Eternal, Nightfall

After having been hurt by her mother’s uncaring attitude—and the total lack of love thereof—Nightfall did what she was told to do: run. So she ran and she didn’t stop running until she found herself deep in the Everfree Forest. It was here that Nightfall stumbled over her own hooves and tumbled across the dirt until she skidded to a halt by crashing into a log.

Nightfall laid there, tired and devoid of energy to move. She felt her stomach twisting itself into knots again, causing her intense pain. She wanted to cry but instead, she simply groaned in pain and sobbed afterward.

“Why don’t you love me?” Nightfall whimpered and laid on her side, staring off into the dark, foggy distance in front of her.

Are you happy now, Nightfall? The voice inside her head spoke to her. You got your answer. You were a mistake all along.

“Momma, what did I do to make you hate me so?” she asked herself without a care in the world that she could hear rustling in the nearby bushes.

Through the bushes, a pair of blue eyes stared at the log. They were fixated on the horn they saw. And by its short stature, they could tell their target was young, either a filly or colt. Thoughts ran through their head on what they should do, but then they heard sobbing and they stopped thinking such cruel thoughts. By the octave of the sobs, Nightfall’s voyeur could tell the unicorn was a filly and she was crying.

As quietly as she could, the pony stepped out of her hiding place and approached the log with caution. Although she was just a filly, she was still a unicorn and from prior experience, this pony knew that even unicorn fillies could be surprising and potentially dangerous. So she snuck up on the filly, stopping every so often to gauge if she’d been heard or not, before continuing. It was when she made it to the log that she readied the makeshift spear above her head and leaned over top of the downed tree.

But before striking, she gasped when Nightfall came into full view and saw that she was not just a filly or a unicorn, but rather she had wings too. The filly was an alicorn! But that was impossible; and yet, before this predator’s eyes, she was very much possible.

“I want my Daddy,” Nightfall whined as her stalker listened quietly.

The filly kept repeating herself over and over again and her stalker got the gist of it now. The filly wanted her father, her mother didn’t love her, and she was starving and tired and cold. She felt her heart stop at how much pain the filly was in, both physically and mentally.

This poor filly is lost, she thought to herself as she looked down at Nightfall. Lowering her spear she quietly set it down on the ground then slowly walked around the log and reached into her rucksack.

“Excuse me,” she spoke and Nightfall jumped to her hooves, her teal eyes meeting the newcomer’s ocean blues.

Nightfall backed away with a look of terror on her face at the cream-colored mare whose poofy blue and pink hair was adorned with sticks and leaves.

“It’s okay, little filly. I’m not here to hurt you. My name is Bonbon.” the mare greeted Nightfall, setting down the muffin she held in her hoof, “Here. Eat up. You need it,” she told Nightfall.

Nightfall stared at Bonbon for a minute, then eyed the muffin hungrily, but hesitation had ahold of her and she did not move as she was afraid this was nothing but a trick to get her closer to the earth pony who could easily overpower her. But soon her hesitation diminished when her belly grumbled and demanded food. She lunged for the muffin and took hold of it, chowing down on it like a ravenous timberwolf. Bonbon jumped back during the filly’s lunge because she didn’t know if Nightfall was going to attack her, or the food she offered up as an olive branch.

Nightfall finished the treat then coughed and plopped down. She didn’t realize just how hungry she actually was until the tasty meal had touched her tongue and hit her empty belly. Bonbon soon pulled out a flask of water and approached Nightfall before popping the cap off and holding it out to her. The filly looked up at Bonbon weakly before reaching up for it only for her hoof to fall short and hit the grass.

“You poor thing,” Bonbon commented and got closer to her before sitting back on her haunches and cradling Nightfall’s head against her lap, helping her drink from it. “You’re dehydrated and starving,” she remarked after Nightfall had emptied the flask and coughed again from having drunk too fast.

“Thank you,” Nightfall whispered, her eyes growing heavy shortly after.

Bonbon smiled at the sleepy filly, but it was not a happy one as she stared down at Nightfall, lost in thought as to who this alicorn was and why she was all alone out in the Everfree. Seeing that Nightfall had fallen asleep rather quickly, Bonbon lifted her up onto her back and trotted off back in the direction she had come from.

