A student of her own

Ivory Wand dashed around the halls of the Canterlot Palace. Her face was bright red now and her legs ached as she tried her hardest to calm her racing heart. Had she really just seen what she thought she had seen? She questioned herself madly; in all truth, she wasn't completely sure herself. If she was right, then she had just seen the dark King talking with her mother, and if she wasn't, had she just been dreaming? Or worse, had she just imagined the whole thing? The light blue unicorn came to a sudden and abrupt halt just as a trio of Royal unicorn guards began walking towards her. She caught her breath just as she remembered she was still wearing The Phantasia pendant. Feeling almost instant relief, the young unicorn silently stayed close to the side of the wall as the trio passed her.

Breathing out quietly, Ivory continued on her undecided path; she had never been to this part of the Canterlot Palace and noticed that it was far grander than where she usually was. She paused as she came to one of the numerous balconies in the Canterlot Palace and smiled as she met a cool breeze from the night air. She had never been allowed out onto the balconies when she 'lived' in the palace; she was much more of a servant really than a 'guest'. Clearing her throat and wiping the sweat from her forehead, the light blue unicorn wandered out onto the balcony. She realized extremely quickly that the balcony was really much more like a bridge. She smiled as she stood on her hind legs and looked down below to where a small pond lay. It glimmered in the moonlight like it had hundred shimmery fish in its water.

Suddenly, a bright flash of white light appeared behind Ivory. She gasped as she turned around, still standing on her hind legs, using the sides of the bridge to steady herself. The light disappeared quickly and changed into the shape of a beautiful dark blue alicorn, Princess Luna. Ivory raced to the floor, doing the same respectful bow she would do if it was the Sun Queen. The dark blue alicorn sighed and used her hoof to make the unicorn look at her.

"Why do you do that?" The alicorn mare asked calmly, "There is no need to bow, for only I can see you and only you can see me."

"W-what do you mean, Princess?" Ivory asked, looking up into the mare’s beautiful eyes.

"The pendant around your neck hides you from the light and the sun, but you can be seen in the dark, and I, as Princess of the Night can see you, Ivory" Luna explained. "I am where the shadows go to hide when my Sister's light comes and everything that lives in shadows lives in me" she smiled.

"I ..." Ivory trailed off. "What are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

Luna stepped forward and sighed slightly. "I sensed that a foal of my night was in trouble. You are still very much a foal, and so I can still sense you. Yes, the connection is weak, but I can still hear you. Tell me Ivory, what is it that worries you so?" the alicorn asked.

"Are you going to tell the Sun Queen?" Ivory asked, worry written on her face.

"I will not tell my Sister, I promise," pledged Luna, "So, what has led me to you?"

Ivory looked down to the floor of the bridge and sighed. "I ... I can't be sure if I saw what I think I saw" she admitted. The dark blue mare bobbed her head, signalling Ivory to continue. "Well, I - I think I saw my ma talking to the dark King ... King Sombra" Ivory stated as she rose to a stand.

"King Sombra?" Luna repeated back with a small chuckle. "My dear foal, he has been sealed away in the Shadow Realm for nearly eight years now, perhaps more" she stated confidently. "And, as we all know, only a pony who fully, and wholeheartedly accepts the consequences of what they have done can be set free from such a place" Luna explained with a small smile on her face.

Ivory shrugged and twisted her lip into a wiggly line. "Well, you see Princess, I don't know if I even truly saw him" she admitted, "He came out of a sort of sceptre thing that was hidden under my mother's bed. He said some really weird things."

"What sort of ‘weird things’?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head.

Ivory nodded as she continued. "He said something about his resurrection and his army" Ivory paused, looking up at the dark mare. "And how there were going to be more members in his army soon, that would be willing to die for him ... and a few other things" Ivory said.

"Did he say anything else?" Luna closed her eyes, deep in thought, "What you have heard could be very important Ivory, so is important you tell me everything."

"My ma said something about your old home, your Highness ..." Ivory trailed off as the dark mare's eyes widened.

"I was afraid something like this would happen" Luna sighed as she looked down defeated. "Ivory, did he say anything that had to do with using the untouched magic there?" Luna asked, closing her wings.

Ivory simply nodded and tilted her head to the side. "He ... he did, your Highness" Ivory sighed.

Luna breathed out of her nose and closed her eyes. "Thank you, Ivory ... it is important you come with me now. Did Sombra or your mother see you?" Luna asked as she motioned for Ivory to follow her.

"My ma did" Ivory answered.

"The dark King didn't?" Luna asked surprised. "He must not be at his full strength yet. If he was, he would have been able to see you. He is a being of darkness, like myself" the Princess theorized. "Come quickly Ivory, I need your help to find your mother ... if what I think is going to happen will happen, we need to find her, and quickly ..." Luna said as she and Ivory trotted over the bridge and crossed to the other side.

. . .

It was close to midnight now. It had taken forever for Lord Fancy Pants and Crown Prince Zephyr to get their daughters under control. The two stallions eyed each other as the two young mares, Lady Royal Blue Fancy-Belle and Princess Skylar tried to reason with their fathers again. Fancy sighed and cleaned his monocle. "Ro, darling, we still don't understand what you are talking about" Fancy sighed as he finished cleaning his monocle.

