With the sky wearing the moon for a pendant, a pegasus and a unicorn flew over a forest of fear.

Emotionally and physically drained, Fluttershy willed herself to keep going. They were almost to Ponyville now, she had to get Twilight back safely, she owed that much (and so much more) to Zecora. This was their only chance for a happy ending to the story. Ahead she could see warm lights staining the clouds.

Just a little further. Have to get back, it's the only acceptable outcome.

Tired wings flapping, she struggled on.

~~~~~~

"No no no. This ain't right! Why didn't it do what it was supposed t'do?!"

"What do you mean AJ? It worked didn't it? I mean, we all remember Twilight again right?"

"Well yeah, but.."

"Honestly Applejack, this has been a very stressful time for all of us and it might be getting the better of you. It went off without a hitch, we remember Twilight, our good friend, and the princesses and everything else."

"No! Not everything! Y'all forgot the most important person, the one who helped you all remember Twilight in the firs' place!"

'Who's that Jackie?" Looking from face to face, all wearing worried but impatient expressions, Applejack didn't know whether to cry or rage, so she decided to do both. Tears burst from her eyes as she drew in a huge breath, not noticing the door opening behind her.

"YOU FORGOT ZECORA!!!" Momentarily as stunned as the others were by the outburst, Fluttershy soon became aware of how heavy Twilight was becoming. Finally her front leg gave out and she clattered to the floor, the unconscious unicorn still atop her. Having been startled into action by the sound, the other four ponies soon had them supported and barraged with questions.

"You're back! Are you alright?"

"You got Twilight back, that's great!"

"I can't believe you went all the way into the Everfree Forest by yourself, are you nuts?"

"Is she alright? C'mon y'all, let's get her up to bed."

After putting Twilight to bed (with Rarity still fussing over tucking her in neatly) the other ponies reunited downstairs.

"Now then you two, it's about dang time you filled the rest of us in."

"Yeah Dashie's right, something big's going on and you're keeping us in the dark."

Sharing a glance, Applejack and Fluttershy tried to decide what to say.

"Weeell..." Applejack began,

"You can start with what those dreadful creatures are that are taking our friends." Rarity now joined them, after rearranging Spike's covers too, naturally.

"You're right, all of you. We didn't mean to keep this from you until now, except we didn't really know what to do when we remembered things and you didn't, and Zecora thought.."

"Yeah, who is this 'Zecora' anyway? Applejack keeps talking about her like she's the daughter of Celestia or something."

"Totally. If she's that important to all this then we need to know who she is. Is she nice? What's her favourite colour? Did I throw a welcome party for her? Is she a unicorn, an earth pony or a p-umphgumphsumph!"

"Give them a chance to answer Pinkie, just the important details though, we can work out the party details later." Having withdrawn her hoof, Rarity used her magic to levitate a cloth to wipe Pinkie's saliva off.

"As I was sayin', we'll tell ya. You gotta take our word for it though, ah don't think I'm quite up to another meetin' o' the minds just yet."

"Not to mention that we don't have much time. The creatures, they're called History Reapers by the way, come out at night and we already....um.....woke them up when we rescued Twilight," here Fluttershy's head dropped,

"...and left Zecora there."

"Right, so we'll give you the basics and fill in the gaps later. Here's what we know. Some nasty critters from the Everfree Forest, History Reapers, came into town a few days ago and took Dinky Hooves, who nobody could then remember, which got Derpy, her momma, all in a tizzy and she had herself a rumble with Cheerilee,"

"Who won?" Four pairs of eyes glared the cyan pegasus into silence.

"Anywho, we went and paid Derpy a visit in the police station and that's when Zecora showed up, told us about what was happening, so we promised Derpy we'd get her little girl back," Applejack sighed, turning to Fluttershy,

"How're we doin' on that by the way?"

"They're okay for now. Derpy was taken too, but even inside that thing the Reapers are keeping them in, she still found Dinky."

"Awww. That's so sweet."

"Ah ain't surprised, that mare'd fight Celestia AND Luna for her little filly."

"Speaking of Celestia, we think that because we were in Canterlot when it happened, the Princess' magic protected us from the effects, so we kept our memories when everyone in Ponyville lost theirs."

"So these...Reapers was it? Right, these Reapers snuck in when that big storm went down?"

"Not quite Rainbow, really there was no storm. All the damage was done by the Reapers when they were on the hunt. However, when your memories were taken, your mind couldn't just leave a blank space so it invented a believable scenario to take their place. There was a lot of damage caused to Ponyville that nobody remembered so it became a big storm that everyone somehow slept through."

"I did think it was a little weird that not one weather pegasus reported anything until the next day."

"That's good then, Rainbow. Meant that even after your memories got fiddled with you still could pick up on somethin' being wrong. Maybe part of Element of Harmony magic bleeding through?"

"Can we please stay on track? You said these things come out at night and it's night right now!"

"Yes, you're right. Where were we? Ah yes, while we were visiting Derpy, the Reapers came back, so Zecora, Applejack and I went to Zecora's hut, where she had set up some defenses. The next day we came back to Ponyville and we found Twilight had been taken."

"Now here's where it gets a li'l tricky. See 'cause Twilight's such a powerful magic pony an' all, when they took her, it wasn't just our memories of her that disappeared. Somehow, Twilight's unicorn magic got all mixed in with...whatever the Reapers do and it started to wipe out the changes Twilight's presence caused too. Suddenly you didn't know who Zecora was or what a zebra is, then it even reached the point that Twilight didn't represent the Element of Magic no more. Heck, we all thought Spike came to Ponyville all by hisself. He didn't even remember Twilight and she's been with him since he was born!"

"You gotta be kidding me!"

"That's awful!"

"Poor Spike, Twilight's practically his mom and he couldn't remember her?"

"I know, it is terrible. Which is why Zecora, our zebra friend, had us try to use Applejack's Element of Honesty to break through the lies. It seems to have worked, you guys all remember Twilight again at least, but not Derpy or Dinky."

"If it worked then why don't they remember Zecora?" Again Fluttershy had to look away.

"Because.." She began, hating herself more with every word,

"...because she sacrificed herself to get Twilight out. She jumped right into the cage, not afraid for one second and took Twilight's place..." Fluttershy didn't think she had any more tears to cry after all that'd happened. She wasn't entirely unhappy to find out she was wrong. Not caring what her friends thought, she raised her head and fixed them all with a stare.

"...and we forgot her. Twice."

Nopony had anything to say to that.

