"Momma?" I clung to her dark grey fur-coated underbelly. The wind rushed past us as we flew away from the castle.
"Yes, Nightsong," mother looked under herself at me.
"Thank you for flying me home," I smiled at her.
"We are not going home," she frowned and continued flying.
"Where are you taking me then?" I asked her.
"It has become unsafe for you to stay here, I am keeping you ready for when it is safe again," she said.
"Okay," I clung more tightly to her as we landed in the basement of the castle. She grabbed me and set me down next to the grand piano that played the traps in the castle.
"I love you," she kissed my cheek.
"I love you too Momma," I kissed her cheek.
"When you see me again, the world will be a different place, a better place for us both," she backed away and there was a flash of light.
"There can only be one true Princess in Equestria," Luna declared. "And that Princess... Will be me!" She stomped her hooves and a black cloud enveloped her.
1,000 years and a few hours later
I was tired, so tired. My brown eyes were fogged over and I was cold. "M-Momma are you there?" I asked.
I felt a familiar warmth envelope me and I clung to it out of instinct. "I am here, Nightsong," Luna's voice called me back to reality.
"Is the world better?" I asked her.
"I cannot tell," she said.
"That's okay," I sighed and fell asleep.
I slowly came to again, but I was warmer now, and less tired. "I think I missed you more than anything else," Luna said.
"Momma, how long was I suspended for?" I asked her.
"It has been one thousand years and a day or so," Luna lay belly-up on her bed so I could rest on her.
"That's a big number Momma," I rolled off of her and crawled over to her delicate wing. I curled up into a ball on her extended wing, "It feels like I just fell asleep."
"I was awake the whole time," she said.
"Didn't you miss me?" I asked her.
"I missed you so much, but I was so far away that I couldn't reach you," she said.
"I'm a little hungry," I said.
"I know, you should try some food this time. You have teeth now that you're five," she said.
"But I'm only five," I countered.
"I'll go get us some food and you can see if you like it," she said. She stood up and set me down on the bed.
"Can't I come with you?" I asked.
"This is a different place," she said.
"What happened to home?" I asked her.
"We have to move here," she said.
"Then shouldn't I get to see the new place?" I asked.
"Oh, look who's a big boy now," she nuzzled me and let me climb up her hoof and under her chest. "You can still climb very well," she said.
She pushed a door open and
"Are there guards here, like Smokey Wind?" I asked Luna.
"Smokey has retired, but there are guards, yes," she said.
"Why can't I see anything?" I asked.
She froze in place. "You can't see anything?" Luna asked me.
"When I make noise I can understand where things are. But the colors are gone and the sky isn't there," I said.
"I'm sure you will see colors again," Luna reassured me.
"I can survive without colors but I miss seeing your mane," I said.
"Tia," Luna stopped walking and I heard my aunt's hoof steps.
"Good morning Luna. How are you Nightsong?" Celestia said.
"Aunt-Tia," I fell off of Luna and stood up. I ran up to my aunt and climbed onto her back. "Good morning. Where is your mane? I can't seem to see anything," I said. "Are you taller than before, you haven't grown much in a thousand years," I jumped off her only to land on a familiar flowing mane. “There it is. I know that the ceiling is made of glass but there's no sky and your mane is invisible."
"If you can't see then how can you know where I am?" Celestia asked me.
"If I close my eyes nothing changes, if I stop talking then nothing happens. So I keep making noise in order to see," I said.
"I think the suspended animation may have blinded him. I was curious to see if you could fix it," Luna said.
"You make it sound like my eyes are broken somehow," I swung back and forth on Celestia's mane.
"I think that may not be far from the truth," Celestia said.
I felt Celestia grab my sides and I was tugged off of the flowing mass. "Is this how bats see the world?" I asked.
"That may be. Let's go ask them," Luna said.
"Ooh, can you fly us there?" I asked.
Luna nodded and said, "Of course." She was smiling.
"There's your smile," I beamed at her.
"Can you really make out such details without eyes?" Celestia asked.
"I don't need my eyes to know she's happy," I said proudly. I felt myself touch a familiar warmth.
"Hold tight," Luna said.
I crawled in a straight line until I was upside down and I clung to Luna. "I can't really tell if this works but I think I'm in the right spot," I said.
"You're in the right place," Luna reassured me.
"So how has the world changed?" I asked Luna as the wind rushed past my ears.
"We have become an old pony's tale," Luna said.
"Like Discord?" I asked.
Luna paused a moment and said, "They think I eat little children.”
"That's bad. That's not true, Momma. I'm a little child and you've never once eaten me," I joked.
"That's because you're too cute to be a meal," she giggled.
I grinned at her, "What do they say about me?"
"They think you are the embodiment of all the children I eat," Luna said. I frowned and scratched my head with a hoof. “Keep all of your hooves on my coat,” Luna scolded me.
I grabbed back onto her underbelly and said, “Sorry.”
She sighed, “My apologies. I should not have snapped at you.”
“All is forgiven,” I said. "Anything else they say about us?"
"They have a celebration, every year they dress up in costumes and talk about how scary we are while they eat candy," Luna said.
"What's candy?" I asked.
"Try this," she held something in front of me.
