The Worst Nightmare Of My Life

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Prologue

One by one, necklaces formed around the necks of Twilight’s first true friends, each one symbolizing an aspect that best defined them. Nightmare Moon looked on in shock at the small group of six ponies; the only ones that had dared defy her, stunned that mere mortals could thwart her plans when even Celestia herself had fallen before her might.

Time appeared to slow down as Nightmare Moon watched the final element, the missing element, come into being, cementing her loss. Words fell on deaf ears as she attempted to weigh her options. There was no time for her to jump to the realm of dreams; even then her physical body would remain behind. At the sight of that hated beam of harmonizing magic, she let out her breath and steeled herself for the inevitable.

Meanwhile

Sister Loraine walked into the main chapel, intent on completing the last task in preparation for tomorrow’s mass. She carefully walked through the aisles, straightening out any bibles that were out of place, carefully spacing them for their congregation who took the time out of their lives once a week to come and spend an hour or two in this sanctuary.

As she neared the back half of the chapel, still going about her task, a flash of light illuminated the sparsely lit interior, temporarily giving clarity to all of the stained glass windows depicting various scenes from the Bible. Loraine looked up as the deep, bass rumble following the flash occurred nearly instantly, the vibrations faintly running through her feet.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the chapel once more, followed by another deep rumble of thunder, nearly deafening from its close proximity. Loraine quickly closed her eyes and made a cross as she said a brief word to God before resuming her task.

The patter of heavy rain reached her ears through the thick oaken doors as she finished with the last row of pews. She paused a moment and simply stood in the middle of the aisle, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh of content. A series of heavy knocks thudded against the double doors leading outside, drawing her attention as she opened her eyes.

A quick glance at the clock kept near the door showed the time to be nearing nine o’clock at night, way past the time that the church normally received any visitors. As she opened one of the heavy doors, the sounds of the storm intensified, the wind howling as the lightning continued its deadly dance across the sky, illuminating the towering black clouds swirling above.

Loraine looked around, noticing nothing until her sight fell lower. Resting on the already wet covered steps was a small basket, with a babe wrapped in blankets within. Grabbing the basket briskly, she continued to scan the horizon, looking for the one responsible for dropping the child off at their door. Focusing intently on the horizon, the flashes of lightning illuminated the distant treeline, revealing no signs of life.

After a few more seconds of looking, Loraine simply shook her head and closed the door, locking it before turning her attention to the baby in her arms. “Poor child, your mother must be in dire straits to abandon you so. We will do our best to make you feel welcome though.”

Loraine quickly walked through the chapel to the hallway leading to the offices and orphanage. Noticing that the light was still on in a specific office, she gently rapped her knuckles on the frame before stepping in.

“Father Bishop, I’m afraid another wayward soul has entrusted their young to us.” She quietly spoke, walking to his desk and gently setting the basket and infant within down on it. “I looked around, but was unable to see who it was… poor child.”

Father Bishop set his pencil down and turned his attention to the babe. “Thank you, Sister Loraine. Whoever they were, they have entrusted us with the care of their young one, and we will not fail them.” He gently picked the child up, amazed at just how quiet she was in his arms. “What have we here?”

With Bishop’s arms now full, Loraine retrieved a sealed letter that had been tucked underneath the kid. She turned it around in her hands, but there was no writing to be found on the envelope itself. With a nod from Father Bishop, she opened the envelope and pulled out a carefully folded piece of paper. Unfolding it, her eyes took in the single sentence written.

“May you give her what I was unable to,” Loraine read it aloud for Father Bishop’s sake. Setting it down on the table, she focused on the small child in his hands. “That’s all it says…” she trailed off, finding herself thoroughly entranced with the baby’s eyes as they finally opened. “Her eyes are so beautiful, such a light blue… teal, perhaps?”

“Indeed they are, Sister Loraine, indeed they are…” He smiled as the baby tried to grip one of his fingers, the entire time remaining silent. “So calm for one who came to us during such a storm, aren’t you?” he playfully asked the babe before turning his focus towards Loraine. “If you could, please go and see if Sister Leticia needs any help, and then get a crib set up for the little one? I can take care of her until you’re done; I was just wrapping up our finances here.”

“Yes, Father, I’ll come find you once we’re done.” She gave one last smile at the child before leaving the room, slightly closing the door behind her. Father Bishop let out a small chuckle as the baby latched onto his finger with her other hand.

“Such a curious one, aren't you…” he quietly spoke, using his free hand to pull out a blank piece of paper and pen. “Now, we need to call the county Monday morning to let them know all about you, but we need a name for you first, don’t we?” Bishop talked to her, his voice filled with warmth as he picked up the pen.

“Hmm, a storm… you came to us in the middle of a ‘tempestas’ as they would call it in Latin.” He paused in his speech, tapping the pen on the paper while thinking for a few moments. “It isn’t your everyday name, but you aren’t an everyday child, now are you?” He chuckled as she let out a few baby noises, as if she were agreeing with him.

“I believe Tempest would be a fitting name for you, little one. I’m quite certain given your apparent bravery right now; you’ll be capable of causing quite the storm on your own, given time.” Bishop let the pen drop from his hand, bringing it to his other to better support her as he gently began rocking her. She let out small coos of delight, waving her hands in front of her as he quietly chuckled at her antics. “Looks like you approve, huh?

“Tempest it is.”

The automatic doors hissed as they opened, a couple walking across the threshold of the adoption agency. They stood there, gazing around the expansive greeting area until the receptionist greeted them. “Hello and welcome to Reynard’s Adoption Agency, where our goal is to unite you with the child of your dreams!” she cheerily spoke, a wide smile spread across her face. “How may I help you today, Mister and Missus…”

“Jones. This is my wife, Amanda, and I’m Don. We have an appointment with Mister Reynard for ten o’clock,” he replied as he walked to the counter, glancing at the clock on the wall above the receptionist. The minute hand rolled over to nine forty-five as they stopped in front of the desk.

Reaching down to grab the phone, she never took her focus off Amanda and Don. “Thank you, if you would just give me a moment, I believe he might be ready to accept you both now.” They quietly stood there, leaning on the counter as the receptionist quietly talked on the phone. After less than a minute, she hung up and beamed another smile at them. “Mister Reynard will be out in just a moment.”

True to her word, moments later a man walked through the door, a large smile on his face as well as he walked up to Don with his hand outstretched. “Mister and Missus Jones, how nice to see you again.” They quickly exchanged handshakes before he quickly got down to business. “So, I take it that your mind is made up?”

“Yes,” Amanda began, a glint of determination in her eyes. “Ever since we found out that I was unable to conceive, this has been our dream. This little girl needs a home, and I believe that we can be the ones to give her everything she needs, and then more.” She clutched Don’s arm, leaning into his side as she sadly smiled.

Chuckling, Don nodded. “She’s summed it up pretty well. We both want a child, and this is the only avenue we have available.” He brought his free hand over to hold his wife’s, glancing in her direction for a moment.

“I’m very glad to hear that. You might be surprised at the amount of couples who come in here only to have cold feet at the last minute.” Reynard shook his head and sighed. “Please, follow me to the office, I have all of the paperwork prepared, all that’s needed is our fee and your signatures, and you’ll be the parents of Tempest Jones.”

They left the reception room, walking through a small corridor. “Mister Reynard, my husband and I discussed it, and we wanted to know what would be required to change her first name,” Amanda began, turning into his office. “While there’s nothing really wrong with Tempest, it’s better suited to be her middle name.”

“Actually, since she is only six months old, it is relatively easy to change. Even moreso since the priest who named her did not give her another name.” Reynard chuckled as he sat down and pulled out a stack of papers. “He really loves his Latin. Father Bishop is relatively well known among the privates agencies such as mine. Sweet man, but we get all sorts of esoteric names… What did you have in mind?”

Don took the picture off the top of the stack of papers, showing it to Amanda as their faces positively glowed. “Her grandmother’s name was Jeanne,” he paused, as if to roll the name on his tongue.

“Jeanne Tempest Jones.”

The crisp sounds of the school bell ringing heralded the start of a much anticipated weekend. Students rushed out of every open door, seeking the quickest possible path to their car or bus. One student, however, felt no need to hurry as she finished clearing her desk and then glanced around the room one last time before leaving the classroom. She let her feet take her down the frequently traveled halls, her destination just one of the many exits from the annoyance frequently referred to as high-school.

As she stepped outside, the sun’s harsh afternoon rays revealed the faintest hint of dark blue in her otherwise black hair. She was forced to raise a hand to cover her teal eyes lest she be momentarily blinded by the light. Glancing around, she spotted her friends standing off to the side, their green eyes, reddish hair, and their nearly identical features making them impossible to miss.

“Hey, Jeanne, we’re over here!” the brother called out to her as their eyes met. Tempest devilishly grinned as she stalked up to him, dropping her bag on the ground as she wrapped one arm around his neck and lovingly delivered a punch to his kidney.

“Seriously, Brian, you know how much I hate that name. You know damn well to call me Tempest by now.” She rolled her eyes as he straightened up and smirked at her. “I swear, sometimes I think you do it on purpose, you masochist.” Tempest turned towards her other friend, a smile on her face. “Sup, Bri? I'd hang out with you two tonight, but the parents already made plans." She temporarily screwed up her face in annoyance. "I am getting a good dinner out of it though, so I guess it's not that bad. Think the rest of the weekend is free, though."

