This story is a sequel to Wild Moon

Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn as a reward for solving the Unfinished Spell of Star Swirl the Bearded. Not all ponies appreciated her accomplishments or her "Gift". One such disgruntled sort would be Lapis Umbral, the Shadow of the Moon... and many of those who work for him.

This story parallels the pilot of the series, filling in a few blanks... and introducing some new faces to the return of Nightmare Moon