I grabbed it in my mouth and licked it, it tasted sweet but it wasn't an apple. I gnawed on it for a while and tried to understand what it was. After a long time it just got so small that I swallowed it. "That tastes good, but what is it?" I asked.
"That is what they eat by the bucket when they talk about us," Luna said.
"I can fit inside a bucket," I said proudly.
"I know," she smiled.
"He does not look ill," the bat climbed onto me and examined me. "He seems just fine to me," the bat told Luna.
"He does not know how to use his ears to see with," Luna said.
"They think a thousand years broke my eyes," I said.
The bat climbed onto my head and flew over to Luna, "I do not know how your eyes work. I am sorry I cannot help you, Princess Luna."
"Your opinion is all I came for," Luna said. I felt her pick me up.
I heard the other bats all say their goodbyes. I waved to them, "Bye."
Luna stopped walking, "You can understand them?"
"Should I not be able to?" I asked.
"Can you understand him?" Luna asked the bats.
"Yes," the bats all nodded from their roosts.
"How odd. I thought you wouldn't inherent that," Luna placed me on her belly and I clung there. "I fare you well," she told the bats.
"Goodbye," I told them.
"Bye," they said as we took off.
When we landed I heard Luna panting. "Are you okay Momma?" I asked her.
"I have not flown in many years," she sighed.
"Where are we now?" I asked her.
"We are home," Luna said.
"Is Smokey here?" I asked. Luna went quiet.
"Momma?" I wanted to make sure she had heard me.
"Smokey has... moved on," she seemed worried.
"Will we see him again?" I asked.
"No," she sighed.
"What's wrong, Momma?" I was concerned for her now.
"Nopony we knew other Tia is still here," Luna said.
"Oh, okay," I hid in her fur.
"They have done great things, but we must leave them alone now," Luna said.
One season later
"Where are you going Momma?" I asked Luna as she stepped onto the carriage.
"Stay here," she avoided the question.
"Fine," I groaned.
I snuck into the carriage as it took off and clung to the underside of it.
Lightning shook the air as we landed in the middle of a large group of ponies. Luna took off her cloak and shouted, "Citizens of Ponyville, the creature of nightmares is no more. But instead is a princess that desires your love and admiration."
"Momma," I ran out from under the carriage, "I told you the big voice scares ponies." I ran under Luna and looked around at the ponies. They were all on the ground, cowering in fear.
"Nightsong, I told you to remain home," Luna looked under herself at me.
"And I knew that today was costumes and candy day. I'm staying with you Momma," I nuzzled her leg.
"It's Nightmare Moon and Tiny Terror!" a pink pony in a giant chicken costume yelled.
"Who?" I asked.
"He looked at me!" the chicken shouted and ran away.
"No, no, we are not Nightmare Moon," Luna said.
"Momma, who is Nightmare Moon?" I asked her.
"I haven't told you everything that happened while you encased in crystal," she said to me. "Now let us rejoice in our retu... What is wrong with you?" Luna pointed at different ponies. As her gaze fell on them they shrunk away and covered their eyes. "Fine, be that way. We won't even bother with a traditional royal farewell," Luna walked away.
I looked around as the ponies stayed down when I looked at them. "You're scared of me too?" I asked them. Nopony answered me and instead cowered down. "Oh, you're scared of me... Why are you scared of me? I'm harmless, really I am. Why are you scared of my Momma? Stop being scared of me, please?" I asked them.
"Come here, little one," a purple unicorn in a robe approached me.
"You're Uncle Star Swirl," I hopped up and down.
"Finally somepony gets my costume, hey wait. You knew Star Swirl the bearded?" the unicorn asked.
"Of course I know him, Uncle Star Swirl was so funny. He liked magic tricks, he always had tea before breakfast and we would always prank people when I hid under his hat like this," I said. With that I ran up the robe and picked up the hat, I sat where the hat had been and pulled it back down over myself. "See, funny. It was funnier when he forgot I was there and he tried to cast a spell," I giggled.
"And what's your name?" the unicorn asked me.
I lifted the hat up and hung upside down in front of the unicorn's left eye. "Nightsong, son of Princess Luna," I said proudly. "And who are you really?" I asked.
"Twilight Sparkle," the unicorn said.
"You're Aunt-Tia's best student? No way really?" I asked her.
"That's me," she smiled.
"I thought you'd be a little smaller and less like my uncle, but it's nice to meet you Miss Sparkle," I said. I placed one hoof on her nose and balanced myself on that one hoof.
"You have a very good balance," Twilight said.
"But you have magic beyond my comprehension, and you know my Momma. You've saved Equestria, you're awesome," I slipped and landed back on her head.
"Speaking of Luna, what's gotten into your mom?" Twilight asked.
"This is the night you talk about us eating little kids and you get to eat candy by the bucket. She got on her carriage and I snuck on with her. I don't know why everypony's so scared of me but Momma says I'm too cute to eat," I pulled the hat back over me.
"Let's go talk to her," Twilight said.
"Okay, Miss Sparkle, foreword march," I said.
"Princess Luna," Twilight said as she ran towards the bridge where Luna was standing, "Hi I don't know if you remember me but I'm-"
"Star Swirl the Bearded. Commendable costume, thou even got the bells just right," Luna said.
She adjusted her hat where I was hiding, "Why thank you. I'm actually-"
"Twilight Sparkle, it was thou who unleashed the elements of harmony upon us and took away our dark powers," Luna shouted.
