The Dusk of the Dawn

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13

Chapter 1

While on the road to Canterlot, I couldn't keep the thoughts of what might happen there out of my head. What if we get caught by the royal guards and they ask who I am? What will I do then? What if Celestia finds out? She'll banish me to moon like the demon spawn I am...

"Dawn, will you quit worrying?" my sister scolded. "I'm trying to observe the nature around us as we walk, and your constant worrying is starting to annoy me. Everything's going to go smoothly. We'll just sneak into the city at night, gather information from some places, and then sneak back out. It'll go off without a hitch, trust me!"

"I hope so, Dusk." I responded. "By the way, where did you have in mind for us to look?"

"There are many places we can look, brother," Dusk answered, "but I think we will find the most information within the castle itself. A couple good places would be the mirror room, Celestia's room, and-" she stopped to ponder whether or not to say the last place.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Well, we could look where the "event" happened." my sister quietly replied.

"How did I know you would think of that?" I answered. "Well, if it might hold information, then we'll look there as well."

"You still remember where it is?"

"Of course. That whole night was burned into my head when Luna cursed me."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess something that horrible and painful would be pretty scarring."

"Pretty scarring is an understatement."

We walked in silence for a pretty long time before we saw the city. It sure looked like the city in which Celestia resided. It sat on the edge of a large mountain range, giving a bird's-eye-view of most of Equestria. Still, something was off about it. Something that didn't sit right with me. Something very......peculiar about it.

"Well, I think we should start by finding a cave along the mountains to reside in until night falls. " I told Dusk.

"Why does it always need to be caves? Why can't we stay in a hotel, or a park; somewhere that isn't a cave?" Dusk asked irritatingly.

"Because we would be too close to the city! If we needed to get out, we would be found and trapped easily. Especially that we will be trespassing on the castle." I responded in a serious tone.

"Fine." she responded. An image of Dusk pouting at me came into my mind.

"Hey!" She started, but quickly changed tone. "You make me look cute when I'm sad."

I immediately blushed, with several, erm, personal thoughts coming into mind. I quickly rushed these thoughts out of my head, hopefully before Dusk could see any of them.

"Uh, I'll just imagine that didn't happen." Dusk responded, her probably blushing as well at the thoughts.

"I-I was not!" she stuttered out, her tone making her seem embarrassed.

We had finally found a cave that gave us a good view of the castle, but also was hidden from sight. It also was good enough for Dusk, who appeared as the sun set.

"and now we wait for the castle to calm down, and for that top window-" I pointed at the window in question "-to dim. That is Celestia's room."

"How do you know that's her's?" my sister questioned.

"Because that is the bedroom she had used since she first came to occupy the castle."

"I see. So, when we get into the castle, where will we look first?"

"We will probably have to spread the exploration over two days. After all, it is a big castle, and the extra day will allow us to decipher any information we come across in Celestia's room."

"One thing though, brother. If we knock out all the guards on the way to Celestia's room on the first night, it will heighten the guard for the next night, making getting in the second time treacherous at best."

"You have a point there," I responded. "I think we'll have to stick to one night. If we mess up once, we will not have a second chance." I paused for a moment. "You up for this? Once we get in, there's no going back."

"Dawn, you know me. I was born ready." she responded enthusiastically.

"Alright. We'll investigate in Celestia's room, knocking out the guards with a sleep-til-morning spell. We'll look for some kind of writing by her, something like a diary from the time that I was cursed. At that point, we will go down to the room-" I shuddered as the word caught me off guard "and look around. If we find nothing at that point, we will go into the library."

"Meanwhile, I will remain hidden, ready to respond if anything happens."

"I think we have a plan. Looks like Celestia has fallen asleep. Let us begin."

"Yes, let us." Dusk darkly responded.

Well, at least she's on her A-game.

Chapter 2

I packed all the necessary things we might need on the trip. I then covered myself with a cloak to protect my identity, just in case we needed to make a break for it. Dusk didn't need one, seeing that she could blend into the shadows, no matter the size or location.

"So, let's go over the plan again. You will go up into Celestia's room, since you're stealthier than me." I said.

"Ok. Meanwhile, you will go down into the room and search for any evidence down there." Dusk responded.

"Exactly. If either of us get's caught, we will send an amber flair into the air, and make a run for it. I don't want any unnecessary actions, got it?"

"Awww, you're no fun." Dusk playfully teased.

"Focus, sister. If either of us get's caught, bad things will happen. We will never see each other again. Do you understand the importance of this?!" I lost it for a second, but seeing Dusk so upset from me yelling at her, I calmed down.

"Listen, I just don't want to lose you, okay?" I said, being as soft as possible.

"O-okay!" Dusk's mood swung, and she became her stronger and more determined self I knew well.

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" I mirrored her personality. But still, down inside me, I still felt something. Something that said that something would happen tonight. Something really bad.

We arrived in an alleyway just outside the city walls. We would make our incision here.

"If anything happens, we meet back here." I whispered.

Dusk nodded in agreement.

We climbed a nearby vine to get to the rooftop of a nearby house. We then began negotiating the rooftops, Getting nearer and nearer to the castle. After a few thousand years, I still had it.

This was the point where Dusk and I separated. We both had to enter at two different parts of the wall. The north one for Dusk, the south one for me. She nodded to me, and vanished before my eyes. Now I had to focus on getting to the south wall. I had to stay unnoticed, or one guard seeing me would tip off the rest of the guards and spoil our whole plan.

I did a dive from one of the nearby rooftops into a bush within the walls. I made sure not to make too much noise, as it would attract unneeded attention. I wonder if Dusk got in fine, I wondered to myself.

Dusk, being the night herself, made it easily to the front wall. She pondered on how exactly to get within the wall, as the front entrance was one of few entry points within the castle. She then noticed something under one of the lamps that a guard was using: a shadow.

Perfect, she thought to herself. She hid within the shadow as the guard walked by. He then walked inside the wall to do his interior surveillance. Dusk shadow-jumped from the guard's to a lamp's by the door. She used this method to get all the way up to Celestia's room, where she stopped to rest.

I hope my brother got in safely, she wondered.

I successfully made my way into the hall that lead to the room, although something caught my eye. The hallway down to the room had been decorated with stained glass windows. As I studied the windows, something struck me: these windows depicted events that happened in Equestria's history!

In one window, a story of Discord's reign and fall were depicted, his fall being thanks to two ponies. Wait, two ponies? I had helped them during the time as well, why wasn't I there?

The omissions kept appearing. I was always with Celestia whenever she rose the sun, and even helped her once. I also was there when Luna brought the moon up. I was even missing from a stained-glass portrait of Celestia and Luna. I was in the original portrait, how could they miss that?

My looking, however, came to a stop as my attention focused on one painting. This one depicted Luna's betrayal of her sister, and in result, her sister banishing her to the moon. A plaque sat below the picture, and I read it.

Thus was the night of Luna's betrayal. However, before she was banished, she said something that brought Celestia to tears. She then rued that she would be back on the thousand-year anniversary of the night.

I couldn't think of what would bring Celestia to tears, but I did begin to think. The thousandth-year anniversary of her banishment, huh? Wait! My mind froze on the thoughts that followed. If my memory serves me correctly, this is the nine-hundred-ninety-ninth year since her betrayal. That makes her thousandth-year anniversary within a matter of-

I couldn't think of anymore. My mind had made like my body, and frozen up. That means she will awaken, and what after that? Track us down and kill us? She's the one who cursed us, and she would know how.

No, I thought, I will not let her do anymore to me or my sister. Celestia help me, unless Celestia herself gets to her first, I will confront her, and knock her down to size!

I then noticed how long I was standing there. I can't just stand here, I need to find information! If I come back empty handed, Dusk will never forgive me! I must trot on!

With satisfaction in my mind, I went down the rest of the hall, and into the room.

"Why hello sir. The royal library's about to close, but if there's anything I can help you with, I would be happy to!"

I froze in my tracks. There was another pony here.

Surely enough, a purple-coated mare came out from behind a stack of books. Somepony had spotted me. Looks like I had to talk my way out of this one.

Chapter 3

I stood there, frozen with fear.

Although it had been mere seconds since she had welcomed me to the "library" that she had claimed. I looked around; the walls were shelved with many books, with a couple tables, although they were covered in books except for one, which held equipment, probably used for potion-making or alchemy.

I have to answer her. If I just stand here like an idiot, she will get suspicious, I thought to myself.

"I ask you a question: if the library is about to close, why are you here as well?" I responded with a calm, collective tone.

"I have special arrangements with the Princess herself that allows me to use the library anytime I want. After all, I am her star student." she said with a proud posture.

Star student, eh? I wonder if she knows anything about me. My face was still shrouded, obscured by the cloak hood that I wore. Well, if she can't see my cutie mark, I will just appear to be just a random pony.

Shaking my cloak hood off, I continued in conversation with her. "Well then, I am very sorry about, miss, I was just looking for a certain book-"

The purple mare interjected, "A book? No problem! I know this library top to bottom, and I would be happy to help you find it!"

Damn. Looks like I'll have to tag along with her. Losing her in a library this small would be impossible.

"Aah, what was that book's name! Urgh! Young mare, I think I might've forgotten the book's name! If I look around a bit, my memory is sure to come back, if you would let me."

"No problem, sir. If only my assistant were here to help you, but you know baby dragons, they need to get their sleep." Well, at least I wasn't dealing with two people.

The less witnesses, the better, I darkly thought to myself. Wait, when did I become Dusk?

I searched the shelves, but only as a cover. Between the sweeping of shelves, I looked around the library and observed the characteristics. The walls were painted over, probably covering up anything Luna left behind. The shelves also did a good deal to cover up anything that lay behind them. This place almost had a cheery feeling to it. A big contrast from the last memories I had of the place.

Something else was bugging me, but it was much closer, and much more of a threat. No matter where I "looked" for a book, the purple mare followed. She was always a few feet behind me, watching me as I looked. Was she getting suspicious? Maybe I should say something, I thought.

Right then, a light bulb went off in my head.

"Young mare, did anypony ever tell you what this room was before it was turned into a library?" I asked, my face still facing the shelves.

She searched her brain, but from her continued silence, it seems it turned up blank.

"Well, that's a story I cannot let you leave without hearing. Is there somewhere we can have a seat?"

"Of course!" She used her magic to bring two chairs over from two book-filled tables. We both sat down, and I began.

"A thousand years before today, before Princess Celestia banished her sister to the moon, this room was Luna's personal study. A lot of her time was spent down here, searching for something. Something that she hoped would finally allow herself to become stronger than her sister, so that she could show the whole world the beauty of darkness. The gift of immortality."

"Immortality?" the young mare gasped at the word.

"Yes, immortality." I answered. I continued. "Elsewhere, within the castle, lived a young stallion named Dawn. Dawn was the little brother of Celestia and Luna, but was so close to Celestia that she had adopted him as her son."

I cleared my throat and changed tone.

"The night of Luna's betrayal, Luna had almost everything she needed for her spell of immortality. She only needed one more thing: a test subject. Right then, Dawn opened the door into the study. The last words heard from him were, "Luna, it's getting close to sunrise, don't you think you shou-" I made a choking sound as I ended the word suddenly. The mare jumped back, my surprise making it's mark.

"W-what happened next?" She quietly asked.