Brianna shrugged her shoulders, nodding towards her brother. “It works for me, I’ve got to help dumbass here pass Chemistry, so one of the days were already shot." She rolled her eyes, a glint of humor in them. "Plus I doubt you’d want to help him muddle through that crap again, for more than one reason...” she trailed off, smirking.

“Hey now, I resent that!” he objected, causing them both to glare at him. “What, so I somehow burned a desk to cinders once... It was just one time, and that was two years ago!” Brian whined, causing the glares to twist into laughter at his expense. He rolled his eyes, muttering underneath his breath, “I’d expect it from my sister, but you Tempest? Ouch…”

Tempest finished laughing before wrapping both of her arms around Brian, quieting him with a chaste kiss to his mouth. “Shut up, you,” she murmured, pulling back. “You know damn well that Chemistry is your weak spot, and anytime I try to come over and help you with it you can never focus." She smiled while accentuating her words with a hard poke to his chest with her pointer finger.

“Gee, I can’t imagine whatever might distract him from studying when it's with you, Tempy.” Brianna chuckled and punched her brother’s shoulder. “He’s too much of a pervert; I’m surprised you’re still putting up with him after all this time.”

Brian brought both his hand over his heart, mimicking being shot and briefly collapsed in Tempest’s arms. She laughed and let him hit the ground, bending down to pick her backpack up. “It can be a bit endearing at times, really. Maybe I just like you two too much, who knows?" Tempest grinned, backpack in one hand while she briefly threw her arm over Brianna's shoulder. "Or I just like having a willing punching bag,” she chucked as Brian hopped back to his feet. “Now come on, let’s go. Parents probably have an early reservation tonight; I don’t want to be late for my own birthday dinner.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault she looks good no matter what she’s wearing!” Brain exclaimed, letting out an oomph as Tempest’s fist connected with his side once more. He shrugged it off and grabbed her hand in his, pulling her close. “Hey now, that was meant as a compliment!”

They laughed, finally leaving the school’s grounds. Tempest pulled out her lighter as Brian and Brianna began to argue over something trivial. Repeatedly flipping the cap open and closed, Tempest’s thoughts wandered, her eighteenth birthday bringing older memories to the surface. The strongest one of all was when Brian and Brianna had first moved in next door. Tempest had been angry with her parents, the truth that she was adopted had been suddenly dropped on her, and she had been looking for an escape. The twins next door had seen her climbing out the second-story window and wrapped her up in their shenanigans exploring their new neighborhood. The fact that they had pranked half the residents had also gone a long way in binding them together in a solid friendship. The thought of what they had done to the grumpy old man four houses down caused her to snicker, pulling the twin’s attention.

“What’s so funny, Tempest?” Brian asked, his voice jolting her back to the present. She realized that the lighter was in her hand and she had been staring into the orange flickering flame. Closing the lid, she turned back to flipping the cap again as she turned towards Brian to answer him.

“Oh, just thinking of our first run around the neighborhood,” she mentioned offhand, a smirk on her face. “I still can’t look at pogo sticks the same… where did we even find that one, anyways?” All three of them broke into laughter as they neared the end of their walk through the quiet residential neighborhood.

“I think we borrowed it from that one kid, what was his name again? Bill, Billy, Willy? One of those, it really doesn’t matter anymore, though,” Brianna chimed in, a wide grin on her face. “Remember the look on his face afterwards? I don’t know if he was more stunned at the fact we somehow got onto his roof, or that we did it with a pogo stick.”

Tempest sighed and pocketed her lighter as they all stopped in her driveway. “Well, make sure idiot here gets all of his Chemistry taken care of, I’d hate to have to leave him here and just have a girl’s night out with you, Bri.” Tempest grinned, kissing Brian before he could voice any protest. “And don’t let me catch you knocking at my door tonight, either. I don’t want to cut the weekend short because you didn’t finish your homework, or were in the hospital.” She cracked her knuckles jokingly, shooting him a knowing look.

Brian rolled his eyes, the grin on his face betraying his true thoughts. “Fine, I’ll get it done tonight. Besides, it’s not like I’d miss your birthday over something as lame as Chemistry. Have a good evening with your parents, Tempest, and happy birthday.” He hugged her and gave her a quick kiss before turning towards the house next door. “Brianna, I’ll be in my room once you finish whatever ‘girl talk’ you two wanna make.”

Chuckling, they watched him disappear inside and then turned towards each other. “Well, should we just wait out here and make him think we’re discussing something diabolical?” Brianna quipped, smiling as she glanced towards her brother’s bedroom window. “We wouldn’t even need to come up with anything, just make him think we were.”

Tempest laughed, shaking her head. “Nah, I’m actually looking forward to dinner, just don't tell my parents that. They booked a table at that new Italian place that’s supposed to be amazing.” She nodded towards the window where Brian was peeking at them between the blinds. “Keep him in line for me, ’kay? I’ll see the two of you tomorrow morning.” Tempest pulled Brianna into a quick hug before watching her dart off to torment her brother with the subject of Chemistry.

Walking inside, Tempest kicked off her shoes by the front door, yelling to the seemingly empty house. “Mom, Dad, I’m home!” No one replied as she began climbing the stairs to her room. They must be out back I guess. I’ll go find them after I change. Tempest dumped her bag on the floor as she walked straight for her closet, pulling out clothes that she had set aside yesterday. It was just a simple blouse and shirt, but anything was better than the school uniform that was required.

In no time at all Tempest had finished changing, ending it by quickly tying her shoulder length hair into a ponytail. Closing the door behind her, she went downstairs and headed for the dining room, which led to the back patio. Her parents appeared to be discussing something, and had a few small wrapped packages resting on top of the small outdoor table.

Opening the door pulled their attention to her. “Happy Birthday, Jeanne!” both of them exclaimed at the same time, encasing her in a hug moments after she managed to step outside and close the door. Tempest wrapped her arms around her parents, returning their embrace.

After a few moments, they broke apart, a wide grin on Tempest’s face. “Thanks. I’m so glad that school is finally almost over now." Tempest sighed, blowing some of her bangs off of her face. "I mean, talk about boring, and I don’t know how many more English classes I can sit through. We’ve heard more about Mrs. Winnow's kid than classwork. Never thought I’d ever say that I have more interest in dead people who wrote boring crap, but she seriously makes me consider it,” she stated, screwing her face up in disgust. Tempest raised her voice a few octaves before mockingly speaking. "Oh my, little Stewart took his first steps today! He spoke today again, he said mommy!" Tempest scowled, her face screwed up in disgust.

Her mother laughed while her father shot Tempest a knowing look. “Jeanne, dear, you’ll find that to be true of most women. Never had to deal with it myself, but all of your aunts were like that with each and every one of your cousins,” he stated, a grin forming on his face. “Ten bucks says you’ll find yourself doing the same thing in five or ten years.”

“Dad!” Tempest exclaimed, embarrassed as she slugged her dad in the shoulder. “That’s just… I don’t even want to think about that, come on!” Her mother chuckled while her father continued grinning.

“What? I’ve seen how Brian looks at you…” He deftly dodged another punched tossed his way as he pulled one of the wrapped packages from the table. “Speaking of, this might help ensure that I don’t have to kill the kid anytime soon… I kind of like him.” Once Tempest took the gift from him, he walked out of her reach.

Quickly ripping the paper apart, Tempest’s face froze in embarrassment. Slowly, she looked up, fixing her gaze on her parents, both of which began laughing. “God, why do you hate me?” she uttered while looking up and then walked over to the table, dropping the box of birth control pills onto its surface.

Her mother rested a hand on her shoulder, wryly smiling. “Dear, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s perfectly natural for a young woman to want to… scratch that itch.” Tempest gave up and buried her head in the palms of her hand. Her mother laughed and pulled her close. “Now that we’ve gotten the embarrassing gift out of the way, how about we take a look at the good one? And no, it’s not a car.”

They all shared a brief chuckle, walking to the uncovered portion of the patio. Tempest’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in the sight of a large telescope propped up on a tripod, a red bow on its capped lens. “It took us awhile to decide what to get you, but you’ve been showing a lot of interest in astronomy, and that telescope we had is pretty old, so…”

Tempest nearly knocked her dad over as she hugged him around the neck, thrilled with the gift. She had recently taken a large interest in astronomy; there was something in the stars that seemed to call out to her. However, the only telescope around the house had been her parent’s old one from their college days, which was old as dirt, in Tempest’s eyes.

“Like it? I love it! Thanks a lot!” Tempest hugged her mom, bringing them both to the ground in the grass as her dad laughed at the situation. He helped them to their feet, brushing some of the grass off their clothes.

“We thought you’d love it, Jeanne.” He quickly glanced at the watch on his wrist. “We can save the rest of the gifts for later. If we don’t hurry up, we’ll be late for dinner. You two go on ahead and do whatever it is you women do to get ready,” he quipped, grinning at both of them.

Tempest looked down at her freshly grass-stained blouse and slowly grinned, shrugging her shoulders. “Sounds like a plan, shouldn’t be too long though. Maybe a few minutes?” she replied over her shoulder as she ran inside to get ready for dinner.

The next few hours flew by in a blink for Tempest, the events seemingly blurring together as she enjoyed every moment of her birthday time with the parents. Sadly, like time is always determined to do, the day came to an end much too quickly. Tempest lay on her back in bed, the bedside lamp the only constant illumination in the room. A dull, orange glow flickered in and out of existence periodically as she subconsciously fiddled with her lighter in one hand as she gazed up.

