door open. He tried using his magic to wedge the door open or blast it down. When all failed, he plopped on his haunches in defeat.

"You sunuva...", Shining screamed as he ripped his helmet off and hurled it at the door. He then took to examining the scroll. He noticed that the pages glued to it were from different books that were different ages, some older, some younger, based on their yellowing and the font of the numbering at the corners. He studied the way the pages were expertly laid out, making an in depth map. It must have taken Celestia centuries concealing these old drawings throughout the various tomes. He noticed a single X that was drawn on a single vault, indicating which one he was in. "You crafty old mule-headed..." He took a moment to look around the vault. "Okay, if I'm reading this right, then I'm here and there should be a passage behind the altar. I just have to...oops!" He accidentally knocked over the old earthenware urn.

It landed on the floor with a clattering crash. Moldering bones, bleached white with age, spilled across the stone floor, along with the urn fragments. Eight gems of differing colors also bounced across the floor.

"Uh...sorry about that.", Shining apologized to the long dead ponies. "Here, let me gather you all up and put you somewhere more comfortable." He gathered up the shattered remains of the large earthenware urn and gently laid them in one of the hutches, in the hopes whatever was going was over, he could have some historians restore this priceless artifact from ancient Equestria. He then gathered up the bleached bones, noticing that each of the skulls had a symbol carved into their forehead. He reverently placed each skull into the hutch beside the urn fragments, then placed the bones by the skulls, hoping that by some bit of dumb luck, he had put the right bones with the right pony. He levitated the gems and took note that the symbol carved on each gem corresponded to a symbol carved into the foreheads of the skulls. He placed each gem next to the skull that had the proper symbol.

As Shining was inspecting the altar for some way to open the passageway behind, he failed to notice the empty sockets of all eight skulls glowed with a pale light. The gems glowed with a faint light, floated upwards and phased through the ceiling of the vault.

Knightly Armor made it back to the throne room just as the sky started to darken. With a quick nod, he sent a silent order to the Family Guard. Several of them moved to hidden doors around the throne room, others moved closer to the two sisters.

The hour of Nightmare Moon's vengeance was at hand. With a shrieking war cry she burst out of the black nimbus that cloaked her form. Hate burned in her eyes and her soul as she locked eyes on her elder sister Celestia, who was standing on the balcony looking straight up at her, materializing nearby was her younger sister Chrysalis...NO! They were not her sisters! They were that weakling Luna's sisters! Screaming wind tore past her ear fins and across her scales. Foaming slather streaked backwards from the corners of her mouth, pulled by the rush of wind as she descended upon her quarry.

Celestia quickly shed her alicorn form, needing her unrestrained half-dragon might to restrain her sister just long enough for her daughters to escape. Sucking air, she unleashed a challenging roar to the nightmare that was currently holding her sister's form hostage.

Just as Chrysalis finished materializing, Nightmare Moon, her scales as black as the moors on a moonless night, slammed into Celestia.

Having one thousand years of preparation under her talons, Celestia rolled with impact and tumbled with the nightmare off the side of the balcony.

The two impacted onto the cobblestone covered ground with great force. Cracks spiderwebbed from their rough landing.

Nightmare Moon, being all wrath and fury, was the first to recover. "Behold!", she shouted, rearing to stand on her hand legs and spreading her forelegs wide. "Behold! Behold! The monument to your princess' hubris made flesh!"

Curling her hind legs under her, Celestia kicked out with her might. "One thousand years later and you still seek to grandstand.", she muttered bitterly. She then turned her attention up to her youngest sister still on the balcony. "Do not sit there like a bump on a log! Do what you have come here for and do it quickly!"

Sunset and Twilight turned their attention towards the balcony.

"That sounded like mom!", Twilight exclaimed.

"C'mon, Shimmering Star! She wouldn't roar like that unless there was danger!", Sunset exclaimed back. "We need to help her!"

Ponies of the Family Guard surrounded the two sisters and started dragging off to one side of the room.

"Unhoof me!", Sunset shouted. "What's the meaning of this?!"

Twilight tried to wriggle and slither and squirm out of the grip of the guards, only to be encased in a magic bubble. She lit her horn and cast a spell to crack open the magic bubble, only for more of the Family Guard to add their magic to it.

"Do not struggle, my duchesses.", Knightly Armor said. "We are following your mother's orders. We are to ensure that you both get away safely."

Several of the Family Guard opened the secret door that led to a hidden passageway. The Family Guard shoved the two sisters inside the passageway.

"Remember what your mother told you. Flee to Ponyville and hide there.", Knightly Armor said through the doorway. "Follow the southern passage until you come to a waterfall. There you will find supplies. Make all haste to Ponyville."

"What will you do?", Twilight asked.

"I will do all in my power to ensure you both safely get away, even if it means my life.", Knightly Armor replied. "Now quickly, go! Every second you delay is a second wasted!" She slammed the door shut, shoved a key into the lock and twisted it, engaging the lock. He then swallowed the key.

Chrysalis, a ripple passed through her black scales with green highlights as she regarded her eldest sister's words, though she still harbored ill will towards Celestia, the white half-dragon had a way of knowing things. She had spent years spying on her sister and knew that she had taken on a naga and a kirin as her adopted daughters. Though Nightmare Moon was the result of Celestia's hubris, something she would pay for, those two didn't deserve the wrath of the nightmare. She pushed open the door that led from the balcony to the throne room and walked in.

The Family Guard formed up ranks and leveled their halberds at the half-dragon, making a wall of bodies and blades. "Halt!", Knightly Armor shouted in challenge. "You shall not step one more paw into the throne--huh?!"

Chrysalis simply rolled her eyes at the guards who were blocking her path. She didn't even bother to listen to the words of the captain, just simply transformed into a swarm of locusts and flew past them.

The family guard quickly recovered from the surprise of the half-dragon essentially phasing past them, repositioned to in front of her, reformed ranks to block her path again. "Halt! You shall not go any--Oh for crying out loud!"

Chrysalis hissed out an annoyed sigh and bounded over the guards that had moved to block her path again.

Knightly Armor summoned up his magic and cast a blink. He reappeared in front of the half-dragon, huffing and puffing. Teleportation wasn't his specialty and it took a lot out of him. He was going to do everything to impede this half-dragon until he was sure Celestia's daughters were safely away.

Chrysalis took a moment to regard this captain. "I must say, there is strength greater than Iron in your soul for one such as you to not yield to a sister of Celestia. Now move out of my way."

Knightly Armor, though he was winded from casting the blink spell, refused to give ground. He squared his stance and leveled his halberd. "No."

"I was not asking."

"The answer is still no."

"Very will, if you will not move of your volition, then you will move of my volition." Chrysalis reached out with a paw, grasped the guard by his gorget and flung him aside.

Knightly Armor flew through the air, slammed into the floor and tumbled across the room, his armor clattering. He came to a stop several body lengths away and with a groan, consciousness fled him.

Moving to the door that led to Celestia and her daughter's personal wing, Chrysalis paused at the sounds of the armor clattering behind her. She turned her head to look at the Family Guard forming up ranks behind her. "Unless you want to suffer the same fate as your captain, you will allow me to pass. I am not here to accost you or cause harm to the royal family's abode. I am simply trying to delay the nightmare's discovery of my nieces. You can follow me, but do not impede me or I will move you out of my way by force."

Celestia and Nightmare Moon tumbled across the palace grounds as they wrestled. Pinning the white princess to the ground, Nightmare Moon hefted Celestia over her head and hurled her away.

Carried by the throw's momentum, Celestia tumbled into the bushes and slipped away down one of the many paths the gardeners used to tend the many gardens, hedge mazes and shrub sculptures. She quickly positioned to where she could observe the nightmare unseen.

Nightmare Moon blew a gout of shadow wreathed flames into the bushes where Celestia has disappeared in to, turning them into ash. "I know you can see me and hear me, Celestia.", she bellowed. "You cannot run from your own hubris! Fight me!" She paused, listening and watching. When the white half-dragon refused to reappear, a wicked grin split her lips. She curled her fist and extended a single claw. "Oh, I see what's going on here. You don't wish to harm your dear sister's body. The sister whom you neglected. The dear sister who came to you in tears because of her nightmares and bad dreams. The same dear sister you sent away to live in that drafty tower when her emotional outbursts started to disrupt your gilded galas. The same sister who cried all alone many a night and gave herself to me? And in your hubris you thought you could use the soul-bound gems to banish me? Now you think to hide like a rabbit in the undergrowth from the punishment of your own hubris."

"Don't you dare.", Celestia whispered. She glanced up at the eclipsed sun and silently cursed. If she could stall for a few more minutes, the moon would move just enough to let enough light to weaken the nightmare slightly, a few minutes it looks like she no longer has.