"That's the thing, nopony knows. Some say that the thing that brought Celestia to tears was Luna telling her that she had killed her son. Some say that this was true, and Luna buried the body before she confronted Celestia."

The young mare looked horrified at the thought of Luna killing another pony.

"On the other hand, some ponies believe that the spell succeeded, and that Dawn walks the earth to this day, hiding from Celestia out of humiliation. All anypony knows is that after Celestia banished Luna to the moon, she hurried to Luna's study. When she opened the door, only to find a horrid sight. A table in the center of the study with belts at the head and foot, with an outline of a pony......in blood."

At this point, the young pony was tearing up. I had really moved her with the story.

"A decree went out from Celestia, officially striking Dawn from the history books, and was never to be mentioned in all of Equestria ever again. To this day, his tale lives only through us story-tellers, wanting, hoping that he is still alive to this day."

I stood up, signalling that the tale was over. At this point, her tears were drying up. During the story, I had observed all that I needed to about the room, and was ready to take my leave.

Making my way to the door, I heard the young pony say something.

"W-wait, sir." I paused at her request.

"Do-do you think that Dawn is still alive?" She said through her tears.

I paused to think, but responded with a smile on my face.

"I'm pretty sure he's still out there somewhere, wandering the world, hoping that some day Celestia will accept him back into her arms." I answered.

I started to walk again to the door, but I paused. "By the way, to whom do I offer the gratitude of listening to my story?"

"Twilight. Twilight Sparkle, sir."

"Quite the beautiful name. Have a good evening, Miss Sparkle."

"Wait!" I stopped again, facing the young scholar this time. "What is your name, sir?"

I answered. "Celest. My name is Celest."

I lowered my head, and my hood fell back onto my head. I stepped out the door, and closed it behind me. My mission was complete.

The door opened, and Twilight stepped out. "Goodbye," she said, looking for the mysterious Celest that had stepped out the door. She looked around, but saw nothing. I had already hopped the wall, and was rushing back to the place that I told Dusk we would meet.

Dusk was already at the waypoint when I arrived.

"What took you so long?" She asked with a furrowed brow.

"Sorry, I met somepony in the room. Apparently, it was turned into a library after the incident."

"Huh, that's something. Did you find anything out?"

"Yes, but let's discuss that back at the cave." I noticed that there was a pink, worn book in her saddle-bag. "What's with the book?"

"Yeaaaaaahh, about that. I might have-" Her explanation was interrupted by a loud noise, coming from the heart of Canterlot. It sounded like an alarm. Wait, an alarm?!

"WHAT IN CELESTIA'S NAME DID YOU DO?!" I exclaimed over the alarm, which seemed loud enough to alert all of Canterlot.

In a slightly quieter tone, but still yelling, Dusk answered: "I MIGHT HAVE ALERTED CELESTIA THAT I WAS IN THE ROOM WHEN I FOUND THE BOOK UNDER HER BED! BUT NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR EXPLANATIONS! IF WE DON'T RUN NOW, THEY'LL FIND US!"

I nodded, and we both made a run for it. Dusk had some serious explaining to do when we got back to the cave.

Chapter 4

After running for our lives for a while, we made it back to the cave.

"Now, before you yell at me, let me tell you ex-" Dusk started, but I interrupted her.

"You were lucky I made it out of there alive! What could have been soooo important that it was worth nearly blowing our cover?" I exclaimed at her. If I wasn't outside, I could've been found.

She responded with one word: "This."

She then took the book out of her saddle-bag, and dropped it at my feet. I looked down.

It was a worn, pink book. It looked like it had been around a very long time. There were gold-plated bindings on it, and, in gold, a word was embroidered into the cover: Diary.

"Th-this can't b-" I started.

"This is what I risked our cover for. Celestia's personal Diary." Dusk said with prominence. She then started to tell the story of how she came across it.

After making it up the spiral staircase that led to Celestia's bedroom by shadow-jumping from one shadow to another under the torches to evade conflict, Dusk jumped down into the shadow under the door. She then took her normal form.

Man, shadow-jumping takes up a lot of energy, she thought to herself. I need to take a break.

She let here eyes wander around Celestia's room. It was for sure a room for royalty, with the room being lavished with all kinds of extras. Her balcony doors were lined with silk drapery, along with all of the windows. The fire still burned, but dimly, losing its energy as its fuel source dwindled.

Dusk took one step, and found the floor to be heavily carpeted. Good thing, she thought. I won't have to worry about my hooves making any noise.

Her eyes locked as she turned her eyes over to the bed. In it lie a sleeping Princess Celestia. Her brother did not tell her how heavily she slept. Good thing too; it would have been creepy if he knew, anyway.

She scanned the bookshelves, reading the bindings of each book. Nothing jumped out to her, and she then went over to another, but got the same result.

As she looked over to the sleeping alicorn, she noticed something: a book under her pillow. That has to be her diary, she thought. After all, what other book would be important enough for her to keep it under her pillow?

Dusk schemed for a bit on how to get the book free from the pillow's weight. Then a light bulb went off. Perfect!

She slowly pulled a book out of the shelves, one that was leaning on another, to make sure another book wouldn't move from the weight shift and make any noise. She then slid it under the pillow gently, trying not to wake Celestia.

She felt the two books touch. Time to move the other.

She slowly slid the books.

Quarter of the way there.

Halfway there.

Almost got it!

...

Got it!

The book was free of the pillow. Dusk walked over to the other size, but noticed something with shock. The book being free of the pillow's grip, it slowly slid down the sheets. Just as it reached the edge, it began to fall.

Crap! Dusk hastily forgot about her need for stealth, and used her magic to grab the book before it hit the ground, slipping it into her bag and securing the strap without a second thought.

But the deed was already done.

Celestia startled, her sleep disrupted by the light that emitted from Dusk's horn when she used her magic.

Her eyes opened.

Being groggy initially from waking up in the middle of the night, Celestia leaned forward into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes.

Should I make a run for it? Dusk thought hastily. No, she would get spooked and send for her guard.

Looks like I have to talk my way out of this one, Dusk concluded.

Celestia noticed the intruder after she was done rubbing here eyes. Her eyes then went to fear. "L-luna?!" she fearfully whispered.

"Fear not, Princess, for I am not Luna, only a messenger with a form similar to her's," Dusk convincingly stated.

"A m-messenger?" Celestia was still shocked, as not many messengers appeared in her bedroom in the night as she slept.

"Yes, a messenger," Dusk continued. "I deliver a message of hope, Princess. Dawn is still alive." she stated.

If Celestia wasn't surprised before, she sure was now. She stuttered as she responded. "M-m-my s-son, d-Dawn?" she managed to get out.

"Yes. I know this information, because I am part of his soul." Dusk stated.

"Luna had not failed when she experimented on him. She succeeded in giving him immortality. I am merely an unintended side-effect, being part of both Luna's and Dawn's souls."

The Princess was dumb-struck. Not only was her son alive, but still in Equestria.

"Th-thank you, young messenger. You have not only given me hope that I may see my son someday, but you also have relieved me of a guilt that I wasn't too late to save him." Celestia responded, tearing at the eye.

"Your welcome, your highness." Dusk responded.

They both stood there, quietly observing each other's presence.

"I shall now take my leave," Dusk stated, flying over to the balcony. "Goodbye, Princess Celestia." she finally said. The winds picked up, and the curtains to the balcony danced. One second, Dusk was there. The other, she was gone.

Celestia chased after her, but only meeting the rail of the balcony as she came out of the room. She was gone.

She sat there for a few moments, surprised.

She then pinched herself, a surprisingly hard endeavor for a pony, but found that the was not dreaming. What she had seen was true.

"I must call the court together to tell them of this news, and to bring together a search party!" She exclaimed to herself joyfully. Her son was alive, and she was beyond happy for it.

She went to ring the call of council bell that she had, but instead, rang the wrong one. The one that she had rang was the alarm bell.

"Whoever installed these bells next to each other was an idiot, but it's also partially my fault. I really should get these labeled." She giggled to herself. I guess the guard would have to deal with the false alarm, she thought.

"and that's how I got this book." Dusk concluded.

"Wow. You really negotiated yourself out of that one, Dusk." I proudly remarked.

Dusk blushed lightly "Aww, I didn't do that much," she said, embarrassed.

"If she had awoken while I was there, I might've gone and just wet myself where I stood," I replied. "I'm very proud of you, sis."

I wrapped my forehooves around her in a light embrace. She returned it. We were truly brother and sister.

A silent moment passed, just us enjoying the embrace.

"So, I guess I should start debriefing you on how my night went." I said, disengaging from the hug.

I began to tell her of what had occurred in the library, starting with the hall.

Chapter 5

"Looks like you're night was eventful as well, brother." Dusk stated.

I had told her about my night, not sparing one detail.

"So do you think Luna will surely come back within weeks from today?" Dusk asked, still being confused with the details.

"Yes. If she said something like that during a time like that, she means business." I replied.

We sat in silence as we both pondered on the thought. We could feel each other's agony deep inside. My bewitcher and my sister's creator was going to be free once again to roam the land, and what was going to stop her from going after us?

Dusk finally spoke up.

"W-well, if you really feel that confronting Luna will be a good idea, I have no objections. Your plans and decisions haven't failed us yet." Dusk concluded.

"Yeah, but I proposed the idea to get some input from you as well...just because my decisions haven't failed us yet doesn't mean they won't in the future. After all, this is reckless. If we under-estimate her power, we could die, or worse, I could lose you!" I said, my voice cracking as I stood seconds from tears.

Dusk simply knocked me upside the head, and started to scold me.

"C'mon, Dawn! Don't doubt yourself! If you doubt, she will surely get the upper hand! I have no problems with your decision!" she remarked. She then calmed down. "Also, remember that your flank is mine, so my decision has its weight to it." she ended.

I stood there, in silence. I had never thought in depth that my survival also affected Dusk's. After all, she was part of me.

"I never thought of it that way, Dusk. I guess I never thought of that."

My pre-tearing had subsided, and I was beginning to look on the brighter side of things. If we confront Luna, we could force her to undo the curse that she had put on us. Then we could settle, I could finally have friends, and I could finally face Celestia.

Celestia. I sighed. After learning that she did not shun me, and blamed herself for my "death", I couldn't believe it. What we were running from turned out to be nothing but an open hug, waiting for our return.

"Hey Dusk?" I asked.

"Yea?" she responded, puzzled.

"Thanks for being there for me."

She was shocked at the expression of gratitude, but she softened. "No problem, brother. Why do you think I showed myself in the first place?"

"Well, I was trying to throw myself off of a cliff all those years ago," I responded.

It was a hot, sunny day out in the deserts of Equestria. It had been months since I had been cursed, and I wasn't feeling any better about it then I usually was. Although the sun seemed to bake me, my body didn't hinder because of it. It just kept going on.

My world had been turned upside down. There was no way I could go back to Celestia, after Luna dirtied my soul, doing things to me as if I was nothing more than an experiment. I didn't know what to do, so I came out here. Surely, I would perish, with nothing but bones of me being left behind.

But no, things didn't always want to go to plan. The only thing that had happened was my coat got a bit warmer. I cursed the sun. I cursed the world. I cursed my existence.

I let out a large, angry sigh, the warm, dry, dusty air being inhaled and exhaled from my lungs.

