Chapter 7

Dreams of Memory

            “…And I have no idea how I got here. If it weren’t for Princess Luna, I would probably wouldn’t be here right now.”

            Dusty, Sky Shield and the six friends from Ponyville listened intently as Midnight Blaze explained his situation. The vague memories from his human world, how Luna found him in a crater in the garden, how he came about his new name; even how he couldn’t remember anything about his own identity. It all seemed so fantastic, but for the one most compelling piece of evidence; his lack of a cutie mark. It was completely unheard of for an almost fully grown stallion to not have one, yet Midnight still did not. Sky and Dusty were more shocked than the Elements that they had been talking with an alien visitor all this time. When he had finished, he paused for a moment, allowing them all to absorb the full weight of his dilemma.

            “That’s… that’s absolutely amazing! An actual visitor from another world! O-M-C, I … I have so many questions!” Twilight’s face lit up as she fought to control her enthusiasm. She trotted right up to Midnight. “How many humans are there on your world? Are there ponies on your world? What kinds of animals do you have? What do you eat? How long do you live? What exactly do humans LOOK like? Can humans fly? Can you do magic?!”

            “Dang, Twi, you sound like Pinkie Pie, right there.” Applejack said, walking up and pulling her back by the tail. “C’mon, now, filly. Give him some space.”

            “Actually, Twilight, that’s why you’re here. Well, at least for those last two questions.” Luna said with a smile. “My sister is currently looking into a way to send Midnight home. You didn’t find anything yet, did you?” Luna said, quickly turning to her sister.

            “Not yet, I’m afraid. But I still have much more material to look over.” Celestia said, feigning sincerity.

            “Until we can send him home, he’s stuck in this pegacorn body. And it would be cruel to have him here and not allow him to use this body to its fullest potential. So, I figured, who better to teach him to use it other than Equestria’s greatest heroes?” Luna finished, grinning at the six friends as they looked on, puzzled.

            “Um, my dear Princess Luna,” Rarity said with a curtsey. “is that the WHOLE reason for our summons here? To teach him to fly and use magic?”

            “Yes, that is all. Simply teach him all that you know about controlling your special skills as earth, pegasi and unicorn ponies. And I have the utmost faith in you all to complete this task to the best of your abilities.”

            The six friends looked at each other with nervous grins. THIS was the important task that they were teleported to the palace for? No monster, no diplomatic mission, no impending doom about to befall all of ponykind? Twilight noticed their apprehension and took a step forward, addressing the princesses.

            “Well, none of us have ever taught anypony before but, we’ll all try our best.” Twilight turned to her friends and gave them a reassuring smile. Slowly, their apprehension began to fade as they bowed to the princesses in agreement, much to the delight of Luna.

            “We know you will, friends. Luna and I have the utmost faith in you all.” Celestia said as she gave a quick glance to the window, noticing the sun was very close to the horizon. “Come now, Luna. The day is almost over. It’s about time for me to lo-“

            “Lo… log the day’s events! Yes, I know, dear sister. We should meet with the royal scribes in your chambers, now, to have them chronicle our activities today. Let’s go now, before they start to worry.” Luna interrupted her sister and spread out her wings, ushering Dusty, Sky and the Elements out of the room, much to the surprise of Celestia. As they shuffled out, Luna gave her sister a nod, motioning her to the door as well. Just as she started to follow, Midnight ran up to her.

            “Celestia, I need to tell you something.” he said, only addressing her by her name instead of her proper title. She stopped, allowing him to sit before her as she gave him a slightly surprised look. “Heh. I mean, Princess Celestia. Sorry, I did that with your sister a few times, too. I really just want to say thanks. Thanks a lot.”

            Celestia was stunned. Out of all the things she expected this human pony to say, this was the last. What was he playing at, now?