Nightmare Moon placed the claw to her own throat. "If you won't come forth and pay the pennance for your own hubris, then maybe I shall take my pound from Luna's body. Wouldn't you just love that, Celestia? Another block added to your monument of hubris." She began to press the claw into her own neck.

Celestia stepped out of her hiding place. "You win, Nightmare. I surrender." She looked into the hateful eyes that burned like twin turquoise flames of hate. Her eyes stung with tears. "Please, Luna, find it in your heart to forgive me." With that she laid on her belly.

Nightmare Moon sneered as she looked down on the white half-dragon. She prepared to summon chains to bind the white half-dragon when she balked. Something deep in her soul moved, almost like it was reaching out for Celestia.

Celestia felt it too. She looked up at the nightmare made flesh and said, "I'm sorry, Luna. I know it's been too long coming and may be too late. I know I sent you away and drove a wedge between myself and Chrisi. Forgive an old fool who only cared for how others saw her."

Deep inside Nightmare Moon, Luna thrashed and flailed, trying to break free. The part this beast could not kill, that it could not touch, her love, fueled Luna in her struggle to be free. As the nightmare fought back against the younger half-dragon's soul, its wrath and fury dwindled for only a moment, then erupted into a conflagration of unbridled hateful rage.

"ENOUGH!", Nightmare Moon roared. She summoned chains of blazing shadows and bound Celestia tightly in them.

Celestia wheezed as the chains crushed the air out of her.

Chrysalis was currently picking through Celestia's personal chambers. She paused and smiled at the pictures of Sunset and Twilight when they were still young. She picked up a single picture of Celestia and her two daughters, cake batter and frosting were smeared on their faces as they were in mid laughter. Then she felt a surge. "Ah, it appears your hold on my sister's soul is not so complete." She passed stacks of pictures to members of the Family Guard. "Hide these or destroy them, it matters not. Do what you must to conceal from the nightmare the existence of my nieces."

Chrysalis quickly hurried out into the hallway. She didn't have time to properly conceal Sunset's and Twilight's rooms. Kicking down the doors to their rooms and belched in flames. All of Twilight's belongings were turned to as, but Sunset's seemed to be mostly untouched by the flames. She didn't have time to figure out why, instead she grabbed ahold of the buttresses in the ceiling of the room and tore them down with all of her might. Rubble and dust rained down about the half-dragon, burying her.

The Family Guard looked on stunned at what just happened.

Chrysalis pulled herself out from the rubble, coughing the dust from her lungs. "Go!", she shouted, pointing a dust-covered claw. "Hide or destroy those pictures then protect the civilians!"

Sunset and Twilight ran down, down, down, down through the passage way. The smell of water filled their noses and the roar of a waterfall filled their ears. Soon they came upon where the passageway ended, a waterfall forming a curtain of white water over the entrance. There as the guard captain had said were several packs of supplies. The two quickly looked through the packs, inside was a tent, along with several days worth of food and water, along with some fire making supplies and a couple of knives.

"How are we supposed to get down?", Sunset asked. "There isn't any rope or other climbing supplies."

Twilight hemmed and hawed for a few minutes. "We're going to have to free climb down the side."

Sunset strapped the supplies to her body.

The sound of hooffalls caught the attention of the two sisters and they froze as they looked back the way they had come down the passageway.

Four ponies wearing dark robes were walking down the passageway. Tendrils of smoky shadows billowed out from under their robes.

"Stupid sun-worshipers. Thought they could lock us in the pantry like that and not think we'd find that secret door?", the first pony said.

"Now we just gotta find the way out of this cockamamie maze of tunnels and halls.", the second one said. "I'm sure her dark eminence will like to know about these."

"We just gotta hope no shadow cultists found their way into the palace either.", the third one said. "I heard they don't wash their plots in bathtubs like regular ponies neither. I heard they scrub their plots with snow and--"

"Hold up.", the fourth one said. "Lookie-loo what we got here. A kirin and a naga. Weren't those the two that the white one was making princesses or something?"

Sunset and Twilight gulped.

"Ah, yes. I think her dark eminence will reward us nicely if we bring her--YIPE!"

*crackle* *ka-boom*

The four jumped backwards in fright when a bolt of red magic struck the wall near them, causing a section to explode.

"Run!", Sunset yelled and jumped out into the waterfall.

Twilight jumped behind her.

Nightmare Moon dragged the bound form of Celestia into the palace.

Chrysalis barely had enough time to get into the throne room. She looked at the still unconscious form of Knightly Armor and spat a silent curse when the doors burst open.

Nightmare Moon hurled Celestia's bound form through the air, causing it to land unceremoniously before the dais.

Nightmare cultists shoved terrified castle staff and bound guards into the throne room, and bowed before the nightmare made flesh.

"My dark queen. This is what of the staff and guards we could find.", a cultist with an intricate silver pattern on the hem of his robes said. "There are reports from other squads that they're chasing guards through the passages that are honeycombing the palace."

Nightmare Moon summoned a new chain and began stringing Celestia's bound up from a high buttress. "For your sake, they had better be dealt with in a timely matter."

Once Nightmare Moon had finished hoisting Celestia up, she turned to face the throng of nightmare cultists and imprisoned ponies. "Behold, ponies of Canterlot! Your rightful queen has returned!" When none but the cultists cheered, she put on a faux hurt expression. "What?! Does not my crown count any more? Oh how I've longed to see your sun-loving faces!"

A quatro of four nightmare cultists, their robes covered in dust, stormed into the throne room and bowed. "Many apologies, my dark queen! We were lost in the passages in the castle when we encountered a naga and a kirin. They were the ones who she was crowning as princesses shortly before your arrival. One of them blew up a section of the wall and escaped. We think they went over the waterfall."

Nightmare Moon tapped a claw to her lips. "Hmm...what have you been up to, Celestia? Who are those two? And why were you crowning them as princesses?" When Celestia refused to answer, she flicked a paw at her. "Bah!"

Suddenly Nightmare Moon flinched in pain. "Augh! The sun has come out from behind the moon! Block the windows!"

Sunset tumbled head over hooves as the current spun her around and around. She lost any sense of which way was up and struggled to untie the knots on the packs that were weighing her down.

Twilight surfaced. "Sunny Bunny? Sunny Bunny? Sunset?" She took a breath and stuck her head back under the water, seeing her sister struggling with the packs tied to her body. Popping her head back up, she took in another lungful of water and dove down.

As Sunset struggled with the packs, her lungs burning, she felt a mouth go over her snout and blow some air in. This slight respite helped the burning sensation in her lungs. She continued to struggle with the knots.

*thunk*

Twilight saw Sunset's head hit a rock and her body go ragdoll. Her sister's limp body was dragged down by the weight of the waterlogged packs as the current dragged her across the bottom. She struggled with the knots before the need for air drove her to the surface.

Twilight broke the surface, gulped down a quick lungful of air and dove downwards again. She struggled with the knots for a moment before fishing into the packs. She found one of the knives, wrapped her tail around it and pulled it free.

Once the last of the packs were free from Sunset's body, Twilight wrapped the lower half of her body around her sister's and swam for the surface. Breaching the surface, she swam hard and fast for the shore, dragging her sister with her.

Twilight heaved herself and Sunset onto the shore. She quickly checked her sister over, she wasn't breathing. "Come on! Breath! Breath!" She coiled her body around Sunset and constricted.

*hakgh*

With gurgling coughs, Sunset expelled the water from her lungs and sucked in air.

The two sisters dragged themselves further up the bank and draped their bodies across along the ground. They looked up as the moon began to move from in front of the sun.

"We need to get out of here.", Sunset said. "Where was it mom said we were supposed to go?"

"Ponyville.", Twilight answered. "I don't know how long it will take as I was forced to cut the supply packs away so I could get you out of the river."

"It's south of Canterlot, so we go south."

The two sisters took one last longing look back up at the city atop the Canterhorn, not knowing if they'll ever see home or their mother again, then turned away to the south to begin their long trek.

As evening set in, a dozen unicorns used their magic to push the sun below the horizon, even though it breatly drained them as Nightmare Moon would not let Celestia do her heavenly duty.

Nightmare Moon was walking through the hallways of the palace. She thought on how it appeared that Celestia's study had been recently ransacked, and there were those two rooms. One had been scorched with fire until nothing identifiable and the other had been collapsed recently. "What are you trying to hide, Chrysalis?" She paused and turned to a cultist standing guard in the hallway. "Bring me Chrysalis." The cultist bowed deeply and ran to complete the order.

Chrysalis was currently flying away from Canterlot to the south as a swarm of locusts. It would only be a matter of time before Nightmare Moon found out about Celestia's two daughters. She needed to find them before the nightmare made flesh found out.