I then noticed a large plateau in front of me. It stood strong, it's top being very high up. A winding path led to the top.

A dark pleasure filled me. I began the ascent.

It had not taken long to get to the top of the land mass. After all, my muscles felt no weakness.

I went close to the edge, accidentally kicking a rock off of it. The rock fell, then split in two at the bottom. There were many rocks down there. Many.

I voice tried to talk me out of it. It begged and pleaded me to re-consider, but it was too small. It increased in volume, trying to make itself heard, but my mind canceled out this thought. It had made up it's mind...

I fell.

Air rushed past my head as I quickly descended in a nose-dive. This will surely kill me. Nopony could handle the landing, no matter what protection they had on. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. Soon, I would be free.

Free.

I felt a sudden rush of g-force to my body. My bones and vertebrae stressed at the force. My body fluids were ready to break through my skin and spray all over the ground. Goodbye, I thought to myself.

But this was not the end.

My eyes opened once again, and found no wrongly-postured extremities, no blood-splatter on the ground. No pain reverberated through my body as I moved my head to check my legs. They were fine.

A figure loomed over me, blocking the sun from my eyes. The figure was dark, like the moon. It looked like-

"Luna," my mouth said before my mind processed.

"I am not Luna, Dawn. I am someone who became part of you when Luna teared part of your soul away, accidentally creating me. I am part of you, Dawn." The mysterious mare added.

This had to be a mirage. But alas, the pony prodded at my stomach, signaling me to get up.

"Why should I get up? There's nothing left for me. I am an outcast. An experiment. A lab rat."

"Shut up! Are you even hearing yourself right now? You sound like a small child who lost his toy! So stand up, get your act together, and walk, dammit!" The mare emphasized this by prodding me especially hard in the chest.

I stood up, and began walking with her. Where this would lead, I had no idea. Where I would end up, no idea.

I just walked.

Chapter 6

Night had fallen on the dessert. I expected the temperature to drop, but all I felt was a slight cooling on my coat.

I still walked, although not alone.

"Hey," I said to get the mare's attention. She turned her head.

"What is it?" She answered in a cold tone. Looks like she wasn't going to let my suicide attempt go anytime soon.

"How long have you been with me? After all, you just took form today."

"As far as I can remember, I have been with you since the night you were cursed. I was afraid Luna would come back to finish you off with another spell, so I told you to flee." She responded.

So that's where that came from.

"But now that you have a physical form, why do you not leave?" I asked.

"Because, I feel a tie to you, like a sister."

"Huh." I said in response, "Well, I guess you would be my sister. You did come from my soul."

A question popped into my head.

"Why when you took physical form did you take the appearance of Luna?"

"I had no control over how I would appear. There's the possibility that Luna's involvement with the curse may have done it. I could also have a piece of her soul inside me as well."

Those are good possibilities, I thought to myself.

We walked until we reached a small settlement. The sun was starting to rise, and I watched it with awe. I was still alive because of this mare, I thought.

I looked to my right, where the mare had sat, but was surprised to find the spot vacant. Where the heck did she go?

I'm up here, I heard in my mind. Wait, now she was in my head?!

Calm down, I heard again. Wait, she can also hear my thoughts?!

CALM DOWN, my head exclaimed. This is a learning process to me as well, Dawn. Looks like I can't be out during the day, she stated.

"Then how did you appear after I threw myself off of that plateau?" I asked.

It possibly could've been the shock of you THROWING YOURSELF OFF THE EDGE IN THE FIRST PLACE, she exclaimed.

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry about that. I wasn't thinking straight," I told her.

She calmed down, being pleased by her victory.

"I think I'll get a room at the inn. I feel groggy." I told the mare. Looked like I still had to sleep, I thought.

One other thing, Dawn, if you keep conversing with me out loud, people will think you're crazy, she said.

Crap, she was right. She giggled at the second victory.

I found the closest inn, got a room, and went straight up to it. I lied down, and surprisingly quickly, fell asleep.

I awoke to a mare's voice. "Looks like my hypotheses were right. I cannot be out during the day, but I can at night. Looks like I did get some of Luna's characteristics." I heard.

"Yeah, looks like," I said with a yawn to her.

"Oh, you're awake. I wanted to straighten out a few things, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," I replied. "I was wondering about a few things as well."

"So, let me sum this up." I started. "You are able to roam as a pegasus unicorn, like me, during the night, but as soon as dawn arrives, you assimilate with my mind, during which, you can sense anything that I do, and see or hear anything that I think."

"Yes, you just summarized everything that I said." the pony said with an irked air to her.

"Sorry, my mind is still scrambled from everything I just went through." I replied.

Her expression softened.

"So, are you okay with us being brother and sister?" She asked me.

"Well, this really isn't a father-daughter thing, and you do look the same age as me, so yes."

"I'm okay with that. After all, if we were father and daughter, you already made a bad impression." She said, a giggle following it.

We were both silent for a while, thinking of what to say next.

"So, since you're now my sister, what should I call you?" I asked.

"Well, I'm out at night, so how about Twilight?" She responded.

"Nah, too generic." Light bulb! "You come out right as the sun sets, so how's Dusk?"

"I like that name," she responded happily. "It has a nice ring to it."

"Dusk it is!" I happily concluded.

Our minds then settled on more serious matters.

"So, what is our goal now?" Luna said.

"I really never thought of that," I said, but my mouth got to my mind first. "But right now, I'm parched! Let's continue this conversation at the saloon!" I said merrily.

We walked in through the swinging doors. The place was vacant, except for the bartender and two ponies at the counter. We decided to also sit at the counter.

"Good evening ponies," the bartender greeted.

"Good evening, " I replied. "What you you guys have that's sweet and thirst-quenching?"

"Well, you two look a bit too young for anything strong. How does two cider-seltzers sound?"

My mouth watered. "Yes, that will be fine," I ended.

Although we were far from the other two ponies, we could still hear them conversing between each other. The first pony looked slightly inebriated, while the other looked outright drunk.

"Listen, I know you're still distraught from being kicked off the farm, but do you really think starting an apple orchard in the middle of the desert is such a good idea?" the first pony said.

"Man, I think it's a wonderful idea! It would be a major cash-crop, and put out more than enough profit to support a town!" the other pony said, slurring his words.

"I still think you hit yourself in the head too many times on the way down the stairs. I'm heading home."

The drunk colt slammed his hoof on the bar. "If you don't believe in me, then I don't need your help! I'll be fine all on my own!"

"Listen, you're out-of-your-mind drunk right now! I'll talk to you tomorrow when you're not so....drunk!"

The pony got up and left, leaving the other one yelling after him in rage. He then put his head down on the bar and began sobbing.

The bartender walked over to him and prodded him with his hoof.

"Listen Barry, I think it's about time you headed home. You think you'll be able to find your way?"

"Yeah," the sobbing pony said, his tears starting to subside.

The pony then headed to the door, smashed into the sides a few times, then found the door, and left.

The bartender then walked over to us. "Sorry about the other patrons. They're bright, just not when they're drunk." He said. "Here's your two drinks. I need to start closing up, but you two take your time, and let me know if I can help you with anything."

"Thank you," Dusk replied.

"So you think that we should look around for clues of how to rid ourselves of this curse?" I asked?

"Are you SURE that fall didn't knock your brain askew? If you have to repeat everything I say, it's going to get really annoying, really fast-" Dusk started.

I interrupted. "Alright, I'll stop."

I stared into my half-empty glass, watching the bubbles come up to meet the ice.

"Are you sure there's even a cure to this curse?" I asked.

"Dawn, I have the ability to be within your mind during the day, yet still am able to become a physical form during the night. Where there's a will, there's a way."

"touche," I remarked. "If you believe that we can find a way to undo this, then I have no reason to doubt you."

We looked at each other for a bit, not sure whether or not what either of us had really stuck with the other. I wasn't sure what Dusk thought, but I had a feeling about her.

This was someone I could rely on, someone I could trust.

"Promise me you will always be by my side, Dusk, even when things look bleak."

Dusk was caught off-guard be this, but her expression softened.

"I promise," she replied.

We finished our drinks, paid our tab, and set out, not knowing where we would go.

But one thing was certain: we were going to find what this curse was, and we were going to fix it.

Fix it as a team.

Chapter 7

We hurried to the front gates of the Canterlot Castle.

A last-minute thought by Dusk that there was the possibility of this Twilight Sparkle mare, being Celestia's student, would know about the curse, especially that she would have probably asked her teacher about it by now, held a possibility. Since the confrontation/kidnapping of Trixie, we had no leads.

This was a lead that we could not afford to lose.

We then arrived at the castle gates, where two guard-pegasi keeping control of the ins and outs of the castle.

"Halt!" The first guard said.

"Who goes there?" Said the other, as if they had practiced the synchronization of the two phrases for their whole lives.

Crap, I'll have to use my alias that I conceived when Twilight asked me my name.

"I am Celest, and I seek audience with Celestia's student, Twilight Sparkle." I responded.

"We're sorry, but we cannot allow that," The first pony said.

"Visitors are only allowed in with previous appointment." The other followed.

Damn. I guess I would have to use my Plan B way of getting in.

In the dirt below me, I drew the symbol.

It was a symbol that was used by Celestia's spies to other lands, that needed to get into the castle with no commotion, no indication of presence. No appointment. The symbol was a fish with an S on it, swimming towards a castle with a star over it.

The guard's eyes widened, and with a simple nod, they allowed me in. I trampled the symbol on my way in, reducing it to a dust cloud while I walked through the gates.

I was handed a pink parcel on my way in. I held it upside down, its bow hanging as I walked. This was a signal that let guard's inside the castle know not to pursue.

Everything went smoothly until we reached the library door, where a note was posted. The note read:

To whomever this note pertains to,

I am sorry, but the library will be closed indefinitely. Princess Celestia has asked me to supervise the arrangement of the Summer Sun Celebration down in Ponyville. If you need to contact me, I will be staying at the local library.

Celestia's star student,

Twilight Sparkle

Dammit, we had missed her by a day.

Look on the bright side, Dusk said in my head, we know where she is, and even where she's staying!

True, I replied.

There was still a lead.

I returned to the gate, where I placed the package, on its side, on the gate median. The two guards nodded, and we left for Ponyville.

I let out a large sigh of relief as we left the city gates.

"Man, that was stressful!" I said to Dusk. Since we were outside the gates, nopony was there to judge a pony babbling to himself.

I didn't see it that way, although I felt the tension in your mind, Dusk stated.

"Well, the thing is, as far as I can remember, if I got anything wrong with that, down to returning the parcel side-ways, Celestia's direct orders were to execute on the spot..." I shivered at the thought.

Whoa! Didn't know that such a soft-hearted Princess could give such cold-hearted orders.

"You were lucky. You saw the soft side of Celestia." I replied.

I guess you're right. Nopony could stay cold-hearted after hearing that their long-lost son, believed to be dead many years ago, was still alive, Dusk thought out loud.

"I'm just happy that she didn't turn you into a tree or pile of ashes when she woke up." I interjected.

We arrived in Ponyville just after noon. My stomach wanted food, my logical mind thought it optional, and my creative mind brought up a picture of a delicious hay-filled sandwich.

Wow, it's like you already had multiple ponies in this mind before I came along, Dusk said.

