An old pony rocked in her chair, watching the end of the day pass her by.

It had been an odd day.

The sun had not come up until mid afternoon, but at least the twilight seemed to be on time. She chuckled to herself. It had worried a lot of ponies when the lack of sunlight had gone on and on, but for her, well, it was nice to see something out of the ordinary for once in her old age.

And this was certainly out of the ordinary.

Some things never changed in the end. As dawn gave birth to the day, so would twilight die to make way for the night.

She heard a squeak. It hadn’t come from her rocking chair.

Slowly, she stopped rocking. Until everything was silent. And then she heard the squeak again.

Looking around, she spotted a stage wagon on the road. It was empty, and nopony was hitched to it.

How strange… she thought. I never saw anypony pull that here.

She looked the other way and heard another squeak.

Looking back, she stared hard at the stage wagon. Was it closer than before? Her eyes widened when the stage wagon turned her way, giving her the unpleasant feeling that it was looking at her.

It slowly started rolling towards her, and she could feel her heart racing. The ponyless stage wagon finally ground to a stop just before the steps to her home.

A small window at the side of the stage wagon opened and a strange, fine powder floated out before it ignited into blazing words that hung in the air.

WHICH WAY TO PONYVILLE?

She felt pain above her left hoof... and everything went black.

“Hey! Granny!”

The old pony opened her eyes and groaned. “W-what...”

“Are you okay?" the voice asked. "You passed out.”

“I-I'm okay,” she assured the stranger who helped her up. Funny. Her legs didn't hurt so much now. “I just had this strange nightmare about a stage wagon that spoke in words made of fire to me... I thought I was going to have a heart-attack!”

“Y-you did?” the mare stammered. “Ah... hehe. Fancy that.”

The old pony looked at the young unicorn helping her up. She had a soft blue coat and a magic wand with pixie dust as a cutie mark. “Yes... I must have fallen out of my chair!” she chuckled.

“Oh... well.” Trixie cleared her throat. “T-trixie needs to know how to get to Ponyville from here, if you don't mind?”

“Not at all!” the old mare said, smiling at the odd way the pony spoke. “It's west of here, a mere few hours on the road for a fit, young mare like you. Just walk that way and you'll arrive just after sunset.”

“Well, thank you!” The Great and Powerful Trixie replied with a conflicted smile. “Trixie...Trixie should get going... you know, beat the traffic and all that jazz.”

The old mare gave Trixie a confused look and then let her eyes wander around. There was nopony in the area. “If you say so.”

“Thanks again!” Trixie called as she jumped atop a familiar-looking stage wagon. Her horn glowed and soon the stage wagon lurched westwards.

“Young mares these days.” The old mare chuckled.

She turned around to take a seat again, but her hooves tripped on a strange silvery line. She shouted in surprise as she stumbled and fell forward, eyes widening as she realized she was falling towards herself!

“Uh...” The old mare took a gasping breath and shook her head as she opened her eyes. “That was strange...” She looked around, feeling that she should remember something.

After a moment, she shrugged it off. Everypony else would already be inside. She could smell the food her daughter was preparing.

“Hm...” she carefully lifted herself up, bones hurting again, but she didn’t mind at all.

“Mom!” a voice called from inside. “Dinner's ready!”

“I'm coming, dear!” she called back, heading towards the door.

She felt unusually happy to be alive.

Spike walked morosely through the castle grounds. “Why me? Really? This happens to me all the time!” the baby dragon growled. “I mean, it's weird enough to dream that I am someone else altogether heading armies into battle, but to dream a whole year of living in Ponyville only to find out I never visited? That's harsh!” he blinked. “Although I guess that explains why sometimes it felt so... episodic.”

He waved absentmindedly at a couple of guards as he passed them, eyes glued to the floor. “And then to dream of perfection herself, the most beautiful pony to grace Equestria only to have her be a figment of my imagination? Could there be a crueler fate?”

He sighed. “Well, at least I still have Twilight... I'd better go find her...” He looked around and hummed. “I wonder where she is? She usually wakes me up before leaving and its almost the end of the day!” He thought for a second. “I guess I’ll try the library.”

