Nightmare Free Equestria

Chapters

Wishing Upon Her Own Stars
Canterlot Castle Ruins
Crossing Canterlot
Welcome to The Underground
Puzzle Pieces
No Bond Between Us
Recruiting
A Growing Team
Rambling About Relationships
Into the Fray
Discord Versus
The Strange Battle of Ponyville
Two Moons Meet
A Raging Royal Entrance
The Demon and the Vampire
Of Mercy
Home Again Home Again
In Epilogue: Over There
Meeting Comatose Cadance
Time is up

Wishing Upon Her Own Stars

The night sky was in motion, with the moon rising and the stars twinkling. Below, watching from her balcony, stood Princess Luna. The dark blue alicorn stared up at the night above her, the only noticeable movement was she shifting of the ethereal energy that made up her mane and tail. Slowly her gaze shifted from the sky to Canterlot, looking at the city and its population.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"An apology?" a voice called out, causing Luna to jump and her wings to flair out. "I must say, that was not what I was expecting."

"DISCORD!" the princess shouted as she turned around. "Reveal yourself!"

"Now now, Lulu," the draconequus said as his serpentine body curled around Luna, bringing them face to face, "there's no need to be so blue." He rubbed at his chin a moment. "Although I suppose you can't really help it."

"Why are you in our quarters and eavesdropping on us?"

Discord uncurled himself from around the princess and set his hind feet on the ground. Opening his eyes wide, he placed one paw on his chest.

"Eavesdropping?" he responded. "Me?" The creature teared up, letting his jaw quiver. "Why Luna, I'm hurt. Here I am, trying to prove I have changed and to be a good friend, when I find a pony I care about upset. And here I am, accused of listening in on a private conversation. Surely it would do better if you were to actually talk about it to another instead of whispering to yourself so far above the city."

Luna rolled her eyes.

"You will understand our skepticism," she replied, "to either the concept of your willing kindness or your capability to sympathize with matters that do bother us."

"Oh, silly Luna.' Reaching out, Discord took a hold of one of her cheeks, giving it a pinch and a jiggle. "I might be one of the few beings you can talk to that actually understand. Or at least as close as you are going to come. You spent a thousand years trapped on the moon, and I spent a thousand as a stone statue." His eyes narrowed as one side of his mouth slid up into a grin. "Although I don't regret my actions nearly as much as you do yours. But then," he looked away from her, examining the claws on his eagle talon, "I didn't turn on my sister."

"It is not my sister who makes my conscience heavy," Luna said, looking out over Canterlot once more. "It is them, and what I have missed."

"Oh?" Discord moved to the edge of the balcony, looking down. "Your little ponies. Oh how quickly they forgave you for what you did as Nightmare Moon, and how much they have accepted you since your return."

"Indeed," Luna agreed. "They have been so kind and forgiving. It makes... me... feel all the worse for what now seems so petty. I grew jealous of my sister and let my anger consume me. Because of it, I missed so much." Turning, she walked toward the doors.

As soon as her back was turned, Discord stuck his head out over the balcony's railing. As quietly as he could, the draconequus collect a large amount of spit into his mouth. Slowly, he pushed it out of his mouth, letting it grow larger and larger before finally dropping from his lips. After seeing that it indeed did hit a guard (who did not seem to notice), he returned his full attention to Luna.

"So," he continued as he moved to stand beside you, "you are regretting becoming Nightmare Moon and threatening to cast all of Equestria into eternal night?"

"Indeed," Luna admitted. "So much so, that I wish that I could make it so it never happened."

"Well," Discord said as he rubbed his chin again, "not even I could do something like that." His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head, looking at Luna from the corner of his eyes. "But... I might be able to do the next best thing."

"No, Discord. I was not-"

"Now now," he interrupted, putting a paw on her nose. "Hear me out before you decide. I could make it so you could visit a world where you, Princess Luna, never became Nightmare Moon, and thus was never banished. What do you say?"

"I believe," Luna stated, "that the modern expression works best. 'What's the catch?'"

"Okay, you got me." Discord put his front paws up before moving to stand beside her again. "First, it will be about a week where you are, but only a minute or two here. Second, once you are there, I won't be able to help you. I will have no influence on anything that occurs. So if you decide you want to leave early, I won't be able to help you. As such, you'll be stuck for the full week, no matter what happens. Third, any beings you meet there will not be the ones you actually know. They may look and seem familiar, but they will reflect the world they grew up in, one where Nightmare Moon never existed."

"That still does not explain what it is that you gain from this." Luna narrowed her eyes at the creature, pointing a hoof at him.

"Me?" Discord blinked a moment as he looked at the accusatory hoof. "Well, if my helping a friend were to create a little bit of chaos, who am I not to enjoy it?" He pushed the hoof down and moved closer, placing an arm around Luna. "But the way I see it, this is a win-win situation. You get to see how life would have been, I get to do a good deed, and you will be back before Princess Celestia even notices that you're missing. Why, this might even help you find a way to help your precious ponies and feel like you are one step closer to earning redemption and forgiveness.

"So what do you say?" Pulling away to stand in front of her again, Discord held out the lion's paw. Luna looked at it, then him, then at the paw once again. Closing her eyes, she let out a sigh.

"Very well," the princess stated as she raised her hoof to place it in the extended paw. "I accept your offer."

The two shook on it.

"So glad to hear it," Discord said with a grin. "Now have a fun trip, and be sure to take plenty of photos for when you get back."

Before Luna could say anything more, Discord snapped his fingers.

Canterlot Castle Ruins

For a brief second, everything was a strange cacophony of bright light, a mix of clashing colors and shades that should not have possibly existed. After, Luna could seen nothing but white. Slowly, colors started to become visible again. Then shapes. As she continued to blink, the world continue to shift until becoming solid and recognizable.

Well, almost recognizable.

Luna found herself standing in what looked like the hall that led from the stairs for her quarters to the royal throne room. Except it was not right. For one, there was no lighting. It was not too much a hindrance to her since she was able to see well in the dark. The night was her domain after all. Still, it was odd since most ponies needed light to see.

Except there were no other ponies. Worse, it looked like a battle had taken place. There were chunks of rubble and holes in the wall from where the masonry had been damaged. Walking through, she found tears in the carpeting, some feathers that looked like they belonged to pegasi, some broken spears, and a helmet with something on it. Luna did not want to think about -- to admit to herself -- what it was, but she knew. The metallic aroma was undeniable.

Reaching the doors to the throne room, Luna paused, looking at them. She felt a cold ball in the pit of her stomach as she stood there. Whatever it was that happened here would have more than likely either started or ended there. Whatever happened, the guards would have fought with everything they had to protect the ponies, especially Celestia. She could not help but wonder, was her sister okay? Where was she?

Princess Luna moved closer to the door, pressing her body against the walls. Slowly, she reached up with one hoof and placed it on the handle. The mare gave a gentle push, trying to open it as quietly as possible. Once it was open enough, Luna moved to place her eye to the gap and looked through.

She felt her mouth go dry and a cold shiver travel down along her spine.

Changelings. The throne room was full of changelings. It had been turned into a sort of nest. There were drones moving back and forth in the room, walking and flying among cocoons and other sickly green constructs of a hive. One of the drones stopped, turning to look toward the door.

Luna froze, every muscle tensing as she saw the creature looking in her direction. She knew very little about how changeling vision worked, how well they could or could not see in the dark. For the moment, she had to just hope she could not be seen. If she could not be seen, either the glow of magic or the movement of pulling away and shutting the door would increase her chances of being caught.

There was a faint buzz, causing the changeling to look away. It was another changeling, "talking" to the first one. After a moment, the first let out a huff and resumed working.

With a sigh of relief, Luna pulled the door shut and stepped back. Going out through the throne room and out the front was not an option. Fortunately, with a castle such as this, there were plenty of other ways in and out. Luna quickly turned around and walked as quickly and quietly as she could toward the kitchen. After a quick peek to make sure no changelings were around, the princess went through the kitchen as she headed for the back door.

An ache filled her chest as she passed through, looking around. Luna did not have the same love of the culinary as her sister, but she knew the power of food. More importantly, there was a happiness and warmth in the kitchen created by the ponies ("the love of the cook goes into the food, that's what makes it so wonderful" Celestia would say). There was laughter, and smiling, and always the mouth watering smell of some food or other being made.

Now, it was quiet. Disturbingly so because of the memories of joy that haunted the edge of the princess's mind. Luna could swear that her breathing was echoing through the entire room. It was also cold, and damp. Normally several fires were always going to cook, keeping the kitchen warm and toasty. So much so that they had to open doors and windows to keep it tolerable during the summer. Instead, it felt like standing at the entrance to a cave.

Worst of all was the smell. There was no aroma of fresh baking bread or sweets, or of cooking food. Quite the opposite, actually. The air was pungent with mold and rot. Not only was nothing being made, but all the food that was here was just left to rot.

Her first day in this world was just beginning, and already Princess Luna found herself wishing to be home again. A large portion of it was that something horrendous had happened, leaving the castle in ruins. Strangely, the loss was also making her feel nostalgic and wistful. She was starting to miss the other ponies that she saw around the castle, and especially the smell and warmth of the kitchen.

When I get back, she thought, I'm going to have a nice big cake made and invite the entire kitchen staff to join me in eating it.

Reaching the back door, Luna pulled it open and peeked outside. Seeing nothing, she threw it open and ran across the gardens as fast as she could. First, she had to find a pony that could tell her what was going on. From there, she would have to decide what to do next.

The princess stumbled as a thought occurred to her. If this was the condition that the castle was in, what about the rest of Canterlot? Worse, what about the rest of Equestria?

Crossing Canterlot

Princess Luna wished that she could turn into a cloud. As such, it was likely she would not be noticed. She could just float around, hidden by the night sky and look around without fear of being captured. Unfortunately, that had been an ability had only been able to use while Nightmare Moon. For whatever reason, it was lost when she had been returned to normal.

Instead she found herself having to sneak around. She kept to the shadows, letting her natural dark colors help her blend in. Luna moved as quickly and quietly as she could, staying close to anything she could use for cover: walls, abandoned carriages, and chunks of rubble.

From what she had seen, nearly the entire city of Canterlot was in bad a shape as the castle. Litter collected in gutters along the street. Windows were shattered, some boarded up, other just left gaping wide open. Awnings and overhangs were torn from the buildings. Doors had been smashed apart or torn from their hinges. Even chunks of wall and roof were missing.

Another thing that seemed to be missing was other ponies. She had walked blocks through the remains of the city, and had yet to see any ponies. Closest thing she had seen had been changelings from time to time. Otherwise the streets were empty.

Maybe not, Luna thought as she caught some movement from the corner of her eye. She had not seen the source, but it was something to investigate. Plus it was better than simply to wander the streets without a real target or location in mind. With that decided, she started toward the direction she thought she had seen movement in.

Princess Luna found herself standing outside of what had been Canterlot's most popular donut shop. The building was dark, with windows boarded up, one of the doors broken off the hinges, and the other smash and twisted to be barely recognizable. Certain there were no changelings watching, she ran into the remains of the shop.

A noise from the other side of the counter caught her attention. Walking to the counter, she looked over it. Two things caught her attention. One was a familiar looking form, a child-sized pony that had a white coat with brown spots. As hard as it was for her to believe, Princess Luna recognized the little colt. The other was a changeling that was making its way toward the young pony who was currently distracted as he tried to pull a bag out from a storage pantry.

Princess Luna did not recall deciding on a course of action, or of collecting magical energy. All she remembered was feeling of protective of the colt, and angry that a changeling dared to threaten him. The next thing she knew, a blast of pure magic was flying through the air from her horn to strike the stalking changeling.

"NONE SHALL DARE TO HARM YOUNG SIR PIPSQUEAK!" she shouted in the Royal Canterlot voice. Her dark wings were spread wide as she stood there, and her eyes glowed white with energy.

"Princess Luna?" a familiar voice asked, bringing her back to her senses. "Is... Is that really you?"

The princess lowered her wings, her eyes returning to their normal color as she moved to look at the young colt.

"Not in the way you would mean," she responded, "but for the most part, certainly."

A wide grin spread across the foal's face. Before Luna knew it, he had darted to her and now had his front legs wrapped around one of hers.

"We are glad to see you as well," Luna said with a smile, "but tell us, why are you wandering through Canterlot alone?"

"I'm not," he responded as he let her go. "I was with-"

Before he could finish, a grey figure shot past them and struck the changeling that had been coming for them. The figure turned out to be a light grey earth pony with a dark gray mane and tail. The mare had a purple treble clef as a cutie mark, and wore a bow-tie around her neck. She stood on her hind legs, the front ones held up in a defensive position.

The changeling bared its fangs and charged at the grey earth pony. In one movement, the mare slid to one side, dodging the charge, and struck out with one hoof to punch the creature in the jaw. Before the impact could send it to far, the mare grabbed one of the legs. After spinning it, she threw the changeling as hard as she could.

The changeling let out a squeal of pain as it struck the counter with a crack as its carapace fractured. The creature bounced up from the impact before landing into the congealing oil of the deep fryer.

"Oh dear," the mare said as the changeling started to climb out, now coated in oil. Keeping a defensive position and facing the creature, she quickly glanced around, trying to find something to aid her in the battle.

Once again, the changeling charged, oil dripping from it as flew through the air. Once again the grey mare dodged, this time she delivered a pair of strikes to the side of its abdomen as it passed. Grappling the creature was not an option as it would currently be slippery from the coating of oil.

Luna glanced around, looking for a way to help. Her eyes landed on one of the stools that would be used to sit on at the counter. Grabbing it with her magic, the princess threw it as hard as she could. It seemed like a miracle when the stool struck the changeling, knocking it from the air.

Taking advantage of the opening, the grey mare lunged forward. Grabbing the stool, she raised it up as high as she could before swinging down hard. The changeling shrieked as it was struck, the impact cracking the shell around its head.

The mare raised the stool and brought it down on the creature again. And again, and again, and again. Each time, there was a massive thud from the impact. At first, each strike was marked with the sound of the thick carapace cracking and splintering with the hit. As it continued, the sound became softer and softer. Soon the sound of cracking was replaced by a wet smacking noise as the mare struck the remnants of what had once been the changeling's head and brain.

Breathing heavily, the gray mare tossed the stool aside. Taking a deep breath, she ran a hoof through her long dark grey hair to make sure it was not too badly mussed.

"We must evacuate immediately," the mare said as she turned to face Pipsqueak and Princess Luna. "One in the area indicates that there will be more nearby, and they will most likely be on their way after hearing the shouting." With that she started heading for the door. Pipsqueak gave a nod and started to follow after her.

Luna stood, staring at the remnants of the changeling. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as her teeth clenched tight. She could feel the roiling sensation in her stomach, the urge to empty its contents at the sight of such a grotesque moment. Yet she could not compel herself to look away.

She felt bad for the creature. A part of it was understandable to the princess. After all this creature was a predator and it did try to attack the young colt. She had even attacked it herself to protect him. Still, she felt bad. As much as she understood what had happened, she had not truly wanted the creature to die.

"Princess," the grey mare said, "I'm afraid I must insist on us leaving immediately. As disrespectful as it may be, if you do not come with us this second, we will have no choice but to leave without you."

"Very well," the princess stated as she finally looked away. "I am coming."

With that, the three of them ran from the donut shop. With the grey mare in the lead, they made their ways through the streets, working their way toward the mountainside. The part of town they were entering was one Luna barely ever came to. From what she understood, most ponies that lived in it were more militaristic, selecting it more for defensibility than the view. Judging from the way things currently were, it was not sufficient to protect against whatever had happened.

The three ponies continued moving, walking down a set of steps and stopping in front of what look like a carved entrance to some sort of underground area. A faint pink aura of energy covered the entrance. The sight made Luna stop, looking at it for a moment.

The grey mare and Pipsqueak continued forward, passing through the magical field. The energy rippled around the pair as they moved across the barrier and into the underground.

"What is this?" Luna asked.

"It's a modified shield spell," the mare explained. "It has been designed specifically to let ponies through but to keep changelings out."

Just like what my world's Shining Armor used, Luna thought. I will be happy to see the familiar face of the former guard captain again. Perhaps he will be able to explain to me what has occurred in the castle. Luna smiled to herself at the thought of another familiar face, and stepped to pass through the barrier.