Actually, I thought now since we were getting near town, that only started to happen after you showed up, I replied.

As we neared a hill overlooking the town, my observation skills went into full bloom. The town had a center that was mainly shops and residences in it. As the town spread out, it had three distinct zones: an apple farm, a park area, and an area that became a dense forest as you went deeper into it. The apple farm was large, looking to be the town's main crop. The park was nice, with only one house sitting within it (a caretaker's house, probably). The forest sat just outside the park, but the park kept it's distance from it. In fact, most of the town was pretty abstinent of expanding near the forest. Interesting.

Now my mind tried to find a place outside the town that we could stay in with minimal detection. If the town was so reluctant to do anything near the forest, nothing good probably was in it. There was a mountain range, but it was very far from the town. The orchard was not dense at all, so hiding in there would probably cause more suspicion of us if we hid there. There was only one choice, and Dusk knew this as well.

"Fine," I sighed to myself and Dusk, and we headed into town to find a place to stay.

We had found an inn within the town, and borrowed a room for the night. As we were leaving the inn, something went off in my head. Something was about to go horribly wrong...

An indescribable pink blur passed me so fast that I did a 360 and landed on my flank where I stood. I rubbed my head, now spinning from the sudden event, and when I looked up, all I saw was a pink mare smiling at me so hard, it could've melted my face.

"Partypartyparty!" She said rapidly. Did she have some kind of speech impairment?

"I'm inviting you to a party! Everypony in Ponyville will be there, and I'm making sure everypony in Ponyville will be there, I know everypony in Ponyville-"

She paused, calculating something in her head. Oh Celestia, what was next?

Her face lit up ten-fold, my amazement being that that was even possible. She inhaled, and I prepared myself for the next barrage of words.

"Wait, I've never seen you around Ponyville, and I know everypony in Ponyville, so if I've never seen you in Ponyville, that means that you're new to Ponyville, which means that you need a party too!"

Oh Celestia, not a party! That's just asking to blow our cover!

"I have to prepare for TWO parties now! I gotta hurry!" The pony spit out as her hooves spun, ready to lift off.

Uncontrolled by me, my hoof stomped down on her puffy tail, and all of her momentum was stopped. She looked back at me, and my head spun, meeting her eyes and immediately staring down into them. Her bluish-green eyes turned blood-red for a flash, and I released her tail. She barreled away from me, a forced smile on her face.

Umm, what the hell was that?

I looked around, seeing if anyone noticed. Luckily, everyone was either at home or at the cafe, eating their lunches. Luckily, the cafe was on the other side of the center, blocked by a large tree.

Well, I didn't do that, so that leaves one other person...

Well, as you said, it would've blown our cover brother, so I really couldn't do much else.

I'm not wondering why you did it, but how! You took control of my body, and somehow did something through me!

All I did was put a spell on her that made her fear us, and keep away from us at all costs.

Yeah, but don't you think that will cause suspicion of us, a resident pony that absolutely fears us?

You're right. Never thought of that. I'll just see her tonight and reverse it. After all, isn't she going to be at the party?

Party? I looked down at a card that had fallen to my feet when Dusk stopped the energetic mare.

It was a party invitation. Specifically to a welcome party for a pony named-

I stopped at the name. I had to contain the joy that I felt down in my heart. Both the pink mare that we had to reverse the spell on, and Celestia's student were going to be there. This was PERFECT!

Be at the library at 6:30 sharp to surprise the guest! Be there or be square! the invitation ended.

Hold it there, Dawn. We still have to decide how we're going to get information out of this mare, Dusk interjected.

Good point, I thought back.

My stomach growled.

Can we do it over lunch, please?

Ugh, Fine, Dawn sighed back. There's no stopping your stomach, is there?

Nope, I thought happily.

Chapter 8

I stared down at the large sandwich that sat in front of me. It looked delicious, and I took a large bite of it, my mouth being overcome with great pleasure as I chewed. This was delicious!

Now, let's discuss how we will get the information out of this Twilight mare, Dusk stated.

I kept eating. Me staring off into the clouds would cause suspicion.

So, what did you have in mind, I asked back.

Um, you might not like it, Dusk warned.

There's no use in keeping it from me, spit it out.

A few moments of silence passed before Dusk spilled the beans.

Well, you could get close to her, Dusk finally said.

I blushed deeply at the thought. W-what, like becoming her coltfriend?!

Something like that, she replied.

I thought about it longer, weighing the pros and cons.

On one hoof, I would get the information that I needed from her, and at that point, I had an indirect connection with Princess Celestia.

On the other hoof, I would be lying to her, and I would probably need to break her heart later on, lest staying with her and watching her age, and eventually die.

Dusk silently watched as I weighed the chances, then thought of something that might work out better

You know, she started, you really don't have to be in an intimate relationship to start, if at all. You could just befriend her!

This seemed like a better option, since the contact between us wouldn't be as close, and a break-away would be much easier.

But a part of my mind cried for the other option.

I had never had any real marefriends, and part of me longed for someone to be close with. Somepony that I could see everyday and see her smile. Somepony close. Somepony I could love.

Listen, Dawn. I know you're lonely, but remember our goal. You don't want to see her crumble into ashes before you. I can't have you in that hole again.

My mind realized this, but instead of depression, brought hope. If I could finally rid myself of this curse, I could be with somepony special. I could spend my life with them, not worrying about what I would do after they were gone.

So, I guess we have a basic thought of how we will go with this? Dusk asked.

Yes, I responded, finishing the last bit of my sandwich, and went to the inn so I could get some sleep. I didn't want to fall asleep in the middle of the night-long party, did I?

Although we weren't necessarily on time, Dusk wanting to arrive a bit later than the invitation said, so we wouldn't be the first ones to arrive. That would be awkward.

Dusk walked alongside me, taking her physical form at the inn as the sun set. If anypony asked, her name was Eve, and she, as she's always been, was my sister.

Although we arrived a half-hour after the invitation stated, we were surprised to find the party already in full swing. Looks like the ponies of this town were pretty good with arriving on time.

The party inside the surprisingly-big tree was big enough to let us in without being noticed. Dusk split off, looking for the pink, energetic mare that she had hastily cast her spell on. I then set off to find the purple mare, the student, Twilight Sparkle.

After looking around for a while, I was surprised not to find her around in the party. Could she have not attended? Not much of a chance, mainly because the party was for her, and if she had declined, the pink mare would've bombarded her with words until she did. Plus, this was where she was staying.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed through the room. Everypony looked to the door, which had been nearly knocked off of it's hinges.

A pink pony, the same one that Dusk had cast her spell on, burst through the door, yelling "HEY EVERYPONY! HEAD TO TOWN HALL! THE SUN IS ABOUT TO RISE!" at the height of her lungs.

Everypony followed the instruction, and the tree began to empty. I better follow them, I don't want to be the last one out and gather attention.

Dusk met up with me as I went with the group to the town hall. As we got closer, we broke off from the group, being careful not to call attention to ourselves. As we receded from the group, we finally slid into an alleyway, hiding until the group had passed.

Looking back, I noticed a pony with a light purple coat and dark purple mane. That was her.

But now wasn't the time. We had to keep going towards the town hall.

We sat in a bush, mere meters from the open window that gave us a clear view of the stage.

Twilight was probably inside, along with all the other ponies. I wondered if she knew anything about the events possibly about to occur. I assumed. The stained-glass windows were on the way to the library, after all.

My thoughts were interrupted as a cheer came from the window. Crap, I had let my mind wander, and the ceremony had already started!

"And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who-"

I didn't pay attention to much of the praises that the pony gave of the Princess. After all, if anyone knew her best, it was me.

"Princess Celestia!" I finally heard.

I looked through the window, onto the upper stage, where the curtains revealed-

An empty stage?

The crowd gasped, and I joined them. Celestia wasn't one to miss a gathering, especially in her honor.

The ponies started to panic, and the pony on the stage tried to keep them calm.

"Remain calm, everypony. There must be a reasonable explanation-" She started, but a familiar voice cut her off.

"Ooh! Ooh! I love guessing games! Is she hiding?"

This was not the time.

Dusk must have sensed something, because she grabbed me and ran. In the background, I saw a familiar figure. The one that had haunted my dreams since the night I was cursed. The figure of Princess Luna.

I blacked out. The last thing I heard was her voice.

"No, p-please, d-don't do this l-Luna!" I tried to say in a pleading voice.

"It's no use, Dawn. Your fate was sealed the minute you came into my study," the voice said softly but darkly.

"L-Luna, n-" I tried to say, but my plea was interrupted by an excruciating pain from every nerve in my body.

The only thing I heard beyond that was my own screaming.

"Dawn!" I heard, but my mind couldn't process it. It was on overload.

"Dawn!" I heard again, the desperate voice increasing in volume, but it was still not enough.

"DAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWNNNN!" This broke through my pain, burning throughout my brain. The table shook violently.

The feeling of being against rough wood was replaced by cool grass, and the pain replaced with grogginess. I sat myself upright, and I then realized what had happened.

"Dusk!" I exclaimed.

"I'm right here, brother." I heard next to me, turning to my right to see Dusk's soft-smiling face. She was relieved.

"W-what happened?" I asked her, panic an obvious tone in my voice.

"You blacked out while I was getting you away from the town hall. We're now in the park."

My mind calmed down. I then realized what had made me black out.

"Luna."

"I knew you would react someway like that. I was also afraid that Luna would detect our presence."

"Then it's a good thing you got us out of there," I responded.

"Yea...I just don't know where Luna's going to strike next," Dusk said with a frustrated look on her face.

"Well, why don't you just ask the mare herself?" A familiar voice questioned.

We both froze.

She was behind us.

Chapter 9

Luna walked around us, our bodies still refusing to move.

"I knew I felt something oddly familiar presence at the ceremony, so I followed it; and would you look at who I found!" She let out a chuckle that made my teeth grind.

"Not only do I find my older sister's son and my own brother Dawn, but another mare. One that looks a lot like me." She attempted to get closer to Dusk.

I couldn't let her do that.

My muscles unlocked, and I closed the gap between Luna and Dusk within a matter of seconds.

"No, you don't, you monster,' I growled at her. A large snort came from my nose. I meant business.

Dusk was still behind me, although she hadn't recovered from her shock. She was helpless, and I needed to protect her.

What happened next took me by surprise. Before I knew it, I was on my back under the tree on top of the hill. My mind quickly analyzed what had happened. Luna had used her magic to throw me at the tree, where I landed and slid down into the place where I laid now.

I quickly looked over to where I had been a moment earlier. Luna had gotten closer to Dusk.

She was near her.

"You better not lay a hoof on her!" I warned, a serious intent of violence in my eyes.

But she just ignored me.

"Our eyes are similar in color, so is our coat, and even our mane. Interesting." She muttered while looking Dusk over. Dusk was still frozen, unable to move. Fear in her eyes.

I had to save her.

"Your body structure is similar, but more like Dawn's. How-" She stopped, noticing something in the corner of her sight. She turned her head to get a better look.

Too late.

I smashed her with a great force, repelling her backwards from where she had been. It was such a big force that she passed through the first tree with little to no momentum loss. After four trees, she finally was stopped by a fairly large oak.

I then turned to Dusk, who had been unlocked, and was holding a hoof up to her chin, trying to hold back tears.