Her eyes darted across the painted ceiling. When she developed a desire to understand the stars, Tempest had put her limited art skills to use on her ceiling. She had taken a star chart from an observatory somewhere in the Southwestern United States and attempted to paint the ceiling using it. While it had ended up far from accurate, the major constellations were still somewhat right, and it was these that Tempest looked at.

It seemed like minutes, but when she checked the clock, the clock’s faint green numbers showed her that nearly an hour had flown by. A long yawn ripped itself from her throat, her eyelids growing heavy with fatigue. Tempest rolled over and set the lighter down on the nightstand and then turned off the light. Closing her eyes, she let her mind meander slowly into unconsciousness.

Dreams are an odd thing. Some believe them to be the mind’s subconscious thoughts given form during rest as the brain attempt to deals with issues in one’s life. Their occurrence cannot be predicted, and oftentimes the events dreamed about dissipate from the mind as soon as consciousness returns. They are a fleeting, odd event. On rare occasion, the dreamer is able to realize that they are dreaming, and thus obtain full control of the dream. This phenomenon is known as lucid dreaming, and very few people are capable of doing so.

Tempest found herself amidst one such dream, her mental construct surrounded by a field of solid black. Direction was given definition as a field developed below, the sky above filling with stars. In the constructed night sky, constellations never before seen in the natural sky formed, shapes of animals, real or otherwise.

She was content to lie in the grass within her mind, the stars above rotating as new images rose over the horizon, replacing those that dropped from sight. Her imagination was the only limiting factor, and it was vast. Time had no meaning here, and she could spend as long as she wanted gazing at the wonder that was space.

When she grew bored of gazing upon the stars, Tempest decided to go among them instead. Now surrounded by the inky void of space, various marvels of modern astronomy began to pass around her. A red dwarf lingered in her gaze, replaced with a blue giant moments later. Feeling somewhat destructive, a black hole came in close behind the star, which made it visible even as the star began to be pulled apart by the intense gravity.

Singular objects became entire galaxies after an indeterminate amount of time. A spiral galaxy, much like the images of the Milky Way she had seen on the internet took the center of her focus, lazily spinning around. Another spiral galaxy formed, this one in an opposite spin just next to the first. She slowly brought them closer together, watching the outer fringes of each collide.

Galaxies that would normally be impossible were next. Tempest remembered her recent visit to the zoo, and thoughts translated directly to images as swirling masses began to form in the shapes of various animals. Lions, tigers, bears; every animal that she had seen paraded around in the sky in a giant menagerie.

Suddenly, the entire dreamscape rippled, banishing everything and returning the dream back to its original solid black canvas. Tempest mentally frowned, as even her construct was gone. She attempted to reform it, but another ripple emanated from seemingly everywhere and nowhere at once. She thought that she might be waking up, but her limited past experience with lucid dreams pointed towards it being something else, something unknown.

The timing between the pulses decreased, each one coming quicker and quicker, sending Tempest into a panic. She attempted to wake herself up, but found that she was effectively locked within her own mind by something unknown. The origin of the pulses was finally revealed as a white dot loomed in the distance, rapidly growing in size.

There was a brief lull in the pulses, leaving Tempest utterly confused at her current situation. Before she could give any more thought to the matter at hand, the white object exploded, and she thought no more.

"Shh, be quiet! We don't want to wake anyone up!" Brianna harshly whispered at Brian, elbowing him in the side. They were on the ground, having just left their house via a second story window in order to surprise Tempest with some gifts. The items in question were a box wrapped in newspaper and a bottle of liquor tucked underneath Brian's arm.

"Ow!" Brian muttered, shooting his sister a glare as they moved the ladder in place to access the window into Tempest's room. This was not the first time that they had snuck into her house, so both were well aware that the window was never locked. "There was no need to hit me, witch."

Brianna stuck her tongue out at her sibling once the ladder was in place. "Get over it and be quiet already," she quipped, thoroughly aware that she had been the first one to talk as she inwardly laughed at Brian's mouth opening and then closing in rapid succession. They climbed up to the window, easily opening it after moving the screen out of the way.

Two pairs of feet hit the carpeted floor of Tempest's bedroom, what little noise made absorbed by the thick material. They both noticed her tossing and turning on her bed as they walked to the foot of her bed, causing them both to frown slightly. They stopped at the foot of her bed, sides nearly touching as Brian motioned to the left with his hand and a nod of his head. Brianna gave him a thumbs up in reply.

Before they could take a step and enact the their plan, a bright light flooded the room. As it receded, no one was left within.

Chapter 1

Atop a remote hill on the far outskirts of Ponyville, several theories humans held on the transportation of matter across dimensions violently died as a spatial tear rent the air. In a nearby tree a bird perched on a branch noticed the odd distortion in the air, and became curious. Cautiously, it flew down to the ground, hopping inches at a time as it cocked its head and examined the odd phenomenon.

The bird stopped its approach a foot away from the oddly pulsating sphere that rested inches off the ground. Noting that it did not appear to be threatening in any manner, the bird decided to fly towards it to get a better view. Moments later it squawked in indignation as it found itself flying towards the exact spot it had leapt from. Slightly dazed from hitting the ground, the bird shook its head before hopping to its feet and angrily glaring at the sphere. Deciding that it was a pointless endeavor, the bird returned back to its perch in the nearby tree, shooting off one last squawk of anger at it.

Already forgotten by the bird, the sphere began to slowly expand before violently imploding moments later, completely disappearing. Left behind in its wake was an unconscious figure laying on its side in the grass. The afternoon sun’s rays pierced the eyelids of the individual, waking them from their slumber.

“What the… what a weird dream,” Tempest mumbled, her body feeling unusually heavy. Squinting due to the bright light, she slowly opened her eyes. “Uugh, this reminds me of that one time—” she stopped as her eyes bulged at the sight before her. The fact that her field of vision had widely expanded or that a blue starfield fluttered at the edge of her vision completely escaped her notice as she took in the scenic view before her.

Tempest tightly closed her eyes, her breathing rapidly quickening as she muttered rapidly under her breath. “This is just another dream, gotta change it, just a dream.” Envisioning the recreational park in her mind that she and the twins often frequented, she forced it in place and slowly opened her eyes. “Shit.” Tempest looked up to the sky, noticing that she did not have to squint as she looked at the sun high above. Briefly, she considered trying to make it night, but after a moment of nothing occurring came to a frightening revelation.

“Earth to Tempest, you’re not in Kansas anymore…” Fighting her desire to freak out, Tempest began to assess the situation, knowing that panicking would serve no purpose. She was somewhere else, and a quick turn of her head brought out a few more facts, each and every one quite startling. From the vantage the hilltop afforded her, she noticed an expansive forest off to her right, stretching further than her eyes could see. In the distance a small rural town sprawled across a relatively flat plain, large orchards and farms on its outskirts. Even farther away behind the small town was a large mountain, the sunlight occasionally reflecting off of something near its peak.

Of more concern to Tempest after her initial survey was the fact her vision was wide, much too wide for what it should have been. The dark blue object that remained in the bottom center of her vision and the fluttering starfield were also somewhat alarming as Tempest attempted to stand up. She promptly fell down as her body refused to cooperate, causing her to wrench her head down and look at herself. “I’m… a freakin’ horse?!”

In lieu of her hands, two legs greeted her vision, covered in a coat of fine, black hair. At the tips of the appendages hard hooves had replaced her hands, also black. She slowly lifted one of the limbs, noting how it bent at odd angles in comparison to the way her arm had.

Her breathing began to accelerate as she lay there on the ground, panic rapidly eating away at what little rationality remained in her mind. Her hooves scrambled to where her lighter would have been, had she still had pockets, or clothes for that matter. She needed a flame, or any source of fire, as her heart rate joined her breathing, pushing her closer to the brink of losing it. Being somewhat of a pyromaniac, anytime she had previously found herself in need of clearing her mind, fire was always the key.

The distinct lack of her lighter only served to send her closer to a panic as she screwed her eyes shut and desperately wished for a flame of any size, shape or heat to focus on. A warmth different than that of the sun’s rays drew her attention as she slowly opened her eyes. Hovering in the air in front of her was a small swirling ball of teal fire, complete with occasional sparks of the same color. She barely noticed the same color glow coming from the top center of her vision.

Tempest’s eyes locked onto the swirling mass, her breathing beginning to slow as her sight looked at, into, and through the fire all at once. A feeling of complete calm entered her mind, all other thoughts fleeing at once. Her heart rate slowed alongside her breathing, and she lost herself within the fire.

Some time later, her focus slowly returned, the fire sputtering as it died out as the glow from the top of her vision disappeared. Shaking her head lightly, Tempest felt ready to deal with her situation, starting with something simple. Carefully, she raised a hoof once more and firmly placed it in the grass before putting some of her weight on it. Satisfied that it would hold, she turned her attention towards the other hoof, repeating the same motions with it. Both forehooves now firmly planted on the ground, she glanced back at the heavy weights she now knew to be her back hooves.

She attempted to stand on all fours, but failed miserably as she pushed with her back hooves too hard. Tumbling forward, she felt an odd tug on her head as she landed belly up in the grass, her vision momentarily shrouded in what appeared to be a starfield. Tempest found herself in an awkward situation as something kept her head pinned to the ground. After struggling for nearly a minute, she finally managed to pull her head free from the unknown object, sending clods of dirt and bits of grass flying as she jerked it forward, the weird, blue starfield still in her vision.

