A small pop was heard as the three teleported from outside Sugarcube Corner, leaving the grass below them slightly burned. Another pop was heard as they arrived at the palace’s throne room. Nightshadow took his time in noticing that the throne room remained the same as it always has been.

"You're keeping them in that 'new' vault now, right?" He asked as the group navigated the halls of the castle. Celestia nodded, but wore a confused look upon her face.

"How did you know about that? Not even the bearers know where I hide them now."

Nightshadow grinned. "I have my ways..." Celestia wanted to press further, but before she could do so, they were already there. Shadow's horn glowed as he touched the hidden door with his hoof. It swung open at his command, revealing the Elements on top of a decorative pedestal in a small room.

"What are we going to do with those? You said we wouldn't need the bearers for this." Celestia asked, unsure of Nightshadow’s plan.

"If I'm right, we don't." He wrapped his aura around the Elements which all began glowing brighter and brighter, each with their own respective color. The auras began to leave the jewelry they were bound to, floating up into the air. They took the form of five floating orbs. Shadow grinned as he commanded the Elements into a saddlebag and closed it. He could hear the hum of the Elements, writhing with power. Macintosh said nothing, but was very confused by the whole display.

"I assume you keep the element of magic elsewhere?" Nightshadow turned to face Celestia.

Celestia didn't respond at first, her mouth still hung open from having watched the scene. "That... shouldn't be possible."

Nightshadow smiled. "Oh it is very possible, Tia." He used his magic to float the saddlebag over to Celestia. "You're gonna need this. Now, the sixth Element?" He pressed her.

She shook away the surprise and grabbed the bag with her own magic. She could see various runes etched into the side of it. 'Containment spells...' She looked up to the pedestal warily, specifically the empty spot at the top of it. "They should have all been there." She pointed out.

Shadow frowned. "Who else could hav- never mind... I think I know." Nightshadow walked past the two ponies, who gave eachother a worried look before following closely. It was a great surprise to Celestia when they stopped in front of her sister's room. The guards outside the door tensed for a moment when they saw Shadow coming, but made no further attempt to stop him. Nightshadow casually opened the door to Luna's room with his magic.

The Moon Princess sat up, expecting their arrival. Floating next to her was the elemental tiara the group sought, gripped in her magic. "Hello Luna." Shadow said, smiling.

Luna smiled weakly. "Hello, Shadow."

Celestia was surprised to say the least. "You two know each other?!"

Shadow nodded without taking his eyes away from the Moon Princess. "For a while now."

"I know why your here..." Luna broke in, floating the tiara over to Celestia. Shadow nodded and cast the same spell from before, the elemental orb floating outwards and into the saddlebag now draped over Celestia.

"Why did you have it, sister?" Celestia asked.

Luna allowed her gaze to droop towards the floor. "I needed to talk to Shadow." She paused before adding. "Preferably alone."

Celestia's eyes narrowed on her. "Alright. We'll talk about this later." Celestia trotted slowly out the room, waiting for an ever more confused Macintosh to follow her out before closing the door behind her.

"I'm sorry." The Moon Princess said. Her voice had a slight tinge of shame.

Nightshadow blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I've... failed you both." Shadow hadn't seen it before, but Luna's eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath. Faint moist streaks running down her face could be seen, if one looked closely. ‘She had been...crying? For us?’ Luna inhaled deeply, fighting the emotional turmoil inside of her, barely stopping the tears from flowing. "I tried to help her... I wasn't strong enough..."

Moments earlier:

Nightshade flew off into the forest. She wasn't thinking about Shadow, or Rainbow, or anypony else specifically. All she cared about was getting as far away from them as possible. Tears threatened to flow from her eyes, but she maintained a focused mind. It was then that a voice inside her mind broke her concentration.

'I'm sorry I wasn't there, Shade.' The calm voice said. 'I had to take care of something.'

"You're just a voice! You can't have anything you have to take care of because you’re not real! So please just stop-" A burst of magical energy caused her to crash to the ground. She got up quickly, trying to find who just dared to attack her.

