After the duo of dragon and unicorn landed the mare looked around and took in a good look of her surroundings. The buildings were simplistic and built more for purpose than look. The roads showed no signs of ever having anything but dirt as a building material and even the town hall was devoid of such pleasantries. It was to be expected in an earthpony town after all.

The house of the representative was right near the town hall, and had a small garden in front of it. There was a plaque on the door that bore the full title of the pony residing there. Twilight didn’t really care about the plaque, it was just a sign to point out that she lived there. What she really wanted to know is if there was any form of a book shelf within the residence.

The inside of the building was a simple affair that consisted of mostly bare necessities. The living room had a small couch and a single nightstand with a small enchanted crystal perched upon it that would glow when fed energy. The kitchen was small and contained the basic appliances that would normally grace an equestrian kitchen.

There was a staircase that up to a second floor, the rooms were adorned in order to accommodate the residencies inhabitants for the night. Spike picked out the room closest to the stairs and eagerly placed all of his things within the room. Twilight wandered around until she found a private study.

The room was fairly large for the size of the building and contained a desk with several quills already prepared. Behind the desk the wall was lined with rows of book shelves. Twilight smiled a little bit, but was disappointed that the collection wasn’t larger. Her disappointment only increased when she realized that there were two book cases dedicated to housing the equestrian legal code.

Being a royal guard and having trained at the barracks the mare had already memorized every scrap of boring literature. Sometimes she thought that Celestia liked to laugh at her guards when tasked with completing the feat. She didn’t hate the legal code, just the fact that it was probably the driest text to ever exist, and the fact that it was about a subject that only caused ponies to bitch about it.

The books could be kept as a reference, but they were going to seeing very little use. She perused the other books seeing familiar titles. Many of them were classics like Sleeping alicorn, or The Ballad of the Seaponies. One unusual one caught her attention, the title was too worn to read, but the story was legible. After reading the book for a little bit she threw it on the table and went to go unpack her things.

While preparing her bed Twilight realized that, even though she was now out of Celestia’s immediate gaze, she was now more prone to be caught by Spike. She briefly remembered the book she had looked at and about the stallion that went to joust a windmill. She felt like that stallion’s eminent embarrassment was a happier fate than hers at the moment.

After their rather hasty packing the duo went out into the town to visit the ponies that were delegated to be preparing the festival. On the way to one of the most distant parts of town, Sweet Apple Acres, the mare ran into an energetic pink pony. The pony looked at her, but seemed confused in a way. She almost seemed to be examining Twilight as if to find what lay within before she gasped and ran off.

“Well that was odd.” Spike said.

“We’ll worry about that later Spike. We need to see how the preparations are going.”

The pair made their way to Sweet Apple Acres and were greeted by an orange farm pony. The mare was the epitome of farmpony beauty from a platonic point of view of course. Her bright green eyes complimented the color of her coat and her mane was a nice blond that accentuated her body. Upon her well-toned flank was a cutie-mark that consisted of three apples.

“Uhm… mam are ya alright? Ya seem to be eying me a might bit more than ah appreciate.”

“What!? Oh. Sorry. My name is Twilight Sparkle and I’m here to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Ya are? But Pinkie Pie said some stallion named Dusk Shine was overlookin’ the preparations. Although she did say he was going around lookin’ like a mare.”

“I’m sorry, but your friend must be mistaken. Dusk Shine is my guard and he certainly does not go around looking like a mare.”

“Well ah’ll be. Pinkie’s never been wrong before, ah guess there’s a time fer everythin’. Now how bout’ ya’ll come an’ join us? Ya’ll are just in time for the Apple Family reunion!” The mare said while the rest of her family seemed to materialize out of thin air.

“Oh no I couldn’t possibly. I just came here to see if the food was ready and I really must be going. You know, busy planning the festival and all.”

“You’re not even gonna’ stay for brunch?” A small filly with a bow on said to the mare while hitting her with the most heart melting gaze anypony has ever seen and survived.

“W-well maybe I can stay for a little bit as long as I leave with enough time to overlook the rest of the preparations.”

The crowd of ponies let out a big cheer and began introducing themselves and feeding the mare the apple dish that went with their names, while Spike greedily devoured any food that happened to land on his plate. After having went through about half of the family the mare was beginning to feel rather stuffed, but the food kept coming. She thanked the stars when the end finally arrived and the apple mare’s immediate family was introduced.

“Now last but not least, is Granny Smith.”

“Huh? Wazzat? Ya callin’ my name when ah’m ah takin’ my nap again girl?”

“Sorry Granny, I know how much ya naps mean ta ya, but we’ve got a guest.”

“It’s alright girl, now who is this fella’ over here? Seams might strange for a stallion ta go ‘round as a mare.”

“This is Twilight Sparkle. Now ah’m sorry Granny, but there was a mix up with what Pinkie done told us when she came by here.”

“The pink one was here? Naw. Ah can smell the musk on ‘im. Nice strong boy, tryin’ to cover it all up with that fancy magic and perfume. Seems might strange if ya’ll ask me.”

“Ya are just gitttin old. Ya nose aint what it used to be.”