A dull throb filled her head as Tempest’s vision cleared, revealing the two black wings widely spread at her sides. Now that it had been brought to her focus, she realized that she could actually feel individual blades of grass tickling at them, the sensitive nerves contained within the wings constantly sending her brain signals. Struggling, she managed to get her wings closed and hooves underneath herself. Using a little less power this time, she managed to stand.

“This is weird,” Tempest muttered as she carefully took her first steps as a pony. She noticed a small pond less than a hundred feet away and an idea came to her mind. The water looks clear enough from here, maybe I can get a better idea of what the hell I’m supposed to be, since horses don’t have wings… Wait, horses with wings equals a pegasus, I think. Either way, what a damn pain…

Cautiously, Tempest put one hoof forward, attempting to walk towards the pond. As she closed the distance between herself and the pool of water, each step became more confident than the last one. By the time she reached her destination, she felt somewhat comfortable with her new form of locomotion. She stopped at the edge of the water and gazed down into its clear, partially reflective surface.

Tempest carefully reached up and poked the bony-looking black protrusion that originated from her forehead. She could feel a spiralling groove pattern through her hoof, and recognition struck her. It’s a bloody horn… So, I’m a freak horse with wings and a horn? A pegasus with a horn? Either way, I’m definitely a freak, just look at my eyes…

Peering into the water, it became painfully obvious why she thought so. They were large, much too large for her head. A small, spherical pupil rested within the vast ocean of teal that dominated them, with a little amount of white around the edges. Tempest was reminded of a stuffed animal, they just did not belong.

“So you’re in a new land, Tempest. One in which you’re a freak horse thingy with an astronomer’s wet dream for your hair and new tail. On top of that, you have wings and a horn on your damn head, and are completely black.” Tempest turned around and looked back at herself, noticing the purple splotch near her rear that also contained a crescent moon within it. Sighing, she continued to talk to herself as she turned away from the water. “Well, you’re almost completely black, like some clichéd villain. Then, you also have a tramp stamp on your ass in the shape of a crescent moon. Plus, there’s also— stupid hair, stars, whatever the hell you are!” Tempest uttered, spitting out some of her mane that had ended up in her muzzle.

Looking once more towards the small town in the distance, Tempest decided that her best bet lay there. For whatever reason she had found herself in presumably an entirely different world, and the only way she would find anything out would be by finding another to talk to. The thought of using her new wings briefly came to mind before immediately being shot down as images of falling formed in her mind. Shuddering slightly, she set off towards the distant town, one hoof in front of the other.

In the small town of Ponyville, its inhabitants were gearing up for its favorite festival of the year. Not a house was spared during the decorating spree that had occurred in the past few days, and the giant statue of Nightmare Moon had been put in its customary place in the square. Games were being set up over at Sweet Apple Acres, and every sign pointed towards the beginning of another wonderful Nightmare Night.

However, the sun had to finish its journey first before the festival could officially begin. It still lingered above the horizon, declaring that there was still another hour before the festivities could begin. Most ponies did not let that stop them, however, as many were already dressed in their costumes and anxiously awaiting the collection of candy.

Within the confines of the Golden Oaks Library, the town’s resident princess was frantically running through checklists in her mind in preparation for her first Nightmare Night as an official representative of Equestria. Spike patiently stood nearby, an amused smirk on his face as he watched Twilight pace back and forth, her wings twitching every time she turned.

“Twilight!” he finally cried out, gaining her attention as she paused and looked at him, her head tilted to the side. “Relax! You’ll be just fine, I’m sure nopony will care if you aren’t perfect. Just so long as you don’t go blowing up part of the town, I’m sure everything will end up just fine.” Spike hesitantly chuckled, secretly hoping that the latter did not come to pass.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight resumed her pacing. “Preposterous! Inconceivable! I must make sure that my first Nightmare Night as a Princess of Equestria goes off without a hitch, and I especially don’t want to let Princess Luna down either!”

Spike rolled his eyes as he stepped in front of her path. “Seriously, Twi, just take a deep breath— Uurk!” He was interrupted as flames erupted from his mouth in a sound not unlike a burp, a scroll materializing from the ash. Patting his chest and coughing, the parchment was surrounded by Twilight’s magic before it was halfway to the floor. She unfurled it and began reading, her eyes rapidly moving back and forth as she drank in the words.

Twilight,

Please, do not be alarmed by what you are about to read. However, Luna claims that she felt a brief amount of magic earlier this afternoon that shared an eerie resemblance to that of the Nightmare which had possessed her. Luna claimed that the same power attempted to connect with her moon moments later; however neither Luna nor I were able to place where it emanated from. She claims that the attempt was extremely brief, lasting no longer than a few seconds.

However, please do not let this weigh on your mind, I do believe that you have a festival to enjoy this evening, and my sister still plans to visit Ponyville. If I didn’t know any better, I would think that she has come to hold your small town dear in her heart, for which I am highly thankful for. I merely suggest that you inform your friends of the possibility that we may need their services in the near future, but I believe it can wait until we locate the threat, if it truly exists. Enjoy your evening.

Happy Nightmare Night,

Celestia

“Oh no,” Twilight muttered, letting the letter drop to the library floor. “Spike, are you ready to go? We need to head out a little earlier than planned, I’ve got to make a quick round and tell the girls something.” Spike reached for the parchment, but Twilight quickly teleported it out of sight to the bedroom. “I can stop by Sugarcube Corner first in case I run a little late, too.”

Spike grabbed his costume with a hand, tucking it underneath his arm. “Okay, ready to go!” he exclaimed, already halfway to the door. Twilight lightly smiled at the sheer exuberance he was exuding. “Well, come on, Twi, time’s wasting!”

This time she laughed, using a quick burst of magic to rest Spike on her back. “Okay, Spike, I got you. Time to put those lessons with Rainbow to use,” Twilight turned around and smirked as his expression turned to one of horror. Pushing off the ground with all four hooves as she unfurled and flapped her wings, Twilight took to the air.

It was an extremely short flight to the iconic bakery, and Twilight roughly landed on the grass next to the side of the building. Out front a large group of ponies had already begun to gather, mostly because of Pinkie Pie. Because of her ability with foals, it had long since become customary for every parent to bring their children to her for Nightmare Night.

Twilight exchanged a few short greetings with the ponies outside as she made her way inside Sugarcube Corner. Within moments of entering, she found pink engulfing her vision.

“Twilight? What brings you by so early; I thought you and Spike were going to meet up with me in the plaza!” Pinkie questioned as she quirked her head to the side.

Spike hopped off Twilight’s back as she briefly hugged Pinkie, a large, warm smile on her face. “I was just swinging by to bring Spike over early so he wouldn’t miss any of Nightmare Night. I’ve got to go run a few quick errands before it kicks off.” Twilight leaned in closely and quietly whispered into Pinkie’s ear, ensuring no one else could hear them. “Also, please be very, very quiet about this, but I got a letter from the Princess. There’s a chance that we might have to deal with Nightmare Moon in the future. Princess Luna apparently felt her magic earlier today, but they aren’t sure where she is.”

Before Twilight had even fully pulled back, Pinkie dramatically gasped, both hooves held up to her mouth. “Oh my, that’s no fun! She better not try and mess with us tonight, nopony messes with Nightmare Night! Nopony!” Twilight fought back a laugh as Pinkie ended her short verbal onslaught, a serious expression on her face.

“Thanks, Pinkie. I’m going to go and let the others know, so in case I’m late, have a good Nightmare Night!” Twilight warmly smiled at Pinkie before turning around and walking over to Spike. “Hey, have a good time tonight, okay? And no more than, say… two handfuls of candy tonight, okay? Save some for later.”

Twilight briefly nuzzled Spike as he rolled his eyes and muttered underneath his breath. “Pft, I can totally handle more than two handfuls of candy.” Twilight smiled and left Sugarcube Corner, taking to the sky once more.

She delighted in the feel of the wind through her feathers as she glanced at the dropping sun. Twilight ran through the list of her friends in her mind, and after a few moments she decided to go and tell Applejack next. Although Fluttershy was the furthest away from town, she was still thoroughly terrified of Nightmare Night, so it would be extremely easy to track her down later on. Pinkie would inevitably meet up with Dash before the pranks began, so Dash would find out, leading to Rarity being told within moments.

As she began to descend towards the orchard, a figure in the distance caught her eye. Twilight went into a hover as she squinted, but from this far out she was unable to determine anything beyond the individual being a pony. Glancing off towards the orchard, she ascended higher and began flying closer, curious as to who would be so far out of Ponyville at this time of the day.

The sun behind her back made it hard to determine the color of the approaching pony, although as the distance rapidly closed, it became apparent that it had not been the light at her back that made her think the pony was black in color. Her eyes widened in shock as her mind quickly linked the black coat with the large, imposing figure of the pony, and Twilight went to turn. The mare in the distance stumbled, causing Twilight to second guess herself as she moved in closer to observe.

Details that she had initially missed made themselves painfully known as Twilight hovered in place well above Nightmare Moon. At a distance she had seemed imposing with her height, starry mane and tail waving in the wind, and pitch black coat, but now the exact opposite was being proven instead. Every step taken was accompanied with a small limp and an occasional grunt from the mare below her. The wind rustled at her mane and tail, but they limply hung, the colors seemingly muted from the radiant blue Twilight recalled from that fateful night years ago. Nightmare’s coat was ragged and filled with bits of grass and dirt, and it appeared that it was taking all of her concentration to continue walking. In all, Nightmare looked a complete disaster that Twilight could almost pity, had she not possessed Luna and attempted to overthrow Celestia.