'Shade. Go back to Shadow. He can help you. Just stay calm and-'

Another surge of magic, this time enveloping Shade completely. Blue sparks erupted from her mane. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized that her silent assailant was her own magic, turning against her.

'Shade you need to get your brother now! He can help you!’ The calm voice, not so calmly urged her.

'I... I can't... he hates me. They all know by now and he hates me for it. I ruined what we had here. I failed him because... I listened to voices. Voices in my head like you!'

'Shade! Please listen to me...' The voice pleaded, but Shade couldn't focus on it anymore. She couldn't see anything. She couldn't hear anything. She could no longer think straight, the pain being caused by the rogue magic was too intense. As her vision faded to red, a searing pain seemed to engulf Nightshade whole. The voice said something else, but it was muffled by Shade's own cries of pain. It was then that another familiar voice manifested itself.

'I'M BACK! Didja miss me, dear Nightshade?'

The present time:

"I was a foal. I thought I could help her, and instead I added to her miseries." Luna looked towards the ceiling with wishful eyes, almost looking past them. "I tried to lower the moon earlier... I could not. That alone symbolizes my failure." She let out a tired sigh. "You've been a dear friend to me ever since my return, and despite what you two... represent... in your appearance I've come to recognize that you two are probably the closest thing I will ever have to foals of my own. And now I'm about to lose the closest thing I might ever have to a daughter..." Luna lowered her head, faltering once more to contain her tears.

Nightshadow felt saddened, but that was quickly replaced by urgency. "Luna." The Alicorn shifted her gaze from the ground. "Did you... did you see where my sister landed?"

Luna stared for a moment, deep in thought. "I believe she was flying over a forest- Where are you going?" She asked as Nightshadow opened the door with his magic, almost tearing it off its hinges, making the guards on the outside shift uneasily. Without a word he galloped out of the room. Luna sighed and galloped after him. She found him talking to her sister and the earth stallion from before.

"We need to go, now!" Shadow said, taking a more assertive tone. "She's gone into the Everfree."

"I'm coming too." Luna broke in.

"Sister..." Celestia started, fearing for her sister. But she was cut short by Luna.

"Don't try to lecture me Tia. You can't stop me.” Celestia looked as though she wanted to say more, but instead fell silent.

Nightshadow suppressed a grin. "The more the merrier."

Fluttershy hadn't gone to the party, being too busy with a few of the animals that had gotten sick. She was about to retire for the night, already having cleaned all of the bird’s cages and having Angel properly fed. She was just making her way upstairs when she heard something that made her stop. It was a faint sound. Fluttershy’s motherly drive activated when she acknowledged that it sounded almost like a whimper. She couldn't tell what it was, but it was coming from the forest.

'What if it's an animal that got hurt?' Fluttershy thought to herself.  She gulped, going into the forest after dark was even more dangerous than going into it during the daytime, but she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she left some injured animal or pony out there unattended just because she was afraid. She grabbed a first-aid kit and a few other things before setting out into the forest. Moving as quietly as she could, which wasnt extremely difficult for Fluttershy, stopping every now and then to listen and make sure she was still heading in the right direction, she soon recognized that the sound was definitely a pony, and that it was sobbing. The realization of what it was only made her quicken her pace. Somepony could be seriously hurt.

The sounds were getting louder. At some moments it stopped and gave way to another voices' angry shouting, but then quickly reverted back to crying. Fluttershy shuddered to think of what could be happening, but all those thoughts were pushed aside when she reached a clearing in the forest. In the clearing was a black mass, barely visible in the dark. She couldn't make out its shape. Fluttershy stood still for a moment before walking slowly and quietly towards it. When she was close enough, it abruptly turned its head towards her. She gasped at the sight of the green, snake-like eyes. It looked at her for a second, then turned back around and resumed crying.