Her vision filled with white as her entire body suddenly felt electrified. Her brain felt like it was on fire, the sensation shooting down along her spine and through her limbs. She did not even hear herself as she shrieked in agony. The pain was suddenly replaced by nothingness as the white suddenly turned black.

Welcome to The Underground

...don't understand...

...changeling...

...shock...princess...

..waking...

Princess Luna let out a groan as her head throbbed. Grabbing the blanket, she pulled it up tighter against her as she shifted. She turned over, digging her head into her pillow and trying to get back to sleep. She had been having the strangest dream.

Except something was not right. Her pillow held neither its normal softness, nor its sweet scent. The blanket as well felt different, lacking its regular warmth and fluffiness. Also her bed did not feel like her bed. It was too firm and coarse.

Luna opened her eyes and sat up. Two ponies stood at the foot of the bed. One was a buttery yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail that she recognized as Fluttershy. The other was a light blue unicorn with a silvery-blue mane and tail that Luna did not recognize.

"Oh good," Fluttershy said. "You're awake." Flying up, she looked at one of the princess's eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"As though there is a pegasus kicking a thundercloud within our skull," Luna answered.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"There... was a barrier that was intended to keep changelings out..."

"Yes," Fluttershy confirmed. "According to Octavia and Pipsqueak, when you tried to pass through, the field had a negative reaction and gave you a massive shock."

"Twilight is uncertain what caused it or why," the blue unicorn. "She is checking the system now."

"Well you seem to be fine," Fluttershy said as she pulled away. "I'll give you and Trixie some time alone to talk and catch up."

"Thank you," the blue unicorn -- Trixie -- said as the pegasus walked off, leaving the two of them alone.

Although "alone" was not entirely an accurate description. The two of them were in what must have been the hospital ward. Luna's cot was one of many that were scattered through out the room. A small number of them held ponies, most with various parts of their bodies covered in bandages. There were some other ponies that were moving from bed to bed, checking on the patients. For some reason, Princess Luna had been set on the opposite side of the room, as far from any of the other ponies as possible.

"So," Trixie turned to face the princess, "who are you?"

"You do not believe that we are Princess Luna?"

"Trixie is Princess Luna's personal student," the unicorn snapped, almost yelling. "She has been my teacher and friend for many years and nopony but Celestia herself knows Luna better than Trixie!"

"Perhaps it would be best," Luna said, "if we held this conversation with the appropriate ponies so that it need not be repeated."

Trixie narrowed her purple eyes, studying Princess Luna for a moment.

"Very well," she finally said. "Do you feel well enough to get up?"

"Indeed." Luna replied as she set the blanket aside and moved to stand up.

"Then please follow me." Trixie turned and started walking toward the doorway. Luna followed, looking at the ponies still in beds as she passed them. What had happened that had led to so many injuries.

As the two walked through the stone tunnels, they passed many ponies. There were colts and fillies, mares and stallions, pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies.

"Coming through," a voice called out. A blue blur passed by over their heads, leaving a rainbow contrail behind it. Shortly after there was a buzzing sound. Trixie placed a hoof on Luna, moving the two of them aside before an orange filly shot by on a scooter.

"Well, that means at least three of them should be together," Trixie said as she resumed walking.

"Three?" Luna asked.

"If Rainbow Dash is back with information from the north," Trixie explained, "she will share it with Twilight Sparkle and Time Turner." With that, she picked up her pace, Luna trying to keep up.

"Here it is," Trixie said as they reached a doorway and turned to go in. Princess Luna stopped and looked at the doorway. Nothing about it from this side made it look any different from any of the other doorways she had seen.

Most of the room was filled by a tail set in the center of it. Standing beside the table were several ponies. One was a brown earth pony stallion with a dark brown mane and tail that was wearing a tie. The stallion currently looked at a map spread out on the table. On one side was a purple unicorn whose mane and tail were a darker color with a streak of lighter purple and another of pink.
On the other was a sky blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail, currently wearing goggles on her forehead and a brown leather bomber jacket. Beside her was a small orange pegasus filly with a purple mane.

"Captain Macintosh says that the snow to the north has gotten more than a half inch thicker," the blue pegasus, Rainbow Dash said. "There are also more of those strange black crystals." She pointed at the map. "About here."

"Time Turner?" the purple unicorn said, turning to the brown stallion.

"Well most of the news is bad, Twilight," Time Turner responded. "The reports from around Ponyville say that Discords growing more powerful, with his sphere of chaotic influence expanding. Whatever is happening to the north of us is also expanding. Without any reports on The Crystal Empire or what happened, we have no idea what is coming."

"Isn't there any good news?" Twilight groaned, dropping her head on the table.

"Well..." Turner said, "It is possible that the ice and snow could either kill the changelings, or cause them to go into hibernation, granting us the opportunity to reclaim Canterlot."

"Sure!" Twilight looked up at him, narrowing her eyes. "Either until something we don't even know attacks us or things just get weird as-Oh!" She looked toward the entrance. "Princess Luna. I didn't see you there."

"I am still skeptical," Trixie said. "However, she has asked for the opportunity to explain to us all at once."

"Are there no other ponies that should be informed?" Luna asked, looking at the small group.

"If Trixie and Twilight-" Trixie stopped at a cough from Twilight. "If Twilight and I think it is valuable, we will make sure that any and all other ponies that need to know will."

Luna looked at the five ponies that were all paying attention to her. At least three of the faces were familiar, although it seemed the Luna of this world had a student of her own, which turned out to be a pony the displaced Luna had never met. Had she heard the name before?

"I am Princess Luna," she stated, "but I am not the Luna that you know." She then began to give a brief explanation of how she came here.

Puzzle Pieces

All of the other ponies in the room stared at Princess Luna as she finished giving them the basic story of how she came to be here.

"Wow," Scootaloo said, staring wide-eyed.

"Fascinating," Time Turner stated.

"Very," Twilight Sparkle agreed. "I've heard tell of inter-dimensional travel, but have never even found a spell about it. I didn't think I would ever meet a pony that had done so."

"Hold on," Rainbow Dash said, raising a hoof. "Do you mean to tell me that Discord is a good guy in your world?"

"...'Good' would not be the accurate term," Luna answered after thinking a moment. "More accurately he has become a benign nuisance as opposed to a blatant threat. It is unlikely that his nature would ever allow him to become a benevolent being. He has not been too problematic since his release"

"Excuse me," Trixie said, pushing past Princess Luna and leaving the room. The pale blue unicorn padded along the hall, head low and ears drooping.

"Princess?" Twilight asked, regaining Luna's attention. "How, exactly did my friends and I defeat Discord in your reality?"

"Did I not say?" Luna asked as her attention was brought back to the moment. "It was the same way you were able to defeat Nightmare Moon and free us from the darkness. You and your friends were able to harness the powers of The Elements of Harmony."

"What are the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight tilted her head curiously.

"They...." the princess blinked, her mouth hanging open a moment. One of her ears gave a twitch as her brain shifted. Information moved and twisted in through her thoughts, one slipping into place with another as they fell together like puzzle pieces. It was making her feel so foolish for never having realized it sooner.

Twilight Sparkle, Time Turner, Rainbow Dash, and Scootaloo watched as they saw something none of them had ever seen before in their lives.

Princess Luna slapped herself in the face with one of her hooves and let out a groan.

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash moved closer. "Are you okay?"

"We are feeling foolish," Princess Luna replied. "Everything is making sense, and as such seems obvious that we should have realized it sooner."

"Realized what?" Time Turner asked.

"The escape of Discord was... unexpected," Luna stated. "It had been The Elements of Harmony that was able to return him to his petrified state. However, The Elements were collected by my world's Twilight Sparkle and her friends as Celestia was expecting Nightmare Moon's return."

"So if we follow your thinking," Twilight continued, "then in our world, The Elements of Harmony were never collected because Nightmare Moon was not going to return."

"Correct." Luna moved closer to the table. "Did your Princess Celestia and Princess Luna disappear before his escape was known."

Twilight turned to look at Time Turner.

"I can check some time tables to be sure," the stallion answered, "but from what I recall, they were close in time, yes."

"Why do you want to know that?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Imagine yourself in Discord's position," Luna said. "There is a single known power which is capable of defeating you, and the location of such is known to only two ponies, the same ones that defeated you before. You are finally released from imprisonment, what would you do, Rainbow Dash?"

"That seems kind of obvious," Dash replied. "I would make sure that.... nopony could use the weapon on me..."

"And if only two ponies know of its location?" Luna turned to the others.

"Then I would have to make sure that they are unable to get to the item, or tell any ponies of its location," Time Turner concluded.

"Does that mean Discord killed the princess?" Twilight asked, eyes wide.

"Doubtful, but uncertain." Luna shifted. "The Discord we...I... am familiar with was not one who would resort to such an act. More likely he would keep them close to him, but in a state where they cannot be a threat. However, as this is not my world, I cannot say for certain."

"Okay," Time Turner rubbed his forehead as he thought. "So if we follow this pattern of events... Discord broke free, potentially captured the princesses and set up his new kingdom in Ponyville."

"Why Ponyville though?" Scootaloo asked.

"I would like to know that too," Twilight said. "Any idea, princess?"

"I believe I know the reason," Luna answered. "However, I would like to hear the rest of events that has led up to our current situation. Please, Time Turner, continue."

"Okay." Time Turner nod and looked down at the map again. "So, he comes to Ponyville, and some of us manage to escape, taking refuge here in Canterlot.

"Rumors of a threat to Canterlot begin, which turns out to be the changelings. Their queen manages to sneak in with a disguise." He gives a look toward Twilight who is staring at the map. "Eventually they are able to take down the protective barrier and fully invade. Some time later, something happens up north."

"Speaking of," Rainbow said, "do you know what, Princess Luna?"

"Yes," the princess answered, "and I believe I have sufficient information for the time being." Her horn began to glow with magic. Using it, she picked up what looked to be a pencil.

"In regard to Discord's choice in location." She pointed at Ponyville, then slid the pencil toward a spot that indicated a large population of trees. "Prior to the construction of Canterlot, my sister and I had our castle homed in The Everfree Forest. In my world, it was at this location that The Elements remained until they were collected to defeat Nightmare Moon."

"So, The Elements of Harmony are still in The Everfree Forest?" Twilight asked, looking at the location.

"Unless your princesses chose to move them for some reason," Luna stated. "It was banishing me in my corrupted state which led Princess Celestia to loose a connection with The Elements." She shifted and thought. "Alternatively, The Elements have a connection to the Forest in a way. I believe we will have to go with the idea of 'it's a place to start.'"

"What are The Elements?" Scootaloo asked.

"They are six jewels that embody the powers created by harmony: honesty, loyalty, laughter, kindness, and generosity."

"But that's only five," Twilight interjected.

"Yes," Luna looked at the purple unicorn. "That is because it is up to you to discover the sixth element."

"Me?"

"Correct. The power of the five I have mentioned will create a spark that shall reveal the sixth. If you are to be the bearer in this world as you were in mine, that it will be up to you to discover the sixth element in your quest."

"What am I supposed to do?" Twilight asked. The mare crouched down, trying to hide behind the table.

"You mission is a great challenge," Luna stated, "but easy to explain. You will need to lead five of the ponies you trust most, five you think of as friends, into The Everfree Forest to the castle and get The Elements of Harmony."

"Why can't you do it?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You seem to know a lot about them, and you are a princess."

"That is true," Luna agreed, "and it is possible that I could. There is unfortunately a major flaw with that concept. In order to work, the bearers of the Elements all need to be together for them to work."

"So?"

"So, tell me Rainbow Dash, what would happen if I were to return to my own world?"

"I don't know."

"Nor do I." Luna looked up toward the ceiling as she thought. "I imagine that the best case scenario would be that they would not work until a new bearer could be found."

"What would the worst case scenario be?" Time Turner asked.

"That the Element I bear travels with me when I leave this world," Luna answered, "making it nearly impossible for them to be reunited and thus, rendering forever unusable."

The other four ponies stared at Luna in silence, letting the possibility sink in. Finally, Twilight Sparkle broke the silence.

"Okay. So I will need to collect five friends and try to find the castle and The Elements of Harmony.... But... What do you mean my mission? What will you be doing?"

"My mission shall be a more immediate danger," Princess Luna stated as she pointed at the map. "After all, if you are to make it to the castle and back, it will be necessary to keep Discord distracted."

No Bond Between Us

"Trixie?" Princess Luna called out from the doorway. "May I speak with you?"

Trixie lifted up a hoof and waved it. She continued to lay on her cot, facing the wall. Luna looked around the room as she entered. There were a small pile of books beside the bed. On top of them sat a stuffed Ursa Minor. In a corner was a stand holding a purple wizard's hat and a cape. There was also a small table with a framed photograph in it. Luna moved to get a better look.

The photo had two ponies in it. One looked to be Princess Luna, but older. The figure was slightly taller with a longer horn and mane. Standing next to her was a filly that looked like Trixie. She was standing next to the princess, grinning as wide as she could with the hat falling down over her eyes.

"Perhaps, this was a mistake," Princess Luna said as she put the photograph back. "I shall leave you be."

"Wait," Trixie said, finally turning to look at the princess. "Why did you come to see me?"

"We have come up with a potential plan to stop Discord," Luna explained as she turned to walk toward the bed. "Twilight Sparkle will be leading a team into the Everfree in order to seek The Elements, while I shall lead another that will be tasked with distracting Discord until The Elements are retrieved. Both Twilight Sparkle and myself wish for you to be on our respective teams."

"Princess?" Trixie moved to sit up, looking at Luna directly. "You said you were banished for a thousand years, right?"

"That is correct."

"So you have never had a student of your own?"

"..No. I have not."

"Do..." Trixie looked up at Luna, tears filling the edges of her eyes. "Do you even know me there?"

Princess Luna looked at the mare a moment, then looked away. Her tail gave a flick as she shifted one hoof across the floor.

"I am sorry, Trixie, but I do not."

"So," Trixie flopped onto her bed, "Twilight is still the student of Princess Celestia, and I am not even known." She stared up at the ceiling. "You know, I always thought that, if I hadn't been a student, I would have became a famous magician. Ponies all across Equestria would know of me and be in awe of my amazing powers."

"You must be quite an impressive spell-caster," Luna said. "After all, my counterpart did take you on as her pupil."

"It... it was Princess Celestia's idea," Trixie admitted, blushing. "Celestia felt that Luna needed to be more social and interact with ponies. I was actually Princess Luna's first student."

Princess Luna stared at the pale blue unicorn, letting the information sink in. In this reality, she had never been banished to the moon. Yet, here she had never had a student prior to Trixie, meaning this Luna had her first student about... ten years ago? Probably closer to twelve?

What has this world's version of me been doing all these years?

"I have decided," Trixie said. "I shall assist you and your team in distracting Discord."

"Are you certain?" Luna asked. "Would you not prefer to assist Twilight Sparkle?"

"Twilight doesn't need me," the unicorn replied. "She never has." She shifted. "Don't get me wrong. Twilight has been like a sister too me, and I love her like one." Turning her head, she looked past Luna to the photograph. "But she is the more fortunate of the two of us. More powerful, more skilled, and smarter. Whenever the two of us were compared... I always came up short."

"...I can sympathize with such a feeling," Luna said, moving closer.

"As could the Princess Luna who taught me," Trixie continued. "She also tried to encourage me to try and find my own path. If there is one thing I know how to do, it is to be the center of attention."

"I will appreciate your assistance," Luna stated with a smile. "Now, I must seek some answers. So if you will excuse me."

'Why didn't you ask Twilight?"

"The subject is one that I believe would be sensitive to her. I do not wish to cause any more distress for anypony."

"Well perhaps I could help."

"I do not wish to intrude any further."

"You're not." Trixie moved and stood beside Princess Luna.

"Very well," Luna said. "I wish to know what happened to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor."

"That...is a sensitive subject to Twilight," Trixie said. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Please follow me. I'll explain on the way."

The two of them left the room and started walking through the halls of the underground many ponies seemed to be calling home.

"After the princesses disappeared," Trixie explained as they walked, "Prince Blueblood was supposed to be next in line. Instead he fled, nopony knows to where."

"Disappointing," Luna said, "but not surprising."

"That was the feeling here as well," Trixie said with a nod. "Anyway, That sort of left Twilight and me in charge until Princess Cadenza arrived. For the most part, we sort of just let things run themselves and occasionally went to Shining Armor for help. It was a relief when Cadence arrived. At least for me. I honestly felt like I was in over my head. A filly playing at being a mare.

