"Wuna! Wuna!" Little Duskrider leapt into Princess Luna, hugging her tightly. Luna giggled.

"Hello, Duskrider!" Duskrider pulled himself back and grinned. "My, how you've grown!"

"He's a hoof full, that's for sure." Sunflare smiled. She took a sip of her tea. "Dusk, go wash up, then you can visit."

"Ok!" The little colt dashed away to the washroom as Skylark stepped in and bowed to Luna.

"Morning, Princess." A sheen of sweat glimmered on his forehead and dust covered his face, making him look like a racoon.

"Sky... you've got something on your face..." Skylark brushed at the dirt.

"I know. I was trying to show him how to fly, and I smacked into a sand-dune."
Luna hid her smile behind her drink. Grumbling to himself, Skylark disappeared deeper into the house. A moment later, Duskrider tore into the living room, sitting anxiously next to his mother on the couch, near Luna.

"I hear you're going into school next year." Luna said.

"Mmhm!" Duskrider flapped his little wings in excitement. "I can't wait! It's gonna be so fun!"

"I'll bet! When I went to school, I had a blast!" Luna finished off her tea. "That reminds me!" She floated a small, cloth bag towards Duskrider. "This is for you!"

"Dusk, what do you say?" Sunflare said.

"Thank you Pwincess!" Duskrider looked inside and pulled out a multicoloured orb.

"They're sweets from Yakistan. Very tasty." Luna said. Duskrider popped it into his mouth.

"Mmm!" He exclaimed, then he held out the bag to Luna, who took one. Sunflare likewise had one, and Duskrider raced off to give one to Skylark.

"I remember when I was a filly, I wasn't allowed candy. It made me hyperactive." Luna said, her voice slightly distorted by the candy.

"Well, Dusk will give them out more than he'll eat them." Sunflare laughed. "We'll get the heat for his friends bouncing off the walls."
Luna smiled, then yawned.

"My apologies. I'd better get going. It was a long night last night." Luna stood, giving Sunflare a hug, then giving one to Skylark and Duskrider.

"Bye, Pwincess!" Duskrider said sadly as Luna rose into the air. "You'll come back, wight?"

"Of course, Duskrider. Always." And with that, the Princess of the Night took to the air and headed back to her bed.

Princess Twilight Sparkle was reading one of her favourite books as she waited for Spike to wake up. He'd been working extremely hard lately, so she decided to just let him sleep. It was a lazy Sunday, anyway. Twilight felt her stomach grumble, and she hopped up, deciding to grab something from the kitchen. She kept her nose stuck in her book the whole time. When she walked back, a crisp apple crunching between her teeth, she almost didn't notice the dark figure standing behind her throne.

"Hello?" She asked cautiously. Despite the fact that Starlight had seemingly been reformed, Twilight had had stricter defences placed on the castle doors.

"Hello." A shiver ran down Twilight's spine. The voice was cold, devoid of any emotion. She placed her book down.

"May I ask why you are in my castle?" She asked politely. Twilight didn't like to call it her castle, but she felt that she needed the intimidation.

"Your castle?" The hooded figure laughed, an eerie cackle that reverberated off the ceiling. "My poor, dear Twilight. This isn't your castle. Like everything else in Equestria, it belongs to me." Before Twilight could react, the figure blasted out a beam of magic. It smashed through Twilight's quick defence, and her world went white.

Spike snorted awake. Wiping at his eyes, he looked over at Twilight's throne.

"Twi-Twilight?" He said sleepily. He noticed her book sitting on the cutie map, but Twilight was nowhere to be seen. Then Spike saw the gigantic scorch mark on the floor. His eyes widened, and he ran as fast as his stubby little legs could take him out of the door. He was in such a panic, he didn't notice the hooded figure leaning against the wall, casually munching on the apple Twilight had dropped.

"One down, three to go." It whispered, then turned into black smoke and seeped through the tiny cracks in the walls.

Princess Celestia was worried. Twilight Sparkle had just disappeared without a trace. She had put her guards on high alert. Her sister was due back any minute, and Celestia wished she would hurry. She'd dispatched a message to Princess Cadence and Shining Armour, to make sure that their baby would be protected in case anything happened.

Celestia heard a light tapping on her door, and relaxed. Luna had returned. She turned towards the door and watched in horror as two Royal Guards were thrown through the doors and into the wall behind Celestia. Immediately, she stood, a snarl on her face as she regarded the hooded figure that stood between the destroyed doors. Without warning, Celestia fired a repulsion spell, and gasped in shock as the spell flickered and faded away before her eyes. The figure laughed.

