A New Horizon

by UNORlGlNAL

Rating: teen
Tags: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Romance, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Sad, Main 6, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 7930

A Next Gen fanfic. Fear strikes Equestria as the royal son of both Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight is kidnapped during an act of espionage by the Changelings. How will the main six and their children help find the young prince, and how will

A Next Gen fanfic.

Fear strikes Equestria as the royal son of both Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight is kidnapped during an act of espionage by the Changelings. How will the main six and their children help find the young prince, and how will he escape from an underground army of love-sucking insects?

The characters written are owned by me exempting any pony that is not my OC. If you would wish to see more of them, go to my DeviantArt on unoriginai.deviantart.com.

Published 2015-02-14 01:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-02-14 01:00:02 UTC

Bleeding Skies

The sun was only still rising when Twilight awoke from her slumber, the soft hoofbeats of another in the room with her. However, the younger mare was not distraught by this possible intrusion into her privacy. No, in fact she appeared entirely aware who was there with her. The lavender mare stretched out languidly, her hoofs reaching the headboard before she relaxed back onto the bed, burrowing deeper into the vanilla scented sheets.

The sheer curtains revealed a tall, beautiful mare with a flowing mane, her horn glowing as the sun rose to the horizon. Her light fuchsia coat growing warmer and brighter as the sun lit her, the ever-young goddess slowly turned with her elegant swan-like neck towards the younger mare. The smile that lit her face was ever-more enchanting than any sunrise. Twilight, once drowsy, was now alert but at peace. The sight of that gorgeous, ethereal mare was always a soothing vision.

The previous night the two had shared a calm night of reading and discussion of the possible spells that had been written in antique spell books during the time of Starswirl the Bearded. Of course, many of these were fallacies due to the lack of information at the time owing to few unicorns practicing magic. Although very few were not unsound, however. All spells and rituals listed at least had some sort of foundation of belief or ability to be real. Such as spells to change one's gender, or to change one's own species, to fertility spells for those unable to become pregnant those male or female. Each could be tweaked or used in order to help those who need it, even if the wizard who had created these spells had only done so in curiosity, not in the intention of aiding others.

This debate had lasted throughout the night at a few hours into the morning until the two finally collapsed and yielded to the sleep that was weighing down their eyes. Now in the early hours, Twilight barely felt any compulsion to raise her head, but tried to do so for her once mentor.

With a hoof, Celestia halted her from getting up. "Just a moment, I'll return shortly." The older mare left the room for a moment, and returned minutes later. Twilight, curious, cocked her head.

Her unspoken question however was soon answered, as a few servants entered the room with tables and trays that consisted with toppings such as salad, fresh fruits, and hay. A warm, familiar scent entered the room as a tray was levitated into the room which carried a pot of freshly brewed coffee and two mugs. The lavender pony licked her lips and slowly sat up, only due to such a delectable scent.

As soon as they were there, the servants were gone in a flash, leaving the two princesses alone to enjoy their meal. They did not speak much, but it was a comfortable silence, having spoken to such a length the night previous. The only sounds that greeted them was the song of the birds as they began to awake, and the chattering of ponies in the city below. When they were finished, all that had been left after the servants cleaned up was the pot of coffee and their mugs.

Soon the caffeine had begun to work its own type of magic, and Twilight felt her previous drowsiness leaving her. As she peered through the curtains, it was a warm summer morning with the dew still wet on the vibrant green grass. The river that ended in a waterfall that poured down Canterlot's mountain was shimmering in the growing sun, and the chatter of citizens only seemed to brighten her mood.

The two ponies slipped from the room to the terrace outside, the breeze gently ruffling their hair. They lounged, both catching sight of a group walking far below. It seemed to be a family, a stallion and a mare, with two young foals beside them playing. They looked cheerful and pleased, the father levitating what appeared to be ice cream to either foal and to his wife. Twilight couldn't help but laugh when the mare below got a little on her muzzle, turning to Celestia who was smiling warmly at her.

"A very lovely day for a family stroll, isn't it?" The elder princess asked, turning in able to face Twilight. The younger mare nodded in agreement, suddenly lost for words. Sometimes the princess's eyes did that to her, robbing her of comment or complaint.

It was a long moment before the mare spoke again, this time her expression was a bit more... saddened. "I would like to have something like that. Not that Luna is not family enough, because I do love her... but I would like to have a child one day."

For an instant, Twilight though of what to say, trying to think up something positive in response. "Well, you always could. Do you not have suitors?"

Celestia laughed, "Well, of course I do. Many a stallion and mare have come to me seeking the throne beside me, but none for my actual hoof. In any case, even if I did not marry, the fact is I cannot have a child."

The way that her princess said this casually startled her. It dawned on her that this must not have been the first time she had ever discussed her infertility. Tentatively, the lavender alicorn decide to broach it. "Why not?"