            “I know you and your sister are very busy running your country, and I know how, if the situation was reversed, how a pony-turned-human appearing in my world would be treated. And I just want you to know, well… I really appreciate all you’ve done for me.” He moved in and leaned against Celestia’s chest, bringing up a foreleg and wrapping it around the side of her neck. Celestia froze in disbelief. The very NERVE of this creature, feeling that he was privileged enough to so casually touch her! She looked down out of the corner of her eye at Midnight; he did seem somehow genuine in his affection towards her. The look on his face was the same look of happiness and gratitude that she had seen on the faces of countless numbers of her citizens before. But after all, he WAS a human, not truly a pony native of Equestria. Did the simple acts of kindness she and her sister had shown him really meant THAT much to Midnight? He broke away with a blush, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.

            “Heh. Sorry if I broke any royal protocols there. But I just had to let you know how I felt. I’m in your debt. And I hope that, someday, I can repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”

            Celestia looked at Midnight for a moment. Could this really have been a sincere show of gratitude? He looked up at her with a content grin, seemingly glad to have let her know how he felt. She couldn’t help but feel… he truly appreciated her help.

            “It’s… no trouble at all, Midnight. Now, my sister and I have to discuss your training schedule.” she said as she turned and walked to the door. “It IS getting late, so just relax for the rest of the day and get a good night’s sleep. We’ll have you up early tomorrow for your first session.”

            Midnight watched as Celestia left the room, closing the door behind her. He walked back to the huge bed near the window and jumped in, laughing at the let events of his first day in Equestria. Found barely alive, in a body that wasn’t his, on an alien world, in a royal garden, by a princess, and taken in to be taught how to fly and use magic! Hell, Earth could WAIT, if this was the kind of place he landed in. ‘Well, I guess I kinda HAVE to go back at some point. That’s a shame, though; I’d like to hang out a little more with Lu…’ Midnight stopped himself once again, catching himself thinking of Luna. This had been happening all day, since she had first left him alone while she went about her daily routine. He looked out the window as the sun began to grow low toward the horizon. Night was coming. He had a big day ahead of him tomorrow. And as long as he was on this world, he was going to make the best of it.

===

            “Alright, I need to know something right now; Dusty, Sky Shield, did you or any other members of the staff mention that Celestia or I are alicorns?” Luna said, barely above a whisper. The maid and guard looked at her with confusion.

            “Um… no, Princess Luna. I don’t believe it ever came up.” Dusty said, looking over to Sky as he nodded in agreement. Luna gave a relieved sigh and continued.

            “Good. Alright, then. See to it, that until you all hear from either Princess Celestia or myself, if Midnight asks, my sister and I are both pegacorns.” She turned her attention toward the six friends. “I’m going to have to ask keep that a secret as well. I’m not ready to reveal that piece of information just yet. This is VERY important.” Sky and Dusty looked at each other in confusion. Even the six Elements seemed baffled by the order.

            “Yes, Princess Luna.” Dusty and Sky said together, giving a slight bow. Twilight took a step forward, speaking what was obviously on the minds of every other pony there.

            “Princess Luna, is there something wrong? Why would you want to hide something like that?” Twilight asked, quizzically. Luna quickly fumbled for an answer.

            “Well, I just… wish… to not make him feel any more alone than he is already. He thinks Celestia and I are both pegacorns, and since his kind are so rare, we’ll let him think he’s in the company of ones of his own kind. Just until he gets more used to living in our world.” She grinned nervously, hoping the group would buy her excuse. Twilight and the others seemed not to be fully convinced by her reasoning, but chose not to argue. Celestia cleared her throat and stepped forward to break the silence.

            “Alright, everypony, I know Dusty and Sky Shield have been taking care of our new friend all day, and could probably use a break. And girls, how about we get you all set up in some rooms of your own? We’ll retire for the night, and begin Midnight’s training tomorrow.”

            Dusty and Sky bowed to Princess Celestia. They HAD been busy all day watching and keeping track of Midnight. The six friends from Ponyville all murmured in agreement, as well. They had been rushing all day, getting ready for their trip to the palace before they knew they would be teleported there, not that the teleportation was any restful experience in and of itself. Dusty turned toward the six friends.