~~~~~~

A dragon did.

"Uh...hey guys. What are you all doing here? I know you're worried about Twilight after overdid her magic when that second storm rolled in but give me a little credit why don't ya? I am her number one assistant after all, I got this."

"Storm?" Applejack and Fluttershy whispered in unison, their fragile hope shattering.

"Yeah, you're right Spike. You got this. Besides I gotta get up early. I'm on cloud duty." Stifling a yawn, Rainbow headed for the door.

"But but but..." Stammered Applejack.

"I gotta get some sleep too. I'm watching the babies tomorrow."

"Umm, Pinkie?"

"Hold on a sec, would ya?"

"Please girls, it's late. Can't this wait until tomorrow? Twilight is clearly fine with Spike here. I'm sure it can wait until later."

"No no NO! NOT AGAIN!"

"Guys, c'mon keep it down. You'll disturb Twilight!"

"GOOD! We need a little disturbance here. If we don't get a little disturbance now then we'll get a HUGE disturbance later."

Just then, Pinkie and Rainbow reentered the library, carrying dirty clumps in their mouths. Laying hers down, Pinkie bounced up to Spike.

"Hey Spikey, do you know what this stuff is? It was scattered all around this place."

"Yeah, there was a full circle all the way around. It was almost like somebody put it there." Applejack looked over at Fluttershy.