"Run! I'll take care of Luna!" I yelled at her. She didn't move, her mind still processing the command.

"Didn't you hear me? I won't let Luna hurt you, so RUN!" I yelled. She saw the intent of my eyes, and then made a break for it. She had made it to the forest behind the hill before Luna started to stir.

To my surprise, she got up pretty quickly. I looked over her, looking for any point of damage. The only thing that stood out was that she had gotten a bloody nose from the impact.

"Do you really think something like that was going to take me down?" She asked.

"If I did, I would be lying," I spitefully responded.

She then began to laugh maniacally. After a while, she calmed down.

"You can not believe how long I've been wanting to do this." She said in a dark tone.

She then lunged for me.

I was quick enough to use my magic to erect a shield and strengthen it, just as Luna came to meet it. Our energies collided, causing a large boom as I parried her attack. She went flying into the air, but her wings steadied her and perched her a few meters above the ground.

"You were always the one who got the most attention!" She angrily yelled, going in for another attack. I parried it again, her attack stronger than the last.

"Sister always loved you more than me!" Another attack, although something hit my shield besides her attack. They were tears.

"You were always were in the spotlight, while I was left in the SHADOWS!" This attack nearly broke my shield, although she left herself open for attack. I launched my own attack, throwing her through the air and into the ground.

We then took our battle to the air.

Higher and higher we took the battle, Luna's attacks getting faster and stronger with every blow. I didn't know how long it would be until I couldn't take the blows that Luna was dishing out. I saw a hole in her defenses. I went in.

"TOO SLOW!" Luna yelled as she dodged the attack.

This isn't going to end well, I thought.

I felt two hooves slam against the middle of my back, causing the rest of my body to rag-doll around the point. I then rocketed back down to earth, Luna's momentum "assist" dragging my middle down faster than the rest of my body. My wings wouldn't move, probably shattered by the attack.

Was this going to be how I die?

I made contact with the ground. Surprised by the momentum, the ground moved away below me as my impulse on the ground continued. I heard three distinct groups of snaps within my body. My bones weren't indestructible after all.

My momentum finally imparted all of itself on the ground, and I came to a stop. My body was screaming out in pain, a feeling that my body hadn't felt for so long. I passed in and out of consciousness.

"Now," I heard from my victor, "where is that mare? After all, you're the last one to see where she ran off to."

I coughed, my cough carrying droplets of blood. Something had went internally, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

"G-go to hell, Luna." I responded weakly, showing my defiance, down to the end.

This gave Luna a pang of anger, but it subsided as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, no matter. I can always just sense her presence around Ponyville. She can't hide."

It was my turn to laugh, although weakly at this point.

"T-that's where you're wrong, Luna." I stated.

She now loomed over me.

"Wrong?" She asked, curious to what I could possibly have still left up my sleeve.

"Well, before we even started fighting, right when I knocked you through those trees, I did something to Dusk."

Her face turned from a confused look to a panic at these words. Her face then turned into a false bravery.

"What did you do?" She ordered.

After another cough, I responded.

"I changed her aura. Changed it to one that you couldn't pick up, even if you wanted to."

I showed a small smile. "Now who has the last laugh, Luna?"

She was beyond irate. Her self-dependent plan had been thwarted, which only left one possible method left.

Luna stomped on my chest, causing me to cough up more blood.

"Where is she?!" She ordered again, her voice louder and darker than before.

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Luna. Go......to.......helllllllll." I was fading out of consciousness, and fading fast.

The last thing I heard was Luna's scream.

Chapter 10

"Alright honey, I think she's gone," the mother said.

All they had wanted was a quiet, peaceful walk through the park, but the events that had just happened made the situation anything from peaceful.

As they were walking along, they started to hear multiple booms that they could feel in their chests. The explosions got quicker and quicker, just as the mother-filly pair found where the noises were coming from: two alicorns were dueling in the sky.

The mother knowing no good could come from this, she took her child and hid in a nearby bush. Their curiosities getting the better of them, they kept watching the two powerful forces fight in the sky.

At a certain point, the fighting became so fast, they could not pick up which blur was who. The fight abruptly ended when one of the alicorns, a white one, was thrown downwards from the fight and collided with the ground with a final, earth-shaking boom.

They could not hear the dialogue that occurred, but it ended with the dark-colored alicorn screaming at the top of her lungs into the sky, and then flying away, still screaming.

The events had been amazing, but the display of power had been frightening as well. The mother wanted nothing to do with it, and wanted to get her daughter home as soon as possible. Being a pegasus, this wouldn't be much of a problem.

She then noticed that her offspring was running towards the crater. The crater that still held an alicorn.

"Honey, what are you doing?!" the mom exclaimed after her foal.

"Mom, that pony is hurt! We have to help him!" The daughter exclaimed back.

"Someone else can help him, Dinky! Now come back here this ins-"

But it was too late. The young mare had already jumped into the crater. The mother jumped in after her. They slid down the side until they reached the bottom.

The mother, furious with her child, opened her mouth to scold the child, but closed it when she saw what the child was looking that. She turned her head to it as well. It was the alicorn.

He wasn't in very good shape. His back legs were horribly disfigured, bending in directions normal legs would not. His chest was bruised, suggesting broken ribs. His wings lied on his chest, probably broken. His right foreleg was the worst, the tip of the bone poking out of the skin. His mouth was open, with it and the ground around it stained with blood. His white coat was very dirty, probably from the ground he pushed away from him on his descent, the mother assumed.

She was not sure whether the alicorn was dead or not. She looked at his chest. He wasn't breathing. Walking up to him, she put a hoof on the pony's neck. Concentrating on what she felt through the hoof, she felt a pulse. There was a problem with it though; it was slow, and very weak.

She wanted to give the pony chest compressions, but she was afraid that the broken ribs would do more damage. She had to get someone that could help this alicorn. She knew who she needed to get.

She turned to her child.

"He is still alive Dinky. I'm going to get Nurse Redheart. I want you to stay here and keep an eye on him, ok?" She said.

The foal nodded.

In no other part of her life had she flew this fast. She knew that time was of the essence, and being a few seconds early or late could mean life or death for the alicorn.

The alicorn. The only two alicorns that she and the rest of Ponyville knew of were Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon. There had been no other sightings of alicorns beyond that. How would she explain this to the Nurse?

She finally made it to the hospital. She crashed through the door, skidding to a halt in front of the wall where the receptionist's desk sat.

"Why hello Derpy! How can I help you this evening?" The receptionist said with a warm smile.

Still out of breath, Derpy managed to get the word "Redheart" out.

"Oh, you need to see Nurse Redheart? Okay." She rotated, facing the hall behind the desk. "Nurse, Derpy is here to see you!"

A few moments later, a white mare with a pink mane came through the door. She had a coat on, and carried saddle-bags.

"Derpy, it's a good thing you caught me before I left. What is the problem?" She asked.

Derpy, still breathing heavily from crossing the town, only managed to say "Pony.......Park.......Hurt.......Critical...."

"Derpy, breathe! So there is a pony, in the park, who is very injured?" She turned to the receptionist. "Tenderheart, is the paramedic squad still here?"

"Yes they are, Redheart." The receptionist pony responded.

"Tell them to meet us at the park, and to hurry." She ordered. The receptionist nodded back, and disappeared from the desk.

"We have to hurry if we're going to meet the paramedics there. Is there anypony currently with the injured pony?" She asked.

"Dinky is." Derpy responded, having regained her normal breathing pattern.

"Okay then."

"By the way nurse, we might want to be discreet about this." Derpy told Nurse Redheart.

"Why?" She asked.

"Erm....you'll see when we get there." Derpy responded.

They arrived at the park entrance, where the paramedic stallions had already arrived, towing a large ambulance card with them.

Derpy lead them to where the alicorn laid. Both the Nurse and the stallions were speechless at the giant crater.

"Momma!" Dinky cried from the bottom of the crater as the group slid down to meet them.

"Sweet Celestia." Nurse Redheart whispered to herself. She now understood why Derpy wanted to keep things discreet. The injured pony was an alicorn.

But now was not the time for curiosity. She nodded to the stallions, who started up the crater to get the stretcher. Nurse Redheart checked his pulse, which was still weakly beating, and then examined. She saw everything that Derpy did: broken legs, broken ribs, shattered wings, broken foreleg, and possible internal bleeding.

The stallions brought the stretcher down, a blanket folded neatly on top of it.

"Derpy, could you help us with the pony's legs? We don't want them getting trapped under his body." Nurse Redheart asked.

"Sure thing, Nurse Redheart," the pony responded.

They all lifted the alicorn onto the stretcher, except for Dinky, who watched from a distance.

Nurse Redheart then remembered, discreet. She took the blanket and covered up the alicorn's lower half, obscuring the wings and legs.

She then turned to the stallions as they finished loading him into the ambulance.

"When you get back to the hospital, signal a Code Four. Also, tell the ponies that come to not remove the blanket until they are in private quarters. Am I clear?"

The two stallions nodded in agreement, and hooked up into the ambulance. They were gone a few moments later.

Nurse Redheart let out a sigh, and then turned to Derpy.

"Are you going to be coming to the hospital?" She asked.

Both Derpy and Dinky nodded.

Seconds ticked by like hours as the two ponies waited in the waiting room for news of the mysterious alicorn. Dinky had fallen asleep, and was leaning on Derpy. If it weren't for her, Derpy would've never sent for Nurse Redheart, and the pony could have died.

A few more hours passed. The sun was rising. They had been there all night, waiting for news on the pony's condition.

Finally, a very tired and worn-out Nurse Redheart came through the swinging doors. She had bags around her eyes for being up all night like Derpy.

Nurse Redheart spoke first.

"He's currently in a stable condition, although he's still out cold. Besides the broken bones and such, he also had a pretty severe concussion as well." She reported.

Although Derpy's appearance made her look stupid, she still understood everything that Nurse Redheart was telling her. She nodded as the Nurse continued.

"Besides that, he should recover within the next couple of hours, but we still don't know much of what happened or anything about his race. He could be out for days, or years for all we know."

Derpy's face drooped into a frown. Nurse Redheart saw this, and put a hoof on Derpy's shoulder.

"Go home, get some rest. You'll be the first to know when he wakes up." Nurse Redheart said encouragingly.

"Thanks Nurse." Derpy responded. She then looked down to Dinky, who was still fast asleep on her shoulder.

"Could I possibly borrow a saddlebag from you to carry Dinky in?" She asked.

"Sure thing." She answered.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Derpy returned to her house, Dinky still sound asleep in her saddlebag as she quietly opened the door quietly, and closed it behind her. She laid her child down in her bed, pulling a sheet over her. She would explain to Cheerilee why she was not in school later. She had to get her mail deliveries done.

As she made her rounds, she didn't get many complaints for her lateness. She guessed that her being seen walking with Nurse Redheart after the ambulance (which had woken most of the town up) answered enough questions.

She got her rounds done, and then headed in the direction of the schoolhouse.

"Have a nice day, Derpy!" Cheerilee called after her.

It seems that pretty much everypony had been woken up by the ambulance. Even Mrs. Cheerilee. She could not mention that the stranger was an alicorn, so she said that it was a friend. Cheerilee, not being aware that Derpy had friends, took this with a grain of salt, but eventually accepted it.