“Why did we let them talk us into this?” one guard asked.

“Because somepony decided to spill the story of the crypt,” another guard muttered venomously, glaring at Ebon Rain, who trudged ahead sheepishly at the fore of the group beside Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“So, this crypt here has been around since before Canterlot was built?” Applejack whistled. “Why isn't it part of the tours?”

Ebon Rain nodded, smiling uneasily, and well aware of the pointed looks the other guards were giving him. “The Crypt is old, and part of a system of tunnels that run under the mountain,” he explained. “It can be dangerous for the general public, so most citizens of Canterlot have no idea it’s even there or, if they do, it’s been closed for as long as anypony can remember.”

“Nopony knows why it was closed in the first place, but being near for prolonged periods of time has made some unicorns experience visions and cases or paranoia. Some said they saw ghosts.” He glanced at the mares around him. “I hope you understand that the only reason you’re being allowed to take a look is because you are guests of Princesses Celestia and Luna.”

“Are you really so sure this is a good idea?” Rarity looked around nervously, ears twitching.

“Aw, come on, Rarity!” Rainbow Dash smirked. “There's no such thing as ghosts, right? Why are you scared?”

“I— I am not scared, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said. “I simply do not want to get my coat dirty in a dreadful old crypt!” She snorted and grimaced. “Besides… other than mother and father… I don’t think there are any ghosts I would like to meet.”

“W-we could go someplace else you know... if you want to, that is... maybe,” Fluttershy suggested.

Rainbow Dash smiled at her friend. “Don't worry, Fluttershy, I'll make sure nothing happens to you.”

Fluttershy lowered her head, looking away as she followed the others. “I don't know if you can...” she whispered.

“Hey! If there are ghosts in there, can we invite them over to Ponyville?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Think about it!” she said, eyes growing wide with excitement. “We could have a party that would never, ever die!”

“Sometimes, Pinkie Pie, you really scare me,” Applejack deadpanned.

“Just remember: ‘giggle at the ghosties!’” Pinkie Pie replied merrily. She bounced around the group as they approached a large pair of copper doors embedded into the mountainside.

“What the hay is that supposed to mean?” one guard muttered to another, only to be elbowed into silence.

The closer they got, the more oppressive the air became until all the ponies were trotting quietly with lowered heads.

Their hooves clopping on the hard stone became the only sound around, echoing against the walls of rock around them.

As the colors of twilight filled the sky above, Pinkie Pie hummed an old lullaby to herself.

In the relative silence, the hummed song carried to the ears of everypony nearby and, just its eerie echo had worked them to their last collective nerve and Rarity had turned to snap at Pinkie Pie...

“WHAT WAS THAT?!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing her hoof at the nearby cliffs.

“Eeeeeeeeeee!!!!”

Rainbow Dash's shout was followed by a shrill scream that made everypony cringe. It carried on until Applejack snapped a hoof over Rarity's mouth, shutting her up.

Pushing the hoof out of her face, Rarity glared at the pegasus. “Don't you ever,” she gasped “do that again!”

“But I saw somepony!” Dash exclaimed, flying back defensively under the disgruntled visage of her friend. “Over there! By the rocks!”

A couple of the guards trotted over to where Rainbow Dash was pointing and looked around, but shook their heads when they found nothing.

“Listen... it's gettin’ a bit late and Ah’d rather not be here at night,” Applejack said. “So, let's take a look, see if we hear anythin’, and then we can get back to the castle.”

“Aww... scaaaaared?” Rainbow Dash taunted, conveniently ignoring the guards’ raised eyebrows.

“Very.” Fluttershy nodded.

“Nah,” Applejack declared. “Ah just know that Twilight is goin’ to be looking for us, and we can’t talk to her while we’re here.”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash said. “Well, anyway, let's... Pinkie Pie!”

Said pink pony was already at the large gates, looking inside. “Hey look, everypony! The gates are open!”

At that, Ebon Rain tensed and with a swift, curt motion had all guards stand around the group protectively. They raised their weapons and looked around warily.