"Not long after, reports of a new threat to Canterlot began to arrive. Shining Armor placed the entire city in a shield. Ponies were able to pass through, so we were able to get refugees from Ponyville, but other creatures were unable to get through. Unfortunately it did no good."

Trixie stopped and turned to face Luna.

"It turned out that the danger was an attack by changelings, and their queen, Chrysalis, was already in the city. In fact, she was disguised as Princess Cadence." She let out a sigh, looking down at the floor.

"By the time we realized, it was too late. She had been feeding on Shining Armor for so long. He... he didn't survive. When the shield collapsed, we were forced to flee. Some of the guards knew of this underground area and led us here. We have been set up here and have been trying to come up with a way to reclaim Canterlot ever since."

Princess Luna stared down at Trixie. Chrysalis had used the same method in this reality as hers. It seems that the differences were that there was no scheduled wedding and here, the changeling queen had been successful. She had actually managed to feed off Shining Armor for far too long, and neither the princesses nor The Elements of Harmony were there to try and stop her.

"What of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?" Luna asked.

Trixie moved to a door way and pushed a curtain aside. Luna turned to look, and her eyes went wide at what she saw. Slowly, she stepped into the room, her mind refusing to believe what was before her.

In the room was a large bed. Lying in it was the familiar form of an Alicorn. An aura of magic encompassed her, alternating in color between pale blue and rose. The form looked similar to the one Luna knew as Cadence, but also very different. Most of the color had faded, especially from the mane. Instead of the pink, purple, and yellow colors, the entire mass looked to be a white-grey. The body was thin, so much so it could be called emaciated. Luna could make out the bones in the legs and even individual ribs that were not hidden beneath the blanket. The flesh around the face was sagging and sunken in.

"We found her in a cavern beneath the castle," Trixie finally said. "None of us know how long she had been down there before we arrived." The unicorn moved to stand beside Princess Luna. "She was already in a coma when we found her, glowing like this. Twilight thinks that the magic is protecting her, keeping her alive, but also keeping us from trying to help her. Not even she has been able to undo the spell."

Princess Luna looked at the unconscious princess lying before her. Anger started to flare up in her chest, burning through her body as it built. In her world, she may have barely known Cadence, but they were family. Now, Princess Luna was feeling rage that someone would dare to harm a member of her family. She had hurt her family long ago, and regretted it. Now, she found herself swearing that she would not let anypony else she cared for suffer.

"Princess?" a voice squeaked.

Princess Luna turned toward the sound baring her teeth. She stopped as she caught sight of Trixie. The unicorn was staring at her with wide eyes, stepping back and pulling her body close.

Luna caught sight of her reflection in Trixie's eyes. Without realizing it, the princess had flared out her wings and her eyes were glowing white with energy. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. As her anger faded, she relaxed her wings and curled them back to her side. Once under control, she looked at Trixie once again.

"My apologies," Luna said. "Seeing her in this conditioned angered me more than I would have anticipated. If you will excuse me, I must collect myself and contemplate what you have shared with me."

"Are you going to be okay?" Trixie asked.

"No," Luna stated as she walked toward the door. "However, I shall be. For once we have dealt with Discord," she looked back at Trixie with narrowed eyes, "I shall personally hunt down Chrysalis and kill her." She looked away, walking through the door to leave a gaping Trixie beside a comatose Cadence.

Recruiting

After the burst of anger at the sight of Princess Cadence and the proclamation to execute Queen Chrysalis, Princess Luna had started walking through the halls. There had been no particular destination in mind. Just a desire to step away from the situation and let herself regain control of her emotions once more.

As she walked, she let her gaze wander, looking at all the ponies that she passed and that passed her. There were so many.

It was heartbreaking.

None the ponies she was meeting lived in this underground place originally. All that she met were at best from Canterlot but fled here during the changeling attack, or at worst refugees that had been fortunate to escape Ponyville and the surrounding area when Discord had returned. In either case they were ponies that had lost their homes. The lucky ones, at least, still had some members of their families.

How bad would it have been if I had succeeded? she thought as she watched them. If she had managed to succeed either time, the world would have been trapped in darkness. Would the ponies have fled to safety like this? Would they have dared to stand up to her?

Luna gave her head a shake. No time to consider that. It was all moot now. Besides, there were more important matters to tend to. Twilight Sparkle had a good idea on who she wanted to go with her into the Everfree Forest and help find The Elements of Harmony. Princess Luna was not so fortunate. She did not know most of the ponies that were here, and aside from Trixie, had not decided who she wished to take with her for her part of the plan. In retrospect, it probably would have been better to ask for suggestions from Twilight or Trixie.

Music reached the princess's ears. A single instrument, something in the string section with a lower pitch. The player was quite talented. It was somewhat odd to hear such wonderful music in a place like as this.

Princess Luna found her way to what looked like the mess hall. There were a great number of ponies sitting along tables. Many of them were eating, some were talking, a few were playing games, but most were watching a stage.

Standing on it was the familiar form of a light grey coated earth pony mare with a dark grey mane and tail as well as a purple treble clef on her flanks. She was standing on her hind legs. One foreleg was holding the neck of a cello as the other held the bow.

Princess Luna watched the musician play, listening to the music. She moved to keep out of the way of most of the ponies as she found a spot. She listened to the song and watched mare as she finished her performance. As soon as the music stopped, a pink pony with a poofy pink mane and tail popped up on stage.

"Thank you Octavia," the pink mare said, "for that super-duper-wonderfully awesome performance." There was a round of hooves stomping as Octavia gave a bow of her head in acknowledgement. Taking the cello with her, she moved off the stage as the pink pony was announcing the next show.

Princess Luna held up a hoof, waving it slightly. Once she had Octavia's attention, Luna motioned for the grey mare to come sit down. Octavia did so, moving to take up a position at the other side of the table.

"You are the pony that was in Canterlot with young Pipsqueak," Luna stated.

"Yes...Princess?"

No one had actually asked her that since her arrival. Most had just called her Princess Luna by default.

"Perhaps for now, just Luna will suffice," Luna decided. "You are a very talented musician."

"Thank you," Octavia said with a smile.

"And a surprisingly capable fighter," Luna added, raising an eyebrow. "More so for a musician from a very aristocratic background such as yourself."

"My father insisted I learn how to defend myself," Octavia explained. "'There shall be dangers in life,' he told me, 'and help shall not always be available. As such one must learn self-reliance and combat. Plus learning so helped improve my balance when and strength."

"Do you know if tea is still available?" Luna asked, looking around. "There is a matter I wish to discuss, and doing so over tea would be preferable."

"Here you go," a voice said. The two looked to see the pink pony from earlier standing beside them with a tray. On it was a teapot with steam rising from the spout, two cups with saucer, a bowl with sugar, another with cream, and a pair of tea cakes. As soon as the tray was set down, the pink mare had vanished.

"I still cannot figure out how she is capable of doing such things," Octavia said as she poured a small amount of cream into her cup.

"I have met a version of her in my world," Luna said. "The most common response is to simply accept the matter as a part of who she is, as attempting to properly comprehend the capabilities can be quite dangerous. I believe the exact quote is "that's just Pinkie Pie.'"

Octavia looked off in the direction the pink pony had gone, considering for a moment. She then returned her attention to the tea, pouring the steaming hot beverage into the cup.

"I suppose that will have to suffice," she finally said. "What do you wish to speak on Pri-...Luna?"

Luna poured her own tea, adding a bit of cream and sugar. She lifted the cup, taking a small sip of the beverage. She then turned to look at the pony across from her and started to speak.

"I am unaware if word had been spread, but a plan has been considered to hopefully put an end to Discord and potentially revert him to his imprisoned state. Should this work, it shall give us one less threat to worry about and possibly a way to help stop the changelings in Canterlot.

"Twilight Sparkle shall be taking a group of five ponies with her into The Everfree Forest. They are going to seek out a powerful artifact which was used to defeat Discord before. She is already seeking out her recruits and working on a strategy. Part of the plan is that Discord will have to be kept preoccupied until Twilight's team can complete her request. I shall be leading the decoy team. For this, I will be needing some ponies to go with me.

"It is all strictly voluntary. I do not know what all we shall be facing in a direct confrontation with Discord, and I will not force any pony to aid me. That being said, I would like you to accompany me. You have shown yourself to a highly adept combatant. It is also possible that your musical talents may also be beneficial."

"My music?" Octavia asked. "How so?"

"While I would be pleased if we were able to subdue Discord without aid, our primary objective is more to keep him preoccupied and unable to prevent the quest. In addition, we are facing an opponent with rather unconventional capabilities. As such, it is probable that we shall find ourselves relying on unique and unconventional methods of combat."

Luna finished her tea and set the cup down. She looked at the grey mare across the table from her, who was currently sipping her own tea.

"I shall give you time to consider," Luna said as she moved to get up.

"No need." Octavia set her cup down and looked at her. "If it means helping others and brings us closer to saving the town that I now call home..." she looked up at the ceiling, but it was a safe guess that she was thinking about what was above it, "then I cannot in good conscience decline. If you believe that I shall be of use, than I shall do my best to assist in this battle."

"Wonderful," Luna said with a grin. "Now, I shall leave you to enjoy the rest of your tea and seek out others."

"If I may ask, who all has been recruited?"

"I have just started. As such it is currently only yourself and Trixie. If you have any recommendations, I am willing to entertain them."

"Actually," Octavia grinned, "I believe I know a few ponies that would be willing and quite useful."

"Excellent." Luna moved to sit at the table. "When we are finished, you must take me to them."

A Growing Team

Luna followed Octavia as they left the mess hall and passed through the kitchen. A small number of ponies moved back and forth, working to prepare food for the others. Among them was Pinkie Pie, Joe, a unicorn that ran the donut shop Luna had found Pipsqueak in, and one of the royal cooks.

The royal cook limped as she walked around the kitchen. One of her front legs was slightly misshapen, looking like it had been broken but improperly set. It made Luna feel a pang of sympathetic pain for the mare. There was also a pang of guilt as Luna looked at her and realized that she had never learned the cook's name. She looked away, saying nothing as they continued to walk through.

"This is the store room," Octavia stated as they reached a doorway. "Any food or supplies we manage to find and retrieve are brought here." She pushed the door open stepped inside. "It would be the best place to begin searching since it is the closest."

The room was rather sparse. There were a few bags of flour, some potatoes, some sugar, and a bushel of apples.

"There is not much here," Luna said, looking at the potatoes.

"No," the gray mare agreed. "We are always scavenging for more. Plus, we are fortunate that there were many earth ponies in Ponyville."

"Are you saying that food is actually being grown down here?"

"Correct." Octavia gave a nod and continued to look around the room. "It seems that she is not here."

The pair passed through to the other side and out of another doorway. Once again, Luna found herself passing ponies as she made her way through the labyrinthine tunnels that made up this underground defensive location. As they went, the pair moved away from the sculpted and cement portion and into natural caverns. Luna looked at the natural walls and large crystals. Octavia started to talk as they continued.

"Down here are some of the more active and dangerous activities: experiments and inventing in the hopes of creating additional offensive and defensive capabilities; combat training, offensive and defensive, by any and all races who feel the need to; it's also where a great amount of the farming is performed due to the sheer amount of space available."

Luna and Octavia made their way to a large cavern that had been cleared of crystals, stalactites, and stalagmites. The floor was covered in mats, mattresses, and old blankets to add some padding to it. In the air at various heights were crudely made hoops of different sizes, although all seemed wide enough for a pegasus to pass through, if barely.

A small number of the winged ponies sat on the ground, watching. In the air, flying through the loops, was a turquoise green pegasus with a two-tone orange mane and tail. The mare was moving at high speed, flying from hoop to hoop and slipping through with ease. She even managed to make it through one that looked too small by pulling her wings against her body, letting the momentum carry her. There were cheers from the watchers as the pegasus came in for a landing.

"The second pegasus that I would recommend taking with us," Octavia said, pointing at the mare.

Luna gave a nod and walked toward the crowd of ponies. The cheering grew quiet as she approached, the ponies turning to look up at her. The smile on the turquoise pegasus fell as she saw the alicorn approaching, eyes going wide.

"What is your name?" Luna asked as she got closer.

"Lightning Dust, ma'am," the pegasus said as she gave a salute.

"Your aerial feats were most impressive, Lightning Dust," Luna stated. She looked up at the hoops. "I have known Wonderbolts who would be able to perform such stunts." Her gaze shifted to look at the mare, seeing the green. "Are you interested in the opportunity to use your capabilities in combat? Fair warning that it shall be dangerous."

"I'm in!" Lightning Dust shouted, grinning widely. "A chance to push myself, show off, and help? How could I say no!"

"Wonderful." Luna let her glance move over to Octavia standing off to the side. "There are other ponies for me to seek out and speak to. Once all have been elected, all will be requested to meet for strategic planning."

"You can count on me."

Luna gave a smile and nod. Turning she walked away from Lightning Dust and toward the waiting Octavia.

"She is a very enthusiastic mare," Luna stated.

"Indeed," Octavia agreed. "It is the reason I knew of her. Although I did not know her name." She once again began to lead the way through the caverns.

"You said that she was the second pegasus you would recommend. Who is the first?"

"...I think you will have to meet her to believe me. Hopefully she will be around shortly. As it is, there are others to seek out."

Luna gave a nod and continued. The statement had made her curious. What could possibly be so strange about this pony that Octavia would think that Luna would not believe what was said? Deciding not to ask, she continued to follow the earth mare through the caverns.

As they went deeper, Luna began to feel a strange vibration in her chest. At first she thought it was her imagination, or perhaps an emotional response to something (or perhaps her tea and cake were not properly settled). As they continued deeper, a faint sound began to reach her ears. Not the source of the sound, but its effect. Whatever it was that was happening was vibrating the crystals, causing them to give off an audible hum.

"Should we be worried about the crystals' humming?" Luna asked as she walked past one of them.

"No," Octavia said, not even breaking stride. "It simply means that we are getting close. She likes to listen to her ... 'music' ... when she's working, and has a tendency to play it quite loudly."

That was an unexpected answer. Luna picked up her pace, walking faster as she wanted to meet whomever Octavia was taking her to. As they continued, a different sound began to reach her ears. It had a heavy bass and powerful rhythm. There was something musical about it, but it was like no music Luna had ever heard before.

The sound was soon joined by lights of different colors shifting, flashing, and moving, seemingly in time to the music. The pair continued to walk toward it, reaching the source.

Bright lights of numerous colors continued to writhe and flash, bouncing off the walls, sliding across the floor, and even splintering as the struck the crystals (how had those not yet shattered?). The music -- for lack of a better term -- played, seeming to cause the entire cavern to vibrate.

In the center of the room was a white furred unicorn with an electric blue mane and tail. For a moment, Luna thought that it was Captain Shining Armor. That was not possible though, since Shining Armor was believed to be dead. On closer inspection, the unicorn was a mare. Luna thought she looked familiar, but could not quite place her. There was a pale blue aura of magic from the unicorns horn, the energy encompassing several tools that floated beside her.

"VINYL!" Octavia shouted, getting no response. "VINYL!" Still, she got no response. Luna placed a hoof on the gray mare's shoulder, getting her attention.

"Allow me."

Luna drew on her magic, her horn glowing a dark blue in color. Shifting the energy, she made it glow with the silver of moonlight before releasing it. The silver energy shot from her, flying like a comet up into the air and across Vinyl's field of vision.

"Woah!" the unicorn shouted as the energy flew past her nose. The music and lights stopped, the cavern becoming easier to see. Vinyl turned around, lowering the sunglasses and looking at the two. A wide grin spread across her face as she pushed the glasses back into place.

"Octi!" Vinyl shouted, then noticed the other pony with them. "Oh... and... Princess Luna. Heh. What brings you here?"

"Luna," Octavia said, turning to face the alicorn, "Allow me to present to you Vinyl Scratch, DJ and inventor."

"Inventor?" Luna raised an eyebrow as she looked at Vinyl and the machines behind her.

"Yeah," Vinyl said before flinching. "Er... I mean, yes, your highness."

"It is just Luna, and there is no need for formalities. Now, I would like to hear more about your creations."

"Well, I build and maintain my own equipment," Vinyl said, "as Octi here can tell you."

"Vinyl," Octavia groaned, "I have asked you, repeatedly, not to call me..." she let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, "Octi... or Tavi for that matter."