“Ah assures ya that there is a stallion. Back in my day they ah could outsmell a bloodhound. The pink candy mare was right an ah aint gonna’ call her a liar.”

“Well I’ll just be going. I’m so sorry about the confusion with your granny and thank you for the hospitality. I really appreciate it. Spike we’re leaving.” The mare said with sweat dripping off of her.

“Aw! But I just got seconds!”

“Take with you Spike we have to go check on the weather manager.”

“Oh all right.” The dragon grumbled.

When the duo arrived at the main square where the weather pony was supposed to be they noticed a rather large number of clouds floating around. In fact there were hundreds of them floating about. Twilight heaved a sigh and felt her overstuffed stomach lurch for a moment.

“I thought there was supposed to be a pony taking care of the clouds!” The mare seethed.

“Um Twilight are you okay? You seem a little… green.”

“I’ll be fine Spike. I just need to have a word with the lazy pony who isn’t doing their work.”

“Hey! Who are you calling lazy!” A cyan Pegasus said while reclining on a cloud.

“Are you the one who is supposed to be taking care of these clouds?”

“Why would you care?”

“I care because I’m overseeing the preparations for the festival.”

“Who cares about the festival? All that’s going to happen is that big alicorn is going to come here and try and get us to act like she’s the best thing in the world. Which is totally untrue.”

“Well you still need to clear these clouds.”

“Make me!” The mare threw back.

“Hm… Well I guess I’ll just leave then, surely the laziest Pegasus in all of Equestria has this handled. I just hope the princess will understand when her display is obstructed.” Twilight said while hoping her ploy worked.

“Hey! I can clear this entire sky in ten seconds flat if I wanted to.”

“Prove it.”

“Alright I will!”

The mare zoomed through the sky bucking the clouds into oblivion and easily clearing the sky. The mare seemed to enjoy herself a little too much, but maybe Twilight was just seeing things. The mare landed in front of Twilight, water droplets dripping off of her mane from a stray rain cloud that had floated in. The wet mane clinging to her body set off the multiple colors that made up her mane and fur.

The mare’s deep violet eyes were gleaming gems set in a body of sky blue. Her athletic figure completely accentuating the rest of her beauty. Twilight shook her head to remove any treacherous thoughts. Stupid traitorous flesh, I should really look up those spells that shut off your libido.

“Hey, you okay? You kind of spaced out there for a minute.”

“What! Oh I’m fine. Thank you for clearing the sky miss…”

“Rainbow Dash. The most awesome mare to have ever lived and future Wonderbolt.”

“Right… Well I’m Twilight Sparkle and I’ll be sure to put a good word in for you to the princess.”

“You will! Oh my, gosh! That would be so awesome! The princess’s approval will undoubtedly get me a spot in the Wonderbolts! Thank you Twilight!” The mare said while proceeding to crush Twilight’s spine in a hug.

“No problem. Can’t breathe.” The mare gasped.

“Oh sorry! Hey sorry about all of that shit I gave you earlier. You are totally cool in my books.”

“It was no trouble at all!”

“Well since I got you all wet with that hug and all how about I give you a Rainbow Dash style tornado drying.”

“Oh that really isn’t necessary.” Twilight said while backing up.

Rainbow Dash didn’t pay any attention and began to rapidly fly in circles around the unicorn. The unicorn found it hard to breathe as all of the air was violently sucked out of the small prismatic funnel she was in. Thankfully it only lasted for a few seconds and the mare was sent tumbling to the ground in a dizzy heap. The cyan mare named Rainbow Dash looked at her and began laughing while pounding the ground with her fore-hooves.

“Oh my, gosh! You look like a circus clown!” The cyan mare said while gasping for breath in between her bouts of laughter.

“Oh my, gosh you totally do Twilight!” Spike said while bursting into laughter as well.

“Come on Spike we need to get going. We have to check on the decorations next.” The mare said while dragging the young dragon to the place where the decorations were supposed to be.

The mare found the decorations to be quite extravagant and everything was done up in gold. Twilight knew that Celestia would have it no other way. Knowing what might happen next the mare remembered to cast a very weak spell that was designed to keep lust from building up quickly. The mare continued to examine the fine golds reds and purples that adorned the decorations.

The only thing missing from all of these royal colors was silver. It was something Celestia refused to look at and anything silvery was usually bronzed or gilded before being distributed. She had ponies believe that silver reminded her of her sister that had been banished, but Twilight suspected a different motive.

“She’s beautiful.” Spike said dreamily.

“Yeah the decorations are quite pretty.”

“Not the decorations, her.” Spike said while pointing at a white unicorn mare.

The mare’s form was quite alluring even with the lust reduction spell on. The mare was a creamy white with a cutie-mark composed of three diamonds. Her body flowed sinuously, it was rounded, but in a way that resembled being pleasantly plump instead of overweight. Her mane and tail were an alluring shade of dark purple that curled into bouncy spirals.

The mare’s eyes were an icy blue that almost felt like they could pierce your soul and Spike was falling head over hooves for her. Twilight ignored him, someday he would need to know that ponies didn’t stick around for millennia like dragons did. For now though Twilight would spare him his innocence. The dark day when his longevity was going to be revealed had to wait until he was at an age where he would be able to cope.