***

Knightly Armor was currently sitting in a room bound to a chair. Nightmare Moon was pacing back and forth.

"Tell me what you know about that naga and kirin, captain."

"Nagas and kirins are two dragon-descended tribes of ponies. It is said that because the dragon blood runs stronger in their veins, they are much more magically attuned than some of the other tribes of ponies."

"I did not ask for a classroom lecture on them, captain. What do you know about that naga and kirin that were coronated by Celestia earlier today?"

"The naga and kirin tribes are much more closely related to the selkie, dryad and draconequis tribes, than to the unicorn, pegasus and earth tribes. All tribes in Equestria are descended from half-dragons, except for the crystal tribe. It is said the crystal tribe is descended from half-elementals that used to dwell in the Frozen North."

Nightmare Moon backhanded Knightly across his mouth. "The kirin and the naga! Tell me what you know! And not some classroom lecture!"

Knightly Armor licked across the split in his lips. "Kirins are wrongfully called lizard-ponies or deer ponies due to their scales and the fork in their horn. Nagas are wrongfully called snake-ponies because of their serpent-like features--"

"Enough!" Nightmare Moon brought her claws up to the captain's throat. "If you won't tell me what I want to know, I'll have to simply drag it out of you."

A nightmare cultist burst into the room carrying a charred book. "My queen, while my ponies were investigating a disturbance in the incinerators, we encountered a pony throwing things in them. They fled when we approached them. A search of the incinerators turned this up."

Nightmare Moon took the book and opened it up. "Well, well, well! What do we have here?" She pulled out several pictures of Celestia with Twilight and Sunset. "It seems that Celestia knew this kirin and naga." She flipped a few pages. "Oh, and look what I've found!" She pulled out a pair of birthday pictures. "It seems your sun princess adopted those two as daughters. My, my, my! Well we can't have her two heirs running around, now can we? I wonder where they could have run off to? Maybe it's the same place Chrysalis has gone, eh captain?" She leaned in close to Knightly Armor. "You wouldn't happen to know where they've gone, would you?"

Knightly Armor spat in the nightmare's eye. "Rut you!"

As the nightmare cultist went to rush forward, Nightmare Moon held out a paw to stop them as she flicked the spit from her eye. "Tsk tsk tsk! Such unbecoming behavior for one who is meant to protect Celestia and her brood. Though your courage is commendable." She turned to the nightmare cultist. "Brick this room up. Make sure he lives long enough to regret his decisions."

Shining Armor had been watching from within a vent near the floor. He waited until the room was clear before opening the vent and coming out. Using his magic, he broke the bonds holding his father and dragged him into the vent.

Lieutenant Shining Armor of the Sol Guard reporting, sir!"

Knightly Armor looked his son over, pride overflowing in his heart. "Guard, you are out of uniform. What is the meaning of this?"

Shining balked, then looked down at his armor. "But sir, I am in the armor of a Sol Guard."

"You are no longer in the Sol Guard, colt! As of now you are promoted to the Family Guard!"

"Bwha?!" Shining was stunned with what his father had just said. It wasn't unheard of for a pony to get a field promotion, but never to another guard regiment.

"Well don't just stand there with your jaw flapping like a busted trapdoor. Get your plot down to Ponyville posthaste. Duchesses Sunset and Twilight are there. Defend them at all costs." Knightly pulled his son in for a tight hug. "Be safe and come back to me."

After the two parted from the hug, Shining gave his father a quick nod and hurried off.

"Now then, can somepony give me a weapon and some armor? We got a princess to liberate and a family to reunite."

Sunset and Twilight had spent that last three days hiking cross country. They barely slept and ate what little they could forage for. More often than not they marched on with rumbling bellies, stopping only when exhaustion overtook them.

Sunset was having a delightful dream about a neverending parfait smorgasbord when she was shaken awake.

"Sunny Bunny! Look! I found some berries!" Twilight levitated a few bunches of brilliant orange berries in her magic.

Sunset looked at the berries. Her stomach rumbled and she scarfed a few down. Twilight quickly followed suit.

"My stomach feels kinda weird.", Sunset said.

"And I'm feeling kind of dizzy.", Twilight said.

Suddenly the eyes of both sisters dilated.

"Whoa!", Sunset exclaimed. "Look at all the pretty butterflies!" She gestured at things that weren't there.

"Yeah!", Twilight replied. "And all of the pretty rainbow-colored fireflies too!"

The two sisters started running/slithering quickly through the forest chasing hallucinations.

Sunset paused and looked at her sister, who looked like a weird floating octopus and started snorting with laughters.

Twilight looked over at her sister, who looked like some sort of weird bald ape-thing. "Bah-ha-ha-ha-ha! You, should see yourself! You look like a bald monkey!"

"Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! And you look like a weird octopus-thingy!"

The two laughed and skipped and stumbled and shouted, "Whoo!" as they went through the forest. Because of the effect of the berries, they didn't notice that they had stumbled into a well groomed apple orchard.

What looked like a bush stirred at the commotion. It raised its pony head and looked at the two who were out of their minds on the berries. "Nope!" The odd bush-pony shook its head disapprovingly.

A dryad stallion with three apples hanging on its hindquarters came from around a red barn. "Consarn it all! Last thing we need is a couple o' hippes outta their gourds on goof-berries!" It walked over to the bush. "Don't just stand there like some sorta bit o' dead wood, Big Mac. Make sure they dun hurt themselves." The dryad raised a hood-branch to his mouth whistled loudly.

A pair of young fillies, one with tree branches sticking out of her mane and tail, the other with leaf-covered branches for wings, ran up.

"Apple Bloom, Scootaloo. Y'all run into town and fetch th's doc. tell 'em we got a couple o' ponies on goof-berries runnin' 'round."

"Yes ma'am.", the two fillies said in unison and ran back into the barn. A moment later they were both standing on a scooter, the filly with leaf branches for wings was steering and propelling it as she flapped her wings, leaving a dust trail behind them.

The dryad looked around. "Now where did they..."

The bush-pony gestured off in the distance, then started plodding slowly.

"Consarn it all!", the dryad stallion exclaimed. "They went in th' direction o' Fluttershy's. If'n anypony knows how cleanse anypony o' goof-berries, it her. Well come on, Mac. Let's see if'n we c'n catch'em 'fore they scare the otter outta that selkie."

Sunset and Twilight were skipping along chasing things that only they hallucinated when they heard some singing. Sneaking along the ground, they peeked over the edge of the bank of a small stream and saw a yellow and pink otter singing a hauntingly beautiful wordless melody.

The two ducked back behind the bank.

"Let's see if that otter has any jelly radishes.", Sunset said. Or at least that's what she thought she said. In reality she said, "Bleeg glom lomminity nose."

Twilight drooled at the thought of bleep-bloop-gloop-glorp and nodded.

The two hopped down next to the singing otter and Sunset said, "Bling blominuu?"

The otter let out a little scared squeak and dove into the water.

Sunset and Twilight came over to where the otter had dove into the water. They looked at their reflections and started having giggle fits.

*sploosh*

The stream exploded in a fountain of water. A massive sis-legged green bear rose up out of the water and roared.

Just like that Sunset and Twilight came down. They hugged one another. "Aaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"No, Harry! Bad water bear!" The yellow otter sprung up and landed on the water bear's snout, scolding it. "We don't attack...wait...a kirin and a naga?! Oh my goodness! It's been so long since anypony's seen one of your kind!"

Sunset and Twilight blinked.

The yellow and pink otter hopped off from the water bear's snout and in a flash of light turned into a pegasus mare with a yellow coat and a pink mane. "I hope Harry didn't hurt you.

*bleurgh*

Sunset emptied the contents of her stomach onto the side of the creek.

The yellow pegasus sniffed the vomit. "Oh my. Did you two eat the orange berries in the forest?"

*blahgh*

Twilight emptied the contents of her stomach.

"Oh my. It looks like you did."

"Fluttershy!", the dryad shouted as he ran up. "Did either o' these two...waitaminit! A kirin and a naga?!" He shook his head back and forth a couple of times. "Did these two hippes all hopped up on goof-berries cause ya any problems?"

"Oh, hi Applejack! No, they haven't caused me any problems. And I don't think they're hippes. Look at their manes. Too clean. I think they got lost and ate some goof-berries because they were hungry."

"Great! City folk.", Applejack muttered. "We gotta get'em to th' doc an get'em th' antidote afore they start squirtin' outta both ends."

"I think it's a little late for that.", Fluttershy replied as she gestured to the whose stomachs were now making weird loud sounds. She pointed off in a direction. "There's some nice bushes for you both to go behind."

Sunset and Twilight shot off like twin bolts of lightning.

***

"Ugh! I never want to see another berry again!", Twilight said.