"Actually," Vinyl grinned again, "I believe your exact words were-"

"WHY" the gray mare shouted, cutting of the unicorn, "don't you explain to Luna what you have been working on."

"Alright, alright," Vinyl said. Her eyes were hidden behind her glasses, but it was safe to guess she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, like I said I build and maintain my own equipment. That includes sound and lighting. This," she pointed at the motion she was working on, "is actually an attempt to create a transportable, weaponized version of it."

"You are attempting to combat the changelings using light and sound?" Luna asked, looking up at the device.

"Yeah." Vinyl grinned. "Using it right, it could create headaches, dizziness, nausea, maybe even cause a pony to faint. Plus, the boss girl-"

"Twilight," Octavia stated.

"Yeah, her. Anyways, she told me about this book she read on bugs, and it mentioned something called a... uhm..."

"Locust."

"Right. Those. And according to her, the book said that if you hit him with the right sound, it totally disrupts their ability to fly and sense each other or something like that."

"So while changelings are not locusts," Luna said, "they are somewhat insectoid in appearance. If successful, the creatures would be disabled and inhibited without permanent damage to them nor to any ponies who may end up in the crossfire."

"Exactly," Vinyl almost shouted. "You seem to totally get this."

"Do you think you might be able to have a usable version by tomorrow?" Luna asked. "Preferably something that can be carried with a group of ponies in a hot air balloon?"

"Wow." Vinyl rubbed at the back of her head. "That's... that's kind of close. I don't think I can have it completely right, but I might be able to have something that we can work with."

"If not, do you think you can find some of your unique music which would be aggravating and distracting to others?"

"Oh, totally. I've even done stuff like that before."

"I suspected as much," Octavia said, narrowing her eyes at the grinning unicorn.

"Yes," Luna said. "You are quite skilled and capable." She looked at Octavia. "Thank you for introducing me to your partner."

"What?" Octavia shrieked, turning bright red in the face. "What...what makes you think that she and I are together?"

"I have seen such bickering in only two types of relationships," Luna explained. "I do not believe that you and she are siblings." She tilted her head. "Was I mistaken?"

"No," Vinyl said, snorting with laughter. "You are completely right. It's just that Octavia is a little uncomfortable about it because of how upper class and sophisticated she is, and I'm... well.. not."

Octavia let out a huff and looked away, her cheeks still a bright red.

"Wait a minute," Vinyl said, "What's going on?"

Rambling About Relationships

Octavia and Luna left Vinyl Scratch and her inventions. As soon as they had started to leave, the music and lights started up again, making it difficult to hear nearly anything. As such, the two walked in silence until the music was left far enough behind to be able to speak over.

"...About Vinyl and me," Octavia said when she was certain she could be heard.

"I apologize," Luna stated, "I had not intended to make you uncomfortable."

Octavia stopped, turning to look at Luna.

"You mean you do not care?"

"About what?" Luna asked.

Octavia opened her mouth, closed it. She shifted her hooves, looking away from the alicorn. Finally, Octavia let out a sigh.

"I don't know." The grey mare turned and began to walk again. "For all our differences, I love Vinyl deeply. Yet for some reason I always feel as though others are not going to understand, as though I am doing something wrong because she is so different both in personality and in class."

"If I may," Luna said as she moved to stand beside Octavia, "I believe I have some understanding on your feelings. Both you and she have mentioned the difference in social class. I take it that your family is a part of the more elite?"

"Yes," Octavia confirmed.

"I assume that also your parents were not very expressive in their affection for you?"

Octavia stopped walking and looked at one of the crystals. Luna could see that mare's face on the surface, her features somewhat warped and skewed by the shape. There were hints of tears in the corners of her eyes.

"..yes..." she finally said.

"Then I believe your previous statement was more accurate than you intended," Luna stated, placing a hoof on Octavia's shoulder. "'For all our difference, I love Vinyl.' While you may have intended to mean that you love her in spite of the differences, I believe that you in fact love her partially because of them."

"I don't quite understand."

"You have admitted that your parents were not very affectionate."

"Correct," Octavia said with a nod.

"From what I have seen, Vinyl is highly expressive about her feelings, positive or negative."

"You have no idea." Octavia rolled her eyes. "There are times when I worry that she is going to cause trouble simply because she has to speak her mind."

"Would you have it any other way?"

Octavia looked up at Luna, caught off guard by the question. Turning quiet she rubbed up her chin, thinking about it.

"...No," she finally responded. "No, I suppose not."

"I believe that part of the reason you love Vinyl is also part of the reason you are uncomfortable with her. You enjoy how open and expressive she is about her feelings. At the same time, having not grown up around such openness, it makes you somewhat uncomfortable."

"I guess that makes sense," Octavia responded. "How did you come up with such a theory?"

"Psychology books," Luna stated. "One of my duties is to guard ponies in their sleep and travel their dreams. My sister told me of how there were books that now explored the possible symbolism of dreams as part of a new field of science since my.... departure. On a different subject, is there another pony you wish me to meet?"

"Well," Octavia said after some thought, "We may still be able to find the mare I was hoping to introduce you to originally." With that, she started to walk again, picking up her pace with excitement. Luna quickly followed after her.

The pair made their way out of the natural caverns and into the artificially made ones. As they continued, Luna once again started looking around at all the ponies that they passed. It was surprising how resilient they were. Despite all the trouble and issues, most of them seemed to be making the best of it.

"I think that's her," Octavia stated. She then started to run through the crowd to try and catch up. Luna chased after her. Her longer legs gave her a better stride to keep up, but her larger body and unfamiliarity with the crowd made it difficult for her to navigate through.

"Daring!" Octavia called out. "Daring! Please hold on a moment."

As Luna caught up with the grey mare, she caught sight of another pony that had stopped and was looking in their direction. The pony in question was a pegasus with a sandy gold colored coat. Hey rose colored eyes looked at the two approaching her. The mare was dressed in a safari shirt and pith helmet, from which a tuft of mane in multiple shades of gray stuck out.

"Luna," Octavia said as the two of them reached the waiting pegasus, "please allow me to introduce," she raised a hoof, "Daring Do."

Luna stopped in her tracks eyes going wide. She stared at the pony standing in front of her, jaw hanging slightly open. Realizing what she was doing, Luna let out a cough and adjusted her stance.

"Yes," she said. "Octavia, I can now understand why you wished to show me. I would not have believed merely being told such a thing." She then turned to Daring Do. "We would greatly appreciate your assistance in a matter."

Into the Fray

Luna stood in the basket of the hot air balloon, surrounded by five other ponies: Trixie, Octavia, Lightning Dust, and Daring Do. Two additional balloons traveled with them. One held Twilight Sparkle and the five ponies she had chosen to travel into The Everfree Forest with her. The other held Vinyl Scratch and several of the inventions she was bringing in the hope of using.

Perhaps we should look into developing larger aerial transport systems, Luna contemplated as the floated above pink clouds. Something more along the lines of a ship that would be able to fit us all properly.

Her horn glowing, she used her magic to pulled at one of the clouds beneath her. The portion she had pulled away from the rest with more effort than needed for a regular cloud, and there was no risk of it suddenly dissipating. Bringing it closer, she reached out her tongue and gave it a tentative lick.

"Princess?" Trixie asked, watching Luna curiously.

"These clouds indeed seem to be made of a confectionery as opposed to condensed moisture," Luna said, holding the rest out in front of her.

Trixie raised an eyebrow, looking at Luna and portion of pink cloud for a moment. Her own horn glowed as she took a hold of a different piece and pulled it from the rest. Bringing it closer, she took a bite as well.

"Cotton candy?"

"Indeed," Luna agreed then ate the rest of hers. "We are certainly within Discord's domain of influence." She turned toward the other balloon.

"Are you capable of approximation or arrival at the landing location?" she called out.

"If I remember the layout correctly," Twilight called back, "we should be reaching it shortly. I still don't understand why we're landing at Sweet Apple Acres though."

Luna did not answer. She did not want Twilight Sparkle to know the actual reason. After all the ponies she was now bringing with her had been selected, Luna had done some looking and asking around with the other ponies. It was during this she discovered that two of The Elements of Harmony were not available. None knew what had happened to Rarity, and Applejack was last seen at Sweet Apple Acres, refusing to leave. While nothing could be done about the former, it was possible that the latter was still around. There was no guarantee that the Element of this world would be the same as in hers, but Luna was hoping so.

It was why she had (successfully) attempted to convince Twilight to bring Pinkie Pie along. Even if the pink pony was not to end up as a bearer, her unusual skills would still be useful. Even if it did not seem so at the moment while the aforementioned mare was busy hanging from the basket with her back hooves so she could take bites out of the clouds.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked. "Could you check and see where we are? We should be close."

"Sure," Dash replied with a salute. The mare pulled her goggles into place, and with a single flap, flew up over the edge of the basket before diving down through the clouds. There was silence -- except for the sound of chewing -- as the ponies waited for Rainbow Dash to return.

"Geez," the pegasus groaned as she came back up, covered in thick gobs of the pink sugary substance. "This stuff is horribly sticky. I don't-"

Before she could say anymore, Pinkie Pie's tongue reached out and slurped across Rainbow Dash, leaving her completely clean of cotton candy.

"Thanks?" Dash said, blinking in confusion as she was dripping wet with pony saliva. "Anyway, we're close but need to adjust course. We need to float that way," she pointed south, "a little more if we want to land in Sweet Apple Acres."

Luna and Twilight both lit up their horns. The wind shifted, pushing the three balloons further south. The groups waited as their trajectory was adjusted. Finally, they began their descent.

The farm that had been Sweet Apple Acres did not look well. Trees were bent and twisted, with a portion even being upside down. Of the trees that still stood upright, most did not have apples. There were oranges, watermelons, and even rubber ducks. Another patch had been transformed into pine trees, which were sprouting pineapples. The ground below looked extremely muddy, the farm having been flooded.

Hopping out of the basket and landing with a splash, something did not feel right.

"This is not water," Luna said as she lifted up one of her hooves.

"I believe that it is milk," Octavia said, leaning down to sniff at it.

"He flooded the farm with milk?" Lightning Dust asked, flying above it instead of letting herself get soaked.

"If that's any indication," Daring Do said, pointing off in the distance, "then he made it rain from the cotton candy clouds."

The others turned and looked off in the direction she was pointing. Off in the distance, they could see a brown liquid falling from one of the pink clouds.

"That is not too surprising," Luna stated. "Vinyl, will your equipment be able to function?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Vinyl responded. "I don't know how waterproof this stuff is. It should be fine in a mist, but an inch deep puddle of milk? No idea."

"Very well." Luna turned to face the other group. "Twilight Sparkle, you and your companions begin the quest for The Elements of Harmony." Twilight gave a nod and started to lead the others toward The Everfree Forest. Once they were gone, Luna turned back to the others.

"I shall not give specific orders on what shall be done," she told them. "We are facing a foe who likes to believe himself unpredictable, and there is a proverb which states 'no plan survives first contact with the enemy.'" She looked at them, straightening up. "But I will not go without at least giving you some preparation. So I shall tell you this:

"Play to your strengths. Each of you have shown unique skills and talents that I believe shall be useful. Trust each other. Discord does not understand the power of teamwork, nor the magic of friendship. Keep moving if you can help it. Staying too close to him for too long puts you at risk that he may use his powers on you.

"Now, I shall fly ahead and begin the distraction and attack. Please join me as support as soon as you can. Vinyl, the equipment would be appreciated, but if not, I trust you to come up with an alternative." She looked at them. "If I do not get the opportunity later... thank you. Thank you for following me into this conflict, for trusting in me and... for being my friends while I am here. Know that no matter what happens, I appreciate your help and you have made me proud. Surely your princesses would feel the same way if they knew."

The other five looked at her, not saying a word. Luna gave a gentle smile, then set her face firm. With a flap of her wings she took to the air. She did a slow turn, moving to rise up and face the proper direction. Quickly she rose higher and higher, keeping below the clouds, but getting as high as she could

As she flew her horn began to glow. As the magic built up and grew brighter, the aura spread, encompassing her body. Soon, Luna's body disappeared from sight, encompassed in a cloud of glittering blue energy. As it dissipated, a larger form had emerged. The fur coat was as black as midnight, the crescent moon on her flanked appeared to glow with the light of nighttime. Her eyes were a pale blue-green in color, including the part that should be white, and her pupils had became slits. She wore a helmet and chestplate, a night blue in color with the plate emblazoned with the crescent moon. The mare narrowed her eyes, snarling as she flew through the air.

Discord Versus

The Discord of this world sat on his throne upon a checkerboard hill in the middle of what was once Ponyville. In his lap was a bag of popcorn and a soda. Floating around him were several marionette controls, each working a different puppet to make them move and dance.

A pair of scissors cut through a set of strings. The puppet -- a gangly pony figure with a yellow-orange body -- collapsed.

"Oh no," Discord said as he brought his lion's paw up to his forehead. "The major supporting male has died. How dreadfully tragic." He rolled his eyes. "Or it would be, if not for the fact that it had happened five times already."

"DISCORD!"

There was a blinding flash of lightning and a cannon-echoing boom of thunder as the name was said, causing the medley made monster to jump in his seat. Turning around, he peaked over the top of his throne to see the source.

Standing not far away was a black coated alicorn with an ethereal, night-blue, mane and tail floating around her. She wore a midnight blue helmet, and a breastplate with a glowing white crescent moon on it. Her wings were spread wide from her eyes, and draconic green eyes glared at the throne. Dark clouds collected around her, flickering with lightning and crackling with thunder.

"Oh, my," Discord said as he popped up, clapping his lion paw and eagle claw together. "Looks like a new challenger approaches." He looked at a watch on his wrist. "It's about time, too. I was getting soooo bored. I was starting to think that I was forgotten out here, all alone." His eyes teared up as he let out a small sniffle.

"This is your one chance," the black alicorn said. "Releases the princesses, and your other prisoners, and return Ponyville back to normal."

Discord fell off his throne as he tumbled backwards. The sound of his laughter echoed through the entirety of the town. He pressed his paw and claw against his stomach as he kicked his legs. After half a minute of this, the creature managed to stop long enough to stand back up.

"And who, exactly, are you supposed to be?" he asked, still chuckling slightly.

"You can call me Moon Shadow," the alicorn stated, "and your chance is about to pass." Her horn began to glow as she started to draw on her magic.

"Oh, I don't think so," Discord said as he straightened up. "You see, I believe that you, my dear butt shade, are overlooking something important."

Moon Shadow -- the Nightmare Moon form of Princess Luna -- stopped, her magic dissipating. She gave her head a tilt, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh?" she asked. "And what would that be?"

Discord grinned and snapped his fingers, causing a large toy box to appear in front of him. He hopped onto it, wearing a top hat and monocle as he set the tip of his cane down against the lid.

"Come now," he stated as he looked at his gloved paw. "Do you truly believe that you are actually the first pony to come and face me? There have been quite a few actually. For instance," he jumped down from the top of the toy chest, "did you ever wonder what happened to...."

He grinned at his adversary.

"The Wonderbolts?"

As he said the name, Discord turned to point at the large wooden container. The top popped open with an explosion of squeaking bicycle horns. From inside, three figures emerged. Each was a pegasus, wearing goggles. One still wore The Wonderbolts uniform, but grayer. The pegasus had a tinge of yellow to the portion of coat visible, and an orange tint to the mane and tail, but the color looked faded and pale, as if it had been partially drained from it. Another wore something similar, but in darker colors. It looked almost like the costume The Shadowbolts had worn. It was difficult to tell the original color of the pony as he just looked to be straight gray. The third was dressed the strangest uniform. The main body was brown, with each leg a different color, and the mask gray in color. The mane and tail were white, but the color of the body was lost with the drain of color.

"Do you like them?" Discord asked with a grin. "I figured that they could use some variety in their outfits. Designed the other two myself. I especially like the one that I made to look like me."

Externally, Moon Shadow looked at Discord and his team of discorded Wonderbolts impassively. Internally, Luna was mentally kicking herself. Of course other ponies would have come to Ponyville to see what was going on and possibly try to stop Discord. With no Elements of Harmony, it would fall on others to deal with dangers. It makes sense that The Wonderbolts would be among them. Not only were they a group of talented stunt pegasi, but they were also trained aerial combatants.

"I'm disappointed," Moon Shadow said, "I didn't think you were such a coward."

"'Coward?'" Discord repeated, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'coward?'"