“I really enjoy your decorations mam. I’m absolutely sure that the princess will love it.”

“Well thank you dearie, but…Ah! What happened to your mane!?” The marshmallow said while pointing at Twilight’s mane.

“Oh! Rainbow Dash…”

“Uht! Say no more. That mare is incapable of understanding fashion. My real question dearie, is why you let her even get near your mane.”

“Well I didn’t exactly let her.”

“I see. I will be needing to have a talk with Miss Rainbow Dash. Now let’s see what I can do about your mane darling.” The marshmallow said while leading them out of the building and to her boutique.

The Building was an odd design to Twilight. It was round and resembled a carousel with a small flag proudly flitting on top of a small pole that was attached to the roof. Of the few out of place buildings within the town this was definitely one of them. On the inside mannequins were strewn about with dresses on them.

Spike followed the two unicorns oblivious to his surroundings. The poor drake was utterly infatuated with the young unicorn mare and following them in a daze. Unfortunately he didn’t realize that he had the door shut on him and was just pushing against the door now, bringing him out of his dazed state and back into reality.

“So darling, I’m aware that you are close to the princess after your revelation of being her personal protégé. So what’s she like.”

“I’m sure you don’t want my opinion. You would probably think I’m crazy.”

“Nothing you could ever say about the princess is too crazy dear.”

“I don’t like her.”

Rarity nearly hit the floor when the words escaped the purple unicorn’s mouth. Apparently Rarity wasn’t expecting that kind of reveal, why would she? The white unicorn returned to standing on all fours and looked at Twilight like she had just grown a second head.

“You can’t be serious!”

“I’m not lying.”

“B-b-but she’s the princess! Everypony likes her!”

“You obviously don’t know her personally. Most of her students aren’t too fond of her.”

“Whatever for?”

“She’s a royal prick. The only pony that is worse is Prince Blueblood and at least he’s trying to get better about it.” The mare said as if stating a fact of life.

“Oh… alright.” The mare mumbled in a disheartened manner.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“Well I was hoping that Prince Blueblood would make me his princess.”

“You do realize that his name is Prince right? He’s actually a Duke I think.”

“Well he is still considered the most handsome colt in all of Canterlot. If what you said is true then I was being quite a silly filly.”

“Cheer up Rarity! There’s sompony out there that you are bound to fall in love with. Prince Blueblood just isn’t somepony I could see you getting along with.”

“Alright dear, now let’s get back to fixing that mane.”

Rarity perked up while working on Twilight’s mane, and even seemed to start humming a little tune while doing it. After her mane was fixed Rarity wanted to start outfitting Twilight with dresses, but the mare promptly refused. Rarity looked like she would cry again, but after a brief lie about a traumatic event involving wearing a dress the mare relented. When Twilight opened the door Spike was standing outside after having looking rather peeved after having been left outside.

The two made their way over to their final destination. The mare that they were tasked with meeting was known as Fluttershy, and she was in charge of the music. The young mare was tending to a group of birds on an intricate perch set up for them to perform on. She seemed to be having a little trouble with one of them however.

“I’m so sorry Mr. Sparrow, but you were a little flat. Let’s try again and see if we can improve our performance before the princess arrives.”

“Well I though they sounded lovely.” Twilight said causing the butter yellow mare to spaz out for a minute.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect anypony to be listening.” The mare said while retreating behind her pink mane.

“Well I’m Twilight Sparkle, I’m here to check on how your preparations for the celebration are going.”

“Oh. I thought a handsome stallion named Dusk Shine was going to be checking on me. Pinkie Pie usually isn’t wrong about these things.” The mare said sheepishly.

“We’ll I’m afraid that she’s confused me for my personal guard that is currently out right now. Do you mind telling me your name?”

“I’m Fluttershy” The mare squeaked while hiding more of her face with her mane.

“I’m sorry I didn’t quite get that.”

“OH MY GOODNESS IS THAT A BABY DRAGON!” The mare screamed so loud that Celestia would probably be lodging a complaint.

“Yep that’s me. I’m Spike by the way, Twilight’s number one assistant and relationship advisor.”

“Spike!!” Twilight screamed in agitation while trying to get the ringing in her ears to stop.

“Oh. That sounds lovely. What else can you tell me about yourself?”

“I can tell you all about me while we walk to the house of the representative.”

“Oh, alright.” The mare said while they began to make their journey back to the house of the representative.

On their way back Spike made sure to tell Fluttershy every embarrassing thing that the unicorn has ever done while recounting his entire life. The young Pegasus seemed almost concerned with the diet Spike had and the way he was treated. He wasn’t treated badly, in fact he was indulged in quite often. Something that made the mare a little wary of the young drake’s physical wellbeing.

When the two returned to the residency the lights were out and the door was unlocked. When the two entered the lights came on and several ponies jumped out and yelled surprise while a cascade of balloons, streamers, and confetti fell from the ceiling. On the wall there hung a banner that said, Welcome Dusk Shine the stallion pretending to be a mare.

Twilight’s color drained from her body as she looked at that sign, but Fluttershy began to start giggling. The mare seemed to find something funny about all of this and twilight wasn’t sure she liked that fact. Her fears calmed down when the Pegasus started speaking to the crowd.