"I think I pushed last year's Hearth's Warming out of me!", Sunset said.

For twenty minutes they had fertilized the bushes from both ends. When their stomachs had calmed down enough, the selkie known as Fluttershy had given them some nectar from a little blue flower, that helped with the remaining nausea. She then turned back into an otter and slipped into the water. Singing came from downstream.

"Is she going to be alright?", Sunset asked.

"Who, 'Shy? Yeah. Selkies are very skittish. They charm fish an' frogs an' whatnot with their songs ta eat. But she's unique, she sings ta calm animals, 'specially for the past few days since that weird eclipse.", Applejack replied. "So what brings a kirin an' a naga to the l'il town o' Ponyville?"

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Applejack couldn't believe his ears. "Th' daughters o' Princess Celestia?!" The dryad blinked a few times, took a couple of steps back and bowed before the kirin and the naga.

"Uh, could we not do this here?", Sunset said. "We kinda need to get to mom's manner."

The dryad didn't rise from the spot he was bowing.

Sunset ground her teeth. "For the love of--"

Twilight waved her tail over the head of Applejack, her rattle making a small shaking sound. "Rise, good sir Apple. You meant no offense and none shall be taken."

Applejack rose upright. "An' ta think Ah talked down ta royalty. Granny'll tan my bark when she wakes up fer treatin' ya like some sort o' commoner tresspassin' on mah family's orchard."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "Look, you didn't know we were the daughters of the princess. How about when this is all over, you buy me a drink, preferably something strong, and my sister whatever she wants as a way to apologize."

"Ah caint buy no daughter o' Celestia some commoners swill."

Sunset ground her teeth harder. Her mane flashed momentarily with flames. "I am calm. I am the mistress of my emotions." She recited the mantra her mother had taught her until she felt her anger disperse and she took in a breath as she centered her thoughts. "Well if you don't think that a strong drink is 'proper'. Then you can buy me a front row ticket for Hoofamania."

"Wait...ya like rasslin'?"

"Mm-hmm. I've even got personally autographed photos from the greats. Hoof Hogan, The Macho Mare, The Underzebra, Big Mamma Cool, Razor Ram. Heck, get yourself a ticket too and I can get you backstage to meet your favorite wrestler."

"Ya mean ya can get me to see th' One-Two-Three Colt?"

"You like that stunty little...you know what? Never mind. If buying me a strong drink isn't proper, then get two front row seats for Hoofamania, one for me and one for you, and I'll get you backstage to meet the...*sigh*...the One-Two-Three Colt."

Ah...uh...Ah dunno what ta say. Ah mean Hoofamania tickets are kinda expensive. Ah'll see what Ah c'n do...no promises, your majesty."

"Just call me Sunset and call her Twilight, please. At least for now. I don't need word getting out and all those Canterlot nobles coming down here, especially with what's going on there."

"Uh sure thing, your maj--Ah mean Sunset." Applejack darted off as quickly as his root hooves could carry him. Big Mac who had just plodded up, stopped to watch his brother run the other way. With a sigh the big bush-pony planted his hooves into the ground and went to sleep.

Twilight slithered over to the sleeping bush-pony. "Excuse me, sir. Are you okay?"

Sunset trotted over to the sleeping bush-pony and waved her hoof in front of him. "I think he's asleep. Maybe it's some sort of narcolepsy?"

"Big Mac is going to root.", Fluttershy said scampering up. "All dryads to it from time to time. They plant themselves in the ground and simply become a tree or a shrub."

"How long have you been there?", Sunset asked.

"Long enough to hear you were Princess Celestia's daughter. I didn't hear you ask Applejack to buy you a strong drink, then insist he buy you Hoofamania tickets when he insisted that common drinks were beneath you."

"Oh that's--WAITAMINNIT!" Sunset rounded on the selkie, eyeing her down. She got face to face with Fluttershy.

The selkie let out a small 'Eep' and turned into an otter.

"You're a sneaky one, aren't you?"

"Eep!"

Sunset poked the otter with an elbow. "I like that in a--"

"Hey! Back offa her!", a brash, gravelly voice shouted.

Sunset found herself knocked into a mud puddle by a rainbow streak. She spat out muddy water and looked up into the rose-colored eyes of a blue pegasus that had a multicolored mane.

Rainbow Dash snorted in Sunset's face. "Nopony bullies my sister from another mister! Nopony!"

Fluttershy turned into a mare. "Rainbow, she wasn't--"

"It's okay, Flutters.", Rainbow interrupted. "I don't care that she's some hoity-toity daughter of the princess, I won't let her bully you."

"Oh my. N-no, no, Rainbow, i-it's okay. She wasn't bullying--"

"You don't get to push Flutters around! We grew up together three houses apart in Cloudsville practically as sisters. I got kicked out of school for beating up some colts who were bullying her, I'm not afraid to get thrown in a dungeon for beating up the daughter of a princess for bullying my sister from another mister."

Twilight reared up and spread her hood. "She wasn't bullying your friend, in fact she was complementing her when you so rudely--"

"Back off snakey, or you'll get some of this to!", Rainbow snapped back.

"Rainbow Dash!", Fluttershy snapped, unusually loud for herself. She scurried up Rainbow's hind legs and across her back until she was standing on her snout. "Sunset was not bullying me! She was complementing me even though I was being rude and eavesdropping on her conversation with your husband! I know you're a brave and strong pony, and thank you for standing up for someone as small and weak as me. But back off or I'll gnaw your hooves...again! Also apologize to Twilight for calling her a bigoted name."

"Sheesh! No need to get violent, Flutters." Rainbow stepped off Sunset and helped her up. "Heh! Uh, sorry about that. When I see somepony bullying or I think is bullying Fluttershy, I just kinda lose it. Sorry about calling you snakey, Twilight." She looked over the muddy water dripping from Sunset's mane. "Here, to show you there's no bad feelings, I'll use my *ahem* patent pending Rain-Blo Dry."

Before Sunset could say anything, Rainbow flew around her in circles until a small tornado formed. When Rainbow stopped, Sunset spun around and around a few times, when she stopped spinning, her eyes spun in her sockets.

Twilight and Fluttershy covered their eyes, peeking a few times to make sure what they were seeing was real.

Sunset tried looking at her mane. "What's wrong?" She looked at her reflection in the puddle, noticing that her mane was in a messy beehive with her forked horn poking out the front. She jabbed Rainbow in her chest with her elbow. "Heh! Looks like you got me good."

Rainbow pointed at Sunset. "Now her I like. Got a real sense of humor. Now I'm off to convince my husband not to take another mortgage out to buy Hoofamania tickets and instead just buy you a couple rounds at Berry Punch's bar. Oh and Flutters, make sure Mac gets watered. I'll send one of the weather ponies to send a rain cloud to sprinkle on him tomorrow if they can spare one." She zipped off, leaving a rainbow contrail behind her.

"I got your number, Rainbow Dash.", Sunset muttered as she narrowed her eyes and started planning some pranks.

"What number would that be? Is it sixteen? Or three thousand four hundred and eighty-five-point-two-three-one-five-nine? Or is it something more abstract, like her lucky number? Which is four. Or is it metaphorical, like your number is up, punk?", a bubbly voice from behind inquired.

Twilight and Sunset turned to see a pink draconequis with a poofy dark magenta mane atop its head and dark magenta cotton ball poof at the tip of its tail.

Before the sisters could say anything, the draconequis spoke again. "Pinkie Pie's my name, making friends and throwing party's my game! Also, asterisk, dramatic gasp, asterisk!" Pinkie then snapped a talon and vanished in a poof of pink smoke and multi-colored confetti.

"What was that about?!", Sunset asked.

"I think everypony in this town is crazy.", Twilight said as she twirled her tail around the side of her head. "Mom should have this town scanned for signs of chaos magic. It could also be some sort of wild magic seepage being this close to the Everfree Forest, or maybe some sort of aftereffect of the berries we ate?"

"I think it's just normal pony craziness, just concentrated because it's a small town.", Sunset replied. "We should go find a stylist to fix my mane."

Sunset trotted down the road as Twilight slithered next to her. As they entered town, they looked around at the various tribes of ponies who were milling about or hawking wares from stands. A trio of dryads that looked like flower bushes were haggling with a customer over the price of bouquets they sold. An earth pony mare with a cream colored coat and a blue and pink mane and tail was sitting on a bench having a quiet conversation with mint green unicorn mare, the two of them would occasionally stop their conversation to share a quick peck. A pair of draconequi, one with a grey coat and charcoal-colored hair atop its head and a cello clutched in its talons, was having a heated discussion with a white one that had two-toned electric blue hair atop its head, wearing a pair of pink sunglasses on its face and a pair of white headphones with electric blue highlights on its head, that simply nodded or shook their head in response while not saying a word.