Her heart pounded in her chest and her mind was torn; she couldn’t shade the feeling that something was wrong. She wanted to turn around and gallop back to her safe cottage so much, but she also wanted to find out what was wrong and help the poor creature. Fluttershy inhaled deeply but kept on, driven by the urge to help a pony in need.  "H- H- Hello?" She managed to stutter out in her quiet, passive voice. The creature jolted up in surprise and turned to face her once more. It stopped crying and smiled in a way that made Fluttershy almost afraid.

"Oh, hi! Sorry I didn't see you there!" The voice was obviously feminine. The figure stepped forward. Fluttershy gasped and hid behind her mane. Now basked in moonlight, she could see the creature was indeed a pony. Fluttershy couldn’t control herself; her eyed moved frantically from her wings to her horn and back to her wings. ‘An Alicorn?!’

"Again, sorry! I was just talking with a friend of mine! Do you need something?"

It was now that Fluttershy could see that the mare had extensive burns and cuts along her body. "A- A- A- Are you o- o- okay?" She muttered in her innocent voice. "T- T- That l- l- looks quite p- p- painful."

The mare gave her a quizzical look, and then smiled. "Oh don't worry about me! I'll be fine I-" She was cut off as sparks began to surround her body, causing her to screech in pain. Fluttershy yelped with surprise, unsure of what to do. When the sparks ceased, the mare was covered in fresh burns that oozed. Thick streams of gray smoke left her flesh. The smell of burned meat nauseated Fluttershy to an extent. The mare looked up, wide eyed at Fluttershy. "You need to go!"

Fluttershy didn't respond, completely paralyzed with fear. She just lay down on the meadow grass and trembled. "Please!" The mare's horn began glowing. "Run! Please I-" The aura spread to her whole body. She grit her teeth, an immense pain flooding through her. "I... I'm going to kill you!" She screamed through her pain.

At that moment, instincts took over. The shy pony ducked down and turned, galloping through the forest as fast as she could in the direction of her cottage. Tears were flowing from Fluttershy’s eyes, leaving behind a trail of wet, terrified drops. She saw two magic bolts soar past her, one missing her head by inches. The bolts hit the trees in front of her, making them fall and block her path. She quickly turned to find another way out, only to find the mare face to face against her. The mare’s mouth was spread in a toothy grin. She had a look in her eyes that made Fluttershy’s soul quiver in fear. She, in a quick motion, turned to the side and galloped outside of the forest’s dirt trail. Daring a look behind herself, Fluttershy was slightly less concerned when she realized that the mare didn’t give chase to her.

She was surprised to find herself outside of an old castle. It looked like the castle they found the Elements in, but she knew that was impossible. She hadn't been anywhere near that part of the Everfree, and there weren't any other ancient castles in the forest as far as she knew. Fluttershy looked back and gasped in horror to see two green orbs staring at her from the canopy. Fluttershy galloped through a set of double doors and into the castle, down random halls and corridors before finally running out of breath and collapsing in a large room which once were a dining hall.

She took the moment to survey her surroundings. The castle was old, but not in quite a bad a shape as the royal sister's old castle. It was also curious in the lack of any sort of decorations or furniture of any sort. It was literally a big, empty, castle. The room she was in was large, and had 3 doors which she assumed lead to various parts of the castle.

Fluttershy heard the mare's laughter, echoing throughout the castle and trembled with fear, feeling her leg muscles tighten themselves under instinct. She couldn't tell whether the mad-mare was close or far.  Suddenly the doors burst open with great, startling the yellow pegasus. She yelped and pressed her hooves hard against her eyes, trying to null this horrible nightmare. When she finally allowed herself to see again, she was relieved to see nothing standing in any of the doorways.

'Maybe it was just the wind?' She thought. 'Oh Celestia I hope it was just the wind...' She decided it would be better if she kept moving. She chose one of the doors, and slowly trotted out into the hall. The door slammed shut behind her, startling her once more. She felt that her heart couldn’t take it, it was still pounding in her chest from the prior escape. She heard the mad-mare's terrifying laugh echo through the halls once again, and nearly broke down crying. She was far beyond scared out of her mind at this point. All she wanted to do was to go back to her warm cottage, curl up in her bed and pretend it was all a nightmare. Maybe it was.