"And that was a good thing, right?" Twilight asked nervously.
"Of course, we could not be happier. Is that not clear?" Luna shouted.
"Look Momma, it's Uncle Star Swirl," I pulled the hat off of Twilight and, while staying in the air, placed the hat back and dashed over to Luna. "Who is Nightmare Moon? Why are the ponies scared of us? Why are you talking like the olden days long past? The times have changed, nopony talks like that anymore," I rambled.
"Nightsong dear, why haven't you returned home?" Luna spoke normally again.
"First start talking to everypony like you talk to me. Stop using thee, thus, thy, thou, and thine," I said.
"You never told me you actually had a son," Twilight said to Luna.
"That makes us seem more like the tales," Luna sighed.
"And stop referring to yourself as a collective, it makes you sound removed and scary," I added.
"Nevertheless, you should be at the castle," Luna said.
"You're getting better at it," I said.
"You are cute but thou infuriates me," Luna slipped again.
"You said thou again," I corrected her.
"Anyway, what is it Miss Sparkle?" Luna asked Twilight.
"Why are you here?" Twilight asked.
"You used the big voice again Momma," I said.
"We are unhappy with why this celebration is here," Luna answered.
"Stop saying we," I crawled under Luna's chest so I could talk to both her and Twilight.
"It has come to our attention that a great number of bats are active this night. Nightsong must learn to fly. Nightsong why don't you go talk to the nice bat that helped fix your eyes?" Luna asked me.
"But I like it better when you fly me around. And I'm only five, I shouldn't learn to fly until I'm seven," I whined.
"Fine, go stay by that statue and read its plinth. You will witness ponies giving the statue candy, that is for you to eat," Luna said.
"All of it?" I asked.
"Save some for me," Luna whispered.
"Yay!" I landed on the bridge and ran toward the statue.
The statue looked kind of like an armored Luna with me on her shoulder. But it had pointy teeth and I was missing my legs. I read the plinth aloud, "Once upon a time- Good start to a story really. Once upon a time there was a second Princess. This Princess brought out the night and one day..." I read for a while and heard something behind me. I turned around to find a group of three fillies had come, they had buckets full of candy. "Um hello," I waved to them.
"I-it's Tiny Terror," one of them said.
"No, no, that's not my name. Please don't be scared of me?" I said.
The one on the left, a pegasus, dropped a piece of candy in front of me, "Here, have something for Nightmare Night."
"Thank you," I said shyly. I reached over for the treat and pulled it closer to me.
"Who are you?" the earth-pony in the middle asked me. She smelled like apples and candy.
"Nightsong," I said.
"We're the Cutie-Mark Crusaders, I'm Applebloom, this is Sweetie Belle, and that's Scootaloo," Applebloom pointed right and then left.
"Hello," I said.
"Nice costume, who made it?" Sweetie Belle asked.
I'm in trouble now, they're going to run away and I'll be left alone again. I took a deep breath. "Well it's not exactly a costume," I said.
"A real bat-pony, I thought they were extinct," Scootaloo said.
"I've been... um... gone the last thousand years. What do you mean extinct!? Momma would have said something if I was the last one," I assured myself.
"What do you mean gone for a thousand yea- you're Tiny Terror!" Applebloom said.
"No, no I'm not a ghost, I'm me," I explained.
"Please don't make Nightmare Moon eat us?" Sweetie Belle begged.
"What? No, I never met Nightmare Moon," I assured them.
"Here, have this instead," Applebloom dumped some candy in front of me. Her friends did the same thing and then they ran away.
My ears flopped down and I frowned. "I don't eat ponies," I muttered. I felt really bad, almost like I was sick with the cold or flu. But it hurt somewhere else, somewhere inside of me. "I'm not a monster! Why are you all scared of me?" I yelled. I looked up at the statue. There was my answer.
The next time somepony came to the statue I didn't move until they noticed me and walked over to me. "Hello," I didn't look up.
"It's Tiny Terror!" one of them screamed and they all added to the pile of candy before running away.
"Goodbye," I sighed. I looked up, one of them had dropped a cloth that I pulled over myself and stood up. It covered my wings completely, which gave me an idea.
I walked into town and nommed on some pieces of candy as I went. I was wearing the cloth around my back so nopony saw my wings. I ran out of candy and ducked behind a bin of water as the Cutie-Mark Crusaders passed by. They were talking and their bags were full of more candy than I had seen them with when they ran away from me. I followed them so I could learn how to get more candy.
They followed three basic steps to get candy. Step one, knock on somepony's door if the lights are on. Step two, sing a song and show off your costume. Step three, say thank you and go to the next house after they give you candy.
"Seems simple enough," I said to myself. But I don't have a costume. Oh wait, they said it looked like I was in costume, maybe everypony else will think so too. I walked up to a door with the lights on, and knocked on the door once and stepped back. The door opened and I smiled, "Happy Nightmare Night."
"And what are supposed to be?" the pony asked enthusiastically.
"I'm Tiny Terror," I said in a mock scary voice. I pulled my cape off and spread my membranous wings for them to see.
"How adorable, here you go," the pony held out a piece of candy and dropped it onto my cape.
"Thank you," I said as they closed the door. I picked up the cape and used it as a bag I slung over my shoulder. "That was fun," I smiled to myself as I walked to the next house.