Sunset and Twilight looked on in awe at the different tribes getting along. Back in Canterlot, non-unicorns were often harassed and bullied in the streets, many would even deny them entrance to their places of business.

"Hi there!", a deep masculine voice said from behind. "Are you two new in town?"

When the two sisters turned their heads and looked behind them. What they saw caused them to pause for a moment. There stood on two legs was a tall male dragon with broad shoulders, his scales were a shimmering purple with a light green underbelly, a row of sharp dark green spikes ran down his back and the top of his tail, said tail ended in a spade-like thagomizer.

Twilight's eyes lit up with the promise of learning. She slithered up to the dragon and reared up to look him in the eye. "Oh. My. Goodness! I've never met a full-blooded dragon before! I've always wanted to talk to one and learn more about them! What can you tell me about your kind?! Where did you come from?! What are other dragons like?!"

The dragon chuckled awkwardly and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know any other dragons as I grew up here in Ponyville." He extended a paw. "The name's Spike! What's yours?"

Twilight placed her tail in Spike's paw for a quick shake. "Oh! Uh...my name's Twilight Sparkle and this is my sister, Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset extended a hoof. "How do you do, mister Spike?"

Spike shook Sunset's hoof as he looked over Sunset's mane. "When my wife sees your mane, she's going to have a fit." He waved his paw towards the west side of town. "Might as well get it over quick, like snatching off a band-aid. But first I got to stop by the school and pick up our daughter from her singing lessons."

Nightmare Moon paced back and forth in Celestia's study while muttering silently to herself. "The elder sister has two daughters and the youngest sister has disappeared to who knows where." She was growing tired and would need to rest soon. There was a time, when like the elder, middle and younger sisters, she could stay awake for months, years or even decades at a time, but after spending centuries imprisoned in a cage inside one of the many, many craters on the moon, her power had yet to fully return, as noted by the light of the sun weakening her.

Deep inside, Luna bided her time. She knew that though she wouldn't be free of the nightmare, after spending untold centuries bonded and trapped within it, she knew the signs that it was weakening and once it rested, she could project a small portion of her power, just enough to create a living illusion of herself to walk around, see the sites and hopefully talk with her sisters.

It wasn't long before Nightmare Moon found a windowless room, coiled around herself and went to sleep. The part of Luna that the nightmare couldn't consume gathered her strength and created an illusion that she could link her consciousness to. Though she didn't have enough strength to make her projection solid, illusion Luna could move about, looking more like a ghostly apparition than a half-dragon. Illusion Luna moved about in a manner that was more akin to floating or levitating than walking. A few times she had to make her illusory self transparent to avoid being spotted by nightmare cultists that now patrolled the hallways or the civilian castle staff that had been press-ganged back into doing the day-to-day work around the castle.

Illusion Luna phased through a set of massive double doors that served as the entrance to the throne room. There she saw Celestia still bound by shadowy chains, suspended from a buttress and hanging over the dais like some sort of pinata. There were only a few nightmare cultists guarding the room as the doors had been barred to prevent any visitors and the stained glass windows were covered in heavy black cloth. She made her illusory form translucent and levitated it up out of eye line of any cultists.

Illusion Luna took a moment to look around and get the lay of the room. There were only four cultists standing guard around the dais and they looked bored. Bored guards were more likely to not notice details, such as a translucent half-dragon illusion levitating a few body lengths in the air. There were a hoof-full of nightmare cultists "standing guard" around the room, they were either sleeping, playing cards or shooting dice with their fellow cultists, overall they were a largely undisciplined group that had taken the castle only by surprise and luck, with help from Nightmare Moon.

Celestia had her eyes open only tiny bit, giving the impression that she was sleeping, while she surveyed the room through the slits while testing the shadowy chains that bound her form. She saw the illusory form of her younger sister phase through the door, go translucent and float up through the air.

Illusion Luna floated over to her sister and settled by her head.

"Forgive me, Luna.", Celestia whispered. "I was arrogant and foolish in my youth. I did the opposite of what father warned us about before entering into his long sleep."

"This is not the time to discuss the past.", illusion Luna replied. "There is no time to tarry. Though the nightmare slumbers, I do not know how long before it awakens and I am forced to return to my prison within it. Tell me of my nieces, how they came to be your daughters and where they would have fled."

Celestia spent several minutes whispering to her illusory sister about how she adopted Sunset and Twilight, and about how she instructed them to flee to Ponyville.

Illusory Luna's form wavered slightly. "I must depart for now, sister. The nightmare stirs. I shall find a way to contact you again." She released her illusion and returned her consciousness back to the one spot that the nightmare couldn't touch.

Nightmare Moon awoke with a snort and a grunt. She unwound her serpentine form and stood up. She felt the tiny portion of Luna shudder. "What have you been doing, little mote of the middle sister, while I slumbered? Were you trying to escape...again?"

Deep inside the nightmare extended shadowy tendrils towards the one part that remained Luna, but they were repelled as it couldn't exist where love lived.

"Bah! Never mind for now. I shall find out in due time. Maybe when I find the daughters of the elder sister. Oh yes! Nothing will harm Celestia more than to see her two daughters dragged before her and forced to watch as I torture them until their minds break and then toss their souls into the blackest of voids! That will allow me to consume the last little part of you." Nightmare Moon let out manic cackles. She left the room and headed for the kitchens, she was hungry and would deal with Celestia after she regained her strength anew.

****

Celestia's head recoiled as the nightmare struck her. Her body swung back and forth, suspended from the chain attached to the buttress.

The nightmare let out a snarl as it shook its paw, getting rid of the stinging pain. "I'll ask again. Where are your daughters? Tell the truth and I can assure you that they will be unharmed. Yes they shall be my prisoners, but they will live in luxury, and as an insurance policy that you do not get out of line."

Celestia knew a lie when she heard one. The nightmare had no intentions of leaving her daughters unharmed. Raising her head to look in the nightmare's eyes, she jutted out her chin, made a regal face in defiance and refused to speak.

The nightmare growled in anger. "You have nothing to say?" The nightmare clenched its paw into a fist and punched Celestia hard across the jaw.

A few of Celestia's teeth scattered on the floor and a trickle of blood oozed past her lips. She still refused to speak. Her half-dragon physiology would allow her to regrow those lost teeth in a few days.

The nightmare raked a claw across Celestia's cheek, causing sparks to rain down, as it pondered on how to get the elder sister to speak. Threatening Luna's body wouldn't work as the elder sister would not betray any member of her family. She couldn't threaten to take Celestia's life, for the solar princess would willingly take her secrets to the grave. Then a wicked thought passed through the nightmare's mind. The nightmare leaned in close to Celestia and whispered, "Chrysalis has fled the castle. I know not where to. Maybe to find your daughters. As much as she despised you for what you did to little Luna and how callously you spoke to her when she tried to convince you to free Luna from that oh so cold and distant tower, she still holds some love in her heart. She probably went to protect your daughters. I will find her before I find your daughters. I will drag the secrets out of her with violence. You know as well as I that she's the weakest of you three sisters. To this day no one knows what your father saw in that changeling. He was probably looking for the same thing when he laid with your and Luna's mothers, just a hole that he could use to satisfy himself."

Celestia saw that old dragon hubris. The same hubris she had given in to all those centuries ago. She also saw something else. Secret doors along the walls sliding slowly open. The guards were preparing an attack. She scrunched her face up in defiance, tightened her jaw, inhaled a deep breath through her nose and snorted out a cloud of black smoke into the nightmare's face.

Predictably the nightmare recoiled away from the smoke, waving a paw in the air to disperse the cloud.

Then the attack happened. With war cries, ponies from all five guard regiments poured out from the secret doors in the walls, and secret hatches in the ceiling and floor. The nightmare cultists, caught unawares, were quickly overwhelmed. As Nightmare Moon moved to attack the guards, a witch hunter, wearing the stovepipe hat, dark cloak, dark leather armor and straps with various pouches attached, held up a hoof that had a thin gold chain wrapped around it. Attached to the thin gold chain was a small gold cage that held an enchanted clear crystal, the Helian Lantern. The Helian Lantern was an enchanted clear crystal that held a bit of true sunlight. Golden rays of sunlight poured out of the Helian Lantern.

With a hissing snarl, Nightmare Moon recoiled from the light and covered her eyes.

Celestia wasted no time. Reaching out with her soul, she pulled the power of the sun, her sun, just a fragment, into herself. Her body began to glow brightly, dissolving the shadowy chains. She was Celestia, half-dragon of the sun, as much its mistress as its servant!

Nightmare Moon shrieked in fright and pain as she recoiled to the other side of the room. She still had yet to regain her full powers, so the sun, even a fragment of its power, could still cause her pain.