Twilight was torn by indecision, remaining in a hover as she weighed the dilemma before her. On one hoof, she was prepared to rush back to Sugarcube Corner and have Spike send for the Elements. She was extremely tempted to ensure Nightmare Moon had no second chance to try and overthrow Equestria once more. On the other hoof, however, it appeared that Nightmare Moon was incapable of being a threat to them, given her current posture and apparent exhaustion. The fact that she was walking on her injuries and not flying or using magic spoke volumes.

Repressing the urge to scream aloud, Twilight entered into a dive that would put her landing well in front of Nightmare Moon. As she landed, a brief glow of her horn surrounded her with one of the strongest shield spells she knew, created by Shining Armor himself. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and began to approach Nightmare Moon.

Tempest continued to trudge forward, coming to the crest of yet another hill on her journey to the far-off town she had first spied. At its top another sight of the rural establishment taunted her, still looming off on the horizon. It felt like Tempest had been traveling all day, but the sun’s progress told her that it could have been no more than a few hours.

“Stupid fantasy land, stupid horse-pegasus body, or whatever the hell I’m supposed to be… stupid— Ouch, dammit!” Tempest cursed as she snagged a hoof in another depression in the ground that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. Lifting up the limb and shaking it slightly to alleviate the slight throb that had ran through the leg, impatience finally won out over her better senses.

Stopping and closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, the knowledge that getting further pissed off would be quite useless without anything or anyone around to hit. Slowly, her wings unfurled from their position on her side, expanding out to their full length.

Flying will be so much quicker than walking, and maybe I can get to that town before next week. Her legs tensed, and she did her best impression of a jump as her wings awkwardly flapped. For a moment, Tempest widely smiled at the feel of the air caressing each and every feather as her wings beat in sync, gradually gaining altitude.

However, it all came to a close the moment Tempest attempted to move forward in flight. Her wings began flapping out of sync, and within moments she somehow found herself upside down. “Oh, shi—” she began before hitting the ground hard and rolling down the hill. Tempest grunted with each impact, limbs flailing as she tumbled.

Finally rolling to a stop, the first thing Tempest was truly aware of was the dull throb that ran through her entire body. Groaning, she moved off her side and managed to get her hooves underneath her. Tempest made no attempt to stand as she tried to take stock of what hurt, and where.

“That was a really bad idea, Tempest. Real smart, go ahead and try to fly just because you’ve done it in your dreams…” Her eyes watered slightly as she was reminded once more of the physical pain she felt, as well as what it indicated. “Stay calm, Tempest, freaking out just makes matters worse, take deep breaths…”

She rested for a few minutes, her resolve steeling itself once more to not completely freak out regardless of how strong of an urge she had to do so. Standing up, another twinge of pain ran through her, this time specifically located in her left forehoof. Carefully, she turned around and looked at her crash site and attempted to whistle.

Tempest had left a small furrow in the hillside from her initial impact up until the point she had begun to roll. From there, small patches of grass and dirt had been disturbed by her passing. Ignorant of the copious amounts of dirt and grass stuck in her coat, she turned back towards the town and began walking again, doing her best to ignore the small twinge with every step she felt.

As she walked, time rolled by as the sun continued to drop from its perch in the sky, moving ever closer to the horizon. The small twinge she felt from her front hoof turned into a dull throb, which only continued to intensify as time passed. Tempest was thankful that the terrain had finally shifted from hills to mostly flatland, even if she still had some distance to go.

Sighing, Tempest continued to trudge along, now limping with every other step. Her mood felt horrendous, and her head hung low. Her ears perked up as a sound from just in front of her greeted them, something resembling the flapping of wings.

“Woah… Uh, this is not what I expected, not at all,” a female voice filled with caution and curiosity greeted Tempest’s ears. As her head came up, Tempest noticed that there was another horse-like creature in front of her, also with a pair of wings and a unicorn’s horn on her forehead, which was currently surrounded by a rose colored nimbus. Her coat was purple, and she had some funky colors in her hair and tail, a mixture of blues and pinks. “So, uh, you’re not going to try and take over Equestria again, are you?”

Tempest found herself momentarily stunned at finally meeting something that could talk. After a few moments to recover from the shock, she excitedly spoke. “Finally, something that can talk and isn’t going to run away! I mean, it’s silly, everything has taken one look at me and ended up running as if I were going to eat them or something.” Tempest rolled her eyes before pushing past her pain to warmly smile. “Hi, my name’s Tempest, and I have no fucking clue where or what I am!”

She looked on in curiosity as the other pony’s mouth opened and closed like a flounder, not a word coming from them. “Well, I could’ve sworn you were speaking,” Tempest started, beginning to look around for where else the speech could have originated from. “I mean, I don’t see anything else, so it had to be you talking, right?”

“Uh, yes. That was me talking,” she responded, confusion rampant in her voice. Shaking her head, she directly addressed Tempest at last. “I’m Twilight Sparkle… you said your name was Tempest? Are you certain of that?”

Tempest quirked a brow at the question as her head subconsciously tilted to the side. “Uh, yeah, of course I’m sure. I mean, my name is actually Jeanne Tempest Jones, but Jeanne is just so stupid. So, I go by Tempest. Why, do you think I’m supposed to be someone else? I do sorta look like some clichéd villain, after all.” Tempest smirked and stood on her back hooves for a few seconds, waving her forehooves in the air. “Ooooh, beware me, for I shall do dastardly things to you.” She grimaced as weight was put back onto her front hooves, lightly hissing.

“You know what, nevermind,” Twilight grumbled, the nimbus around her horn blinking out. “You’re in Equestria, just outside of Ponyville,” she began, awkwardly watching Tempest’s reaction, which remained a blank gaze. “We should really stop just standing here though. Give me your hoof.”

Confused, Tempest slowly stretched out her injured limb. “So, uh, how exactly is this going to help us get somewhere—” The world felt like it was bending around her, each and every part of her body being sent through a blender only to come out in one piece afterwards. “—else?” Tempest finished her question as she suddenly found herself inside what appeared to be a library. Moments later she was bent over, dry heaving as her body thanked her for the mode of transport.

“Oh god, what was that?” Tempest asked, licking at her lips and smacking them as she attempted to remove the acidic aftertaste. Shuddering, she sat down on the floor, eyes scrunched tightly closed. “I thought that one rollercoaster at Six Flags was bad…” Tempest muttered underneath her breath.

She heard Twilight walk up to her side, a hoof hesitantly finding its way to her shoulder. “Um, I really haven’t seen anypony react to a teleport like that, ever. Listen very carefully for a minute though, please. I know you have questions, and I have some too, but I need to go and get somepony else first, okay?”

Tempest coughed, a small twinge of anger entering her voice. “You don’t have to speak to me like I’m a damn child, Twilight Sparkle. I’m eighteen, not eight. You want me to stick around in this… library I’m guessing, so that you can go and grab a buddy?” Tempest waited for Twilight to nod in confirmation before she continued. “Umm, I suppose that’s fine. I can finally get off this stupid hoof and get some answers, good.” She stood up and carefully limped over to a couch, but before she could sit down Tempest found herself immobilized.

“Um, sorry, but there is no way in Tarterus I’m letting you sit on anything in here looking like that.” Tempest saw Twilight’s horn glow that rose color again before a tingling feeling ran through her, starting from her hooves and working its way up. She noticed a smirk on Twilight’s face as a ball of mud and grass hovered in the air for a few moments before disappearing. “Okay, now you can sit down. That stuff is a pain to clean, even with magic. Anyways, I’ll be back soon.” Twilight’s horn lit up again, before she paused. “Oh, also, whatever you do, please do not go outside. Period.

“Gotta go get Princess L—” Twilight’s voice barely reached Tempest’s ears before cutting off as she blinked from existence. Tempest stood there and stared at the spot Twilight had inhabited just moments before, confusion running through her mind. Shaking her head to clear the jumbled thoughts, Tempest sat down on the couch.

Fatigue set in as she sank into its cushions, the day’s mental and physical toll finally catching up to her. Tempest’s eyelids grew heavy as her limbs gently shifted beneath her to allow for more comfort, and she slowly drifted off into unconsciousness.

Tempest was unaware of how long she slept for, however she was abruptly jolted back into consciousness as a massive, booming voice reached her ears, shaking the very walls of the building she was in and knocking some of the books off of the shelves.

“WHERE ARE YOU AT, FOUL MONSTER?! HAVE AT THEE!”

Chapter 2

Twilight was in a daze, her mind mostly occupied with the scene that had just unfolded before her. Was it the smartest decision to bring Nightmare Moon, or Tempest as the mare had claimed to be, to her library, her home? Perhaps not, she idly thought to herself as layers of spells fell upon the library, ensuring that nopony could enter, and should Nightmare attempt to leave, well… Twilight had put plenty of magic into that first barrier, enough to incapacitate her long enough for Twilight to react and follow up, should the worse come to pass.

Her spellwork finished, she wasted no time taking to the air, once more to Sugarcube Corner where she had just dropped Spike not even thirty minutes prior. While she had promised him a night filled with fun, she had need of his dragonfire, for Celestia and Luna both needed to be alerted. Not to mention that there was nopony quicker at gathering her friends than Pinkie.