"The supposedly oh so might Discord," she continued, "living embodiment of chaos, and you're going to use weak, mind controlled ponies to do your fighting for you?" She snorted. "Pathetic!"

"Why you..." Discorded started, then stopped. "Oh. I get it." He grinned. "You are trying to provoke me, aren't you? Attack my sense of ego to keep me from using my little Chaosbolts against you?"

"Chaos... bolts?" Moon Shadow repeated. "Really? That's the best you can come up with?" She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Wow. So no only are you a coward, but you are so horribly not creative." She gave a shake of her head. "I mean come on, what kind of being of chaos and disharmony are you?"

What's going on? Luna mentally shouted at herself. Who in Equestria is saying that? We would never dare say such a thing to Discord! Some mad mare must be controlling our words or something. She honestly had no idea where this indignation and bravado was suddenly coming from.

"Alright," Discord said as he snapped his paw to make the trio of pegasi and their box disappear. "You've managed to provoke me. I am going to deal with you myself."

"You can try," Moon Shadow said, "but you'll have to catch me first." With a flap of her wings, she took off into the air to fly as fast as she could. There was no need to look back. She knew Discord was after her.

The Strange Battle of Ponyville

"You can't get away," Discord said as he chased after Moon Shadow. "I mean really, catching you would be a..."

There was a snapping sound and Discord appeared in front of her, grinning.

"Snap."

Moon Shadow let out a gasp as she saw the creature in front of her. She twisted in mid-air to avoid colliding with him, flying further upwards. As she did, she kicked out with her hind legs, managing to slam one of her hooves into his jaw with an audible crack. Her wings flapped hard as she flew straight up as hard as she could, heading toward the clouds.

Discord narrowed his eyes as he watched Moon Shadow take off. Reaching up with his paw, he pressed his jaw back into place with a pop. With a snort he resumed flying after her. Quickly the draconequus chased her up, bursting through the pink cotton candy clouds.

Moon Shadow floated above him grinning. Behind her was a massive black storm cloud, full of moisture and energy. Lightning Dust flew up above the storm cloud before slamming all four of her hooves against it as hard as she could.

As the green pegasus attacked the cloud, a ear-shattering boom came forth as lightning shot out. The bolts struck Discord, shocking him. As his body absorbed the electrical assault, the strange form of the strange creature's skeleton became visible. The smell of ozone and burnt hair filled the air around him.

"Is there something wrong Discord?" Moon Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow. "You seem quite.... shocked." Chuckling, she turned and bolted past him as she flew off. Discord let out a snort and took off after her.

Or, tried to. As soon as he started to fly, the draconequus felt a yank on his tail. Turning, he found the end held by a length of rope. The length of it led back to the cotton candy clouds where Daring Do stood, holding onto the other end. Her hooves were spread wide, pressing into the cloud surface to give her purchase. The pegasus held the end of the rope in her teeth, clenching as hard as she could.

Discord snorted and gave a flick of his tail. The rope released its grip on the creature, dropping toward the cloud. As it fell, the length thickened, the fibers turning to scales. As it reached the cloud, it had become a full snake. The creature opened its mouth, hissing as it bared its fangs at her. Daring stomped a hoof, creating a hole in the cloud. With a grin, she released the tail tip, letting it fall through. The snake had a second of realization before plummeting. Daring Do and Lightning Dust then took off.

Moon Shadow continued to fly, Discord chasing after her and rapidly getting closer. Her eyes glanced around as her mind worked, trying to come up with a way to buy more time. All she saw was the cotton candy clouds they were flying above. A wicked grin spread across her face as an idea began to form.

The black alicorn's horn began to glow as she shifted in a dive, bursting through the cloud and into the chocolate rain below. As she flew through, she collected the dark dairy droplets. Each drop she collected was rapidly frozen and pressed into a growing ball. Quickly she built it up until it was nearly the size of a cantaloupe.

"Hey, Discord!" she called out. "Do you like ice cream?"

"Why of course I-" Discord's response was cut off as he was hit in the face by the ball of frozen chocolate milk hit him in the face like a giant snowball. The compressed crystals burst apart on impact, getting in the creature's eyes and nostrils. He was forced to stop for a moment as he wiped the frozen chocolate milk from his face.

"So that's how you want to play it?" Discord growled. He gave a snap.

The chocolate milk stopped falling. From the corner of her eye, Moon Shadow caught a glimpse of a pale blue magical burst in the distance. Above, the clouds started to shift and change in shape, the colors changing.

Moon Shadow felt something hit her on the back. Shifting she tried to see what it was. As she did, something hit her on the nose. This time she was able to catch sight of it before it bounced off and continued to fall toward the ground.

It was a pistachio, a little white-shelled nut that was split open to reveal the pale green meat ready to eat. This was soon followed by another, and another. Shortly, there were thousands of pistachios falling from the clouds like hailstones. The impacts were actually starting to sting.

Horn glowing, she erected a shield above her to protect herself from the nut storm. The magical aura glowed constantly as it absorbed and deflected the energy of impact after impact. She made her way through the hail of nuts, flying as fast as she could. She kept her eyes forward, moving as fast as she could and hoping that Discord was still behind her.

"Run, run, run," Discord called out, "as fast as you can."

Moon Shadow hit a clear patch of sky and let out a sigh of relief. Adjusting her wings, she made a sharp, fast drop toward the ground. Keeping a count, she stopped at the last moment she knew she could, flaring her wings and swooping above the ground before coming to a stop. The mare looked up, searching for the creature.

"That was impressive," Discord said as he landed, "but it seems I now have you surrounded and have caught up." He grinned, "So tell me, what are you going to do now?"

Although it was not visible at the moment due to it not being struck, Moon Shadow still had her shield up. She looked at the draconequus, narrowing her eyes and letting a wide, predatory, grin spread across her face. The shield grew larger, encompassing her from horn to hoof all the way to the ground.

"Rock!"

Discord stopped at the statement, looking at her in confusion.

"Rock?"

"ROCK!" two voices shouted, causing him to turn around. There stood Trixie and Vinyl Scratch at the DJ's booth. There horns began to glow with their magic.

Before he could figure out what was going on, Discord was struck by bright flashing lights and loud rock music. The impact was practically solid, sending the draconequus flying backwards. An entire spectrum of light filled his eyes, making the hurt as it became hard to see. The music pulsed and throbbed, the heavy bass sending powerful vibrations through his entire body as he was blown back.

Discord let out a noise of frustration as he found himself pinned to the ground. Pushing up, he reached up with his lion's paw and snapped his fingers.

"There," he said as he stood up, brushing himself off. "Now, what are you going to do without your little toy?"

Trixie and Vinyl looked at each other, then back at Discord with a smirk. Trixie stepped forward as her horn glowed, unleashing a burst of fireworks right into the face of the creature, blinding him and causing him to step back. The shot was immediately followed by another and another. After each burst, Trixie would move to a different spot before unleashing the next.

Vinyl herself moved off to the side. Her own horn glowed as she unleashed her magic as well. It was not the powerful rhythmic techno music she had made with her sound system, but since she was using it as an irritating distraction, it did not need to. Instead she let out burst of high pitched white noise that sounded like ear-splitting audio feedback.

"We do not need a machine to fight you," Trixie said as she let out a final burst.

"And neither does Octavia," Vinyl added as her horn stopped glowing.

"Octavia?" Discord asked. "Who is Oc-"

The question was cut short as a massive impact struck his cheek, knocking him off his hooves. He fell to the ground, eyes spinning as birds literally flew around his head. Several images shifted and moved in his field of vision. As he regained his senses, the images came together to create a single, clear one.

Standing over him was Octavia, one hoof holding a large branch from a tree as if it were a club. Discord looked up at her and immediately began to burst out into laughter.

"Really?" he asked with a chuckle. "Is this all you have left? An earth pony with a stick?"

"No," Octavia responded. She pulled back her branch and swung low.

Seeing the swing at his legs, Discord jumped up to have it pass under him. As he did, something slammed into the back of his head, knocking him face first into the dirt. As he fell, he caught sight of Lightning Dust flying by, about where head level would have been for him just a few seconds ago.

There was a yanking sensation on his tail. Shifting, he found that the tip was once again encompassed by a rope. The other end led back to Daring Do, who stood beside Moon Shine. With her horn glowing, the black alicorn took a hold of the rope in her magic. Moon Shine then gave it a hard yank, trying to pull Discord toward her.

Instead, all she got was the end of his tail as it detached with an audible pop. Reaching the two, it stopped in mid-air, then swung like a baseball bat. It hit the two, sending them flying.

"Well, that's two down," Discord said as he brushed his palms together. He then turned to Octavia. "Now for y-"

The branch smack Discord in the face, cracking loudly against his head as it brought him down to eye level with the average pony. Before he could recover, Octavia swung again. This time the impact caused the wood to shatter, leaving the mare with the splintered handle. Turning it over, she slammed the end into the creature's sternum, causing him to let out a whuff sound as air was knocked from his lungs. She bolted past him, trying to get the other half. Just as she was about to grab it, there was a yank on her tail. She was yanked hard as Discord pulled her up.

"Hmmm..." he rubbed his chin as he looked at her. "Now what should I do with you?"

Before he could decide, there was a flash of light in his eyes and a loud screeching sound in his ears.

"Hey Dissy-boy!" Vinyl called out. "You didn't forget about us, did you?"

Discord shook his head, trying to get the afterglow of flashes from his eyes and buzzing from his ears. As he regained his senses, he felt like something was missing. Turning, he found that Octavia was now gone from his claw. Glancing around, he found that she was being flown away by Lightning Dust. Something suddenly hit the back of his head.

A pistachio.

Soon another hit him, then another, and another.

"How do you like that?" Moon Shine shouted as she continued to throw the nuts at him. "Thought you could use a snack."

Discord turned to face the assault, holding up his paw to block them. As he did, he caught sight of something from the corner of his eye. The draconequus turned to look just in time to take two hooves directly toward the face. Before he could recover, he was once again attacked by flashes of light and sound.

Something wrapped around the wrist of his lion paw. He could not see what it was, but felt a yank to make his own paw smack him in the face. It was then pulled down hard as something slipped between his legs. Another yank and he was flipped in mid-air to land on his back. This was immediately followed up by what felt like the weight of pony slamming onto his stomach before bouncing off.

As he tried to get up, something threw him up in the air before slamming him down once again.

"ENOUGH!"

A burst of raw energy exploded out from Discord. As it rolled, twisted, and squirmed out away from him, he got up and brushed himself off. Taking a deep breath he looked around.

All the ponies had been knocked over by the blast and were now lying on the ground. Octavia was groaning as she tried to push her way up onto her hooves while pinned under an unconscious Lightning Dust. Trixie and Vinyl Scratch were both also knocked out, their use of magic having left them weakened. Daring Do was still standing, if barely. Then he caught sight of something he did not expect to see. A figure that was moving to stand up where he had last seen the alicorn claiming to be Moon Shadow.

"Princess Luna?" Discord asked as he floated over to her. "How strange. I have one of you already in my collection."

"Indeed," Luna said before coughing. "All the more reason that you need to be stopped."

"Oh, my." Reaching down, he placed his paw under her chin and lifted her up to look him in the eye. "I must say you seem quite different from the Luna I know. Talking back, challenging me, standing up for yourself, and all those witty quips you made. It's all very impressive." His eyes narrowed and he grinned. "I wonder what you'll be like under my control." Discord leaned closer, his nose almost touching.

"Did you honestly think that you could defeat me?"

"No," Luna said before smirking herself. "Which makes it fortunate that doing so was not our objective."

"What?"

Luna pulled out of Discord's grasp, her smirk growing into a full grin.

"The ponies who have fought you and I did not come with the believe that we would be able to physically defeat you in order to end your reign of chaos. Fortunately that was not our intent. Our objective was to keep you distracted while another squadron made their way through The Everfree Forest."

"The Everfree Forest?" Discord asked before laughing. "But that's such a foolish waste of time. There's nothing in there but the castle ruins. And the only thing in there are a bunch of old tapestries."

"And The Elements of Harmony," Luna added. She felt a thrill of excitement as Discord's face dropped, turning to look at her in shock.

"The... Elements?" he repeated. "You mean to tell me that big statue with all those stone orbs were actually The Elements of Harmony?"

"Correct." Luna gave a nod. "And if my calculations are correct, they should be reaching The Elements about now."

"Oh, no," Discord said, shaking his head. "No, nonono. I have to stop them. Maybe they haven't made it yet." The draconequus took off, flying as fast as he could toward The Everfree Forest, the castle within, and hopefully his defeat by The Elements of Harmony.

"Are you certain it was a good idea to tell him?" Octavia asked as walked over, carrying Lightning Dust.

"If the Twilight of this world is similar to the Twilight of mine," Luna stated, "it is a necessary step. It is the relief of having her friends there when she finds herself threatened that had activated them in my world. Besides, it is more convenient to have Discord travel to the castle instead of trying to keep him preoccupied until the ponies return to Ponyville. We shall have to just hope for the best."

"I've already checked on Trixie and Vinyl Scratch," Daring Do said as she joined them. "They are unconscious, but alive. There's no sign of any serious injuries either.

"Lightning Dust was knocked out in the crash," Octavia said. "I believe she will be unable to fly for a day or two, but shall be fine."

"And what of-"

The rest of Luna's question was forgotten as a massive burst of rainbow colored light exploded from somewhere inside The Everfree Forest, flowing across Ponyville and encompassing all of them.

Two Moons Meet

Luna, once again her Moon Shadow form, walked back toward Sweet Apple Acres. She had been helping to carry the unconscious ponies with them, but Lightning Dust, Vinyl, and Trixie had all recovered. Now they, as well as Octavia and Daring Do, all traveled toward the farm together.

The balloons were still there, ready to take them all back to Canterlot. Vinyl's weapon and DJ booth was destroyed, but there was a possibility of other ponies returning with them.

With little to do, the six of them waited for the others to arrive. Vinyl and Octavia moved to lie down next to the balloons, cuddling up as they rested. Daring Do was looking over the balloon, checking to make sure there would be no trouble once they were in flight. Trixie and Lightning Dust were feeling hungry, so they decided to help themselves to a few of the apples -- the bits for them could be paid if necessary. Moon Shadow mostly just walked around, pacing around the balloons and watching along the edges of the farm.

After the better part of twenty minutes since they started waiting, she caught sight of something approaching. From the forest emerged Twilight Sparkle, the five ponies she had gone through the forest with, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. The two princesses led the way with Twilight Sparkle in the middle, wearing her crown of magic.

"Princess Luna!" Trixie shouted. She began to run up toward the princess excitedly. Trixie suddenly stopped short of Luna.

"I mean..." She moved to bow down. "It is good to see that you are well, princess."

"You as well, my student," Luna replied. "I have been told that you were with that group which battled Discord to allow time for our rescue."

"Indeed," Moon Shadow stated as she moved forward, smiling down at Trixie. "She has been very helpful. Trixie is a talented unicorn who could be a very powerful wizard." She turned to look at Luna, narrowing her eyes. "That is, provided she has a good teacher."

"And who might you be?" Princess Celestia asked. "Twilight told us she was getting help, but did not say who from, claiming we would have to see for ourselves." She shifted to get a better look. "I can now understand why. I would not have expected an alicorn we had not met before."

"Please call me Moon Shadow." She gave a small bow of her head toward Celestia. "It is a pleasure to meet you princess, and to see that you are safe. We should get going though. The refugees will be grateful for your return, and they will want to know they can return to Ponyville."

"You are correct," Princess Celestia said. "I am certain that running Canterlot has been quite trying for Cadence." With that she started for one of the balloons.

Moon Shadow watched her a moment before starting to walk toward one of the other balloons.

"Excuse me," a voice said gently, drawing her attention. Moon Shadow turned to look at the source, the Princess Luna of this world.

Moon Shadow studied her native counterpart. Although not as tall as Princess Celestia, she was taller than Moon Shadow would be if she were in her natural form. This Luna was not actually looking her in the eye, looking more at the ground between them.

"I..." Luna started. She stopped then took a deep breath. "I may be mistaken, but I have gotten the impression that you are feeling hostile toward me."

"You are not mistaken."

"Why? We have not met before and I have done nothing I know of to offend you. What reason would you have to dislike me so?"