"You don't think?"

"Zecora's barrier!"

Right on cue, the howls reached their ears.

"*Sigh* Of course." The two chorused, their feelings of unfairness momentarily overwhelming their terror.

~~~~~~

They were angry. This was no mere forage. This time was a blood hunt. It had been taken from them, such a rich meal. They had gorged themselves and still more was there. It was unlike anything they'd ever had before. The latest prey, the one that had entered their den and taken their feast, it too had a unique flavour but it paled in comparison to what had been taken. Already this new food was running out, a luxury item, very tasty but ultimately unfulfilling. They wanted their real nourishment, it would feed them until they grew strong enough to stalk the only things that outmatched it. The two scents, too far to reach before the sun rose again, soon even that wouldn't be an obstacle. That is, if it hadn't been taken. Already the scent was there. it would lead them to their prize.

And they would take it back.

~~~~~~

"C'mon y'all. We've got a few minutes at most. We need to get out of here."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Another 'storm' is gonna hit Ponyville and ah ain't talking about weather neither. That junk..." she indicated the piles of herbs,

"...was supposed to keep us hidden from these things that're comin'. What do you think'll happen when they see a big ol' target that wasn't there a second ago?"

"They'll head straight for us!"

"Exactly. Now c'mon. We gotta get Twilight outta here and you girls are comin' too!"

"But, sweetie.." Quick as a flash the Stare was employed.

"No buts! Rarity, you and Pinkie go with Applejack and Spike and head for Sweet Apple Acres. Take the Elements of Harmony with you. Rainbow and I will handle Twilight."

"Wow Fluttershy! That was pretty hardco-"

"NOW PINKIE!"

"Going!"

~~~~~~

Dashing through the streets, the three ponies (and one dragon riding on Applejack's back) breathed a little easier when they heard the howls dying off.

"Well, we ain't out of the woods yet but at least we got some time before they start looking for us."

"Well Applejack, what exactly is the plan here? Do we just keep running or is there something we can do?"

"Honestly I don't know, we just need a safe place to hide out for a little while so we can get our bearings. We've already been through the facts once tonight and I'm kinda sick of repeating myself."

"Well that doesn't help much."

"I know Pinkie but it's the best I can do right now. We just gotta hope that Zecora figured out some kinda plan before they took her."

"Are you guys sure we should have left Twilight with Fluttershy? She wasn't acting normal."

"Would you care to argue with her right now, Spike?" The diminutive dragon looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it, instead opting for a shrug that nearly dislodged him from his seat.

~~~~~~

Hovering high above the treehouse, the two pegasi watched the Reapers break in the door.

"I...I don't want to watch this anymore."

"Fluttershy?"

'Please?"

"Yeah sure, let's go."

Speeding among the clouds, careful not to injure their passenger, the ponies rushed towards their friends.

~~~~~~

The scent! So strong but the prey was gone! Where was it?  The pack leader snapped at its followers, spurring them to quicker action. They had torn this place apart but found nothing. It was maddening, being in that place, awash with that tantalising aroma but teased by the lack of a body. Letting out a furious howl, the alpha strained all its senses.

Suddenly, the wind shifted and every Reaper's head shot up. There! The stolen feast, not alone though, also a hint of the new luxury, mixed together......moving.

The sentries, prowling outside, found it first. Bearing their fangs, they set off in chase, soon joined by the rest of the hunters. They could feel it at their cores, the chase was on!

~~~~~~

"Whoa whoa whoa!"

"What's wrong, Spike?"

"It's the Elements of Harmony, they've got minds of their own! They're flying away! Hey, get back here you!"

"Swell, we just lost 3 of them, what've we got left?"

"Uh...Honesty, Laughter and Generosity." A moment of silence passed between the four.

"Well..."

"...that's..."

"...convenient."

"A little too convenient to be a coincidence, surely."

"Ah reckon so."

"Still, maybe we should go back and get the others just in case. Where did they land Spike?"