Celestia drew in a breath and released the might of the sun as she breathed out golden flames, much akin to a solar flare.

Nightmare Moon howled in pain and rage as the golden flames surrounded her. Fleeing the wrathful might of a fragment of the sun, she leapt through a stained glass window, trails of smoke streaming off her scales behind her as shards of multi-hued glass rained down. Covering her face as she hit the ground, she hissed and snarled curses at the sun overhead. She then transformed into a mole and burrowed into the ground to escape the light.

Celestia slumped slightly as she released the last of the power she borrowed back to the sun. Nightmare Moon had been run off and delayed, but she wasn't banished or destroyed. She turned her head and gave a quick nod to Knightly Armor, the captain of the Family Guard. "Impressive show of initiative, captain. I must now make flight for Ponyville. Please secure the castle while I am gone to protect my daughters."

A single nightmare cultist that was still awake, but pretending to be unconscious, sprung up and blinded several guards with a flash of un-light from its horn before vanishing in a flash of a teleport.

"Stop her!", Knightly Armor shouted.

"Belay that order!", Celestia barked. "Once the sun sets, Nightmare Moon will leave Canterlot to hunt me. If I am right, my youngest sister, Chrysalis, will be nearby to protect them too."

"But princess--"

"Secure the castle, make sure the cultists within are tossed in the dungeon and expel any cultists remaining within the city, by force if necessary." Celestia gave a small smile to Knightly Armor. "Worry not, captain. I can take care of myself. And when this is all over, I shall promote your son to the Family Guard so you can start planning your retirement."

"I already made Shining Armor a member of the Family Guard and sent him to Ponyville to find your daughters."

Celestia gave a small smirk to Knightly Armor. Shining was just like his father, brave, strong, smart, skilled, quick thinking, though sometimes a bit thickheaded when it comes to the more delicate social graces. "Very well, let's make this official." She turned to the other officers of the guard regiments. "Shining Armor has been declared a member of the Family Guard. Any dissenters say nay." She paused and waited for any dissenters to speak up, when none spake, she continued, "All in favor say--"

"Aye!" The throng of gathered guard officers spake as one in loud voices.

"Very well. With the support of my other guard regiments, I declare Shining Armor second lieutenant of the Family Guard."

The gathered guards cheered and whistled.

"Very well, my good gentle-stallions. I must bid you adieu for now." Celestia hopped out the window that Nightmare Moon had smashed out, transformed into a swan, turned to the south and flew towards Ponyville. It would take her the whole day to get there flying as a swan. She could get there faster if she flew as a half-dragon, but she didn't want to scare her subjects in her normal form. Flying as an alicorn would have also been faster, but then she'd be swamped by subjects who would want to greet or petition her.

Spike walked alongside his daughter, Sweetie Belle, a light grey, almost white half-dragon. Her eyes were a pale greyish green. Instead of frills or spike, she sported a pony-like mane atop her head that was a pale purple in color with light greyish mulberry stripes. She also sported a tuft of hair at the end of her tail the same colors as her mane. She sported rear hooves of a pony and forepaws of a dragon.

"Mr. Eighth Note says my singing is improving and that he's never seen anypony with as much skill on the viola before!", Sweetie Belle exclaimed, her voice taking on squeaky tones, belying her excited tone. She cast glances over to Twilight and Sunset. "Do you know those two?"

"Hmm?" Spike looked over to the naga and kirin. "They're new in town and I thought I'd introduce them to your mother before she encountered them by accident."

Sweetie Belle gave a long look at the two, letting her gaze linger on Sunset. "Yeah, if she did, she'd probably have a conip--uh, a conin--uh, a copip---uh, a hissy fit if she saw her mane."

Spike threw an arm around his daughter and gave her a noogie while chuckling. "That she would. But don't let her hear you say that, or she'll take the wooden spoon to the both of us and fuss at Mr. Applejack that he's 'Teaching her daughter improper Ponish.' I love your mother to the ends of the world and back, but sometimes she tests my nerves. Uh, don't tell her I said that or she'll make me sleep on the couch...again."

Upon reaching their destination, the two sisters couldn't help but marvel at the structure. It looked like a circus tent blended with a merry-go-round. In the windows were displayed all sorts of fashionable outfits. They looked better than all of the custom tailored dresses the two of them had received from the palace seamstresses in the past.

Sweetie Belle grasped the door handle with a forepaw and opened it. "Mom? Mom? Mom! Mmmmmmooooooooommmmmm!"

"Sweetie Belle! How many times have I told you not to yell indoors?" A voice from a back room scolded. A unicorn mare with a pale grey, almost white coat. Her royal purple mane was done up in a stylish looping swoosh, and her tail matched. "Did you have a good day at--It seems we have potential customers." She cleared her throat and took on a regal stance that made the two sisters snicker softly. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is sheek, unique and magni--Oh my word, darling. What in the world has happened to your mane?"

Sunset blew an errant lock aside that had fallen down over her face. "I kinda fell into a puddle and then was subjected to a Rain-Blo dry. Although I'm unsure she can get a patent for it. I was hoping you could direct me to a--Whoa!"

Sunset found herself snatched up by a pair of nearly white hooves in a military press and deposited into a beautician's chair that wasn't there a moment before.

"I cannot allow this crime against mane-styles and fashion to persist! Of course Rainbow Dash would do something like this! That mare barely brushes her mane and only files her hooves! She won't even put on some lipstick or paint her hooves, and yet she somehow managed to marry one of the most eligible stallions in town and had two foals by him without losing her slender figure!" Rarity levitated a pair of scissors, a blow dryer, three brushes, a combs and a whole bevy of mane-care products.

Spike coughed into his fist. "Hurtful."

"Oh relax, darling. Rainbow may have married one of the most eligible stallions in Ponyville, but I won the grand prize by marrying the most handsome, strong, loyal and handsome dragons around who gave me such a wonderful bundle of joy."

Sweetie Belle beamed with a bright smile.

Spike's chest swelled with pride. "Thanks, babe!"

Rarity gave Spike a sultry half-smile. "I've been thinking, Spikey-wikey."

"Oh?"

"I think I'm ready to try for another."

"Ew! Gross!", Sweetie Belle exclaimed before sprinting from the room.

Chrysalis hid in the woods just beyond the edge of Ponyville. Transforming into thousands of locusts, she spread herself across town. Though it would be a strain on her mentally, it would be easier to gather the information on her nieces quickly than to transform into a pony and traipse around town. Plus it had the added bonus of being almost unnoticeable as nopony would even give a second look to what looked like some extra grasshoppers.

Chrysalis' locusts flew through the air or crept along the the ground or clung to wagons and carts as she looked and listened for any signs of her nieces.

Most of it was useless information. A chubby and out of shape middle aged well-to-do stallion arguing with his wife who it was clear that she had plastic surgery, based on the shape of her snout and weirdly doll-like face, about their daughter bullying other foals. A trio of flower bush dryads shouting 'The horror!' as one of her locusts idly nibbled on a flower. A dryad stallion that had rooted itself and was currently sleeping, as its snores were an indicator.

A pink draconequis talking about two new ponies in town, a kirin and a naga, and was currently gathering ponies up for a party.

Chrysalis inched a small group of her locusts closer to the draconequis so she could better make out what was being said.

Suddenly the draconequis had a weird ripple run through its body and looked directly at one of Chrysalis' locusts. Chrysalis was intimately familiar with the strange, almost psychic-like abilities of the draconequi. After all they were the descendants of the odd dragon of chaos, Discord, who was currently imprisoned inside a mountain. No, wait, he was already big as a mountain...sometimes, when he felt like it. Currently Discord was imprisoned in a stone form as his chaotic powers had gotten out of control and the mountain grew around him.

Chrysalis moved her locusts away, out of concern about being found out by that pink draconequis. As she flew away, one of her locusts was snared in a lion's paw.

"Gotcha, little buggy!" The pink draconequis peered inside her lion's paw. "You know it's very rude to eavesdrop on somepony. You might look like a regular old locust to most ponies, but not to me!"

The jig was up. Chrysalis needed to formulate a plan, but with her consciousness so spread out between so many individual parts, it was going to be difficult.

"Pinkie Pie!" A soft voice scolded. "You let that poor locust go."

Chrysalis' other locusts that were nearby spied on what was happening. They observed an otter scolding the draconequis. A selkie! Selkies were known to be omnivorous and would use their songs to often lure in small animals to drown them in the bodies of water they inhabited before eating them. If locusts were capable of swallowing hard, Chrysalis would have done so, instead she buzzed her myriad of wings nervously.

"This isn't a nor--"

"Now, Pinkie.", the yellow selkie said in an insistent tone, tapping a paw on the ground.