"Celestia, Celestia, Celestia. Do you truly believe that you can defeat me? By yourself?"
Celestia gasped again as she felt herself grow weaker. It was as if her magic was being ripped from her very being.

"N-no!" She cried weakly. Her vision flickered, and she collapsed onto the floor. Her flowing mane had begun to slow.

"You're weak, Celestia. I expected more of a challenge." The figure sat down next to Celestia and sipped on the cup of tea that Celestia had been drinking. "Two down, two to go. Now, we wait for your sister."

Princess Luna couldn't believe her eyes. The doors to the Royal Meeting Hall was destroyed. Royal Guards lay motionless around it. Luna carefully made her way to into the hall. She let out a small gasp of shock when she saw her sister laying on the floor, her mane drained of all magic. Her eyes snapped up to look at the dark figure that was seated behind Celestia.

"Ah, here she is now." The figure placed the teacup down. "Princess Luna, it is a pleasure to final-" It rolled deftly to avoid a spell from Luna.

"Don't make me laugh, Luna! Your sister couldn't defeat me!" It's cackle was infuriating.

"I'm not like my sister." Luna growled, launching other spell. The figure dodged it as well.

"Yes, you're not. You have a - how do you say? - alter ego. Nightmare Moon, isn't it?"
Luna felt her eyes open slightly in surprise, and the familiar hatred rose in herself as she remembered what she had become.

"She's gone. Forever." Luna spat.

"Are you sure, my dear? Because I know. No matter how far you lock it away, no matter how deep you bury it, it's... still... there!"
Luna felt her magic falter, and she fell to her knees. A shimmering black shroud began to surround her.

"No... No! NO!" Luna screamed as she once again heard the voice inside her head, the one that haunted her dreams. "GO AWAY! GO AWAY!"
The figure moved closer, slowly drawing his hoof over Luna's chin.

"It's time, my lady."
The shroud closed entirely over Luna. Finally, Luna gave up, and felt herself get locked away inside her mind as another being took control of her body.

Nighmare Moon's eyes opened slowly, and she drew in a breath.

"Yessss." She hissed. "I have returned."

"Nightmare Moon... Welcome back." The figure bowed. "I trust you are well."

"I am." Nightmare looked at the figure. "Who are you?"

"Me?" The figure laughed again. "I'm the one that defeated your sister." He stepped back, letting Nightmare Moon look upon Celestia, still on the floor, but now looking up in horror at Nightmare.

"Oh?" Nightmare smiled, the grin stretched tight over her fangs. She knelt next to Celestia, who recoiled in terror. "Hello again, sister" Her voice dripped venom.

"N...n...no... please..." Celestia whimpered.

"Do you know what time it is?" Nightmare whispered. "It's time for you to go baaack!" Laughing, Nightmare Moon's horn began to glow as she prepared to banish her sister to the moon.
Suddenly, a green beam of magic struck Nightmare and sent her sprawling.

"What?" The figure turned to see none other than Queen Chrysalis and a swarm of changelings stream through the open doors and start attacking. Changeling minions covered Nightmare Moon and the figure as others dragged Celestia out of the room. With a burst of magic, changelings were thrown everywhere. Clear for a moment, the figure and Nightmare turned to Queen Chrysalis, but she had already taken to the air, Celestia beside her. being supported by multiple changelings. With a yell of frustration, the figure blasted the remaining changelings into dust. It took a moment to compose itself, then turned back to Nightmare Moon.

"I think it is time for the night, my dear."

"As do I." With a triumphant cry, the moon eclipsed the sun, and Equestria went dark.

"This is bad." Shining Armour said. He looked worriedly at his wife, Princess Cadence. "The sun's gone out."

"Oh no." Cadence gasped, and held their child close to her chest. The two stood on the balcony of their castle, looking out over the snowy tundra of the Crystal Empire. A chill ran down Shining's back. A black cloud had appeared at the edge of Shining's vision. He turned, and saw what he prayed he would never see again.

King Sombra rose from the cloud atop a black crystal spire. He threw back his head and laughed, the chilling sound echoing around city. Sombra looked directly at Shining and Cadence and licked his lips.

"Finally... my throne returned to me..."

"H...how?" Shining whispered. The last anypony'd saw of Sombra was him being blasted into thousands of pieces.