“Sorry everypony. It looks like Pinkie made a mistake. This is Twilight Sparkle and her guard Dusk Shine is currently out right now. I hope that’s alright.”

The crowd nodded accepting the mare’s story especially when Twilight and a few of the other mares that she met that day confirmed it. The mare they called Pinkie Pie didn’t seem too ecstatic when the reveal was covered up. Twilight was busy getting a glass of punch when the pink mare walked over to her.

“Hey Dusky enjoying the party? Oops! You probably don’t want me calling you that if you convinced ponies that I made a mistake. I’m Pinkie by the way!” The mare said while shaking Twilight’s hoof.

“Thanks for being so understanding.”

“Of course! This wouldn’t be a Pinkie party if the guest of honor wasn’t happy! Now I made sure to invite Cheerilee, the school teacher, to the party.”

“Alright…I’m not sure why I should care about that.”

“She’s going to bear an element of harmony, I’m thinking it might be laughter…although it could be loyalty...Hmm…and Generostiy and Kindness are so similar they can be confused for each other…why is it called the element of magic anyway? Sure friendship is magic, but magic isn’t an aspect of friendship nor does it make sense for it to be included…I think the element of Faith would be a better name, like how I decided that chimmy-cherry-chunga should be just cherry-chunga. What do you think though…?”

“Uh…cherry-chunga is a little easier to say.”

“I thought so! Now how about another one hm…”

“Pinkie please! I really need to talk to Cheerilee if she is going to be the bearer of laughter.”

“Okie dokie lokie!”The pink party pony said before hopping away into the mass of ponies at the party.

Twilight was highly unnerved by the pink party pony. Somehow she knew the secret, and it wasn’t some bloodhound type nose doing the work either. Sure the armor could mask smells, but after sweating all day some of the smell gets through. Pinkie had no reason to think that Twilight was Dusk Shine or vice versa.

Twilight caught sight of the pink pony only once more during the duration of the party. The mare seemed to be avoiding Twilight for the moment, and Twilight was relieved for the most part. That pink pony had an unnatural air about her, and her aura… was hard to describe in normal words. It felt almost like going in to smell a common flower and instead tasting the color yellow.

Spike was having a fun time at least. That would be if he was able to stop ogling the pony named Rarity that had joined the party. Fluttershy was keeping a close eye on the young drake, and when he began to fall asleep the yellow mare took him and placed him in his room. A benefit of telling a random mare that you just met the exact layout of your house, if there were any.

Cheerilee turned out to be quite a nice pony and, admittedly, quite buzzed when she was talked to. Apparently being the second teacher in all of Ponyville put a lot of stress on her. Being the sister of the local bar tender didn’t help either, but at least she never went overboard…or it could possibly be that she has a really strong tolerance.

The two talked for a while and Twilight even found out that Cheerilee had daughter. Cheerilee didn’t say too much about her child other than that she was the sweetest Pegasus to ever live. Unlike the rest of her siblings Cheerilee’s special talent didn’t involve alcohol, although Pinkie did say she was school teacher.

The rest of the ponies Twilight met earlier today had all happened to show up as well and had talked about getting to know her better. Although after Twilight had left Sweet Apple acres Granny Smith had made a fuss again, and Rarity apparently broke down when she was finally alone. The rest didn’t seem too bothered by anything except for Dash who couldn’t wait for Twilight to recommend her to the princess.
When the party finally began to die down Twilight snuck away from the party and grabbed a small crystal that could send energy to its twin. The crystal wasn’t particularly useful, but it made a great communication device when just talking. Twilight used her magic to send a pinging noise through the crystal, and moments later Sunset was answering.

“Hey how’s Ponyville? I hope the dirt roads there aren’t getting too much mud on you.”

“It’s… fine.” Twilight said while removing her helmet, revealing Dusk Shine.

“What’s wrong? Did somepony drop your books in a puddle again? I told you to look up that weather proofing spell.”

“No… It’s just that, the ponies here are nice, but one of them is…going to be problematic.”

“Just tell them you’re taken, and that your mare-friend will kill them if they even try to have their way with you.”

“It’s not that kind of problem. The ponies just don’t seem to like me too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were nice to me, but something just doesn’t feel right. Apple Jack was really nice, but she forced food down my throat and I caused her to argue with her granny…twice. Rainbow Dash liked me, but only because I gave her something in return. I broke Rarity for a moment, and I was almost afraid that she would start crying when I made her depressed, then she broke down later. It feels like Pinkie should be nice too, but… she knows who I am and is flaunting it about…although she may not be intentionally trying to destroy my life. At least Fluttershy seemed really nice. She was a little skittish when I met her, and she only acted kind towards me. She was the only one that I felt good about other than Cheerilee.”

“You’re over thinking things again. I seriously doubt that they care about any of that, so grow some balls. Pinkie is your problem, not the others.”

“But they all want to be my friends. They were all at this party and they started talking about how they wanted to be around me more often, and it just doesn’t feel right. What if they hate me for what I did?”