Pinkie pulled an envelope out with a snap of her talons and placed it in Chrysalis' locust's legs. "This is an invitation for Sunset and Twilight's Welcome to Ponyville party. I'll make sure there's some extra cake and punch for you, if you decide to show up. I'd be so ooper-duper happy if you did!"

Cjrysalis' locust flew away clutching the envelope in her legs. As she reformed herself, she looked at the envelope she was now clutching in her paw. She ran a claw under the edge of the flap, opening it. Confetti and streamers shot out as a little party whistle blew as she pulled the invitation card out to read it. Chrysalis, the half-dragon of the wilderness, had not been to a party in over a thousand years, not since Everfree Castle was still occupied before...

Chrysalis pushed the memories of the past from her mind. Using her magic, she stashed the party invitation away. She would consider attending the party later. For now her mind was at ease, her nieces were safe, but it would only be a matter of time before the nightmare found out. Celestia would also be coming.

Chrysalis mused to herself as she transformed into a pony so she could trot around Ponyville and keep close to her nieces. For the last two hundred years she had watched her eldest sister from a distance. Gone was the haughty, cold and prideful Celestia, in its place was a matronly half-dragon who would weep bitterly and beg for Luna to forgive her when she was alone in her quarters when she thought no one was watching or listening. Then when she adopted Twilight and Sunset, Celestia changed again, from the matronly half-dragon who was mourning the banishment of her sister, to a proud mother who beamed at the accomplishments of her daughters. Celestia had changed, and like all whose draconic blood ran strong, any who threatened her young would see a wrath the likes of which would make the Lord of Tartarus trembled in his black armor.

Shining Armor had trudged on through the dense undergrowth that surrounded the base of Mount Canter and his dozens of small towns, villages and hamlets. He was thankful for his extensive wilderness survival and land navigation training as it allowed him to pick up the trail of the two sisters' quickly. He had followed it until it led him to the edge of a large apple plantation. He had snooped around the plantation until a wooden dog that he initially thought was a sculpture started sprinting at him and barking. Not wanting to risk a confrontation with the owners of the plantation, he beat a hasty retreat. Hopefully the owners of the plantation would take them to Ponyville.

Shining maneuvered through the forest, weaving in between birch, poplar and sweet gum trees. He had quickly found the edge of town, which according to the map was Ponyville. He hoped the royal cartographers had kept the maps up to date and that this was Ponyville, and not one of the dozen or so hamlets that had popped up in the last decade or so.

Shining stepped into what he thought was a clearing. Instead it was somepony's garden. What he initially initially thought were normal sunflowers and berry bushes turned out to be crystalline plants. They were just like normal plants, except they appeared to be made out of some sort of semitransparent crystals. Shining Armor had never seen crystal sunflowers or berry bushes before.

Never mind that. He needed to make sure he was on the edge of Ponyville. Shining decided to walk between the plots of crystal sunflowers and crystal berry bushes. Hopefully whoever owned this garden could direct him into town and allow him to refill his canteens.

Shining Armor emerged from the well tended plots and froze in his path. There was a small cottage made from field stones with a thatched roof. Next to the cottage was a well and standing by the well was a sight that made his breath hitch in his chest, his heart race and his frogs sweat. There was a pegasus mare, she was a pink translucent in color, almost as if somepony had carved the Venus di Pony out of rose crystals and brought it to life.

The pink crystal mare lifted her head and looked over her wither. Shining's heart began to beat like a drum when he made eye contact with her. Her mouth was moving, but he could only hear his own heart in his ears. She fluttered over and gave his a slight nudge. This brought Shining's hooves metaphorically back to the ground.

"Sir? Are you okay?"

When Shining tried to speak, only a squeak would come out. He cleared his throat and spoke again. "Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry for staring, it's just I've never met a crystal pony before, only seen a few pictures in books."

The crystal mare gave Shining a sideways glance. "Can I help you? If you;re here to just stare...you've had your gander. Town's that way, I suggest going there." She pointed with a hoof.

Real smooth you idiot Shining Armor immediately snapped to attention and spoke in a military tone. "Many apologies, good madam. I am Shining Armor of Her Majesty's Family Guard. I have been sent on an urgent mission by Captain Knightly Armor to locate Duchess Sunset Shimmer and Duchess Twilight Sparkle. Due to an emergency in Canterlot, they were forced to flee to Ponyville. If you could please direct me to Ponyville, I need to ensure their protection until either Captain Armor or Princess Celestia relieves me."

The crystal mare gave a small smirk at the guard. "Oh yes, I know about Twilight and Shining. Pinkie's been hoofing out invites for their Welcome to Ponyville party. That draconequis only lives for three things, making friends, making everypony smile and parties. C'mon, Shining Armor of 'Her Majesty's Family Guard', I'll show you into town. The party's going to be at the Sunflower Manner."

"Thank you, miss...uh..."

"Cadance, no miss, just Cadance."

"Thank you, Cadance. I will ensure you are duly rewarded for your assistance to the crown."

Cadance smirked at Shining Armor. There was something about him she liked. Maybe it was the cut of his jib. Maybe it was him being in the military, she had always heard that mares always fell for a military stallion. Maybe it was something else. "Ponyville's this way. Stay close, even though Whitetail Woods aren't as dangerous as the Everfree Forest, the whitetail deer here can be a little testy about ponies traipsing around, especially if they walk through their sacred burial grounds. So walk where I walk, unless you wanna be digging arrowheads out of your armor."

"I wasn't aware there were any whitetail tribes around Ponyville."

"Oh yes. The Thorn Tribe live in these parts, though since the eclipse, they've retreated into the Everfree."

Sunset looked over her mane in the mirror. Rarity had done great work at washing and styling it. She was amazed at hos somepony who was clearly a fashionista could also style manes. She looked over how the mane-style seemed to be equal parts illustrious and understated, while also keeping her natural ruby and gold curls. "I must say you've done amazing work, Rarity. What do I owe you?"

Rarity waved off the mention of payment with a hoof. "Think nothing of it, darling. Like what grandmother Rough Diamond used to say, 'A good deed for its own sake is reward on its own.'"

Sunset took one last look at her mane in the mirror. "Well I feel bad getting such a great mane-style from you and not paying for it. I'd like to purchase one of your dresses."

Rarity levitated a measuring ribbon. "If you insist. Before I start, I've noticed you two's accent. If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

Twilight and Sunset gave each other a long stare, hesitant to speak for a moment.

"Uh..." Twilight balked. "We're from Canterlot."

"Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" Rarity swooned and fell back onto a fainting couch that wasn't there a moment before.

"Is that mom's rich pony from Manehattan or Canterlot freak out scream?", Sweetie Belle shouted from the kitchen.

"Canterlot.", Spike replied.

"Oh brother!"

Rarity sprung up from the couch and pointed a hoof at the kitchen. "That's enough sass-mouth from you!" She then pointed a hoof at Spike. "And don't you encourage her." She then looked off into a metaphorical distance. "Canterlot! Can you imagine it? All the glitz and glamor! The well dressed ponies! All the beauty and luxury!"

"All the nobles and rich ponies with their noses shoved up their own plots sniffing their own farts.", Sunset snarked. "Them talking smack about us behind out backs, then sucking up to our faces, hoping to get in good with mom--I mean Princess Celestia."

"Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Rarity's scream made the two royal daughters and the one dragon wince in pain. If Sweetie Belle were visible, she would also be seen wincing. "The Royal Daughters?! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" She swooned and fell over, missing her failing couch by inches. She stood back up on her hooves, swooned again and fell over...again, making sure she landed on the couch this time.

"Why's mom screaming? Did another star spider get in the shop again? Do I need to come out with a glass and an index card?"

Rarity sprung up off of the couch and kicked it away. "Sweetie Belle! Show some respect! We're in the presence of royal ponie! The daughters of Celestia no less!"

Sweetie Belle walked out of the kitchen and into the shop. "Me showing respect? What about you? I'm sure they don't appreciate you screaming like a bansheep! Maybe you should treat them with some respect and treat them like normal ponies!"

"Sweetie Belle, you watch you tone, especially when nobility is present.", Rarity scolded.

"No! You do this every. Freaking. Time! Every time somepony comes through who's from Canterlot or Manehattan or St Trottersberg, you scream, freak out and have a hissy fit!"

Spike stepped in-between his wife and daughter, trying to play referee. "Sweetie Belle, don't shout at your mother. And Rarity, you do freak out when somepony comes from a big city."

"Are you taking my side or hers?!", the unicorn and her half-dragon daughter shouted in unison as they pointed at themselves then each other.

Sunset and Twilight decided to beat a hasty retreat. The bell above the door jingled and the trios said in unison, "Thank you for coming to Carousel Boutique, please come again!", then went back to bickering.