            “I’ll show you all to your rooms. Follow me, please.” She started to trot off, following the maid mare to the upper floor and their rooms that would hold them for their stay. Sky Shield followed, taking the lower stairs back to the guard barracks. As they rounded the curve of the hallway, Celestia slowly approached Luna, giving her a knowing look.

            “You don’t want him to know about Nightmare Moon, do you, sis?” Luna’s mood fell quickly, having her thin excuse pulled out from under her.

            “I… don’t want him to know about her…me... not just yet.” she said, sitting down and rubbing a hoof against her foreleg. “He may be the only pony in the entirety of Equestria who doesn’t deep, down inside fear me. As soon as he realizes what we are, he’ll know what I am… and what I tried to do.” She turned away, Celestia moving closer and nuzzling Luna’s neck.

            “If he is truly your friend, as you hope he will be, I’m sure he will understand. We’ll keep it a secret, for now. I won’t mind being thought of as a pegacorn for a while.” Celestia grinned, inwardly imagining the reaction off the human-pony as Luna told him the truth about her past sins. If he reacted the way she had guessed, he would be disgusted, and Luna would lose this strange obsession with her new ‘pet’ project. It did bother her, somewhat, that her little sister might be hurt by the revelation. However, this was a pain Luna would have to experience if she was to move past this episode in her existence. “Why don’t you tell when you think the time is right.”

            Luna seemed satisfied with her big sisters words. She gave a soft smile and seemed to perk up a bit, comforted. Breathing out a low sigh, she trotted back toward the Midnight’s door. Peeking her head inside, she cleared her throat to draw his attention, nudging the door open wide. Midnight turned his head toward the door, quickly standing up to face her.

            “Midnight, I have to go for the night. Royal duties and all. But I will see you tomorrow, up bright and early for your first day of training.” A wide smile spread across Midnight’s face, tail swishing back and forth involuntarily. He gave her a half serious, half joking bow.

            “Very well, my fair Princess Luna. I will see you in the morning, and look forward to learning all I can about life as a citizen of your beautiful world.” Luna chuckled at his words. He seemed so cute, his mane drooping down over his eyes as he bowed, having to be flicked back as he rose again.

            “Get a good night’s sleep, Midnight Blaze. Sweet dreams.” And with those final words, Luna closed the door. She turned back toward Celestia, her mood becoming more serious. “Alright, let’s tend to the sun and moon. Dusk draws near.” It had been a long day for her as well. Yawning, she realized just how taxing the day’s activities have been. Perhaps, she thought, it would be better if she slept through the night…

===

            Guided by Dusty, the six friends from Ponyville settled into their guest rooms; six rooms, three on each side off the hall, all close together to allow them all easy access to one another. When the final travel bags and necessities were in all the appropriate rooms, Dusty and the few other maids present gathered in the hall.

            “Alright, everypony! I, myself, will be retiring for the night, but the members of our staff will never be too far away if you have need of anything during the night. Just grab ahold of any maid or guard you see and they will be happy to help you.” Dusty sighed, happy with the end of another day of purposeful servitude in the Palace. The six gave various words of gratitude as Dusty and her helpers bowed and turned, walking down the hallway and turning out of sight.

            “Oh, thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU, CELESTIA!!! I can’t believe we’re actually STAYING in the ROYAL PALACE! I dreamed of this since I was a little filly! The glamor! The prestige! Oh… get ahold of yourself, Rarity. Retain you composure.” Rarity ran from one friend to another, stopping before Twilight and fanning herself with a hoof. The rest of her friends giggled as she hopped around the hall like Pinkie Pie before regaining her self-control.

            “Hold yer horses, there, Rarity. We’re here to work, remember. There’s a young buck that needs our help, and we’re obliged to do just that.” Applejack said as she flipped off her hat and tossed it into the room with her teeth. “We gotta figure out how we’re gonna lay a lifetime of experience on that Midnight fella in just a few days.”