"Thank you," I said.
"You're welcome, and what a good costume you have," the old mare said as she closed the door.
I dropped the candy I had collected into the proper bag a kind stallion had given me and slung it over my shoulder, I made my way away from the barn as I sung to myself a tune I had made up, "She's living in the past so you won't last without the proper care, the royal farewell and an animate spell you won't have long to prep-are-are." I finished the words on a stutter out of curiosity and decided I liked it. "Maybe I should write that down sometime," I thought aloud.
I hummed to myself as I passed by a big tree with a door, it didn't have any lights on so I didn't bother. I kept humming and thinking, thinking and humming until I bumped into something, "Oof!" I looked up at what I had just run into, it was a big, shiny house. "What is this place?" I asked myself. The lights were on and I hadn't been there yet so I knocked on the door.
"Yes," a melodious voice and a beautiful white unicorn with a purple curly mane opened the door.
"Happy Nightmare Night," I smiled.
"What a fabulous costume, I can't even see the seems on it," the mare said.
I heard a gasp from inside and I saw a familiar filly run to the door, "Careful Rarity, it's Tiny Terror."
"Yes I am," I tried to play innocent with them.
"Don't be ridiculous Sweetie Belle, it's clearly a costume. Why don't you go talk to your friends," Rarity said.
"But that's not a costume, he said so himself," Sweetie insisted.
"Only some of it is a costume. These are fake wings and the rest isn't real," I said.
"Oh, sorry," Sweetie Belle walked away.
"I do apologize for her behavior young sir," Rarity said.
"You needn't apologize on her behalf, she already did that," I said.
"Here," Rarity passed me a piece of candy.
I put it in my bag. "Thank you," I said.
"Goodnight," Rarity said and closed the door.
"Phew, that was close," I sighed to myself.
I spotted Luna and Twilight with a few other ponies as I passed through town square. I walked over to them and smiled as I dropped my bag in front of Luna. "Best day of the year ever," I said.
"Oh, and how so Nightsong?" Luna asked me.
"Once you pretend to be in a costume ponies stop running away from you. And they give you candy," I said.
"Have you visited every house in Ponyville?" Twilight asked me.
"I'm sorry who is this?" an orange mare with a blonde mane asked.
"That's Luna's son," Twilight said.
"Sorry, this is Nightsong. Nightsong this is Fluttershy and Applejack," Luna pointed to the respective ponies.
"Applebloom, Applejack, and Granny Smith. Is that thing a family theme, apples I mean?" I asked.
"You met 'em?" Applejack asked me.
"Well, Applebloom and her friends were all scared of me and I met Granny Smith while I was acting," I said.
"Aw, look at him, so cute and well spoken," Fluttershy said as she looked me over.
"Thank you," I smiled. "I don't understand how they stopped being scared of me just like that," I said.
"Woah!" an older foal fell into a bin of water. Luna pulled him out and the big chicken pony showed up.
"Nightmare Moon is trying to eat him! Run!" the pony shouted.
Everypony in the square ran away screaming other than our group. Luna put the kid down and he ran away too. "Tia a lie, your backside is whole and ungobbled thou ungrateful whelp," Luna shouted. The square was empty when she finished her sentence.
"They loved you until that happened," Twilight told Luna.
"Yes, I can tell by the adoring shrieks of the little children as they run away," Luna said. She walked away after picking me and my bag up and putting me on her back.
"I didn't run, and I still love you," I said.
"But everypony loves Tia, and only one loves me because he depends on me," she said.
"But you have dream duty, they depend on you to keep the nightmares away," I reasoned.
"Nopony ever sends me letters, or appreciates the nighttime, or even says thank you," Luna lay down in front of the statue.
"Momma, you have a child to raise on top of everything else you do, and you do it very well," I stroked Luna's mane.
"Here, I got this because ponies thought I was cute, not because I was scary, not because they thought I would eat them, but because they thought I was cute. And I'm giving it to you because you're the best mother I could ask for," I set down my bag in front of her.
"But it's not mine," she said.
"It's ours," I said. "Have some, you should really try this one. It's basically an apple surrounded by candy," I placed a caramel apple in front of her.
"I suppose I should have something," she reached for the apple. She picked it up and bit down on it. "This is good," she said with a full mouth.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," I said.
"I'm your mother, I can do what I want," Luna defended herself after she swallowed it.
"Wrong answer," I began tickling her flank.
"Haha! Hey! Stop it!" she rolled around, exposing her belly to me. I tickled her belly and she laughed harder, "Hahaha!" After this went on for a while I stopped and let her breathe. After she recovered she smiled at me and I got the feeling I should run. I turned around and she grabbed me, pulling me close to her so she could tickle my underbelly.
"Hahahaha! I'm sorry! Hahaha!" I laughed until she stopped and returned to eating her apple.
"Do you think Aunt-Tia found a special somepony while we were gone, and she hasn't told us yet?" I asked her.
"I doubt it, but it's possible," she said after swallowing the last bite.
"Princess Luna, I think I've figured out how to get them to like you," Twilight ran over to us.
"Goodbye Nightmare Night, forever," the little kid said as he began to leave.