The goddess took a long moment of pause, closing her eyes as if tired of explaining her condition. Almost immediately did Twilight regret asking, until the princess opened her eyes and smiled tiredly at the younger mare. "I was born from a star, or the physical embodiment of one. I remember little of when I was a young filly. One of my very first memories was watching the ponies below warring against each other due to food, the weather, and land. That was near the time of Starswirl the Bearded and his apprentice Clover the Clever. My first hoof in pony matters was with Lord Tirek, sending the energy of the sun to aid in the capture of the centaur. I only ever came to Equestria in pony form to personally deal with Discord during his reign. This form weakened me to such a state that I could no longer return to the stars. Luna, however, kept her spirit in the moon, which caused her much grief and left space for the demon Nightmare Moon. After returning to the moon, she only became more powerful and whole with her spirit. She and I are both immortal, but as she is still young and powerful she is still able to have children, while I cannot."

Twilight cocked her head, a bit confused. "Princess Luna is whole with her spirit, but you aren't?"

Celestia nodded, "Both yes and no, as it seems. I am whole, unlike my sister once had been, but I have at least half the magic I once did. I am still powerful, I cannot deny, but you have seen my defeat against Discord, Queen Chrysalis, and Nightmare Moon alike. Only with the Elements of Harmony was I ever as powerful as I was in the stars."

"That sounds extremely sad..." Twilight murmured. "It sounds... awful, being only as half as good as you truly are."

Princess Celestia smiled and laughed, surprising her old student. "Yes, it would seem sad, wouldn't it? But I have grown used to it. At times, it has even been helpful. If I was even more powerful than I was now, do you think you could have controlled the power of the sun? I would like to think you could, but even I had become overwhelmed with the power, causing volcanic summers when I was in the star."

The lavender mare considered this a moment before nodding in agreement, if hesitantly.

"You might have guessed now that our last night's discussion was not just about Starswirl the Bearded's old journals and spellbooks. I was hoping to find something that might make me fertile once more, if I had ever been before." The elder alicorn explained, tilting her head downward, a small frown upon her lips. "I believe I will not find it. Very few of the spells that Starswirl spoke of in his journals could work for one such as me. My body does not age."

For a moment, Twilight was silent, lost in thought as she began to tap a hoof to her muzzle with a look of concentration. Finally, she jumped up from her lounge chair, smiling as if she had a great surprise for the princess. "Maybe Starswirl doesn't have an answer, but I have a few ideas that might!" Celestia looked surprise, but not as if she hadn't entirely knew that her most faithful student would be all for aiding her in this matter. As Twilight galloped into the room, Celestia gracefully followed after.

As she entered the room, Twilight was using her magic to levitate each book, flipping and skimming each page until she found the ones she wanted, setting the others aside neatly. Bouncing, Twilight encouraged her over with a hoof, setting each open book down on the bed.

"Each passage describes a way a potion or ritual might be involved in getting a pony impregnated, but these are all for regular ponies, and usually without the actual... ahem... intercourse." The young mare coughed and blushed at that part, but did not let it hinder her from continuing. "But what if a magical spell or potion was used during copulation? Most of the potions involved mention using the blood or hair from the "father" and "mother", causing a magical pregnancy. But if one was to try and naturally impregnate a pony..." Twilight began flipping the pages once more, diagrams and plant sketches blurring before Celestia's eyes.

"But Twilight, I am a mare. I don't have a..."

The purple pony flushed bright pink, shaking her head. "N-No, not like that... well, maybe. What I mean is, in one of Starswirl's later passages, he mentions something about meeting a filly who was born with a father who did not have ..."

"A penis."

"Uh, yes, that. Sorry. Where was I? Oh, there. Well, This filly was born completely healthy and was entirely related to both her mother and father. The father was a unicorn, and explained how he was able to do it. He described it as doing it in the traditional manner, but with his horn instead. Horns do have the same properties a stallion's... genitalia might. Each spell conducted by a unicorn holds a part of the unicorn. In fact, some ponies hypothesize that the magic aura that surrounds a horn while in use is not unlike plasma holding blood cells in place. This might be your answer!"

Twilight waited anxiously after giving her hypothesis, trying not to stare as Celestia thought over it. Twilight had thought the horn impregnation thing had only been a rumor started by immature teenagers, but it seemed now true. But that posed another question, which mare would Celestia choose to romance? Twilight knew well that Princess Celestia would not simply choose a bride. She would care who she chose, and only after the proper courting was done. Twilight, who had been in love with her mentor since fillyhood, felt a dim spark of jealousy to whomever was the lucky mare.

Although it also bewildered her how the Princess had never chosen a husband or bride before. It could be due to the lack of these suitors actually being attracted to her, although that seemed entirely impossible. Celestia was incredible beautiful, kind, intelligent, and wise. To Twilight, she was the perfect being, something Twilight both wished to be but also desired to be with. If Twilight had the courage, she would have tried to court the princess long ago, but she was afraid the princess saw her as a daughter rather than an equal. Some might complain about their age differences, but then again, Princess Celestia was older than any pony ever, but was also eternally young. So Twilight so no quarrel to be made of it.