            “Yeah, and I, for one am NOT looking forward to trying to teach some tender-wing my finely tuned flying and stunt skills.” Rainbow Dash said, zooming out of her room and hovering above the center of the hall. “Not like he’d be able to keep up, anyway.”

            “Well,” Twilight added. “I think we need to come up with some sort of plan. Keep in mind, he wasn’t a pony until just last night, and supposedly, humans can’t fly and can’t use magic.” Twilight turned and notices Fluttershy looking distracted. She trotted over and leaned down, truing to look under her long, pink mane.

            “Fluttershy, is something wrong?” Twi asked, leaning down into her gaze. Fluttershy looked up and sighed.

            “I just feel so sorry for the poor thing. I mean, can you imagine; stuck in a world where nopony has ever heard of your kind? Surrounded by creatures you’ve never seen before, looking like one of them? The poor dear must be so scared right now. I feel so bad for him...” The other mares all nodded in agreement, the thought never occurring to them during their first meeting. “We’ll have to take it nice and slow with him, and try to show him all we can to try and help him feel more at home here. Well, at least until he can actually go back to his real home.”

            “I agree, dear Fluttershy.” The six friends turned to see Luna walking around the bend in the hallway. She sat on her haunches before the friends as they gathered before her. “It was his complete lack of knowledge about simply BEING a pony that prompted me to call ALL of you.” The six looked at her in confusion. “As he took his first steps out of bed this morning, he fell right on his face. Humans, apparently, are only two-legged creatures, and he has little ability on four feet.” Luna turned to Applejack, and then Pinkie Pie. “That is why I asked for ALL the Elements, not just the unicorns or pegasi. I’m counting on you two to help him coordinate his movements and control of his new body. And of course, if there’s anything you need or want, don’t hesitate to ask.”

            Applejack gave Luna a proud grin and nodded. Pinkie hopped in place and giggled, thoughts of what she could show him already running through her head.

            “Alright, then. First up is Applejack and Pinkie Pie; Earth pony, 101. We’ll decide what aspects of his abilities we’ll teach him after he’s brought to speed up on basic mobility.” Twilight said, pointing to AJ and Pinkie. “Princess Luna, does your sister need any help researching a spell to transport him home, or perhaps researching  information on humans, themselves?”

            “I will see if she desires any help, Twilight. For now, though, let us all get ready for tomorrow, and get a good night’s sleep.” Luna said, covering her mouth with a hoof as she started to yawn. Twilight and the others looked at her, puzzled.

            “Sorry. I’ve been awake all day; either helping Midnight adjust or lending my sister a hoof while she researches spells. But no matter. As long as Midnight is with us, I might as well stay awake during the day with him, to see that he keeps out of trouble.” Luna turned and began walking down the hall, leaving the six friends to turn in for the night. But before she made it to the turn of the hall, Applejack trotted up next to her.

            “Um, Princess Luna? Can I ask you something?” she asked, meekly.

            “Of course, dear Applejack. Go ahead.” AJ rubbed her hoof against her foreleg and looked up to match Luna’s gaze.

            “Well, I know you were probably referin’ to Midnight’s training when you said we could ask for anything, and I don’t want you thinkin’ this is the reason I came here today, but…” She took a breath, gathering her words. “Your big sis hung out with us a while after the Gala, and she and I got to talkin’. Seems the Apple family worked very closely with the Palace in developing Ponyville a long time ago. Now,” she sighed again. “our Granny Smith always had a lotta family pride. One of the things she always wanted was a family tree, showin’ the history of our family.  But taking care of our farms is a full-time job, so none of us in the Apple family ever had time to reallydo a lot of research. Do you think, after I’m done with teachin’ Midnight a few things, I could, maybe…”

            “You could use the Palace records to research the Apple family history?” Luna grinned at AJ’s surprise. She nodded, almost feeling guilty for asking, not wanting to inconvenience the princess. “How about I do you one better, and assign a few of the Palace Library staff to research FOR you? They’ll be able to find out quite a bit more than a lone pony unfamiliar with our record system.”