As she left the schoolhouse, a pony called her name. She was from the hospital.

"Derpy, Nurse Redheart wants to see you at the hospital right away!"

As she rushed with the mare to the hospital, one question sat in the back of her mind: Was he awake?

Nurse Redheart turned towards the door as Derpy entered. She gave a quick look to Derpy, and then looked around at all the patients in the waiting room. Derpy realized that talking about the patient wasn't something to do out in the open.

The Nurse walked her to a room towards the back of the hospital, nodding to two nurses that guarded the door.

The door shut behind Derpy as she got the first look of the alicorn since last night. His coat had been cleaned, and now shimmered the bright white it truly was. He was very bandaged up, his wings, legs, right foreleg, and torso all wrapped up. He had many IVs in him, and a tube down his throat, probably to assist with breathing.

"I thought you would be interested in the patient's progress." Nurse Redheart said as she put a series of x-rays of his right foreleg up on the scanner and flicked the back-light on.

"The first picture is from when he first came in." She said. The bone was still lurching out of his skin.

"During the surgery, we noticed the bone trying to re-form itself as we worked. We found this weird, so we set this limb up for bi-hourly x-rays. Look at the progress." She pointed to the x-rays beyond the two.

The mare realized why Nurse Redheart had brought her in.

His bone, judging by the x-rays' time stamps, were healing at a speed that was almost unpony. Looking at the last x-ray, the bone had already sealed itself into place, and was repairing the crack.

"This is..." She started, but couldn't find the words to finish her sentence.

"I was about as amazed as you are right now. I never knew alicorns had such amazing healing powers."

"Nurse Redheart, if this is true, wouldn't this mean that all of his other limbs are healing at this rate as well?" Derpy asked.

"We're not sure, although I assume so." She replied.

They stared at the x-rays for a few moments before a beep went off behind them.

Nurse Redheart knew this beep. The air-tube was meeting resistance from the patients lungs. He was breathing.

Both mares went to either side of the patient's bed. The Nurse carefully removed the breathing tube, being sure not to do any damage to the pony's windpipe. Once it was out, the irritation of the tube caused the patient to cough lightly.

He then opened his eyes.

Chapter 11

The first thing I saw as I opened my eyes were two blurs on each of my sides, one grey, one white. As my eyes focused, my eyes immediately shot to the grey pony's eyes, which were at opposite corners of her sockets.

My eyes then turned to the white mare, who spoke when I looked at her.

"Sir, can you hear me?" She said, my ears muffling the dialogue as they adjusted back to their normal state.

I nodded. As I moved my neck downward, I found it to be stiff. I turned my neck to one side, then the other, feeling the stiffness go away with each crack as my muscles adjusted.

"Do try not to do that as much, sir. We still don't know the extent of your injuries and how they have healed." the nurse stated.

My mind then started to process information. The last thing I remembered was Princess Luna smashing him into the ground, demanding for information about Dusk, then screaming in agony when he refused.

His mind then focused on Dusk. She had not once talked to me inside my mind while I was unconscious, nor when I woke up just now. He pushed the thought out of his mind. Dusk can take care of herself, he thought, I have to worry about my own situation first.

"W-where am I?" He asked the pink-maned figure.

"You are currently in a room at the Ponyville Hospital, sir." She motion to the grey, cross-eyes mare. "Derpy found you in the park and rushed to get me. If she hadn't found me, you would be dead right now." She ended.

Huh. Looks like Luna didn't make me truly immortal after all, I thought. We had had one hell of a fight, and the magic we used to fight each other probably would have been enough to decimate the whole town.

I looked to the window, and realized something: light was coming into the room. Someone had defeated Princess Luna.

I leaned up, but felt pain in my chest as I did. A pair of hooves pushed me back down into the bed, and I turned my head to see the white mare with a serious look on her face.

"Oh no you don't, mister. As long as you're here, you won't be going anywhere until we are sure you are healed." She said.

"Umm, Nurse?" The grey mare asked in a slightly slurred, but clear speech. The nurse turned to the mare.

"I have to go check on Dinky. Can you make sure that he stays safe?" She asked.

"No problem. Tell Dinky he's awake as well, can you?"

"Sure thing Nurse." She responded. She then left the room, the door shutting behind her.

I slumped back down into my bed, the nurse turning back to me, an inquiring look on her face.

"So, who knows I'm here?" I asked the nurse.

"The city knows that somepony is here." She said. "Only me, Derpy, her daughter, and a handful of doctors know that you're an alicorn, though. Derpy wanted to keep things discreet, and I agreed with her. After all, it would've made it much easier for your opponent to find you and finish you off."

"Huh. Well, thank you for that, Ms, erm." I didn't know her name.

"The name's Nurse Redheart, sir." She replied.

I stared out the window for a bit before I spoke to her again.

"I'm guessing you would be wondering a bit about me as well." I started. "Well, which name do you want first, the one for your records, or the true name that cannot leave this room?" I asked.

"How about the one for the records first." She responded.

"Very well, then. I am Celest. I do not know who my parents are, nor any of my other kin. I have no permanent residence, although I am a citizen of Equestria." I paused. "This is the alias I give in public, and it is how I wish to be addressed as to anyone outside of you and me."

She pulled out the clipboard at the foot of the bed and took down the information. She then put the clipboard back, closed the windows, and put a "Do Not Disturb" sign at the front of the door before locking it.

She then turned to me. "Well, we've got as much privacy as we're going to have." She said.

I leaned back in the bed, being extra careful not to lean on my wings, which were held stiff by a heavy casts.

I thought to myself for a second: Do I really want to tell her this? She did nurse me back to health and save me from death.

Could I have died back there?

Her eyes were still focused on me, intent on learning my true identity.

Pushed by guilt, I began. "My real name is Dawn. I am son and brother to Princess Celestia. I am about a thousand years old, cursed into immortality by Princess Luna the night she was banished to the moon."

Her pupils grew wide at the information received, but kept quiet, hoping that I would speak more.

I continued. "I am not the only person who was cursed, though. During the spell, part of my soul, and possibly some of Luna's, was ripped from me and her, and my sister, Dusk, was created."

I sighed, signaling to the nurse that my tale was done.

"Amazing. That explains your rapid recovery." She said.

"Rapid recovery?" I asked, my eyes moving over to the x-rays on the wall. Surely enough, the bone became more and more mended with each x-ray, and the x-rays had time stamps only hours apart.

"Yes. As you can see from the x-rays, your front left bone seems to have recovered fully. Judging that this happened for all of your body, all of your bones are probably fully repaired." She commented.

"I'm as surprised as you are. I really haven't done much to test my own body's biology to this extent before." I added. The picture of me falling off of the plateau came to mind. I quickly shoved it out.

She paused and thought to herself.

"How long do you think it will be until the other mare will return?" I asked her.

"She lives on the outskirts of town, and she also has to sort the mail this evening, so I would say that it'll be a while." She replied. "I, on the other hand, need to go see my other patients. Will you be okay alone for a while?" She asked.

"I'll be fine. Remember, nothing I just said cannot leave this room." I reminded her.

"No problem, Celest." She said with a wink. "I Pinkie Pie promise that I will keep my mouth shut."

The term confused me. "Pinkie Pie promise?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Yes. It is the highest-honored promise Ponyville. Anything that is Pinkie Pie promised cannot be broken, and lasts forever."

Forever I heard in a certain pink mare's dialogue in the back of my head.

"Anyway, try to get some more rest. By the looks of it, your muscles are still repairing themselves." The nurse said while stepping outside the door to remove the sign. "By the way, the name's Nurse Redheart." She added.

"Yes, Nurse Redheart," I replied, attaching the name to her face in my memory bank.

She smiled at the acknowledgement, and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.

"Damn, I wasn't sure when she was going to leave." I heard from my right. I turned my head to find nopony other than Dusk, approaching my bedside.

She wrapped her forehooves around me, I returned the embrace, feeling the same happiness that she probably felt.

After we broke the embrace, she began to speak.

"Are you sure she's trustworthy? I mean, she did promise, but how do we know that will stick?"

"I saw a characteristic of trust with her. Also, I was returning the favor. She did fix me up."

"Yeah, good point. Man, Luna did do a number on you." She responded, wearing a sheepish smile.

"Well, I did stall long enough for you to get away." I said, wearing a similar sheepish smile on my face.

"True," She responded. "Speaking of which, I have to tell you what happened."

She spared no details.

"...and then Princess Celestia forgave her, and they hugged!" She said, taking somewhat-heavy breaths after her long-winded story.

"Do you think that your message you gave to Celestia the night we went into the castle happened to influence this?" I asked.

She nodded in agreement.

We both sat in silence, me pondering what I had just heard, and her silently awaiting any other thoughts I might have for her.

"Celestia's student, defeating Princess Luna...amazing." I said to myself. "She had planned this after all."

"Yeah. Do you think she also knew of the other ponies and their characteristics as well?" She asked me.

"I have no idea." I responded.

Right then, the the door handle turned. Somepony was coming in. Dusk quickly hid in a nearby shadow below a chair, and I leaned back down in my bed, which I had tilted up for comfort.

Nurse Redheart walked in with a cart, which had a dish on it.

"I have your dinner, Celest." She said, watching the door close behind her as she rolled the cart to my bed side.

As she moved the bedside table over my lap, she spoke.

"You can come out from under the chair, Dusk." She said firmly. This took me by surprise: nopony was able to detect Dusk's presence before.

"How, how did-" Dusk said speechlessly as she came out from under the chair.

"I'm not blind." She said coldly, before returning to a cheery tone. "I just assumed you were Dusk because of what Dawn told me. You appearance also helped."

We both sat speechless for a while before Nurse Redheart walked over to Dusk and started to examine her.

"Hey, what are y-" Dusk started, but the nurse hushed her.

"I'm checking you for any injuries. After all, you were at the scene." She said.

"How did you-" I started, but met the same fate that Dusk did.

"My office is next to your room. I heard everything." She said. "Anything I heard also falls under the promise I gave earlier, so don't worry." She added.

The room was silent for a while, the only noises being Nurse Redheart's prompts for Dusk to take breaths.

The Nurse finally broke the silence.

"Well, you seem to be fine. No broken bones, no internal damage, nothing." She said. "It like you weren't really involved in whatever Dawn got himself into."

"That's true," I assured her. "I threw Luna through several trees before she even tried to lay a hoof on Dusk." I added.

"Through?" Nurse Redheart said with great astonishment.

"Yes, through, but it really didn't do any damage to her. All it gave her was a bloody nose from me hitting her." I said, feeling embarrassed at the lack of damage I did to her.

"Wow. Alicorns are amazing beings." She remarked, her eyes still wide from my previous statement.

"Well, I have to go home. My daughter is probably wondering why I'm not home by now." She said. "I'll tell the nurses guarding the door that you have a visitor, and that she can stay as long as she likes."

"Thank you Nurse Redheart." I said as she opened the door.

"No problem, Celest." She replied.

As the door shut, I turned to Dusk, who was lazily staring out the window at the night sky.

"Hey Dusk."

She turned to look at me. "What?"

"Aren't you wondering at all why you were still in your physical form today?"

She thought. "I've been thinking, and I may have a theory." She responded. I scooted up in my bed, eager to hear her explanation.

She began. "Luna has been trapped in the moon until now. I have only been able to come out at night."