After a long pregnant silence, the elder princess gave the younger a tranquil smile, and Twilight immediately felt her tension uncoil. The white alicorn stood tall once more, as if rejuvenated by Twilight's words. "Thank you, Twilight Sparkle. You have given me hope once more. Although, creating a family can wait for the moment. Until then, how would you feel about joining me for dinner?"

The lavender pony grinned, "You are so very welcome, Celestia. Oh, I would love to! Will Luna be joining us?"

"My sister?" Celestia seemed surprised at the mention of Luna, then gave an amused smile. "Oh, I believe she is at the Ponyville Summer Wrap-up Hoedown and Festival, and I again do apologize for pulling you away during such an event. She will return to the castle later tonight, but I do not think she will be joining us. At least, I hope not. I was hoping to enjoy dinner alone with you."

"Oh!" Twilight replied, then analyzed what the princess had said. "Ooooh. D-Does that mean... you... think of me... like...?"

The elder alicorn gave a melodic twitter of laughter before leaning down to Twilight's level, kissing the younger mare on the corner of her mouth. "Who else would I choose? You are beautiful, kind, intelligent, and wise. Why, I'm surprised that nopony has come to claim you yet. But, my dear Twilight Sparkle, if you were to be mine I would try to make you happy. So, would you honor me by joining me for dinner, and then perhaps we might have lunch tomorrow afternoon?"

Twilight seemed almost entirely overwhelmed with happiness, as she began jumping up and down with glee, her face blushing but her eyes sparkling with happiness. "Oh, yes! You make me the happiest mare simply by being in my presence. To be able to be with you... I couldn't think of anything better."

To those two mares, finally at peace with the attraction they had held for one another so long, this was one of their most happiest days. But, within Equestria, these happy days always seemed to be overshadowed by even more pleasant ones.

These dinner dates progressed, from lunch inside the castle to attending balls as far as Applewood, Las Pegasus. Their relationship grew from a simple rumor to that of complete normalcy. Of course, there had been quit the clamor when the citizens of Equestria heard of the two princesses courting. But not just courting any pony... but each other! Some ponies thought that could have been the reason behind Twilight's alicornhood, but most conspiracy theories died down when Princess Celestia and Twilight began publicly showing affection to one another.

Most ponies approved the couple, including Twilight's friends, along with the Princess of love herself, Cadence. Cadence had been quoted in a magazine even, commenting upon how she could just predict that this would happen, and she was pleased with the results.

So when the announcement that Princess Celestia had proposed to Twilight, and that the younger mare had agreed wholeheartedly, Equestria and even the Griffin Kingdom seemed in great spirits. It seemed the love of these two ponies could set any pony at ease. The wedding announcements signaled that the wedding was to be held sometime next summer, and at Canterlot Castle. Hoofs were put to work as invitations to both close friends and country dignitaries were sent. Similarly to Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor's wedding, Twilight's friends helped with the preparations, along with a whole heaping of the Apple family due to Applejack's involvement and friendship with the Princess to-be-wed.

The wedding went off without a hitch, with gorgeous dresses and decor made and coordinated by Rarity and staff, beautiful music sang by many different types of birds thanks to Fluttershy, delicious desserts and drinks catered to by Applejack and family, and much more all ending in a fantastic Sonic Rainboom done by Rainbow Dash high in the sky. There was dancing and partying afterwards, which lasted throughout the night and into the next morning.

Years seemed to fly by as marriage announcements were made, friends became more than just friends, and children were born. Twilight and Celestia, now both honorary queens yet still carrying the title princess, now thought that this was the best time they could ever choose to have children. Or, at least, try. They hadn't yet attempted to have children yet, but had helped all of Twilight's friends and then some. Talk of making Twilight's theory a reality was being planned.

Although, they worried. Well, more specifically, Twilight worried. That her theory wouldn't work or that it would fail, that she couldn't get pregnant or that she'd have some sort of accident resulting in the baby dying. Celestia, of course, didn't seem at all fazed by these worries and quickly extinguished them.

"But... what if I'm a terrible mother?!" Twilight stuttered weakly, looking both worried and saddened.

Celestia laughed and shook her head, wrapping a hoof around her wife's smaller frame. "That is ridiculous. My wife, the Princess Twilight Sparkle, a bad mother? You could not be a better mother. For example, Spike has become a great young dragon, and you have raised him beside your parents as both a sibling and assistant, not to mention son."

Still, the young mare trembled. "That was different! I wasn't a princess, and I didn't birth him. I simply caused him to hatch from his egg! Oooh, there are so many things that could go wrong, and it'll be all my fault."