'They didn't."

"What now?"

"When I said they flew away, they didn't come back down."

"Then where could they possibly be going?"

"Uh guys, I think we have a more pressing concern."

"They found us already?!"

"Yeah, what are we gonna do?"

"We won't make the farm at this rate, nuthin' else around for miles either. No real choice since none of us can fly. We'll have to make our stand here."

"But how do we fight these things?"

"Any way we can."

~~~~~~

"Hey, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"There! coming towards us."

"I dunno but we've got bigger problems. look down there!"

Following Rainbow's pointing hoof, Fluttershy saw a terrible scene. Surrounded on all sides, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike and Applejack were trapped by the Reapers, the three earthbound ponies all wore their Elements of Harmony.

"We gotta help them!"

"What should we do?"

"Maybe they can help?" The approaching objects were close enough to make out, two necklaces and a big crown thingy, floating towards them. Soon they met in midair, the Elements settling into place without assistance.

"I'm not complaining but what now?"

Fluttershy wasn't listening, instead focusing on a new sensation, a tugging around her neck. Looking down she saw the stone that Zecora had entrusted her with straining against the chain. Hesitantly, she reached up and unlatched it. The moment she did so it shot downwards before coming to a stop directly between the earth and sky trios. Though nothing held it, it remained rooted in the air, glowing brighter with each passing second, even drawing the attention of the Reapers on the ground.

~~~~~~

"Hey! What in tarnation?" The two ponies and one dragon whipped their heads around as their friend, in every way having her feet firmly on the ground, was having a hard time staying that way. Dragged by her Element, Applejack floated ever closer to the increasingly radiant gem.

Up in the sky, the pegasi had their own problems.

"Twilight, knock it off, quit squirming! Hey, can you hear me Twilight?" Looking over the situation, Fluttershy thought about the zebra who'd given her the gem and what she'd said. Making a decision, she turned to the other pegasus.

"Rainbow, let her go!"

"Are you nuts, look at her, she's not even awake yet!"

"Trust me, this'll work out."

"But..." Rainbow was torn in three directions; she was worried about her unconscious friend in her arms, she still didn't know what was really going on and she really, really wanted to believe the kind pony beside her. Finally, her loyal nature won out.

"You better be right about this, Fluttershy." As she let go of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash hearn Fluttershy yelling to those below.

"Applejack, get ready!"

Below, over the roaring of the beasts, Applejack called up her agreement.

"Ah'm all set. C'mon Zecora, show us some of that zebra magic one more time!"

Moving faster and faster, the representatives of Honesty and Magic approached the zebra jewel, the other four Elements; Laughter, Generosity, Kindness and Loyalty began to glow bright just as the the two ponies met in midair. The tip of Twilight Sparkle's horn and Applejack's necklace contacted opposite ends of the gem in a feather touch. The glowing stone, already so bright, now erupted with blinding light, enough to beat back the night itself.

That moment, four sets of eyes opened. One belonged to the lavender unicorn at ground zero, the other three were far away from the event but still felt the warm light on their faces. The pegasus with roaming eyes, the tiny blonde unicorn and the brave zebra, all still smiling, greeted the end of the long night.

~~~~~~

Dear Princesses Celestia and Luna,

Firstly, thank you Princess Luna for taking steps to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. We really appreciate it. We also hope to see you in Ponyville again soon, in a less urgent meeting.

Princess Celestia, over the last few days we've had to answer a question that has been asked for all time: If you could go back, what would you do differently?

It's really fun to play around if you already know what's going to happen,

but in the end it's totally not as cool as the first time,

nothing could ever compare to the first possible choice,

even if you think that you could undo your previous mistakes,

it just ain't fair to throw away that time you've spent with others,

growing up, starting a family, raising your children, protecting them,

learning from and loving your parent,

hindsight is easy if you wish to repent though it's better to make sure that your time is well spent.

Sincerely,

your loyal subjects.