"I'll wrap you in a sheet..." Fluttershy jumped up in surprise. She looked down both ends of the corridor, trying find the source of the voice. It sounded so close that Fluttershy felt as if the mare was next to her. Her eyes darted around as she saw movement out of the corner of her eyes. The shadows themselves seemed to be moving. Her coat stood on its end when she felt a warm pony’s breath on her nape.

"Boo." Fluttershy screamed and galloped. She could hear the thing’s laughter behind her, as well as rapid and heavy hoof-falls on stone. She turned a corner and bumped into something black. She looked up and found herself staring into two crimson orbs with black slits in their centers. She screamed once again.

"You never did tell me your 'plan' here Shadow." Asked the Moon Princess.

Nightshadow shrugged. "It's not that complicated. We just need somepony to distract her while we use the Elements. If that doesn't work, we fall back to... well these." He said while pointing to the saddlebag around his own neck. Luna scowled, making Nightshadow slightly annoyed. "Do you have a better idea?" She shook her head as she flew to the back of the group, eliciting a chuckle from Celestia.

“So how long have you known my sister?" Celestia said as they trotted through the forest.

Nightshadow sighed. Now was not the time, but she wouldn't be letting that go so easily. "A while now, actually. I went to see her a few days after Nightmare Night out of curiosity." He looked up to the sky as he recounted the memory. "She wasn't exactly thrilled to see me at first of course, but then I explained our... situation to her. She was sympathetic. Sometimes..." He stopped himself. "She's a good friend, helped make me feel less alone. Nightshade couldn't always hold a conversation." He felt a small twinge of guilt. 'Maybe I should have tried more often anyway...'

The two continued to talk about 'recent events'. Nightshadow told stories Celestia had heard from Twilight, but from a different perspective. Sometimes, he would reveal something she did not know, either amusing or disturbing Celestia. They were so wrapped up in their conversation that they didn't realize at first that they had walked into a clearing in the forest with a large stone building sitting in the middle.

"That... wasn't there before. At least, I don't think it was." Shadow remarked.

"Castles don’ jus build themselves, do they?" The farm pony asked.

Nightshadow looked over the castle for a second, and then frowned. "Does this place look familiar to anypony?"

"It looks a bit like... the old castle?" Luna said, looking at her sister in confusion.

"That can't be! We aren't in that part of the forest." Celestia rebutted.

"There aren't any other castles round here, are there?" The two Princesses looked at him and shook their heads. A loud scream was heard, echoing throughout the castle’s walls. Without thinking they ran across the small clearing and into the castle, looking for the source of the noise.

"This place..." Nightshadow touched the wall with his hoof. "It feels so familiar..." He picked a hall and motioned for the others to follow. Half-way toward the end, he looked back to make sure they were still behind him, only to see nopony there. 'Figures.'

Nightshadow was surprised when he heard the mare's scream once again, but even more than surprised to bump into the Element of Kindness inside the old castle. Realizing the danger they were in, Nightshadow's magic formed a sound-suppressant barrier around them both. After a while, she stopped screaming and collapsed in a heap in front of him.

"Are you quite done?" He asked, ears still ringing a bit from the contained scream. "I'd rather she not hear me coming, though I wonder if it will matter at this point." Fluttershy said nothing, but risked a glance out of one of her hoof-covered eyes up at him. He didn't seem angry, and he didn't have that crazed look the other black Alicorn had. Nightshadow sighed, causing the small pegasus to let out a quiet 'eep' and hide in her own mane. Things were not going according to plan. "Would it make you feel any better if I told you I brought Celestia here to help you?"

At the mention of the sun princess the pegasus seemed to perk up a bit. "T- T- The P- Princess is here?"

Nightshadow nodded. "My name is Nightshadow. I guess from the way you were screaming before you already met my sister." The pegasus' eyes narrowed when he mentioned they were family. She hid behind her mane again.