"Honey..." Cadence held out Flurry Heart, and Shining took her in his forelegs. "Go. Just in case."

"But..."

"No. No buts. Just in case I can't fend him off. He must not get to Flurry." Cadence's face was stoic. Shining gave her a quick kiss, then started running, baby Flurry strapped to his back.

Cadence took to the air, flying up high before blasting a powerful beam of magic at Sombra. Then she faltered. Her spell flickered and died, and she felt her wings grow heavy. With a yelp, she slammed into the ground and lay still. Sombra used his black crystals to pick up and move Cadence over to him. He poked her prone form. She didn't stir.

"We did it." Sombra's voice betrayed the suprise her felt.

"Yes we did." A hooded figure stood beside Sombra. "That's four."

"What are you talking about?" Sombra asked.

"Nothing, nothing." The figure smiled under it's hood. "Now, all we do is wait."

Five years later:

Duskrider blinked awake. He looked bleakly at the night sky. It was always night now.
He rolled out of bed and walked, yawning, to the kitchen. He pulled out a breakfast ration and sat. Munching on his tasteless apple in the dark, he jumped in surprise at the light tapping on his door. Suspiciously, he opened the door. A unicorn stared back at him, then shoved his way inside.

"Hay, what are yo-" Duskrider was cut off when the unicorn shoved the apple into his mouth.

"Don't talk. Just nod your head if you understand. Got it?" The unicorn hissed. Dusk nodded.

"Good. Are you the pegasus known as Duskrider?" Again, Dusk nodded. The unicorn visibly relaxed.

"Thank Celestia. Our intel was right. Listen, I've come to get you out of here."

Dusk made a questioning sound. The unicorn sighed.

"I'm part of the Resistance. We're trying to get rid of Nightmare Moon so we can bring Princess Luna back." The unicorn pulled the apple out of Duskrider's mouth. "If you've got any questions, say 'em quietly and quickly. We don't have much time."

"Why me?"

"Celestia herself gave the orders.All I was instructed to do was to get you out of here, but not why." The unicorn looked outside and cursed quietly. "Buck! We gotta move!" Before the unicorn could shove Duskrider towards the door, he grabbed a sword and sheath. The unicorn froze.

"For protection." Dusk grinned. "Just in case."
The unicorn said nothing, and he bolted outside. Duskrider followed, his sword clenched between his teeth. What in Equestria would Celestia want from him?
The pair galloped to the wall.

"Get over the wall. There'll be others waiting! Go!" The unicorn hissed. Dusk stretched out his wings, and zipped to the top. He hesitated slightly, looking back at the town of Harmony.

"What are you waiting for?" The unicorn finished climbing the side.
"Move it!"

"But... my parents..."

"They were taken, weren't they?" Dusk nodded sadly. "Even if you found them, they've been reconditioned. They wouldn't even recognize you. Nothing you can do about it. Now, move it!"
Several beams of light erupted out of the darkness and illuminated both Dusk and the unicorn.

"Buck!" The unicorn shoved Dusk over the side of the wall. Duskrider quickly regained his balance midair, and landed lightly on the sand. Another unicorn appeared next to him.

"Where is h-" Her whisper was cut off by a strangled cry up on top of the wall. Dusk saw the unicorn rear back and fall, landing hard. A crossbow bolt stuck out of his side.

"Buck!" She hissed, leaving Duskrider and running to her fallen comrade.

"Dusk, get moving! Before the-" A flurry of crossbow bolt slammed the ground around the two unicorns. The female slumped over. Numerous bolts stuck out of both. Dusk stopped and stared at the two.

Movement caught his eye at the top of the wall, and he looked up to see his father and mother, crossbows strapped to their bodies, looking down at the prone pair. Something in Dusk told him to go, go far and fast.
He ran. His wings tucked tightly to his sides, he zigzagged across the desert, his breathing hampered by his sword. Every second, he waited to feel the searing pain of a bolt in his back, but it never came. He just kept running through the desert night. Finally, he collapsed from sheer exhaustion and retched. The sight of the two unicorns was almost too horrible for him to comprehend.

'Why did the guards just... do that?' He thought, as the contents of his stomach were soaked into the sand. He couldn't - wouldn't! - believe that his mother and father would do something like that in cold blood. He knew how bad Nightmare Moon was, but his parents?
Completely worn out, Duskrider's world went black.

Author's Note

Sequels are fun, aren't they?