“Listen Dusk Shine, honey. Calm down, when you get worked up you stop making sense. Now you can’t just let your conscience bitch slap you over something so pointless. Just round them up, say you’re sorry for having possibly caused trouble and move on. Pinkie is the real threat to your existence right now, so shape up and stay safe for me.”

“Thanks Sunny. You’re right, those ponies have probably forgotten that by now. The important thing to worry about right now is Pinkie Pie and figuring out how to stop the Nightmare.”

“Oh about that. I found out something about the Nightmare that will come in handy…”

“Sunset! You are supposed to be studying not chatting with you colt-friend! I will be confiscating this crystal until your work is done!” Celesia’s voice echoed through the crystal before the transmission was disrupted.

“Well fuck you too Celestia.” Dusk Shine said under his breath while putting the crystal away.

With her helmet placed back on her head Twilight walked back down to the party to find that most of her guests had started to wander over to the festival being held outside. Pinkie seemed to be in a fit of rage, while the rest of the mares that Twilight had ran into were just mulling about. Fluttershy seemed to be pacing and Rarity was starting to look rather nervous. Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash were the only two of the five that seemed to be acting normal.

“Well, since you’re all here. I am sorry for any trouble I may have caused you.”

“What? Are ya still upset about granny? I told ya ah don’t mind. She’s just old an’ cranky.” Apple Jack said in response.

“I’ve got nothing to complain about.” Said Rainbow Dash.

“If this is about Blueblood darling, then I must be thanking you. It turns out that I found a few nobles who were hoping to see the princess and they confirmed your story about him when I asked. I can’t believe that a pony that I just met saved me from that disaster of a stallion.” Rarity added.

“You were a little scary at first, but I really like you now. Also, make sure Spike gets a bit more Topaz in his diet. His wings need that if they are to form. He also seems to be quartz deficient as well.” Fluttershy said while everypony in the room turned to face her.

“How the hay do you know about a dragon’s diet.” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Oh, um… a momma dragon once told me about this when her little baby was hurt. She took the poor thing to me because she had overheard some of the animals talking about my skills. It was scary.”

“Well, I can honestly say I really don’t have anything to be too upset about Dusk Shine!”

“Sugar cube we told ya that was a mistake. Dusk Shine is Twilight’s guard.”

“Okay!” Pinkie said.

“And I just met you and you already seem like a perfectly nice young mare.” Cheerilee added.

“How are you not drunk right now?” Rarity asked Cheerilee.

“Alcohol tolerance is one of the many perks of being an earthpony.” Cheerilee said missing the sudden twitch Rarity developed when she said that.

“Well everypony you better get to the Town hall if you want to get there in time! I know I’ll be there! I also made a pinkie promise to a special somepony to help hold down the fort and keep ponies from panicking. Although they did tell me to try avoiding breaking the fourth wall around you guys for now. Well that and showing you my Pinkie sense. Also congratulations on being the bearers of the elements of harmony!” Pinkie said while bounding out the door.

“Wait I don’t understand! What’s a Pinkie promise? What’s Pinkie sense and the fourth wall?” Twilight asked.

“A Pinkie Promise is a promise that is impossible to break without Pinkie knowing about it. It’s also pretty much the equivalent of a blood oath. You’re going to want to forget about the rest of those questions though. Trust me. I’ve known Pinkie for a long time and thinking about the fourth wall or Pinkie sense will drive you to insanity.” Dash said.

“So she’s bound by honor and blood to do exactly what the promise says…? I just hope she doesn’t get hurt eventually.” Fluttershy stated.

“So what are the elements of harmony? Sounds pretty lame if you ask me.” Dash asked.

“They are the only weapon capable of defeating the Nightmare and they are located in the castle of the two sisters within the Everfree forest. The forest is one of the few places that recovered after the reign of Discord.” Twilight stated.

“Ah don’t know what you mean about recovered. That place aint natural. The plants grow.” Apple Jack stated

“Animals care for themselves.” Fluttershy whispered.

“And the clouds move.” Rainbow Dash added.

“All on their own!” The three said at once.

“So. It was like that everywhere before Discord broke the planet. The sun and moon didn’t even need to be forced to do anything either.”

“What are ya gonna’ tell us next? That the world is round.”

“If only you knew.” The mare said while trotting outside.

(_o_============================================_o_)

Cheerilee was busy enjoying the festival after having followed Pinkie outside. It was one of the many days that the mare looked forward to other than Nightmare Night. She was hoping to get a glimpse of the sun princess before the night ended. Last year the mare had travelled to Canterlot and the other ponies there had obstructed her view and she only saw the princess’s wings.

Tonight was going to be different, she felt it deep within her gut. The mare had managed to find a spot within town hall where she would be able to get a decent view of the princess. Suddenly a chill went down the mare’s spine as if something terrible had just happened, and as soon as that feeling had appeared it disappeared and left her with an oddly nauseating sense of being sober, which was quite strange…maybe her buzz was magically removed again, it had been done before at similar events…stupid buzzkill unicorns.

Cheerilee wasn’t exactly sure how much longer the princess was going to wait until her arrival. It should be soon though. The moon was just begging to touch the horizon a few moments ago. Pinkie reappeared and plopped herself down next to Cheerilee and somehow managed to get her to Pinkie promise to go Twilight sparkle into the Everfree if something bad happened. This was probably because Cheerilee didn’t quite believe what they had all been briefed on.