The sisters ran/slithered away from the shop as quickly as their hooves/underbelly could carry them. After a few blocks of sprinting/slithering really fast, the two sisters stopped. After a few hours of moseying around town and waving back at the locals who vigorously waved at them with big smiles, they found the paved street that Sunflower Manner was located on, Sunrise Strip. The shadows were starting to lengthen and the sisters decided to go stay at their mother's mansion until she came for them.

Celestia, still in swan form, set down in a small pond just outside Ponyville. The sun was making its trek towards the western horizon. Transforming back into her half-dragon form, she almost immediately sank to the bottom of the pond. She had forgotten that eastern dragons, even those of the half-blooded variety, didn't float in water. Her father was currnetly sleeping somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, but she wasn't quite sure as dragons tend to keep their locations secret when entering into the long sleep.

Celestia rose out of the water and onto the shore. She used her power to gently coax the sun below the horizon where it would continue its quest on the other side of the world until it made its way to the eastern horizon. She then nudged the moon above the eastern horizon, though she wasn't its mistress and would often resist her, she still managed to move it to its place. The nightly orb knew its mistress was returning soon and soon enough it would no longer abide the nudging of the solar half-dragon, but the nightmare was still in possession of Luna's body, so tonight was not the night.

Celestia closed her eyes as the silvery light of the night orb and remembered a time when she, Luna and Chrysalis was young. Their father had taken them into the heavens above and showed them the cosmos without the protecting bubble of atmosphere and magic. The planet that lived on was unique as it was bigger than its star. The planet, which was called Gemmeam Coronam, sat at the center of a vast galaxy. Every star, planet, moon and moon's moon had a dragon, half-dragon or alicorn that ruled over it. The entire galaxy was held together by a combination of gravity and magic. She remembered seeing the beauty and splendor of it all. That's when she first heard a song and felt a tug on her soul. A song and tug that was both alien and familiar to her. This world's sun was calling out to her. It was only a few centuries after that when her father began preparations for his long sleep, descending deep into the ocean while his magic and soul watched over this world that he both served and ruled. There would come a day when she would ascend to the sun and slumber within its depth for a long sleep.

But today was not that day.

Celestia transformed into an earth pony and trotted across the land. She wasn't far from Ponyville. The nightmare would find out soon where Sunset and Twilight were, and the half-dragon of the sun would be there to stop it, even if it meant her life.

Chrysalis trotted through Ponyville as a nondescript pegasus. She had spent a thousand years learning how to hide among her ponies, so she knew how to keep herself unnoticed. The shadows were growing long and it would soon be getting dark. If nightmare Moon didn't know where Sunset and Twilight were, it wouldn't take her long to figure it out.

Though the nightmare may not be Luna, it had Luna's body, so it knew how to tap into the abilities all full-blooded and half-blooded dragons had. One of those abilities was that all dragons, full or half, knew where all other dragons were, regardless of what form they took. Chrysalis only hoped that enough of Luna still existed to give the nightmare enough of a fight to cloud the nightmare's senses. It also didn't hurt that Chrysalis was a half-changeling, so she could better hide herself, even from her half-dragon sisters.

Chrysalis froze in her steps. She sensed a full-blooded dragon. It was an adult, but not ancient. If she was lucky, it hadn't sensed her yet. There was something also, it was hard to sense as there were several draconequi living in the town, so it clouded her dragon-sense. It was another half-dragon. Celestia? Nightmare Moon? No. Celestia was still a ways off and the nightmare was still in Canterlot. This was a youngling half-dragon. Hopefully the adult dragon and the youngling half-dragon didn't sense her with all of the draconequi around.

Chrysalis decided to be cautious. She stepped into an alleyway and transformed into a nightingale. Though she couldn't suppress her dragon aura, she had learned long ago before her father had went into his long sleep that eastern dragons were unique amongst dragon kind. Though they couldn't suppress their dragon aura, they could reduce its size by transforming into something small.

Chrysalis flitted through the lengthening shadows. Though she would have preferred to travel in her preferred form as a swarm of locusts, she chose this form as being a swarm meant that her consciousness would be spread out among the multiple individuals and she needed her mind all in one place.

Though Ponyville seemed much bigger in the form of a nightingale, Chrysalis was still able to travel it's streets, roads and alleys with ease. Day transitioned into dusk and she arrived at Sunflower manner. Perching in a tree, she kept a lookout for her nieces.

Just as the last of the light began to fade, Chrysalis saw the pair making their way down the road. She flitted down to the side of the house and perched on a windowsill. Just as she was about to transform back into her half-dragon form, the window slid open and a pink lion's paw reached out, snagging her.

Just a Chrysalis was about to transform and unleashe her draconic fury, a voice whispered, "Shh! Don't ruin the surprise! Also, welcome to Ponyville." Confetti rained down on Chrysalis' head.

It was early evening when Cadance and Shining Armor had made their way to Sunflower Manner. His mouth felt dry, he wanted to say to the crystal mare that she was the most beautiful pony he had ever seen, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out how to form words, so he kept silent. Just s the duo can up to the side door, a grey earth pony mare with a pink mane that was clearly dyed, if her roots were any indication, opened the door and beckoned them in.

Inside the citizens of Ponyville were all gathered in the main hall. Tables of all types were set up. Covered dishes and punch bowls were laid out on them. Banners that read 'Welcome to Ponyville' were hung from the tops of the walls and streamers hung down from the rafters.

As the light outside faded, somepony said, "Quiet everypony, they're coming!"

The lights were quickly dimmed and the citizens of Ponyville all whispered excitedly.

Sunset and Twilight made their way up to the front door of Sunflower Manner.

"I can't wait to slither into bed and go to sleep. I'm just hoping that this is a crazy dream and mom has chocolate chip waffle ready.", said Twilight.

Sunset nodded her head. "I hear that, Sparkling Star.

The handle on the door opened and the sisters walked/slithered into the dark room.

*click*

The lights came up suddenly.

"Welcome to Ponyville!"

Twilight reared up, deployed her hood and hissed, baring.

Sunset's mane burst into flames and her body turned dark.

Both sisters, being caught unaware, were immediately ready for an attacker...only there were no attackers, just the good citizens of Ponyville throwing them a party.

Embarrassed, the two sisters relaxed as the good citizens began to swarm around them.

Nightmare Moon burrowed out of the ground once the sun had set in mole form. Nearby was a single nightmare cultist.

"My queen." The cultist bowed. "I bring you word as to where the elder sister's daughters are. She mistakenly revealed it to me when the guards took the castle back after using foul treachery to run you off."

Nightmare Moon transformed back into a half-dragon. "Please do tell."

The cultist bowed again, this time lower. "My queen, they have fled to Ponyville."

"I do not remember any place called Ponyville. Where prat tell is Ponyville?"

"It is due south of here, on the border of the Everfree Forest, my queen." The cultist prostrated themself onto the ground. Though they were already bowing and showing reverence, it never hurt to suck up to the boss, especially when they were a nightmare beast inhabiting the body of a half-dragon.

Nightmare Moon smiled wickedly. Her teeth glistened in the moonlight and her eyes flashed white. "Oh Celestia! Celestia! Celestia! You think to hide your daughters in the shadow of your old castle. Maybe I shall lock them away in the tower where I found Luna and leave them for my nightmare brethren. Would you like that, little mote of Luna?"

Deep inside the nightmare, Luna knew her time was nigh. Now was the time to begin struggling. After a millennium trapped within this beast, she had known its weaknesses. Where to pluck. Where to pull. But most importantly, where to bite and claw and kick. So she began her fight with the only part of her left, love.

The nightmare cultist didn't know who his dark majesty was talking to, and he knew better than to question.

"What is your name, loyal servant?"

The cultist pulled back his robes, revealing a white pegasus stallion. "Cumulonimbus, my queen."

"You have earned a single boon of me. Ask and I shall grant it. But be cautious, what is asked comes with a burden."

"I was ousted from the Wonderbolts by Spitfire. All I ask is the means to throw her down, shear off her wings and claim her pinions as my trophies. I shall lead them in your name as the vanguard for your glorious armies."

Nightmare Moon thought for a moment. "Very well, my loyal servant. I shall grant you the power you seek to throw down this Spitfire. But fail me and it shall be your pinions that will adorn my crown as a trophy." She extended a finger and a single drop of the blackest black, darker than a moonless night, fell from her claw.

The black drop landed on Cumulonimbus' head and soaked in. A few seconds later inky black miasma began oozing forth from his mouth and nostrils.

"I rename you Blackstorm. Go forth and seek your vengeance." Nightmare Moon took flight out to wreak her wrath upon the solar half-dragon and her daughters.

The strange sisters

by sykko

Prologue i- Adopted

Prologue ii- Growing together

Escape

Making new friends