During these little panic attacks, Celestia usually got all of Twilight's friends together, including her sister Luna, and Twilight's brother and step-sister, Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. A party was typically thrown, held by Princess Celestia and hosted by Pinkie Pie. These gatherings were usually small, although have become bigger due to Pinkie befriending Canterlot Castle staff. These Twilight Sparkle Pity Parties, or as the pink party pony would like to call them, "cheering up the bestest princess ever, although the other princesses are great too!" parties.

"It's great to see you Twilight, but we should really speak more often rather than during one of your parties." Princess Cadence would say after an hour or two into the gathering, just to be sure her words didn't trigger even more sadness.

"We really should. I'm so sorry Cadence, I guess I can get a bit neurotic at times. I just get so worried that something terrible will happen!" She would reply.

The pink princess giggled, "What? About... creating an heir?"

Twilight flushed red, "Well... yes. I mean, I don't think there has ever been an instance with an alicorn being pregnant before. I mean, not in the textbooks I've read. I've read all the other helpful pregnancy guides, but none traditionally include magical conception! I have memorized almost each book, so I think I'll be okay... but..."

Cadence interrupted her before she could begin worrying again. "Well, perhaps you can take notes after me." She looked at her step-sister with a cheeky grin as the purple pony princess process what she had said.

"You..." Twilight gasped, "You're pregnant?! Oh my gosh, that is such good news, I'm so happy to hear that! When did you find out?"

"Just last week, actually. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I've had to attend to a few things in the Crystal Empire, and I know you've been busy worrying. I wanted to catch you at a good time so I wouldn't upset you."

"Oh, Cadence, I would've been overjoyed to hear that! But it's okay, I can understand completely. How is my brother taking it?"

"He's taking it fine." Shining said, sitting down next to the two mares with an overjoyed expression. "We didn't really expect it, but I'm so happy that we're going to have our own foal." He took his wife's hoof, smiling adoringly at her. Cadence nuzzled her head into her stallion's neck, sighing happily.

The younger alicorn smiled, "Have you though of a name yet?"

"Well," Cadence began, looking up at her husband. "We haven't figured out if they are a boy or a girl yet, but we're still debating. I like Skyla for a filly, or just Sky for a colt."

"I think Paramour would be a good filly's name, and Chevalier for a colt. But, y'know what, I'll let you name them first. Hopefully if this one goes great, we'll give our child a sibling." Twilight's brother laughed. Cadence flushed a little but laughed as well, snuggling closer to her husband.

As the months went by, Twilight slowly mellowed out and become calm and ready for the hurdle of pregnancy and motherhood. She really did want a foal, with all her heart, and so she overcame the fear that had been in her way. One night, Twilight burst into her own and Celestia's bedroom, with a steely look.

"I'm ready." She stated without much context, within which Celestia looked confused if amused.

"Ready for... what exactly?" She asked, turning to adjust the curtains to block out the setting sun. Luna was now guarding the incoming night.

The purple pony flushed, her once critical look now having faltered. "Uhm... well... to try for a baby!"

"Ah." The elder mare gave a small chuckle.

"It's not funny, I am being serious!" She stamped her hoof, which only made her position even more amusing. "I really do think I'm ready, and I wanna do this before I get overwhelmed or scared again."

With a sigh, Celestia removed herself from her lounge chair, approaching her wife with a relaxed gait. "Twilight, I am not pressuring you, am I?"

"What? No, of course not. I've decided this for myself." She seemed startled by the question.

"I only ask because I do not wish to coerce you into something that you do not wish to do. I am overjoyed, truly I am, that you wish to have a child with me, but only if you are certain." Celestia replied, leaning down to gently wrap a hoof around her young wife's neck to pull her closer.

It took Twilight a bit longer than usual to reply this time, truly taking into thought what she would be doing . Finally, after a moment of apprehension, she nodded. "I am certain."

"Then let us go to bed."

And they tried. Of course, like many couples trying to get pregnant, they had many disappointments along the road. Sometimes there were false positives or just flat out months of what seemed to be infertility. After so long, Celestia seemed to be ready to give up.

"One more time. Please, I am sure this will be the one." Twilight both begged and comforted her wife. "I promise." Then, after a moment of thought. "I have an idea."

This idea led them from the castle in Canterlot to Ponyville's Everfree Forest to visit a certain zebra that lived there. Zecora's hut had been enlarged at this point due to ponies finally accepting her more and visiting her for help and guidance. Twilight hoped that the shamaness would help them in some manner.

"Hello, Zecora. Sorry that we are late, it seems that the Everfree has grown more wild in the time I have been away. It was a bit harder for the carriage to take us all the way here." Twilight apologized as Zecora invited her inside, Celestia following behind.

"No need to apologize, for this forest is most wise." The zebra waved her hoof carelessly, "It is fine that you are late, but to hear your problems I await."

So the two princesses explained their problems, the infertility and how many times they have tried. Zecora nodded and listened as Twilight spoke of her theory and how it had worked for other unicorns and ponies, and was confused and rather sad that it was not working for them.