Seeing their reaction, Applejack looked over at Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie Pie... come over here.”

“Aww... but I can hear a voice!” she said excitedly. “I'll just take a look-see!” She turned words into action and jumped through the gates before anyone could stop her.

“Darn it! Pinkie Pie!” Applejack shouted as the whole group galloped towards the gates. They were ajar, barely leaving enough space for a pony to slide through.

The guards immediately pushed the doors open and, as the dimming light illuminated the large chamber, they immediately spotted Pinkie Pie, standing still, looking at something just beyond their sight.

“Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked.

The pink pony slowly turned around. She was not smiling. In fact, small tears had welled in her eyes as she stepped back, letting everyone see what she had found.

Outside, a shadowy figure observed them, then melted into the mists.

Princess Celestia sat on her throne, her mind lost in thoughts of what had transpired. Her connection with the sun told her the day would soon be over— that she would be free to join her faithful student in her diligent search for clues.

She wanted to help, and she should have been doing so, instead of sitting placidly and pretending that nothing had happened for the benefit of a gathering of snobbish nobles.

Duty took precedence, however. Her needs and problems were secondary to the betterment of Equestrian society, and certainly secondary to the governing of her lands.

And yet, as she sat there, listening to a noble drone on and on about building regulations being broken by a group of builders who had exceeded the imposed limit—by less than half a meter, she observed—while building a house for the elderly, and how this was clearly an offense that required the immediate attention of the court because it prevented said noble from spotting his favorite store from his window… she had to question whether she was deluding herself in thinking that this was a duty to her country.

Were she able, she would have exiled the selfish noble from Canterlot. She snorted. She was able to, technically. She had the power. If she didn’t care… if she acted as they expected her to act, he would be standing on the border to the Northern Wastelands wondering why his hooves were so suddenly yet quite firmly entrenched in ice.

Something must have shown through, because at that moment the noble hesitated in a moment of unaristocratic lucidity. “I-is there anything wrong, your highness?”

Everything. Celestia forced a smile. Didn’t you notice I took all morning to raise the sun? Didn’t you notice that I was distressed? Taking a deep, calming breath, she nodded. “Everything is fine, my little pony. Please continue.”

The noble nodded, quickly dismissing whatever he had noticed as he continued his rant about the mediocre work of the builders and demanded the architect be punished and his licence revoked.

My child is out there, and you are wasting my time asking me to take down a retirement home because of something so stupidly— She was interrupted by a scraping sound.

It took a moment for Celestia to notice that everypony had gone quiet and that the sound itself was the result of her hoof digging onto the marble floor and scraping it in frustration.

The noble gulped at the gesture and nearly passed out when the doors banged open to reveal Luna flanked by several guards.

Celestia looked from her hoof to her sister in surprise.

“Sister! We must talk at once!” Luna declared, turning to all gathered nobles. “Alone!”

The court had been adjourned immediately and all the nobles had been escorted out amid protests of their serious business being interrupted.

“Sister, Lance has vanished,” Luna said urgently. “This servant,” she motioned with her head to an extremely uncomfortable looking pony, “Went to his quarters to find him, and found the whole place ransacked. Whatever Lance had been working on has been taken but, it was clear there had been a fight and... he also found blood in the room.” She gave Celestia a steady, grim look.

Before Celestia could even speak, the door to the court room slammed open once more as a pegasus crashed through it and rolled on the floor, sliding to a halt in front of her.

Several guards rushed towards the pegasus, surrounding her and pointing their lances at her neck.

“Rainbow Dash!” Celestia exclaimed, motioning for the guards to stand down. “What is the meaning of this?!”

“Princess!” Dash looked up in panic. “Princess! We found Captain Lance! Where’s Twilight?!”

Princess Celestia felt her blood run cold as she exchanged concerned looks with Luna.

As if to answer their sudden realization, the castle shook with an explosion.

“Go!” Luna exclaimed. “I'll bring up the moon and join you shortly... there's no need to worry the rest of our subjects even more.”