During the short flight, her mind was still attempting to process the odd situation that had presented itself. Certainly, this ‘Tempest’ character did not seem to pose much of a threat, she seemed to have had a hard time simply walking. There had been no indication of magic being used, and the normally large reservoirs that were present within alicorns was so small within Nightmare Moon that it put her on the same level as an average unicorn. Certainly, in her current condition anyways, she simply could not pose a threat.

Landing outside of her destination, Twilight nearly took a tumble from how distracted she was by her thoughts, catching herself barely at the last moment and preserving her dignity, this time around. Ignoring the looks from the ponies around her, wondering what would bring her around so quickly once more, Twilight entered the store and looked around. Those looks she was receiving were warranted, as Twilight’s expression had slipped into one that the entire town had come to quickly understand. It was the one that caused ponies to scurry out of her path and pray that nothing exploded.

“Spike!” Twilight called out, her eyes falling on the small drake who was currently chatting quietly with Sweetie Belle. Using her magic, she lifted him up as he was in the middle of a sentence, depositing him on her back.

“Hey, Twi, what gives?!” he demanded, more than a touch annoyed before he saw her face and let out a small gulp. “Umm, Twilight… what’s going on?” he quietly asked, looking at Sweetie and mouthing a quick apology to her. “You’ve got that scary face going right now.”

Twilight paused and took a deep breath, that expression slowly bleeding away as she parsed what Spike had said. “Can’t talk about it here, but I need you for a bit, sorry. I know what I promised you, but this is important, I swear… do you know where Pinkie is? I need her too,” Twilight quietly spoke as her eyes darted around the interior, not seeing Pinkie anywhere within.

Spike let out another gulp, usually things prefaced with ‘not here’ when in public turned out to be a bit bigger than he liked them to be. “She’s upstairs getting into her costume, I think. She said something about this year going as, umm, what was it…” he trailed off, even as Twilight started towards the stairs. “Oh yeah, something about a pirate, I think? Claimed Gummy would be her parrot.”

Twilight simply nodded somewhat absentmindedly as she flew up the stairs, moving to Pinkie’s door and knocking on it a bit harder than necessary. “That’s nice, Spike… be ready to pen a letter for me, okay?” Twilight asked as the door opened up to reveal Pinkie, who looked at her quizzically.

“Back so soon, Twilight? Did you teleport all over the place or something? Pop pop pop!” Pinkie cheerfully remarked, grabbing Twilight by the neck and dragging her into the room. “Or did you need something else?” she asked, looking at Spike on Twilight’s back.

“Pinkie. Gather the girls outside of the library as quickly as you can, please? I, uh, found Nightmare Moon. As in, she’s in the library right now. But don’t worry, she can’t get out! Or, she shouldn’t be able to anyways, and she’s kinda off in a weird way…” Twilight kept tacking on more, even as Spike’s eyes went wide and Pinkie let out a loud, dramatic gasp.

“Consider it done!” Pinkie remarked, giving Twilight a quick salute before looking over to Gummy and tossing aside the pirate outfit she had prepared. “Sorry, Gummy, I gotta leave you here looks like. Ninja’s don’t have pets, and this calls for,” she dramatically spoke before disappearing into her closet for a few seconds, “a super duper quick ninja!” Pinkie was dressed in all black, Twilight idly noting how it nearly reminded her of that one time she’d snuck into the castle.

Pinkie disappeared in a flash of smoke, leaving Twilight and Spike alone in the mare’s room. “Okay, Spike, take note… Spike!” Twilight spoke up, knocking him out of his stupor as she teleported the quill, ink and parchment she kept handy for situations such as these to him. “I need you to write this down!”

Spike shook his head a few times. “Uh, sorry, Twilight, but… did you say that Nightmare Moon is in our house?!” he asked in disbelief, grabbing the provided items. within seconds he was ready to go, nodding. “Um, okay Twilight, ready.”

Without wasting any time, Twilight launched into her dictation. “Celestia, Luna, Twilight here. I’ve found Nightmare Moon, and currently have her secured in the library. Currently gathering friends outside in preparation for whatever may come, although things are quite off. The mare who appears to be Nightmare Moon claims to be named Tempest, and her mannerisms are almost a complete opposite of the Nightmare that we are all familiar with. She’s also extremely weak, her magic nearly depleted to the point that she poses no threat.” Twilight paused, taking a breath as she mulled over those odd mannerisms and phrases that Nightmare Moon had used.

“New paragraph, Spike. We will be waiting with the elements outside of the library, awaiting your arrival. Signed, Twilight,” she finished, craning her head to look at Spike just in time to see him cross the last t. “Got it all?”

Spike rolled his eyes and nodded. “Of course, I am the best assistant, after all. Now, to dry the ink real quick and send it off…” he trailed off, carefully using a short burst of flame to rapidly dry the ink before rolling it up and sending it to Celestia via his dragonfire. They both watched the ashes float out the window and rapidly disappear from their sight. “So, now what, Twi?” Spike asked somewhat hesitantly.

Making her way outside, she took to the air once more before finally answering Spike. “Now, we meet with our friends and wait for Celestia and Luna before deciding on our course of action. She seemed quite exhausted in her current state, and when I came across her, well… think Applejack and Dash after an hour long wrestling match without a winner.”

Spike let out a low whistle as they landed outside of the library, the magical barriers clear for all to see. As Twilight landed on her hooves, Dash landed, setting Pinkie down on the ground, who let out a small whoop of delight. “Oh yeah, nothing like the Dashie Express!” she giggled, looking around before settling her eyes on Twilight.

Before anypony could speak up, Twilight held up a hoof, a somewhat grim and confused look on her face. “Girls, roughly thirty minutes ago I got a letter from Celestia saying that there was a possibility that Nightmare Moon was back…”

“Oh, I cannot wait, Tia! Last year was a most joyous event, the ponies of Ponyville truly respect and appreciate us like no other. Plus, I cannot wait to have more of that delicious candy, last years the fillies and colts practically threw it at me, it is most delicious!” Luna excitedly spoke as she stood next to Celestia, looking in the mirror as she worked her illusion for Nightmare Night. She needed to look the part for her dramatic entrance. “I hope that tonight is going to be a blast, as they say, but…” she trailed off, her excitement bleeding away as a frown creased her brow.

“I cannot help but shake the feeling that Nightmare is indeed back… I know you think that I might be overreacting, but I swore that something touched my moon, much like one might brush a feather over one’s coat… it was barely perceptible, but present nonetheless,” Luna brooded, a large frown marring her face.

Celestia rest a hoof on Luna’s shoulder, a small and reassuring smile on her face. “Do not fret, Luna. I believe you, and Twilight and the other Elements will be aware of the potential of her return. We will ensure to end the threat before it can truly become one, yes? I will not let that foul creature have you, nor any of our ponies for that matter.” Celestia embraced Luna in a tight hug, nuzzling her cheek.

The frown flew as Luna let out a rather long sigh, slowly nodding her head. “Yes, I suppose you are right. And, if it should come to pass, Twilight truly is a most capable pony, even before she found her way to alicornhood,” Luna remarked, her tone lightening as the words poured from her mouth. “Besides, I cannot let anything ruin the one night of the year meant for me, now can I?” she giggled ever so slightly, her enthusiasm once more bubbling back to the surface.

“Exactly, that’s the spirit to have, Luna!” Celestia remarked, opening her mouth before a pile of ashes coalesced into a rolled letter. “Huh, I wonder what Twilight could have sent, it hasn’t been that long since our note…” she mused as Luna grabbed the scroll in her magic. Celestia’s look of curiosity shifted gears to full blown concern and dread as she realized how Luna’s expressions had rapidly shifted. Enthusiasm fell before the onslaught of anger, which rapidly transitioned to pure, unadulterated rage, her eyes showing signs of bloodlust within them. Before Celestia could utter a word, Luna disappeared in a rather loud and violent pop, the letter caught in Celestia’s magic and brought to her face as she quickly read it.

Luna reappeared just outside of the library as Twilight was finishing her explanation of the circumstances of her run in and subsequent sequestering of Nightmare Moon within the library. “Luna, thank goodness you’re here, where’s Celest-” The last bit of her question got caught in her throat as she froze, becoming aware of the smouldering look of hatred and anger contained on Luna’s face.

“WHERE ARE YOU AT, FOUL MONSTER?! HAVE AT THEE” Luna’s voice vibrated the very air, even as her magic, or perhaps it was her voice, shattered the barriers surrounding the library before she quickly ran inside. Her eyes fell on the source of one thousand lost years, all of the repressed feelings that she had yet to deal with bubbling into hatred and rage as well as many other toxic emotions.

Before Tempest could even fully take in the new arrival, Luna’s magic encased her entire form and lifted her like a ragdoll, leaving her unable to even speak, let alone move. “Finally, we are able to give our thanks for thy treacherous trickery that led to our imprisonment for a millenium. You. Shall. Pay,” Luna growled out, accenting her last three words as she made Tempest intimately familiar with the floor, ceiling and wall of the library.

Twilight's words of shock fell on deaf ears as pained whimpers came from Tempest, Luna boring into her with those twin orbs promising an eternity of suffering at the mare’s hooves. “We’re just getting started, you and I,” Luna growled again, breaking the known laws of gravity as she accelerated Tempest nearly to the speed of sound by the time her body impacted the far wall, audible snaps filling the air from the impact as a golden field of magic washed over Luna, who turned and growled.

Before Luna could speak a word, Celestia met that gaze and glared at her. “That's enough!” Luna struggled in her sister’s field, nearly breaking free until Twilight joined in, securing the berserk alicorn. “LUNA! CALM DOWN!” The air vibrated, the enclosed space causing Celestia’s voice to reverberate and echo many times over.