~==~==~==~==~

Nightfall’s eyes fluttered open, and she brought her hooves up to cover her face once the bright light hit her. She groaned and closed her eyes before she rolled over and pulled the blanket over her head.

Wait, a blanket? Since when did she have a blanket to cover up with? She jolted upright and looked around her environment with renewed fear. She was in a room whose walls were a sky blue and adorned with clouds, trees, and animals decals.

“Where am I?” she muttered, then looked down at the plain yellow blanket she had draped over her lap. “A room? But when?”

Nightfall gulped hard as the terror struck further and she began to hyperventilate. Then she heard the creaking of a door opening and her head snapped in its direction instantly.

“I just wanna see, alright, Bons?” Lyra pushed open the door and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Nightfall was wide awake and having a difficult time breathing. “Bons, she’s awake! Get in here. Now!” Lyra screamed in urgency as she ran into the room just before Bonbon came barreling into the room.

“Nightfall?” Bonbon called out to the frightened filly.

Nightfall didn’t respond. All she could do was hyperventilate more until she broke down into loud sobs. Bonbon raced over to her and took hold of her, pushing Nightfall against her barrel and whispering softly to the filly.

“It’s okay, Nightfall. You’re okay,” Bonbon told Nightfall and stroked her hoof through the child’s mane, secretly admiring how the way the colors of lilac and black compliment each other.

Like the crying foal she was, Nightfall buried herself deeply into Bonbon’s chest and cried. Lyra watched the scene with a warm smile before she left the two alone, closing the door behind her before she headed to the kitchen to get breakfast made for them.

Alone now with Nightfall, Bonbon let her cry as much as she needed without a word and just sat there comforting her. She had thought everypony in Equis had a hard time over the past few years since Nightmare Moon had taken over, but to see Nightfall crying like she was and what she had heard the filly say in the Everfree, Bonbon now knew that maybe she has had the hardest time of them all.

“Where are we?” Nightfall mumbled in between her sobs to Bonbon.

“Ponyville, Nightfall. At a friend’s cottage,” Bonbon answered her, looking right back at the filly who was now looking up at her.

“When?”

“A few hours ago. After you mauled that muffin and inhaled my water you fell right asleep. So I brought you somewhere safe, and cozy.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Nightfall then relaxed against Bonbon and said to her next, “I need to go to my Daddy.”

“You’ve said that a few times now, Nightfall. Where is your father anyway?”

“Far away.”

Bonbon just stared right back at Nightfall for a moment while she processed things, then her brain slapped her and showed her the worry on the filly’s face. “What were you doing out in the Everfree?”

Nightfall froze for a second at Bonbon’s inquiry but then quickly came up with a response. “I was out visiting some friends. We were playing hide and seek and thought the forest would be the best place to play the game.”

Bonbon’s brow raised and she looked smugly at Nightfall. She had to give the filly points for trying to fool her, sure, but they both knew that was a white lie. Now the only question Bonbon had on her mind was why Nightfall just tried to lie to her. She supposed that with all the trauma the filly had gone through in only a matter of hours she would leave it be for now. Maybe she’d get lucky and earn the alicorn’s trust to be let in on her “secret” someday.

“Are your friends still out there?” Bonbon asked Nightfall.

Just then the door flew open and three fillies pounced inside, scaring both Bonbon and Nightfall that they nearly fell off the side of the bed.

“There she is! Lyra wasn’t kidding!”

“Aw shucks. Now we have a new friend!”

Nightfall instantly began to shake against Bonbon and hid from view which made Bonbon sigh and close her eyes, rolling them before looking at the three excited fillies.

“You three scared her. Apologize,” she said to the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“Scared her? Oops.” Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all blushed and lowered their heads. “We’re sorry,” they apologized.

Nightfall cautiously turned her head and peered at the three with one eye, sniffling before Bonbon smiled at her and nodded; giving her approval that they were alright.

“Hello,” Nightfall stuttered back.