Moon Shadow turned, looking at the ponies that had come with them. Celestia was taking to one of the balloons, quickly followed by Twilight Sparkle. Trixie stood nearby, watching the two other alicorns. It was most likely that she was waiting to see which one her mentor was taking. Daring Do stood on the opposite side, ready to take flight. Lightning Dust had already climbed into a basket and was waiting, holding and ice pack to her head. Like Trixie, Vinyl Scratch and Octavia were also waiting. Moon Shadow wondered, were they waiting for her? Was it possible that she had found friends in the musical ponies of this world?

"A thousand years," Moon Shadow said, "that is how long you and your sister have been the rulers of Equestria, correct?"

"Yes," Luna replied. "That is correct."

"And in that time," Moon Shadow turned to face Luna, "what have you done?"

"We have done a great many things," Luna responded. "Our rule has been marked by great progress and relative peace throughout Equestria."

"You seem to misunderstand." The black alicorn moved closer, took a hold of Luna's jaw and lifted her face so that they were looking at each other in the eye.

"In the thousand years of rule, what have you, Princess Luna, personally done to help Equestria?"

Luna looked at Moon Shadow, opened her mouth to speak, then looked away and shut it again.

"Trixie told me that she is your first student," Moon Shadow continued as she kept her gaze on the princess, "and this was at Celestia's insistence. It was not your own volition which brought her into your life."

"I have taught her much," Luna nearly shouted.

"Yes, and imagine how much you could have done if you had been teaching for the entire millennium."

Luna's eyes went wide and her ears dropped. She turned to look at her student then down at the ground. The princess's gaze suddenly shot up as she glared at Moon Shadow.

"Why do my affairs matter so much to you?" Luna asked, snarling. "I do not see how my decisions influence your life!"

"You are finally starting to show some passion," Moon Shadow stated with a smirk. It quickly faded as sadness filled her features. She looked away from Luna now, watching Princess Celestia with the ponies instead.

"Long ago I betrayed my sister," the black mare explained, "and was banished for it until recently. I now live with the regret for what I have done, and often wonder how different things would be had I not done such a thing. How much I could have helped ponies and made Equestria better if I had not become jealous and angry.

"Then I come here and learn of you. All the ponies I meet know of you: Princess Luna, raiser of the moon and walker of dreams. Yet few could ever speak of having met you, and not one could tell me of a single action you have done in the aid of Equestria."

Moon Shadow spun around to face Luna again. Her eyes narrowed to slits and she bared her teeth in a snarl at the princess. One black hoof rose up, poking the dark blue chest.

"You have had an opportunity I have not, and you have done nothing with it. You have enjoyed the title of royalty yet have done nothing with it. A thousand years, a million opportunities, and you have let them pass you by." She turned away from Luna. "You are not even a pale reflection of your sister. You are just a shadow in the night." She walked away from the princess, leaving a stunned Luna in her wake.

"Come on," Moon Shadow said softly to Octavia and Vinyl. "We need to rest and start planning how we are going to save the rest of Equestria." She then continued to walk past them and toward the balloon with Lightning Dust in it. The three of them quickly got into the basket with their injured and exhausted ally.

"Was that really necessary?" Vinyl asked, "Tearing into Princess Luna like that? Seemed really harsh."

Moon Shadow looked at her a moment, then closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"You're right," she said, "it was. Blowing up at her like that was not what I had in mind when I thought of meeting her."

"So what made you do it?" Octavia asked.

"As I said, she had an opportunity I did not and has done nothing with it. Not a night has gone by that I have not wondered what I would have done with my life had I not given in to my jealousy and anger." She let out a sigh. "It seems it would not have mattered. If I had not rebelled, I would have done nothing."

"Want my advice?" Lightning Dust said, taking the ice pack off her head. "Stop worrying about the past and what you might have done. Look forward and push yourself to the limit. That way, you won't find yourself feeling like you wasted another thousand years or something."

"...Perhaps you are right..."

A Raging Royal Entrance

The sun was setting over Equestria. The normally blue sky above shined with the bright pinks and reds of the day's end with tinges of purple around the edges. Small puffs of cloud gleamed with hints of color. Those who saw it would have thought it was exceptionally beautiful - a sunset like none of them had seen since before Discord's return. A smaller group knew why it was so. Although she had not been able to return to her home and throne, Princess Celestia was back in control, free of Discord, and reunited with some of the most important ponies in her life. Although there was still much to do, there was joy, and happiness, and a new hope. All these feeling were shown in that sunset.

In Canterlot, the sunset went unnoticed. The ponies were not out and able to see it since they were hiding to for their lives. The only thing out and about in Canterlot that would have seen it were the changelings, and they had no interest. Even if the sunset was made with hope, joy and love -- and inspired those same feelings in the ponies that saw it -- it was not a source that the changelings could feed off of. They had no interest in the sunset. They were more interested in trying to find some more ponies that they could feed off of.

The changelings also did not notice how dark the night was since no moon had risen, nor did they see the black clouds glowing with dark blue energy moving through the sky above them.

Above the clouds, Moon Shadow flew. Her great black wings flapped as she went, soaring high in the dark sky. Her horn glowed with her magic as she held the clouds in her power, bringing them along with her to place them above Canterlot.

That morning after Cadence had been revived, Moon Shadow had left with the intent of heading straight to the castle and stomping the changelings' heads in. She was filled with rage, ready to smash and destroy, without any sort of plan. It was when she had stepped out from underground and had felt the warmth of the sun against did enough of the rage melt for her to think a little better. Not enough to decide to go back in or completely forget about attacking the castle, but enough to realize that she needed some sort of plan for it.

Thinking about it, Moon Shadow had decided to attack at night. After all, that was her domain. Instead of going back into the rebellion's base and resting until dark, she had decided to fly around, think, and see if she could come up with more of a plan. It was during this that she saw Cloudsdale and -- while not actually a plan -- she did come up with an idea that might give her an additional advantage.

It turns out that when a large, black, and angry alicorn appears, many ponies are willing to do whatever it takes to keep that alicorn from getting angry at them. As a result, the ponies at the weather factory were more than willing to give her all of the rain clouds that they currently had in store. None of them had even dared to ask her what they were for. It made a part of her wonder how the princesses of this world were going to react when they got word of it.

Now the time had come to put what she had in mind into motion. The clouds were now settled above the entirety of Canterlot and ready to release their contents. Moon Shadow closed her eyes and concentrated. The energy around her horn grew brighter as she began to manipulate the contents of the cloud. With each exhale, her breath became easier and easier to see as frost as the temperature began to drop.

Moon Shadow flew up higher then turned. Wings flapping, she flew down toward the clouds as fast as she could. Teeth gritted she threw herself against it, front clouds slamming against the top of them. There were flashes of cold, silver-blue lightning and the boom of thunder. Moon Shadow pushed off hard, using the clouds as a trampoline and flying up. Again she turned and threw herself down against it, creating the lightning and thunder. She then did it again. And again. And again.

Below in the city, the flashes of light and booms of sound began to draw the attention of the changelings below. They watched as the lightning jumped and danced among the clouds above them. To them, there was something almost hypnotic about the whole thing.

That was when it started to rain. Although "rain" would not technically be the correct term. What was falling from the sky was more sleet and hail with a small amount of freezing rain mixed in. The hail stones were massive, about the size a bit. With the speed of how fast they fell, the stones were able to shatter glass as well as cause bruising (and possibly concussions) to any creature caught up in it. The chitinous shell of the changeling was able to absorb the blows and prevent any serious damage, but it still hurt.

More importantly was the effect of the rain and sleet. The water would strike the creature, and the cold would make it freeze, creating ice. Unlike the pegasi, the changelings had neither a protective layer in their coat, or wings that could handle the cold and ice. As a result, the insect-like forms had ice sticking to them, making difficult to move and impossible to fly. So any changeling that was outside was grounded at in danger of being hit by the hailstones.

Above the storm, Moon Shadow took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Once again she flew down toward the clouds. This time she plunged through, magically pulling the clouds shut behind her as she entered the storm. The hail pounced off the armor she wore with an audible clunking sound. The water flew off her great black wings with each flap, and bent to follow her path as she flew through the storm as fast as she could.

Her jaw clenched and eyes narrowed as she continued to push herself forward. From the edge of her vision, she could see Canterlot below. The entire town was a blur, everything moving too fast for her to fully see. Fortunately, she only needed to see one place, which was directly where she was headed. She headed straight for the castle, aiming for the main window that led into the throne room.

As if she had set it up perfectly herself, Moon Shadow struck the window, shattering it just as a flash of lightning and boom of thunder filled the air. For a split second, all that could be seen was the black silhouette of an alicorn framed surrounded by a brilliant white light.

Moon Shadow let out a roar as she flew down. The changelings looked on at the approaching black form, frozen with shock. One of them was tackled by the enraged alicorn, slamming it into the wall and pinning it their. The drone was able to let out a small squeal of shock and pain as it looked into the snarling black visage that stared down with draconic eyes.

"Where is your queen?" Moon Shadowed yelled, flecks of foamy saliva flying from her fanged mouth and hitting the drone in the face. "Where is Chrysalis?!"

The sound of hooves clapping reached the alicorn's ears, catching her attention.

"Oh, bravo," a voice purred. "Bravo. That is quite an entrance. I am very impressed." The sound caused Moon Shadow to release the drone and turned to look at the speaker.

The black form of Queen Chrysalis stepped forward. Although not as tall as Moon Shadow, the changeling was taller than all the others, their heads coming up to its shoulders. She had long, dark blue mane that was topped with what looked like a crown that was made from her very chitin, and a massive horn protruding from her forehead. Her dark green eyes danced with humor as she smiled, showing the vampiric fangs. Her insectile wings gave a small flicker as she moved closer.

"Chrysalis!" Moon Shadowed shouted in a booming voice that echoed through the entire chamber. "You and your hive are responsible for a great many numbers of crimes against Canterlot, including: the deaths of numerous citizens, included among them Captain Shining Armor; the assault, torture, and imprisonment of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza; Terrorizing additional citizens; attacking Canterlot; and destroying the castle, which -- had the sister not been captured by Discord -- would have been seen as a coup. Do you have anything you wish to say in your defense?"

"My defense?" Chrysalis asked before bursting into laughter. "That's what this is about? You're here to arrest me?" She raised an eyebrow, still chuckling.

"No."

The Demon and the Vampire

That single word had sent a shiver through Queen Chrysalis, in what would have been her spine if she had a normal skeleton. That single word had sent an icy blade of fear through the changeling, more than any monologue or speech, any threat, could have. It was mainly for one simple reason: the alicorn standing before her meant it. The pony was planning to kill her.

Queen Chrysalis braced herself, preparing to counter any impending magical attack.

Moon Shadow charged forward, throwing herself at full speed toward the changeling queen. The alicorn felt a thrill of excitement as she caught the look of confusion in the queen's face before they slammed into each other. The two flew toward the wall. Moon Shadow released Chrysalis and turned up, flying toward the ceiling while her opponent slammed into the wall.

Queen Chrysalis had been ready for a magical attack. After all, that was how these things normally went: a direct using magic since it was their strongest and safest method. The possibility of being tackled and thrown into a wall had not even crossed her mind. Fortunately her chitinous shell absorbed the worst of the blow, and she had recently fed, leaving her a little sore but with no major damage.

"Don't just stand there!" Chrysalis shouted at her drones. "Get her!" she pointed up toward Moon Shadow. Five drones launched themselves up from the ground, flying directly toward the alicorn.

Moon Shadow watched them approach, getting ready to knock them out of the air. Just before she did, something shifted. Not like the changeling transforming to look like a pony she knew, but a memory. A moment when she had done similar, much to her regret.

Instead of the throne room of the castle, she was back in the city hall of Ponyville. She, as Nightmare Moon, had just made her grand entrance and proclaimed herself so ruler of Equestria. At the order of the mayor, several pegasus guards had moved to attack her.

The delay was long enough for three of the drones to tackle her, knocking her into the wall as well. The impact of her helmet against the stone sent a ringing through the metal and into her skull. It was enough to bring her out of the past and back into the present.

Can't think about that, she told herself, especially now. Focus on what's going on here before you get killed.

Moon Shadow turned her head, slipping her muzzle underneath the chin of one of the drones. She pressed her sharp teeth against the creature's throat and bit down with all her jaw strength. The changeling let out a screech, the ended in a gurgling sound as the chitin cracked and the teeth sank into the flesh beneath. She shifted to press her back hooves against the changeling's stomach and pushed hard with all her might, tearing its throat out and sending it falling away.

Tilting her head, she slams into another, impaling the creature through the shoulder with her horn and causing it to shriek. Pushing hard, Moon Shadow forced herself from the wall and into the air. Pulling her head free, she turned to grab the third. She squeezed the form tightly with all her might and all four legs and flew straight down.

The changeling slammed into the floor with the weight of a full sized alicorn on top of it. There was a loud crack as the carapace broke open against the stone floor, the green fluid pooling around the body.

Moon Shadow pushed to stand up, her legs shaking beneath her. The glowing green fluid that was the changelings' blood flowed down her face from her horn and her chin from her lips. Eyes wide and teeth bared, she looked around. More of the drones surrounded her. She lifted her head, eyes turning white with power. The fluid on her horn began to sizzle and burn as magic began to gather.

Outside, the sound of the storm grew louder. Bolts of lightning came in through the window, striking the surrounding changelings. The deafening boom of thunder mixed with the stench of ozone and burning hair. One burst from the assault, shattering like glass. Another was boiled alive, cooking inside its shell with steam escaping from the seams. Several survived, but collapsed as they were rendered unconscious.

A burst of crackling green energy struck Moon Shadow from behind. She let out a scream of pain as she felt the skin and muscles burn from the blast. The impact sent her forward, falling onto her side as she skidded across the floor.

"Oh," Chrysalis groaned, "you poor thing. Didn't anypony ever teach you that you never take your eyes off your opponent." She made a tsking noise.

Moon Shadow grunted as she tried to get back up onto her hooves. Her body screamed with pain from where the magical blast had struck her, leaving a spot of burnt tissue on her back. She turned to face the form of Queen Chrysalis.

"If that is the best you got 'queen,'" Moon Shadow said with a chuckle, "then I have severely overestimated your power." She narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth more. "And I am going to crush you like the bug you are beneath my hoof."

"Then come and get me child," Chrysalis said before cackling.

Moon Shadow let out a roar as she collected energy and fired it at the form in front of her. A green shield popped up around the form, absorbing the attack. Another cackle filled the air as the shield faded away.

Moon Shadow lowered her head and let out a snort, pawing at the ground.

"Really?" Chrysalis asked. "You're going to try charging me? You must be joking."

Moon Shadow said nothing and began to run toward Chrysalis. Her hooves echoed against the stones of the floor with each step as she picked up speed. The alicorn's horn began to glow with energy as she continued to run. There was a pop of air as vanished in a burst of magic.

Chrysalis straightened up, blinking. A hoof struck her cheek, sending her spinning sideways from the impact.

"A trick I picked up from a friend," Moon Shadow said with a grin as she walked toward...

It was not Chrysalis.

As she got closer, Moon Shadow watched as the form shifted, changing from the queen to a drone. The cheek was cracked from the impact, blood leaking from the spot. It looked up at the alicorn, eyes wide in terror and tearing up with pain. Another laugh began to fill the air.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Chrysalis asked. "You must think me a foal if you think I would just stand there like that."

Moon Shadow let out a roar as magic pulsed and exploded from her horn, filling the room. It all shook as it was filled with raw rage-fueled power. Windows shattered. Columns cracked. Princess Celestia's throne exploded.

There was a cry of pain from behind where the throne once stood.

Standing there was Queen Chrysalis, the real one. The burst of raw magical energy had knocked her against the wall for the second time that night. She pressed against it as she worked to stand back up, shaking her head. One side of her face was torn open and bleeding from the shards of the exploding throne.

Moon Shadow shot forward, wings flapping. She tilted her body as she raised her hooves out in front of her.

Queen Chrysalis had just enough time to turn and look at the approaching alicorn before being slammed into. One hoof drove into the queen's shoulder as the other pinned her wings. Moon Shadow bit one of the insect-like wings and pulled, the sound of paper tearing filling the air as the appendage was ripped off. Chrysalis let out a scream before collapsing back to the ground.

"Please," Queen Chrysalis whimpered as she looked up at Moon Shadow. "Mercy. I surrender. Just... please. No more."

"Mercy?" Moon Shadow snarled. "MERCY? You dare ask for that which you have never shown another living creature? The only mercy I shall show you, is the mercy of making your death a swift one." She raised her form up on her hind legs, ready to bring the front ones down onto the top of Queen Chrysalis's head to smash it in.