The fire slowly bled from Luna’s eyes, and although anger and rage were still present, the bloodlust was gone. “Twilight… check on her, please, while I talk with my sister and explain why she should have read the entire letter, first,” Celestia quietly remarked. Twilight nodded in return, scampering off as the rest of her friends peered in somewhat anxiously through the door. However, their focus was quickly drawn outside as they started to perform crowd control, the royal screams drawing the attention of those foolish enough to not run and seek shelter, as was the norm for Ponyville.

“Sister, thou cannot surely mean to believe that you would take the road of caution when dealing with this threat! The foul creature had tricked us, deprived us of a millenium together! Swift action is the only response, I cannot simply idly stand by while it is-” Luna was cut off as Celestia glared at her and raised a hoof.

“Now, Luna… while yes, the mare does seem to be Nightmare Moon, and is most likely the cause of the touch you felt earlier, Twilight went on to explain how in her current state, she is completely harmless, bereft of almost all her magic… I understand your personal issues with the Nightmare, I truly do, and do not think that you are the only one with a grudge. However, your actions were entirely uncalled for, as well as being out of line for a ruler of our nation. This will not end with a mere scolding, but we have more pressing matters. How is she, Twilight?” Celestia asked, slowly releasing her magic holding Luna in place as she shifted her attention.

Twilight met her gaze with fear, shaking her head, a hint of green present in her cheeks. “Celestia, it’s, she… we need to get her to the hospital. Now,” Twilight stuttered out, her eyes dropping to Tempest even as she fought off the bile in her throat. “She’s breathing, but… that’s about the only good sign right now,” Twilight added on, looking at the massive dent in the extremely thick wall where Tempest had collided with it, bits of fur and other, less savory masses mingling with the splinters. Tempest herself limply laid in a heap where she had fallen from that impact, passed out from the massive spike of pain and multiple broken bones throughout her body.

“Oh, my… Twilight, go ahead and tell them to prepare for my arrival, I’ll be a minute behind you. Even if she truly is Nightmare Moon, no pony should be left in such a state…” Celestia trailed off, lifting her head to look at Luna, who was still stewing, eyes defiantly meeting her own.

A few moments of silence passed between them after Twilight’s departure before their gazes relaxed ever so slightly. “I was just in my actions, Tia, whether you want to believe it or not. Perhaps I let myself lose control just a little bit, however…” she trailed off, letting her head drop in emotional exhaustion.

Celestia walked over and rested a hoof on Luna’s shoulder for a few seconds as her magic was gently and slowly surrounding Tempest. “I understand, I truly do, but times have changed, remember that. We do not let ourselves fall into a rage and summarily execute justice on whomever we deem needs it. Be assured, Luna, if this mare truly is Nightmare Moon, she will pay for her actions… and if it seems she isn’t, then we will go to extensive lengths to ensure that is indeed the truth,” Celestia grimly remarked before nodding, teleporting to the hospital.

Author's Note

So, uh. It's quit amazing what happens when you get that high and need to write right before the light goes off in the room for the night. Sat down with my laptop and didn't stop until what you see was written out. I had originally planned to get some time in on the twins, but that'll simply have to be next chapter. It'll be split narratives for awhile until they start to mingle.

Also, it might be a bit rough, but hopefully this makes up for my somewhat lackluster updates I've provided. I mean, really... why hasn't anyone ever had Luna go off the deep end in all of these Nightmare Moon stories? I figure the fact she's sane is a feat in and of itself, and that's before being presented with the bane of everything in front of her.

Anyways, not much more to say, going to try and see how far I can get into the twin's chapter before I need to swing around to Tempest's side of things, although honestly the poor dear is going to be out of it for a bit. Debating on Dark, after thinking more and more on what I'm putting her through over the course of the story...

Chapter 3 Author's Note

An update, at long last! Few things to note... writing is out of shape, so I apologize in advance for any inconsistencies between this chapter and prior ones. Also, as a precaution due to the shit I plan on having Tempest deal with, as well as some future events, the story will now be tagged Dark, as it will be a reoccurring theme for a time in the first half of the story or so. No gore or anything though, so don't worry about that folks. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Just a few years ago, it would have been inconceivable to bring an alicorn injured to the extent Tempest was to Ponyville General Hospital. At one time it had been nothing more than a small clinic, with a very limited range of services. Anything worse than a simple break or sprain required the patient to be referred to Canterlot or one of the other nearby towns with proper medical facilities.

That had all changed shortly after Twilight moved to Ponyville. Playing host to Celestia’s sole student had necessitated certain changes occur in order to protect and aid her should she ever come to harm. Celestia’s aid had also played a large part, the small clinic rapidly expanding into a proper hospital. This was also before Twilight’s ability to attract bizarre, destructive events to the small, quiet town had come to light. The facility found expansion a part of their routine, new services added at a quick rate. The staff’s training was greatly enhanced as well from having to treat the residents time and time again after each ‘Twilight Episode’ as they came to be known, resulting in professional level treatment that rivaled the best locations in the nation.

It was Twilight’s ascension, however, that had given the small hospital its final push into a premier facility. Upon finding out that the newly crowned Princess Twilight was laying claim to Ponyville for her home, Mayor Mare wanted to be able to provide the same level of treatment Celestia’s and Luna’s own personal physicians could. Thus, the alicorn protocols had been established.

So it was that despite the mere fifteen seconds head start Twilight had, Celestia arrived in an already busy hospital lobby. Half a dozen staff swarmed a mobile bed that had Tempest’s prone, broken form upon it while Twilight mutely watched protocols developed for herself put into use. Celestia’s presence barely registered on the staff’s radar, their full focus on their creed of preserving life, of which Tempest was in dire need of.

Noting how Twilight appeared frozen, staring at the scene before them, Celestia knew what her priority should be. “Twilight, trust them to do their job, you’ve done what you can.” She spoke softly, her voice somehow cutting through the much louder ones of the medical staff. “It is best to be out of their way, come.” Celestia began nudging Twilight with a wing towards some of the seats. The lobby was fortunately empty, thanks to the night’s festivities, and a brief barrier spell from Celestia ensured it would remain that way for a short time.

The wing insistently nudging her side was enough to get Twilight to move, wordlessly shambling to a seat before collapsing into it. Her eyes were glued to where the doctors were working on Tempest for a few more seconds, before shifting to look at Celestia, who had taken a seat next to her. “I’ve never,” Twilight weakly started as Celestia met her gaze, unable to conjure up the proper words in her state of shock.

Peering into the smaller mare’s eyes, Celestia paused, her own words forgotten for the moment just as surely as Twilight’s had been. Within those lavender orbs, something new loomed, a look that Celestia was intimately familiar with, having seen it within the eyes of so many subjects over the millennia. That Twilight was now one of them so shortly after her ascension shook Celestia to her very core. It was something she had wanted to spare her for as long as possible.

A white wing wrapped itself around Twilight’s back as Celestia leaned in, eyes glancing for a brief moment towards Tempest. “It’s difficult, isn’t it?” she quietly asked, gently squeezing her for a few seconds. “Through all the, trials I put you and your friends through, you’ve never seen it before, have you? Dealing with a full grown dragon, Sombra and the Crystal Empire, even Discord… this is the first time seeing someone injured to such an extent.”

Looking at Celestia with newfound curiosity, Twilight slowly nodded. “... yes, Princess,” she whispered, eyes drawn unbidden to a bit of Tempest’s blood on the hospital floor, even as the mobile bed was hastily moved through the double doors leading into the body of the hospital. “I’ve read accounts, plenty of them, about wars in the past. I can list off at least a dozen books on anatomy that I’ve read, including the detailed pictures… even if I can’t seem to recall their titles right now,” she uneasily rambled for a bit. “But to see it in pony with such, recklessness?” she paused, her mind beginning to run through every possible synonym that could better quantify that last spoken word.

“Yes… it is never easy to stomach. It still troubles me, and I have been witness to dozens of wars and countless disasters through my millennia,” Celestia sadly remarked, her magic going to work scrubbing the hospital floors of the blood dotting its surface. “And it is why I have done my best in recent centuries to avoid war. It’s a gruesome affair, seeing another beaten to such a degree. I had hoped to spare you such sights for many, many more years to come, but one cannot plan for every variable of life, no matter how hard I try,” she finished with a long, drawn out sigh.

Twilight looked confused at that, her mind slowly shifting towards logical thought. “But like you said, Princess, you’ve tasked my friends and I with all sorts of things. Dangerous things, to be honest. The situation with the buffalos in Appleloosa alone could’ve turned violent quickly, if just one thing had gone wrong, correct? And Chrysalis…” Twilight trailed off and violently shivered. Only Luna’s intervention had completely obliterated those nightmares.

Interjecting before Twilight could continue, Celestia sheepishly nodded. “Yes, it does sound a tad hypocritical of me, doesn’t it? But, I knew you would be fine. There are, forces, greater than you or even I at work in our world. Magic. Fate. Destiny. There are many terms one can use to refer to them as. The Elements of Harmony are one such agent. They can somehow reach out to the very fabric of reality, touch it, influence it. They are how I knew you, and your friends, would be safe regardless of the trials you faced.”