"The mare that was impregnated by the unicorn that Starswirl speaks of is Amalthea, the pregnancy aided by Black Maria." Zecora nodded, gesturing to a mixture in the large pot stewing in the middle of the hut. "Angelica root, acacia leaf, and arrow root; to whom pregnancy seems to refute."

"So this will allow Twilight to become pregnant?" Celestia asked as the three of them approached the center of the hut, catching sight of the liquid which swirled and boiled in the cauldron.

The shamaness nodded. "For those who magic is the very best, and with child you will be eternally blest."

Multiple bottles of the mixture named Black Maria were sent to Canterlot castle, which Zecora promised would work, but only after multiple days of consuming the mixture on both parts. She explained that this brew had been created by zebras long ago, and was not well known to ponies or zebra kind anymore. Amalthea had been the child of both a pony and a zebra, named a Zebroid or a Zebrule, and had been barren but had known of the potion, but had only been truly activated through magical means. Due to the tension between ponies and zebras at the time, Amalthea had not told Starswirl the potion.

So the two princesses did as they were directed. Both consumed the mixture every single morning and night, and tried every fortnight. At first, they were both extremely hesitant to even dare hope.

That all changed when the doctor said Twilight was pregnant.

It was too early to get a bead on their gender or race, even with the ultrasound spells they had attempted. They did know, however, that the foal was growing just like any other foal, and that in itself was a miracle. A grand extravaganza was throw in celebration of the fantastic news, ponies from all around were invited to the party. The celebration was comparable to Luna's wedding years prior, and the recent birth of her child. All of Twilight's friends and parents came, not including foreign royalties, baring gifts for the royal couple and their soon-to-be child. Many asked to feel of the foal was kicking.

"Have you figured out any names yet?" One stallion asked, appearing to be a newspony.

Twilight, flanked by her wife, smiled a put a hoof on her extended tummy. "Nothing is concrete yet, but we're thinking Dawn for a boy and Dusk for a girl."

While the two princess laughed along with the press, many other ponies were cooing over the foal carriage of Prince Blueblood's son, complimenting his son's adorable looks. Applejack and Pinkie Pie took turns looking at the foal, surprised when he was surprisingly emotionless for a baby.

"He wasn't that cute..." Applejack commented, "Kinda sad lookin', to be honest."

"Then he just needs some cheering up! Maybe I should go back and celebrate with him!" Pinkie Pie threw up her arms, streamers bursting into the air from an unknown origin. Before Applejack could tell her how that could start a hassle, Rainbow Dash trotted up, her belly pink.

"The food they have here is great! Even the pickle-hay sandwiches." Rainbow Dash said through a mouth-full of food.

Applejack snorted, "I thought you hated pickles."

"Me too. I guess fancy pickles are better than the usual pickles we have back in Ponyville." The colorful Pegasus shrugged, but happily took another bite out of the sandwich.

These parties began sprouting up all over the place, usually in Ponyville due to marriages and such. Usually engagement announcements, weddings, or baby showers. It seemed like all eleven months sped by, even through the hormones and tears and the best of times.

It was a hot, summer evening when Twilight noticed that her water had broken. The married couple called for a midwife to help with the delivery, and used a few anesthetic potions and spells to help and reduce the pain of foalbirth. It was a long and arduous task for both Twilight and the attending midwife. Celestia stood by her side the entire time, whispering to her encouragements and promises through the pain.

Finally, after so long, the foal had been birthed. A healthy young colt the color of sunlight with a coral pink mane and the eyes of Twilight. He came out wailing, but eventually quieted when he was held by his mothers. They took turns, Twilight at first, marveling at how silky his hair was despite what he just went through. He was warm and soft, and lighter than she had expected. But only when she handed the newborn foal to her wife did Twilight notice something wrong with the colt.

He was an earth pony.

Not that being an earth pony was in any way bad or a disappointment, but Twilight did not have any earth pony ancestors, and Celestia had been 'born' an alicorn. At any rate, he should have been born a unicorn, or even a pegasus! Her mind immediately began spinning with the thoughts that she must have done something horribly wrong. But before her imagination could run off with her logic spinning tales about birth defects and disorders, Celestia brought her back by laughing. Blinking, the younger princess looked up to see her wife bouncing the baby gently with her levitation magic, who had begun falling asleep.

"Tia..." Twilight murmured, almost frightened. "He's a..."

"Yes, an earth pony, it seems." The princess replied, but not without a pleased smile. "Do not worry, Twilight. Our son indeed has his magic, buried deep inside him. I can sense it flowing through him just like yours or mine. He will be a handsome stallion when he is older."

"So... it wasn't my fault?" Twilight shivered with relief, tears blinding her violet eyes as she motioned for Celestia to join her on the bed. As she did so, she shook her head, coming close to kiss Twilight gently, moving their son between them.

"Good night, little Dawn."