"STOP!"

Of Mercy

"STOP!"

The single word got the attention of Moon Shadow and Queen Chrysalis. Moon Shadow dropped back to her hooves and both turned to look at the source of the shouting.

A hole in the storm clouds allowed the light of the moon to shine through it and the window Moon Shadow had come through. The form that stood there glowed a silvery white. With a gentle flap of her wings, the figure left the window and floated down toward the floor of the throne room. The silver light fell away, revealing the emaciated pink form.

"Cadence?" Moon Shadow and Queen Chrysalis both said as they recognized the alicorn standing before them. Her horn began to glow with the pale blue energy of her magic as she started to walk forward. The magic encompassed the changelings around her as she walked by, the damage to their carapaces repairing itself.

"What are you doing?" Moon Shadow asked. "You should still be resting."

"I've..." Cadence stopped as she stumbled, loosing her balance a second. She shook her head gently and straightened up.

"I've come to stop you from doing something you'll regret." The princess moved closer to the two. "Don't kill her."

"What?" the black alicorn pointed at the injured changeling queen. "You want to show her mercy? After all she's done? To you? To the ponies of this city? To the stallion you were to marry?"

Cadence placed her hoof on top of Moon Shadow and gently lowered it. She looked toward the prone form of Chrysalis.

"I know. She did some terrible things. I love.... Loved Shining Armor and will miss him. To say nothing of the future we might have had together." Cadence wiped a tear from her eye and straightened up, taking a deep, slow breath before letting it out.

"Shining Armor was a soldier," she continued, "a good soldier, and a good stallion. He would accept a surrender and show mercy. Most importantly, he would not want someone to suffer because of him. He would not want anypony -- any sentient creature -- to be killed because of him."

She turned to look at Moon Shadow directly.

"I can't outpower you, we both know that. So I am asking you, Moon Shadow. Please, show Queen Chrysalis and her hive mercy. For me, for the memory of Shining Armor, and most of all, for you."

Moon Shadow took a step back.

"Me?"

"Look at her." Cadence motioned toward Chrysalis. "Can you honestly say that you can live with yourself if you killed her like this? Weak, injured, and begging for mercy?"

Moon Shadow stared at Cadence a moment, then turned her attention to Queen Chrysalis.

It would be so easy to kill her. A good hard stomp to the back of the neck, and it would all be over. With the queen dead, the drones would probably scatter. Without any queen in charge, it would probably be easy to hunt them down. The ponies could even make a sport of it. It would be so much fun to track down and-

By my dear moon, Princess Luna thought, what is wrong with me? This was not her. Something about being Moon Shadow -- of tapping into the power that once made her Nightmare Moon -- seemed to be affecting her mind.

"By the request of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Moon Shadow said as she straightened up, "I shall grant you mercy and allow you to live."

"Th... thank you..." Chrysalis whimpered as she tried to stand.

"Do not thank me yet. There is a condition to this." She looked out toward the moon.

"When the sun rises, you will have one day to collect the remnants of your hive and leave Canterlot. At that time, I will return with the princesses, and a large number of ponies who will not be as forgiving as Cadence. Any changelings I catch will not be spared. Understood?"

Queen Chrysalis looked at Moon Shadow. Her good eye narrowed to a lit as she glared at the alicorn. The changeling's lips pulled back as she bared her fangs.

"Understood," she snarled.

"Good."

Moon Shadow levitated Cadence from where she stood, and set the princess on her back. The black alicorn felt a burst of pain as Cadence's weight settled against her, pressing against the burned spot against her back. She grit her teeth and started walking for the front door.

"Do you think a day and a half will be enough time?" Cadence asked, looking back to watch Chrysalis be helped up by the drones around her.

The doors to the throne room pushed open. A dome shield formed around the two as they stepped out into the storm, keeping the pair dry and safe.

"...I don't know," Moon Shadow finally answered, "but I don't trust her. If we give her too much time, she will be able to heal, regain her full strength, and consolidate her power base. That will make it even harder to defeat her and reclaim the capital since she will be ready for us."

"I guess I can understand that." Cadence let out a sigh and laid her head down, watching the castle behind them. As she was carried, the building faded, turning into a blur by the rain before disappearing from sight. Her gave lifted up, watching the shimmer of the dark blue shield as the rain drops pattered against it.

"I need to thank you," Moon Shadow said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You were right. If I had done, if I had... killed her... I would have enjoyed it. I would have felt like I did something." She shivered. "And then I would have regretted. I would have been responsible for taking a life, and that would have eaten at me. That is not who I want to be."

Cadence shifted, uncertain what to say. "You're welcome" did not seem appropriate. They did not actually know each other so claiming she knew that Moon Shadow was not that kind of pony would be a lie. In point, it was Trixie who had realized what was happening.

That thought made some things click in Cadence's mind.

"Actually," she said, "you should be thanking Trixie. She's the one that believed you were a good pony deep down and convinced Twilight to let me go when I insisted on coming to talk to you."

"Trixie, huh?" Moon Shadow asked, trying to look at Cadence from the corner of her eye. 'I'm going to have to thank her when we get back." She gave a smile. "Princess Luna has a wonderful student."

Home Again Home Again

"Three... Two... One..."

Discord gave a snap of his fingers.

Princess Luna appeared in a puff of smoke, blinking as she tried to regain her senses. She was back on her balcony, standing right outside her room, with Discord beside her. The moon, the stars, the city below, all looked just as she did when she had left. Her body was also as it had been when she had left. She looked as she normally did as opposed to the larger black form, all the aches were gone, and there was no sign of a burn on her backside.

"So," Discord asked, "how was it? Did wittle Wuna enjoy seeing all the things she would have done if she had not become the big bad Nightmare Moon?"

"No," Luna responded. "We found the trip to be a rather depressing disappointment." She moved over and gave Discord a kiss on the cheek. "You have our gratitude."

"...what?" Discord blinked, staring at Luna. He brought his paw up to his cheek, touching the spot where her lips had touched.

"We..." Luna stopped. "No. I did not enjoy what I saw there, yet it made me realize something." She started to walk toward the doors. "For too long have I been thinking about the past and what I could have done had I not gone insane. But the past is just that, passed. It is time that I begin looking toward and considering the future." Her horn glowed gently as she opened the door.

"Where are you going?" Discord asked. "It's the middle of the night. Most of the ponies here are asleep."

"I have much to do," Luna replied with a smile. "First, I shall go through the budgets and see if we can find financing to explore the capability of aerial transportation. In the morning, I shall go to the kitchen to meet the staff and assist in making a special breakfast for my sister and I. During that, I will speak to her about creating a holiday in your honor."

"What?" Discord shouted. "A holiday? For me? Why would you even think of a thing like that?"

"If you are truly reformed, then you deserve to be rewarded." She gave him a grin. "I can think of no better than a day where ponies attempt to prank each other."

Discord's jaw fell open and eyes went wide as he stared at Princess Luna, not believing what he was hearing.

"After breakfast," Luna continued, "I will begin searching for a therapist to help me come to terms with matters and heal some old emotional wounds. Once that is done... I am uncertain of what I will do next. However, it shall be an attempt to make up for all I have missed out on, including having 'fun.'" With that she pranced into the castle, humming, and shut the door behind her.

Discord continued to stand there, staring for a moment. His mind slowly tried to process what he had seen and heard. Slowly he regained his senses, reaching up a paw to rub at the beard on his chin.

"Hm," he thought aloud, "I might have to send ponies to other dimensions more often. Who knows what else they might give me."

In Epilogue: Over There

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza sat in the royal car of the train coming from the Crystal Empire. She watched as they traveled, feeling a mix of emotions as they made their way to Canterlot. She was excited to be coming back to see her friends and family again. There was also a feeling of sadness as with her return to the capital came the memories of the stallion she had lost. There was also a feeling of dread. After all, it was also the city that she had been trapped under for not even Celestia's knows how long. Although she had missed Canterlot, she also had an urge to flee from it.

As they reached the station, Cadence closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. She kept her eyes closed, feeling the vibrations of the train a it slowed and finally came to a stop. After waiting a moment longer, she got up and began to disembark.

As expected, a carriage was waiting for her at the platform, with several guards standing about it. With the help of one of them, she climbed up and took her seat. She braced herself as the carriage began to move, then watched the city pass by.

It was so strange. Everything felt familiar, like it was the way it always had been, as she always remembered it. At the same thing, it was like a whole other city. After the reconstruction had started, so much of the city's layout and the building's designs had changed. Upside is there would be plenty to explore. Downside was that she could get lost like when she was first in Canterlot. Fortunately, the castle was exactly the same as it was before, and could still be seen through out most the streets.

At the moment, the castle was not her destination. Instead, she was headed to the new and improved Pony Joe's Do-Nut Shop. The shop was bigger, with more than just doughnuts now served, and there were a lot more ponies working there, but Joe had managed to expand and rebuild while keeping the doughnuts and delicious as ever. The letters Cadance received said they were still the best in all of Equestria. It was nice to see the place again.

"Thank you," she said to the guard assisting her out of the carriage. "I won't be needing your services again for several hours, so you free to go." She smiled. "Or you can stay and enjoy some of the doughnuts yourself." She walked past the guards and headed for the doors.

The bell rang above the door as she stepped in. Several ponies raised their heads from their tables to look, including a familiar form she was looking for. The two walked toward each other before finally stopping.

"Princess," Cadence said, bowing.

"Princess," Twilight repeated, mirroring the bow. The two grinned at each other before they started to do their dance.

Sunshine, sunshine,
ladybugs awake.
Clap your hooves
and do a little shake!

The two laughed as they shook their rumps at each other. Once finished they straightened, both giving their wings a little flutter as they did.

"It's good to see you again, Cadance," Twilight said turning to head back toward the table.

"You too," Cadance responded before stopping. "Although," she placed a hoof to her chin. "Something about you looks different."

"It's... probably because I have company," Twilight replied, patting at her stomach.

"Com..." Cadance's eyes went wide as the words sank in. "You mean...?"

"Yeah," Twilight confirmed with a nod. "Second one is on the way."

"Congratulations," Cadance nearly shouted, grinning. "You and Time must be so excited. Any idea what you're going to name it?"

"Not yet." Twilight moved to sit down, giving her stomach a gentle stroke. "We were thinking of something to do with light, but we haven't actually come up with anything that sounds quite right."

"Page must be excited."

"Right now she's more excited about Shadow Night." Twilight rolled her eyes and gave her head a shake. "She just can't wait to dress up, get candy, and be chased by a pony made to look like a black alicorn."

"It seems we have arrived at an interesting time," a voice said as two figures approached the table.

Trixie took off her hat as she approached, setting it down beside her. The jeweled ring around the base of her horn glimmered as she moved her head. Beside her, Daring Do approached. Unlike Trixie, Daring opted to keep her head gear on, showing off the newest set of scratches and dings. One of her wings was wrapped in fresh white bandages.

"So glad you could make it," Twilight said with a smile.

"Well I needed to talk to my publisher anyways," Daring said as she took a seat.

"Plus we have some new information to share with the princesses," Trixie added.

"So you two really have been adventuring together?" Cadance asked.

"Yes," Daring replied. "It seems it has been quite useful to have a powerful mage traveling with you."

Trixie's eyes narrowed and she gave a smirk.

"Although it seems that somepony would do better to have a trained nurse with her to patch her up instead of a magician. Seems like every time she goes out on an adventure something happens. Injured wing, twisted ankle, couple burns." Trixie started to laugh. "I remember this one time when these plants bit her right on the-"

"So what were you two talking about?" Daring asked after placing a hoof over Trixie's mouth to stop her from talking.

"We were just talking about Shadow Night," Cadence responded. "I still can't believe they created a holiday based off that whole thing."

"It's more than that," Twilight added. "You should see story about it in the books. You wouldn't think it was only five years ago that it happened."

"What's it say?" Daring asked.

"Basically? When Equestria was at its darkest hour, a shadow escaped from the moon to free the princesses and bring hope to the ponies."

"Well I don't think she was an actual shadow from the moon," Cadence said, "but she did bring hope and defeat the Changeling queen."

Trixie pushed Daring's hoof away from her mouth.

"Speaking of Changelings, we've got you beat. Daring, tell her what we found in the hive."

"Hive?" Twilight and Cadence both asked.

"Yes," Daring said with a nod. "We found some scrolls that said there was a crown that went along with the Alicorn Amulet, so Trixie wanted to find it so it could be locked away as well."

Trixie shifted but said nothing. The Alicorn Amulet was not something she really wished to talk about. It was just fortunate that Luna was able to talk some enough sense into the unicorn to get her to take it off.

"Anyway," Daring continued, "the clues ended up leading us to what turned out to be a changeling hive, and it was ruled by Queen Chrysalis no less."

The three other ponies watched the pegasus intently and listened to the story.

"We didn't find the crown, but we did find something far more interesting." She leaned forward and grinned. "Culture."

"Culture?" Twilight repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean by culture?"

"Well nothing too impressive," Daring Do said before adding "yet. Not any sort of sculpture or music." She lifted a hoof, "But!... they have a legend. An oral story they tell each other."

"You mean the queen tells her hive a story?" Twilight asked.

"No." Daring gave a shake of her head. "The drones have a story they tell each other about the queen." She turned to look at Cadence. "You should find this very interesting, princess, because -- in a way -- you're the hero."

"Me?" Cadence's eyes went wide.

"Well... sort of."

"How can someone 'sort of' be the hero of the story?"

Daring Do, Twilight, Trixie, and Cadence all turned to look at the white unicorn that was munching on a doughnut. The unicorn grinned, her rose tinted sunglasses reflecting the surprised faces staring at her.

"Vinyl," Twilight finally said, "when did you get here?"

"Not too long ago," Vinyl replied, "around 'culture.'" She took another bite. "By the way, Octavia's not going to be able to make it. She has to make sure the troops are ready for inspection in the morning due to a visit to Canterlot from two princesses -- one of which is a former student of Princess Celestia -- and a famous, powerful mage that is the former student of Princess Luna."

"Does she like being captain of the guard?" Cadence asked.

"Not really." Vinyl gave a shake of her head. "I mean she won't admit it, but I know my Tavi. She would rather be practicing her cello instead of combat maneuvers. But this getting off topic." She turned back to Daring Do. "I want to hear about this story the changelings have. Especially how Cadence here can be 'sort of' the hero."

"Well," Daring said as she leaned toward the others again, "It starts with the queen finding a great source of love to feed her hive and taking over a kingdom in turmoil to bring rule and order. So the hive is able to feed and prosper for a great many days.

"Then, one night, a vicious demon comes riding in on a storm. With a ferocious roar, it smashed its way into the castle, took out the queen's royal guards, destroyed the throne room, and made its way to kill the queen."

All of the other ponies at the table leaned in close, watching Daring Do as they listened to the story.

"Just before the demon could land the killing blow, a beam of pure moonlight pierced the room and a melodious voice shouted 'stop.' From that beam of light, a goddess descended. She was so beautiful that the very storm dared not touch her."

Cadence looked away, feeling her cheeks heat up as she blushed.

"And her love was so great, that every changeling in the room was instantly healed of its injuries."

"Cool," Vinyl said with a grin.

"With a single touch," Daring continued, "she calmed the demon and stayed it from slaying the noble queen. The demon then gave a warning to the changelings: they were to leave the kingdom and never return. For if they did, the demon would also return to finish what it had started, and no goddess would be able to stop the creature's wrath again."

"Wow," Twilight said before turning to Cadence. "So what you and Moon Shadow did had such an impact, that you might actually have become the first story the changelings have created."

"I bet Octavia will be glad to hear that they are afraid to come back," Vinyl said with a grin. "Having the changeling regroup and try again has been a debate since she was given her rank."

"Now that the story is over, and since you brought up Octavia," Cadence said, turning Vinyl, "When are you going to make an honest mare out of her?"

Vinyl lifted her glasses and looked at Cadence. She then slowly let her gaze slide from one pony to the other.

"Can you ponies keep a secret?" she finally asked, getting nods all around. "I already got the ring. I was actually going to propose to her the day after Shadow Night since... well... it's kind of the anniversary of when we became an official couple."

"That's wonderful," Trixie exclaimed. "I'm sure you two will be very happy together."

"As much fun as this has been," Twilight said, "I think we should get going to the castle. The princesses are probably waiting for us, and I really want to see Celestia again."