Nightshadow shook his head. He knew this one was shy to begin with, but there was no telling what she had already been through. "Are you hurt at all?" It took a moment for her to respond, but Fluttershy slowly shook her head, never making eye contact. "Good." Nightshadow examined the hall they were in. Again, he was filled with an intense feeling of familiarity. "I believe we want to go this way." He began to trot in the direction Fluttershy came from. She, reluctantly, got up off the floor and followed him, hoping that he was telling the truth.

Something was wrong. Shadow could feel it. The air in this part of the castle seemed colder and physically heavier. They had been wandering the halls for a while now, and had arrived behind two double doors that vaguely reminded him of the entrance to the Canterlot throne room. The shy Pegasus still behind him, he slowly began to push open the door with his magic. Slumped in the corner of the room were three unconscious ponies, two Alicorns and one earth pony. Fluttershy gasped when she saw them and rushed over to their aid. Nightshadow was fixated on the creature in the middle of the room.

"I tried to tell them... but they wouldn't listen." The creature said. "Please, just take them and go..." The voice seemed unnatural, as if muttered through a barrier of flesh.

"I can't do that, Shade. I won’t leave, not without you." Shadow said, pacing a few steps forward.

"Do not call me that!" Shade snapped. Shadow could see Shade's magic writhing around her. She tilted her head to the floor. "Please, just leave..."

"No." He stood there, defiant. Shade remained silent as a dark blue aura lit up the room.

Using his magic, Shadow gently levitated Fluttershy to his side, who quietly yelped. "You are one of the Elements, right?" He whispered. Fluttershy nodded. "When I say to, open the bag around Celestia's neck." Shadow levitated her back to Celestia's side.

"Shade... please fight this! You wouldn't want to hurt any of us. Not even Tia." He said, gesturing towards the Sun Princess.

Nightshade didn't respond, instead she looked at the small group of ponies. Fluttershy had deemed them all alive and, for the most part, unharmed. His original plan was simple. He had hoped to distract Nightshade with ponies that would incite her anger, but he didn't think they would get separated and taken out so easily. ‘If that didn't go as planned, it can only go downhill from here.' Nightshadow sighed. 'But I have to try.'

"Now!" He yelled, startling both Nightshade and Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus in a sudden burst of courage, unbuttoned the saddlebag. The elemental orbs, having already been charged by Shadow, circled around the shy pony as she eeped with surprise. Her eyes began to glow, as monumental energy flowed through her. The elemental energy, using Fluttershy as a focus, hurled itself at Nightshade.

As it impacted her, she howled in pain and surprise.

'Gotta do it now!' The fraction of elemental energy he had stored in the bag wouldn't keep his sister down for long. He levitated his own bag in-front of him and levitated one of the black gems out of it, focusing his energy into them. He opened his eyes only to find out that they didn't respond. He tried again. Nothing.

"No!" He shouted. "Why isn't it working!" He heard a faint laughter. The voice itself was oddly familiar and yet...

'No... It cannot be'

Nightshade was recovering from the attack, and a single glance at her could tell one that she was not amused.  "You'll regret that, whelp!" The voice even more distorted than before.

Nightshadow cringed. 'That didn't sound like her...'  The aura that had flooded the room began to gather around her horn. She swiped her hoof on the ground, lowering herself, ready to impale the first thing she charged into.

'Shadow, we may not have a choice...' His original plan had fallen apart. His backup plan had fallen apart. He had to act.

'I... I can’t....' With tears beginning to form in his eyes, his magic began to surge around him.

"Please Shade! You have to wake up!" She didn't listen; she was too focused on the group of ponies, eyes full of malice. Nightshade charged forward, becoming a blur of black as the magic caused the world around her to singe. Shadow moved faster than her, he always had. Before she could get halfway to the group, both siblings collided.

Both were surrounded in a corona of magical energies. "Shade! Please stop!" She grinned at him, her magic pushing at his, threatening to overwhelm him. "I'm.... I'm sorry." Shadow put everything he had into piercing his sister's magic. Nightshade did the same.