The wind picked up and a great voice shouted across the land, "Citizens of Ponyville, you were wise to bring this candy to me. I am pleased with your offering, so pleased that I may just eat it, instead of eating you!"
"Ah!" everypony shouted when they saw us standing where the statue had just been. Luna was disguised as Nightmare Moon, and I as Tiny Terror. They all ran away. Luna and I transformed back into ourselves, we spat out our false sets of teeth with fangs.
"I am not certain that did what you meant for it to do Twilight Sparkle," Luna looked at Twilight.
"I don't get how that helped," I said.
"Just wait," Twilight said.
Luna jumped off the plinth after I crawled under her belly again. She asked what was on both our minds, "For what? For them to scream some more?"
Her mane tensed up as the little foal she had saved from drowning pulled on it once, "Um.. Princess Luna, I know there's not going to be any Nightmare Night next year. But do you suppose that maybe you could come back next year and scare us anyway?"
"Child, art thou saying thee likest me to scare you?" she picked up her ancient speech again.
"Huh?" the kid asked.
I crawled onto Luna's shoulder, "Basically, you enjoyed being scared?"
"Yeah, it's fun, scary but fun. Nightmare Night is my favorite day of the year," the kid said.
"Well then we shall have to bring Nightmare Night back," she bellowed, blowing the kid a few feet back.
"Yay, she said yes guys," the kid ran over to his friends.
"See they do like you," Twilight smiled at us.
"Can it be true?" Luna asked herself.
"You're my favorite Princess Luna," the kid bowed to Luna.
"What? I can't anything over Momma's big voice!" I shouted. As I finished the wind picked up and blew the poor kid back a yard. "Oops," I covered my mouth.
"Spike, take a note please?" Twilight said.
We laughed as we flew home on the carriage. I had my bag of candy and Luna had a bag that was almost as big as she was. Once we landed and thanked the drivers we carried our bags to the dining hall. I set mine down on the table and pulled out a candy apple, "These are the best candy, I think."
Celestia walked into the room before we could start eating, "Wow, your trip went well."
"That it did. Tia, have some," Luna smiled and passed Celestia a small ball of candy.
"You have a bag full of candy that weighs more than five of me and she gets less candy than me?" I asked Luna.
"I suggest a competition, whoever eats more candy by the time we run out wins," Celestia smiled.
"I'm not gonna do that, I'm saving this," I said.
"Okay," Luna said.
"Ugh," Luna groaned as I dragged her down the hallway to our room.
"Don't complain to me. It wasn't my idea to do all the unwrapping before the competition so you could eat faster but I did it," I set her down and opened the door. I got under her again and carried her into her room. "I'm a five year old child- ugh, the last of my kind- gah, and I'm helping the princess get into bed. Just because she's my mother and full of more candy than I could fit inside the castle," I whined.
I had managed to get her over to her bed. I dropped her and climbed above her, very sure she was asleep. I clung to her fur and flapped my wings as hard as I could. "C'mon Nightsong. Just a little more thrust." I flapped my wings so fast they became a blur.
I ignored the strain on the bases of my wings as I lifted her off the ground. I adjusted the angle I flapped them at and I moved forward just enough that when my wings gave up we both landed on the mattress.
I stood up and pulled the blankets over Luna before crawling under them myself. I snuggled myself against her belly and drifted off to sleep as the sun rose.
"Good night, Momma," I said as I woke up. I opened my eyes to find myself stuck to the ceiling by my hind legs. Luna tended to put me on the ceiling when she woke up first and didn't want to disturb me.
"Oh," I said. I looked down at the the floor and did some thinking. I swung myself in the direction of the bed and then the other way. On the way towards the bed I let myself fall. I landed on the mattress and bounced to half the height I had been at.
"Whee!" I said, completely delighted. In midair I opened my wings and angled myself so I dove towards the bed again. I bounced low enough that I could land on the floor without causing myself harm.
"Yippee," I glided down to the door and opened it. I rolled along the ground before I walked back to close the door. "I think I'll explore the castle some more today," I said to myself. I had only gotten the time to see some of it and I wanted to know where everything was.
"Good morning," a guard said to me from the doorway.
"Good morning," I smiled. My stomach growled at me. "On second thought I should get some breakfast before anything else. I'll be in the dining hall if Momma comes looking for me," I told the guard. He nodded and stood still again as I walked toward the dining hall.
I hummed to myself so I could walk without using my eyes. I tended only to use my eyes when I wanted to look at something very pretty, like Princess Cadence or a rainbow. I walked into the dining hall and grabbed a few apples before I sat down.
"Good morning," a voice I hadn't heard in awhile said from the seat next to me.
I opened my eyes and looked to my left, "You're back." I jumped onto Cadence and hugged her.
"Yes I am," she smiled and hugged me back.
"What's new?" I asked her.
She held me out in front of her as she talked, "Well, Shining and I are considering getting married an-"
"Really, you started with that and expect me to listen to anything else you say afterwards?" I asked.
"Well no. Have you gotten slipperier?" she asked me as I climbed up one of her hooves and onto her back.
"You're marrying Shiny, you're marrying Shiny," I said in a sing-song voice as I climbed onto her head.
She smirked and asked, "You remember our practice with your reflexes?"
I gulped, remembering. She lowered her head and then flung me into the air.
"Yahahoowee!" I yelled as I clung to the ceiling.