The CMC looked back up with new smiles then walked over to the bed and sat on their haunches. Nightfall slowly slipped out of Bonbon's hold and sat at the edge of the bed. The Cutie Mark Crusaders soon introduced themselves and Nightfall returned the gesture. The five of them then heard Lyra calling up to them that breakfast was ready and as if Nightfall and her new acquaintances had been friends for awhile, they bounded out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen before Bonbon could even close the door before heading that way herself.

Fillies are something else. But Nightfall...she’s an enigma, Bonbon thought to herself.

When Bonbon entered the kitchen she saw Nightfall and the CMC chatting and mowing down on their meal while Lyra waited at the table for her to join. She’d no more than sat down when the front door opened and two voices called out.

“We’re back!”

Bonbon knew those voices and smiled. “Welcome back, Twilight, Spike.”

Nightfall looked over to the entrance to the kitchen and saw a tiny purple dragon walk in accompanied by an alicorn. She stared blankly at Twilight Sparkle even when the older alicorn glanced right back at her with the same expression.

There was now an awkward silence in the kitchen as the two stared the other down and time seemed to slow down until finally, Spike noticed Nightfall as well. It was at that very moment that the three of them pointed at each other.

“You’re an alicorn!” Twilight and Nightfall both squealed.

“Okay then.” Lyra stood up, cleared her plate, and walked between the two statuette ponies to the kitchen sink.

Bonbon sighed and brought her hoof up to her head. She was starting to worry about Nightfall’s sanity at this point. First, the filly is starved to death and exhausted, then she passed out only to wake up and get frightened by Lyra; then thrice more by the obnoxious entrance by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and now Twilight and Spike. If Nightfall didn’t have a heart attack at her young age then Bonbon could say she herself wasn’t a real pony.

“Crusaders, take Nightfall upstairs, please. We mares have to discuss some things,” Bonbon spoke to Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo.

“Okey dokey!” Applebloom was the first to jump up and lead the way. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed with Nightfall in tow between them.

Twilight shook her head vigorously then looked at both Bonbon and Lyra, still awe-stricken by seeing another alicorn in person. Once the three heard the scampering of four fillies up the flight of stairs, then a door slamming shut seconds after, they all let out a bated breath.

“Is this real?” Twilight asked Bonbon.

“As real as Spike,” Lyra chimed in immediately.

“Where did you find her?” Spike questioned.

Bonbon sighed and shook her head. “I found her in the Everfree while I was out looking for signs of Zecora.”

“What’s a filly like her doing out in the Everfree? It’s more dangerous than ever since Nightmare Moon shrouded Equestria in eternal darkness,” Spike spoke out scratching the side of his face.

“She was playing hide and seek with some of her friends and they thought the forest would make it more fun,” Bonbon answered back without hesitation.

Twilight sat down at the table with Bonbon and Lyra while Spike opened the fridge. Both Twilight and Bonbon looked each other in the eye.

“She was in the Everfree with her friends? Then where are they?” the Princess of Friendship asked the confectionary artist.

“I’m assuming they are still out there, Twilight. When I found Nightfall she was alone slumped up against a log. She was so dehydrated and starved that she passed out on me,” Bonbon told her.

“Wait, if they’re still out there then why hasn’t anypony gone out to look for them?”

“I did, Twilight. I found no tracks to indicate there were any other ponies out there,” Bonbon explained. “I’m going back out shortly to see if maybe something’s changed.”

“Well if that is the case then maybe I’d better talk to her,” Twilight said, and stood up. “Maybe I can get her to tell me who they are at least.”

Bonbon warned Twilight as she trotted away, “Be careful, Twilight. She gets anxious around strangers.”

Twilight stopped and looked back at Bonbon. “I’m the Princess of Friendship, remember? I’ve got this.”

Upstairs in the bedroom, the CMC and Nightfall were giggling as she listened to them tell her some of their adventures when they were searching for their Cutie Marks, when a knock came to the door as Twilight stepped inside.

Twilight waved to Nightfall. “Hello. I’m Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.”

Nightfall, who stopped listening to the three fillies beside her when Twilight spoke, stared at the alicorn absentmindedly. Twilight got the feeling that she had shocked the filly and sighed.