When all of the stray ponies had gathered within the now cramped building Mayor Mare started giving a speech on how Celestia is the deity that brings night and day to the world. Twilight had heard the tale told several times and tuned it out until the reveal of the princess was called out.

“I now present to you, the bringer of the morning star and the shepherd of the moon. Princess Celestia Equestris.”

The entire crowd gasped in shock when the curtain revealed nothing. That really caught Twilight’s attention, especially since the princess wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to get her picture taken. Then an earie voice echoed through the minds of all the ponies present within the building while a dark pulsating mist began to flow into the spot Celestia would have taken.

“Why hello my loyal subjects. The bringer of the night has returned and we are ready to take our rightful throne!” The voice said while condensing into a solid black alicorn wearing steel armor.

The alicorn gazed down upon the crowd and noticed shock and confusion more than the adoration that was expected. Surely they remembered who they were, unless their foul sister had swayed their minds. Mortals had the lifespan of flies compared to an immortal giving Celestia plenty of time to manipulate them. Although there were the legends that Starswirl had written, something that Celestia would never destroy.

“Do you not recall the legends? Surely one of you knows who I am.”

“You’re the mare in the moon Nightmare Moon!” Twilight answered.

“WHAT!! THAT FOUL SUN PRINCESS HAS RISEN AGAINST ME FOR THE LAST TIME! I AM NO MARE! I AM NIGHTMARE NEBULA THE RIGHTFUL KING OF EQUESTRIA!” The dark alicorn bellowed in a voice that shook the foundations of the building.

“Seize her! I mean him! Only he knows where the princess is!” rarity shouted while guards raced up to meet the alicorn.

What the guards thought they were going to do up against a being with the power of a demigod was unknown. The two guards charged the alicorn with spears lowered only for them to be blown to splinters by the dark beings magic. The guard kept running at him though hoping to at least distract the creature. Their attempts were foolish though and they ended up being launched into the waiting crowd below.

“Remember this night my children, for it will be the last born of the sun.” The creature laughed while turning into vapor and flowing out into the darkness of the night.

(_o_============================================_o_)

When the specter had left the building chaos erupted among the ponies within as they began to run outside screaming. Cheerilee was busy following Twilight Sparkle who had made her way to the edge of the Everfree with four other mares. The group stopped at the edge of the forest and Twilight turned around to address the group.

“Now before any of us go into the forest to stop the Nightmare… I need to address all of you on the situation.”

“Ooh! I love addresses! Without them I would never know where to send my invitations.” Pinkie said while showing up out of nowhere.

“That mare just don’t know when to quit do she?” Apple Jack said in agitation.

“Pinkie…please go home and fulfill your promise.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Oops! I nearly forgot that I wasn’t a bearer! Sorry I’ll be going to calm everypony down now.” Pinkie said while vanishing in a puff of smoke.

“Well okay then. Now, no matter what, we must stick together and locate the castle of the two sisters and use the element of harmony to banish the Nightmare to the moon. It may be tough, and it is definitely going to be dangerous! That doesn’t matter though, what matters is rising against this monster and defending what we believe in. Through our bonds of comradeship we will prevail or have our names remembered as heroes for trying. Now who’s with me!?” Twilight said to the group.

“Uhm… Twilight. Has anypony ever told you that you sound like a soldier at times?” Fluttershy said.

“You bet I’m with you!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Ah’m ready to go.” Apple Jack added.

“I really don’t have a choice, but I’d be happy to help.” Said Cheerilee.

“But, It’s so filthy in there. Isn’t there another way to do this?” Rarity said causing the other ponies to give her a glare.

“Oh all right. Although I’ll definitely need a bath later.”

(_o_============================================_o_)

The forest was a dismal place where all of the trees grew in closely spaced clumps. The trees were twisted and gnarled giving them an atmosphere of wrongness that pervaded the forest. The shadows within the forest seemed to pulse and whisper on the winds of a time long forgotten. The plants that dotted the barely visible path to the castle twisted and writhed as if they were trying to break free of the soil.

Fluttershy was the one pony who was the most afraid of what lay in the darkness outside of the path. The whispers were getting louder in her ears as tales of sorrow started to bleed into her mind. The others were starting to feel the effects too, but Cheerilee looked unaffected. Then the world around them morphed and convulsed while taking on the appearance of a classroom.

All of the other ponies that were with them were sitting at desks while Cheerilee was at the front of the room. Fluttershy looked around and found that Dash had fallen asleep at her desk and Twilight was writing so fast the paper was on fire. Apple Jack was sitting on a stool with a Dunce cap on while rarity seemed to be drawing in her notebook.

The paper in front of Fluttershy went in to excruciating detail about how she was the weakest flier at the academy. Cheerilee just smiled at all of her students while droning on about griffin and pony relations and about how hippogriffs can be sired from the two. The class went on for an eternity and the subjects stacked onto each other with no hope for respite. Cheerilee was oblivious to how many subjects she was covering or the sheer boredom her students were facing.