            “Aw, thank you, Princess Luna! I can’t believe it! We’re finally gonna make an Apple Family Tree!” Applejack’s face lit up as she hopped forward and hugged the night princess around the neck. She paused and pulled away quickly, realizing what she was doing, and blushed. Luna only giggled. “Ahem. Sorry. Braeburn and Big Macintosh are sure gonna be glad when they hear this.”

            “Who?” Luna inquired.

            “Oh. That’s my big brother from Ponyville and our cousin from Applaloosa. Wait till I get them together at Sweet Apple Acres! They’re gonna bust at the seams when they here this.”

            Luna thought for a moment, suddenly inspired by how easy it seemed to make a friend happy with her resources and pull. An idea quickly occurred to her.                    

            “Applejack, why don’t I send a letter to the both of them, tomorrow morning, telling them to come here and retrieve the information we discover? Then, they could get started on charting out your family history, and have it done that much sooner.”

            Applejack was stunned at Luna’s generosity. Creating a map of the Apple family tree had always been something of a pipe dream, but for the first time, it truly seemed to be within her grasp.

            “Princess, Luna… I don’t know what to say… Thank you so much.” AJ almost teared up at the gesture extended her.

            “It’s no trouble, Applejack. All I ask is that you do the best you can to help Midnight tomorrow. That’s all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must retire. It’s been a long day.”

            Applejack wished her a good night and happily trotted back to her room. ‘Luna, you might be finally on your way to making some friends.’ she thought to herself. She rounded the corner and smiled as she heard the doors to all their rooms close for the night, the girls getting ready for Midnight’s first day of lessons.

            “Thank you so much for coming, girls. All of you.”

===

            The moon was raised moments after Celestia set her brilliant sun below the horizon, taking its place to light the sky high above all of Equestria. Twilight and her friends all settled into their beautiful guest rooms, usually reserved for visiting dignitaries. Celestia settled into her large, plush bed, ordained with golden posts and carvings of the sun in countless incarnation. Luna, for the first time since her return, went to bed after raising her moon, having cast a spell to make it follow a set track across the dark night sky. She settled into her black bedroom, resting in her obsidian-trimmed bed, decorated with nebulous swirls that seemed to shine on their own and images of the moon in all its phases. Together, the sisters would awaken in the quiet hours in the morning, while Equestria still slept, to set the moon and raise the sun together. The six Elements, surprisingly Pinkie Pie included, all settled in and went to sleep relatively early. Well, early for all of them, except for Applejack. Midnight, however, against the advice of both Luna and Celestia, stayed up for many hours more. He flipping through the sparse books that were on the ancient bookshelf built into the wall of the room. Finally, in spite of how exciting and new this world was, sleep eventually overtook him, and he drifted off to sleep, his face pressed into the pages of the book he last flipped through.

===

            The fires burned out of control. Across the landscape, craters and deep gouges in the ground marked the battle that now, high in the atmosphere, was drawing to a close. The moon hung in the sky in the same place it had for six days now, the sun in a permanent dawn on the other end of the horizon. Lightening, meteors and beams of magic energy seared the air itself as the two alicorns collided in mid-air, sending the smaller, dark coated mare barreling towards the ground below, crashing through the roof of a long abandoned temple.

            “Your reign of terror ends tonight, sister! Stop this madness now, and we may still rule Equestria together! Please! Don’t force my hoof any farther!” Celestia panted, tears filling her eyes as she spit the blood from her mouth. The dark mare before her shakily stood, her armor cracked, her body all but broken.

            “I’ll never go back to being your dirty, dark little secret, dear sister! I've hidden in the shadows of their dreams for too long! I WILL receive the recognition that I deserve, and I’ll never stop until all ponies bow before my majesty!” She unfurled her dark wings, the light from the frozen full moon pouring in through the hole in the roof to illuminate her form. “I am NIGHTMARE MOON, AND I WILL RULE EQUESTRIA IN DARKNESS, FOREVER!”