“Girls, could you give me and Nightfall a moment please?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders huffed and rolled their eyes then escorted themselves out of the room, with Applebloom being the only one to say something about it. “Why can’t we have time to talk to her?”

After she shook her head and put on a smile, Twilight closed the door then walked closer to Nightfall just so the two of them could sit and talk comfortably. However, that would not be the case because as soon as Twilight took one hoof forward, Nightfall screeched and flared her wings then jumped up to the ceiling.

Twilight herself jumped back out of shock at the filly’s aggravated response, then she face-hoofed herself and heard Bonbon’s warning screaming at her.

You’re the Princess of Friendship, remember? Ugh! Twilight yelled at herself inwardly then looked up at the scared filly who had her back against the ceiling. “Nightfall, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just going to sit down so we could talk, that’s all.”

Nightfall glued her teal eyes onto Twilight and made not a peep. But after she heard the apology and saw in the mare’s composure that she was apologetic, the filly gulped and slowly descended until her hooves met the hardwood floor.

“O...okay,” Nightfall stuttered and shook in place as she tried to relax.

Twilight walked over to the bed and sat on her haunches, patting the bed for Nightfall. “Why don’t you sit up here and we can talk?”

Nightfall nodded her head slowly, hesitantly; then lifted herself up onto the bed, staying as far away from Twilight as she possibly could. For her, Twilight was now a visage of terror and Nightfall felt that if she was too close to the alicorn that she would be consumed by monsters like in the stories she had heard about through her mother’s assistant, Rarity.

Seeing that she wasn’t going to get that closeness she wanted with Nightfall, Twilight accepted it and told herself that she had been warned, for starters and two, Nightfall was just a filly; scared, alone, and helpless. The poor thing was found in the Everfree, passed out, then woke up in a bedroom for Celestia’s sake! Even the Princess of Friendship couldn’t fault Nightfall for being so afraid of strangers after all the crap she’d been through.

“So let’s start again,” Twilight said then put on her best smile and held out her hoof. “Hello. I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m an alicorn and the Princess of Friendship.”

Nightfall gave Twilight credit since she was trying to make amends, or was it friends, with her? Whichever it was, Nightfall gulped again, still hesitant to move even an inch, but she did clear her throat.

“Hello, Twilight. I’m Nightfall, an alicorn too,” she finally spoke in response.

Twilight’s smile seemed to glow now when Nightfall introduced herself, even if she didn’t trust Twilight yet. She was just glad to see the two had broken the ice and could start on the track to trusting the other.

Twilight began to run through her checklist in her head as for where to go next with conversation. She checked off introductions, which included—but was not entirely limited to—giving your name first, tell your acquaintance a little about yourself, and be sure to smile and show them that you genuinely wanted to have a meaningful conversation!

She felt that those had been done so now it was time to move forward. She brought her hoof down and kept her focus on Nightfall. “I’m from Canterlot but then I moved to Ponyville, where I live now. Where are you from, Nightfall?”

“Far away,” Nightfall answered curtly.

“Where’s “far away”?” Twilight asked her.

“Far away,” Nightfall answered back.

“Is it a city? A village? A small town?”

Nightfall was beginning to feel irritated at Twilight asking her a second time to speak of where she was from, “It’s far away, okay? Please stop asking.”

Twilight must have gotten the hint after Nightfall spoke back to her because the mare lowered her head and blushed with embarrassment, then quickly apologized to her.

“Well, how many of your friends were you with while you were playing hide and seek in the forest, Nightfall?”

“Three.”

Wow. Twilight took Nightfall’s hint and backed off a bit. “Well, Bonbon’s going out to look for them soon, so is there anything you can tell me to help her find them?”

“I’m feeling a little tired. Can I just take a nap?” she asked Twilight and faked her eyes getting too heavy to keep open.

“Uh, sure, yeah. I’ll uh, I’ll just go then.”

Twilight quickly excused herself and left Nightfall alone, and she couldn’t have been happier. Nightfall soon curled herself up under the covers and closed her eyes.

“It can’t be,” she whispered to herself. “It just can’t be.”