I nodded in understanding.

"So, I theorize that her presence is somehow connected with my presence in a physical form, and since she is now in Equestria, I can stay in this form."

Her explanation made sense, and it went along with the theory that she held part of Luna's soul.

"Have you tried switching between your forms at all?" I asked her.

"Not really." She replied. "Now would be the best time to try, though."

I nodded in agreement, and closed my eyes. The second I opened them, she was gone.

Did it work? I thought.

Looks like, Dusk said. Before I knew it, she had taken her physical form again. She went over to the empty bed adjacent to mine, and laid down in it. We had both had long days, and before I knew it, I found myself dozing off as well.

Although unanswered questions pestered my mind still, I pushed them aside, and welcomed the haze that set me into sleep.

Chapter 12

A week had passed since my admittance into the hospital. My back legs and left foreleg had healed, and the casts had been removed from them. My ribs had healed as well, but they were still bandaged due to the severe bruising they still had. My wings were still in heavy casts, and would be the last thing to get uncovered due to their sensitivity and purpose.

Dusk had been by my side the whole week, only leaving to get food for herself, and while out, was able to pick up stories and rumors about Ponyville. Many of these were of the heroic actions of the Elements of Harmony, six ponies that had become one with the Elements, and defeated 'Nightmare Moon'. The same Elements that had sealed her away a millennium before by Celestia.

As I sat in silence, pondering the thoughts that came into my head, the door opened. In trotted Nurse Redheart, cheery as ever, with a cart that had a dish on top of it, presumably holding my breakfast.

"Guess who's getting his wing casts off today?" She sung.

I looked around to flatter her. "Well, there aren't any other ponies with wing injuries in here, so would that be me?" I asked in light sarcasm.

"Indeed!" She said. "You are due in the low-priority operating room in five minutes!" One of the nurse-ponies that had guarded the door for the last week rolled in a stretcher.

"Even, better," Nurse Redheart started again as I transferred over to the stretcher, "as long as things check out, you'll be out today!"

"Is that so," I said, caught slightly off-guard by the news. The hospital had become my home, and leaving it broke my heart slightly.

I looked over to Dusk, who was fast asleep on the same bed she had been sleeping in for the week.

"Don't worry, Celest. If she wakes up, I'll tell her where you are. This shouldn't take too long if the cast cooperates." She said as I was rolled out of the room, her trotting alongside the stretcher.

"By the way, I was wondering if you could do me a favor before I leave." I said.

She raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you need?"

I took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Do you think that you could possibly ask someone to come see me?" I asked.

"Someone in Ponyville?" She returned.

"Yes, someone who arrives just a week ago."

"You wouldn't happen to mean that one mare, Twilight Sparkle, would you?"

"Yes, that would be her."

Her facial expression turned blank for a few moments as she pondered this request as we went down the hallway.

"You wouldn't be trying to use the 'injured pony' card to try to make a move on her, would you?" She asked, a devious look on her face.

I blushed, and was speechless, any attempts at words coming out as a stammering mess.

"I'm just messing around with you!" She joked, punching me on the shoulder. "I will try my best."

My blush receded at the words. "Thank you, Nurse."

"Your welcome, Celest."

We rolled along until we reached a room marked L-1 OR.

"Hey Nurse, was the stretcher escort really needed? I can walk, you know."

"Oh, the stretcher wasn't for the trip to the room. You'll thank me later..." Her words faded as we entered the room.

Wait, what could-

A large stallion, his face covered by a mask and face-shield, straightened me onto my side.

"Well Celest, let's get this over with." He said.

I heard the sound of a circular blade spin up behind me.

What the b-

"Damn, that hurt!" I said to myself. The procedure of getting the heavy casting off had been a feeling of having my wings getting caught in a salad mixer. Although still sore, my mind was happy that they were out of their caskets. As if from instinct, I stretched them, the good feeling from the stretch beating the increased soreness it had generated.

I sat in my bed, stretched out in a way that the blanket covered my wings.

A knock came from the door. The Nurse never knocked.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened, and Nurse Redheart entered.

"You were in luck. I caught her before she left the library." She said, escorting Twilight in.

"I'll leave you two alone." She said with a slight tone of suggestiveness in her tone, leaving the air awkward as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The room sat silent for a while, neither me or her knowing what to say.

Twilight finally broke the silence.

"Well, this is a coincidence." She said.

"Yes, quite." I responded.

The silence had returned as Twilight looked at my chest. Although the bruises had mostly healed up, a slight purple still showed through my white coat.

"What happened?" She finally asked.

What do I tell her? I asked myself rhetorically.

The truth, Dusk answered. She had sneaked into my mind while I had been over-thinking my sore wings.

"The night Nightmare Moon had returned, I got into a little fight." Little?

"With who?" Twilight asked.

"Well....with Nightmare Moon herself." I said. If that hadn't been a large catalyst for questions, I didn't know what was.

She stood there for a few moments, her jaw hanging on it's hinges. It was a while before her brain started processing again.

"H-how are you still alive?" She asked, resisting the urge to let her jaw down.

Didn't she already know? I asked myself. No she did not. I had been wearing a cloak that night, which covered my wings from sight.

Well, now or never.

I sat up in my bed, letting the blanket uncover my wings.

She was speechless again, letting her jaw fall farther than I thought was possible. Her eyes moved slowly upwards...

Before I could think to yell for her, Dusk had taken form and caught her before she hit the floor.

It was my turn to drop my jaw. Had the shock been enough to do that? What would she think of me know? Would she think of me as a monster, a noble, an outcast?

"Dawn, help me get her into that bed over there." She motioned her head to the bed opposite to hers.

My body went into auto-pilot as I hoisted her onto Dusk's back. Moments later, she was laying on the bed Dusk had gestured to.

Right then, Nurse Redheart came in with a cheery smile that turned immediately to horror as she laid eyes on Twilight in the bed.

"What in Celestia's name happened?!" She exclaimed.

"She passed out." I responded.

"Well, what the hell made her do that?"

My wings tightened to my sides to the point where they were almost flush. Nurse Redheart noticed this, and let out a heavy sigh. She then turned to Twilight to check her vitals.

I sat on the opposite side of the bed. This was going to be a long day.

It had been at least a good hour, and Twilight hadn't moved much. At this point, Nurse Redheart had hooked her up to the instruments next to the bed and had her on an IV.

"She's not in a coma, is she?" I said with a worried expression.

"No, her breathing is still normal, and her pulse is still normal." The Nurse responded.

At that moment, Twilight's blank expression tightened. Her head was facing towards the side of the bed I was sitting on. I felt nervous as her eyes opened. How would she react to the first thing her seeing be me?

Her expression started blank as her eyes focused on my face. Her eyes then looked down to my side, where my wings were still cringing against my body, not wanting to be seen.

I tried to keep her from freaking out by speaking.

"Listen, I-" I started, but Twilight interrupted me.

"I'm sorry. I reacted pretty extremely, and I'm sorry for worrying you through that."

Why was she apologizing? I'm the one who surprised her to the point of fainting!

"No, you don't need to apologize." I responded to defend my original apology.

Nurse Redheart turned to speak.

"If I knew this was going to happen, I would've forewarned you, but I was bound by a promise. It would not have been my place to tell." She said.

"It's fine, Nurse. You kept your promise. Plus, I probably would have reacted the same way if you told me." Twilight comforted.

The nurse nodded. "I'll leave you ponies alone." She said as she stepped out of the door.

The door shut. Another moment of silence sat in the air. We both just sat there, just staring into each other's eyes. Her pupils were wide from the lack of light they had gotten from being shut the past hour.

Some invisible sign made us both turn away from embarrassment at the same time. I felt heat in my face, and looking out of the corner of my eye, she was blushing as well.

"I-i'm guessing that you probably have some questions for me." I said, trying to change the topic before things got more awkward.

She followed along. "Some, but not many," she responded.

Meanwhile, my mind was having an internal argument. One side argued that if I told her too much, I would scare her away. The other side argued that I should tell the truth, and be honest. I pick and chose points, but eventually sided with the side that wanted to tell the truth. A good relationship never survived on a foundation of lies.

I didn't notice that she was intently waiting for some kind of response from me. The lights in the ceiling reflected in her pupils, almost making it look as if there were starts to the dark abyss.

"Well, ask away." I said.

"So why Celest?" She asked. Although she had only been asking me questions for around fifteen minutes, it had felt like a lifetime as she asked, waited for an answer as I thought, and received.

"Well, Dawn is a royal name, and I really didn't want royal treatment. I felt it was wrong to put me up onto a pedestal, so I started using the name Celest. As long as I didn't show my cutie mark, I was treated like any other pony in the town, and I appreciated it."

As I answered, my mind wandered again to the eyes. Where mares' eyes always this large? My mind searched for a comparison to prove the theory right or wrong, but the only comparison my mind came up with was the pink mare that Dusk had put a spell on through me. This only further proved the point, the mare's irises being so large that if they got bigger, I would not have been able to see the whites.

As her eyes started to move back towards me, I diverted mine from her face and looked away, trying to suppress the heat wanting to spill over onto my face and give me away.

"Do you have any siblings?" She asked.

"Yes," I heard from next to me.

Twilight's face turned from a light smile to absolute fear. Was Dusk trying to make her faint again?

"L-l-lu-" She stammered before Dusk cut her off.

"Why does everypony always jump to that conclusion?" She asked herself.

"Well, you do carry many of the visual traits she carries," I answered, getting a scold from Dusk for answering the rhetorical question.

"Anyway, yes. I'm his sister, Dusk." She answered.

Twilight, slightly calmed by the fact that it was not the pony who had tried to kill her a mere week ago, nodded.

"Nice to meet you. Sorry for the overreaction. I seem to be doing that a lot today." She answered. "So you're his sister?"

"Well..." We said in unison. I nudged Dusk, feeling that she would be the better one to explain. She nudged me back.

"Well," I started, "The last few months before Luna was banished to the moon, she went, for lack of a better term, mad. Within those months, she did a lot of research behind Celestia's back on dark magic."

I paused, thinking of what to say next. Twilight looked very interested.

"She specifically looked into the area of pony immortality, hoping that there was a way that she could surpass her sister. She had done the research and learned the necessary spells. She then set on finding a guinea pig to test the magic out on." I let her assume the rest as my voice broke on the last word.

Her face was one of utter horror. Under her skin, she could probably not believe what had been done to me.

After regaining myself, I continued. "During her spell, something she probably didn't intend happened. Part of my soul, and possibly part of her's, had split off from us and bonded together, creating Dusk." I looked over to Dusk. "I consider her a sister because she's been there for me, and is a part of me." Dusk smiled at the comment.

All of us then turned at someone shouting down the hall that my room sat at the end of.

"You can't go in there, Princess!" I heard Nurse Redheart's familiar voice say.

This only meant one thing.

No. Not this way.

The door opened.

"Twilight, I was wondering why you were late to the cafe for lunch, so I asked around, and they said you had come here to-"

She froze as she saw me. Her eyes shot to my face, then my wings, and finally, my cutie mark.

Tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Chapter 13

Princess Celestia could not believe what she was saw in front of her.

Sitting on the bed, right next to Twilight, was her son. A son she had not seen for a thousand years. A son that, until the messenger came, she believed was dead.