Morning streaked across the sky in reds and pinks, the sun golden and new spilling across the horizon like a newborn phoenix. The castle was quiet, save for the small clippity-clop of tiny hooves. The castle was dark save for the sunlight that snuck its way through the many curtains and windows, only interrupted by the form of a young colt creeping across the marble floors, spreading a shadow where the sun ought to be. The castle the night before had been busy and full of servants and castle staff baking food and setting up decorations, as the morning after a celebration would be had. Which was why the colt had barely slept a wink.

Up and up the colt went, trying to be as quiet as he could as he approached the bedroom of his mothers, gently cracking the door only to see his mother wide awake. The colt gave a small curse, having hoped to surprise his mom, but with her awake, it didn't seem possible any more. Momma, on the other hand...

FWUMP! The bed creaked as Dawn jumped onto the bed where his momma Twilight had been sleeping just a moment ago. The alicorn shot awake, momentarily surprised.

"Huh, whu...? Dawn?" She mumbled out, wiping the drool from her chin with her hoof, yawning.

"Good morning, momma!" The colt greeted, scooting over to hug his mother. Twilight laughed, giving her son a warm embrace in return.

Checking the time, Twilight raised her brows in surprise. "Look how early it is, Tia! Dawn, how are you up so early?"

"Momma, I told you! When the sky's awake, I'm awake." He grinned, "The moon was especially bright out last night. I think Aunty Luna is practicing for tonight."

"You stayed up all night long?! Dawn, that's very unhealthy." Twilight chastised him, but not with as much strength as she might have if she was entirely awake.

The yellow colt waved a hoof, "Oh, it was okay. I got some of my schoolwork done, so that's good, right?" Dawn gave his mother a big-eyed, doleful look.

Twilight made a show of rolling her eyes and smirked, slipping from the bed. "I guess that is good, but please try not to do that again. It will mess up your sleeping schedule, and your mother knows that will cause trouble." Speak of the devil, Celestia entered the room from the balcony, having set the sun at mid-morning. Smiling, she wrapped a hoof around her wife and gave her a kiss before moving to her son to give him a peck on the forehead.

The royal family moved from the bedroom to the dining room, where breakfast had begun being set. Each took their own seat and began eating, soon being joined by Princess Luna and her husband, Big Macintosh, and not to mention their son Ares.

"Last night's moon was really pretty Aunty." Dawn said through a mouthful of pancake. He swallowed, "I bet tonight's moon will be the bestest ever!"

The Princess of the Night smiled to her nephew, "Thank you, Dawn. I hope to actually enjoy this year's Grand Galloping Gala this year while still attending to the night, however."

Luna's son, a dark orchid earth pony colt with a variety of blues in his mane along with striking green eyes, suddenly shot up in surprise. He was a few months older than Dawn, but probably less mature due to his outbursts. "The Grand Galloping Gala is tonight?!"

"Eeyup." The large stallion beside him replied matter-of-factly, wearing a thin golden brace around his neck, having complained earlier about the strange sensation of being without his harness. Big Macintosh, while not the most talkative of stallions, seemed to be a very loving husband to Luna. When not acting as Prince of the Night as it were, he had drafted himself into the royal guard as a means to continue working even if he were not at Sweet Apple Acres.

"Did you not notice all the servants setting up in the foyer, or in an of the other areas of the castle?" Celestia inquired, raising a brow but smiling indulgently.

The prince shook his head, "Nope. I was visiting Sweet Apple Acres yesterday with Father. I got to see Aunt Apple Bloom's twins and see my cousin Ambrosia again. She said she'd be joining us at the Grand Galloping Gala, but I had no idea that it was tonight!"

"Apple Bloom had her twins already! Wow, it seems like just yesterday that Applejack was talking about her sister and Scootaloo becoming a couple. I'll have to visit them!" Twilight clapped her hooves together, "And that sounds lovely! Well, at least we know Rarity and Applejack are coming."

"The rest of your friends have been invited, of course." Celestia mentioned, levitating a napkin to wipe at her mouth. "Actually, Luna, have you received any word from our nephew?"

"Yes. Blueblood has received or letter and has confirmed that he and his son will be arriving, in his own words, 'fashionably late'."

The two royal cousins looked at each other from over the table and groaned. Their first cousin Prince Blueblood wasn't exactly their favorite relative. He was too posh, even for true royalty, and acted like a spoiled brat. His son, on the other hoof, was a complete mystery, because he never seemed inclined to speak. Dawn had seen him around his mother's school for gifted unicorns, but only in glimpses. Dawn only really attended the school due to be the princess's son, which seemed silly due to him being an earth pony. But he still thought that the magic spells and history they taught was fascinating, even if he could not participate. Due to this, Dawn was given written work rather than spell practice, but this did not deter him from memorizing them anyways.

"Now, now, I know your cousin can be a tad... foul-mannered, but he is trying his best." Dawn's mother spoke, waving a hoof to settle to two down. "What do you say that you two go play in the garden until the Gala begins, huh?"