Cheerilee looked out at her class and she felt sad in a way. Nopony was listening, and Twilight didn’t seem to be looking too pleased either. The notes she was writing were nothing more than illegible scribbles that bore more of a resemblance to a foal’s doodling. Cheerilee knew just how to make things livelier, and she was going to suggest something they could do until a dark whisper tugged at her mind.

“They won’t listen. Look at them. Over half of them aren’t even listening and one of them is asleep. Just go outside and have a little fun on your own. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

“Huh? That makes no sense. Why would I leave in the middle of a lesson?”

“What purpose is teaching if the students refuse to learn? Just outside that door are rooms filled with eager minds just hoping to have your words grace their ears. To listen to your honey like voice when expounding upon the intricacies of the world. They want you my dear, they need you.”

“But… what about them?” Cheerilee said while gesturing at the ponies within the room.

“Let them do as they wish. They will just move on and find something else that their interest yearns for. All you have to do is step through that door and everything will be fine.”

“But they look so bored.”

“Like I said they will find something else that suits their fancy.”

The words of the whisper washed through Cheerilee’s mind and ate away at it like acid. It wasn’t lying, but something felt off about it. The ponies within the room were miserable and Fluttershy had started crying. Outside of the door Cheerilee could see the faces of foals and full grown ponies alike wishing for her to speak to them.

Maybe a little bit of time away won’t hurt. The mare thought while walking into the large lecture hall that awaited her.

Cheerilee talked nonstop for hours watching the ponies before her eat every word that she spoke. They loved her and they kept demanding more from her. The mare wasn’t going to say no to them, it was good to have them listen to her and enjoy it. Then her mind began to wonder back to the five that she had left behind and began to wonder about how they were doing.

She looked back through the door to see them in the same state they were previously. It bugged her to know that they weren’t happy, but the crowd kept her there with their desire to learn from her. Maybe the ponies in the other room would enjoy something fun too. The mare excused herself for a restroom break and began to head back to the other room.

“Where are you going!?” A black alicorn in the crowd yelled at her.

“I’m going to have fun with my friends.” Cheerilee said while walking into the other room.

Cheerilee walked into the room and promptly slammed the door shut on the alicorn that was charging at her. She scanned the room looking at all of the ponies present and an idea came to her. She faintly registered a thud as the door disappeared leaving a blank wall where it once stood.

“Everypony may I have your attention! We are going to be having a little Hearth’s Warming Eve Party! Now do all of you have something that you want to add to it?” The mare said while the room suddenly had the wintery decorations on the wall.

“Ah don’t think this is any better.” Said Apple Jack whose Dunce cap had turned into a small pine tree growing out of her head.

“Well I think it kind of suits you.” Said Fluttershy while giggling a little.

“Thanks ah appreciate it.” Apple Jack said sarcastically.

“Now miss Rarity what is it that you wish to do.”

“Well, my sister does enjoy the paper snowflakes that we make each year.”

“Excellent! All of you can find your supplies up here and after you’re done we can start with the food and music.”

All of the ponies within the room started making the paper snowflakes and even Rainbow Dash had gotten in on it when they woke her up. The music and food was the best you could expect at a school’s party, but it was still fun anyways. The ponies laughing and having a good time warmed Cheerilee’s heart. Then she heard a sound similar to that of an enraged beast as the world began to fade away.

(_o_============================================_o_)

Fluttershy felt content with herself. The whole world was under her dominion and everything was so nice. The ponies that came in to greet her were always so respectful and they loved how she handled things. It was so nice that everypony loved her, and all of the animals that she wished for them to help care for.

She could see her foals running around and they were so happy. They enjoyed her world as much as she did. The Pegasus looked down at her belly and the foal that would soon come into the world. Then she looked over to her husband, and smiled at the stallion that had been wed to her.

The Nightmare had been a creature of particular kindness to the mare and had given the world to her. After the old rule was destroyed they were allowed to make a world in which everypony was happy and cared for. Although her friends in the dungeon weighed on her mind quite frequently.

They were the only ponies to defy her and as a result they had been imprisoned. She never saw them anymore. Why would she want to visit the only ponies that denied her happiness? She was much better off now and so many more ponies were happy now.

She retired with the Nightmare when the sun began to dip below the horizon. Their bedroom was a large circular room that was draped in the finest of silks. The bed was a large one built for extreme comfort and it felt like sleeping in heaven when laying upon it. Her husband had already crawled in bed and went to sleep.

I am truly happy. The mare thought before letting sleep take her.

The next few centuries blew by like they didn’t exist and Fluttershy loved her life. Sure it was boring at times, but that’s what the court jester and going into the town and experiencing the shows were for. The food was always amazing and she never got tired of it. Her husband loved her and she felt complete.

Then something unexpected happened that neither of the two rulers predicted. Cheerilee had escaped from the dungeon and was pleading for forgiveness from the rulers. Fluttershy was feeling conflicted. They had tried to hurt her, but surely they had served their time by now. The Nightmare wasn’t so conflicted and insisted on her going back to imprisonment.

“Please! Spare me!”

“Why should we? You have betrayed my love, and myself. Surely you wish for us to pardon you only so you can destroy us when we aren’t looking.”