            Celestia fought back the tears as she summoned the jewels before her, each appearing in a blink of color and white smoke. Slowly, they circled her body, glowing with energy, until the final jewel, adorned atop a silver crown, settled on Celestia’s head. She struggled to speak clearly as she fought back the pain of what she knew she must now do.

            “I’ve tried all I could, sister. I’ve given you every chance to stop this madness. I can do no more now, but this final act to save our world. If you were still in your right mind, I know you would understand.” The light from the floating jewels grew brighter, filling the inside of the temple. Celestia closed her eyes and stood there, gathering the energy to activate the six stones to their full power. Nightmare Moon saw her opportunity to strike the final blow against her enemy, and bowed her head, charging at full speed toward Celestia, aiming her horn for her sister’s heart. At the final moment, Celestia’s eyes flew open, glowing brighter than any of the floating jewels, freezing Nightmare in place. She couldn’t move.

            “Sister, I cannot destroy you, any more than you could me. Therefore, it pains me to do this…” Celestia took a breath and steeled herself for the final blow. “Nightmare Moon, you are guilty of crimes against Equestria. Prepare for judgement!”

            Swirling rays of color and power engulfed Nightmare Moon, hitting her with the force of a tidal wave and levitating her in the air. Her struggling was in vain against the overwhelming force of will of her sister and the Elements of Harmony. They were the very same artifacts that they had used together so many centuries ago to free the world from the clutches of chaos. Now, she was the evil force that must be purged from the world.

            “I love you, dear sister… goodbye.”

            Nightmare’s expression became one of horror as the energy she was suspended in extended in the blink of an eye, straight up to the moon. She struggled against the increasing current of energy, drawing her ever upward away from the world, and her sister. Multi-colored waves licked at her body as she fought with all her strength, reaching for her sister, tears in both their eyes. Celestia reached up as well, the spell cast and set in stone, unable to be stopped. As the final flash of spectra lashed against her body, Nightmare Moon began to glow, her form shrinking. As the wave left her, the façade of the Night Mare vanished, leaving behind the small, frail form of Luna. Celestia looked up at her, a mix of emotions on her younger sister’s face; fear, confusion, pain. But most of all, the worst emotion showing in her bright, teal eyes; the feeling of betrayal.

            “… T… Tia…? … wh… why…?”

            As the magic finally reached its apex, the spell completed, and with a blinding flash, Luna vanished, leaving Celestia alone in the dark of the ruins.

===

            “LUNA, NO!!!”

            Celestia shot straight up in bed, panting as her eyes darted around the dark bedroom. It took a moment, but realizing where she was brought both relief and sadness. The moon was still rising along the path Luna had set it. All was at peace, all as it should be. She sighed and caught her breath, laying back down and curling up once again under her covers. She turned back and forth, finding no comfort in her bed. She knew everything was alright, but had to be certain. Quietly, she rose from her bed, and slinked out her room towards Luna’s.

===

            Midnight’s face shot up from the book he had fallen asleep on.  Instinctively, he tried to take a step out of bed and walk on two legs. Between the sheet of the bed being caught on his horn, and the fact that he had no balance in this body walking on his hind legs, he promptly fell face first to the floor, the sheet wrapping around him as he struggled to right himself.

            “Gaaahhh! I’m up I’m up I’m up!!” Midnight shouted, to nopony in particular. He kicked the sheet off himself and sat up on his haunches, looking around the room. He quickly remembered his surroundings and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hooves, gathering his thoughts. “I coulda sworn I heard somebody yell Luna’s name.”

            He stood up from the floor and walked over the large door of the room, nudging it open. The hall was silent and dark, small torches on the wall emitting an eerie glow, just enough to keep it from being pitch black. This side of the hall was currently away from the moon, and seemed imposing just from the lack of light. Cautiously, he stepped into the hall, hearing hoofsteps on the floor above. Slowly, against all better judgment, he trotted down the hall and up to the floor above.