"Sure!" And "Yes, Aunt Tia!" were all that accompanied the cloud of smoke that had once held the two colts as they raced from the room to the doors, their family shaking their heads in disbelief.

"Those two never run out of energy, do they?" Luna asked.

Big Mac shook his head, "Eenope."

Canterlot Castle was glittering and shimmering in the light of the moon that night. The castle staff had outdone themselves with the decor, while the stars overhead twinkled brightly. Ponies of all sizes and shapes were flooding through the castle, some pleased as a peach just to be there, others who had a purpose. Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight stood side-by-side on the main entrance's staircase, greeting those who had arrived, while the colts and fillies played throughout the castle. They were mostly the children of Twilight's friends, or relatives of Dawn.

Dawn, having been introduced to all of his mother's friend's children, had begun to befriend them. The first he met was an old friend, Ambrosia. The blonde unicorn filly who had once been looking posh and elegant had upon sight of Dawn quickly went into a trot, barreling him over with a hug.

"Dawn! It has been so very long since we have last seen each other!" Ambrosia exclaimed, embracing him in a neck hug before releasing him. "You must visit Ponyville sometime, I have so many ponies for you to meet !"

"I promise I will." He laughed, straightening his tie once he was set free. He had been forced into a suit due to the classiness of the event. Ambrosia herself was looking quite smashing herself, although more in an adorable manner. Her pale yellow coat and curly blonde locks went quite well with the pink dress and apple blossom corsage, her big beautiful blue eyes and long lashes were clear signs she would be a knock-out when she was older. "Where's Applejack and Rarity?"

"My parents? Oh, they went to talk with Pinata's parents, you know. Hmm, maybe he's still with Rainbow and Pinkie. Pinata?" The filly turned all the way around, and Dawn joined her in the search. But, in the end, Pinata found them.

"Cowabunga!" A pink blur was seen before Dawn was once again knocked on his flank, surprised but unhurt as he was greeted by the sight of golden yellow eyes. It was Pinata, a pink pegasus colt with a red, orange, and yellow mane and powered by pure happiness. It seemed as soon as Dawn had been knocked to the ground he was being pulled up into a hug by the colt. "Dawn! I haven't seen you in Ponyville in fooor-eeeev-uuuur! You need to come to my parties."

"Can't... breathe..."

"Woops, sorry!" Pinata freed the prince from his hug of doom, smiling unabashedly. "But really, this is gonna be the best! I can't wait until mom gets hold of the music again!"

"Like last year?" Ambrosia giggled behind her hoof. "It was great fun, but I do think she went a little overboard with the confetti in the tuba, though."

"C'mon, my mom is awesome!" The pink pegasus party pony chortled.

"Yeah, your mom is pretty cool." Said a voice from the right, at first unsee by the naked eye. Then, looking up, they noticed a cottony pink cloud hovering a foot above them carrying a familiar pony-like creature. "But my dad is even more awesome."

"Unnatural! Why don't you come down here and join us?" Ambrosia asked, a little hesitant, almost as if she were looking for an umbrella. At the sight of this, the filly about laughed.

"Oh, don't look so nervous Amber! My mom said she'd be really disappointed in me if I ruined anypony's outfits this evening, so of course with that on the line I surely will not do your dress harm." Unnatural snorted, descending from the cloud on two blue wings. Her body seemed to be a whole mismatch of things. Her front hooves were not hooves at all, but two white bunny rabbit paws, and her hind legs were that of a goat's. Her torso and back were covered in a dark brown fur which fluffed up at the chest, while her face was that of a regular filly's, with pink hair and white streaks. Her tail, however, was a lion's tail. Obviously, she was the daughter of Discord, but also Fluttershy.

"I would hope you wouldn't. " Ambrosia sniffed, and Dawn remembered last year's debacle, when Unnatural doused all of those in her vicinity with chocolate milk. Ambrosia had been in the vicinity. "I still haven't gotten the stains out of my old dress..."

"Maybe you could dye it brown and sell it?" Dawn piped up.

"Or maybe bleach it all white?" Pinata joined in.

"Do both!" Said Ares as he approached, flanked by a familiar looking unicorn colt. "Make it look like a chocolate frosted cake. Hey, everypony meet mine and Dawn's cousin, Magic Act."

Now Dawn recognized him. It was mostly his face, which was devoid of expression, and his stature. Dawn knew that this colt was a great spellcaster and even better at tricks, but it seemed compliments bounced right off of him. He'd be surprised if the colt even spoke.

"Good evening." Well, that was a surprise. Magic Act spoke in a calm, unimpressed tone, not exactly either bored or sarcastic. He was a light blue unicorn with blonde hair and purple eyes, and had the cutie mark of a top hat and magicians wand surrounded by blue sparkles. Dawn felt a spike of jealous towards him, due to being a blank flank.