Celestia shot her sister a grateful look then flew out of the room. Rainbow Dash immediately went after her. Her parting words echoing in the hall. “Send a doctor to the Crypt!”

Although she would never consider herself as beautiful or as awe-inspiring as her eponym, Twilight Sparkle did allow herself a little vanity and ego-stroking when she thought about just what her name meant in the grand scope of things.

The point where the day ended and the night began, where they would both blend together and create the purple that had inspired her mother to name her, so many years ago. The little maternal reminder however, made her wince, thinking again of her mentor.

Twilight shook her head. I can’t allow myself to be distracted! There’s so much to do!

And she had discovered so much already! She glanced at the neat stack of papers.

She had suspicions already as to what had happened, but still... not who or why or even how. Even if she could reconstruct the whole situation, without those key elements her information would prove interesting... but not useful.

“Gah. Writing a thesis on the mating habits of defribulation swamp leeches would be easier. And they're asexual!”

She sighed. It didn't help that the atmosphere in the room just got her down. “Well, I think I have done as much as I could here,” she muttered, stretching a little.

She heard a thump out in the hall and frowned. She had requested to be left alone with the evidence.

She carefully made her way through the room and looked out into the hallway.

There was nopony there.

Shaking her head in annoyance, she turned and was about to walk back inside when a creaking sound made her look towards the entrance.

She sighed in relief when she saw it was one of the guards, peeking in, probably to check what the sound had been.

Her relief turned into a horrified gasp when the guard slumped forward and fell, unmoving, on the floor.

Twilight couldn’t even move when the body was kicked out of the way by a pony in a dark cloak, who dumped the other guard on top of the first.

From where she was, she couldn’t tell if the guards were alive or not, but what she could tell was that the cloaked figure had definitely noticed her.

“How convenient,” the hooded pony said in a disturbingly familiar voice, walking almost casually towards Twilight after closing the door behind him. “And yet, it saves some time... here I thought we might have to look for you somewhere else.”

His interest seemed piqued by the room she had just walked out of. “And what do we have here? Is this what has our dear Princess all bothered? Is this why the sun did not come up as it should have earlier today?”

“That’s none of your business!” Twilight snapped, shaking her fear away. Her horn glowed and a magical barrier appeared at the entrance of the room, shimmering slightly. The magical shield darkened until nopony could look inside and know what was there.

“That was not a smart move, Twilight” the pony said gravely. “I recognize that spell... and we both know that the only way to get that shield down is to have you remove it willingly... or by killing you.”

Twilight gulped. “T-that's not true, there are other ways.”

“True,” The pony said, stopping a few feet from her. “But I don't have the time to break through it when the easiest and most effective way is to kill you... and since I was going to do that anyway...”

A chill running down her spine, Twilight took a couple of steps back again, lowering her ears as the cloaked pony followed her down the hall. “Who are you?” she asked. “You sound familiar but... nopony I know would willingly hurt others like you did!”

The pony seemed to falter for a moment, and Twilight thought for a second she might have a chance to avoid a fight, but her hopes were dashed when he resumed walking. “I'm sorry, Twilight.”

Twilight Sparkle felt tears forming in her eyes, and her heart skip a beat.

Why?

Who was this unicorn who sounded so familiar and seemed to know her so well?

Had some part of her recognized him? Is that why she was crying? Or was it because she was scared?

No. She realized, eyes watering. It’s because I know this pony... that's why it hurts. She glanced at him, concentrated on his voice...

“This has to be done.” The unicorn sounded as if he were trying to convince himself as much as declaring an indisputable fact. “If there was a different way...” his voice had turned soothing again, but in a manner that seemed so fake, that it disgusted her.

Blinking away tears, she gritted her teeth and stopped where she was. The pony obligingly stopped in front of her.

As her horn flared with magic, her opponent’s did likewise, illuminating his face.

By then, she had realized who it was.

The sense of betrayal could reach no further... there were no words to describe what she felt. No words to justify what was happening and who was doing it. There was only one thing she could say before she could unleash her magic to protect not only herself, but her mentor's secret as well.

It came out as barely a whisper.

“Daddy... why?”