===

            Celestia stood before Luna’s room. The beautiful carved doors stood tall before her, decorated with Luna’s symbol, the same as her cutie mark on each side. She paused again before entering, knowing this would wake he sister. She seemed especially tired as Celestia watched her crawl into bed earlier, having stayed up the entire time she would usually be asleep. Celestia hated to do this, but knew this was the only way to put her own mind at ease.

            “Oh, Princess Celestia. I’m sorry, am I disturbing you?”

            Quickly, Celestia turned to see Midnight, slowly coming into view in the dark hall. He was barely visible, say for his red mane and tail bobbing as he approached. She almost jumped at his appearance.

            “Midnight? What are you doing up here at this hour?” she said, shaking her ever-flowing mane behind her.

            “I heard a yell, like somepony calling out to Luna, but it sounded panicked. Was that you? Is everything alright?” he asked, a look of worry on his face. Celestia knew she didn’t need to explain herself to him. Who was he? Some HUMAN? No, he didn’t need to know the details. She would get rid of him quickly. She had something to take care of.

            “I’m sorry if I woke you, Midnight. I had a little nightmare, that’s all.”

            “That’s too bad. Would you… wanna talk about it? Might make you feel better.”

            The insolence! As if SHE would confide in HIM? She had no time to explain Equestrian history to him. Besides, Luna wouldn’t want him to learn about her past offences yet.

            “No, thank you, Midnight. It’s sort of a personal dream, from when Luna and I were… younger. Only a bad memory. I just need to see her for a moment. No need to worry.” Midnight seemed calmed by Celestia’s words, the worry that brought him to the upper floor quickly disappearing in the glow of her motherly and gentle gaze.

            “Ok. I was worried there might be some problem. I’ll just go back to bed now.” He grinned as he gave her a bow in the darkness of the hall. “Sweet dreams, Princess Celestia. Well, for what’s left of the night, anyway. See you tomorrow.” And with that, he trotted back to bed.

            “Finally…” Celestia said to herself before quietly slinking into Luna’s bedroom. The room was hauntingly dark, notwithstanding it belonged to a patron goddess of the night. Old artifacts and personal belongings cast weird shadows over Luna as she slept. But, nonetheless, there she was; sleeping in peace and quiet, Celestia’s little sister. She breathed a sigh of relief and moved to the opposite side of the bed as Luna. She levitated the end of the blanket up and cautiously crawled in the bed, snuggling behind Luna. The bed sank down on her side due to her larger size and weight, despite her best efforts to not make her presence obvious. Luna stirred, her eyes fluttering open as she turned to face her big sister. She already knew why she was here.

            “Tia… you had the dream again, huh?” Luna asked, groggily. Celestia nodded, a timid smile on her face as she looked up from the pillow.

            “Yeah, I did… I tried not to come here tonight. I didn’t want to bother you, but I just had to see you. I’m sorry if I woke you, deary.” Celestia’s eyes became wet with tears. She blinked to clear them, one falling down the side of her face into the pillow. Luna knew what this was from. She snuggled back, allowing Celestia to wrap her forelegs around her from behind as she in turn, snuggled closer.

            “Tia, it’s alright. I’m back now. I’m right here.” Luna reassured her sister.

            “I know, Luna.”

            “I don’t blame you, you know. You did what you had to do.”

            “I know you don’t, Luna. It’s just… I missed you so much…” Celestia’s voice cracked a bit as she said her sister’s name. Luna knew what this was; the guilt. Guilt still ate at big sister. The fight, the banishment, the lost years, alone. Both of them, alone. Luna pulled one of Celestia’s forelegs down around her. She could hear her sister sobbing quietly. She had been like this at least once a week since Luna had returned. Every other normal night, when Luna was awake and about the palace, carrying out her royal duties, Celestia would find her. Together they would return to Celestia’s bedroom, Luna sitting and watching over her older sister. It seemed Celestia couldn’t apologize enough. They would talk, and Luna would indulge her big sis until she finally fell back to sleep. Luna didn’t mind, though. The cold years trapped on the surface of the moon seemed like a distant memory on those nights. She felt truly wanted and appreciated again, if only by her sister.

