Author's Notes:

Still recovering but started writing again. Also changed the rating to mature do to what future chapters.

Twilight screamed as she fell from the sky, plowing into the ground on impact, creating a small trench, another mark in the earth displaying her failure. She moaned, her mouth full of dirt. Not the most appetizing thing in the world.

“Way to go, Sparkle. Thank the moon alicorn bodies are tough,” Star commented.

“Shut it,” Twilight shot back, getting up and spitting the dirt out of her mouth.

“No. This is my body, too, and you’re roughing it up.”

Before Twilight could retort, she heard the sound of wing beats approaching. “Geez, Twi, how did you crash during such a simple exercise?” she heard Dash ask.

Twilight groaned. “Well, excuse me. I didn't have these till a few days ago.”

“But you were born with them,” Rainbow rebutted.

Twilight then shifted, as Star pushed herself out. “I was eight when my home was attacked. I didn’t have much flight training,” she managed to snap before they switched back.

“Well, get back up. We have plenty of daylight left,” Dash said. Twilight groaned again as she got up. “It’s not that bad, Twi. Now come on.”

*****************************

It was evening when Twilight returned to the library, sore all over from her flying and her many, many crashes. As she walked through the main room, she heard her mother speak out.

“Good evening, daughter.” Twilight looked up and blinked. Her mother had…changed. She was taller now, just a tad shorter than Cadance, her fur a darker blue that matched Twilight's mane. Her own mane was now ethereal, with the appearance of the night sky.

“Good…evening, Mother. What happened?” Twilight asked.

“My magic has fully returned to me. This is my original form.”

“Original form?”

Luna nodded. “Yes, my daughter. All alicorns have the ability to shift their forms to an extent. Your aunt can do the same, though she loves her current size. It makes her look motherly even to adults. But no doubt, when she wants a break, she becomes a normal pony size and stops channeling her magic into her mane.”

“You can do that?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. It is necessary when you are as old and powerful as I and my sister are. We are so infused with power, we need an outlet, and the mane and tail are easy to channel it into. We can turn it off for some time, but not forever.”

Twilight thought for a bit. “So, what's Celestia's true mane color?”

Luna smiled at the question. “Pink.”

That explains some of the art I've seen of her and you.”

Luna looked shocked. “There is art of me?”

“Yes, but not much, and it’s usually with Celestia.”

“Hm, I did not expect that. Oh, well. Spike! Prepare a large meal. I will need it tonight.”

“Got it!” Spike said from the kitchen.

“What are you doing tonight, Mother?” Twilight asked.

Her mother smirked at her. “With my magic restored, I will go clear out the section of Everfree near Ponyville and around the castle so I can rebuild it. My sister may have abandoned it, but I will not.”

“Be careful, Mother.”

“Of course.” She nuzzled Twilight. “I have a daughter to return to.” Luna then led them into the kitchen and to the small table as Spike was busy by the oven.

“So, why Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?” Twilight asked.

“Its name is Everfree Castle, and while this place is quaint, ‘tis hardly a place for a princess. I cannot hold court or perform many other royal duties here.”

“But I like this place.”

“I am not asking you to come with me. But I cannot stay here. At the very least, I will be close by in Everfree Castle,” Luna says, to Twilight’s relief.

Soon, Spike brought out the meals, and the mares looked eagerly on. Luna had pasta, a salad, and breadsticks. Twilight had a homemade hayburger and a salad. Spike had a hayburger of his own with a clawful of gems. All three ate their meals eagerly.

**********************

After dinner, Luna was in the Everfree Forest, having just slain a manticore. With her feline foe now a mere pile of ash, she moved on. The forest used to spread for mere miles from her old castle, but in the years since it was abandoned, the forest expanded widely until it covered leagues in all directions from the castle.

Soon, Luna sensed an awful smell and a series of growls. Looking around, she saw green, glowing eyes all around her. She smirked and lit her horn. The timberwolves leaped out at her, and she launched fireballs in all directions. The timberwolves yelped and whined as the flames engulfed them, trying to flee but soon succumbing to the fire.

“Just because my sister is the Alicorn of the Sun doesn't mean I am incapable of fire spells,” Luna said, right before a cockatrice charged at her. Luna turned and bucked its head off. The forest was also more hostile than she remembered.

Soon, Luna finally found a chasm, spotting Everfree Castle in the distance on the other side, the castle she and her sister built before taking the thrones of Equestria. Luna flew down to inspect what needed to be repaired or replaced.

The first thing would be the bridge, the current rope-and-wood bridge looking to be about one strong breeze from collapsing. She decided to replace it with a stone one later. She flew over and soon landed in the front courtyard. She would need to erect walls to keep the hostile forest out.

The first building she inspected was the smithy next to the barracks. The door had rotted away, so she just walked through the doorway to enter. She passed the rotten weapon racks, some still holding swords and spears. Even a suit of armor was still there. She moved to the back of the building with the forge. Turns out that the roof had collapsed at some point, the debris covering the floor. Luna teleported the debris outside to clear later and inspected the damages. The furnace was empty of coal, but the pit looked in good condition. She tested the bellows, finding them functional. The anvil was still present and in fine condition. The tools, however, were another story. They were either missing or rusted beyond usefulness. They would have to be replaced. A simple task.

Leaving the smithy, she decided to go ahead and examine the castle proper. She skipped the atrium and other rooms and went straight to the antechamber leading to the throne room. It was intact, surprisingly, so Luna opened the doors to the throne room. It still bore the scars of her battle with Celestia. The glass roof was shattered and needed to be replaced. So did the stained-glass windows and the east wall. The dais needed touching up, and Celestia’s gold throne would need to be replaced with a purple one. This castle was hers and Twilight's now.

Moving on from there, Luna inspected the other rooms of the castle, which, besides the dust, cobwebs, and rotting furniture, were overall fine. Some parts of the roof had collapsed, and a couple of towers had lost their top levels, though. Thankfully, her organ was in perfect condition and still worked. Luna sighed in relief. Overall, the castle was salvageable.

“You will be used again, old friend. To house me, my daughter, and what allies we have.” She then left to finish clearing the forest.

******************

In a mansion in Canterlot, several ponies met in a spacious conference room, the curtains closed, leaving the room only lit by the dim candles.

“It's bad enough that the Nightmare has returned, but that she has an alicorn daughter, as well? Our goddess is outnumbered and is in more danger than ever before,” a female unicorn stated.

“What of Princess Cadenza?” a pegasus mare asked.

The other mare snorted. “She is the Princess of Love. She’s never fought in her life. Our goddess has fended off several threats to Equestria in her centuries of life. But we can’t take any chances. We need to act to save her.”

“And we will,” a stallion interrupted. “We have an advantage. The Nightmare and her daughter do not have their spawn surrounding them like they did a thousand years ago.”

“Who ever would have thought Twilight Sparkle came from that demon?” another stallion asked.

“I never liked her. Wrong colors to be the goddess’s faithful student. Sunset Shimmer was a far more suitable student. A shame she disappeared,” the unicorn mare said.

“She was likely killed by agents of the Nightmare,” the second stallion replied. “They’re certainly a superstitious lot.”

“Whatever the case, they are vulnerable. We shall take Twilight and announce our presence to Equestria. Soon, Equestria will be free of the Nightmare once and for all.”