Her motor functions locked up,

her breathing became uneven,

her heart pounded,

and tears flowed from her eyes.

"Luna?" Celestia asked in a more serious tone.

Surprised by the change in tone, Luna looked up from her tea at her sister's face, which held a serious expression. They had been talking into the day about things that had changed in Equestria since Luna's banishment, and this was the first time she had spoken with the tone she used.

"I," she said before taking a long pause to line up her words. "I have to ask you about Dawn," she finished, her words faltering towards the end.

Luna's expression also became serious. She looked down at her reflection in the tea.

"I'm sorry I left him in that state, Celestia. It was probably a lot for you, seeing him like that." She said, avoiding eye contact with her sister. "If you would allow me, I want to pay respects at his grave."

Celestia looked at her sister, seeing how inflicted she felt by her actions.

"There is no grave." She said.

Luna looked up at her sister. "What do you mean, sister?"

"There is no grave, because there is no body." Celestia coldly repeated.

Luna's expression turned to fear.

"Sister, please tell me you didn't-" She was cut off by Celestia.

"My sister, when I got to your study, there was no body. Just an outline in blood where a pony had lain."

Luna looked at her big sister, confused. There was no way that anypony could have survived what she had done to Dawn. She then wondered.

"I-is he, a-a-a-" She had trouble saying the last word, as her emotion had started taking over. She could see, from the corner of her eye, small splashes in the tea that she was holding as her tears flowed off of her face.

She then felt a warm body around her. She looked over to see her sister holding her in a warm embrace. Luna's body stopped trembling, and her muscles relaxed.

"A few nights ago, I was woken up." She started. "I opened my eyes to find a small mare who looked just like you. I was scared, because I thought you had escaped. The mare assured me that she was not you, but a messenger." Celestia paused for a few more moments, as she was trying to control her emotions as well.

"She told me he was still alive, Luna." She said, tears of joy running down her face now. Looking down at Luna, her tears had began to flow as well.

"H-he's still alive?" Luna asked through her tears.

"Yes, yes he is." Celestia said.

They sat there, sister wrapped around sister in warm embrace, tears still escaping from their eyes.

"You don't know how much this news means to me, sister." Luna finally said. Celestia opened her eyes and looked down at her sister, who was looking back up at her.

"During the time that I was up on the moon, every hour felt like a day. My mind had split into two factions, and they argued over everything. Eventually, the arguments turned to Dawn."

Celestia's tears had stopped, and her eyes had widened. Had she really caused her sister that much grief? She stopped thinking to herself as Luna continued.

"The mad faction justified that it was right, that it had finally put you in your place. The other faction, my mind, had said otherwise. He was your little brother, they said, why did you have to kill him?"

She paused as she had another emotional wave. Celestia tightened her embrace, and it helped. Within a few moments, she started speaking again.

"But now, now that you tell me that my brother is alive, my mind can finally shed the guilt it has been carrying for so many years." She looked up at Luna, and saw a warm smile beaming down at her. "Thank you, sister."

"Your welcome, Luna." She returned.

After recollecting the thought within her mind, Celestia's mind snapped back into focus. The first thing she had noticed was that Dawn was no longer on the bed. She looked left and right, hoping that he had not disappeared again. If he had left, again, she would be heartbroken.

She then felt something warm at her forelegs.

She looked down...and saw her son, cuddling against her hooves.

Feeling that he had been noticed, he looked up at her.

They stared into each other's eyes for a what seemed to either of them as an eternity, but as a moment as well, as they both wished for the moment to never end.

"Mom." Dawn said.

"Dawn." Celestia replied.

Celestia moved her neck down, and cuddled Dawn between her cheek and neck.

Nurse Redheart and Twilight, watching the embrace, couldn't help but let out a collective "daww" at the sight. Twilight looked over to see if Dusk was sharing their expressions that moment, but something was wrong.

Dusk wasn't in the room, and the window was open.

The sun had just set as well.

The two mares of darkness walked through the park.

Dusk was still wondering to herself why she had followed Luna. After all, the last time they had met, she had frozen in fear, and nearly wet herself. Yet she was walking alongside her now, as if they were friends.

It might be her appearance, Dusk thought to herself. After all, Luna wasn't the large, intimidating witch of the night she had been a week prior. In fact, she didn't look like she was much older than Dusk in her current form. Dusk was actually a little taller than Luna.

Once they had found a bench to rest on, they both sat down on it. They had not said a word to each other on the way there. Luna finally broke the ice.

"Your name is Dusk, right?" She asked.

"Uh, yes." Dusk said nervously. Although her current form made her easier to be around, Dusk was still nervous about what her personality was like.

"Dusk." She pondered over the name for a moment. "Your name fits you like a glove." She concluded.

"Thanks." Dusk responded, trying not to show her nervousness through her tone.

An awkward silence fell between the two mares. Dusk looked around at her surroundings. Besides a few trees, the area around was pretty open. The only source of light came from a lamp a few meters away, which barely gave off any light. A hill was behind them, and there was fresh dirt laid down in the shape of a circle near the tree that was at the top.

"I-i'm sorry." Dusk heard from Luna's direction. She turned her head, then proceeded to turn her body towards her.

Luna shifted uneasily, and then continued. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I-i wasn't in control of myself. That was Nightmare Moon that scared you, but she was part of me, so I'm apologizing."

Dusk looked at Luna for a few moments. Although she was blaming it on another persona, her apology still had a sincere air to it.

"I accept your apology, Luna." She let the words sit in the air for a bit before continuing. "I'm curious about you and Nightmare Moon. Would you care to enlighten me?"

"Sure." Luna responded.

"...and when the Elements of Harmony were used on me, she just disappeared." Luna concluded.

"Interesting," Dusk responded. The fact that her mind had split into two separate forces was amazing, but something still lingered in her head.

"Luna," she started, "since your mind had already split between your two personas before you cast the spell on Dawn, do you think that Nightmare Moon was trying to do more than make an immortal pony that night?" Dusk asked.

"Well, during that night, I did see that she had one line in her spell notes that I didn't understand. They did not relate to the spell of immortality." She thought for a moment, and continued. "Later that night, when she performed the spell on Dawn, it seemed that the spell was complete, but she did something after that. She rose Dawn's soul from his body, and split it. I then understood that she was trying to pour herself into a new soul, to take on a form where she could have a more concentrated form, and do things she could not do through me."

She paused, letting everything that she had just said sink in with Dusk. Feeling that she had given her enough time, she continued.

"I intervened, cutting her off from the soul. I tried to re-attach it to Dawn's soul, but I couldn't. So I did the next best thing; I put Dawn's soul back within his body, and poured part of myself into the soul."

Dusk was in shock. Wait, she thought, if she had poured herself into my soul, then-

Dusk then noticed that Luna had moved closer to her on the bench, and was nearly touching her.

"Dusk," she said in a warm tone, "I was wondering if you would give me the honor of becoming your sister and mother."

Although she had not known the mare for long, and barely knew her personality, something about the proposal made her feel content with herself. For once, she would have more ties to her family than just Dawn. She would also have a mom, someone that she could look up to in a time of need, like Dawn with Celestia.

She embraced Luna, slightly surprising her with the sudden contact.

"Yes." She said.

She felt Luna's fore-hooves on her back, returning the embrace.

Celestia and Dawn sat at a table outside the local cafe. The pair had noticed that Dusk was gone after their prolonged embrace, so they decided to go to the cafe. The cafe had been closing up when the two had arrived, but being given the honor of serving two ponies of the royal family (or one, since Dawn's existence had been stricken from history per Celestia's request after his death) was more than enough motivation to keep them open for a few more minutes, or hours if needed.

Dawn had been telling the Princess about all of the places that he had went during the time he was on the move, and the adventures that he had had in the places. He was even surprised himself with all of the places that he had gone. As he spoke, Celestia intently listened to Dawn, and watched his hooves move around to emphasize whatever he was taking about.

About twenty minutes after they had arrived, the food was served. Dawn had gone with the sandwich he ordered when he first arrived at Ponyville, and Celestia, not knowing what the food was like, had ordered what Dawn had gotten. The waiter filled the Princess's tea, and replaced Dawn's empty glass with one filled with water.

After a few bites of her sandwich, Celestia turned to Dawn.

"Dawn, I have a question." She asked.

Finishing the bite that he had just taken, Dawn responded.

"Yes, Celestia?"

Celestia thought of whether or not to ask the question, and then asked it.

"Why did you run away the night Luna cursed you?" Luna asked.

The question catching him off guard, Dusk took another bite of his sandwich, and pondered over his response while he chewed.

"I thought you wouldn't treat me the same after what Luna did to me." He responded.

Celestia thought over the response, but could not come up with a way to answer it.

"Well, that's behind us now. What matters is that we're together now." She said.

The two ate finished their sandwiches, and continued light conversation for a while. Celestia paid the check when the waiter came up, and told the waiter that they would not need anything more for the night, and that they could leave. Happily taking the suggestion that the Princess gave them, the lights in the building were off within a matter of minutes, leaving the only ambient light in the area coming from the streetlamps scattered around the shopping district.

As they walked through the district towards the inn, they met up with Dusk and Luna, who happily told them about the proposal. Dawn and Celestia congratulated them, and they continued to walk towards the inn. They paused at the front.

"So, where does this leave me and Dusk?" Dawn asked Celestia and Luna.

"Well," Celestia started, "I will leave you two to do what you want from this day forth, as long as you return to Canterlot occasionally. If you want, you two can handle domestic affairs around Equestria. Would you be interested?"

Dawn turned to Dusk, who simply nodded to him.

"Celestia, we accept." Dawn responded.

"Excellent!" Celestia said cheerfully.

"Erm, sister," Luna interjected uneasily, "most of Equestria doesn't know that Dawn and Dusk even exist, or even if some do, they don't know that they're part of the royal family."

Celestia remembered this, and she put her hoof to her jaw as she thought of something. Her expression brightened as an idea came to her.

"We will have a royal homecoming event for them!" She said with great enthusiasm. "We will have a ceremony to commemorate them as members of our family! Everyone in Canterlot will be there, as well as many ponies from throughout Equestria!"

"That's brilliant, sis!" Luna responded ecstatically. "How long to you think the preparations will take?"

"They shouldn't take more than a week." Celestia replied. "I will go to Canterlot tomorrow morning to begin the preparations. Luna, would you be able to come along with me and oversee the preparations for the event?"

"That shouldn't be a problem." Luna responded.

Celestia then turned to Dawn and Dusk.

"Would you two be able to oversee getting your attire for the event?"

"We should be able to. I saw a boutique in town while I was here, so I think we will be able to get them made here."

"Splendid! I will send you mail frequently to update you on things as they are arranged. This will be a spectacular event!"

Celestia probably had enough energy to set the sun on fire with the joy she had, but her body said otherwise, letting her slip a yawn.

"I think it's time we retire for tonight. It is late." Dawn said.

Everypony else nodded, and they walked into the inn.

The inn-keeper was more than happy to get rooms for Celestia and Luna, and gave Dawn and Dusk the room that he had been given a week prior.

They went up to their rooms quietly, trying their best not to wake the other guests. Dawn took the first bed, and Dusk took the one next to it.

"Good night, Dusk." Dawn said.

"Good night, Dawn." Dusk responded.