Silently mulling over the information in her head, Twilight attempted to make sense of it all. “Ah. But, that doesn’t really have any logic to it, there’s no substantive evidence to prove that. It can’t be more than a hypothesis, can it?” she mused aloud, a brief look of confusion on her face, bringing a small smile to Celestia’s. “And the only way to test that assumption would be danger, which if proven wrong would yield highly unfavorable results. Or, I suppose I could closely examine all of the past events, but then there wouldn’t be any sort of observational elements in play.”

Unable to hold back a small laugh at Twilight’s scientific mind beginning to tackle the problem, Celestia decided to chime in. “Agreed, it would be quite a dangerous experiment, wouldn’t it? Luna and I tested it extensively, although definitely not on purpose. Including observational spells. The best ones of the time, even.” She paused, smiling reminiscently before a thought brought a frown to her face. “They’ll protect you, up until you break your connection to them…”

A voice cut through their conversation, causing both heads to turn towards the intruder. “Princess?” An older unicorn stallion questioningly spoke, looking slightly nervous. “Princess Celestia, I mean. I’m Doctor Scalpel, and am in charge of Nightmare Moon’s treatment. Never thought I’d be saying that,” he added with a quiet whisper before continuing. “We could really use your assistance. It appears we need a bit more magic than what we have stored to treat Nightmare Moon.”

Nodding to the doctor, Celestia removed her wing from Twilight, smiling reassuringly. “You should go back to the library, spend the evening with your friends. It is the best remedy I’ve found, and there is nothing further you can do here. For now. Worrying about it will only cause unnecessary pain to both your mind and heart.” Getting up, Celestia took a few steps before turning back to Twilight. “And please ensure Luna has done her best to get the festivities rolling. We can discuss other things in detail tomorrow.”

“Twilight?” Doctor Scalpel softly spoke, knowing better than to call her princess. “The princess is right. Thanks to you, she was kept as stable. Prevents further injuries that way, much better than us having to go and get her, so you’ve done quite a lot for us here,” he reassured her with a small smile before heading off deeper into the hospital.

Following Scalpel, Celestia paused just before the doors, turning back to witness Twilight still sitting there with a mixed expression. “Go, Twilight, enjoy the night. Please do not make me ask Pinkie Pie to come and get you. Spending time with your friends and the town will be good for you. Trust me now as you have so many times before. Please?” she softly pleaded with a warm smile.

Celestia softly sighed once Twilight disappeared from the chair, thankful that she had gotten through to her. Turning back towards the double doors, she let the barrier spell she’d previously cast drop as she caught up to Scalpel. “Doctor, I was under the presumption that you had sufficient supplies to treat Twilight? Was I wrong?” she curtly enquired, more than she’d meant to as her nerves showed for a moment.

Clearing his throat, Doctor Scalpel nodded. “No, Princess, you’re not wrong,” he quickly stammered out before taking a moment to compose himself. “The key word, however, is sufficient for Twilight. With Nightmare Moon’s increased size, not to mention the power drain her astral mane and tail require, we need your aid to stabilize her,” he admitted. After a few moments, Scalpel hesitantly asked what was on the forefront of his mind. “And just how did she come to be injured? It might not be my business, but were she any other pony, Princess, I would be calling the Royal Guard in under normal circumstances. I honestly don’t know if we could save her, were she not an alicorn.” Scalpel made a turn into one of the surgery suites, holding the door open for Celestia.

A few moments of terse silence passed before Celestia shook her head. “Do not worry about it, all that matters is healing her so we may either redeem or banish the mare,” she firmly deflected. “It is being handled, though,” Celestia firmly stated, following Scalpel, through the magically powered decontamination hall. The tingling sensation running over her body told her that the magic was doing its work to keep the room they were entering clean.

Leaving the small hall behind, Celestia stepped into the operating suite behind Scalpel and paused, taking in the scene before her. “Just how extensive are her injuries, doctor? I believe I can help with the magical problem, but the rest will have to be up to you and your staff, I’m afraid,” she softly spoke, faintly grimacing at the sight of blood and things that were better left inside one’s body rather than outside. It was sadly familiar, yet still an unwelcome sight to her.

Scalpel’s horn lit up, levitating a small clipboard over to them both, which he began reading. “Like I said before, Princess Celestia, it’s… barbaric would be one word. Too many lacerations to count, for starters. Her ribs are a mess, half a dozen of them are broken, and the rest seem to have fractures. All of them,” he scrunched his nose in disgust as he kept reading. “Her wings are a mess as well, one is broken in three places, the other is riddled with fractures. We’ve got enough blood on hoof to deal with the high rate of loss she’s currently suffering, even with magical aid it’s higher than any normal pony could survive.”

Sighing, Scalpel glanced from the chart to the mare in question, shaking his head. “I understand she is, was, an enemy of Equestria. But honestly, the rest of this?” He shook the clipboard, which Celestia enveloped in her own magic and began reading for herself. “If we can stabilize her magic, our work will become mostly setting bones and suturing the lacerations. Without that, she’ll be here for a year, minimum. Suffering from acute arcane exhaustion as she is, a case of which is worse than Princess Luna suffered upon her cleansing, will potentially leave her crippled for years to come.”

A look of disgust mirroring Scalpel’s own crossed Celestia’s face as she set the chart down, shaking her head. “That would sound about right, I believe I can help her though. It may take a bit of effort to mimic the cleansing effects my sister went through but it would greatly alleviate the drain on her magic. That should allow the infusion to actually take root,” she explained, looking at the ponies hard at work before her.

Scalpel let out a small sigh of relief. “I was hoping that would be the case. I’ll just have everypony step back for you to work, Princess, and then we’ll finish up. Hopefully this will mean she’ll be on her hooves in a week, perhaps two. I know your sister was up and about immediately, but with the injuries on top of the arcane exhaustion…” He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. “Everypony, please take a step back and allow Princess Celestia to work for a minute.”

Approaching the table even as everyone but Scalpel stepped back, Celestia scrunched her nose once more, this time at the heavy scent of blood and antiseptic that pervaded her sense of smell. “Just look at you, so weak now. Were you conscious, no doubt you would be fuming at the sight,” Celestia whispered quietly. “You took my sister, forced my hoof against her, and now, I could finish what Luna started. Were it not for my promise I made to myself all those years ago, I would end you. For my sister, my ponies… for myself.”

A throat clearing distracted Celestia for a moment. “Princess Celestia, any time you’re ready,” he politely pointed out, all of the staff now out of the way.

“Doctor Scalpel?” Celestia softly spoke, feeling a weight on her chest she needed to remove as her horn began to softly glow that golden color, a feeling of warmth tickling those present. “Have you ever wondered at what point it is acceptable to violate the Hippocratic Oath, for the greater good? Knowing that your vows could possibly unleash countless horrors and complications on those you know and care, could you make that slip?” she quietly asked, horn glowing brighter with each passing second.

“I…” Scalpel started, somewhat fearfully at the unexpected question. He took a few moments to gather himself before speaking just as quietly as Celestia was. “I would think, Princess, that I would not. I am a doctor. Not a judge, nor jury, and certainly not an executioner. I cannot begin to fathom what you must go through each day, and for so long, but… if you make one exception, where do you stop?” he finished, fearfully glancing up to her.

Shoulders slumping ever so slightly, Celestia glanced towards Scalpel, giving him a glimpse for a few seconds into eyes filled with millennia of pain and sorrow. “I sometimes wonder if the easy way out would be best. Then I remember that easy does not necessarily mean the best. I’m sorry for burdening you with such a heavy question, Doctor,” she finished.

Horn glowing almost as brightly as her sun, Celestia raised her shoulders once more and glanced to the ponies in the room. “Shield your eyes, this may get brighter yet,” she warned them all, giving them ample time to do just that before going to work. Her magic formed a spell, which seeped into Tempest. It sought the connections to the worst drains on her internal magic, slowly severing them for the moment so that what little magic remained could be used exclusively for healing.

The light flared, just as Celestia said it would, the spell going to work and enshrouding Tempest’s form in magic. As the light faded and vision returned to those within the room, the effects of her work were readily visible. While still direly injured, Tempest was now the size of Twilight, perhaps even a smidge smaller. The ethereal mane and tail were gone, replaced by long, flowing strands of midnight blue hair much like Luna’s. Lastly, her horn had lost its sharp point, instead being rounded at the tip like any other pony.

“Doctor Scalpel, her magic should be fully focused on healing her now, rather than being wasted elsewhere,” Celestia started, taking a step back. “I gave her a small infusion of my own magic to aid the process, from this point it is up to you and your team,” she explained. A small part of her wished she could heal the mare, but she knew that it was one of the few restrictions magic held.

Scalpel’s own horn lit with a magenta glow even as Celestia spoke, scanning Tempest for a few seconds before his look of disgust finally shifted to one of optimism. “Thank you, Princess. We can definitely handle it from here now. It’ll be a long few weeks for the mare, but weeks are better than months. We’ll be keeping her in a magically induced coma while the worst of her injuries heal. I estimate three days or so?” He watched as the staff swarmed Tempest once more, going back to doing their work.

“I see,” Celestia started, plans and actions needed to be taken already swirling about her mind. “I’ll be sending some guards your way in the next few hours, please ensure her room is pointed out to them. I’m afraid we’re going to be making your hospital rather busy these next few days, especially once she wakes up,” she apologetically mentioned. “But, since my work is done, I must be off. There are many plans that need to be set in motion if we are to redeem this mare.” Not waiting for Scalpel’s reply Celestia charged a teleportation spell and in the blink of an eye vanished, her list of tasks growing ever longer with each second.

Chapter 4

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