"You've gotten better at that," Cadence shouted up to me.
"Wipe that grin off your face!" I shouted back.
"Now the question is how do you get down?" Cadence asked.
"You need to make a distinction between down and alive!" I shouted.
"Both!" she called.
"You know you're the more fun one of my caretakers but you have a twisted sense of humor!" I shouted.
"I wonder when your horn will grow in!" she acted as though this was a time for general conversation despite the fact that she was yelling. Then she turned to her meal and whispered, "You don't make a shred of sense."
"Have you forgotten who you're talking to or have you forgotten that I have the best ears in Equestria?" I asked her.
"Sorry," she said.
When she wasn't looking I dropped down and opened my wings. I flapped them to decelerate myself and softly landed in my seat. "So how was the rest of your trip?" I asked her.
"Gah!" she jumped up. "How did you get down from there so quietly?" she asked.
"That's my secret and your mystery," I grinned at her.
She picked up her chair and put it back where it was. "I suppose that makes us even," Cadence said as she sat down.
"Alright," I shrugged and bit down on an apple. I sucked it dry before spitting it back out and catching it in my hoof. It was shriveled up and colorless. I set it down on the table and picked up another apple. By the time Luna arrived there was a pile of five dry apples next to me. I groaned a little as Luna picked me up, "Ow, my tummy."
"I know you like apples but you need to avoid overeating," Luna giggled as she placed me on her back. Cadence giggled a little as Luna and I left. I crawled down under Luna's belly and clung there. Luna stopped walking and looked down at me like I was behaving strangely.
"Since when is overeating my -hiccup- problem? You always say I'm too -hiccup- skinny. And why are you staring at me, Momma?" I said. I hiccuped again and almost lost my grip. I corrected myself and clung more tightly to her.
"Oh, yes of course," she looked up and continued walking.
"Momma -hiccup- where are we going?" I asked her.
She stopped walking. "To my bedroom, why?" she asked me.
"No you're -hiccup- not, the bedroom is the other way," I said.
"I seem to be lost yes. Child, could you please guide me?" she asked.
"Momma, my name's Nightsong," I said.
"My apologies, Nightsong could you please direct me to my bedroom?" she asked me.
"You're acting kind of funny, are you drunk again?" I asked her.
"Yes I am," she admitted.
"Delightful," I said.
After we got back to the bedroom Luna sat down on her bed. "Now go on, run along," she said.
"But I always sleep in here with you. Momma are you okay, you're acting really weird?" I asked her.
A look of panic crossed her face, "Um..." She shot a beam of green light at me and I felt dizzy.
"What'd you do that for?" I yelled at her.
"What do you mean?" she smiled.
"My Momma's magic is always blue! You're not her! Where is my Momma?" I demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Please be quiet?" she spoke softly and smiled.
I shouted, "No! I'm going to get the guards!" I turned around to leave. Another green beam came at me and I was stuck to the ground by a green slime. The stuff covered my mouth as well so I couldn't speak. I yelled into the goop but it was no use. I couldn't breathe so I stood still to conserve my oxygen.
The mare that wasn't my mother stood up and walked over to me. Her eyes flashed green and she grinned at me. A circle of green fire surrounded me and I sunk into the floor inside a green bubble.
When I woke up I saw a faint green light. I opened my mouth to speak and found that what I was breathing was not air. Okay this is weird. Where am I and what happened? Think, Nightsong think. Mare that is not Momma has green eyes and green magic. Who was that? Oh never mind what is this stuff and why am I able to breathe it? Okay, try to use your ears.
I let out a squeak and waited for it to echo back to me. But after a second or two I realized that it wasn't coming back. I tried to speak and a pain shot through my throat. I felt my neck with my hooves and found a collar around it. Likely the source of that pain. Okay what have I learned from my observations? Um... I can't speak, okay good to know. I can breathe, that's always nice. There's a collar around my neck that can hurt me, not good. And there's a Luna imposter loose in the castle, this is bad. This is very, very bad. I turned my head to find the source of that green light. I was greeted by quite a sight. A bunch of bugs, each larger than me and full of holes, constantly lighting themselves on green fire and changing into exact copies of... me. They all swarmed around Luna and yelled and whined at her.
She looked very confused and scared. "What are you?" she asked them.
One of them hissed at her and I tried to shout at her, "They aren't real!"
But a pain shot through me and the bug that had hissed at her spoke in my voice, "Aren't they real?"
Can it only speak what I try to say in a scrambled order? Okay next time it wants to speak don't say a word.
Luna shrunk away from them and backed up into a wall, "Nightsong, is that you?"
I remained silent and so did the fake one. I decided to try something and spoke, "Over there." The pain was a little more intense this time.
The bug only had those two words to work with and repeated them, "Over there."
"I'm a stupid, dumb bug," I said. The collar shocked me again. I need to avoid giving it words it can use to convince her that it's the real one.
The bug looked confused and repeated after me, "I'm a stupid, dumb bug?"
"What?" Luna asked it.
The bug hissed in frustration and all of the fake ones flew into the air.
I pounded my hoof against my forehead. What single word can I use to reveal them? What are they? What just screams fake that they can't use in a different context to confuse her? My eyes snapped open when I thought back to a Hunter's Guide to Monsters. "Changeling!" I shouted, earning another shock from the collar.