The world around him exploded and Nightshadow saw nothing but darkness.

Little did Shadow know that his plans were not the only to go awry this night. The figure sat in a tree, watching the castle expectantly. When the castle shook, he sighed wearily. "What have I done?" He thought aloud. "I tried to give them something... and it caused this. I never wanted them to die." Gears began to turn in his head as he thought of any way he could influence the outcome...

He facehoofed. 'I still owe Luna...' He smiled devilishly at the thought. '...the perfect excuse.'

"Shiv!" At his call, his guardian materialized in front of him, bowing. "Take a letter to Princess Luna."

A red mist seeped out from behind him and formed into a paper and pen, which levitated themselves over to the pegasus. He took the pen in her mouth and began to write...

"My Dear Friend, Luna..."

When Nightshadow woke up, all he could see was black.

'Am... am I dead?' He had never contemplated what death would be like. The thought that this was all there was... terrified him. Feeling began to come back to him. He sat up with a groan and opened his eyes. White quickly invaded his eyes, making him shield them with his hoof. The white light slowly gave way to colors and shapes. Nightshadow got up and looked around himself, still a little dizzy. But what he saw jolted him awake the same instant. The image was formed and sent to his brain, which uttered a single answer. ‘No...’

Nightshade was lying in the center of the destroyed room, unmoving. Shadow slowly walked next to her. He saw her disheveled mane. Her tear-stained eyes. The blood that slowly dripped from her mouth. Her gentle, peaceful smile. Nightshadow knelt down and held his sister close to his chest. Celestia was the first to awaken. What she saw nearly tore her heart in two. Celestia began to trot towards him when she heard him addressing her, not bothering to turn around.

"I... I can't believe... I killed her..." Nightshadow spoke, unable to mentally register anything at this point. He stood there with cloudy, emotionless eyes. Looking at his sister’s lifeless body.

Celestia gave him a sympathetic look. "You did not have a choice...  For what it is worth I am-"

"Don't!" Shadow snapped, gaze never turning from his broken sister. "Just...” He inhaled, calming himself. “Don't..."

Shadow stayed by his sister's side for the rest of the night. The Princess, believing in proper code of conduct, had sent a small group of guards to collect her body and deliver it to the castle for burial. "I will make sure she is not left to rot." She had said to him. "Even if we cannot mark the tombstone..." Celestia still had wanted to keep them a secret. Public reactions. Shadow would have scoffed, but he remained silent. Even after they had taken his sister, he didn't leave. He remained as motionless as a gargoyle until late the next evening.

A hot, livid green flame startled Nightshadow. Out from it materialized a scroll bearing the royal emblem. Shadow lazily ripped the royal emblem and unfolded the scroll, holding it before him with his magic.

Shadow

I thought you might wish to see your sister one final time before we perform the service sometime in the next month. The guards will allow you into the castle.

Luna.

It was a brief, rather informal letter, but he got the message. He decided to teleport to the castle instead of walk, feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. A loud pop was heard as he arrived outside the throne room doors. The guards tensed, but relaxed once they saw him. They were the bat-winged night guards that he had seen protecting Luna.

"We were told to expect you." One of them opened the door slowly. Nightshadow said nothing as he trotted past. When he entered the room, he was not greeted by the sight of the Moon Princess as he expected, but instead by a grey earth pony with a top hat. He seemed to be playing around with one of the princess' crowns.

Nightshadow cleared his throat, attracting the pony's attention. "Ah good! You're here Shadow! I've been... expecting you."

Nightshadow raised an eye. "Where is Luna?"

"She's out taking care of something. Don't be afraid, I'm here in her place to talk to you about something." Something about this stallion made Nightshadow wary. It might have been his tone of voice, it seemed so... strange. Somewhere between caring and uncaring. It might have been his blood red eyes, which held no pupil and no whites. Or it might have been his smile. It seemed unnatural. At any rate, Nightshadow was reluctant to trust him.