"We've already told you!" Royal stated, her voice pleading and desperate.

"We have!" Skylar chimed in, stepping forward, shadowing the white unicorn mare.

Zephyr shook his head. "Skylar, what your saying doesn't make any sense ... please, try to explain it to us again" the pegasus begged as his daughter groaned. "We really can't understand you two" he added as he stroked his temples.

"We think Wanda's in trouble" Royal spoke up, pushing Skylar to her side, hoping the alicorn would stay quiet while she told the story. "Before Sky left home, she went to ask Wanda if she wanted to come along to Canterlot, to meet me, I think. When she knocked on the door, there was no answer, and, well, now that the Crown Princess has gone back to Ponyville, we think something might have happened to her" Royal tried to explain, her hooves flying all around the place.

"Do you mean to tell me, you dragged the both of us out here on a hunch?" Fancy questioned, his voice irritated and annoyed; the two had come to him screaming and shouting just as he was about to give a speech.

"Yes!" Skylar yelled, immediately regretting doing so as Fancy frowned and shook his head.

"Ro, I really expected more from you than following a rumour blindly like this" Fancy hissed at his daughter.

"But -"

Fancy trotted forward, veins popping out on his forehead. "- That's more than enough from you, young lady" Fancy said as Royal felt tears form in her eyes.

She lowered her head. "You never listen to me!" Royal suddenly screamed, scaring the three others half to death. It wasn't like her to scream or even raise her voice over an 'appropriate' volume.

"Royal" Fancy hissed as the white mare screamed and ran off, pushing past Skylar.

"Ro, wait -"

"- Don't think you're going with her!" ordered Zephyr as he stood in front of the light purple alicorn Princess.

"But ..." Skylar sighed and closed her eyes.

"Come now, let's go home" he said calmly as Fancy trotted after his daughter. "Fancy, I'm going to take Sky back to The Manor" the Crown Prince called out as the stallion nodded and hummed in response.

"Err, excuse me, your Highness." Zephyr and Skylar turned around to see a young unicorn guard standing behind them, embarrassment suddenly written all over both of their faces. "I have a letter from The Crown Princess Twilight Soleil" he said as he levitated the letter over to Zephyr, who seized it and ripped it open quickly.

"Dear Zephyr and Sky ... Wanda is ... gone?" the blue pegasus questioned.

"Read on, read on!" Skylar demanded, fearful of what may have happened.

"Queen Celestia was at our home when I arrived" he read out aloud, "She told me Wanda had gone missing. I fear she may have something to do with this as she has never 'enjoyed' Wanda's presence. Tomorrow I will come back to Canterlot to regroup and try to find out where Wanda’s gone ..." Zephyr paused and looked to his daughter. "Sky, I ... I think we may owe you and Royal an apology" he said.

. . .

Crown Princess Twilight paced back and forth, nervously awaiting a reply from her husband and her daughter. She had managed to get her mane under control, for the most part. Strands of mane at the back of her head were still very much standing on edge, but Twilight thought, at least now she looked 'presentable' and no longer like she just did a nose-dive into a bird’s nest and then into a pigpen. The alicorn flinched as she heard a door behind her open. She smiled as she saw the familiar white mare walk towards her.

"Rarity!" Twilight smiled as she embraced the white unicorn.

Rarity ended the embrace and looked at Twilight, who was now the same height, perhaps even taller than her. Rarity had been the third tallest of the group when Twilight was still a unicorn, but now the Crown Princess towered over all the other ponies in the group including Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

"What are you doing in Ponyville?" Twilight asked, confused by the unicorn's sudden and unexpected appearance.

"Well, darling," Rarity spoke, "Fancy asked me to go and check on you. Zephyr explained to me what had happened to your poor student; her name was "Wanda", right?" Twilight nodded quickly. "Well, Ro and Sky have come up with this 'theory' that something has happened to the poor mare. Are they right about this, Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"They are right" the alicorn said bluntly, "She's gone, she isn't here."

"Well, come along now!" Rarity cheered, pushing Twilight along.

"Wait, where are we going?" Twilight questioned as she stopped the unicorn.

"To Canterlot, so we can hopefully make a plan to find Wanda" the white alicorn explained.

"But, what if she's somewhere out here?" Twilight reasoned. "I was just about to go to Canterlot myself, but now I'm not so sure I should go ... what if she comes back to find nopony here?" Twilight said. "She doesn't know Ponyville that well" she added.

"Twilight, if you found yourself in an unfamiliar land, what would you want most in the world?" her friend asked. Twilight shrugged. "Wouldn't you want to go home?" Rarity smiled as the alicorn's eyes widened.

"OF COURSE!" Twilight shouted, her voice the sound of thunder, making the unicorn cover her ears with her hooves. "How could I not have thought of this?" Twilight asked herself.

"I haven't the slightest clue!" Rarity joked as she led Twilight out onto a platform where a chariot stood waiting.