The fake me that had done the talking confusedly repeated the word, "Changeling!"
"I AM A CHANGELING!" I shouted. The pain from speaking was so intense this time I almost lost consciousness. A sizzling sound and some air bubbles emitted from my hooves. They felt like they were burning but the fluid I was immersed in was cooling it down.
"I AM A CHANGELING? A changeling I am? Am I a changeling?" the lead bug muttered the last two sentences before getting kicked in the face. Luna kicked them left and right, each one she hit revealed itself as a bug.
"Not real you -ah- in the castle," I shouted as several stabbing pains pierced my back.
The changeling didn't even try to scramble the words anymore, "Not real you -ah- in the castle."
Once none of the bugs looked like me and instead looked like scattered burnt cheese Luna grabbed the leader by the throat. She brought it up to look at her and she growled at it, "Where is Nightsong?" The bug raised a shaky hoof in my direction and then was dropped to the floor. Luna ran in my direction and looked up at the chrysalis that I was in. "Are you okay?" she called to me.
I smiled down at her and pointed to the collar around my neck. "I can't speak for myself but you look -AH!" I yelled as the pain came back and the pits in my legs got deeper. The burning feeling slowly dug its way deeper into my body as it dissolved parts of me.
"I can't speak for myself but you look - AH!" the changeling repeated from the floor.
"I'll get you down, don't worry," Luna shouted as she flew up to me. A panicked expression crossed my face as the realization of what was happening hit me. Oh no, please don't? I held up one of my hooves against the sack I wall so Luna could see the bubbles. Her smile quickly faded and she poked the chrysalis with her horn. I swam up to the roof the prison cell was attached to. The sack burst and the fluid fell away from around me. I had managed to cling to the wall just in time. I coughed out as much of the fluid as I could so I could breathe real air again. Luna flew over to me and pulled me off the ceiling into a tight hug. She held me out at a leg's length and examined me. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you? Was I too late?" she asked me.
I mouthed to her and pointed at the collar, "Can't talk." I glanced at my hoof and recoiled in horror. My legs looked like I was a changeling, they were full of holes of varying depths and angles. I looked at my wings, they had fringed edges now but no more than one small hole each in the membranes. My tail and mane were mostly untouched other than a few splitting parts at the ends. I sighed silently and looked down.
"It's okay, it's still you," Luna said and hugged me again. "Here, I know where we are and how we can get out," she pressed me against her belly. I crawled into her fur and clung there, a little discomforted by the feeling of her fur tickling the insides of the holes in my legs. She stroked my back a few times to calm me down and then took off.
"Queen Chrysalis will not get away with this," she said sternly. Somehow the knowledge that she cared about me and would be there for me made me feel warm and... full. And even though my mouth was empty I almost tasted something sweet. Is this what love tastes like?
Once we emerged into the light of day Luna flew into the castle. We passed several confused guards and she pulled on the brakes once we entered the throne room. "Tia!" Luna shouted to her older sister.
Celestia looked up from her conversation with the fake Luna and a copy of me. "How are there two of you?" she asked.
"Imposter!" the fake Luna shouted at us.
Luna landed on the floor gently and looked down at me. "Are you okay?" she asked me. I nodded and she looked up at the fake one. "You're the imposter," Luna shouted.
"How is this possible?" Celestia asked.
"That's Queen Chrysalis." Luna pointed at the fake copies of us. "The changelings have risen and they've crossed one too many lines." She reached down and pulled me out of my hiding place.
"They've gone too far this time! I can forgive going mad and entering a rampage! It was justified! I can forgive! But converting children against their will! THIS HAS GONE FAR ENOUGH!!!"
Celestia recoiled in shock from the sight of me. I wasn't enjoying it any more than she was. I could smell Luna's bitterness and blunt rage, it tasted sour and I didn't like it at all.
Celestia shot a beam of light at the fake me and the fake Luna. They both revealed to be a changeling and a vile, disgusting monster. Full of holes and possessing a horrid twisted horn, a set of broken insect wings, and a pair of dark green eyes accompanied by a small black horn. "Hahahaa, Hahahahaahhaaa! Foals, you are already too late!" the Queen laughed maniacally.
I felt both terrified and attracted to the thing that now registered in my mind as my queen. I wanted to hide, I wanted to run, but I wanted to listen and I wasn't able to fight it. I took a shaky step forward and Luna pulled me back to her.
“Hahahaaaa! I believe the new drone has a few choices to make for himself. Won't you be a good mother and let him come back to me?" the Queen taunted Luna.
Voices echoed in my mind. Some of them were distant and hollow. Others were powerful and unbearably loud. They started as whispers, disjointed and messy. Over time they synchronized, radiating one clear message through my skull, “Changelings. Together. Listen to Queen!”
No. Stop it. I'm Nightsong! Stop taking me towards her you stupid legs! She is a monster and she hurt me! She is very beautiful. No stop it! I closed my eyes and covered my ears with a hoof so I didn't have to look at the Queen.
"Let's give him his voice back then, see what he wants," the Queen said.
The collar vanished from my neck and I tried to think about anything other than the Queen. "Momma help! I can't! I can't! I can't think!" I yelled desperately.
Luna ran to my side and stroked my back, I could taste love again. I knew if I gave in and ate her mind I would both kill her and become a monster. "It's okay, Nightsong. It's okay," she comforted me.