“B-but… Maybe we could let them go?”

“Do you want to risk it? She could be lying to you. Don’t you remember the siege she waged against us with her friends and the horror they wrought. Do you want to risk setting that loose upon the world again.”

“N-No! They might hurt my babies! Guards lock her away!”

“Yes my liege.” The guards said in response.

“No! Fluttershy! You have to wake up! This isn’t real!”

“Liar! You just want to harm us! Now go back from whence you came foul demon and never darken our halls again!”

“Th-thank you Nightmare. May we never see her again?”

“It is for the best darling.”

“Oh, yes. I see.” The mare said while the Nightmare embraced her.

(_o_============================================_o_)

Rarity found herself in the most peculiar situation. Ponies were lining up outside for her fabulous new designs, and yet she didn’t have to lift a hoof. Her little sister was doing most of the sales while her friends were eagerly making her designs. It was a delightful turn of events if not uncanny.

The voice had insisted that she accept their help and what a delightful turn of events came from it. She was famous, well cared for, and quite…bored really. Her only job was to design the clothes that she used to slave over making. She felt like she was almost useless at this point.

She could hear the whispers again as they neared her. She wondered what it would say this time. It was surely here to remove the dreadful feeling of boredom and uselessness. So she waited for it to arrive.

“Are we enjoying ourselves Rarity?”

“No actually… I’m sorry to say this darling, but I feel quite useless and boredom has set in.”

“Hmm… I see. Well maybe a different venue would be more to your liking?”

“What do you mean?”

“Imagine designing clothing for the most prestigious clothing company in Equestria. You would be needed. Their demands for designs change daily and you would be fulfilled. You already have the fame required all you have to do is go through this door and everything will be perfect.”

“What about the others? They look rather winded.”

“They will be fine. If they tire they can just stop, and gather nourishment as they please. They will be happy for you and I’m sure they will be fine for the time being. Think of all the gifts you could bring to the world.”

“I suppose that you are quite right. Now let’s see what awaits us.” The mare said while stepping through the door.

Rarity found herself standing in the most prestigious building in Canterlot dedicated to fashion. She found her design table to be quite orderly and amply supplied to her needs along with a few mannequins. There was a single sewing machine and all of the fabric she could ever use. It was a little too sterile for her liking, but that was the reason accessories existed.

She worked tirelessly feeling none of the fatigue she probably should have been. Things felt strange, but she didn’t question it. Ponies all over the world were enjoying her gifts. Still something felt off about all of this. Was this guilt that she was feeling? Preposterous!

The mare knew her friends were alright, and that they could stop working anytime they wanted. Although she never did tell them that they could stop working. Would they continue on even when she had already left? Maybe a quick peek wouldn’t hurt.

“Miss rarity I do hope that you are not going to forestall our latest client by leaving.” A black alicorn in a business suit said to her.

“I’m terribly sorry boss, but I just need to go check on something that I’ve forgotten.”

“Surely it can wait a bit longer. This is our last client after all now that the princess wishes for you to be her personal dress maker.”

“That sounds absolutely divine. Just let me go get a few things and I’ll be right there.” The mare said while exiting through the door and going back into the boutique.

The door behind the mare vanished, and she was greeted with the sight of her friends still slaving over outfits. Ponies around her were hoping for a little something that they could get. Rarity was suddenly flooded by a wave of guilt. Had she really just ignored the suffering of her friends and others?

The mare quickly announced that there would be a large break before anything continued. The crowd groaned in annoyance, but Rarity wasn’t going to let them bowl her over. Filthy Rich had once told her that letting a crowd overtake you was bad for business, and this was one of those times where the crowd had to be silenced. She shooed out the other ponies and looked at her friends and her younger sister.

She eagerly let them rest and prepared as much food and drink as they could withstand and then some. She then proceeded to give them her hard earned bits as payment for their work. Something about all of this felt oddly generous as the world around her began to disappear.

“Good. They are not incompetent. Now it’s time to really make things hard for the others. Poor Rainbow Dash is going to have a Hell of a time!” The Nightmare’s voice echoed in the dreamscape

Author's Note

Okay now I was originally have this be a single chapter, but I felt like splitting it apart would be better.

Nothing much to say here other than that the Nightmare started small on the others to get an idea of what he was dealing with before attempting to waste energy. Also my version as you have probably noticed is more keen on using his power.

What happens between Fluttershy and the Nightmare is still up in the air right now so don't ask what's going to happen.

If the Nightmare's tricks don't make sense then here's an explanation. He's playing at their weaknesses in order to get them to ignore their strengths. Cheerilee wants to teach for students that pay attention to her and love what she teaches, so the Nightmare gave her what she wanted until the guilt drew her back to her friends. Rarity was similar. She was handed her dream, but her guilt drove her back sooner than Cheerilee because of what was left behind. Fluttershy is in a perfect world where kindness is used to keep her and a small amount of fear is used to keep her friends at bay. Cheerilee showing up in Flutter's dream is a result of her breaking free of her own and being drawn to where the Nightmare's presence was strongest.

Feel free to comment and point out any errors within the story along the way. If you wish to criticize please do it in a manner in which I can use it to improve the story.