Ambrosia was the first to approach him, offering her hoof. "H-Hello, my name is Ambrosia. It is a pleasure to meet you." Anypony who had half a brain could see her immediate attraction to him. Magic Act, being a gentleman, took her hoof, bowed his head to kiss it, and did something of a smile. Dawn chuckled while Unnatural began making gagging noises.

"Can we go do something now? I don't wanna stand here for the whole night." Pinata complained, jumping up and down in place.

The prince of the sun waved his hoof, "Before we go anywhere, we gotta find Skyla. She said she'd show me something super cool in the Canterlot Gardens and I'm gonna hold her to it."

"Well, let's hurry up and find her. It's boring just waiting." Unnatural had already begun wandering off. The group followed after. "Where would she be?"

"Probably with her parents." Ares replied, trotting up next to her. He was about a head taller than her, which would be reason enough why she resorted to levitating above him. "Dawn, have you seen Aunt Cadance or Uncle Shining around?"

"If I knew, Skyla would already be with us." Dawn laughed.

So the group spent some of the night searching for Dawn and Ares' cousin, finally catching sight of her in the ballroom dancing with a light green colt with yellow hair and a mandarin cutie mark. He spoke with a thick upper-class Manehattan accent, but the group of foals didn't really give him any notice as they began crowding around Skyla.

"C'mon, Skyla, come play with us."

"Yeah, you promised you would!"

"Show us what's in the Canterlot Gardens!"

The pink pegasus princess jumped in surprise of all the racket, but smiled indulgently when she realized who it was. "Hello everypony. It's been a while since I've seen you all."

"A couple weeks, Sky." Dawn rolled his eyes but grinned. "C'mon, you can dance later."

"Oh, alright alright. I'm sorry Mandarin, dear, we will have to catch up later. I have to entertain my cousins and their friends." She dismissed the colt before turning to her friends and trotted towards the gardens. Skyla was a pegasus, like her mother Cadance had once been, and likewise had inherited the purple tips of her wings. She also had blue eyes and a blue, yellow, and purple mane.

The small group slowly but surely made their way through the castle outside, which was quieter than inside the castle. It seemed very few ponies were outside, save for the nature enthusiast or castle staff. They walked in a few steps before Ambrosia turned to ask, "So, your highness, what exactly is in the Canterlot Gardens that is so exciting?"

"Please, just call me Skyla." The pegasus smiled, waving a hoof at her. "Oh, well, there's an entrance to the underground crystal caves here. Although, I can't really seem to remember exactly where..."

"Then let's look around, it shouldn't be far." The eldest colt stated, and accompanied Skyla and the group as they began searching.

"Ugh, it isn't here!" Dawn complained. Turning, he saw that everypony had given up to, although it seemed Magic Act was still poking around in the rocks. Sighing, he plopped down on his flank. "Well, what do you wanna do now?"

"Uhhh... we could play hide and seek?" The draconequus filly offered.

"Or we could just go back inside..." Ambrosia huffed.

The light blue unicorn colt blinked, and said in a quiet tone. "I would like to play."

"Didn't you know that Hide and Seek is my favorite game?" Ambrosia immediately turned over, smiling adoringly at the colt by her side. He showed no reaction to her affections, however.

Dawn nodded, "Alright, let's play. Not it!"

"Not it!"

"Not it!"

There were a few more "not it's" before Skyla was ultimately chosen as the seeker. As soon as she began counting, the children scattered into the gardens, almost disappearing entirely into the brush. As the sound of Skyla's counting began to fade, Dawn found himself in a small clearing, looking for a hiding spot.

It was a surprise when he felt a hoof tapping at his shoulder, and jumped almost sky high. When he turned around, he found himself facing a pony he had never seen before. She was a filly, somewhat shorter than he was, the color of light aqua and a dark green mane. Her eyes were the color of gold, and speaking of which, her eyes were huge. She had two birth marks on the left side of her neck.

"H-Hello..." She began, backing away slightly. "I, uhm... I'm sorry... I probably shouldn't have..."

"No, it's okay, you just startled me." Dawn laughed somewhat awkwardly, blushing in embarrassment about his overreaction. "I'm Dawn, nice to meet you."

Looking up, the shy filly smiled. "I'm L- uhm... I'm Amorino. I saw you and your friends earlier... and I was wondering if I could play with you too."

"Of course!" The sunlight yellow colt smiled, "We're playing hide and seek right now, though. Wanna hide with me?"

"S-Sure... I've got a hiding place." The filly, Amorino, lead him towards a bush located at the far side of the clearing. Sooner than he could react, the bush rustled and suddenly jerked upwards, revealing a creature he had never seen before. It's skin was the color of night, and had many holes in it's limbs. It's eyes were large and glassy, without pupils, and had a carapace along it's back. It looked vaguely equine, if somepony didn't know what an pony looked like, in any case.

Before he could yell for help, it felt as if his entire body was going limp. The last sight that greeted him was that filly, slowly turning into a monster.