            “Tia?” Luna said softly.

            “Yes?”

            “Why don’t you sleep here tonight?”

            “… … … thank you.” Celestia said, meekly. Luna closed her eyes, settling back into her pillow. If this brought her sister comfort, she didn’t mind. They had a busy day tomorrow, and the night was growing late. In no time at all, both sisters slept soundly again.

===

            On the outskirts of the Everfree Forest, a lone earth pony sat in the driver’s seat atop a lead carriage of a long train of carts, patiently waiting. He was alone for more than an hour now, and swore to himself that if he didn’t need his partner so badly, he would leave him behind and pull the carts himself. The moon shone through the trees and he adjusted his glasses as a single howl broke the silence of the unnatural atmosphere.

            “Alright, here we go.” the earth pony thought. He jumped from the cart and faced the forest, looking in the direction the howl came from. Rustlings could be heard in the wood, stalking around the line of carts, eyeing up the pony. From the deep bushes, the beast charged, its target with his back turned, ready to strike. The pony turned, and the beast stopped directly in front of him. The hairy monster stood at least twice the size of the defenseless earth pony. Blood dripped from the beast’s mouth, his breath visible as puffs of white mist in the cool night air. It opened its mouth wide and roared in the ponies face, causing his mane to fly wildly behind him. The pony recoiled, wiping the saliva from his face as he closed his eyes to avoid being blinded by the monsters hot breath..

            “Aw, THAT is just DISGUSTING! You sick, disturbed creature!” The pony removed his glasses, walked forward and wiped them on the creatures thick fur. It only sat back and laughed.

            “Ha HAAA! What’s wrong, Klokwerk? I thought you’d be used to me by now!” the beast said, shaking a few strands of drool from his maw.

            “Grimdark, if I EVER get used to being covered in direwolf saliva, I’ll climb to the top of the highest building in Canterlot and throw myself off in a swan dive. Where were you, anyway? We have a schedule to keep, you know. Master expects us to meet the others in the city in a few days. The plan is finally in motion.” he said, picking off a piece of flesh that had been splattered on him from Grimdark’s roar. He tossed it aside, and the large wolf caught it in his mouth in midair.

            “Sorry. Rabbits are hard to hunt in the dark. But at least they don’t beg for their life in the Everfree. It’s hard to get in the ‘carnivore’ mood when your prey is bawling its eyes out.”

            The pony shook his head in disgust. The blood from the rabbit, and whatever else he had hunted tonight, still soaked into Grimdark’s muzzle. His breath had an iron, metallic scent to it, and Klokwerk wondered if he even bothered to taste his food before he swallowed.

            “Anyway… we have a bit more ground to cover, my fine, furry friend.” Klokwerk hopped back up to the driver’s seat and whistled to his companion. “C’mon, let’s get going.”

            Without another word, Grimdark slinked between the harness in front of the lead carriage, bringing the yoke over his head. With a stomp of Klokwerk’s hoof, the massive wolf began to pull the carriage and the six large metal trailers tethered behind it. In the distance, the lights of the sleeping city of Canterlot shimmered against the dark mountains and sky. Klokwerk grinned to himself, taking one last look behind at the trailers. They would arrive in a day or so, and his be greeted by Crash and Burn and Tumbler. Then it was only a matter of time before he released his creations from the trailers where they slept, and he and his fellow warriors would razed the city to the ground.

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I had some time to kill this evening after a crazy couple of days, so I decided to toss up another chapter. Again, I just wanna say thanks to all you super groovy bronys out there who read my stuff and track and watch and like it. I really appreciate it!!! So... this brings the villain count up to 5 minions and 1 mystery mastermind running the show. Things are gonna start moving quicker from here on out, so keep posted for more updates and keep posting those comments! Next Chapter: Distant Rumbling Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 20 Minutes