The stallion picked up on that feeling and smiled even wider. "I can see we're both in a hurry, so I'll cut this short. Tell me, Mr. Shadow, have you ever experienced loss?" It sounded almost rhetorical; like that pony knew the answer already.

Shadow thought for a moment, thought of what he had been through in his time on Equestria. "Yes." He replied as nonchalantly as possible.

"Does it still hurt?" The pony asked incredulously, smiling a bit. "You never shed a tear, even when the guardsponies came to take her away."

Nightshadow was confused at how he knew that, but something about the strange pony seemed to make every question demand an answer. "Yes... I lost my sister, who has been with me for the majority of my long life. Despite the things she has done, I would... I would give anything to see her again."

The stallion turned his gaze to a tapestry depicting the six elemental ponies fighting Discord. "Well..." He began, his expression betraying determination. "That's good enough for me." He slammed his right fore-hoof on the ground. A red glow began to surround him.

The stallion turned to face the center of the room. He grunted as he concentrated the energy. A cocoon of light emerged from the middle of the room, gathering and kicking up dust in a small whirlwind. His smile returned as he retracted the energy. He was still glowing when the last of the dust had subsided.

Nightshadow could barely make out a figure moving in the middle of the debris. He dropped down, getting ready for whatever was about to lash out at him. When the dust finally cleared, he found himself unable to move or speak. He just stared into its eyes.

Its bright, green eyes.

"Shadow!" Nightshade galloped towards her brother, who was still too shocked to speak. She embraced him, nearly knocking him off his hooves. "IsawyourunningandIthoughtyouwouldn'tfindmeand-"

"Ahem. I'm sorry Shade, but your brother and I have a few things to discuss." The Alicorn looked at the earth pony. "Sorry dear, I won’t be here long." She solemnly nodded and tore herself away from her brother.

"How?" Shadow asked, now finally summoning the energy to bypass his amazement and speak.

The earth pony chuckled. "You wouldn't believe me if I said ‘magic’, would you?" The pony looked up at the ceiling. "I can't stay for much longer now, kid, so I'll tell you what you need to know now, and maybe tell you the good stuff later." He snickered. "First off; that's not the same Shade you knew from yesterday."

Nightshadow's eyes furrowed in anger. "Not to worry!" The stallion quickly added. "That's where the second part comes in, all she remembers are the first, hmm... nine months of her life?" The stallion chuckled again. "I could have recovered more, but why would I?"

Nightshade was absentmindedly playing with the crown, oblivious to their conversation. "She doesn't remember anything from the past thousand years?"

The stallion shook his head, grinning even wider than before. "Nope!"

Shadow sighed. "Anything else I should know?"

The stallion frowned. "I thought you would be a bit happy about that." He leaned in closer. "She doesn't remember any of the bad. All she has are good memories. As for the age difference...  biological memory should kick in soon and she'll stop acting like such a little filly."

Nightshadow shook his head. "There has to be a catch, or some payment or..."

"I'm not Discord. In fact, I even made sure her mind wouldn't be fractured like the 'old' Shade's was. As for payment... well... Luna covered you, this time." The red mists returned, this time swirling around in a tight circle next to the stallion. The mists suddenly became semi-solid in appearance, with lashes of energy reaching out.

"And, ladies and gentle-colts, that is my queue to leave. Celestia and Luna already know, you'll have to explain it to the rest." He turned from Nightshadow and began to trot towards the portal.

"Wait!" Nightshadow yelled. "You didn't even tell us your name!"

The stallion smiled, bone-white teeth showing. "Seven. Just Seven. I think I will see you two again someday soon." He frowned. "A pity it won't be under better circumstances." With that, he walked through the red portal, which disappeared behind him.

Shadow turned to his sister and smiled.

Shade turned to her brother and laughed. "He was weird!"

Nightshadow felt himself chuckling as well. "Yeah..."

"So what do we do now, Shadow?" Nightshadow looked up at the ceiling, not staring at the stone itself, but past it.

"I think... we should go home."