"I would like to see Luna as well," Trixie added, "Plus, we have some artifacts we need to drop off for study at the royal archives."

"But first," Vinyl said, "we should take a moment." She took a hold of one of the coffee cups and lifted it up.

"To friends that are no longer here."

"To friends!" the others agreed, raising their cups.

Meeting Comatose Cadance

Princess Luna awoke and stretched, groaning out. Nearly every part of her body hurt. It always seemed strange to her that pain seemed to get worse after sleeping than it was immediately after. Considering how much she went through keeping Discord distracted, being so stiff and sore was no surprise.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep, slow breath and slowly let it out. As she did, she used her magic, collecting it in her horn and focusing it. The aura of dark blue magic grew brighter, expanding as it encompassed her entire form. The aches and pain faded -- not gone but numbed -- and the form once again shifted to Moon Shadow.

Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she turned away. She knew it was her. It was not Nightmare Moon. She knew that. She had just used this form while facing Discord. Before that, she had even worn it for Nightmare Night to scare some foals (which was surprising to discover they actually enjoyed). Still, seeing that face, knowing what she did... she could not bare to look at it. She still hated Nightmare Moon. She hated her. She hated... herself.

As she walked through what could be called halls, she noticed a change in mood. The ponies were not necessarily happy, but the tension had lessened. It was most likely a relief at the return of their princesses.

The princesses....

That was the main reason the Princess Luna visiting from another reality now kept her alternative form. No reason to cause confusion by having two different versions of Princess Luna walking around. So she would continue to use the shape and name of Moon Shadow for the time being to keep confusion from occurring.

She stopped as she caught sight of Twilight Sparkle, then hurried to catch up with her. The purple unicorn turned to look at the black alicorn, giving a small smile.

"Hello pri..." Twilight stopped, letting out a cough. "Sorry. I mean 'Moon Shadow.' Are you sure you to use a different name and look like this?"

"I'm sure," Moon Shadow replied. "I... told more than I intended during my outburst in Ponyville. I kind of wish I had thought of it sooner. Would make things less confusing for all the ponies here.

"Speaking of sure," she looked at Twilight from the corner of her eye, "are you sure that you want me to be there when you show them..."

"Yes," Twilight answered. "I have an idea but I don't know if it will work. I would prefer to have as much power as possible to try though."

"Try?" Moon Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Try what?"

"I'll explain to everypony once we're all together."

Moon Shadow nodded, but asked no further questions on the matter. The two of them were shortly joined by Trixie before finding their way to meeting Princess Celestia and this world's Princess Luna.

"Good morning, Princess," Twilight said to Celestia then turned to Luna. "Princess."

"Good morning my student," Celestia said, moving to nuzzle Twilight. Luna looked at them, then moved to do similar with her student. Trixie tensed, raising an eyebrow in confusion at the action. Slowly, she leaned forward, pressing herself to her teacher.

"I must admit," Celestia continued, "I am curious as to why you wished to wait and let us rest before telling us of what happened to Cadance."

"Well...." Twilight shifted, looking toward Trixie a moment before turning back to the princess. "I think it would be best if I started by just showing you. I can explain it all after. If you will, please follow me."

Twilight started walking again, moving through the halls and past the ponies. She was followed by the two local princesses, the visiting one, and her fellow unicorn and student. The five of them walked quickly, stopping as they reached the door.

"Brace yourselves," Twilight said, then pushed the door opened. She stepped aside while Moon Shadow and Trixie stayed back, allowing the two princesses to enter first. The pair of rulers let out a loud, audible gasp at the sight.

"What happened to her?" Princess Celestia asked.

"We don't completely know," Twilight answered, moving to push some locks from Cadence's face. "We found her in the crystal tunnels when we were running from the changelings. Considering that Queen Chrysalis was pretending to be her, it was mostly likely weeks, or possibly even months."

"We've done all we could," Trixie continued as she stepped into the room. "We've treated her for malnutrition, dehydration, Twilight has even been looking through medical books and we've used nearly every healing spell she could find."

"Well..." Twilight shifted, "all that we have enough power for actually. None of the unicorns here are specifically talented in healing spells."

"There must be something that we can do for her," Princess Luna stated. "She is family to us."

"That is actually part of the reason I need all three of you here," Twilight said. "I think that between the five us, we can help her recover."

"Five?" Moon Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow. "You need my help as well?"

"I don't know about 'need,'" Twilight said, "but the more alicorn power we could get, the better."

"Allow me," Trixie said as she stepped beside Twilight, "before you start to get all technical and put all three of them into comas as well."

"HEY!" Twilight shouted. "I DO NOT-"

Trixie placed a hoof over Twilight's mouth, shutting it. Twilight's face turned bright red with anger, but she said nothing more.

"Twilight believes that she and you two," referring to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, "can use the love you have for Princess Cadence combined with the sheer power of you three," she motioned toward the two princesses and included Moon Shadow, "channeled through Twilight and myself, would both have the raw power and the magic of love that is Cadence's domain to help her recover and wake up."

"Well it's a little more complicated than that," Twilight said, rolling her eyes, "but I guess it's close enough for now."

"What do you need us to do?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Could you and Princess Luna stand at the head of the bed on opposite side?"

Princess Celestia went to the right, and Princess Luna went to the left. The both walked to the head of the bed and stood on each side of the comatose Cadence.

"Pri-" Twilight stopped and coughed, realizing she had almost said Princess Luna. While technically accurate, the Luna from another universe wanted neither of the other princesses to know her true identity.

"Moon Shadow," Twilight continued after correcting herself. "If you would, please stand at the foot of the bed, in the center."

The night black alicorn gave a nod and moved to stand at the foot of the bed, looking directly at the unconscious Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. She felt it again. She barely knew the Cadence of her world, but she seemed so sweet, so loving, so kind. Seeing her, even another version of her that she had never known, caused her to fill with rage. Not the burning hot rage she had felt when she had been jealous of her sister and became Nightmare Moon, trying to create eternal night. Something about it was cold, hard, like a block of black ice from coldest part of the deepest ocean. Such a feeling should have scared her.

Trixie moved to stand on the right side of the bed, equal distance between Princess Celestia and Moon Shadow. Twilight walked around the bed and stood in the same spot on the opposite side.

"Now," Twilight continued, "If you could close your eyes, summon your magic and think about how much you care about Cadence."

The three princess all closed their eyes. The horns began to glow as their energy began to build, collecting and forming. The air of the room crackled with the magic of three alicorns using their power at once.

Twilight and Trixie looked at each other, and gave a small nod before closing their eyes as well. Shortly, the lavender and magenta of their magic glowed as it joined the golden sunlight and dark night sky colored energy of the others.

A beam of energy went from Princess Celestia to Trixie, the color mingling and shifting as their power combined. A beam then shot out Trixie and to Moon Shadow, the bright magenta shifting through the colors of dusk before turning the dark of night. The beam continued on, moving from Moon Shadow to Twilight Sparkle and shifting from the dark blue to the bright raspberry used by the unicorn. From Twilight, the beam continued on to Princess Luna, turning back to the dark night color.

A golden yellow beam split off from Princess Celestia's horn and went to Cadence's. On the other side of the bed, the a dark beam of night went to Cadence, joining the sibling beam and completing the circle. With it, the energy started to change color, shifting to the pale blue used for Cadence's magic. Additional beams then shot out from Trixie, Twilight, and Moon Shadow, all moving toward Princess Cadence's horn.

The energy of the five ponies continued to flow, moving through the circuit and into the unconscious alicorn. The pale blue aura around her horn grew larger, and brighter. It began to shift and swirl, taking on the colors of the other five. A rainbow of energy shifted and danced, pulsing and changing.

The magic exploded out from Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, encompassing the room in a brilliant pink light. The five other ponies in the room were thrown back from the outburst. The three alicorns were pushed back, sliding across the floor. The two unicorns were less fortunate, being thrown back and hitting the walls.

The light of the room faded, the energy returning to Cadence. She floated a foot above the bed, her entire body encompassed in the magical aura. The energy shifted from pink back to a pale blue as the princess within levitated. Slowly she was spun, set on all fours and facing the foot of the bed.

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza opened her eyes. She blinked as she slowly started to look around.

"Wha..." She shook her head. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"It worked!" Twilight shouted as she got up. She ran and jumped up onto the bed, wrapping her front legs around her friend's neck.

"Twilight?" Cadence asked, looking down at the unicorn holding her tight and wrapping one leg around her. "What's going on? Where are we? Where is Shining Armor?"

"I am glad it worked," Moon Shadow stated as she turned and started toward the door. "I will leave you all to catch up and plan."

"Plan?" Trixie asked as she stood up. "Plan what?"

"Princess Cadence needs to rest and recover," Moon Shadow explained as she looked at them over her shoulder, "but there are still reports of heavy snow coming in from the north."

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both gasped out, their eyes going wide. This caused Moon Shadow to grin.

"I see you two understand the significance of that."

"You mean..." Princess Luna started.

"Sombra..." Princess Celestia whispered.

"Correct," Moon Shadow responded. "The Crystal Empire, and King Sombra have returned. When she has recovered, Princess Cadenza will need to go there to face the King and take her rightful place." She looked away and continued toward the door.

"What about you?" Twilight asked. "What are you going to do?"

Moon Shadow stopped. She did not turn around to face the others, but she did not keep walking. Her eyes narrowed and ears twitched. She bared her teeth, snarling.

"Me?" she responded, her voice seeming to make the room grow colder. "I am going to squash some bugs that have been infesting the city for far too long."

With that, she stepped out of the room. The other five ponies watched her go, but none of them moved to go after her.

Time is up

Princess Luna, the Princess Luna from another reality, shifted in her bed. A massive groan of pain escaped her as she did.

It felt like every part of her hurt.

It really should have been no surprise to her. Considering the battle the night before, and how much magic she used, it made sense that she was stiff and sore. Add to that the fight with Discord and all the pain that had included. It had been a very long week for her.

A week. Luna's eyes shot open and went wide as she got up, sending a burst of fresh pain through her body. Had it been a week already? Maybe she had miscounted.

After using her power to once again numb the worst of the pain and disguise herself as Moon Shadow, she got up and hurried out of her room. She needed to find out and make sure. She had to be wrong. There was still too much to do. She ran through the tunnels, hoping she was wrong and that she could find.

"Octavia!"

The grey earth pony stopped at the sound of her name. She turned and gave a small smile at the sight of the black alicorn quickly approaching.

"Good Morning, Moon Shadow," she said. Her face wrinkled as she noticed the anxiety on her friend's feature. "Is something wrong?"

"Octavia, you and Pipsqueak were the first ponies I met. Do you recall how long ago it was?"

Octavia stared at Moon Shadow a moment, blinking in confusion. The earth pony shifted, bringing a hoof to her chin as she thought about it.

"Unless I'm mistaken," she finally responded, "It's been one week today."

Moon Shadow let out a sigh, her head dropping as she looked at the floor.

"That was what I thought. Thank you, Octavia." With that, she turned and started to walk back down the hall.

"What is the matter?" Octavia asked as she moved to walk beside the depressed alicorn.

"If the... " Moon Shadow paused, thinking a second before saying "being... that sent me here is good at their word, then some time today, I shall return to my world."

"Yet you do not seem happy about it." Octavia stopped and placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "Why don't we get some tea and talk about this." Moon Shadow gave a nod and the two of them headed toward the cafeteria.

The room was dark as the two entered. As soon as they stepped in, there was a click as the lights came on.

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie shouted, throwing confetti at the pair. Both Moon Shadow and Octavia looked at the pink pony who stood there grinning before looking around.

A large banner saying with "We'll Miss You" written on it was spread out against the far wall. Below was a table filled with cakes, cookies, and punch. Not only was Pinkie there, but Trixie, Lightning Dust, and Daring Do. Vinyl Scratch was also there, standing off to one side from the others with her music sound system set up.

"What is going on?" Octavia asked.

"We're having a surprise going away party for other universe Princess Luna, you silly filly," Pinkie Pie said, ruffling Octavia's mane with one hoof.

Octavia glared at Pinkie Pie before taking a deep breath. She straightened up, ran a hoof through her mane to get it back in place, and adjusted her bow tie.

"Out of curiosity," the grey pony said in soft tone, "may I ask as to why I was not informed about this?"

"Because," Pinkie replied, "if I had told you then you would have been here instead of there and we needed you there so you could bring her here instead of there." She rolled her eyes. "I mean duh. Isn't it obvious?"

Octavia opened her mouth, closed it, opened it and closed it again. Her left eyebrow raised up as her right eye twitched.

"But... I... you... we..." she stopped and shook her head. "How could you possibly know we were going to come in here?"

"Now let's get this party started," Pinkie Pie shouted. Turning, she pointed at Vinyl Scratch. "HIT IT!"

With that, Vinyl hit some buttons and flipped some switches. Lights flashed and danced as the bass speakers pulsated with the heavy beat as the music filled the room.

"But... but she didn't answer me!" Octavia squeaked, eyes going wide.

"Do you think you would get a suitable answer?" Moon Shadow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"But... she.... I... how..." Octavia sighed and shook her head. "No. No I suppose not."

An idea suddenly struck Moon Shadow. She narrowed her eyes at the grey mare, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Why don't you go get something to drink?" she asked. "I want to go see about making a request."

Octavia gave a nod and headed for the refreshments table. Moon Shadow watched her go before heading over to the DJ booth. Her grin grew wider as she got closer. An aura of magic began to build up and glow around her horn.

Octavia poured herself a cup of punch and took a sip. As she stood there, her eyes scanned the treats that had been made. That was another mystery of Pinkie Pie that no pony could ever figure out: how was she always able to get the stuff needed to make all these things? Still, it was nice that there was always something delicious to eat, and they always had tea.

"HEY!" Vinyl shouted. "What's the big idea?! What are you doing? PUT ME DOWN!"

Before Octavia could turn around to see what was happening, she was grabbed by Moon Shadow's magic as well. She found herself being picked up and floated away from the table. The surprise had caused her to let go of her cup. As she floated, she watched as the drink was set back down without spilling any.

Octavia found herself being set down on a spot that looked like was meant to be used for a dance floor, facing Vinyl Scratch. The music that was playing suddenly stopped. After a moment, the music for a slow dance began to play. As the song reached her ears, Octavia looked at Vinyl. She could feel her face heating up, but could not stop herself from smiling.

"I... believe we are expected to dance," she said. She reached out one hoof. "Shall we?"

"Heh." Vinyl grinned as she moved closer. "You know, I thought you would never ask."

The two of them moved to the center of the floor and pressed close to each other. The pair began to dance, moving gently to the rhythm of the music. They moved as one, swaying back and forth as their hooves moved in time to the song. The other ponies stood off from the floor, watching the two. Moon Shadow put several songs on to play after the current, then went to join the others.

"Why did you do that?" Trixie asked as she watched the pair. "I mean this is supposed to be your party, so why go out of your way to let them dance together?"

"Because they deserve it," Moon Shadow replied. She looked from the pair to Trixie. "You all deserve to be happy. Especially after all you have been through. They were just the easiest to make it happen for."

"Oh..." Trixie looked away, studying the room and the other ponies. "So... you're really leaving?"

"Pinkie seems to believe so. I had known my time was limited, but I didn't think it would go by so quickly."

Trixie dropped her cup of punch and pressed against Moon Shadow, hugging her.

"Trixie?"

"I'm sorry," she said as she pulled away. "I never thanked you. You were able to bring back Princess Luna."

"She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Some times it seemed like it she was the only one who believed in me."

"Trixie?" Moon Shadow asked gently. "Have you ever told her that."

The question made Trixie tense. She turned to look up at the black alicorn. After a few seconds, she finally gave a slow shake of her head.

"Perhaps you should. If she is anything like me, than she has a bit of trouble expressing her feelings."

Before Trixie could respond, Lightning Dust and Daring Do approached the pair.

"It kind of sucks that you're leaving," Lightning Dust said as she moved to join them.

"Considering that Princess Cadence is supposed to lead a group of ponies to a place called The Crystal Empire," Daring Do added, "your aggressive fighting skills would be useful."

"I'm sure you will do better now," Moon Shadow said with a grin, "seeing as you'll have The Elements of Harmony as well as ponies that have some idea on how to plan battle strategies."

"Yeah," Lightning Dust replied with a chuckle. "You do seem to favor the 'head in without thinking and hope for the best' method."

Moon Shadow opened her mouth to retaliate-

-and vanished.