"Hahaha! When he gives in you won't lift a hoof to stop him! You couldn't hurt him even if you wanted to! Once he feeds on you he will be one of my children! He will consume your love for him until you shrivel up and die!" the Queen laughed.
"No! I'm not a monster!" I shouted as my skull tried to crush my brain. "I'm not like you!" I stammered. I'm so hungry. Well eating Momma isn't an option. Think about apples, you'll have a nice bowl of apples when this is over. I gave in and inhaled some of the love Luna was giving me. I came to a realization and my eyes snapped open as the pain subsided. I stood up and walked over to the Queen.
"No," Luna began to cry.
I stood in front of the Queen and looked her in the eyes. She looked confused and began to panic. "Why do you have your eyes? You're one of us!" she shouted.
I stomped a hoof on the ground in protest, "You thought the only way I could have eaten was by being a deceptive monster like you. At least the love I consume is meant for me. It's an honest kind of love. I don't need very much of it because it's so thick. You tried to make me a monster!" I grabbed one of the queen's hooves and bit it.
"Why you little," she growled and tried to slap me.
I was already clinging to her and I had climbed onto her back, "You think I'm one of your mindless little whelps." I bit the back of her neck and climbed out of the way of a hoof that almost swatted me. "I have news for you, I'm not going anywhere with you," I growled and bit down on her horn.
"Ow!" Chrysalis yelped and tried to swat me away.
"I'm smarter than that!" I shouted as I bit down on her back just above her tail. I kept my jaws clamped shut and refused to let go. My fangs dug into her skin and she started leaking green ichor into my mouth. It tasted sweet but I decided not to drink it.
"OW!" she yelled. She thrashed herself around in an attempt to shake me off of her. I kept my jaw clamped as tightly as I could and I started sucking on the wound. I drank up the slimy blood and she started bleeding faster. "Get off!" she shouted and threw me off. I landed on my side and stopped dragging across the floor next to the wall with windows.
"So that's what ichor tastes like," I wheezed as my head spun fast enough to turn a merry-go-round.
"You actually swallowed it?" Luna asked me.
"It tasted too sweet to resist," I said defensively.
The worker changeling that had imitated me earlier flew over to me. It pressed its mouth to mine and started sucking. I tried to push it back but it was stronger than me. I felt it pulling something out of me and I struggled against it.
"Leave it, if the ichor kills him then so be it," Chrysalis told the worker.
The worker responded by pulling away and hissing at her Queen. Something inside me told me what she meant, "Enough blood has been spilled already, tyrant. I won't let him die." She then resumed whatever she was doing to me. I got the idea that she was saving me from something so I sat down and allowed it. She sucked the ichor out of my stomach and spat it onto the floor. The liquid sizzled against the floor and smoke rose from it. She hissed at me, "Thank me later."
"Would that have killed me?" I hissed back to her. The worker nodded at me.
"Traitor!" Chrysalis spat at the worker.
The worker climbed off of me. She flew into the air and hissed at Chrysalis, "You have done terrible things to all of us, I am the first of many to say this. You are not my queen."
"What is it saying?" Celestia asked me.
"She's revolting against Chrysalis," I said.
"You will pay for saying that," Chrysalis shot a beam of green light at the worker.
I jumped up and flapped my wings. I grabbed the worker and forced her out of the beam's way. The beam cut off a portion of my tail as I left its sights but I ignored it. We landed next to the throne and tumbled over each other before we lost our momentum.
"Traitor, you would let your hive starve!" Chrysalis shouted at the worker.
"Say your prayers Chrysalis!" I flew over to the changeling queen.
She vanished in a puff of green smoke as her voice echoed through the room, "Ah we will have so much fun."
"Coward!" I shouted.
The worker flew over to my side and hissed at me, "She'll be back, trust me."
I sighed and set myself down on the ground, "Thank you, for saving me I mean."
"Don't, she's going to kill me for that," she hissed.
"Then you'll have to stay here, I suppose," I said.
If hisses can convey sarcasm this one was dripping with sarcasm, "As if that'll happen."
"I'm sure you can stay, you saved me, I owe you one," I said.
"Only because I hate Chrysalis," she hissed.
"That doesn't make the act any less admirable," I held her hoof and pulled her back down to the ground. "Come on, I'm hungry. Let's go get some apples," I said.
"You can't feed on normal food anymore," she shook her head as she hissed.
"Well my transformation didn't finish," I pointed out.
She hissed, "Where is all of this happiness coming from?"
"Probably me. Go on, I won't mind," I said.
It felt like something had poked me softly and then apologized. "Why is there so much of it?" she asked.
"Because you're the one causing it," I blushed.
"I guess I can stay," she sighed.
"Are you okay?" Luna rushed to my side and picked me up.
"Momma, I'm in the middle of a conversation," I muttered.
"Nightsong, stop hissing and talk to me," Luna said.
"Oh," I spoke, "I'm in the middle of a conversation."
"Okay, just make sure you're speaking aloud when you talk to me," Luna put me down.
"Okay Momma," I said. I looked back at the worker changeling and hissed, "Sorry, what was that?"
"My name. My name is Sweet Tooth," she hissed.
I smiled, "That's a very nice name."
To be continued...
